Thursday, August 07, 2014

Brian Brown: Boycott Target Even Though All The Other Companies We Boycott Don't Give A Shit What Hate Groups Say

"Dear Marriage Supporter, On Tuesday, the retail giant Target signed on to an amicus brief for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in two pending cases challenging the definition of marriage in Indiana and Wisconsin. Target joins with a number of other companies in signing the brief, including the Starbucks Coffee Company. But it is the spirit behind the brief, and its language, which are most noteworthy. The brief uses extremely charged language to refer to laws defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman. It calls them "the states' bans [on same-sex marriage]" and, even more radically, 'marriage discrimination' laws!

"Without providing any rationale at all, the brief states bluntly that 'Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples,' and refers to Indiana and Wisconsin's traditional marriage laws as 'an unproductive, inequitable, and unjust status quo.' Perhaps most ridiculously, the brief—while touting the benefits of pro-LGBT businesses—presents the claim that 'corporate cultures that don't encourage openness and inclusiveness leave employees feeling isolated and fearful.' Well, tell that to the employees at Chase bank.

"Join me in telling Target today that they are out of touch with consumers and they have insulted the millions of Americans who have voted to uphold marriage as the union of a man and a woman—tell them how much we resent being fashioned 'bigots' and 'haters' for doing so! Click here to pledge to take your business elsewhere. Target and its peers in the corporate world need to realize that the countless Americans who believe in marriage as the union of a man and a woman will not stand for being insulted and demeaned. The rash of corporate meddling in the politics of marriage and family will only continue if we do not stand up and say enough is enough. Please join me in this boycott today, and please forward this message to your family and friends urging them to do the same." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, launching his group's fourth hilarious boycott of a major corporation.

Here's what the letter to Target says:
To whom it may concern: I am writing today to pledge that I will be joining a boycott against Target announced by the National Organization for Marriage in response to Target’s insults against pro-marriage Americans in the amicus brief to which the company signed in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. Those who believe in marriage as the union of one man and one woman are not bigots or haters. Rather, they recognize the essential meaning of marriage, and stand by the common sense principle that kids do best with a loving mom and dad. Because your company has chosen to support this radical agenda, and to insult me and other pro-family Americans like me, I will be taking my business elsewhere.
NOM's ongoing boycotts of Starbucks, General Mills, and JP Morgan Chase have all been entirely laughable disasters. Stand by for Target's stock to shoot through the roof!

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Tweet Of The Day

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Kevin Spacey For Entertainment Weekly

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FRC: Pray Against The Sixth Circuit Court

Here's the Family Research Council's prayer of the day:
Circuit Court to Decide on Marriage in Four States - A three judge panel of the Sixth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals in Cincinnati heard cases today that challenge traditional marriage amendments in four state Constitutions: Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. Each of the Amendments, duly passed by a majority of voters in each state according to their own Constitutional process, was ruled unconstitutional in federal district courts. The Appeals Court will consider all four as a single case. In nearly every federal jurisdiction, it seems activists can find liberal district judges who agree with the argument that same-sex “marriage” is a fundamental right by expanding the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. 

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever! Your design for marriage is not only divine law and points to the union between Christ and the Church, but it has tremendous social benefits. Man may try to change it, but to do so it is to invite the sad consequences. May your people stand, proclaim truth lovingly, and refuse to bow to the lie, however craftily presented. Please move the Appeals Court to reverse these tyrannical and immoral rulings that usurp the clear intention of God, the expressed will of the people, their duly enacted state constitutions, their history and heritage! (Pr 22:8; Jer 18:14-18; Mt 19:4-6; Acts 4:31; Eph 5:32; Heb 13:8; Rev 3:8)
(Via Good As You)

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Sen. John Walsh (D-MT) Drops 2014 Relection Bid Over Plagiarism Scandal

Via the Washington Post:
It's a scenario that is extremely unusual, not only in Montana but nationally: a sitting senator who has won his party's nomination withdrawing from contention before the general election. That's what Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) did Thursday. It prompts two questions: How will he be replaced on the ballot, and by whom? Walsh was appointed by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) to fill the remaining term of former senator Max Baucus (D), who stepped down to become U.S. Ambassador to China. On June 3, Walsh won the party's nomination for a full term. It was going to be an uphill fight no matter what happened; he always trailed Steve Daines, the Republican nominee, in polling. And then the floor collapsed, with Walsh's admission that parts of his dissertation had been plagiarized. This week, his campaign had been canceling scheduled campaign stops and events; on Wednesday, he "took a personal day," according to campaign staff. And then he dropped his campaign on Thursday.
Hit the link to learn about the confusing process to replace Walsh on the ballot.

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MISSOURI: Baptist Church Leader Charged With Attempting To Fuck A Dog

The president and CEO of Missouri's Windermere Baptist Conference Center has been busted in a Craigslist sting after posting a message in which he solicited sex with a dog and another animal of an undisclosed species.
Jerald L. Hill of the 500 block of Forest Circle in Roach was arrested in Columbia at 11:35 a.m. yesterday on suspicion of attempted unlawful sex with an animal and attempted animal abuse, Boone County sheriff’s Detective Tracy Perkins said in a news release. Hill was released from the Boone County Jail after posting bond totaling $1,000. The investigation began last week when the task force got a tip that someone had posted an ad on Craigslist looking for two types of animals with which to have sex, Perkins said. One of the animals he sought was a dog. Perkins declined to say what other type of animal Hill sought. A detective with the task force exchanged emails with Hill under the guise of offering a dog that Hill could have sex with, Perkins said in a news release. Hill made arrangements to travel to Columbia to have sex with the dog. Hill was arrested without incident in the 1600 block of Business Loop 70 West, where he met the deputy.
Windermere Baptist's board of directors met yesterday and decided, hey - maybe it's time for a new president.
Windermere board members discussed the arrest by telephone on Aug. 6, Chairman Arthur Mallory said Aug. 7. “The board is very supportive of him and grateful for his work at Windermere,” he said. Mallory added the board sees the action as “a personal issue with Jerry” and that trustees are concerned about both Hill and the conference center. “We are concerned for the well-being of Jerry...and we are also concerned with the well-being of Windermere,” Mallory said. “Windermere will continue to function in a good way.... It is a significant piece of God’s kingdom’s work.” The board will meet next week on the center’s campus on the Lake of the Ozarks. “We will be in the process of looking for a new president and CEO,” Mallory said.
Windermere Baptist's sprawling facilities include a church, a water park, a marina, a paintball course, auditoriums, convention space, and several lakefront lodges. There is no petting zoo. (Tipped by JMG reader JW)

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FLORIDA: Charlie Crist Tells Gov & AG To Stop Defending Gay Marriage Ban

Via Steve Rothaus at the Miami Herald:
Charlie Crist, Florida's former Republican governor and attorney general, says current Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi don't have to defend the state's 2008 gay marriage ban in court. Crist, who is running to become governor again (this time as a Democrat), spoke Thursday as he accepted LGBT-rights group SAVE's endorsement at City Hall the Restaurant in Miami. "It’s unfortunate that Rick Scott and Pam Bondi feel this way about gay marriage and are not embracing or tolerant of it. It’s embarrassing, frankly," Crist said. "The rest of America is moving forward and they’re still on the wrong side of history on this issue. But we can fix it and they call it an election. Only 89 days away, so help is on the way. "What would I do differently as governor? Everything. To this issue, specifically, he shouldn’t be fighting it through the attorney general’s office. They should cease and desist on fighting gay marriage -- same-sex marriage -- and equality. The time has passed to do that."
Crist supported the ban when governor but reversed his position after leaving the GOP and becoming a Democrat. Recent polls show him tied with Scott in the gubernatorial race.

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Climatologist: We Might Be Fucked

Climatologists such as the one above are not mincing words after a huge blow-hole appeared in the Siberian tundra. The deep cavern, they believe, was caused by the venting of methane. Via Salon:
The study concerns the large deposits of methane (CH4) — a greenhouse gas over twenty times more potent than CO2 — known to be buried beneath the Arctic. Stockholm University researchers found that some of that methane is leaking, and even making it to the ocean’s surface. They called the discovery “somewhat of a surprise,” which, according to [Jason] Box, doesn’t quite communicate its importance. “The Arctic is our most immediate carbon concern,” Box said, referring also to the CH4 escaping from the melting permafrost. But the sentiment can be expanded to all of climate change: “We’re on a trajectory to an unmanageable heating scenario, and we need to get off it,” he said. “We’re fucked at a certain point, right? It just becomes unmanageable. The climate dragon is being poked, and eventually the dragon becomes pissed off enough to trash the place.”
More from an Australian news outlet:
Siberia’s Yamal region contains some of Russia’s largest gas reserves. It’s little coincidence that the first vent hole appeared about 40km from the nation’s largest gas field — Bovanenkovo. Since then another crater has been identified nearby. This one is smaller: Some 15m in diameter. Locals first found it in September last year, but it has only now come to the attention of authorities. A third — this time only 4m wide — was found several hundred kilometres away on the Taymyr Peninsula. Russian scientists examining the first blowhole found it to be 60-80m wide and some 70m deep. It runs into the permafrost of ice and mud. There is an icy lake at its bottom. Methane. It’s the lasting remains of an event which happened some 50 million years ago. An outbreak of a tiny green weed transformed the Earth from a virtually lifeless greenhouse by sucking the carbon out of the air and pumping oxygen back into it. It was a process which took millions of years to create the world as we know it. But the methane left trapped under the Arctic permafrost is a ticking time bomb — set to send the world into a mass extinction and set the climate clock back by millennia. “We have been too long on a trajectory pointed at an unmanageable climate calamity; runaway climate heating,” Dr Box writes.

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Ann Coulter: Christians Should Just Let Africans Die Of All Those Horrible Diseases

"I wonder how the Ebola doctor feels now that his humanitarian trip has cost a Christian charity much more than any services he rendered. What was the point? Whatever good Dr. Kent Brantly did in Liberia has now been overwhelmed by the more than $2 million already paid by the Christian charities Samaritan's Purse and SIM USA just to fly him and his nurse home in separate Gulfstream jets, specially equipped with medical tents, and to care for them at one of America's premier hospitals. (This trip may be the first real-world demonstration of the economics of Obamacare.) Why did Dr. Brantly have to go to Africa? The very first 'risk factor' listed by the Mayo Clinic for Ebola -- an incurable disease with a 90 percent fatality rate -- is: 'Travel to Africa.' Can't anyone serve Christ in America anymore? All our elite cultural institutions laugh at virginity and celebrate promiscuity. So no, there's nothing for a Christian to do here." - Ann Coulter, adding that Christian missionaries only send doctors to Africa because they are accused of being homphobic bigots in America. (Tipped by JMG reader Blair)

NOTE: Charity Navigator gives Samaritan's Purse its highest rating of four stars, reporting that 89% of its $400M annual budget is spent on the "programs and services it delivers." It should be noted, however, that the chairman and CEO of Samaritan's Purse is the viciously anti-gay Franklin Graham.

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UGANDA: Lawmakers Launch Campaign To Reinstate Anti-Homosexuality Act

As many had expected they would, Ugandan legislators have launched a campaign to reinstate the brutal Anti-Homosexuality Act, which was struck down last week on a technicality.
It was not immediately clear whether President Museveni would support the bill a second time, if passed by parliament again. “We’re mobilizing members to pledge their support for reintroduction of this bill when the House comes back from recess [in about two weeks’ time],” Abdu Latif Ssebaggala, [PHOTO] told Reuters. Ssebaggala said he had started collecting signatures on Tuesday of members of parliament in favour of reintroducing the bill and that he expected to have over 200 – in a house of 383 members – by the end of Wednesday. Homosexuality is taboo in much of Africa and is illegal in 37 countries there. But the punishments in Uganda were among the harshest.
According to the African news outlet Mail & Guardian, observers claim that Uganda's president was secretly behind the ruling that struck down the bill.
Observers say that it was a “wily piece of realpolitik” managed by Uganda’s longtime leader amid aid cuts by international donors, allowing him to avoid appearing to cave in to foreign pressure. “This is good news for Museveni, who has been able to say to a lot of supporters: ‘Listen, I did what I could, I stuck my neck out’, while at the same time, potentially allowing for some aid money to return,” said Harry Verhoeven, a doctoral researcher at Oxford University’s department of politics and international relations. The law caused an international outcry when Museveni signed it in February, with the United States secretary of state John Kerry likening it to anti-Semitic legislation in Nazi Germany. Critics said Museveni signed the law to win domestic support ahead of a presidential election scheduled for 2016, which will be his 30th year in power. But it lost him friends abroad, with several international donors freezing or redirecting millions of dollars of government aid, saying the country had violated human rights and democratic principles.
The ruling came just two days before Museveni's visit to Washington DC for a State Department summit with officials from African nations. A photo of Museveni posing this week with President Obama and the First Lady has outraged some LGBT activists. The photo was posted to the official Flickr account of the State Department.

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Rand Paul Waffles On Marriage

"The party can’t become the opposite of what it is. If you tell people from Alabama, Mississippi or Georgia, ‘You know what, guys, we’ve been wrong, and we’re gonna be the pro-gay-marriage party,’ they’re either gonna stay home or — I mean, many of these people joined the Republican Party because of these social issues. So I don’t think we can completely flip. But can we become, to use the overused term, a bigger tent? I think we can and can agree to disagree on a lot of these issues. I think the party will evolve. It’ll either continue to lose, or it’ll become a bigger place where there’s a mixture of opinions." - Sen. Rand Paul, in a lengthy New York Times Magazine feature on the state of the libertarian movement.

Yesterday Paul spoke about same-sex marriage during an appearance before a Kentucky Republican group.
Asked whether he would support a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, Sen. Rand Paul said Wednesday he supports the idea of traditional marriage but thinks Washington shouldn’t be involved in the issue. “I’m in favor of the concept,” the Kentucky Republican told an audience in Iowa. “I am in favor of traditional marriage, and I think that’s been the foundation for civilization for thousands of years.” In tune with his libertarian leanings, Paul reiterated that he supports the idea of removing the federal government from marriage. “I don’t want to register my guns in Washington or my marriage,” he said. “That may not please everybody but historically our founding fathers didn’t register their marriage in Washington. They registered it locally at the courthouse. I’d rather see it be a local issue, not a federal issue.”
Human Rights Campaign spokesman Fred Sainz reacts via press release:
“I can’t decide whether to be disturbed or pleased, so I’ve settled on confused. I just hope that when the libertarian from Kentucky heads to Iowa and New Hampshire, he doesn’t leave his love of liberty at home. The Republican party must move forward on this issue. The clock is ticking, three marriage cases have already reached the Supreme Court, and there is no doubt that this issue will cause the GOP enormous pain in 2016 if they don’t engage in a meaningful way, and fast.”

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LOS ANGELES: Porn Shoot Permits Drop 90% After Condom Use Mandate

In November 2012, Los Angeles County voters approved a bill that mandates the use of condoms in all porn video shoots. The Associated Press reports today that local applications for porn filming permits dropped by more than 90% last year. But that doesn't mean that condom-less filming isn't still taking place.
So where are those hundreds of films available for instant download on the Internet coming from? Many are still coming from right here, say industry officials, acknowledging that when Los Angeles County voters cracked down on filmmakers in November 2012 with an ordinance requiring that actors use condoms, quite a few filmmakers went underground. "A lot are simply shooting in out-of-the-way places where they won't be caught," says Mark Kernes, senior editor at Adult Video News, which tracks industry trends. "Normally it's in people's homes who are willing to rent them out for a day. Sometimes it's out in the woods. There are vacation cabins far away from anything that you can shoot a movie at."

Others have traveled outside of Los Angeles County, either to neighboring counties or sometimes even out of state. Diane Duke, executive director of the Free Speech Coalition, an industry advocacy group, said she knows of a handful that have moved to Las Vegas, although none want to be mentioned by name for fear of bringing condom activists after them. Although a few porn producers do require that actors use condoms, the majority do not, saying fans have made it clear they don't want to see them. Wherever the filmmakers are working now, only 20 have applied for permits so far this year, according to Film LA, which issues them. Last year 40 adult filmmakers took out permits, compared with 485 in 2012, the last year before the ordinance took effect.
RELATED: The Los Angeles County ordinance was spearheaded by the combative and controversial AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Today the AHF issued a press release declaring that it has filed an OSHA complaint against a San Francisco-based porn company that is filming in Nevada.
“Under the guise of his various Kink and Kink.com, adult film businesses and brands, owner Peter Acworth, thinks he and his companies can simply ignore the Federal OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard with regard to required condom use in his adult film productions shot in Nevada. This new complaint in Nevada is based on the simple fact that they cannot hide from federal law there, or anywhere in the U.S.,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “When we first proposed the Los Angeles City bill, the industry said they’d film in other L.A. cities. When we proposed Measure B for L.A. County, the industry said they’d film in other counties. And when we proposed AB 1576, the industry said they’d film outside of California. Here, Mr. Acworth will no doubt find out that both Nevada and Federal OSHA statutes apply as well. Are workers in Nevada any less entitled to protection from harm than those in California?”
ALSO RELATED: This week the AHF sued the city of San Francisco for blocking its plans to open a pharmacy in the Castro. According to the AHF, local AIDS activists are behind the denial because they are furious with the AHF for opposing the use of Truvada as a daily HIV preventive.
"At the behest of San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, The City rammed through, at lightning speed, an interim zoning law specifically targeting AIDS Healthcare Foundation," claimed Laura Boudreau, chief of operations for AHF. "The clear and sole purpose of that action was to discourage the organization from relocating and opening a nonprofit safety-net clinic and pharmacy in the Castro." But City Attorney spokesman Matt Dorsey called the civil rights violation charge "absurd." "AHF is asking the court to find a constitutional right to build whatever it wants wherever it wants, and that's just not something courts have allowed," Dorsey said.

Boudreau claims the motivation for The City's actions came from the foundation's position on PrEP -- an HIV treatment drug which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and others have advocated for as a preventative tool, but which the group opposes as a widespread HIV prevention tool, arguing its efficacy is debatable. While a local HIV activist said the AHF's position on HIV prevention is not popular among many in San Francisco, he and Wiener point out that the main issue with the group, which has 33 locations nationwide, is that it operates a chain. The city's formula retail rules define chain stores as any with 11 or more locations. "AHF tried to game our formula retail law by tweaking its name and then claiming it wasn't actually formula retail," Wiener said. "Under AHF's approach, any chain store could come into San Francisco, tweak its name, and claim that it isn't formula retail."

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Harlem Hate Pastor James Manning: All Those Who Support Homosexuality, Be Thou Cursed With Ebola

Harlem hate Pastor James David Manning today posted the below video in which he says that he stands with Liberia's Christian leaders. Manning goes on to call on God to give ebola to all homosexuals and their supporters. "All the world needs to know that sodomy and homosexuality is more deadly than the ebola virus that is spreading all over the world. Everybody who stands up and embraces sodomy, BE THOU CURSED WITH EBOLA! Cursed be ye for embracing this!" Stand by for Manning to add ebola to the above sign he posted last week. Note: There's some screaming at the end, check your volume.

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LIBERIA: Christian Leaders Say God Is Cursing Nation With Ebola Because Gays

The above headline is from the Washington Post:
According to Front Page Africa and the Daily Observer, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called on Tuesday for all residents to fast for three days and pray for forgiveness. “Relying on His divine guidance for our survival as a nation,” she announced, “I call on all Liberians to observe three days of national fast and prayer to seek God’s face to have mercy on us and forgive our sins and heal our land, Liberia, as we continue to fight against the deadly Ebola virus.” That followed a recent recommendation by the Liberian Council of Churches, which said in a statement last week the outbreak has Biblical implications. “God is angry with Liberia,” the religious leaders said, according to the Daily Observer. “Ebola is a plague. Liberians have to pray and seek God’s forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God’s forgiveness.”
It should be noted that Sirleaf, who not incidentally is the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has not personally linked ebola to homosexuality. Here's an excerpt from the unanimously approved resolution by God's Gentle People at the Liberian Council of Churches:
The men of God, meanstream Episcopalians and non-denominational evangelicals alike, unanimously endorsed the following resolution: That God is angry with Liberia, and that Ebola is a plague. Liberians have to pray and seek God's forgiveness over the corruption and immoral acts (such as homosexualism, etc.) that continue to penetrate our society. As Christians, we must repent and seek God's forgiveness. That a three-day indoor fast and prayer across the nation be observed, commencing next Wednesday, August 6th, and concluding Friday, August 8th. That an inter-denominational committee be constituted to present said resolution to government. That if government is in agreement, the Republic of Liberia be locked up for three days of fast and prayer. All movement should be restricted during those three days. People should stay at home for three days of silence, fasting and prayer.
"Meanstream Episcopalians." If the above isn't bad enough for you, US-based white supremacists are reveling in both the ebola deaths in Africa and its linking to homosexuality.

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Open Thread Thursday

Time for our quarterly book report. What are you reading?

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Pastor Rick Wiles: Ebola Could Solve America's Problem With Gays & Atheists

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HomoQuotable - Andrew Sullivan

"One of the greatest bodily regrets of my life – apart from having my foreskin chopped off as an infant because it was allegedly too ample – is that I have no back hair. My brother? An ape. God knows why this aspect of manhood has loomed so large in my erotic imagination … but there we are. The earliest porn I ever saw I had to create myself. I drew sketches of the men I longed for in a scrapbook and they were all covered in fur. Maybe it’s because body hair is such a powerful visual indicator of testosterone and maleness; maybe I’m just a perv. Or maybe because when a man allows his body to be what it is, and doesn’t try to micromanage every inch of it, he’s inherently sexier than the manscaped, plucked and trussed twink version." - Andrew Sullivan, responding to Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern's embrace of his back hair.

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New York Times On The Sixth Circuit Court

The New York Times reports:
In three hours of back-and-forth questioning, it appeared that neither side could take victory for granted in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, where the cases from Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee were heard by two judges appointed by President George W. Bush and one by President Bill Clinton. Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton, one of the Bush appointees and a likely swing vote among the three, repeatedly asked why gay rights advocates wanted to use the courts to hasten an outcome they were gradually winning through elections and changes in attitude. “I’d have thought the best way to get respect and dignity is through the democratic process,” he said, expressing a view that, in practice, would most likely deliver a victory to the states seeking to keep bans on same-sex marriage.

As they debated the cases, all three judges and several lawyers referred repeatedly to the transformed legal landscape of the last year, in which more than two dozen lower courts and two appeals courts have ruled that gay couples have a right to marry, and to the expectation that the Supreme Court would soon hear the issue. Judge Sutton did suggest that the arguments offered against marriage equality were weak, saying that marriage bans would be hard to defend if subjected to the intense “heightened scrutiny” that courts apply when fundamental civil rights are at stake. But he also wondered whether legal precedents in the Sixth Circuit and the Supreme Court should prevent the panel from declaring same-sex marriage to be a fundamental right deserving court intervention.
Read the full report.

UPDATE: The Washington Post notes that losing at the Sixth Circuit would "almost surely" force SCOTUS to accept at least one of the marriage cases before it.
A loss might not be the worst thing for proponents of same-sex marriage, who are eager to get the issue to the high court. Even in those states where courts have struck down bans, Supreme Court justices have blocked marriages until the appeals courts or the high court itself decides the issue. Although the justices in 2013 ruled 5 to 4 in U.S. v. Windsor that the federal government could not refuse to recognize same-sex marriages performed in those states where it is legal, the court did not decide whether states, the traditional guardian of marriage laws, may ban such unions. Although two appeals courts have ruled that bans in Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia violate the federal Constitution, the Supreme Court is under no obligation to review those decisions. But if there is a split among the appeals courts on whether marriage is a fundamental right that must be offered to all or, alternatively, that states are free to restrict it to heterosexual couples, that would almost surely require Supreme Court intervention sooner rather than later.

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"Ex-Gay" Group NARTH Rebrands

Several years ago the co-founder of the vicious "ex-gay" outfit NARTH was busted in the Miami airport as he returned from a ten-day European vacation with the young Latino hooker he'd hired for the trip. This week they have a new name. Via Truth Wins Out:
Truth Wins Out warned mental health professionals today not to be fooled by the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality’s (NARTH) cynical rebranding effort. The group, infamous for its failed efforts to “cure” LGBT people, has launched a new website and renamed itself the NARTH Institute, which serves as a division of the brand new Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity (ATCSI). Besieged on several fronts, the embattled “ex-gay” organization’s new direction is an effort to confront mounting legal and legislative challenges. Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, (JONAH) an organization run by former NARTH board member and convicted felon, Arthur Abba Goldberg, is being sued by the Sothern Poverty Law Center for consumer fraud. A therapist affiliated with JONAH, Alan Downing, allegedly made his clients undress and fondle themselves in front of a mirror. This behavior echoes that of another prominent NARTH therapist, Christopher Austin, who was convicted for inappropriate behavior with his clients.
Here's their launch video.

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PHILADELPHIA: Local News Team Gushes Over Gay Weatherman's New Baby


(Tipped by JMG reader Ed)

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Abbey's Second Letter To Tony Abbott

She did vow to write a letter every day. This time it appears she got some help with her spelling. Source. Yesterday's letter.

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Tony Perkins On The Sixth Circuit Court

"Unfortunately, conservatives aren't just fighting the courts for their right to decide the issue -- they're also fighting a massive PR push from deep-pocketed activists who are desperate to normalize same-sex 'marriage.' Their campaign is hitting a fever pitch in places like Missouri, where groups like Show Me Marriage are doing their best to bring voters' beliefs in line with the courts'. Despite what the media would have you believe, the public opinion battle has been a bigger one than the Left argued for -- with most Americans' opinions barely budging on the institution these judges are so anxious to redefine. Rasmussen, Fox, and even Politico polling has shown opposition to same-sex 'marriage' holding steady, despite (or perhaps because of) the barrage from the courts. For liberals, their position is even tougher to defend after the government's new report that only 2.3% of the U.S. population is homosexual. I think we can all agree that 3% percent of the country shouldn't be redefining 100% of democracy. Let's hope the 6th Circuit Court agrees." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

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Postmodern Jukebox - Creep

The Radiohead song.

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Wednesday, August 06, 2014

The Accidental Bear Goes To P-Town

The Accidental Bear blogger Mike Enders has posted a gay travel recap of his visit to Provincetown. Just by coincidence, it happened to be Bear Week when he was there. This might not be office-friendly but only because of intermittent beefcakery.

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Babs Joins Instagram

You gotta love the amount of styling that went into this selfie.

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All Sixth Circuit Audio Files Are Posted

Audio files of the arguments for all four states have now been posted.  Dig in and give us your thoughts.

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Sixth Circuit Court Hearings Conclude, Reporters Weigh In With First Thoughts

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OKLAHOMA: Hate Group Files Marriage Ban Overturn Appeal With SCOTUS

The Alliance Defending Freedom today filed their Oklahoma appeal with the US Supreme Court. Via the Associated Press:
The appeal was filed Wednesday by an organization representing Tulsa County Clerk Sally Howe Smith, who was sued after refusing to grant a marriage license to a same-sex couple several years ago. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the couple last month, upholding a federal judge's ruling that found the ban unconstitutional. However, those rulings are on hold as the case makes its way through the courts, meaning same-sex couples haven't been allowed to marry in Oklahoma. The ban was approved by more than 75 percent of voters in 2004. The couple who sued, Sharon Baldwin and Mary Bishop, challenged the ban shortly after it was approved.
The first SCOTUS appeal to have been formally filed came yesterday from the state of Utah. The Alliance Defending Freedom has also filed a notice of intent to appeal to SCOTUS on behalf of a Virginia county clerk.

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TEXAS: 63 State Pols Sign Brief Linking Gay Marriage To Incest And Pedophilia

In an amicus brief to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that is signed by 63 state legislators, today the Texas Conservative Coalition compared same-sex marriage to incest, polygamy, and pedophilia. Via Lone Star Q:
The brief states that U.S. District Judge Orlando L. Garcia’s February decision striking down the marriage bans opened the door to a variety of unions that society has deemed unacceptable. “The district court broadened the definition of the ‘existing right to marry’ as one that includes the right of people to ‘select the partners of their choosing’ for marriage, without regard to sex,” the brief states. “If the right to select ‘partners of their choosing’ is the criterion used to invoke marriage as a fundamental right, then marriage restrictions on age, polygamy, and consanguinity are also ripe for challenge.”

The brief also argues that there is a rational basis for the marriage bans because legislators cited arguments they believed to be plausible in passing them. “Another ground cited by supporters of Texas’s marriage laws and subsequently dismissed by the district court is that recognition of same-sex marriage ‘could lead to the recognition of bigamy, incest, pedophilia, and group marriage,’” the brief states. “As already discussed in this brief, restrictions on marriage relating to these moral considerations remain valid. Thus, the goal of actively trying to prevent those practices from becoming valid is entirely rational public policy."
Read the full brief. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)

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Brian Brown: Gays Don't Need Any Legal Protections Because Hardly Anybody Discriminates Against Them

"There are hundreds of documented cases of harassment by LGBT activists against Christians and other people of faith who support traditional values, and scant evidence of such incidents against lesbians and gays. Yet cities like Houston pursue special 'nondiscrimination" ordinances, Congress is being pressured to pass "nondiscrimination' statutes and President Obama has issued an executive order on the subject. Meanwhile, it's indisputable that a gay activist walked into the offices of the Family Research Council with a plan to murder dozens of employees there because of their opposition to redefining marriage and the gay and lesbian agenda.

"And yet, this incident has spawned no proposed 'nondiscrimination' legislation to protect people of faith and religious groups, nor has President Obama issued any executive orders. NOM opposes harassment and violence of any kind against anyone engaged in the public square. We also oppose ordinances like that passed in Houston and being advanced in Congress. The record shows that if anyone needs special protections from retaliation and punishment based on who they are, it's Christians, people of faith and religious groups, not gay and lesbian activists." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, pretending to be unaware that Christians have enjoyed "special rights" for the half-century since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The above came in today's emailed money beg.

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EARLY REPORT: Sixth Circuit Court Judge Martha Daughtrey Mocks Mark Regnerus

The above reporter also notes that Daughtrey said: "What harm comes? It doesn't look like the sky has fallen in other cases." Listen to the first hour of today's hearing at this link and let us know your thoughts.

UPDATE: Freedom To Marry has posted a copy of the Michigan arguments linked above.

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Brian Brown: Even If We Lose At The Supreme Court, NOM Is Not Going Away

The Guardian has interviewed hate group leader Brian Brown about the unbroken string of court victories for same-sex marriage.
“We’re not going away,” Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, told the Guardian. “We’ve been hearing about our demise for the last 15 years. It hasn’t happened, and it’s not going to happen, even if the [US supreme] court is to do the unthinkable in an attempt to redefine marriage and the law.” If same-sex marriage continues its successes, NYU’s [Patrick] Egan predicted that opposition groups could attempt to derail the laws by taking advantage of precedents set by things like the supreme court’s June Hobby Lobby decision, which grants exemptions to closely-held corporations on religious grounds. Conservative groups attempted, and failed, to use this ruling to get an exemption in an executive order signed earlier this month that prohibits discrimination against gay and transgender workers in the US government. NOM’s Brown said that with the Hobby Lobby decision, it was encouraging to see that “the court get such patently obvious cases right”, but said through laughter that his group is not interested in seeking religious exemptions. “We’re not going to be treated like bigots in the law,” Brown said. “We’re not bigots. It’s not bigotry to stand for marriage.”
Nobody was really expecting NOM to close down, after all - there's all that money to be made overseas.

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At The Marriage Rally In Cincinnati


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On The Perth Subway

Here's what happened:
An Australian man got his leg stuck in the gap between the platform and the train in a Perth subway, and normally, this story would end with heavy train delays and a severely injured man. But in a surprising display of camraderie and teamwork, the passengers got off the train and literally pushed the car off the tracks, freeing the man. The entire operation only took 10 minutes with everyone’s participation, said Nicolas Taylor to Perth Now News, and credited the rescue efforts to Transperth. ““They did a really good job, they took control and handled it well…When I first saw it I thought we’d be there for hours.”

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Here's What Got Them To The Sixth Circuit

Via Freedom To Marry.

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Porno Pete Has The Sears Sadz

Brian Tashman writes at Right Wing Watch:
Americans For Truth About Homosexuality’s Peter LaBarbera stopped by “Crosstalk” on Monday to warn of divine retribution for the United States, and specifically the Sears company, for supporting gay rights. The anti-gay activist and host Jim Schneider of Voice of Christian Youth America criticized Sears for participating in the Chicago Pride Parade and releasing a video featuring same-sex couples getting married. “There goes Sears,” LaBarbera said. “I watched the video, it’s just so sad and tragic to me. The Bible says there’s a way to seems right to a man but the end of that way is death, basically. Attaching the perversion of homosexuality, which God called an abomination, detestable behavior, attaching that to marriage is just ungodly. It’s sad to see corporations celebrating this to get more sales and we’ll see if Sears suffers for this capitulation to the homosexual activist movement.”

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Arizona Candidate For Governor: I'm The Only One Who Stands Up To Gay Bullies

His last ad also declared that he would chase away the Mexicans. This one is just for us.

(Tipped by JMG reader Homer)

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Libety Or Tranny?

Photo via Zack Ford.

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The Sixth Circuit Hearings Begin At 1PM

Today's marriage hearings in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will begin at 1PM local time. Streaming audio of the proceedings will be posted here shortly after things wrap up. The Louisville Courier recaps today's "pretty conservative" panel of judges:
The three appellate judges who will consider the fate of gay marriage bans in Kentucky and three other states include two appointed by President George W. Bush — and the nomination of one of them was fiercely opposed by liberal groups. That judge, Jeffrey S. Sutton, writing in March in Harvard Law Review, said, "Count me as a skeptic when it comes to the idea that this day and age suffers from a shortage of constitutional rights." Sutton also wrote an opinion in 2012 for the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstating a suit filed by a graduate counseling student and evangelical Christian who was expelled from Eastern Michigan University when she refused to work with clients in same-sex relationships. The two other judges who will hear the gay marriage cases Aug. 6 are Deborah L. Cook and Martha Craig Daughtrey. Daughtrey, a senior judge appointed by President Bill Clinton, is known for opposing the death penalty and supporting affirmative action and other liberal views, while Cook, in her previous position on the Ohio Supreme Court, ruled against injured workers, consumers and victims of discrimination.
Other outlets and LGBT sites have also posted worrying recaps.

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NEW YORK CITY: West Village Gay Bar Boots & Saddle To Close After 40 Years

The tiny but popular Christopher Street bar Boots & Saddle is closing after 40 years in business due to a large rent increase.
The gay bar — known for its drag shows, packed parties and welcoming vibe — cannot afford to pay a rent increase on its space at 76 Christopher St. and will shut down soon after 40 years in the Village, managing owner Rob Ziegler said. "I'm sad," said Ziegler, who started as a bartender at Boots & Saddle in 1999 and later became an owner. "I've been here 15 years. Fifteen years is a long time." Ziegler said a new landlord is taking over the building in the coming months and plans to raise rent for the 700-square-foot bar by thousands of dollars per month, to the "high twenties." According to city records, the building has been owned for decades by Norton Nesis. Nesis declined to say who is buying the building.
The owners say they have been looking for a place to relocate. Ten or so gay nightspots in the West Village and Chelsea have closed in recent years due to both higher rents and the continuing migration of gay nightlife to Hell's Kitchen, which is now home to about two dozen gay clubs.

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Archbishop Of Cincinnati: Pray Against The Gays At the Sixth Circuit Court

"The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati will be hearing arguments on efforts to strike down laws against 'same-sex marriage' in four states, including Ohio. The law in our state was a constitutional amendment strongly supported by Ohio’s bishops in 2004, and for good reason. Traditional marriage, the union of one man and one woman for life, is the cradle of the family, which is the basic building block of society. And at the same time, as Pope Francis said last April: 'The image of God is a married couple, man and woman, not only man, not only woman, but rather both. This is the image of God: love, God’s alliance with us is represented in the alliance between man and woman.' Please join me in praying the federal appeals court will act wisely to uphold traditional marriage." - Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Schnurr suggests using the "Prayer In Defense Of Marriage" from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Read it here.

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AUSTRALIA: Dear Tony Abbott...

JMG reader Michael writes on his blog: "It really doesn’t get more heartfelt or political than this letter written by our 8 year-old niece Abbey today. Tony, listen to the kids!"

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Tweet Of The Day - Freedom To Marry

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TONIGHT: Free Salsoul Records Reunion Concert At NYC's East River Bandshell

Acts from the label that for many of us invented disco will stage a free reunion concert tonight at the East River Bandshell in downtown Manhattan.
Originating in 1974, The New York City based Salsoul Records was one of the most influential record companies in the disco era that has shaped the dance music industry for the last 40 years. Artists such as Instant Funk, Loleatta Holloway, Carol Williams, Jocelyn Brown, Double Exposure, First Choice, Joe Bataan, the Salsoul Orchestra (led by Vincent Montana Jr), Inner Life, Skyy, and Charo were at one time part of their roster. To celebrate the relaunch of this iconic staple to dance music history, Salsoul Records has teamed up with New York City’s premier 45’s vinyl night hosts Mobile Mondays! NYC to throw a special reunion concert, Mobile Mondays! LIVE: The Salsoul Records Edition in conjunction with NYC's SummerStage, the largest free performing arts festival that takes place in city parks throughout the five boroughs. The event will take place on Wednesday, August 6th in New York City’s Lower East Side at the East River Summerstage.
I've basically worshiped Salsoul for nearly 40 years and yet I've never seen one of these acts in concert. The event is being put on by Mobile Mondays, which is an all-45s DJ collective.

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Russia Loves Buttsecks

Via the Moscow Times:
Anti-gay laws or not, Russians are statistically the most ardent consumers of anal sex pornography, according to a study by popular porn site PornHub.com. The survey is based on traffic for the Canada-based PornHub, which currently ranks 75th on the list of the world's most popular websites, according to the Alexa.com Internet analysis site. PornHub did not give any solid figures, saying only that "proportionally speaking, PornHub gets more requests for anal sex from Russia than any other country." Russia edged out the U.S., Canada, Britain and China on anal-related searches, according to the study, first published last week. PornHub also compared the U.S. with countries it had military conflicts with, and found that America also lost out in terms of anal-related queries to Afghanistan, Iraq and World War II foes Germany and Italy. But Japan, Vietnam and both Koreas were less keen on anal sex than the U.S., the study said.
The story notes that PornHub does not contain Russian-language content.

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NRA Promotes Guns For The Blind


(Tipped by JMG reader Piet)

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HOUSTON: Anti-Gay Activists Sue City Over Rejection Of LGBT Rights Repeal

As expected, the former chairman of the Harris County GOP and several Christian pastors have filed suit against Houston after the petition campaign to repeal the city's LGBT rights ordinance was rejected due to a lack of valid signatures.
Plaintiff and conservative activist Jared Woodfill said his group is asking a state district judge to declare that City Secretary Anna Russell followed her legal duty and verified a sufficient number of signatures to force a referendum before City Attorney David Feldman illegally inserted himself into the process. Feldman on Monday said his staff found less than half of the petition's 5,200 pages were filed in keeping with legal requirements in the city charter, invalidating thousands of signatures, leaving opponents roughly 2,000 names short of the 17,269-signature threshold needed to force a vote. "If he felt there were underlying problems with the petition then he, like us, has the right to file a lawsuit if he doesn't agree with what the city secretary did," Woodfill said. "Going in before she's ever made the decision and influencing her is inappropriate, it's illegal and we believe the court will agree with us and that folks will have their voices heard in November on this issue." Feldman declined to comment until he had seen a copy of the lawsuit, but earlier Tuesday disputed the idea that his involvement crossed any ethical or legal lines.
A spokesman for Mayor Annise Parker said that her office is confident that their review of the petitions will stand up in court. (Tipped by JMG reader Damon)

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AP: Today's Big Day At The Sixth Circuit

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Tuesday, August 05, 2014

Target Files Pro-Gay Marriage Briefs With Seventh Circuit Court Of Appeals

Minneapolis-based retail giant Target today filed amicus briefs in support of the plaintiffs in same-sex marriage lawsuits against the states of Wisconsin and Indiana. The Human Rights Campaign reacts:
“Today Target joins a growing chorus of Americans and businesses that know these bans on marriage equality serve no purpose other than to harm families,” said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) President Chad Griffin. “Discrimination should have no place in our society, much less our laws. We are grateful to Target for speaking out and standing up for the rights of not just its LGBT employees, but Americans from across the country who deserve to be treated with fairness and equality under the law.” Target received a 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s latest Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which scores American businesses on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.
The Minneapolis Business Journal notes that today's action comes after Target remained silent during the 2012 marriage battle in its home state.
"It is our belief that everyone should be treated equally under the law, and that includes rights we believe individuals should have related to marriage," wrote Jodee Kozlak, Target's executive vice president and chief human resources officer. Target said it already offers comprehensive benefits to LGBT employees and their families. "We continue to do so today because we believe doing so is right for our team and for our business. But current laws — in places like Wisconsin and Indiana that are addressed in this brief – make it difficult to attract and retain talent," Kozlak wrote in a Target blog post. "These disparate laws also create confusing and complicated benefits challenges across multiple states."
Read the full announcement at Target's corporate site. And stand by for NOM's Dump Target boycott campaign!

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