Children Of The NFL Corn

As Tim Tebow embarrassed himself in front of God and all the other white people in heaven, his masters at Focus On The Family ran their beyond creepy tribute to brainwashing.


UPDATE: A petition has already been posted on Change.org that demands an apology from CBS.

Tweet Of The Day - Team Santorum

Cancelled

ABC's cross-dressing sitcom Work It has been cancelled after just two shitty episodes. Exactly as the critics predicted. GLAAD and HRC had published a full-page complaint in Variety, but in the end it was low ratings that did the show in.

TEXAS: Anti-Gay Hate Industry Crowns Frothy Mix As The Official Not-Romney

FL Hate Group Issues Hilarious Voter Guide

Not much disagreement here, is there?

MINNESOTA: Dems Try To Repeal The State's Anti-Gay Marriage Amendment

Last year the Minnesota legislature approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, a bill which must be endorsed by the voters in November in order to become law. Democratic legislators have just filed a bill to repeal the bill which created the amendment. Which would remove the item from the ballot. Fancy!

Here's the text of the new bill:

H.F. No. 1885, as introduced – 87th Legislative Session (2011-2012)
Posted on Jan 13, 2012: A bill for an act relating to marriage; repealing a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution recognizing marriage as only a union between one man and one woman; repealing Laws 2011, chapter 88.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
Section 1. REPEALER.
Laws 2011, chapter 88, is repealed.
Sec. 2. EFFECTIVE DATE.
Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.

The above-linked article delicately notes that the repeal effort faces a "high hurdle" in the GOP-dominated legislature.

Today's Message From NOM

NOM's Brian Brownshirt is in Texas with all the Not-Romneys of the anti-gay hate industry. Today he writes to let everybody know that NOM's mysterious (Vatican) donor will be matching the last million dollars in donations.

Weekend Mix - DJ Paul Ferrer

Turn up the volume on your weekend with this pumping disco-house vocal mix from popular NYC DJ Paul Ferrer. Setlist. Website. Podcasts. Facebook.

RESIDENCY: The NYC Eagle every Sunday from 5pm to 10pm. On the roof in the summertime or down and dirty on the first floor when weather doesn't permit.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: DJ Dave Huge.

NOTE: This is the second of the revived JMG Weekend Mix series in which we highlight major national and up-and-coming DJ talent. This series ran for 28 installments in 2010 with entries from such well-known names as Susan Morabito, Corey Craig, Herbie James, David Knapp, Ted Eiel, and many others. Lots of great stuff to come in 2012!

The Many Ways To Speak In Tongues

Who knew there are different categories of pretending to be overcome by the need to shriek in gibberish?

Online GOP Candidate Picker

Above are my top results for the online GOP candidate picker tipped to us this morning by the Wall Street Journal. Answer a short series of questions and watch your responses tumble through the stated positions of the GOP candidates. Frothy Mix came in last place for me, no surprise there.

Tired Old Queen At The Movies #92

1948's Key Largo starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G. Robinson, and Claire Trevor.

Two Votes Shy Of Marriage in WA

The latest count reveals only two more Senate votes are needed to ensure marriage equality in Washington state. Getting those two votes will prove difficult.

The path for gay marriage in the House appears clear. Legislation sponsored by Rep. Jamie Pedersen, D-Seattle, was introduced there Friday with 50 signatures, the number of votes needed to approve the measure. But an identical bill sponsored by Murray in the Senate had 23 signatures. He needs 25, and there's a shrinking pool of undecided votes left. State Sens. Andy Hill, R-Redmond; Joe Fain, R-Auburn; Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island; Jim Kastama, D-Puyallup; Paull Shin, D-Edmonds, and Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, are uncommitted, according to the lawmakers or members of their staffs. Sen. Doug Ericksen, R-Ferndale, declined to comment, but records show he's voted against every gay-rights bill that's come up for a vote in the past.

Backers are hoping to get Microsoft to publicly endorse the bill.

Cruise Ship Capsizes Off Italy

Three dead, thousands rescued.

Three people are confirmed dead after a cruise ship carrying more than 4,000 people ran aground off Italy. There were scenes of panic as the Costa Concordia hit a sandbar on Friday evening near the island of Giglio and listed about 20 degrees. People reached land by lifeboats but some swam ashore. Rescue teams have been going from cabin to cabin, searching for survivors. Italians, Germans, French and British were among the 3,200 passengers. There were also 1,000 crew on board. Helicopters evacuated the last 50 people on the deck who were in a "worsening" situation.

Authorities report a 30-yard gash in the ship's hull.VIDEO: American passengers made a cell video.

Tony Perkins On The Not-Romneys

Madge Chats About Her Coming Album

And all of her other "jobs."

Romney Vs Paul & That's All

Details.

Shit Homophobic People Say

I'm lifting my boycott of these clips for Lambda Legal.

TENNESSEE: State GOP Rep Pushes Bill To Ban Trans People From Restrooms

GOP Tennessee state Rep. Richard Floyd is so upset about Macy's, he's introduced a bill that would ban transgender people from using public restrooms and fitting rooms.

State Representative Richard Floyd drafted the legislation after an employee at a Texas Macy's store was fired in December for stopping a transgender teenager from trying on clothing in a women's dressing room. "I cannot imagine firing anybody for something like that. I just cannot, I cannot grasp that, I can't get my mind around it," Representative Floyd explained. The Chattanooga Republican said he did not want anyone in Tennessee to face a similar situation, so he drafted House Bill 2279. Floyd strongly believes a man does not belong inside a women's restroom or dressing room, not matter the circumstances. "I don't care for what reason, how depraved their mind is, how perverted their mind is, or for what reason they think a man has a right to go into a women's bathroom, or dressing room to try on clothes," Floyd said. His proposed bill would require a birth certificate to prove which restroom a person would be required to use. Violators would face a misdemeanor charge and a fine.

VIDEO: Something something horses cats dogs.


UPDATE: Think Progress points us to this quote in which Floyd vows to physically attack any trans person he sees in a dressing room.

“I believe if I was standing at a dressing room and my wife or one of my daughters was in the dressing room and a man tried to go in there — I don’t care if he thinks he’s a woman and tries on clothes with them in there — I’d just try to stomp a mudhole in him and then stomp him dry. Don’t ask me to adjust to their perverted way of thinking and put my family at risk,” he said. “We cannot continue to let these people dominate how society acts and reacts.

Afternoon View - Gapstow Bridge

Colder and gloomy today. Might have seen a random flake, too.

How To Be Presidential

One Million Moms Against Gay Families

Romney Hits Back At Newt Gingrich

Obama Opposes NH Marriage Repeal

Sort of! Washington Blade's Chris Johnson got the quote:

“While the president does not weigh in on every single action taken by legislative bodies in our country, the record is clear that the president has long opposed divisive and discriminatory efforts to deny rights and benefits to same-sex couples,” said White House spokesperson Shin Inouye. “The president believes strongly in stopping laws designed to take rights away.”

The statement doesn’t explicitly express support for same-sex marriage or mention New Hampshire. At the same time, the statement doesn’t include language found in previous White House statements on marriage that states should “determine for themselves how best to uphold the rights of their own citizens.” Such language was included in the White House response to the North Carolina anti-gay marriage measure that will be on the ballot in May.

The vote is tentatively scheduled for next week.

Plaid Rap

Cuter than you'd expect.

(Tipped by JMG reader Oliver)

Christie Mum On NJ Marriage Bill

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie won't say what he'll do should the just-introduced marriage equality bill reach his desk. In a way, this is a better reaction that we might have hoped.

“They have a right to set their agenda, I’ll set mine, we’ll see who gets there first,” he said today in Camden . “When forced to make a decision, if forced to make a decision on it, I’ll make a decision.” In the past, Christie has said he favors the state’s civil unions law that was adopted in 2003. Legislative leadership said this week that they planned to make the bill a priority in the new session. The announcement puts Senate President Stephen Sweeney and his fellow Democrats on the offensive and again forces Christie to take a stand on a delicate political issue.

The bill's backers claim to have the votes to pass it in both chambers. Yesterday the Star-Ledger editorialized their expectation that Christie will block it.

Let’s face it: This is not likely to succeed while Christie remains in office. He will veto it, as promised, and obedient Republicans in the Legislature will fall in line behind him, as always. That’s the political lay of the land for the next two years, at least. If Christie wins re-election, this stalemate could drag on for six years. To most New Jersey citizens, that is simply not acceptable.

KANSAS: Romney Campaign Accepts Endorsement Of Anti-Gay Extremist

The Romney campaign is trumpeting the endorsement of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, the anti-gay evangelical who is also known as the chief architect of Arizona's racist SB 1070. Kobach's church has ties to the violent anti-gay fervor currently sweeping across Africa. HRC's Backstory Blog reports:

Religion Dispatch’s Lauri Lebo reported in 2010 that Kobach’s Church was a member of the Anglican Mission of the Americas – which is sponsored by the Anglican Church of Rwanda. Unfortunately, many of the leaders of the Anglican Church of Rwanda actively work to spread misinformation about LGBT people. According to a 2007 report from The New Times in Kigali, Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini called on East African churches to fight homosexuality “for the good of society.” Kolini went on to say that his churches would not “mingle” with LGBT people in matters of faith, adding: “We are reformed Anglicans who want to adhere to the original creeds of the Bible, and that’s why our church has decided to ignore the 2008 Lambeth Conference because it has not done much to fight homosexuality in the communion.”

In a speech to an evangelical group, Kobach once compared the gay rights movement to a frog in boiling water.

Will He Also Not Feel Bad For The Americans Killed In Retaliation?

Newt & Mitt Are Secretly Black

So says Pastor James David Manning, the Harlem nutjob we've blogged about several times. Enjoy the logic...

Will Maine Become The First State To Win A Pro-Gay Marriage Ballot Measure?

Activists in Maine report that they've got more than double the required signatures to place same-sex marriage on the November ballot. On January 23rd Equality Maine will announce whether they'll do so.

The goal is to avoid a demoralizing repeat of 2009, Smith said. Voters rejected, by a margin of 53 percent to 47 percent, a same-sex marriage law passed by legislators led by Democrats and signed by then-Governor John Baldacci, also a Democrat. In 2010, Republicans won control of both legislative chambers and the governor’s office for the first time since 1966. Advocates for changing the law have sought to build support by knocking on 100,000 doors around the state and collecting signatures to get the issue on the ballot, Smith said. A presidential election, which attracts more young voters who tend to support same-sex marriage, may make it easier to win passage, she said. “All this leads us to believe that 2012 is a very different year for us than 2009,” Smith said. “Until we finally win marriage at the ballot, opponents will always claim that marriage is supported only by the courts and legislatures, but not by the people.”

Obama Rolling In Campaign Cash

Washington Post:

President Obama’s campaign announced Thursday that it raised $42 million for his re-election campaign and another $24 million for the Democratic National Committee over the final three months of 2011. Obama has now raised almost $141 million for his 2012 re-election account, surpassing the $132.5 million President George W. Bush collected in 2003. The president’s fundraising has consistently outpaced his potential GOP rivals, and he continued that trend in the fourth quarter. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney announced Wednesday that he had raised $24 million in the fourth quarter, and the campaigns of Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and former House speaker Newt Gingrich have announced totals of $13 million and $9 million, respectively.

The Meeting Of The Not-Romneys

Leaders of the nation's largest evangelical and anti-gay hate groups will gather in Texas this weekend to decide which of the Not-Romney candidates they will get behind. Via NPR:

To perform the triage, more than 150 religious conservatives are gathering at a Texas ranch Friday and Saturday. Among the bigger names: Tony Perkins of Family Research Council; Gary Bauer, a former presidential candidate; James Dobson, who used to head Focus on the Family; and Don Wildmon, who once ran American Family Association. The mission of this "emergency meeting" is to unite behind one true-blue religious conservative for the Republican nomination. Fischer says evangelicals are desperate to defeat President Obama. But he does not believe former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney — whom they distrust on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage — can generate the passion to do that.

"If Romney gets the nomination, his support is going be tepid, lukewarm, maybe even nonexistent," Fischer says. It probably won't be that bad, says Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention. Polls suggest that given the choice between Romney and President Obama in a general election contest, 9 out of 10 evangelicals would vote for Romney. And yet, Land says: "Before we marry the guy next door, don't you think we ought to have a fling with a tall dark stranger and see if he can support us in the manner to which we'd like to be accustomed? And if he can't, we can always marry the steady beau who lives next door."

That's a rather curious way to put it, Mr. Land.

Church Sign Of The Day

Gay Tips On Visiting South Korea

Their blog is mostly about K-pop, with which I had a brief but intense fascination during the summer of 2010.

No Labor Camps For These Ladies

But the ones that didn't cry? Uh oh.

Brian Brownshirt Gets "Real"

"Let's get real here! No major spokesman or leader in America wants to hurt gay people, or deny them the civil rights we all share. The right to redefine marriage is a made-up right, it's not real; it has no roots in our constitution, our history, our traditions, or common sense. Being denied the right to call a same-sex relationship a marriage is not like what happened to South Africans, or African-Americans. A movement which makes this argument is rooting itself in wishful self-aggrandizing fantasies which will backfire in the end. The great thing about working for marriage is that it is an issue that transcends the usual political divides—of creed, of race, and of party." - Brian Brownshirt, in yet another donation appeal posted on NOM's blog.

Orlando Launches Domestic Partners

Posted to Orlando's official YouTube channel.

Seriously, New York Times?

The comments are fun, at least.

Clinton Denounces Marine Video

Satan Breaks Billboard Record

Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Beyonce and Jay-Z, is less than a week old and she's already broken an all-time Billboard record as the youngest credited vocalist to ever be on the charts.

Shortly after his infant was born at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital Saturday, Jay-Z, 42, headed into the recording studio to put his emotions into song with the new track "Glory." In the song — which features the proud papa rapping about "the most amazing feeling" — little Blue Ivy's cries can be heard. "It's historical. The charts are almost 72 years old, so to be the youngest ever to chart is something," Billboard's editorial director Bill Werde, told the New York Daily News of Blue Ivy's accomplishment.

The single enters the R&B chart at #74 next week.

RELATED: Stevie Wonder's 1976 classic Isn't She Lovely included the recorded babbles of his infant daughter Aisha, but Wonder never allowed the song to be released as a single.

UNRELATED: The first photos of Blue Ivy will like go for a scant $2M, far below the $10M paid for the first photos of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's twins.

SC Polls: Romney Up By 9 Points

Ahmet Yildiz, The Movie

In July 2008 I wrote about Ahmet Yildiz, the 26 year-old gay Turk who was murdered by his father in what was described at the time as Turkey's first "gay honor killing." Ahmet's life story has now been turned into a movie.

Caner Alper, the writer and other co-director of "Zenne," was also a friend of Yildiz's. Alper said before he died, Yildiz often spoke about receiving death threats from his family, who were trying to "cure" him of his homosexuality. Court documents show Yildiz reported these death threats to the Turkish authorities. In an interview with CNN this week, the filmmakers said they hoped their film would force Turkish society to debate hate crimes that target victims based on gender, religion, ethnicity or sexual identity. "Death and murder is still on the agenda of our country. We can't get rid of this mentality," said Binay. "People need to tolerate each other. They need to understand that different identities can live next to each other without disturbing each other."

Dan Savage On the GOP Field

"America is waking up to the fact that we're not bogeymen, and we're not coming to do any harm, and that we're your daughters and sons and neighbors, sometimes your parents, your co-workers, friends, colleagues. The Republican party, in this desperate [nod] to its dying evangelical base, is just ramping up the homophobia, and they're doing themselves real long-term damage.

"What's interesting is that, you look at who's been doing the most hate speech: Bachmann? She's out. Herman Cain? He's out. Perry? He's all but out. Santorum? He's running fourth, he's trailing even in conservative South Carolina. It's not winning them the election anymore. It's not 1992; Pat Buchanan can't get up and give a 'gay rights never, family values forever' speech at the Republican National Convention anymore. Times have changed." - Dan Savage, speaking to MTV News.

Cell Phone Stops Lincoln Center Symphony

New York Philharmonic conductor Alan Gilbert brought Mahler's Ninth to a screeching halt when an audience member allowed his iPhone to continue ringing.

The iPhone marimba ring kept going — and going — until concertgoers pointed out the area where the guilty party sat, a witness said. Finally, a man reached into his pocket and turned off the phone. Gilbert asked him if the device was off and the man nodded. "Mr. Gilbert did what we all wanted to do," said concertgoer Sarah Newman-Strauss, 57. "This man was incredibly rude! He wouldn’t even confess until it became unbearable." Concertgoers shouted "get him out of here!" and "take his tickets!" Newman-Strauss said.

The audience then gave Gilbert a standing ovation. If I was seated in Avery Fisher Hall and my phone made the slightest chirp, I'd die on the spot.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin: Don't Vote For That Homo Lover Mitt Romney

The same sack of shit that said God murdered an eight year-old boy in anger over gay marriage has joined the ranks of the Not-Romneys. Because Romney's (alleged) support for "homosexualists" is "literally criminal."

FRC: Pray Against Maryland Marriage

The Family Research Council's prayer of the day:

May God stir pastors across the state of Maryland to set aside their regular activities to do their part in this critical fight. May they lead their congregations to do their duty as Christian citizens! May this and related bills be defeated and the momentum toward homosexual marriage be permanently reversed! As has happened in Maine and New Hampshire, may politicians who have no conscience in this matter be reminded at the polls (Gen 1:27 ff; Job 38:3; Jer 23:9-18; Eze 33:1-19; Mal 2:11-16; Mt 6:33; 17:20; 19:4-6; Lk 1:37; Rom 1:32).

And I'm going to pray that the sun doesn't explode at 6:44am.

UPDATE: You're welcome.

Bumper Stickers Now On Sale

Newt Gingrich: Romney Speaks French! He's A Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkey!

Pets For Newt Gingrich

An actual official site by the Gingrich campaign. Consider this an extension of the "Romney abused his dog" charge.

Canada: We Take It Back

After worldwide outrage poured into Ottawa, the Canadian federal government is backtracking on the invalidity of gay marriages by foreign visitors. Things aren't quite settled, however.

The federal government will consider changing the law to ensure non-residents married in Canada can obtain divorces, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson said Thursday afternoon. Wading into a controversy that has quickly blown into an international cause célèbre, Mr. Nicholson made assurances the government “has no intention of reopening the debate on the definition of marriage.” [snip] Mr. Nicholson's statement gave immediate hope to married same-sex couples who are seeking a divorce but appeared to have no prospect of obtaining a one in Canada. However, it left one central question unanswered: Does the government consider their marriages to be legal, or not?

Lambda Legal, Freedom To Marry, the ACLU, and GLAD have issued a joint statement.

No one’s marriage has been invalidated or is likely to be invalidated. The position taken by one government lawyer in a divorce is not itself precedential. No court has accepted this view and there is no reason to believe that either Canada’s courts or its Parliament would agree with this position, which no one has asserted before during the eight years that same-sex couples have had the freedom to marry in Canada. [snip] The message for same-sex couples married in Canada remains the same as it is for same-sex couples validly married here in the United States: take every precaution you can to protect your relationship with legal documents such as powers of attorney and adoptions, as you may travel to jurisdictions that don't respect your legal relationship. There is no reason to suggest that Canadian marriages of same-sex couples are in jeopardy, or to advocate that people try to marry again elsewhere, as that could cause these couples unnecessary complications, anxiety, and expense.

Sorry about that, American Family Association. Snork!

Nancy Pelosi Calls Out Homocons

"Oh, but what about them? He [Barney Frank] chooses a party that supports his values. They've chosen a party that supports their income — a party that denigrates them and treats them with disrespect." - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, on the attacks made on Frank by the likes of GOProud. Hit the link for the Advocate's cover profile on Pelosi.

Blog Post Of The Week

And the winner is Wonkette's Ken Layne.

CALIFORNIA: Avis Sued For Offering Discounts To Gay Groups

An Arizona woman has filed suit against Avis, alleging that the car rental giant violates California's law against sexual orientation discrimination when if offers discounts to LGBT groups. Dave Rice reports at San Diego Reader:

Lynn Evenchik claims that Avis’ practice of offering discounts to members of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce constitutes a violation of California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act, which prohibits businesses from offering discounts to customers based on sexual orientation. Evenchik paid $311.36 to rent a car from Avis at San Diego International Airport for a period of one week in July of 2011.

She later learned that members of the aforementioned groups received discount codes entitling them to 20 to 25 percent off standard rental rates due to marketing agreements Avis had entered into with the organizations. “These unfair and unlawful business practices result in many consumers who are not affiliated with those organizations paying substantially higher rental rates than those made available to gay and lesbian renters,” the complaint states.

The suit calls for Avis to pay damages to anybody who rented a car since the discount offer began.

Frothy Mix: End Medicare Now

"We should not have a government-run health care system." (If you're dumb enough to be poor and sick, fuck you, just die.)

Religious Group To MSNBC: Stop Inviting Hate Group Leader Tony Perkins

Read all about it. Then sign the petition.

Sarah Palin Is A Not-Romney

NEW JERSEY: School Board Moves To Fire Anti-Gay Teacher Viki "Facebook" Knox

The school board of Union Township, New Jersey is moving to dismiss Viki Knox, the teacher who posted a nasty anti-gay diatribe on her Facebook page. After Knox was suspended, Christians activists deluged the school board with complaints.

The Union Township school board has filed tenure charges against Viki Knox, the high school English teacher whose anti-gay remarks on Facebook raised a firestorm over her free speech rights and her role as a public school teacher. The board formally filed the charges against Knox in late December, a step that begins the lengthy and costly process to fire Knox, school board president Ray Perkins said. He could not comment on the findings of the district's three-month investigation of Knox's conduct.

In her Facebook post, Knox had described gay people as "perverted spirits" whose sin "breeds like cancer." She has already become a folk hero to the anti-gay industry and will surely be canonized should her termination go through.

NH Repeal Vote May Be Next Week

Michael Lavers reports that the vote to repeal same-sex marriage in New Hampshire will probably take place next week.

Sources familiar with the legislative calendar indicate that the vote will likely take place on Jan. 18. The measure is expected to pass in the Republican-controlled state Legislature, but Gov. John Lynch, who signed the marriage equality bill into law in 2009, has said he would veto the measure. It remains unclear whether there are enough votes to override the governor’s veto.

Pollsters have consistently reported that a majority of New Hampshire residents support keeping marriage equality.

Giuliani: Gingrich Is Ignorant & Dumb

Coalition Of Religious Leaders Issues Letter Denouncing Gay Marriage: "Help! The Gov't Won't Pay Us To Oppress You!"

From a letter issued today by the heads of the Salvation Army, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Hispanic Christian Conference, the Lutheran Missouri Synod, the Mormon Church, the Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, and United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (Plus other lesser-known religious hate groups.)

By a single stroke, every law where rights depend on marital status—such as employment discrimination, employment benefits, adoption, education, healthcare, elder care, housing, property, and taxation—will change so that same-sex sexual relationships must be treated as if they were marriage. That requirement, in turn, will apply to religious people and groups in the ordinary course of their many private or public occupations and ministries—including running schools, hospitals, nursing homes and other housing facilities, providing adoption and counseling services, and many others.

So, for example, religious adoption services that place children exclusively with married couples would be required by law to place children with persons of the same sex who are civilly “married.” Religious marriage counselors would be denied their professional accreditation for refusing to provide counseling in support of same-sex “married” relationships. Religious employers who provide special health benefits to married employees would be required by law to extend those benefits to same-sex “spouses.”

Religious employers would also face lawsuits for taking any adverse employment action—no matter how modest—against an employee for the public act of obtaining a civil “marriage” with a member of the same sex. This is not idle speculation, as these sorts of situations have already come to pass. Even where religious people and groups succeed in avoiding civil liability in cases like these, they would face other government sanctions—the targeted withdrawal of government co-operation, grants, or other benefits.

Read the entire letter.

Quote Of The Day - Pam Geller

"Would anyone have CAIRed if Marines urinated on dead Nazi soldiers during WWII? (Anyone besides CAIR and Nazis, that is). I love these Marines. Perhaps this is the infidel interpretation of the Islamic ritual of washing and preparing the body for burial." - Wingnut blogger Pam Geller on the USMC video scandal. CAIR is the DC-based Council on American-Islamic Relations and today they issued a condemnation of the involved Marines.

The First Lady Joins Twitter

50,000 followers in the first hour...

Gingrich Goes All Out Against Romney

In addition to the below hard-hitting clip, there's a separate website with a 30-minute expanded version of what is excerpted below. GOP insiders are crying foul, saying that Gingrich is going to drag down the entire party in his vicious and increasingly personal campaign against Romney.

Nanny Bloomberg Goes After Soda

Add soft drinks to the lengthening list of products on Bloomberg's hit list. The above poster is now plastered all over the subway system.

Mayor Bloomberg defended the graphic posters. “What do you want to do? Do you want to have people lose their legs?” Bloomberg said Tuesday. “Or do you want to show them what happens so that they won’t lose their legs? Take your poison. Which do you want?” Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said the ads are needed to warn consumers about the massive portions they are eating and drinking. “The portion sizes that are marketed are often much more than humans need,” said Farley. “We are warning people about the risks of super-size portions so they can make more informed choices about what they eat.

Other vivid campaigns from the NYC Department of Health have included graphic depictions of smoking-related cancers.

NOM Sends A Maryland Reminder

One million dollars from the Knights of Columbus? From some murkily-sourced archdiocese slush fund? Will we ever know?

"Functional HIV Cure" Trial Advances

Via press release:

Sangamo BioSciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO) announced today the initiation of two new Phase 2 clinical studies (SB-728-1101 and SB-728-902, Cohort 5) in its program to develop a "functional cure" for HIV/AIDS. Sangamo's ZFP Therapeutic® approach (SB-728-T) generates T-cells that are resistant to HIV infection using its zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology to permanently disrupt the DNA sequence encoding CCR5, a co-receptor used by HIV to enter cells. The company expects to present data from its SB-728-T HIV clinical trials at appropriate medical meetings in 2012.

Most interesting: "In addition to safety, the study will evaluate the effect of escalating doses of Cytoxan on SB-728-T engraftment, the effect of SB-728-T treatment on viral load following HAART interruption." In other words (I think), they'll be looking at whether patients can cease taking meds after the treatment.

South Korea Trains Elite Soldiers

I doubt you'll mind the German narration.

(Tipped by JMG reader Henrik)

Concerned Women Are Concernstipated That Washington Is Going For Marriage

"Gov. Gregoire issued a statement on January 4, 2012, saying it is time for marriage equality for all Washington citizens. She stated that love, commitment, responsibility, and partnership are the determining factors for marriage. How far is she willing to extend that? To adult-minor marriages? How about to first cousins? To mother and son? To one man and two women or two men and two women? Where do you draw the line after changing the long-respected definition of one man plus one woman? And although the supporters of this new definition claim that it will not force religious institutions to participate, how long until someone demands that my pastor or your priest marry them within our churches and sues in a secular court bound to uphold the law? Three years ago, we were told that homosexuals only wanted the rights of marriage, not the title. Was that true?" - Maureen Richardson, Washington state director of Concernstipated Women.

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Republican Straight Guy Stands Up For His Gay Brother

(Via - Good As You)

Church Sign Of The Day

(Source)

Afghan Leadership Condemns U.S. Marines For Body Desecration Video

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has issued a strong denouncement of the video which appears to depict U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of killed Taliban fighters.

In a statement, President Karzai's office said: "The government of Afghanistan is deeply disturbed by a video that shows American soldiers desecrating dead bodies of three Afghans. "This act by American soldiers is simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms. We expressly ask the US government to urgently investigate the video and apply the most severe punishment to anyone found guilty in this crime." Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told the BBC that this was not the first time Americans had carried out such a "wild action" and that Taliban attacks on the Americans would continue.

The story dominated international news programs last night as the Pentagon scrambled to identify and punish the involved service members.

VIDEO: The Afghan public reacts.

Rick Perry Action Figure

Pity it doesn't come with the Brokeback jacket. On sale now through the South Carolina primary, but probably not afterwards.

CANADA SHOCKER: Government Says Marriages By Foreign Gays Not Legal

Thousands of gay couples from around the world have gotten married in Canada since it became legal in 2004. But according to a just-issued flip-flop by the Canadian government, those marriages are now NOT LEGAL if the couples had no right to marry in their home countries.

The Harper government has served notice that thousands of same-sex couples who flocked to Canada from abroad since 2004 to get married are not legally wed. The reversal of federal policy is revealed in a document filed in a Toronto test case launched recently by a lesbian couple seeking a divorce. Wed in Toronto in 2005, the couple have been told they cannot divorce because they were never really married – a Department of Justice lawyer says their marriage is not legal in Canada since they could not have lawfully wed in Florida or England, where the two partners reside.

The government’s hard line has cast sudden doubt on the rights and legal status of couples who wed in Canada after a series of court decisions opened the floodgates to same-sex marriage. The mechanics of determining issues such as tax status, employment benefits and immigration have been thrown into legal limbo. The two women – professionals in the their early 30s – cannot be identified under a court order. But Martha McCarthy, a prominent Toronto lawyer who represents them, said the government’s about-face is astonishing.

Reactions and more on this developing story to come later today, no doubt.

Gay People: Haiti's Scapecoats

This partially animated clip tells how Haitian gays were scapegoated as the cause of the devastating earthquake which occurred two years ago today.

100% Bought By The Koch Brothers

Americans For Prosperity, the Koch Brothers-backed lobbying group, has posted a "scorecard" of the members of Congress based on how often they voted the way the Koch Brothers wanted them to. Above are those with a 100% grade.

Positive Marriage News From WA

The prospective vote count on Washington state's marriage bill looks very positive.

The Legislature is on the verge of having enough support to make Washington the seventh state to approve gay marriage, according to a tally by The Associated Press. A same-sex marriage bill is expected to be introduced by the end of the week. The AP reached out to all 49 state senators over the past week and found that more lawmakers are firmly supporting gay marriage than opposing it, by a margin of 22-18. The measure needs 25 votes to pass the Senate. The House is widely expected to have enough support, and Gov. Chris Gregoire publicly endorsed gay marriage for the first time last week.

Suze Orman: GOP Blocks My Marriage

Headline Of The Day

Yesterday's church sign must be part of this new meme.

FRC: We Invented The Child Tax Credit

DNC Vs Mittens & Bain Capital

Open Thread Thursday

What are you reading?

Tweet Of The Day - Fred Karger

Leaked Video Depicts U.S. Soldiers Urinating On Dead Taliban Members

The Pentagon and the USMC are facing international condemnation after the posting of a video that purportedly shows U.S. Marines urinating on the bodies of alleged members of the Taliban.

"Headquarters Marine Corps has recently been made aware of a video that portrays Marines urinating on what appear to be deceased members of the Taliban," the USMC statement said. "While we have not yet verified the origin or authenticity of this video, the actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps." The video surfaced on several websites early Wednesday. On one website, the member who posted the video identified the Marines as belonging to the 3/2 Marine battalion out of Camp Lejeune. The battalion served in the northern Helmand Province in Afghanistan last summer.

We'll see some payback for this, bet on it.

WARNING: The video is exactly as described. NSFW.


UPDATE: UK tabloid The Daily Mail has more.

At one point one of the men can be heard saying: 'Have a great day, buddy' to laughter from his colleagues. Another of them jokes: 'Golden like a shower' and 'Yeahhhh!' as they groan with relief whilst urinating. It is not clear if the corpses belong to civilians or insurgents engaged in combat, although the film does appear to have been shot in Afghanistan. The anonymous person who posted it included the caption: 'Scout sniper team 4 with 3rd battalion 2nd marines out of camp lejeune peeing on dead talibans.' The film is likely to spark a huge diplomatic row between Washington and Kabul and rekindle memories of the abuse meted out by American troops at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. The three corpses are all male and are wearing civilian clothes. The youngest lies on his front with an overturned wheelbarrow dumped by his side. The other two are on their backs and one has a large blood stain on his chest.

The Marine Corps Times reports that an investigation to identify the soldiers has been launched.

You're Just Jealous Of Mitten's Wealth

"You know, I think it’s about envy. I think it’s about class warfare. When you have a president encouraging the idea of dividing America based on the 99 percent versus one percent — and those people who have been most successful will be in the one percent — you have opened up a whole new wave of approach in this country which is entirely inconsistent with the concept of one nation under God. The American people, I believe in the final analysis, will reject it." - Mitt Romney, who says it's unfair to talk about the distribution of wealth in America.

God Has Been Planning To Defeat Gay Marriage In Maryland Since Before The Creation Of The Earth

So sez "Bishop" Harry Jackson, who adds that God has personally ordered him to join the marriage fight. Jackson says he then complained to God that he didn't have the money to do it. And bingo! When he got up the next morning God had commanded somebody to email him $50,000.

The Holy Spirit Speaks Through Frothy

"When you're aware of our Lord and His presence in your life everyday, when you're moving through the crowds, when you're giving speeches and me as Rick's wife, I'm watching him, and the whole time he's speaking so often, I'm just there praying for him, asking the Holy Spirit to speak through him. And I feel like God's hand of protection is upon us." - Mrs. Frothy Mix, speaking to the Christian Broadcasting Network. Apparently the Holy Spirit thinks about anal sex a LOT.

Gingrich Hits Romney On The Dog Issue

Ministers Sue Feds: Hate Crime Laws Oppress Our Religious Liberties

The Sixth Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is hearing the case of two Michigan ministers who say that hate crime laws oppress their freedom of speech and are unconstitutional. Joining the suit is Gary Glenn (left), the head of the American Family Association's Michigan chapter.

The suit, of course, is exploding with batshittery as hate crime laws only apply to actions, not speech. Despite that inconvenient fact, the ministers claim that they fear that their anti-gay sermons will bring their arrests. A lower court rightfully shitcanned the suit last year.

Gingrich Panders To SC: Anti-Christian Bigotry Is Destroying America

Think Progress alerts us that Gingrich is lying again.

2011 Weather Ranks

Wunderground reports: "Precipitation rankings for U.S. states in 2011. Seven states had their wettest year on record, and an additional ten states had a top-ten wettest year. Texas had its driest year on record, and four other states had a top-ten driest year." Lots more at the link.

Afternoon View - Park & 71

Clear and mild today. Lovely.

Garden State Equality Tweets...