Tweet Of The Day - Leesa Dahl

Leesa Dahl is continuing her campaign against Harlem's Chipped Cup for its support of marriage equality and apparently slunk back to the store last night to take a photo through their door. Yesterday's JMG post about her is here.  Dahl is also crowing that "nobody came to fire me" for her attacks on Chipped Cup.

Robert Oscar Lopez: Nobody Likes Me

"Doug Mainwaring is a gay father in Maryland; he and I jointly signed an amicus brief in support of Proposition 8.  Over the last six weeks, fifteen news organizations have rejected our editorials and refused to interview us; many, like Salon and the New Republic, gave major coverage to the pro-gay marriage side at the same time that they rejected our correspondence. Some of these publications are conservative, though I will strive not to burn bridges by naming them here.

"I am, moreover, the only person reared by a same-sex couple who signed an amicus brief in support of Proposition 8.  Nonetheless, the Washington Post feels that it is newsworthy to report on two gay men holding a bake sale to raise money to pay a surrogate mother, while deeming the riposte from Mainwaring and me utterly insignificant. Why has every paper from the New York Times to the Chicago Tribune pretended that our position simply doesn't exist?" - Homocon Robert Oscar Lopez, bitching up a storm for American Thinker.

Websites Ordered To Charge NY Sales Tax

In a case that may be headed for the Supreme Court, a New York appeals court has ruled that out-of-state websites such as Amazon must charge state sales tax.

The case, combining two brought by Amazon and Overstock.com Inc, was decided by the New York State Court of Appeals by a vote of 4-1. "It's unfortunate and the (U.S.) Supreme Court ought to look at this," Overstock acting Chief Executive Jonathan Johnson told Reuters by phone. "We have states saying different things," he said, citing a ruling by the Illinois Supreme Court that a similar tax was not permissible. The U.S. Supreme Court typically accepts cases where lower courts issue conflicting opinions. "The ruling by the New York Court of Appeals conflicts with both the U.S. Supreme Court's precedents and with contrary decisions by other state courts that have looked at the same issue," an Amazon spokesman said by email.

Amazon already charges sales tax in states where they have physical presence. Eight other states have passed laws similar to New York's.

PA State Rep. Brian Sims On MSNBC

Last night openly gay Pennsylvania state Rep. Brian Sims appeared on MSNBC's Hardball to talk about the "rapid rise of LGBT civil rights." He did a great job.  Chris Matthews: "Maybe you'll be governor some day."

Mormon "Ex-Gay" Site Launches

On the same day that Marie Osmond endorsed marriage equality, we learn of a newly-launched "web resource for Mormons struggling with same-sex attractions." Via press release:

Building on the breakthrough mormonsandgays.org Web site launched by the LDS Church in December 2012, a Salt Lake City-based therapy clinic has launched a new Web-based resource to address these kinds of concerns for LDS leaders, family and friends of those with same-sex attraction. The new Web site is sponsored by the Center for Gender Wholeness (CGW), a clinic whose therapists work worldwide with those who have unwanted same-sex attraction. Their past clients include hundreds of men who have reported substantial shifts, not only in sexual behavior, but also in sexual attractions. They report their success seems to come from resolving underlying issues that led to the homosexual attractions.

The "treatment" includes drug therapy.

In this phase, we work with clients to generate internal and, if needed, external support for their therapeutic process. In the simplest cases this might mean marshaling internal resources before digging into the deep work. In other cases this could include gaining the support of loved ones, becoming involved in a twelve-step group, joining an addiction recovery program, or beginning medication. It always includes developing a strong and trusting relationship with the therapist.

This phase also includes working on priority therapeutic issues, which are conditions or situations that pose a threat to client wellbeing, cause extreme distress, or disable the progression of therapy. Suicidal thoughts, distress caused by trauma, dangerous addictive behavior, and intense negative ruminations are examples of such conditions.

RELATED: Linked on the site are several notorious "experiential weekend" excursions such as the infamous Journey Into Manhood, which has been reported upon here on JMG many times. You may recall straight reporter Ted Cox went undercover at a recent Journey Into Manhood. An excerpt from his creepy experience:

In that room, about fifty men — some thirty “Journeyers” and fifteen staff members — sat on the carpeted floor of a ranch lodge two hours outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Most of the men, except for a few of the staff members, struggled to overcome their attraction to other men. Sometime during all that holding and touching and singing, while I was cradled in the Motorcycle position, I felt it: the unmistakable bulge pressing through his tight jeans. It was the first time in my life I had a felt another man’s erection.

Marie Osmond For Marriage

(Video by JMG reader Dave Evans)

Waambulance Alert

New From PalinPAC

She's running for something, but nobody knows what.

Will Marriage Weaken LGBT Groups?

Activists for social causes often like to say that their ultimate goal is their own extinction, the end of the need for their existence.  Would full civil marriage equality mean the end of or the weakening of LGBT rights groups? Cart before the horse and all that, but today Buzzfeed cites the collapse of the movement, to some degree, in countries with marriage equality.

"After marriage passed in the Netherlands, the movement more or less collapsed," said Boris Dittrich, the former member of the Dutch parliament who won passage of the world's first-ever same-sex marriage law in 2000. After that, it was very hard to get people to engage on other issues the movement cared about, like discrimination against LGBT seniors in nursing homes and bullying in schools.

Tanja Ineke, head of COC-Netherlands, said that it took some time before they could get LGBT concerns back on the national radar. "There were a lot of people in the movement and in society at large who thought the emancipation is over and done now that marriage is open to us … People in society didn't understand there was a need to fight."

Canada's national LGBT organization, Egale, saw a 30 to 40% drop-off in monthly donations once marriage became legal for same-sex couples in 2004, said its executive director, Helen Kennedy. Their problem was not only convincing the public that gays and lesbians still faced discrimination; they also had lost the issue that kept a broad coalition of LGBT organizations on the same page.

There will always be a need, of course, for LGBT rights activism. The NAACP and other minority advocacy groups, obviously, have not vanished decades after what some would consider their ultimate legal victories. But I suppose some would argue that a culling of LGBT organizations would be a good problem to have.

NYC Sick Leave Bill To Get A Vote

After years of being blocked by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, the full Council will finally vote and likely overwhelmingly approve a bill that mandates paid sick leave.  The bill will be revised to exempt businesses with fewer than fifteen employees, a change that removes thousands of small retailers from its reach.

The advocates said the legislation would provide paid sick leave for one million New Yorkers who do not currently have such benefits. But to the disappointment of those who pushed for a more sweeping version of the legislation, New York City’s mandate would not take effect until spring 2014, and for the first 18 months, it would apply only to businesses with 20 or more employees, according to people involved in the negotiations. The measure is subject to a vote by the City Council. Mr. Bloomberg is expected to veto the measure, but there is enough support on the Council to override his veto.

The New York Times claims that Quinn finally caved after the drumbeat of negative press on the issue became too much of a distraction to her 2013 mayoral campaign.  Quinn had vowed that she did support the bill (in its original form) but said that the city's economy was presently too fragile to force such an expense on small businesses.  The Times notes that similar bills in San Francisco, Portland, DC, and Seattle all set the bar at businesses with five or more employees.

Carson: Sorry About That NAMBLA Crack

Tea Party darling Ben Carson non-apologized today for comparing same-sex marriage to NAMBLA and bestiality by using the usual "if I offended anyone" cop-out.

"I think people have completely taken the wrong meaning out of what I was saying," the 61-year-old surgeon said in a telephone interview Friday. "First of all, I certainly believe gay people should have all the rights that anybody else has. What I was basically saying is that as far as marriage is concerned that has traditionally been between a man and a woman and nobody should be able to change that." "Now perhaps the examples were not the best choice of words, and I certainly apologize if I offended anyone," he added. "But the point that I was making was that no group of individuals, whoever they are, whatever their belief systems, gets to change traditional definitions. The reason I believe the way I do, I will readily confess, is because I am a Christian who believes in The Bible."

The Baltimore Sun (link above) has invited commentary on whether Carson's is really apologizing.  Readers are already claiming that Carson is yet another victim of PC homofascism.

Special Swag Friday

Because I totally screwed up during the SCOTUS furor on Tuesday, this week's swag giveaway is today. And courtesy of the Karpel Group, we've got the new Depeche Mode album, Delta Machine, which is now on sale nationwide and online. Via Billboard:

Fans can count on Depeche Mode -- they've released a new album and embarked on a coinciding tour every four years since 1993. It's that time again, as the long-reigning synth-rock kings are back with a new LP, "Delta Machine," their 13th to date. Keeping with tradition, they'll head out on a 34-date European stadium tour, starting May 7 in Tel Aviv. Out Tuesday (Mar. 26) on Columbia, the new album finds vocalist Dave Gahan and songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Martin Gore refining some familiar sounds and trying out some new wrinkles.  .

We've got three physical copies of Delta Machine to give away. Enter to win by commenting on this post and please remember to leave an email address. Entries close at midnight on Monday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in giveaways on JMG, please email me.

VIDEO: Here's the second clip from Delta Machine.

Rush Limbaugh: We've Lost On Marriage

We're sure his sofa is thrilled!

Photographer David LaChapelle Sued By Ex-Boyfriend For $75 Million

Renowned celebrity photographer David LaChapelle has been sued for $75 million by his former boyfriend/agent.

David LaChapelle is accused of failing to pay his former business agent, Fred Torres, almost $25 million in expenses that he incurred over the years for processing LaChapelle’s photographs and selling them worldwide. The business agent also accused LaChapelle, an Andy Warhol protégé, of conspiring with his new exclusive sales agents at the Paul Kasmin Gallery to steal the client list and other confidential information from Torres’ firm, Fine Art Account Inc. Torres says the LaChapelle camp planted spies in his business last year to pluck the client list — which he says is worth at least $40 million.

LaChapelle had sued first in a filing made three months ago. According to the above-linked story, the pair maintains separate apartments in the same Chelsea townhouse.

Liberty Counsel Attacks BLAG

Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver is ever so pissed at the GOP legal team that defended DOMA before the Supreme Court.

The merits of the traditional marriage argument are strong in both cases, according to Staver, but he was not at all impressed by the oral presentation in defense of Proposition 8 by attorney Charles Cooper. “Cooper did a terrible job, both in terms of his oratory delivery and was horrible on the substance,” Staver said. “He was asked a question, ‘What is the reason why marriage is different or unique? Why would states want to protect marriage?’ He didn’t come up with an answer. (Justice Antonin) Scalia then threw out the answer about how children do better when they’re raised with a mom and a dad. “They didn’t know why that has not been presented in the brief. (Justice Elena) Kagan and Scalia had mentioned that to Cooper and Cooper had a home run that he could have knocked out of the park.” Staver said Cooper failed to make a stronger argument because of an attempt to argue the case on limited grounds.

Ah, delicious.

Bacon Condoms

"Make your meat look like meat."  From the makers of bacon lube, baconaisse, bacon envelopes, and bacon lip balm.

Today In Creepy Realistic Animation

From a company called Activision:

This animated character is being rendered in real-time on current video card hardware, using standard bone animation. The rendering techniques, as well as the animation pipeline are being presented at GDC 2013, "Next Generation Character Rendering" on March 27. The original high resolution data was acquired from Light Stage Facial Scanning and Performance Capture by USC Institute for Creative Technologies, then converted to a 70 bones rig, while preserving the high frequency detail in diffuse, normal and displacement composite maps. It is being rendered in a DirectX11 environment, using advanced techniques to faithfully represent the character's skin and eyes.

The porn applications will doubtlessly come immediately.

RELATED: NPR reminds us of the Uncanny Valley.

Does this next-generation animation cross the so-called "uncanny valley?" The term was coined in 1970 by the Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori. He said humans can relate to robots — think R2-D2 — but once they get too humanlike, but not close enough — think the animated Angelina Jolie in Beowulf — they feel disgust. That disgust — that "uncanny valley" — subsides at the other side: when the robot is indistinguishable from reality.  So, have we crossed that valley with this animation?

Homosexuality = Contraception = Mutual Masturbation = The DOMA Sadz

"Is Homosexual activity disordered? You better believe it. But so is contraceptive heterosexual activity since it is no longer ordered per se to procreation. In fact, it is rightly argued that contraceptive sex is really just mutual masturbation, it is not true or ordered human sexual activity at all. It is disordered, for it is not ordered to its proper end. The grave disorder of homosexual acts and the equally grave celebration on them in our culture is a very deep darkness. Scripture calls homosexual activity παρὰ φύσιν 'para physin' (contrary to nature – cf Rom 1:26). Any cursory examination of the structure and design of the human body (which is revelation) makes it clear that the man is not for the man, the man is for the woman. The woman is for the man, not another woman. Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? (Mk 8:18)." - Monsignor Charles Pope, having a terrible case of the DOMA sadz on the website of the Archdiocese of Washington.

Caller To NY1: I'm A Muslim And All Homosexuals Should Be Beheaded

Video by Good As You's Jeremy Hooper.

UPDATE: Some commenters believe that the caller is a "lackey" of Pam Geller. Others believe the entire call is a Poe.

Michelle Shocked Tapes Mouth, Stages Protest Outside Canceled Venue

Via the Santa Cruz Sentinel:

Face covered and mouth taped shut, alternative folk and rock singer Michelle Shocked staged a sit in outside a Santa Cruz nightclub that canceled her show because she made an anti-gay slur at a San Francisco club earlier this month. The tape across her mouth said "Silenced By Fear." When asked a question, Shocked shook her head vigorously and strummed her guitar while seated on the ground outside popular music venue Moe's Alley. She pointed to a sign inviting people to pick up a Sharpie marker and write on the white disposable safety suit she was wearing.

The owner of the venue commented: "We will not be bashing Michelle Shocked. Rather we will celebrate music, diversity and send some healing Santa Cruz energy her way."

Maggie Gallagher On SCOTUS

The interview took place on Wednesday.

Uh....

Seen at the Belk department store chain. (Via Copyranter)

John Fugelsang On The New Testament

A great rundown of all the hypocrisy within.

(Tipped by JMG reader Beeblemeyer)

Hate Groups Announce This Year's "Walkout" For GLSEN's Day Of Silence

As they've done for the last couple of years, dozens of anti-gay hate groups are banding together to encourage parents to keep their kids out of school lest they learn that it's wrong to beat the shit out of LGBT children.

From Mayors Against Illegal Guns

To air this week in Connecticut.

A Simplified SCOTUS Transcript

A lot more fun to read than the official version.

Tony Perkins Explains Kentucky's Anti-Gay Religious Freedom Act

"It took a House and Senate override to do it, but Kentucky can finally celebrate the enactment of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The bill, whose sponsor was a state Democrat, cruised to the simple majority it needed to overturn Governor Steve Beshear's veto. Under the law, men and women of faith can no longer be threatened for acting out their conscience on issues of moral principle. In the end, Gov. Beshear, who was under intense pressure from the Left, caved to the false argument that Christians would use the law to somehow discriminate against homosexuals.

"In fact, the exact opposite is true! This law was necessary--not because homosexuals were vulnerable to harassment--but because Christians are. As we've seen in small businesses and faith-based groups across the country, the Left's totalitarian tactics continue to trump Americans' First Amendment rights. Everyone from wedding cake bakers to high school teachers should be free to express their beliefs without fear of retribution." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.  Under the Religious Freedom Act any discrimination is legal if it is done due to "sincerely held religious beliefs."

Pro-Gay Harlem Coffee Shop Gets Flack From Customer For Marriage Support

Yesterday the Harlem coffee shop Chipped Cup put out their daily chalkboard with a drawing of the now-famous red equal sign and the message "Peace, love, equality." That made one customer super angry. Via New York Magazine:

When a neighbor informed [owners] Ding and Cantor they had just lost a customer with their political stance, the coffee shop's owners wrote back, "Thank goodness." That's when things started to get a latte worse. "GO FUCK YOURSELF," the user fired back. (The post has since been deleted.) "You asked for it now. Get ready for some publicity!" The user also apparently posted a one-star review/PSA on Yelp. "The owners here are trying to cram their political agenda down your throat," the user wrote. Because, you know, a sidewalk chalkboard with two horizontal pink lines drawn on it is tantamount to ideological force-feeding.

The customer first posted the below tweet then followed up with a similar barrage with supporters of Chipped Cup which curiously includes the claim that she never said she's against same-sex marriage. Her Twitter profile claims that she's a "pianist in the opera world" (that might prove problematic) and contains the hashtag #TCOT, which stands for "top conservatives on Twitter."

The moral of this story, as it appears from Dahlhalla's twitter exchanges is that coffee shops must be condemned for expressing opinions and that anybody who disagrees is a fascist trying to silence her opinions. But what can you expect from a CPAC attendee? Anyway, if you're up in Harlem, show some love to Chipped Cup on Broadway between 148th & 149th.

UPDATE: We may be dealing with a homocon. This tweet was deleted almost as soon as it was sent.

FRC On NOM's Hate March

"It was amazing to see how many black, Hispanic, and Asian folks had come out for this one. State Sen. Ruben Diaz harangued the crowd estimated at 5-8,000. Sen. Diaz is from New York. He spoke in Spanish. He crowed: 'I’m black. I’m Hispanic. I’m against abortion. I’m against this homosexual stuff. And I’m a Democrat.' He added that he wins by 89 percent in his state senatorial district. When we see dozens of Democrats abandoning their previously held positions and a few Republicans also willing to betray the voters who put them in office, it would be easy to become cynical about everyone in politics. But we have to stand firm and push back. Marriage is a blessing to families. Three-quarters of the teen rapists in our prisons are fatherless young men, so are two-thirds of the teen murderers. Even gay martyr Matthew Shepherd  was killed by two fatherless young men. Marriage bashes no one. Marriage benefits everyone." - Family Research Council senior fellow Bob Morrison, writing for Life Site News. (Via Right Wing Watch)

NOTE: It's rather interesting that the attendance figure for NOM's hate march continues to erode. Also interesting is Morrison's characterization of the speech by Diaz is haranguing and crowing. Heh.

Red-Caped Catholic Loons Post Video Of NOM's SCOTUS Hate March

"Share this video because the liberal media won't."

Dan Choi Found Guilty, Fined $100

Yesterday Dan Choi was found guilty at his trial for a 2010 "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" protest outside the White House where he was arrested with a dozen other protesters for refusing police orders to leave the area. Choi was fined a symbolic $100.  The Washington Post reports:

The guilty finding against Daniel Choi came as the West Point graduate tried to turn the usually staid courtroom of the District’s federal court into a lively venue for protesting his prosecution for his role in the November 2010 demonstration. In court on Thursday, Choi’s erratic demeanor swung from emotional outbursts at the lectern to belligerent confrontations with a U.S. Park Police officer and the federal prosecutor. Dressed in a military uniform, Choi paced the courtroom, serving as his own lawyer. “All I want at the end of this day is to return to the U.S. military,” Choi said through tears. Choi, who is not trained as an attorney, alternated between whispered apologies for his teary breakdowns and loud rebukes of Assistant U.S. Attorney Angela George for failing to refer to him as a lieutenant.

The twelve others arrested plead guilty at the time and received deferred sentences. Choi, however, had refused to do the same.  Another source reports that Choi was transported to a VA hospital after the trial. He faces jail time if he refuses to pay the fine.

Thomas Peters Vs Catholics United

Peters deleted his tweet after being busted.

Kate Kendell: DOMA Is Doomed

"I agree with most of the commentary so far: it looks like DOMA is doomed. Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Kagan, and Sotomayor made plain their view that the federal government's refusal to recognize the marriages of same-sex couples simply because they are same-sex couples is not justified by any legitimate rationale. Justice Kennedy, the fifth and deciding vote, also expressed the clear view that DOMA harms children. Protecting the children in same-sex headed households clearly weighs on Kennedy—an issue he mentioned multiple times yesterday as well.

"Even Justice Alito—clearly no champion on our issues—talked about "committed and loving same-sex couples" in a moment that stunned me. This is not the language of someone who sees us as an other or an abomination. While Justice Alito may be no friend, his comment at least suggests he views us through a frame of common humanity. What was also telling was the absence of bare bigotry. No statements on either day compared us to pedophiles or murderers. Nobody claimed that states have a right to penalize people for being LGBT (just the pretense by some that Proposition 8 and DOMA do not do so). There was tone of civility and respect. This is a new day in the country's most famous courtroom." - Kate Kendall, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, writing on her blog.

Asshat Of The Day - Ben Carson

"My thoughts are that marriage is between a man and a woman. It's a well-established, fundamental pillar of society and no group, be they gays, be they NAMBLA, be they people who believe in bestiality. It doesn't matter what they are. They don't get to change the definition. So he, it's not something that is against gays, it's against anybody who wants to come along and change the fundamental definitions of pillars of society. It has significant ramifications." - Tea Party darling Dr. Ben Carson, speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News.  Carson is being backed for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination by many in Teabagistan. (Tipped by JMG reader Tee Jay)

Gay Marriage Easter Bunnies

From Gayle's Chocolates.  (Via JMG reader John)

Record High For S&P 500

More evidence of the Obama economy:

Stocks edged higher on Thursday as the S&P 500 rose just above its record closing high, a level that has acted as a significant resistance point in recent weeks. The S&P 500 had been stuck in a fairly tight range, having traded within 10 points of the October 2007 record closing high of 1,565.15 over the previous 13 sessions before successfully piercing that level on Thursday morning.

The Dow average will close out the first quarter with an increase of 11% just in 2013.

From SF Archbishop Drunk Driver

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone has posted the above mockery of the most famous profile avatar in Facebook history.  The scriptural reference does seem apt:  "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division."  At this writing over 200 angry comments have been posted under the photo.  It doesn't appear that the archdiocese is moderating the page.

UPDATE: The post has been deleted after 350+ comments, not one of which was supportive.

Perkins Cheers KY Gay Hate Bill

Background on the bill is here.

293 Bike-Share Stations For NYC

New York City's long-planned bike sharing program launches in May and today we get a first glimpse at the proposed locations.  Ho-hum, nothing above 60th Street.

Skim-Milk Becomes Equality Meme

Rachel Maddow predicted this last night.

Polygamy Will Automatically Become Legal If SCOTUS Strikes Down DOMA & Prop 8

So said "Bishop" Harry Jackson on The 700 Club.

154 Rounds In Five Minutes

More details have emerged about Adam Lanza:

Adam Lanza left a home stuffed with weaponry and carried out the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in a 154-bullet barrage that took less than five minutes, investigators said Thursday in the first detailed account of his surroundings and troubled state of mind. Search warrants from the second-worst school shooting in American history revealed that the home Lanza shared with his mother in Newtown, Conn., was a veritable arsenal: Authorities found at least nine knives, three Samurai swords, two rifles, 1,600 rounds of ammunition and a 7-foot, wood-handled pole with a blade on one side and a spear on the other. Authorities also recovered a National Rifle Association certificate, seven of Lanza’s journals, drawings that he made and books from the house, including an NRA guide to the basics of pistol shooting.

Also found was a Christmas present check from Lanza's mother for him to buy another gun.

Salon's Gay Marriage Courage-O-Meter

Posted today on Salon:

Amid Supreme Court arguments this week on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act, political leaders exhibiting varying degrees of courage have lined up to announce their support of marriage equality. Some just came off of reelection, meaning they won’t face voters for six years. One was a Republican prompted to change his position by his gay son. And still another was a former secretary of state abstaining from the political fray until recently, and suddenly finding herself following the party she once sought to lead. Here, then — with a tip of the hat to New York magazine’s “approval matrix” — is our gay marriage courage-meter.

I must object to the position given Hillary Clinton as she stayed out of domestic issues during her tenure as Secretary of State, yet gave truly historic and full-throated support to LGBT rights issues abroad.

Gays "Crashed" Utah's Hate Rally

The anti-gays are so very dismayed that a large number of equality-minded people showed up to defend their civil rights at Utah's hate rally on Tuesday.

Tuesday's celebration of traditional family marriage had everything: the Osmonds, the Governor, and hundreds of gay rights party crashers. Needless to say it was not what traditional family supporters expected. "Do you think it makes this thing tense?" asked Reporter Brian Carlson. "In some ways yes, in some ways no," said Claus Nielsen, traditional family supporter. "It breaks my heart to see some of the signs around her that talk about hate, there's one I'm looking at right now that says 'Hate is not a family value,' and that's not what this is about, it's about sharing love but standing up for what we believe," said Jill Johnson, traditional family supporter. "I don't believe that man defines marriage, but God defines marriage," said Cameron Smith, traditional family supporter.

(Tipped by JMG reader Blair)

Willie Nelson Backs Marriage Equality

In an interview with Texas Monthly country music legend Willie Nelson displayed the above take on this week's marriage equality meme and restated his well-known support for LGBT rights.

TM: For better or worse, you've also grown into a reputation as something of an authority on marriage itself.
WN: I've been there and back a few times. It's not perfect, so why should we expect it to be perfect for everybody?
TM: But to be clear, you think everybody should be able to get married?
WN: Absolutely. I never thought of marriage as something only for men and women. But I'd never marry a guy I didn't like.
TM: A lot of people think this battle echoes the fight for civil rights in the sixties.
WN: It does. It's about human rights. As humanity, we've come through so many problems from the beginning to here. I guess it finally had to come around to this. This is just another situation, another problem. We'll work it out and move on.
TM: And what do you think they'll say when they look back on this?
WN: We'll look back and say it was crazy that we ever even argued about this

Texas Monthly concludes the article by posting the above weed-equality avatar and inviting readers to use it themselves.

Quote Of The Day - Charles Blow

"Witnessing a historic moment is such an odd and exhilarating thing. It is hard to register the full scope of it because you are chest deep in it.That is how I feel about the gay-marriage arguments made before the Supreme Court on Tuesday and Wednesday.However the court rules on California’s Proposition 8 and the federal government’s Defense of Marriage Act, there is no denying that something historic has just happened: an aggrieved group has taken a stand and given voice once again to the American — and indeed Democratic — ideals of justice and fairness and freedom." - Charles Blow, writing for the New York Times.

Obama On SCOTUS: No Predictions

Yesterday President Obama spoke with the nation's two largest Spanish-language networks regarding this week's marriage cases before the Supreme Court. 

Speaking to Univision:

“I never predict what the court will do. But I used to teach constitutional law, and there is certainly a strong basis for determining that in this age, given what we now know, given the changes that have been taking place in the states around the country, same-sex couples should be treated fairly and have the same rights benefits, be able to transfer property, all the rights and recognitions that heterosexual couples do.”

Speaking to Telemundo:

"I think it is time for the justices to examine this issue. I think not only is it right and fair but also consistent with our Constitution to recognize same-sex couples It doesn’t mean everybody has to agree from a religious standpoint about this issue. It does mean that it is very important for us to remember that we’re a nation where everybody is supposed to be equal before the law."

(Via Pink News)

MSNBC On New TIME Covers

No Senate Bid For Ashley Judd

The rest of her message came via several follow-up tweets.

Alligator Is A Lent-Approved Fish

The Archbishop of New Orleans has ruled that it's OK for Catholics to eat alligator during Lent. Because it's a fish.  Via NPR:

Catholics abstain from eating meat on Fridays during the time between Ash Wednesday and Easter, but seafood is allowed. Three years ago, when Jim Piculas was trying to settle a debate among his friends about whether gator qualified as seafood, he wrote a letter to the archbishop of New Orleans to ask. His letter must have been pretty zealous, because not long after he wrote it, he got a response from Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond saying: "Yes, the alligator's considered in the fish family, and I agree with you — God has created a magnificent creature that is important to the state of Louisiana, and it is considered seafood."

Most people say that gator does indeed taste like chicken, but I've always thought it tastes like calamari. (Except when it's in cheesecake.) Alligator hunting was legalized in Florida in the late 80s after the formerly endangered species rebounded rather spectacularly and large numbers of dogs and cats began disappearing from waterfront backyards. The state does continue to strictly limit the number that can be harvested. (Tipped by JMG reader Ken)

RI Bishop Calls For Marriage Delay

"In light of the historic deliberations of the U.S. Supreme Court on same-sex marriage, it would be appropriate for the General Assembly of Rhode Island to defer any action on this critical issue for the time being. Any legislative action that is taken now could very well be rendered completely null and void by the decision of the Supreme Court expected this June. It is likely that the Supreme Court will decide this matter for us, one way or another. Let’s wait to see what the highest court of the land says about this issue which is so very important to many Rhode Islanders." - Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Archdiocese of Providence. The Rhode Island House approved its marriage bill in January. The state Senate Judiciary Committee held a marathon 12-hour hearing last week, but has yet to vote.

Paris Cops Slam Hate March Figures

The Paris police are pissed at claims that they are biased against Manif Pour Tous for refuting their 1.4 million attendance figure at Sunday's anti-gay march. Yesterday the police issued a press release.

The estimation of the number of demonstrators at the “Manif Pour Tous”, held Sunday, March 24, has seen a series of claims challenging Police Prefecture neutrality. These allegations are inacceptable and the Police Prefecture wishes to reply on two scores. Firstly, late Sunday afternoon, the police prefecture provided its initial estimate based on data collected by officers on the ground and by information collected with video and aerial photography The following day, the accurate recount was begun by examining video footage which confirmed the initial evaluation communicated by the Police Prefecture of 300,000 demonstrators. 

Noting that they have used the same methodology to estimate crowd sizes for years, the police press release goes on to offer to provide the media with all of their data. Some anti-gay US groups this week further inflated the Paris march figure to 1.7M.  At Tuesday's rally in Washington DC, NOM head Brian Brown again cited the 1.4M number. (Via JMG reader David in Paris)

LGBT Museum Wants SCOTUS Signs

David Mixner On DOMA Hearing

Clip description:

Gay rights activist David Mixner, transgender activist Laverne Cox and Huffington Post Gay Voices Editor Noah Michelson join “Say Anything!” guest host Judy Gold to consider how attitudes toward marriage equality are shifting. The Supreme Court heard arguments relating to the Defense of Marriage Act on Wednesday.

Worth your time.

The Purpose Of Marriage Is Procreation

"If I'm gonna marry a horse, it's gonna be a young, virile horse."

Rush Limbaugh Attacks Bill O'Reilly

“How many of you who watch Fox are ‘Bible-thumpers?’ Do you think there are any ‘Bible-thumpers,’ quote, unquote that watch Fox? Because last night, you were — you were sort of marginalized on ‘The Factor’ as not having a compelling argument and just being a bunch of Bible-thumpers." - Rush Limbaugh, responding to comments Bill O'Reilly made Tuesday night after the Prop 8 arguments before the Supreme Court. Mmm, infighting.

TIME Magazines's Next Cover

Black Simon & Garfunkel - Thrift Shop

A folk take on the hip-hop smash.

Bloomberg: Set Minimum Price On Cigs

A pack of cigarettes usually costs $12 to $14 at NYC locations, but some retailers occasionally run tobacco industry promotions that bring the price down a few dollars. Mayor Bloomberg wants to end that practice by setting a minimum price of $10.50 in order to stem impulse purchases, particularly by young people.

According to a Federal Trade Commission report issued last year, the tobacco industry spent $6.5 billion on discounts in 2010, and Dr. Ribisl said they are one of the major ways cigarette makers encourage price-conscious customers like teenagers and low-income smokers to buy. City and state taxes already add $5.85 to the cost of every pack, the highest cigarette taxes in the country. About half of all states, including New York, also require wholesalers and retailers to mark the price of cigarettes up by a certain percentage. The laws were generally intended to protect business in small stores by preventing large chains from selling cigarettes below cost, as so-called loss leaders, which draw in customers. Mr. Bloomberg’s proposal, which will be taken up by the City Council, goes beyond those laws by specifying a minimum price.

Bloomberg's pricing bill is a companion item to last week's bill to force retailers to stock cigarettes out of view from customers. The minimum pricing bill also bans two-for-one sales and the offering of coupons.

Ezra Klein Vs Justice Scalia

"The idea that there is something so wrong with same-sex households that it would be preferable for these children to go two or four or six years without permanent parents — an idea, again, that has little to no evidence behind it, and that is in fact contradicted by most of the evidence — bespeaks a homophobia so deep that it is hard for me to believe it could persist long among people who actually know any children in the foster system, and who actually know many gay couples. [snip] The answer to Kagan’s question is that gay marriage doesn’t harm traditional marriage. But the answer to Scalia’s retort is that he’s got it precisely wrong: Gay marriage is good for children in the foster system." - Ezra Klein, reacting to Justice Scalia's claim that there is "considerable disagreement" among sociologists regarding children adopted by gay parents. (Tipped by JMG reader Russell)

Open Thread Thursday

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

Dems Set Record With Marriage Post

Buzzfeed reports an interesting stat:

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee tells BuzzFeed it has seen more than 10 million views of an image it posted on its Facebook page of the Supreme Court and a rainbow flag Tuesday. That makes the online effort the most-viewed in DCCC history. The image also garnered nearly half a million Facebook likes. Though not all Democrats running for reelection in 2014 favor same sex marriage rights, the party has made its support for the issue a signature heading into the next election.

Crackpot Headline Of The Day

From Alex Jones' Infowars of course.

Rachel Maddow On "Skim-Milk Marriage"

Great recap of yesterday.

Homocon Bruce Carroll: No 2014 Senate Run Because Of Danger From Gay Leftists

Former GOProud board member and Gay Patriot blogger Bruce Carroll announced tonight that he will not, after all, be running against Sen. Lindsey Graham in 2014 because he is worried about his safety from "the gay left."

The bottom line is that my partner John and I made a mutual decision that we didn’t want our entire lives invaded in a way that we couldn’t control. On the show tonight, I discuss the fact that a gay leftist activist harassed me at my place of private employment in 2005 shortly after this blog was born. My job was in jeopardy for a while then and other people at my company of employment were threatened. The magnitude of those type of attacks would only have increased exponentially had I chosen to move into a role seeking public office. The Gay Left concerns me the most; I’ve witnessed good people’s lives and families destroyed over public policy differences. They are beyond the pale.

Carroll adds that his concerns intensified earlier this month when a mysterious unmarked van lurked outside his house shortly after this year's CPAC.  Undoubtedly, that van was packed with dangerous long-haired gay leftists on their way to a warehouse alcohol party. 

Teabagistan Has The DOMA Sadz

All of Teabagistan is crying the DOMA blues as demonstrated by the above headlines from World Net Daily, the New York Post, the Christian Post, the Blaze, the Daily Caller, and Fox News.