Viral Video Of The Day

Ten million views in one day.

TRAILER: Terminator: Genisys

Via The Verge:

The first trailer for Terminator: Genisys has just been released, and it's clear that this fifth movie is a very different kind of Terminator film than what you're used to. It's a reboot of the series, and it's definitely kicking things up a notch (or more) when it comes to action and scale. The film takes place in an alternate universe where Sarah Connor is a total badass even back in 1984 and, for some reason, has a Terminator for a father. It sounds totally insane, and it probably is. Even for how crazy everything looks, it's hard for any fan of the original two movies not to be intrigued by what's going on here.

TRAILER: Generation Iron

Tweet Of The Day - Patrick Shriver

Patrick Schwarzenegger, age 17, today changed the last name on his Twitter account to "Shriver."

Schwarzenegger: I Have A Love Child

Former CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has revealed that he fathered a child with a member of his household staff ten years ago.

"After leaving the governor's office I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Mr Schwarzenegger said in a statement issued to the newspaper. "I understand and deserve the feelings of anger and disappointment among my friends and family. There are no excuses and I take full responsibility for the hurt I have caused. I have apologised to Maria, my children and my family. I am truly sorry. "I ask that the media respect my wife and children through this extremely difficult time," the statement concluded. "While I deserve your attention and criticism, my family does not."

The whereabouts of the child were not disclosed, not was the name of Schwarzenegger's employee, who reportedly retired in January after serving the family for 20 years.

Splitsville

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have separated after 25 years of marriage. According to some wags, this has been coming for a long time, but the couple was waiting until Schwarzenegger left office.

CALIFORNIA: Attorney General Kamala Harris Demands Lift In Prop 8 Stay

California Attorney General Kamala Harris today filed a request with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, demanding that they lift their stay on the overturn of Proposition 8 and immediately allow the resumption of same-sex marriages.

Attorney General Harris said it is unlikely that an appeal will succeed in overturning Judge Walker's ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. The appeal's likelihood of success has been substantially diminished, Attorney General Harris said, "both by the United States Attorney General's conclusion that classifications based on sexual orientation cannot survive constitutional scrutiny and by this Court's certification order to the California Supreme Court, which seriously questions the Court's jurisdiction to decide the merits of the case."

In addition, Attorney General Harris said, "there is no injury that the proponents of Proposition 8 will suffer if same-sex couples are permitted to enter into civil marriages in California." But as long as the stay on same-sex marriages remains in effect, Attorney General Harris said, the due process and equal protection rights of same-sex couples will continue to be violated, perpetuating unconstitutional discrimination and making a stay of Judge Walker's ruling legally inappropriate.

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger also filed a brief today with the same request.

Less Spam? Thank Russia

Russian authorities have shut down a single scamster who was estimated to be responsible for 20% of all the spam on the internet.

You may not have noticed, but since late last month, the world supply of Viagra ads and other e-mail spam has dropped by an estimated one-fifth. With 200 billion spam messages in circulation each day, there is still plenty to go around. But police officials in Russia, a major spam exporter, say they are trying to do their part to stem the flow. On Tuesday, police officials here announced a criminal investigation of a suspected spam kingpin, Igor A. Gusev. They said he had probably fled the country. Moscow police authorities said Mr. Gusev, 31, was a central figure in the operations of SpamIt.com, which paid spammers to promote online pharmacies, sometimes quite lewdly. SpamIt.com suddenly stopped operating on Sept. 27. With less financial incentive to send their junk mail, spammers curtailed their activity by an estimated 50 billion messages a day.

The above-linked article notes that the spammer was shut down shortly before a Governator-led trade delegation from Silicon Valley arrived in Moscow to discuss moving Russia more fully into legitimate internet businesses.

Meg Whitman IS The Governator

California Decriminalizes Marijuana

The Governator just signed a bill decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana down to the level of a parking ticket.

Those caught with less than an ounce of marijuana will still receive a maximum penalty of $100. However, Senate Bill 1449 reduces the legal categorization of marijuana possession from a misdemeanor to a civil infraction. This means that those caught will not have to appear in court, pay court fees or receive a criminal record. Schwarzenegger opposes Proposition 19, a pending referendum that will provide a legal framework for the sale, cultivation and taxation of marijuana. However, despite this opposition, Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law.

Schwarzenegger says the state simply cannot afford the expense of prosecuting those found with less than an ounce of weed.

Karen England Is EVER So Pissed

Professional anti-gay activist Karen England is EVER so pissed at California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who blew off her group's demand that he rush out an appeal to Prop 8 while the Governator is out of the country. England rides the waambulance in this Christian Newswire press release she just fired out:

When the Governor left the State late last week, the right and responsibility to file the appeal before Monday's deadline went to the acting governor, Mr. Maldonado. As a supporter of Proposition 8, conservative leaders requested that he file the paperwork. Former dean of Chapman Law School, John Eastman even drafted the necessary paperwork and volunteered to make the filing on Maldonado's behalf. But Maldonado did not even bother to respond. When a representative of Capitol Resource Institute contacted Maldonado's campaign manager a half hour before the deadline to file, the aide complained that phone calls had tied up the phones all day at the capitol and their campaign office, but he did not know what the Lt. Governor was going to do. He promised to call back, but the call never came. "Maldonado did not file the appeal" said Karen England, Executive Director of Capitol Resource Institute. "And the acting governor added to this negligence an arrogance and aloofness that suggested he was more concerned that we busied his phones than anything else."

Bwah bwa bwaaaa.

On D-Day For Prop 8 Appeal, Wingnuts Launch Last Ditch Effort With Lt. Governor

Today is the deadline for the state government of California to file an appeal of the overturn of Proposition 8, something Gov. Schwarzenegger and AG Jerry Brown have steadfastly refused to do. But, aha! Schwarzenegger is in CHINA this week and THAT means anti-gay Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado is legally in charge. Via Christian Newswire.

A group of conservative leaders led by former attorney general candidate John Eastman have asked to meet with Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado to discuss his support of an appeal in a federal court suit regarding Proposition 8. While the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has scheduled a December hearing of a lower court’s decision overturning the voter approved initiative, there is some question whether the proponents of the measure have standing to argue the case before the court. The Attorney General and the Governor clearly have authority to file the appeal. But, both Jerry Brown and Arnold Schwarzenegger have refused to do so based on their personal opposition to Proposition 8. But Abel Maldonado is a supporter of Proposition 8 and hopefully more willing to honor the obligations of his office than the current Attorney General has been” says Eastman. “Importantly, while the Governor is traveling outside of the State, all of the rights and responsibilities of the office of Governor rest with Mr. Maldonado.”

Maldonado is running against SF Mayor Gavin Newsom for Lieutenant Governor. Christianists say he could win lots of points with them if he files the appeal.

"Proposition 8 will be an issue in Mr. Maldonado's race for Lieutenant Governor" notes Karen England, Executive Director of Capitol Resource Institute. "After all, he is running against Gavin Newsom. This is Maldonado's chance to make clear that no one individual should be able to disregard a law, as Newsom did, or fail to defend a law as Brown is doing." Mike Spence, former President of the California Republican Assembly notes, "more than a few conservatives are still angry with the Lieutenant Governor for votes while he was in the California Legislature. The simple act of filing this appeal could wipe away many bad memories."

Stand by, folks.

Governator Zings Mama Grizzly

CA Supreme Court Asks Schwarzenegger & Brown About Prop 8 Defense Refusal

Karen Ocamb reports that the California Supreme Court has ordered Gov. Schwarzenegger and AG Jerry Brown to explain why they have refused to defend Proposition 8. The pair had until 9am today to respond. The Pacific Justice Institute was expected to rebut their response by noon today. Ocamb notes that "theoretically" the Court could order Schwarzenegger and Brown to defend Prop 8. More on this as it develops...

UPDATE: Governator tells Court to piss off.

Anti-Gay Group Sues To Force Brown & Schwarzenegger To Defend Prop 8

Equality California issued an alert this afternoon that the anti-gay Pacific Justice Institute has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to force Gov. Schwarzenegger and AG Jerry Brown to defend Prop 8. And of course, the lawsuit is being brought on behalf of a Christian pastor.

The institute is arguing that as the state's chief law enforcement officer, Brown does not have discretion to defend only laws with which he personally agrees. And because the California Constitution gives the governor final say when he and the attorney general disagree on legal matters, Schwarzenegger must be compelled to file an appeal to preserve Proposition 8 as well, the group's lawsuit states. "To allow an elected official to trump the will of the people by mere inaction and the lack of fulfillment of their duty to do their job would be an egregious violation of public trust," Pacific Legal Institute Brad Dacus said Tuesday. The institute brought its motion on behalf of Joshua Beckley, pastor of Ecclesia Christian Fellowship church in San Bernardino, and included with it a declaration of support from former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese III.

Equality California's Geoff Kos: "This is an outrageous attempt to try and force elected officials who have sworn to uphold the United States Constitution to defend a law that the Federal Court has found to be unconstitutional. It demonstrates their acknowledgement that the proponents of Proposition 8 lack standing to appeal, that the case should be dismissed and loving same-sex couples should be allowed to exercise their constitutional right to marry."

BREAKING: Schwarzenegger Files Motion To Immediately Resume Gay Marriages

WOW. The governator has totally done the unexpected.

In an extraordinary court filing, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked Friday that gay marriages be allowed to resume immediately in California after a federal ruling that the state's voter-approved ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. The Republican governor filed his brief with U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn R. Walker before a Friday deadline to submit arguments on whether to continue a stay of Walker's decision against Proposition 8. "The Administration believes the public interest is best served by permitting the Court's judgment to go into effect, thereby restoring the right of same-sex couples to marry in California," wrote Kenneth C. Mennemeier, an attorney representing Schwarzenegger, in the brief. "Doing so is consistent with California's long history of treating all people and their relationships with equal dignity and respect."

UPDATE: Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a motion opposing an extension of Judge Walker's stay.
2010.08.06 AG. Opp to Def Mtn for Stay

UPDATE II: Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights has posted the below explanation of what might happen next.

Minter notes that several California counties have indicated their readiness to begin issuing marriage licenses and performing civil ceremonies at once.

Schwarzenegger Reacts

"Judge Walker had the great responsibility of deciding whether Proposition 8 violates the Constitution of the United States. He heard in-depth arguments from both sides on fundamental questions of due process, equal protection and freedom from discrimination. There are strong feelings on both sides of this issue, and I am glad that all viewpoints were respected throughout the proceedings. We should also recognize that there will continue to be different points of view in the wake of this decision.

"For the hundreds of thousands of Californians in gay and lesbian households who are managing their day-to-day lives, this decision affirms the full legal protections and safeguards I believe everyone deserves. At the same time, it provides an opportunity for all Californians to consider our history of leading the way to the future, and our growing reputation of treating all people and their relationships with equal respect and dignity. Today's decision is by no means California's first milestone, nor our last, on America's road to equality and freedom for all people."

(Via - Rex Wockner)

LOS ANGELES: Evangelicals And Right-Wing Pols Rally For Israel

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann, and other GOP politicians joined evangelical and Jewish leaders in Los Angeles on Monday to speak before about 5000 pro-Israel protesters angry about international reaction to the Gaza flotilla raid. Near the end of the below clip, peace activist David Pine is shouted down by the crowd and called a "traitor" for suggesting that the only answer is a Palestine state.

Schwarzenegger: California Should Build Prisons In Mexico

The Governator thinks it might be good idea for California to build prisons in Mexico and ship the state's undocumented immigrant criminals there.

"We can do so much better, in the prison system alone, if we can go and take inmates – for instance, the 20,000 inmates that are illegal immigrants that are here – and get them to Mexico," Schwarzenegger said. "We pay them to build a prison down in Mexico and then we have those undocumented immigrants be down there in the prison," he added. "Half the cost to build the prisons and half the cost to run the prisons. That is money, again, a billion dollars right there that can go into higher education. That is an example of one of the things we do that is unnecessary spending." Schwarzenegger's idea had not been vetted. The Governor's Office was unable to answer, for instance, whether he would like to send all illegal immigrant prisoners to Mexico or just those who have Mexican citizenship.

Schwarzenegger wants the federal government to pay California $880M for housing undocumented immigrant prisoners.

Governator Signs Harvey Milk Day Bill

Yesterday California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill creating a Harvey Milk Day holiday.

Slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk will get a special day of recognition in California, making him only the second person in state history — in addition to conservationist John Muir — to gain such a designation. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's signing of the bill establishing "Harvey Milk Day" each May 22, Milk's birthday, was announced Monday. The Republican governor vetoed similar legislation a year ago. In the interim, Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in August and was the subject of a movie for which Sean Penn won the Academy Award for best actor. Penn spoke out in favor of the bill last spring, saying he didn't want to insult Schwarzenegger's intelligence by assuming the governor would again oppose creating Harvey Milk Day. "He has become much more of a symbol of the gay community than he was a year ago because of those things," Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said. "That made the difference from last year: he's really come to symbolize the gay community in California." In his veto message a year ago, the Republican governor said Milk should be honored locally by those who were most impacted by his contributions. He did not write a signing message this year saying why he flip-flopped.