Quote Of The Day - Sen. Bernie Sanders

"Election Day should be a national holiday so that everyone has the time and opportunity to vote. While this would not be a cure-all, it would indicate a national commitment to create a more vibrant democracy. We should not be satisfied with a ‘democracy’ in which more than 60 percent of our people don't vote and some 80 percent of young people and low-income Americans fail to vote. We can and must do better than that." - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who plans to introduce such a bill next week.

RELATED: A similar Senate bill sponsored by Hillary Clinton and John Kerry failed in 2005. That bill also would have allowed the nation's estimated 4.7M felons to vote. In April of last year, Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) re-introduced the Weekend Voting Act, which would move election day to the first Saturday in November. That bill died in the GOP-dominated Committee On House Administration. Some others countries have weekend voting and dozens technically have compulsory voting although most do not enforce that rule.

LIVE VIDEO: Obama Announces AG Pick

Unshocking

Details.

UGANDA: New Anti-Gay Law Drafted

Via the Guardian:

The Ugandan government could introduce new wide-reaching anti-gay laws before the end of the year, which could see people jailed for up to seven years for “promoting homosexuality”, activists warned on Saturday. The move comes nearly a year after Ugandan politicians passed legislation that could have imposed life sentences on gays. The bill was struck down by the constitutional court on a technicality. According to a leaked copy of the new draft law, MPs have instead focused on outlawing the “promotion” of homosexuality – a potentially far more repressive and wide-reaching measure. Frank Mugisha, a gay-rights activist, said: “People don’t realise that the ‘promotion’ part of it will affect everybody. If newspapers report about homosexuality it could be seen as promotion. My Twitter account could be seen as promotion. All human rights groups that include LGBT rights defence in their activities could be accused of promotion.” According to the draft, anyone convicted of “promoting” homosexuality would be liable to seven years in prison. “We have confirmed that the draft comes from the cabinet. Their plan is to present it to parliament as soon as possible, before the end of the year,” Mugisha said.

Last month Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said that his nation risks a trade boycott by western corporations if the anti-gays laws struck down earlier this year on a technicality were to be reinstated. Some insiders suspect that Museveni orchestrated the overturn of the anti-gay legislation as the court's ruling came just days before a Washington DC summit of African nations. (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)

An American Pastor In Scandinavia

Via Addicting Info:

Pastor Marty McLain, who describes his religious belief as deriving from a literal interpretation of the Bible, was given the opportunity to see how secular Scandinavia is by a documentary series called The Norden. The concept is simple: find narrow-minded Americans and throw them into countries like Norway, Sweden and Denmark and watch them have panic attacks. It actually sounds like a lot of fun. McLain wanted to use his time in the north to explore how Scandinavians worship God. Unfortunately, he soon discovers that most of them don’t.

(Tipped by JMG reader Jerry)

Maggie Gallagher: We're Still Losing

"I myself am struck by the fact that given politicians and the academy and Fox News have all abandoned the issue, exit polls show Americans continue to be split 50–50 on gay marriage. The biggest problem we face is not that our arguments lack appeal, but that the debate has been closed down, and Americans rarely hear our arguments. That, and that opposing gay marriage threatens your job. On my behalf I would say, I didn’t come up with an argument that I thought would 'win.' I articulated the argument that in my view needed to be won. Marriage is about bringing together the two great halves of humanity, male and female, so children have the love and care of their mom and dad. That’s the argument that I think it’s most important to win, whether or not we can." - Maggie Gallagher, writing for the National Review. (Tipped by JMG reader Christopher)

AP Calls It: DeMaio Has Lost

Obama To Nominate NYC Prosecutor Loretta Lynch To Replace Holder As AG

Via Reuters:

President Barack Obama will nominate Brooklyn federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch to replace the retiring Eric Holder as U.S. attorney general and if confirmed, she would become the first black woman to serve in the post, the White House said on Friday. The 55-year-old North Carolina native and Harvard-trained lawyer has deep experience in both civil rights and corporate fraud cases. Lynch is known for a low-key personality and stirred little controversy during two tenures as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Her nomination requires Senate confirmation. The Senate twice previously has voted to confirm her to federal prosecutor jobs, the last time in 2010. In a statement, White House spokesman Josh Earnest called Lynch "a strong, independent prosecutor" and said Obama would formally announce her nomination to be the nation's top law enforcement official at an event in the White House Roosevelt Room on Saturday.

The Human Rights Campaign applauds:

Upon news that President Obama will nominate Loretta Lynch to replace outgoing LGBT equality champion Eric Holder as Attorney General of the United States, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization, praised the decision based on her record on civil rights. “Loretta Lynch will have big shoes to fill thanks to the incredible leadership of outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder and his unprecedented commitment to LGBT equality,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Based on her strong record on civil and human rights as a U.S. Attorney, we have no doubt she will continue that leadership as Attorney General. We look forward to working with her to ensure equal justice under the law for all LGBT Americans.”

Now comes the screaming from Teabagistan.

AFA: God Kicked Native Americans Off Their Land For Sinning Against Him

Three years ago American Family Association spokesdouche Bryan Fischer declared that Native Americans are "morally disqualified from sovereign control of American soil" because they rejected attempts to convert them to Christianity. The AFA ended up yanking that column. We'll see if they let this latest batshittery remain.

KANSAS: Tenth Circuit Court DENIES Stay, Same-Sex Marriages To Start On Tuesday

From the ruling:

The district court granted preliminary injunctive relief to plaintiffs on November 4, enjoining defendants from enforcing or applying Kansas constitutional and statutory provisions that prohibit issuance of marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The district court then stayed its injunctive order until 5:00 p.m. on November 11. Defendants immediately appealed the preliminary injunction ruling and also filed an emergency motion pursuant to 10th Cir. R. 8.1, asking this court to stay the district court’s injunctive order pending their appeal of the ruling. We conclude that defendants have failed to make the showings necessary to obtain a stay, and we deny the emergency motion for a stay pending appeal. We note that the district court’s temporary stay of its own preliminary injunction order remains in effect until 5:00 p.m. CST on November 11, 2014.

All Four States Headed To SCOTUS

Details.

FOTF Has The Sixth Circuit Gladz

Reposted after being made private earlier today.

Tweet Of The Day - Bryan Fischer

ARKANSAS: Fayetteville Chamber Of Commerce Calls For LGBT Rights Repeal

Back in August, the city council of Fayetteville, Arkansas voted 6-2 to approve a sweeping LGBT rights ordinance after a live-streamed ten-hour public debate that was hotly followed into the wee hours of the morning by many of you here. Four weeks later local haters had gathered enough petition signatures to force the issue onto a referendum that will be held next month.

Today the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce unanimously adopted a resolution calling for citizens to vote in favor of the repeal:

The Chamber will encourage its members and the public to “Vote for Repeal of Ordinance 5703 Chapter 119” on December 9, 2014 the date of the special referendum election on this ordinance. The Chamber submits to voters that it is never good public policy for any governmental entity to adopt rules, regulations, ordinances or laws that are vague, incomplete, fail to include critical definitions for prohibited acts or conduct that may be later be adjudged as criminal; base criminal prosecution on the basis of another’s “perception” of conduct, verbal or non verbal communication or attitude or that have not been completely and thoroughly debated and reviewed.

Here's the kicker:

Steve Clark, the former Arkansas attorney general driven from elective politics by his conviction for expense account fraud, is president of the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. His son-in-law, Juston Tennant, was one of two Fayetteville council members who opposed the non-discrimination ordinance. Tennant is expected to run for mayor in two years against Lioneld Jordan, a backer of the ordinance.

You may recall that before the vote took place, Mayor Lionel Jordan delivered a brilliant and impassioned speech in support of the ordinance.

SCOTUS To Hear Obamacare Challenge That Would Gut Exchange Subsidies

Via Bloomberg News:

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to consider a challenge to the subsidies that are a linchpin of President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul, accepting a case that suddenly puts the law under a new legal cloud. Two years after upholding much of the law by a single vote, the justices today said they will hear a Republican-backed appeal targeting tax credits that have helped more than 4 million people afford insurance.A ruling blocking those credits might unravel the Affordable Care Act, making other provisions ineffective and potentially destabilizing insurance markets in much of the country. The high court’s decision to hear the case comes days before the start of the law’s second open-enrollment season. A decision will come by June.

More from Think Progress:

The Affordable Care Act gives states a choice whether they will set up their own health exchange where consumers can buy health insurance or whether to allow the federal government to do so for them. This lawsuit alleges that subsidies helping individuals buy health insurance are only available in exchanges run by a state, not by the feds. If it succeeds, the likely result will be a “death spiral” where higher premiums cause healthy consumers to drop out of the insurance market, which will cause higher premiums, which will cause more consumers to drop their insurance. Eventually, many states’ individual insurance markets are likely to collapse if this lawsuit prevails.

The challenge could cost millions of Americans their health insurance. Just as Jesus would want.

Wut

VIRGINIA: Democrats Retain Senate Seat

Editorial Of The Day

From the Detroit Free Press:

If ever there were a sign that the U.S. Supreme Court needed to weigh in, forcefully, to tip the federal balance in favor of fairness and equality, this was it. The 2-1 Sixth Circuit ruling overturns an opinion by District Court Judge Bernard Friedman that found Michigan's 2004 voter-enacted ban on same-sex marriage to be unconstitutional. Friedman found the ban incompatible with the 14th Amendment — which prohibits wanton government discrimination — and recent Supreme Court rulings that have essentially outlawed legislation that singles out gay people for discrimination.

The Sixth Circuit accepted at face-value the dubious connections between same-sex marriage bans and protections for children and child-rearing, even though those connections were obliterated by Judge Friedman, who refused to let some of Michigan's "experts" even take the stand. The Sixth Circuit judges offered no explanation for their second-guessing. The Sixth Circuit lamented the "prejudice" gay people have experienced in this country, but incredibly concluded that same-sex marriage bans are disconnected to animus or hostility. The logic is tortured, wrong and sickening. The Supreme Court is the only remaining remedy for the Sixth Circuit's indulgence of bigotry and elevation of inequality over justice. The sooner the court can act, the better.

Missouri Changes Its Stripes

Map legend.

Former Southern Baptists Head Calls For Blocking All Judicial Nominations Until President Obama Is Out Of Offfice

Richard Land is now the editor of the Christian Post.

Michigan Catholics Have The Gladz

"Today’s ruling is a joyous occasion for many communities and families across the state that have sought to protect the traditional definition of marriage. Those who ruled in the majority deserve applause for applying the rule of law and for recognizing voter intent to secure one man and one woman in marriage. By upholding the Michigan Marriage Amendment, the Court has ruled to protect a timeless institution. We appreciate Attorney General Bill Schuette in his tireless efforts to fulfill his oath of office by defending the 2004 voter-approved marriage amendment. It must also be restated, because so many seek to misinterpret the teachings of the Catholic Church, that support for marriage between one man and one woman in no way diminishes the dignity and worth that must be afforded to all human persons, regardless of orientation. Michigan Catholic Conference will continue to affirm the truth about marriage and support any necessary legal efforts that defend the Michigan Marriage Amendment." - The Michigan Catholic Conference, in a statement published to their Facebook page.

BREAKING: Missouri! (But Stayed)

Read the ruling.

UPDATE: Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster is appealing to the Eighth Circuit Court.

MICHIGAN: Gov. Rick Snyder Vows To Continue Same-Sex Marriage Ban Defense

Via Michigan Live:

Michigan’s gay marriage ban remains in place after a federal court ruling on Thursday, and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and Attorney General Bill Schuette both made clear they will continue to defend it. “When I became governor, I took an oath to support and defend our state constitution, without exceptions,” Snyder said in a statement, referencing the 2004 voter-approved amendment that defined marriage as between one woman and one man. “My obligation to carry out that oath is not a matter of personal preference. As I have said throughout this process, I will respect the court’s decision as it examines the legality of same-sex marriage.” Snyder has consistently declined to take a stance on the underlying issue — whether the same-sex marriage ban is good public policy — which has led to criticism from gay rights supporters.

Back in March, Snyder refused to recognize the 300+ marriages that took place during the brief period in which they were allowed.

SYDNEY: Giant Condom Riles Anti-Gays

A giant condom wrapped over a monument in a Sydney park has enraged anti-gay activists.

The 18m fluoro covering was slipped onto the Hyde Park Obelisk overnight as part of an advertising campaign commissioned by an agency for HIV prevention among gay men. Australian Christian Lobby director and outdoor advertising lobbyist Wendy Francis has spoken out on the stunt, telling news.com.au it was “disgusting” and “completely inappropriate”. “My position on this is always that the government but also the community we have responsibility to our children,” she said. “There is a time and place for talking to children, and an age appropriate time for parents to talk to children about condoms. Parents do not want to be forced into a situation where they have to explain something that’s not relevant.”

The AIDS Council of New South Wales says the condom will remain in place for the next week.

NORTH CAROLINA: States Debunks GOP Lies That Magistrates Can Refuse Gays

Via the Asheville Citizen-Times:

The chief administrator of North Carolina's courts says Republican party leaders may have misled magistrates on whether they could refrain from performing same-sex marriages. John Smith, director of the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, detailed his concerns in a three-page letter to Senate leader Phil Berger, who along with more than two dozen Senate Republicans had asked in an Oct. 24 letter that he revise a directive ordering magistrates to perform civil weddings for gay couples or face losing their jobs. "I am concerned that the widespread publicity may have misled magistrates as to their legal rights and remedies and that some may have relied to their detriment on its representations," Smith wrote in the Nov. 5 letter to Berger. "The law is now clear that any magistrate who does officiate over marriages must comply with the court rulings mandating equal treatment as to same-sex marriages," Smith wrote.

"Misled" is the polite way of saying "totally fucking lied."

NORTH CAROLINA: NOM & GOP Appeal Marriage Ruling To Fourth Circuit Court

Via Raleigh's News & Observer:

Within hours of a split ruling by a 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel upholding gay marriage bans in four states, attorneys for North Carolina legislative leaders filed notice in the federal courts of their plans to appeal rulings in North Carolina that struck down a gay marriage ban. The court document, filed by John C. Eastman, a California lawyer and chairman of the National Organization for Marriage, outlines the plans of Phil Berger, president pro tem of the N.C. Senate, and Thom Tillis, speaker of the state House, to appeal a ruling in October by U.S. District Judge William Osteen Jr. that nullified a 2012 amendment to the state constitution defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Though Osteen allowed the legislators to intervene in the case on a narrow basis, Eastman’s notice states that the Republican legislative leaders do not believe that the federal district court put limits on their arguments during appeal.

Read the notice of appeal at Equality Case Files. NOM and the GOP were granted permission to intervene by the above court last month, although the court essentially told them they are wasting their time.

TRAILER: CNN's Lisa Ling On Gay Rodeos

The show airs at 10PM on Sunday.

Advocate Names Putin Person Of The Year

From their cover story:

As the Olympic Winter Games headed to Sochi in 2014, so did a spotlight on the violations against the Russian LGBT community. Those violations are coming directly from the top of the Russian government, with President Vladimir Putin leading the charge. His crusade against LGBT Russians and the outrage and protests his actions sparked have earned him the title of The Advocate’s 2014 “Person of the Year.”

Since winning his third term in 2012, Putin has become ever more autocratic, and his antigay ideology ever more extreme. In June 2013, he signed the infamous antigay propaganda bill that criminalizes the “distribution of information…aimed at the formation among minor of nontraditional sexual attitudes,” with nontraditional meaning anything other than heterosexual. Individual violators are fined anywhere between $120 and $150, while NGOs and corporations can incur fines as high as $30,000.

International outrage flared in the months before the Sochi Olympics, in response to which Putin reassured the gay and lesbian community they had nothing to fear as long as they left Russia’s children in peace. Such incendiary rhetoric is a staple of Putin’s political playbook. And in Russia, where the majority of media are state-owned, there’s little public pushback.

Putin continually preaches Russian nationalism and purity, telling reporters in January that anything that gets in the way of Russia’s population growth should be “cleaned up.” The message is clear: Putin’s Russia, in grand Soviet tradition, is a country of the masses, not the individual. Yet it’s the masses that must safeguard individual liberties.

Last year the magazine chose Pope Francis.

MONTANA: AG Tim Fox Fights On

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox is continuing to defend his state's ban on same-sex marriage with a response brief that compares gay nuptials to incest and polygamy. The brief also makes the usual blah-blah procreation argument, but primarily focuses on the level of scrutiny issue. Dig into the full brief at Equality Case Files.

SCOTUSblog On The Sixth Circuit

Lyle Denniston writes at SCOTUSblog:

The challengers in the cases in the four states of the Sixth Circuit now have two legal options: First, they can ask the full Sixth Circuit bench (the en banc court) to reconsider their cases. If it does so, the panel decision released Thursday would be wiped out and the en banc court would start fresh. The loser at that level could then seek Supreme Court review.

Second, the challengers can now move directly to the Supreme Court; they do not have any legal obligation to seek further review in the Sixth Circuit. If they take that path, it would be up to the Justices to decide whether to review the Sixth Circuit’s ruling, and it would take the votes of only four of the nine Justices to agree to hear the case.

One argument for going directly to the Supreme Court has already been made, by advocacy groups and lawyers on both sides of this constitutional controversy: that is, that now is the time to get the constitutional issue resolved, once and for all.

If the challengers wait until the Sixth Circuit went through en banc review (assuming that option were granted), the issue almost certainly would not reach the Supreme Court for consideration in the current Term. Other courts of appeals are considering the issue, but they are moving more slowly and thus almost certainly would not decide their cases in the current calendar year.

If a case is filed with the Justices soon, by contrast, it could be heard and decided before the Justices complete this Term early next summer. Any case that the Justices accept for review by mid-January almost certainly would be decided in the current Term.

The ACLU has already announced that they will appeal the Ohio case directly to SCOTUS.

MALAYSIA: Big Win For Trans Rights

Three Malaysian transgender women have won a landmark civil rights case. Via Agence France-Presse:

A three-judge appeals court panel ruled that a state provision that bars Muslim men from dressing as women was unconstitutional, saying it "deprives the appellants of the right to live with dignity". "It has the effect of denying the appellants and other sufferers of GID (gender identify disorder) to move freely in public places... This is degrading, oppressive and inhuman," judge Hishamudin Yunus said.

The verdict overturns a 2012 lower court ruling, which had dismissed the challenge by the three appellants -- Muslims who were born male but identify as women -- over their arrest four years ago under the law in southern Negri Sembilan state. Malaysia has a double track court system with state Islamic laws governing civil matters for Muslims, who account for 60 per cent of the country’s 30 million people.

Under state Islamic laws, men dressing or acting as women is punishable by up to three years in jail. Some Malaysian states also outlaw cross-dressing by women. Aston Paiva, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, said the ruling could be used to challenge any arrest of transgender people throughout Malaysia. "It’s quite historic... This will be a precedent... This court binds all other high courts," Paiva said.

Malaysia continues to criminalize homosexuality under laws that go back its time as a British colony.

Hundred Waters - Out Alee

Ethereal and lovely.

LATVIA: Foreign Minister Comes Out

Via the Washington Post:

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics announced Thursday that he was gay, breaking a barrier in Eastern Europe’s socially conservative political arena. The declaration, made via a cheerful Twitter posting, immediately gave gay rights advocates a prominent voice in post-Soviet Eastern Europe. The region — where openly gay public figures are a rarity — has significantly lagged behind the United States and Western Europe in its acceptance of same-sex relationships. The announcement came less than two months before Latvia assumes the European Union’s rotating presidency on Jan. 1, giving Rinkevics an even higher-profile platform from which to push for more tolerance for same-sex relationships.

“Our country has to create a legal status for all kinds of partner relationships, and I will fight for this. I know that there will quickly be mega-hysteria, but #proudtobegay,” he wrote Thursday on Twitter. A spokesman confirmed the authenticity of the post. Rinkevics, 41, one of Latvia’s most popular politicians, had long declined to discuss his personal life. He is a member of the ruling Unity party and since 2011 has been foreign minister of the Baltic nation of 2 million people. Latvia enacted a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in 2005, and very few gay men and lesbians in the country are open about their sexuality.

SAN DIEGO: Rep. Scott Peters Takes Vote Count Lead Over Homocon Carl DeMaio

Via NBC San Diego:

An updated tally puts U.S. Rep. Scott Peters ahead of challenger Carl DeMaio by 861 votes in the tight race for the 52nd Congressional District. A final, certified winner will not be announced until Monday. After Election Night Tuesday, candidate Carl DeMaio led by fewer than a 1,000 votes, but both said they were optimistic about the outcome. DeMaio spokesman Dave McCulloch was at the county Registrar of Voters Office Thursday as the numbers were announced to give his take. "As you said, those numbers have changed a lot, and we still remain optimistic but cautious in that. There is still more data to be analyzed, there are still more votes to be counted and we want to make sure that every vote is counted in this election," he said. On Thursday, representatives from both campaigns monitored registrar workers as they counted thousands of mail-in and provisional ballots.

Multiple right wing sites and a Log Cabin chapter declared DeMaio the winner earlier today.

The Marriage Map Just Got Redder

Map legend.

President Obama Marks Fifth Anniversary Of Signing The Matthew Shepard Act

Via White House press release:

Five years ago, I was proud to sign the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act into law – a law that strengthened the protections against crimes based on the color of our skin, the love in our hearts, the faith we practice, or the place of our birth.

This law gave the Justice Department new tools for prosecuting criminals. It directed new resources to law enforcement agencies, so they could better serve their communities. And it did what we want all our laws to do: it reflected and strengthened our core national values. By recognizing violent bigotry as an especially dangerous crime – one that not only harms individuals, but threatens the social fabric that binds our country together – the Shepard Byrd Hate Crimes Act has made it possible for more Americans to live freely, openly and safely, and has reinforced our nation’s sacred commitment to equality for all.

Since this law was passed, the FBI and Department of Justice have vigorously investigated and prosecuted dozens of hate crime cases nationwide, including attacks on minorities, gays and lesbians, and people with disabilities. The number of individuals charged with hate crimes has increased significantly over the past five years. And state and local law enforcement officers and other community members have received training in how to recognize and address hate crimes. The law is working.

Our job isn’t done. We must continue to stand together against intolerance and hate wherever they occur, and respond decisively when they lead to violence. Ours is a country built on the notion that all people are created equal. It’s up to us to make that ideal real, in our words and deeds as well as in our laws – to ensure that, in America, everyone is treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, no matter who they are or who they love.

Brian Brown Has The Sixth Circuit Gladz

"We have been awaiting this decision for some time and welcome it not only as a tremendous victory, but as a common sense recognition that it is not for the federal courts to substitute their judgment about whether same-sex 'marriage' is a good idea or not, but to leave it to the people to make the decision about this fundamental institution. The justices of the Supreme Court were derelict in their duty when they refused to review the marriage cases previously before them. They now have no excuse. We call on the Supreme Court to stand for the proposition that men and women of good will across this land have the right under their constitution to preserve marriage in the law as it has always existed in reality, the union of one man and one woman."

"The Sixth Circuit was certainly correct to frame the question before them as 'who decides?' and we wholeheartedly agree that the American people should decide this issue. But the majority is wrong to suggest that voters have changed their minds. In fact, in the vast majority of states that now have redefined marriage, it's been judges and not voters who have done this. The movement to redefine marriage does not benefit from having momentum, it benefits from the exercise of raw political power by federal and state judges and politicians bent of imposing their politically-correct view of the world on the American people." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, via press release.

Tony Perkins Has The Sixth Circuit Gladz

"We applaud the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for upholding the freedom of the people to define marriage as the union of a man and woman. The Sixth Circuit rightly recognizes that the Constitution does not demand that this modern redefinition of marriage be forced on the States. The American people simply will not accept a nationwide redefinition of marriage imposed on them by a judicial oligarchy. As the debate continues, recent polls and the election demonstrate that support for marriage redefinition is stalling as Americans begin to experience and consider the consequences for religious freedom, free speech, and parental rights.

"Where marriage is redefined, parents are increasingly finding a wedge being driven between them and their children as school curricula is changed to contradict the morals parents are teaching their children. And as more and more people lose their livelihoods because they refuse to not just tolerate but celebrate same-sex marriage, many Americans are beginning to see that this is about far more than the marriage alter, but is about fundamentally altering society." KKK-affiliated hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

UPDATE: Peter Sprigg joined Perkins to discuss the ruling on their daily Christian radio show.

BREAKING: Sixth Circuit Court Says NO

Read the ruling.

UPDATE I: Freedom To Marry reacts:

“Today’s ruling is completely out of step with the Supreme Court's clear signal last month, out of step with the constitutional command as recognized by nearly every state and federal court in the past year, and out of step with the majority of the American people. This anomalous ruling won't stand the test of time or appeal. But with discrimination still burdening too many families, and now with this split in the circuits, Freedom to Marry calls on the Supreme Court to swiftly take these cases, affirm the freedom to marry, and bring national resolution once and for all. American couples and their families should no longer be forced to fight court by court, state by state, day by day for the freedom and dignity that our Constitution promises.”

UPDATE II: The Human Rights Campaign reacts:

“The legacies of Judges Deborah Cook and Jeffrey Sutton will forever be cemented on the wrong side of history. Today the Sixth Circuit stood in the way of a path constructed by two dozen federal court rulings over the last year – a path that inevitably leads to nationwide marriage equality. Gay and lesbian couples in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee are just as deserving of marriage equality as the rest of America. Now, more than ever before, the Supreme Court of the United States must take up the issue and decide once and for all whether the Constitution allows for such blatant discrimination. We believe that justice and equality will prevail.”

UPDATE III: The ACLU reacts:

"This decision is an outlier that’s incompatible with the 50 other rulings that uphold fairness for all families, as well as with the Supreme Court’s decision to let marriage equality rulings stand in Indiana, Wisconsin, Utah, Oklahoma, and Virginia. It is shameful and wrong that John Arthur’s death certificate may have to be revised to list him as single and erase his husband’s name as his surviving spouse. We believe it’s wholly unconstitutional to deny same sex couples and their families access to the rights and respect that all other families receive. We will be filing for Supreme Court review right away and hope that through this deeply disappointing ruling we will be able to bring a uniform rule of equality to the entire country."

UPDATE IV: Lambda Legal reacts:

"We’re extremely disappointed for the families in these four states, but this decision highlights the need for the U. S. Supreme Court to right this injustice. While a tidal wave of courts around the nation have struck down marriage bans, this decision leaves Sixth Circuit states in a backwater and, worst of all, injures same-sex couples and their children,” said Susan Sommer, Director of Constitutional Litigation for Lambda Legal. “Depriving same-sex couples and their families of the protections and dignity that come with marriage is flat out unconstitutional, and Lambda Legal vows to continue working until justice is won.” “Our clients and their children need the full protections of marriage, and they need them now,” said Al Gerhardstein, Attorney for Gerhardstein & Branch. “The Sixth Circuit’s refusal to recognize marriages of same-sex couples relegates them to a second-class status for no legitimate reason. We will continue to fight for love and commitment, and won’t stop until the law recognizes the importance of our families’ marriages and their need for the security that comes from accurate birth certificates.”

UPDATE V: The National Center for Lesbian Rights reacts:

“Today’s decision by the Sixth Circuit is deeply disappointing, inconsistent with dozens of other marriage equality decisions since Windsor, and unfair to the hundreds of LGBT Tennesseans who are already married to same-sex partners whom they love. We are hopeful that soon, the U.S. Supreme Court will rule that equal protection requires Tennessee, and every state, to treat same-sex couples and their children with the same respect as other families." Added NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter: “Today’s ruling is out of step with the numerous federal courts, including four federal courts of appeals, that have ruled over the past year that same-sex couples and their children are entitled to the same dignity and legal protection as other families. The freedom to marry is one of the most basic rights protected by our Constitution, and one that belongs to every American, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation.”

Brian Brown Has The Missouri Sadz

"Once again we see judges imposing their views of marriage in violation of the law and the overwhelming decision of state voters to preserve marriage in the law as it exists in reality, the union of one man and one woman. In Missouri, we need Governor Jay Nixon to immediately file a motion demanding that the lower court ruling be stayed so that it may be appealed to the Missouri Supreme Court without harm to the public in seeing their marriage amendment ignored by public officials.  It is up to the US Supreme Court to rule on the issue of marriage so that the American people and their elected officials have a clear statement of the Court's view of state marriage laws in order to assess how best to preserve their state laws on marriage. We call on all Americans to urge the US Supreme Court to do their duty and accept a marriage case rather than leave it to individual judges around the country to rule as they wish. This undermines confidence in the judicial system and indeed confidence in government itself." - Hate group leader Brian Brown, in a posting to NOM's blog.

Matt Drudge Spikes The Ball

So There's A Ben Carson "Documentary"

Which is, of course, a thinly-veiled political ad.

An ad for the documentary aired on an ABC affiliate in Washington, D.C., Thursday. The documentary is titled Ben Carson: A Breath of Fresh Air; A New Prescription for America and is produced by a company run by conservative media personality Armstrong Williams. Williams’ company is paying for the airtime. The ad will air in 22 states, according to ABC News, and will focus on Carson’s life as well as his political philosophy. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon and outspoken critic of President Obama, has retained a potential 2016 campaign chairman and says he will make a decision on whether he wants to run in May of 2015.

This is the guy who says that Obamacare is "worse than slavery" and who has compared gay marriage to incest. Run, Ben, run!

RELATED: Important info about the film's backer....

PHILADELPHIA: City To Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of Gay Rights Event

A group from the Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus performed today at a press conference to announce the city's plan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of an annual LGBT rights event that launched in 1965. Via press release:

With Independence Hall as the backdrop, plans were unveiled at a press conference for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the LGBT civil rights movement at Independence Hall on July 4, 2015.  The 50th Anniversary festivities from Thursday, July 2 to Sunday, July 5 include panels, LGBT history exhibits, parties, a festival and special events with the highlight the 50th Anniversary Celebration on a large stage in front of Independence Hall on Saturday, July 4.

Participating in the press conference were Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, Equality Forum Executive Director Malcolm Lazin, Independence National Historical Park Superintendent Cynthia MacLeod, Visit Philly President Meryl Levitz, and subsets of the Los Angeles and Philadelphia Gay Men’s Choruses. Equality Forum is the organizing committee of the 50th Anniversary Celebration. Independence National Historical Park has issued a permit for activities on Independence Mall on July 4, 2015, for the 50th Anniversary Celebration and will join the celebration on Independence Square.

The LGBT civil rights movement began when activists from New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia protested for equality each Fourth of July from 1965 to 1969 in front of Independence Hall and Liberty Bell. It was the first time that activists from more than one city openly identified as gay and called for equality. The demonstrations, which were called “Annual Reminders,” were spearheaded by Washington’s Frank Kameny and Philadelphia’s Barbara Gittings. Kameny and Gittings are recognized as the father and mother of the LGBT civil rights movement.

Learn more about the celebrations schedule here and here.

Christian Morality Group: Harvard's Sex Week Promotes Violence Against Women

The Christian group Morality In Media is ever so pissed about Harvard's Sex Week, which is a student-sponsored sex education series of seminars currently underway. Via Charisma News:

"With the rise of sexual assault on college campuses one might think that the smart folks at Harvard would avoid promoting porn and violent sexual practices because these are at the root of sexual assault," said Dawn Hawkins, executive director of Morality in Media. "Yet, Harvard, like all schools conducting sex week events, can't see the forest for the trees and is promoting sexual violence while pretending to teach proper sex," she added. One particular workshop includes instruction on how to perform anal sex, which is portrayed in most popular porn videos today despite the long list of dangers associated with such activity. Another workshop encourages students to engage in violent, torture sex and gives them lessons on how to do it. "Harvard is clearly not serious about stopping rape and sexual harassment on their campus if they are promoting an environment where porn, torture sex and risky behaviors are encouraged," Hawkins said.

That didn't take long.

Phyillis Schlafly: The New Senate Must Block All Of Obama's Judicial Nominees

"It’s a terribly important election, and I’m thrilled with it because it’s almost as big as our Republican victory in 1946. That’s the first one I was involved in, right out of college, and I ran the campaign of an unknown candidate and he won! It was very thrilling. I think the most important job of the Republican Senate is to defeat or reject, or not even take up, any of Obama’s court nominees. He’s already put too many liberals on the court, and we don’t want any more." - Phyllis Schlafly, speaking to World Net Daily. The old Senate, of course, blocked most of Obama's judicial nominees, which is why the Democrats went for the so-called "nuclear option" filibuster change.

FORT LAUDERDALE: 90 Year-Old Defies New Law By Feeding Homeless In Park

After gaining national scorn for its new law against feeding homeless people, Fort Lauderdale police yesterday declined to rearrest a 90-year-old anti-poverty activist for defying the law by again distributing meals in a public park. Via the Associated Press:

Despite being charged with violating a new law by feeding the homeless in South Florida, 90-year-old Arnold Abbott said he's not deterred and even went back out to serve more food at a public park. The faceoff in Fort Lauderdale over the ordinance restricting public feeding of the homeless has pitted those with compassionate aims against residents and businesses trying to protect their neighborhoods. Abbott, affectionately known as "Chef Arnold," and two South Florida ministers were charged last weekend as they handed out food. They were accused of breaking the ordinance and each faces up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. "One of the police officers said, 'Drop that plate right now,' as if I were carrying a weapon," Abbott said. But on Wednesday night, Abbott and others served a four-course meal by the beach as police filmed from a distance and a crowd of nearly 100 mostly homeless and volunteers cheered their arrival. "God bless you, Arnold!" some shouted. Others from the church carried signs in support of Abbott, saying the ordinance was violating their right to love thy neighbor.

The Democratic mayor of Fort Lauderdale defends the arrests in the first clip below from CBN. The second clip shows the first round of arrests.

KENTUCKY: Rand Paul Renews Push To Run For President & Senate At Same Time

Emboldened by the midterms results, three-time Toupee Olympics bronze medalist Rand Paul has renewed his push to change Kentucky law so that he can run for president and the Senate at the same time.

The law, as currently stated, says “no candidate’s name shall appear on any voting machine or absentee ballot more than once,” with the exception of certain special election scenarios. So as a likely presidential candidate who also wants to run for a second Senate term, Paul is now exploring how to get around that restriction. One new idea under consideration is to change Kentucky’s May primary into a caucus system instead. Since most caucuses do not vote by paper ballot, Paul could theoretically avoid that restriction in the law. At Tuesday night’s victory party for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell here in Louisville, Paul discussed the idea for about 30 minutes with Steve Robertson, chairman of the state party. “He’s got as many questions about it as I do,” Robertson said. “He’s just curious how it would work.”

Both Joe Biden and Paul Ryan ran for vice president and their seats in Congress at the same time as their home states permit candidacy for more than one office.

Disney Reveals Star Wars VII Subtitle

Via the Verge:

Star Wars Episode: VII finally has a subtitle: The Force Awakens. Disney quietly announced the title on Twitter this morning — a somewhat strange approach to what is easily the most anticipated film in production right now. The title feels like a very classic Star Wars name, and it manages to create that feeling even without directly mimicking a prior title. That's no surprise given that director J.J. Abrams has made it clear that Episode VII is meant to feel like an extension of the original trilogy. He's said to be leaning heavily on practical effects, and the fact that he's brought back much of the original cast should help a good deal too.

Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens has a December 2015 release date.

FLORIDA: Log Cabins Republicans Of Miami Applaud Reelection Of Rick Scott

"For this particular election cycle, Governor Rick Scott was clearly the better choice for Florida as a whole. What is important to us is ensuring that the LGBT community as well as everyone in general, has the opportunity to find jobs, to grow their businesses (many gay businesses included), for our state to be debt-free, to allow people to flourish and not be burdened with higher taxes and yes to defend our Constitution. Log Cabin Republicans of Miami is confident that marriage equality will not be an issue in the near future. The courts will decide and Governor Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi will ensure that, moving forward, the Constitution will continue to be protected, as they are sworn to do, and marriage equality will be one of those rights they will be defending. We move forward with confidence and perseverance in our fight for marriage equality here in Florida and across the nation." - Log Cabin Republicans of Miami, via press release. (Tipped by JMG reader Bobby)