Saturday, December 22, 2012

Headline Of The Day

Posted with glee by Breitbart. Infighting!

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Dana Loesch Sues Breitbart.com

Screeching, repulsive, anti-gay Dana Loesch, the darling of GOProud, is suing her employers at Breitbart.com.
Conservative talk radio host and commentator Dana Loesch sued the owner of the conservative website Breitbart.com Friday, claiming that although her relationship with the news and opinion aggregating website had gone “tragically awry,” Breibart.cοm LLC refused to let her work for the company or anyone else, forcing her into “indentured servitude in limbo.”  The suit says that difficulties managing the Breitbart “media 'empire'” or ideological conflicts or both had spiked the working relationship, creating a “increasingly hostile” work environment. When Loesch tried to terminate her work agreement in September, Breitbart refused and extended the agreement by a year, the suit says. Breitbart.cοm LLC refuses to allow her work to be published and “sabotages” her attempts to find work elsewhere, the suit says.
In a month filled with delicious wingnut infighting, this one might be the best.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG:  Dana Loesch says gay activists are at war with Christians.  Dana Loesch denies that the Family Research Council lobbied in support of Uganda's "kill the gays" bill.  Dana Loesch is invited to GOProud's Homocon 2012 event, shortly after screaming during her radio show that supporters of marriage equality "hate Christ."  Dana Loesch says the Chick-Fil-A boycott is stupid because we use gasoline in our cars. (SRSLY).

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Today's New York Daily News

Even the far right wing New York Post piled on.

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Obama Responds To Gun Petitions

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Satan Planned Sandy Hook

"Everyone is a sinner but some people get extra prodding from the evil one. Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon on a December day 32 years ago. Chapman claimed to hear a voice in his head telling him to 'do it, do it, do it.' Satan whispers to anyone who will listen to him. We will never know what voices Adam Lanza heard in his head or what they were telling him. But whatever was going on at the time, Adam made the decision and acted on his wicked intentions and decided to do it, do it, do it. That degree of cold-blooded viciousness must in some way be connected to the influence of Satan.

"When Adam entered the school, it was like Satan himself was entering. The evil angel had a very willing vessel through whom to work. But even in the midst of such terror and tragedy, Satan can never outsmart Jesus on any level. Satan cannot keep those children from entering heaven to live with Jesus forever. Likewise, Satan cannot steal your joy in the Lord as long as you refuse to hand it over to him. And Satan cannot do whatever he wants....because he is not sovereign. Only God has that attribute." - Dan Delzell, writing for the Christian Post.

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Betty Bowers Skypes With Shirley Phelps

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Hate Group Leader Bradlee Dean: Obama Planned Sandy Hook Shooting

"The Sandy Hook shooting occurred just days after Sen. Rand Paul sent out an alert that the U.N. was set to pass the final version of the Small Arms Treaty, supported by Obama the day after election. Part of the treaty bans the trade, sale and ownership of all semi-automatic weapons like the one Adam Lanza used to kill 20 children and 6 adults. When the 'fire' is started, these government gun banners are right there to strip away your rights in an attempt to gain control under the guise of 'putting out the fire.' Adolf Hitler was responsible for attacking his own Reichstag to start a world war. Hitler was also responsible for sending his brownshirts to incite the people so he could play the role of solving their problems. No one believed Hitler was guilty of these crimes until after the fact. Then it was too late." - Hate group leader Bradlee Dean, writing for World Net Daily.

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Merry Christmas From Tony Perkins

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Tenthers Want Feds Out Of Marriage

The anti-gay Faith & Freedom Institute has issued a press release asking Christian Tenthers to support their petition to block all federal courts, including SCOTUS, from making any rulings on same-sex marriage. The petition reads:
We petition the Obama Administration to ask Congress to deny the US Supreme Court and all federal courts jurisdiction concerning same-sex marriage.  The President should propose legislation to the Congress to remove from the US Supreme Court and lower federal courts jurisdiction concerning the issue of same-sex marriage. The US Constitution gives this power to Congress in Article III, Sections 1 and 2. Also see Federalist Paper 80.  The Tenth Amendment clearly intended issues concerning marriage to be left to the States or to the people.   Sadly, the issue of same-sex marriage has deeply divided the American People. Honorable Americans on both sides of this issue have strong feelings concerning this matter.  We believe for the sake of national unity that the issue of same-sex marriage should not be decided by unelected members in the federal judiciary. We think that good judgment and wisdom demands that this issue be left to the American People.

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Friday, December 21, 2012

The Saddest Sign In Key West

Another fabulous week in Key West gone in a dizzying blur. Father Tony and I scarcely left the gorgeous Island House this time, except to revisit one of our favorite restaurants, El Siboney (twice!), and hit the charmingly ramshackle seafood joints like Bo's Fish Wagon (cracked conch!) Huge thanks to Island House owner Jon and his very friendly team. I already can't wait to return. Next stop on this trip: Orlando.

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Google's Holiday Special For Teachers

Google has a special holiday offer for America's teachers. Via Engadget:
Teachers will be able to purchase the already-cheap Samsung Series 5 Chromebook for $99 this holiday season, Google just announced on its blog. Mountain View will offer the Chromebook for that discounted price thanks to a partnership with the online charity DonorsChoose.org and that $99 covers management and support in addition to the hardware. Public-school teachers who qualify will need to head to the Donors Choose website and to put in a request for up to 30 units. Everyone else can simply admire that act of benevolence -- or head to the aforementioned URL to make a donation of their own.
I considered getting a Chromebook, but they were always sold out when I looked.

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Warmest Year Ever For New York City

Via Wall Street Journal:
New York City is poised to finish its warmest year since modern record-keeping began, with an average temperature projected to top 57.2 degrees. A Wall Street Journal analysis of federal temperature data from an observation station at Central Park puts 2012 on course to surpass the three-way tie for the city's warmest year, which is currently shared by 1990, 1991 and 1998. Temperature records at Central Park date back to 1869, the longest-running set of government weather data in the five boroughs. Eight of the 10 warmest years in that span have occurred since 1990. Tree-ring analysis and other proxy data compiled by climate scientists suggest 2012 might be the warmest since the Dutch opened the trading post of New Amsterdam in 1624, said William Solecki, director of the CUNY Institute for Sustainable Cities at Hunter College. "I think it is entirely possible that 2012 might be the warmest year for the city since its founding," he said.
"It snowed a few times in 2012, therefore climate change is a communist conspiracy concocted by leftists to destroy American capitalism," said every wingnut in Teabagistan.

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Afternoon View

Artist House, just down the street from Island House.

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Another 2012 In Review Clip

There have been a lot of these, of course, but this one I quite like.

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GOP Rep: Ping-Pong Kills More Than Guns

"I've heard of people being killed playing ping-pong -- ping-pongs are more dangerous than guns. Flat-screen TVs are injuring more kids today than anything." - Texas GOP state Rep. Kyle Kacal, who vows to block any attempt to strengthen gun laws.

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Photo Of The Year?

Discuss.

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AUSTRALIA: Activists Launch "Talk About Marriage This Xmas" Campaign

Australian activists have launched a social media campaign urging people to bring up the topic of marriage equality over the Christmas table.
"Christmas is a time when family and friends gather together, making it the perfect time to spread the message about the importance of marriage equality,’ AME national convenor Rodney Croome said. "We know from experience here and overseas that attitudes to marriage equality are shaped, more than anything else, by personal one-to-one conversations. It doesn't matter if you're [Australian Opposition Leader] Tony Abbott's sister, a church parishioner, a farmer, or a mum or dad - the more people talking about marriage equality the harder it will be for our MPs to oppose reform." The campaign will also be supported by a selection of shareable Facebook covers and e-cards with the same theme.

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It Begins

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ILLINOIS: LGBT Groups Form Coalition To Back Marriage Campaign

As the marriage equality campaign continues to pick up speed in Illinois, a coalition of LGBT rights and progressive groups has formed. Via press release:
In the wake of the announcement by key legislators that they will seek passage of an Illinois marriage equality bill in January 2013, a broad range of organizations have joined to form a new coalition, called Illinois Unites for Marriage, organizers said Thursday. The coalition will be wholly focused on securing legislation giving same-sex couples the freedom to marry in early 2013. Illinois Unites brings together a diverse group of individuals and organizations from across Illinois, including business groups, labor, faith organizations, Republicans, Democrats and grassroots supporters. The coalition is being organized by Equality Illinois, Lambda Legal and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Illinois.

"We are uniting to urge members of the Illinois General Assembly to let all Illinoisans express their love and life-long commitment through civil marriage," said Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state's oldest and largest LGBT advocacy organization. "The momentum is undeniable -- allowing same-sex couples to marry is the right thing for Illinois," said Jim Bennett, Regional Director of Lambda Legal. "It's best for our state that our government treat all families with equity and respect. Nine other states now have full marriage equality. It's time for Illinois to act."
Earlier this week a group of anti-gay religious and hate groups formed a similar coalition to fight the Illinois marriage bill.

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Tap Tap Tap

Who's cutting out early today? Anybody working next week?

Vatican: Gay Marriage Is Like Communism

The official Vatican newspaper yesterday compared gay marriage supporters with people who had been "deceived" by communism and socialism.
Faced with recent setbacks in the United States and Europe, the Roman Catholic Church has intensified its increasingly uphill battle against gay marriage. The latest salvo came this week, with a front-page article in the Vatican’s semiofficial newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano. Historian Lucetta Scaraffia compared proponents of gay marriage, with their championing of "marriage equality," to 20th-century communists who wooed millions with their promise of perfect social and economical equality. Scaraffia, a 64-year-old former feminist activist who later became a fervent Catholic, has often written in the Vatican newspaper on the issue. For her, the idea of gay marriage is a product of the same "egalitarian utopia that did so much damage during the 20th century ... deceiving humanity as socialism did in the past."

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Times Square Gets Its "13"

Source.

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Ill Papa Slams Gay Marriage (AGAIN)

"People dispute the idea that they have a nature, given to them by their bodily identity, that serves as a defining element of the human being. They deny their nature and decide that it is not something previously given to them, but that they make it for themselves. The manipulation of nature, which we deplore today where our environment is concerned, now becomes man's fundamental choice where he himself is concerned. When freedom to be creative becomes the freedom to create oneself, then necessarily the Maker himself is denied and ultimately man too is stripped of his dignity as a creature of God" - Emperor Palpatine, in his annual Christmas speech to Vatican bureaucrats.

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Matt Alber - End Of The World

From sexy furry pop crooner Matt Alber, here's a new take on his gay romance classic, End Of The World. The video is from Alber's latest DVD release, Matt Alber With Strings Attached: The Cello Street Quartet Sessions.

RELATED: If you not seen the original production video for this track, do yourself a favor. I've watched it a hundred times since 2009, and it still wrecks me. Wrecks me. (When the barber pulls the curtain back - have a tissue ready.) When I first posted the video three years ago, it broke the JMG comments record.

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Where Atheism Is Punishable By Death

Source.

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Quote Of The Day - Henry Rollins

"Hats off to Washington state where, recently, hundreds of same-sex couples were legally married. I am elated as much as I am frustrated by why this country refuses to wake up and smell the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. I feel for everyone who wanted to get married for so long and were made to feel so bad about who they are. I feel worse for all the Americans in the large number of remaining states still waiting for their turn to enjoy the freedoms and protections bestowed upon them by their very citizenship.

"There is still a long way to go. Marriage equality is a term so ridiculous on its face that when you hear it mentioned, you would think you were in Riyadh. Years from now, perhaps we can lose the equality part, the same-sex part and call it what it is -- marriage. As much as the homophobes, an ever-thinning herd, whines and screeches, the earth is shifting underneath their feet and things are getting better all the time. This is going to be an incredible century. Didn't get off to a very good start but we are making some bold and exciting strides forward." - Henry Rollins, writing for LA Weekly.

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Morning View

Early and quiet.

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Bill O'Reilly Hates The War On Xmas

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Barney Frank On Justice Antonin Scalia

"I was glad that he made clear what’s been obvious, that he’s just a flat out bigot. I’d previously said he was a homophobe. And Fox and the rightwing said, ‘Oh just because he’s not for same-sex marriage? And I said, ‘No, let me be very clear. That’s not it. This is a man who has said you should go to prison for having sex.’ It was an extraordinarily abusive sentiment and it was dead wrong. And, by the way, for a guy who is supposed to be so smart -- quite stupid.This young man said to him, ‘Why do you compare sodomy to murder?’ And he said, ‘Well because I have a right to say if I think something is immoral.’ Well the question wasn’t about his right. The question was, By what morality is expressing your love for someone in a physical way equivalent to killing that person? It makes it clear that the man is an unreconstructed bigot, and given that you have a bigot on the Supreme Court like that, it is useful to know." - Rep. Barney Frank, speaking to Michelangelo Signorile.

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Tired Old Queen At The Movies #108

Steve Hayes writes: "Barbara Stanwyck and Dennis Morgan spend their war time holidays together in Peter Godfrey's charming comedy "Christmas In Connecticut" (1945). With help from two of Warner Brothers' favorite character players - Sydney Greenstreet, in one of his rare comic roles and the adorable Austrian actor S. Z. "Cuddles" Sakal, it's a sweet, funny, romantic and lighthearted way to spend a cozy holiday afternoon by the fire. Happy Holidays!"

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Federal Court: Boy Scouts Can Rent Public Property Almost For Free

A federal appeals court has ruled that the Boy Scouts can rent San Diego public property at a "nominal fee" despite their being an anti-gay religious organization.
A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals upheld the city’s practice of leasing valuable property to the Boy Scouts for nominal rent in exchange for the group’s commitment to undertake expensive renovations and to manage the property. The unanimous ruling, which overturned a district court decision, said the city did not discriminate in its rental policies or bear any financial hardship under the terms of its leases to the Boy Scouts. The decision stemmed from a lawsuit brought by a lesbian couple and an agnostic couple, who said the leases of public land to groups that discriminate violated both the state and federal constitutions. The couples “had an aversion to the facilities and felt unwelcome there because of the Boy Scouts’ policies that discriminated against people like them,” the court said.
California Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins, who fought the Boy Scouts while on the San Diego City Council, has denounced the ruling. Via press release:
"Today the court told the children of San Diego that discrimination against them and their families based on sexual orientation or religious practice is 'incidental.' I could not disagree more. In the decade since this case was first filed, Americans have increasingly embraced LGBT families. Our government should do no less. However, just because a court says you can do something, doesn't mean you should do it. I hope that the current city leadership will find ways to affirm the value of all boys and to welcome them in all taxpayer-funded parks."

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Eugene Delgaudio Feels Abandoned

"Dear Joe, I've never felt so alone in the fight for the Family. It's funny to think how this time of year I am surrounded by my family and friends, and yet I feel like I am the only one defending the American Family. To be honest with you, I don't know if I can go on much longer. It seems like everyone is turning against me and now I am left wondering if you are still with me. You see, round this time of year donations fall off, but this year seems worse than ever... it seems there are fewer of us than ever before.

"At a time I should be happy, I can't help but worry if we will be around this time next year. At times like this I turn to close friends and supporters like you, Joe, for the strength to keep on fighting. You have always been there for the Family... and for me. I know it is impossible to respond every time I ask and painful to give as much as is needed. But I need to know you're still with me." - Hate group leader Eugene Delgaudio, who pays himself hundreds of thousands of dollars a year from the Social Security checks of elderly widows, in today's emailed money beg.

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The Anti-Christ Comes Gangnam Style

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NRA Memberships Soar

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Thursday, December 20, 2012

LA Gay Chorus: Tribute To Sandy Hook

Put it on full screen. Gorgeous beyond words.

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Afternoon View

Key West's "One Human Family" motto adorns the front door of virtually every business on the island. Bumper stickers also abound.

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Log Cabin Cheers Newt Gingrich

"Log Cabin Republicans welcome former Speaker Newt Gingrich's remarks calling for a Republican reality check on marriage. Gingrich speaks for many Republicans who are concerned about our party's future, and who are ready to accept the freedom to marry matters to many Americans, gay and straight. As Gingrich noted, LGBT people are part of every family and every community, and the time has come for greater inclusion. It is particularly important and welcome to hear that Gingrich now understands the difference between church ceremonies and a civil marriage license, and that equality is no threat to religious freedom." - R. Clark Cooper, responding to today's statement by Newt Gingrich. (Via press release)

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Liberty Counsel's Mat Staver: Same-Sex Marriage Will Spark A Civil War

"This is the thing that revolutions literally are made of. This would be more devastating to our freedom, to our religious freedom, to the rights of pastors and their duty to be able to speak and to Christians around the country, then anything that the revolutionaries during the American Revolution even dreamed of facing. This would be the thing that revolutions are made of. This could split the country right in two. This could cause another civil war. I’m not talking about just people protesting in the streets, this could be that level because what would ultimately happen is a direct collision would immediately happen with pastors, with churches, with Christians, with Christian ministries, with other businesses, it would be an avalanche that would go across the country." - Liberty Counsel president Mat Staver, speaking on Christian radio. (Via Right Wing Watch)

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Miss Peppermint - The Mayans

No more Grindr, you heathen.

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Anderson Cooper Tributes Spencer Cox

With help from fellow AIDS activist Rosie Perez.

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Anti-Trans Beauty Queen Ordered To Pay Pageant $5M For Defamation

Back in July, Miss Pennsylvania Sheena Monnin abruptly quit the Miss USA pageant, declaring that the parent organization was "fraudulent, lacking in morals, inconsistent, and in many ways trashy" because they had allowed a "natural born male" to compete in Canada. Both would have represented their respective nations at Miss Universe had they won. Monnin went on to claim that Miss USA had been rigged and that another contestant had seen the names of the five finalists in advance of the show. That's when the Trump-owned pageant filed suit for defamation. Today we learn this:
A beauty queen who claimed this year's Miss USA contest was fixed has been ordered to pay the pageant organization $5 million for defamation. In a decision signed last week, an arbitrator found that the comments from Miss Pennsylvania USA Sheena Monnin were false, harmful and malicious. Monnin had alleged that the five finalists had been selected in advance of the pageant's live telecast. The arbitrator, Theodore Katz, said Monnin had two motives: "She was a disgruntled contestant who failed to make it past the preliminary competition" and she objected to the pageant's decision to allow transgender contestants. He wrote that the way the contest is judged "precludes any reasonable possibility that the judging was rigged." Monnin, of Cranberry, Pa., resigned her state title after the pageant. Her allegations on Facebook and NBC's "Today" show cost the pageant a $5 million fee from a potential 2013 sponsor, Katz said.
Monnin will doubtlessly appeal, but you may now snicker in satisfaction. (Tipped by JMG reader Lindoro)

RELATED: The transgender Miss Canada contestant, Jenna Talackova, finished in the top twelve.  The winner of Miss USA, Miss Rhode Island, announced her support for trans beauty queens shortly before her crowning. Last night she was crowned Miss Universe.

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Cory Booker Announces 2014 Senate Bid

Booker couches his announcement in the usual "exploring the possibility" language, but there it is. Sorry, New Jersey, there will be no Governor Booker. Not in 2014, at least.

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Headline Of The Day

Source.

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Newt Gingrich: I Can Accept The Reality Of Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage

This is a major reversal for one of our movement's most vocal and nasty opponents. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said he can accept the "reality" of marriage between same-sex couples as a "legal document issued by the state" — as strong a sign as any that the landscape for marriage equality has changed dramatically in the past year.

"The momentum is clearly now in the direction in finding some way to ... accommodate and deal with reality. And the reality is going to be that in a number of American states -- and it will be more after 2014 -- gay relationships will be legal, period," Gingrich told The Huffington Post in a story published on Thursday.

Gingrich "continued to profess a belief that marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman," Sam Stein and Jon Ward report, but "suggested that the party (and he himself) could accept a distinction between a 'marriage in a church from a legal document issued by the state' -- the latter being acceptable."
The screams of betrayal will be delicious.

Read the full Huffington Post interview.

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TEASER: Los Amantes Pasajeros

Directed by Pedro Almodovar.

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Madge Tops 2012 Tour Grosses

From Billboard's year-end ranking of tour grosses:

1. Madonna - $228M
2. Bruce Springsteen - $199M
3. Roger Waters - $168M
4. Cirque Du Soleil "Michael Jackson Immortal" - $147M
5. Coldplay - $147M
6. Lady Gaga - $125M
7. Kenny Chesney & Tim McGraw - $96M
8. Van Halen - $57M
9. Jay-Z & Kayne West - $47M
10. Andre Rieu - $46M

All of Madonna's 72 shows were sellouts.

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Senator Ted Kennedy Jr.?

The Boston Herald reports that top Massachusetts Democrats are urging Edward Kennedy Jr. to submit himself to replace Sen. John Kerry, who will likely succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.
“Several people have approached (Kennedy) about running,” said the source. “They are all mindful that his name is Edward M. Kennedy.” If Teddy Jr. runs, it will be the first time the Edward M. Kennedy name has been on the ballot since the liberal lion last ran in 2006. He died in 2009. The Kennedy name still carries tremendous political clout in Massachusetts and if Teddy Kennedy Jr. jumped in, he likely would clear the Democratic field. U.S. Representatives Edward Markey, Michael Capuano and Steven Lynch all are considering a run for the Senate seat. U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz and Attorney General Martha Coakley also are potential Democratic candidates.
Soon-to-be former Sen. Scott Brown is expected to enter the special election. According to the above-linked article, insiders believe that only someone with the famed Kennedy name could beat Brown.

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TRAILER: The Great Gatsby

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NEW YORK CITY: Time Warner Donates Technology Lab To Ali Forney Center

Just in via press release:
Time Warner Cable today announced it has selected the Ali Forney Center (AFC), the nation’s largest services and advocacy organization working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) runaway and homeless youth, to be the recipient of a Time Warner Cable Learning Lab. This grant provides a state-of-the-art technology center for the young people served by the non-profit organization. Time Warner Cable will provide a $50,000 grant to outfit the Learning Lab with new computers, printers, computer software, tablets and HD televisions. In addition, Time Warner Cable Business Class will provide complimentary high-speed Wideband Internet to power the Lab, as well as HD DVR and TV services.

“Time Warner Cable is excited to offer a TWC Learning Lab to the Ali Forney Center, the first LGBT services organization to receive this state-of-the-art facility from us,” said John Quigley, Time Warner Cable’s Regional Vice President of Operations for NYC. “Time Warner Cable is proud to partner with an organization that serves as a strong voice for homeless LGBT youth in NYC and across the nation. The Time Warner Cable Learning Lab will feature programs and resources that will assist youth in their educational and career development needs as they grow from adolescence to adulthood.”
Fantastic.

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BRAZIL: Sao Paulo State Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

Brazilian Law Blog reports:
Brazil is about to see something that we only heard about from the United States: a massive movement of people going to one specific State, in order to get married there. This is because São Paulo State (where São Paulo city is located) has updated its registration rules in order to allow the automatic registration of same sex marriages, without the need of a previous court order. This change has followed, with some delay, a decision from the Brazilian Supreme Court regarding same sex marriage.
The state of Sao Paulo has 41 million residents! The city of Sao Paulo is the largest in the southern hemisphere!

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Minnesota Moves Towards Marriage

Encouraging news from Minnesota:
Supporters of legalizing same-sex marriage hope to speedily pass legislation in the first weeks of the upcoming legislative session. That is, they hope to send a bill to Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton’s desk prior to the release of February budget forecast. “This kind of closes the loop of the election,” said Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, who looks to carry same-sex marriage legislation in the House. Hausman, like Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, who plans to carry a same-sex marriage bill in the Senate, points to the failure of the Republican-sponsored marriage amendment last election as evidence of the state reaching a consensus on same-sex marriage.
Democrats control both chambers in Minnesota.

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Barack Obama - Deck The Halls


(Tipped by JMG reader Ray)

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Maggie Gallagher To Defend Jewish "Ex-Gay" Group Against SPLC Lawsuit

A recently-formed legal group chaired by Maggie Gallagher announced today that they will defend the "ex-gay" Jewish group JONAH against the fraud lawsuit filed last month by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
JONAH is a faith-based, nonprofit organization that offers assistance to men and women seeking to resolve their sexual conflicts, including unwanted same sex attractions. JONAH has been unjustly sued by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) who claims that homosexuality is permanently fixed and that people cannot be helped in overcoming their unwanted same-sex attractions.

SPLC 's position is inconsistent with numerous scientific and medical opinions and studies, finding that sexual attraction is influenced by many factors, both environmental and biological. Even certain gay activist groups claim that sexual attractions can be fluid and change throughout people's lives. SPLC's allegations also ignore the thousands of people who have already benefitted from programs, such as those offered by JONAH and others, many of whom are now living their life long dreams, including traditional marriage and children.
From the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund website:
The official launch of the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund (FCDF) took place at the beautiful home of Claire Reiss in La Jolla, California on September 6, 2012. About 75 people gathered to hear various speakers—including chairperson Maggie Gallagher—who addressed the pressing need for the FCDF. FCDF’s president and chief counsel, Charles LiMandri, had previously attended a private summit on marriage and religious liberty in New York, which gathered together Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop-Elect Salvatore Cordileone, Princeton University’s Robbie George, the evangelical pastor Jim Garlow, and many others. At that summit, it quickly became clear that serious Catholics, Protestants, Jews, and Mormons all agree: if we do not halt the secular progressive agenda of harassment and intimidation of people of conscience, our children will not experience or enjoy the freedom and liberty that we have long known as Americans.

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NOM Posts 2012 "Victory" Reel

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Email Of The Day - Eugene Delgaudio

"Dear Joe: One stormy night, I drove to a mailshop hidden deep in a nearly deserted stand of warehouses. I'd heard something was up and wanted to see for myself. As I rounded the final turn, my eyes nearly popped. Tractor-trailers pulled up to loading docks, cars and vans everywhere and long-haired, earring-pierced men scurrying around running forklifts, inserters and huge printing presses.

"Trembling with worry, I went inside. It was worse than I ever imagined. Row after row of boxes bulging with pro-homosexual petitions lined the walls, stacked to the ceiling. My mind reeled as I realized hundreds, maybe thousands, more boxes were already loaded on the tractor-trailers. And still more petitions were flying off the press. Suddenly a dark-haired man screeched, 'Delgaudio, what are you doing here?'

"Dozens of men began moving toward me. I'd been recognized. As I retreated to my car, the man chortled, 'This time, Delgaudio, we can't lose!' Driving away, my eyes filled with tears as I realized he might be right. This time the Homosexual Lobby could win it all."  - Hate group leader Eugene Delgaudio, repeating one of his oldest (and most hilarious) stories in an emailed money beg sent out today.

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Open Thread Thursday

What were you favorite songs of 2012? I'll post my own top ten later today.

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The Biblical Right To Assault Weapons

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Quote Of The Day

Yesterday, as an older couple situated themselves poolside at the Island House in Key West, I overheard a young, muscular handsome boy say something quite disparaging regarding their arrival.  Those ugly words had hardly left his lips when the apparent leader of his coterie of five equally beautiful men chastised him angrily, poking a finger in the subject's chest: "Darling, if you are very, very lucky, you can only hope that one day, maybe, you and I and all of us will be around to enjoy a place like this when we are their age. Don't throw shade, honey. See yourself in them." The speaker's friends nodded vigorously and first boy cast his eyes downward in embarrassment.

I wanted to hug all of them. Minus one.

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Morning View

Image via JMG reader and Island House patron Ed, who found this strange tableau during a Key West walkabout. It appears to be Barbie Thigh-Cut Levi's Jeebus surrounded by apparently bad dogs.

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Farmer Style

You might recall the Peterson Brothers from their viral hit earlier this year, I'm Farming And I Grow It. Ten million hits on the below clip in two weeks.

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Wednesday, December 19, 2012

The Bulletproof Backpack

John Aravosis notes that you can also get the Disney Princess and Avengers versions. One website is actually selling them as the "Amendment II Ballistic Backpack."
Our ballistic backpack provides built-in ballistic protection in a backpack that weighs just ounces more than a non-armored backpack. RynoHide carbon nanotube armor is lined in the back panel of the backpack. Sewn into the rear of the pack, you can always be confident that the armor hasn’t been accidentally left at home and that you or your child are protected in case of the unthinkable. The backpack can be quickly brought to the front as a shield or can serve as center of mass protection while fleeing the scene of the shooting. Available in boys, girls, or teen/adult models and Level II (.357 Magnum, .45, .40, 9 mm) or Level IIIA (.44 Magnum, .357 SIG and below) protection.
They sell for $300 and are reportedly flying off the shelves since Friday.

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Afternoon View

Embiggens nicely.

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Anthony Antoine - Secret Lover

I sense the dawn of a new genre: "Slow-jam down-low love song." It's pretty great. What do you think of the ending of the video?

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New Gallup Poll On LGBT Issues

Gallup reports:
While 53% of Americans support legalizing same-sex marriage, significantly higher percentages support the idea of equal rights for partners or spouses of gays or lesbians when it comes to inheritance rights and employee benefits, and making it legal for gays and lesbians to adopt children. Support for all three issues is up at least slightly from three years ago.

Less than half of Americans, however, support the idea of openly gay adults serving as Boy Scout leaders. Given the lack of a trend on this question, it is not clear whether support is higher than in the past, or the degree to which the lack of support may reflect respondents' reluctance to say how a private organization should decide who holds its positions of leadership.

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RUSSIA: Gay Activists Roughed Up At Protest Outside DUMA

Via press release from the Russia LGBT Network:
In Moscow 20 activists from Russian LGBT network and Equality March gathered for a series of one-man pickets with banners "We are against article 6.13.1", "For freedom of views and believes, against totalitarian law" and other. The pickets took place from 9:00 till 11:00 near the Russian State Duma building. And although at the same time the pickets of so called Orthodox activists took place nearby, there were no one arrested.

At 12:00 LGBT activists approached the Duma to hold a "Propaganda of love" protest act involving couples kissing in front of the Duma building (homosexual as well as heterosexual ones). In several minutes the Orthodox activists started to throw eggs at the LGBT activists, some of aggressive men attacked the couples. The police arrested 18 people around 12:30. Among them were 11 participants, 5 Orthodox activists and 2 journalists. All arrested were handed into a prison truck, where they were kept for more than two hours without being informed about the reason of their arrest. Now they are still in the police station.
Brave, brave people.

UPDATE: Gay Star News has more.
Nikolai Alekseev of Gay Russia told Gay Star News: ‘There was about 15 people there. They were picketing the entrance to the Duma with placards and they decided to make this kissing protest in front of the entrance. There were about four or five couples, male and female, kissing. ‘Then this radical Orthodox activist attacked them physically and with eggs. It was quite violent. It was really like the Middle Ages I would say.’

Video footage shows them being hit with eggs and pushed. One couple is shoved to the ground and a bearded anti-gay protestor is seen brandishing a camera tripod at them. Police bundle away the lesbian, gay and bisexual campaigners but Alekseev said officers were ‘very reluctant’ to arrest the radicals who were attacking them. One of those arrested was the well-known journalist of ‘Novaya Gazeta’ Elena Kostyuchenko who initiated the protest. GSN does not know if any of the LGBT campaigners arrested have been charged.

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House Republicans Push Bill Allowing Soldiers To Harass Gay Comrades

Rep. Todd "Legitimate Rape" Akin got booted out of Congress last month, but he's not leaving without one last attempt to insert a clause into the Defense Authorization Act that would allow anti-gay members of the military to harass gay soldiers without retribution. Via Chris Johnson at Washington Blade:
Under the language, the U.S. military would have to “accommodate the conscience and sincerely held moral principles and religious beliefs of the members of the Armed Forces concerning the appropriate and inappropriate expression of human sexuality” and may not use these beliefs as the basis of any adverse personnel action or discrimination. Additionally, it would prohibit the U.S. military from taking action against military chaplains who decline to serve a particular service member based on religious beliefs.

This language has been understood to mean service members could actively harass their fellow comrades for their perceived or actual sexual orientation without fear of reprisal. Additionally, it has been understood to mean that chaplains would have free rein to discriminate against service members on any basis — including religion, gender, sexual orientation, race or any other characteristic — simply by saying serving them is contrary to their beliefs.
The Log Cabin Republicans respond via press release:
"Open service by gay and lesbian service members has been successfully integrated into the military. There is no call for intrusion by members of Congress pushing an agenda targeting service members and their families for discrimination," said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director, combat veteran and officer in the US Army Reserve. "Gay and lesbian service members, like all of our men and women in uniform, have real battles to fight. The last thing we need is Congressman Akin pulling us into a culture war through antigay amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act hiding behind religious freedom. Log Cabin Republicans call upon the NDAA conference committee to set these amendments aside and focus on ensuring that all service members have the necessary resources to maintain our nation's security."
The Senate has already passed its version of the bill without the anti-gay provisions.

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VIRGINIA: State GOP Rep Floats Bill Requiring Teachers To Carry Guns

Wackadoodle Virginia state Rep. Bob Marshall wants to introduce a bill that requires public schools to arm some of their teachers.
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) said this week that there should be a discussion about whether school staff should be allowed to carry concealed weapons to protect children against intruders. Marshall’s proposal goes beyond the governor’s comments, which were made in the course of a radio interview Tuesday. Marshall would not only allow staff with concealed handgun permits to carry them in schools, but require school districts to designate some staff members to do so. Those employees would have to be certified in gun safety and competence, Marshall said.
PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Last summer Marshall claimed it is a felony for a state office to fly the rainbow flag. Marshall has also called on Virginia to issue its own currency, and has claimed that God punishes women who have abortions by giving them deformed children. After the DADT repeal bill passed, Marshall tried to have gays banned from the Virginia National Guard.

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All You Need Is Love: Times Square Crowd Drowns Out Pastor Terry Jones


Source.

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New HIV Figures From The CDC

Via press release from the CDC:
Overall, the number of new HIV infections in the United States has remained stable at ~50,000 per year over the last decade. This is the first CDC incidence report to show a statistically significant decline in new infections among African American women (21% comparing 2008 to 2010). While additional years of data are needed, CDC is cautiously optimistic that this could be the beginning of a longer-term trend. However, African American women continue to represent the majority (64%) of new infections among women. New infections among young gay and bisexual men (ages 13-24) continued to rise sharply (by 22% comparing 2008 to 2010). Young, black gay and bisexual men continue to bear the heaviest burden and now account for more new infections than any other subgroup – a total of 4,800 in 2010.
More graphs can be viewed here.

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Today's Gay Etiquette Question

From Steven Petrow's NYT column Civil Behavior:
Q: My wife and I each gave birth to one of our two children, born a year apart, using the same donor. We then legally adopted each other’s biological child. We are both loving, committed parents to both children, who are now 10 and 11 – we’re a family. Still, my in-laws clearly favor the child my wife gave birth to, as if her biological child were the more real member of their family. They shower affection on my wife’s biological child, but not on the child I carried (and whom their daughter adopted). The issue is that we’re lesbian, and our intimate life somehow taints our children in their minds. I’ve talked to them directly, but they won’t budge. Our children love Grandma and Boppa, and they don’t understand why they’re being treated so differently. We try to limit contact, but this is putting a real strain on our family. How can we fix this?
Tell us how you would handle this, then go read Petrow's advice.

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Photo Of The Day

That's a prefabricated escalator being hoisted to the top of the 1 World Trade Center, where it will one day ferry tourists to the observation deck. More photos here. (That's 4 World Trade Center under construction in the background.)

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Fifty Shades Of Takei

Oh, my!

(Tipped by JMG reader Darren)

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The NRA Breaks Its Silence

Today the NRA finally issued a brief statement in reaction to Sandy Hook.
The National Rifle Association of America is made up of four million moms and dads, sons and daughters - and we were shocked, saddened and heartbroken by the news of the horrific and senseless murders in Newtown. Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting. The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again. The NRA is planning to hold a major news conference in the Washington, DC area on Friday, December 21. Details will be released to the media at the appropriate time.
Last night the NRA also reinstated its Facebook page, which was taken down the day after the shooting. Gothamist has a lengthy list of comments from NRA members. Here are two samples:
"I support the NRA and the undying support they give to my right to protect my castle and my family and Common Sense! You liberals are not going to dismantle this Association!"

"You guys were criticized by the mongrels for your "silence" during all this. That was the classy thing to do. But what do the those mangy curr's on the left know about class? They were licking their lips at the chance to politicize this. Despicable."

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NEW YORK CITY: Gay Man Attempts Suicide After Child Porn Arrest

New York City resident Shawn Klein, who wed his partner atop the Empire State Building in February after winning the landmark's Valentine's Day contest, yesterday attempted suicide by throwing himself in front of a subway train after being charged with possession of child pornography.
Shawn Klein was in critical condition at New York Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, where he was taken from the 23rd St. station on the No. 6 line, authorities and sources said. The North Dakota-raised hospital administrator was struck by an uptown train at about 3:20 p.m., authorities said. Police sources said he jumped in front of the train. e was undergoing surgery Tuesday night, a relative said. “The doctors lost him once on the table and they brought him back,” said Eileen Blanchard, a sister reached by phone. “That’s all I know. We’re just waiting.” The apparent suicide attempt followed Klein’s release from jail Tuesday, a day after the 52-year-old was charged with possession of child pornography, according to court and Correction Department records. He was charged Monday with one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a felony, in a Nov. 27 incident. A defense attorney could not be reached Tuesday night.
Klein and his partner were the first gay couple to be married as part the Empire State's famed and long-running Valentine's Day tradition.  A second gay couple followed minutes later.  The weddings were covered by the national press.

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AIDS Activist Spencer Cox Dies At 44

Groundbreaking AIDS activist Spencer Cox, who was profiled in the documentary How To Stop A Plague, has died of HIV-related complications at the age of 44. Cox is widely credited with helping create the drug testing protocols that rushed life-saving medications to a desperate community.  ACT UP sends us his obituary:
From 1994 to 1999, he was Director of the HIV Project for TAG, where he did his groundbreaking work in drug trials designs. He designed the drug trial adopted in part by Abbott as they were developing Norvir, the first Protease Inhibitor to head into human trials. It had an “open standard-of-care arm,” allowing people on the control arm to take any other anti-AIDS drugs their doctors prescribed, versus the arm taking any other anti-AIDS drugs plus Norvir. It was this study that showed a 50% drop in mortality in 6 months. Norvir was approved in late 1995. Though the results were positive, the proposal sharply divided the community, many of whom thought it was cruel to withhold Norvir on the control arm. Spencer defended himself in a controversial BARON’S coverstory that made him, briefly, the most-hated AIDS activist in America. Ultimately he was vindicated.  “Spencer single-handedly sped up the development and marketing of the protease inhibitors, which currently are saving 8 million lives,” says TAG executive director Mark Harrington. “He was absolutely brilliant, just off the charts brilliant."
The above-linked article was written by Plague director David France, who notes that Cox first began to experience resistance to HIV medications in 2000.

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Federal Appeals Court Upholds Firing Of Anti-Gay College HR Director

The Sixth Federal Court of Appeals has upheld the firing of former University of Toledo human resources director Crystal Dixon, who was canned in 2008 after a local newspaper published her op-ed column in which she denounced LGBT rights and promoted the "ex-gay" movement.
In a ruling handed down on Monday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that the administrator's column "contradicted the very policies she was charged with creating, promoting, and enforcing," and cannot be excused as merely a statement of her own views as a private citizen. The panel affirmed a lower court's decision to dismiss the administrator's lawsuit accusing the public university of violating her constitutional rights by firing her.

At the center of the case was an opinion essay that Crystal Dixon, who had been the university's interim associate vice president for human resources, published in the Toledo Free Press in April 2008. In it, she wrote that she takes "great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are 'civil-rights victims.'" She argued that she "cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a black woman" because she is biologically and genetically such "as my creator intended." But, she said, "daily, thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle" with the help of groups such as Exodus International, which claim to be able to help people overcome homosexual desires.
Since her termination, Dixon has become a martyr to the anti-gay movement, who will now doubtlessly resume listing her case among their examples of homofascism.

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MTA Head To Resign For NYC Mayoral Bid

MTA chief Joe Lhota will resign his position, as is required by New York City law, in order to run for mayor next year. The news comes weeks after Lhota's handling of the Hurricane Sandy recovery was widely praised by all sides.
Though he has said little about his plans, Mr. Lhota floated the prospect of his candidacy during a meeting with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg this month. It would seem to be an uphill battle in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than six to one. A former executive vice president for the Madison Square Garden Company, Mr. Lhota is well known among the city’s political and business elite, some of whom have recently clamored for him to enter the race. But in a recent Quinnipiac University poll, Mr. Lhota lost, 60 percent to 9 percent, against an unnamed Democrat in a hypothetical mayor’s race. Nonetheless, his entry into the race would immediately jolt a campaign that many had expected to be determined by the Democratic primary next year. He would be the first prominent Republican to enter the race.
Thus far the only other declared GOP candidate is the relatively unknown billionaire owner of a New York City supermarket chain.

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Astronauts Launch For Space Station

Associated Press: "A Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts, NASA's Tom Marshburn, Russia's Roman Romanenko, and Canada's Chris Hadfield, took off atop a towering Russian rocket on Wednesday, headed for the International Space Station."

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Robert Bork Dead At 85

Rejected Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork has died at the age of 85. The cause was pulmonary disease.
Bork was among the most polarizing figures in American law and conservative politics for more than four decades. When Bork was solicitor general in 1973, he fired Archibald Cox as a special prosecutor on the order of President Richard Nixon to help in the Watergate cover-up.  President Ronald Regan nominated Bork to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1987. In a 58-to-42 vote, the Senate rejected his nomination -- it was by one of the widest margins in U.S. history. Republicans have long said his defeat was a completely partisan move and have said Bork was one of the greatest conservative figures in history.

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Morning View

Two furry little guys wandered into my Island House room this morning, wrestled around a bit, then laid staring disinterestedly at me.  Same as it ever was.

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