A father, a faith, and a secret: Episcopalians Shocked By Bishop's Closeted Life

http://www.pagesix.com/story/bishop+s+secret+life+exposed

New York Post
Thursday, February 28, 2008

Episcopalians Shocked By Bishop's Closeted Life

MANY Episcopalians are reeling from the news in this week's New Yorker that the
late Bishop Paul Moore -- the 6-foot-5 patrician whose political activism drove
many parishioners from the church -- was a closeted homosexual who had a gay
lover for the last 30 years of his life.

While the Episcopal Church has embraced gays and ordained lesbian priests,
Moore's secret life came as a shock. Moore -- who made the cover of Newsweek in
1972, when he took over the Archdiocese of New York -- died in May 2003.

His daughter, Honor Moore, the eldest of nine children he had with his first
wife, Jenny McKean, writes that six months after his death, "the telephone rang.
[The caller] had a confident voice. Andrew Verver (as I'll call him) was the
only person in my father's will whose name was unfamiliar."

When Honor asked "Verver," who had traveled with Moore to the Greek island of
Patmos the summer before, about her father's sexual life, he replied, "I was his
sexual life," and, "Of course, there were other men."

Then, Honor describes bringing "Verver" on a touching visit to Moore's grave in
Connecticut.


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Personal History
The Bishop's Daughter
A father, a faith, and a secret.
by Honor Moore
March 3, 2008
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/03/03/080303fa_fact_moore

(photo at URL)

It is Easter, and in the darkness of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine the
singing soars in descant, the Gothic ceiling multiplying the clamor. Now, as if
a great storm had ceased, there is no music, and in the silence held by three
thousand worshippers there come three resounding knocks. And, as we wait, the
massive doors swing open, an ethereal shaft of sunlight floods the dark, the
roar of the city breaks the gigantic quiet, and there at the far end of the
aisle stands the tall figure of a man. My flesh-and-blood father, the bishop.
When I was a child, I accepted my father as a force of imagination that flared
and coruscated, an instrument of transformation. During the Second World War, he
had survived a Japanese bullet, and he had a scar to prove it. "If my heart had
been going this way instead of that," he announced once, rowing me across a lake
in the Adirondacks, "you would never have existed!" It was a joke, of course,
but it was also the text of a lesson that endured throughout our life together.
My father had supernatural powers. His fate had determined my existence. I was
something he had made and would continue to make. Physical independence from my
parents was one thing-I got too big to hold my mother's hand, too big to ride on
my father's shoulders-but it took me decades to escape the enchantment of my
father's priesthood.

In the weeks before my father's death, the weather in New York was crystalline.
It was April, and the leaves were coming out. There were a couple of days when
we thought we could actually see the tiny pale-green nubbles growing as we sat
on the stoop of my father's house on Bank Street. "We" were me, my father, and
whatever brother or sister was also keeping watch, now that the diagnosis was
terminal.

"But what, but what . . ." he said more than once, looking at me as if I knew
every answer to every question.

"What, Pop?" I said.

"What's going to . . . happen?" His eyes were very wide.

"What do you think is going to happen?" I would say, and I'd watch him think.

"I think I'll just . . . go to sleep," he'd say.

As April went on, he was less often awake when I got there, and so, after I
checked in, I might wander around the Village, to buy flowers for the house,
have a cappuccino, just get out. Afternoons were quiet on those intimate
streets, and as I walked I could feel my father's love for his life on Bank
Street. He had been a fixture there for years, a giant of a man with white hair,
tilting from side to side (he had a hip problem), often walking Percy, his tiny
Yorkshire terrier. There was a café on the corner, and, directly across the
street, a one-story building with tall windows and what looked from the outside
like a vaulted ceiling. It housed a hairdresser who seemed always to have the
most beautiful and exotic flowers in his salon.

My hair had got too long. There had been no time to have it cut, and now the
weather was warm. One afternoon, I went into the shop, gave my name, and asked
for an appointment. The man looked at his schedule.

"My father is dying," I said, absurdly.

"Is your father Bishop Moore?"

As he washed my hair later that day, the hairdresser told me that his partner,
the man sitting in the front room talking with a friend, the man responsible for
the amazing flowers, was a friend of my father's, and had recently stopped him
on the street to ask him to have supper. "I'm dying, you know," my father had
apparently said. When we moved into the front room, the hairdresser told his
partner, "This is Paul Moore's daughter."

"Oh, I know Paul," the partner said.

The hairdresser said, "And you saw him the other day. What was it he said?"

"I'd rather keep it to myself," the partner said abruptly. What was my father's
relationship to this man, I wondered. When these men said, "Oh, I know Paul,"
how did they know him?

When I was a child, and we were living in an inner-city rectory in New Jersey,
my father wore civilian clothes only on vacations or when he and my mother went
to New York City once a week for their day off. When he dressed like ordinary
men, it made me uneasy. I knew what the vestments were for and what his
clericals signified. Wearing them, my father was clean and crisp, unsullied by
everyday life. But when he wore a tweed jacket and a Brooks Brothers shirt he
became someone else-perhaps more like the businessman his parents would have had
him become.

My father was born in 1919, the beneficiary of vast wealth. He was a grandson of
William H. Moore, who, as one of the Moore brothers of Chicago, had made a
fortune in corporate mergers at the beginning of the twentieth century. Until he
went away to St. Paul's School, at twelve, my father spent every fall until
Christmas at Hollow Hill, a gentleman's farm in New Jersey. He went to a private
school in nearby Morristown, and played with friends he kept for a lifetime,
taking long walks and riding his horse on the farm's hundred acres, tending his
dog and his pet roosters, playing tennis and golf. In January, the family
migrated to Palm Beach, where they lived in an Addison Mizner villa, Lake Worth
on one side of the house and a wide ocean beach on the other. There, between
fishing and boating trips with the captain of his father's yacht and occasional
golf with his father, my father was tutored until the family returned home at
Easter-to Hollow Hill and to their enormous Manhattan apartment, on the
eighteenth floor at 825 Fifth Avenue, which had a view of the sea-lion pond in
the Central Park Zoo.

By his fifth form, or junior year, my father was beginning to pray on his own
and to ask theological questions. In a diary otherwise marked by adolescent
confusion, he is clear and certain when he writes about religion, as when Dr.
Drury, the headmaster, gave a "spirited & awfully good sermon." The idea of
confession scared him, he told me later, but there was no question that he would
be among the boys who made appointments with Father Wigram, a member of a
contemplative order founded during the Oxford Movement, when he visited St.
Paul's in the fall of my father's final year.

Since I always thought I knew the story of my father's conversion, I never asked
him to tell it. But six weeks before he died, at our last dinner out together, I
realized I might not have another chance.

"He was a very, very old man," my father said, describing Father Wigram. He
emphasized the second "very" just as he would have in telling me a story when I
was a child, but now I was a grown-up woman and he himself was a very, very old
man, his huge, familiar hands frail but forcefully gripping the table where we
sat, in the dark-panelled dining room of the Century Club. It was late October,
he told me, and the leaves had fallen from the trees. Father Wigram had arrived
and was receiving students.

"So you went into the room?"

"Yes," my father said quietly. "And we talked."

"About what, Pop?"

"Oh," he said, his eyes slowly blinking, "about everything."

As my father told the story, I could see the monk in his black cape and black
cassock. My father had heard him preach at chapel and speak in his
sacred-studies class, but, nonetheless, when my father knocked on the door he
was apprehensive. How could he possibly tell anyone all the terrible things he
had done? Why should he tell his sins to a man rather than directly to God? And
he was confused, as he wrote at the time, that his "religious emotion" came only
"in spells."

By the end of the summer before his last year at Yale, my father was seriously
thinking of making a life in the clergy, and so he had a talk with his father,
who was unmoved. A young man in his position should take a year or two in
business, my grandfather sternly advised, recalling that when he was at Yale,
after reading Browning and Tennyson, he'd wanted to become an English teacher,
had even written some poems. He'd got over it, as he was sure my father would
get over this "ridiculous" idea of the priesthood.

But he didn't, and after he got out of the Marines, in 1945-a hero, with a
Silver Star, a Purple Heart, and a Navy Cross, along with scars on his chest and
back where that bullet went through him-he made plans to enter seminary, in New
York. He had got married a year earlier, to Jenny McKean (the caption of a
newspaper photograph of them on a date identified them, in bald summary, as
"Marine hero" and "Boston socialite"), and he now had a child; he had returned
from overseas less than two weeks after I was born. In fact, it was on board a
transport in the Pacific Ocean that my father got a telegram announcing my
birth. In his bunk, my father, knowing now that his child was a girl, wrote to
his infant daughter, outlining his ideas about men and women and love. "A
woman," he wrote, "should know men; not only from her own point of view . . .
but also as they are of themselves. Without this understanding, her
relationships as sister, daughter, lover or wife, will be inadequate."

Out a window I could see the reddish tower of the seminary chapel from my crib
in our New York apartment. Sometimes from my window I would see him, early in
the morning, stride across the street and unlock the gate in the seminary wall.
In the Gothic buildings, where comings and goings were governed by a bell I
could hear from my room, my father was becoming a priest. In the Marines, he had
written my mother of his desire to make this life in the Church: "Please help
me, darling, to keep alive to what we both must do. I'm so vacillating. So
weak." He remembered his convalescent leave, the desolation that could pull him
from a night-club table of laughing friends across the room just to say hello to
a marine stranger; his need to drink and drink and drink, even though, as he
wrote my mother, he considered drunkenness "sinful." Now there was the
possibility that all this torment could be swept away, that he himself could be
transformed.

My father was prepared for the excitement of a community of worship-morning
prayer that began at 7 A.M. and evening prayer at the end of the day. The
revelation was that one made the effort not for one's own "subjective
experience" but as "heavy work which you rendered to God as a duty and as a form
of thanksgiving day by day." He learned to withstand the ebbs and flows of his
faith. As he had been at St. Paul's, my father was part of a community of men
which was virtually monastic. Unlike at Yale, where he was constantly striving
to prove himself and partying to relieve the stress, or in the Marines, where
the requirements of his being an officer held him apart, he was one of many, a
seminarian among seminarians.

Once, after supper, my father swept me up into his black seminarian's cape and
across the street for Evensong. I remember the starry sky, the cold darkness as
we climbed the stairs to the seminary and stepped along the grassy path to the
chapel. I could already hear it, something like the rushing of wind, the coming
of a storm. We were late, and as we slipped into the pew in the candlelit church
full of men I understood that the rushing sound was singing. The rumbling voices
of priests and seminarians, resounding against the stone walls of the small
chapel, were otherworldly, even Godlike. I was scared, and so I leaned against
my father, nuzzling the black cape still fresh from the night air, but he didn't
look down at me or put his hand on my head. Now he belonged to something else,
this big and strange sound, so deep and loud it made me shake. I could hardly
breathe as all the men together spoke words I couldn't yet understand. And with
thy spirit. Ah-men. Alleluia.

After that night, I looked at my father with new curiosity. He was no longer
different from my mother just because he was the father and she wasn't. He was
in touch with something that couldn't be seen but that was also real. When he
left our apartment, he visited a place where utterance had a use beyond ordinary
talk, was something frightening and beautiful. Across the street in the dark,
inside the reddish tower, in the honey light of the candles, was a landscape
like a dream, a place to which my father belonged and from which my mother and I
were excluded.

His first parish, where we moved in the summer of 1949, was in lower Jersey
City, a gritty neighborhood blocks from where "On the Waterfront" was filmed,
four years later. Paul Moore-whose older brother was then an executive
vice-president of Bankers Trust, on his way to the chairmanship-found himself in
a team ministry that included two other priests and his wife, pregnant with
their third child, residing in an "open rectory." They had chosen to work with
the poor. Men with nowhere else to go and breath thick with whiskey sipped my
mother's homemade soup on the front porch. Families burned out of their
apartments outfitted themselves in the "clothes room" in the basement, leaving a
child or two to stay with us until the church helped them find a new apartment.
The ministry's understanding, innovative at the time, of what it meant to be a
Christian in a modern city led to political and social action on behalf of
parishioners who were evicted, jailed, or excluded from illegally segregated
federal housing projects.

I remember a Christmas Eve-let's say it's when I'm first allowed to go to
midnight Mass. My father climbs the pulpit and says, "Merry Christmas," which is
strange since it's something he would also say outside church, and this raises
laughs in the congregation. And then, as he begins to speak as a priest, his
tone changes and he is preaching. Tonight, the sermon is just like a story. Mary
is pregnant and lives with Joseph, her husband, right near here, but because he
has lost his job they are without a home, and because they are black the motel
has turned them away. They are cold and afraid and her time is near as they walk
the dark, empty streets until they see a garage, its door ajar. There Joseph
finds an old kerosene lantern and a heater in the corner-and a few pasteboard
boxes and some rags, blackened with motor oil. Stretching out his long arms, my
father tenderly describes Joseph's settling Mary onto a pile of those rags, and
he looks down at us, and then, lifting his face, he says, emphasizing certain
words, "And as a bright star appeared in the sky, the baby was born. Jesus was
born." And, he continues, "the Christ child was laid in a box of those rags, by
the light of the strange old railroad lantern."

I could see Mary and Joseph-I could see the shadowy, cold garage, the kerosene
lantern, the heater. My father was both someone else entirely and just as I knew
him; and the story seemed completely true, happening right here in the
neighborhood where we lived. I understood miracles-my mother read me the lives
of saints, of martyrs, and my father had told the story of St. Christopher, who
carried a child across a river, the child's weight growing heavier and heavier
until Christopher could hardly walk, terrified he might stumble. But he did not
stumble or allow the child on his shoulders to fall into the turbulent current,
and when he reached the opposite shore the child leaped from his shoulders and,
standing there in the darkness, was suddenly illuminated, revealed as the Christ
child. This Christmas night it seemed that my father, by telling the Nativity
story in a new way, had himself created a kind of miracle. He had made me see
and smell and feel it. When I told him how much I liked his sermon, he looked
down at me and smiled.

My father's extreme height-he was almost six feet five-made him seem even more
distant than he might have had he been of ordinary dimensions. I thought his
tallness had to do with the brocades he wore, with the music, the candles, and
the gold crosses that preceded him when he walked down the aisle; that it
rendered him closer to God than those of ordinary height and therefore closer to
enchantment. The place where my father changed out of his day clothes was called
the sacristy, and when we lived in Jersey City he took me there once, down a
narrow hallway. It was a small, silent room, all dark wood that gleamed silkily
in the parchment-yellow light. There were closets that opened like gates and
shallow drawers that pulled out evenly, with a sound like exhalation. The warm
air smelled like wax, bitter and smooth, and as I breathed it I began to forget
the color of daylight. Here my father spoke to me in a grave voice, and familiar
things had other names. Getting dressed was "vesting," a scarf was a "stole,"
and the black, sculpted hats were "birettas." In the sacristy that evening, one
of the other priests, a man who lived with us, looked at me with different eyes,
as if he did not know me, and quietly folded his vestments. The boys who teased
me when we played handball, now vesting as acolytes, were quiet in front of my
father, and so I bowed my head and didn't look at them.

My father showed me what incense looked like, and where you put it in the brass
censer, which looked like a lantern with holes in it. He showed me the ciborium,
the round silver vessel in which the bread was kept, white wafers that came to
be called "the Host" when he blessed them. He put on a cassock, buttoning it
from his neck down to his ankles, and opened a tall narrow door to pull out a
cotta, a white, gathered garment with sleeves like wings. Hanging there were
smaller cottas for the acolytes and more long cassocks, black for ordinary
Sundays and red for festivals. In another closet were the gleaming brass crosses
and candlesticks on long poles and fat creamy candles and a crucifix that was
real gold, with a gold Jesus on it; and in a small cupboard with a caged door
and a brass lock were Communion vessels-silver chalices and silver plates, kept
separate, I thought, so they wouldn't lose the touch of God.

I believed that I had been invited into the sacristy only because I was a little
girl, and that if I ever became a woman I would no longer be allowed in; that
once I became a woman the smell that would come from me would cause violence to
God, as if when I became a woman I would have great stores of violence and
sweat, enough to wipe out an entire town. In the sacristy, my father left being
a father and a husband to become someone more like God-God, who had a son but no
daughters; God, who had had a son without touching a woman. In the sacristy, as
my father put on his vestments, I watched him become more like Jesus. When my
father put on the long white alb and the colored chasuble over it, and knelt at
the altar and raised his arms, he became more like Jesus still: someone without
skin, without smell, without weight, in a separate dimension where everything
shone from within and existed beyond any sound but music.

A memory: I am nearly three, and my little brother and I are awake. He is
wearing diapers and rubber pants. We crawl along the hall to our parents' closed
bedroom and scratch at the door till my father lets us in. The cloud of my
mother's black hair is on the pillow, and she holds the sheet over her face. My
father talks, though I can't remember what he says, and he doesn't let us onto
the bed. My beautiful mother is hiding. Had they been fighting? Usually my
mother was radiant, smiling, her arms open, already saying something funny, my
father laughing with her. Her hair was so black on the pillow. Why couldn't I
just touch her? And why do I remember this? Did I already understand that there
was something sad and difficult between them or did I just want to see her face?

This memory came years after my parents' marriage exploded, when I was in my
twenties. I imagine now that eventually, as my mother grew out of girlhood, she
began to feel my father's distance as a sexual complication. Having entered into
what I now understand to be a marriage of their time, my parents had no language
to explore what might have been wrong with their erotic life. Instead, they
began to feel mutual disappointment. My mother, being a woman of her era,
considered the problem hers. Decades later, I learned that when we were living
in Jersey City each of my parents was visiting a "shrink" in New York.

I had encountered, and repressed, the suggestion of my father's homosexual
desire only once. I was in college, home for vacation in Washington, D.C., where
my father was then a suffragan-or assistant-bishop, and it was in the evening,
after supper. Perhaps my parents were out, because I walked into their bedroom
and no one was there. The giant bed was on the right as you came in, and in red
frames, arranged around its semicircular headboard, were baby photographs of
their children, all nine of us-an altar to the generative power of my parents'
marriage. I could have been looking for a safety pin or a Kleenex, but this
night the light in my father's study was on, and suddenly, mysteriously, I was
in search of something else. I don't remember if the book of photographs was
already open, or if I opened it, but the image I saw was unlike anything I'd
ever associated with my father. The photograph, in black and white, was of a
young man, naked, standing on a stony beach. The texture was almost grainy, and
the youth was beautiful, dreamy, slightly sullen. I remember that he stood,
three-quarters turned from me, facing out to the sea so that his genitals were
obscured. I understood that if I turned the page there would be another
photograph like this one, that this was a book of such photographs, but I did
not want to see another photograph like this one, nor did I want to be caught
looking at the book.

At the time, I was still ignorant of any fissures in my parents' marriage, and I
learned that my mother's dissatisfaction had a sexual element only after she and
my father separated, some years later. It was the early nineteen-seventies, and
I was visiting her in Washington. The Roma, where we were having lunch, was a
big neighborhood trattoria that was quite empty at midday. The maître d' took us
to a table in the back. We sat down, an unlit candle in red glass on the table
between us. My mother was on one of her perennial diets, and she had no gray in
her black hair and no wrinkles on her long face. We rarely looked directly at
each other, and I recall her face turning aside. We both ordered wine, and then
she looked up at me. My mother and I often talked about the changes in sexual
attitudes from her generation to mine. At the time, for instance, like many of
my friends, I was living with a man to whom I was not married. I don't remember
how the conversation began, but suddenly my mother was saying, "I didn't have an
orgasm until I was forty." I had no reply. "And when I finally did," she
continued, "Paul said, 'What's the matter, Jenny?' " But this, like the picture
of the young man in the book of photographs, was nakedness I did not want to
see-my father, fumbling and insensitive as a lover; my mother new to sexual
pleasure in her forties. It would be nearly two decades before I learned of my
father's hidden life and the deeper suffering behind my mother's painful
announcement.

In September of 1972, my father was installed as diocesan bishop of New York.
For its Christmas issue, Newsweek celebrated by putting him on the cover,
photographed in a red cope and mitre, holding a gold crosier, or bishop's crook,
jewel-tone stained glass behind him. He looked like a Christmas card. In the
photograph, his expression looks a little sad, and there is something close to
the bone about the cover line, "The Church Faces Life," and about the title of
the article, "An Activist Bishop Faces Life." The "life" under discussion was
not his faltering marriage but the new reality the Christian Church confronted
with the end of the heady nineteen-sixties. The article opened with a
description of my father's installation service and went on to discuss the
uphill battle he faced in his huge diocese and his major fund-raising efforts
for ambitious urban work. The reporter wrote:



In the cathedral's soaring Gothic nave, the cast of the rock musical "Godspell"
danced and sang through the traditional Anglican Holy Communion service.
Outside, 5,000 well-wishers-blacks and Puerto Ricans from nearby Harlem and the
WASPish well-to-do from Wall Street and Park Avenue-picnicked on the broad
cathedral close. A steel band, folk guitarists and gospel singers entertained
like minstrels at a medieval feast. Promptly at 3 p.m., the most solemn moment
of the day began. With a fanfare of trumpets, the great bronze cathedral doors
swung open to admit a procession of prelates in brightly colored vestments. When
it was all over, a rock band joined a choir in a joyous Gloria in Excelsis from
a mass written by the composer of "Hair," and the Episcopal Diocese of New York
had a new bishop-the Rt. Rev. Paul Moore Jr.


My father had made social activism a central part of his work, and the article
was accompanied by photographs of him performing a confirmation in Harlem,
marching with Martin Luther King, Jr., fleeing tear gas at a Saigon peace rally
in 1970. And photographs of my parents standing together at a family wedding in
the Adirondacks two months earlier, and, even though my parents were separated
and my father living in New York, a game of touch football in the Washington
yard "with Jenny and the children." My mother died, of cancer, a year later.

Being bishop of New York offered my father new opportunities for activism.
During the cathedral Easter Eucharist of 1976, at a time when the city was on
the verge of bankruptcy and corporations began to depart their New York
headquarters for sprawling glass buildings in the suburbs, he preached a sermon
denouncing the captains of industry for abandoning the city, "like rats leaving
a sinking ship." My father not only ordained women priests but, in 1977,
ordained the first openly lesbian priest, and wrote a book about the resulting
controversy, "Take a Bishop Like Me."

A year and a half after my mother's death, my father fell in love with and
married a woman who swept away our family's past. She reminded me of Natasha in
Chekhov's "Three Sisters." Sometimes my father's need to please her took the
form of disloyalty to my mother. I was willing to listen to my father's stories
about my mother's shortcomings when he took responsibility for his part in the
difficulties of their marriage, but it enraged me when he blamed her, and,
because he consistently blamed her, I defended her; she became my cause. A
formality grew between my father and me that, for many years, verged on
estrangement.

Early in the winter of 1986, I went to an AIDS memorial service at the
cathedral. It was a requiem, and as part of the liturgy the names of the dead
were recited, a process that took more than an hour. As I listened, I heard the
names of friends, actors and poets and artists I had known, and then my father
preached. In his crimson chimere and white rochet, he climbed the pulpit and
began. It was a sermon about sexual freedom, about the lives these dead men had
lived, about the presence of Christ's sacrifice in human suffering. This was not
a new subject for him, but I had never heard him so fierce, so passionate, so
loving. What came to me was this: Here is where I can come to find my father's
love. There is, I told myself, magnificence in how he can give, opening his long
arms, practically weeping on behalf of these men, dead of a plague; here is
where I can come to be close to my father. In 1988, when my first book of poems
was published, I dedicated it to him, taking it uptown and making a
presentation. He had recently announced his retirement, after nearly two decades
as bishop of New York. After his death, I found a note he wrote me then but
never sent: "I have been savouring your poems. You are a VERY GOOD POET. Someday
we'll talk about them."

Five years ago, my sister Rosemary and I sat with our father in a consulting
room at New York-Presbyterian, listening to an oncologist trying to be gentle.
My stepmother had died in 1999, and now my father had been diagnosed with
melanoma. The doctor told us that when he looked at the MRI of my father's head,
he stopped counting at six. Six sites of cancer, and they were continuing to
spread-to replicate-across my father's brain. Something like spiderwebs, or
mold.

Shortly afterward, I went to the house on Bank Street to meet my father for
supper. He was wearing bluejeans and a red plaid flannel shirt, and, though he
looked much younger than his eighty-three years, he was unsteady, and I held his
arm as we walked to the restaurant. Despite the news, his spirits were high, and
he was calculating whether in the time he had left he would be able to finish a
new book.

"What is the book, Pop?"

He told me that he'd entered the priesthood not "to have people admire me" or
"to do good," but because he'd always had a longing to celebrate the Eucharist.
In the book, he would talk about some of his most powerful experiences of giving
the sacrament, and how the time and place where a particular Eucharist had
occurred-in Vietnam during the war, in a dry riverbed in India for a hundred
thousand people, in Mississippi during the civil-rights movement-illuminated its
meaning.

My father didn't accept that he was dying, and for that entire spring he
travelled and preached. On March 23, 2003, four days after the United States
invaded Iraq, he gave the sermon at St. John the Divine. ("Your fate will be
determined by the power of millions of people of all faiths against the war and
one solitary Texas politician being alone with Jesus. . . . This has to do with
two different kinds of religions, it seems to me. The religion that says 'I talk
to Jesus and therefore I am right,' and millions and millions of people of all
faiths who disagree.") But, in spite of treatment, the cancer steadily
progressed.

Two weeks later, my father received a terminal diagnosis; hospice caregivers
were now on duty around the clock. In mid-April, Rosemary and I sat down with
him and the hospice nurse, and Pop said that he wanted to stay at home "for the
duration." It was as if he were asking our permission.

"Yes," we both said. "Yes, of course."

The next day, Good Friday, was my day to take care of him; I arrived after
lunch, and stayed on. He was no longer able to finish sentences, so our talk, as
darkness fell, was jagged with silences. What was one supposed to say in one's
last conversations with one's father? We'd had no definitive reconciliation, but
over the months of his illness our long estrangement had begun to dissolve, and,
with it, the familiar, inchoate fear that sometimes kept me from touching him.
As he got sicker, I found myself spending more and more time with him, almost
running from the subway to the house on Bank Street; it was as if my childhood
love for him had returned. The longing was almost physical, and its satisfaction
came in just being in my father's presence, taking in his weight, the shape of
his head, his posture. And now I was losing him! Wasn't there something I might
say? Something I might offer him or ask of him that would make everything right?
Of course not, I was thinking, when suddenly I heard him say, "Once upon a time
. . ."

And then he stopped. He seemed a bit embarrassed.

I said, "Oh, tell it."

"I think I'm too-" He couldn't find the word, so he tapped his head.

"Please," I said into the darkness and moved across the room to sit next to him.
I leaned in close, but he pulled away. All the old anger, I thought; it can't be
helped. But I kept still, and then he began to speak again.

"Once upon a time," he said, "there was a little girl who lived by herself in a
house in the forest. Every night, she dreamed of a wonderful man who would come
and save her." He said "wonderful" as his mother would have, bouncing from
syllable to syllable, the sound of the word becoming a world of tenderness and
fascination. "Night after night, she dreamed of this man-oh, how she wanted this
man!" My father was inside himself, not looking at me. "And then one night she
heard the sound of footsteps outside." And here he tapped his chair with a
finger. Tap. Tap. Tap. "Footsteps through the forest. The little girl was
frightened. What was it? Who was it? And then she heard a knocking at her door."
And Pop knocked on a table, hard: the bishop knocking on the doors of the
cathedral. "Should she go to the door? She couldn't tell if it was a mean man or
the dream man." A mean man or the dream man! I leaned forward, and he continued,
no problem now with the sentences. "She was so scared. But she heard the knock
again." And my father knocked again on his table. "And this time she went to the
door and opened it, and there before her stood the most extraordinary man she
had ever seen, dressed in white armor and carrying a sword and a spear."

This was a new story, nothing I'd ever heard him tell. It was as if this father
of mine had walked the terrain of my dreams, had found there the thread of my
story, a story he was now, at the brink of death, weaving from what had gone
unsaid all our years together. Soon the girl and the man were dancing, he was
saying-and I could see us, whirling around the room.

"Pop," I said after a while, "will they have breakfast?" I was thinking about
the man and the girl in the story. My father hesitated, and then he smiled, a
glint of mischief in his eyes.

"I can't tell you that now."

My father died in May, and in November a truckload of boxes and a few pieces of
furniture were delivered to my apartment, on Riverside Drive. The apartment was
small, and I'd chosen, I thought, a minimum of things from the estate, but there
were many boxes to be unpacked. As the day went on, I developed a horrific
headache. I continued unwrapping china anyway, filling the sink with hot, soapy
water, washing the Staffordshire pitchers that had gathered dust for decades,
first at Hollow Hill and later at Bank Street. It felt a little like Christmas.
Out of a flat mirror box came a big watercolor of the living room at Hollow
Hill, in which I could see the very pitchers I was unwrapping lined up on the
shelves of a tall New England cupboard.

As it happened, it was my father's birthday, and his absence still sailed
through me like a dark ship, alternating with images of his dying, and the
visceral sense of his love that afternoon in his sunny bedroom, days before he
died, when I sat watching him, imagining what our family might have been had we
always had the love from him that I felt that day. Then the telephone rang.

He had a confident voice. Andrew Verver (as I'll call him) was the only person
in my father's will whose name was unfamiliar when we sat in the lawyer's office
the day before the funeral. Its mention had passed without comment, but later
Rosemary identified Andrew as the man who had travelled with my father on a trip
he took to Patmos the summer before.

Two months earlier, I had gone to the cathedral press office to pick up copies
of my father's obituaries, and among the papers had been a letter from Andrew
Verver dated the day after the funeral. He had been a "very close" friend of my
father's for nearly thirty years, he wrote in a crooked but clear hand. He would
like to visit my father's grave. He would like to see the videos that had been
shown at the reception after the funeral.

I wrote him back that day: Of course you can visit Pop's grave-I will try to get
directions for you-I would also very much like to meet you. I'd love to hear
about the trip to Patmos. My # is . . . He had not called in September, but now
it was my father's birthday, and here he was.

The beginning of the conversation was formal.

"Your father was a close friend of mine."

"Yes."

"For almost thirty years."

"Yes. You said so in your letter-"

"I'm sorry I didn't call sooner."

"I was just about to-"

"I had . . . feelings."

Andrew had been a student at Columbia, a Roman Catholic. "I was considering
being received into the Episcopal Church," he said. This was in 1975. "I went to
your father for advice. He was very helpful. At first it was a pastoral thing,
and after a while we became friends." His voice was soft in texture. "We were
very close friends," he repeated. "Paul came to my father's funeral. My family
knew him."

"I'm so happy to be talking to you," I said.

"I would have called sooner-"

"I understand." Then there was silence. "I want to hear about Patmos," I said.

"I had been there before," Andrew said, "but Paul hadn't. I had had a spiritual
experience in the cave, where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation. And Paul
wanted to see it, so we went there."

Should I write this down? I reached for a notebook, and a pen. Andrew was
silent, but I could hear him there. I couldn't get over his humility, the calm
in his voice. And how he could wait through a silence.

"Your father was a good friend to me," he said.

"I'm so glad," I repeated. We had been talking for about twenty minutes. I kept
being afraid he would hang up, that he would stop talking about my father,
telling me these things. Oh, please don't hang up. Suddenly I realized I should
take advantage of talking to this man who was so close to my father.

"Did he tell you about us? About . . . me?"

"You had some problems with each other."

"Yes," I said, "we did."

"We were so close, your father and I. He told me a lot of things." He didn't
want to get off the telephone either.

"About-"

"About your family. About his life. We missed our plane to Patmos, and we had to
spend the night on Samos, another island. Something about the missed connection
freed Paul, and we really talked that night. It was a beautiful night, we sat
outside, we ate fish." I could hear Andrew breathing. I could imagine this man
holding on to my father's hand with the tenderness with which he was staying on
the telephone, waiting. The silence opened, my headache throbbed. All over the
floor was the crumpled newspaper.

"Did he talk to you about his sexual life?" Two men in Greece, a beautiful
night.

"I was his sexual life," Andrew said.

"You were?" There was a silence and then we both began to laugh.

"For a long time."

"I am so happy he had someone like you," I managed to say.

"Of course, there were other men," he said.

I asked him whether there was any significance to the table that my father had
left him in his will.

"Only that it was next to the bed!" he said. "Your father had a sense of humor."
That quiet laugh again.

"Once, we were on the sofa, talking," he continued, "and Paul took off his
bishop's ring and put it on my hand for a minute. The New York bishop's ring has
windmills on it, and your father smiled and said, 'I'm your Dutch uncle.' " My
father and this man about my age, whom I have never seen, next to him.
Playfully, tenderly, he slips the heavy gold ring from his finger and puts it on
Andrew's.

On the first anniversary of my father's death, Andrew and I drove to the
Connecticut cemetery where he was buried, and, after finding the place where his
gravestone would be installed, we drove to the house that had been my father's
and parked the car. Next to it is a large town green that gives onto the Long
Island Sound, and we walked through the gate and down to the water. After some
time, we both turned away. "It's too sad to look at the house," I said. Andrew
nodded, and we stood in silence, watching the small waves lap at the sand,
foaming up, and then Andrew climbed out on the rock breakwater that extended
into the sound. He stood for a while, then he came back.

"Are you sad?" I asked.

Andrew nodded. "I stayed with him here. We'd drive up from the city in his
Volkswagen bug, and I'd take the train back." And then he asked, "Are you sad?"

I'd thought it would be dramatic to come back here with Andrew. I thought I
would feel my father's presence again, but, instead, I felt empty.

"Let's go to lunch," I said. And we got back into the car and drove to a café.
When we sat down, Andrew pulled out a thick folder of letters, twenty-five years
of letters, and I began to leaf through them. I've already asked Fr. Pridemore .
. . to raise you from the dead-the strange line jumped out.

"Raise you from the dead?" I asked. "What is this?"

"We hadn't seen each other for a while," Andrew said. "There was a mistake. My
name was on the list of those dead of AIDS read at that Mass, and Paul heard my
name, that I had died. It was a mistake. A friend of mine had died, and I'd
submitted his name."

"What happened? Did you go up to him afterward?"

"I couldn't get to him, but he called my number that night."

I had been at that service, and it was during the sermon that night that I'd
felt my father almost transfigured in the power of his preaching. It was also
that night, years before the discovery of his hidden life, that, feeling the
love coming from him as he preached, I had decided to accept who he was, to take
the love he gave when he was his truest self, when he was preaching. Now I'd
learned that my father had preached that night believing a man he loved had
died.

A memory: One Easter, in Jersey City, I am in my new finery, and there he is,
dressed in white, accompanied by vested acolytes, sweeping along the dusty
street on his way to the church; I get not a kiss but a blessing-my father's
hand raised, fingers poised and moving through the air in the shape of a cross.

In the darkness at the altar rail, I would hold the wafer in my mouth, allowing
it to become wet with the wine that burned my throat. Take, eat, this is my
Body, my father would say. Just as I came to understand that his splendid
vestments were not ordinary clothes, I learned that during the Eucharist the
bread and wine were shot through with something alive, which vibrated and
trembled, and when I watched my father, enormously tall, the color of his
vestments blurry through all the incense, in all the candlelight, it seemed to
me he brought all this about. It made sense that when he sang Gregorian chant
his voice would break. He was being transported by what he called "the presence
of God," a force much more powerful than his physical body. What happened to him
seemed also to happen in me, behind my eyes, on the surface of my skin, and when
it happened I didn't think of how my mother looked with a baby on her hip, how
my younger brothers and sisters shouted and screamed, or how awkward I felt at
school. Instead, everything became comprehensible-simple, safe, and beautiful.

My father told me that when I was little, after sitting through a three-hour
Good Friday service and hearing him tell the story of the Seven Last Words that
Jesus spoke from the Cross-of how an earthquake "rent" the veil of the great
temple, of how Mary watched her son die-I cried and cried. When he asked why I
was crying, I said, "Because Jesus died." I don't remember any of that, but I
could tell you the whole story, and as I told it I would see the darkness that
descended as the rain fell, the light that broke through a gash in the clouds as
the sky cleared, how it sounded when the young man on the Cross said, "My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" I would tell you about the old rich man who
offered his own grave for Jesus at the last minute. I could make you see Jesus'
face loosen as he finally died, and what I imagined Mary Magdalene looked like,
sitting there on the ground looking up at him, the vials and pots of fragrant
ointment in her lap.

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/01/its-me-in-a-different-way/


'It's me in a different way'
By Jeff Kass, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Originally published 12:30 a.m., March 1, 2008
Updated 03:13 a.m., March 1, 2008


On the first day of eighth grade, Melaina Marquez wore a polo shirt,
wedge shoes and denim skirt with ruffles.

The year before, that outfit would have been out of the question. At
that point, Melaina was a boy known as Manuel.

Melaina, now 15, is considered to be transgender: a person who does
not identify with the sex based on his or her genitalia. She decided
to tell her story after news reports last month about a 7-year-old
Douglas County girl who attended school last year as a boy.

At age 2, Melaina recalls playing with Barbies and her favorite toy, a
kitchenette. When she played house in pre-school, "I would always want
to be the mom."

Melaina says she never struggled with her identity. But her mother,
Michelle Benzor-Marquez, cannot say the same.

When Melaina was around 8 years old, she was allowed to wear
light-colored lip gloss and a little blush, but only at home.
Melaina's hair grew longer, little by little, but her mom had the
stylist chop it off one day in sixth grade. Melaina cried the whole 20
miles to her grandmother's home.

Benzor-Marquez hoped Melaina was gay because she figured the world
could better handle that than transgender.

"I know people think it's wrong to be transgender," said Melaina, who
on a recent day was dressed in black jeans and a black and gold
striped blouse with decorative bow. "But God made everyone different
in his own way, and you can't change that. It's not a choice."

As many as 3 million

Statistics on transgender people are generally unreliable, according
to advocates. Many people are scared or embarrassed to come forward
and may not know about the term transgender, which came into common
usage only about a decade ago.

The National Center for Transgender Equality in Washington, D.C., says
it can only estimate from information that has been "cobbled together"
that there may be from 1 million to

3 million people in the United States who take steps to live as the
opposite sex.

Some advocates believe more transgender people are coming out.
TransYouth Family Allies, which has counseled the Douglas County
family, says it worked with roughly 15 families nationally last year.
So far this year, the number is already more than 30, it reports.

It is not unusual for a youngster to deal with issues of sexual
identity, according to experts. Trinidad sex change surgeon Marci
Bowers said about 95 percent of those she has operated on told her
they remember identifying with the opposite sex as young as 4 or 5
years old.

"They (the kids) are hard- wired that way," Bowers said. "Don't get
caught up on the genitalia. It's the child's internal concept of their
self-identity. They know who they are."

From Manuel to Melaina

In fall 2006, the Bill Reed Middle School psychologist had a meeting
with Benzor-Marquez. Melaina, known then as Manuel, was being teased
and harassed.

"I had to come out and say, 'My daughter is transgender,' "
Benzor-Marquez recalled.

This was the first time she ever said the word - and the first step
toward fully acknowledging her daughter's situation.

She then told the principal that Melaina would be living as a girl "in
the future."

"His eyes got really big. He was scared. It was unknown to him," she
recalled.

But he was supportive, and asked, "What can we do about this?"

Benzor-Marquez didn't know herself.

"I'll keep you posted," she said.

Melaina had about 10 sessions with a therapist, who is an expert in
transgender issues. By the spring of 2007, the therapist agreed that
Melaina was transgender - and psychologically balanced.

Melaina wanted to display her new identity immediately. But mom wanted
to go slow. They had to check school policy and prepare answers for
those who had questions.

That summer, Benzor-Marquez did her transgender homework, while
Melaina grew her hair out, worked on her makeup, and prepared her
wardrobe.

There was also the question of a name. Mom wanted to keep the first
initial the same. She also wanted something ethnic to reflect their
Mexican heritage. Benzor-Marquez's mom mentioned a Greek name, Melaina.

That worked for Benzor-Marquez.

"I named you the first time you were born," she said. "I'm picking it
the second time."

Support at school

Before Melaina started eighth grade as a girl in 2007, her mom met
with school employees, from secretaries on up, about Melaina's
situation. During the first week of classes, someone on staff kept an
eye out for her. "We wanted her to be safe and have fun and be a kid,"
Benzor- Marquez added.

The first day back went fine, Melaina said. Soon after, "the question"
arose: "Did you have a sex change?"

If it is the most obvious question for transgender people, it is also
the most bothersome.

"Nobody else has to answer that question," said Trans- Youth Family
Allies executive director Kim Pearson.

Plus, U.S. standards of medical care generally have called for sex
change operations only for people at least 18 years old, according to
some advocates.

Now in ninth grade at Mountain View High School in Loveland, Melaina
knows a lot of people and has a small circle of close friends. She is
also on the girls track team.

Like the Douglas County girl, Melaina uses unisex bathrooms on campus,
although she would prefer the girls' restroom. Melaina's counselor is
there for her five days a week.

Benzor-Marquez said Melaina's friends have been supportive,
encouraging her to ask boys out.

But Melaina also has been harassed and hurt, sometimes accidentally,
sometimes not.

One classmate - she says he didn't mean for her to hear - said, "She's
an it." Then there was another guy at the bus stop. He was a bit more
vocal.

"She's still a guy!" he declared.

She recently had a date with boy to see the movie Beowulf. Her
stepfather chaperoned. The date was teased when classmates found out
he went with her, Melaina said.

Yet she counts her transition as "100 percent successful."

Mom doesn't go that far. Benzor-Marquez feels that Melaina may have
become accustomed to the small but steady stream of comments and
questions directed at her, and view them as normal.

But Benzor-Marquez said that parental support, working closely with
school officials and being honest with classmates are among the keys
to a smooth transition.

That honesty is apparent in how Melaina approaches a guy she likes.

"Have you ever heard the term transgender?" she will say. "I used to
be a boy before, but now I'm female."

The response, typically, is hardly what she wants to hear.

"They'll be freaked out for a week or so, then say, 'Can we just be
friends?' " Melaina said.

She has not given up. But she also reflects that she may not have a
boyfriend throughout high school.

"It hurts to a point," she added. "But you either like me, or you don't."

At one point, Melaina's mother pulls a passport-sized picture out of
her wallet. It could be any dark-haired boy at 21/2-years- old,
dressed in khakis and a striped dress shirt.

"It's still me," Melaina said. "I don't find it gross or wrong. It's
me in a different way."

kassj@...

Gender identity

* What is a transgender? Transgender does not necessarily refer to
someone who has had a sex-change operation. Advocates define
transgender as a person who does not identify with the sex based on
their genitalia - in other words, someone born with male genitalia who
does not identify as male and someone born with female genitalia who
does not identify as a female. A transgender person should be referred
to as the gender they identify with, according to advocates.

Update: 7-year-old transgender

Classmates are watching out for the 7-year-old transgender student who
returned to a Douglas County classroom last month as a girl.

"There have been kids who have gone out of their way to let her know
they would help take care of her if somebody was teasing her," the
girl's mother told the Rocky Mountain News on Friday.

The Douglas County family has requested anonymity to protect their
safety, but made brief remarks to the Rocky about their daughter's
transition back to school. The mother said there have been no reported
problems.

"She's happy," the mother said. "She's excited to be back in school.
Loves her teacher."

Family members also were interviewed by the Douglas County News-Press,
which published their story Friday.

Forty people from across the country have contacted the Douglas County
School District about the situation and the majority "voiced
concerns," said spokeswoman Whei Wong. Twenty of those families are local.

"A handful of students who had questions have been supported by
teachers, their principal and counselors," Wong added.

The district is also making transgender information available at the
school, and about a half-dozen packets have been handed out, Wong said.

"No parent has asked that the student not be allowed to enroll," she
added.

Ah, Bobby, you left out one "emphatical" : you're "emphatically
gay."  I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you're charismatic
or not.....

On another note, a local High School did the Laramie Project a week
or two ago.  Since I know one of the kids who was in the play, we
went to see it - it was very good, especially the part where one of
the kids gave Dennis' speech before the judging phase.  Of course,
being less than 50 miles from Topeka, KS, you can imagine who showed
up as well - at least the local media had the good sense to ignore
that part.

:-)

--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "organistbob"
<organistbob@...> wrote:
>
> Good article on "Christianism."  I am a Christian, but I am most
> emphatically not an evangelical, most emphatically not a
> fundamentalist, most emphatically not a catholic, and most
> emphatically not a charismatic or pentecostal.  I am a progressive
> Christian.  You can find out more about this by looking on the
> internet for the Center for Progressive Christianity.
>
> organistbob
>

You're right, Sir Mugsy.  I just inadvertently left that out.  I am
emphatically gay.  But I'm not charismatic.

I need a good puppy to remind me of these things once in a
while.

organistbob

--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "sir_mugsy2003" <sir_mugsy@...>
wrote:
>
> Ah, Bobby, you left out one "emphatical" : you're "emphatically
> gay."  I'll leave it up to you to decide whether you're charismatic
> or not.....
>
> On another note, a local High School did the Laramie Project a week
> or two ago.  Since I know one of the kids who was in the play, we
> went to see it - it was very good, especially the part where one of
> the kids gave Dennis' speech before the judging phase.  Of course,
> being less than 50 miles from Topeka, KS, you can imagine who showed
> up as well - at least the local media had the good sense to ignore
> that part.
>
> :-)
>
> --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "organistbob"
> <organistbob@> wrote:
> >
> > Good article on "Christianism."  I am a Christian, but I am most
> > emphatically not an evangelical, most emphatically not a
> > fundamentalist, most emphatically not a catholic, and most
> > emphatically not a charismatic or pentecostal.  I am a progressive
> > Christian.  You can find out more about this by looking on the
> > internet for the Center for Progressive Christianity.
> >
> > organistbob
> >
>

----- Original Message -----
   From: sir_mugsy2003
   To: MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com
   Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 3:11 PM
   Subject: [MatthewsPlaceForum] Re: NEWS -- 2008.02.27.Wednesday


   Hi Gang. It's Autumn here in OZ and tomorrow (Monday) it's gonna be 32c. So
Freddy Boy is still around with those graffitti style homophobic placards huh?
I'm an athiest but i don't need to be religious to be a good person(but when i'm
bad i'm better). If it was just adults demonstrating, fair enough BUT, when you
involve kids who really do not know what it's all about, i have a real problem
with that. Has anyone seen that clip on YouTube where someone tries to crack on
to a member? What a great laugh that was! Anyway, thaw out, Summer is on the way
for you Northern Hemisphere People. Cheers Andrew...from OZ. PS: Our birds fly
North for the Winter! I think there's something in that for all of us. LOL.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

1)  A Tragedy That Should Never Have Happened -- Ellen speaks out
2)  Baptist Press -- Obama: If elected I will use the bully pulpit for gay
causes
3)  Keillor: Why people are looking at the skinny young guy
4)  A Bishop Unveiled God’s Secrets While Keeping His Own
5)  Gay Marriage Attracting Skilled Workers To Massachusetts
6)  Gay marriage attracts out-of-state workforce
7)  Winter Soldiers to Testify Against War
8)  Barbra Striesand video



1)
received from a friend ---
A Tragedy That Should Never Have Happened
Ellen speaks out about Brandon McInerney killing Larry King in Oxnard February
12th.
She is indeed amazing.  She spoke out after Matthew Shepard's murder too.
It's been a decade and crap like this is still going on.

My comments ---
As long as religious leaders speak against us, this will continue.
I bet Brandon learned his fear in church.

http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2008/02/a_tragedy_that_should_never_ha.php

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QcMEL3_YsVI


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


2)
Comment ---
They would like you to believe that they never owned a slave.
The Southern Baptist Convention was organized in 1845 to protect, defend, and
preserve their sacred institution of slavery.
[ As long as they were not the slaves. ]

--->

The Baptist Press     [ Southern Baptist publication ]
     News with a Christian Perspective

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=27510
http://www.bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?ID=27510

       Obama: If elected I will use the bully pulpit for gay causes
       By Michael Foust
       Feb 28, 2008



       NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama
sought the support of voters in the homosexual community Feb. 28, telling them
in a letter that if elected president he would work to pass laws important to
that constituency and would use the "bully pulpit" to urge states to grant
same-sex couples the legal benefits of marriage.

       The 770-word letter was posted on a section of Obama's campaign website
devoted to homosexual issues. He and Hillary Clinton have worked for months to
get the votes of the homosexual community, even appearing in August at a
historic Democratic presidential forum devoted solely to homosexual issues.

       In the letter, Obama touted his past record on such issues and said he
would continue that record if elected. He used the acronym LGBT -- which stands
for "lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender" -- six times.

       "As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat
same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws," he
wrote. "I personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure
that equal treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not
stand in the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue
equality for gay and lesbian couples -- whether that means a domestic
partnership, a civil union, or a civil marriage."

       He once again said he backs the "complete repeal" of the Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA), a law passed in 1996 that gives states the option of not
recognizing another state's "gay marriages." It also prohibits the federal
government from recognizing "gay marriage." Ever since it was passed homosexual
activists have viewed it as a significant legal barrier to nationwide
legalization of "gay marriage."

       "While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should
get rid of that statute altogether," he wrote. "Federal law should not
discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what
DOMA does."

       Austin Nimocks, an attorney with the Alliance Defense Fund, a legal
organization that supports the Defense of Marriage Act, said overturning DOMA
"would lead to the recognition of everything the homosexual agenda stands for,
including same-sex marriage."

       "A repeal of DOMA would mean that the federal government is acknowledging
and supporting same-sex couples, and that would be in Arizona and everywhere
else," Nimocks told Baptist Press. "And it would start with the extension of
certain federal benefits, the filing of joint tax returns by same-sex returns,
and it would chip away at the institution of marriage in every state -- and most
egregiously in those states that have voted through a constitutional amendment
or a law to protect marriage between one man and one woman."

       In the years since DOMA was signed into law, more than 40 states have
passed various types of laws prohibiting "gay marriage," including 27 that have
passed constitutional marriage amendments.

       "To suggest that DOMA in some form or fashion prevents states from
fashioning their own marriage law is just disingenuous at best," Nimocks said.
"To repeal DOMA means that every American taxpayer would be forced to fund the
homosexual agenda."

       Obama also said he supports "age-appropriate sex education that includes
information about contraception" and favors lifting "the federal ban on needle
exchange[s]." During a September Democratic debate he said he would be
comfortable with teachers reading to second graders a children's book, "King &
King," supportive of "gay marriage."

       In the letter he asserted that in multiple forums -- talking to rural
farmers or to Baptist parishioners -- he has talked about the need to "fight
homophobia."

       "I believe that we can achieve the goal of full equality for the millions
of LGBT people in this country," he said. "To do that, we need leadership that
can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me, and I will
provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for all
Americans, gay and straight alike."

       Obama also mentioned in the letter his speech in 2006 during an HIV/AIDS
conference at Saddleback Church, where Rick Warren pastors. At the time Warren
released a statement saying he disagrees with Obama on abortion and other
issues.

       Following is the full text of Obama's letter:

       "Equality is a moral imperative. That's why throughout my career, I have
fought to eliminate discrimination against LGBT Americans. In Illinois, I
co-sponsored a fully inclusive bill that prohibited discrimination on the basis
of both sexual orientation and gender identity, extending protection to the
workplace, housing, and places of public accommodation. In the U.S. Senate, I
have co sponsored bills that would equalize tax treatment for same-sex couples
and provide benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. And as
president, I will place the weight of my administration behind the enactment of
the Matthew Shepard Act to outlaw hate crimes and a fully inclusive Employment
Non Discrimination Act to outlaw workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual
orientation and gender identity.

       "As your President, I will use the bully pulpit to urge states to treat
same-sex couples with full equality in their family and adoption laws. I
personally believe that civil unions represent the best way to secure that equal
treatment. But I also believe that the federal government should not stand in
the way of states that want to decide on their own how best to pursue equality
for gay and lesbian couples -- whether that means a domestic partnership, a
civil union, or a civil marriage. Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete
repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- a position I have held since
before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of
the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law
should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is
precisely what DOMA does. I have also called for us to repeal Don't Ask, Don't
Tell, and I have worked to improve the Uniting American Families Act so we can
afford same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples in
our immigration system.

       "The next president must also address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. When it comes
to prevention, we do not have to choose between values and science. While
abstinence education should be part of any strategy, we also need to use common
sense. We should have age-appropriate sex education that includes information
about contraception. We should pass the JUSTICE Act to combat infection within
our prison population. And we should lift the federal ban on needle exchange,
which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. In
addition, local governments can protect public health by distributing
contraceptives.

       "We also need a president who's willing to confront the stigma -- too
often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. I confronted
this stigma directly in a speech to evangelicals at Rick Warren's Saddleback
Church, and will continue to speak out as president. That is where I stand on
the major issues of the day. But having the right positions on the issues is
only half the battle. The other half is to win broad support for those
positions. And winning broad support will require stepping outside our comfort
zone. If we want to repeal DOMA, repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and implement
fully inclusive laws outlawing hate crimes and discrimination in the workplace,
we need to bring the message of LGBT equality to skeptical audiences as well as
friendly ones -- and that's what I've done throughout my career. I brought this
message of inclusiveness to all of America in my keynote address at the 2004
Democratic convention. I talked about the need to fight homophobia when I
announced my candidacy for President, and I have been talking about LGBT
equality to a number of groups during this campaign -- from local LGBT activists
to rural farmers to parishioners at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where
Dr. Martin Luther King once preached.

       "Just as important, I have been listening to what all Americans have to
say. I will never compromise on my commitment to equal rights for all LGBT
Americans. But neither will I close my ears to the voices of those who still
need to be convinced. That is the work we must do to move forward together. It
is difficult. It is challenging. And it is necessary.

       "Americans are yearning for leadership that can empower us to reach for
what we know is possible. I believe that we can achieve the goal of full
equality for the millions of LGBT people in this country. To do that, we need
leadership that can appeal to the best parts of the human spirit. Join with me,
and I will provide that leadership. Together, we will achieve real equality for
all Americans, gay and straight alike."
       ------
       Obama's letter is posted on his website at
       http://pride.barackobama.com/page/content/lgbthome under the headline,
"Equality is a Moral Imperative." An alternative link is
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/alexokrent/gGggJS

       Michael Foust is an assistant editor for Baptist Press.




-------

The above column is mild compared to what they will print once Obama gets the
nomination.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


3)
Salt Lake Tribune

Keillor: Why people are looking at the skinny young guy
Garrison Keillor
Article Last Updated: 03/01/2008 12:49:34 PM MST
http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_8420517?source=email

Sen. John McCain is 71 and most likely he will be the last Old Guy presidential
candidate for all of you boomers. Goodbye, Great White Father in Washington.
     It happens as you age: Other people get younger. The pilots flying you to
New York are teenagers. Your banker, your therapist, even your urologist is
young.
     Still, you go along thinking of the Leader of the Free World as your old
civics teacher, genial, omniscient, wielding his pointer, patiently answering
dumb questions, and then one day one of your classmates has the pointer in hand
and he is not one of the smart ones. It's a big whoosh in your life: Mr. Teacher
has left the building and Larry has taken over.
     It's a long throw from Mr. McCain's 71 to Sen. Obama's 46 and that may be
the big invisible issue in the fall: Do we feel better with Papa at the helm or
the whiz kid? It's a visceral choice you make without thinking too hard about
tax policy or judicial appointments.
     For people like me who think the war in Iraq is a horrible wrong turn, it's
an easy choice, but the election won't be decided by people like me - it'll be
decided by people who could go either way and who make up their minds at the
last minute.
     Papa appeals to us because we're sentimental and we assume he's learned a
few things. (One could argue that you learn more of the right things in the
Illinois Legislature than in the Elks Club that is the U.S. Senate, but never
mind.)
     The beauty of the kid brother candidate is the plain hope that we can put a
chunk of the past behind us and not keep reliving it over and over. Our 51-49
national impasse. The culture wars. Our mutual misapprehensions. Old debates
that we're sick of and that go nowhere.
     Let's get out of this political boneyard where old hacks sit grinding their
gums over the burning questions of 1968. We're done with the Current Occupant
who is dead wrong and proud of it. Time to leave the ranch and head for the 21st
century.
     I'm the father of a sandy-haired, gap-toothed 10-year-old girl, and I
realize that whoever we elect in November will be the first president of her
memory, just as Ike is mine.
     This morning I heard my daughter talking upstairs and realized she was on
the phone with her friend Missy. In the past, she asked permission to call. Now
she's crossed a line, going outside channels, venturing beyond my protection,
such as it is, and that, gentle reader, is the reason for my interest in
politics.
     Politics is a matter of yelling and shaking your fist at the idiots who want
to drive 30 mph down a residential street. Or the ones who would bulldoze great
old buildings and put up office sheds. Or the ones who've destroyed public
higher education in this country (it ain't public if it costs an arm and a leg
to attend).
     I want my kid to grow up in a society that values knowledge and hard work
and public spirit over owning stuff and looking cool. That's why I live in
Minnesota. It isn't for the climate.
     March in Minnesota is dreary. Cabin fever sets in, stir-craziness, malaise,
depression, whatever you want to call it. I'm a liberal but I don't expect
government to solve the March problem, nor am I sure I want it to be solved.
     Sometimes I think about a spa on a hill outside Albuquerque where a masseur
plays your muscles like a mandolin and you sit naked and blissful in steaming
water and listen to the buzzing of the bees in the cigarette trees near the soda
water fountain, but I'm OK waiting for spring. I accept March; it's a good month
to get work done.
     I do, however, believe in the big leap by which you skip a mess of
complicated trouble and move on into the future. Johnson's Civil Rights Act,
Nixon's trip to China, Gerald Ford's pardon of Nixon, the demolition of the
Berlin Wall - great moments when we turned the clock forward.
     That hope for the leap forward seems deeply felt this year. And that's why
people are looking at the skinny guy. They don't want to be replaying old tapes
next spring. They just can't bear the thought of going through the past seven
years all over again.
    ---
     * GARRISON KEILLOR can be heard Saturday nights on public radio stations
across the country.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----


4)
The New York Times

March 3, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/nyregion/03bishop.html



A Bishop Unveiled God’s Secrets While Keeping His Own
By PAUL VITELLO
As is customary during Lent, the sermon at St. John the Divine Cathedral on
Sunday touched on the themes of seen and unseen truths, knowing and not knowing
what is before one’s very eyes.

It was not intended as a veiled reference to the disclosure this week that Paul
Moore Jr., the late, revered Episcopal bishop who became a national figure of
liberal Christian activism from the cathedral’s pulpit in the 1970s and
’80s, had lived a secret gay life.

“I’m an old English major, and I can overlay meanings on anything, but in
this case it was just the Sunday sermon,� said the Rev. James A. Kowalski, who
delivered the words.

In an elegiac article in the March 3 issue of The New Yorker magazine titled
“The Bishop’s Daughter,� the poet Honor Moore describes her father, Bishop
Moore, who died in 2003 at 83, as alternately passionate and elusive, capable of
deep “religious emotion,� yet just beyond her emotional reach. It was only
after he died, she said, that she fully realized that he had had gay
relationships during his two marriages, the first of which produced his nine
children.

Bishop Moore was a famously outspoken Christian voice. His truth-to-power
pastoring spanned almost half a century, including as leader of the Episcopal
Diocese of New York from 1972 until his retirement in 1989. He marched with the
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was among the early opponents of the Vietnam
War, railed at presidents and mayors for ignoring the plight of the poor, and,
shortly before his death, took the opportunity of his last sermon at St. John
the Divine, the seat of the diocese at 112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, to
deliver a scathing attack on President Bush and the war in Iraq.

The revelation of his hidden world comes at a time of deep tension within the
Episcopal Church of the United States over the issue of homosexuality. Since the
church ordained an openly gay bishop in the Diocese of New Hampshire in 2003, a
dozen congregations in various parts of the country have withdrawn from the
American branch of the church and aligned themselves with theologically
conservative African or South American branches of the worldwide Anglican
Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is a part.

Those African and South American branches have described homosexuality as “an
offense to God.�

At St. John the Divine, where inclusiveness toward those of all backgrounds and
sexual orientations has long been fundamental to the culture of the congregation
— in part as a result of Bishop Moore’s leadership — the reaction was more
complicated.

“I’d like to say that we all have secret lives — and that’s why we come
here,� said Mary Burrell, a longtime member of the congregation. “We are all
sinners, trying to find our way.�

Everyone interviewed after Masses on Sunday praised Bishop Moore as a towering
leader of his era. And nearly equal numbers said that because of the cultural
mores of the time in which he lived, Bishop Moore may have deprived his family
of the kind of intimacy that his daughter, at least, missed as a child. In her
essay, she describes her father’s religious devotion — and perhaps the
furtiveness necessitated by his other life, which was unknown to her at the time
— as “a landscape, like a dream, a place to which my father belonged and
from which my mother and I were excluded.�

Anne Wroten said she was saddened at the thought of “how much energy is wasted
in living a closeted life, how much is lost in the forming of bonds with loved
ones.�

Some were less kind, like Marsha Ra, who said, referring to the memoirist Ms.
Moore, “I’m just so glad I never had children.�

Some were more fatalistic, in a positive way. “You know, if he hadn’t kept
it secret, there would probably be nine fewer children in this world,� said
Fred Imbimbo.

But few seemed to miss how the day’s sermon and readings resonated with the
story of Bishop Moore as told by his daughter. The sermon was based on the
Gospel story of Jesus restoring a blind man’s sight. It is a parable about
recognizing the Messiah in the person of Jesus, but it is also about “opening
our eyes and looking straight at the facts,� Mr. Kowalski said during his
sermon. “Being able to see clearly what is in front of us.�

Howard Hadley, 62, a member of the church choir who considered himself a friend
of the late bishop’s, said it came as no surprise to him to learn that Bishop
Moore had been involved in gay relationships.

“It was the times he lived in. That’s the sad fact. But there was never any
doubt in my mind about him,� said Mr. Hadley. “People who say they didn’t
know? Well, you know, people see what they want to see.�

The writer of “The Bishop’s Daughter� might say that, in some cases at
least, people see what they are invited to see.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


5)
Gay Marriage Attracting Skilled Workers To Mass.

http://365gay.com/Newscon08/03/030308mass.htm

by 365Gay.com
Newscenter Staff
March 3, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET

(Boston, Massachusetts) Massachusetts is reaping huge financial gains as a
result of same-sex marriage.

The Boston Business Journal reports [see below] that the only state in the
country to allow gays to marry is become " a powerful lure for same-sex couples
who want to live in a place where they can get married, gain legal rights and
have access to spousal health benefits."

For decades the state has seen a brain drain despite having some of the most
prestigious universities in the nation.

From 2003 to 2005, the population actually fell to 6,429,137 from 6,438,510,
according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau obtained by the publican.

"Since the marriage law passed, we see a lot more (gay) professionals moving
into the Boston area," Henry Hoey, a member of the Greater Boston Business
Council, a chamber of commerce for gay professionals told the Journal.

Hoey said that the organization's membership has increased 5 percent to 1,100
members since last year. "The effects of this law are starting to take hold."

Recruitment agencies and other business groups also say they have seen an influx
of same-sex couples - mostly professionals.

Attorney Jeffrey Webb and his partner Mark Schuster moved from Los Angeles to
Massachusetts in December order to marry.

"That was something that was really important to us," Webb told the Journal.

He is now a partner and practices trial law with a well known Boston-area firm. 
Schuster is now the chief of general pediatrics and vice chair for health policy
research at Children's Hospital Boston.

In 2003 the Supreme Judicial Court, the highest court in Massachusetts, struck
down laws banning same-sex marriage and in 2004 the first gay couples began to
wed.  Since then more than 10,000 gay and lesbian couples have married in the
state.

--------------------------------------------------


6)
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2008/03/03/story1.html

Boston Business Journal
Friday, February 29, 2008

Gay marriage attracts out-of-state workforce

Boston Business Journal - by Lisa van der Pool Journal staff
[ excerpt ]

Massachusetts native Jeffrey Webb loved the Los Angeles lifestyle. He had a
great job as a law partner in the L.A. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP,
and his life partner, Mark Schuster, was equally happy with his work as chief of
general pediatrics and professor at UCLA. "We both had positions that were hard
to replicate," said Webb, 43.

Even so, Webb and Schuster left the California sunshine in December and moved to
Brookline with their twin sons. It wasn't the promise of enduring a gloomy
Massachusetts winter that beckoned them -- it was the ability to live in
Massachusetts as a legally married couple.

"That was something that was really important to us," said Webb, who married
Schuster in Massachusetts soon after the couple bought a vacation home in Truro
in 2004. Webb has since joined the law firm McDermott, Will & Emery LLP as a
partner in the trial department, and Schuster is now the chief of general
pediatrics and vice chair for health policy research at Children's Hospital
Boston.

Massachusetts has a dubious reputation for losing talented workers to less
pricey markets. But a trend that runs counter to the talent drain has emerged in
the form of the state's controversial same-sex marriage law, a powerful lure for
same-sex couples who want to live in a place where they can get married, gain
legal rights and have access to spousal health benefits. In fact, some observers
see the influx of same-sex couples as a boon for the state's economy.

Lisa van der Pool can be reached at lvanderpool@....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


7)
Truthout.org
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/030108Z.shtml
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/printer_030108Z.shtml

Winter Soldiers to Testify Against War
     By Maya Schenwar
     t r u t h o u t | Report
     Saturday 01 March 2008

     Thirty-seven years ago, in the midst of a bitter-cold Michigan winter, 109
Vietnam veterans gathered at a Howard Johnson Motel auditorium in Detroit to
tell their stories. For three days, they told of ransacking undefended villages,
attacking civilians, mutilating bodies, torturing Viet Cong suspects, burning
houses, destroying Vietnamese property and livestock and killing innocent
children. At the conference, entitled Winter Soldier, the veterans accepted
responsibility and mourned for their actions. But, taken collectively, their
words incriminated a much larger culprit: the war itself.

     This year, from March 13 to 16, about 300 veterans of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, gathering for a
second Winter Soldier conference, in Silver Spring, Maryland. Organized by Iraq
Veterans Against the War (IVAW) it will make up the largest gathering ever of
Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

     Their mission? To tell the story of the war in the terms of those who have
actually lived it.

     "This is a moment when veterans won't let anyone else speak for us," said
Aaron Hughes, an Iraq veteran who initiated the new Winter Soldier effort. "We
hear from the pundits, we hear from the politicians, we hear from the generals,
but we don't hear from the soldiers who've walked the streets, who've been there
and know what it's about. We're the ones who can bring out the cruelties and
dehumanization in US foreign policy."

     The event, which will accommodate about 700 veteran advocates, social
workers, support staff and members of the media in addition to veterans, will
combine soldier testimonies and expert panels. The panels are intended to
provide a factual context for the personal stories, according to Perry O'Brien,
one of Winter Soldier's organizers. Panels and testimony will be grouped into 12
categories, including killing and wounding noncombatants, mishandling of dead,
torture and abuse, sexual assault, discrimination in the military, destruction
of civilian property, veterans' benefits issues and GI resistance.

     Some testimonies will address acts of large-scale violence and human rights
violations, while others will zero in on incidents that are often overlooked,
such as racism toward Iraqis, sexual harassment of civilians and the military's
waste and destruction of environmental resources.

     O'Brien hopes that, through the medium of veterans' firsthand accounts, the
public will gain new insight into the concrete abuses perpetuated by what may
seem to be abstract foreign policy decisions.

     "More than just telling stories, our goal is to show what's going on in both
countries that is a result of US military policies," O'Brien said. "When we say,
'this is what we saw, this is what we were ordered to do,' patterns emerge. The
patterns show that what the US is doing in Iraq is immoral and in many cases
illegal."

     IVAW has always turned to Vietnam veterans for mentorship and support,
according to O'Brien, and the second Winter Soldier will echo its predecessor in
its mission and basic themes. But this Winter Soldier's content will be, in many
ways, very different. With digital recording technology at their disposal,
soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan have been able to capture the war through a
variety of media. Photos and video footage - in addition to stories and speeches
- will make up a key part of the program.

     New technologies also mean a wider reach for this Winter Soldier: the event
will be broadcast in its entirety on satellite channels, and live streaming
coverage will be available at IVAW's web site.

     With a wider reach comes the possibility of backlash. The first Winter
Soldier met with a groundswell of criticism, including accusations that the
testimonies were untrue or deceitful. This time around, though, IVAW will leave
little room for critics to attempt to invalidate their stories. A 20-member
verification team, made up mostly of combat soldiers, is collecting and vetting
all the testimony before it is presented. "Among the far right-wing fringe we'll
be accused of being 'phony soldiers,' and there will probably be accusations of
false testimony," O'Brien said. "But we're confident that the case we'll be
making is very credible."

     Jose Vasquez, an Army reservist who refused to serve in Iraq and
Afghanistan, has been working for months on the verification team. The
meticulous process starts with interviews, basic background checks and
questionnaires, then moves on to incident reports and photos. Vasquez speaks
with other soldiers in each would-be testifier's unit, looking for
corroboration. The team is also working with the National Lawyers Guild to put
together Freedom of Information Act requests about operations in Iraq, and with
Iraqi translators on the ground who can sometimes find civilians to corroborate
accounts of particular events.

     Vasquez holds that only testimonies that hold up to the most meticulous
scrutiny will be presented.

     "The ones we feel shaky about, we won't include in the public panel," he
said.

     The investigations behind the testimonies don't just lend the conference
more credibility; Winter Soldier's organizers are determined to give their
testifiers' words staying power. A compilation of their stories will be released
in September or October, co-written by unembedded reporter Aaron Glantz, author
of "How America Lost Iraq."

     Also, according to Hughes, vets will come away from the conference with
"truth in recruiting" materials, so they can more actively educate potential
military recruits in their areas. Additionally, legal experts at the conference
will give vets a more accurate sense of their own rights and the benefits they
are entitled to, so they can better advocate for themselves.

     Hughes sees the conference not as a stand-alone protest, but as a beginning.

     "There's a whole tradition we're really trying to awaken, of US soldiers
coming back from wars and resisting," he said. "We're trying to perpetuate that
and make sure that when the government goes on military ventures for profit, the
veterans are going to resist. We want to make sure it's a tradition that's being
carried through."


-------
     Maya Schenwar is an assistant editor and reporter for Truthout.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


8)
received from a friend --->

Barbra Striesand
Believe it or not, this is from an album recorded twenty years ago that was
NEVER RELEASED!!!

The note she holds at the end is amazing even for her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGDUqCUa63k

Just listen to that final note. Streisand will blow your mind! From the
unreleased 1988 recording sessions of "Back to Broadway". Music conducted by the
talented Rupert Holmes.

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

1)  Reuters -- California's top court must rule on gay marriage
2)  San Francisco Chronicle -- State Supreme Court grills lawyers in same-sex
marriage case
3)  New York Times -- Definition of Marriage Is at Heart of California Case
4)  Homophobe dies -- got caught earlier making a pass at an undercover officer
of the law
5)  Wayne Besen -- The Arch-Butcher of Nigeria
6)  Schools must grow more gay friendly


EXTRA ---
California Supreme Court proceedings
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/supreme/highprofile/
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/supreme/audio-arch.htm listen to the
arguments



1)
California's top court must rule on gay marriage
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080304/us_nm/rights_california_gays_dc_3

By Adam Tanner -- Reuters
Tue Mar 4, 4:47 PM ET

The California Supreme Court appeared divided over gay marriage on Tuesday
during nearly four hours of oral arguments on the contentious issue that experts
said could impact gay rights nationwide.
Several of the seven judges asked whether the state legislature might better
decide whether matrimony should be limited to a man and a woman, while others
pointed to how the same court ended the state ban on marriages between blacks
and whites after World War Two.

"I think it's going to be a divided opinion but I wouldn't want to predict who
will win," said Christopher Krueger, a lawyer representing the state attorney
general who presented arguments before the judges.

The hearing brought into focus the highest-profile U.S. fight over gay rights in
recent years and the outcome could end up influencing legislation and litigation
in other states on a matter that has been a hot-button issue in election
campaigns.

"California's a bellwether state. What happens here, blows east," Larry Bowler,
a retired deputy sheriff from Sacramento who opposes gay marriage, said outside
the courthouse.

Expecting heated disagreement over a case in which U.S. constitutional questions
are at stake, the state's top court scheduled a three-hour session, making a
rare exception to its one-hour limit on oral arguments.

But the marathon hearing lasted three hours and 40 minutes, and several people
interviewed said it was the longest presentation of oral arguments before the
top court they could remember.

"Same-sex couples come here today to praise marriage, not to bury it," said
Shannon Minter, a lawyer for clients who favor of gay marriage.

NINETY DAYS TO DECIDE

The top court now has 90 days from Tuesday's hearing to issue an opinion. Six of
the judges were appointed by Republican governors and one by a Democrat and the
panel is considered politically moderate.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom forced the issue by suddenly issuing gay
marriage licenses in February 2004. More than 4,000 homosexual couples took him
up on the offer, before a lower court halted the process.

The state Supreme Court, just across the street from City Hall where the gay
marriages took place, ruled later that year that Newsom, mayor of a city long at
the forefront of the fight for gay rights, had no authority to perform weddings
for same-sex couples and voided the marriages.

Gay marriage supporters won an initial battle when a Superior Court judge ruled
in their favor in 2005. The following year a state appeals court judge overruled
that decision and backed existing state law.

Californians in 2000 approved a ballot measure defining marriage as the union of
man and woman. But domestic partnership legislation as of 2005 gave registered
gay couples many of the same privileges enjoyed by married couples.

California's legislature has voted twice since 2005 to allow gay marriages, but
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, vetoed the bills, saying voters or the
courts should decide the issue.

More than half of U.S. states have passed amendments barring same-sex marriage,
and President George W. Bush has proposed a constitutional amendment to do so.

State supreme courts in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Vermont have ruled against
limiting marriage to a man and a woman. Massachusetts became the only U.S. state
to allow gay marriage, and New Jersey and Vermont passed civil union laws
similar to those in California.

Several other state supreme courts, including those in New York, Washington and
Maryland, found that marriage can be limited to one man and one woman.

(Editing by Philip Barbara)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


2)
San Francisco Chronicle
State Supreme Court grills lawyers in same-sex marriage case
Marisa Lagos,John Cotï, Chronicle Staff Writers

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Supreme Court peppered both sides of the
same-sex marriage debate with questions today in a 3 1/2-hour hearing into
whether the state law defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman is
constitutional.
The hearing dealt with challenges to the law filed by nearly two dozen same-sex
couples and the city of San Francisco, which entered the case after the court
invalidated an order by Mayor Gavin Newsom that allowed nearly 4,000 same-sex
couples to marry in 2004.

The plaintiffs argue that the California Constitution protects the rights of
same-sex couples to marry. Those arguing to keep the law included the state of
California, which says the definition of marriage is so deeply engrained in law
that only the Legislature or voters have the power to change it, and
conservative religious groups, which argue that marriage is for procreation.
They point to domestic partnership laws as proof that same-sex couples are not
being discriminated against.

The justices spent a little over 90 minutes during the hearing in San Francisco
questioning three attorneys for the plaintiffs, then moved on to the opponents
of changing the state law. Justice Joyce Kennard immediately asked Deputy
Attorney General Christopher Krueger, representing the state of California, why
the state's arguments differ from those of their co-defendants, who focused in
written arguments on procreation.

Krueger said the differences don't weaken the opponents' position, and urged the
court to look at tradition.

"We submit that when the state is acting so aggressively to protect the rights
of domestic partners and families, that it's not irrational to maintain the
definition of marriage that has stood the test of time," he said.

Kennard, however, noted that many long-standing traditions relating to marriage
- including treating women as property - have been deemed illegal over the
years.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs have pointed to the court's 1948 decision striking
down California's ban on interracial marriage, and have compared domestic
partnership to "separate but equal" segregation. The 1948 ruling, the first of
its kind by any state's high court, recognized a "right to join in marriage with
the person of one's choice."

The justices honed in on that case during their questioning of Krueger, asking
whether the state believes "separate is equal here" and whether animus against
gays and lesbians is intrinsic in the state law.

"What distinguishes this is that (for interracial couples) there was marriage
and there was nothing," Krueger said. "Racial discrimination had been put on
marriage for no reason other white supremacy."

Krueger and other attorneys arguing to preserve the state law said gays and
lesbians have never been defined by any high court as a group that is guaranteed
equal protection under the law.

Krueger said plaintiffs in the same-sex case "talk about domestic partnership as
if it's schoolhouse segregation. ... Yes, same-sex couples aren't allowed to
marry under our laws, but that is not the same type of exclusion. ... Here there
is equality."

Attorneys for the conservative groups argued that the court should not have a
role in defining marriage. They pointed to Proposition 22, passed by voters in
2000, which barred the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed
outside California.

Glen Lavy, an attorney for the Prop. 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund, called
the initiative process the "ultimate expression of democracy."

"One of the things the petitioners seem to assume is that when someone argues
there should be a change in the law, the people have no power to say no," Lavy
said. "The people are the ultimate arbiters of public policy."

He said marriage is by definition an opposite-sex relationship, and argued that
therefore, the law doesn't stop gays and lesbians from marrying - just from
marrying someone of the same sex.

The justices also looked at the issue of procreation, asking Lavy whether the
state should be in the business of ensuring that all married couples have
children.

"If procreation is a fundamental purpose of marriage, then the next inquiry
would be should infertile individuals be prohibited from entering in to a
marriage relationship?" Kennard asked.

"No, your honor ... it would violate the right of privacy to make that inquiry,"
Lavy said.

In her arguments, San Francisco Chief Deputy City Attorney Therese Stewart
insisted that granting same-sex couples the right to enter into domestic
partnerships or civil unions was not the same thing as allowing them to marry.

"Words matter, names matter," Stewart said. "It violates equal protection. ...
Once the state has entered into the regulation of marriage ... it has to do so
on an equal basis."

The justices focused repeatedly on whether the domestic partners are afforded
the same rights as married couples, asking whether the plaintiffs are pursuing
"rhetoric over reality."

"Aren't the rights and responsibilities of domestic partners and marriage
partners substantially the same?" Justice Ming Chin asked.

"This case is not about whether the domestic partnership laws are fair or equal,
but whether to denying marriage to lesbians and gays is equal," Stewart
responded.

Justices also asked whether the concept of equality evolves, and, if so, why
this is the time to allow same sex marriage.

The concept of equality does evolve, Stewart said, "but just because society
doesn't see something as unequal until a given time, that doesn't mean it wasn't
always unequal or unjust. It just means we were blind to it."

The justices returned several times to the 1948 case, asking whether the
justices who issued that ruling could have foreseen a day when people would
argue for the right for gays and lesbians to marry.

Another lawyer for the plaintiffs, Shannon Minter, insisted that the fundamental
values in the two cases are the same. He also said discrimination based on
sexual orientation constitutes gender bias, which is illegal in the state.

Supporters and opponents turned out to witness the landmark hearing. Hundreds of
people filled a conference room in the Hiram W. Johnson State Office Building
near the McAllister Street courthouse to watch a live video feed of the
proceedings. Those in the crowd included attorneys, college students and a
priest.

Many in the audience erupted in applause after Stewart and Minter completed
their arguments. But the largest reaction came when Associate Justice Marvin
Baxter struggled to come up with the date for when the state Constitution was
enacted.

"Eighteen forty . .. seven?" Baxter offered with a pregnant pause, prompting a
wave of laughter in the conference room. (The state's first constitution was
adopted in 1849.)

Outside the courthouse, roughly a dozen protesters opposed to same-sex marriage
hoisted signs reading, "Sodomy is sin" and "Gay = Pervert."

Those protesters were met by three supporters of same-sex marriage who stood
before the courthouse holding signs reading, "Stop ignorance: Being gay is not a
choice," and "Your religion is not my government." Both sides were outnumbered
by journalists milling about in front of their standoff.

Direct confrontations were few, although Dick Otterstad of Placerville said the
back tires of his pickup truck, adorned with a sign reading, "Marriage = 1 man +
woman," had been slashed.

"We're not really welcome here in San Francisco, the city of brotherly love and
tolerance," he said.

The suits have wound their way through the lower courts to the state Supreme
Court over the past four years. Judge Richard Kramer of San Francisco Superior
Court ruled in 2005 that the state law violated "the basic human right to marry
a person of one's choice" and constituted sex discrimination. The next year,
however, a state appeals court said California was entitled to preserve the
historic definition of marriage while taking steps to protect the rights of
same-sex couples who register as domestic partners.

The Supreme Court has 90 days to make a decision on the case.


E-mail the writers at mlagos@... and jcote@....

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/05/MNBDVDCIM.DTL

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


3)
New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/us/05marriage.html  (picture at URL)

March 5, 2008
Definition of Marriage Is at Heart of California Case
By ADAM LIPTAK
SAN FRANCISCO - For almost four hours on Tuesday, the California Supreme Court
heard arguments in the most important same-sex marriage case since
Massachusetts's highest court allowed gay and lesbian couples to marry there
more than four years ago.

But it took only 15 minutes for Justice Carlos R. Moreno to identify the central
question. "Doesn't this just boil down to the use of the m-word - marriage?" he
asked.

California has a domestic partnership law that gives gay and lesbian couples
nearly all of the legal rights and responsibilities that come with heterosexual
marriage. That leaves open the question posed by Justice Moreno, one freighted
with history, symbolism and emotion: What is so special about marriage?

Lawyers for the same-sex couples seeking the right to marry said that marriage
was a unique expression of love and commitment and that calling their unions
anything else was a form of second-class citizenship.

Lawyers for groups opposed to same-sex marriage agreed that marriage was a
fundamental bond with ancient roots, but they drew the opposite conclusion,
saying that allowing same-sex couples to marry would undermine the institution
of marriage itself.

Lawyers for the state also opposed a constitutional right to same-sex marriage,
but they took a markedly more modest and even tentative approach. The
Legislature, they said, may parcel out nomenclature in this area largely as it
wishes, and the matter is for the political process rather than the courts.

"Realistically, you have to give society time to adjust," said Christopher E.
Krueger, a lawyer with the state attorney general's office.

The state ban on same-sex marriage is based on a law enacted by the Legislature
in 1977 and a statewide initiative approved by the voters in 2000 that defined
marriage as being only between a man and a woman. The question before the court
is whether those laws violate provisions of the state Constitution protecting
equality and fundamental rights.

Massachusetts is the only state that allows same-sex marriage, based on a ruling
of its highest court interpreting the state's Constitution. The high courts of
other states, including New York, New Jersey and Washington, have said there is
no right to same-sex marriage under their Constitutions. The Connecticut Supreme
Court is expected to rule on the question shortly.

The California court heard from eight lawyers in six consolidated cases. Therese
M. Stewart, representing the city and county of San Francisco, argued alongside
three lawyers representing homosexual couples in favor of same-sex marriage. In
2004, San Francisco issued marriage licenses to thousands of same-sex couples
until the courts put a halt to it.

"Domestic partnership and marriage are not equal," Ms. Stewart said. "Words
matter. Names matter."

The Supreme Court here was the first state high court to strike down a law
barring interracial marriage, in a 1948 decision called Perez v. Sharp. The
United States Supreme Court did not follow suit until 1967.

Ms. Stewart asked whether giving interracial couples the same rights under a
different name - "say we called it transracial unions instead of marriage," she
said - would have satisfied the state Constitution in 1948.

Several of the justices seemed receptive to the analogy. Chief Justice Ronald M.
George, seen by many here as the swing vote on a closely divided court, paused
three times during the argument to quote from the Perez decision.

"The essence of the right to marry is freedom to join in marriage with the
person of one's choice," Chief Justice George said at one point, quoting a
passage from the Perez decision by Justice Roger J. Traynor, who would go on to
become chief justice of the court.

Lawyers for the state argued that the domestic partnership law was sufficient to
satisfy any constitutional concerns, but Chief Justice George said that by
leaving open the question of nomenclature, the state might actually have
weakened its hand. "Does this ironically put the state in a worse position?" he
asked.

Justice Joyce L. Kennard, picking up on the point, elaborated on that
possibility. "The state has effectively conceded that there is no valid ground
for distinction," she said.

Justice Carol A. Corrigan, on the other hand, wondered about moving too fast.

"Why is this the moment," she asked, "as opposed to 10 years from now?"

The four lawyers arguing against a constitutional right to same-sex marriage
offered varying rationales. In an unusual move, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sent
his own lawyer, apparently because of a difference of opinion with the attorney
general, Jerry Brown, about the level of scrutiny the court should use if it
decides to conduct a more searching review than simply asking the state for a
rational reason for forbidding the marriages.

But the lawyers for the governor and the attorney general agreed on the
government interests that they said justified reserving the term marriage for
heterosexual unions: tradition and the will of the majority.

Two private groups went further, arguing that allowing same-sex couples to marry
would damage the families of heterosexual couples. Kenneth C. Mennemeier, the
lawyer for Mr. Schwarzenegger, disclaimed that rationale. "State law recognizes
that families take many forms," he said, "and the state does not give preference
to one form over another."

Mathew D. Staver, a lawyer for the Campaign for California Families, which
opposes same-sex marriage, gave a vigorous presentation on the importance of
marriage to society in general and to children in particular.

When Ms. Stewart, the lawyer for San Francisco, rose to respond, Justice Ming W.
Chin asked, "Did he just make your argument for you?"

Ms. Stewart responded, "He helped."

Under its rules, the court here must issue its decision in 90 days. Should it
decide that the state constitution allows same-sex marriage, its ruling would
almost certainly become an issue in the presidential election. Many political
analysts believe that the Massachusetts decision, in late 2003, hurt Senator
John Kerry, the Democratic nominee in 2004, in that year's presidential
election.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


4)
excerpt ---
"In 2002, when he was semi-retired, Mr. Skolrood was arrested on charges of
uttering obscenities and making sexual advances toward a male undercover police
officer at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He denied all the charges at a
trial before a federal magistrate in Roanoke, Va., but he pleaded no contest to
disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, and paid a $125 fine.

"According to The Roanoke Times, Magistrate Judge Glen Conrad said, "That area
has been notorious for problems of an unsavory sort," adding that "there's no
question that you shouldn't have been there."


New York Times
Obituary
March 3, 2008
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/03/us/03skolrood.html

Robert Skolrood Is Dead at 79; Argued Religion Cases

By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Robert K. Skolrood, a lawyer who battled for fundamentalist Christians on issues
that included nativity displays and gay rights and who often examined the
intricacies of the United States Constitution, died on Feb. 20 in Venice, Fla.
He was 79.

The cause was kidney cancer, his son Mark said.

Mr. Skolrood was executive director of the National Legal Foundation, which the
Rev. Pat Robertson began in 1985. The foundation split from Mr. Robertson in
1988 but continued to advance what its mission statement calls "God's purpose."

One of Mr. Skolrood's biggest victories involved the case of Bridget Mergens, a
high school senior in Omaha whose proposal to start an after-school Bible club
was rejected by her principal. In 1990, the United States Supreme Court ruled
that if groups started and led by students were permitted, religious groups
could not be excluded.

In an opinion article in USA Today in 1987, Mr. Skolrood argued that civil
libertarians and the courts had used the First Amendment's religious protections
"like a pitchfork" to poke the life out of permissible public religious
expression. He argued this position in opposing atheists' efforts to remove the
word "God" from currency, a ban on prayers at graduation ceremonies and many
other secular initiatives.

In 1987, he gained national prominence by persuading a federal district court
judge to ban 44 books from Alabama public schools on the ground that they
promoted a godless, humanistic religion. The ruling, reversed on appeal, put
"secular humanism" on the same constitutional footing as conventional religions.

"For purposes of the First Amendment," the federal judge, W. Brevard Hand,
wrote, "secular humanism is a religious belief system, entitled to the
protections of, and subject to the prohibitions of, the religious clauses. It is
not a mere scientific methodology that may be promoted and advanced in the
public schools."

Mr. Skolrood, speaking about the case, said, "Humanism is out of the closet, for
the first time."

He repeatedly fought for religious displays in public places, including advising
Chief Justice Roy S. Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court in the justice's
unsuccessful effort to display a monument to the Ten Commandments in his
courthouse.

Mr. Skolrood fought a long battle to return a Christmas display to a park in
Ottawa, Ill., after it was banned by a federal judge and a federal appeals court
panel. In a rare move, the full United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh
Circuit, in Chicago, then reheard the case in May 1992 and ruled 11 to 0 that
public forums must be open to religious speech.

Mr. Skolrood had argued that prohibiting the display of religious paintings in a
public park was "pure censorship." He said the American Civil Liberties Union
"supposedly abhors" censorship except for "when it comes to religion."

He fought against gay rights by helping to word an initiative on the Colorado
ballot in 1992 that would have barred any special protection for homosexuals.
The amendment to the state's constitution passed but was struck down by the
United States Supreme Court four years later.

Mr. Skolrood helped to draft an amendment to the Cincinnati City Charter to
similarly deprive homosexuals of specific legal protections; voters approved the
measure in 1993.

A federal appeals court upheld the result, and the United States Supreme Court
in 1998 refused to hear an appeal.

Robert Kenneth Skolrood was born on May 17, 1928, in Stockton, Ill. He grew up
in Rockford, Ill., where his father worked as a mechanic. After graduating from
high school, he worked two years before entering Ohio Wesleyan University, from
which he graduated in 1952.

He then served two years in the Army, rising to the rank of sergeant. He
graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1957, and he then had a
private law practice in Rockford for 23 years.

In 1980, he moved to Tulsa, Okla., to teach at Oral Roberts University Law
School. After a year of teaching, he became Mr. Roberts's personal lawyer. He
left in 1985 to go to Virginia Beach to help start the National Legal
Foundation.

In 2002, when he was semi-retired, Mr. Skolrood was arrested on charges of
uttering obscenities and making sexual advances toward a male undercover police
officer at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. He denied all the charges at a
trial before a federal magistrate in Roanoke, Va., but he pleaded no contest to
disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor, and paid a $125 fine.

According to The Roanoke Times, Magistrate Judge Glen Conrad said, "That area
has been notorious for problems of an unsavory sort," adding that "there's no
question that you shouldn't have been there."

Mr. Skolrood is survived by his wife of 52 years, the former Marilyn Riegel; his
sons Mark, of Roanoke, Kent, of Atlanta, and Rick, of Costa Rica; his daughter,
Cindi Russi of Venice; and 12 grandchildren.

----------------------

other stuff about him ---
http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?frow=0&n=10&srcht=s&query=skolrood&srchst=\
nyt&hdlquery=&bylquery=&daterange=full&mon1=01&day1=01&year1=1981&mon2=03&day2=0\
5&year2=2008&submit.x=31&submit.y=10

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


5)
Wayne Besen

Anything But Straight
March 4, 2008

The Arch-Butcher of Nigeria


When openly gay Gene Robinson was elected Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire in
2003, the Nigerian Archbishop, Peter J. Akinola, called the event "Satanic."
However, after reading the latest issue of Atlantic Magazine, it appears that
Akinola is the one whose behavior is modeled on the devil.

According to the article, Muslim fanatics attacked Christian worshippers in the
Nigerian town of Yelwa in February 2004. They set fire to a church and murdered
anyone who tried to escape - leaving 78 people dead. In retaliation, members of
the Christian Association of Nigeria, led, at the time, by Akinola, surrounded
the town. The vigilantes murdered 660 Muslims - while torching twelve mosques
and 300 houses.

In a state that lacks law and order, it is somewhat understandable that the
Christians might take matters into their own hands - as they certainly have a
right to defend themselves. What is unconscionable, however, is the gratuitous
cruelty and downright evil that occurred on Akinola's watch. Far from Christian,
one might equate the ghastly reprisals in Yelwa with a tyrant like Saddam
Hussein - not an Anglican Bishop.

Were Akinola's "Christian" warriors exemplifying the love of Jesus while raping
pregnant Muslim women in the village? Were these thugs asking, "What would Jesus
do" when they forced Muslims to eat pork and dog meat, while washing it down
with forbidden alcohol? Was it somehow "spiritual" to burn corpses in the
street? And, how "holy" was it to hack to death children as young as nine with
machetes; then put the bloody pieces in a rubber tire and set fire to it? This
was not simply retaliation, but terrorism. It was demonic behavior in the name
of religion that had nothing to do with self-defense.

According to Human Rights Watch, there is no "smoking gun" definitively showing
that the Archbishop ordered the massacre. However, he was clearly in charge of
the group implicated and could barely hide his glee in the Atlantic article.
When asked point-blank about the incident, Akinola said, "No comment," while he
grinned. He went on to add, "No Christian would pray for violence, but it would
be utterly naive to sweep this issue of Islam under the carpet. I'm not out to
combat anybody. I'm only doing what the Holy Spirit tells me to do. I'm living
my faith, practicing and preaching that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to
God...I've said before: let no Muslim think they have the monopoly on violence."

Clearly, Akinola is unrepentant and sounds more like a warlord than a leader of
worship. As a result of the slaughter, the Archbishop lost his bid to continue
heading the Christian Association of Nigeria. However, he is still the primate
of the Anglican Church of Nigeria - and a powerful voice in condemning
homosexuality across the globe.

Indeed, while Akinola is soft on his preferred sin of murder, he never turns the
other cheek on gay rights. He has provocatively called Europe "a spiritual
desert" and chastised the Church of England for failing to oppose civil
partnership laws, which, he said, give, "the appearance of evil". I suppose,
once one masters genuine evil, the mere appearance is no longer satisfying.

In 2006, Akinola supported a proposed Draconian law in Nigeria that would have
effectively banned the "promotion" of homosexuality - punishing violators with
up to five years imprisonment. Tragically, while the Archbishop is fixated on
gay people, Nigeria remains one of the poorest and most corrupted nations on
earth (minus the elite who profit from oil). According Human Rights Watch, up to
$8 billion is embezzled annually, while nearly half the population lives on less
than $1 a day. You would think these issues might interest a Christian leader,
but Akinola ignores them in favor of jet setting anti-gay junkets to America and
Europe.

With such a contemptible record, one would expect Anglican Church leaders to
marginalize Akinola. It seems, however, the church would rather coddle this
butcher, because they care more about membership than morality. Most appalling
are the American churches that have left the Episcopal Church to align
themselves with the Church of Nigeria. It doesn't seem to bother them that they
are this madman's enablers. As such, these "conservatives" should be held
accountable for any future atrocities committed by Akinola.

If Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, had any guts, he'd use every
tool at his disposal to make Akinola an international pariah. All Bishops with a
conscience should also refuse to take Holy Communion with Akinola - and he
should be prohibited from attending major conferences.

In the last Democratic debate - Hillary Clinton said that Barack Obama should
not just denounce, but reject the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan. (Obama
wisely did both). Likewise, Anglican leaders must denounce and reject Akinola if
they want to regain their moral authority. The only appropriate place for
Akinola on the International stage is The Hague - where he should be tried for
crimes against humanity.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------

6)
Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/OPINION03/803030338/1\
336/OPINION0322

Monday, March 3, 2008
Deb Price
Schools must grow more gay friendly
Kindergartner Jacob Parker brought home a "diversity" book bag that included a
picture book called "Who's in a Family?"

The book shows a variety of families, including a mom-dad family, a family
headed by a grandmother, an animal family and a family headed by lesbian moms.
"Who's in a family? The people who love you the most!" the book ends.

In the same Massachusetts elementary school, second grader Joey Wirthlin
listened as his teacher read from another picture book, "King & King." A prince,
told by his mother Queen to marry, passes over several princesses before falling
in love with another prince. The princes kiss on the final page, and a red heart
is superimposed on their lips.

The parents of Jacob and Joey sued in federal court, charging that because they
believe homosexuality is immoral, the school violated their constitutionally
protected freedom of religion by introducing their children to the gay-friendly
material.

Fortunately, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st
Circuit unanimously ruled in favor recently of the Lexington school's efforts to
promote tolerance.

"Public schools are not obliged to shield individual students from ideas which
potentially are religiously offensive, particularly when the school imposes no
requirement that the student agree with or affirm those ideas," the court ruled
in Parker v. Hurley.

That case is just one of a series of high-profile clashes over gay issues in
public schools.

What ties them together, notes American Civil Liberties Union attorney Ken Choe,
is the effort by gay-rights foes "to erase discussions about anything gay" from
public schools.

Recent battles:

. Over the objections of some religious conservatives, a Maryland court ruled in
favor of Montgomery County's addressing sexual orientation in middle and high
schools.

. The ACLU is suing Ponce de Leon High School in Florida for banning such things
as gay-friendly rainbow stickers and claiming they "likely would be
disruptive"and would suggest students were part of a "secret/illegal
organization."

. Under pressure from the ACLU, a high school in Portsmouth, Va., agreed not to
again censor a student who wore a T-shirt with a lesbian pride symbol.

. In a disturbing federal court case, the Okeechobee, Fla., school board is
trying to shut down a gay-straight student club, using taxpayer-paid "experts"
to argue such clubs are inherently harmful.

. A pair of federal cases finds the ACLU on the other side, trying to protect
the rights of kids to wear anti-gay T-shirts with hostile slogans or to voice
disagreement with material in gay-friendly harassment- prevention programs.

The Parker ruling doesn't order public schools to teach gay-friendly messages,
but backs up those choosing to do so.

And, while it technically applies only to the 1st Circuit -- Massachusetts,
Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Puerto Rico -- the ruling is likely to
influence other federal circuits dealing with similar objections by small groups
of parents riled up over educators' overdue attempts to encourage tolerance.

As America grows more gay-friendly, so must public schools: All school kids need
to learn the ABCs of tolerance.

Reach Deb Price at (202) 662-8736 or dprice@....

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I suppose it's simply a blast from the past, but I looked at my tape of
the first showing of "Anatomy of a Hate Crime".  It's been over seven
years since it first aired.  I find myself wishing I could get into
that fictional world which never really happened.  Matt, of course,
remains in my thoughts, but now I view that same character with the
knowledge of how much further from reality it really is.  I suppose I
simply want Matt as Cy Carter portrayed him, while accepting the little
blond guy as he really was.

Since Matt, I've encountered the inevitable reality that people I know
have died, and I will not see them again in this world.  My encounter
with my former high school brought it out this year.  I tend to wonder
whether I am coping it all the best way possible.   By the way, I've
now aged to Dennis Shepard's when Matt was murdered.  I feel his pain
deeply.

Any more thoughts I will save for my online diary.

Theatre ---


Yesterday afternoon, Sunday, in Grace Cathedral, I saw The Resurrection of
Terrence McNally's Corpus Christi.
http://www.108productions.org/index.html  Though I have seen the play before,
I'll have to say this "revised" version was the most memorable play I have ever
seen.  This production celebrates the play's message of diversity by casting
both men and women of a large age range.  This is the play as it was intended to
be.  The play once sabotaged by the religious right has been reborn.  The
performance is simply stunning.  See it done by a cast who are truly spreading
the "good news" -- what the "gospel" is suppose to be -- not the religious right
lying-and-bearing-false-witness-accept-Jesus-Christ-as-your-personal-savior
version.
Upcoming performances in San Bernardino, West Hollywood, Orange, and Palm
Springs.  Then in May, the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival.  In
October, New York.
Their website is http://www.108productions.org/index.html.

------------

What we don't understand we fear, and what we fear we try to destroy.
        --- from a review of "East Side Story" 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437171/
                             http://www.imdb.com/user/ur7317672/comments

------------

Saturday I watched "Rendition".  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804522/
Is it any wonder that so many around the planet hate the U.S.A.?
It's sort of like the sins of the fathers coming home to roost.  How did our
forefathers treat the American Indians?  And others?
Have we learned any lessons?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


1)  US Catholic church paid 615 million dollars for abuse cases in 2007: report
2)  Controversy behind a children's book about gay penguins. "In The Life"
explores the debate
3)  Parents question Day of Silence at Mount Si High
4)  Dear Abby
5)  Studies: Iraq Costs US $12B Per Month

late to the table, again ---
6)  Vatican lists "new sins," including pollution
7)  Southern Baptists fight climate change
             Comment -- but they both still consider us sick and sinners.  They
are ones who are lost.

youtubes ---
8)  Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene  (clever satire)
9)  from Australia -- Chasers war on everything: Evangelicals

in a category by itself ---
10)  16,000 Republicans in Cuyahoga Crossed Over and Voted Democratic in Primary


1)
US Catholic church paid 615 mln dlrs for abuse cases in 2007: report
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080307/ts_alt_afp/usreligioncrimepedophilia

by Karin Zeitvogel, AFP
Fri Mar 7, 6:42 PM ET
The Roman Catholic church in the United States paid out 615 million dollars (400
million euros) last year for child sex abuse cases involving members of the
clergy, or 54 percent more than the previous year, an official report showed
Friday.

Of the monies paid out by the church, 526 million dollars went to settling cases
-- almost double the amount paid out in 2006, the annual report on how well the
church is implementing a charter to protect youngsters said.

Around 23 million dollars was paid out for therapy for victims or support for
accused offenders, and 60 million dollars for legal fees, said the report, which
was commissioned by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The report showed that 689 new allegations of abuse were lodged last year --
three percent fewer than in 2006 -- but most involved cases dating back decades.

Most victims were male, and more than half were between the ages of 10 and 14
when the abuse began.

While the number of new allegations has declined from 2004 to 2007, costs
related to allegations increased in the same period, the report said.

Between 2006 and 2007 alone, "expenditure related to allegations increased by 54
percent," due mainly to a near-doubling of the amount paid out for settlements
in 2007, it said, showing that other pay-outs had fallen.

The annual report tracks progress made in implementing the Charter for the
Protection of Children, which was adopted by the bishops in 2002 after the
church was plunged into crisis when the Archbishop of Boston confessed that he
had protected a priest he knew had sexually abused young members of his church.

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the USCCB, said in a statement
Friday that child protection was a priority for the bishops, and praised them
for "working diligently to implement the Charter."

But Terry McKiernan, president of the organization Bishop Accountability, which
documents the abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic church, said the report by the
bishops was opaque and fudged the number of clergymen who have been accused of
sexually abusing children.

"Because the report is only counting and not actually naming the priests, we are
not able to determine which of these allegations pertain to priests already
accused and which pertain to new priests," McKiernan told AFP by phone from
Boston.

"This is nowhere near a complete accounting from the bishops conference, but
it's better than nothing," he said.

McKiernan estimated that more than 5,000 priests out of nearly 41,500 across the
United States have been denounced for sexually abusing children since the 1950s.

"We know that the number is considerably over 5,000 now, and that, on the basis
of annual adjustments since the John Jay report came out in 2004," McKiernan
said.

A report commissioned in 2004 by the USCCB from the John Jay College of Criminal
Justice in Washington found that nearly 4,400 priests had been accused of abuse.

This year's progress report was published just weeks before Pope Benedict XVI
was due to visit the United States.

The visit next month will take him to New York and Washington, but not Boston.

"It's hard to not read the visit to New York, where there is a real hold-out
among the American episcopate -- Archbishop Edward Egan, who has been very
restrictive about information that might get out about this -- as a reward, and
the skipping of Boston as expressing a desire not to confront the issue," said
McKiernan.

"I don't hope for any gestures on the part of the pope," he added.

"Remedies are going to come through the legal system, not through the church."

------------

Comment ---
Why are people clambering for the Catholic church to be shut down?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


2)
Controversy behind a children's book about gay penguins. "In The Life" explores
the debate.

http://www.proudparenting.com/node/1340

Wed, 03/05/2008 - 11:10am by Jeff
   a.. ALA
   b.. books for kids
   c.. Entertainment
In The Life presents its new episode in April, called Challenging Convention.
The show looks at same-sex animals that choose to cohabitate; and the program
will be focusing on the children's book And Tango Makes Three.

"Tango" topped the American Library Association's (ALA) list of the most
challenged books in 2006, and the ALA named it as a Notable Children's Book of
2006.

The book is based on a true story, and tells the tale of how two male Chinstrap
penguins hatched an egg all of their own. What follows, is the charming story of
how these two fathers nurture, and eventually hatch, the egg and welcome their
new daughter, Tango, into their nest.

Now the ALA is reporting Loudoun County (Virginia) Public Schools Superintendent
Edgar B. Hatrick III has decided to move the book from the public shelves of 16
elementary schools. It will be accessible only to parents and teachers. The
action reverses the decision of a Sugarland Elementary principal and advisory
committee who chose to maintain students' access to the book despite a parent's
objection several months ago to the book's gay-positive themes.

In The Life is the three-time Emmy Award nominated program documenting the lives
and experiences of gay people nationally and abroad. It can be seen on American
public television stations; and shows are available on the web for streaming and
podcasts.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


3)
Seattle Times
Friday, March 7, 2008

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?s\
lug=mtsi07e&date=20080307&query=gay

Parents question Day of Silence at Mount Si High
By Lynn Thompson

Seattle Times Eastside bureau

A group of parents in the Snoqualmie Valley doesn't want Mount Si High School to
hold its annual Day of Silence in support of gay and lesbian students. The
parents say they aren't anti-gay but are concerned about teachers expressing
personal views on controversial subjects.

About 80 people filled a Snoqualmie Valley School Board meeting Thursday night
to voice concerns over the national event that is meant to call attention to the
silence in which many gay students say they must lead their lives. Students at
an estimated 5,000 schools around the country observe the day in silence to show
support for gays and lesbians and the discrimination they face, according to the
Web site www.dayofsilence.org.

Mount Si Principal Randy Taylor told the board that the day of silence was
consistent with the school's mission for students to reach their full potential
and to respect individual differences.

"The Day of Silence sends a powerful message that all students have a right to
be respected," he said.

But Mount Si junior Landon Wilson said he was slapped by another student during
the Day of Silence two years ago for wearing a "straight pride" T-shirt. Last
year, he said, he tried to stay neutral but was still criticized for not
supporting the event.

"It's not a day when education takes place to the fullest extent," he said.

The School Board meeting was the latest in the continuing fallout from a Martin
Luther King Jr. Day assembly at Mount Si High School at which a prominent pastor
with anti-gay views was invited to speak about his experiences in the
civil-rights movement. One teacher booed the speaker, the Rev. Ken Hutcherson,
who leads the Antioch Bible Church in Redmond. Another asked whether Hutcherson
believed in equal rights for gays and lesbians.

Hutcherson called for the teachers to be fired. The school district disciplined
them and apologized to Hutcherson and the community for their outbursts.

Since then, Hutcherson, whose daughter attends the high school, has also
denounced the school's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), calling it a "sex club," and
urged parents and community members to oppose it and the Day of Silence.

Snoqualmie Valley parents who organized the group, Coalition to Defend Education
(CoDE), said the assembly was just the latest in a string of incidents at the
high school in which teachers injected their personal views into the classroom.

"School isn't intended to be a pulpit for anyone," Phillip Garding, vice
president of CoDE, said before Thursday night's meeting.

Garding, who has four teenagers at Mount Si, said that when the Day of Silence
was observed two years ago, some teachers did not speak, but spent their class
period writing on the blackboard or showing movies. He said some students
observing the event didn't respond when called on.

Last year, he said, he kept his kids home rather than subject them to the
"disruptive environment."

In an open letter to the school's GSA, Garding and five other CoDE board members
said the day coerces support and encourages hostility.

"Neutral students can't opt out, and they can't say they don't like it," the
board members wrote. "Please choose to not spread anger this year and do not
request the Day of Silence during the school day."

Kit McCormick, the school's adviser to the Gay-Straight Alliance, said the club
will go ahead with planning for the April 25 event. She said two years ago, one
teacher did not talk, but that last year all of them taught their classes as
usual. She also characterized as "ludicrous" the idea that students were forced
to participate or be labeled "anti-gay."

"Last year I saw a totally successful day in which 230 students participated.
That's about five times the number in the GSA," she said.

Lynn Thompson: 206-464-8305

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----


4)
GRANDDAD HOPES TO OPEN GIRL'S EYES AND HEAD OFF HEARTBREAK
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucda/20080309/lf_ucda/granddadhopestoopengirlseyesandhea\
doffheartbreak

By Abigail Van Buren
Sat Mar 8, 7:02 PM ET

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I recently visited our daughter and two beautiful
grandchildren, "Mary" (age 17) and "Patrick" (age 15). Mary has a boyfriend I'll
call "Brandon" who is all she has talked about since we arrived. She's quite
smitten.
One night I was having trouble falling asleep and decided to go downstairs for a
glass of wine. As I descended the stairs, I noticed Patrick and Brandon locked
in a passionate embrace on the couch. They never noticed me, and I quietly
returned upstairs. The boys' lovemaking did not help my insomnia.

I haven't mentioned what I saw to anybody. I am not bothered by the gay aspect
of the encounter I witnessed. However, my paternal instincts make me want to
protect Mary from being hurt. I don't believe in meddling, but I'm not sure
keeping silent is right, either. Any advice? -- SURPRISED GRANDPOP IN PHILLY

DEAR GRANDPOP: I assume that Patrick has not yet come out to the family about
his sexual orientation. If that's the case, then I don't recommend you out him
by telling his sister what you saw. I do, however, think you should discuss it
with Patrick, because he should be the one to tell Mary she shouldn't pin her
hopes on Brandon, as he's not the person he may pretend to be.

------------

Comment received ---
Can't help but wonder though if maybe Mary is in on the game herself, and
providing cover for both boys.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


5)
San Francisco Chronicle
Studies: Iraq Costs US $12B Per Month
By CHARLES J. HANLEY, AP Special Correspondent

Sunday, March 9, 2008

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/03/09/international/i14025\
1D53.DTL&type=politics

The flow of blood may be ebbing, but the flood of money into the Iraq war is
steadily rising, new analyses show. In 2008, its sixth year, the war will cost
approximately $12 billion a month, triple the "burn" rate of its earliest years,
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz and co-author Linda J. Bilmes
report in a new book.


Beyond 2008, working with "best-case" and "realistic-moderate" scenarios, they
project the Iraq and Afghan wars, including long-term U.S. military occupations
of those countries, will cost the U.S. budget between $1.7 trillion and $2.7
trillion - or more - by 2017.


Interest on money borrowed to pay those costs could alone add $816 billion to
that bottom line, they say.


The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has done its own projections
and comes in lower, forecasting a cumulative cost by 2017 of $1.2 trillion to
$1.7 trillion for the two wars, with Iraq generally accounting for
three-quarters of the costs.


Variations in such estimates stem from the sliding scales of assumptions,
scenarios and budget items that are counted. But whatever the estimate, the cost
will be huge, the auditors of the Government Accountability Office say.


In a Jan. 30 report to Congress, the GAO observed that the U.S. will be
committing "significant" future resources to the wars, "requiring decision
makers to consider difficult trade-offs as the nation faces an increasing
long-range fiscal challenge."


These numbers don't include the war's cost to the rest of the world. In Iraq
itself, the 2003 U.S.-led invasion - with its devastating air bombardments - and
the looting and arson that followed, severely damaged electricity and other
utilities, the oil industry, countless factories, hospitals, schools and other
underpinnings of an economy.


No one has tried to calculate the economic damage done to Iraq, said spokesman
Niels Buenemann of the International Monetary Fund, which closely tracks
national economies. But millions of Iraqis have been left without jobs, and
hundreds of thousands of professionals, managers and other middle-class citizens
have fled the country.


In their book, "The Three Trillion Dollar War," Stiglitz, of Columbia
University, and Bilmes, of Harvard, report the two wars will have cost the U.S.
budget $845 billion in 2007 dollars by next Sept. 30, end of fiscal year 2008,
assuming Congress fully funds Bush administration requests. That counts not just
military operations, but embassy costs, reconstruction and other war-related
expenses.


That total far surpasses the $670 billion in 2007 dollars the Congressional
Research Service says was the U.S. price tag for the 12-year Vietnam War.


Although American military and Iraqi civilian casualties have declined in recent
months, the rate of spending has shot up. A fully funded 2008 war budget will be
155 percent higher than 2004's, the CBO reports.


The reasons are numerous: the "surge" of additional U.S. units into Iraq; rising
fuel costs; fattened bonuses to attract re-enlistments; and particularly the
need to "reset," that is, repair or replace worn-out, destroyed or damaged
military equipment. Almost $17 billion is appropriated this year for advanced
armored vehicles to protect troops against roadside bombs.


Looking ahead, both the CBO and Stiglitz-Bilmes construct two scenarios, one in
which U.S. troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan drop sharply and early - to
30,000 by late 2009 for the CBO, and to 55,000 by 2012 for Stiglitz-Bilmes - and
a second in which the drawdown is more gradual.


Significantly, the two studies view different time frames, the CBO calculating
possible costs met in the next 10 years, while Stiglitz and Bilmes also include
costs incurred during that period but paid for later, such as equipment replaced
in post-2017 budgets.


This factor figures most in the category of veterans' medical care and
disability payments, where the CBO foresees $9 billion to $13 billion in costs
by 2017. Stiglitz and Bilmes, meanwhile, project $422 billion to $717 billion in
costs over the lifetime of soldiers who by 2017 are wounded or otherwise
mentally or physically disabled by the wars.


"The CBO is only looking 10 years out on everything," Bilmes noted in an
interview.


For its part, a CBO critique suggested that Bilmes and Stiglitz might be
overstating the expense of treating veterans' brain injuries, a costly category.


The two economists say their calculations are conservative, because they don't
encompass many "hidden" items in the U.S. budget. Their basic projections also
exclude the potentially huge debt-service cost - on which CBO approximately
agrees - and the cost to the U.S. economy of global oil prices that have
quadrupled since 2003, an increase analysts blame partly on the Iraq upheaval.


Estimating all economic and social costs might push the U.S. war bill up toward
$5 trillion by 2017, they say.


Their book already figures in the stay-or-leave debate over Iraq.


When Stiglitz testified on Feb. 28 before the congressional Joint Economic
Committee, the ranking Republican, New Jersey's Rep. Jim Saxton, complained that
such projections are too imprecise to help determine relative costs and benefits
of the Iraq war.


Saxton said a rapid U.S. pullout could lead to full-scale civil war and Iranian
domination of Iraq, "enormous costs" that he said should be weighed in any
calculation.

--------------

Comment ---
Remember when Bush said, in effect, that the war would be cheap (83 billion
dollars) and quick?  Liar-in-chief.

And Republicans don't like to pay for anything.  Cut taxes.  Cut out all social
programs.  Military industrial complex kill, kill, kill Republican war amusement
style -- while Halliburton/Chaney gets richer -- and supplies troops with dirty
water.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


6)
http://green.yahoo.com/news/nm/20080310/hl_nm/pope_sins_dc.html
Vatican lists "new sins," including pollution
By Philip Pullella
Posted Mon Mar 10, 2008 6:00am PDT

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Thou shall not pollute the Earth. Thou shall beware
genetic manipulation. Modern times bring with them modern sins. So the Vatican
has told the faithful that they should be aware of "new" sins such as causing
environmental blight.
The guidance came at the weekend when Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti, the
Vatican's number two man in the sometimes murky area of sins and penance, spoke
of modern evils.

Asked what he believed were today's "new sins," he told the Vatican newspaper
L'Osservatore Romano that the greatest danger zone for the modern soul was the
largely uncharted world of bioethics.

"(Within bioethics) there are areas where we absolutely must denounce some
violations of the fundamental rights of human nature through experiments and
genetic manipulation whose outcome is difficult to predict and control," he
said.

The Vatican opposes stem cell research that involves destruction of embryos and
has warned against the prospect of human cloning.

Girotti, in an interview headlined "New Forms of Social Sin," also listed
"ecological" offences as modern evils.

In recent months, Pope Benedict has made several strong appeals for the
protection of the environment, saying issues such as climate change had become
gravely important for the entire human race.

Under Benedict and his predecessor John Paul, the Vatican has become
progressively "green."

It has installed photovoltaic cells on buildings to produce electricity and
hosted a scientific conference to discuss the ramifications of global warming
and climate change, widely blamed on human use of fossil fuels.

Girotti, who is number two in the Vatican "Apostolic Penitentiary," which deals
with matter of conscience, also listed drug trafficking and social and economic
injustices as modern sins.

But Girotti also bemoaned that fewer and fewer Catholics go to confession at
all.

He pointed to a study by Milan's Catholic University that showed that up to 60
percent of Catholic faithful in Italy stopped going to confession.

In the sacrament of Penance, Catholics confess their sins to a priest who
absolves them in God's name.

But the same study by the Catholic University showed that 30 percent of Italian
Catholics believed that there was no need for a priest to be God's intermediary
and 20 percent felt uncomfortable talking about their sins to another person.

(Editing by Keith Weir)


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


7)
http://green.yahoo.com/news/ap/20080310/ap_on_re_us/southern_baptists_environmen\
t.html
Southern Baptists fight climate change
By RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer
Posted Sun Mar 9, 2008 10:16pm PDT
NEW YORK - In a major shift, a group of Southern Baptist leaders said their
denomination has been "too timid" on environmental issues and has a biblical
duty to stop global warming.

The declaration, signed by the president of the Southern Baptist Convention
among others and released Monday, shows a growing urgency about climate change
even within groups that once dismissed claims of an overheating planet as a
liberal ruse. The conservative denomination has 16.3 million members and is the
largest Protestant group in the U.S.

The signers of "A Southern Baptist Declaration on the Environment and Climate
Change" acknowledged that not all Christians accept the science behind global
warming. They said they do not expect fellow believers to back any proposed
solutions that would violate Scripture, such as advocating population control
through abortion.

However, the leaders said that current evidence of global warming is
"substantial," and that the threat is too grave to wait for perfect knowledge
about whether, or how much, people contribute to the trend.

"We believe our current denominational resolutions and engagement with these
issues have often been too timid," according to the statement. "Our cautious
response to these issues in the face of mounting evidence may be seen by the
world as uncaring, reckless and ill-informed. We can do better."

No one speaks on behalf of all Southern Baptists, who leave decision-making to
local churches. Yet, the signatories represent some of the top figures in the
convention.

Among them are the denomination's president, the Rev. Frank Page of South
Carolina; two former presidents, the Rev. James Merritt of Georgia and the Rev.
Jack Graham of Texas; and the Rev. Ronnie Floyd of Arkansas, who helped
conservatives solidify control of the denomination in the 1970s and 1980s.

Also backing the effort are presidents of three prominent Baptist-affiliated
schools: David Dockery of Union University in Tennessee; Timothy George of
Samford University's Beeson Divinity School in Alabama; and Danny Akin of
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in North Carolina. More than 35 people
signed the statement.

Supporters plan to collect more signatures for the declaration through
baptistcreationcare.org and encourage congregations to advocate for
environmental protection.

Even before Monday's statement, religious activism on climate change had
broadened beyond just liberal-leaning churches. The 1993 "Evangelical
Declaration on the Care of Creation" became a guiding document for the
Evangelical Environmental Network. The Rev. Rich Cizik, Washington director of
the National Association of Evangelicals, became a prominent environmental
advocate, trying to persuade conservative Christians that global warming is
real. Polls of younger evangelicals found they considered environmental
protection a priority.

But many of the most conservative Christians, including some Southern Baptist
leaders, remained skeptical, and vigorously challenged evangelical
environmentalists.

The Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation, backed by James Dobson of
Focus on the Family and Charles Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship ministries,
among others, said that while conservation is important, some environmental
concerns "are without foundation or greatly exaggerated." Last year, Dobson and
other Christian conservatives unsuccessfully pressured the National Association
of Evangelicals to silence Cizik on the issue.

The last Southern Baptist statement on global warming came at the denomination's
2007 annual meeting, which approved a statement questioning the belief that
humans are largely to blame for climate change and warning that increased
regulation of greenhouse gases will hurt the poor.

Even so, Jonathan Merritt, a student at Southeastern Baptist Theological
Seminary, began rallying denominational leaders to take a different approach.
Merritt, 25, son of former convention president James Merritt, said a theology
class had inspired him.

His professor had compared destroying God's creation to "tearing a page out of
the Bible."

"That struck me. It broke me," the younger Merritt said in an interview, "and
that was the impetus that began a life change, a shift of perspective for me."

____

On the Net:

Southern Baptist Environment and Climate Initiative:
http://www.baptistcreationcare.org


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


8)
Gay Scientists Isolate Christian Gene
http://www.bilerico.com/2008/03/gay_scientists_isolate_christian_gene.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCzbNkyXO50


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


9)
from Australia ---
Chasers war on everything: Evangelicals
http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=15u6fHkICxc


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----



10)
Comment -- Nobody knows how to lie and bear false witness like a conservative
Republican.

--->

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/031008J.shtml
http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/120505162549970.x\
ml&coll=2

16,000 Republicans in Cuyahoga Crossed Over and Voted Democratic in Primary
     By Amanda Garrett
     Cleveland Plain Dealer
     Sunday 09 March 2008

     A staggering 16,000-plus Republicans in Cuyahoga County switched parties
when they voted in last week's primary.

     That includes 931 in Rocky River, 1,027 in Westlake and 1,142 in
Strongsville. More than a third of the Republicans in Solon and Bay Village
switched. Pepper Pike had the most dramatic change: just under half its
Republicans became Democrats. And some of those who changed - it's difficult to
say how many - could be in trouble with the law.

     At least one member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections wants to
investigate some Republicans who may have crossed party lines only to influence
which Democrat would face presumed Republican nominee John McCain in November.

     Those who crossed lines were supposed to sign a pledge card vowing
allegiance to their new party.

     In Cuyahoga County, dozens and dozens of Republicans scribbled addendums
onto their pledges as new Democrats:

     "For one day only."

     "I don't believe in abortion."

     A Plain Dealer review of thousands of records showed few of those who
switched were challenged by poll workers.

     Sandy McNair, a Democratic member of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections,
said Friday that the manipulation of the system was troublesome.

     "It's something that concerns me, that I think needs to be looked at
further," McNair said. "This is not a structural thing by the Republican Party.
If it's a problem at all, it's on an individual level."

     Lying on the pledge is a felony, punishable by six to 12 months in jail and
a $2,500 fine.

     Election watchers said they don't know any cases that have been prosecuted
in Ohio. And it's unlikely the Republican crossovers influenced the outcome
since Clinton handily defeated Barack Obama, said Edward Foley, an election-law
professor at Ohio State University.

                     [ Comment -- Foley must be a Republican to have made a
statement like that.  Or a stupid, naive Democrat.  If it happened in one
county, it probably happened in others. ]

     But he said Ohioans need to learn the rules governing their voting - and
poll workers need to enforce them.

     In a nutshell, here's how it's supposed to work: Ohio voters are allowed to
switch party affiliations on the day of a primary election but only if they sign
a pledge vowing to support their new party - and mean it.

     If a majority of poll workers at a precinct doubt a voter's sincerity, they
can challenge the voter even if the voter signed the pledge.

     In the days following the election, The Plain Dealer interviewed more than
two dozen voters - most of them Republicans who crossed over to Democrats last
week.

     None - including five who acknowledged lying about supporting the Democrats
- were challenged. And several said poll workers never asked them to sign a
pledge but gave them a Democratic ticket.

     A Movement Is Afoot...

     Some Republicans refer to it as "the plot."

     It started a few weeks ago when conservative radio powerhouse Rush Limbaugh
suggested that his Republican following cross over during the primary to vote
for Clinton. Clinton, Limbaugh argued, would be easier for McCain to beat in
November than Obama.

     Soon, local morning radio show host Bob Frantz echoed Limbaugh on WTAM
AM/1100, and the buzz began to grow.

     Cuyahoga County Republican Chairman Rob Frost tried to tamp down the
temptation. He contacted Republican voters and appeared on the Frantz show
urging Republicans "not to heed the siren call of Rush Limbaugh and others."

     "Elections are not something you should be playing games with," Frost said
last week during a telephone interview.

     Yet temptation was strong.

     North Ridgeville Republican Hazel Sferry said she was kicking herself all
day Tuesday after voting for McCain.

     Don't get her wrong. Sferry supports McCain.

     But after she voted, she ran into her niece who told her about "the plot."

     Her niece, Republican Sherry Newell, crossed over Tuesday after hearing
Limbaugh. Newell said she voted for Obama because she thought McCain had a
better chance against him.

     Regardless, Sferry said she thought it was a great idea to mess with the
other party if it helped McCain win.

     "I don't mind being deceptive to politicians," she said. "They are deceptive
to us."

     On Both Sides of the Cuyahoga

     On the other side of Cleveland, temptation to cross over was strong, too.

     Republican Kitty Anderson began working in voting precincts during the early
1960s, and Tuesday's turnout in the Republican stronghold of Chagrin Falls was
the largest she had ever seen.

     It also had the most crossover voting.

     Anderson, 76, and her husband, Donald, 78, served as poll workers on Tuesday
and both helped fellow Republicans change parties all day; when it was time for
them to vote, they crossed over, too.

     "We are both concerned about what Obama would do if he was president. We
don't trust him," Kitty Anderson said. "I have five grandchildren, and I keep
thinking I want this world to be safe for these kids. I don't feel good about
Obama. He just seems to be so vague." Come November, the Andersons said they'll
most likely vote for McCain.

     But not all of Chagrin Falls crossovers were motivated by the same things.

     John Baggett, 50, said there was no single thing that turned him against the
Republicans.

     Baggett, a former military man who describes himself as conservative, said
he believed the GOP has led the country in the wrong direction.

              [ Comment -- Yes, there are a few Republicans who may have seen the
light. Or extremely political savvy. ]

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

1)  Palm Sunday approaches
2)  Mike Jones still talking Haggard -- One-man show takes expose to stage
3)  http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/
4)  Ritual of Repentance -- The Post-Scandal Litany of New York Gov. Eliot
Spitzer Has Familiar Echoes
5)  Spitzer Bust Provides a Warning Regarding NSA Spying
6)  The Dutiful Political Wife
7)  Governor Spitzer is an Idiot (But he Shouldn't Reign)
8)  Spam and the neck tie

these two are linked ---
9)  Trailer for the new "creationist" propaganda film -- Expelled: No
Intelligence Allowed
10) Disinvited to a Screening, a Critic Ends Up in a Faith-Based Crossfire


1)
Palm Sunday approaches -- the church organist and soloist are getting ready for
--

"The Holy City" by F.E. Weatherly and Stephen Adams made famous by Jeannette
MacDonald in "San Francisco".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanette_MacDonald
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_(film)
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0531776/
http://www.netflix.com/Movie/San_Francisco/60010854?lnkctr=srchrd-sr&strkid=1203\
91469_0_0

Does anyone know of a four-part edition?  Maybe even the Tabernacle Choir will
sing it!
Hosanna in the Highest!
Forevermore.  Amen and Awomen.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------



2)
Rocky Mountain News

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/08/out-growth/

Mike Jones still talking Haggard
One-man show takes expose to stage
By Lisa Bornstein

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Mike Jones found the spotlight unexpected and a bit too bright in 2006 when he
brought down evangelical leader Ted Haggard.

Now he seems to have become accustomed to that spotlight. He'll stand alone
under it next week when he premieres his one-man show, Naked Before God:
Exposing the Hypocrisy of Ted Haggard.

"What's interesting about this play and this story and my life - it's not over
yet," says Jones. "The Haggard story isn't complete. With Matthew Murray (the
gunman at New Life Church in Colorado Springs), they found my book in his car.
Recently Ted Haggard has cut off all ties to the church, and he's going to start
talking again."

How does Jones know Haggard will talk?

"I just know. I've learned so much in a year and a half. I've been going with my
gut feeling on everything, and I've been right on everything."

Jones, now 50, was working as an unlicensed masseur and escort when he made the
decision to expose Haggard as a client who paid for sex. He made his decision,
he says, to show Haggard's hypocrisy as leader of a massive religious movement
who preached the damnation of gays while engaging in gay sex on the side (and
illegally).

Last summer, Jones retold the story, which made national news, in his book, I
Had To Say Something: The Art of Ted Haggard's Fall, currently No. 196,652 in
Amazon sales.

"I spent three years with him," Jones says of Haggard. "He was very nice. I
don't hate Ted Haggard, but what he did was so wrong, and he put me in a very
difficult position. When I'm outing Ted Haggard, I'm outing myself."

Jones was approached about creating the show by PoliMedia Entertainment, a
company in Palm Springs, Calif., that provided a writer to adapt the book and a
director to put together the 75-minute show.

So how much stage experience does Jones have?

"Basically about zero. I did a piece this last summer at the Boulder Fringe
Festival, Porridge. The guy came to my book-signing, and he was so overwhelmed
with my story that he actually wrote some monologues into this play and asked me
if I could do it."

He found that being onstage wasn't particularly intimidating, and the one-man
play - which PoliMedia hopes to tour around the West - gave him another
opportunity to tell his story.

"It gives me a chance for people who don't want to spend a lot of time reading
the book," Jones says. "It's much bigger than just the headline people saw in
the papers."

So what makes it theater and not just a speech? Because there's acting involved,
Jones says.

"I'm up there actually doing a performance. I actually go through and act out
some of the sequences of what I was going through. I just don't stand there and
just talk."

The show also provides some income for a man who saw his livelihood disappear.
Jones maintains that he was out of the sex business even when seeing Haggard.

"He begged me to keep him on, and I did," Jones says. "I was doing personal
training, I was modeling at different art schools around town, and I was also
doing massage."

These days, he's out of a job.

"That's why I'm doing this play. I made a little bit on the book, not a whole
lot. I'm barely making ends meet, to be honest with you."

When Jones stepped forward, he won a lot of good will for his bravery. Is he
worried that he may be squandering that with people who will think he's just
milking minor celebrity?

"I understand why people may think that, but I just want to say one thing: This
is the Mike Jones story. I have a story to tell, and a lot of people really
don't understand what went on."

And for each stranger who approved, there was a friend who didn't.

"There are some people who will never talk to me again as a result of this," he
says. "They hated the fact that, yes, there was the sex-worker part, they hated
the fact that, yes, there were some drugs involved. Some of them just strictly
don't like anybody outing anybody.

"And another part that happened was, there was a bit of jealousy that Mike Jones
was getting this attention. What I wish I could tell everybody is, maybe I have
been on all the news programs, but it isn't a glamorous lifestyle by any means.
I don't make money by doing those news appearances."

He's hoping he will with the play. Otherwise, his career opportunities are, to
put it nicely, undefined.

"I don't even know if I'm going to stay in Colorado. This is going to take me
around, I'm gonna meet a lot of people, and I'm hoping there might be a
possibility of a door opening for me somewhere along the line.

"I'm almost 51. It's not that easy just to say, 'Oh, I think I'll go to
college.' I'm not really sure. I'm a fourth-generation Coloradan, and it's going
to be tough if I do leave here. I just may need a whole new start as a result of
this."


bornsteinl@... or 303-954-5101


Naked Before God Exposing the Hypocrisy of Ted Haggard

* When and where: Opens Thursday, then 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays (through
March 22), Bug Theater, 3654 Navajo St.

* Cost: $25

* Information: 1-888-768-7469

-------------------------------------------


Naked B4 God
Exposing the Hypocrisy of Ted Haggard
performed by Mike Jones
http://www.polimediacommunications.com/naked_before_god.htm  photos of Mike

March 13 through 22, 2008
Bug Theatre
Denver

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


3)
http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


4)
Remember ---
Louisiana Republican Sen. David Vitter and wife Wendy Vitter
and
Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig and wife Suzanne Thompson


The Washington Post


Ritual of Repentance
The Post-Scandal Litany of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer Has Familiar Echoes

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/10/AR2008031003106.\
html?hpid=topnews

By Libby Copeland
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 11, 2008; C01



We are riveted, but why? Nearly every post-scandal news conference is like every
other. There's a script to these things, as we all know, and New York Gov. Eliot
Spitzer followed it to the letter yesterday in seeming to acknowledge his
involvement with a prostitute and apologizing for it.

He and his wife got up onstage, they stood close, he took responsibility, he
took no questions. We've seen all this before, but across America, people
watched for the panic, the angst, the teary eyes and, most of all, for that
moment of clarity when Silda Wall Spitzer might rear back and slug her husband
in the jaw.

That, of course, didn't happen. It never does. The post-scandal news conference,
by its formulaic nature, attempts to project order and control in the messiest
of public moments. If you hit all the right lines, you can at least contain the
damage.

We test the crisis-management script.

First, we watch the news conference. There's Spitzer, with his wife by his side.
He says, "I want to briefly address a private matter." Then he expresses remorse
(albeit vaguely) and promises to "dedicate some time to regain the trust of my
family."

Then, we call Mark Geragos, the high-profile criminal defense attorney, who --
as it happens -- has not actually seen the news conference. He proceeds to
describe the news conference that he has not seen.

"You've got to have the dutiful wife and you have to have the 'it's a private
matter,' " Geragos says. "And remorse for the past and plans for the future."

Whoa.

"If you've seen one, you've seen 'em all," Geragos says.

How strange that so many of us watch when we already know what will happen. And
as we watch, random thoughts emerge: Did Silda Spitzer know when she got dressed
this morning what she was dressing for? And did he change his tie from blue to a
bold red, knowing that this image of him would be indelible? How do you dress
for a scandal?

And what about that last line?

"I will report back to you in short order," Spitzer said at the end of the news
conference, like he was closing a business deal and just needed to check some
numbers, like he was completely in control of the situation.

The post-scandal news conference is all about control. The husband and wife must
present a united front, which is why the wife has to be there, as Dina McGreevey
was when New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey announced an affair with another man, and
as Suzanne Craig was when Idaho Sen. Larry Craig denied allegations of
soliciting a man for sex in an airport bathroom, and as Wendy Vitter was when
Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, accused of involvement with a prostitute,
apologized for his "very serious sin."

"If you don't have the spouse with you, the signal sent is one of abject
debauchery and guilt," says Eric Dezenhall, a crisis management consultant.
"When the wife or the family is with you, that suggests, well, somebody close to
this person loves them and thinks they're worthwhile."

The cynic might say that the audience for these news conferences is engaging in
schadenfreude, that we watch such dramas because we are bad, bad people. But a
kinder truth is that we watch others to learn about ourselves. We are always
amazed to find that high-profile people's lives are as troubled as our own, or
even more so. And it's not joy we feel, but a certain a-ha of recognition. They
are fallible, after all.

We wonder about hypocrisy, and the political sphere's unending capacity for it.
We wonder about the difference between appearances and reality -- the difference
between the crusading attorney-general-turned-governor and his alleged private
crookedness.

And we wonder about grace, too. What tranquil space do wronged spouses visit in
their mind's eyes during these news conferences? Do they all go to the same
grassy field?

We have questions upon questions. We wonder what we will know tomorrow.

Because if this scandal follows the script of so many others before it, there
will be more revelations in days to come.

--------

Lots of comments at the URL.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


5)
http://www.opednews.com

March 11, 2008 at 10:05:14
Headlined on 3/11/08:
Spitzer Bust Provides a Warning Regarding NSA Spying

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_dave_lin_080311_spitzer_bust_provide.htm

By Dave Lindorff
         I have no sympathy for New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the hot-shot
prosecutor of call-girl operations who was hoist on his own petard, as it were.
I mean, what a jerk! And aside from the hypocrisy, what a fine message he was
sending to his three teenage daughters about the role of women.

       Having said that, Spitzer's bust should give pause to those in Congress
who are ready to hand President Bush a free pass to continue his six-year
campaign of warrantless spying on Americans.

        We now know from yesterday's Wall Street Journal article that the spying
Bush has been doing through the National Security Agency since early 2001 has
included vast computer sweeps of not just internet and phone activity, but also
bank and credit card transactions. These are sweeps of ordinary everyday people,
with computers looking for odd transactions, or for codewords, or for
transactions involving specific targeted organizations or addresses.

        What nailed Spitzer, we now learn, was a series of bank transactions he
had with the bank account of the Emperor's Club VIP callgirl operation.

        Now reportedly, this particular investigation was being conducted by the
IRS, which allegedly was investigating the Emperor's Club. Once the IRS
discovered it had caught the New York governor in its web, it forwarded the case
to the US Attorney General's Office, where it was pursued by the FBI, apparently
on the instructions of AG Michael Mukasey. The investigation moved from
monitoring the bank to monitoring phones, and Spitzer was captured talking to
the Emperor's Club dispatcher. Bingo. Promising Democratic political career
ruined.

       Now the monitoring of the Emperor's Club was reportedly done with a
court-ordered warrant. That's fine.

       But this case shows us how people can get caught up by this kind of
investigation really quickly.

       Now imagine that instead of a call-girl operation, this had been a mosque
or an international charity organization, and suppose you were someone who had
made a call to ask about making donations to help the victims of the last
earthquake in Indonesia? If that mosque, or charity, happened to be on the list
of outfits being monitored by the NSA's computers, your call might well have
been picked up. Then the focus would shift to your phone and your internet
server, and conceivably every communication you made would be watched.

       This is the America we now live in. According to the Wall Street Journal,
after a wave of national outrage forced the Bush administration to shut down its
Total Information Awareness project at the Pentagon, Bush and Cheney simply
moved their scheme to subject all telecommunications and bank transactions to
computer monitoring over to the NSA.

       Since none of this spying activity is subject to court supervision and
warrant requirements, we are left having to trust the personnel at the NSA, the
so-called Justice Department, and the president and his administration, not to
abuse it.

        Right. And think of the temptations!

        Want to know what the House leadership strategy is regarding renewal of
the NSA wiretap authorization? Want to know whether the Congress is serious
about imposing a time limit on troops in Iraq? Just start monitoring their
emails and phones.


       Want to make sure Democratic members of Congress go along with a war on
Iran? Just monitor their phones and emails and catch them in conversations that
are suitable for a little blackmail.

       Is this kind of thing happening? Well, I keep marvelling at the cowardly
behavior of leading members of Congress like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House
Judiciary Chair John Conyers. Maybe something is being held over their heads.

       We know that the prosecution and conviction of former Alabama Gov. Don
Siegelman was an administration hit on a popular Democratic official. Siegelman
is now in jail. Ditto Wisconsin state employee Georgia Thompson. These blatant
political prosecutions certainly weigh on the minds of all Democratic elected
officials.

      Who, after all, is safe in this kind of environment, where the Bill of
Rights has been set aside?

       Spitzer, who no doubt made use of phone taps himself in his day, and who
was ruthless as New York's attorney general in bringing down many of his own
targets, may well deserve what he is getting. But the way he was ensnared, via
the secret monitoring of a bank's activity, and via phone taps, should put us
all on guard.

       With that kind of power, unchecked in the hands of an intensely political
administration, it's almost a certainty that it is being used and used
inappropriately for political ends.

----------------

http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
Dave Lindorff, a columnist for Counterpunch, is author of several recent books
("This Can't Be Happening! Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy"
and "Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Penalty Case of Mumia
Abu-Jamal"). His latest book, coauthored with Barbara Olshanshky, is "The Case
for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from
Office (St. Martin's Press, May 2006). His writing is available at
http://www.thiscantbehappening.net

Contact Author

Contact Editor

View Other Articles by Author


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-------


6)
The Dutiful Political Wife

http://gawker.com/366099/the-dutiful-political-wife

Dear Silda Wall Spitzer,

So. Today was awkward, huh? Your husband of 20 years cheated on you with a
prostitute. A high class prostitute, sure, but still someone he paid money to
for sex. And for a woman like you, a Harvard trained lawyer who never wanted to
be a political wife anyway, standing silently by while your husband sort of
apologized for cheating must have taken everything you had. We want you to know,
it's okay to be mad.
In this age when everyone, or at least half of everyone, is divorced, we accept
that marriages are complex institutions that no one knows how to operate. We're
used to political marriages falling apart. But what we're sick of is political
wives pretending everything is okay.

Remember how Dina McGreevey seemed not to mind that her husband was a
philanderer fag at the first press conference? That strategy didn't really work,
because it turns out, she really did care quite a bit. And back in the Gennifer
Flowers era, Hillary Clinton also did the stand-by-your man routine, and
defended Bill on 60 Minutes. It was the first of many lies the Clintons would
tell us about their marriage. Suzanne Thompson, Larry Craig's wife, is still
playing make-believe, but we know the tell-all book will be out by the time
Larry Craig leaves the Senate. The thing is, holding your husband's hand and
embracing him after the press conference is sort of like popping a pimple. It
might give off short term satisfaction, but ultimately, it will create a scar.

In our own way, we're sort of pissed at Eliot Spitzer, too. We thought he was
better than the rest of New York politicians. Like, you, we may be able to
forgive him over time. But for our sake, don't act like everything is all right,
because between you and him, and the State of New York and him, it's just not.

XOXO,
Gawker

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-------


7)
Governor Spitzer is an Idiot (But he Shouldn't Reign)

http://gawker.com/366044/governor-spitzer-is-an-idiot-but-he-shouldnt-resign

With Eliot Spitzer's announcement today that he was a client of a recently
busted prostitution ring, and the speculation on his resignation flying, it's
probably safe to say that his Governorship will not, in the end, be remembered
as the glorious flowering of a new and reformed Albany. How the hell did it ever
come to this? And, uh, are we the only ones who think he shouldn't resign?
Back when Spitzer was a crusading Attorney General, he was maybe the most
respected and beloved man in New York politics, especially by the sort of New
York City residents who both ignore Albany politics and are exhaustingly cynical
about New York politicians (this is the Bloomberg electorate). But how could we
not love our tough-talking liberal fighter? He seemed as happy in a scrap as
mean old Giuliani, but unlike Giuliani, he went after the fucking banks, not
modern artists and ferret-owners.

Spitzer waged high-profile campaigns against AIG and investment banks and even
anti-abortion "crisis pregnancy centers." He was the great hope of reform in
Albany and he won his gubernatorial election in a landslide. With his reputation
the way it is today, it's hard to remember how much he was beloved back then.
The Daily News even wrote a story on how to deal with your straight man-crush on
him.

Then he was suddenly the Governor of New York and everything went to hell for
him. He immediately came up against a state assembly full of life-long gridlock
enthusiasts who refused to change the way they did business and hated newcomers.
They frustrated him, and the real Spitzer emerged. He's an angry asshole, it
turns out, who doesn't play well with others. The fact that starry-eyed New
Yorkers hadn't noticed this when he was "crusading" (i.e. expanding the purview
of his former office to take on high-profile cases that endeared him to said
starry-eyed New Yorkers) says more about them than him.

30 days into his Governorship, Spitzer said to Assembly Minority Leader James
Tedisco, "I'm a fucking steamroller, and I'll roll over you and anybody else."
That remark, immediately and widely reported in the tabloids, proved to be as
utterly untrue as it was impolitic. Spitzer has accomplished nothing but the
creation of bullshit scandals (gold star to the first commenter who can
succinctly explain STATE TROOPERGATE, in a way that actually makes it seem
worthy of a "-gate" suffix). All of these things, from the Steamroller comment
to the flap over his plan to give licenses to illegal immigrants, were the mark
of a man who, it turned out, was not actually all that good at politics. But
this? The hooker thing? The mark of a man who's a fucking idiot.

As AG, Spitzer had prosecuted prostitution rings. He knows, especially with the
classy ones, that the client lists are well-maintained, and they get out,
eventually. So to head down to DC and hook up with a whore the night before a
CNBC appearance (at 7 a.m.!) and a Congressional appearance is the height of
abject stupidity. D.C. is quite boring, in Eliot's defense, but still.

Now he's maybe retiring, and everything in Albany will return to normal, and the
Democrats probably won't pick up that Senate seat they need to secure a majority
and force reform bills through. But you know what? We think he should stick
around. Not even just to piss off Joe Bruno.

2010 is a long, long, long ways away, especially in politics, and especially in
New York politics. If he doesn't resign, he can redeem himself (after the storm
of boring moralizing bullshit that is sure to follow). How long could it be
before the golden boy long since brought down to size would be able to recast
himself as a changed, meeker man, human as everyone else, and enjoy a quiet
resurgence in the polls? And Jesus, what better way is there to get everyone to
forget the bullshit of his first year in office than this? Doesn't he see?
Getting caught up in a high-class prostitution ring could've saved Spitzer's
legacy!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


8)

Among the spam messages that I receive, this one caught my eye ---

Limited Time Clearance Sale - Quality neck Ties - starting at $3.99

It's amazing that this
noose-tied-around-a-man's-neck-pointing-straight-down-to-his-penis remains rock
hard as a symbol of western prestige.

Amazing.  Worn by politicians, preachers, and other well paid male prostitutes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----


9)
Trailer for the new "creationist" propaganda film ---
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV8sN1UngFY


Ben Stein's Expelled: upcoming creationist propaganda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrY7WmbWSn8&feature=related


Comment ---
"Intelligent Design", also known as "creationism", is rightwing Christian
theological mythology dogma.
Homophobia and creationism are tightly linked -- belief in fairy tales.
Their goal is to make their belief system the law of the land.
Believe or die.
Sounds like the Middle East.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
---


10)
Comment --
This was found in the Business section.  I wonder why it wasn't in the media
section like all other reviews.

--->

New York Times
Tuesday, March 10, 2008

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/business/media/10stein.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/10/business/media/10stein.html?pagewanted=print

Media Talk
Disinvited to a Screening, a Critic Ends Up in a Faith-Based Crossfire
By JOHN METCALFE
Shortly before he was to attend a screening in January of the documentary
"Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed," which is about alternatives to the theory
of evolution, Roger Moore, a film critic for The Orlando Sentinel, learned that
his invitation had been revoked by the film's marketers.

"Well, you already invited me," he recalled thinking at the time. "I'm going to
go."

So Mr. Moore traveled to a local megachurch and planted himself among a large
group of pastors to watch the movie. In it, Ben Stein, the actor and economist
(and regular contributor to The New York Times) interviews scientists and
teachers who say that Darwinism gets too much emphasis in the classroom and that
proponents of the theory of intelligent design are treated unfairly.

There were nondisclosure agreements to sign that day, but Mr. Moore did not, and
proceeded to write perhaps the harshest review "Expelled" has received thus far.
The film will open April 18, but has been screened several times privately for
religious audiences. Mr. Moore deplored what he perceived as "loaded images,
loaded rhetoric, few if any facts" and accused Mr. Stein of using a "Holocaust
denier's" tactics.

Which, of course, was exactly the reaction the moviemakers were hoping to avoid
by keeping mainstream critics out.

Mr. Stein said in a telephone interview that he had not read Mr. Moore's review,
but that "being compared with a Holocaust denier is nonsense," adding, "This guy
is extremely confused." He said he decided to participate in the project because
"there's just a lot of people who don't believe that big science and Darwinism
should have a stranglehold on academic life, and they have been waiting for a
voice."

Paul Lauer, head of Motive Marketing, which is handling publicity for the film,
said that critics were not invited mostly because the film was not polished
enough for professional scrutiny. He said that his company, which also marketed
the 2004 film, "The Passion of the Christ," is reaching out to conservative
leaders.

For example, Mr. Lauer said, Mr. Stein personally showed "Expelled" to James
Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, which has a big following among
right-wing Christians. (Mr. Dobson gave the film a thumbs-up.)

The film, which takes a position on intelligent design shared by President Bush,
has also been shown at California Baptist University and the Dallas Theological
Seminary. Glowing reviews have popped up on AnswersInGenesis.org, whose co-chief
executive, Ken Ham, founded the Creation Museum, and in The American Spectator,
whose senior editor, Tom Bethell, said that the movie evoked "tears of joy."

Mr. Lauer said the marketing strategy was "about finding and serving people with
deep-seated motivations" and then hoping those people would talk up the movie to
their friends. The general media will be invited to screenings in early April,
he said.

Logan Craft, executive producer of "Expelled" and chief of Premise Media, said
he thought Mr. Moore had been wrong to attend the screening after being
disinvited, but both he and Mr. Lauer denied any involvement in an online "media
alert" that purported to be from a backer of the film. The alert accused Mr.
Moore of posing as a minister to gain admission, calling his actions a "security
breach." Mr. Moore said he never represented himself as other than a reporter.

After Mr. Moore's review, Mr. Stein commented, "Oh well. This will probably
happen a lot more times."

----------

Comment --
1)  Following my comment above, on the other hand, megachurches should be
treated like they are -- a business.
2)  Nobody knows how to lie and bear false witness like a conservative
religionist.

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

James comment ---
A prime lesson learned from the New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer affair is that he
would never have gotten caught if it had not been for 9-11 and The Patriot Act. 
We now have big bother government watching just about every electronic thing you
do as predicted by George Orwell.

NEWS today ---
1)  lots more on Rep. Sally Kern and husband Pastor Steve
2)  Sally Kern - Ellen DeGeneres' response
3)  more on Gay Iranian teen loses asylum appeal -- with historical youtube
4)  Fury at bishop's gay 'persecution' claim
5)  Episcopal Church Votes to Oust Bishop Who Seceded
6)  U.S.: Resignation doesn't mean Iran war


1)
Word has it that Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern recently changed her homepage,
eliminating mention
of her two grown sons.  Apparently one of them is gay and she has disowned him. 
What would you expect from a Baptist preacher, "Dr. Kern", and his well trained
wife?

http://www.okhouse.gov/Committees/Member.aspx?MemberID=87

Can anyone confirm this information about her son?  He needs to be on TV.

The Kerns, doctor pastor preacher and dutiful wife, make quite a team for Olivet
Baptist Church.
http://www.olivetbaptistokc.com/
1201 NW 10th St
Oklahoma City, OK 73106

"The End of Your Search

       for a Friendly Church"

Letter from the Pastor ---

Welcome to our Olivet Baptist Church web-site. Let me tell you a little about
our church, and then I want to share some things about myself and my philosophy
of ministry. First, Olivet was established in 1910 as a mission of First Baptist
Church of Oklahoma City. Since her beginning, Olivet has been a leader in the
community and our state as a church committed to preaching the Word of God,
winning the lost to Jesus, discipling new Christians, and providing ministries
to meet the needs of those around her. Olivet is a caring church that reaches
out in every way we can to touch lives with the love of Christ. As you browse
through our various web-pages, I believe you will see that Olivet is a leader in
going the second mile in ministry.
   At Olivet, we believe prayer is the most important thing we can do as a
church. We know our power comes from God in answer to our prayers. The presence
and power of God is the only hope of our church, and prayer is our major focus
to claim that presence and power. That is why our Wednesday evening service is
called Power Time; it is a time when prayer is the major emphasis. We also have
an intercessory prayer ministry and a prayer chain ministry to keep all we do
bathed in prayer.
   As the pastor of Olivet, my philosophy of ministry is rooted in servant
leadership. I believe that as the Lord's under-shepherd, I am to represent Him
for who He really is, and the Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ came to
serve. I also believe a pastor is to be a role model of the things he preaches.
I do not ask our people to do anything I am not willing to do myself. I believe
a pastor wins the right to lead as he shows himself to be trustworthy to follow.
Leadership is about character, integrity, and personal sacrifice. Without these.
pastoral leadership is wood, hay, and stubble.
   I thank you for looking into Olivet Baptist Church. Feel free to call and let
me answer any questions you might have. I would be glad to enroll you in my next
Life Development class where you can learn all you want to know about our church
history, organization, doctrine, and how to become a member. Come visit us at
one of our services. I look forward to meeting you.

Your servant,

Dr. Steve Kern

------------

What is unusual about Dr. Kern is his biography on the church staff page. 
Unusual in that there is no mention of wife or children.  An absence that is
quite noticeable, especially for a "political activist" pastor of a large
Baptist church.

Dr. Steve Kern - Pastor

Dr. Steve Kern has been pastoring for twenty-six years. He has pastored at
Olivet since March of 1996. He has a bachelors degree in psychology and
sociology from Palm Beach Atlantic College in West Palm Beach, Florida; a master
of divinity and a doctor of ministry from Southwestern Baptist Theological
Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He likes to be referred to as Brother Steve or
Pastor Steve. Pastor Steve is committed to the creation biblical worldview and
believes the Bible to be the inspired, infallible, inerrant word of God. Our
pastor is committed to evangelism, community service, doing practical ministries
as a church, and being personally accessible to his church, and is a political
activist. Brother Steve believes we as the church are to be salt and light in
the present and for eternity.

------------

http://www.olivetbaptistokc.com/news1.html



THE PASTOR'S HEART.

  Jack and Phyllis Poe (chaplains to our police)



Wow! What a service we had Sunday. My wife, Sally,was attacked this weekend by
hundreds of pro-homosexual e-mails from all over the world in response to quotes
that were published on U-Tube, a pro-gay website. The e-mails after 3 days have
risen to 3000. Much of the messages are filled with filth and hate. One such
e-mail said, "You should have been aborted before you were born."  I told the
people about the situation and then preached a message on having God dwell
amongst by following Paul's instructions in Philippians 4:1-9. During our prayer
time in the middle of the service, Jack and Phyllis Poe (chaplains to our
police) came up to the choir and hugged Sally and prayed for her. Sally is their
state representative. At the end of the services SterlingArntzen had Sally and I
sit on the front pew so the people could surround us and pray. Gary Pound, our
deacon chairman lead the prayer. It was a beautiful time.

     After the service, Sally and I went to lunch with the Poes. They told us an
amazing thing. They knew nothing about what was happening to Sally when they
came to worship at Olivet. They just felt a strong urging of the Lord to attend.
After hearing what was happening to Sally they knew  and we knew the Lord had
sent them to lift Sally up. It was a confirmation to us all that God is doing
something and is working in our behalf. It was obviously one of those "God
things" we refer to at times. The church praying for us was a tremendous up
lifting experience as well.

------------

Philippians 4:1-9  (King James version)
1 Therefore, my brethren dearly beloved and longed for, my joy and crown, so
stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved.
2 I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the
Lord.
3 And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with
me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose
names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in
me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


2)
VIDEO: Ellen Jabs Back At Okla. Lawmaker
Sally Kern - Ellen DeGeneres' response
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBzTWcTwJJM

------------

http://www.koco.com/video/15579782/index.html

KOCO-TV
Oklahoma City OK
Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Ellen Show Jabs Back At Okla. Lawmaker

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern's recent anti-gay remarks are
spurring a national controversy, leading one talk-show host to jab right back.

On Wednesday's airing of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," which can be seen on KOCO-5
at 9 a.m. each weekday, DeGeneres tried to call Kern's office.

After several rings, there was no answer.

"She's busy. It seems that she's getting some voice mails," DeGeneres said.
"I'll leave a message right here in case she's watching. 'Um, Hi. It's Ellen
DeGeneres ... the gay one.'"

Wednesday's episode was taped on Tuesday, show representatives told KOCO.

Kern's statements bashing homosexuals were posted on YouTube earlier this week.
They were recorded during a public meeting and posted on the video-sharing Web
site YouTube.com on Friday by the Washington, D.C.-based Gay & Lesbian Victory
Fund.

Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry said he was disappointed in Kern's comments, noting
that he believes public officials should "cool the rhetoric."

"Think before you speak," the governor said. "Oklahomans have love and tolerance
for all people."

Kern told a political group that the gay agenda poses a bigger threat to the
U.S. than terrorism and "is just destroying this nation," an OSBI spokeswoman
said Tuesday.

However, the Republican's comments have netted possible death threats, which are
being investigated by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

OSBI agents met with Kern at the state Capitol Monday afternoon after she
received thousands of e-mails and telephone calls from people reacting to her
comments.

"I'm not gay-bashing. But according to God's word that is not the right kind of
lifestyle," Kern said in the recorded comments.

"Studies show no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more
than a few decades," she said. "It is not a lifestyle that is good for this
nation."

Kern said a few of the e-mails she received supported her comments but that most
condemned them and some contained death threats and obscenities.

"I hear what you said and you should be killed...," said one e-mail.

"You honestly think that homosexuality is a greater threat than terrorism?" said
another. "How someone as petulant and vile as yourself got elected to office, I
will never understand."

A spokeswoman for OSBI, Jessica Brown, said three agents are investigating the
threatening e-mails to determine their source and determine whether the threat
is genuine.

"We're poring over thousands of e-mails," Brown said. "You have to pick out the
ones that are threatening and the ones that are harassing."

"We have to work through them and then track them down through various
investigative means and try to determine their intent and then take it to the
district attorney," she said.

When asked Tuesday whether she was concerned about her safety, Kern said: "You
need to talk to the OSBI."

Kern has said her recorded comments were taken out of context and were directed
at wealthy, politically active gays who support gay and lesbian candidates for
public office in Oklahoma and other states.

"I was talking about an agenda. I was not talking about individuals," said Kern,
the wife of a Baptist minister. "They have the right to choose that lifestyle.
They do not have the right to force it down our throat."

"I have never said hate speech against anybody. I would never do that," she
said.

Kern's comments were condemned by various groups including the Human Rights
Campaign, the nation's largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil
rights organization. The Victory Fund said Kern's comments had received more
than 530,000 hits on YouTube.

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, said the group does not
condone threats that have been directed at Kern.

"We're not standing by anybody who is making any kinds of threats against her,"
Wolfe said.

But he said Kern needs to understand that her words have outraged thousands of
people.

"We can have a political dialogue without that kind of speech," he said.
"There's no way you can get away from those kinds of comments."

In a letter to Kern, Wolfe said her words could have real-life consequences.

"What you said is not OK, but that's not because most sensible people disagree
with it," Wolfe said. "It's because your words give aid and comfort to those who
would hurt, maim and even kill people who are different from you.

"The point of the Victory Fund's releasing your speech was to draw attention to
the fact that even elected leaders like you are saying some nasty and
potentially dangerous things about your fellow citizens," he said. "Our mission
is to elect people to counter your hate and bigotry with honesty and courage."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


Rep. Sally Kern speaks
http://youtube.com/watch?v=tFxk7glmMbo


http://www.okhouse.gov/Committees/Member.aspx?MemberID=87

       Rep. Kern, Sally
       District 84
       Republican
       Committees
       Social Services, Chair
       Education Committee
       Common Education
       Human Services Committee

       District Information
       View District Map
       Term Limited
       2016
       Biographical Information
       PERSONAL:
       Sally was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas on November 27, 1946. She is married
to Dr. Steve Kern, pastor of Olivet Baptist Church.
       EDUCATION:
       B.A., Sociology, University of Texas, 1971
       Teacher Certification in Social Studies with an emphasis in Government,
East Texas State University, 1986
       PROFESSION:
       Teacher
       ORGANIZATIONS:
       Member, Olivet Baptist Church
       Member, Northwest Chamber of Commerce
       Member, Heart and Hand, non-profit ministry organization
       Member, American Legislative Exchange Council
       Member, Eagle Forum
       Member, Frontier Country Republican Women and Tri-City Republican Women's
Clubs



------------

James comments ---
Make no mistake about it, Sally Kern will get re-elected.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


3)
Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni
executed July 19, 2005
Mashad, Iran
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dgsZYA1mPY
Here's a video that contains more pics, including the ones of the cage that the
boys were kept in as they awaited execution and the crowd heckled. The pics
begin at about 2:30. The footage before that is an overview of laws stipulating
death for homosexuals from various Arab and Muslim countries. Note two things:
(1) the primitive and intentionally ineffective hanging technique that was used
to prolong the boys' suffering (2) the gigantic crowd that watched it all.

References:
* Video: There are no gays in Iran, says Ahmadinejad [Hot Air]
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/24/video-there-are-no-gays-in-iran-says-ahmad\
inejad/

* Columbia Students Applaud and Cheer Ahmadinejad [LGF]
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=27195_Columbia_Students_Applaud_an\
d_Cheer_Ahmadinejad&only


------------


Gay Iranian teen loses asylum appeal
March 11, 2008
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/11/iran.asylum/

   a.. Story Highlights
   b.. Iranian teenager loses appeal to remain in the Netherlands
   c.. 19-year-old had sought asylum in UK but is to be sent home
   d.. Mehdi Kazemi says he will face persecution in his homeland

(CNN) -- The Netherlands has rejected an asylum plea by a gay Iranian teenager
trying to escape possible persecution in his homeland.

Mehdi Kazemi, 19, had originally sought asylum in Britain, where he was taking
classes on a student visa, because, he said, his boyfriend had been executed in
Iran after saying he and Kazemi had been in a gay relationship. Britain's Home
Office rejected his request, prompting Kazemi to flee to Netherlands.

Tuesday's decision by the Council of State -- the highest administrative court
in the Netherlands --means Kazemi could face deportation to Britain, which he
fears will send him back to Iran.

Council spokeswoman Daniela Tempelman said the council decided it must comply
with the Dublin Regulation and return Kazemi to Britain. Watch how teenager has
lost his right to remain. »

Under the Dublin Regulation, European Union member nations agree that an
application for asylum submitted in any EU country would be handled by that
country alone. The regulation seeks to ensures that an asylum seeker is not
redirected from nation to nation simply because none will take responsibility.

Kazemi's initial appeal for asylum in the Netherlands, made in October, was
rejected. He then appealed unsuccessfully to a regional court in December. His
last appeal was to the Council of State in January.

Tempelman said that in order for the Dutch court to consider Kazemi's asylum
application, he needed to prove that Britain did not handle his asylum
application properly, but he wasn't able to prove any wrongdoing on the part of
the British government.

Kazemi now has exhausted his chances for appeal in the Netherlands and,
according to Tempelman, could be returned to Britain on a short notice. The
British government about six months ago accepted the Dutch request to take him
back.

Kazemi's lawyer will have the option of taking his case to the European Court of
Human Rights to request an "interim measure" that could allow Kazemi to stay in
Europe until further notice.

"If anybody signs his deportation papers and says, look, he's got to be deported
to Iran, that means they have signed his death sentence," said Kazemi's uncle
Saeed, who asked CNN to withhold his last name over safety concerns.

Gay rights activists in Europe and Iran are also researching Kazemi's case.

"When Britain is prepared to send a young man back to possible execution, that
is inhumanity on a monumental scale," said Peter Tatchell, an activist for gay
campaign group OutRage. "And I hang my head in shame, as a British citizen."

In a written statement, Britain's Home Office said that even though
homosexuality is illegal in Iran and homosexuals do experience discrimination,
it does not believe that homosexuals are routinely persecuted purely on the
basis of their sexuality.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


4)
James comment --
Looks like Benny the 16th has his minions out doing heavy duty ---

--->

The Scotsman
Thursday 13 March 2008

http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Catholic-bishop--hits-out.3872740.jp 
picture at URL
Catholic bishop hits out at 'gay conspiracy' to destroy Christianity
By TRISTAN STEWART-ROBERTSON

ONE of Scotland's most senior Catholics has launched an attack on the "gay
lobby" in Scotland, claiming there is a "huge and well-orchestrated conspiracy"
against Christian values.
The Rt Rev Joseph Devine, Bishop of Motherwell and president of the Catholic
Education Commission, said gay rights organisations aligned themselves with
minority groups, such as Holocaust survivors, to project an "image of a group of
people under persecution".

He warned that the gay lobby - which he labelled "the opposition" - had mounted
"a giant conspiracy" to shape public policy.

He singled out the actor Sir Ian McKellen, who was given a New Year honour for
services to gay rights, pointing out that Oscar Wilde was locked up only a
century ago for homosexual acts. The bishop said he would "not tolerate" the
"behaviour" of a child struggling to come to terms with his or her
homosexuality. Last night his views were attacked by gay rights groups, which
branded them "unChristian" and "deeply out of step" with the views of ordinary
Scots.

In the fourth of the Gonzaga Lectures held at St Aloysius' College in Glasgow on
Tuesday, Bishop Devine said: "The homosexual lobby has been extremely effective
in aligning itself with minority groups.

"It is ever-present at the service each year for the Holocaust memorial, as if
to create for themselves the image of a group of people under persecution. We
neglect the gay movement at our peril.

"I want to ask you if you are able to see the giant conspiracy that's taking
place before our eyes, even if we didn't see it at the time. I take it you're
beginning to see that there is a huge and well-orchestrated conspiracy taking
place, which the Catholic community missed."

He went on: "In this New Year's honours list, I saw actor Ian McKellen being
honoured for his work on behalf of homosexuals, when a century ago Oscar Wilde
was locked up and put in jail. "It's a very small group of people, but very
active and organised - and extremely indulgent. The opposition know exactly what
they're doing. We don't."

Calum Irving, the director of Stonewall Scotland, said the bishop was "deluded",
pointing out that the Catholic Church had much greater wealth and political
influence than the gay rights lobby. He said: "So Bishop Devine has decided it's
time to have a go at lesbian and gay people again.

"I'm flattered that the bishop thinks we could mount a 'huge and
well-orchestrated' conspiracy, but he is much deluded. After all, which 'lobby'
really has the greater resources and political access?

"Such a continued attack on gay people is distinctly unChristian and deeply out
of step with the views of most Scots today. There is no war on Christianity -
just the bishop's own fevered paranoia.

"I would defend the bishop's right to practise his faith and yet he would deny
me basic dignity and respect. Worse, he appears to hanker after an age when
Oscar Wilde was put in jail for being gay. Worse still, he seems to infer that
gay people have no right to be remembered as victims of the Holocaust."

After Bishop Devine's lecture, entitled Sectarianism and Secularism: Bugbears
for the Catholic Church in Scotland, one audience member asked how Catholic
parents should "come to terms with a child's mission to become homosexual".

The bishop replied: "This must be a nightmare moment for any parent. There are
many days when I'm glad to not be a parent. I would try to handle it with a
degree of compassion, but I would not tolerate (it]."

Bishop Devine also cited the battles over Clause 28, legalising civil
partnerships and same-sex adoption.

He said prominence had been given to the "supreme moral values of liberty and
equality" replacing "truth and goodness" as supreme moral values.

Bishop Devine continued: "It was bound to result in state-sponsored morality at
war with Christian values. We must resist being corrupted by secularism."

Asked about how Christians could influence politics, he commented: "It was once
thought that the Labour Party was a Christian democratic party. Sadly, it's not
that anymore. Certainly in terms of leadership, the SNP are much more responsive
to us."

He vowed to fight on against the "forces of secularism". He concluded his
lecture stating: "Like Mel Gibson, who said, 'I'm going to pick a fight', so am
I."

A Holocaust Memorial Day Trust spokeswoman said: "Holocaust Memorial Day is
about remembering all victims: be they Jewish, gypsy, gay or lesbian.

"The day is also about learning the lessons from the past, encouraging society
to tackle all forms of prejudice, such as antisemitism, racism and homophobia."

A spokeswoman for Sir Ian McKellen said the actor was out of the country and
unavailable for comment.

OUTSPOKEN CHURCHMAN

THE Rt Rev Joseph Devine is no stranger to controversy.

Last year, he dealt a blow to Labour's hopes in the Holyrood elections by saying
he would not be voting for the party on religious grounds, as it had a "morality
devoid of any Christian principles".

He had previously branded the Labour administration as "moral vandals" and
"politically correct zealots".

The year before, he became embroiled in a row with other senior figures in the
Catholic Church after condemning the actions of a senior Church aide who, he
claimed, had failed to express opposition to plans to let gay couples adopt.

In an unprecedented move, the Church's two most senior clerics, Cardinal Keith
O'Brien and Archbishop Mario Conti, moved publicly to rebuff Bishop Devine by
releasing a public statement backing the aide.

Previously, he became personally involved in a row with Jack McConnell, the
former first minister, over plans for mixed-faith, joint-campus schools in
Lanarkshire.


The full article contains 962 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.

------------

followed by lots of comments at the URL

------------

see also The Herald, London, 13 March 2008
Fury at bishop's gay 'persecution' claim
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2115192.0.Fury_at_bishops_gay_p\
ersecution_claim.php

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


5)
New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/us/13bishop.html

March 13, 2008
Episcopal Church Votes to Oust Bishop Who Seceded
By NEELA BANERJEE
The Episcopal Church moved to remove the bishop of the San Joaquin Diocese in
California on Wednesday, in reaction to the diocese's unprecedented decision
late last year to secede from the church over theological issues.

The bishop, John-David Schofield, is the first bishop to face such action as a
result of the disputes over the church's stance on homosexuality.

At its semiannual meeting, in Texas, the church's House of Bishops voted "to
consent to the deposition from the ordained ministry" of Bishop Schofield.

The vote and the events leading to it underscore the discord tearing at the
Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion, of which the church is
the American branch, since the church ordained the Rev. V. Gene Robinson, a gay
man in a long-term relationship, as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003.

In December, Bishop Schofield presided over a vote by his diocese, in the
Central Valley of California, to split with the Episcopal Church and align
itself with the Province of the Southern Cone, which is in South America.

After the vote, the Episcopal Church's leadership said Bishop Schofield would
have a few months to change his mind and the course of his diocese, which had
about 8,800 members before the December vote. The bishop held to his position
but later resigned from the church's House of Bishops. The vote to remove him
said he had "repudiated the doctrine, discipline and worship of the Episcopal
Church."

Bishops have been deposed in the past, including one four years ago for
financial impropriety, said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the
chief pastor of the Episcopal Church. But experts said the church and dissident
dioceses were treading new ground as those dioceses weigh leaving the church for
another part of the 77-million-member global Communion.

"I have not abandoned the faith," Bishop Schofield said in an e-mail statement.
"It is the leadership of the Episcopal Church that is treating itself as a
separate and unique church. They may do so, but they ought not expect everyone
to follow teaching that serves only to undermine the authority of the Bible and
ultimately leads to lifestyles that are destructive."

Traditionalists at home and abroad assert that the Bible describes homosexuality
as an abomination, and they consider the Episcopal Church's ordination of Bishop
Robinson as the latest and most galling proof of its rejection of biblical
authority.

In the last four years, the Anglican Communion, the world's third-largest
Christian body, has edged closer to fracture over the issue. In the United
States, several dozen individual congregations out of nearly 7,700 have split
with the Episcopal Church. But the San Joaquin vote was the first time an entire
diocese chose to secede. About three-quarters of San Joaquin's 47 parishes have
followed the bishop. Those Episcopalians who remained are working with the
church's leadership to reconstitute the diocese with a new bishop.

Experts on the church said the deposing of Bishop Schofield had set the stage
for the next phase of the conflict, which would most likely be lawsuits over
diocesan and parish property.

The Rev. Ephraim Radner, a leading Episcopal conservative and professor of
historical theology at Wycliffe College in Toronto, echoed other experts when he
said the removal of Bishop Schofield would send a message to others considering
a split with the church. Two other bishops have been warned not to proceed with
votes to secede. Episcopal bishops denied, however, that the vote to depose the
bishop was "punitive."

"I don't think we are sending messages but dealing with matters at hand," Bishop
Suffragan Catherine S. Roskam of New York said in a conference call. "We have
dealt with it with sober conversation, dealt with it prayerfully and even
regretfully."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


6)
U.S.: Resignation doesn't mean Iran war
March 12, 2008
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/03/12/miedast.fallon/index.html?iref=top\
news

   a.. Story Highlights
   b.. Pentagon: Resignation of Mideast military chief does not mean war with
Iran
   c.. Esquire magazine portrayed Adm. William Fallon as resisting pressure for
war
   d.. Fallon had said U.S. must exhaust diplomatic options in disputes with Iran
   e.. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he accepts the resignation with regret
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has dismissed as
"ridiculous" any suggestion that the resignation of America's military chief in
the Middle East signals the United States is planning to go to war with Iran.

Adm. William Fallon resigned Tuesday as chief of U.S. forces in the Middle East
and Central Asia after just a year in the post, citing what he called an
inaccurate perception that he is at odds with the Bush administration over Iran.

Fallon, the head of U.S. Central Command, was the subject of a recent Esquire
magazine profile that portrayed him as resisting pressure for military action
against Iran, which the Bush administration accuses of trying to develop nuclear
weapons.

In a written statement, Fallon said the article's "disrespect for the president"
and "resulting embarrassment" had become a distraction. Watch why some believe
Fallon was forced to resign »

"Although I don't believe there have ever been any differences about the
objectives of our policy in the Central Command area of responsibility, the
simple perception that there is makes it difficult for me to effectively serve
America's interests there," Fallon said.

In Washington, Defense Secretary Gates told reporters at the Pentagon he
accepted Fallon's resignation "with reluctance and regret."

But, he added, "I think it's the right decision."

"Admiral Fallon reached this difficult decision entirely on his own. I believe
it was the right thing to do, even though I do not believe there are in fact
significant differences between his views and administration policy," Gates
said.

Gates said repeatedly that he believed talk of Fallon opposing President George
W. Bush on military action against Iran was mistaken.

Fallon, a 41-year veteran of the Navy, took over as chief of Central Command in
early 2007. Gates said he will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, his
deputy, who commanded an Army division in Iraq in the early days of the war and
led efforts to train the Iraqi military.

The perception that Fallon has opposed a drive toward military action against
Iran from within the Bush administration dates to his confirmation hearings in
January 2007, when he told the Senate the United States needed to exhaust all
diplomatic options in its disputes with the Islamic republic.

But he also has said the United States would be able to take steps if Tehran
were to attempt to block the Strait of Hormuz, the outlet of the Persian Gulf
and a choke point for much of the world's oil.

And he recently told CNN that the United States was looking for a peaceful
settlement to disputes "in every case."

"We're trying to encourage dialogue and find resolution," he said. "In fact,
that's our message to the Iranians out here, given that everybody is nervous and
anxious about their activities, is to come forth and explain what they are doing
with all the people in the region."

On Tuesday, Gates said: "We have tried between us to put this misperception
behind us over a period of months and, frankly, just have not been successful in
doing so."

In a written statement, Bush praised Fallon for helping "ensure that America's
military forces are ready to meet the threats of an often troubled region of the
world.

"He deserves considerable credit for progress that has been made there,
especially in Iraq and Afghanistan."

But Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Fallon's resignation
showed that independent views "are not welcomed in this administration."

"It is also a sign that the administration is blind to the growing costs and
consequences of the Iraq war, which has so damaged America's security interests
in the Middle East and beyond," said Reid, D-Nevada. "Democrats will continue to
examine these matters very closely in the coming weeks and months."

CNN's Kyra Phillips and Barbara Starr contributed to this report.

------------

James comments ---
Until these clowns realize that they are part of the problem, and that RELIGION
is the root of the problem -- or the excuse for continuing the problem --
nothing is going to be resolved.

The future does not look good.

Praise Jesus and Allah.  Who's got the best guns?  Who knows how to use them the
best?  Who knows how to ambush the best?  Who knows how to lie and bear false
witness the best?

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

1)  Letter to Sally Kern release to the public
2)  No Censure For Ok GOP Lawmaker Homophobic Remarks
3)  Reprieve for gay Iranian who fears he will be killed
4)  Dr. Death Runs For Congress
5)  House closes its doors for spying bill
6)  Bush's Last Fans -- The Evangelical Right, the Facilitators of War and a
Sadly Diminished McCain
7)  Protests turn violent in Tibetan capital
8)  Unraveling Common Travel Myths


EXTRA fun ---
The Mississippi Squirrel Revival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NsdF_sk7fQ


1)
Oklahoma Representative, Sally Kern, in a resent meeting
with some of her constituents, equated homosexuality with
terrorism and malignant cancer. She was recorded saying that
"Homosexuality is a bigger threat to our nation than
terrorism or Islam." She continued that  "According
to God words, it is not the right kind of lifestyle..Gays
are infiltrating city councils.. It's deadly and its spreading,
and it will destroy our young people, and it will destroy
this nation."

A letter to Sally Kern from a senior in high school in Oklahoma

Today my nephew attempted to deliver a letter to Sally Kern but was stopped
by a highway patrol man. With his permission I am distributing the letter to
all news stations and thought I would include it here.

Maybe we can all stand to learn a listen from this smart, loving, young man.
He more than most has reason to hate. He lost his mother, my sister, in the
Murrah Building bombing.

Elizabeth


Rep Kern:
On April 19, 1995, in Oklahoma City a terrorist detonated a bomb that killed
my mother and 167 others. 19 children died that day. Had I not had the
chicken pox that day, the body count would've likely have included one more.
Over 800 other Oklahomans were injured that day and many of those still
suffer through their permanent wounds.

That terrorist was neither a homosexual or was he involved in Islam. He was
an extremist Christian forcing his views through a body count. He held his
beliefs and made those who didn't live up to them pay with their lives.

As you were not a resident of Oklahoma on that day, it could be explained
why you so carelessly chose words saying that the homosexual agenda is worst
than terrorism. I can most certainly tell you through my own experience that
is not true. I am sure there are many people in your voting district that
laid a loved one to death after the terrorist attack on Oklahoma City. I
kind of doubt you'll find one of them that will agree with you.

I was five years old when my mother died. I remember what a beautiful, wise,
and remarkable woman she was. I miss her. Your harsh words and misguided
beliefs brought me to tears, because you told me that my mother's killer was
a better person than a group of people that are seeking safety and tolerance
for themselves.

As someone left motherless and victimized by terrorists, I say to you very
clearly you are absolutely wrong.

You represent a district in Oklahoma City and you very coldly express a lack
of love, sympathy or understanding for what they've been through. Can I ask
if you might have chosen wiser words were you a real Oklahoman that was here
to share the suffering with Oklahoma City? Might your heart be a bit less
cold had you been around to see the small bodies of children being pulled
out of rubble and carried away by weeping firemen?

I've spent 12 years in Oklahoma public schools and never once have I had
anyone try to force a gay agenda on me. I have seen, however, many gay
students beat up and there's never a day in school that has went by when I
haven't heard the word **** slung at someone. I've been called gay slurs
many times and they hurt and I am not even gay so I can just imagine how a
real gay person feels. You were a school teacher and you have seen those
things too. How could you care so little about the suffering of some of your
students?

Let me tell you the result of your words in my school. Every openly gay and
suspected gay in the school were having to walk together Monday for
protection. They looked scared. They've already experienced enough hate and
now your words gave other students even more motivation to sneer at them and
call them names. Afterall, you are a teacher and a lawmaker, many young
people have taken your words to heart. That happens when you assume a role
of responsibility in your community. I seriously think before this week ends
that some kids here will be going home bruised and bloody because of what
you said.

I wish you could've met my mom. Maybe she could've guided you in how a real
Christian should be acting and speaking.

I have not had a mother for nearly 13 years now and wonder if there were
fewer people like you around, people with more love and tolerance in their
hearts instead of strife, if my mom would be here to watch me graduate from
high school this spring. Now she won't be there. So I'll be packing my
things and leaving Oklahoma to go to college elsewhere and one day be a
writer and I have no intentions to ever return here. I have no doubt that
people like you will incite crazy people to build more bombs and kill more
people again. I don't want to be here for that. I just can't go through that
again.

You may just see me as a kid, but let me try to teach you something. The old
saying is sticks and stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt
you. Well, your words hurt me. Your words disrespected the memory of my mom.
Your words can cause others to pick up sticks and stones and hurt others.

Sincerely

Tucker

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


2)
No Censure For Ok GOP Lawmaker Homophobic Remarks
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
Posted: March 12, 2008 - 5:00 pm ET

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/03/031208ok.htm

(Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) Oklahoma state Republicans are refusing to condemn
Rep. Sally Kern (R) for saying gays are more dangerous than terrorists.
Pressure has been mounting on lawmakers to censure Kern for her remarks after
they were posted on YouTube.

Kern made the remarks in a speech to a small gathering but did not know they
were being recorded.  The tape fell into the hands of The Gay and Lesbian
Victory Fund which then posted it on the video sharing site. (story)

In the speech Kern said gays have become more dangerous to the American way of
life than terrorists.

"The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation; it's just a fact," Kern went
on to say in the speech.

"I'm not gay bashing, but according to God's word that is not the right kind of
lifestyle," she said. "It has deadly consequences."

Kern then declared that "Studies show that no society that has totally embraced
homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades."

Thousands of emails have flooded into the state mailboxes of lawmakers demanding
an apology but House Speaker Chris Benge (R) tells the Oklahoman newspaper that
he has no plans to punish Kern.

Democrats want a House committee to investigate the remarks to determine if a
censure is warranted. Benge says no. "We're not putting a committee together,
no," he told the Oklahoman.

Asked by the paper if Kern's remarks represent the House GOP caucus Benge said,
"Each member has their own opinion, there's no way that I can say whether that
reflects the rest of the Republican caucus or not."

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is examining many of the
emails that were sent to Kern and other lawmakers to see if they broke the law.

A number of the emails reportedly threatened Kern with death.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


3)
The Times, London
March 14, 2008
Reprieve for gay Iranian who fears he will be killed
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article3549376.ece

Richard Ford and Rajeev Syal
A gay Iranian teenager is to be allowed to stay in Britain because his case is
now so notorious that it would be dangerous to deport him to Tehran.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, granted Mehdi Kazemi a temporary reprieve
yesterday as she announced that his case would be reconsidered when he returns
from the Netherlands. In reality, the case of Mr Kazemi has now received so much
publicity in Europe that if he were sent back to Iran, there would be a real
risk of him facing persecution.

Ms Smith intervened after receiving representations from MPs and peers alarmed
that Mr Kazemi, 19, could face execution if returned to his homeland. In a
statement, Ms Smith said: "Following representations made on behalf of Mehdi
Kazemi, and in the light of new circumstances since the original decision was
made, I have decided that Mr Kazemi's case should be reconsidered on his return
to the UK from the Netherlands."

Borg Palm, Mr Kazemi's solicitor in the Netherlands, welcomed the news but said
that it would give his client a future only if he was granted asylum.

"He is very much afraid of being allowed to stay in Britain but without being
granted official permission. That would then put him in a no man's land. He
would be very unhappy in the long term."

A relative of Mr Kazemi, who lives in London but asked not to be named, told The
Times that the teenager would be relieved.

"It has been a long time coming and a very long struggle," he said. "What I do
not understand is why the Government got itself into this mess in the first
place. It should always have recognised that gay people are killed for being
themselves in Iran."

Mr Kazemi came to London to do A levels in 2005. He applied for asylum in 2006
after discovering his ex-boyfriend had been charged in Iran with sodomy, the
police wished to question him about their relationship and his father had cut
him out of the family.

After his asylum application had been refused, he left Britain for the Czech
Republic, and tried to fly to Canada but was caught using a false passport. He
eventually arrived in the Netherlands last year and tried to apply for asylum
for a second time.

In a letter to Jacqui Smith, Mr Kazemi wrote: "I did not come to the UK to claim
asylum. I came here to study and return to my country. But . . . my situation
has changed. The Iranian authorities have found out that I am a homosexual and
they are looking for me. I cannot stop my attraction towards men . . . I was
born with the feeling and cannot change this fact . . . If I return to Iran I
will be arrested and executed."

His case will be re-examined by Home Office officials who will base their
decision on guidance issued last year, after his 2006 application was turned
down.

It states: "Where an individual claimant demonstrates that their homosexual acts
have brought them to the attention of the authorities to the extent that on
return to Iran they will face a real risk of punishment, which will be so harsh
as to amount to persecution, s/he should be granted refugee status as a member
of a particular social group.

"In addition gay rights activists that have come to the attention of the
authorities face a real risk of persecution and should be granted asylum as a
result of their political opinion". The Home Office said that Ms Smith's
decision to order a review was based on the particular circumstances of the
case.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


4)
Dr. Death Runs For Congress
by The Associated Press
Posted: March 13, 2008 - 8:00 am ET

http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/03/031308death.htm

(Washington) Assisted-suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian plans to run for Congress,
complicating a Michigan race that is expected to be among the most competitive
in the nation.
The so-called "Dr. Death," who was released from prison last year and remains on
parole, will run as a candidate with no party affiliation for a congressional
seat representing Detroit's suburbs, an associate said.

"Jack is in great spirits, and he intends to do this. He just hopes for some
honesty in government," said Ruth Holmes, Kevorkian's longtime jury consultant.

Kevorkian plans to focus on prison reform and bringing integrity to the
government, Holmes said. She said the retired pathologist was not available for
an interview and would make a formal announcement next week.

Kevorkian told The Oakland Press of Pontiac, Mich., which first reported his
plans on Wednesday, that his campaign was in a "formative stage" and that he was
running because "we need some honesty and sincerity instead of corrupt
government in Washington."

Holmes said Kevorkian would need to collect 3,000 signatures by mid-July to be
placed on the ballot. "That will be very easy for Jack," she predicted.

The Oakland County seat currently is held by Republican Rep. Joe Knollenberg,
who is being challenged by Democrat Gary Peters, a former state lottery
commissioner who has been highly touted by national party leaders.

Knollenberg, who first was elected in 1992, defeated Democrat Nancy Skinner in
2006 with 51.5 percent of the vote despite outspending her by about 7-to-1.
Democrats have targeted the seat.

Both campaigns downplayed Kevorkian's potential role in the race.

Mike Brownfield, Knollenberg's campaign manager, said Kevorkian's campaign
"doesn't affect Joe Knollenberg at all. He's going to keep getting things done
for Oakland County's families."

Peters spokeswoman Julie Petrick said "anybody has the right to run" but said
their campaign was "one of the top races in the country as far as viability and
our ability to win here."

While serving in the state Senate, Peters proposed legislation to allow voters
to decide whether to make physician-assisted suicide legal for terminally ill
patients. The ballot proposal was rejected in 1998, the same year Michigan's law
banning assisted suicide took effect.

Oakland County Prosecutor Dave Gorcyca, whose office was responsible for sending
Kevorkian to prison, said it was "probably more of a publicity stunt."

"To call attention to himself is standard protocol for Jack when he doesn't have
the limelight focused on him. I would not consider his candidacy to be a
legitimate one," said Gorcyca.

But Craig Ruff, a senior policy fellow at the Lansing, Mich.-based Public Sector
Consultants, said Kevorkian "could play the Nader in this district, denying
Peters the seat."

Ruff referenced the 2000 campaign of Ralph Nader, whom many Democrats consider a
spoiler for siphoning votes from Al Gore in his razor-thin loss to George W.
Bush in Florida.

Ruff said few Republicans would support Kevorkian because of his views on
euthanasia but predicted he could pick up a few thousand votes from some
Democrats and independents, enough to potentially affect the outcome.

Kevorkian, 79, claims to have helped at least 130 people die from 1990 until
1998 - the year he was charged in the death of Thomas Youk, a 52-year-old
Oakland County man with Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian has promised not to help
in any other assisted suicides and could go back to prison if he did.

He was released from prison in June 2007 after serving the minimum of his 10- to
25-year sentence for second-degree murder in Youk's death. He spent eight years
and 2 1/2 months behind bars after earning time off for good behavior.

To serve in Congress, the Constitution requires someone to be 25 years old, a
U.S. citizen for seven years and to reside in the state they would represent,
but it does not prevent a convicted felon from seeking office.

House ethics rules say members who have been convicted of a crime while in
office that leads to at least a 2-year sentence should not vote or participate
in committee work. But it says a lawmaker's privileges are reinstated if the
member is found innocent or re-elected after the conviction.

Kelly Chesney, a spokeswoman for the Michigan secretary of state's office, said
state election law only governs legislative and state offices and there is
nothing that would prevent Kevorkian from running for federal office.

Michigan allows convicted felons to vote once they've served their sentence.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


5)
House closes its doors for spying bill

By PAMELA HESS, Associated Press Writer
Friday morning 14 March 2008

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080314/ap_on_go_co/terrorist_surveillance

The House held an unusual closed-door session to talk about classified
intelligence gathering in anticipation of a vote Friday on a warrantless
eavesdropping bill.

The Democratic bill would set rules for the government's surveillance of phone
calls and e-mails. President Bush has vowed to veto it.

The president's main objection is that the bill does not protect from lawsuits
telecommunications companies that allowed the government to eavesdrop on their
customers without permission from a court after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist
attacks.

House Republicans succeeded Thursday in delaying the vote by one day by
requesting a rare, late-night closed session of Congress to discuss the bill. It
was the first secret session of the House in a quarter century.

The last such session was in 1983, on U.S. support for paramilitary operations
in Nicaragua. Only five closed sessions have taken place in the House since
1825.

Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas said she didn't believe any minds
were changed on the bill but that the session allowed views to be exchanged.

"We couldn't have gone more of an extra mile to make sure we're doing the best
for national security," she told The Associated Press.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan, the top Republican on the House Intelligence
Committee, said in an interview that he read aloud the titles - but not details
- of intelligence reports "that shows the nature of the global threat and how
dynamic the situation is, and how fluid."

Bush and congressional Republicans want the House to adopt the Senate version of
the legislation, which provides a legal shield for telecom companies.

About 40 lawsuits have been filed against telecommunications companies by people
and organizations alleging the companies violated wiretapping and privacy laws.
The lawsuits have been combined and are pending before a single federal judge in
California.

The Democrats' measure would encourage the judge to review in private the secret
government documents underpinning the program to decide whether the companies
acted lawfully.

The administration has prevented those documents from being revealed, even to a
judge, by invoking the state secrets privilege. That puts the companies in a
bind because they are unable to defend themselves in suits that allege they
violated wiretapping and privacy laws.

The surveillance law is intended to help the government pursue suspected
terrorists by making it easier to eavesdrop on foreign phone calls and e-mails
that pass through the United States. A temporary law expired Feb. 16 before
Congress was able to produce a replacement bill. Bush opposed an extension of
the temporary law as a means to pressure Congress into accepting the Senate
version of the surveillance legislation.

Bush and most Capitol Hill Republicans say the lawsuits are damaging national
security and unfairly punish telecommunications companies for helping the
government in a time of war.

------------

House passes new surveillance bill -- Bush vows veto
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/terrorist_surveillance
Friday afternoon 14 March 2008

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


6)
Bush's Last Fans -- The Evangelical Right, the Facilitators of War and a Sadly
Diminished McCain

Bush's Last Fans -- The Evangelical Right, the Facilitators of War and a Sadly
Diminished McCain
Frank Schaeffer

Posted March 13, 2008 | 10:15 AM (EST)


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/bushs-last-fans-the-e_b_91266.html
President Bush was on my old stomping grounds this week. Back in the early 1980s
I was also the keynote speaker at the NRB (National Religious Broadcaster's)
convention.

According to the New York Times, (March 12, 2008):

   President Bush delivered a rousing defense of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
on Tuesday, mixing faith and foreign policy as he told a group of Christian
broadcasters that his policies in the region were predicated on the beliefs
that, freedom was a God-given right and 'every human being bears the image of
our maker...' Calling freedom a 'precious gift,' Mr. Bush said: 'The liberty we
value is not ours alone. Freedom is not America's gift to the world; it is God's
gift to all humanity.' His words were punctuated by shouts of 'Amen.'
When I spoke to the NRB I was introduced by Pat Robertson. I delivered a rousing
take-back-America-from-the-godless-humanists speech. I was cheered too. I spoke
shortly before I quit working as a "Professional Christian." I didn't quit as
soon as I should have, because you can lose your faith and still pretend,
because there are bills to be paid, because you are booked up for a year,
because this is what you do.
I finally got out of the evangelical movement in 1985 when I belatedly outgrew
my fundamentalist background. I wanted to be a writer, not of religious
propaganda but of actual books. I also quit because I had slowly woken up to the
fact that the religious right I was in bed with -- because my late father
Francis Schaeffer was one of their leaders, and in the nepotistic evangelical
tradition I followed in his footsteps -- were not conservatives. They were
anti-American agitators for a thinly disguised theocracy.

On the same day as the NRB/Bush story quoted above was published the Times also
happened to report that William J. Fallon, the commander of American forces in
the Middle East whose outspoken public statements on Iran and other issues put
him at odds with the Bush administration, is retiring early. Admiral Fallon
upset the Bush administration with comments that according to the Times;
"emphasized diplomacy over conflict in dealing with Iran, that endorsed further
troop withdrawals from Iraq beyond those already under way and that suggested
the United States had taken its eye off the military mission in Afghanistan." A
senior administration official said that Fallon's comments, "left the perception
he had a different foreign policy than the president."

As he has for the last eight years Bush disregards the advice of his military
leaders when they don't agree with him. (Disclosure: My son volunteered for the
Marines in 1999 and served in Bush's wars so this is personal.) As if answering
admiral Fallon In his NRB speech Bush said; "The decision to remove Saddam
Hussein was the right decision... It is the right decision at this point in my
presidency, and it will forever be the right decision."

These days most Americans would have booed Bush's statement, but not the right
wing evangelicals at the religious broadcasters convention.

Don't get me wrong, not all evangelicals support Bush. For instance I have
plenty of emails from evangelicals glad I'm rooting for Senator Obama. And I
could write pages about all the good things evangelicals are doing around the
world, often in places no one else will go. But there are still lots of
evangelicals willing to believe Bush's lies. The broadcasters greeted him so
enthusiastically that he laughed and called them, "kind of a rambunctious
crowd."

The rest of us, including many moderate Christians, aren't laughing. We know
that we've had eight years of failed Republican/Bush misrule-by-fear that's
produced a war in Iraq without end, and that risks losing the war in
Afghanistan, and that has given us an American president instigating -- and even
defending -- torture.

After he was cheered Bush returned the favor. He praised the broadcasters and
promised to veto any legislation that would reinstitute the so-called "fairness
doctrine," which once required broadcasters to give air time to opposing views.
Bush has also done what he can to slow a congressional investigations into the
larceny that typifies the many "successful" religious broadcasters with their
"nonprofit" twenty-thousand square foot homes, jets and fleets of luxury cars.

After Bush what next for the Republicans? McCain is also beholden to the right
wing evangelicals. In fact he's courting them. He has to in order to win. A big
man is becoming as small as his party's base.

Bill Buckley -- who opposed the war in Iraq and called it foolish -- is dead and
so is the thoughtful conservative movement he recreated out of the bitter ruins
of a bigoted dying 1950s-60s conservatism. Buckley pushed back against the right
wing ideologues of his day, such as the John Birch society. By comparison those
old Bircher anti-Communists were paragons of reason when juxtaposed to the
broadcasters wildly cheering the failed president.

The irony is that the people McCain is appeasing these days in order to "unite"
his party, are the same people who in 2000, spread (and believed) the racist
nonsense about his black adopted child being illegitimate etc. The people he
must suck up to now undid his candidacy then.

The sad truth is that the 2000 election was McCain's moment. The right wing
evangelicals (and the Republican establishment) handed the presidency to Bush
and the rest is history. Now McCain's moment has past, swept away by a river of
needlessly shed blood and by the politics of fear.

Any group that--post-Iraq five years on, and post-our failure to secure
Afghanistan six years on -- is still being willingly influenced by the likes of
the religious broadcasters such as James Dobson etc., along with their secular
fellow travelers such as Rush Limbaugh, William Kristol, Ann Coulter and the
rest of the proponents of global war without end, should be beyond the pale. Any
candidate that must cater to the fundamentalists (some of whom belong to the
National Religious Broadcasters) who are saying that Barack Obama is a Muslim
and/or that he might even be the Antichrist! -- should be repudiated. This is
the company that McCain now must keep.

Independent voters, moderate evangelicals, other religious believers and
nonbelievers, Democratic Party members and authentically conservative
Republicans must work to make sure that either McCain stands up to the
evangelical right or that he loses. It's long past time that McCain's old
enemies and now his new "friends" -- inherited from Bush, and otherwise known as
the "Republican base"--are sent packing.

The rest of us have a job to do: undoing the damage done to our country by the
born-again president whose miserable presidency was brought into existence by
and aided and abetted by the religious right. Barring some unlikely radical
reform of the Republican Party before November, the best thing that could happen
to the Republican Party is to lose. Then they might have a chance to repent and
change.

The lesson is this: 4000 American war dead, 40,000 wounded, countless killed
Iraqis and our country in hock to the Chinese (and other lenders) tells us that
next time the religious right likes a presidential candidate vote for the other
guy. And if you hear those religious broadcasters cheering be afraid, be very
afraid.

Frank Schaeffer is a writer and author of "CRAZY FOR GOD-How I Grew Up As One Of
The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost
All) Of It

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


7)
Protests turn violent in Tibetan capital

By TINI TRAN, Associated Press Writer
Friday morning 14 March 2008

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080314/ap_on_re_as/china_tibet

Protests led by Buddhist monks against Chinese rule in Tibet turned violent
Friday, with shops and vehicles torched and gunshots echoing through the streets
of the ancient capital, Lhasa. A radio report said two people had been killed.

The European Union called on China to show restraint and Washington said Beijing
needed to respect Tibetan culture. Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai
Lama, appealed to China not to use force against protesters.

The Dalai Lama called on the Chinese leadership to "address the long-simmering
resentment of the Tibetan people through dialogue with the Tibetan people. I
also urge my fellow Tibetans not to resort to violence."

The largest demonstrations in nearly two decades against Beijing's 57-year-rule
over Tibet began Monday, coming at a critically sensitive time for China as it
attempts to portray a unified and prosperous nation ahead of the Beijing Olympic
Games in August.

The demonstrations turned violent Friday when witnesses reported hearing gunfire
and seeing vehicles in flames in the city's main shopping district in the center
of Lhasa. Crowds hurled rocks at security forces and at restaurant and hotel
windows.

Radio Free Asia, which is funded by the U.S. government, quoted witnesses as
saying two bodies were seen lying on the ground in the Barkor area, a shopping
district in the old city where the protests have been centered.

The protests that began on Monday's anniversary of a 1959 uprising against
Chinese rule were initially led by hundreds of Buddhist monks, but also
attracted large numbers of ordinary Tibetans.

They were spreading to Tibetan areas outside Lhasa, a city of about 250,000
permanent residents, not including large numbers of soldiers and members of
China's paramilitary People's Armed Police.

A Western traveler told BBC World television that police had attacked monks near
monasteries and said he saw military convoys moving into Lhasa carrying heavily
armed troops.

Photographs taken by camera phone and forwarded to journalists by the Indian
branch of Students for a Free Tibet showed an apparently peaceful protest march
staged Friday in Xiahe, a traditionally Tibetan corner of the western Chinese
province of Gansu.

The pictures showed robed monks - some displaying the banned Tibetan national
flag - and lay people marching along a main street. Security forces with riot
helmets and shields lined the way, but there was no indication of clashes.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------

8)
Unraveling Common Travel Myths
Forbes Traveler
By Peter Greenberg
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-22269573;_ylc=X3oDMTIwOW1uY3B2BFNlYwNmcC10b2\
RheW1vZARTbGsDdHJhdmVsbXl0aHMtMjAwOC0wMy0xNARfUwMyNzE2MTQ5BF9zAzI3MTk0ODE-
. If you use your cellphone, the plane will crash.
. Cruise ships are all-inclusive.
. If you rent a car with a credit card, you don't need additional insurance.
. Taking the train in Europe is cheaper than flying.
. Recirculated cabin air on planes will make you sick.
. X-ray machines at airport security checkpoints can erase your computer's hard
drive.
. Your hotel card key can be used to steal your identity.

click on the URL for answers

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

1)  What would Jesus say?  Maybe not what this Scottish bishop said.
2)  America keeps experiencing sex scandals in large part because ....
3)  Obama denounces pastor's 9/11 comments
4)  The Cult of the Suicide Bomber
5)  'No link between Saddam and al-Qaeda'
6)  Okla. pol's screed vs. gays sparks furor


1)
World View -- San Francisco Chronicle Blog
entry for Friday, March 14, 2008
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=15  (pictures at URL)
About the author -- Edward M. Gomez, a former U.S. diplomat and staff reporter
at TIME, has lived and worked in the U.S. and overseas, and speaks several
languages. He has written for The New York Times, the Japan Times and the
International Herald Tribune.
What would Jesus say? Maybe not what this Scottish bishop said.
In Scotland, there's a man in a long, black dress (note to fashionistas:
technically, a robe) and a cute pink belt, like a ribbon on a box of luscious
bonbons, who also boasts naturally rouged cheeks that no make-up need
accentuate. As one of the Roman Catholic Church's main men in Scotland, this
Bishop of Motherwell, Joseph Devine, is supposed to go around preaching
compassion and love. Instead, representing the uglier side of an institution
that has become well-known for its reputation for the sexual abuse of children,
the Right Reverend Devine, as he is gloriously called, this week offered the
world a message of unbridled bigotry and hate.

Delivering a lecture in Glasgow, Devine referred to the Nazi horrors of World
War II and said: "The homosexual lobby has been extremely effective in aligning
itself with minority groups....It is ever-present at the service each year for
the Holocaust memorial - as if to create for themselves the image of a group of
people under persecution." Devine went on to say: "We neglect the gay movement
at our peril. Issues around sexuality are powerful factors in shaping public
policy....I want to ask you if you are able to see the giant conspiracy that's
taking place before our eyes, even if we didn't see it at the time....I take it
you're beginning to see that there is a huge and well-orchestrated conspiracy
taking place, which the Catholic community completely missed." (Daily Record;
see also the Telegraph)

What should parents do if their child informs them that he or she is homosexual?
The bishop replied: "This must be a nightmare moment for any parent....I would
try to handle it with a degree of compassion....But I would not tolerate that
kind of behavior. I would not condemn but I would not tolerate it."

After his remarks were reported by the media, Devine stood by what he had said.
He stated: "These groups are defending their position, I am defending mine...It
is all about a lifestyle alien to the Christian tradition. There is a giant
conspiracy against Christian values, an agenda here." A spokesman for the bishop
stated: "Anything which attacks the sanctity of marriage and the family will be
opposed by the church." (Times)

The Times reports that the head of the U.K. 's Holocaust Memorial Day Trust,
referring to Devine's remarks, "said it was important to remember all the
victims of the Holocaust, 'be they Jewish, disabled, gay or lesbian people.'"
That organization's leader also noted that the day it honors "is also about
learning the lessons of the past to encourage society to tackle all forms of
prejudice, including anti-Semitism, racism and homophobia."

In Scotland, John Hein, the publisher of ScotsGay magazine, said of Devine's
remarks: "This is just what you would expect from the Catholic Church....To
suggest that gay people would go to a Holocaust memorial just to try to gain
some kind of public support is ridiculous....People attend these events because
they want to give their support and out of compassion for people who suffered
under the Nazis....The bishop seems to have forgotten that the Nazis persecuted
gay people as well." (Daily Record)

A reader of the Scotsman, penning a letter to its editors, wrote: "Anyone
concerned for social justice in Scotland should take Bishop Joseph Devine's
latest hate speech...as a spur to keep fighting for honesty, fairness and truth
in the politics of this country....The bishop's baseless, hysterical attacks on
gay people are evidence of the Catholic Church's failure to deliver moral
leadership to its flock. Condemning children who are growing up realizing they
are gay is not moral leadership, it is child abuse....If our government has any
ambitions for social justice, now is the time for it to stand up to the Catholic
Church and say, 'No more.'"

Calum Irving, the director of Stonewall Scotland, an organization that advocates
for equality and justice for gays and lesbians, said Devine was "deluded."
Irving told the Scotsman: "Such a continued attack on gay people is distinctly
un-Christian and deeply out of step with the views of most Scots today." (Cited
by the Times)

Back on the "Letters to the Editors" page of the Scotsman, another reader of
that paper wrote: "While Calum Irving...is correct to criticize [Devine's]
homophobic outburst, he is wrong to claim the bishop's views are 'un-Christian.'
The Bible repeatedly condemns homosexuality, even specifying the death penalty,
and for centuries most organized opposition to gays has come from religious
sources." The letter writer asked if Stonewall Scotland's leader recalled "the
Vatican's statement that gays are 'intrinsically disordered'" or the 1977
blasphemous-libel trial against the U.K. publication Gay News that had been
provoked by the conservative, Christian, pro-"decency" campaigner Mary
Whitehouse? The letter writer noted: "Has [Irving] forgotten the late (and very
Christian) Baroness Young, who obstructed every attempt to bring equality to the
age-of-consent laws? Or the Christian Brian Souter, who led a campaign against
the repeal of Section 28 [a now-defunct 1988 law that prohibited municipal
governments from 'promoting' homosexuality]?...Deluded and prejudiced the
bishop's views may be, but 'un-Christian' they emphatically are not."

Posted By: Edward M. Gomez (Email) | Mar 14 at 06:23 AM

-------

Comment -- Does the letter-writer quoted in the last sentence confuse
Christianity with following Christ?  Or does the writer present a very astute
observation?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


2)
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/03/14/7677/


Published on Friday, March 14, 2008 by http://www.commondreams.org/
Why Eliot Spitzer Should Have Resigned. And Why He Shouldn't Have
by David Michael Green

[excerpts] ...............

More importantly, though, America keeps experiencing sex scandals in large part
because we continue to embrace an unrealistic and even unhealthy code of sexual
morality. Fundamentally, we like to pretend that humans aren't actually sexual
beings except when they're in bed with their heterosexual spouse. And therein
lies the, er, rub.

Some humans desire material goods in extreme quantities, just as some people
(and, very often, many of the very same folks in the first category) have a
rapacious appetite for sex. Funny, isn't it, that this society praises the
former - even when their behaviors can cause harm to thousands of other people -
but ridicules, humiliates and criminalizes the latter?
Personally, I think that closing down factories in order to buy yourself that
third yacht is rather a larger crime than hooking up with a prostitute for an
hour or two of hanky-panky. But what do I know? Obviously not much, since the
first guy gets some art museum wing named for him and the other guy gets a
healthy dose of public humiliation and the opportunity to stand before a nice
man with a gavel and black robes.

You know, I'm as sorry as the next guy that Augustine was riddled with lustful
thoughts, and that he was freaked out by that fact. I'm sure it was all very
traumatic for him. Meanwhile, though, I think perhaps it's finally about time
that modern society ceases to have its sexual morality disastrously dictated by
the particular obsessions and compulsions of some twisted bishop who was
traipsing around North Africa during the fourth and fifth centuries.

Most people get that these are private matters, subject to private morality.
And, almost without exception, the ones that don't - from Swaggart to Haggard -
are the very same people who are personally engaged in the most twisted stuff,
as they alternate between repressing and expressing their sexual urges.
Preaching to you about how you're going to rot in hell is no doubt a way for
them to grapple with the bundle of massive internal fears driven by their own
continually resurfacing proclivities. So maybe if we stop filling people up with
biblical scare stories concerning their basic human instincts, we can stop
reproducing this madness on TV sets and in pulpits. Hey, America, this memo's
for you: Birds do it. Bees do it. So do, gulp, humans.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


3)
Obama denounces pastor's 9/11 comments

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080315/ap_on_el_pr/obama_pastor

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
  Friday evening 14 March 2008
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Friday denounced inflammatory
remarks from his pastor, who has railed against the United States and accused
the country of bringing on the Sept. 11 attacks by spreading terrorism.

Obama called the statements appearing on television and the Internet "completely
unacceptable and inexcusable" in a Fox News interview and said they didn't
reflect the kinds of sermons he had heard from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright while
attending services at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Obama, a member of the church since the early 1990s, said he would have quit
Trinity had such statements been "the repeated tenor of the church. ... I
wouldn't feel comfortable there."

Earlier Friday, Obama responded by posting a blog about his relationship with
Wright and Trinity on the Huffington Post. Wright brought Obama to Christianity,
officiated at his wedding, baptized his daughters and inspired the title of his
book, "The Audacity of Hope."

Obama wrote that he's looked to Wright for spiritual advice, not political
guidance, and he's been pained and angered to learn of some of his pastor's
comments for which he had not been present. Obama told MSNBC that Wright had
stepped down from his campaign's African American Religious Leadership
Committee.

"I categorically denounce any statement that disparages our great country or
serves to divide us from our allies," Obama said in his blog posting. "I also
believe that words that degrade individuals have no place in our public
dialogue, whether it's on the campaign stump or in the pulpit. In sum, I reject
outright the statements by Reverend Wright that are at issue."

In a sermon on the Sunday after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Wright
suggested the United States brought on the attacks.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the
thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," Wright
said. "We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black
South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas
is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming
home to roost."

In a 2003 sermon, he said blacks should condemn the United States.

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a
three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God
damn America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America
for treating our citizens as less than human. God damn America for as long as
she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

He also gave a sermon in December comparing Obama to Jesus, promoting his
candidacy and criticizing his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

"Barack knows what it means to be a black man to be living in a country and a
culture that is controlled by rich white people," Wright told a cheering
congregation. "Hillary can never know that. Hillary ain't never been called a
nigger."

Obama told MSNBC that he would not repudiate Wright as a man, describing him as
"like an uncle" who says something that he disagrees with and must speak out
against. He also said he expects his political opponents will use video of the
sermons to attack him as the campaign goes on.

Questions about Obama's religious beliefs have dogged him throughout his
candidacy. He's had to fight against false Internet rumors suggesting he's
really a Muslim intent on destroying the United States, and now his pastor's
words uttered nearly seven years ago have become an issue.

Obama wrote on the Huffington Post that he never heard Wright say any of the
statements, but he acknowledged that they have raised legitimate questions about
the nature of his relationship with the pastor and the church. He wrote that he
joined Wright's church nearly 20 years ago, familiar with the pastor's
background as a former Marine and respected biblical scholar who lectured at
seminaries across the country.

"Reverend Wright preached the gospel of Jesus, a gospel on which I base my
life," he wrote. "And the sermons I heard him preach always related to our
obligation to love God and one another, to work on behalf of the poor and to
seek justice at every turn."

He said Wright's controversial statements first came to his attention at the
beginning of his presidential campaign last year, and he condemned them. Because
of his long and deep ties to the 6,000-member congregation church, Obama said he
decided not to leave.

"With Reverend Wright's retirement and the ascension of my new pastor, Rev. Otis
Moss III, Michelle and I look forward to continuing a relationship with a church
that has done so much good," he wrote.

Also Friday, the United Church of Christ issued a 1,400-word statement defending
Wright and his "flagship" congregation. The statement lauded Wright's church for
its community service and work to nurture youth and the pastor for speaking out
against homophobia and sexism in the black community.

"It's time for all of us to say no to these attacks and to declare that we will
not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our
congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends,"
John H. Thomas, United Church of Christ's president, said in the statement.

___

AP Religion Writer Eric Gorski in Denver contributed to this report.

___

On the Net:

http://www.barackobama.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----


4)
Nearing the start of the 6th year of the Bush War.  I never refer to it as the
"Iraq War".

from Information Clearing House -- news you won't find on CNN
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19538.htm

The Independent
London
14 March 2008

Few players in the 'war on terror' are more chilling, or misunderstood, than
suicide bombers. Yet the true scale of their grisly activities has never been
properly calculated. Five years after the invasion of Iraq, Robert Fisk details
the shocking extent of the most widespread campaign of self-liquidation in human
history


The Cult of the Suicide Bomber

By Robert Fisk

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/fisk/robert-fisk-the-cult-of-the-suicide-bombe\
r-795649.html

14/03/08 "The Independent" -- - Khaled looked at me with a broad smile. He was
almost laughing. At one point, when I told him that he should abandon all
thoughts of being a suicide bomber - that he could influence more people in this
world by becoming a journalist - he put his head back and shot me a grin,
world-weary for a man in his teens. "You have your mission," he said. "And I
have mine." His sisters looked at him in awe. He was their hero, their
amanuensis and their teacher, their representative and their soon-to-be-martyred
brother. Yes, he was handsome, young - just 18 - he was dressed in a black
Giorgio Armani T-shirt, a small, carefully trimmed Spanish conquistador's beard,
gelled hair. And he was ready to immolate himself.

A sinister surprise. I had travelled to Khaled's home to speak to his mother. I
had already written about his brother Hassan and wanted to introduce a Canadian
journalist colleague, Nelofer Pazira, to the family. When Khaled walked on to
the porch of the house, Nelofer and I both realised - at the same moment - that
he was next, the next to die, the next "martyr". It was his smile. I've come
across these young men before, but never one who so obviously declared his
calling.

His family sat around us on the porch of their home above the Lebanese city of
Sidon, the sitting room adorned with coloured photographs of Hassan, already
gone to the paradise - so they assured me - for which Khaled clearly thought he
was destined. Hassan had driven his explosives-laden car into an American
military convoy at Tal Afar in north-western Iraq, his body (or what was left of
it) buried "in situ" - or so his mother was informed.

It's easy to find the families of the newly dead in Lebanon. Their names are
read from the minarets of Sidon's mosques (most are Palestinian) and in Tripoli,
in northern Lebanon, the Sunni "Tawhid" movement boasts "hundreds" of suiciders
among its supporters. Every night, the population of Lebanon watches the brutal
war in Iraq on television. "It's difficult to reach 'Palestine' these days,"
Khaled's uncle informed me. "Iraq is easier."

Too true. No one doubts that the road to Baghdad - or Tal Afar or Fallujah or
Mosul - lies through Syria, and that the movement of suicide bombers from the
Mediterranean coasts to the deserts of Iraq is a planned if not particularly
sophisticated affair. What is astonishing - what is not mentioned by the
Americans or the Iraqi "government" or the British authorities or indeed by many
journalists - is the sheer scale of the suicide campaign, the vast numbers of
young men (only occasionally women), who wilfully destroy themselves amid the
American convoys, outside the Iraqi police stations, in markets and around
mosques and in shopping streets and on lonely roads beside remote checkpoints
across the huge cities and vast deserts of Iraq. Never have the true figures for
this astonishing and unprecedented campaign of self-liquidation been calculated.

But a month-long investigation by The Independent, culling four Arabic-language
newspapers, official Iraqi statistics, two Beirut news agencies and Western
reports, shows that an incredible 1,121 Muslim suicide bombers have blown
themselves up in Iraq. This is a very conservative figure and - given the
propensity of the authorities (and of journalists) to report only those suicide
bombings that kill dozens of people - the true estimate may be double this
number. On several days, six - even nine - suicide bombers have exploded
themselves in Iraq in a display of almost Wal-Mart availability. If life in Iraq
is cheap, death is cheaper.

This is perhaps the most frightening and ghoulish legacy of George Bush's
invasion of Iraq five years ago. Suicide bombers in Iraq have killed at least
13,000 men, women and children - our most conservative estimate gives a total
figure of 13,132 - and wounded a minimum of 16,112 people. If we include the
dead and wounded in the mass stampede at the Baghdad Tigris river bridge in the
summer of 2005 - caused by fear of suicide bombers - the figures rise to 14,132
and 16,612 respectively. Again, it must be emphasised that these statistics are
minimums. For 529 of the suicide bombings in Iraq, no figures for wounded are
available. Where wounded have been listed in news reports as "several", we have
made no addition to the figures. And the number of critically injured who later
died remains unknown. Set against a possible death toll of half a million Iraqis
since the March 2003 invasion, the suicide bombers' victims may appear
insignificant; but the killers' ability to terrorise civilians, militiamen and
Western troops and mercenaries is incalculable.

Never before has the Arab world witnessed a phenomenon of suicide-death on this
scale. During Israel's occupation of Lebanon after 1982, one Hizbollah
suicide-bombing a month was considered remarkable. During the Palestinian
intifadas of the 1980s and 1990s, four per month was regarded as unprecedented.
But suicide bombers in Iraq have been attacking at the average rate of two every
three days since the 2003 Anglo-American invasion.

And, although neither the Iraqi government nor their American mentors will admit
this, scarcely 10 out of more than a thousand suicide killers have been
identified. We know from their families that Palestinians, Saudis, Syrians and
Algerians have been among the bombers. In a few cases, we have names. But in
most attacks, the authorities in Iraq - if they can still be called
"authorities" after five years of catastrophe - have no idea to whom the
bloodied limbs and headless torsos of the bombers belong.

Even more profoundly disturbing is that the "cult" of the suicide bomber has
seeped across national frontiers. Within a year of the Iraqi invasion, Afghan
Taliban bombers were blowing themselves up alongside Western troops or bases in
Helmand province and in the capital Kabul. The practice leached into Pakistan,
striking down thousands of troops and civilians, killing even the principal
opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto. The London Tube and bus bombings - despite
the denials of Tony Blair - were obviously deeply influenced by events in Iraq.

Academics and politicians have long debated the motives of the bombers, the
psychological make-up of the men and women who cold-bloodedly decide to
undertake the role of suicide executioners; for they are executioners, killers
who see their victims - be they soldiers or civilians - before they flick the
switch that destroys them. The Israelis long ago decided that there was no
"perfect" profile for a suicide bomber, and my own experience in Lebanon bears
this out. The suicider might have spent years fighting the Israelis in the south
of the country. Often, they would have been imprisoned or tortured by Israel or
its proxy Lebanese militia. Sometimes, brothers or other family members would
have been killed. On other occasions, the example of their own relatives would
have drawn them into the vortex of suicide-by-example.

Khaled is - or was, for I no longer know if he is alive, since I met him a few
weeks ago- influenced by his brother Hassan, whose journey to Iraq was organised
by an unknown group, presumably Palestinian, and whose weapons training beside
the Tigris river was videotaped by his comrades. Hassan's mother has shown me
this tape - which ends with Hassan cheerfully waving goodbye from the driver's
window of a battered car, presumably the vehicle he was about to ram into the
American convoy at Tal Afar.

None of this addresses the issue of religious belief. While there is evidence
aplenty that the Japanese suicide pilots of the Second World War were sometimes
coerced and intimidated into their final flights against US warships in the
Pacific, many also believed that they were dying for their emperor. For them,
the fall of cherry blossom and the divine wind - the "kamikaze" - blessed their
souls as they aimed their bombers at American aircraft carriers. But even an
industrialised dictatorship like Japan - facing the imminent collapse of its
entire society at the hands of a superpower - could only mobilise 4,615
"kamikazes". The Iraq suicide bombers may already have reached half that number.

But the Japanese authorities encouraged their pilots to think of themselves as a
collective suicide unit whose insignia of imminent death - white Rising Sun
headbands and white scarves - prefigured the yellow headbands imprinted with
Koranic script that Hizbollah guerrillas wore when they set out to attack
Israeli soldiers in the occupied zone of southern Lebanon. In Iraq, however,
those who direct the growing army of suiciders do not lack inventiveness. Their
bombers have arrived at the scene of their self-destruction dressed as car
mechanics, soldiers, police officers, middle-aged housewives, children's
sweet-sellers, worshippers and - on one occasion - a "harmless" shepherd. They
have carried their bombs in Oldsmobiles, fuel trucks, garbage trucks, flat-bed
trucks, on donkeys and bicycles, motor-bikes and mopeds and carts, minibuses,
date-vendors' vans, mobile recruitment centres and lorries packed with chlorine.
Incredibly, there appears to be no individual central "brain" behind the
bombings - although "groupuscules" of bombers obviously exist. Inspiration,
imitation and the globalised influence of the internet appear sufficient to
empower the bombers of Iraq.

On an individual level, it is possible to see the friction and psychological
trauma of families. Khaled's mother, for instance, constantly expressed her
pride in her dead son Hassan and, in front of me, she looked with almost equal
love at his still-living brother. But when my companion urged Khaled to remain
alive for his mother's sake - reminding him that the Prophet himself spoke of
the primary obligation of a Muslim man to protect his mother - the woman was
close to tears. She was torn apart by her love as a mother and her
religious-political duty as the woman who had brought another would-be martyr
into the world. When my friend again urged Khaled to remain alive, to stay in
Sidon and marry - eerily, the muezzin's call to prayer had begun during our
conversation - he shook his head.

Not even a disparaging remark about those who would send him on his death
mission - that they were prepared to live in this world while sending others
like Khaled to their fate - could discourage him. "I am not going to become a
'shahed' [martyr] for people," he replied. "I am doing it for God."

It was the same old argument. We could produce a hundred good ways - peaceful
ways - for him to resolve the injustices of this world; but the moment Khaled
invoked the name of God, our suggestions became irrelevant. Rationality -
humanism, if you like - simply withered away. If a Western president could
invoke a war of "good against evil", his antagonists could do the same.

But is there a rational pattern to the suicide bombings in Iraq? The first
incidents of their kind took place as American troops were actually advancing
towards Baghdad. Near the Shia town of Nasiriyah, an off-duty Iraqi policeman,
Sergeant Ali Jaffar Moussa Hamadi al-Nomani, drove a car bomb into an American
Marine roadblock. Married, with five children, he had been a soldier in Iraq's
1980-88 war with Iran and had volunteered to fight the Americans after Saddam's
occupation of Kuwait. Shortly afterwards, two Shia Muslim women did the same.

In its dying days, even Saddam Hussein's own government was shocked. "The US
administration is going to turn the whole world into people prepared to die for
their nations," Saddam's vice-president, Taha Yassin Ramadan, warned. "All they
can do now is turn themselves into bombs. If the B-52 bombs can now kill 500 or
more in our war, then I'm sure that some operations by our freedom fighters will
be able to kill 5,000." Ramadan even referred to "the martyr's moment of
sublimity" - an al-Qa'ida-like phrase that ill befitted a secular Baathist - and
it was clear that the vice-president was almost as surprised as the Americans.
But only two days after the US occupation of Baghdad, a woman killed herself
while trying to explode a grenade among a group of American troops outside the
capital.

Throughout the five years of war, suicide bombers have focused on Iraq's own
American-trained security forces rather than US troops. At least 365 attacks
have been staged against Iraqi police or paramilitary forces. Their targets
included at least 147 police stations (1,577 deaths), 43 army and police
recruitment centres (939 deaths), 91 checkpoints (with a minimum of 564
fatalities), 92 security patrols (465 deaths) and numerous other police targets
(escorts, convoys accompanying government ministers, etc). One of the
recruitment centres - in the centre of Baghdad - was assaulted by suicide
bombers on eight separate occasions.

By contrast, suicide bombers have attacked only 24 US bases at a cost of 100
American dead and 15 Iraqis, and 43 American patrols and checkpoints, during
which 116 US personnel were killed along with at least 56 civilians, 15 of whom
appear to have been shot by American soldiers in response to the attacks, and
another 26 of whom were children standing next to a US patrol. Most of the
Americans were killed west or north of Baghdad. Suicide attacks on the police
concentrated on Baghdad and Mosul and the Sunni towns to the immediate north and
south of Baghdad.

The trajectory of the suicide bombers shows a clear preference for military
targets throughout the insurgency, with attacks on Americans gradually
decreasing from 2006 and individual attacks on Iraqi police patrols and police
recruits increasing over the past two years, especially in the 100 miles north
of Baghdad. Just as the Islamist murderers of Algeria - and their military
opponents - favoured the fasting month of Ramadan for their bloodiest assaults
in the 1990s, so the suicide bombers of Iraq mobilise on the eve of religious
festivals. There was a pronounced drop in suicide assaults during the period of
sectarian liquidations after 2005, either because the bombers feared
interception by the throat-cutters of tribal gangs working their way across
Baghdad, or because - a grim possibility - they were themselves being used in
the sectarian murder campaign.

The most politically powerful attacks occurred inside military bases - including
the Green Zone in Baghdad (two in one day in October 2004) - and against the UN
headquarters (in which the UN envoy Sergio de Mello was killed) and the
International Red Cross offices in Baghdad in 2003. By December 2003, British
officials were warning that there were more "spectacular" suicide bombings to
come, and the first suicide assault on a mosque took place in January of the
following year when a bomber on a bicycle blew himself up in a Shia mosque in
Baquba, killing four worshippers and wounding another 39.

Scarcely a year later, another suicider attacked a second Shia mosque, killing
14 worshippers and wounding 40. In February 2004, a man blew himself up on a bus
outside the Shia mosque at Khadamiyah in Baghdad, killing 17 more Shia Muslims.
Only a few days earlier, a man wearing an explosives belt killed four at yet
another Shia mosque in the Doura district of Baghdad. The suicide campaign
against Shia places of worship continued with an attack on a Mosul mosque in
March 2005, killing at least 50, two more attacks in April that killed 26, and
another in May in Baghdad.

While Shia mosques were being targeted in a deliberate campaign of provocation
by al-Qa'ida-type suiciders, markets and hospitals frequented by Shia Muslims
were also attacked. Almost all the 600 Iraqis killed by suicide bombs in May
2005 were Shias. After the partial demolition of the Shia mosque at Samarra on
22 February 2006, the "war of the mosques" began in earnest for the suicide
bombers of Iraq. A Sunni mosque was blown up, with nine dead and "dozens" of
wounded, and two Shia mosques were the target of suicide bombers in the same
week. In early July 2006, seven suicide killers blew themselves up in Sunni and
Shia mosques, leaving a total of 51 civilians dead. During the same period, a
suicide bomber launched the first attack of its kind on Shia pilgrims arriving
from Iran.

Bombers were to attack the funerals of those Shia they had killed, and even
wedding parties. Schools, university campuses and shopping precincts were also
now included on the target lists, most of the victims yet again being Shia. Over
the past year, however, an increasing number of tribal leaders loyal to the
Americans - including Sattar Abu Risha, who publicly met President Bush on 13
September 2007, and former insurgents who have now joined the American-paid
anti-al-Qa'ida militias - have been blown apart by Sunni bombers.

Only about 10 of the suicide bombers have been identified. One of them, who
attacked an Iraqi police unit in June 2005, turned out to be a former police
commando called Abu Mohamed al-Dulaimi, but the Americans and the Iraqi
authorities appear to have little intelligence on the provenance of these
killers. On at least 27 occasions, Iraqi officials have claimed to know the
identity of the killers - saying that they had recovered passports and identity
papers that proved their "foreign" origin - but they have never produced these
documents for public inspection. There is even doubt that the two suicide
bombers who blew themselves up in a bird market earlier this year were in fact
mentally retarded young women, as the government was to allege.

Indeed, nothing could better illustrate the lack of knowledge of the authorities
than the two contradictory statements made by the Americans and their Iraqi
protégés in March of last year. Just as David Satterfield, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice's adviser on Iraq, was claiming that "90 per cent" of suicide
bombers were crossing the border from Syria, Iraq's Prime Minister, Nuri
al-Maliki, was announcing that "most" of the suiciders came from Saudi Arabia -
which shares a long, common border with Iraq. Saudis would hardly waste their
time travelling to Damascus to cross a border that their own country shared with
Iraq. Many in Baghdad, including some government ministers, believe that the
nationality of the bombers is much closer to home - that they are, in fact,
Iraqis.

It will be many years before we have a clearer idea of the number of bombers who
have killed themselves in the Iraq war - and of their origin. Long before The
Independent's total figure reached 500, al-Qa'ida's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was
boasting of "800 martyrs" among his supporters. And since al-Zarqawi's death
brought not the slightest reduction in bombings, we must assume that there are
many other "manipulators" in charge of Iraq's suicide squads.

Nor can we assume the motives for every mass murder. Who now remembers that the
greatest individual number of victims of any suicide bombing died in two remote
villages of the Kahtaniya region of Iraq, all Yazidis - 516 of them slaughtered,
another 525 wounded. A Yazidi girl, it seems, had fallen in love with a Sunni
man and had been punished by her own people for this "honour crime": she had
been stoned to death. The killers presumably came from the Sunni community.

One of George Bush's most insidious legacies in Iraq thus remains its most
mysterious; the marriage of nationalism and spiritual ferocity, the birth of an
unprecedentedly huge army of Muslims inspired by the idea of death.

©independent.co.uk
Click on "comments" below to read or post comments

         Comments (31) Comment (0)



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--------


5)
from news in Australia (couldn't find this in America) --->

'No link between Saddam and al-Qaeda'

Article from: Agence France-Presse

From correspondents in Washington
March 14, 2008 10:14am

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23373592-401,00.html
A DETAILED Pentagon study confirms there was no direct link between late Iraqi
leader Saddam Hussein and the al-Qaeda network, debunking a claim President
George W Bush's administration used to justify invading Iraq.

Coming five years after the start of the war in Iraq, the study of 600,000
official Iraqi documents and thousands of hours of interrogations of former
Saddam Hussein colleagues "found no smoking gun (ie direct connection) between
Saddam's Iraq and al-Qaeda," said the study, quoted in US media today.

The US administration appeared to bury the release of the study, making it
available only at individual request and by mail - instead of posting it on the
internet or handing it out to reporters.

A Pentagon spokesman said he did not know why the Joint Forces Command was not
posting the report online, but denied that it was an attempt to limit its
distribution.

"We don't have a reason to do so. I think when you see the report it will show a
Nazi-esque catalogue of Saddam's ties to terror, both within his own country and
elsewhere in the Middle East," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell.

Previous reports by the blue-ribbon September 11 commission and the Pentagon's
inspector general in 2007 reached the same conclusion that there were no ties
between Saddam and al-Qaeda but none had access to as much information.

"The Iraqi Perspective Project review of captured Iraqi documents uncovered
strong evidence that links the regime of Saddam Hussein to regional and global
terrorism," said a summary of the Pentagon study to which America's ABC News
provided a link on its website.

"State terrorism became a routine tool of state power" but "the predominant
target of Iraqi state terror operations were Iraqi citizens," the summary said.

ABC reported the study initially was to be posted on the US military's website
accompanied by a background briefing with the study's authors.

But the Pentagon scrapped those plans and took the unusual step of offering only
to send the report by mail to those who asked for it.

Bush, Vice-President Dick Cheney and top aides have insisted there were links
between Saddam and al-Qaeda, citing the alleged ties as a rationale for going to
war in Iraq.

"The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and
Saddam and al-Qaeda is because there was a relationship between Iraq and
al-Qaeda," Bush said in June 2004.

The study says Saddam Hussein's regime did not have clear ties to al-Qaeda,
which was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States,
but had associations with other terror groups including Palestinian militants.

The regime "often co-operated directly, albeit cautiously, with terrorist groups
when they believed such groups could help advance Iraq's long-term goals," it
said.

"The regime carefully recorded its connections to Palestinian terrorist
organisations in numerous government memos.

"One such example documents Iraqi financial support to families of suicide
bombers in Gaza and the West Bank," the study said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
----


6)
Okla. pol's screed vs. gays sparks furor

By RON JENKINS, Associated Press Writer
Fri Mar 14, 6:05 PM ET

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080314/ap_on_re_us/oklahoma_gay_rant;_ylt=AkwhHJoPw\
7Sxz6UpVeyFFyCs0NUE

A YouTube audio clip of a state lawmaker's screed against homosexuality, which
she called a bigger threat than terrorism, has outraged gay activists and
brought death threats rolling in.
"The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation, OK, it's just a fact," Rep.
Sally Kern said recently to a gathering of fellow Republicans outside the
Capitol.

"Studies show no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted, you
know, more than a few decades. So it's the death knell in this country.

"I honestly think it's the biggest threat that our nation has, even more so than
terrorism or Islam, which I think is a big threat," she said.

The former school teacher has been a magnet for coast-to-coast condemnation,
including a jab from comedian Ellen Degeneres, ever since someone posted her
comments on the Internet last week. State police said they are investigating
death threats against her.

Back home in the Bible Belt, though, the response has been mixed. Kern has
gotten support from her fellow Republicans.

"I would submit to you that the vast majority of the folks in our caucus,
particularly those who consider themselves conservative, stand with and support
Sally," said state Rep. Randy Terrill.

Democratic Gov. Brad Henry, however, said Kern's views are not representative of
most Oklahomans. He said politicians should "think before you speak."

"To have equated the gay community with terrorism ... and to have called us the
biggest threat to America is to dehumanize gay people in the worst possible
way," Denis Dison, spokesman for the Washington-based Gay & Lesbian Victory
Fund, said Friday.

That group's leaders fear remarks such as Kern's coming from an elected official
could lead to violence against gays.

Kern, who is finishing her second term, has tried unsuccessfully to pass bills
to rid libraries' children's sections of books that have homosexual themes. She
told the group that school children are being indoctrinated by gay activists.

"We're not teaching facts and knowledge any more, folks," she said. "We're
teaching indoctrination, OK, and they are going after our young children, as
young as 2 years of age, to try to teach them a homosexual lifestyle is an
acceptable lifestyle."

In the same speech, she said gays are "infiltrating city councils" across the
country.

"It spreads, OK, and this stuff is deadly and it's spreading and it will destroy
our young people," she said. "It will destroy this nation."

Kern said she made these comments on about four different occasions to small
groups of Republicans, and she thinks the recording was made at one of these
meetings in January. Various recordings of it have generated more than a million
hits on YouTube.

Kern's office received more than 23,000 e-mails in less than a week, mostly
condemning her views, and thousands more to her home computer, many of them
"vulgar, vile and profane," she said.

Kern said she has no regrets for her statements and denies she was gay-bashing.
Her Christian faith teachers her to be loving to individuals, but not their
lifestyle, she said.

Some people, including Degeneres, did not take her remarks that way.

"Hi, it's Ellen Degeneres, the gay one," the comedian said when she left a
message in a call to Kern's office during her TV show this week.

Degeneres said she wanted to talk to Kern about some "misinformation."

"I'm trying to figure out which society has disappeared that I didn't know of,"
she said.

Kern said she had no interest in talking to the entertainer. "That would be like
throwing myself into the lion's den and I'm not going to do that," she said
Thursday.

Kern, the wife of a Baptist minister, said "everything is being played out of
proportion."

Most of Kern's colleagues have steered clear of commenting on her statements,
but some say the state's image is taking a beating.

"I think it is a shame those type of things tend to show that we are a people
who seem not willing to look at the big picture of the world and recognize there
are other people out there with other religions, other viewpoints. I think we
are somewhat intolerant of that," said Rep. David Braddock, a Democrat.

Last summer, more than two dozen Oklahoma House members refused complimentary
copies of the Quran from an ethnic advisory council, offending Muslims.
Republican Rex Duncan led the boycott, condemning Islam as a religion and saying
most Oklahomans do not endorse "the idea of killing innocent women and children
in the name of ideology."

Like Kern, Duncan stood by his comments.

Rabbi Russell Fox of Oklahoma City's Emanuel Synagogue said Oklahoma is becoming
more exposed to different religions and cultures and some citizens and leaders
"are having a hard time making an adjustment."

Fox said he did not believe Oklahomans were necessarily less tolerant than
people in other areas of the country, "but I think we have a political culture
that plays upon and uses intolerance in some very unhealthy ways."

"It's demagoguery, that's the old word for it," he said.

***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I saw a local production of Godspell this weekend.  The finale was
very moving, but the thing that I found most wrenching was something
I'm sure the cast didn't intend:  the boy who played Jesus was a
fresh-faced kid with a shock of sandy hair.  When he was beaten and
tied to a wooden fence, when he sang "Oh, God, I'm dying,"  it stuck
me how much he looked like Matt Shepard.

I was going to post something with a similar Subject heading today, LOL.  Today
is St. Patrick's Day.  And I can't help but think about JP.  I can't believe it
has almost been a year.
  - pk

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks for reminding us of dear JP.  In honor of him, here's a quote
from his imaginary interview with Matt Shepard, which he gave me
permission to quote in my book (I was moved that he quoted me about my
dream in his interview):


	 It was the first really warm day we'd had this spring, or at least
the first one which was also my day off. I was luxuriating in the
comfy plush blue swivel chair, listening to the tail end of "Take
Five" on CBC FM, and I'd dozed off just as the closing theme was
playing...I didn't get to doze off for more than a few seconds,
though. The doorbell rang...
	 There wasn't any mistaking the identity of my caller, all five-foot
two and 102 pounds of him.
	 "Hello, Matt."
	 "Hi, John. I've come to be interviewed, " said Matthew Shepard..."Got
any Heineken?" ...
	 "Alas, Matt, all I've got is Guinness."
	 "Oh, it'll do ..."
	 Matt had settled into the blue swivel chair, leaving [me the] wooden
rocking chair. Stella, my cat, crouched down on the rug between us,
eyeing Matt with something between curiosity and suspicion.
	 "She's not used to ghosts, I guess. They get used to it, though,"
said Matt...
	 "So," I said, "why are we having this conversation?...I guess I
should ask whom you do visit."
	 "...It's not entirely my choice, and it isn't the choice of the
people I visit..."
	 He sighed, and thought for a moment..."Some would like to see me
looking differently than the way I do when I do visit them."
	 "I imagine that would include those who see you as you were after you
were bashed."
	 "Not always. I can think of one lady who understood why I appeared to
her that way. You've met her...Remind me, how'd she describe me?"
	 "That she was at a great candle light vigil for you in Denver at Mile
High Stadium which was entirely filled with people like her. She saw
you, looking as you did after the attack, take the microphone and say,
'I can't satisfy you people. My strength is all gone.'"
	 "VERY interesting," [said Matt.] "How'd she interpret it?"
	 "That you were trying to tell everybody that they were expecting too
much of you. That you couldn't possibly live up to their expectations.
That everybody was trying to make more of you than you were. So, was
that interpretation right?"
	 Matt half-smiled, pulling up the left corner of his mouth, "I
couldn't possibly comment, now could I?"
	 "Well, why not?"
	 "As I told Al, we can't interfere in your lives. That means we can't
tell you what to believe, what to do, or how to interpret any messages
we give you. If we're allowed to pass along any messages at all, it
has to be in a way that we aren't meddling."
	 "Which would make for a much shorter interview, wouldn't it?"
	 "Oh, I'm enjoying the Guinness and music too much to keep it TOO short!"


--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Paula E. Kirman" <me@...>
wrote:
>
> I was going to post something with a similar Subject heading today,
LOL.  Today is St. Patrick's Day.  And I can't help but think about
JP.  I can't believe it has almost been a year.
>  - pk
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

That was you, Karen?  I have that entire interview on my website, and
I should have figured the calculus!

Al G

--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Karen" <leleni@...> wrote:
>
> Thanks for reminding us of dear JP.  In honor of him, here's a quote
> from his imaginary interview with Matt Shepard, which he gave me
> permission to quote in my book (I was moved that he quoted me about
my
> dream in his interview):
>
>
>  It was the first really warm day we'd had this spring, or at
least
> the first one which was also my day off. I was luxuriating in the
> comfy plush blue swivel chair, listening to the tail end of "Take
> Five" on CBC FM, and I'd dozed off just as the closing theme was
> playing...I didn't get to doze off for more than a few seconds,
> though. The doorbell rang...
>  There wasn't any mistaking the identity of my caller, all
five-foot
> two and 102 pounds of him.
>  "Hello, Matt."
>  "Hi, John. I've come to be interviewed, " said Matthew
Shepard..."Got
> any Heineken?" ...
>  "Alas, Matt, all I've got is Guinness."
>  "Oh, it'll do ..."
>  Matt had settled into the blue swivel chair, leaving [me the]
wooden
> rocking chair. Stella, my cat, crouched down on the rug between us,
> eyeing Matt with something between curiosity and suspicion.
>  "She's not used to ghosts, I guess. They get used to it,
though,"
> said Matt...
>  "So," I said, "why are we having this conversation?...I guess
I
> should ask whom you do visit."
>  "...It's not entirely my choice, and it isn't the choice of
the
> people I visit..."
>  He sighed, and thought for a moment..."Some would like to see
me
> looking differently than the way I do when I do visit them."
>  "I imagine that would include those who see you as you were
after you
> were bashed."
>  "Not always. I can think of one lady who understood why I
appeared to
> her that way. You've met her...Remind me, how'd she describe me?"
>  "That she was at a great candle light vigil for you in Denver
at Mile
> High Stadium which was entirely filled with people like her. She saw
> you, looking as you did after the attack, take the microphone and
say,
> 'I can't satisfy you people. My strength is all gone.'"
>  "VERY interesting," [said Matt.] "How'd she interpret it?"
>  "That you were trying to tell everybody that they were
expecting too
> much of you. That you couldn't possibly live up to their
expectations.
> That everybody was trying to make more of you than you were. So, was
> that interpretation right?"
>  Matt half-smiled, pulling up the left corner of his mouth, "I
> couldn't possibly comment, now could I?"
>  "Well, why not?"
>  "As I told Al, we can't interfere in your lives. That means
we can't
> tell you what to believe, what to do, or how to interpret any
messages
> we give you. If we're allowed to pass along any messages at all, it
> has to be in a way that we aren't meddling."
>  "Which would make for a much shorter interview, wouldn't it?"
>  "Oh, I'm enjoying the Guinness and music too much to keep it
TOO short!"
>
>
> --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Paula E. Kirman" <me@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I was going to post something with a similar Subject heading
today,
> LOL.  Today is St. Patrick's Day.  And I can't help but think about
> JP.  I can't believe it has almost been a year.
> >  - pk
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>

I'm going to have to stop doing the NEWS for a while.  Burned out.  Will be back
later.
Bush, Iraq, Tibet, stock market, bigoted mythologists -- I need a rest.
For a large dose of daily news, the following is a selection of places where you
will get it ---
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The-Gaily-News/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KellysList
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GayAndOver40/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thequeercollective/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quietnomore/



For today ---
1)  A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
2)  Patchwork Nation -- Christian Science Monitor presidential election
reporting
3)  How 'gay' became children's insult of choice
4)  High court considers landmark gun-rights case
5)  The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana -- New Orleans



1)
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/a-queens-activist-a-wedding-photo-a\
nd-the-future-of-poland/index.html?hp

March 19, 2008,  1:24 pm
A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
By Sewell Chan

Updated, 2:42 p.m. | Brendan Fay, a well-known gay activist in New York, has
found himself, however improbably, a symbol in a political struggle in Poland
over equal rights for gay men and lesbians that could affect the nation's
integration into the European Union and the balance of political power in
Warsaw.

On Monday, President Lech Kaczynski delivered a nationally televised address,
warning Poles that the nation's autonomy could be threatened if Poland ratifies
the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. The president's conservative Law and Justice
Party believes that ratification will inevitably lead to the incorporation into
Polish law of the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights, which
prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

As part of his five-minute speech, Mr. Kaczynski displayed a wedding photograph
of Mr. Fay and his partner, Dr. Thomas A. Moulton; showed a video clip of their
2003 wedding in Canada; and even pointed to a photo of their wedding
certificate. The Polish president also showed a map of pre-World War II Poland,
linking his anti-gay oratory to historic Polish anxieties about German
encroachment.

Mr. Fay, 49, a producer of documentary videos, and Dr. Moulton, 50, a pediatric
hematologist and oncologist, have been stunned about being caught up in the
political brouhaha. The couple celebrated their partnership with a Roman
Catholic priest at an Episcopal church in Brooklyn in May 2003. They were
married two months later in Toronto, after Ontario legalized gay marriage. The
two men, who live in Astoria, Queens, have been outspoken advocates for marriage
rights for gay men and lesbians; images of the couple and their wedding have
been widely disseminated on the Internet.

Mr. Fay, who was born in Drogheda, Ireland, has never been to Poland. In New
York, he is probably best known as a leader of a long-standing effort to allow
gay and lesbian groups to march in the official St. Patrick's Day Parade, which
this year was held on Monday.

The Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization won support from Mayor David N. Dinkins
in 1991, but the following year, a federal judge refused to force the parade's
organizers to permit the group to march. Mr. Fay subsequently organized a
gay-friendly St. Patrick's parade in Queens that has been held every year since
2000.

Mr. Fay said he first found out about Mr. Kaczynski's speech on Tuesday morning,
when he received a call from a Polish radio station. A flood of media inquiries,
from as far away as Ireland and Canada, have poured in since then.

Later on Tuesday, Mr. Fay dashed off a letter to Krzysztof W. Kasprzyk, Poland's
consul general in New York. "We are frustrated to hear that images from such a
joyous day are used to spread intolerance," Mr. Fay wrote. "I request a meeting
to discuss the matter of civil rights raised by the Polish political leader's
remarks and the uses/misuse of our wedding photographs. I ask that you meet with
myself and representations of the New York gay community working in the area of
human and civil rights. For much of the day I have been fielding calls from
Polish reporters. Some wondered if we had granted permission for use of our
wedding photographs. We would never have agreed to permit our photographs as
part of a homophobic campaign."

Today, Mr. Kasprzyk called Mr. Fay and agreed to a meeting. In a follow-up
e-mail message sent shortly after noon today, Mr. Kasprzyk wrote, "I wish to
express my gratitude for your conciliatory approach and the empathy you have
demonstrated from the first moment this pitiful incident surfaced." (Mr. Fay
provided a copy of the e-mail message to The New York Times.) The two men agreed
to meet next week, since this week is Holy Week, a major event for Irish and
Polish Catholics.

Czeslaw Karkowski, the editor in chief of Nowy Dziennik, or Polish Daily News,
which is based in Manhattan and one of the leading Polish newspapers in the
United States, said in a phone interview that the speech - and Mr. Fay's role in
it - have been the subject of national discussion in Poland.

Last October, voters ousted the president's identical twin, Prime Minister
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and his right-leaning party in parliamentary elections. Lech
Kaczynski remained president, with the power to veto legislation, but his
political status was diminished. The new prime minister, Donald Tusk, and his
pro-business Civic Platform party generally favor E.U. integration and draw
support from the western and more urbanized half of the country, Mr. Karkowski
explained, while President Kaczynski's appeal on Monday was intended to speak to
his rural, Catholic, conservative base in eastern Poland.

"Polish society is deeply divided," Mr. Karkowski said. "The prime minister and
his party, which rules right now, represent the pro-Western movement. The other
side is represented by the president, who is very conservative and playing on
the fears and expectations of the other Poland - more conservative, more
suspicious, especially toward the West."

Mr. Karkowski said he had no idea why President Kaczynski's staff members
decided to use Mr. Fay's image to represent gay marriage. "Probably they were
just looking for a useful picture," Mr. Karkowski said, "a visible sign of what
he and his followers are against and what, supposedly, his political opponents
are for."

Meanwhile, the Lisbon Treaty needs ratification by 27 member countries of the
E.U. to take effect. Partly in response to Mr. Kaczynski's criticism, Prime
Minister Tusk has proposed holding a national referendum on the treaty.

Ewa Zadworna, a spokeswoman at the Polish Consulate in Manhattan, said the
consulate did not have any further comment on the matter and she declined to
elaborate on Mr. Kasprzyk's characterization of the incident as "pitiful" in his
e-mail message to Mr. Fay.

"We are in contact with Mr. Fay," Ms. Zadworna said, noting that Mr. Kasprzyk
will meet with Mr. Fay and other gay activists next week.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


2)
Patchwork Nation

Comment --
The Christian Science Monitor is one of the best newspapers available.  Its
national and international news reporting is among the best.
The Christian Science Church is another story.  Pompous, arrogant,
self-righteous, homophobic, and unable to make change.
The contrast between the church and the newspaper is astounding.  Both
controlled by the same board of directors.  The five board members act as
"pope".  Their word is final.  They can't be removed by the laity.  Like the
Catholic and Mormon churches.  They are "elected" like the pope is selected. 
Secretly by board members themselves.

The Monitor, in its usual visionary mode, is featuring something new to track
the upcoming Presidential election.  Check it out.

The map showing the 11 districts is well worth a look.  Click on the various
options for the map to see the differences.
1)  Monied 'Burbs
2)  Minority Central
3)  Evangelical Epicenters
4)  Tractor Country
5)  Campus and Careers
6)  Immigration Nation
7)  Industrial Metropolis
8)  Boom Towns
9)  Service Worker Centers
10) Emptying Nests
11) Military Bastions

------------

http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/
About the Patchwork Nation project
Nearly 305 million people live in the United States, according to the US Census
Bureau. Yet in recent elections it's all been about fitting into two categories:
red states that vote Republican and blue states that vote Democratic. But this
red/blue breakdown of political opinion doesn't explain what underpins the
voters' decisions.

That's what this effort, funded by the Knight Foundation, a nonprofit
philanthropic organization based in Miami, explores in real time during the 2008
presidential campaign.

We've identified 11 places across the US that represent distinct types of voter
communities. They are Monied 'Burbs, Minority Central, Evangelical Epicenters,
Tractor Country, Campus and Careers, Immigration Nation, Industrial Metropolis,
Boom Towns, Service Worker Centers, Emptying Nests, and Military Bastions. For
example, Sioux Center, Iowa, typifies Tractor Country.

As the 2008 campaign progresses, the Monitor will write about what issues matter
in each of these communities, how the issues affect residents' votes, and how
the candidates tailor their messages to a particular audience.

This site is based on evidence that people's voting patterns are at least partly
informed by where they live. People of the same race and age and family
situation may vote differently depending on whom they connect with and what they
see on their streets and in their local news. In some areas, people live for
NASCAR; in others, residents like opera. Some towns open for business early and
some stay up late. Some cities see Sunday mornings as church time, others see it
as $30 brunch time or more work time. And Starbucks and Wal-Marts aren't
everywhere . yet.

To grasp how such dynamics shape the vote in various places, we are working with
Professor James Gimpel, an expert in political geography at the University of
Maryland. He has analyzed piles of Census and consumer data - including race,
employment, religion, and household spending - to identify these different
community types across America and has mapped them county by county. The map on
the home page of this site shows his findings. The data used to identify these
community types are available on this site to anyone (see Methodology). We hope
news organizations, groups, and individuals will conduct their own analyses with
the information.

There could have been more categories. Three hundred million people is enough to
generate hundreds of groupings. We settled on 11 that represent enough variances
and will still be easy for readers to follow.

On the site, individual voters have an important role to play, too. The Monitor
has enlisted local bloggers in each place to help provide regular updates
throughout the campaign to explain what issues are important as they form their
views of the candidates and the presidential race.

As a site visitor, you can see which community type your county falls into and
take a quiz to see how well you fit in. Many counties are still big, diverse
places. Some of the most populous ones could match a few different categories.
And it's possible you will not fall into the one dominant in your county. Online
bulletin boards are open to visitors who wish to post comments about the
campaign.

Although this is a different kind of election coverage, its approach isn't
foreign to campaigns.

For decades analysts have talked about how candidates are products that need to
be sold to the electorate - sometimes jokingly, sometimes not. In recent years,
both parties have fine-tuned their "ad campaigns" by targeting different
messages to different groups of voters.

This project covers the election from the voters' point of view. We hope our
approach can provide a fuller picture of the campaign and voters'
decisionmaking.

http://www.csmonitor.com/mediaplayer/index.html?file=http://www.csmonitor.com/pa\
tchworknation/wp-content/themes/csm-patchworknation/video/explainer.flv&height=3\
75&width=500

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


3)
BBC News
UK
Tuesday, 18 March 2008

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7289390.stm

How 'gay' became children's insult of choice

By Denise Winterman
BBC News Magazine

The word "gay" is now the most frequently used term of abuse in schools, says a
report. How did it get to be so prevalent and why do children use homophobic
insults to get at each other?
Every generation of schoolchildren has them, the playground put-downs that can
leave a pupil's reputation in tatters among their peers. For the current
generation, "gay", "bitch" and "slag" are the most frequently used terms of
abuse, according to a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

They are used by children of all ages, from nursery school upwards. But the
worst offenders are secondary school pupils, says the teaching union.

The most popular by far is "gay". Of the teachers interviewed, 83% said they
heard it being used regularly and much more than its nearest rivals, bitch (59%)
and slag (45%). So how did it achieve this dubious honour?


WHAT TEACHERS HEAR
Gay (83%)
Bitch (59%)
Slag (45%)
Poof (29%)
Batty boy (29%)
Slut (26%)
Queer (26%)
Lezzie (24.8%)
Homo (22%)
Faggot (11%)
Sissy (5%)
Source: ATL  http://www.askatl.org.uk/

The word has had many meanings over the centuries, often sexual, says Clive
Upton, professor of Modern English Language at Leeds University.
"In the early 19th Century it was used to refer to women who lived off immoral
earnings," he says. Around the 1970s it was claimed by the homosexual community
as a descriptive term for their sexual orientation, now its most popular
meaning. By the 1980s it was finding its way into schools as a playground
insult.

"Every generation grows up with a whole lexicon of homosexual insults, in my day
it was 'poofter' or 'bender'," says slang lexicographer Tony Thorne. "They were
used much more because they were considered more offensive than 'gay', which is
more neutral.

'Tease'

"It's only in the last four years that I've documented it being used so much by
young people. It's what we call a 'vogue' word, which is a fashionable word."

One reason for this increase in use could be because "gay" has partly lost its
sexual connotations among young people, he says. While still pejorative, for the
majority of youngsters it has replaced words such as "lame".

"I have interviewed scores of school kids about this and they are always
emphatic that it has nothing at all to do with hostility to homosexuals," says
Mr Thorne, compiler of the Dictionary of Contemporary Slang. "It is nearly
always used in contexts where sexual orientation and sexuality are completely
irrelevant."

The ATL survey seems to say otherwise, lumping it in with clear insults such as
poofter and batty boy. But Katie, a 12-year-old from Colchester, knows it in
different context. A bad pair of trainers is much more likely to be called "gay"
than a person, she says.

"It's used as more of a way to tease a friend rather than have a real go at
someone. I wouldn't call someone 'gay' because I know that's sort of bullying
them."

The use of "gay" in this particular way was first recorded at the end of the
1970s and developed among US high school students, says Mr Throne. It's not only
youngsters in the UK who have recently adopted it, the same has happened to the
German equivalent, schwul, he adds.

This mutation of the word is one reason why using "gay" as in a pejorative sense
often goes unchallenged. Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles caused controversy in 2006 for
his casual use of the word. He said he'd used it to describe something as
"rubbish" and was backed by the BBC.

"The word has what we call multiple coinage and that's the problem," says Mr
Thorne. "While teenagers are generally using it to mean 'lame' it can separately
be used as a homophobic term of abuse."

It's this ambiguity that prevents some teachers from tackling pupils who use it
in a negative sense, says ATL. They are afraid of "blowing trivial matters out
of proportion".

Force

"It's tricky because it's often a casually throwaway remark and said without any
obvious malice," says Deborah, a teaching assistant from Essex. "Terms such as
'batty boy' are clear homophobic insults and much more straightforward to deal
with."


But while "gay" may have changed for some, it is still being used as a means of
bullying, as are many other homophobic insults (see table, above). Last year,
the Westminster government announced the first guidelines for schools on how to
deal with homophobic bullying.

Gay lobby group Stonewall says 65% of young gay people experience homophobic
bullying. And many who aren't gay also get labelled as such.

"It's a form of peer group control," says psychologist Helen Cowie. "Boys have
to be masculine and macho and anyone who isn't must go along with it or face
being bullied. It's a form of bullying that domineering people seek out
vulnerable people and school age is a time of emergent sexuality which is itself
a vulnerable time."

Fellow psychologist Ian Rivers says the potency of such words is in the fact
they "go to the very core of who we are". Yet sexual orientation is also
invisible.

"It's not about your heritage or your race, it's not about things which someone
can see." So it can't even be challenged, he says. "How can children demonstrate
that they are heterosexual. There's no effective recourse and this is what makes
it so effective as a bullying tactic."

Donald Christie, professor in the Department of Childhood and Primary Studies,
says "sexual orientation" is a source of potential vulnerability. "If there's an
area of life that children themselves feel insecure about they're aware of their
own vulnerability. The whole point of bullying is about identifying and
accentuating weakness in others."

Ms Cowie has observed schools developing children as "peer supporters" to
listen, mediate and support bullied children. But "boys have a "harder time"
adopting such roles because the attributes are not seen as masculine.

"In one school we studied they were known as queer supporters," she notes.

Recalling her time as a boys' secondary school teacher in the 1970s, Ms Cowie
recalls how "obsessed" pupils were with homosexual innuendo. "It didn't seem to
matter what you read to the class they'd always find an gay innuendo."

------------

Add your comments on this story, using the form at the URL.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------



4)
Washington Post
High court considers landmark gun-rights case

By James Vicini
Reuters
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court considers on Tuesday a landmark
legal battle over gun rights, taking up for the first time in nearly 70 years
whether Americans have the right to keep and bear arms.

The court's ruling, expected by the end of June, could have a far-reaching
impact on gun control laws in the United States, estimated to have the world's
highest civilian gun ownership rate, and could become an issue in the November
election.

At issue is whether to strike down or uphold one of the nation's strictest gun
control laws -- a Washington, D.C., ban on private possession of handguns and a
requirement that any rifles or shotguns kept at home be unloaded and dissembled
or bound by a trigger lock.

The case is widely viewed as one of the most important of the Supreme Court's
current term, along with cases on the rights of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners and
the U.S. lethal injection method of execution.

The case could resolve the much-disputed meaning of the Second Amendment of the
U.S. Constitution and whether it protects an individual's right to possess guns
or a collective right of the people for service in a state militia.

The Supreme Court's last review of the Second Amendment came in a five-page
discussion in an opinion issued in 1939 that failed to definitively resolve the
constitutional issue.

The arguments follow a series of mass shootings in the past year -- multiple
killings on at least three college campuses, two shopping centers and one
Missouri town meeting. Gun deaths average 80 a day in the United States, 34 of
them homicides, according to Centers for Disease Control data.

The case has split the Bush administration.

Solicitor General Paul Clement, the administration's chief advocate before the
Supreme Court, has adopted the position that individuals have a right to own a
gun, but it is subject to reasonable government regulation.

Clement, who is arguing before the justices, seeks to preserve all of the
current federal restrictions, including a ban on new machine gun sales, a ban on
felons owning guns and required background checks for new buyers of handguns.

But Vice President Dick Cheney joined a group of U.S. House of Representatives
and Senate members in urging the court to adopt a stronger stand in favor of gun
rights.

Walter Dellinger, the attorney defending the Washington law, argued the Second
Amendment protected only militia-related firearms rights.

But even if an individual has the right to possess guns, the law should be
upheld as a reasonable restriction, he said.

The third attorney scheduled to appear at the arguments, Alan Gura, said the law
should be struck down. He represents Dick Anthony Heller, who lives in a
high-crime neighborhood and wants to keep a handgun for self-defense.

------------

Comment ---
I'd feel much safer knowing that several people on my block own a gun and know
how to properly use it.

Take away the right to own guns, and all freedoms will be lost.

A well armed citizenry is the best deterrence for crime, and an enslaving
totalitarian government.

Outlawing guns only takes them away from law-abiding citizens.  The murderers,
religious fanatics, and government will still have them.

Face the fact -- most people are good people.  The few who are not cause most of
the problems.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


5)
excellent video ---

The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana

http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/multimedia/flash.ssf?flashlandloss1.swf

Comment ---
Don't rebuild in flood prone areas.
Rebuilding New Orleans is a waste of time, money, and energy.

***

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

James,

Thank you for doing the NEWS for this group.  Everyone gets
burned out from time to time and needs a rest.  I'll look
forward to your return.

One other good news source is www.365gay.com

On weekdays during daytime, this source is updated about every
2 hours!

organistbob

--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "James Martin"
<martinjg@...> wrote:
>
> I'm going to have to stop doing the NEWS for a while.  Burned out.
Will be back later.
> Bush, Iraq, Tibet, stock market, bigoted mythologists -- I need a
rest.
> For a large dose of daily news, the following is a selection of
places where you will get it ---
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The-Gaily-News/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KellysList
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GayAndOver40/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thequeercollective/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quietnomore/
>
>
>
> For today ---
> 1)  A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
> 2)  Patchwork Nation -- Christian Science Monitor presidential
election reporting
> 3)  How 'gay' became children's insult of choice
> 4)  High court considers landmark gun-rights case
> 5)  The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana -- New Orleans
>
>
>
> 1)
> http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/a-queens-activist-a-
wedding-photo-and-the-future-of-poland/index.html?hp
>
> March 19, 2008,  1:24 pm
> A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
> By Sewell Chan
>
> Updated, 2:42 p.m. | Brendan Fay, a well-known gay activist in New
York, has found himself, however improbably, a symbol in a political
struggle in Poland over equal rights for gay men and lesbians that
could affect the nation's integration into the European Union and the
balance of political power in Warsaw.
>
> On Monday, President Lech Kaczynski delivered a nationally
televised address, warning Poles that the nation's autonomy could be
threatened if Poland ratifies the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. The
president's conservative Law and Justice Party believes that
ratification will inevitably lead to the incorporation into Polish
law of the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights, which
prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
>
> As part of his five-minute speech, Mr. Kaczynski displayed a
wedding photograph of Mr. Fay and his partner, Dr. Thomas A. Moulton;
showed a video clip of their 2003 wedding in Canada; and even pointed
to a photo of their wedding certificate. The Polish president also
showed a map of pre-World War II Poland, linking his anti-gay oratory
to historic Polish anxieties about German encroachment.
>
> Mr. Fay, 49, a producer of documentary videos, and Dr. Moulton, 50,
a pediatric hematologist and oncologist, have been stunned about
being caught up in the political brouhaha. The couple celebrated
their partnership with a Roman Catholic priest at an Episcopal church
in Brooklyn in May 2003. They were married two months later in
Toronto, after Ontario legalized gay marriage. The two men, who live
in Astoria, Queens, have been outspoken advocates for marriage rights
for gay men and lesbians; images of the couple and their wedding have
been widely disseminated on the Internet.
>
> Mr. Fay, who was born in Drogheda, Ireland, has never been to
Poland. In New York, he is probably best known as a leader of a long-
standing effort to allow gay and lesbian groups to march in the
official St. Patrick's Day Parade, which this year was held on Monday.
>
> The Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization won support from Mayor David
N. Dinkins in 1991, but the following year, a federal judge refused
to force the parade's organizers to permit the group to march. Mr.
Fay subsequently organized a gay-friendly St. Patrick's parade in
Queens that has been held every year since 2000.
>
> Mr. Fay said he first found out about Mr. Kaczynski's speech on
Tuesday morning, when he received a call from a Polish radio station.
A flood of media inquiries, from as far away as Ireland and Canada,
have poured in since then.
>
> Later on Tuesday, Mr. Fay dashed off a letter to Krzysztof W.
Kasprzyk, Poland's consul general in New York. "We are frustrated to
hear that images from such a joyous day are used to spread
intolerance," Mr. Fay wrote. "I request a meeting to discuss the
matter of civil rights raised by the Polish political leader's
remarks and the uses/misuse of our wedding photographs. I ask that
you meet with myself and representations of the New York gay
community working in the area of human and civil rights. For much of
the day I have been fielding calls from Polish reporters. Some
wondered if we had granted permission for use of our wedding
photographs. We would never have agreed to permit our photographs as
part of a homophobic campaign."
>
> Today, Mr. Kasprzyk called Mr. Fay and agreed to a meeting. In a
follow-up e-mail message sent shortly after noon today, Mr. Kasprzyk
wrote, "I wish to express my gratitude for your conciliatory approach
and the empathy you have demonstrated from the first moment this
pitiful incident surfaced." (Mr. Fay provided a copy of the e-mail
message to The New York Times.) The two men agreed to meet next week,
since this week is Holy Week, a major event for Irish and Polish
Catholics.
>
> Czeslaw Karkowski, the editor in chief of Nowy Dziennik, or Polish
Daily News, which is based in Manhattan and one of the leading Polish
newspapers in the United States, said in a phone interview that the
speech - and Mr. Fay's role in it - have been the subject of national
discussion in Poland.
>
> Last October, voters ousted the president's identical twin, Prime
Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and his right-leaning party in
parliamentary elections. Lech Kaczynski remained president, with the
power to veto legislation, but his political status was diminished.
The new prime minister, Donald Tusk, and his pro-business Civic
Platform party generally favor E.U. integration and draw support from
the western and more urbanized half of the country, Mr. Karkowski
explained, while President Kaczynski's appeal on Monday was intended
to speak to his rural, Catholic, conservative base in eastern Poland.
>
> "Polish society is deeply divided," Mr. Karkowski said. "The prime
minister and his party, which rules right now, represent the pro-
Western movement. The other side is represented by the president, who
is very conservative and playing on the fears and expectations of the
other Poland - more conservative, more suspicious, especially toward
the West."
>
> Mr. Karkowski said he had no idea why President Kaczynski's staff
members decided to use Mr. Fay's image to represent gay
marriage. "Probably they were just looking for a useful picture," Mr.
Karkowski said, "a visible sign of what he and his followers are
against and what, supposedly, his political opponents are for."
>
> Meanwhile, the Lisbon Treaty needs ratification by 27 member
countries of the E.U. to take effect. Partly in response to Mr.
Kaczynski's criticism, Prime Minister Tusk has proposed holding a
national referendum on the treaty.
>
> Ewa Zadworna, a spokeswoman at the Polish Consulate in Manhattan,
said the consulate did not have any further comment on the matter and
she declined to elaborate on Mr. Kasprzyk's characterization of the
incident as "pitiful" in his e-mail message to Mr. Fay.
>
> "We are in contact with Mr. Fay," Ms. Zadworna said, noting that
Mr. Kasprzyk will meet with Mr. Fay and other gay activists next
week.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
>
>
> 2)
> Patchwork Nation
>
> Comment --
> The Christian Science Monitor is one of the best newspapers
available.  Its national and international news reporting is among
the best.
> The Christian Science Church is another story.  Pompous, arrogant,
self-righteous, homophobic, and unable to make change.
> The contrast between the church and the newspaper is astounding.
Both controlled by the same board of directors.  The five board
members act as "pope".  Their word is final.  They can't be removed
by the laity.  Like the Catholic and Mormon churches.  They
are "elected" like the pope is selected.  Secretly by board members
themselves.
>
> The Monitor, in its usual visionary mode, is featuring something
new to track the upcoming Presidential election.  Check it out.
>
> The map showing the 11 districts is well worth a look.  Click on
the various options for the map to see the differences.
> 1)  Monied 'Burbs
> 2)  Minority Central
> 3)  Evangelical Epicenters
> 4)  Tractor Country
> 5)  Campus and Careers
> 6)  Immigration Nation
> 7)  Industrial Metropolis
> 8)  Boom Towns
> 9)  Service Worker Centers
> 10) Emptying Nests
> 11) Military Bastions
>
> ------------
>
> http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/
> About the Patchwork Nation project
> Nearly 305 million people live in the United States, according to
the US Census Bureau. Yet in recent elections it's all been about
fitting into two categories: red states that vote Republican and blue
states that vote Democratic. But this red/blue breakdown of political
opinion doesn't explain what underpins the voters' decisions.
>
> That's what this effort, funded by the Knight Foundation, a
nonprofit philanthropic organization based in Miami, explores in real
time during the 2008 presidential campaign.
>
> We've identified 11 places across the US that represent distinct
types of voter communities. They are Monied 'Burbs, Minority Central,
Evangelical Epicenters, Tractor Country, Campus and Careers,
Immigration Nation, Industrial Metropolis, Boom Towns, Service Worker
Centers, Emptying Nests, and Military Bastions. For example, Sioux
Center, Iowa, typifies Tractor Country.
>
> As the 2008 campaign progresses, the Monitor will write about what
issues matter in each of these communities, how the issues affect
residents' votes, and how the candidates tailor their messages to a
particular audience.
>
> This site is based on evidence that people's voting patterns are at
least partly informed by where they live. People of the same race and
age and family situation may vote differently depending on whom they
connect with and what they see on their streets and in their local
news. In some areas, people live for NASCAR; in others, residents
like opera. Some towns open for business early and some stay up late.
Some cities see Sunday mornings as church time, others see it as $30
brunch time or more work time. And Starbucks and Wal-Marts aren't
everywhere . yet.
>
> To grasp how such dynamics shape the vote in various places, we are
working with Professor James Gimpel, an expert in political geography
at the University of Maryland. He has analyzed piles of Census and
consumer data - including race, employment, religion, and household
spending - to identify these different community types across America
and has mapped them county by county. The map on the home page of
this site shows his findings. The data used to identify these
community types are available on this site to anyone (see
Methodology). We hope news organizations, groups, and individuals
will conduct their own analyses with the information.
>
> There could have been more categories. Three hundred million people
is enough to generate hundreds of groupings. We settled on 11 that
represent enough variances and will still be easy for readers to
follow.
>
> On the site, individual voters have an important role to play, too.
The Monitor has enlisted local bloggers in each place to help provide
regular updates throughout the campaign to explain what issues are
important as they form their views of the candidates and the
presidential race.
>
> As a site visitor, you can see which community type your county
falls into and take a quiz to see how well you fit in. Many counties
are still big, diverse places. Some of the most populous ones could
match a few different categories. And it's possible you will not fall
into the one dominant in your county. Online bulletin boards are open
to visitors who wish to post comments about the campaign.
>
> Although this is a different kind of election coverage, its
approach isn't foreign to campaigns.
>
> For decades analysts have talked about how candidates are products
that need to be sold to the electorate - sometimes jokingly,
sometimes not. In recent years, both parties have fine-tuned
their "ad campaigns" by targeting different messages to different
groups of voters.
>
> This project covers the election from the voters' point of view. We
hope our approach can provide a fuller picture of the campaign and
voters' decisionmaking.
>
> http://www.csmonitor.com/mediaplayer/index.html?
file=http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/wp-content/themes/csm-
patchworknation/video/explainer.flv&height=375&width=500
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------
>
>
> 3)
> BBC News
> UK
> Tuesday, 18 March 2008
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7289390.stm
>
> How 'gay' became children's insult of choice
>
> By Denise Winterman
> BBC News Magazine
>
> The word "gay" is now the most frequently used term of abuse in
schools, says a report. How did it get to be so prevalent and why do
children use homophobic insults to get at each other?
> Every generation of schoolchildren has them, the playground put-
downs that can leave a pupil's reputation in tatters among their
peers. For the current generation, "gay", "bitch" and "slag" are the
most frequently used terms of abuse, according to a survey by the
Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
>
> They are used by children of all ages, from nursery school upwards.
But the worst offenders are secondary school pupils, says the
teaching union.
>
> The most popular by far is "gay". Of the teachers interviewed, 83%
said they heard it being used regularly and much more than its
nearest rivals, bitch (59%) and slag (45%). So how did it achieve
this dubious honour?
>
>
> WHAT TEACHERS HEAR
> Gay (83%)
> Bitch (59%)
> Slag (45%)
> Poof (29%)
> Batty boy (29%)
> Slut (26%)
> Queer (26%)
> Lezzie (24.8%)
> Homo (22%)
> Faggot (11%)
> Sissy (5%)
> Source: ATL  http://www.askatl.org.uk/
>
> The word has had many meanings over the centuries, often sexual,
says Clive Upton, professor of Modern English Language at Leeds
University.
> "In the early 19th Century it was used to refer to women who lived
off immoral earnings," he says. Around the 1970s it was claimed by
the homosexual community as a descriptive term for their sexual
orientation, now its most popular meaning. By the 1980s it was
finding its way into schools as a playground insult.
>
> "Every generation grows up with a whole lexicon of homosexual
insults, in my day it was 'poofter' or 'bender'," says slang
lexicographer Tony Thorne. "They were used much more because they
were considered more offensive than 'gay', which is more neutral.
>
> 'Tease'
>
> "It's only in the last four years that I've documented it being
used so much by young people. It's what we call a 'vogue' word, which
is a fashionable word."
>
> One reason for this increase in use could be because "gay" has
partly lost its sexual connotations among young people, he says.
While still pejorative, for the majority of youngsters it has
replaced words such as "lame".
>
> "I have interviewed scores of school kids about this and they are
always emphatic that it has nothing at all to do with hostility to
homosexuals," says Mr Thorne, compiler of the Dictionary of
Contemporary Slang. "It is nearly always used in contexts where
sexual orientation and sexuality are completely irrelevant."
>
> The ATL survey seems to say otherwise, lumping it in with clear
insults such as poofter and batty boy. But Katie, a 12-year-old from
Colchester, knows it in different context. A bad pair of trainers is
much more likely to be called "gay" than a person, she says.
>
> "It's used as more of a way to tease a friend rather than have a
real go at someone. I wouldn't call someone 'gay' because I know
that's sort of bullying them."
>
> The use of "gay" in this particular way was first recorded at the
end of the 1970s and developed among US high school students, says Mr
Throne. It's not only youngsters in the UK who have recently adopted
it, the same has happened to the German equivalent, schwul, he adds.
>
> This mutation of the word is one reason why using "gay" as in a
pejorative sense often goes unchallenged. Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles
caused controversy in 2006 for his casual use of the word. He said
he'd used it to describe something as "rubbish" and was backed by the
BBC.
>
> "The word has what we call multiple coinage and that's the
problem," says Mr Thorne. "While teenagers are generally using it to
mean 'lame' it can separately be used as a homophobic term of abuse."
>
> It's this ambiguity that prevents some teachers from tackling
pupils who use it in a negative sense, says ATL. They are afraid
of "blowing trivial matters out of proportion".
>
> Force
>
> "It's tricky because it's often a casually throwaway remark and
said without any obvious malice," says Deborah, a teaching assistant
from Essex. "Terms such as 'batty boy' are clear homophobic insults
and much more straightforward to deal with."
>
>
> But while "gay" may have changed for some, it is still being used
as a means of bullying, as are many other homophobic insults (see
table, above). Last year, the Westminster government announced the
first guidelines for schools on how to deal with homophobic bullying.
>
> Gay lobby group Stonewall says 65% of young gay people experience
homophobic bullying. And many who aren't gay also get labelled as
such.
>
> "It's a form of peer group control," says psychologist Helen
Cowie. "Boys have to be masculine and macho and anyone who isn't must
go along with it or face being bullied. It's a form of bullying that
domineering people seek out vulnerable people and school age is a
time of emergent sexuality which is itself a vulnerable time."
>
> Fellow psychologist Ian Rivers says the potency of such words is in
the fact they "go to the very core of who we are". Yet sexual
orientation is also invisible.
>
> "It's not about your heritage or your race, it's not about things
which someone can see." So it can't even be challenged, he says. "How
can children demonstrate that they are heterosexual. There's no
effective recourse and this is what makes it so effective as a
bullying tactic."
>
> Donald Christie, professor in the Department of Childhood and
Primary Studies, says "sexual orientation" is a source of potential
vulnerability. "If there's an area of life that children themselves
feel insecure about they're aware of their own vulnerability. The
whole point of bullying is about identifying and accentuating
weakness in others."
>
> Ms Cowie has observed schools developing children as "peer
supporters" to listen, mediate and support bullied children.
But "boys have a "harder time" adopting such roles because the
attributes are not seen as masculine.
>
> "In one school we studied they were known as queer supporters," she
notes.
>
> Recalling her time as a boys' secondary school teacher in the
1970s, Ms Cowie recalls how "obsessed" pupils were with homosexual
innuendo. "It didn't seem to matter what you read to the class they'd
always find an gay innuendo."
>
> ------------
>
> Add your comments on this story, using the form at the URL.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------
>
>
>
> 4)
> Washington Post
> High court considers landmark gun-rights case
>
> By James Vicini
> Reuters
> Tuesday, March 18, 2008
>
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court considers on Tuesday
a landmark legal battle over gun rights, taking up for the first time
in nearly 70 years whether Americans have the right to keep and bear
arms.
>
> The court's ruling, expected by the end of June, could have a far-
reaching impact on gun control laws in the United States, estimated
to have the world's highest civilian gun ownership rate, and could
become an issue in the November election.
>
> At issue is whether to strike down or uphold one of the nation's
strictest gun control laws -- a Washington, D.C., ban on private
possession of handguns and a requirement that any rifles or shotguns
kept at home be unloaded and dissembled or bound by a trigger lock.
>
> The case is widely viewed as one of the most important of the
Supreme Court's current term, along with cases on the rights of the
Guantanamo Bay prisoners and the U.S. lethal injection method of
execution.
>
> The case could resolve the much-disputed meaning of the Second
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and whether it protects an
individual's right to possess guns or a collective right of the
people for service in a state militia.
>
> The Supreme Court's last review of the Second Amendment came in a
five-page discussion in an opinion issued in 1939 that failed to
definitively resolve the constitutional issue.
>
> The arguments follow a series of mass shootings in the past year --
multiple killings on at least three college campuses, two shopping
centers and one Missouri town meeting. Gun deaths average 80 a day in
the United States, 34 of them homicides, according to Centers for
Disease Control data.
>
> The case has split the Bush administration.
>
> Solicitor General Paul Clement, the administration's chief advocate
before the Supreme Court, has adopted the position that individuals
have a right to own a gun, but it is subject to reasonable government
regulation.
>
> Clement, who is arguing before the justices, seeks to preserve all
of the current federal restrictions, including a ban on new machine
gun sales, a ban on felons owning guns and required background checks
for new buyers of handguns.
>
> But Vice President Dick Cheney joined a group of U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate members in urging the court to adopt a
stronger stand in favor of gun rights.
>
> Walter Dellinger, the attorney defending the Washington law, argued
the Second Amendment protected only militia-related firearms rights.
>
> But even if an individual has the right to possess guns, the law
should be upheld as a reasonable restriction, he said.
>
> The third attorney scheduled to appear at the arguments, Alan Gura,
said the law should be struck down. He represents Dick Anthony
Heller, who lives in a high-crime neighborhood and wants to keep a
handgun for self-defense.
>
> ------------
>
> Comment ---
> I'd feel much safer knowing that several people on my block own a
gun and know how to properly use it.
>
> Take away the right to own guns, and all freedoms will be lost.
>
> A well armed citizenry is the best deterrence for crime, and an
enslaving totalitarian government.
>
> Outlawing guns only takes them away from law-abiding citizens.  The
murderers, religious fanatics, and government will still have them.
>
> Face the fact -- most people are good people.  The few who are not
cause most of  the problems.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------
>
>
> 5)
> excellent video ---
>
> The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana
>
> http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/multimedia/flash.ssf?
flashlandloss1.swf
>
> Comment ---
> Don't rebuild in flood prone areas.
> Rebuilding New Orleans is a waste of time, money, and energy.
>
> ***
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Yep, that was my dream.  I had it about a month after Matthew's death.
  I had been in tears most of that month, and I took the dream to mean
it was time to stop crying all the time (at least for me) and get to
action.  I don't do much, but I have had many letters to the editor
published in the Denver papers on the topic of gay rights, and Marilyn
Musgrave has heard from me a lot more than she likes, I'm sure.

Thanks for putting JP's essay up on your site.  I have a copy of the
whole thing, but I only took parts of it for my book (with his
permission, of course.)

--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Vega Alopex"
<vzeo6epp@...> wrote:
>
> That was you, Karen?  I have that entire interview on my website, and
> I should have figured the calculus!
>
> Al G
>
> --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Karen" <leleni@> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks for reminding us of dear JP.  In honor of him, here's a quote
> > from his imaginary interview with Matt Shepard, which he gave me
> > permission to quote in my book (I was moved that he quoted me about
> my
> > dream in his interview):
> >
> >
> >  It was the first really warm day we'd had this spring, or at
> least
> > the first one which was also my day off. I was luxuriating in the
> > comfy plush blue swivel chair, listening to the tail end of "Take
> > Five" on CBC FM, and I'd dozed off just as the closing theme was
> > playing...I didn't get to doze off for more than a few seconds,
> > though. The doorbell rang...
> >  There wasn't any mistaking the identity of my caller, all
> five-foot
> > two and 102 pounds of him.
> >  "Hello, Matt."
> >  "Hi, John. I've come to be interviewed, " said Matthew
> Shepard..."Got
> > any Heineken?" ...
> >  "Alas, Matt, all I've got is Guinness."
> >  "Oh, it'll do ..."
> >  Matt had settled into the blue swivel chair, leaving [me the]
> wooden
> > rocking chair. Stella, my cat, crouched down on the rug between us,
> > eyeing Matt with something between curiosity and suspicion.
> >  "She's not used to ghosts, I guess. They get used to it,
> though,"
> > said Matt...
> >  "So," I said, "why are we having this conversation?...I guess
> I
> > should ask whom you do visit."
> >  "...It's not entirely my choice, and it isn't the choice of
> the
> > people I visit..."
> >  He sighed, and thought for a moment..."Some would like to see
> me
> > looking differently than the way I do when I do visit them."
> >  "I imagine that would include those who see you as you were
> after you
> > were bashed."
> >  "Not always. I can think of one lady who understood why I
> appeared to
> > her that way. You've met her...Remind me, how'd she describe me?"
> >  "That she was at a great candle light vigil for you in Denver
> at Mile
> > High Stadium which was entirely filled with people like her. She saw
> > you, looking as you did after the attack, take the microphone and
> say,
> > 'I can't satisfy you people. My strength is all gone.'"
> >  "VERY interesting," [said Matt.] "How'd she interpret it?"
> >  "That you were trying to tell everybody that they were
> expecting too
> > much of you. That you couldn't possibly live up to their
> expectations.
> > That everybody was trying to make more of you than you were. So, was
> > that interpretation right?"
> >  Matt half-smiled, pulling up the left corner of his mouth, "I
> > couldn't possibly comment, now could I?"
> >  "Well, why not?"
> >  "As I told Al, we can't interfere in your lives. That means
> we can't
> > tell you what to believe, what to do, or how to interpret any
> messages
> > we give you. If we're allowed to pass along any messages at all, it
> > has to be in a way that we aren't meddling."
> >  "Which would make for a much shorter interview, wouldn't it?"
> >  "Oh, I'm enjoying the Guinness and music too much to keep it
> TOO short!"
> >
> >
> > --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Paula E. Kirman" <me@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > I was going to post something with a similar Subject heading
> today,
> > LOL.  Today is St. Patrick's Day.  And I can't help but think about
> > JP.  I can't believe it has almost been a year.
> > >  - pk
> > >
> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > >
> >
>

Thank you Al for this link to JPD's post.

After 1 year from his death, finally I got "The times of Harvey Milk".
I did't realize that I watched it just the day John is gone...
Anyway, at now I know what a wonderful man he was and wonderful things
he did for the community of S.F. and not only!

But let me say everytime I'm going to read in this forum, I'm so
emotionate because seem to me that the GLBT community, this in all the
world, get some big steps forward the human right but, at the same
time, get big steps backward.

It still to be a very big deal...this especially because knew of
Lawrence King' story.

We all know having to put a little brick in everyday to build and to
preservate our world. And people like Dennis and Judy are that light
in distance we have to look at...


--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Vega Alopex"
<vzeo6epp@...> wrote:
>
> I suppose it's simply a blast from the past, but I looked at my tape of
> the first showing of "Anatomy of a Hate Crime".  It's been over seven
> years since it first aired.  I find myself wishing I could get into
> that fictional world which never really happened.  Matt, of course,
> remains in my thoughts, but now I view that same character with the
> knowledge of how much further from reality it really is.  I suppose I
> simply want Matt as Cy Carter portrayed him, while accepting the little
> blond guy as he really was.
>
> Since Matt, I've encountered the inevitable reality that people I know
> have died, and I will not see them again in this world.  My encounter
> with my former high school brought it out this year.  I tend to wonder
> whether I am coping it all the best way possible.   By the way, I've
> now aged to Dennis Shepard's when Matt was murdered.  I feel his pain
> deeply.
>
> Any more thoughts I will save for my online diary.
>

Actually, John had submitted it to me years ago.  I should copy it in
case it disappears.  I did not know how to spell Guinness, which both
John and Matt would find funny.  I really rather wine over beer,
depite my Bavarian ancestry of one forth.

--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Karen" <leleni@...> wrote:
>
> Yep, that was my dream.  I had it about a month after Matthew's
death.
>  I had been in tears most of that month, and I took the dream to
mean
> it was time to stop crying all the time (at least for me) and get to
> action.  I don't do much, but I have had many letters to the editor
> published in the Denver papers on the topic of gay rights, and
Marilyn
> Musgrave has heard from me a lot more than she likes, I'm sure.
>
> Thanks for putting JP's essay up on your site.  I have a copy of the
> whole thing, but I only took parts of it for my book (with his
> permission, of course.)
>
> --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Vega Alopex"
> <vzeo6epp@> wrote:
> >
> > That was you, Karen?  I have that entire interview on my website,
and
> > I should have figured the calculus!
> >
> > Al G
> >
> > --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Karen" <leleni@>
wrote:
> > >
> > > Thanks for reminding us of dear JP.  In honor of him, here's a
quote
> > > from his imaginary interview with Matt Shepard, which he gave me
> > > permission to quote in my book (I was moved that he quoted me
about
> > my
> > > dream in his interview):
> > >
> > >
> > >  It was the first really warm day we'd had this spring, or at
> > least
> > > the first one which was also my day off. I was luxuriating in
the
> > > comfy plush blue swivel chair, listening to the tail end
of "Take
> > > Five" on CBC FM, and I'd dozed off just as the closing theme was
> > > playing...I didn't get to doze off for more than a few seconds,
> > > though. The doorbell rang...
> > >  There wasn't any mistaking the identity of my caller, all
> > five-foot
> > > two and 102 pounds of him.
> > >  "Hello, Matt."
> > >  "Hi, John. I've come to be interviewed, " said Matthew
> > Shepard..."Got
> > > any Heineken?" ...
> > >  "Alas, Matt, all I've got is Guinness."
> > >  "Oh, it'll do ..."
> > >  Matt had settled into the blue swivel chair, leaving [me the]
> > wooden
> > > rocking chair. Stella, my cat, crouched down on the rug between
us,
> > > eyeing Matt with something between curiosity and suspicion.
> > >  "She's not used to ghosts, I guess. They get used to it,
> > though,"
> > > said Matt...
> > >  "So," I said, "why are we having this conversation?...I guess
> > I
> > > should ask whom you do visit."
> > >  "...It's not entirely my choice, and it isn't the choice of
> > the
> > > people I visit..."
> > >  He sighed, and thought for a moment..."Some would like to see
> > me
> > > looking differently than the way I do when I do visit them."
> > >  "I imagine that would include those who see you as you were
> > after you
> > > were bashed."
> > >  "Not always. I can think of one lady who understood why I
> > appeared to
> > > her that way. You've met her...Remind me, how'd she describe
me?"
> > >  "That she was at a great candle light vigil for you in Denver
> > at Mile
> > > High Stadium which was entirely filled with people like her.
She saw
> > > you, looking as you did after the attack, take the microphone
and
> > say,
> > > 'I can't satisfy you people. My strength is all gone.'"
> > >  "VERY interesting," [said Matt.] "How'd she interpret it?"
> > >  "That you were trying to tell everybody that they were
> > expecting too
> > > much of you. That you couldn't possibly live up to their
> > expectations.
> > > That everybody was trying to make more of you than you were.
So, was
> > > that interpretation right?"
> > >  Matt half-smiled, pulling up the left corner of his mouth, "I
> > > couldn't possibly comment, now could I?"
> > >  "Well, why not?"
> > >  "As I told Al, we can't interfere in your lives. That means
> > we can't
> > > tell you what to believe, what to do, or how to interpret any
> > messages
> > > we give you. If we're allowed to pass along any messages at
all, it
> > > has to be in a way that we aren't meddling."
> > >  "Which would make for a much shorter interview, wouldn't it?"
> > >  "Oh, I'm enjoying the Guinness and music too much to keep it
> > TOO short!"
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "Paula E. Kirman"
<me@>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > I was going to post something with a similar Subject heading
> > today,
> > > LOL.  Today is St. Patrick's Day.  And I can't help but think
about
> > > JP.  I can't believe it has almost been a year.
> > > >  - pk
> > > >
> > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> > > >
> > >
> >
>

Thanks for all you've done with this, James.  Your list: "Bush, Iraq,
Tibet, stock market, bigoted mythologists" is exhausting and depressing.

I'll continue to do as I've always done and post local news stories
when I run across them.  Lately there have been some encouraging ones,
like the local eighth grader who is courageously going to school as a
girl--and finding support from the school administration.  Someone
like that can do more to change the world than just about anything
else, by giving other kids a human face to relate to.

Hope you get some much needed rest, and thanks for the links.



--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "James Martin"
<martinjg@...> wrote:
>
> I'm going to have to stop doing the NEWS for a while.  Burned out.
Will be back later.
> Bush, Iraq, Tibet, stock market, bigoted mythologists -- I need a rest.
> For a large dose of daily news, the following is a selection of
places where you will get it ---
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The-Gaily-News/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KellysList
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GayAndOver40/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thequeercollective/
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quietnomore/
>
>
>
> For today ---
> 1)  A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
> 2)  Patchwork Nation -- Christian Science Monitor presidential
election reporting
> 3)  How 'gay' became children's insult of choice
> 4)  High court considers landmark gun-rights case
> 5)  The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana -- New Orleans
>
>
>
> 1)
>
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/a-queens-activist-a-wedding-photo-a\
nd-the-future-of-poland/index.html?hp
>
> March 19, 2008,  1:24 pm
> A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
> By Sewell Chan
>
> Updated, 2:42 p.m. | Brendan Fay, a well-known gay activist in New
York, has found himself, however improbably, a symbol in a political
struggle in Poland over equal rights for gay men and lesbians that
could affect the nation's integration into the European Union and the
balance of political power in Warsaw.
>
> On Monday, President Lech Kaczynski delivered a nationally televised
address, warning Poles that the nation's autonomy could be threatened
if Poland ratifies the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. The president's
conservative Law and Justice Party believes that ratification will
inevitably lead to the incorporation into Polish law of the European
Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights, which prohibits discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation.
>
> As part of his five-minute speech, Mr. Kaczynski displayed a wedding
photograph of Mr. Fay and his partner, Dr. Thomas A. Moulton; showed a
video clip of their 2003 wedding in Canada; and even pointed to a
photo of their wedding certificate. The Polish president also showed a
map of pre-World War II Poland, linking his anti-gay oratory to
historic Polish anxieties about German encroachment.
>
> Mr. Fay, 49, a producer of documentary videos, and Dr. Moulton, 50,
a pediatric hematologist and oncologist, have been stunned about being
caught up in the political brouhaha. The couple celebrated their
partnership with a Roman Catholic priest at an Episcopal church in
Brooklyn in May 2003. They were married two months later in Toronto,
after Ontario legalized gay marriage. The two men, who live in
Astoria, Queens, have been outspoken advocates for marriage rights for
gay men and lesbians; images of the couple and their wedding have been
widely disseminated on the Internet.
>
> Mr. Fay, who was born in Drogheda, Ireland, has never been to
Poland. In New York, he is probably best known as a leader of a
long-standing effort to allow gay and lesbian groups to march in the
official St. Patrick's Day Parade, which this year was held on Monday.
>
> The Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization won support from Mayor David
N. Dinkins in 1991, but the following year, a federal judge refused to
force the parade's organizers to permit the group to march. Mr. Fay
subsequently organized a gay-friendly St. Patrick's parade in Queens
that has been held every year since 2000.
>
> Mr. Fay said he first found out about Mr. Kaczynski's speech on
Tuesday morning, when he received a call from a Polish radio station.
A flood of media inquiries, from as far away as Ireland and Canada,
have poured in since then.
>
> Later on Tuesday, Mr. Fay dashed off a letter to Krzysztof W.
Kasprzyk, Poland's consul general in New York. "We are frustrated to
hear that images from such a joyous day are used to spread
intolerance," Mr. Fay wrote. "I request a meeting to discuss the
matter of civil rights raised by the Polish political leader's remarks
and the uses/misuse of our wedding photographs. I ask that you meet
with myself and representations of the New York gay community working
in the area of human and civil rights. For much of the day I have been
fielding calls from Polish reporters. Some wondered if we had granted
permission for use of our wedding photographs. We would never have
agreed to permit our photographs as part of a homophobic campaign."
>
> Today, Mr. Kasprzyk called Mr. Fay and agreed to a meeting. In a
follow-up e-mail message sent shortly after noon today, Mr. Kasprzyk
wrote, "I wish to express my gratitude for your conciliatory approach
and the empathy you have demonstrated from the first moment this
pitiful incident surfaced." (Mr. Fay provided a copy of the e-mail
message to The New York Times.) The two men agreed to meet next week,
since this week is Holy Week, a major event for Irish and Polish
Catholics.
>
> Czeslaw Karkowski, the editor in chief of Nowy Dziennik, or Polish
Daily News, which is based in Manhattan and one of the leading Polish
newspapers in the United States, said in a phone interview that the
speech - and Mr. Fay's role in it - have been the subject of national
discussion in Poland.
>
> Last October, voters ousted the president's identical twin, Prime
Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and his right-leaning party in
parliamentary elections. Lech Kaczynski remained president, with the
power to veto legislation, but his political status was diminished.
The new prime minister, Donald Tusk, and his pro-business Civic
Platform party generally favor E.U. integration and draw support from
the western and more urbanized half of the country, Mr. Karkowski
explained, while President Kaczynski's appeal on Monday was intended
to speak to his rural, Catholic, conservative base in eastern Poland.
>
> "Polish society is deeply divided," Mr. Karkowski said. "The prime
minister and his party, which rules right now, represent the
pro-Western movement. The other side is represented by the president,
who is very conservative and playing on the fears and expectations of
the other Poland - more conservative, more suspicious, especially
toward the West."
>
> Mr. Karkowski said he had no idea why President Kaczynski's staff
members decided to use Mr. Fay's image to represent gay marriage.
"Probably they were just looking for a useful picture," Mr. Karkowski
said, "a visible sign of what he and his followers are against and
what, supposedly, his political opponents are for."
>
> Meanwhile, the Lisbon Treaty needs ratification by 27 member
countries of the E.U. to take effect. Partly in response to Mr.
Kaczynski's criticism, Prime Minister Tusk has proposed holding a
national referendum on the treaty.
>
> Ewa Zadworna, a spokeswoman at the Polish Consulate in Manhattan,
said the consulate did not have any further comment on the matter and
she declined to elaborate on Mr. Kasprzyk's characterization of the
incident as "pitiful" in his e-mail message to Mr. Fay.
>
> "We are in contact with Mr. Fay," Ms. Zadworna said, noting that Mr.
Kasprzyk will meet with Mr. Fay and other gay activists next week.
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------
>
>
> 2)
> Patchwork Nation
>
> Comment --
> The Christian Science Monitor is one of the best newspapers
available.  Its national and international news reporting is among the
best.
> The Christian Science Church is another story.  Pompous, arrogant,
self-righteous, homophobic, and unable to make change.
> The contrast between the church and the newspaper is astounding.
Both controlled by the same board of directors.  The five board
members act as "pope".  Their word is final.  They can't be removed by
the laity.  Like the Catholic and Mormon churches.  They are "elected"
like the pope is selected.  Secretly by board members themselves.
>
> The Monitor, in its usual visionary mode, is featuring something new
to track the upcoming Presidential election.  Check it out.
>
> The map showing the 11 districts is well worth a look.  Click on the
various options for the map to see the differences.
> 1)  Monied 'Burbs
> 2)  Minority Central
> 3)  Evangelical Epicenters
> 4)  Tractor Country
> 5)  Campus and Careers
> 6)  Immigration Nation
> 7)  Industrial Metropolis
> 8)  Boom Towns
> 9)  Service Worker Centers
> 10) Emptying Nests
> 11) Military Bastions
>
> ------------
>
> http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/
> About the Patchwork Nation project
> Nearly 305 million people live in the United States, according to
the US Census Bureau. Yet in recent elections it's all been about
fitting into two categories: red states that vote Republican and blue
states that vote Democratic. But this red/blue breakdown of political
opinion doesn't explain what underpins the voters' decisions.
>
> That's what this effort, funded by the Knight Foundation, a
nonprofit philanthropic organization based in Miami, explores in real
time during the 2008 presidential campaign.
>
> We've identified 11 places across the US that represent distinct
types of voter communities. They are Monied 'Burbs, Minority Central,
Evangelical Epicenters, Tractor Country, Campus and Careers,
Immigration Nation, Industrial Metropolis, Boom Towns, Service Worker
Centers, Emptying Nests, and Military Bastions. For example, Sioux
Center, Iowa, typifies Tractor Country.
>
> As the 2008 campaign progresses, the Monitor will write about what
issues matter in each of these communities, how the issues affect
residents' votes, and how the candidates tailor their messages to a
particular audience.
>
> This site is based on evidence that people's voting patterns are at
least partly informed by where they live. People of the same race and
age and family situation may vote differently depending on whom they
connect with and what they see on their streets and in their local
news. In some areas, people live for NASCAR; in others, residents like
opera. Some towns open for business early and some stay up late. Some
cities see Sunday mornings as church time, others see it as $30 brunch
time or more work time. And Starbucks and Wal-Marts aren't everywhere
. yet.
>
> To grasp how such dynamics shape the vote in various places, we are
working with Professor James Gimpel, an expert in political geography
at the University of Maryland. He has analyzed piles of Census and
consumer data - including race, employment, religion, and household
spending - to identify these different community types across America
and has mapped them county by county. The map on the home page of this
site shows his findings. The data used to identify these community
types are available on this site to anyone (see Methodology). We hope
news organizations, groups, and individuals will conduct their own
analyses with the information.
>
> There could have been more categories. Three hundred million people
is enough to generate hundreds of groupings. We settled on 11 that
represent enough variances and will still be easy for readers to follow.
>
> On the site, individual voters have an important role to play, too.
The Monitor has enlisted local bloggers in each place to help provide
regular updates throughout the campaign to explain what issues are
important as they form their views of the candidates and the
presidential race.
>
> As a site visitor, you can see which community type your county
falls into and take a quiz to see how well you fit in. Many counties
are still big, diverse places. Some of the most populous ones could
match a few different categories. And it's possible you will not fall
into the one dominant in your county. Online bulletin boards are open
to visitors who wish to post comments about the campaign.
>
> Although this is a different kind of election coverage, its approach
isn't foreign to campaigns.
>
> For decades analysts have talked about how candidates are products
that need to be sold to the electorate - sometimes jokingly, sometimes
not. In recent years, both parties have fine-tuned their "ad
campaigns" by targeting different messages to different groups of voters.
>
> This project covers the election from the voters' point of view. We
hope our approach can provide a fuller picture of the campaign and
voters' decisionmaking.
>
>
http://www.csmonitor.com/mediaplayer/index.html?file=http://www.csmonitor.com/pa\
tchworknation/wp-content/themes/csm-patchworknation/video/explainer.flv&height=3\
75&width=500
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------
>
>
> 3)
> BBC News
> UK
> Tuesday, 18 March 2008
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7289390.stm
>
> How 'gay' became children's insult of choice
>
> By Denise Winterman
> BBC News Magazine
>
> The word "gay" is now the most frequently used term of abuse in
schools, says a report. How did it get to be so prevalent and why do
children use homophobic insults to get at each other?
> Every generation of schoolchildren has them, the playground
put-downs that can leave a pupil's reputation in tatters among their
peers. For the current generation, "gay", "bitch" and "slag" are the
most frequently used terms of abuse, according to a survey by the
Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
>
> They are used by children of all ages, from nursery school upwards.
But the worst offenders are secondary school pupils, says the teaching
union.
>
> The most popular by far is "gay". Of the teachers interviewed, 83%
said they heard it being used regularly and much more than its nearest
rivals, bitch (59%) and slag (45%). So how did it achieve this dubious
honour?
>
>
> WHAT TEACHERS HEAR
> Gay (83%)
> Bitch (59%)
> Slag (45%)
> Poof (29%)
> Batty boy (29%)
> Slut (26%)
> Queer (26%)
> Lezzie (24.8%)
> Homo (22%)
> Faggot (11%)
> Sissy (5%)
> Source: ATL  http://www.askatl.org.uk/
>
> The word has had many meanings over the centuries, often sexual,
says Clive Upton, professor of Modern English Language at Leeds
University.
> "In the early 19th Century it was used to refer to women who lived
off immoral earnings," he says. Around the 1970s it was claimed by the
homosexual community as a descriptive term for their sexual
orientation, now its most popular meaning. By the 1980s it was finding
its way into schools as a playground insult.
>
> "Every generation grows up with a whole lexicon of homosexual
insults, in my day it was 'poofter' or 'bender'," says slang
lexicographer Tony Thorne. "They were used much more because they were
considered more offensive than 'gay', which is more neutral.
>
> 'Tease'
>
> "It's only in the last four years that I've documented it being used
so much by young people. It's what we call a 'vogue' word, which is a
fashionable word."
>
> One reason for this increase in use could be because "gay" has
partly lost its sexual connotations among young people, he says. While
still pejorative, for the majority of youngsters it has replaced words
such as "lame".
>
> "I have interviewed scores of school kids about this and they are
always emphatic that it has nothing at all to do with hostility to
homosexuals," says Mr Thorne, compiler of the Dictionary of
Contemporary Slang. "It is nearly always used in contexts where sexual
orientation and sexuality are completely irrelevant."
>
> The ATL survey seems to say otherwise, lumping it in with clear
insults such as poofter and batty boy. But Katie, a 12-year-old from
Colchester, knows it in different context. A bad pair of trainers is
much more likely to be called "gay" than a person, she says.
>
> "It's used as more of a way to tease a friend rather than have a
real go at someone. I wouldn't call someone 'gay' because I know
that's sort of bullying them."
>
> The use of "gay" in this particular way was first recorded at the
end of the 1970s and developed among US high school students, says Mr
Throne. It's not only youngsters in the UK who have recently adopted
it, the same has happened to the German equivalent, schwul, he adds.
>
> This mutation of the word is one reason why using "gay" as in a
pejorative sense often goes unchallenged. Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles
caused controversy in 2006 for his casual use of the word. He said
he'd used it to describe something as "rubbish" and was backed by the
BBC.
>
> "The word has what we call multiple coinage and that's the problem,"
says Mr Thorne. "While teenagers are generally using it to mean 'lame'
it can separately be used as a homophobic term of abuse."
>
> It's this ambiguity that prevents some teachers from tackling pupils
who use it in a negative sense, says ATL. They are afraid of "blowing
trivial matters out of proportion".
>
> Force
>
> "It's tricky because it's often a casually throwaway remark and said
without any obvious malice," says Deborah, a teaching assistant from
Essex. "Terms such as 'batty boy' are clear homophobic insults and
much more straightforward to deal with."
>
>
> But while "gay" may have changed for some, it is still being used as
a means of bullying, as are many other homophobic insults (see table,
above). Last year, the Westminster government announced the first
guidelines for schools on how to deal with homophobic bullying.
>
> Gay lobby group Stonewall says 65% of young gay people experience
homophobic bullying. And many who aren't gay also get labelled as such.
>
> "It's a form of peer group control," says psychologist Helen Cowie.
"Boys have to be masculine and macho and anyone who isn't must go
along with it or face being bullied. It's a form of bullying that
domineering people seek out vulnerable people and school age is a time
of emergent sexuality which is itself a vulnerable time."
>
> Fellow psychologist Ian Rivers says the potency of such words is in
the fact they "go to the very core of who we are". Yet sexual
orientation is also invisible.
>
> "It's not about your heritage or your race, it's not about things
which someone can see." So it can't even be challenged, he says. "How
can children demonstrate that they are heterosexual. There's no
effective recourse and this is what makes it so effective as a
bullying tactic."
>
> Donald Christie, professor in the Department of Childhood and
Primary Studies, says "sexual orientation" is a source of potential
vulnerability. "If there's an area of life that children themselves
feel insecure about they're aware of their own vulnerability. The
whole point of bullying is about identifying and accentuating weakness
in others."
>
> Ms Cowie has observed schools developing children as "peer
supporters" to listen, mediate and support bullied children. But "boys
have a "harder time" adopting such roles because the attributes are
not seen as masculine.
>
> "In one school we studied they were known as queer supporters," she
notes.
>
> Recalling her time as a boys' secondary school teacher in the 1970s,
Ms Cowie recalls how "obsessed" pupils were with homosexual innuendo.
"It didn't seem to matter what you read to the class they'd always
find an gay innuendo."
>
> ------------
>
> Add your comments on this story, using the form at the URL.
>
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------
>
>
>
> 4)
> Washington Post
> High court considers landmark gun-rights case
>
> By James Vicini
> Reuters
> Tuesday, March 18, 2008
>
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court considers on Tuesday a
landmark legal battle over gun rights, taking up for the first time in
nearly 70 years whether Americans have the right to keep and bear arms.
>
> The court's ruling, expected by the end of June, could have a
far-reaching impact on gun control laws in the United States,
estimated to have the world's highest civilian gun ownership rate, and
could become an issue in the November election.
>
> At issue is whether to strike down or uphold one of the nation's
strictest gun control laws -- a Washington, D.C., ban on private
possession of handguns and a requirement that any rifles or shotguns
kept at home be unloaded and dissembled or bound by a trigger lock.
>
> The case is widely viewed as one of the most important of the
Supreme Court's current term, along with cases on the rights of the
Guantanamo Bay prisoners and the U.S. lethal injection method of
execution.
>
> The case could resolve the much-disputed meaning of the Second
Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and whether it protects an
individual's right to possess guns or a collective right of the people
for service in a state militia.
>
> The Supreme Court's last review of the Second Amendment came in a
five-page discussion in an opinion issued in 1939 that failed to
definitively resolve the constitutional issue.
>
> The arguments follow a series of mass shootings in the past year --
multiple killings on at least three college campuses, two shopping
centers and one Missouri town meeting. Gun deaths average 80 a day in
the United States, 34 of them homicides, according to Centers for
Disease Control data.
>
> The case has split the Bush administration.
>
> Solicitor General Paul Clement, the administration's chief advocate
before the Supreme Court, has adopted the position that individuals
have a right to own a gun, but it is subject to reasonable government
regulation.
>
> Clement, who is arguing before the justices, seeks to preserve all
of the current federal restrictions, including a ban on new machine
gun sales, a ban on felons owning guns and required background checks
for new buyers of handguns.
>
> But Vice President Dick Cheney joined a group of U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate members in urging the court to adopt a
stronger stand in favor of gun rights.
>
> Walter Dellinger, the attorney defending the Washington law, argued
the Second Amendment protected only militia-related firearms rights.
>
> But even if an individual has the right to possess guns, the law
should be upheld as a reasonable restriction, he said.
>
> The third attorney scheduled to appear at the arguments, Alan Gura,
said the law should be struck down. He represents Dick Anthony Heller,
who lives in a high-crime neighborhood and wants to keep a handgun for
self-defense.
>
> ------------
>
> Comment ---
> I'd feel much safer knowing that several people on my block own a
gun and know how to properly use it.
>
> Take away the right to own guns, and all freedoms will be lost.
>
> A well armed citizenry is the best deterrence for crime, and an
enslaving totalitarian government.
>
> Outlawing guns only takes them away from law-abiding citizens.  The
murderers, religious fanatics, and government will still have them.
>
> Face the fact -- most people are good people.  The few who are not
cause most of  the problems.
>
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------
>
>
> 5)
> excellent video ---
>
> The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana
>
>
http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/multimedia/flash.ssf?flashlandloss1.swf
>
> Comment ---
> Don't rebuild in flood prone areas.
> Rebuilding New Orleans is a waste of time, money, and energy.
>
> ***
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

Thanks, Bob, that looks like a great site.



--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "organistbob"
<organistbob@...> wrote:
>
> James,
>
> Thank you for doing the NEWS for this group.  Everyone gets
> burned out from time to time and needs a rest.  I'll look
> forward to your return.
>
> One other good news source is www.365gay.com
>
> On weekdays during daytime, this source is updated about every
> 2 hours!
>
> organistbob
>
> --- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "James Martin"
> <martinjg@> wrote:
> >
> > I'm going to have to stop doing the NEWS for a while.  Burned out.
> Will be back later.
> > Bush, Iraq, Tibet, stock market, bigoted mythologists -- I need a
> rest.
> > For a large dose of daily news, the following is a selection of
> places where you will get it ---
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/The-Gaily-News/
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KellysList
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GayAndOver40/
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thequeercollective/
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quietnomore/
> >
> >
> >
> > For today ---
> > 1)  A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
> > 2)  Patchwork Nation -- Christian Science Monitor presidential
> election reporting
> > 3)  How 'gay' became children's insult of choice
> > 4)  High court considers landmark gun-rights case
> > 5)  The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana -- New Orleans
> >
> >
> >
> > 1)
> > http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/19/a-queens-activist-a-
> wedding-photo-and-the-future-of-poland/index.html?hp
> >
> > March 19, 2008,  1:24 pm
> > A New York Activist, a Wedding Photo and the Future of Poland
> > By Sewell Chan
> >
> > Updated, 2:42 p.m. | Brendan Fay, a well-known gay activist in New
> York, has found himself, however improbably, a symbol in a political
> struggle in Poland over equal rights for gay men and lesbians that
> could affect the nation's integration into the European Union and the
> balance of political power in Warsaw.
> >
> > On Monday, President Lech Kaczynski delivered a nationally
> televised address, warning Poles that the nation's autonomy could be
> threatened if Poland ratifies the European Union's Lisbon Treaty. The
> president's conservative Law and Justice Party believes that
> ratification will inevitably lead to the incorporation into Polish
> law of the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights, which
> prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
> >
> > As part of his five-minute speech, Mr. Kaczynski displayed a
> wedding photograph of Mr. Fay and his partner, Dr. Thomas A. Moulton;
> showed a video clip of their 2003 wedding in Canada; and even pointed
> to a photo of their wedding certificate. The Polish president also
> showed a map of pre-World War II Poland, linking his anti-gay oratory
> to historic Polish anxieties about German encroachment.
> >
> > Mr. Fay, 49, a producer of documentary videos, and Dr. Moulton, 50,
> a pediatric hematologist and oncologist, have been stunned about
> being caught up in the political brouhaha. The couple celebrated
> their partnership with a Roman Catholic priest at an Episcopal church
> in Brooklyn in May 2003. They were married two months later in
> Toronto, after Ontario legalized gay marriage. The two men, who live
> in Astoria, Queens, have been outspoken advocates for marriage rights
> for gay men and lesbians; images of the couple and their wedding have
> been widely disseminated on the Internet.
> >
> > Mr. Fay, who was born in Drogheda, Ireland, has never been to
> Poland. In New York, he is probably best known as a leader of a long-
> standing effort to allow gay and lesbian groups to march in the
> official St. Patrick's Day Parade, which this year was held on Monday.
> >
> > The Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization won support from Mayor David
> N. Dinkins in 1991, but the following year, a federal judge refused
> to force the parade's organizers to permit the group to march. Mr.
> Fay subsequently organized a gay-friendly St. Patrick's parade in
> Queens that has been held every year since 2000.
> >
> > Mr. Fay said he first found out about Mr. Kaczynski's speech on
> Tuesday morning, when he received a call from a Polish radio station.
> A flood of media inquiries, from as far away as Ireland and Canada,
> have poured in since then.
> >
> > Later on Tuesday, Mr. Fay dashed off a letter to Krzysztof W.
> Kasprzyk, Poland's consul general in New York. "We are frustrated to
> hear that images from such a joyous day are used to spread
> intolerance," Mr. Fay wrote. "I request a meeting to discuss the
> matter of civil rights raised by the Polish political leader's
> remarks and the uses/misuse of our wedding photographs. I ask that
> you meet with myself and representations of the New York gay
> community working in the area of human and civil rights. For much of
> the day I have been fielding calls from Polish reporters. Some
> wondered if we had granted permission for use of our wedding
> photographs. We would never have agreed to permit our photographs as
> part of a homophobic campaign."
> >
> > Today, Mr. Kasprzyk called Mr. Fay and agreed to a meeting. In a
> follow-up e-mail message sent shortly after noon today, Mr. Kasprzyk
> wrote, "I wish to express my gratitude for your conciliatory approach
> and the empathy you have demonstrated from the first moment this
> pitiful incident surfaced." (Mr. Fay provided a copy of the e-mail
> message to The New York Times.) The two men agreed to meet next week,
> since this week is Holy Week, a major event for Irish and Polish
> Catholics.
> >
> > Czeslaw Karkowski, the editor in chief of Nowy Dziennik, or Polish
> Daily News, which is based in Manhattan and one of the leading Polish
> newspapers in the United States, said in a phone interview that the
> speech - and Mr. Fay's role in it - have been the subject of national
> discussion in Poland.
> >
> > Last October, voters ousted the president's identical twin, Prime
> Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, and his right-leaning party in
> parliamentary elections. Lech Kaczynski remained president, with the
> power to veto legislation, but his political status was diminished.
> The new prime minister, Donald Tusk, and his pro-business Civic
> Platform party generally favor E.U. integration and draw support from
> the western and more urbanized half of the country, Mr. Karkowski
> explained, while President Kaczynski's appeal on Monday was intended
> to speak to his rural, Catholic, conservative base in eastern Poland.
> >
> > "Polish society is deeply divided," Mr. Karkowski said. "The prime
> minister and his party, which rules right now, represent the pro-
> Western movement. The other side is represented by the president, who
> is very conservative and playing on the fears and expectations of the
> other Poland - more conservative, more suspicious, especially toward
> the West."
> >
> > Mr. Karkowski said he had no idea why President Kaczynski's staff
> members decided to use Mr. Fay's image to represent gay
> marriage. "Probably they were just looking for a useful picture," Mr.
> Karkowski said, "a visible sign of what he and his followers are
> against and what, supposedly, his political opponents are for."
> >
> > Meanwhile, the Lisbon Treaty needs ratification by 27 member
> countries of the E.U. to take effect. Partly in response to Mr.
> Kaczynski's criticism, Prime Minister Tusk has proposed holding a
> national referendum on the treaty.
> >
> > Ewa Zadworna, a spokeswoman at the Polish Consulate in Manhattan,
> said the consulate did not have any further comment on the matter and
> she declined to elaborate on Mr. Kasprzyk's characterization of the
> incident as "pitiful" in his e-mail message to Mr. Fay.
> >
> > "We are in contact with Mr. Fay," Ms. Zadworna said, noting that
> Mr. Kasprzyk will meet with Mr. Fay and other gay activists next
> week.
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
> >
> >
> > 2)
> > Patchwork Nation
> >
> > Comment --
> > The Christian Science Monitor is one of the best newspapers
> available.  Its national and international news reporting is among
> the best.
> > The Christian Science Church is another story.  Pompous, arrogant,
> self-righteous, homophobic, and unable to make change.
> > The contrast between the church and the newspaper is astounding.
> Both controlled by the same board of directors.  The five board
> members act as "pope".  Their word is final.  They can't be removed
> by the laity.  Like the Catholic and Mormon churches.  They
> are "elected" like the pope is selected.  Secretly by board members
> themselves.
> >
> > The Monitor, in its usual visionary mode, is featuring something
> new to track the upcoming Presidential election.  Check it out.
> >
> > The map showing the 11 districts is well worth a look.  Click on
> the various options for the map to see the differences.
> > 1)  Monied 'Burbs
> > 2)  Minority Central
> > 3)  Evangelical Epicenters
> > 4)  Tractor Country
> > 5)  Campus and Careers
> > 6)  Immigration Nation
> > 7)  Industrial Metropolis
> > 8)  Boom Towns
> > 9)  Service Worker Centers
> > 10) Emptying Nests
> > 11) Military Bastions
> >
> > ------------
> >
> > http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/
> > About the Patchwork Nation project
> > Nearly 305 million people live in the United States, according to
> the US Census Bureau. Yet in recent elections it's all been about
> fitting into two categories: red states that vote Republican and blue
> states that vote Democratic. But this red/blue breakdown of political
> opinion doesn't explain what underpins the voters' decisions.
> >
> > That's what this effort, funded by the Knight Foundation, a
> nonprofit philanthropic organization based in Miami, explores in real
> time during the 2008 presidential campaign.
> >
> > We've identified 11 places across the US that represent distinct
> types of voter communities. They are Monied 'Burbs, Minority Central,
> Evangelical Epicenters, Tractor Country, Campus and Careers,
> Immigration Nation, Industrial Metropolis, Boom Towns, Service Worker
> Centers, Emptying Nests, and Military Bastions. For example, Sioux
> Center, Iowa, typifies Tractor Country.
> >
> > As the 2008 campaign progresses, the Monitor will write about what
> issues matter in each of these communities, how the issues affect
> residents' votes, and how the candidates tailor their messages to a
> particular audience.
> >
> > This site is based on evidence that people's voting patterns are at
> least partly informed by where they live. People of the same race and
> age and family situation may vote differently depending on whom they
> connect with and what they see on their streets and in their local
> news. In some areas, people live for NASCAR; in others, residents
> like opera. Some towns open for business early and some stay up late.
> Some cities see Sunday mornings as church time, others see it as $30
> brunch time or more work time. And Starbucks and Wal-Marts aren't
> everywhere . yet.
> >
> > To grasp how such dynamics shape the vote in various places, we are
> working with Professor James Gimpel, an expert in political geography
> at the University of Maryland. He has analyzed piles of Census and
> consumer data - including race, employment, religion, and household
> spending - to identify these different community types across America
> and has mapped them county by county. The map on the home page of
> this site shows his findings. The data used to identify these
> community types are available on this site to anyone (see
> Methodology). We hope news organizations, groups, and individuals
> will conduct their own analyses with the information.
> >
> > There could have been more categories. Three hundred million people
> is enough to generate hundreds of groupings. We settled on 11 that
> represent enough variances and will still be easy for readers to
> follow.
> >
> > On the site, individual voters have an important role to play, too.
> The Monitor has enlisted local bloggers in each place to help provide
> regular updates throughout the campaign to explain what issues are
> important as they form their views of the candidates and the
> presidential race.
> >
> > As a site visitor, you can see which community type your county
> falls into and take a quiz to see how well you fit in. Many counties
> are still big, diverse places. Some of the most populous ones could
> match a few different categories. And it's possible you will not fall
> into the one dominant in your county. Online bulletin boards are open
> to visitors who wish to post comments about the campaign.
> >
> > Although this is a different kind of election coverage, its
> approach isn't foreign to campaigns.
> >
> > For decades analysts have talked about how candidates are products
> that need to be sold to the electorate - sometimes jokingly,
> sometimes not. In recent years, both parties have fine-tuned
> their "ad campaigns" by targeting different messages to different
> groups of voters.
> >
> > This project covers the election from the voters' point of view. We
> hope our approach can provide a fuller picture of the campaign and
> voters' decisionmaking.
> >
> > http://www.csmonitor.com/mediaplayer/index.html?
> file=http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/wp-content/themes/csm-
> patchworknation/video/explainer.flv&height=375&width=500
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------
> >
> >
> > 3)
> > BBC News
> > UK
> > Tuesday, 18 March 2008
> >
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7289390.stm
> >
> > How 'gay' became children's insult of choice
> >
> > By Denise Winterman
> > BBC News Magazine
> >
> > The word "gay" is now the most frequently used term of abuse in
> schools, says a report. How did it get to be so prevalent and why do
> children use homophobic insults to get at each other?
> > Every generation of schoolchildren has them, the playground put-
> downs that can leave a pupil's reputation in tatters among their
> peers. For the current generation, "gay", "bitch" and "slag" are the
> most frequently used terms of abuse, according to a survey by the
> Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).
> >
> > They are used by children of all ages, from nursery school upwards.
> But the worst offenders are secondary school pupils, says the
> teaching union.
> >
> > The most popular by far is "gay". Of the teachers interviewed, 83%
> said they heard it being used regularly and much more than its
> nearest rivals, bitch (59%) and slag (45%). So how did it achieve
> this dubious honour?
> >
> >
> > WHAT TEACHERS HEAR
> > Gay (83%)
> > Bitch (59%)
> > Slag (45%)
> > Poof (29%)
> > Batty boy (29%)
> > Slut (26%)
> > Queer (26%)
> > Lezzie (24.8%)
> > Homo (22%)
> > Faggot (11%)
> > Sissy (5%)
> > Source: ATL  http://www.askatl.org.uk/
> >
> > The word has had many meanings over the centuries, often sexual,
> says Clive Upton, professor of Modern English Language at Leeds
> University.
> > "In the early 19th Century it was used to refer to women who lived
> off immoral earnings," he says. Around the 1970s it was claimed by
> the homosexual community as a descriptive term for their sexual
> orientation, now its most popular meaning. By the 1980s it was
> finding its way into schools as a playground insult.
> >
> > "Every generation grows up with a whole lexicon of homosexual
> insults, in my day it was 'poofter' or 'bender'," says slang
> lexicographer Tony Thorne. "They were used much more because they
> were considered more offensive than 'gay', which is more neutral.
> >
> > 'Tease'
> >
> > "It's only in the last four years that I've documented it being
> used so much by young people. It's what we call a 'vogue' word, which
> is a fashionable word."
> >
> > One reason for this increase in use could be because "gay" has
> partly lost its sexual connotations among young people, he says.
> While still pejorative, for the majority of youngsters it has
> replaced words such as "lame".
> >
> > "I have interviewed scores of school kids about this and they are
> always emphatic that it has nothing at all to do with hostility to
> homosexuals," says Mr Thorne, compiler of the Dictionary of
> Contemporary Slang. "It is nearly always used in contexts where
> sexual orientation and sexuality are completely irrelevant."
> >
> > The ATL survey seems to say otherwise, lumping it in with clear
> insults such as poofter and batty boy. But Katie, a 12-year-old from
> Colchester, knows it in different context. A bad pair of trainers is
> much more likely to be called "gay" than a person, she says.
> >
> > "It's used as more of a way to tease a friend rather than have a
> real go at someone. I wouldn't call someone 'gay' because I know
> that's sort of bullying them."
> >
> > The use of "gay" in this particular way was first recorded at the
> end of the 1970s and developed among US high school students, says Mr
> Throne. It's not only youngsters in the UK who have recently adopted
> it, the same has happened to the German equivalent, schwul, he adds.
> >
> > This mutation of the word is one reason why using "gay" as in a
> pejorative sense often goes unchallenged. Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles
> caused controversy in 2006 for his casual use of the word. He said
> he'd used it to describe something as "rubbish" and was backed by the
> BBC.
> >
> > "The word has what we call multiple coinage and that's the
> problem," says Mr Thorne. "While teenagers are generally using it to
> mean 'lame' it can separately be used as a homophobic term of abuse."
> >
> > It's this ambiguity that prevents some teachers from tackling
> pupils who use it in a negative sense, says ATL. They are afraid
> of "blowing trivial matters out of proportion".
> >
> > Force
> >
> > "It's tricky because it's often a casually throwaway remark and
> said without any obvious malice," says Deborah, a teaching assistant
> from Essex. "Terms such as 'batty boy' are clear homophobic insults
> and much more straightforward to deal with."
> >
> >
> > But while "gay" may have changed for some, it is still being used
> as a means of bullying, as are many other homophobic insults (see
> table, above). Last year, the Westminster government announced the
> first guidelines for schools on how to deal with homophobic bullying.
> >
> > Gay lobby group Stonewall says 65% of young gay people experience
> homophobic bullying. And many who aren't gay also get labelled as
> such.
> >
> > "It's a form of peer group control," says psychologist Helen
> Cowie. "Boys have to be masculine and macho and anyone who isn't must
> go along with it or face being bullied. It's a form of bullying that
> domineering people seek out vulnerable people and school age is a
> time of emergent sexuality which is itself a vulnerable time."
> >
> > Fellow psychologist Ian Rivers says the potency of such words is in
> the fact they "go to the very core of who we are". Yet sexual
> orientation is also invisible.
> >
> > "It's not about your heritage or your race, it's not about things
> which someone can see." So it can't even be challenged, he says. "How
> can children demonstrate that they are heterosexual. There's no
> effective recourse and this is what makes it so effective as a
> bullying tactic."
> >
> > Donald Christie, professor in the Department of Childhood and
> Primary Studies, says "sexual orientation" is a source of potential
> vulnerability. "If there's an area of life that children themselves
> feel insecure about they're aware of their own vulnerability. The
> whole point of bullying is about identifying and accentuating
> weakness in others."
> >
> > Ms Cowie has observed schools developing children as "peer
> supporters" to listen, mediate and support bullied children.
> But "boys have a "harder time" adopting such roles because the
> attributes are not seen as masculine.
> >
> > "In one school we studied they were known as queer supporters," she
> notes.
> >
> > Recalling her time as a boys' secondary school teacher in the
> 1970s, Ms Cowie recalls how "obsessed" pupils were with homosexual
> innuendo. "It didn't seem to matter what you read to the class they'd
> always find an gay innuendo."
> >
> > ------------
> >
> > Add your comments on this story, using the form at the URL.
> >
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> -------------------
> >
> >
> >
> > 4)
> > Washington Post
> > High court considers landmark gun-rights case
> >
> > By James Vicini
> > Reuters
> > Tuesday, March 18, 2008
> >
> > WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court considers on Tuesday
> a landmark legal battle over gun rights, taking up for the first time
> in nearly 70 years whether Americans have the right to keep and bear
> arms.
> >
> > The court's ruling, expected by the end of June, could have a far-
> reaching impact on gun control laws in the United States, estimated
> to have the world's highest civilian gun ownership rate, and could
> become an issue in the November election.
> >
> > At issue is whether to strike down or uphold one of the nation's
> strictest gun control laws -- a Washington, D.C., ban on private
> possession of handguns and a requirement that any rifles or shotguns
> kept at home be unloaded and dissembled or bound by a trigger lock.
> >
> > The case is widely viewed as one of the most important of the
> Supreme Court's current term, along with cases on the rights of the
> Guantanamo Bay prisoners and the U.S. lethal injection method of
> execution.
> >
> > The case could resolve the much-disputed meaning of the Second
> Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and whether it protects an
> individual's right to possess guns or a collective right of the
> people for service in a state militia.
> >
> > The Supreme Court's last review of the Second Amendment came in a
> five-page discussion in an opinion issued in 1939 that failed to
> definitively resolve the constitutional issue.
> >
> > The arguments follow a series of mass shootings in the past year --
> multiple killings on at least three college campuses, two shopping
> centers and one Missouri town meeting. Gun deaths average 80 a day in
> the United States, 34 of them homicides, according to Centers for
> Disease Control data.
> >
> > The case has split the Bush administration.
> >
> > Solicitor General Paul Clement, the administration's chief advocate
> before the Supreme Court, has adopted the position that individuals
> have a right to own a gun, but it is subject to reasonable government
> regulation.
> >
> > Clement, who is arguing before the justices, seeks to preserve all
> of the current federal restrictions, including a ban on new machine
> gun sales, a ban on felons owning guns and required background checks
> for new buyers of handguns.
> >
> > But Vice President Dick Cheney joined a group of U.S. House of
> Representatives and Senate members in urging the court to adopt a
> stronger stand in favor of gun rights.
> >
> > Walter Dellinger, the attorney defending the Washington law, argued
> the Second Amendment protected only militia-related firearms rights.
> >
> > But even if an individual has the right to possess guns, the law
> should be upheld as a reasonable restriction, he said.
> >
> > The third attorney scheduled to appear at the arguments, Alan Gura,
> said the law should be struck down. He represents Dick Anthony
> Heller, who lives in a high-crime neighborhood and wants to keep a
> handgun for self-defense.
> >
> > ------------
> >
> > Comment ---
> > I'd feel much safer knowing that several people on my block own a
> gun and know how to properly use it.
> >
> > Take away the right to own guns, and all freedoms will be lost.
> >
> > A well armed citizenry is the best deterrence for crime, and an
> enslaving totalitarian government.
> >
> > Outlawing guns only takes them away from law-abiding citizens.  The
> murderers, religious fanatics, and government will still have them.
> >
> > Face the fact -- most people are good people.  The few who are not
> cause most of  the problems.
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------------
> >
> >
> > 5)
> > excellent video ---
> >
> > The Rise and Disappearance of Southeast Louisiana
> >
> > http://www.nola.com/speced/lastchance/multimedia/flash.ssf?
> flashlandloss1.swf
> >
> > Comment ---
> > Don't rebuild in flood prone areas.
> > Rebuilding New Orleans is a waste of time, money, and energy.
> >
> > ***
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
> >
>

Hey,


Now that you said that and that I'm not all that active here. I've been
dying to tell someone this, once in a while on my way home from school  (not
so much now that I have a job) but I would see this person, a bit more
muscular then Matt was defined but same size and his face looks almost
identical. Sometimes I was just dying to tell him that he looked almost
identical to Matt Shepard. (this person goes to a different school then I)
It's so strange.

-John

On Mon, Mar 17, 2008 at 10:08 AM, Karen <leleni@...> wrote:

> I saw a local production of Godspell this weekend.  The finale was
> very moving, but the thing that I found most wrenching was something
> I'm sure the cast didn't intend:  the boy who played Jesus was a
> fresh-faced kid with a shock of sandy hair.  When he was beaten and
> tied to a wooden fence, when he sang "Oh, God, I'm dying,"  it stuck
> me how much he looked like Matt Shepard.
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>


--
-John Ervin
johnervin1@...
(267) 882-7035


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

1)  New Bush Coins  (satire)
2)  Homophobia Possible Cause for Church Vandalism -- MCC Washington fired upon
again
3)  UPDATE: Lawton locals react to OKC representative's anti-gay speech
4)  Gays Are A Bigger Threat Than Terrorism or Islam -- State Rep. Sally Kern,
R-Oklahoma City
5)  from LibertyUnderground@yahoogroups.com
6)  In politics, there are scandals and then there are scandals that end
careers.
7)  Out Front Colorado


EXTRA --
Gay Iranian Teen Loses Asylum Bid
Posted: Wednesday 03/12/08 07:52 AM EDT
Filed Under: World News
The Netherlands' highest court rejects a gay Iranian's last-ditch appeal to
avoid deportation. Mehdi Kazemi is now expected to be sent back to Britain,
which has already turned down his asylum request. Kazemi, 19, is afraid he'll
have to return to Iran, where he could face execution.

go to this site and vote ---> http://news.aol.com/world scroll down a bit
--- full story --->
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/gay-iranian-teen-loses-asylum-bid/20080311192709990\
001


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


1)
NEW BUSH COINS (Change For The Better)         great satire
http://blip.tv/file/520347

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


2)
Comment --
Washington D.C. has a ban on handguns, which means only rightwing christian
homophobes and other crooks have them.

--->

Homophobia Possible Cause for Church Vandalism
    posted 6:31 pm Tue March 11, 2008 - Washington

News Channel 8, Arlington, Virginia
http://www.news8.net/news/stories/0308/502926.html

The Metropolitan Community Church was shot up for the second time in recent
weeks and the congregation is worried that hatred could be behind the attacks
because of who was worshipping.
"Gunfire or gunshots hit the windows. It happened on Friday evening when we had
folks in the building for Bible study," said Rev. Mark Byrd.

The Metropolitan Community Church in Northwest ministers to the largest
congregation of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgendered people in the D.C.
Area.

Moments after they opened their bibles, bullets shattered windows and dozens of
parishioners were scrambling for safety.

Dewayne Davis' partner had to duck for cover. "We are concerned because it
actually happened in the exact same place."

The attack is the second time in a few months someone shot up the building.
Members of the congregation suspect something sinister, namely homophobia, is
motivating whoever is pulling the trigger. "It is being targeted because of who
we are and what we are doing."

Just a few blocks away, an art gallery displaying the rainbow flag signifying
it's a gay-owned business, also had a bullet tear through a window.

"It kind of seems like there is a lot of hostility between the classes coming
in.  I don't know if it's necessarily homophobic," said art gallery employee
Larissa Cyran.

The same goes for the pastor of the church, but like those to whom he ministers,
he has the nagging feeling this is far from a prank, but an expression of hate.
"We'd like to think and hope not but we also certainly also are not naïve and
realistic about this world in which we live."

The church already spent thousands of dollars repairing windows. It expects the
recent bout of vandalism to cost thousands more. The parishioners hope it's the
last time the church has to shell out big bucks to replace bullet shattered
windows.

--------------------------

Question --
What was the name of that insurance company run by conservative christians that
recently refused to insure MCC churches because "they are likely to be
vandalized"?

These conservative businessmen know their people well.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


3)
Comment --
Not surprising -- her husband is a Baptist preacher.

--->

KSMO-TV 7, Lawton, OK-Wichita Falls, TX

UPDATE: Lawton locals react to OKC representative's anti-gay speech

Posted: March 9, 2008 08:26 PM PDT


http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7989704

       Lawton -- The controversy surrounding an Oklahoma City lawmaker's anti-gay
comments is continuing to grow. As we first told you Saturday night on 7News the
recording of Oklahoma City Representative Sally Kern's comments spread quickly
across the internet after a gay rights activist group posted her voice on
You-Tube -- along with commentary and pictures of people who don't agree with
her statements.  http://youtube.com/watch?v=tFxk7glmMbo

       Religious groups say while they aren't as extreme in their opinions, they
do share her stance that the gay culture is negatively affecting our country.
But gay rights activists call it hate speech.

       "I'm not gay bashing," Kern said in the recording, "but according to God's
word, that is not the right kind of lifestyle. It has deadly consequences."

       In the recording Representative Kern says "The homosexual agenda is
destroying our country."

       "Studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has
lasted more than a few decades," she said.

       Although kern would not talk to us this weekend, she did tell one TV
station that she stands by her comments. "I honestly think it's the biggest
threat even that our nation has," she said. "Even more so than terrorists or
Islam, which I think is a big threat."

       Matt Smith is a local gay rights activist. "Somebody in power like that,
that actually represents Oklahoma, I wonder how bad we look compared to the
other states," Smith said. "Or to the other countries that are watching that,
and seeing that on the internet or on TV or whatever. It's sad. I mean, we're
like back in the stone age now."

       Lawton Pastor Gary Bender says Kern is right about homosexuality being
forbidden in the bible, but he says so are the actions of many other people in
society. "We need to be intolerant against adultery, and be just as strong
against drinking and lying and cheating and back biting," Bender said. "And I
think we have to be careful that we're not too judgmental on all of this but
realize that all of us are in need of god's help."

       Saturday at 5:00 p.m. that video had been viewed 20,000 times. By that
same time Sunday the count was above 165,000. We checked the count one more time
while the story was running -- and it was already above 220,000.

       Oklahoma City Representative Sally Kern has issued the following statement
in response to activist critics of her controversial comments:

         "To put this simply, as a Christian I believe homosexuality is not
moral. Obviously, you have the right as an American to choose that lifestyle,
but I also have the right to express my views and my fellow Oklahomans have the
right to debate these issues.

         "In recent years homosexual activists have begun to aggressively promote
their agenda through the political process, often providing substantial
financing to candidates who agree with their views, including many running for
state legislative races. National publications such as Time, The Atlantic and
USA Today have noted that trend. That is their right, just as it is my right to
voice opposition to their agenda, which I have been asked to do at several
public forums in recent months. That's what democracy is all about. It appears
some homosexual activists believe only one group is allowed a voice in this
debate. I disagree.

         "A vigorous debate on an issue is not 'hate speech' - it's free speech.
I have made clear my opposition to the agenda of homosexual activists, but I
have never endorsed or supported any hateful action targeting individuals on the
other side of this debate and never will. The fact that many gay rights
activists claim anyone opposing their agenda is engaging in 'hate speech' says
more about them than me.

         "Most Oklahomans are socially conservative and believe marriage is a
sacred institution, the union of one man and one woman, and that the traditional
family is worth protecting and preserving. When I campaigned for office, I
promised my constituents to stand up for those values, and I do not apologize
for keeping my word."

       The Human Rights Campaign has called for Governor Brad Henry to condemn
Kern's remarks.

       You can reach Representative Kern at: Capitol Address:

       2300 N. Lincoln Blvd.
       Room 332
       Oklahoma City, OK 73105
       (405) 557-7348
       District Address:
       2713 Sterling Ave.
       Oklahoma City, OK 73127

       Email:
       sallykern@...


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
------


4)
Re: Gays Are A Bigger Threat Than Terrorism or Islam

From Ex-Gay Watch:  http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/
Here's more detail about this Oklahoma State Legislator

--------

Anti-Gay Diatribe By Oklahoma Representative

Posted: 08 Mar 2008 03:18 PM CST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFxk7glmMbo


In what is described as a small gathering that was apparently not meant for
public ears, an Oklahoma State Representative rails on about the "homosexual
agenda," using any number of discredited, Paul Cameron inspired quotes.
According to JMBzine.com, the speaker is Rep. Sally Kern, R-Oklahoma City,
sponsor of HB 1569 mentioned in the clip.

Claiming that "gays are infiltrating city councils," she boldly announces that
various parts of the nation - Kensington MD, Pittsburgh PA, West Palm Beach FL,
and more - are all under the "control" of gays. It takes no imagination to
understand the war-like hyperbole she uses. But as if to make certain the point
comes across, she continues with this:

   I honestly think it's the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than
terrorism or Islam.

If you've ever had doubts as to what is said by some lawmakers about gays behind
closed doors, this should help. While many have learned to clean up their act in
public, bigotry is a powerful thing. The really sad part is that Rep. Kern must
have realized that saying these things would be well received, at least by those
constituent present.

In 2004, Rep. Kern was elected with 67.65% of the vote in District 84. Citizens
of Oklahoma, for goodness sakes please do not re-elect this woman.

Update: Pams House Blend has a copy of an email Kern sent to a person named
Richard who asked her to explain her recorded comments. She apparently agrees
with the democratic process as long as the voters agree with her (a gay man is
running for a statewide seat).

------------

Jay comment ---
In her district of Oklahoma City, she will get re-elected.  District 84 is in
Oklahoma City.
In addition, her husband is a Baptist preacher.

http://www.okhouse.gov/Committees/Member.aspx?MemberID=87

http://www.okeq.org/kern.cfm

http://newsok.com/article/1788798/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Kern

------------


http://www.victoryfund.org/files/listening.html
Excerpt ---
"I also read that some of your colleagues in the Republican caucus stood
and cheered you as you entered their meeting yesterday."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-----


5)
from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/libertyunderground/
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 7:36 AM


Every news report we have heard from the mass media, including the one from
NPR's morning edition this morning, has asked "Will New York Governor Eliot
Spitzer resign?"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88091814

They do not ask if President Bush will resign-- none of corporate media's
"journalists."

The difference, of course, is that Spitzer was caught in a prostitution sting,
his every movement watched because he had prosecuted for crimes the movers and
shakers of the world on Wall Street, the center of power for the Empire.  When
Spitzer's tie to the hooker was announced at the New York stock exchange
yesterday, cheers rang out from the floor.
"Get ready for a schadenfreude festival on Wall Street," said Barry Ritholtz,
director of equity research at Fusion IQ in New York.  Schadenfreude is a German
word that means deriving joy from the misery of others.

"Family values Republicans," who normally get involved in the high profile sex
scandals, are delighting that a Dem goes down this time, but this one is
politically motivated.

The investigation was brought by the Bush Justice Department, which has opened
cases, by strange coincidence, against 5.6 Democrats for every Republican.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Lawyer_questions_whether_Spitzer_was_set_0311.html

No corporate media journalist is going to ask if Bush resign, since he merely
illegally invaded a country, murdering hundreds of thousands of people.  There
was no bra hook involved in this, you see.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
-------


6)
The Christian Science Monitor

Will Spitzer make list of politicians who survive scandal?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0312/p01s02-uspo.html
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080312/ts_csm/aspitzer

By Alexandra Marks and Ron Scherer
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
In politics, there are scandals and then there are scandals that end careers.

President Bill Clinton withstood a public whipping to survive the Monica
Lewinsky affair. Rep. Mark Foley (R) of Florida, though, was forced to quit in
2006 after revelations that he sent suggestive e-mails to former congressional
pages.

With New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's (D) political future uncertain after reports
that he patronized a prostitution ring, the unhappy history of sex and politics
offers lessons about what makes some scandals survivable, and others not.

Foremost, say political pundits, sexual impropriety can end a political career
if hypocrisy lies at its heart. If a politician is a known rogue, as was Mr.
Clinton, his likelihood of remaining in office is better than if he is a
righteous crusader for family values, as was Mr. Foley.

Then there's the counterbalancing effect of political goodwill among a
wrongdoer's colleagues and the public. The deeper that reservoir, say experts,
the better the chances of survival.

Finally, there's the tenor of the times. The public today is more forgiving than
it was two decades ago, perhaps in part because over the years it has become
inured to lax sexual behavior on the part of so many elected officials.

But even with a more tolerant or resigned public, the vital determinant of
scandal survivability, say experts, is whether what one does comports with what
one says.

"It's always hypocrisy that hangs you from the highest branch, because people
are just outraged by it," says Larry Sabato, a political scientist at the
University of Virginia in Charlottesville. "You don't have to be politically
active to understand the hypocrisy factor, and that's what makes it so
powerful."

Few political analysts give Governor Spitzer, once known as the "Sheriff of Wall
Street," much chance of riding out this scandal, because of his history. In his
former role as New York's attorney general, he sued gas stations for price
gouging, dairies for inflating the cost of milk, and mutual funds and Wall
Street brokers for using deceptive practices to fleece customers.

People who know Spitzer well say he no doubt understands the difficult situation
he's created for himself, given his long history of pointing out others'
foibles.

"He's one of the most realistic guys I've come across when it comes to talking
about their political chances," says Brooke Masters, author of "Spoiling for a
Fight: The Political Rise of Eliot Spitzer." "If he thinks it's going to be
embarrassing, he isn't going to stay."

Whatever his decision, Spitzer may not actually be charged with a crime. Users
of prostitution services are seldom charged, and that's even more true in
federal cases, such as the one that has engulfed Spitzer, say former
prosecutors. The case came to attention after the Internal Revenue Service
noticed suspicious transfers of money that it thought may point to money
laundering. That's what prompted the initial tip to the FBI. But former
prosecutors say it would be difficult to prove money laundering even though
Spitzer allegedly tried to disguise his payments.

"Spitzer's too smart for that," says Tom Peisch, a former prosecutor and a
partner of the Boston law firm Conn Kavanaugh.

The prostitution ring in question, identified in court papers as the Emperors
Club VIP, arranged liaisons between wealthy men and more than 50 prostitutes in
New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Miami, London, and Paris, federal prosecutors
said. Four people allegedly connected to the high-end ring were arrested last
week. Law-enforcement officials have indicated that the customer identified as
"Client 9" in the court papers is Spitzer. Client 9 paid for a prostitute to
travel across state lines from New York to Washington, according to the court
documents - a possible violation of the Mann Act, which prohibits transporting
people between states for immoral purposes.

"It is a law that is still on the books but not resorted to very much," says Mr.
Peisch. "I don't think there will be any prosecution under these circumstances."

Even if the governor is not prosecuted, he may be too damaged politically to
stay in office, experts say. He was unpopular even before Monday's stunning
news.

In what became known as "Trooper-Gate," Spitzer's staff was accused of using
state police officers to spy on the state's Senate majority leader, Joseph
Bruno. Staff members leaked information about Senator Bruno's use of state-owned
aircraft. Bruno fought back by saying he was on state business. The dispute
ultimately led some of Spitzer's top aides to resign.

"Everyone likes Joe Bruno; you are not going to throw Joe Bruno out," says
pollster John Zogby of Zogby International in Utica, N.Y. "It was the beginning
of the downfall of Spitzer."

The governor's approval ratings began to plummet soon thereafter. Most polls
show him in the upper 30s, says Lee Miringoff of the Marist Institute of Public
Opinion. "He does not have a reservoir of public opinion to fall back on right
now."

Last year, Spitzer caused a stir when he unveiled plans to issue driver's
licenses to illegal immigrants. "It created sufficient uproar that he pulled the
idea," says Mr. Miringoff.

Some longtime political analysts say Spitzer has cut corners in the past. Many
of his cases against Wall Street wrongdoers were built on the threat of
political indictment and the use of strategic leaks to bolster press coverage,
according to Ms. Masters. "He cut corners in a way a true purist wouldn't," she
says. During his first run for attorney general, his father's real estate
company funneled money into Spitzer's campaign using questionable methods.

"He was never called on it," says Fred Siegel, a political analyst at Cooper
Union in New York. "That may have contributed to the sense that he could get
away with just about anything."

Even if a politician survives a scandal, his administration can be weakened.
After the Lewinsky scandal, Mr. Clinton was distracted by the barrage of
negative press and his defense against impeachment.

"One can argue his effectiveness as president was seriously reduced," says
Kenneth Sherrill, a Hunter College professor of political science. "He served
his term out, but he and his party were severely wounded."

If Spitzer does resign, he would be succeeded by Lt. Gov. David Paterson, who
would be the first black governor of New York and the first legally blind
governor of any state.

.Research librarians Leigh Montgomery and John Aubrey contributed to this
report.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\
--------


7)
Out Front Colorado

http://www.outfrontcolorado.com/
http://www.outfrontcolorado.com/coverStory.php

'Naked Before God': a new play starring Mike Jones
by Matt Kailey

He has been called a hero and a whore, and some of the strongest slams have come
from residents of his home town of Denver - and from the gay community. But Mike
Jones has steeled himself against even the most critical of comments, and he is
back in the spotlight again with his new one-man show, Naked Before God:
Exposing the Hypocrisy of Ted Haggard, playing March 13-16 and March 20-22 at
the Bug Theatre. I was able to speak to Jones about the play, his life since he
outed Ted Haggard and whether or not he would do it all again.

Matt Kailey: How did this play come to be?

Mike Jones: Let me start by saying my life has changed so much and it's been a
very humbling experience. And most of the time, it's been sad. A few happy
times. Frustration. I've had a lot of things said about me, and it's been a very
difficult process. When I brought the story out, I did it alone. And despite
what people may think about all the publicity I've gotten and all that goes with
it, it's still a very lonely experience. So part of my frustration has been
trying to get people to understand what the story is really about, not just what
the headlines say. And so when you ask the average person on the street about
the 'Ted Haggard story,' you hear the usual - 'Oh, yeah, that minister, gay sex,
hypocrisy.' But you don't really hear people talk about, 'Oh, that's right, that
one guy that had the guts to come out and expose this man.' So when this (the
play) was presented to me, I thought, 'This is a great way for me, through my
own voice and emotions, that I can't put down in print, that I can actually let
people listen to me.' That's why I decided I would take them up on this offer to
do this play, because I think this is another chance for me to really tell
people what I went through and what the process was. And so this was presented
to me. I was doing a book signing in Palm Springs, and this producer heard me
speak at the Q&A session and seemed impressed. And he approached me and asked if
I'd be interested in doing this one-man show. And after I thought about it, I
said, 'Yeah, I'd like to do it.' So that's kind of how it came about.

MK: What can audiences expect when they come to this?

MJ: When you tell people you're doing a one-man show, a lot of people don't
understand it. I was just talking to someone at the gym this morning, and they
go, 'Are you just going to sit there and answer questions?' I think not that
many people have seen one-man shows or one-person shows. What they're going to
experience is a lot of ranges of emotion. There will be funny times, there will
be very sad times and very emotional times. My goal is, when everybody leaves, I
want them to feel exhausted. I want them to feel exhausted by what all I had to
go through. But the story talks about my life as a young kid and my
relationships with my mom and my great-grandmother. And everything is kind of
brief, because there's so much to tell in such a short time. But then it gets
into how I got started escorting. And then it goes through some of the things I
went through as an escort. And then, of course, the moment comes when I get a
call from a new client - Art from Kansas City. And how that transpires, and how
the drug use comes into play, and then, of course, how I discover who he is and
the wide range of emotions and struggles I went through when I found out who he
is. And then it takes everybody on this roller coaster ride of me, once I
decided to go public with it, what it was like. I think it's very well written.
And I think if the average person, who knows the story but doesn't really know
the details of the story, I'm hoping they'll come away looking at me from a
different perspective, instead of just what some people might want to call me -
a whore.

MK: Have you ever acted before?

MJ: Not really. Last August, I was asked to be part of a show up in Boulder at
the Fringe Festival. That was really my first experience. This guy who wrote the
play kind of wrote my part in afterward, because he was pretty impressed with my
book and he thought it would fit in with some of the messages that the play was
about. So he wrote three monologues for me. So my part in the play was that I
went to the front of the stage to the audience and did these monologues. And I'm
really glad that I did it, because it proved to me that I could actually talk in
front of people in a play setting and look them in the eye and not get
distracted. So this play is a lot of monologues - I have 40 pages to remember -
but it's not just my words. People are going to see my emotions. They're going
to see me moving around on stage, reenacting some of the scenes that transpired.
I know it's hard for people to figure out. 'How are you going to play Ted
Haggard if it's just you?' And there's times where I'm speaking for Ted. It's my
voice, but people will understand that it's Ted talking and asking me questions,
or Paula Woodward talking and asking me questions. The way it's written, I think
that they'll be able to figure that out.

MK: Have you heard of complaints from people who know you're putting on the show
or any protests?

MJ: Not yet. I anticipate it. You know what's interesting about this? Once
again, as with my book, Colorado Springs is becoming resistant. The theatres
we've contacted in Colorado Springs refuse to let us do it. So that will happen.
My story may seem simple to a lot of people, but it really very complicated. If
you really think about it, this story has everything you can think of, from
religion - not just basic religion, but big-time religion - to infidelity to
drugs to politics. So it covers all those ranges. Then we go into - it's more of
a human nature story. It's not necessarily a gay story. We're talking about
vulnerability. We're talking about denial. We're talking about not being able to
be who were are. There's so many legs to this story, and I just think most
people really almost can't comprehend that. And this story's going to go on.
There was the Matthew Murray connection with the church and them finding my book
in his car. And Ted Haggard just . cut off all connection with the church and
he's going to start talking again.

MK: So tell me about those two things.

MJ: Matthew Murray was the kid that went down to Arvada and killed two kids and
then drove to New Life Church. When they searched his house, they found pictures
of Ted Haggard in his house and phone numbers. . And then they got the list of
items that were removed from his car, and there were two books - one was on a
serial killer and one was my book. . And so what's interesting about that, too,
is that they haven't actually released the items, but once my book is released
and people can look at it, I'm just wondering if he highlighted any parts, or
even if I autographed it for him - weird stuff like that. And then . Ted Haggard
. he was paid hush money not to talk about the scandal. He has decided to break
all that off. I've always said Ted Haggard can't be quiet forever - that's not
his style. So he's going to be talking again, too. . The play is Naked Before
God. And the term "naked" - am I naked in the play? Yes, but for 30 seconds,
because it's not that kind of naked. People have to understand that I felt so
vulnerable and alone when all this hit, because I had nobody, and I felt naked.
And that's where it's kind of a metaphor, in that sense. And there's gay
overtones, of course, to this story, and that will be in the play. And there's a
little - it's definitely for adults only. But most of the language is pretty
decent, just a few words. It might embarrass a few straight people that go, but
for the most part, it's really not that kind of a show. But it's my life and
it's coming from me. And so we'll see what happens with it.

MK: You've had people say you're a hero and you have also been criticized a lot.
If you had to do it all over again, would you do it the exact same way?

MJ: You know, that is kind of like the million-dollar question. It's almost
impossible for me to answer that, but let me just say it this way: if someone
came to me with a similar circumstance, I would tell them 'Either do it
anonymously or don't do it. Because it ain't worth it to take the punishment
that I've taken.' When I exposed Haggard, I exposed myself. And I lost
everything. And I'm still trying to recoup from that. So it hasn't been fun. And
when people see me on the news and this and this and this, you know, it may look
glamorous, but it ain't (laughs). One of the reasons that the news keeps using
me is because I'm so outspoken now, and everybody knows who I am. I have nothing
to hide. They know that I'll speak up on a subject. It's kind of interesting,
when this story broke, everybody was going, 'Oh, my God. How many gay pride
parades have you been invited to or gay pride events?' I go, 'None.' The only
one I ever got invited to, seriously, was by a straight group in Colorado
Springs. But no gay group wanted to touch me. I finally did get a really cool
award - the Harvey Milk Lifetime Achievement Award. That was very, very nice,
but when I really needed people to help me was when it started. That's when I
really needed help, and I reached out and nobody reached back. And it was
hurtful. It was hurtful. And I've been struggling to keep my head above water,
but doing it by myself. So would I do it again? Gosh, I wish I could do a lot of
things over again in my life and make them different, but like I say, if someone
had the same circumstance, I would probably caution them to do it anonymously or
not to do it, because, whew, to be a whistle blower isn't that much fun. But I
was naïve in the whole thing, I have to admit. I guess one of the things I
should have done is maybe discuss it with a few people and get some feedback,
but I didn't do that. I made a decision myself.

MK: What do you think you'll do after the play?

MJ: I don't know. There may be a good chance that I won't stay in Denver. Denver
is my home - fourth generation - but through this experience, it doesn't feel
like home anymore to me, because I've had so much negative stuff happen to me
here. I've been spit on in Denver, I've been yelled at in Denver, and that's
just by the gay community. And it's been tough. And I've shed a lot of tears
over this whole thing. And when I do my play, I'm telling you, in rehearsals a
few times, I catch myself, I have to be watching - I could lose it. That's how
powerful this story is to me. So I don't know. I guess my long-term plan is just
that I'm not sure that I'm going to stay in Denver because of some of the
hostility I've received.

MK: Why do you think that is?

MJ: Denver's just different. When I go to other cities, I don't receive that
kind of hostility. Part of the reason is, this is where I live. And I hate to
say this, but I guess when people saw me on the news and stuff like that, I
think there was a jealousy factor. And I hate to say that, but I think people
were jealous that I was getting all this attention. And what they don't realize
is, I didn't know where this story was going to go. I thought I was just going
to bring out this guy and he'd do his Jimmy Swaggart thing and cry and ask for
forgiveness and that would be it. I didn't have any idea of the way it was going
to go, and then I got thrown even more into it. What people really forget is
that I could have blackmailed him. I could have had my life intact and money in
the bank. I didn't do that. I thought I was doing the right thing. And if people
don't understand that, then there's nothing I can tell them differently. After
the story broke, when I went to my gym, there are people who, to this day, won't
talk to me again. Some people have family members that have gotten involved with
drugs, and when they heard the drug aspect of my story, they almost like blamed
me for their family's woes. And it's just kind of weird. Boy, I've received it
from so many different angles and sides. And I finally decided, 'I give up. I
can't please everyone. I don't know what to tell you people.' So again, that's
one of the reasons I agreed to do this play. I'm going to give it another shot,
to let people see and hear what I went through, and to understand how I reached
my decision and how I went about it. . I'm pretty impressed with the writer. I
think he did a good job. I think he's very clever and I think he captured my
voice.

MK: What else would you like to say?

MJ: My goal with this is to have people look at me and hopefully come away with
a different perspective of Mike Jones. It's interesting that, with as much
negative stuff as I get, Margaret Cho, in her latest column in The Advocate, she
actually brought up my name. And she was talking about 'hos - and I've been
called every name, it doesn't even bother me anymore - and she goes, 'And let's
not forget that heroic 'ho, Mike Jones.' And I took that as a compliment.
Because I know her comedy style, but she actually saw it for something more than
just being a ''ho. I actually did something. But it's one of those things that,
I try to tell people what I've been through, but it's almost impossible, 100
percent. And I've been depressed - majorly - in this last year and a half, and a
lot of the people around me go, 'Oh, Mike, you did the right thing,' but nobody
will ever really, really know what I go through and what I've been through.
Nobody can understand anybody's life, truly, but nobody will really, really
understand what I've been through and what I continue going through emotionally.

Mike Jones stars in Naked Before God: Exposing the Hypocrisy of Ted Haggard for
seven performances only, from March 13-16 and from March 20-22 at the Bug
Theatre, 3654 Navajo St. in Denver. All performances begin at 8 p.m. and all
tickets are $25. For tickets or more information, call 888-768-7469.


***


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Thanks for remembering John, PK.  I was thinking it has to be about a year. 
Many times this
year I've thought of things I would like to have discussed with John, things I
would have
discussed with John.  I miss our almost weekly coffee or lunch meetings.  I know
John would
really love to have been able to share a beer with everybody on Matthewsplace. 
He cared
very much about all of you.

Gary

James, it is OK to rest and take time for yourself.  That is very important. 
You are welcome to
drop in and say how you are doing.  While your posts are appreciated, you do not
have to
post the news items.  You can just come and chat for a second or two.

Gary

--- In MatthewsPlaceForum@yahoogroups.com, "James Martin" <martinjg@...> wrote:
>
> I'm going to have to stop doing the NEWS for a while.  Burned out.  Will be
back later.
> Bush, Iraq, Tibet, stock market, bigoted mythologists -- I need a rest.
> For a large dose of daily news, the following is a selection of places where
you will get it -

There is a question in my mind about encouraging people to live in, build in, or
rebuild in
flood plains.  The city where I live had a plan to make the entire river valley
into a large
park.  I liked the plan, because it meant new homes could not be built in a
flood plain, and
all existing homes would be purchased by the city, and destroyed when the owners
sold
them or passed away.  Unfortunately, the city backed off that idea, and now
there are
homes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars built in a flood plain.  The river
valley bank
is not as stable as it should be.  Now that I know that, I want at least a road
between my
home and the river valley.  A home perched on the river bank sounds neat, until
the bank
slides.

Gary


> Comment ---
> Don't rebuild in flood prone areas.
> Rebuilding New Orleans is a waste of time, money, and energy.
>
> ***
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

I know there's people of all different beliefs and religions in here,
so I hope I don't offend anyone by wishing the board a Happy and Safe
Easter holiday.  If you don't celebrate Easter, then Happy "Retail
Closed" Sunday to you!

Hope everyone is doing well, and sorry I haven't been more active on
the board.  I keep up with all of the e-mail that comes my way.

Matthew @ radiomatthew.com