Scott Lively: I Support Uganda's Life Imprisonment Plan For Homosexuals

Hate group leader Scott Lively is super-pleased that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has celebrated the 50th anniversary of independence from Britain by publicly repenting of his sins and the sins of his nation. Lively also "supports the nation’s strong stance against homosexual behavior" via its pending plan to inflict life imprisonment upon LGBT people and our allies. Via World Net Daily:

“The Museveni prayer is a model for all Christian leaders in the world. The leaders of the West have declined in proportion to their degree of rejection of God,” Lively said. Lively also believes Uganda will rise as a major African power as America continues to decline. He uses Britain as an example. “Britain was at its height as a world power when it honored God as the Ugandan president has just done. America’s greatness has similarly diminished as we have shifted from a Christian to a secular-humanist country. But watch now for Uganda to be blessed by God for their desire to be His,” Lively said. Lively added that Museveni is definitely drawing a contrast between Uganda and the West. “This incident is also important as a contrast to the picture being painted of Uganda by the godless left of a backwards, violent and savage culture intent on murdering homosexuals,” Lively said. “On the contrary, Museveni is calmly and confidently setting the course of his nation by the guidance of the Bible, in a way that also shows great courage and resolve,” Lively said.

The WND article links to yesterday's BBC claim that the death penalty has been removed from Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act. But as I noted yesterday, Ugandan politicians have repeatedly lied about the removal of the death sentence from the bill. WND, of course, makes no mention that Lively is being sued for crimes against humanity by Sexual Minorities of Uganda, who say that he encouraged the murders of local LGBT activists through his "missionary work" there. And as we'd expect, WND makes no mention that the allegedly amended bill still calls for life in prison.

NOM Warns: There Are GAYS In Dorms

(Via Good As You)

Boeing: No Pension Survivor Benefits For Washington State Gay Couples?

A union negotiator tells Seattle's Stranger that Washington-based Boeing does not intend to extend pension survivor benefits to the husbands and wives of married gay employees.

Representing 23,000 Boeing engineers and technical workers, Ray Goforth is executive director of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA), IFPTE Local 2001. He was sitting at the negotiation table today—as part of ongoing talks over retirement benefits—and says the company's position "says to employees that they can be discriminated against based on who they are." Goforth explains that his union has long sought equal pension benefits for same-sex domestic partners, to no avail. But since voters approved same sex marriage—establishing parity with married straight couples—Goforth re-framed the proposal to apply to his union's gay Boeing employees who wed. "Their answer was that they had no intention of granting pension survivor benefits to legally married same-sex couples because they didn't have to," Goforth explains. Boeing representatives told him that pensions are governed by federal law, which doesn't recognize same-sex marriage, thereby trumping the state law on the matter. "We were profoundly disappointed to see that they would use a loophole to engage in institutionalized discrimination," Goforth says.

Stranger writer Dominic Holden adds that Boeing may be "performing some damage control" and they say that they will "take a closer look" at their policies after same-sex marriage goes into effect next month.

Morning View - Microsoft Times Square

Microsoft's pop-up store in Times Square opened in late October to launch the Surface tablet.  Planet Hollywood occupied that corner for years but closed in June in order to split the space between a smaller version of itself and the Orlando-based Buca di Beppo, which next spring will join Applebee's, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Ruby Tuesday, Chevys, TGI Friday's, and other uniquely New York joints in Times Square.  The temporary Microsoft store looked jammed and we didn't bother to cross the street for a look.

Headline Of The Day

Via the tabloid Daily Mail:

The full extent of the revolt among Tory MPs over plans to allow gay marriage was revealed last night. In all, 118 Conservatives out of 303 have written to constituents indicating their unease. If they all vote against, it would be the biggest Tory rebellion in modern times. Among the 118 is gay MP Conor Burns. He said he ‘marvels’ at why David Cameron is prioritising same-sex marriage when there is no ‘clamour’ for it in the gay community. Backbencher Douglas Carswell, another of those who will vote against, said: ‘I think you’ve got to have your head stuck in the Westminster bubble to think this is a priority.’ The vote could happen as early as January after Mr Cameron decided this week to ‘get it done and get it done quickly’.

The list of anti-marriage Tories is here.

Actor Larry Hagman Dead At 81

Actor Larry Hagman died yesterday at the age of 81.

Hagman was at Medical City Dallas Hospital when he died Friday afternoon from complications of his recent battle with cancer, the Dallas Morning News reported, citing members of his family. Despite his fragile health, the actor had returned to Texas from his home in California to film season one of TNT’s "Dallas" reboot and part of season two. The original show, in which Hagman played a conniving businessman who people loved to hate, ran from 1978 to 1991 on CBS.  "Larry was back in his beloved Dallas, re-enacting the iconic role he loved most," the family said in a statement, the Morning News reported. "Larry’s family and close friends had joined him in Dallas for the Thanksgiving holiday. When he passed, he was surrounded by loved ones. It was a peaceful passing, just as he had wished for. The family requests privacy at this time."

Here's the first episode of I Dream Of Jeannie from 1965.

Op-Ed Of The Day

From the op-ed pages of today's Chicago Tribune:

I've got a suggestion for cutting short the GOP angst: Sarah Palin for president in 2016. You think I'm joking? Think again.  In 2008, Palin, running as my party's vice presidential candidate, was widely supposed to have cost John McCain the election. But that wasn't so. A national exit poll conducted by CNN asked voters whether Palin was a factor in their voting. Of those who said yes, 56 percent voted for McCain versus 43 percent for Obama.

Furthermore, Mitt Romney, the GOP's anointed contender this year, got almost a million fewer votes than McCain did in 2008. (Meanwhile, President Obama, although winning re-election, lost far more voters than the Republicans, with nearly 7 million fewer voters checking his name on their ballots than did in 2008.)

Gay marriage? Palin opposes it. But she is also a strong advocate of states' rights, and I'm betting she'd be fine with letting states and their voters grapple with the issue on their own. Remember that all of America didn't swing toward approval of gay marriage on Nov. 6. Three reliably blue states and their voters did. If she were smart, Palin would recruit a member of her impressive gay fanboy base — yes, she has one — to help run her campaign. I nominate Kevin DuJan of the widely read gay conservative blog HillBuzz, a Palin stalwart since 2008.

I think the writer is trolling. (Tipped by JMG reader Don)

NBC Nixed Marriage Ad By Chelsea Clinton

Chelsea Clinton recorded a spot in support of Washington state's Referendum 74 but NBC News prevented its airing because she works for them as a journalist. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

Clinton, a vocal proponent of marriage equality, cut the video for a group supporting the Washington state measure, as well as a second video for another group. But NBC, for which Clinton works as a "special correspondent" since last November, "scuttled" the campaign, sources familiar with the ads said.  In the weeks before the November elections — where voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington voted on measures relating to same-sex couples’ marriage rights — such prominent support would have been heavily sought. Clinton had supported efforts toward the legislative passage of marriage equality in New York, going so far as to attend and participate in a phone-banking effort in Manhattan before the legislature approved the bill in June 2011.

Jeb Bush 2016?

Via New York Times:

When Senator Marco Rubio of Florida held a strategy session here to discuss his own political future last week, the question of Mr. Bush, a mentor, hung over the room; a decision by Mr. Bush, 59, to seek the Republican nomination would almost certainly halt any plans by Mr. Rubio, 41, to do so or abruptly set off a new intraparty feud.  Mr. Bush is said by friends to be weighing financial and family considerations — between so many years in office and the recession his wealth took a dip, they said, and he has been working hard to restore it — as well as the complicated place within the Republican Party of the Bush brand. Asked this week about whether his father would run, Jeb Bush Jr. told CNN, “I certainly hope so.” For now, however, “It’s neither a ‘no’ nor a ‘yes’ — it’s a ‘wait and see,’ ” said Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union and a longtime friend and adviser to Mr. Bush. “It continues to intrigue him, given how much he has to share with the country.”

Jeb Bush has a lot to share!

Walmart Customers Riot For Cell Phones

The most predictable video of the year?

Uganda May Vote On Anti-Gay Bill Today

Earlier this month we learned that Uganda's infamous "Kill The Gays" bill was being pushed to a vote as a "Christmas gift to Christians."  Alerts went out yesterday that the bill may be voted upon as soon as today.  This morning the BBC reported a claim the the death penalty has been been dropped from the legislation.

A committee of Ugandan MPs has endorsed the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill but dropped the death penalty provision, an MP has told the BBC. MP Medard Segona said "substantial amendments" had been made to the bill but said he was not allowed to reveal further details. Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga recently said the bill would be passed as a "Christmas gift" to its advocates. Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda - this bill increases the penalties.

Foreign donors have threatened to cut aid if gay rights are not respected. The bill, tabled by MP David Bahati, proposes longer jail terms for homosexual acts, including a life sentence in certain circumstances. In its original form, those convicted of "aggravated homosexuality" - defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a "serial offender" - faced the death penalty. Such offences would now be punished with life imprisonment, it is understood.

The original bill also prohibited the "promotion" of gay rights and called for the punishment of anyone who "funds or sponsors homosexuality" or "abets homosexuality". Mr Bahati has previously said that the death penalty provision would be dropped but this has not been confirmed until now. Mr Segona, who is on the Legal and Parliamentary committee of Uganda's parliament, told the BBC: "I can confirm it has been dropped."

Box Turtle Bulletin blogger Jim Burroway is suspicious of these claims because Ugandan legislators have lied about that in the past.

WBS Television in Uganda late yesterday posted another report on YouTube featuring statements by members of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, which is charged with marking up the Anti-Homosexuality Bill with recommended changes. There are a few troubling aspects to the report. First, the reporter claims that the death penalty has been removed for “homosexuality acts with minors,” which sounds very suspiciously like several other previous reports, later proven to be false, that the death penalty had been removed. The last time we heard that line, we would quickly learn that the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, in fact, had not removed the death penalty from the bill, but instead had simply obfuscated the death penalty’s presence in the bill. A complete explanation can be found here.

All Out's petition campaign against the bill has over 160,000 signatures already.  Add your name.

UK Fast-Tracks Marriage Vote

It appears that Britain is fast-tracking a legislative vote on same-sex marriage.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg are planning to hold a vote on gay marriage in the new year, settling the issue long before the general election in 2015. Downing Street said originally that same sex civil marriage would be introduced at some stage before the next General Election and there was no mention of the proposed legislation in the last Queen’s Speech. Mr Cameron has promised to legislate to allow gay couples to marry in civil ceremonies, while not forcing the changes on the Church.

George Osborne, the Chancellor, this month said allowing marriage for homosexual couples is crucial to help the Conservatives stay in “in step with people and how they want to live their lives”. His call came in an analysis of why Barack Obama defeated Mitt Romney in the US presidential election, despite polls showing the Republican candidate was trusted more to turn the economy around. Mr Osborne said that the Republicans had lost “swathes of voters” because of their traditionalist positions on social issues. However, polls in the UK suggest the policy could damage the Conservatives’ core support.

The website Protect The Pope is furious.

In a sign of panic PM David Cameron has decided to rush through gay marriage legisation in the New Year, abandoning his original plan to bring it to parliament just before the 2015 General Election. The Prime Minister is suddenly waking up to the fact that many of his core voters up and down the country don’t share his metrosexual presumptions. This change of plans is no doubt due to the fact that Conservatives on the ground and national opinion polls show that he will lose many core Tory voters if he changes the accepted definition of marriage. By rushing the extremely controversial legislation through he is counting on the dust settling in time for the election three years from now.

Taiwan's animators have already weighed in.

Christmas Shopping With Karl Rove

RUSSIA: Court Acquits Madonna Of Threatening National Birth Rate By Promoting Homosexuality

Today a Russian court dismissed charges against Madonna brought by a local Orthodox Church group who claimed that her violation of the ban on "promoting homosexuality" would cause the nation's birth rate to plummet because all the boys would become lustful cockmonsters. Or something.

On Thursday a court St Petersburg ruled against the plaintiffs, members of various conservative groups who argued that Madonna's comments violated a new law banning the promotion of "homosexual propaganda" to minors and would lead to the destruction of the nation. Violation of the law is punishable by fines of up to 500,000 roubles (£10,000).

During a day-long hearing, the court examined YouTube footage and was shown screenshots of Madonna's Facebook page as proof that the material girl was crazy for gay rights. "I am here to say that the gay community and gay people here and all around the world have the same rights – to be treated with dignity, with respect, with tolerance, with compassion, with love," Madonna said during the performance in August, as concert-goers waved gay pride flags and flashed pink wristbands the pop star had handed out as symbols of support.

The claimants argued that Madonna's performance would adversely affect Russia's birthrate and therefore its ability to maintain a proper army. They cited posts on the Facebook page condemning the law as proof she had prior knowledge of the potential criminality of expressing herself.

Last month Madonna was served the suit at her Upper East Side home in Manhattan. According to reports she never acknowledged the suit's existence and did not appear for trial in Russia.

Cher - Woman's World

A snippet of an unfinished version of this track leaked out last month, causing Cher to express some anguish on Twitter. Today the final version was posted to the official Warner Brothers YouTube channel.

Afternoon View - Central Park

Guest Post - Carl Siciliano

Dear Friends,

When disaster strikes you really find out who your friends are.

Sandy did not spare the Ali Forney Center. While fortunately our eight housing sites were unharmed, and all our kids and staff came through safely, our drop-in center was utterly devastated. Four feet of water flooded the entire space. The floors, walls, outlets, were destroyed; all the food, clothing, medical supplies ruined, as were the computers, phones and furniture. Our program for NYC's most destitute LGBT youth, those homeless and on the streets waiting for shelter, was left homeless itself.

When I realized the extent of the destruction, I put a message on Facebook. Joe Jervis was the first person who reached out, offering up his blog to try to generate support. And that support came rushing in. Within 36 hours of my appeal for help on JoeMyGod, over $100K came in. So from the very bottom of my heart, I want to thank the JoeMyGod community. You have done yourselves proud; you have shown so much goodness and generosity.

The Ali Forney Center has never been able to put much money into fundraising; most of our resources need to go directly to our kids. It is very expensive to house and feed so many kids, and to provide them with medical care and other needed services. But we have made it through the recession, and we will survive Sandy and continue to grow in our ability to protect our kids, in no small part because Joe allows me to do these posts, and because so many of you respond.

I have been working on a photo essay documenting how NYC's homeless LGBT youth survive on the streets. The kids take me to the places where they try to make it through the nights, and I photograph them and record them talking about what they endure. In the last week two different kids have told me about their suicide attempts, standing in the spots where those attempts occurred. Last Thursday night I found myself with a young man at the edge of the beach in Coney Island as he told me of another cold night night when, despairing of being so hopeless and alone, he wanted to swim out to sea and drown himself. It is hard and disturbing to look these kids in their eyes and hear these things. I'm thankful that he decided to live.

It is a terrible thing that so many LGBT youth are driven from their homes and forced into destitution in the streets. It is truly one of the most terrible expressions of homophobia in our time. And realizing how desperate these kid's situations are, I am all the more grateful for your support, which allows us to protect these kids.

I know that a great many of you have given to us in the past few weeks, and I thank you. For those of you who are still considering giving to our recovery effort, I want to make you aware that two JoeMyGod readers, Frank Selvaggi and Bill Shea, have offered to match the gifts of new donors up to $50K in the coming year. This wonderful married couple came to support the Ali Forney Center after reading my appeal on JoeMyGod last Thanksgiving and have already given over $150K.

Donations can be mailed to Ali Forney Center, 224 West 35th Street, Suite 1500. New York, NY 10001 or made online here.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. And I thank all of you who have given us reason to be thankful in a very difficult time.

Carl Siciliano
Executive Director
Ali Forney Center

Pope Ratzi: This Year Is 2019 Not 2012

Pope Palpatine has issued a book declaring that the birth of Jeebus is off by several years.

"The calculation of the beginning of our calendar – based on the birth of Jesus – was made by Dionysius Exiguus, who made a mistake in his calculations by several years," the Pope writes in the book, which went on sale around the world with an initial print run of a million copies. "The actual date of Jesus's birth was several years before." The assertion that the Christian calendar is based on a false premise is not new – many historians believe that Christ was born sometime between 7BC and 2BC. But the fact that doubts over one of the keystones of Christian tradition have been raised by the leader of the world's one billion Catholics is striking.

Many people, of course, don't believe that Jeebus was ever born at all and is actually a composite figure fictionalized from multiple earlier savior mythologies.

Brian Brown Is Thankful

"I wish you every happiness this Thanksgiving, every opportunity to know the joy of gratitude. Gratitude for this country we share that still gives us the right to fight for what we think is right. Gratitude for each other, for the knowledge we do not fight this great battle alone. So many millions of loving, decent law-abiding Americans have come together in this fight for marriage, across every line of creed and color. I'm so thankful that you and I know (unlike so many people out there who struggle without this knowledge) this light of the soul: there is a Providence in the world larger than this week's headline, a deep Reason embedded into the structure of nature, of the universe itself, of the human heart—that loves us infinitely and beyond all measure. Thank you for all you have done to help me and others fight this fight. Thank you above all for caring so deeply and so generously about marriage as God designed it. Enjoy Turkey Day!" - Brian Brown, who is somehow thankful that his theocratic, fascist, racist, lying, fear-mongering hate group and all its semen-stained Vatican money failed to inflict Christian Sharia Law upon four unwilling states.

It's About Love

The music for this celebratory clip (another one!) is San Francisco by The Mowgli's. Their five-song EP is now available on iTunes.

UN Condemns Gay Death Penalty

Yesterday the United Nations approved a resolution that condemns the killing of LGBT persons either by governments or via "extrajudicial" means such as hate crimes. Via press release from the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission:

An international coalition of organizations dedicated to human rights celebrated yesterday’s historic vote in the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to pass resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The vote reversed the events of 2010 when the same body voted to strip the resolution of reference to "sexual orientation." The UNGA also expanded upon its commitment to the universality of human rights by including "gender identity" for the first time in the resolution’s history. The resolution, which is introduced biennially in the Third Committee, urges States to protect the right to life of all people, including by calling upon States to investigate killings based on discriminatory grounds. It was introduced by the Government of Sweden and co-sponsored by 34 states from around the world.

IGLHRC notes that the United Arab Emirates attempted to strip "sexual orientation" from the resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, just as they did two years ago. (See the photo above for the vote tally on that amendment.) They add: "Another failed effort, led by the Holy See, would have stripped all specific references to groups at high risk for execution; however it was never formally introduced."

The governments of the United States, Brazil, and many others spoke in favor of the resolution. IGLHRC reports that Egypt "spoke frequently" in opposition. Japan broke its long silence on the issue with this declaration: "We cannot tolerate any killings of persons because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Our delegation voted against the proposed amendment to this paragraph because we think it is meaningful to mention such killings from the perspective of protecting the rights of LGBT people."

Read the full resolution here.

Obama Pardons Turkey And Jabs Romney

Today President Obama continued the White House tradition of "pardoning" a turkey. But he couldn't resist a jab at Mitt Romney during the ceremony.

"They say that life is all about second chances and this November I can't agree more," Obama said. "So in the spirit of the season I have one more gift to give," Obama joked in apparent reference to Mitt Romney's claim after the election that Obama won by giving "gifts" to minority groups, Obama said he was going to pardon the National Thanksgiving Turkey, named Cobbler, and his stand-in, Gobbler. “The American people have spoken, and these birds are moving forward," he added.

The president closed by joking that Nate Silver had already predicted which turkey would be chosen.

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr To Resign

The family of Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr announced today that he will resign from Congress.

Jackson, 47, a South Side Democrat, has been treated for bipolar depression and has been on a medical leave from Congress since June. He has been under investigation by federal authorities for alleged misuse of campaign dollars and also has faced a congressional ethics probe. Although he did not wage a campaign, Jackson won re-election on Nov. 6 to another two-year term in the House by defeating a Republican and independent challenger. Under Illinois law, Gov. Pat Quinn, a fellow Democrat, would call a special election to fill Jackson’s 2nd District congressional seat, which extends from Chicago’s South Side to Kankakee.

Silly Survey Of The Day

Travel + Leisure polled their readers about which cities have the most and least attractive residents. 

Most Attractive
1. Miami
2. San Diego
3. San Juan
4. Charleston
5. Los Angeles
6. Nashville
7. Austin
8. Savannah
9. Honolulu
10. Minneapolis

Least attractive: Anchorage, Baltimore, Philly, Orlando, DC.

Dan Savage Takes Down Porno Pete

I'm loving this series. If you missed it, here's where Savage took down Tony Perkins.

Allegedly

The ceasefire is supposed to begin at 2pm Eastern.

Pat Robertson: God Lied To Me About Who Would Win The Election

Village Voice Launches 2012 Web Awards

The Village Voice is soliciting your nominations for their annual Web Awards.  There's the usual mix of funky categories like "Tumblr Rant Of The Year" and "Best Twitter Parody Account." (My vote for the latter category goes to El Bloombito.) The category likely to get the greatest response is Best Viral Video, where I'd expect lots of nods for Chatroulette Call Me Maybe and Gangnam Style. As for Meme Of 2012, we'll probably see of a lot of Romney-themed action. Binders! 47%!  Check out the categories and give us your own recap for 2012.

Eating Their Own: Pastor Ken Hutcherson Repeats Charge That NOM Is Racist

"I said to [NOM], 'You think I’m controversial because I don’t look white. I don’t talk white. I don’t act white. And I am not that milquetoast-looking kind of guy that’s is going to be calm about everything. I’ve got a passion on what’s right. I’ve got a passion, and I will stand on what I think biblical principles are. If that’s controversial, then we’ve got a problem, and we’ll never win another election on anything." - Pastor Ken Hutcherson, appearing on Michelangelo Signorile's radio show to repeat his claim that NOM cut him out of Washington's marriage battle because he's black.  

RELATED:  Hutcherson says God hates effeminate men. Hutcherson says that if you are gay, God will murder you. Hutcherson says that the only reason he played football was so he could hurt white people legally. Hutcherson says gay people are going to marry horses. Hutcherson says gay men are going to marry little boys. Hutcherson says the governor of Washington is like Lincoln's killer because she signed the marriage bill. Hutcherson says Christians are so oppressed, they are "the new Negroes."

BRITAIN: Life Expectancy For HIV+ On Therapy Nears National Average

According to a study out of the UK, the life expectancy for HIV+ people on anti-retroviral therapy is nearing the national average for all.

The latest forecasts of life expectancy in people with HIV in the UK, based on mortality data from the UK Collaborative HIV Cohort (UK CHIC) study, show that the average life expectancy of people on antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a CD4 count over 350 cells/mm3 is now very close to the national average, the eleventh International Congress on Drug Therapy in HIV Infection heard last week.

The UK CHIC study also found that life expectancy, which lags behind the average in younger people, approaches normal as people age. There is starting to be some evidence, though based on very small numbers of patient records, that if people with HIV in the UK reach the age of 60, their life expectancy may actually be starting to exceed the average, possibly because of superior medical monitoring and treatment for people with HIV compared to other older people.

That last sentence is rather striking. (Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

Cory Booker To Go On Food Stamps

After a flame war with a Twitter user who calls herself "the enemy of communism and socialism," Newark Mayor Cory Booker challenged her to join him in trying to live on food stamps for one week.

Booker, who’s prolific on Twitter, on Sunday tweeted out a quote from Plutarch: “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” That set off a wave of discussion, including one tweet asking, “So you want to redistribute wealth???” Another respondent was “Twitwit,” who at one point wrote that “nutrition is not a responsibility of the government.” Booker responded, “We have a shared responsibility that kids go to school nutritionally ready 2 learn.”

Booker eventually challenged “Twitwit” to experience what people on food stamps are going through. “Lets you and I try to live on food stamps in New Jersey (high cost of living) and feed a family for a week or month. U game?” After “Twitwit” – the aforementioned Daughter of the American Revolution who identifies as an “Army Veteran, Army Daughter, Army Wife” – said yes, Booker wrote, “We will have to get a referee – DM me your number so we can see if we can work out details.” He also tweeted, “Lets film it and see how we do.”

Booker will take part in a University of Bridgeport program which challenges critics of the food stamp program to try and live on the meager amount given out weekly in the state in which they reside. Reportedly Booker will have to subsist on New Jersey's $35 weekly food stamps allotment. Under the rules, he is not permitted to eat food already in his home.

JCP Jabs At Walmart & Target

Walmart and Target are facing petitions and consumer backlash over their decision to open tomorrow.

Christian Group Warns UPS: Watch Out Or You'll Be Shot Like That FRC Guard

The Corporate Morality Center today issued a dire warning to UPS over their new funding decision regarding the Boy Scouts.

Attacking organizations which support traditional sexual views may have unintended and possibly life-threatening consequences. For example, a day after the Human Rights Campaign repeated the charge that the Family Research Council was a "hate group," an employee of another LGBT organization walked in to the headquarters of the Family Research Council, armed with 50 rounds of ammunition and a bagful of Chick-fil-A sandwiches, and began shooting the "haters" who worked there. According to Thomas Strobhar, President of the Corporate Morality Action Center, "UPS should be careful whom they support with money that belongs to all the shareholders. The Boys Scouts are a national treasure with legitimate interests regarding the safety of the scouts, while the Human Rights Campaign has contributed greatly to a lack of civility in public discourse."

Strobhar is also the head of the Catholic Life Decisions International, which lobbies companies to defund Planned Parenthood.

VIRGINIA: Anti-Gay Asshat E.W. Jackson Announces Bid For Lt. Governor

"This is no time to withdraw. Constitutional conservatism is right for Virginia and right for all Americans, whether white, black, Hispanic, Filipino, Asian, Native American, male or female. I intend to take my message to every Virginian, regardless of background. We all share the vision of 'one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.' And we must all come together for the good of our Commonwealth and our country." - Notorious homophobe E.W. Jackson, announcing his run for Lt. Governor of Virginia.

RELATED: Last month Jackson declared, "Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of."

Tap Tap Tap

So who's working today? Who's hitting the road?

More On The "Ex-Gay" Jesus Cult Murder

The poster of this clip notes that there is no mention that Tyler Deaton was "ex-gay" and preached against homosexuality. More on this case here.

RELATED: Truth Wins Out founder Wayne Besen has long been tracking the International House Of Prayer.  For previous JMG posts on their leader Lou Engle, click here.

New From The "Unskewed Polls" Guy

Because he was so right about the polls.

“Those who engage in [voter fraud] are slick and do all they can to hide it, so the evidence is often quite circumstantial. In fact, often the circumstantial evidence is all the evidence we have, such was finding tens of thousands of bogus votes in the ballot box, we didn’t see someone actually put them there, but they are found, they are there, and they are clearly evidence of vote fraud. Such is true of the voting divisions where Obama gets 100 percent of the votes cast. As if anyone REALLY believes that is legitimate…”

Fischer On SF's Nudity Ban

New To The Parade

Hello Kitty, Papa Smurf, and something called the Elf On The Shelf are the three new balloons set to appear in tomorrow's Macy's Parade. As with many things in New York City, it's better to watch the parade on TV than it is in person. A few years ago a buddy and I went to the Upper West Side to watch the balloons being inflated on Thanksgiving Eve. We couldn't get within five blocks of the site due to the lines.

Sigur Rós - Varúð

As always with them, strange but not boring.

SF Narrowly Passes Nudity Ban

Late this afternoon San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted 6-5 to ban nudity in public places.

Supervisors Jane Kim, John Avalos, Eric Mar, Christina Olague and David Campos voted to oppose the ban. Campos argued that police resources could better be spent fighting violent crime, instead of tracking down naked men roaming the streets. Other supervisors argued the ban seemed to infringe on people’s right to express themselves and was merely a problem in a Castro that didn’t need a citywide ban.

The ban must be reviewed a second time by the Board and approved by the mayor before becoming law on February 1st. (Tipped by JMG reader Craig.)

Quote Of The Day - Jerry Sanders

"Equality isn’t something you can quantify. But it’s something that has to be there. I think it’s coming right away. The Supreme Court’s going to take up [the appeal of Prop. 8 supporters] and I think they’re going to let [gay marriage] stand in California because they don’t want to deal with it. The voters are going for it. Young people, that is not even in their concern list. We’re all taught from the day you start school, equality’s very important. And you look at the civil rights movements – this is exactly what this is. And so playing a little part in it, it’s been good." - Outgoing GOP San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders, telling the surprised (and right wing) Union-Tribune editorial board that coming out for marriage was the "most important" thing he did as mayor.

RELATED: The 2007 video of Sanders' tearful declaration that he had reversed on same-sex marriage went viral at the time.  It remains quite moving.

Caption This

You've Been Raped By Satan

According to Charisma Magazine, if you are having the gay buttsecks, you've probably already been raped by Satan.

The two most identifiable sexual demons are the incubus, which is a male sexual demon that traditionally assaults women, and the succubus, which is a female sexual demon that assaults men. Sometimes they also lure people into homosexual behavior. Adams notes that one evangelist, whose name she would not divulge, was so troubled by the sexual pleasure the succubus gave her that she even contemplated suicide. Adams says the succubus spirit that used to attack her confused her so much that she contemplated becoming a lesbian.

"Unless you're strong enough to rebuke it, they'll keep coming back," she says. "You must speak the Word of God, knowing you have power in the name of Jesus." Eddie Smith, the president of U.S. Prayer Track and a respected leader in deliverance ministry, believes that experiences like Adams' are common. He and his wife, Alice, have ministered to "at least hundreds" of people suffering from demonic sexual attacks. "Many people don't realize that there is even historic documentation of this," Smith told Charisma. He says that it is especially common in pagan religions such as Santería and voodoo because people who practice those religions invoke demons to come and interact with them.

(Via Right Wing Watch)

Happy Thanksgiving From AFER's Clients

Frank Ocean On Coming Out

"The night I posted it, I cried like a fucking baby. It was like all the frequency just clicked to a change in my head. All the receptors were now receiving a different signal, and I was happy. I hadn't been happy in so long. I've been sad again since, but it's a totally different take on sad. There's just some magic in truth and honesty and openness. I had those fears. In black music, we’ve got so many leaps and bounds to make with acceptance and tolerance in regard to that issue. It reflects something just ingrained, you know. When I was growing up, there was nobody in my family—not even my mother—who I could look to and be like, 'I know you’ve never said anything homophobic.' So, you know, you worry about people in the business who you’ve heard talk that way." - Hip-hop star Frank Ocean, speaking to GQ.

Feds Call For HIV Tests For All

A federal panel of experts has recommended that all Americans ages 15-64 should be tested for HIV. If their proposal is adopted, insurance companies and Medicare will be required to cover the tests.

The draft guidelines were written by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent group that operates under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services to advise the government and the nation's physicians on the medical evidence for preventive health measures.

Posted online Monday on the task force website for a four-week period of public comment, the guidelines also recommend that doctors offer HIV tests to people under 15 or over 64 if they are at high risk for contracting HIV and — in advice that has not changed — to all pregnant women.

The recommendations, which would apply to all but very-low-risk populations, are a clear shift toward broader testing for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The task force's 2005 guidelines suggested routine HIV screening only for adolescents and adults at increased risk, including men who have sex with men, injection drug users, people who trade sex for drugs and those who have multiple sexual partners.

(Tipped by JMG reader Nicholas)

Dump Trump Protest At NYC Macy's

Video by JMG reader Philip Davis.

T-Shirt Of The Day

Source.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the Karpel Group, today's Swag Tuesday prize is Lotus, the new album by Christina Aguilera which is now available nationwide. Entertainment Weekly has a review:

You say you want a revolution? Good news! Christina Aguilera has already armed the battle-clones for war on ''Army of Me,'' one of many thundering self-empowerment anthems on her fifth studio album, Lotus. ''There's a thousand faces of me,'' she hollers. ''And we're gonna rise up.../For every time you wronged me/Well, you're gonna face an army, army of me.'' Which begs the question: Rise up against whom? Is the whole world really out to get her, or is this just an excuse to wear camouflage hot pants? If it sounds like Aguilera is in self-defense mode, that's not a surprise. Since she released her 2010 clunker, Bionic, she's gotten divorced, dodged tomatoes for her big-screen performance in Burlesque, and rebounded as a coach on NBC's The Voice. But her mixed messages are too often unintentionally funny.

We have three copies of Lotus to give away. Enter to win by commenting on this post and please remember to leave an email address you check frequently. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

TRAILER: Inventing David Geffen

It airs tonight on PBS at 8PM. The New York Times has a review.  An excerpt:

Mr. Geffen’s story starts on a classic Hollywood arc: Brooklyn Jewish boyhood, apprenticeship in the William Morris mailroom, quick success as an artist’s manager and record company executive. But then it refuses to follow the usual rise-and-fall trajectory — it just keeps rising, to movie mogul, billionaire and most powerful man in show business. Ms. Lacy’s two-hour film acknowledges the well-documented ruthlessness and volatility — accompanied by shrewdness, drive and, for the lucky, intense loyalty — that fueled Mr. Geffen’s achievements. They’re framed as positive qualities, though some people shake their heads as they say it, and some of his more famous antagonists, like the agent Michael Ovitz, don’t appear. Less flattering examples of hubris, like his long battle against public beach access next to his house in Malibu, or his taste for gargantuan yachts, are not mentioned.

Marriage Campaigns Nominated

The four successful same-sex marriage campaigns have been collectively nominated as this election year's most successful grassroots organizations. You can vote for them here.

From The Red-Caped Catholic Loons

Source.

Kevin Clash Resigns From Sesame Street

The New York Times has the statement from Sesame Street:

Sesame Workshop’s mission is to harness the educational power of media to help all children the world over reach their highest potential. Kevin Clash has helped us achieve that mission for 28 years, and none of us, especially Kevin, want anything to divert our attention from our focus on serving as a leading educational organization. Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding Kevin’s personal life has become a distraction that none of us want, and he has concluded that he can no longer be effective in his job and has resigned from Sesame Street. This is a sad day for Sesame Street.

The Times notes that Clash had already been training Elmo stand-ins before the scandal broke. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

Russell Brand Vs Westboro Baptist Church

British comedian Russell Brand (who apparently now has a talk show) hosted two members of the Westboro Baptist Church who opened by presenting him with a sign calling him a "Fag Pimp."

The pair told the star that he is “an advocate for Satan” and that he encourages his audience to cut their lives short by promoting and encouraging sinful behavior. Joking on the different use of the word ‘fag’ on different sides of the Atlantic. Brand quipped that he didn’t know what the problem was, pointing out that a fag is a cigarette. The members of the extremist church said that Madonna and Tom Hanks would end up in hell because of their support for equality, where they would be joined by the Indian peaceful revolutionary Mahatma Gandhi. Brand also introduced the pair of homophobes to his gay friends, who they labelled as “filthy perverts”. Ending the interview, Brand sat between the pair stroking their backs and asking for a kiss.

I'm now a fan of Russell Brand.

(Via Pink News)

Eating Their Own: World Net Daily Attacks "Wimpy" Focus On The Family

World Net Daily founder Joseph Farah today attacked Focus On The Family, saying that they helped the GOP fail because they don't hate gays hard enough. (That's news to US.)

I could go on and on with reasons Christians are losing the culture. In fact, I would have to say they’ve already completely lost it. Abandoned it would be more accurate. Into this sad state of affairs comes the “refocused” Focus on the Family, a truly great Christian ministry founded by a truly great man, Dr. James Dobson. But like many great cultural institutions founded by great Christian men – Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, the New York Times, yes, even the United States of America – it lost the Christian vision and passion of the founders. What am I talking about? I’m talking about the new non-confrontational, wimpy, smiley-faced, lukewarm Focus on the Family as personified by its new leader, Jim Daly, who seems all-too eager to distance himself and the organization he now heads from the legacy of Dobson. Daly’s answer is to find common ground with people who understand they are indeed in a culture war – those, for instance, who promote same-sex marriage and advocate unrestricted abortion. We’ve got to be more “ecumenical,” to “win over friends, not make more enemies.” That’s how fast Christians lose cultural institutions.

Infighting is hilarious, y'all.

WA Couple Plans Mass Wedding

A lesbian couple in Washington state has reserved the Capitol Rotunda for the first Saturday that same-sex weddings can take place next month. And everybody is invited.

She said that on election night, in the glow of victory, her idea evolved into a plan to have as many couples as possible get married in the Capitol in simultaneous or consecutive ceremonies. “We just said, ‘Let’s share the joy,’” Guajardo said. “Let’s share the fun and give everybody an opportunity to have a beautiful event in a way that’s somewhat easy.” Roose, 67, is a retired librarian. Guajardo, 43, is a mental health counselor. They live in Olympia and have been together for 13 years. Their wedding will begin at 12:30 p.m. Others – however many there turn out to be – will be conducted from 1-2:30 p.m. on the north, south, east and west balconies on the third floor, with ongoing receptions on the balcony above that. They’ve ordered wedding cake for 200 and gluten-free cake for 50. And they have a Facebook page: “Get married with us at the State Capitol.”

All weddings can commence in Washington state on December 9th.

UNAIDS Report: 50% Drop In New HIV Infections Across 25 Countries

The United Nations' UNAIDS project today issued their annual report and there's some promising news:

Results, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), shows that unprecedented acceleration in the AIDS response is producing results for people. The report shows that a more than 50% reduction in the rate of new HIV infections has been achieved across 25 low- and middle-income countries––more than half in Africa, the region most affected by HIV.

In some of the countries which have the highest HIV prevalence in the world, rates of new HIV infections have been cut dramatically since 2001; by 73% in Malawi, 71% in Botswana, 68% in Namibia, 58% in Zambia, 50% in Zimbabwe and 41% in South Africa and Swaziland.

In addition to welcome results in HIV prevention, sub-Saharan Africa has reduced AIDS-related deaths by one third in the last six years and increased the number of people on antiretroviral treatment by 59% in the last two years alone.

“The pace of progress is quickening—what used to take a decade is now being achieved in 24 months,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “We are scaling up faster and smarter than ever before. It is the proof that with political will and follow through we can reach our shared goals by 2015.”

UNAIDS notes: "In addition, the number of people with access to antiretroviral therapy increased by 63% in the last 24 months. AIDS-related deaths fell by more than 25% between 2005 and 2011 globally."

But there's still this.

The Crystal Ark - We Came To

Retro deep house from Gavin Russom, who tours as the keyboardist for LCD Soundsystem. I can't get enough of this.

Peter Sprigg: The Rise In Out Gays Disproves The Gay Gene Theory

"There has been a significant growth in the number of women who identify as lesbian, bisexual or transgender -- a much larger growth than the number of men. In 1994, there were twice as many homosexual men as women, but now homosexual women actually outnumber the homosexual men. During that time span, the number of homosexual men has increased by 18 percent while the number of women who identify as such has gone up 157 percent. I think that that suggests that there are strong cultural factors at work and that, at least indirectly, undermines the whole theory of a gay gene. If there were a gay gene, we would never see evolution taking place at that rapid a pace; so something else must be at work." - Family Research Council spokesbigot Peter Sprigg, speaking to OneNewsNow. (Via Good As You)

TODAY: Transgender Day Of Remembrance

Today is the annual International Transgender Day Of Remembrance.

The Transgender Day of Remembrance was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The event is held in November to honor Rita Hester, whose murder on November 28th, 1998 kicked off the “Remembering Our Dead” web project and a San Francisco candlelight vigil in 1999. Rita Hester’s murder — like most anti-transgender murder cases — has yet to be solved. Although not every person represented during the Day of Remembrance self-identified as transgender — that is, as a transsexual, crossdresser, or otherwise gender-variant — each was a victim of violence based on bias against transgender people.

Hit this link for a list of memorial services taking place all over the world.  Zack Ford has much more over at Think Progress.

Global Marriage Map

Source. (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)

Allen West Finally Concedes

Tea Party darling and accused war criminal Rep. Allen West finally conceded this morning after his supporters had spent two weeks accusing Florida election officials of sabotaging the vote counts.

In a statement, the Republican freshman said ‘‘There are certainly still inaccuracies in the results’’ but not enough to change the outcome, giving the race to Democratic newcomer Patrick Murphy. ‘‘While a contest of the election results might have changed the vote totals, we do not have evidence that the outcome would change,’’ West said. Murphy campaign manager Anthony Kusich said he was not aware of any concession call to his candidate, simply an e-mail that was publicly distributed. In his own statement, Murphy said he was ‘‘humbled by Congressman West’s gracious concession’’ and eager to get to work on behalf of all voters. "To those who supported my opponent, my door is open and I want to hear your voice,"  Murphy said.

Tea Party Leader: Romney Can Still Win

"Mitt Romney carried 24 states. We need to have conservative activists from all over the nation contact the electors, the Republican Party and the secretary of state in all of these states and tell them not to participate in the Electoral College when it meets on Dec. 17.  If we can get 17 of those states (just over one-third) to refuse to participate, the Electoral College will have no quorum. Then, as the Constitution directs, the election goes to the House of Representatives. That is how we can still pull this election out and make Mitt Romney president in January. We need this concept shared with every tea party, liberty and patriotic group throughout the country. We have time to act, but we must pressure Republicans to do the right thing. It does not matter who gets credit for this. The credit is not important. Using our last chance to defeat Barack Obama is important." - Tea Party Nation founder Judson Phillips, telling World Net Daily how Romney can still win.

RELATED: This summer Phillips said that President Obama should prove he isn't a gay crackhead before making tax return demands on Romney.

Gay Marriage Won Because Of Romney

So says Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver.

Krugman: Paul Ryan Is A Con Man

"The fact is that Ryan is and always was a fraud. His plan never added up; it was never, contrary to what people who should know better asserted, 'scored' by the CBO. What he actually offered was a plan to hurt the poor and reward the rich, actually increasing the deficit along the way, plus magic asterisks that supposedly reduced the debt by means unspecified. His genius, if you can all it that, was in realizing that there was a role — as I said, that of Honest, Serious Conservative — that self-proclaimed centrists desperately wanted to see filled, so that they could demonstrate their bipartisanship by lavishing praise on the holder of that position. So Ryan did his best to impersonate a budget wonk. It wasn’t a very good impersonation — in fact, he’s pretty bad at budget math. But the 'centrists' saw what they wanted to see." - Paul Krugman, in a New York Times "public service reminder."

Vatican Defrocks Activist American Priest Over Ordination Of Female Clergy

The Vatican has formally excommunicated an activist priest for his ordination of female priests. Via a press release published today by Christian Newswire:

The Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on October 4, 2012, canonically dismissed Roy Bourgeois from the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, also known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers. The decision dispenses the Maryknoll priest from his sacred bonds. As a priest during 2008, Mr. Bourgeois participated in the invalid ordination of a woman and a simulated Mass in Lexington, Kentucky. With patience, the Holy See and the Maryknoll Society have encouraged his reconciliation with the Catholic Church. Instead, Mr. Bourgeois chose to campaign against the teachings of the Catholic Church in secular and non-Catholic venues. This was done without the permission of the local U.S. Catholic Bishops and while ignoring the sensitivities of the faithful across the country. Disobedience and preaching against the teaching of the Catholic Church about women's ordination led to his excommunication, dismissal and laicization.

Bourgeois is a hero to the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests, a group of female clergy who have likewise been excommunicated for bucking the Vatican patriarchy.  Bourgeois is also a renowned peace activist who has spent a total of four years in federal prisons for various anti-war protests. In 2010 he was nominated by the Nobel Peace Prize for his anti-war work.