Friday, September 23, 2011

ViaJMG: First GOP Rep Joins DOMA Repeal Fight


The battle to repeal DOMA finally has its first Republican co-sponsor. Via Freedom To Marry:
Today, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen announced that she would be the first Republican member of Congress to cosponsor the Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 1116), sponsored by Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. "Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's support for this important bill confirms that equal respect for all marriages is a bipartisan, mainstream value,” said Evan Wolfson, founder and President of Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide. “Working with Representatives Ros-Lehtinen and Nadler, and the Respect for Marriage Act's 124 co-sponsors, Freedom to Marry will continue to make the case to Republican and Democratic members of Congress that it's time to return the federal government to its proper role of honoring all marriages legal in the states -- without a gay exception."
According to above-excerpted press release, Ros-Lehtinen's support was gained with the help of the Log Cabin Republicans. She is the most senior Republican woman in the U.S. House and was first elected to represent Miami in 1989. (Her district includes South Beach and Key West.) She is also the only GOP member of the congressional LGBT caucus.

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reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Keith Olbermann Rips Rick Perry's Anti-Gay Florida Campaign Leader

Olbermann takes on Rick Perry's Florida campaign leader, who says God sends natural disasters to express displeasure with gay marriage. She can also raise the dead! SRSLY. Glory! Praise Jeebus!



(Via - Good As You)


reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Frothy Mix: I Never Heard Any Boos


"I condemn the people who booed that gay soldier. That soldier is serving our country, I thank him for his service to our country. I’m sure he’s doing an excellent job. I hope he is safe, and I hope he returns safely, and does his mission well. I have to admit, I seriously did not hear those boos. Had I heard them, I certainly would have commented on them. But as you know, when you’re in that sort of environment, you’re focused on the question and formulating your answer. And I just didn’t hear those couple of boos that were out there. But certainly, had I, I would have said that that was — I would have said, don’t do that, this man is serving our country, and we are to thank him for his service." - Rick Santorum, speaking on Fox News.


reposted from Joe

Via AmericaBlog:

AMERICAblog
Daniel,

Thursday night, during the Republican presidential debate, an American soldier serving in Iraq was booed by the audience simply for saying that he was gay, and for asking a question about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

And none of the GOP candidates on stage said a word in his defense.

Please join former Army Captains Tanya L. Domi, James E. Pietrangelo, II, Brenda S. "Sue" Fulton, Jonathan Hopkins, and former West Point cadet Katherine Miller in signing an open letter demanding that all the Republican presidential candidates denounce the disrespect that was shown to soldier Stephen Hill during the Republican debate.

Click here to watch the shocking video, and to read and sign the open letter.

The media is all over this story now, and everyone is talking about the tacit silence of the GOP candidates. If enough of you join Tanya, Jim, Sue, Jonathan and Katherine in signing the open letter, we have a real chance at publicly shaming each and every one of the candidates into doing the right thing.

As you already know, this isn't about politics, it doesn't matter if you're a Republican or a Democrat, and it has nothing to do with where you stand on the issue of gays in the military. This is about showing an American service member a basic level of respect for serving this country.

Please join me in signing the open letter, signed by four former military members and a former West Point cadet, asking the Republican presidential candidates to speak out against the disrespectful way in which soldier Stephen Hill was treated during last Thursday night's debate. Click here to watch the video and to sign.

Thanks so much,

John Aravosis, AMERICAblog

Via Ben Betz, People For the American Way:

Perhaps the only thing scarier than the Republican presidential candidates are the right-wing crowds at their debates. At last night's Fox News debate, the crowd actually booed a gay soldier who asked a question about Don't Ask Don't Tell! At the first debate, mention of Rick Perry's record-setting number of state executions as governor drew huge applause. And the crowd at the first official Tea Party debate cheered just as raucously for the suggestion that the way to deal with a sick person without health insurance is to "let him die." Of course, in all these instances, the candidates said nothing to dissuade the crowd.

 Don't let these people pick the next President! We need your help now to keep Perry, Romney and Bachmann OUT of the White House. Renew your support today and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar, DOUBLING your impact!

Via JMG: GOP Debates Recap


Three major GOP debates so far and what have we seen?

CHEERS for the death penalty.
CHEERS for letting people die without insurance.
BOOS for active duty gay soldiers.

All the blah-blah-blah from the candidates - almost ignored. It's the audience reactions that keep garnering the press. It's the unbridled gleeful hatred of the Tea Party that keeps earning all those cable news video clips.
reposted from Joe

More homophobic hate from the Republicans



GOP presidential debate crowd boos gay US soldier serving in Iraq

'Barb' posted September 16, 2011 letter to U.S. National Spiritual Assembly regarding "homosexual lifestyle"

'Barb' posted September 16, 2011 letter to U.S. National Spiritual Assembly regarding "homosexual lifestyle"

Dear Baha'i Friends,


In your January 3, 2011 letter to the American Baha'is, you shared the following guidance from the Baha'i Universal House of Justice: 

The purpose of the Faith of Baha'u'llah is the realization of the organic unity of the entire human race, and Baha'is are enjoined to eliminate from their lives all forms of prejudice and to manifest respect towards all. Therefore, to regard those with a homosexual orientation with prejudice or disdain would be against the spirit of the Faith.

The term “homosexual lifestyle,” which has been used by both individual Baha'is and Baha'i institutions, exemplifies regarding homosexuals with prejudice and disdain, as it is always used in a negative sense. The term has no inherent meaning and makes no more sense than “heterosexual lifestyle.”

Consider the infinite variety of “lifestyles” of the heterosexual: bar-hopper or tee-totaler, sexually promiscuous or celibate, monogamous or advocate of free love, drug addict or avoider of even an aspirin, organic gardener or fast-food fan, greedy or philanthropic, convicted criminal or saint of church/synagogue/mosque, religious or atheist, hardworking or slothful, morally degenerate or of high moral fiber, etc.

It is apparent that the term “heterosexual lifestyle” has no meaning. The word “heterosexual” refers to one's sexual orientation, the word “lifestyle” to one's habit of living. The term “homosexual lifestyle” is just as meaningless, for the variety of lifestyles of homosexuals is just as great as for heterosexuals – it would make as much sense to refer to a “brunette lifestyle” or “left-handed lifestyle.”

In addition, the term “homosexual lifestyle” has the effect of making gays/lesbians feel as if their sexual identity is supposed to be something trivial which can be discarded at will, as one would a suit of clothes – it trivializes the identity of a significant segment of the world's population. It's like saying to Black or Jewish people that their identity is a trivial thing.

In summary, “heterosexual” and “homosexual” are terms denoting a person's sexual orientation, as the Universal House of Justice acknowledges. To associate one or the other with a particular “lifestyle” is unfair.

You should know that this letter will be posted on the website “Gay/Lesbian Baha'i Story Project” because it deals with a subject of interest to many of our readers, and that any reply will be posted as well, for the same reason.

Respectfully,