Adam Smith Apologizes

The Arizona man who was fired on the spot after posted a YouTube video in which he berated a Chick-Fil-A drive-thru employee has issued an apology to her.

Chikin Graffiti Artist Comes Forward

The man who spray-painted "Tastes Like Hate" on a California Chick-Fil-A franchise has voluntarily come forward and he is openly gay NYC-trained artist Manny Castro. His online bio reads:

After studying at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, Castro launched his fine art career with his first solo show being the main window installations for Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, and subsequently additional installations at Barney’s New York and Fred Segal. Since relocating to Los Angeles, some of Hollywood’s greatest have posed for him including Milla Jovovich, Derek Blasberg, Agnes Bruckner, Amanda Lepore, Patrick McMullan, and Amy Heidemann and Nick Noonan from "Karmin". He has remained true to his belief that art is an experience that should be easily accessible to everyone.

Castro has been interviewed by the Huffington Post.

"Everybody is entitled to free speech, but it seems like for the gay tribe, this is more of an issue of equal rights -- human rights," explained Castro. "I'm against what these people stand for, what this company stands for. They're trying to take away what little rights we already have." And when Castro saw news photos of thousands of Americans lined up around the block to buy a sandwich in support of the company on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day," his heart sank even more. "I thought of the photographs from 40 years ago of Christians protesting blacks marrying whites," said Castro. "It is the same thing."

Commenters on Michelle Malkin's Twitter-based site Twitchy have launched a campaign calling for Castro's prosecution by local authorities. Sample comments:

-"So when are they going to arrest, fine, prosecute and jail this idiot communist artist? He has no consideration for Private Property, nor the cost to the taxpayers to clean up his mess. If that were my wall, he'd be dead right now."

-"We need to be sure that this "artist" is prosecuted. Everyone needs to e-mail the Torrance police office and make sure they arrest Castro. Remind them that if they don't they aren't a force for justice, but for politics. Email: Communityaffairs (at) torranceca.gov."

-"This guy has two things against him ,he is Gay and a Mexican ,can't get any worst !!"

-"Manny is a fag and should be arrested!"

Afternoon View - Park & 42nd

From The Augusta Chronicle

Photo Of The Day

Fair skin is highly prized among some Chinese women, who consider it a sign of aristocracy. The above full-face masks have become a minor fad among female beach goers.

“I’m afraid of getting dark,” said the mask-wearer, Yao Wenhua, 58, upon emerging from the seaweed-choked waters of this seaside city in China’s eastern Shandong Province. Eager to show why she sacrificed fashion for function, Ms. Yao, a retired bus driver, peeled the nylon over her forehead to reveal a pale, unwrinkled face. “A woman should always have fair skin,” she said proudly. “Otherwise people will think you’re a peasant.” For legions of middle-class Chinese women — and for those who aspire to their ranks — solar protection is practically a fetish, complete with its own gear. This booming industry caters to a culture that prizes a pallid complexion as a traditional sign of feminine beauty unscathed by the indignities of manual labor. There is even an idiom, which women young and old know by heart: “Fair skin conceals a thousand flaws.”

Six Man Ukelele Gotye

Competing with the five on one guitar cover version, which has over 131M views on YouTube. Just in case you aren't completely sick of this song.

Quote Of The Day - Jim Garlow

"I will vote for Romney but IF...IF this quote from Romney is accurate, it demonstrates blunders that would be labeled the 'spirit of stupid'....and millions of good family honoring people will stay home on election day (Obama's dream) - and America (as we have known her for 200+) will come to an end." - Anti-gay activist Pastor Jim Garlow, in a Facebook comment left on the Politico article in which Romney refuses to take sides in the national chicken flap. Also furious are Bryan Fischer and Porno Pete.

RELATED: Garlow has said he is ready to die to prevent gay people from marrying, that gay marriage will destroy all churches, that Satan is a gay activist, and that Proposition 8 passed because he and his congregation fasted during the election.

Pet Shop Boys - A Certain Je Ne Sais Quoi

From the coming album Elysium.

(Tipped by JMG reader Dwight)

Olympic Bearcake Break, Part Two

WND Apologizes To Fox's Megyn Kelly

I told you not to make her your new BFF. Posted last night.

Yesterday, WND posted a story involving Fox News “America Live” anchor Megyn Kelly that incorrectly attributed to her the view that the Bible prohibits mix-race marriage. On further examination, it’s clear that Ms. Kelly wasn’t representing such views as being her own, but was summarizing the views of others – including a Virginia judge – who in the past have cited the Bible in their attempts to justify slavery, the subjugation of women and the prohibition of interracial marriage. WND sincerely apologizes to Ms. Kelly and has deleted the article from our archives. We also thank the many readers who took the time to point out the problems with the article.

Jedi Condoms

For the third grader in you.

Clinton Praises Ugandan Activists

During her stop in Uganda yesterday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the brave LGBT activists who risk murder and rape merely by being open about who they are.

"It is critical for all Ugandans - the government and citizens alike - to speak out against discrimination, harassment, and intimidation of anyone. That's true no matter where they come from, what they believe, or whom they love," Clinton said. Clinton said she raised the issue in talks on Friday with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, whose government has been accused of allowing political and religious leaders to drum up anti-gay feeling in the deeply conservative East African nation. "You are a model for others and an inspiration for the world," Clinton said to representatives of the group, formed in 2009 to combat draft legislation which proposed the death penalty for anyone convicted of "aggravated homosexuality".

In Loving Memory

Source.

World Record Heads-Down Sky Dive

Surreal.

Former Sen. Larry Craig Says He Was In That Men's Room On Federal Business

Former GOP Sen. Larry Craig is trying to wriggle out of charges that he used campaign funds to defend himself after his 2007 bust in that Minneapolis airport men's room.

Craig is hoping to avoid repaying $217,000 in campaign funds the Federal Election Commission claims he misused to defend himself. The FEC sued Craig in June in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleging he converted the campaign money to personal use by spending it on his legal defense after he was accused of soliciting sex in a Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport bathroom. The commission argues Craig's defense had no connection to his campaign for federal office. Craig counters that money tied to his airport bathroom trip was neither for personal use or his campaign, but falls under his official, reimbursable duties as senator because he was traveling between Idaho and the nation's capital for work. He cites a U.S. Senate rule in which reimbursable per diem expenses include all charges for meals, lodging, hotel fans, cleaning, pressing of clothing — and bathrooms. “Not only was the trip itself constitutionally required, but Senate rules sanction reimbursement for any cost relating to a senator's use of a bathroom while on official travel,” wrote Andrew Herman, Craig's lawyer in Washington, D.C., in documents filed Thursday.

Following his arrest, Craig resigned then unresigned and finished out his term. Today he is a DC lobbyist for the oil industry that he once regulated as a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

FLASHBACK: Here's Craig's famous "I am not gay" press conference.

(Tipped by JMG reader Frank)

Chyron Placement Of The Day

Olympic Medals Tally

As of midnight last night, NYC time.

Dan Cathy: I'm Taking All That Extra Money And Giving It To Anti-Gay Groups

That's what Herman Cain claims Cathy told him, at least. Cain also claims that Cathy told him the chain did $30M in sales on Wednesday.

Romney: Don't Ask Me About Chikin

At a campaign stop in Las Vegas, today reporters asked Mitt Romney about the national chicken flap. His response: "Those are not things that are part of my campaign. [But] I'm not going to tell other people what to talk about." Over on Twitter, Bryan Fischer and Porno Pete are screaming bloody murder that Romney wouldn't weigh in.

TRAILER: Bachelorette

"Blowjobs are an extremely delicate thing."

Olympic Bearcake Break

No lefties in shot put?

Death Threats For Fired Protester

Earlier today I reported about Adam Smith, the straight Arizona biotech CFO who was fired yesterday for berating a Chick-Fil-A drive-thru employee and then posting a YouTube clip of the incident. According to Smith, who is the married father of four children, two of whom were adopted with special needs, his family has been receiving death threats from God's Gentle People. Conservative site The Blaze today interviewed Smith and posted a short recap in advance of a longer post to come later today.

He has lost his job as Chief Financial Officer at Vante. (Smith claims that he was not given a chance to really explain himself before being terminated). His family has been threatened with violence and death. (At one point, his email account was getting 3 messages a minute, mostly vulgar and threatening) Because his home address was made public, he cannot live in his house. (And Mr. Smith is a married father of four – two of his children are adopted, special needs kids.) Smith said that his original intent was to follow guidelines laid out in an online video, which included quoting a scripture.

Here's the video that inspired Smith's actions.

Clinton Visits Uganda To Discuss U.S. Funding Of HIV/AIDS Program

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Uganda today to discuss U.S. funding to address that nation's burgeoning HIV/AIDS pandemic. Via White House press release:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, joined by Uganda’s Minister of Health Dr. Christine Ondoa, on August 3, 2012, in Kampala, Uganda, highlighted the additional $25 million the U.S. government recently committed to help Uganda eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The U.S. government seeks to ensure that HIV-positive pregnant women receive the treatment they need to protect themselves their partners, and prevent their babies becoming HIV positive. With a population of 32 million and the world’s second-highest fertility rate, Uganda faces growing demand for health services. Uganda is among the top-five highest burden countries, contributing to seven percent of the global unmet need for PMTCT services, with more than 100,000 HIV-exposed babies born each year. HIV prevalence in Uganda rose from 6.4 percent in 2005 to 7.3 percent in 2011, with more than 120,000 new infections each year.

RELATED: Today Truth Wins Out founder Wayne Besen today issued a statement declaring that Uganda's surging HIV/AIDS rate can be directly traced to the work of American evangelicals who have deluged the impoverished nation with anti-gay and pro-abstinence messages. An excerpt:

“Uganda was the laboratory for evangelical polices on sex education and their risky experiment has blown up in their faces. What American ideologues have foisted on the Ugandan people is unforgivable and has caused an enormous amount of pain and suffering,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “By replacing sound science with their version of scripture, the American interlopers badly exacerbated the problem. They ought to feel deeply ashamed and stop interfering in a country where they have already done an staggering amount of damage.”

NOTE: Uganda's "kill the gays" bill, which came to be in 2009 with the help of U.S.-based evangelicals, was reintroduced in the national parliament earlier this year and remains pending. Some activists have called for ending foreign aid to Uganda should the bill ever pass.

Christians Are Too Nice To Come Out Against Same-Sex Marriage

Banksy On Graffiti

In the very divided comment thread of today's post about the vandalized Chick-Fil-A franchise, JMG reader Ish points out British artist Banksy's take on graffiti. In general, I oppose punishing the middle man, such as a franchisee or one of its employees.

Tweet Of The Day - Andy Borowitz

Romney Super PAC Launches Website Claiming That Obama Is A Black Racist

From the site Fight Bigotry:

FightBigotry.com is the SuperPAC that is releasing the most hard-hitting attack ad against President Obama on television this year. Our ad (see below) is here for the media and the public to view. We are the only SuperPAC that will clearly connect the dots to explain the one political vulnerability of President Obama that no one else has the stomach to bring up, and the one issue where President Obama has thus far received a free pass: his disturbing, yet crystal-clear pattern of tacitly defending black racism against white folks before and since being elected president. ​​The Obama administration and their surrogates (not the Republicans) have injected race into the presidential campaign.

Think Progress points out that the site is the work of GOP opposition researcher Stephen Marks, who tried the same thing in 2000 when he attempted to link Al Gore to comments made by Al Sharpton.

Two Year Anniversary Of Prop 8 Overturn

It's tomorrow. Below AFER host Matt Baume lays out some history and what lays ahead.

Headline Of The Day

The standings may have changed since this report. More competition took place today, but the finals aren't until next week.

Obama Nears Break-Even On Jobs

As the GOP continues to scream about unemployment, today's mildly positive jobs report shows that the economy has gained back almost all of the jobs lost since Obama took office. It's possible we'll see a small net gain by election day.

The president only needs job growth of just over 105,000 jobs created in each of the next three months to be able to say — undisputedly — that he created more jobs than were lost since the start of his administration. Hitting 316,001 jobs would be an important rhetorical victory for Obama — and missing the mark would provide Romney and Republicans with another attack to use against the president in the final days before the election.

Gay Boycotts Will Bring Another Holocaust

"In April of 1933, the Nazi Party in Germany began a nationwide boycott of Jewish businesses; this occurred shortly after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of that nation. The official program of discrimination was the first of many measures with which most Americans of my generation are familiar, and which ended with the Holocaust. In keeping with the uncannily Orwellian tack American liberals have taken, the war on Christianity that has been in progress for decades (in earnest for the last several years) was denied with such vigor that even some conservative pundits questioned its existence. Lately, however, outrageously discriminatory, blatantly hypocritical campaigns against individuals and businesses professing Christian values have been initiated by those on the left. These have made it obvious to all but the profoundly dull that a war on Christianity is indeed in progress. Efforts on the part of militant homosexual activists and the hard left to demonize Chick-fil-A, the Atlanta-based fast-food chain, are the most recent of this type." - Eric Rush, writing for World Net Daily.

Brian Brownshirt On Fox News

It's rather hilarious that what was once one of most vocal Not-Romney groups is now licking his gold-plated boots.

More Gasoline

Source. There was a bomb threat in West Virginia, too.

How Do Your Reps Score?

The Human Rights Campaign has launched a great and simple widget to for you to check on their ratings of the members of Congress. As you can see above, I'm one of the lucky few.

Breitbart's Dana Loesch Doubles-Down

TIP: You can comment there with your Twitter login.

TOMORROW: Summer Streets NYC

On three Saturdays every August, New York City closes Park Avenue from the Upper East Side to the Brooklyn Bridge for the exclusive enjoyment of bicyclists, joggers, and pedestrians. There are hundreds of vendors on the side streets, free bike repair stations, promotional giveaways, and live music all along the route. Later in the day there will be free concerts at Central Park's Summer Stage. Summer Streets runs from 7am until 1pm and we've learned that the return trip can be arduous if you don't finish before the streets have reopened. Highly recommended. It's like Critical Mass minus the assholes.

Mariah Carey - Triumphant (Remix)

Mariah's publicist was right, the remix is pretty great and the vocal is completely different from the radio single. This clip may not last long, I think it's a leaked copy.

ENDA Reminder

Via Calvin at Gay Rights Maps.

Special Open Thread

The Chick-Fil-A national gay kiss-in takes place today. Towleroad quotes well-known activist and blogger Pam Spaulding:

IMHO, I’m not keen on this as an effective protest tool — it’s not about our right to love (ostensibly why gay couples will be there kissing), it’s about Chick-fil-As record of anti-gay discrimination and funding of groups that want us DEAD, endorse “ex-gay” therapy, and to deny LGBTs basic civil rights. The kiss-in seems more like a stunt for shock value that the fundies will try capitalize on by tying the action to sex acts that they abhor. The “ick” factor has been one of the major issues these folks cling to, like it or not. [snip]

I’m not saying that direct actions are useless; I just don’t think this particular one focuses on the vile business practices that are counter to equality under the law — and they are draped in religious bigotry that is funded by Chick-fil-A. It allows the framing of the issue to remain in the court of the fundamentalists. Gay=sex. Sex=icky. Remember, Chick-fil-A doesn’t mind firing adulterers, or non-Christians (the latter cost them a pretty penny for firing a Muslim that didn’t want to pray to Jesus at a corporate event). The world view is extremely narrow and discriminatory.

What do you think? I'm quite concerned about potential violence, particularly since some of our most ardent enemies might be returning to the franchises they could not patronize earlier due to the massive lines.

Welsh Soccer Player Arrested After Homophobic Tweet About British Divers

Welsh soccer player Danny Thomas was suspended by his team two days ago after he posted a homophobic tweet about two British divers. The tweet read: “If there is any consolation for finishing fourth at least Daley and Waterfield can go and bum each other #teamHIV." Thomas apologized and the matter appeared to be over. Apparently not.

Police have now issued a statement saying: “South Wales Police has arrested a 28-year-old man from the Port Talbot area in connection with offensive comments made on the social networking site Twitter. “The man was interviewed at Neath police station and has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.” Club chairman Andrew Edwards confirmed with the BBC it was Mr Thomas, saying: “He was called in by police and arrested yesterday [Wednesday] and is on conditional bail. “It will be some time next week so, pending the police investigation, he’s still under suspension. “We’ve taken legal advice and, when the police inquiry is concluded, we will deal with it from then.”

Commenters on the above-linked Pink News article are mixed in their reactions. One writes:

This is ridiculous. Daniel Thomas is a bigot and a moron, but he wrote a stupid, bigoted comment on a social networking site. He did not engage in violence, nor did he incite violence. I think that after the riots of last summer the police have decided that Twitter is dangerous and that anything deemed offensive will mean that you get arrested. Watch now how bigots far more dangerous than this imbecile footballer will use his arrest as evidence of how gays are destroying freedom of speech. I cannot believe how stupid the police are being.

Saturday Is "Trash Your Ex" Night

This Saturday Brooklyn's minor team baseball team will host "Trash Your Ex Night." Fans are encouraged to bring romantic memorabilia which will be compacted in a garbage truck at the stadium.

We will focus upon cutting ties with former relationships and ridding yourself of heartbreak resulting from an ex-girlfriend or boyfriend, or ex-husband or wife. “Trash Your Ex” is about moving on, and feeling good about it! Fans are encouraged to bring old memories of their ex to trash outside MCU Park into a DSNY garbage truck. Old gifts such as teddy bears or sweat shirts, love letters, picture frames, and much more are just some of the items we anticipate receiving that day.

The Brooklyn Cyclones are a farm team of the New York Mets.

RELATED: Gothamist notes that the Cyclones' plan echoes the now infamous Disco Demolition held in 1979 at Chicago's Comiskey Park, a racism and homophobia-tinged event in which fans near-rioted in joy after thousands of disco records were exploded in center field. Disco Demolition is often cited by music historians as marking the end of the disco era in popular culture.

Homeland Security To Consider Marriage Status Before Deporting Foreign Gays

After pressure earlier this week from Rep. Nancy Pelosi and a coalition of more than 80 Democrats, Homeland Security says it will consider the partner status of gay potential deportees. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

The department has issued a new policy governing the issuances of "Notice to Appear" documents, which is the step that starts removal proceedings, which can lead to deportation. The new policy will put the policies of U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services — which considers green card applications — in alignment with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement policies for "low priority" enforcement cases, according to the department — which means that USCIS won't likely issue the notices unless other negative factors, like a criminal record, are found. A spokesman did not respond to an immediate request for a copy of the policy.

Well-known LGBT immigration advocate Lavi Soloway is thrilled. Via press release:

After a two-year campaign urging the Obama administration to stop the deportations of spouses of gay and lesbian Americans, we welcome the announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that it will formally recognize same-sex marriages as part of its year-old ‘prosecutorial discretion’ deportation policy. By articulating the first federal policy to recognize marriages of gay and lesbian couples, the administration signals to deportations officers, Immigration Judges, and Immigration & Customs Enforcement prosecutors that our marriages must be considered when determining whether a case is deemed low priority for deportation.

Until DOMA is repealed Homeland Security will continue to deny green cards to the spouses of LGBT Americans.

Fox Promotes Voter Fraud Con Job

Nate Silver's Electoral Update

Source.

Take Back The Rainbow For Jesus

Likud Leader Rips Jerusalem Pride, Anti-Gay Protesters Bring Donkeys

"Homosexuality has long ceased to be a sexual deviation, belonging to individuals and their private lives, which no one wants to interfere with.They came out of the closet a long time ago and are now the spearhead of the 'post-' culture. We are dealing with the undermining of the family unit, which is the basic building block of every national society. Throughout history from Rome to Europe in our day, the approval and spread of homosexuality presaged the decline of nations and cultures. If one reads the Torah portion 'Noah' – this comes as no surprise. The organizers of a pride parade do not wish to gain rights. They strive to force homosexuality as a culture upon the public sphere." - Moshe Feiglin, head of the Likud's Jewish Leadership group. In the past Feiglin has said that the Nazi Party was made of up "thugs and homosexuals."

Yesterday another Jewish group once again brought donkeys to Jerusalem Pride as a protest against "the bestiality of the parade." Last year the donkeys were accompanied by signs such as the ones below and others in Hebrew which read, "Sick perverts get back to the closet that you came from."VIDEO: Donkeys aside, the parade drew 4000 marchers and took place without incidents.

Reid Repeats Romney Tax Claim

"The word's out that he hasn't paid taxes in ten years. Let him prove that he has paid taxes because he hasn't."

Headline Of The Day

CBS News:

Porn star Jenna Jameson chose a familiar stage to make her endorsement for the 2012 presidential election Thursday night. At a San Francisco strip club, the former adult actress and stage performer said she was ready for a Romney presidency. “I’m very looking forward to a Republican being back in office,” Jameson said while sipping champagne in a VIP room at Gold Club in the city’s South of Market neighborhood. “When you’re rich, you want a Republican in office.”

Fox News Host Vs World Net Daily

Fox News host Meghan Kelly yesterday drew the scorn of much of her audience when she said this about same-sex marriage and the bible:

“This country has a long history of discrimination against certain groups. Eventually we wind up getting it right. Right? Against women, against blacks, the civil rights movement and so on. And in justifying that discrimination when it was in place, some folks turn to the Bible and turn to their religious beliefs and said we have to have slavery because it’s in the Bible. Women have to be second-class citizens because that’s in the Bible. Blacks and whites can’t get married because that’s in the Bible. That wound up in a case. A judge wrote that in an opinion, which the Supreme Court ultimately struck that down, saying that’s not right, judge, because of the equal rights clause. What’s the difference with gay marriage?”

The resultant outraged World Net Daily post and its comment thread fall into our favorite category: Infighting Is Funny. But don't go rushing to friend Kelly on Facebook - after all she once dismissed police brutalization of Occupy protesters by calling pepper spray, "Just a food product, essentially." That bit of dumbassery triggered one of the most amusing hashtag memes in Twitter history.

Man Fired After Chick-Fil-A Protest

After an Arizona man filmed himself berating a drive-thru employee of a Scottsdale-area Chick-Fil-A, his clip went viral on anti-gay sites, prompting internet sleuths identify the man and track down his biotech employer who fired their CFO on the spot. From the company's press release:

Vante regrets the unfortunate events that transpired yesterday in Tucson between our former CFO/Treasurer Adam Smith and an employee at Chick-fil-A. Effective immediately, Mr. Smith is no longer an employee of our company. The actions of Mr. Smith do not reflect our corporate values in any manner. Vante is an equal opportunity company with a diverse workforce, which holds diverse opinions. We respect the right of our employees and all Americans to hold and express their personal opinions, however, we also expect our company officers to behave in a manner commensurate with their position and in a respectful fashion that conveys these values of civility with others. We hope that the general population does not hold Mr. Smith's actions against Vante and its employees.

A blogger for the Tucson Citizen denounced the firing.

We all know that the Chick-Fil-A appreciation day is all about supporting “the first amendment” and “free speech”. As long as the speech is anti-gay, of course. Otherwise it’s free speech for me but not for thee, at least at the Tucson company Vante. Adam Smith, Chief Financial Officer at Vante, on his own personal time and with no connection to his employer, Vante, took it upon himself to video his protest of Chick-Fil-A as “hateful” and post the video to YouTube. Mr. Smith’s actions were described as “bullying”, but I confess that I can’t find any bullying in his protest.What you think may depend upon the side you are on, but there is no doubt what side Vante is on. That “free speech” is such a tricky thing, it seems.

Smith deleted his video from YouTube, but it had already been mirrored. Commenters on anti-gay sites gleefully reporting on the incident claim Smith is gay, but on the clip he identifies himself as "totally heterosexual." A campaign to congratulate his former employer has been launched.


UPDATE: JMG reader Straight Grandmother tips us that Stand With Arizona has launched a complaint campaign to the company that fired Smith.

Gabby Douglas Wins All-Around Gold

Douglas is the world's first black female to win all-around Olympic gold in gymnastics. She's also the first American to win all-around and team gold. She's only 16 years old!