Saturday, November 16, 2013

Ben Cohen's Eighth Week On SCD

Here's a review of tonight's performance:
Strictly hunk Ben Cohen hit the bright lights of Blackpool for week eight of Strictly Come Dancing tonight. The ex-Saints rugby star and Kristina performed the American Smooth to ‘Fallin’’ by Alicia Keys at Blackpool Tower ballroom. They gained a total of 32 points, equalling their previous best score, which was six points higher than last week’s score of 26 for the jive. In the introductory video, Ben said: “To get through to Blackpool was amazing, to experience the home of ballroom dancing is fantastic. It’s like me going to play the home of English rugby which is Twickenham.”
The next elimination round is tomorrow.

RELATED: Cohen appeared on a British chat show yesterday where he talked about the decision to dance without his shirt in a recent episode. Towards the end the clip Cohen talks about his anti-bullying foundation, which was also mentioned today in lengthy interview with the Daily Mail. An excerpt:
'Discovering my status on gay sites alerted me to the problems that gay men and women endure every day from bullying, but then I realised how much my family had been affected by bullying, too. 'My father died after standing up for others, and what I'm doing now is a direct result. When I was first approached by Strictly, my answer was No, but then I understood what it could do for StandUp and that's when I decided to give it a go.' This is precisely what he was doing last night in Blackpool, amid the sequins and Bruce Forsyth, as dance partner Kristina Rihanoff eased him around the dance floor. 'It's just like a Test week in rugby,' he said. 'Everything is geared to the Saturday performance. And it's just as tough, maybe more. My respect for those dancers is huge.' To those who know him as the torso-baring hunk on a popular TV show, can Ben Cohen add Strictly Come Dancing champion to his trophy cabinet that already sports a World Cup winner's medal? He laughs heartily for the first time in our chat. 'I fear I'm on borrowed time,' he said. 'Taking your shirt off can only take you so far.'

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Equality Award For Chik-Fil-A CEO

The Atlanta Urban League is today giving an equality award to Dan Cathy, CEO of Chik-Fil-A. Seriously.
Every year the Urban League of Greater Atlanta throws their prestigious Equal Opportunity Day Dinner in November. This Saturday (November 16th, 2013) will be the 52nd time the organization, which focuses on the economic empowerment of African-Americans and others to achieve their highest human potential and civil rights, has held the Equality Opportunity Day Dinner. This year’s theme is “Celebrating Champions of Justice and Equality.” Honorees of the prestigious recognition this year include Congressman John Lewis, who is truly a shining beacon of equality, civil rights, and justice for all and Chick-fil-A CEO Dan T. Cathy. You may remember Cathy and the statements he made against gay marriage that sparked headlines throughout the world and a boycott of the chicken restaurant. “I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’. I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about.”
On the June day that the US Supreme Court overturned DOMA, Cathy tweeted and almost immediately deleted this message: "Sad day for our nation; founding fathers would be ashamed of our gen. to abandon wisdom of the ages re: cornerstone of strong societies." (Tipped by JMG reader Brad)

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Alec Baldwin Issues "Clarifications"

"I think it is important to note, in light of recent events, a couple of clarifications. One is that I never used the word faggot in the tape recording being offered as evidence against me. What word is said right after the other choice word I use is unclear. But I can assure you, with complete confidence, that a direct homophobic slur (or indirect one for that matter) is not spoken. In the wake of referring to a tabloid 'journalist' as a toxic queen, I would never allow myself to make that mistake again, nor would I expose my wife and family to the attendant ridicule. My friends who happen to be gay are baffled by this. They see me as one who has recently fought for marriage equality and has been a supporter of gay rights for many years. Now, the charge of being a 'homophobic bigot,' to quote one crusader in the gay community, is affixed.

"Another issue I want to address is the decision by MSNBC to suspend my show. Whether the show comes back at all is at issue right now. [snip] I have been a fan of MSNBC for some time. Its left-leaning tone never bothered me. I still believe that they are more enamored of and devoted to the truth in any single hour than Fox is all year long. I think Rachel Maddow is perhaps the single most important television journalist on the air today. And if my show does disappear, I will be grateful in so far as her good work, along with that of O'Donnell and Hayes and Sharpton and Matthews and Jansing, will not be sullied by my problem." - Alec Baldwin, writing today for the Huffington Post.

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TRAILER: Noah

Yet another bible movie.

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GLAAD On Trans Health Care

Among those appearing in the clip is Stephen Ira Beatty, the son of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening.

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MICHIGAN: State Calls Mark Regnerus As Witness In Marriage Equality Lawsuit

Last month a Michigan judge set February 25th as the trial date for the above-titled lawsuit to overturn the state's ban on same-sex marriage. According to a filing released yesterday, the state is calling discredited researcher Mark Regnerus as an "expert witness" on their behalf.  As tipster Str8 Grandmother put it in an email, those documents from UCF can't come quickly enough.

Also on Michigan's expert witness list is Professor Joseph Price from Utah's Brigham Young University.  Earlier this year Price and four other (presumably Mormon) members of the Brigham Young social sciences faculty filed an anti-gay SCOTUS brief against the overturn of DOMA.  Their brief denounced the APA's position that gay people make fine parents. From the brief: "Boys who do not regularly experience the love, discipline, and modeling of a good father are more likely to engage in what is called 'compensatory masculinity' where they reject and denigrate all that is feminine and instead seek to prove their masculinity by engaging in domineering and violent behavior." In other words, lesbian parents produce violent boys.

Another familiar name on Michigan's list of defense witnesses is Professor Douglas Allen, of Canada's Simon Fraser University. Allen sits on the board of directors of NOM's hate-satellite, the Ruth Institute. Allen is a supporter of Mark Regnerus and claims to have analyzed a 2000 census and come to the conclusion that "children being raised by same-sex couples are 35% less likely to make normal progress through school."

The final name on Michigan's list of so-called experts is Louisiana State University's Professor Loren Marks, whose study on gay parenting was published in the same July 2012 issue of Social Science Research as the Regnerus study. And like the Regnerus study, the work by Marks has been denounced as a "lowbrow meta-analysis of studies" that was "inappropriate for a journal that publishes original quantitative research."

RELATED: For those unaware, NOM's Ruth Institute says the foul and repulsive things that the relatively moderate NOM is afraid to say. In particular, the Ruth Institute's Jennifer Roback Morse, who has testified before many state legislatures, routinely denounces LGBT people in the most disgusting manner.  Some of her greatest hits: Morse says that gay people themselves know they are an abomination. Morse says that gay people want to outlaw Christianity.  Morse says that people who "choose" to be gay will go to hell. Morse mocks the suicide of Rutgers student Tyler Clementi.

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Quote Of The Day - Cardinal George

"There will be consequences for the Church and society that will become clearer as the law is used to sue for discrimination. The law has made some gays and lesbians happy, and that is not a bad thing in itself. The law, however, is bad law because it will contribute over the long run to the further dissolution of marriage and family life, which are the bedrock of any society. The Pope was not speaking about approving gay marriage. To use his words against his teaching, as they were used on the floor of the State House of Representatives on November 5, is less than intellectually honest." - Cardinal Francis George, in a letter than he has ordered to be read tomorrow to all congregations in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: In January, Cardinal George demanded that every Catholic in Illinois oppose same-sex marriage. In December 2012, Cardinal George declared that there is no such things as gay marriage because it cannot be consummated. In 2011, Cardinal George compared Chicago's gay pride parade to a parade of the Ku Klux Klan.

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One Million Moms Vs Family Guy

Via email:
Dear Joe, It is a violation of federal law for broadcasters to air indecent material on publicly-owned airwaves when children are likely to be in the viewing audience. Yet that is EXACTLY what the Fox Broadcast Network (not to be confused with Fox News) did this past Sunday, November 10th, with its most recent episode of Family Guy. The network brags to its advertisers that Family Guy is "#1 with Teens" and because it is a cartoon, the show is watched by tens of thousands of young children every week. What were children exposed to on Sunday's episode of Family Guy? Unbelievably vile sexual content - including "jokes" about child molestation, exploitation, rape and the sexualized use of food and perverse 'internal defrosting' of frozen hot dogs. Beyond the repugnant sexual content, the overall theme of the episode was that it is humorous for a boy to bully and beat up a girl.
The email concludes with a link to the FCC's complaint page.

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Friday, November 15, 2013

More Controversy For MSNBC

As you can see by the headlines above, all of Teabagistan is in an uproar tonight after MSNBC host Martin Bashir mocked Sarah Palin's comparison of the national debt to slavery. After frankly cataloging some of the vile abuses that slaves suffered under one well-known slave owner, Bashir suggested that Palin could never understand really understand slavery without the same being done to her. Here's the clip. Did he go too far?

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MSNBC Suspends Alec Baldwin

MSNBC tonight announced that Alec Baldwin has been suspended for two weeks in the wake of his latest anti-gay outburst. Via the Hollywood Reporter:
The announcement Friday followed the controversial actions of the 30 Rock star over the past several days. Up Late With Alec Baldwin had premiered only a month ago, on October 11. "I did not intend to hurt or offend anyone with my choice of words, but clearly I have -- and for that I am deeply sorry," Baldwin said in a statement. "Words are important. I understand that and will choose mine with great care going forward. What I said and did this week, as I was trying to protect my family, was offensive and unacceptable. Behavior like this undermines hard-fought rights that I vigorously support. I understand Up Late will be taken off the schedule for tonight and next week."
RELATED: Virulently anti-gay sites like Breitbart have been hypocritically condemning MSNBC for not immediately acting on Baldwin's latest slurs. Now, of course, they'll scream that he got off with a slap on the wrist. Because they are the noble defenders of gay people.

UPDATE: GLAAD reacts via press release.
"Alec Baldwin still needs to take real action. MSNBC has sent a message that anti-gay slurs carry consequences, and that's an important standard to uphold at a time when LGBT people continue to face disproportionate levels of bullying and violence just because of who they are." The announcement came following the release of a tape yesterday in which Baldwin is allegedly heard calling a photographer a 'c*cksucking fag.' GLAAD responded to media outlets about the incident: "Mr. Baldwin can’t lend his support for equality on paper, while degrading gay people in practice. It’s clearly time he listens to the calls from so many LGBT people and allies to end this pattern of anti-gay slurs.”

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FLORIDA: UCF Faces Contempt Charge For Refusing To Hand Over Regnerus Files

The University of Central Florida is facing a contempt of court charge for refusing to hand over internal documents related to the publication of discredited researcher Mark Regnerus' deeply flawed study on gay parenting. UCF was ordered to release the documents following a demand by gay activist John Becker. Via the UCF student newspaper:
John Becker’s attorney, Andrea Mogensen, filed a motion for contempt against UCF for refusing to comply with court orders telling UCF to produce records relating to a controversial study by Mark Regnerus on gay and lesbian parenting. According to the motion, Becker seeks sanctions, including fines or imprisonment, for UCF’s Board of Trustees for failure to comply with the court’s Nov. 13 order, which stated that UCF had until Nov. 14 to produce the records. But even after UCF’s lawyers asked the court for clarification over the production of the records and received an extension to produce the records, UCF continued to disobey the court’s orders, the motion states. “It is inexcusable – and, frankly, inexplicable – for UCF to fail to produce public records in direct contravention of a court order,” said Barbara Peterson, attorney and president of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation. “The university’s failure to comply shows, unfortunately, not only contempt for the court but for the public’s constitutional right of access to government records.”
The Regnerus study has been cited by numerous hate groups in their attempts to thwart LGBT equality and was even presented to Russia's national legislature as part of the campaign to allow the government to seize the children of gay parents. Regnerus claims to have been an impartial researcher, but he has testified against gay families before state legislatures and even submitted a SCOTUS brief against the repeal of DOMA. Read today's contempt filing in full. (Tipped by JMG reader Str8 Grandmother)

UNRELATED:  UCF is the largest public university (by enrollment) in the nation and I am an alumnus. Go Knights?

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Brian Brown Still Has The Hawaii Sadz

"How many folks still have common sense? Quite a few, actually. We've seen this common sense most recently in Hawaii where over ten thousand people came out in peaceful and prayerful protest against their legislature's decision to redefine marriage. In fact, we know that it is the vast majority of Hawaiians, and by no means the minority, who know that marriage is the union of one man and one woman — who know that marriage matters because the love of a mom and the love of a dad are equally invaluable to the well-being of a child. We know that a strong majority of Americans believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. We asked voters this question on Election Day 2012, and 60% agreed with the traditional definition of marriage. But you don't read that much in the media. We also know it from the overwhelming majority of votes that have been cast in states across America when voters have been given the opportunity to vote on marriage (something the people of Hawaii were sadly denied.) - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in a money beg that also whines about ENDA and transgender students.

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God Sent The Russian Meteor Because He Was Pissed About All That Gayness

According to Russian television host Arkady Mamontov, the meteor that hit Russia earlier this year was sent by God because of "gay activity."
In a reference to the Old Testament story of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, famous journalist Arkady Mamontov said on his program that the fall of the Chelyabinsk meteorite on February 15 in Russia was related to the country’s growing gay activity. Mamontov’s program ‘Special Correspondent’ airs on state channel Rossiya 1. The host called the meteorite a warning "to all of us that we should keep the family tradition, traditional love, or else something else - not only the Chelyabinsk meteorite - will hit us." The Russian LGBT Network rights group filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office on Thursday. The group accused the show of hate speech, according to group chairman Igor Kochetkov. He said that Mamontov also claimed that gays and lesbians want to "destroy [traditional] Russia.”
Over 1500 people (including hundreds of children) were injured by the meteor's shock wave.

RELATED: Yesterday I reported about the secret recordings of LGBT groups made by the Russia government. It was on Mamontov's show that the recordings were aired.

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Rob Ford: The Opera

Clip recap: "No longer do you have to imagine what a Rob Ford opera would sound like. CBC Radio's Day 6 recorded a Rob Ford aria, arranged and written by Topher Mokrzewski, resident conductor with the Calgary Opera. Alex Beley and Tyler Fitzgerald sing as the Ford Nation Chorus."

(Via JMG reader Azgaard)

UPDATE: Rob Ford is getting a reality show.
The show is a continuation of the brothers’ radio talk show, “The City,” which aired on Newstalk 1010 until last week. “Rob is like Howard Stern or Rush Limbaugh,” says Doug Ford. “You just never know what he is going to say.” Apparently, according to Sun News Network vice president Kory Teneycke, “We are in the age of reality TV and it doesn’t get more real than the Fords.” The show, named “Ford Nation,” will air Mondays at 8 p.m. on Sun News Network, beginning Nov. 18.

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RUSSIA: Organizers Of Lady Gaga Concert Fined For Her "Pro-Homosexual" Speech

The organizers of Lady Gaga's 2012 Moscow concerts have been fined because she advocated for LGBT rights from the stage. According to the judgment, Gaga "harmed children" with her message.
A magistrate’s court in St Petersburg yesterday (14 November) fined Planet Plus 20,000 rubles ($614, €455). During the gigs in St Petersburg and Moscow on 9 and 12 December 2012, the US singer dared Russia to arrest her and made a speech about the bravery of LGBTs in the face of anti-gay laws. ‘I can't even really believe that you're all here because when they first called me they were like, “We want you to go to Russia but we might have some problems because of all the gay propaganda in your show”,’ she said. ‘Thank you, Moscow, for spreading the message of equality around the world. Thank you for spreading the message of Born This Way.’ Later, to screams of support, she said: ‘So stand up for yourself, or stand up for your friends. Where's all my gay kids tonight? ‘Tonight, this is my house, Russia. You can be gay in my house. And if you ever need me Moscow, I will just be a telephone call away.’
The organizers say they will appeal the fine.

RELATED: Last November a Russian court acquitted Madonna of charges that she threatened the national birth rate by promoting gay rights during a concert there.  Madonna was served a summons at her Upper East Side mansion, but she never acknowledged the charges, which were brought by the Russian Orthodox Church, nor did she appear at the trial.

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John Hagee: Atheism Is Stupid Because No Atheist Has Ever Faith-Healed Somebody

This is the guy who says that God killed all those people with Hurricane Katrina in order to send a warning about homosexuality. This is the guy who says that Sodom and Gomorrah was only a test run for what God will do to America because of gay marriage. This is the guy who has called for a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran because Jesus wants us to protect Israel.  And despite that love for Israel, this is the guy who says the Holocaust happened because Jews refuse to accept Jesus.

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Anderson Cooper Vs Alec Baldwin

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Alec Baldwin Flap Rolls On

TMZ, which is owned by a gay man, really has it out for Baldwin this time. (Tipped by JMG reader Alison)

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Boehner Rescues The Hate Groups

A follow-up from Buzzfeed's J. Lester Feder:
The office of House Speaker John Boehner secured meeting space for the World Congress of Families after their original sponsor, Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, canceled their space in a Senate office building following an outcry from LGBT activists, the group’s leader said. World Congress of Families President Allan Carlson praised Boehner’s intervention at in opening remarks at the event, which is focusing on what “pro-family legislators” can learn from foreign laws like Russia’s ban on “promoting non-traditional sexual relationships to minors.” “At least in the House of Representatives people have not succumbed to the great fear” of LGBT activists, Carlson said, likening the situation to developments in Germany, France, and Italy as fascism took hold of Europe. “A great fear seems to be descending over what has been called the world’s greatest deliberative body … ideas are being suppressed, debate is being shut off, and minds are being closed.”
More from Right Wing Watch:
Another speaker, Concerned Women for America’s Janice Shaw Crouse, who is also on WCF’s board of directors, blamed the change of plans on “a group of radicals” – an odd accusation since there had been no organized effort to prevent the event from taking place. Finally, Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute’s Austin Ruse declared that Sen. Kirk’s action made him less friendly to free speech than Russia – whose law criminalizing pro-gay-rights speech has the vocal support of C-FAM and WCF.
RELATED: Ruse, not incidentally, is a columnist for Breitbart, which never identifies his work for anti-gay hate groups. Similarly, Breitbart does not identify columnist Ken Klukowski as a vice president of the KKK-affiliated Family Research Council.

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From Today's New York Daily News

New York-based electronics and appliances retailer P.C. Richard & Son says that any store that opens on Thanksgiving is in "total disrespect of family values in the United States of America." The chain was founded a century ago by a Dutch immigrant and has 66 outlets in the tri-state area and Pennsylvania. Lots of wingnut key words in that ad.

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Romney: Obama's Problem Is Dishonesty

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Senate Confirms Openly Gay US Ambassador To Dominican Republic

The Senate has confirmed Human Rights Campaign board member Wally Brewster as the US ambassador to the Dominican Republic. Brewster becomes the fifth openly gay US ambassador currently serving.  Via HRC:
When nominated for the ambassadorship, Wally Brewster served as Senior Executive for SB&K Global, a global consumer dynamics strategy consulting firm, where he worked with clients on global expansion and growth. Through his professional and personal activities, he has shown an unparalleled commitment to human rights and democracy around the world. Prior to this year, three openly gay people had served as U.S. Ambassadors (Jim Hormel, Michael Guest and David Huebner). Just this year, five openly gay people have been confirmed as Ambassadors (Brewster, along with John Berry in Australia, James Costos in Spain, Rufus Gifford in Denmark, and Daniel Baer as ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe).
After Brewster's nomination first became known, anti-gay protests lead by the local Catholic Church broke out in the Dominican Republic.  In July, Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez called Brewster a maricón (faggot) during an interview with local media.  Two weeks later local evangelical leaders called for a national day of protest during which supporters wore black armbands and adorned their cars with black ribbons. During that protest Catholic Bishop Pablo Cedaño warned that if Brewster dared visit, "He's going to suffer and he will have to leave." 

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Improv Everywhere: When Harry Met Sally

20 women recreate the scene at Katz's Deli.

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PENNSYLVANIA: Judge Rejects Motions To Dismiss Marriage Equality Lawsuit

Big progress in Pennsylvania this morning.
A federal court challenge to Pennsylvania's 17-year-old law banning the recognition of same-sex marriages took an important step toward a trial Friday when a judge rejected two different attempts to block the lawsuit. U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III denied the motions to dismiss the lawsuit by Pennsylvania's secretaries of the departments of Health and Revenue and Bucks County's register of wills. It is a strong sign the case is headed to trial and, potentially, the U.S. Supreme Court. In a note at the end of his 10-page decision, Jones set a Nov. 22 conference and advised lawyers in the case to be "fully prepared" to discuss the starting date of a trial. Every northeastern state except Pennsylvania allows gay marriage. The lawsuit, filed July 9 by civil rights lawyers on behalf of a widow, 10 couples and one of the couples' two teenage daughters, was the first-known challenge to a 1996 Pennsylvania law that effectively bans same-sex marriage and recognition of such marriages from other states.
There are several other marriage suits pending in Pennsylvania. (Tipped by JMG reader Whabbear)

UPDATE: Via press release from the ACLU.
In his ruling, Judge John E. Jones III rejected arguments from the commonwealth and Donald Petrille, Jr., the Register of Wills for Bucks County, that plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed as a matter of law because of a 1972 decision holding that a gay couple was not entitled to a marriage license. Judge Jones’ opinion noted that the law at issue in this case has “undergone what can only be characterized as a sea change” in the past four decades.

The next step in the case will be a case management conference, open to the public, on Friday, November 22 at 10 a.m. in Courtroom #2 of the federal courthouse in Harrisburg. At the conference, a schedule will be set for discovery and trial. On November 7, 2013, the plaintiffs filed an amended complaint that changed the commonwealth officials named as defendants and added an additional plaintiff couple, Sandy Ferlanie and Christine Donato of Swarthmore, who wish to wed in Pennsylvania.

Lawyers involved in the case include Vic Walczak, Mary Catherine Roper, and Molly Tack-Hooper of the ACLU of Pennsylvania; James Esseks and Leslie Cooper of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Project; Aronchick, Helen Casale, John S. Stapleton, Dylan J. Steinberg, and Rebecca S. Melley of Hangley Aronchick Segal Pudlin & Schiller; and Seth Kreimer of the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

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Crazy Eyes: I Lost My Insurance

Via Mediaite:
When asked by Blitzer if she’s going to sign up for the exchanges, Bachmann first said, “Are you kidding? I’m not gonna waste an hour on that thing!” before telling him “I lost my health insurance under Obamacare.” She said her husband has some personal health issues and they need insurance, at which point Begala jumped in to say, “And now you can’t be denied! Thanks, Barack Obama!” Bachmann shot back, “We were just fine before.” She explained to Blitzer that “we are forced to go on the website and purchase the health insurance plan from the D.C. health exchange.” And while she’s going to do it eventually, Bachmann said she doesn’t want to waste her “time and frustration” on a website that doesn’t even work yet.
Commenters at the link are calling her a liar. Surprise!

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Queer Nation To Protest At NYSE

Via press release:
In the latest in a series of ongoing, high-profile demonstrations against the Russian government’s anti-gay laws, Queer Nation will protest outside the New York Stock Exchange while Russian government officials at the Exchange ring the closing bell. The protest will take place on Monday, November 18, at 3:15 PM, in front of the Federal Hall at 26 Wall Street. November 18 at the stock exchange is “Russia Day,” an event that will promote investment in Russia. The day is sponsored by the stock exchange, several Russian companies, and Cleary Gottlieb, a U.S. law firm. Sergey Belyakov, Russia’s deputy economics minister, has been selected to ring the closing bell.

“It’s outrageous that the Stock Exchange invited representatives from the Russian government to ring the closing bell,” said Alexis Danzig, a Queer Nation member. “The Exchange is now complicit with the Russian government’s violence and attacks against LGBT Russians, political dissidents, and undocumented immigrants," she continued. “The members of the Stock Exchange should be encouraging divestment, not investment, in Russian assets.” In response to pressure by activists, including Queer Nation, Goodwin Procter, LLP, a U.S. law firm; James R. Silkenat, the president of the American Bar Association; and the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York all ended their association with a separate forum promoting U.S. investment in Russia that was to be held at the Midtown offices of Goodwin Procter, also on November 18.
More details at their Facebook page.

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From Spirit Airlines

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Hawaii's Road To Marriage

Here's a great compilation of Hawaiian news clips from the last two weeks. We've watched many of these legislative debates, but I don't think anybody would argue that Hawaii's featured by far the ugliest anti-gay batshittery of them all. Which makes the win all that much sweeter.

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Sen. Mark Kirk Cancels Senate Meeting Space For Anti-Gay Christian Groups

Yesterday I reported that a coalition of anti-gay Christian groups would be meeting today in official US Senate office space to discuss how they might copy Russia's anti-gay pogrom here in the United States. After outcry from LGBT groups, Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) has kicked them out of the space. And they are PISSED.
“Shame on you, Senator Kirk, for allowing vocal radical sexual minorities to drown out the voices of the natural family and faith that have made our nation free, prosperous, and stable for more than 200 years,” said Larry Jacobs, managing director of the World Congress of Families in an email to BuzzFeed. “Obviously Senator Kirk doesn’t care about families and children and freedom and has chosen to side with the policies of decline, death and disease promoted by the Sexual Radicals.” A spokesman for Kirk, Lance Trover, told BuzzFeed on Thursday night, “Sen. Kirk doesn’t affiliate with groups that discriminate.”
Late last night the coalition sent out their press release again but with this "correction" at the top: "The Capitol Hill Symposium has been moved to Room #1539 in the Longworth House Office Building (NOT THE Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 562.)" OK, now who's in charge of the Longworth Building? (Tipped by JMG reader Ned)

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Headline Of The Day

Details.

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BRITAIN: ABBA's Agnetha Sings In Public For The First Time In 25 Years

Contact Music reports:
ABBA star Agnetha Faltskog stunned fans by hitting the stage for a surprise performance at a London charity concert, marking her first high-profile gig in 25 years. The Swedish singer, who has reportedly not performed in front of an audience for more than two decades, was the surprise guest at Gary Barlow's Children In Need Rocks concert, which was held at the city's Eventim Apollo venue. Faltskog performed her duet with Barlow, I should've Followed You Home, to raise cash for the BBC's annual Children In Need charity event, which supports underprivileged kids around the world.

RELATED: Gary Barlow and fellow Take That member Robbie Williams also performed with Barry Manilow for his classic, Could It Be Magic.

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Sullivan On Baldwin

"Just as Mel Gibson revealed his true feelings about Jews in his drunken rant, so Baldwin keeps revealing his own anti-gay bigotry. These outbursts reveal who he actually is. I should add that this is a free country and he has an inviolable right to use these words. But he has no right to pretend in any way to be a tolerant liberal when he is anything but, when it comes to gay people. So many liberals, of course, give him a pass when they would never dream of doing so with anyone who was conservative or Republican. Even after his bigotry was on full display, MSNBC hired him for a new show as a liberal pundit. For too many of them – especially gay establishment liberals, like the tools at GLAAD or the terminally naive like Hilary Rosen – there is a glaring double standard here. It seems to me that this double standard cannot stand any more. And this raging, violent bigot cannot be defended any longer." - Andrew Sullivan, writing for his blog.

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TRAILER: Heaven Is For Real

Oy vey.

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New Entry On Urban Dictionary

One of our flying monkeys has created a new entry over on Urban Dictionary. Go give him a thumbs-up and add your own definition if you'd like.

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Thursday, November 14, 2013

ILLINOIS: Catholic Bishop Thomas Paprocki To Exorcise State Of Gay Demons After Governor Signs Marriage Equality Bill

Next Wednesday, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will sign the marriage equality bill in a ceremony at the state capitol. At the same time, also in Springfield, Catholic Bishop Thomas Paprocki plans to hold a prayer of exorcism to rid the state of all those happy, dancing, homosexual demons. Seriously.
Bishop Thomas John Paprocki will offer “Prayers of Supplication and Exorcism in Reparation for the Sin of Same-Sex Marriage” at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sixth and Lawrence streets in Springfield, on Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 4 to 5 p.m. Clergy, religious and laity are invited to attend. “The context for this prayer service may be understood by recalling the words of Pope Francis when he faced a similar situation as Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 2010,” Bishop Paprocki said. Bishop Paprocki noted, “The pope’s reference to the ‘father of lies’ comes from the Gospel of John (8:44), where Jesus refers to the devil as ‘a liar and the father of lies.’ So Pope Francis is saying that same-sex ‘marriage’ comes from the devil and should be condemned as such.
More about the ceremony:
The prayers for “Supplication and Exorcism Which May Be Used in Particular Circumstances of the Church” are taken from the Appendices to the 2004 Latin edition of the Rite of Exorcism, the introduction to which explains, “The presence of the Devil and other demons appears and exists not only in the tempting or tormenting of persons, but also in the penetration of things and places in a certain manner by their activity, and in various forms of opposition to and persecution of the church. If the diocesan bishop, in particular situations, judges it appropriate to announce gatherings of the faithful for prayer, under the leadership and direction of a priest, elements for arranging a rite of supplication may be taken from [the texts provided in these appendices].” Bishop Paprocki said that since same-sex marriage is contrary to the plan of God (see Genesis 1:27 and 2:24, Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9), those who contract civil same-sex marriage are culpable of serious sin. He also noted that politicians who enacted civil same-sex marriage legislation are “morally complicit as co-operators in facilitating this grave sin.”
O-M-JEEBUS, somebody PLEASE bring a truckload of Sisters in for that exorcism!

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG:  In September 2012, Paprocki told his diocese that if they vote for a Democrat, Satan will take their soul. In January of this year, Paprocki testified against same-sex marriage before the Illinois legislature. Paprocki then ordered all of the priests in his parish to read an anti-gay letter to their congregations.  Also in January of this year, Paprocki defended a priest in his diocese who was forced to call 911 to get him out of the handcuffs and ball-gag that he'd put on during some totally-not-gay self-pleasuring. According to Paprocki, the priest was merely engaging in "non-sexual self-bondage" as a means of relieving stress. Uh-HUH. Just for fun, here's that 911 call one more time. Listen to the priest try to mumble directions through the ball-gag.

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MISSOURI: Gov Endorses Gay Marriage, Will Recognize Out-Of-State Marriages

Surprising and welcome news out of Missouri.
Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday that he supports legalizing gay marriage in Missouri during a news conference announcing that homosexual couples married under the laws of other states would be allowed to file combined state tax returns. In an executive order, Nixon directed the Department of Revenue to accept the combined returns as a reaction to the June ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act. That law barred same sex couples who were legally married from receiving any marriage-based federal benefits, such as tax exemptions and Social Security payments. Under state law, couples who file a joint federal return are required to file a combined state tax return. The executive order clarifies that the law applies to all couples, Nixon said.
Nixon: "Many Missourians, including myself, are thinking about these issues of equality in new ways and reflecting on what constitutes discrimination. For me, that process has led to the belief that we shouldn’t treat folks differently because of who they are."
RELATED: Missouri passed a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2004. A total of 21 states passed such bans from 2004-2006 when Ken Mehlman headed the RNC.

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Another Anti-Gay Slur From Alex Baldwin, Wingnuts Pounce On Social Media

GLAAD's Ross Murray reacts: "I don’t know what he’s thinking when he says what he says. I know he’s someone who has worked with us in the past. That’s why it gets hard when he comes back and does the same thing over and over again. We will have to take some time and think about how to respond." TMZ has the video.

UPDATE: Baldwin is denying he said "fag."
UPDATE II: We have another comment from GLAAD. "Mr. Baldwin can’t lend his support for equality on paper, while degrading gay people in practice. It's clearly time he listens to the calls from so many LGBT people and allies to end this pattern of anti-gay slurs." - Rich Ferraro, vice president of communications for GLAAD.

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Hate Groups Meet In DC To Learn How To Copy Russia's Anti-Gay Crackdown

From a press release published on Christian Newswire:
Russia recently banned the propaganda of "nontraditional sexual relations" to minors; and across Europe and Africa, nations are concerned with life issues, shrinking populations, and the disintegration of the natural family. Here in America, what can our pro-family legislators learn -- positively and negatively -- by studying our colleagues' actions abroad?  Join the editors of The Howard Center's quarterly, The Family in America: A Journal of Public Policy, on Capitol Hill this Friday, November 15, for a symposium addressing the question: "Family Policy Lessons from Other Lands: What Should America Learn?" Moderating will be Dr. Allan Carlson, President of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society and Editor of The Family in America. Our featured speakers will be Austin Ruse, President of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute; Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Senior Fellow at The Beverly LaHaye Institute, think tank for Concerned Women for America; and Steven Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute. The symposium will be held from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 562. The event is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided. To register, call Nicole King at (815) 742-4387 or email nicole@profam.org.
Austin Ruse is also a columnist from Breitbart, where he has written several recent columns about the recent and discredited book about Matthew Shepard. Janet Crouse has openly endorsed Uganda's proposed death penalty for homosexuals. (Tipped by JMG reader Andrew)

UPDATE: The Human Rights campaign notes that the meeting will take place in US Senate office space
This Friday, top American supporters of Russia’s anti-LGBT laws will come to Capitol Hill to argue that these hateful policies should serve as a model for the United States. Even more shockingly, the World Congress of Families—which sent nearly a dozen anti-LGBT American activists to Russia to support these heinous laws—is holding this roundtable in official Senate office space. Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin issued the following statement: “These shameful individuals represent the worst of America, and it’s an outrage that they will now bring their vitriol to the United States Capitol. After spending years exporting their hate to other regions of the world and contributing to a culture of anti-LGBT violence in Russia, these zealots should be condemned by all Americans and especially by our elected leaders.”

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House GOP Sends Card To Thomas Peters

Source.

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Brian Brown Has The Hawaii Sadz

"We are at a crossroads. Even though their legislators betrayed them in Hawaii and Illinois — the people continue to stand up and demand that marriage, religious liberties, and the rights of children be defended! In Hawaii, thousands came to the capital to testify in defense of marriage and religious liberty, and at least ten thousand people rallied outside the capital to let their legislators know, in no uncertain terms, that voters support marriage as the union of one man and one woman. And now, one courageous representative is even challenging the new law in court — demanding that the people have the final say on marriage. [SNORK!] NOM will do everything in our power to support the people's right to vote AND hold those legislators who betrayed the voters accountable on Election Day.

"There is a silver lining now that Hawaii has voted to redefine marriage against the people's wishes: same-sex 'marriage' activists have run out of easy targets. This was the last state where Democrats held the governorship and both houses of the Legislature — the only type of state where they have been able to prevail by legislative action. (West Virginia is governed by Democrats but we are in no danger of their socially-conservative politicians redefining marriage.) Thus the false narrative of 'inevitability' ends here — with your help!" - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in a money beg issued today after losing three states in three weeks.

NOTE: Today is the "social media-a-thon" fundraiser for former NOM communications director Thomas Peters, who four months ago was left a quadriplegic after a swimming accident at a NOM retreat in Maryland.  Tony Perkins, Michelle Malkin, Josh Duggar, and others have tweeted about their donations, but as of this writing there's no mention of the fundraiser on any of NOM's social media accounts.

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HAWAII: Judge Smacks Down Christian Bid To Block Same-Sex Marriage

Via the Honolulu Star-Advertiser:
Circuit Court Judge Karl Sakamoto ruled today against same-sex marriage opponents and refused to issue a temporary restraining order to prevent the state from granting marriage licenses to gay couples starting on Dec. 2. After hearing arguments for about an hour, Sakamoto said that while the plaintiffs had standing to file their request for a TRO, the state Legislature has the power to define marriage in the state of Hawaii. He said regulating marriage was "long regarded as the province of the state. The marriage equity bill was signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Neil Abercrombie. Sakamoto heard the request by state Rep. Bob McDermott and a group of Christians for a TRO to prevent the state from issuing marriage licenses. In court documents filed Wednesday, the state opposed the request. Deputy Attorney General John Molay argued that McDermott and the others lack standing to bring the legal challenge because they have not demonstrated the potential for actual harm from same-sex marriage.
McDermott told the court that his "reputation and electability will suffer" because he told voters that the 1998 constitutional amendment would ban same-sex marriage. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)

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Russia's Vitaly Milonov: Gay Men Deserve To Be Punched And Kicked

Vitaly Milonov, the author of St. Petersburg's "homosexual propaganda ban," has responded to the attack which cost a gay man his left eye. Via the St. Petersburg Times:
Answering Chizhevsky’s accusations, Milonov said LGBT organizations themselves were to blame for the attack and alleged that the incident might have been an act of provocation to compromise anti-LGBT activists. According to Milonov, some anti-gay activists are provoked by what he called the LGBT activists’ “continuously eccentric escapades, rudeness and acts of provocation.” “Unfortunately, not everybody manages to stay calm, some behave inappropriately,” Milonov told the Fontanka.ru website on Nov. 6. “But to say that some of our activists went with pneumatic guns to a homosexual den…it’s a great pity that the guy got it in the eye, but I think it was a planned act of provocation.” Although a number of LGBT activists were hit by stones and beaten during the rallies, Milonov said that the level of the violence was exaggerated.

“I can’t remember such aggression against these people,” he said. “But when some idiot hops on the Field of Mars (the site of recent LGBT rights rallies) with a placard reading ‘Sodom to every home,’ he is asking to be punched. So it’s absolutely wrong to think that any of our activists could have done this to Chizhevsky. The maximum that they did was delivering somebody a kick at a gay parade.” Milonov apparently approved of acts of violence against LGBT rights activists — whom he alleged to be financed by “Georgian entrepreneurs and from Israel” — at public rallies. “When a foreign agent openly offends my family, as a Russian man I deliver him a kick,” he said. Later in the interview, Milonov dismissed LGBT rights as the “rights of sick people and perverts,” describing LGBT rights rallies as “marches against normal society.”
A member of the Russian Orthodox Church, Milonov calls himeself "a defender of the cross." (Graphic via Queer Nation)

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Tweeted & Deleted

Matt Drudge deleted the above message shortly after he posted it, but it can still be found in the accounts of those who retweeted it.

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