Saturday, June 15, 2013

Palin Speaks At Wingnut Conference

Sarah Palin delivered a 20-minute address to an audience of rapt evangelicals today at Ralph Reed's Faith And Freedom Conference.  Mediaite has a recap:
“It seems so Orwellian around here,” Palin said. “Before 1984, terms like ‘leading from behind’ meant following. The other day the White House testified before Congress, bragging that they used the ‘least untruthful statement.’ Where I come from that’s called a lie. Yes, officials lied, and government spied,” Palin rhymed. “In Benghazi, government lied, and Americans died. These scandals are coming at us so fast and furious.”

“It reminds me of a comedy bit from my really, really good friends at Saturday Night Live,” Palin said. “They should think of me as a friend, for a while I was supplying more job security for the Tina Feys of the world and doing more for those employment numbers than Obama’s ever done.” Palin proceeded to do her best Amy Poehler impression.

“Our government spied on every single one of your phone calls,” she said, “but it couldn’t find two pot-smoking deadbeat Bostonians with a hotline to terrorist central in Chechnya. Really? And it’s built apparatus to sneak into all of the good guys’ communications, but oopsy-daisy! It missed the Fort Hood mass-murder of our own troops, despite this Islamic terrorist declaring his ideology in numerous army counseling sessions and on his own business cards. But no red flags there. Really?”
Palin opened by mocking Obama supporters as "dense knuckleheads" who can be identified by their "itty bitty purple Volts."

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The History Of Proposition 8

Clip created by AFER.

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NYC-Based Realty Group Bans Smoking In Rented Apartments Nationwide

The Related Companies, a New York City-based real estate group with properties across the nation, has banned smoking in all 40,000 of its rental units.
Although the program will roll out gradually, it appears to be the first of this scale by a national property owner. It also seems likely to create controversy. Where past efforts against smoking have focused on public gathering places — like bars, stadiums and courthouses — Related is now trying to prohibit legal private behavior. Not that smokers will get kicked to the curb right away. New tenants must sign a contract promising not to smoke anywhere in the building, including their private terraces or balconies. If they break the rules, they can be evicted. But those already renting will not face the same fate until after they renew their leases and sign the no-smoking contract. With a turnover rate of 10,000 a year, Related’s apartments could conceivably be smoke-free in a few years’ time.
The New York Times notes that enforcement will most rely on neighbors narcing on each other. 

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Rallies Planned For "Decision Day"

Activist groups across the nation are gearing up for celebrations or protests on the day that the Supreme Court hands down its decisions on DOMA and Prop 8.  Go to this interactive map for details on events near you.  The Bay Area Reporter has details on what is planned for San Francisco:
In San Francisco a group of volunteers known as the Day of Decision Committee is planning for a party, hopefully, in the heart of the gay Castro district. Police are expected to shut down the 400 and 500 blocks of Castro Street from 5:30 to 9 p.m. for the event. Drivers are being warned to avoid parking on Castro Street the evening of the decision; cars will not be towed but vehicles could be stuck there until after the event ends. Should Prop 8 be struck down then the plan is to have sound trucks with DJs playing music and speeches by community leaders. Similar events have been held in the past to either celebrate or protest court decisions.
New Yorkers are invited to gather outside the Stonewall Inn at 5:30PM on the day of the ruling.

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Rick Perry Signs "Merry Christmas" Bill

With the Kountze High School cheerleaders looking on, yesterday Rick Perry signed a bill that forbids any legal challenge to the observance of religious traditions in public schools.
Dubbed the "Merry Christmas bill," the bipartisan measure sailed through the state House and Senate to reach Perry's desk. It removes legal risks of saying "Merry Christmas" in schools while also protecting traditional holiday symbols, such as a menorah or nativity scene, as long as more than one religion and a secular symbol are also reflected. "I realize it's only June. But it's a good June and the holidays are coming early this year," Perry said. "It's a shame that a bill like this one I'm signing today is even required, but I'm glad that we're standing up for religious freedom in this state. Religious freedom does not mean freedom from religion."
Bolding is mine.

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TRAILER: The Butler

Oscar buzz for Oprah, say the tabloids.

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Friday, June 14, 2013

Today's Prayer List From The FRC

This weekend the Family Research Council would like all Christians to pray that soldiers are allowed to abuse gay troops in the name of Jesus, that the Supreme Court rejects same-sex marriage, that the Boy Scouts fall apart, and that self-hating gay people become brainwashed. And also, apparently, that there will be more scandals for the Obama administration.

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Chris Christie Tops GOP Favorites

Unsurprisingly, Christie is at the bottom of the list when only Republicans are asked.

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Jeb Bush: Immigrants Are More Fertile

Speaking at the Faith & Freedom Conference of wingnuts today, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush pushed for immigration reform by declaring that immigrants are "more fertile" and therefore their larger families will help the economy grow. Bush is now getting flack from the right, who hates his support for immigration amnesty, and from some on the left, who found his words racist.  Matt Yglesias struck the right tone on Twitter.

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Quote Of The Day - Sen. Max Baucus

"When it comes to the workplace, it is unacceptable for anyone to be fired simply because of their sexual orientation. ENDA will help protect workers from this type of discrimination and I look forward to moving forward on this legislation in the Senate as soon as possible. Members of the LGBT community are our neighbors, brothers, sisters and friends. They are community leaders who bring the kind of diversity to our nation that makes it strong. We all have a role in making sure that Pride Month is not just something we check off on the calendar. 'Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness' for all Americans is what we are called to strive for every day of the year." - Sen. Max Baucus, writing for the Montana Standard. (Tipped by JMG reader Mike)

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Another Stalling Tactic In House Of Lords

Three members of the House Of Lords have introduced an amendment that would stop the marriage equality bill from going into effect until after also being approved in a national referendum to be held two or three years from now.
The amendment, tabled by Labour peer Lord Anderson of Swansea, Conservative peer Lord Cormack, and crossbench peer Lord Singh of Wimbledon, calls for a referendum on equal marriage to be held on 7 May 2015, or if that date is unsuitable, it would be required to take place before 1 June 2016. The question which would be raised for the referendum is: “At present, the law in England and Wales defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. Should the law be changed to define marriage as the union of two people—whether a man and a woman, or woman and a woman, or a man and a man?”. The amendment states that, even if the bill is passed at all stages, it would not be able to come into effect until a majority of voters at the referendum vote in its favour.
Another amendment on the table calls for the creation of a separate marriage registry for straight couples.

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"I" Is For Indoctrination

From the Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, here's a song that teaches children how Jesus invented the alphabet. "Do you know your Christian ABCs?"

(Source)

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Pew Poll: When Did You Know?

The Washington Post reports:
In a Pew Research Center poll released Thursday, nine in 10 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adults said society has become more accepting of them and that they expect it to become more so in the years ahead. But only 19 percent said there is “a lot” of acceptance for gays, while 59 percent chose to characterize it more softly, as “some” acceptance, and 21 percent said there was little to none.

More than half said they had been subjected to slurs or jokes about gays, and sizable numbers said they had been rejected by friends or family, threatened with physical attack, or made to feel unwelcome at a house of worship. The Pew survey of 1,197 LGBT adults is the first of its kind by a major polling organization. It asked them when they realized they weren’t straight, when they came out and how they have felt ostracized at times. Compared with the general public, Pew said, gay men and lesbians are more liberal, more Democratic, less religious, less happy with their lives, yet more satisfied with the direction the country is headed.
Make you sure visit Pew's fascinating quote farm from the poll's respondents. An interactive graph lets you compare your experiences with your age peers. (Tipped by JMG reader James)

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Hitting Back At Cheerios Haters

General Mills had to disable YouTube comments a couple of weeks ago after racists descended on their Cheerios ad which features an interracial family. Here's an amusing response (not from General Mills). Wait for the ending.

(Tipped by JMG reader Daniel)

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Pope Dances Around Marriage Issue

In a speech that the Associated Press is characterizing as "diplomatically wading into the gay marriage issue," today Pope Francis notably did not explicitly denounce same-sex unions when speaking about family values with the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Francis, who vigorously opposed gay marriage in his native Argentina, and Archbishop Justin Welby chatted, prayed and had lunch together at the Vatican in their first encounter since both were installed in March. Welby, the spiritual leader of the 77 million-strong Anglican Communion, has opposed proposed legislation in Britain that would legalize gay marriage, saying it seeks to abolish and redefine the institution and would weaken one of the cornerstones of society.

He delivered a speech last week before the House of Lords before it moved the gay marriage bill one step closer to becoming law. The legislation would enable gay couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies in England and Wales. In his remarks to Welby, Francis said he hoped they could collaborate in promoting the sacredness of life "and the stability of families founded on marriage." He noted that Welby had recently spoken out on the issue, a reference to his House of Lords speech.

Significantly, though, Francis didn't specify that marriage should be based on a union between a man and woman, which is how Benedict XVI and John Paul II routinely defined it in a way that made clear their opposition to same-sex marriage. Vatican officials said Francis' phrasing was a diplomatic attempt to make his point without making a provocative pronouncement, particularly during an inaugural meeting with Welby that was aimed at getting to know one another.
The Pope had previously surprised Vatican watchers by remaining silent on same-sex marriage in Britain and France.

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Gay Family Holds Funeral For Prop 8


From JMG favorites, the Leffew family.

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ISRAEL: Police Ask Gay Activist To Turn State's Witness In 2009 Shooting Spree

Tel Aviv police are asking a well-known gay activist to admit to molesting a gay teen so that they can prove that he was known to the three men suspected in the 2009 shooting spree at an LGBT teen center that left two people dead.
The activist is himself a suspect in the Barnoar club attack in which a gunman shot two teenagers dead and injured 15. Police earlier this week said the attack had been carried out to avenge the alleged sexual assault of a minor, by the activist. Police are convinced that the activist refuses to admit to having sexual contact with the minor only because he fears for his life. Hagai Felician, the main suspect, allegedly fired into Barnoar after a relative told him he had been assaulted by the activist, police say. Police detectives are trying to persuade the activist to admit to having sexual contact with the minor. That testimony would refute the claims of the other three suspects who say they don’t know him. The activist’s attorney, Ran Alon, would not comment on the matter, saying only “I hope my client is released to go home on Friday.”
Three months ago the main informant called police from prison, where he was being held on an unrelated crime, to identify the three suspects. He told police he that as a member of the gay community he had "pangs of guilt" for his role in the crime. Police now say the informant was actually seeking revenge on the other three for "turning their backs on him." The informant, who was released from prison in order to aid in the investigation, is being placed in Israel's witness protection program.  The attack resulted in one of the largest manhunts and most expensive investigations in Israeli history.

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A Tale Of Two Dads

From Freedom To Marry and Campaign For Southern Equality.

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Anthony Weiner: I No Longer Toss Salad

Anthony Weiner has yet again provided hilarity to New York City's tabloids in response to a New York Times story that recounts his famed temper. From the Times:
In 2005, he became so irritated with a staff member that he threw a salad against the wall, then left the room as the dressing slowly dripped, leaving a stain. Another time, arguing with an aide, Mr. Weiner threw his BlackBerry against a wall, then blamed the aide for the broken phone. “It was like ‘The Devil Wears Prada,’ ” recalled Stacey E. Fitzpatrick, a lawyer in Seattle who worked for Mr. Weiner on the City Council.
Weiner reacted in an interview with Buzzfeed
"The way Josh tells it — and he was on the campaign at the time — is the door opened and there was a salad on the wall,” he said. “First of all, I don’t do salad. That’s the other thing about the story. I don’t do salads.” “Look, I’m impatient for change, and I fight hard for the middle class and those struggling to make it, and I make no apology about that,” Weiner said. “I mean, I’m a much mellower person than I was when the salad did or did not wind up on the wall.”
Tomorrow's front page of the Post should be amusing.

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Freedom To Work Slams Marco Rubio

Miami Herald journalist Steve Rothaus has their full statement:
"Freedom to Work condemns Senator Rubio's retrograde stance against basic workplace protections for gay and transgender Americans," said Tico Almeida, a first-generation Cuban-American who is President of the LGBT organization Freedom to Work. "Like Rubio's family, my parents also abandoned Communist Cuba because America is a place where every individual should be empowered to build a successful career based on talent and hard work rather than getting held back because of irrelevant characteristics like sexual orientation or gender identity. It's just plain sad that Rubio is mimicking the kind of anti-gay discriminatory positions that the Castro regime took during decades past. It seems the Senator has learned too little about American values."
Here's the brief Think Progress interview that started the latest flap.

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French Mayor: I'll Do A Wedding For Two Girls, But I'll Never Marry Two Men

Earlier this week a French mayor said he'll go to prison before performing a same-sex wedding ceremony. Today another mayor is in the national news.
Claude Binaud, six-time mayor of Matha, a town in the Charente-Maritime region of south-western France, has caused a stir by refusing to marry a local man, Bernard Rouhaud, and his partner, it was reported on Friday. He qualified his refusal, however, by saying that he “might marry two girls.” Binaud, 77, has been a consistent opponent of gay marriage, which became legal in France in May after months of fraught national debate and even violent clashes. “There’s no doubt, I will not marry them, not two boys,” he told regional daily Sud-Ouest. “I don’t find it [gay marriage] normal. We’re touching on something central to society here – the family,” he said. “Two girls, I might have said yes, if my back was against the wall. But that’s totally different, they can have children,” he added.
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls has issued a warning that any mayor that refuses a same-sex ceremony faces three years in prison and a €45,000 fine.

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USPS Suspends Service To Chicago Frat House After Racist & Homophobic "Prank"

The Postal Service has suspended mail service to the University of Chicago's Phi Delta Theta fraternity after a racist and homophobic "prank" was pulled on a mailman.
Postal carrier Iran Becton said about a week after Memorial Day he had an order to deliver dozens of postal supply boxes to the Phi Delta Theta fraternity at 56th Street and University on campus. The Sun-Times Mary Mitchell reports, it took Becton six or seven trips to deliver the packages until one of the fraternity members told Becton to read the name on the order “Reggin Toggaf” backwards. Reversing the names, the first name is a racial slur. The last name is a slur for gay men.
Phi Delta Theta's chapter president claims that a rival fraternity is to blame. The University of Chicago is working with the USPS to identify the culprit and has issued a statement calling the incident "deplorable."

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BRITAIN: DNA Analysis Reveals Prince William Has Indian Ancestry

Britain's future king has Indian ancestry on his late mother's side, according to DNA analysis. The Indian Express reports:
Prince William, second-in-line to the throne, will be first British king with proven Indian ancestry, DNA analysis has revealed. The DNA analysis of saliva samples taken from the Duke of Cambridge's relatives have established a direct lineage between the 30-year-old prince and an Indian housekeeper on his mother Princess Diana's side.

It is his only non-European DNA and means he will become the first Head of the Commonwealth with a clear genetic link to its most populous nation, India. William is now likely to be encouraged to make his debut mission to India soon after the birth of his baby next month.

Researchers have uncovered the details of his lineage via a doomed relationship of William's Indian great-great-great-great-great grandmother. Eliza Kewark was housekeeper to Prince William's great grandfather Theodore Forbes (1788-1820), a Scottish merchant who worked for the East India Company in the port town of Surat in Gujarat.
A DNA sample was provided by Princess Diana's maternal aunt, who says she is delighted to learn that she is part-Indian.

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John Oliver's GayWatch

Mediaite weighs on John Oliver, who is subbing for Jon Stewart:
Daily Show guest host John Oliver tonight took on the social progress (or lack thereof) towards gay marriage rights in the United States and around the world. Between mocking Pat Robertson‘s odd phrasing and the rumors of a “gay lobby” at the Vatican, Oliver saved his sharpest barbs for the violent anti-gay protestors taking to the streets in France, marching in gaudy pink garb, leading Oliver to ask, “How is it that France’s anti-gay protests look so much gayer than our pro-gay protests?”
Some really great bits here.

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President Obama Calls For ENDA Passage At White House LGBT Pride Event

Chris Johnson reports at Washington Blade:
President Obama energized attendees at the annual Pride reception held at the White House on Thursday by saying “we need to get” the Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed. Citing a letter he said he received from a PFLAG mom from Ohio named “Susan” expressing concern that LGBT people aren’t protected from harassment in the workplace, Obama said, “I share that concern,” and issued a call to pass ENDA — without mentioning the bill by name.

“There’s a bipartisan bill moving forward in the Senate that would ban discrimination against all LGBT Americans in the workplace, now and forever,” Obama said. “We need to get that passed. I want to sign that bill. We need to get it done now.” Despite difficulties in passing ENDA — mostly notably the fact that Republicans are in control of the House — Obama told attendees in the East Room of the White House that he sees a path for passing the bill based on the successes the LGBT community has seen in recent years.

“And I think we can make that happen — because after the last four and a half years, you can’t tell me things can’t happen,” Obama said. “Look around. We’ve got gay and lesbian soldiers, and sailors, and airmen, and Marines who are here today. We’ve got married couples from places like New York and Washington State.”
The video below has been posted to the official YouTube channel of the White House. From the president's remarks: "We're not going to have to wait that long -- because from Minnesota to Maryland, from the United States Senate to the NBA, it’s clear we’re reaching a turning point."

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Photo Of The Day

That's (sort of) the view from atop the world's tallest building, Dubai's 160-story Burj Khalifa. Gizmodo has the deets on how the photo was made. By the way, it can cost up to $100 to visit the observation deck.  Here are some of the records the building has set.

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ASAP Science On Muscle Growth

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Today's Liberty Counsel Lie

"President Obama is forcing federal employees to openly affirm homosexuality and other forms of immoral behavior. The President is using bully tactics to force his immoral agenda on millions of people who come to work each day to make a living. This is shameful. Liberty Counsel has already reported on the Department of Justice’s ‘silence is not an option’ campaign, which provides that it is not enough if you remain silent on LGBT issues. Instead, you must affirm deviant sexual behavior. If you are silent, your job is in jeopardy. After we reported on what was happening in the Department of Justice, more DOJ employees came forward saying that they were afraid for their jobs. Essentially what we have in this administration is an LGBT affirmative action program. This is the most outrageous violation of conscience and the First Amendment that I have seen within any Administration—trying to force people’s conscience to affirm something that historically has been, and according to natural law and Biblical revelation, is unnatural, immoral and unhealthy." - Hate group leader Mat Staver, still peddling that lie about a pride brochure created by the DOJ's LGBT employee group.

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Marriage Trends By Denomination

Embiggen or read the Pew Forum's report.

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Joe Arpaio Is Selling His Sling

Joe Arpaio, self-proclaimed "America's Toughest Sheriff," is selling his sling.

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Perkins Cheers Rep. John Fleming

"President Obama can't veto the First Amendment, so he's doing the next best thing: refusing to let his troops exercise it. In his most combative move yet, the administration warned Congress yesterday that it strongly opposes Rep. John Fleming's religious freedom amendment, which sailed through the House Armed Services Committee with bipartisan support. Now, the administration is taking its spite to new heights by threatening to withhold a year's worth of defense funding over a simple amendment protecting the same rights our troops fight for every day. The administration, which had been content to drive faith underground in the military, is moving to its next phase: driving faith out. Welcome to Obama's military, where open homosexuality is encouraged but open belief is not." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Christie Slow Jams With Jimmy Fallon

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Sarah Palin Re-Joins Fox News

Serial quitter Sarah Palin is returning to the job she quit five months ago.
Fox News is thrilled to welcome her back.The return of the outspoken 2008 vice presidential candidate, who appeared on the fair and balanced network for three years ending in January, was announced by Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes. "I hope she continues to speak her mind. I have great confidence in her and am pleased that she will once again add her commentary to our programming," Ailes said. Palin will make her latest debut on the morning show "Fox & Friends," on Monday. In addition to providing political insight and commentary, Palin will contribute to Fox Business Network. "The power of Fox News is unparalleled," Palin said. "The role of Fox News in the important debates in our world is indispensable. I am pleased and proud to be rejoining Roger Ailes and the great people at Fox."
What's the over/under on Palin lasting until the end of the year?

RELATED: Media Matters reacts quickly with a recap of the "ten worst things Sarah Palin said on Fox News" the first time around.

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Caterpillar Bulldozes Boy Scouts Dough

Heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar today announced that it will no longer fund the Boy Scouts because of the continuing ban on openly gay troop leaders.
Caterpillar spokeswoman Rachel Potts said Thursday that the Caterpillar Foundation has decided to withdraw its supports for Boy Scouts of America. Potts says the company believes the group's policy barring homosexual adults from serving as scout leaders is discriminatory. Potts said the decision wasn't necessarily related to the Boy Scouts of America's recent decision to allow homosexual scouts, while still prohibiting participation by openly homosexual adults. Other companies such as United Parcel Service and Intel Corporation stopped supporting the scouts well before the recent decision.
The Boy Scouts have issued a statement expressing regret at today's announcement but they also thanked Caterpillar for its previous support.

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Crackpot GOP Rep. Steve King Whines For Help Over Student Immigration Activists

A small group of teenage DREAM activists have crackpot GOP Rep. Steve King wetting his Sansabelts.
King, a long-time immigration hardliner, last week sponsored an effort to cut funding for President Obama's deferred action program, which grants deportation reprieves to DREAMers. In response, United  We Dream, an undocumented youth activist group, organized a protest at the Iowa congressman's office this morning. Two dozen or so demonstrators showed up at King's office to voice their displeasure with him, organizers said. They arrived wearing caps and gowns (photo here) to reinforce their message that they want to pursue higher education and careers in the U.S. But the real story quickly became about how King framed the protest on Twitter.
Last year King infamously referred to immigrants as dogs, saying that America should only be accepting the "pick of the litter" and not the lazy dogs "sleeping in the corner."

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BRITAIN: Former Archbishop Of Canterbury Proposes Separate Marriage Registry For Straight Couples

Gay Star News reports on the latest bid to torpedo Britain's marriage bill:
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord George Carey is trying to wreck gay marriage in England and Wales by creating a new gold standard only straights can be part of – ‘traditional marriage’.  As a member of the House of Lords, he is proposing to amend the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill so it recognizes ‘traditional marriage’ as only being between a man and a woman.  Opposite-sex couples will then be put on a separate official marriage register if they want, so they don’t even have to share a list – let alone the institution of marriage – with gay and lesbian couples. It’s just one of the amendments designed to wreck the bill as it goes through committee stage in the House of Lords.It’s just one of the amendments designed to wreck the bill as it goes through committee stage in the House of Lords. The unelected upper chamber of the British parliament has already approved the bill going ahead, after being passed it by the elected House of Commons.But now Lords get to scrutinize it and suggest changes.
The bill gets its third and final reading in the House Of Lords on July 15th.

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Dan Savage On Ex-Gay Camps

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Sen. Marco Rubio: I'll Vote Against The Immigration Bill If Gays Are Included

Sen. Marco Rubio today vowed that he will vote against the immigration reform bill that he co-authored if the amendment allowing gay US citizens to sponsor their foreign partners is not removed.
"If this bill has something in it that gives gay couples immigration rights and so forth, it kills the bill. I'm done," Rubio said Thursday during an interview on the Andrea Tantaros Show. "I'm off it, and I've said that repeatedly. I don't think that's going to happen and it shouldn't happen. This is already a difficult enough issue as it is."   The amendment, introduced by Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, would grant green cards to foreign partners of gay unauthorized immigrants who seek legal status under new rules in the bill. Leahy originally introduced the measure during the Senate Judiciary Committee markup of the bill, but he withdrew it under pressure from Republican lawmakers who said it would reduce the chance of the bill passing.
Leahy re-introduced his amendment on Tuesday and even some Democrats questioned why he would risk the bill's passage when he'd already withdrawn an earlier amendment on the same issue. However Leahy's move this week was heralded by several LGBT rights groups.

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REPORT: $590M Lottery Winner To Share Fortune With Her Gay Son And His Partner

Last week Florida resident Gloria Mackenzie, 84, came forward as the $590M winner of the largest individual lottery jackpot prize in US history.  According to the British tabloid Daily Mail, Mackenzie is going to share the jackpot with her 57 year-old son Scott, who lives in Jacksonville with his partner Jerry, age 65.
Gloria, whose husband Ralph died in 2005, was forced to leave the trailer she had called home for 25 years to move into a run-down $30,000 bungalow in the small town of Zephyrhills, Florida, just one year ago.  She had pledged to split the winnings with son Scott, of Jacksonville, Florida, as she was with him when she bought the $2 ticket at a Zephyrhills supermarket on May 18. Gloria has two sons, Larry and Scott, and two daughters, Melinda – known as Mindy – and Jaimie, alongside grandchildren Matthew, Alex, Scott and Lindsay, and two great-grandchildren, Victoria and Ethan. Most of her family remain in her home state of Maine and it remains unknown how, or if, she plans to share the jackpot with them.

After being thrust into the spotlight last week, Gloria spent the weekend with Scott and Jerry, and the trio were seen dining at Jacksonville spot Joe’s Crab Shack on Sunday – where she ate steam pots that cost $22.99 each. On Monday, Scott and Gloria were seen visiting a bank and later shopping at Walmart. They then enjoyed lunch at the Crazy Egg café – where the most expensive item on the menu costs $10.99 - and even asked for a doggy bag of left overs as they departed. Gloria is now planning to move into a luxury new home in the city of Jacksonville, three hours away, with both Scott and Jerry.
The main sources of the Daily Mail's story are neighbors of both the mother and son, as well as the son's ex-wife, who claims that she and Scott remained close friends after they divorced ten years ago following his coming out to her. (Tipped by JMG reader John)

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Crazy Eyes: If Immigration Reform Passes There Won't Be Another GOP President

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NEW YORK CITY: Gay Activist Wins $3.5M Molestation Lawsuit Against His Cousin

The Brooklyn Supreme Court yesterday awarded $3.5M to activist Chaim Levin, who sued his cousin for childhood sexual abuse. Levin is also a plaintiff in the Southern Poverty Law Center's pending lawsuit against JONAH, a New Jersey-based Jewish "ex-gay" organization. The New York Daily News reports on yesterday's win:
Chaim Levin, now 24, claimed in a Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit that he was repeatedly molested by his first cousin Sholom Eichler at a synagogue, at a relative’s home and at an upstate bungalow where the family vacationed. Levin contended that between 1996 and 1999, he was forced to perform oral sex and was once sodomized with a pen by Eichler, starting when he was 6 years old. The abuse mostly occurred at Eichler’s home on Eastern Parkway and the synagogue Vishnitz, on Montgomery St. in Crown Heights, according to the suit. “It was pretty brutal. It was killing me, but I was too afraid to tell anyone,” Levin said. A court referee ordered Eichler to pay Levin $1 million for pain and suffering and $2.5 million for future pain and suffering due to the repeated assaults, said Levin’s lawyer, David Krangle.
It remains unclear whether Levin will ever collect his judgment as Eichler, the son of wealthy retailers, has fled to Israel and did not appear in court to deny the charges. Brooklyn prosecutors were unable to bring a criminal complaint due to the statute of limitations, but Israeli prosecutors are reportedly investigating whether molestations also took place there during a trip Eichler and Levin made to Jerusalem in 1999.

RELATED:  In 2010 Levin and I attended the Truth Wins Out picket of NARTH's annual convention in Philadelphia.  In the driveway of the host hotel, Levin described to us how his "ex-gay" counselor at JONAH had instructed him to strip naked and fondle his own genitals as the counselor watched. This "therapy" was ordered so that Levin could "get in touch" with his "true masculinity."

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America's 50 Worst Charities

The Tampa Bay Times and the Center For Investigative Reporting have collaborated on a expose' they have titled America's Worst Charities.  Fifty groups are examined and the full list is at the link.  CNN opens their report today with this:
The worst charity in America operates from a metal warehouse behind a gas station in Holiday, Florida. Every year, Kids Wish Network raises millions of dollars in donations in the name of dying children and their families. Every year, it spends less than 3 cents on the dollar helping kids. Most of the rest gets diverted to enrich the charity's operators and the for-profit companies Kids Wish hires to drum up donations. In the past decade alone, Kids Wish has channeled nearly $110 million donated for sick children to its corporate solicitors. An additional $4.8 million has gone to pay the charity's founder and his own consulting firms. No charity in the nation has siphoned more money away from the needy over a longer period of time.
CNN notes that some of the listed charities deliberately mimic the names of well-regarded legitimate organizations such as Make-A-Wish Foundation in order to confuse donors. (Tipped by JMG reader Mike)

RELATED: The Tampa Bay Times has posted numerous articles and editorials in support of their report. Check them out.

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Ricky Martin - Come With Me

Ricky Martin's new single leaked out last night. The below clip cuts off the beginning by a few seconds, but you can listen to a higher quality full version on Soundcloud.  Sounds like a big summer club hit to me.

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No SCOTUS Action On Marriage Today

Today was a rare Thursday release of rulings by the Supreme Court, but there were no decisions on the pending same-sex marriage cases. So now we're down to the next two Mondays left in the month.

CORRECTION: SCOTUSblog has posted an addendum on today's live blog noting that there will likely be at least one more special release day this month other than on the scheduled Mondays.

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TRAILER: Terms & Conditions May Apply

Film synopsis: "Terms And Conditions May Apply examines the cost of so-called 'free' services and the continuing disappearance of online privacy. People may think they know what they give up when they click 'I Agree' on companies like Facebook and Google. They're wrong."

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Facebook Launches #Hashtags

From yesterday's official Facebook blog:
Starting today, hashtags will be clickable on Facebook. Similar to other services like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or Pinterest, hashtags on Facebook allow you to add context to a post or indicate that it is part of a larger discussion. When you click on a hashtag in Facebook, you'll see a feed of what other people and Pages are saying about that event or topic. Now you can: • Search for a specific hashtag from your search bar. For example, #NBAFinals. • Click on hashtags that originate on other services, such as Instagram. • Compose posts directly from the hashtag feed and search results. As always, you control the audience for your posts, including those with hashtags.
Advertisers are expected to begin using "sponsored hashtags" shortly. #SurprisedFace.

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Rep. John Fleming Defends Amendment To Allow Harassment Of Gay Troops

"President Obama is continuing his war on free speech. With the IRS trying to intimidate and silence conservative groups, and the Justice Department digging into the phone records of reporters, it’s no surprise that the president also wants to deny First Amendment rights to our Armed Forces. With its statement, the White House is now endorsing military reprimands of members who keep a Bible on their desk or express a religious belief. That is an outrageous position, but it’s what I’ve come to expect from an administration that is aggressively hostile toward religious beliefs that it deems to be politically incorrect.

"My amendment protects, for our men and women in uniform, a principle enshrined in our Constitution and cherished since our Founding Fathers: the free exercise of one’s religious beliefs, including expressions of one’s belief. It has bipartisan support and takes into account the unique context of military service, accommodating the beliefs of our service members, while not jeopardizing military necessity. We need to protect the free speech of the brave warriors who fight to safeguard our liberties, and I hope Congress will reject this blatant White House attack on religious freedom." - Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) reacting to President Obama's criticism of his defense appropriations amendment that prohibits punishing soldiers who abuse gay troops. (Via Washington Blade)

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Open Thread Thursday

Tell us about your hobbies. Are you a collector, a gardener, a flea market hound?

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WISCONSIN: Uproar As State Senate Approves Ultrasound Before Abortion Law

By a party line vote of 17-15 yesterday the Wisconsin state Senate approved a bill requiring women to undergo an ultrasound before an abortion so that "they know they are killing a live baby."  Democrats demanded further debate but GOP Senate President Mike Ellis screamed, "The vote is non-debatable!" as he broke his gavel. According the Associated Press, the microphone for the Democratic Minority Leader was then turned off.  The clip below contains that bit; to see what preceded the vote, go here.  Gov. Scott Walker is expected to sign the bill.

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NSA Leaker Edward Snowden: Male Model

"So I got invited to model for this guy (potentially NSFW) last week, and I just now got the proofs back from him. He shoots mostly guys, and he’s got some 'questionable' people interested in his work, so I was actually a little worried he might, you know, try to pull my pants off and choke me to death with them, but he turned out to be legit and is a pretty damn good model photographer. It’s only my third shoot, so be gentle. Big Green." - NSA leaker Edward Snowden, in a 2001 post dug up by Little Green Footballs.  Snowden was 18 at that time. Many more photos can be found here via the Wayback Machine. (Tipped by JMG reader Robert)

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Headline Of The Day

Details. (Tipped by JMG reader Steve)

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TRAILER: 300: Rise Of An Empire

The press materials stress that this is a "follow-up" and not a sequel to 2006's unintentionally homoerotic gore-fest. That's because the action occurs "before, during, and after" what took place in the first film. The release date is March 2014.

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Faith Healer Of The Day: Todd Bentley

"They brought a woman that had been to all the witch doctors and all the magic soothsayers and whatever she could do to get healed because she had breast cancer. As she was standing in the crowd, the power of God came all over her and she grew a brand new breast. Right after that, they brought two more people onto the platform. The woman was born without the parts that a woman needs, and the man as well because of a cancerous tumor. Both of them were instantly healed. I started to break the power of witchcraft, and 1,835 people at the same time started manifesting demons and fell to the ground writhing like snakes. We counted 1,835 people vomiting, rolling in the mud, writhing and hissing on the ground like snakes. There were even people levitating off of the ground by the power of witchcraft, even a young boy." - Rev. Todd Bentley,  asking for "a one-time gift of $1,000 or any amount the Lord puts on your heart" so he can return to Uganda and grow more miracle boobs. Italics are mine. (Source)

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Racism Causes Misspellings

260,000 "likes" on Facebook. (Via JMG reader Aaron)

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From The Son Of GOP Sen. Jeff Flake

Via Buzzfeed:
Sen. Jeff Flake’s high school–aged son Tanner used Twitter to threaten the “faggot” who stole his bike that he “will find you, and … will beat the crap out of you,” joked about an acquaintance stealing one-liners because he’s Jewish, and went by the name “n1ggerkiller” in an online game. “I’m very disappointed in my teenage son’s words, and I sincerely apologize for the insensitivity. This language is unacceptable, anywhere. Needless to say, I’ve already spoken with him about this, he has apologized, and I apologize as well,” Sen. Flake said in a statement to BuzzFeed.
RELATED: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), since you are probably wondering, is relatively moderate on LGBT issues.  Although he twice voted for a federal ban on same-sex marriage while a member of the House, he did vote for the repeal of DADT and in 2007 he voted in favor of ENDA.  He has boasted of his 100% rating from the FRC, however.  The Human Rights Campaign scored him at 20% in their most recent report.

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Sarah Palin Vs Bill Maher

According to Breitbart, Maher referred to Palin's "retarded" son during a stand-up performance in Las Vegas earlier this week. While "libtard" is probably the second-most common epithet in Teabagistan (after an infinite number of racist variations on the president's name), they are all calling for Maher's head over this.

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Freep This AFA Poll

The American Family Association is dying to know. (Tipped by JMG reader Alan)

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America Has Gotten Sissified

This is because of gay marriage and feminazis, of course.

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NEW YORK CITY: 30,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews Rally Against Israeli Draft

An estimated 30,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews rallied in downtown Manhattan this week to protest Israel's proposed bill to phase out military exemptions based on religious grounds.
Proponents of the new law have suggested that phasing out the exemption would encourage ultra-Orthodox Jews to “share the burden” of Israeli citizenship and eliminate a fundamental social inequality that has bred a strong resentment of the ultra-Orthodox within Israel. The issue has been a focus of recurring social justice protests. According to the World Jewish Congress, Sunday’s demonstrators hailed mainly from two factions of Satmar Hasidism, an ultra-Orthodox and traditionally anti-Zionist sect of Judaism. The formal speeches attempted to steer away from anti-Zionist sentiment, and protesters were asked to put away signs bearing messages against the State of Israel. The Rabbinical Council of America, which represents mainstream Orthodoxy, had condemned the protest in advance, saying that it was anti-Israel.

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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Bloomberg Unveils $20B Storm Plan

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has unveiled a massive $20B plan to protect the city from again suffering the devastating flooding wrought by Hurricane Sandy. The plan calls for an extensive network of barriers, levees, and bulkheads along parts of the city's 520 miles of waterfront. That $20B figure is just a jumping off point and is approximately equal to the damage estimates from the storm.
In the first phase of building defenses, the report released on Tuesday calls for erecting barriers at Hunts Point in the Bronx to protect the food distribution center, on the East Harlem waterfront along Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, on the East Side where several of the city’s hospitals are, on the Lower East Side, in Chinatown, in the financial district and in Red Hook, Brooklyn. On Staten Island, the plan calls for a system of permanent levees. Along some parts of the coast, stone or concrete bulkheads would be installed, while in other places, dune systems would be built. The city’s power infrastructure also should be better protected, the report said. Currently, 53 percent of power plants are in threatened neighborhoods. By the 2050s, according to the report, 97 percent will be.
Aside from the damage to city and state owned infrastructure, the storm cost private businesses billions more. Among the hardest hit were downtown business and residential towers, most of which had key electrical and mechanical systems in their basements. Some of those buildings went up shortly after the Bloomberg administration invested hundreds of millions to develop parks and other public areas on the shorelines of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

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TRAILER: The Wolverine


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Workers Dangle 45 Stories Over NYC

Two window washers are dangling just below the roof of the 45-story Hearst Tower in midtown Manhattan after their scaffolding failed. The men are tethered to the scaffolding and firefighters are working to remove windows and rescue the men from the inside. The streets below have been cleared and tens of thousands of office workers are reportedly watching the rescue effort from nearby towers.

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Rep. Peter King Calls For Prosecuting Journalist Glenn Greenwald Over NSA Leak

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) today called for the prosecution of openly gay journalist Glenn Greenwald for publishing the story about NSA leaker Edward Snowden. King appeared this afternoon on Fox News to make his threat.
“Not only did [Greenwald] disclose this information, he said he has names of CIA agents and assets around the world and threatening to disclose that,” King said when asked by host Megyn Kelly why he wants to prosecute the reporter. “I think [prosecuting reporters] should be very targeted and very selective and a rare exception. In this case, when you have someone who discloses secrets like this and threatens to release more, yes, there has to be legal action taken against him.” He then asserted: “This is a very unusual case with life-and-death implications for Americans.”
Video via Think Progress. Greenwald fires back via Twitter below.

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