Saturday, July 05, 2014

61 Hot Dogs In Ten Minutes

New York City's most disgusting holiday tradition took place at Coney Island yesterday where "competitive eater" Joey Chestnut won for the eighth consecutive year by downing 61 Nathan's hot dogs in ten minutes.

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TORONTO: Shirtless Jogger Inspires More Shirtless Protests Of Mayor Rob Ford

Via the National Post:
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was greeted by about a dozen shirtless protesters as he entered a Toronto radio station for an interview Friday morning. The protest was an act of defiance inspired by a Toronto teacher’s anti-Ford rant after encountering the mayor at a parade while the teacher was out for a shirtless jog. The protestors, holding up signs with slogans such as “Clown time is over” and “It’s not racist to demand answers” began gathering at about 9 a.m. on Richmond Street to meet the mayor as he arrived at Newstalk 1010. “The people have had enough,” said one of the protestors. “Answer the questions, Robby.” The #shirtlesshorde, as the group is known, is emulating Joe Killoran, the jogger who ran up to Mayor Ford during an East York parade on Canada Day, yelling questions at the mayor as he tried to move through a crowd.

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AUSTRALIA: New Study Says Kids Of Gay Parents Are Happier And Healthier

Via ABC News Australia:
Children of same-sex parents enjoy better levels of health and wellbeing than their peers from traditional family units, new Australian research suggests. In what they described as the largest study of its type in the world, University of Melbourne researchers surveyed 315 same-sex parents and 500 children about their physical health and social wellbeing. Lead researcher Doctor Simon Crouch said children raised by same-sex partners scored an average of 6 per cent higher than the general population on measures of general health and family cohesion. "That's really a measure that looks at how well families get along, and it seems that same-sex-parent families and the children in them are getting along well, and this has positive impacts on child health," Dr Crouch said.
Read the full study. (Tipped by JMG readers Alan and Str8 Grandmother)

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Editorial Of The Day

From the editorial board of the Tampa Bay Times:
Attorneys general throughout the country are wrestling with whether to defend state bans on same-sex marriage, according to the National State Attorneys General Program at Columbia Law School. Some, like Bondi, say defending state law is their job regardless of personal beliefs. In Arkansas, for example, the attorney general will defend the state's same-sex marriage ban even though he supports gay marriage. The more enlightened, such as Kentucky's attorney general, have opted not to defend laws they see as unjust or unconstitutional. Bondi declined to address the issue with the Times' editorial board. Bondi should follow her counterparts in Nevada, Virginia and Pennsylvania who have refused to defend their states' same-sex marriage bans. The law once upheld slavery, denied women and blacks the right to vote, segregated schools and banned interracial marriage. In time, the courts will continue to act as they did in those situations and overturn all discriminatory same-sex marriage bans. It makes no sense to defend them, and Florida should abandon a fight it cannot win legally or morally.
(Tipped by JMG reader Rich)

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How To Speak British

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Friday, July 04, 2014

HOUSTON: Haters Turn In Double The Needed Signatures To Force Repeal Vote On LGBT Rights Ordinance

Via the Houston Chronicle:
Opponents of Houston's new non-discrimination ordinance turned in well more than the minimum number of signatures needed to trigger a November vote on whether to repeal the measure. A group of conservative political and faith leaders on Thursday claimed to have gathered more than 50,000 signatures within the 30-day window after the ordinance's passage, about 30,000 of which they said have been validated as coming from registered city of Houston voters, as required by law. "It has been shown and demonstrated that the people of the city do not want this ordinance," said pastor Max Miller, of the Baptist Ministers Association of Houston and Vicinity. "We simply say: Allow the people to vote on this ordinance."
The city has 30 days to verify the signatures. Mayor Annise Parker: "I am confident voters will soundly defeat any challenge to the ordinance." More from Lone Star Q:
The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, known as HERO, prohibits discrimination in employment, public accommodation and housing on the basis of sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or pregnancy. Before the ordinance passed in May, Houston was the only major city in the U.S. that lacked citywide LGBT protections. Supporters of the ordinance have said they feel a ballot measure in November could have the unintended effect of boosting the Democratic ticket in Harris County by galvanizing pro-LGBT voters.

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Bright Light Bright Light - I Believe

Normally moody and introspective scruffy Welsh cutie Rod Thomas is back with an uncharacteristic EDM stomper. The single and a great 12" remix are up on iTunes today. Thomas is currently on tour opening for Elton John and his new album, Life Is Easy, debuts on Tuesday. Man, I love this track. Play it loud, you're at home today.

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Vatican Formally Endorses Exorcism

Via the Guardian:
Exorcists now have an extra weapon in their fight against evil – the official backing of the Catholic church. The Vatican has formally recognised the International Association of Exorcists, a group of 250 priests in 30 countries who liberate the faithful from demons. The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reported this week that the Vatican's Congregation for Clergy had approved the organisation's statutes and recognised the group under canon law. More than his predecessors, Pope Francis speaks frequently about the devil, and last year was seen placing his hands on the head of a man supposedly possessed by four demons in what exorcists said was a prayer of liberation from Satan.
(Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

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Joan Rivers: President Obama Is Gay And Michelle Obama Is A "Tranny"

Via the Advocate:
In a brief video reportedly shot earlier this week in New York, 81-year-old Joan Rivers calls First Lady Michelle Obama "a transgender," joking that this makes Barack Obama the first gay president. After being asked about the U.S.'s likelihood of having either a woman or a gay president in the near future , Rivers replied, "We already have that with Obama. You know Michelle is a tranny." The unidentified journalist tries to clarify, asking, "I'm sorry. She's a what?" "A transgender," Rivers replies. "We all know." Conservatives have long made jokes insinuating that the First Lady is actually a transgender woman, but it's not often that a liberal-minded comedian — let alone one who credits much of her success to her devoted LGBT fan base — make this type of uninspired joke.
Lame. Unfunny. Unacceptable. And of course, Rivers' comments are being reported on with high glee all over Teabagistan thanks to the above headline by closeted homosexual Matt Drudge.

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UN Recognizes Same-Sex Marriages

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon yesterday announced that UN employees who have legally married will have those unions recognized even if their home countries don't.
Under the new policy staff who have married a same-sex spouse in a jurisdiction will receive the same benefits and recognition as those in heterosexual marriages regardless of whether same-sex marriage is legal in their country of citizenship. The United Nations LGBTI employee group UN-GLOBE welcomed the policy change, saying they hoped it will be recognized throughout the many arms and programs. "With this new policy in place at the UN, I believe that the entire UN system will follow suit, if history is any guide. And if any agency, fund or programme still refuses to change, we will make sure they hear from us,"UN-GLOBE president Hyung Hak Nam said.
Ban Ki-Moon: "I am proud to stand for greater equality for all staff, and I call on all members of our UN family to unite in rejecting homophobia as discrimination that can never be tolerated at our workplace."

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Rosa G - Fourth Of July

Move over Rebecca Black. Sample review:
It’s annoyingly catchy. I almost hate myself for watching it. Just wait: After you hear the chorus a mere one time, you’ll be singing “love the Fourth of July, love the Fourth of July” over and over again until you want to blow your brains out with some Fourth of July fireworks. Rosa G is looking “real mean” with her SPF 15, pool noodles and an “ice cold drink” — which she reminds you, “you’re gonna need it” — and I can’t help but applaud her for her patriotism. I don’t want to, but I can’t help but do it. Make sure you stick around for the “four, four, four, four” fade-out at the end.

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Thursday, July 03, 2014

Brian Brown Launches Petition Campaign Against "Menacing" JP Morgan Survey

"This new development at [JP Morgan] Chase of actively inquiring of every employee whether they support the LGBT community is an egregious invasion of privacy, one that has the potential to be used to punish and intimidate those who refuse to answer the question in the politically-approved way. Will the responses be covered in employee performance interviews? Will they be a factor in promotions or employee raises? Or will they, as the employee who raised the issue fears, be a marker to fire these people when the opportunity arises? The mega-bank refuses to answer questions about the survey, including how they intend to use the responses. If you are a customer of the bank, perhaps you might inquire if this survey is a precursor of an attempt to purge the bank of any employee who doesn't embrace the LGBT agenda. Perhaps you might also consider whether a bank that attempts to categorize employees based on support for LGBT issues is welcoming to customers who hold traditional values and subscribe to biblical principles." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in an email which links to a petition to the CEO of JP Morgan Chase.

RELATED: Read my first report on this story.

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NOM Has The Kentucky Sadz

It took NOM more than two days to publicly react to the Kentucky ruling. From their blog:
Stunningly, a single judge has decided that his opinion can override the votes of 75 percent of Kentuckians, who approved a constitutional amendment protecting marriage in 2004. According to Heyburn, there is an “utter lack of logical relation between the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriages and any conceivable legitimate state interest.” Completely ignoring the fact that the state has an interest in protecting children, the wealth of evidence that shows children do best with a married mother and father in a stable relationship, and the basic truth that marriage connects children to their biological parents, Heyburn subverted the will of the people of Kentucky with this decision. However, there is hope in this case. Honorably, Gov. Breshear is doing his duty by defending the law and the democratic process. And, noting Justice Kennedy's opinion in United States v. Windsor, Heyburn also did not claim that same-sex couples have a “fundamental right” to marry. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is expected to rule on this in early August. Until then, the redefinition of marriage is on hold in Kentucky. Let's pray that reason, truth, and justice prevail.
No quotes from Brown or Eastman. Also unusual.

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FLORIDA: Marriage Opponent Says If Judge Rules For Gays, It Will Be A KKK-Style Judicial Lynching

Equality Florida has posted a video interview with Eladio Jose Armesto, the chairman of Florida Democratic League, which is a group of extremist Hispanic "Democrats" that have been denounced by the actual state party. Here's what Armesto has to say about the judge that heard yesterday's marriage case in Miami:
No one can rule against the constitution. She would be doing no more or no less than the Ku Klux Klan did in the early part of the last century, where they hanged people for going out to vote. The people of Florida have voted. The judge is able to respect that vote, uphold the rule of law and uphold the constitution. This is nothing more than a judicial lynching of the people of FL. This is a mockery of justice, it’s a travesty. The judge should have thrown this lawsuit out because it violates her authority, her dignity, and her integrity as a member of the judiciary. I do not know what she is going to do. I do hope that she will uphold her oath of office, otherwise she will be in great trouble.

RELATED: Earlier this year the Florida Democratic Party threatened to sue Armesto.
Democratic Party spokesman Joshua Karp says the Democratic League has held a series of press conferences in recent weeks around Miami. After one press conference last week, Democratic League President Eladio Jose Armesto said in an interview that he leads the state’s largest Hispanic-led Democratic organization. I asked: “And when you say ‘Democratic organization,’ you mean affiliated with the Democratic Party I assume?” He replied, “Yes, with the Democratic Party. Correct.” The Party mailed a cease-and-desist letter to Armesto’s group this week. It says it’s illegal to use the party’s name without written consent from the party itself.
In February, the Liberty Counsel filed a motion to intervene in the Miami-Dade County case on behalf of Armesto's group, a group of black churches, and the Florida Family Policy Council. The judge rejected their motion. (Tipped by JMG reader Erik)

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Filmmaker Tyler Perry Wins Trademark Battle Over "What Would Jesus Do?"

Filmmaker Tyler Perry has won the battle over the trademark of the phrase "What Would Jesus Do?" Via the Hollywood Reporter:
The other contestant in this bout was Kimberly Kearney, who was once known as "Poprah" on the VH1 series, I Want to Work for Diddy. In May 2008, Perry registered the mark in the category of entertainment services, mentioning in his filing live concerts, a TV program and motion pictures. He included a disclaimer that he wasn't attempting ownership on the exclusive right to use "Jesus" apart from "What Would Jesus Do." However, months earlier, Kearney had already filed for that same mark for a reality television program. When her "What Would Jesus Do" mark was then published for opposition two years later, Tyler Perry Studios stepped forward to cancel it. Although Kearney had included in her registration a print-out of a web page calling for auditions on her show, Perry's reps said that she wasn't really using the mark. Perry demanded that the Trademark Office declare her registration abandoned as it was blocking his own attempts to turf out "What Would Jesus Do."
Kearney claims that she shared the trademark and show idea with Perry and that he essentially stole it from her. The United States Patent and Trademark Office responded, in effect, that it didn't matter who came up with the idea since Kearney had never put it into use.

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Viral Video Of The Day

29 celebrity impressions and 2.8 million views.

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Quote Of The Day - Matt Foreman

"Hobby Lobby dramatically escalates the harm that will be caused if President Obama succumbs to growing pressure from religious and anti-gay forces and (with implicit or explicit approval from HRC) puts an ENDA-like religious exemption in the promised Executive Order (EO) to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors. While largely under the radar, this is, in fact, a crisis situation.

"Such an exemption would have been bad enough before Hobby Lobby, but the decision makes it even more deadly. The Hobby Lobby majority said the decision shouldn't be read to undermine employment nondiscrimination laws. BUT if the EO contains the ENDA exemption, there's nothing to stop the reasoning in Hobby Lobby from having full force and effect in justifying anti-LGBT discrimination by federal contractors - pushing the door even more widely open for discrimination against our people for essentially any reason whatsoever.

"The only acceptable religious exemption is the one long-contained in Title VII. Anything else can spell disaster for years to come, including profoundly weakening the impact of future federal nondiscrimination laws and our hopes to secure meaningful civil rights protections in the 29 states that still lack them. There is no moral or political justification for President Obama to cave and endorse LGBT people having less protections from discrimination than other Americans. This issue is not a side show; it is core to our equality." - Former National Gay & Lesbian Task Force executive director Matt Foreman, via email.

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This Is An Ad For Something


(Via Accidental Bear)

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Todd Starnes: Vermont Town Won't Let Boy Scouts Pick Up Trash Over Gay Ban

Todd Starnes writes at Fox News:
The folks in Montpelier, Vermont will have to find someone else to pick up trash after their Fourth of July Parade. It seems the Boy Scouts won’t be volunteering this year. And they won’t be selling bottled water either. The Boy Scouts bowed out after city council members criticized the group’s ban on gay adult leaders. The council initially tabled a request for the scouts to participate. Instead, they wanted the children and their leaders to attend another council meeting where they could debate the scout’s ban on gay adult leaders. Councilman Thierry Guerlain told The Times Argus he did not want a group that openly discriminates against gays selling water at the town’s parade – even if it meant banning local Boy Scouts from selling bottled water. So instead of getting bullied by the town council – the scouts decided to withdraw from the parade. We’re going to steer clear of Montpelier for a while,” Scout volunteer Leslie Sanborn told the newspaper. “It’s left a very bad taste in our mouths.”
At the top of Starnes' post: "This commentary is brought to you by Persecuted. In theaters July 18th."

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Freep This Florida Poll

Left-hand column. (Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

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33 Years Ago Today

Thirty-three years ago today the New York Times made what is considered to have been the first, or at least the first widely noticed, mention of what became to be known as AIDS. The article begins:
Doctors in New York and California have diagnosed among homosexual men 41 cases of a rare and often rapidly fatal form of cancer. Eight of the victims died less than 24 months after the diagnosis was made. The cause of the outbreak is unknown, and there is as yet no evidence of contagion. But the doctors who have made the diagnoses, mostly in New York City and the San Francisco Bay area, are alerting other physicians who treat large numbers of homosexual men to the problem in an effort to help identify more cases and to reduce the delay in offering chemotherapy treatment. The sudden appearance of the cancer, called Kaposi's Sarcoma, has prompted a medical investigation that experts say could have as much scientific as public health importance because of what it may teach about determining the causes of more common types of cancer.
More history from the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation:
New York City was the epicenter of the first stages of the AIDS epidemic, and Greenwich Village was in many ways the epicenter of the epicenter. For many years, Community Board #2, which includes Greenwich Village, led the city in terms of the number of AIDS cases and AIDS deaths. And many of the locations most strongly associated with the early fight against AIDS were located in the Village, including St. Vincent’s Hospital, where so many of the first cases of AIDS in New York were treated, and the LGBT Community Center (formerly the Gay Community Center) at 208 West 13th Street, where many of the earliest meetings organized in response to the AIDS epidemic were held, including meetings of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP). Another key historic site in the Village in connection to the AIDS epidemic was the house at 186 Spring Street where Dr. Bruce Voeller lived. Voeller, who specialized in sexual health and research, got the name of the disease changed from the original inaccurate and stigmatizing Gay Related Immune Defense Disorder to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and conducted the first studies showing that condom usage could prevent the spread of HIV.
The original New York Times article and the reaction to it served as a major plot point in a number of plays and films, perhaps most notably in The Normal Heart and Longtime Companion.

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Former NOM Chairman: JP Morgan Staff Survey Intimidates Non-Gay Employees

Former NOM chairman Robert George claims that JP Morgan Chase is threatening non-gay employees via a question reportedly added to its annual staff survey. According to Breitbart, the new question asks staffers to indicate if they are "an ally of the LGBT community, but not personally identifying as LGBT."
This employee was alarmed to receive the final question. If he answered no, he feared, he would be opened up to criticism that may affect his employment. Only a few months ago Brendan Eich was hounded out of the CEO role at Mozilla for not supporting LGBT marriage. The employee told Professor George he fears for his job: "This survey wasn't anonymous. You had to enter your employee ID. With the way things are going and the fact that LGBT rights are being viewed as pretty much tantamount to the civil rights movement of the mid 50s to late 60s, not selecting that option is essentially saying "I'm not an ally of civil rights;" which is a vague way to say "I'm a bigot." The worry among many of us is that those who didn't select that poorly placed, irrelevant option will be placed on the "you can fire these people first" list."
George has no proof that the question actually exists and is asking JP Morgan staffers to provide him with a screenshot. The company has declined to respond to Breitbart.  George is the author of the Manhattan Declaration, which calls on Christians to disobey laws that protect LGBT Americans from discrimination.

RELATED: The author of the above-linked Breitbart story is World Congress of Families leader Austin Ruse, who has called for liberal college professors to be "taken out and shot" and who has denounced the United Nations for opposing the death penalty for homosexuality.

UPDATE: The below tweet is from the communications director of the Family Research Council.

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Cindy Jacobs: I Stopped The Shoe-Bomber

Via Kyle Mantyla at Right Wing Watch:
It seems that Jacobs has stopped so many terrorist attacks that she can't even keep them all straight any more, as she also recalled the time when she woke up in the middle of the night because "there's somebody getting on a plane in London and they're going to try to blow up the plane" and so she prayed and ultimately stopped the attack that was to be carried out by shoe bomber Richard Reed. Reed, for the record, was traveling from Paris, not London.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Cindy Jacob says her six year-old son prayed away the assassination of Ronald Reagan. Cindy Jacobs prays away her own tumor. God tells Cindy Jacobs that he's going to punish America for gay marriage. Cindy Jacobs prays away a terrorist sleeper cell. Cindy Jacobs prays away mental illness (but only in others). Cindy Jacobs prays away a car crash that would have killed David Barton. Cindy Jacobs' daughter prays away a tornado. Cindy Jacobs prays away the global recession. God sends Cindy Jacobs magical spaghetti.  Cindy Jacobs prays away Hurricane Sandy. (It totally didn't hit Nebraska.) Cindy Jacobs reveals that God killed thousands of birds because of the repeal of DADT.

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Hurricane Arthur Strengthens

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46 Facts About First Ladies

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In Today's New York Times

The Freedom From Religion Foundation published the above message in a full-page New York Times ad today. Full-screen version here.

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SEATTLE: Two Gay Men Murdered By Man They Met On Hook-Up App, Suspect Seen Robbing Store In New Jersey

Via Seattle's KOMO-TV:
The June 1 shooting in Leschi that left two apparently innocent men dead was premeditated and unprovoked and likely started when one of the victims met the suspect on a hook-up app for gay men, according to charges filed Tuesday in King County Superior Court. Ali Muhammad Brown, 29, has been charged with two counts of aggravated murder in the first degree in connection with the deaths of 23-year-old Dwone Anderson-Young and 27-year-old Ahmed Said. According to the charging documents, a resident in the 500 block of 29th Avenue South heard gunshots around 2:30 a.m. June 1 and saw someone drive off in a silver car. Officers arrived and found the victims lying in the street dead from multiple gunshot wounds. According to the charging documents, detectives used the victims' cellphones to track down two friends, who were able to shed light on the night leading up to the shooting. The friends told detectives they met Said and Anderson-Young at R Place, a club in Capitol Hill, that night. One friend said Said was constantly typing on his cellphone, likely using an app for gay men to meet other gay men.
The name of the app used by the victims has not been disclosed. The suspect is still at large, but today the New York Daily News reported that he may have been spotted by security cameras (above) while committing an armed robbery in New Jersey.
The Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., police have released surveillance footage of a man who appears to be Ali Muhammed Brown, 30, at a convenience store after he allegedly brandished a handgun and robbed a customer sitting outside Green Planet Coffee of his wallet and keys, according to NJ.com. Seattle Police had thought the East Orange native, described as a homeless man, was hiding out in western Washington State, but it turns out he managed to evade detection and trekked to the East Coast. After the 8 a.m. robbery on Sunday, Brown shed the clothes he was wearing, but not the gun, according to Point Pleasant Beach Police. He’s considered armed and dangerous. Brown faces two counts of aggravated first-degree murder for allegedly killing Ahmed Said, 27, and Dwone Anderson-Young, 23, on June 1 after meeting the pair at a Seattle nightclub, RPlace.
More from the Seattle Times:
Seattle police said Brown also is wanted on warrants for failure to register as a sex offender and for the slayings. In March 2012, Brown pleaded guilty to communication with a minor for immoral purposes and was sentenced to a year in jail. Seattle police said last week that a motive for the slayings is not known. Anderson-Young’s mother said in an interview that her son was gay. When asked last month whether the shootings were being investigated as a possible hate crime, Assistant Police Chief Carmen Best said “nothing is off the table.”
RELATED:  Last month Philadelphia police arrested a man suspected in the rape, robbery, and beating of a tourist who met his assailant on Grindr. In a separate case, a Philadelphia-area man was reportedly beaten to death in May by someone he met on Grindr. There has been no arrest in that case.

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Open Thread Thursday

As America prepares to celebrate its 238th birthday amidst increasing ugly treatment of immigrants, tell us your own family's immigration story. Here's some of my story.

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FLORIDA: Hate Group Says They "Spanked" The Gays At Marriage Hearing

Stemberger (right) is the head of the Florida Family Policy Council, the group behind the successful 2008 constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. (Tipped by JMG reader Erik)

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Headline Of The Day

Details.

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Armistead Maupin To Speak At Bear Week

Legendary novelist Armistead Maupin returns to Bear Week in Provincetown this month for two nights of storytelling.
Gay Icon, Literary genius! Warm, engaging, surprising and entertaining, Armistead Maupin returns to The Crown & Anchor's Paramount Room for 2 nights. Hear readings from his latest works along with anecdotes and insights from his years as a prolific writer. Always a crowd favorite, Armistead captivates his audiences.
I attended the last two years and had a wonderful time. Advance tickets are definitely suggested.

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Target: No Guns In Our Stores

"The leadership team has been weighing a complex issue, and I want to be sure everyone understands our thoughts and ultimate decision. As you’ve likely seen in the media, there has been a debate about whether guests in communities that permit 'open carry' should be allowed to bring firearms into Target stores. Our approach has always been to follow local laws, and of course, we will continue to do so. But starting today we will also respectfully request that guests not bring firearms to Target – even in communities where it is permitted by law. We’ve listened carefully to the nuances of this debate and respect the protected rights of everyone involved. In return, we are asking for help in fulfilling our goal to create an atmosphere that is safe and inviting for our guests and team members. This is a complicated issue, but it boils down to a simple belief: Bringing firearms to Target creates an environment that is at odds with the family-friendly shopping and work experience we strive to create." - Interim Target CEO John Mulligan.  Teabagistan is already calling for a boycott, of course.

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Wednesday, July 02, 2014

BREAKING: Colorado Asks Federal Court To Declare Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

Last week the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the overturn of Utah's ban on same-sex marriage. In Colorado, the Boulder County Clerk immediately began issuing same-sex marriage licenses, declaring that in her opinion, the Tenth Circuit's ruling was binding in her state. And yesterday, six gay couples filed another marriage suit in Denver. In response to the new suit and in order to stop the issuing of licenses in Boulder County, tonight Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and state Attorney General John Suthers (left) asked a federal district court to declare the state's marriage ban unconstitutional and issue a stay on that ruling until the Supreme Court weighs in on the Utah case. Fascinating, yes? Complicated? Yes!
Suthers' office said he wants to resolve the question of gay marriage and avoid costly litigation. But while Hickenlooper and Suthers agree there should be an injunction and stay, they still disagree on same-sex marriage. Hickenlooper said he believes last week's federal appeals court decision against Utah's gay marriage ban was correct. Suthers does not, according to his court filing. In a statement, Hickenlooper called the filing for an injunction "an important step that gets all Coloradans closer to receiving the same legal rights and opportunities." "We understand there is frustration with the lengthy judicial process, but waiting until the legal process is finished will ensure that marriage licenses issued to same sex couples are not clouded by uncertainty," the statement continued. "We hope the U.S. Supreme Court will take this matter up quickly. Equality for everyone can't come soon enough." Gay-rights activists applauded the signal from Suthers and the governor that Colorado's ban on same-sex unions won't stand. But they argued that the marriage prohibition should be lifted immediately.
Here's Chris Geidner's take on the situation at Buzzfeed:
The newly filed lawsuit could thus reach a quick, although indefinite, resolution. The move, though, also is Suthers’s best way of seeking a clear legal basis for stopping Boulder County Clerk Hillary Hall from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples — something she has been doing for the past week. Hickenlooper and Suthers disagree about whether the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals was correct in striking down Utah’s similar ban last week. In the Wednesday filing in federal court, though, they both agree to a ruling from the trial court that the appellate ruling in the Utah case means that Colorado’s ban also is unconstitutional. “[T]he Defendants do not oppose the entry of a preliminary injunctive relief in favor of the Plaintiffs based on their constitutional claims at this time,” Suthers wrote, adding, however, that they wish for that injunction “to be stayed pending until all final appeals in the [Utah] case are resolved.”
More from the Denver Post:
The AG's office also said it would file a similar motion in an ongoing lawsuit in Adams County involving couples from both Adams and Denver. In that case, nine couples have filed a lawsuit asking a judge to overturn the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage. A stay in that case would essentially stop the judge from issuing a ruling. Ralph Ogden, who represents one of the couples in the Adams County lawsuit, said Suthers' requests for a stay was an effort to delay a resolution on the issue. "He (Suthers) is not conceding anything," Ogden said. If the case is allowed to move forward, Ogden said he expected a ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court by early next year. Waiting for a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court could take up to two years, he said.

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BOSTON: Arthur Pushes Fourth To Third

Via the Boston Globe:
The Fourth of July will come on the Third this year in Boston. The annual Boston Pops concert and fireworks extravaganza on the Esplanade in Boston will be held Thursday instead of Friday because of the bad weather expected from Tropical Storm Arthur, officials said this afternoon. “It’s not optimal. We wish it were, but we’ve got to deal with this,” State Police Colonel Timothy Alben said at a news conference this afternoon. Alben and other officials gathered at a news conference on the Esplanade this afternoon and said that after studying weather reports and consulting with experts from the National Weather Service, they had decided that Thursday, even though there were predictions of rain, would be a better day than Friday to hold the concert and fireworks. While the Fourth of July concert traditionally draws 600,000 to 1 million people, Alben acknowledged that the numbers would likely be lower with the abrupt change in schedule and the concert falling on a workday.
Earlier today it was announced that the Macy's fireworks show over New York City's East River will take place rain or shine.

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LIVE VIDEO: Florida Marriage Trial

Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver is speaking at this writing. I must be getting my Florida cases mixed up because I could have sworn that Liberty Counsel was denied the right to be a party to this case. Watch the live stream.

UPDATE: Equality Florida has tweeted that Staver was merely allowed to orally present his amicus brief, which seems strange in itself. Liberty Counsel is NOT a formal party to this case.

UPDATE II: And that's that. Short and sweet. The judge definitely appeared sympathetic to our side. Read the live-tweets from Equality Florida to get some of the play-by-play.

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Photo Of The Day

The above tweet and image comes from a Fox-11 Los Angeles photographer. Putting aside the hilariously and typically misspelled signs, the woman's claims about diseases arise in no small part due to Fox News reporter Todd Starnes' claims that the immigrant children are carrying infectious diseases and are covered with lice and scabies.
A former nurse at the camp told me she was horrified by what she saw. The nurse said the lice issue was epidemic – but everything was kept “hush-hush.” “You could see the bugs crawling through their hair,” she said. “After we would rinse out their hair, the sink would be loaded with black bugs.” The nurse told me she became especially alarmed because their files indicated the children had been transported to Lackland on domestic charter buses and airplanes. “That’s what alerted me,” she said. “Oh, my God. They’re flying these kids around. Nobody knows that these children have scabies and lice. To tell you the truth, there’s no way to control it.”
Some of you might recall that during the Vietnam War, rumors were spread that protesting college students were covered with lice.  (Tipped by JMG reader Michael)

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Scott Lively Is Furious With John Oliver

"Friends, On Sunday night I was attacked on HBO’s  'Last Week Tonight' a supposed comedy/news show in the mold of The Daily Show. The host is a Brit named John Oliver. I find it funny that lefties like John Oliver who pose as humanitarians are the masters at dehumanizing other people through ridicule and never give the subjects of their smears a fair chance to respond. I’m calling out John Oliver as a liar and a fraud who couldn’t go ten minutes with me in an unscripted, unedited debate. Without his teleprompter and his cheap-shot, out-of-context video clips he would be exposed as just another left-wing loony. Oliver is lying through selective editing re Rwanda and several other points. His show was one continuous stream of malicious LGBT propaganda in the guise of comedy. Yes, it will likely negatively affect the voters, as it was intended to do. It’s one more example of the 'politics of personal destruction' that Saul Alinsky taught the 'progressives,' including journalists, to practice." - Crimes against humanity defendant and Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Scott Lively, writing on his personal website.

VIDEO: Here's the fantastic John Oliver clip again.

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Hobby Lobby Fallout: Religious Groups Demand Exemptions From Obama's Coming Executive Order On Employment

We all saw THIS coming. Via the Atlantic:
A group of faith leaders is urging the Obama administration to include a religious exemption in a forthcoming LGBT anti-discrimination action. Their call, in a letter sent to the White House Tuesday, attempts to capitalize on the Supreme Court case by arguing that it shows the administration must show more deference to the prerogatives of religion. "We are asking that an extension of protection for one group not come at the expense of faith communities whose religious identity and beliefs motivate them to serve those in need," the letter states.

The Hobby Lobby decision has been welcomed by religious-right groups who accuse Obama of waging a war on religion. But Tuesday's letter is different: It comes from as group of faith leaders who are generally friendly to the administration, many of whom have closely advised the White House on issues like immigration reform. The letter was organized by Michael Wear, who worked in the Obama White House and directed faith outreach for the president's 2012 campaign. Signers include two members of Catholics for Obama and three former members of the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

"This is not an antagonistic letter by any means," Wear told me. But in the wake of Hobby Lobby, he said, "the administration does have a decision to make whether they want to recalibrate their approach to some of these issues." [snip] To these religious leaders, Hobby Lobby ought to prompt the White House to reexamine the way it weights religious rights against other priorities. Liberals opposed to the decision, on the other hand, argue it creates a slippery slope to more and more carve-outs from important legislation for claims based on faith. This executive order could be the next battleground for those competing points of view.
We still don't even know the actual wording of the executive order. By the way, among those "general friendly" faith leaders that signed the letter are Father Larry Snyder, the CEO of Catholic Charities, and Stephen Schneck, the head of the Institute for Religion & Democracy, which in March viciously denounced the United Methodists for refusing to ostracize clergy that conducted same-sex marriages.  Just a couple of weeks ago Schneck's group declared that the Presbyterian Church had sealed its doom by allowing pastors to conduct gay marriages. These guys are "generally friendly"?

We cannot allow another ENDA-sized loophole in this executive order or it will be useless.

Read the full letter.

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About To Start In Florida...

That's National Center for Lesbian Rights attorney Shannon Minter seated in the red tie. They're about to enter the courtroom as Florida's first marriage equality case opens in Miami. Equality Florida will be live-tweeting the proceedings.

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Linda Harvey Is Ever So Pissed About Soldiers And Boy Scouts In Pride Parades

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Peter Sprigg Has The Kentucky Sadz

"Judge Heyburn's contention that 'serious people' don't support the definition of marriage that has existed for millenia, demonstrates a measure of contempt - for tens of millions of citizens - wholly unacceptable from someone on the bench. On the contrary, it is those like Judge Heyburn, who can conceive of no 'rational basis' for distinguishing the type of relationship which reproduces the human race from all other types of relationship, who cannot be considered 'serious people.' Judge Heyburn scoffed at the notion that 'traditional marriages contribute to a stable birth rate.' Yet a correlation between those factors is clear. Recent research showed that the bottom six U.S. states in birth rate had all redefined marriage, while none of the top nine states in birth rate had done so. Judge Heyburn explicitly ignored precedents from both the U.S. Supreme Court regarding state definitions of marriage and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit regarding 'sexual orientation.' FRC urges public officials in Kentucky to immediately appeal today's ruling to the Sixth Circuit and continue to vigorously defend its marriage law." - Family Research Council vice president Peter Sprigg, via press release.

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NORTH DAKOTA: Attorney General Seeks Dismissal Of Marriage Lawsuit

GOP North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem today filed a motion seeking the dismissal of the marriage equality lawsuit filed in late May.
The state attorney general's office filed the motion late Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Fargo. North Dakota Solicitor General Doug Bahr argues in court documents that states have the right to define and regulate marriage. "Nothing in the United States Constitution prevents the people of North Dakota from defining marriage as the legal union between a man and a woman," Bahr wrote in his 50-page response. North Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved a state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage 10 years ago. The ballot received 73 percent approval. "The people of North Dakota, through the deliberative political process, retain the traditional understanding of marriage as the union between a man and a woman," Bahr wrote. "It is the constitutional duty of the attorney general to represent the state when it is sued," he said in a statement to The Associated Press. "Only the Supreme Court can determine whether North Dakota's enactment is constitutional or not," he said.
A second marriage lawsuit was filed against state last month.

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Burger King Posts "Proud Whopper" Video In Support Of LGBT Rights

This morning I reported on Burger King's launch of the "Proud Whopper" campaign over the weekend during San Francisco Pride. The promised supporting video has already arrived and it's really quite lovely. Just in from Burger King's promotional team:
Burger King Worldwide, Inc. is broadcasting a widespread message in support of self-expression with a digital film launching today on YouTube.The film was created at a BURGER KING® restaurant at the heart of the San Francisco Pride Parade route where a limited edition PROUD WHOPPER® Sandwich was added to the menu. Guests who ordered the PROUD WHOPPER® Sandwich were surprised because it is in fact, the same iconic fire-grilled WHOPPER® Sandwich beloved since 1957, but wrapped in rainbow colored paper inscribed with a message reading: “we are all the same inside.” The film captures the brand's new “BE YOUR WAY” spirit through emotionally charged reactions. The written message inside the PROUD WHOPPER® Sandwich wrapper, “we are all the same inside,” speaks volumes and truly showcases what it means to “BE YOUR WAYSM”. The intent of the “BE YOUR WAY” global attitude is not to tell anyone how they should live, but rather aims to elevate “HAVE IT YOUR WAY®” to an even more meaningful place.
Oh my yes, the Whopper sadz will be delicious.

NOTE: While the Proud Whopper is only being sold at the one Market Street location, there is this: "All PROUD WHOPPER® Sandwich sales will be donated to the BURGER KING McLAMORE  Foundation, for scholarships benefiting LGBT college-bound, high school seniors graduating in spring 2015."

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FLORIDA: First Marriage Case Begins

video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player Equality Florida will be live-tweeting from the courthouse.

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FRANCE: Muslim Face Veil Ban Upheld

In a 15-2 ruling, the European Court of Human Rights yesterday upheld France's four year-old ban on full face veils.
According to the justices, the controversial law introduced in 2010 does not exceed the authority granted to states in the European Convention on Human Rights and thus France's ban on wearing veils like the burqa and niqab in public, doesn't violate the religious and human freedoms of Muslim women. The ruling was in relation to a case brought by a 24-year-old woman who is a "devout Muslim and she wears the burqa and niqab in accordance with her religious faith, culture and personal convictions." Her legal team argued that the ban violated her rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and a prohibition against discrimination. But judges at the ECHR disagreed. "The Court emphasized that respect for the conditions of 'living together' was a legitimate aim for the measure at issue," a statement from the court said. The court also noted that states should be allowed a degree of discretion - "a wide margin of appreciation" - on a policy issue which is subject to significant differences of opinion.
An estimated five million Muslims live in France, more than in any other western European nation.

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Local Haters Have The Kentucky Sadz

"For all practical purposes, Judge G. Heyburn has declared martial law on marriage policy in Kentucky. This decision is another indication that we are no longer a nation of laws, but a nation of judges. The judge cited 'doctrinal developments' by other federal judges that ignored judicial precedent in favor of traditional marriage laws as a reason for invalidating our law. This raises the 'everybody else is doing it' principle to a judicial doctrine. By taking another important area of policy out of the hands of voters, liberal judges have struck another blow against the separation of powers that is an underlying principle of our form of government." - Martin Cothran, spokesman for the Kentucky Family Foundation. (Via Good As You)

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Anti-Gay World Congress Of Families To Hold Convention In Salt Lake City

The World Congress of Families, an international coalition of anti-gay hate groups, will bring its annual convention to Salt Lake City next year. The will be the first US convention for the Illinois-based coalition.
The organization had to cancel this year's international conference in Moscow due to turmoil related to Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine. Its previous world conferences were in Madrid, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Mexico City, Geneva and Prague. The World Congress of Families chose Salt Lake City for its October 2015 gathering because it has many good partner organizations in Utah, spokesman Don Feder said. The Sutherland Institute is leading the planning for the event, which is expected to draw about 3,000 people. "Marriage between a man and a woman forms the sole moral context for natural sexual union," the World Congress of Families' website says. "Whether through pornography, promiscuity, incest or homosexuality, deviations from these created sexual norms cannot truly satisfy the human spirit." The theme of the Salt Lake City event likely will be religious liberty, Feder said.
One of the leaders of the World Congress of Families is Breitbart columnist Austin Ruse, who was fired from the American Family Association radio network earlier this year after declaring that liberal college professors "should all be taken out and shot." More on Ruse below.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In November 2013, US House Speaker John Boehner provided federal office space to the World Congress of Families after Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) had them booted out of the space they had reserved in the Senate office building. The WCF has colluded with NOM president Brian Brown in furthering Russia's pogrom of hate and violence against LGBT people and its leaders have endorsed Uganda's proposed death penalty for homosexuals. In September 2013, the WCF colluded with local neo-Nazis to successfully pressure the Serbian government to ban Belgrade Pride for the third year in a row.  In 2012 WCF leader Austin Ruse, who is also a Breitbart columnist, spoke at CPAC where he denounced the United Nations for a resolution that condemned the "extrajudicial executions" of LGBT people. Ruse is the president of C-FAM, the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute. Also in 2012, the WCF protested against the US Embassy in Prague for its support of local gay pride events. Signees of a letter to the government were a virtual who's who of hate.

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Hurricane Watch

Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to become a hurricane by tomorrow. At the present it's not forecast to make a direct hit on New York City, but the Fourth is likely be quite stormy and the annual Pines Invasion on Fire Island could see a lot of soggy wigs. Macy's says that the fireworks show over the East River will happen rain or shine, but they might delay its start if the weather is still severe at nightfall. City officials may close public beaches due to rip tides.

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Iran Copies Modern Family

Via Pink News:
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting TV channel has rewritten US sitcom Modern Family without gay dads Mitch and Cam, whose plot line has been replaced with that of a straight couple. The network’s new show Haft Sang is a near scene-for-scene remake of Modern Family, but with some character’s genders changed in some circumstances to avoid pre-marital mixing of men and women. Fans of the US sitcom, who illegally download American shows to get around Iranian state censorship, discovered the similarity between Modern Family and Haft Sang. One of these fans put together a comparison video to show how blatantly Haft Sang duplicates Modern Family.

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Guns & Jesus All Over The Place

In the Colorado town of Rifle (seriously), waitresses at the just-opened Shooters Grille sling pistols as well as burgers.
The waitstaff at Shooters Grille is mostly female, all of whom are packing concealed weapons in leg holsters. (The state of Colorado allows registered gun owners to carry firearms into restaurants.) It’s to remind Americans of the romance of getting one’s head blown off the old-timey way. Owner Lauren Boebert said she loves the Bible and the U.S. Constitution and that they “encourage” packing and eating. “Customers love that they can come here and express their rights,” Boebert explained. “People can come in carrying their gun, and they can pray over their food. “I consulted with my Christian friends and everyone said ‘Shooters’ sounded like a bar or a strip joint,” Boebert continued. “But … this is Rifle. It was founded around guns and the Old West. We called it Shooters and started throwing guns and Jesus all over the place.”
More photos are at the link. (Via Christian Nightmares)

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Dolly Parton At Glastonbury

Stereogum raves:
To be clear: Dolly Parton won Glastonbury simply by showing up. The 68-year-old country music legend is not the type to show up at every festival every summer, but she blessed the UK’s biggest one with her presence this past weekend. She also figured out a way to pay tribute to her host country in the most adorable way imaginable, while going viral in the process. During her performance, Parton pulled out a saxophone and covered “Yakety Sax,” the theme for the old Benny Hill Show.
Yakety Sax was actually first a US pop hit for Boots Randolph in 1963, six years before its first use on the Benny Hill Show.

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Burger King Launches Pride Whopper

Via TIME Magazine:
Behind the counter at a Burger King in the heart of San Francisco is a rainbow-colored menu board advertising a product that the fast-food behemoth has never sold before and isn’t selling anywhere else: The Proud Whopper. When customers visiting during Sunday’s pride parade asked cashiers what made this Whopper different from a standard-issue burger, they simply said, “I don’t know.” The mystery was revealed once diners opened the rainbow-colored wrapper and got a taste: absolutely nothing is different about this burger, nothing at all. To emphasize the point, the interior of the wrapper comes with a second message: “We Are All the Same Inside.”
There's a video coming to support the campaign. And of course, the Freepers and Twitchy are going crazy.

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Viral Video Of The Day

This is a major WTF and whatever it is, it might not be office-friendly. It also might be an ad for something as all the links on the affiliated website go to McDonald's. On the other hand, it could be another Jimmy Kimmel prank.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bill)

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Tuesday, July 01, 2014

CALIFORNIA: Teabaggers Block Buses Transferring Undocumented Immigrants

Via CNN:
Angry protesters forced three buses carrying undocumented immigrants to turn around Tuesday in Southern California. The immigrants had arrived in San Diego from south Texas and were on their way to be processed at the Murrieta Border Patrol station. Protesters chanting "USA!" "Impeach Obama!" and "Deport, Deport!" blocked their route. A heated yelling match ensued between the demonstrators and a group of counterprotesters. As the buses were forced to retreat, the roughly 140 people on board were taken to a border station in San Ysidro, according to Ron Zermeno with the National Border Patrol Council. It was not immediately clear whether they would stay there or what would happen next. The U.S. government is struggling to process and accommodate an influx of undocumented immigrants, and specifically a spike in immigrant children. The government doesn't have enough beds, food or sanitary facilities.

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TORONTO: Shirtless Bear Jogger Confronts "Homophobe" Mayor Rob Ford

Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was met with jeers and insults when he marched in his city's Canada Day Parade this afternoon. One passerby in particular captured the media's attention when he repeatedly called Ford a racist and a homophobe Via CBC News:
Ford was at one point confronted by local resident Joe Killoran — a Toronto-area teacher who was apparently out for a jog when he crossed paths with the mayor's entourage. Killoran hurled questions and accusations at Ford while the mayor's staff attempted to intercede. "Answer one of the million questions people have for you," Killoran said. "People have a million questions about your lying and your corruption." Ford did not respond to Killoran. Someone in the crowd asked if he was working for one of Ford's political rivals. "Do I look like I'm with a campaign?" Killoran, who was shirtless at the time, responded. "I'm an East York guy out for a jog."

(Tipped by JMG reader Aaron)

UPDATE: A couple minutes of Google-stalking reveal that Killoran is a high school teacher who has written at least a few newspaper op-eds on educational issues. In 2011 the Toronto Star published his essay on the rights of LGBT students in Catholic schools. An excerpt:
Catholic apologists argue that church doctrine does not discriminate against gays but teaches adherents to “hate the sin, not the sinner.” This is the same position taken by the church toward pedophiles, rapists, murderers and war criminals. Does anyone seriously believe that classing gays with the most hated members of society will encourage heterosexual students to accept and befriend them? Proponents of public Catholic education point out that it is constitutionally protected. The fact that gay students enjoy equal constitutional protection to be free from discrimination is seldom mentioned. Eventually a choice will have to be made between the rights of the publicly funded Catholic school boards and the rights of its vulnerable gay students.
Yeah, we like this guy.

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