I am staying out of this debate but I wanted to share this video. Al Sharpton is PISSED at Glenn Beck for having his rally on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and taking the “mall” away from him.
Discuss amongst yourselves.
Amplify’d from www.youtube.com
O’Reilly Debates Sharpton on Glenn Beck Rally
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/9iij
Where once it was culturally unacceptable to be involved in a homosexual lifestyle, today it is celebrated in certain circles and viewed as a viable family alternative in others.
Gay Rights is a term we have all heard and read about, but what does it mean?
If it means that those involved in a gay lifestyle are no longer subjected to laws that forbade this lifestyle then the rights have already been extended.
Many would argue that Gay Rights is much more complicated than that.
Some homosexual lobbyists are pursuing and sometimes winning a very specific argument in state governing bodies and in the corporate world. The argument is that gay couples should be extended insurance privileges in the same way traditional marriages receive.
Public schools often have books dealing with alternate lifestyles (including homosexuality) on their library shelves.
Gay Pride parades are featured in cities throughout the world.
It would seem that the rights of homosexuals are being improved with each passing day. In Massachusetts, gay marriage is recognized while a handful of other states recognize civil unions among same-sex couples.
There are even a growing number of churches that will perform and recognize same-sex civil unions. Some denominations have also accepted gay clergy.
Some African Americans have been vocally opposed to comparing Gay Rights with Civil Rights. The feeling among some is that African Americans were born with their skin color while many consider homosexuality to be a choice.
There has been an argument that there may be a gay gene that makes it almost impossible for a gay or lesbian individual to act different. This runs contrary to reports that indicate there may be a gene that may make an individual more susceptible to becoming homosexual, but the choice remains with the individual unlike a choice of skin tone in African Americans. If there is a choice in one scenario and no choice in the other then some cannot bring themselves to view these two movements in the same light.
Another area of contention is hate crimes bills that are discussed in the courts as well as on the floor of the senate and congress. The idea is to enforce a more severe penalty for crimes that are considered motivated by hatred. While this is not limited to homosexuals it is inclusive of crimes committed against this sector of society.
Proponents indicate this will serve as a deterrent to those who may have considered violence against a gay or lesbian individual. Opponents of hate crimes legislation indicate that this only leads to someone trying to interpret the motives behind an act of violence. They also believe that harsh penalties are already in place to deal with violent crimes without the need for additional penalties that may be viewed as entirely subjective.
Some might further argue that the gay community will not be content to settle for equal rights, they will push for protected or elevated rights. Those who espouse this argument believe that the protected status may actually result in a lessening of rights for heterosexual citizens.
The many layers of this argument are debated both publicly and behind closed doors and the debate is bound to continue as each individual comes to terms with their own belief system and how this issue fits within that point of view.
Discuss the Gay Rights at Controversial Forums. Have Debates in our Debate Forums.
Author: Thomas Phelps
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When Hollywood needed to find a star for the movie Milk, about a San Francisco gay politician named Harvey Milk who was murdered in 1978, tough guy Sean Penn showed he could morph into any character at all. He disappears into the role of Milk with tenderness and true artistry. Penn and his co-stars – James Franco, Emile Hirsch, and Diego Luna – felt totally comfortable playing gay roles, which shows how times have changed in Hollywood. Previously, playing that type of role could have kept an actor off the A list, so progress has been made. However, top stars who are actually gay don’t feel safe enough to come out of the closet yet, so there is still a long way to go. It’s rather like gay rights.
In watching Harvey Milk’s 1978 battle against California’s Proposition 6, which would have banned gay teachers in public schools, audiences can’t help but ponder the halting progress on gay rights in light of the current battle raging over gay marriage. Gays and countless straight supporters took to the streets to protest what they saw as an assault on civil rights over the passage of Proposition 8, which effectively banned gay marriage in California. What would Milk have done? “He’d be right there on the streets with the marchers,” film director Gus Van Sant said.
Using broadcast film footage of the 1970s battles over gay rights, Van Sant shows how Milk, a community organizer, urged gays to come out of the closet. Milk knew that the more interaction there was between straights and gays, the more voters would understand what impact their vote would have. Milk’s message is just as valid today.
Gay marriage came to California this past June. Gay weddings flourished (over 18,000 of them), long-time couples celebrated, gay families with children were thrilled to be part of the legally recognized community. The summer wedding frenzy was set off by the May decision of the California Supreme Court, in its landmark marriage case, that said same-sex couples have a “right” to marry.
Others weren’t the least bit pleased. Those who deemed marriage to be a sacred union between a man and a woman – ONLY a man and a woman – and not a matter of legal contracts and civil rights, objected. So they put forth Proposition 8 to insert in the State constitution the words: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” Fifty-two percent of Californians voted yes on Prop 8 and it passed – right into an emotional uproar, protests on the streets, and legal rebuttals.
Now those words are before the California Supreme Court, which has agreed to a hearing of the legal challenges to Prop 8. The following issues are involved:
* Are the words a simple amendment or are they a constitutional revision, which should have required a two-thirds vote of the legislature?
* Does Prop 8 violate the constitutional separation of powers by restricting the judges’ authority to protect the rights of same-sex couples?
* Does Prop 8 invalidate the 18,000 same-sex marriages that took place between June 16th and the election?
If the justices uphold Prop 8, those who back gay marriage plan to put a measure before voters in 2010 to re-amend the state Constitution. If they toss out Prop 8, the opponents of gay marriage may put something back on the ballot or may even try to oust the Supreme Court justices by recall!
The justices are evidently divided on how to resolve the case. Their decision to delay hearings until as late as March without putting a stay on the law indicates conflict. That means that there will be no more gay marriages in California until oral arguments are heard. Justice Joyce L. Kennard reportedly voted not to hear the case at all, but she did agree to hear a case evaluating marriages instituted before the ban was in place. This is not a good omen for those in favor of gays’ right to marry.
There are also legal issues concerning the separation of church and state because of the huge amounts of money contributed by both the Mormon and Catholic Churches. California officials are presently questioning whether the Mormon Church accurately accounted for its role in the Yes on 8 campaign and are investigating their non-monetary contributions, such as phone banks, Web site, and commercials on behalf of Prop 8.
Why would 52% of the voters in California deny a minority the same rights they enjoy? Everyone, in my opinion, should be entitled to the same rights and privileges of marriage. The problem, in a nutshell, seems to be the word marriage. Those who consider marriage to be holy wedlock, rather than merely a legally binding relationship, might be willing to consider passage of civil rights legislation for same-sex partners if something other than the word marriage was used to describe it.
As I travel the country putting on public events where I work with thousands of lonely, depressed, and sick people, I have seen that anytime an individual is willing to make a commitment to a relationship, he is increasing his chances for health and happiness. The main task we have in our lifetime is to learn to love through the difficult lens of relationship. Research shows that established relationships tend to promote stability, so it seems that the more married couples there are, heterosexual or not, would actually benefit society. Instead of judging others and forbidding them from forming a union of happiness, I ask that we allow people to love and support one another. Life is hard enough; why do it alone?
With the Obama team in Washington taking over the reins after the Bush years of division and distrust, and proclaiming that unity and inclusion will be the new themes, I feel deeply that the time has come for us to put aside the things that separate us, including our fear of those whose lifestyles and sexual orientation differ from the norm.
Call it what you will, marriage means union. We can become more tolerant of all who seek union. We can support civil rights for all. And we can learn a lot from Milk.
Deborah King is a health and wellness expert and author of Truth Heals: What You Hide Can Hurt You. Learn more about your own ability to change your life through truth athttp://www.deborahkingcenter.com
Author: Deborah King
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
I just got an email from EQCA saying this:
Dear Michel,
Yes on 8 supporter Meg Whitman has stepped up her anti-marriage equality campaign.
Late yesterday, she joined Attorney General Candidate Steve Cooley by saying that, if elected, she will use the state’s vast resources to defend Prop. 8 in court.
Whitman says she will cut the budget due to lack of resources, slashing services for those most in need. Yet, she has no problem using the state’s limited resources—your and my tax dollars—to advocate for discrimination against two people simply because they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and in love. Shame on her.
Meg Whitman was quoted in the Sacramento Bee, saying:
“And I think the governor, the attorney general today has to defend the constitution and has to enable the judicial process to go along and has to enable an appeal to go through. So if I was governor, I would give that ruling standing to be able to appeal to the circuit court.”
We need to defeat every candidate who believes that discrimination belongs in the constitution. It’s wrong. It’s un-American.
Let’s keep California on the right side of history, and equality.
Urgently,
Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California PAC
I find this disturbing because California is already broke and she’s going to drain what is left to stop gay people from being happy? How ruthless, how hateful, how f’d up is that? Is she that anti-gay that she’s going to bleed this state dry to show how much she hates gay people? Same goes for Steve Cooley. I think they need to get their priorities in order, seriously.
I literally want to vomit, that’s how sick these anti-gay people make me. To think, I might have voted for her based on being CEO of eBay.
Below are the facts from Towleroad.com. From what I heard on Fox News, gay couples can get married on August 18th but… and it’s a big but(t), that gives the Prop 8 team a week to stop it from happening. They will stop at nothing to “protect” marriage from gay people.
Ok look, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a million times more. Gay people getting married does not hurt straight people’s marriages. If anything it helps the economy because gay people are going to be spending big bucks on their weddings, probably more than straight people would spend.
Now I know that the argument for Prop 8 is not a financial argument but more a moral argument that being gay is immoral according to the bible which was NOT written by a “higher power” but by a bunch of bigots about 2000 years or so ago.
There seems to be a lot of things in the bible that people choose to ignore like that eating shellfish is an abomination (obama-nation?) LEV 10:10, slavery is a good thing especially when you are selling your own DAUGHTER Exodus 21:7, if you wear glasses you cannot get in to heaven LEV 21:23, that is something that everyone seems to forget and so many more.
My personal favorite is the one that says if you work on the sabbath you must be put to death. Oh yes it’s in there. Exodus 35:2. Check it out.
Now, please do me a favor, if you are going to ignore all these other things, please ignore all the gay BS in the bible. Thank you.
Amplify’d from www.towleroad.com
Judge Removes Stay on Prop 8 Ruling; Gay Couples Can Marry Aug 18
UPDATE: WE now have official documents. The stay is in place until August 18, at which time couples can marry as far as I can see.
is reporting that Judge Walker has lifted the stay on his ruling striking down Proposition 8, meaning couples are free to marry in California.
AWAITING official documents…
Also no word on the status of any appeal…
Said Evan Wolfson of Freedom to Marry in a statement:
“California is now the sixth state where same-sex couples share in the freedom to marry. As the Governor, the Attorney General, and Judge Walker have all concluded, there is no good reason to continue excluding same-sex couples from marriage. Same-sex couples across California can once again share in the respect and personal significance of marriage, as well as the critical safety net of protections and responsibilities that marriage will bring to their families. We are witnessing a growing consensus in America that loving and committed same-sex couples deserve the same respect and the same rights as everyone else. Americans on all sides of the aisle, from Laura Bush to Bill Clinton, have embraced the reality that the freedom to marry helps families, while hurting no one. As same-sex couples in California today celebrate their love,commitment, and equal protection under the law, a majority of Californians and a majority of Americans support their right to marry.”
Read more at http://www.towleroad.com
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/8mdv
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The NOH8 Campaign twittered this just a few minutes ago:
“: Chicagoans Plan Rally in Response to #PROP8 Ruling http://tinyurl.com/32q3jrq #NOH8 #LGBT Be heard!”
So I went over to that website and read it. I think that the National Organization for [Straight] Marriage is being just a little melodramatic with this statement.
““We want supporters of marriage all across the country to have a clear understanding of the threat this federal judge poses to the very survival of marriage in America.”
Tell me one straight married couple whose marriage is going to be threatened by gays getting married. Not one! How is gays getting married going to threaten your way of life? It’s not. The whole point of gays wanting to get married is number 1 equal rights and number 2 health care benefits.
I think it sucks that straight married couples who have health care benefits through their employer can pass those benefits over to their spouse but a gay couple is out of luck in that department. Is that what is going to threaten their marriage? The fact that the gays will be able to give their dying partners a chance at life with health insurance?
There are way more benefits than I just spoke about such as being able to bury your partner, being able to make medical decisions in the hospital as well as after death when they have passed on. Many more which I can’t think of so if you can enlighten me with a comment.
Go lay an egg.
Rick Jacobs, founder of the pro-LGBT unions Courage Campaign said in this article . “I can only say that based on the evidence in the trial, it is absolutely clear that allowing gays and lesbians to marry will strengthen families and the nation,” and “No matter how the judge rules … we’ve already won a significant victory because the other side admitted they have no argument.”
See that? No argument. They have to prove that gays getting married is going to threaten marriage and they can’t prove it because it’s not going to threaten marriage. How can it? I just don’t see the logic in their argument.
The religious people don’t want gays getting married because “the bible says it’s wrong” boo hoo. They say being gay is a sin so they shouldn’t be allowed to get married because being gay is a choice. Ok well if being gay were a choice then I can choose to be straight right? … … … yeah, not gonna happen. It’s not that easy because I have news for you, I was born this way. I didn’t have a choice in the matter, it just happened to me.
Believe me, if I had a choice I wouldn’t choose to have eggs thrown at me, punches thrown at my face by my stepdad and the other kids in school who made fun of me and called me faggot everyday. I didn’t choose that, I wouldn’t choose that. So their argument has no merit since it’s a BS argument.
The ruling will be in some time this afternoon. This whole prop-8 BS campaign is never going to end because both sides are just going to keep appealing it.
Thanks to my new addiction to Twimbow and my subscription to @helloross, I have discovered that there is an injustice happening with Target and Best Buy.
Here is the email that they wanted me to send out after I signed the petition. It will explain what’s happening better than I can.
“Hey,
I’m not sure if you’ve heard this yet, but Target and Best Buy have together contributed over $250,000 to a political group working to elect a candidate for Governor of Minnesota with ties to a Christian rock band that advocates violence and death to gays. Will you join me in signing on to this open letter asking them to make it right by donating an equal amount to pro-equality candidates? http://bit.ly/9tqNLm“
Ok, I’m thinking that Target and Best Buy had no idea that the candidate they were donating to had ties to this christian rock band who hates gay people. I’m sure they were just donating to the candidate they wanted to help win so I really don’t blame them. However, if they did know about it then I don’t appreciate it as a gay man.
Because I am not sure whether it was intentional or not, I have to say goodbye to Target and Best Buy (not that I ever shopped there anyway) until they make things right by donating the same amount of money to a pro-equality candidate to cancel out their previous donation.
What’s sad is that I am boycotting Wal-Mart because of their douchy practices toward gay and lesbians and people in general and for being the reason mom and pop shops had to close down. Target was my backup store. When I wanted something that I normally went to Wal-Mart for, I would go to Target instead. So now, neither of them get any of my money.
I hope that whoever reads this signs the petition. Here is also a letter to Target and Best Buy that you can print and bring to the store managers of those stores, although I don’t know anyone who will actually do that lol. But here it is anyway.
Thanks for listening.
NOM Sign: Lynch Gay Couples To Save Marriage | The Bilerico Project
Please read the above article for more information.
Ok well, I’m really just stunned by this. You really have to read the article in the link provided at the top and watch the videos that are in that article.
This guy who holds these hate signs is very uneducated. He seriously thinks that god is going to destroy us much like he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. If that were true then Canada and Britain would be gone because they allow gay marriage. God hasn’t destroyed them.
He also seems to think that being gay is a choice and that he has been tempted and knew it was wrong so he chose not to act on it. … I don’t even know what to say to that. First of all, I don’t know any gay men or even any straight women who would be attracted to that. Pahleez ! Barf!
By making this sign he has threatened the lives of every LGBT person alive. Is that what god wants? Does god want people that he allegedly “created” to be hung because this guy doesn’t agree with how they live their lives?
He says in the video that it’s the same thing with people who have artificial insemination. So, women who have to have their husbands sperm artificially inseminated because their sex is not working to make them pregnant, despite the fact that they are straight are no better than gay people? Should they be hung too?
Him making and holding that sign makes him no better than a terrorist. That is indeed a terrorist threat. Isn’t this something that the cop standing behind him should be thinking about rather than guarding him? That cop needs to arrest him for making terrorist threats against people. People who are just doing what nature has told them to do, be themselves.
When I started to type this out I was speechless, I guess not.
I don’t go to the white house website. It’s not my number one priority for my daily browsing habits but I guess that if I did I would’ve seen a blog asking for “American’s” to turn in anyone who sends you email or anyone talking in your home about health care. Here is a direct quote from Fox News.
The White House is under fire for a blog post asking supporters to send “fishy” information received through rumors, chain e-mails and casual conversations to a White House e-mail address, flag@whitehouse.gov.
Conservatives have pounced on the request, accusing the White House of acting Orwellian.
“If you get an e-mail from your neighbor and it doesn’t sound right, send it to the White House?”said Sen. John Barasso, R-Wyo. ” People, I think all across America are going to say is this 1984? What is happening here? Is big brother watching?”
Radio host Rush Limbaugh accused the White House of using heavy-handed tactics.
“They’re looking for tattletales,”he said. “They’re looking for snitches. They’re looking for informants.”
I don’t know what they are looking for but I think that it’s starting to look like communism. It said in the top paragraph chain emails and casual conversation. So what if I’m sitting in a room talking to my cousin and he starts bashing health care I’m supposed to what, get on my cell phone and start sending an email to the white house? I’m supposed to snitch on my cousin as he’s talking then just tell him I’m checking the weather?
Uh, I don’t think so. Ain’t happenin big bro. That reminds me of the tv series in the 80’s called “V” which ABC is remaking and will air in 2010 about these aliens who come to earth and they say they come in peace and all they want is to borrow some of our water but what they really want is food… us. How does that remind me? Because the supporters of the aliens were informants and they were snitching on their mother, father, sisters, brothers, best friends. Anyone who wasn’t supportive of the aliens they turned them in. I’m not turning anyone in so the president can eat them.
I mean what are they going to do to the person that I’m asked to snitch on? Are they going to put them in prison and clog up the courts and use more tax dollars to warehouse and feed these people that I snitch on? Yeah, ain’t happenin’. First of all I would never snitch on anybody no matter how big of a supporter I am which I’m not but if I did have my nose 3 inches up Obamas ass I still wouldn’t snitch on anybody. That’s stupid for them to even ask gawd.
I found the blog that Newsmax copied and pasted to their email to me.
“There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re 6asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.”
Last week President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama visited the Queen of England and there was a question of whether Michelle broke protocol by putting her arm around the Queen (touching her) but apparently it was no big deal because the Queen put her arm around Michelle first.
There is a tradition I guess that the Queen and heads of state exchange gifts to one another. The Obama’s gave the Queen an iPod with all of Barack’s speeches and the Queen gave the Obama’s a signed painting of herself.
An iPod of all your speeches? Really? Is that what you are giving her? Are you kidding me? Do you really think that she wants to hear your voice drone on for hours and hours? Look, I don’t hate our president but I certainly would not want to hear his voice for hours on end. If someone gives me an iPod, I’d like it to be blank so I can put what I like on there. The Queen already has her own iPod so what, she’s supposed to have 2? You know that she gave it to one of her servants and they erased it and put Elton John on it.
Another thing happened last week in Obama.
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5XXL5IrvVA
As you can clearly see in this video, Barack Obama bows to Saudi King Abdullah at the Group of 20 summit in London last week. Can you believe this guy? No heads of state have ever, ever bowed to the Saudi King ever. Bowing to the Saudi King is reserved only for his subjects. People who are beneath him, not someone who is his equal.
“Mr. Obama later said in Strasbourg, France, “We have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect.” Symbolism is important in world affairs. By bending over to show greater respect to Islam, the U.S. president belittled the power and independence of the United States.”
That was a quote from the Washington Times. Is he joking? “WE” have to change our behavior in showing the Muslim world greater respect?” What about the respect they show the rest of the world? Huh? This is just showing more and more to me that he is a Muslim and not a Christian. He even did his first tv interview with a Muslim TV show as President of the United States. What does that show about him?
I just don’t see why people love him so much and why he was voted as president. Why people voted for a muslim during a war with MUSLIMS but they wouldn’t vote for a patriot. I personally don’t get it. This guy is proving how dumb Americans are with every act.
Xanapus` Lair 