Tag: Gay Rights

Hang ‘Em High

Closing Thought–16Jan19

I could do some retro review of a Clint Eastwood movie from the 70s but personally they were all pretty sucky movies…..the old “Spaghetti Westerns” with the weird sounding guns and the bad music.

Awhile back one of my closing thoughts was about the Congress finally making lynching a hate crime…….after 200attempts and finally a success……my post on the situation……https://lobotero.com/2018/12/20/closing-thought-20dec18/

I bring this up because there are some that want to alter the law on lynchings…..and as one might expect it is some religious sorts that want the change….

The U.S. Senate last month unanimously passed a bill that would explicitly make lynching a federal crime. Not everyone, however, is pleased with passage of the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act.

Liberty Counsel, an evangelical nonprofit that opposes gay rights, and its chairman, Mat Staver, are taking issue with the bill’s inclusion of LGBTQ people.

“The old saying is once that camel gets the nose in the tent, you can’t stop them from coming the rest of the way in,” Staver said in an interview with conservative Christian news outlet OneNewsNow. “This is a way to slip it in under a so-called anti-lynching bill, and to then to sort of circle the wagon and then go for the juggler [sic] at some time in the future.”

Staver told OneNewsNow that his organization, which has been labeled an anti-LGBTQ “hate group” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is lobbying lawmakers in the House to have them remove the bill’s “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” language before taking a vote.

(NBC News)

Not a fine example of Christian love, huh?

This is why I dislike most Christians……they are the most hypocritical of people…..plus they are usually conservative and that is just boring.

 

I Now Pronounce You……..

For decades there has been a battle raging over the simple act of getting married…….we have heard from the Leftist…..then the religious d/bags that equate same sex marriage with everything from incest to bestiality….and then there were those like myself that felt that it was a personal and private decision made by two people and because it was thusly it was none of my business or anyone else for that matter……..

Like I said we have heard from everybody and now we have heard from the the last player………. SCOTUS………

Perhaps the most anticipated Supreme Court case has been decided, and it’s a yes for same-sex marriage throughout the land. In a ruling authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, the court voted 5-4 today that states cannot ban same-sex marriage, the AP reports.
Kennedy wrote that gays and lesbians “may not be deprived of liberty” or of that “fundamental right” to marry, per CNN. Gay couples could already marry in 36 states and DC, but now the other 14 states will no longer be able to ban same-sex couples from doing so. The decision reveals the court’s resounding “yes” to one of the most important constitutional questions posed in recent times, as worded by the Wall Street Journal in January: “Does the 14th Amendment, which guarantees ‘equal protection’ and ‘due process’ of law, forbid states from treating gay couples differently than heterosexual ones?”

The opinion seems to purposely not state a “standard of scrutiny,” SCOTUSblog notes. Instead, it asserts “it is now clear that the challenged laws burden the liberty of same-sex couples, and it must be further acknowledged that they abridge central precepts of equality. … This denial to same-sex couples of the right to marry works a grave and continuing harm.” President Obama sent out a tweet right after the ruling was announced, writing, “Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like anyone else

Of course the battles are not over…….the state’s rights jerks will be looking for ways to circumvent the ruling as they have with abortion….

For now it is a win for equality…..and after all is that not what the Founders intended?

You may begin the rejoicing!

Arkansas Tops Indiana?

When Pence signed the Indiana discrimination law into being…he immediately caught flak and started backing away from the law…..the question to ask………if the country had not responded so badly would he be calling for “clarification”?  Answer:  Of course not….he would have thanked his lucky stars and moved on…….

Pence has been busy trying to explain the law and trying to convince the country that it is not discriminatory……he is failing miserably……..

Indiana governor Mike Pence is setting the record straight: Though the Religious Freedom Restoration Act “has been grossly misconstrued as a ‘license to discriminate,'” its stated purpose is to guarantee “that Indiana law will respect religious freedom,” he writes at the Wall Street Journal. Echoing his earlier comments, Pence notes that President Obama supported a similar law as a state senator in Illinois. He adds, “I abhor discrimination,” and the law, which some argue allows businesses to discriminate against gays and lesbians, “contains no reference to sexual orientation.”

Fellow Republican Jeb Bush suggests the law isn’t even slightly discriminatory but is focused on “simply allowing people of faith space to be able to express their beliefs,” he says, per the New York Times. Ted Cruz likewise argues “Indiana is giving voice to millions of courageous conservatives across this country who are deeply concerned about the ongoing attacks upon our personal liberties.”

I was wondering when the Bible Belt states would jump on this issue……and I did not have to wait for long………

Indiana might be backing away from its controversial religious freedom law, but Arkansas is embracing one of its own. State lawmakers today approved the bill and sent it along to Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who is expected to sign, reports Arkansas Online. Arkansas lawmakers rejected attempts to include a clause that would explicitly forbid discrimination against gay people, reports the New York Times. ”If you start shaving out exemptions in laws, next thing you know, you’ll gut the law because everyone will want an exemption,” says Republican state Sen. Bart Hester. In Indiana, meanwhile, Gov. Mike Pence says he wants just such a clarification on his desk by the end of the week, reports AP.

In Arkansas, protesters gathered at the state Capitol in Little Rock for the second consecutive day, and businesses including Walmart and Apple have either expressed reservations or called on Hutchinson to veto the measure. Assuming he doesn’t, Arkansas can expect reaction like this: States including New York, Connecticut, and Washington have barred government travel to Indiana in protest, notes NBC News. “They knew what they were doing,” says Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy. “They were going to make it legal to refuse to serve gay men and women. Somebody has to call them on it.”

We will see just how much clout Wal-Mart has with politicians in Arkansas….now won’t we?

SCOTUS Flinches

By now you have formed your opinion on the latest ruling by our bought and paid for supreme court…..but while you were listening to Bill or Joe or Wolf they quietly refused other rulings that could have been landmark…..really?  What would those be?

Thank you for asking….let me throw the stuff the cowards would not touch……

The Supreme Court quietly made a bunch of headlines today, mainly by rejecting potentially explosive cases. Here’s a roundup of the day’s (in)action:

  • Gay rights: The court announced that it would not take up the highly charged case that began when a New Mexico wedding photographer refused to do the honors for a same-sex commitment ceremony, Politico reports. New Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that this amounted to illegal discrimination. That ruling will now stand in New Mexico, but only in New Mexico.
  • NSA: The justices declined a conservative lawyer’s unusual request that it bypass the usual appeals process and immediately take up a case arguing that the NSA’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ telephone records violated the Constitution’s ban on unreasonable search and seizure, the AP reports. A lower court had agreed with the lawyer that the program was “almost certainly” unconstitutional.
  • Campaign finance: After last week’s ruling, reform advocates are likely happy that the court decided not to take up a challenge to the 100-year-old rules banning direct contributions from corporations to candidates. Iowa Right to Life had asked the court to rule that corporations had the same free speech rights as individuals, the AP explains.

As is customary, the Court offered no commentary on any of the decisions.

Apparently there is NO money in ruling on these issues…..with the exception of the campaign finance….they avoided that one because of the fuss they raised with the one ruling last week……..they will most likely see it again under the guise of another precedent…….watch for it!

How Gay Is The GOP?

Please do not let the title confuse you….I will explain it shortly.

First of all, let me state that I support gay rights…..I support anything that keeps the government out of  someone’s bedroom and out of the decisions that people have to make…it is none of the government’s business….I do not want some fat cat in Washington telling me what I can and cannot do in my bedroom, as long as we are consenting adults….it is none of their damn business!

There has been a wealth of airtime on the media outlets in the last week or 10 days about gay marriage…..staunch defenders and staunch opponents…..lots of speculation and lots of pure crap….and now we have it as a major campaign deal….18 million people or out of work and about 30 million are approaching poverty and who marries what or who is the big issue?

Evangelicals and social conservatives are urging Republicans to make the fight against same-sex marriage an election-year priority and go after President Obama over his new-found support for the cause. So far, the GOP establishment is resisting.

But the Republican establishment is singing a different tune, showing little interest in focusing on the issue, and instead fielding questions about it by pivoting to the economy. The result is a strategic divide over how to handle the issue of same sex marriage on the right, pitting politicians against the evangelical community as they negotiate their response to the president’s gay marriage position.

With all this back and forth in 2012…..what about the future?  Is a new day on the horizon?

That question has been answered for the GOP…….by a Bush pollster…..Jan van Lohuizen has issued a memo to the GOP…..

Lohuizen’s full May 11 memo below:

Background: In view of this week’s news on the same sex marriage issue, here is a summary of recent survey findings on same sex marriage:

1. Support for same sex marriage has been growing and in the last few years support has grown at an accelerated rate with no sign of slowing down. A review of public polling shows that up to 2009 support for gay marriage increased at a rate of 1% a year. Starting in 2010 the change in the level of support accelerated to 5% a year. The most recent public polling shows supporters of gay marriage outnumber opponents by a margin of roughly 10% (for instance: NBC / WSJ poll in February / March: support 49%, oppose 40%).

2. The increase in support is taking place among all partisan groups. While more Democrats support gay marriage than Republicans, support levels among Republicans are increasing over time. The same is true of age: younger people support same sex marriage more often than older people, but the trends show that all age groups are rethinking their position.

3. Polling conducted among Republicans show that majorities of Republicans and Republican leaning voters support extending basic legal protections to gays and lesbians. These include majority Republican support for:

a. Protecting gays and lesbians against being fired for reasons of sexual orientation
b. Protections against bullying and harassment
c. Repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
d. Right to visit partners in hospitals
e. Protecting partners against loss of home in case of severe medical emergencies or death
f. Legal protection in some form for gay couples whether it be same sex marriage or domestic partnership (only 29% of Republicans oppose legal recognition in any form).

Recommendation: A statement reflecting recent developments on this issue along the following lines:

“People who believe in equality under the law as a fundamental principle, as I do, will agree that this principle extends to gay and lesbian couples; gay and lesbian couples should not face discrimination and their relationship should be protected under the law. People who disagree on the fundamental nature of marriage can agree, at the same time, that gays and lesbians should receive essential rights and protections such as hospital visitation, adoption rights, and health and death benefits.”

It seems that the poll shows that the membership, not necessarily the base, of the GOP is moving left on this issue and that it the GOP is to remain a solvent party it needs to accommodate this growing belief….

My question now is….will the GOP listen?  If they lose badly in November will they attempt to repair any damage done by the partisanship and negativity?  Or will they just keep going along the path that was set for them by special interests and those that are only concerned with single issues?  Will the membership have a say on the path they are to travel or will the special interests keep control of the party?  My guess is the later.

Homophobic Clergy

Sunday and my last day of  Zen before I return to the world of politics….I thought I would do a religious post for today….I do so few…..trying to change (good luck with that)……

We have been embroiled in a debate about the rights of gay people as compared to what we call “straights”….can they marry?……and other freedoms that are normally extended to everyone else in our society…..churches come out against anything gay (all the while priest are porking alter boys)….politicians come out either pro or con, depending on where they want the voters to go (all the while some are having affairs or chasing pages)……and then there are the people that are just plain scared of gay people……

But today I will post on some bishops that have , in my opinion, overextended their so called authority………

An association of Catholic bishops is battling a pending regulation that would ban discrimination against anyone based on “sexual orientation or gender identity” in federally funded housing projects. The rules would force some religious groups to compromise their beliefs or quit the housing programs, argued lawyers for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.  “Faith-based organizations should retain the freedom they have always had to make housing placements in a manner consistent with their religious beliefs,” said a statement from the lawyers.  Gay discrimination in the housing market is a major problem, and as many as one in five transgender individuals are homeless because of housing discrimination, according to recent findings that concern HUD officials. “In considering the mounting evidence of violence and discrimination against LGBT persons, the department is concerned that its own programs may not be fully open to LGBT individuals and families,” HUD said in a statement earlier this year.  The Catholic church collects millions in public dollars for building and operating federally funded housing across the nation. For more on the controversy, check out the Daily Kos here.

I am personally, sick of these types of people that think they speak for the country….first of all….they do NOT….second, these people need to clean up their problems with their priests before they try to tell the rest of the people how or where they can live……..in other words….BUTT OUT OF PEOPLE’S BUSINESS!

2011 Anal-Ocity #1

A new year and a new batch of anal statements coming from people that should know better…..the first one is actually something said back in December of 2010 but the nominees were already being voted on and so we decided to make it the first one of the New year…..

This one is from an opinion writer for the Washington Times, Robert Knight…….he was writing on the possibility of the repeal of DADT……

Mr. Gates himself hinted at the answer: Training (i.e. brainwashing) could begin earlier. Think about that. Troops drawn from America’s heartland will be “trained” to appreciate sodomy – or else. Wonder if they’ll break out those little Maoist dunce caps while they’re at it?

Of course, this is NOT anywhere near the truth or in any way accurate……but when has one of these looney morons from the Right ever let truth and accuracy get in their way?

DADT–The Game

On December 18, 2010, the Senate voted to end debate on S.4023, the Senate’s bill identical to H.R.2965, via a cloture vote of 63-33. Prior to the vote, Sen. Lieberman gave the final argument in favor of repealing DADT and Sen. McCain argued against repeal. The final Senate vote was held later that same day, with the measure passing by a vote of 65-31.   President Obama is expected to sign the repeal into law on December 22, 2010.

Finally, it has been signed and now all the hard work that has been done by so many will pay off…..the problem is that the Pentagon has to come up with a plan and in 60 days or more before it will be officially over…..DADT will remain in force until then….

I personally did not think that this would happen in this Congress….that gays would have to wait for a more liberal time……I was mistaken….with that said……

The game is afoot!

Just yesterday I had a comment on a fdriend’s blog, Why We Worry, (blogroll will get you to this good and informative site) that I expect the GOP to play games with the repeal…and I did not have to wait long, at all…….

Delegate Robert G. Marshall said the Constitution reserves states with the authority to do so and that he’ll introduce a bill in the state General Assembly next year that ensures the “the effect of the 1994 federal law banning active homosexuals from America’s military forces will apply to the Virginia National Guard.”
“With the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ President Obama seeks to pay back his homosexual political supporters,” the Prince William County Republican said, echoing a sentiment shared by many of the repeal’s most ardent opponents. “This policy will weaken military recruitment and retention, and will increase pressure for a military draft.”
“The Constitution never would have been ratified if states were not [guaranteed] unqualified control of the militia, now called the National Guard,” he said.
I knew that it would not be as easy as the prez signing it into law…….I knew that games would be played and so they begin!

The “Lamestream” Media

We have heard the darling of the Teabaggers use the term over and over…..but now she may have something there…..I have seen reputable media outlets say and print some really ridiculous stories…..but so far the most lame is this one from the Washington times:

From the pen of Robert Knight:

Sometimes just the threat of a wacko liberal ruling is enough to drive policy. That seems to be the reasoning behind Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warning Congress to homosexualize the military before the courts do it. He said it would be disruptive if a court acts, so Congress should order up the lavender tanks instead.

I don’t recall a single reporter asking Mr. Gates why, if ending the policy by court order would harm the military, it would be less disruptive if done by the lame-duck Congress. Mr. Gates himself hinted at the answer: Training (i.e. brainwashing) could begin earlier. Think about that. Troops drawn from America’s heartland will be “trained” to appreciate sodomy – or else. Wonder if they’ll break out those little Maoist dunce caps while they’re at it?

I understand the opposition to the repeal of DADT……but to go this far and be this moronic is a new low for even the Washington Times……