My nephew Jax just started at a new school-a Catholic grade school-and he really likes it.It's not like the Catholic school my dad went to.I think they have realised that Catholic school has a certain image, and they want kids in this generation to come away from the experience with good memories of going to Catholic school.
(I challenge you to not have that song stuck in your head now... mwauahhaha)
On a stupid note:
Personally that song bores me. Who HASN'T kissed a girl? Puh-lease. I'm not a big fan, but I do feel bad that she has fools for parents. WTF?
On a happy note:
She kissed a girl and now they are going to live happily ever after.
(collective "Awwwwww")
What an EXCELLENT turn of events! It seems that Massachusetts will now extend the right to marry in their state to out-of-state individuals. This includes homosexual and hetersexual couples. Bravo to them!
Its about time that people recognize that marriage is not the invention of religion. No one religious group should be allowed to define the contractual binding of two consenting adults. No religious gorup should be given preference. So the extension of marriage rights to all consenting adults is WONDERFUL!
I am also encouraged by forward thinking individuals that understand that marriage is a constantly changing institution. If only others would accept the changes in marriage and quit claiming ownership of the institution. If these people REALLY want a traditional marriage - they need to treat it as a property exchange. The father of the bride (or brother if daddy is dead) is transferring ownership of the woman to another man. That is what marriage was - do we really want to go back to that?
Now, maybe my Aunt Brenda and her life partner can marry the next time they visit her niece in Massachusetts.
]]>Kick Bolthouse Farms Out Of Your Refrigerator
William Bolthouse, founder and 43% owner of Bolthouse Farms, a farm in California that provides organic juices, lemonades, and smoothies to places like Whole Foods and other organic market places, has just recently given a donation of $100,000 to proponents of a campaign to strip California couples of the right to marry...
...company spokespeople for Bolthouse Farms will iterate that they do not donate directly to any campaigns. But their owner, William Bolthouse, uses the profits from the sales of their organic drinks to fund his noxious political views. In addition to funding the initiative to strip Californians of their marriage rights, his foundation, the Bolthouse Foundation, is a major donor to the Alliance Defense Fund, the right's response to the ACLU...
...Please take a moment and let Bolthouse Farms and their distributors know that you will no longer be purchasing their organic products, because even though they are organic, they come with some nasty side effects...
Speak out now!
The William Bolthouse Foundation is a major donor to the Alliance Defense Fund. The Foundation receives all of its donations from William and Nora Bolthouse, i.e. money coming from the sale of their organic juice products.
William Bolthouse has given money to the campaigns of George W. Bush and Gay Bauer.
We need to just say no to Bolthouse Juices.
Click Here to join the boycott!
Edit:
You may receive an email from Bolthouse Farms that states:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments with us.
The Bolthouse Foundation is a private foundation funded by some
of the former owners of Wm. Bolthouse Farms, Inc. The foundation
is a separate entity and is not connected to Bolthouse Farms in
any way. Furthermore, they do not receive financial support or
benefit from the profits of Bolthouse Farms. We appreciate your
concern and apologize for the confusion. Thank you for taking
the time to contact us, and we hope you will continue to enjoy
our products.
One problem with their explanation:
The Foundation is funded completely by William and
Nora Bolthouse, who own 43% of Bolthouse Farms. The financial
support may not be direct, but it still exists.
and
The foundation gets all of its money, according to its 990, from
William and Nora Bolthouse. And they get their money from their
family business, Bolthouse Farms.
Alright so, today was Pride in Seattle. Let me start by saying it was absolutely beautiful. But today I experienced something quite odd for gay friendly Seattle. I have never been so disappointed in the people of this city in a very long time.
Happy Gay Pride to the World! It's a Gay Holiday Weekend! Enjoy the video :>)
Michelle and Barack Obama are both people of courage. They have earned my respect and my vote.
Michelle Obama says Barack Obama will fight for gay equality
By Samantha Gross – 1 day ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Barack Obama will fight for equal rights for gays just as he fought to help working-class families overcome poverty, the Democratic presidential hopeful's wife told a gay Democratic group Thursday.
Recalling his past work as a community organizer to help struggling families, Michelle Obama said he would take the same approach as president.
"Barack believes that we must fight for the world as it should be, a world where together we work to reverse discriminatory laws," she said at a Manhattan fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council.
Michelle Obama also drew a connection between the struggles for gay rights and civil rights.
"We are all only here because of those who marched and bled and died, from Selma to Stonewall, in the pursuit of a more perfect union," she said at the event, held days before the anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots between gays and New York police, and the city's annual gay pride parade.
"The world as it is should be, one that rejects discrimination of all kinds," she said.
Touting her husband's record pushing for workplace discrimination legislation as an Illinois state senator and his support of civil unions, Obama noted her husband also had brought a call for equality to conservative groups, telling churchgoers they need to combat homophobia in the black community.
The Illinois senator opposes a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and says states should make their own decisions on the matter. He has said he's interested in ensuring that same-sex couples in civil unions get federal benefits.
His Republican opponent, Arizona Sen. John McCain, also opposes a federal constitutional amendment but worked to ban gay marriage in his home state. McCain supports the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, while Obama has called it "counterproductive."
Michelle Obama's speech brought a standing ovation from the crowd of about 200 donors, who raised about $1.3 million, organizers said.
Earlier Thursday, she spoke in Manchester, N.H., and credited Hillary Rodham Clinton, her husband's rival for the Democratic nomination, with bringing the concerns of working families to the forefront of the presidential campaign.
She heard from New Hampshire women juggling such work and family concerns as child care and caring for aging parents. She explained her husband's plans to expand sick time and paid family leave, help parents afford child care and make sure women get equal pay for equal work.
"We are closer to this America than ever before, and that's because of an extraordinary woman who's not in this room but she's traveling with my husband tomorrow, and that woman is Hillary Clinton," Michelle Obama said to sustained applause.
"I know that the folks here in New Hampshire know this better than anyone because you got to know the candidates up close and personal, but because of Hillary Clinton's work the issues of importance to women and working families are front and center."
Clinton and Barack Obama are to make their first public joint appearance Friday in Unity, N.H.
Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Manchester, N.H., contributed to this report.
]]>“While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It’s about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect.”
Senator Barack Obama
In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported. Obama co-sponsored legislation to expand federal hate crimes law to include crimes perpetrated because of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Fight Workplace Discrimination and Promote Rights:
Obama believes the Employment Non-Discrimination Act should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Obama sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples
Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples equal legal rights and privileges as married couples, including the right to assist their loved ones in times of emergency as well as equal health insurance, employment benefits, and property and adoption rights.
Obama also believes we need to fully repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions.
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage:
Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell:
Obama believes we need to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure we accomplish our national defense goals.
Fight AIDS Worldwide:
Obama has been a global leader in the fight against AIDS. He traveled to Kenya and took a public HIV test to encourage testing and reduce the stigma of the disease. Obama worked to reauthorize the Ryan White CARE Act, one of the largest sources of federal funds for primary health care and support services for HIV/AIDS patients.
[this is an interesting development]
So who can fault McCain for trying to get those votes? I'm sure some Republicans will fault him and so will some Democrats. I applaud his efforts to at least try to bridge the divide. Kudos to McCain but the Republican Party platform is still biased against gay rights; so I don't see this helping McCain very much.
McCain meets with gay Republicans
Log Cabin confirms talks with presumed GOP nominee
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade | Jun 25, 4:49 PM
The president of the Log Cabin Republicans confirmed today that he recently met face-to-face with GOP presidential candidate John McCain.
As first reported by GayPatriot.org, Patrick Sammon, the head of the gay Republican organization, met with McCain apparently within the last couple of weeks.
In a statement supplied to the Blade Wednesday, Sammon wrote that his organization has “had a series of productive meetings with the campaign since Sen. McCain won the nomination — including a recent meeting with the senator.”
“We expect to have more conversations with the campaign as we head toward November," Sammon wrote.
The Log Cabin Republicans have not yet endorsed McCain for president.
GayPatriot.org reports that the Log Cabin meeting was not reflected on McCain’s published schedule in advance of the meeting.
The web site reports that the meeting with McCain would be the first between any gay GOP group and a Republican presidential nominee since the “Austin 12” met with then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000. Since his first election to the White House, President Bush has never met with anyone representing Log Cabin Republicans or any other American gay organizations.
Again, according to published news reports the Sammon-McCain meeting would be the first face-to-face dialogue between a Republican Presidential standardbearer and the President of the national Log Cabin Republicans organization since the check-refund controversy between LCR and the Dole Campaign in 1995.
]]>wow. its been longer than a year since i last posted here, and im still just as miserable.
the post i made in my lj was just the usual rambly bs, and ive got other things to post about. for instance, the fight i got in with matt froid, which is going in here.
i sent out a forward that said, what would you ask me if you knew i only had a day to live? matt asked me if i believed in jesus. heres the dialogue.
me:umm...im really not into monotheistic religion. im sorry matt. :(
matt:so you believe in more than one god?
me:well like native american spirituality
matt:like what is it exactly?
me:like theres a spirit for everything...and everyone is on the same level. then when you die you become part of an eternal spirit. im still learning about it. its a little different than other religions ive looked at.
matt:oh. well everyone is equal in gods eyes too. and when you die you become your own spirit.
me:yeah. even though im not a christian i know that jesus was a great man and he helped tonnes of people
matt:and he was spit upon mocked beaten and died nailed to a cross so we could have eternal life
me:exactly. hes the ultimate role model. because he just turned the other cheek and still kept preaching his message
matt:exactly. so why dont you believe in him? like if you can admit that much about him why dont just accept him as your saviour as well?
me:well...im not a christian. i mean, wouldnt it be wrong?
matt:wouldnt what be wrong?
me:like since im not exactly a christian wouldnt it be wrong for me to accept jesus?
matt:no that would make you a christian. like the only object of your faith should be christ and what he did on the cross. thats what a christian is someone who puts their care and faith in jesus.
me:i know. i just dont know if im prepared to be a christian. with all the rules and shtuff. and correct me if im wrong but ive heard lots of anti gay and anti abortion beliefs from the christian community
matt:because its true. i used to be for gay rights and pro choice. but its in the bible black and white. and its just like would you rather spend eternity with your creator in bliss or spend eternity away from him in pain? like so what if there is rules or if youre held to a higher standard. people need to not live how they want to but how they should. the lord holds you to a higher standard for a reason. sin gets in the way of you and god and youre supposed to hold yourself to a moral standard. like look at like why should you get to do something as a christian. so why not give up your life to the person who created you and knew every sin you would ever commit and everytime you would ever turn him being in your life down. he wants to know you and have a relationshiop with you morgy!
me:i really would like to be a christian and all. that promise of eternal love and happiness is appealing. but i cant just let go of gay rights and pro choice beliefs. so im ripped in half. the way i think of it is if god created us and loves us all then why did he create gays? and what if its just the common belief now and itll pass? like back in the old days when the churches wouldnt allow blacks. or in medeival times when the church said bad things about women and jews
matt:well he didnt really create them its a choice. they could stop if they wanted. and its different like there are actual bible verses about gays. and the pro choice is just killing a baby.
me::/ i dont know matt. ive tried to stop before and i cant. even therapy isnt helping. i know ill probably go to hell and burn in the deepest circle if i dont stop now, because im such a sinner. but everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, even if those beliefs are wrong. you are a convincing persnon though. you really ought to be a preacher or something.
matt:im just telling the truth i know in my life. and morgy you can stop with christ.
me:to each their own. im sorry matt.
i wasnt pissed when i got done with that argument. but its just like what the fuck? im going to look up those bible verses. its romans 26 and 26, king james version.
im just really confused because most religions arent for gays. yet there are still people who go against their religion and are for gay rights. half the reason why i dont have a real religion is because the branches fight with one another. they have different interpretations and beliefs. i dont like it.
i just wanted to get that off my phone. i wanted to save it. now im off to either msn space or xanga to post the interesting dreams ive had. see ya.
]]>Especially since it's being shown in the UK, not the US:
Jeez, this country is so squeamish.
]]>i woke up very early yesterday because the initial thought was that i would be the first one on, first one off at work. that is how it usually happens at our job and thoughts of heading back into a tide pool of soft, down comforters for an early afternoon nap were already sufficiently propelling me to crawl out of the above-mentioned sack of feathers and whiteness.
of course, the proposed plan of events only occurs under slower restaurant conditions. yesterday being the first official day of the legalization of gay marriage in california made it a day that not only kept me busy all day long but wakened any tiredness i felt with a reassured sense of hope and positivity in this sometimes less-than-optimistic gay rights issue that of late has been in the forefront of my priorities and waking moments.
it started with a couple of women who sat quietly in my section, full of grins and laughter. with two roses and lots of paperwork, they volunteered their plans for the day: to the tailor to pick up the dresses and then to the courthouse for the ceremony and license. they have been together for 16 years, have four children and are now adding diamonds to their ring collection.
after speaking with them for a few moments, i turned towards the door to find two large parties with particular men clad head-to-toe with typical wedding fare: the matching suits and ties, lapels budding roses. my initial thought was that these guys were simply the groomsmen for an even larger wedding celebration. but having just talked to the two women in my section, i knew that this entourage of vow-takers was not going to end any time soon.
after work concluded for the day, i had plans to go to jennifer's house to watch game six. amidst endless shots made by the celtics to the demise of their opponents, we began to brew the initial lists and plans for the shotgun wedding that i will call my own, this august 11, 2008. i wrote down guest lists and flower ideas, from cakes to cars. all of this within a relative budget. both boBo and i want to have a simple affair with a very intimate crowd of close friends and family. but that being said, things must be organized and since he is still tirelessly finishing his thesis, i have volunteered (?) for the position. with the help of my newly appointed wedding coordinator: jennifer mitchell.
first thing's first: the venue. we both want it on the beach. which one, however, remains to be debated and decided by us. friday is our first option and jennifer, louis and i are heading out to the locations where boBo and i have briefly discussed via phone and email conversations.
received a phone call from jen today. after calling parks and recreation, apparently there are only four locations in san diego that permit beach weddings. well, at least that liberates us somewhat from yet another large decision. the guest list is hard enough.
Today, I am proud to be a democrat. I am proud to be a woman. I am proud to be watching history in the making. I sat here and watched Hillary’s concession speech on CNN and I felt proud because for the first time in the history of the United States we had the decision to either elect a woman or a black man to run for presidency. For the first time ever we have a black man running to be president of the United States. This is a moment that I am proud to be able to see, and I am proud to be able to share the importance of it with my stepson and explain to him what a big deal this is and how this is going to open him up for many choices in the future. I’ve been saying from the very beginning that should Hillary not win I would vote for Obama, because regardless of what the differences between them is, and regardless of how I feel about him personally, the issues are still there and they will not away easily and we need to tell the government about how we feel about this issues. The biggest way we could tell the government is to vote for the person that addresses these issues and promises to change the way the government is controlling our rights.
McCain, I feel, will be the worst person to run this country. Allowing him to serve a term would be the equivalent of giving Bush a third term. He’s wishy-washy. He has no enthusiasm for what his issues are, he goes up at to the podiums to make his speeches and I fall asleep. There’s no chemistry, no passion, nothing. He’s like a wet fish. Obama has passion.
I have to comment about something because after her speech they were interviewing random people on the floor and they were all saying that if Obama would not pick Hillary as his running mate, they were not going to vote for him, and I’ve heard rumors of people not going to vote at all because they don’t want to have to vote for the lesser of two evils. I have this to tell them: YOU’RE STUPID! Barrack Obama believes in basically the same issues that Hillary believed in. Both Hillary and Obama are about instituting social change in our country that has already been crippled by a president who’s more concerned about his pride, his ego, and his pockets, then the real issues at hand, and I see the same thing in McCain.
Here’s McCain on the Ellen Degeneres show. Watch and I’ll comment below.
This man starts off as saying that he feels a contract is ok between people of the same sex, but what gets me is what is the different between said contract and actual marriage? Why not just go ahead and say “I agree with gay marriage”? In truth, you can’t force the church to allow this, and that’s their decision as a private, religious institution, I just won’t support that religious institution. Simple. But when it comes to the government, if they’re willing to allow “contracts” that give gay couples the same rights as married couples, just go ahead and call it a “marriage” already, because that’s what it is. At this point it’s just a play on words. Even after Ellen made some incredibly good points to him on how segregated his thoughts are, he stands by his point but almost embarassingly. This is not a man who stands by his convictions.
McCain was just here in Miami talking about conserving the Everglades, but he’s the one that voted against funding conservation efforts to begin with. Why now does he have an interest in the Everglades? I can tell you why. Because he wants the hispanic vote here in South Florida, and he’s also trying to get the conservationists to support him, but in truth-at least for me- his words are not enough. His actions have said loud and clear that he’s not about supporting the Everglades, and he can’t backtrack now.
His issues on the gay marriage, I don’t agree with. His issues on women’s rights, I don’t agree with. I get the sense that he wants to go back to a time that is outlined in the Feminist Mystique, and I am not for that at all. Women have more brains then men give us credit for. We are capable of thinking for ourselves, we are capable of working and making decisions when it concerns our lives, our futures, and the future of our children. We do not need a man to hold our hands and tell us what to do, because we can and will do that for ourselves, and people like McCain will try to turn back the clock so that we aren’t allowed to make our own decisions. Bush already tried to start the ball rolling when he signed the Partial Birth Abortion Act, which is an inaccurate term, and on top of that, they don’t even take into consideration the true facts about the procedure!
Under state law, abortions are permitted for up to 24 weeks or six months after pregancy. It is also permitted after 24 weeks if the woman’s health or life is in danger. [emphasis mine]
The partial-birth or IDX abortion procedure is usually done in the second trimester, from 18 to 26 weeks.[emphasis mine]
What is incredibly disturbing about this isn’t so much the process in which it’s done, or the act itself, it’s the fact that the government is not taking into consideration the risk that not doing this procedure may place on the woman’s life who’s trying to have the procedure done. What they’re doing is setting rules as to what we can do with our bodies, and in essence what they’re saying is that a life that most probably can not survive outside of the mother’s body for more than a couple hours or maybe even a couple of days is more important than a living, viable life that has been established for a good couple of years already.
I know this post is all over the place, but the thing is that these issues are the topics that need to be addressed during this election. This and many more are the reasons that I will be voting for Obama come November because I know I don’t want anyone telling me what to do when it comes to my body or any other decision I make, and should I have a daughter in the future, I do not want that decision being taken away from her either. I want my daughter to have all the same rights that I do and more. I want my daughter to be President of the United States if she so wishes. I want my daughter to be able to have an abortion if something were to happen and she were to have an unwanted pregnancy, and most importantly, I want my daughter to have easy access to birth controls until the time comes when she does decide to have children, and that choice needs to ultimately be up to her and her partner-male or female-NOT the government, therefore I will be voting for Obama because he stands for these issues and he stands for these changes. I really wish I could have seen a woman in office, but I’m not dead yet and won’t be for a very long time, so I’m sure the day will come when I will see a woman in office, and I will be proud when that day finally comes.
Today marks a day where gay couples in California are legally allowed to marry! Read the CNN article on this as well as an article on them over at NOW. My favorite part about this is listed in this quote:
Lesbian rights activists Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 84, were the first same-sex couple to receive a marriage license in San Francisco on Monday, with Mayor Gavin Newsom presiding over their wedding ceremony. [emphasis mine]
True love has finally reigned.
Congratulations to Geoge Takei and Brad Altman. George and Brad have been a couple for 21 years and yesterday they FINALLY received their marriage license.
Congratulations boys!
So I want to start this off by saying that I am happy that gay marriage is allowed in another state. But, what bothers me is that in a society of what is supposed to be reasonable people, that this issue ever came up in the first place? What right does anyone else have to say who, you can or cannot commit your love to? It just seems silly. I guess Christians think it is part of the declining morals of our country, but it's not like they have to become gay? Why don't they just live with it and just let people live the way they want? I guess I don't understand why anyone cares about how anyone else lives their life. The only time it matters is when the way someone lives their life could do you harm, then the government should have a say. Otherwise let anyone marry, I don't care. Sorry if that pisses people off, I just had to get that off my chest. Marriage between a man, woman, two women, three men, or whatever doesn't matter as long as everyone is treated fairly and with equal rights.
Honestly the legislature in California should be working harder on the budget crisis than this...
Phyllis Lyon, 84, left, and Del Martin, 87, who have been a couple for 55 years, were among the first same-sex partners to legally exchange marriage vows in California Monday. Gay marriage licenses were officially issued after a state supreme court ruling that overturned a ban on them.
]]>The McFreeds share...
Del Martin, 87, and Phyllis Lyon, 83 have been together for 55 years... they finally got married yesterday. Here is a link to their story and role/place in GLBT history.
Congratulations!
Should it have really taken this long? Is their love any less than anyone else?
Tomorrow is the first day that gay couples will be able to be married in California.Some people think it's great(myself included,even though I'm not gay....just a supporter of individual rights ;) ),others think that it's a sign of the apocalypse. To each his or her(or should that be his and his and hers and hers? :P) own.
Some local churches will do same sex marriages(I would think that the number of denominations that will do same sex marriages is pretty small).I know there are a lot of denominations that won't do them(for moral and legal reasons).
THESE GUYS ARE MY HEROES!
http://punditkitchen. com/2008/06/09/political-pictures-westboro-baptist-pwned/
When Fred Phelps dies, my friend and I are doing to fly to Kansas (or wherever his funeral is) and we are going to hold a Gay Mardi Gras at his funeral.
I don't know much about religion, but i was under the impression it was meant to be about love.
Why are there so many churches that insist on making it about hate?
And, methinks he doth protest too much? Personally i reckon the people of Westboro Baptist are those 'self hatin' types. You know what i mean.
And why did God "create" homosexuals if he hates them so much? I mean waiting around for them to die just to have a laugh seems a bit of a waste doesn't it? Are there no comedians in Heaven?
The funny thing about people like that is that if they are right and there is really is a Hell, don't they know that they are going to be the first ones there?
I can't speak for God, we don't return each others calls, but i can only assume that he doesn't want Westboro and people like the people from Westboro speaking for him
]]>