Proud Members of the Reality-Based Community
posted by me Permalink
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Rev. Ken Hutcherson, pastor of Antioch Bible Church of Redmond, has said he plans to call for a boycott of Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and other businesses that openly support the gay rights bill which he claims to have pressured Microsoft out of supporting when it was narrowly defeated by only two votes in the Washington State legislature last year. He pulled the same crap May 9, 2005 and claimed he won when the measure was narrowly defeated.
He's announced on KIRO 7 television news' 11:00 p.m. broadcast on January 18, 2006, that he will be going on Focus on the Family radio Thursday January 19, 2006, to reveal how he plans to involve FOF members in attacks on pension plans, interfere with commerce of any company in Washington which supports the pending legislation in Washington. He's using Dobson's radio program to get people from outside of the state of Washington to interfere in our state's legislative process.
This is in response to events last week. Several companies, including Microsoft, Boeing, Hewlett Packard and Nike signed a letter urging passage of the measure, which would add "sexual orientation" to a state law that already bans discrimination.
This year, Republican state senator, Bill Finkbeiner, just stepped down as state Senate Minority Leader, will be voting "yea". He voted against the bill last year but has decided that it's unfair to the citizens of Washington not to vote for the legislation.
In 2005, the state House passed the bill 61-37. Six Republican state senators joined 55 Democrat state senators to pass it. The bill lost in state Senate, where two Democrats, Jim Hargrove of Hoquiam and Tim Sheldon of Potlatch, joined 23 Republicans in defeating the bill.
This year, the Washington state legislature appears to be going to pass the bill in both houses.
So why is Hutcherson pulling this crap? Hate. Pure hate.
You can contact Hutcherson to let him know he should focus on his church and not on interefering in the political process of Washington state, and not invite out of state interference from out of state based Focus on the Family.
Contact the Antioch Bible Church. Fax them if you can. Keep it clean, please. There's no reason to lower yourselves to his level of viciousness.
Antioch Bible Church of Redmond Washington Contact Information:
Address: 15135 NE 92nd Street Redmond, Wa 98052
Telephone: (425) 556-5905
Fax: (425) 556-1333
Information: Toll Free:1-877-BLKnWHT (877-255-6948)
Hours: Monday through Friday8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time)
While the coward's "missionaries" have published Email addresses on that website, neither the church itself nor the uber-right reverend has a published Email.
Also, it's time to revisit other ways to apply pressure on the not-so-loving Rev. Hutcherson. Don't forget the information which came to use via Karen of Kalifornia (thanks again).
Ken Hutcherson and Redmond Washington's Antioch Bible Churh, holds worship services in a public high school. The Lake Washington School District Human Dignity Policy takes a stand against such anti-human rights activities."Recognizing and valuing that we are a diverse community, it is part of our mission to provide a positive, harmonious environment in which diversity is respected and encouraged. A major aim of education in the Lake Washington School District is the development of a commitment to the core values of a democratic society. In accordance with this aim, the district strongly emphasizes a core value of mutual human respect for each person regardless of individual differences and/or, characteristics including for example, but not necessarily limited to race, gender, age, disability, physical condition, sexual orientation, ethnic group or religion. We expect this value to be manifested in the daily behaviors of students, staff and volunteers."
So, you can also write to the Lake Washington School District board and to the administration of Lake Washington High School. Ask them to explain why they allow this organization to meet on their campus, apparently in violation of their own Human Dignity Policy. Ask them to ensure that their resources aren't used to bring out-of-state pressure on the legislature of the State of Washington from outside lobbyists and money.
Ask them to explain to you how demanding that employees who support equal treatment under the law be fired from their jobs is 'respectful' or threatening their pension plan benefits, or interfering in the legislative operations of a state is fair.
Ask them to explain what is respectful about threatening not only Microsoft but Hewlett Packard and other employers, some of whom hire and provide income for some of their students is a benefit to their students or to to the tax base that keeps them in operation. Ask them again how allowing this bigot to use their facilities for operation is supporting equal treatment under the law for all residents of the state of Washington.Click here to send an e-mail to the following individuals.And please share you letters in the comments section.Lake Washington School District Board Members:Nany Bernard 425-702-3257Douglas Eglington 425-868-7218Robert Hughes 425-822-2604Jackie Pendergrass 425-821-1157Ravi Shahani 425-702-3257Lake Washington High SchoolPrincipal, Mark Robertson425-828-3371 x376425-828-3390 faxAssociate Principal, Brad Malloy425-828-3371 Ext 369Associate Prinicpal, Doug Wenk425-828-3371 Ext 368
posted by me Permalink
1 comments
54 US Senators today KILLED legislation establishing an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate what went so horribly wrong with Hurricane Katrina.
76% of Americans want an independent bipartisan commission, like the one that investigated the 9/11 attacks, to investigate what went wrong. In fact, according to the same poll, Americans of all stripes, Republicans and Democrats, are united behind their support for such a commission (64% of all Republicans and 83% of all Democrats want a commission) even though they were aware that the Republicans in Congress are doing their own biased and partisan investigation (see below).
So why did every Republican US Senator (save the Senator from Louisiana, who simply didn't vote) vote AGAINST forming this independent, bipartisan commission to investigate what went so horribly wrong, and to find out how we avoid an even larger catastrophe the next time Osama attacks a major American city with a chemical, biological or nuclear bomb?
It's time to find out.
posted by GreyHawk Permalink
13 comments
Today's NY Times is reporting
Under the command of President Bush's two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan this weekend to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.It orchestrated visits by cabinet members to the region, leading up to an extraordinary return visit by Mr. Bush planned for Monday, directed administration officials not to respond to attacks from Democrats on the relief efforts, and sought to move the blame for the slow response to Louisiana state officials, according to Republicans familiar with the White House plan.The effort is being directed by Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, Karl Rove, and his communications director, Dan Bartlett.
"Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said."
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
2 comments
Starbuck’s promotional program called “The Way I See It”Starbucks welcomes your comments. Write them a nice note of support. And don’t forget to copy your note so you can paste it into a reply to the screechy ‘concerned’ ladies.
– a collection of thoughts provided by notable figures appearing on the
company’s coffee cups – has raised the hackles of one of the country’s most
strident anti-gay, anti-women’s rights groups in the country.
The Concerned Women of America, a “traditional family values” organization run by Beverly LaHaye, wife of fundamentalist preacher Rev. Tim Lahaye, a Christian broadcaster, has targeted Starbucks for promoting “homosexual values” by including quotes from gay individuals on their coffee cups, and for the company’s support of a San Diego gay pride event.
[…] “All I could think was ‘Starbucks hates children.”
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
0 comments
Parents of fallen soldiers and war veterans stood with Ald. James Balcer Monday to publicly denounce the actions of an anti-gay, anti-American religious group that holds rallies at soldiers' funerals.Send a message to the Chicago City Council and the Chicago Tribune, that gays and our families do not appreciate being ignored for years, in the face of Phelps' fascism, while veterans suddenly can get a resolution and other actions against Phelps.
Standing before the eternal flame in Daley Plaza, Balcer, who represents the 11th Ward, called the actions of members of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., hateful.
"We believe these protesters have stooped as low as possible," he said. "Those who are protecting our nation provide the fundamental right of the 1st Amendment. But to protest at funerals is wrong."
Jim Frazier, whose son, Jacob, was killed in Afghanistan in 2003, spoke at the news conference, saying American families had the right to bury their loved ones in peace.
"Our freedom of speech is the cornerstone of what makes America great and must be maintained," Frazier said. "But as a society of compassionate human beings, we can and should vehemently, and I mean vehemently, reject the abuse and fraudulent use of our most fundamental right."
Welcome to our world.
Welcome to a country where you have to endure persecution and discrimination in the name of "freedom of speech" and "separation of church and state." It's the country we've had to endure for some time now.
You had no support for us when we had to go through this. Now that you are being targetted, we have no support for you either.
When we were being blamed for any negative developments in the United States, you shrugged and walked away. Now that you are being blamed, we are to drop everything and come to your aid.
Not happening.
The gay/lesbian/transgendered community will not speak up on your behalf any longer. If you want support, you will have to show some meaningful support yourself.
Why? Because this country was predicated on the good of ALL people. The reason we have this democratic republic is so that the minority viewpoint is NOT trampled underfoot by the majority. The LGBT community is definitely a minority, but our rights and our voices have been trod upon with regularity. So you're incensed that Fred Phelps' people are picketing your funerals? NOW you want help to stop them?
Phelps picketed Matthew Shepherd's funeral, protesting that a homosexual was being given a Christian funeral, on blessed ground. His family had to endure an obscene demonstration in the midst of their grief, and were forced to listen to Phelps proclaim that his murder was justified, and that the death of all homosexuals was required to regain God's favor.
Not content with that, Phelps also tried to disrupt and ban the performance of a play based on the events, as well as the movie which was made from the play. He has even gone so far as to claim that the movie defames and slanders the so-called reverend.
And Phelps also wants to erect a monument on the spot where Matthew died, celebrating the fact that another fag is dead.
Phelps also claims that the death of Dianne Whipple (the woman mauled to death in her apartment building by two vicious dogs) is also justified, because, he claims, she was a lesbian.
Phelps has also endeavored to disrupt the weddings of same-sex couples, in Oregon, Massachusetts, and San Francisco (New Paltz, last I heard, escaped his notice). If not for the support of loving friends and family, quite a few of our friends would have had their "special day" utterly ruined (by the way, we didn't see you there).
During all of this, your outrage was limited to a some idle or sorrowful conversation, or perhaps trading a few jokes at the expense of the fags and lezzies. Then you changed the channel.
In other words, since it wasn't "your ox being gored," you didn't feel necessary to speak out on our behalf.
We have developed ways to deal with Phelps, and we have not used them all yet. Every single one of them is legal, very ethical, and very effective.
And not one alderman, city council member, or other politician has stepped forward to help us.
Not one military unit has stepped forward to ask if they could help plan or participate in our Pride celebrations.
We repeat: If you want support, you will have to show some meaningful support yourself.
At the hands of Fred Phelps, America has been given a message:
Your ox is being gored.
Now, where did I put the remote?
Mail this to the reporter and the City Council of Chicago!
posted by MythBlade Permalink
9 comments
The White House and the Bush Administration have done it again. They are ignoring a woman who is actively seeking an audience with the President. And they don't care how much of the country really wants to see them provide an answer.
The essay below says it all. It's up on the TPMCafe, and was written by TruePatriot, of the USPatriotsUnited blog.
*reprinted with permission from USPatriotsUnited/TruePatriot*
This week, we as a nation watch as one citizen travels to see the President and demand an audience. Many are angered, even outraged, at the avoidance of this woman by the man currently holding what is, arguably, the most powerful office in the world. Many more citizens fly to her aid, both physically and spiritually, as she is blatantly ignored for demanding an explanation.
If one looks at this from a distant perspective, it would appear that the citizen is attempting to engage the leader in an accounting of his decisions and actions that have led to the loss of her son. This is, of course, both her right and duty. And his responsibility, as a leader, is to address her.
Our latest essay, "Holding America to Her Principles", specifically addresses the issue of accountability, and the role that citizens play by enforcing their right to demand it. It is one of the cornerstones upon which our nation has been built. True US Patriots have a right and a duty to dissent, holding their leaders accountable for the actions and decisions occurring under their watch. It is one of the unofficial checks and balances, and it is solely in the hands of the people to employ in order to preserve freedom.
"Dissent is the mark of freedom." - Jacob Bronowski
We have heard that, as of Thursday, when the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense both appear to meet with the President, Cindy Sheehan will be arrested as a threat to national security.
We have yet to see any indication of a threat to national security by this woman. Many others appear to agree. So, what legal right does anyone have to deny this woman her freedom?
"Stripped of ethical rationalizations and philosophical pretensions, a crime is anything that a group in power chooses to prohibit." – Freda Adler
Simply having the power to make the laws does not empower one to abuse the founding tenets of freedom. Misuse and misapplication of the laws in order to shield a political figure – however powerful – from a citizen who is adhering to her Constitutional right to demand accountability by her President is nothing short of criminal. It is most certainly unconstitutional. One would expect that if a person shall be intentionally, unconstitutionally jailed then the writ of habeas corpus would be suspended. Have we engaged in another Civil War somewhere, and have all our Civil Courts have been forcibly closed down to permit such a measure?
Or does something darker still loom ahead of us? Have we lost our liberties, or our rights to exercise them?
"It is not the fact of liberty but the way in which liberty is exercised that ultimately determines whether liberty itself survives. " – Dorothy Thompson
The past few years have shown a very disturbing trend, where “free speech zones” have been designated to keep dissent out of the public eye. We have watched the gradual erosion and marginalization of our right, our role, as the ones to whom the leaders must be ultimately accountable. And for the most part, we have not noticed or been moved to reject attempts to minimize the importance of accountability to the public.
"None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free." – Goethe
Our system of government has been described as one "of the People, by the People, and for the People". The current trend toward the unprecedented expansion of powers concentrated in the hands of the Executive Branch threatens to tear the very fabric of that basic belief asunder.
"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." – Lord Acton
Our current leader won his path to power on the claim of “moral values”. The unspoken assumption made when this term is used is the presumption of accountability, sprinkled with a touch of wisdom. Wouldn’t it be prudent, then, for such a leader to show compassion and speak with a citizen who has made the extraordinary effort to speak with him? Or have the words of Lord Acton begun to ring true?
To all our fellow citizens, we ask you to support this True US Patriot, and help her in her effort to exercise that which is both her right and duty: ask the President for real answers, and hold him accountable for his actions.
Let's help out and do our part as "True Patriots". Let's hold the President accountable, and tell him to answer Cindy.
Click below to send a letter to the President and Vice President, telling them that the President must perform all his duties, not just those he wants to address. Urge them to send the President out to speak with Cindy.
Click Here to Email the President and Vice President
Thank you, for your assistance.
posted by GreyHawk Permalink
0 comments
On July 4th, 1776, in response to a rule of government that trivialized the will of the people, the people of this nation got together and wrote a document that rejected that government, citing the unalienable rights and freedoms believed to belong to all men.
On September 17, 1787, another document, written by and for the people of this nation, outlined a system of government designed to guarantee, foster, and protect those freedoms.
On July 4, 2005, the people decided that the government and media needed to be reminded who this nation belonged to.
Another document was written.
This document spoke not of separation, but of unification. It did not outline new rights or freedoms, but recalled instead those which had been compromised.
We, the People of the United States of America, finding ourselves repeatedly misled by those charged with the care and governance of our nation, know that partisan politics have resulted in a serious breach of the public trust.
We have suffered attacks against our Constitutional rights and the founding tenets of this Democratic Republic.We have suffered the infringement of our freedoms.We have suffered insult to our honor and integrity as proud citizens.
We will no longer suffer in silence this continued assault that has now passed beyond intolerable.
We do hereby now and forever reject the bastardization of this nation's core principles through this proclamation, and define this reminder to our wayward leaders just what it takes to be a True US Patriot...Those opening words echo several of our nation's founding documents. The 'Ten Characteristics' goes on and makes frequent references to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the poem "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus (which is the poem inscribed on a plaque at the base of the Statue of Liberty). The movie, released anonymously upon the internet today, was based upon the document "Ten Characteristics of 'A True US Patriot'". That document, like our Declaration of Independence, was written by a collection of concerned citizens who - like our founding fathers - saw major discrepancies between the government and the people.
posted by GreyHawk Permalink
2 comments
"But Cameron’s methodology is simply bad science, said Ronald Valdiserri, deputy director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. [The CDC] does not collect statistics on the lifespan of gay men,” Valdiserri said. “While gay men continue to be severely impacted by HIV and AIDS, AIDS-related death data cannot be used to indicate that homosexual men live shorter lives than heterosexual men overall.”
http://www.washblade.com/2005/6-17/view/actionalert/weird.cfm
It has come to my attention that an article by Paul Cameron appears in Psychological Reports (2005;96:693-697).
Paul Cameron's organization, the Family Research Institute, has been designated as a hate goup by the Southern Poverty law center. Cameron has been producing virulent anti-gay hate literature for decades.
Cameron was dropped from membership in the American Psychological Association in 1984 for ethical violations concerning his biased research. That same year, the Psychological Association in his home state of Nebraska adopted a formal resolution disassociating itself from Cameron's work. Read the October 3, 1994 New Republic Article About Paul Cameron.
In 1985, a federal judge concluded that Cameron had engaged in "fraud" and "misrepresentation" when he testified in a gay-related case in Texas. (Baker v. Wade, 106 Federal Rules Decisions 526 [N.D. Texas, 1985]) Judge Buchmeyer of the U.S. District Court of Dallas referred to "Cameron's sworn statement that 'homosexuals abuse children at a proportionately greater incident than do heterosexuals,'" and concluded that "Dr. Paul Cameron...has himself made misrepresentations to this Court" and that "There has been no fraud or misrepresentations except by Dr. Cameron"
On page 536 of his opinion, Judge Buchmeyer noted the following examples of misrepresentations by Cameron to the Court:
"(i) his sworn statement that "homosexuals are approximately 43
times more apt to commit crimes than is the general population" is a total
distortion of the Kinsey data upon which he relies which, as is obvious to
anyone who reads the report, concerns data from a non-representative sample of
delinquent homosexuals (and Dr. Cameron compares this group to college and
non-college heterosexuals);
(ii) his sworn statement that "homosexuals abuse
children at a proportionately greater incident than do heterosexuals" is based
upon the same distorted data and, the Court notes, is directly contrary to
other evidence presented at trial besides the testimony of Dr. Simon and Dr.
Marmour. (553 F. Supp. 1121 at 1130 n.18.)"
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
4 comments
posted by me Permalink
0 comments
"We put warning labels on cigarette packs because we know that smoking takes one to two years off the average life span, yet we 'celebrate' a lifestyle that we know spreads every kind of sexually transmitted disease and takes at least 20 years off the average life span according to the 2005 issue of the revered scientific journal Psychological Reports*," said Rev. Bill Banuchi, executive director of the New York Christian Coalition.Is it any wonder that the Southern Poverty Law Center's Mark Potok had this to say about Christian hate groups?
"Their tone [against homosexuality] has become quite amazing after the Lawrence decision. What was really striking was while the Klan and neo-Nazis spoke out against the Lawrence decision, the really vicious statements came from well-known leaders of the Christian right."Potok went on to say that personal vilification and the false science against gay men and lesbians issued by institutions of the religious right are not only hateful, but dangerous.
“Our bailiwick is extremism,” he said. “We’ve avoided the Christian Right in the past, and we don’t feel we’ve expanded to include the Christian Right — we feel very strongly they have entered our world [of extremism]. ... They have gone absolutely wild. The level of personal demonization was really quite remarkable. We felt we had to say, ‘Thus far, no further.'"
"It is quite remarkable how they claim to hate the sin but love the sinner. That’s an absurd claim. We have reports that clearly show this kind of rhetoric paves the way to violence. Without question, gay men and lesbians are the most attacked group — and the hate crimes toward them are more violent."Mark Potok is the editor of SPLC's Intelligence Report. It most recent issue focuses on the activities of Christian hate groups in an article titled Holy War, by Bob Moser.
*Psychological Reports is little more than a vanity publication to which writers pay $27.50 per page to have articles printed.
Click here to send an e-mail to Rev. Bill Banuchi, executive director of the Christian Coalition. Tell him exactly what you think of his Neo-Nazism and references to fraudulent 'research'.
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
1 comments
Don't let free internet access fade away!
The mechanisms to remove and limit internet access are once again in motion. A recent proposal in the House aims to curtail public (government/municpal) free access to the internet in any area where such access is provided by a corporation for a fee.
A Republican from Texas introduced a bill called Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005 (yet another example of intentionally misleading the public through the use of language). This bill would prevent municipal offerings of broadband access in any areas where a corporation offering similar services exists...
Between limiting access to paying customers, the continued existence of the Patriot Acts I & II, and the attempts to discredit bloggers and limit their capacity, the NeoConservatives and Republicans are brutally assailing one of the core principles upon which this nation was founded - the freedom of speech and expression.
Internet under attack in CongressA bill just introduced in the House could destroy universal, affordable Internet access everywhere. The “Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act” (H.R. 2726) would let big cable and telecom companies shut down Community Internet and municipal broadband projects being planned across the country.
The bill would prevent state or local governments from providing “any telecommunications service, information service or cable service” anywhere a corporation offers a similar service.
[...]
...is this the fall of our last bastion of freedom, or just another attempt to stifle free speech and freedom of expression? The outcome depends on us, and making ourselves heard.
Do your part:
Send an email to John Conyers, AMERICABlog, and BradBlog and submit this tidbit to the DailyKOS, asking that they provide additional coverage on this.
Read more about the bill here, and sign the Free Press petition:
Free Press - Internet under attack in Congress
Here's the official docket regarding the bill:
Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005 (Introduced in House)
We are fast losing one of our most valuable national resources - an asset which has proven itself time and again as truly helping "empower the people". Please help prevent the curtailment of public, free internet access for all people.
posted by GreyHawk Permalink
0 comments
"... the Lake Washington Education Association "leadership says
Hutcherson's presence at Lake Washington High implies that his beliefs are
condoned by the district, goes against the district's human dignity policy,
brings unwanted attention to the school and promotes intolerance."
"The Lake Washington Education Association strongly condemns the
bigoted views of Dr. Ken Hutcherson," union President Kevin Teeley wrote in the
organization's recent newsletter."
"It comes down to almost an all-or-nothing situation, based onGosh, how on earth does that policy restrict anyone's freedom of speech? Enforcement of the school district policy wouldn't prevent the anti-gay preacher from preaching hate and promoting discrimination. It would simply tell him he'd have to do so elsewhere.
First Amendment jurisprudence, If we rent a facility for the use of a church, we
can't typically restrict access to another group with which we have
disagreements (over) the point of view they're expressing."
"Former Lake Washington High librarian Lee Bates, now at Inglewood Junior High, addressed the school board last night, upset at the treatment of a group of gay rights supporters who visited Antioch.
The activists were told they would have to sit in a separate section unless they removed their
rainbow armbands. The visitors eventually chose to remove their armbands and sat wherever they wanted.
"It is not about the pastor's beliefs but his treatment of people that is in question," said Bates, husband of former Lake Washington Superintendent Karen Bates."
He cited the district's human dignity and harassment policies, which encourage respect and non-harassment of people, regardless of their sexual orientation, among other differences or
characteristics.
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
2 comments
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
1 comments
Our media has failed to serve the interests of the public and the nation.
In the past several years, news outlets and media coverage has been steadily feeding the American people a diet of "Shock and Awe", flash and glitter, and "believe it or not". What we have not been served is hard core news and information - the kind that helps ensure that a free and Democratic society is functioning. The type of information that helps citizens know not only the current events of the nation that impact the nation as a whole, but also the information which pertains to and affects cities, towns, states, and our nation's interaction with the world. Events of the day - big and small - that have meaning are falling by the wayside or suffering from a dearth of reporting in favor of "pablum"-like filler stories, the type of thing which might make a good gossip column or brainless entertainment show. And our nation has suffered for it, both in domestic and foreign affairs. Right now, a serious breach of the public trust appears to have occurred with regard to the role of Bush Administration in the approach to the war in Iraq. Yet, news of this serious breach - an impeachable offense for the crime of misleading the public and failure to execute and uphold the oath of office, and also a likely act of treason for undermining national security and the public trust - has only been reported outside of the United States. Why? Don't let this go unreported. It is the duty of all American citizens - all who call themselves Patriots, who pride themselves in the founding tenets of the Declaration of Independence and outlined within the Constitution - to insist on the highest quality of information available in a democracy. If you are an American, and a Patriotic American, then let this be your opportunity to remind the media of its duty to report the news, to keep the nation informed, and to help us ensure that the "news of the day" goes neither unreported nor unnoticed.
Clicking the link "Email the media and demand real information" will open a new email message for you to send to the following media outlets:
The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Oklahoman, The Dallas Morning News, The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch, The Chicago Tribune, The Guardian (UK), The Seattle Times, News 9 in Oklahoma, The Miami Herald, USA Today, The Washington Post, CNN, C-SPAN, Justice Talking (NPR), and yes, even Faux (FOX) News.
Send the following message to the media outlets listed above by copying the message below, then clicking here. Paste the letter below into the new message, and click send. :)
Email the media and demand real information
To the editors and news managers:In the past several years, news outlets and media coverage has been steadily feeding the American people a diet of "Shock and Awe", flash and glitter, and "believe it or not". What we have not been served is hard core news and information - the kind that helps ensure that a free and Democratic society is functioning. The type of information that helps citizens know not only the current events of the nation that impact the nation as a whole, but also the information which pertains to and affects cities, towns, states, and our nation's interaction with the world.
Events of the day - big and small - that have meaning are falling by the wayside or suffering from a dearth of reporting in favor of "pablum"-like filler stories, the type of thing which might make a good gossip column or brainless entertainment show.
And our nation has suffered for it, both in domestic and foreign affairs.
Right now, a serious breach of the public trust appears to have occurred with regard to the role of Bush Administration in the approach to the war in Iraq. Yet, news of this serious breach - an impeachable offense for the crime of misleading the public and failure to execute and uphold the oath of office, and also a likely act of treason for undermining national security and the public trust - is apparently only being reported outside of the United States.
We, the people of the United States, need the American media to begin reporting real news - all the news. We, the people for whom you report the news, are depending upon you to keep us informed.
We need to see more information about the recent revelations concerning this Administration, in order to be informed and to assist us in our role as American citizens. We have relied upon your reporting in the past, and now we find ourselves turning to other countries for news of our own.
Please stop this shameful trend.
Provide us with the information we require, particularly during this time when several important issues face our nation.
Thank you.
posted by GreyHawk Permalink
2 comments
Gay poster multiplies in Troy High
School hangs four more; move further angers some who have fought to ban them.
"A poster at Troy High School that reads "Gay People are Everyday People" appears to be multiplying instead of coming down.
Some parents have been fighting the Troy School District for more than a year to have the poster removed from an English classroom, claiming it promotes sexuality and a homosexual lifestyle.
But the maker of the poster said the school's English department has decided to go the other direction, ordering 25 more copies.
[...]
District spokesman Tim McAvoy confirmed that at least four new posters went up recently.
The poster originally went up in 2003 at the request of the student group Human Equal Rights Organization, which was doing a project on tolerance. It portrays five teenagers surrounded by photos of professionals such as caterers, mail carriers, musicians and teachers.
"The students requested the poster to show all people deserve respect and tolerance, and should not be harassed for any reason," McAvoy said. "The poster ensures student safety through a message of tolerance and respect."
"the posters promote a sexual lifestyle that is against Judeo-Christian beliefs. It should not even be acknowledged to youth, much less promoted. ... I am here to censor their attempts to promote that lifestyle on my children. We do not want them to try and change our children."
"We don't consider the word 'gay' any more sexual than the word 'marriage."And, of course, she's absolutely right.
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
1 comments
A judge in Indiana inserted an offensive paragraph into a couple's divorce decree. The ruling prohibits the couple from exposing their child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals." The Republican judge, the "Honorable" Cale J. Bradford, is the presiding judge for the Marion Superior Courts. The offending verbiage claims that, as the child attends a local Catholic school, the divergent beliefs could cause confusion for the child.
The order was based upon a confidential report prepared by the Domestic Relations Counseling Bureau. The confidential report states "There is a discrepancy between Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones' lifestyle and the belief system adhered to by the parochial school. . . . Ms. Jones and Mr. Jones display little insight into the confusion these divergent belief systems will have upon (the boy) as he ages," according to an article in the online site for the Indianapolis Staran article in the online site for the Indianapolis Star, written by Kevin Corcoran.
This blatantly unconstitutional provision is being fiercely contested by both parents, as it should be.
Do your part to help.
Ask Mark Lee, the Executive Assistant of the Indiana Democratic Party to urge his party members to help support the ICLU and the Jones family in their efforts to fight this "activist judge" and his flagrant violation of the Constitutional rights of parents to determine the religious indoctrination of their children.
A direct email address for the Marion County Courts is not available on the web, but you can also make your voice heard by filling out the contact form for the Marion County website here.
posted by GreyHawk Permalink
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Protest the Whitewashing of Galloway's Testimony from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation's website
Don't let the shenanigans of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations go unchallenged. Read the excerpt below, check out the story, download a copy of the transcript and the video for posterity (in case it suddenly becomes 'unavailable'), and - most importantly - write, fax, and email the committee members. Demand that Galloway's testimony be added back to the site.
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations is failing to maintain consistency and integrity in their investigation of the Oil-for-food scandal. In their haste to implicate MP George Galloway, they bit off more than they could chew. Galloway unloaded both barrels in a verbal dressing-down the likes of which we have yet to see from our own media in response to the repeated lies and distortions of the Bush Administration.
Oddly enough, Galloway's testimony has been 'scrubbed' from the Senate website. Reported from BradBlog, with links to the original story and links to the testimony, below:
Chairman Coleman's Office Passes Buck for Explanation!The stunning testimony given by British MP George Galloway before the U.S. Senate subcommittee on Investigations is apparently so hot that it seems to have "gone AWOL" from the subcommittee's...
The stunning testimony given by British MP George Galloway before the U.S. Senate subcommittee on Investigations is apparently so hot that it seems to have "gone AWOL" from the subcommittee's website according to the British newsite VNU Network.
The BRAD BLOG can confirm that all witness testimony -- except that of Galloway's -- from last Tuesday's extraordinary hearings is available in PDF format on the subcommittee's webpage on the hearings.
At those hearings, Galloway blasted subcommittee Chairman Sen Norm Coleman's (R-MN) investigation into the U.N. Oil-for-Food "scandal" which Galloway referred to as "the mother of all smokescreens".
That testimony can be read and/or viewed here.
We have been unable to receive a statement from Senate spokesmen as yet as to why Galloway's testimony is now unavailable on the website.
A staffer in Coleman's office referred us to the subcommittee staff when we asked for the reasons for "the removal of the testimony". Her reply: "That's a question for the subcommittee. Senator Coleman is the chairman, but the committee makes their own decisions about what goes on the website."
We were forwarded to the subcommittee's voice mail where we left a message. If we receive a call back, we will let you know.[...]
Here at MailToBlog, we're going to do you one better. Here's a direct link to the testimony, and a link to the video below it.
Transcript of Galloway's testimony to the SenateDownload a copy of the video portion of the testimony here, for posterity -
Galloway - download the Quicktime excerpt
http://homepage.mac.com/onegoodmove/movies/galloway.mov
It is a good idea to keep track of this stuff while it's still accessible. And it's an even better idea to take action, and share the contents of the transcript and the video far and wide. Play it often, and everywhere. Download it to PDAs, if your PDA plays QT, and play it for others...or convert it to WMV and import it to PDAs to play via Media Player. Question why it isn't being addressed.
Most importantly, write / call / fax / email the members of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Demand that Galloway's testimony be added back to the site.
The member names and contact information is below.
To send an email to Senators Coleman, Carper, Chafee, Akaka, and Lautenberg, click here.
Web-based contact forms are available for the other congressfolk. Here are the other members, and their contact information. Remember to copy the text of the message you send so that you can paste it into the forms for the others.
Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) [Ranking Minority Member]
http://levin.senate.gov/contact/index.cfmSen. John W. Warner (R-VA)
http://warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.htmSen. Mark Dayton (D-MN)
http://dayton.senate.gov/contact/email.cfmSen. Mark Pryor (D-AR)
http://www.conservativeusa.org/it_wmail_828@pryor-it01.senate.govSen. Pete V. Domenici (R-NM)
http://domenici.senate.gov/contact/contactform.cfmSen. Robert F. Bennett (R-UT)
http://bennett.senate.gov/contact/email_form.htmlSen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
http://stevens.senate.gov/contact_form.cfmSen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
http://coburn.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
The committee phone number is 202-224-3721 for the Republicans, and 202-224-9175 for the Democrats, if you'd rather call direct.
posted by GreyHawk Permalink
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Calculated Compassion: "The growing prominence of the ex-gay movement is the result of a strategic shift within the Christian Right: the new packaging of an old message. The claim that gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people can be "cured" has more to do with the Right's political objectives and its bitter opposition to equal rights than with genuine caring. This report examines how the Christian Right has adopted the ex-gay movement in response to increasing pressure to soften its homophobic rhetoric."
--- Political Research Associates
The Ex-Gay Fraud: "No Bible basis exists for the so called "Ex-Gay" movement that has sprung up in the past 15 years in many denominations and independent religious groups. No scientific basis exists for the 'reparative therapy' to "cure" homosexuals or "deliver" people from their homosexuality. Claims of such cures and deliverance do not hold up under close examination."
--- Dr. Rembert S. Truluck, Author of Steps to Recovery From Bible Abuse
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
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"We, unlike Nazi Germany or Mussolini's Italy, have never stopped being a nation of laws, not of men," Byrd said. "But witness how men with motives and a majority can manipulate law to cruel and unjust ends."
Byrd then quoted historian Alan Bullock, saying Hitler "turned the law inside out and made illegality legal."
"Senator Byrd's inappropriate remarks comparing his Republican colleagues with Nazis are inexcusable," Santorum said in a statement yesterday. "These comments lessen the credibility of the senator and the decorum of the Senate. He should retract his statement and ask for pardon."
"And the audacity of some members to stand up and say, 'How dare you break this rule." It's the equivalent of Adolf Hitler in 1942, "I'm in Paris. How dare you invade me. How dare you bomb my city? It's mine.' This is no more the rule of the Senate than it was the rule of the Senate
before not to filibuster.
"Referencing Hitler was meant to dramatize the principle of an argument, not to characterize my Democratic colleagues." He says he "meant no offense".
posted by Mike in Texas Permalink
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"a Troy High School classroom poster with a message that "gay people are everyday people," has ignited protests from some parents at the suburban Detroit school.
One of the parents, Anthony Cruz, 49, said he expects about 80 people to join the protest at the next Troy School Board meeting, on May 17. He said the problem with the poster is that the school is supposed to concentrate on academics and leave other matters for after-school time and activities.
Instead, the classroom poster has a "a captive audience," in students, Cruz told The Daily Tribune of Royal Oak. He has two daughters at the school.
Troy School District spokesman Tim McAvoy said Superintendent Janet H. Jopke has met with some parents over the poster and will continue to talk to them about it. He said the poster promotes safety and tolerance.
"We do not allow our students to be harassed for any reason. It is an issue of tolerance," McAvoy said."
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David Virtue's latest escapade was to launch another accusation at Bishop Robinson from his right-wing extremist 'christian' website. Virtue accused Bishop Robinson of implying that Jesus was gay.
NH bishop denies suggesting Christ was gay
Union Leader and Telegraph 4/5/2005
The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire yesterday denounced published reports that said he had suggested Jesus Christ might have been homosexual.
The reports stemmed from remarks Bishop V. Gene Robinson made in February while speaking at Christ Church of Hamilton and Wenham, a conservative Episcopalian congregation in Massachusetts. Some religious conservatives took Robinson's words as implying Christ might have been homosexual, but yesterday Robinson denounced that idea.
"I can assure you with absolute certainty that was not my implication, and certainly not anything I ever said," Robinson said in a phone interview. "I am furious for my remarks to be interpreted in a way as to mean something I never said.
"My office is being flooded with angry messages from around the country, and from around the world, about something I never said," Robinson said later in that interview.
Robinson's remarks were first reported upon by David Virtue, a religion writer who originally wrote about them on his Web site, VirtueOnline, at www.virtueonline.org. From there, the story spread to various blogs and then to right-leaning publications, including the Telegraph, a national newspaper based in London, England, which reported on the matter Sunday.
[...]
Let's let David Virtue have a taste of his own medicine. Let him experience what a flood of angry messages is like, this time angry messages that result from his own actions, not something dreamed up by a third party. Remind David about what the Bible says about people who lie and plot in order to victimize the innocent and create division.
Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to do evil, the false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
Tell David Virtue exactly what you think about his deplorable behavior.
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Bishop's careful apology fails to end dispute
The morning after San Diego's Roman Catholic bishop apologized to a family after canceling their gay son's funeral Mass, he left two voicemail messages for an evangelical Christian activist who crusades against homosexuality."James, please take my call," Bishop Robert Brom said Tuesday into the answering machine of James Hartline, a Hillcrest man who supported canceling the funeral. "I have to explain how it's all wrong and how I was done in. We need to talk and we need to meet. Please call me back immediately."
In a second message, the bishop sounded more urgent: "This is Bishop Brom begging you to call me back. I did not cave in. I stood for our position and I still do, but I need to explain and I need your help."
Hartline said he never returned Brom's calls. Instead, he played the messages for a reporter, saying he was outraged by the bishop's "totally spineless" apology to the family of John McCusker, a nightclub owner who died earlier this month. The bishop had banned a Catholic service for McCusker, citing what the diocese considered his sinful business activities.
[...]
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March 17, 2005
Diocese of San Diego denies Catholic funeral rites to bar owner
A member of the Greater San Diego Business Association and owner of two gay bars has been denied a funeral at the University of San Diego and in any Catholic church or chapel in the Diocese of San Diego.
Well isn't that just special, folks? Let's all thank the Catholic Church for its attempt to start pogroms in the US.
John McCusker, 31, owner of Club Montage and ReBar, two local gay nightspots, died early March 13. McCusker suffered an apparent heart attack while at the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort on vacation. The bars are closed indefinitely according to a notice on the Club Montage Web site....
A 1996 graduate of USD, McCusker's family wanted to have the funeral service there, but was denied after church officials received information about him and his businesses...
"We all know what this is about," Joyce Marieb executive director of the Greater San Diego Business Association said, who knew McCusker for the past five and a half years. "They [the Catholic Church] claim they've buried other gay people and that it's because of the bar aspect."
Yes we all do know what this is about. This is the Catholic Church, not individual Catholics but the Vatican, doing its damnedest to create an atmosphere of hatred for LGBT folks across the nation, even those who aren't Catholic. This is the Catholic Church attempting to impose its own particular brand of spiritual violence on all of the citizens of this country.
A statement released earlier Thursday by Rodrigo Valdivia, chancellor for the Diocese of San Diego, explains the church's actions.
"The facts regarding the business activity of John McCusker were not known by church officials when arrangements were requested for his funeral. When these facts became known the bishop of San Diego concluded that to avoid public scandal Mr. McCusker can't be granted a funeral in a Catholic church or chapel in the Diocese of San Diego..."
WHAT PUBLIC SCANDAL? A pillar of the business community has died. He was respected and loved by other business men and women in San Diego and he always had time to help others. He paid his taxes, put back into the community more than he took from it.
"His business is adult entertainment, which is inconsistent with Catholic teaching" Valdivia said. "People would be scandalized that the church granted a funeral to a person who had this type of business activity."
Isn't that just utter codswallop? Spanish Inquistion, eh, what, Rodrigo? Wouldn't it be nice if no one had to expect the Spanish Inquisition for a change?
But, according to Valdivia, the Catholic Church does not consider all bars and clubs "adult entertainment."
"There's a lot of different things that can play into what would make a business activity something that was notoriously against Catholic teaching or not. It would not necessarily be if (the club) was gay or not."
When asked what about McCusker or his business goes against Catholic teaching, Valdivia said he couldn't say, for legal reasons.
Yeah, right. What a god damned liar, literally. What a cowardly little man in an ugly black dress.
Marieb also said there will be a community meeting on Monday at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of San Diego to discuss this issue.
If you can offer some assistance or support to them, contact them via Email; or if you're local you might call (619) 692-2077
McCusker's memorial service is now planned for 11 a.m., March 18 at St. Paul's Cathedral, an Episcopal church.
Burn up the phone lines and Email conduits. Contact the Catholic Diocese of San Diego and let them know what you think about their totally inhumane, not to mention un-Christian, hate and bigotry. Phone: 858-490-8200. Better yet, Email them
posted by me Permalink
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"Academy School District 20 won’t show students a children’s music video that conservative groups have denounced for promoting acceptance of gay lifestyles. [...]
"The four-minute video features about 100 popular cartoon characters and puppets — including SpongeBob SquarePants, Kermit the Frog, Big Bird and Barney — singing 'We Are Family.'"
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