I've made it to the initial round for favorite progressive blogger in the Air America Cruise Contest. I have to stay in the Top 5 before the second voting round begins, so your vote is appreciated! First voting round:
The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
Representative George Miller is the chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor. His Committee was supposed to markup the Employment Non-Discrimination Act last Wednesday and move it to the House floor for a vote.
Instead, he has decided to hold ENDA in Committee to "tinker" with language that needs no tinkering, with no guarantee that it will be rescheduled in December.
Meanwhile, there is a legislative logjam waiting to break loose in the Senate, a major new jobs initiative coming, another LGBT bill on domestic partnership benefits for federal employees edging ahead of ENDA, midterm election campaigns in which 4 Senators we need are going up for re-election, and DADT promised for Spring/Fall 2010.
Call Chairman Miller and tell him to put ENDA back on the schedule.
In the wake of the tragedy of marriage equality being rolled back in Maine by mob rule, I know a lot of people I've talked to in recent days have questioned the wisdom of pouring money into ballot initiatives. When the public speaks, we lose, and it's because the culture hasn't caught up with the fast changes in society. The nays re: marriage equality must be seen as social pushback that cannot easily be dismissed.
This is not a statement that the community shouldn't fight at all if there is one heading to the ballot in a state, but it's a question of whether this in the end gains us anything concrete -- should the focus be everything but marriage in name only, taking that the limited rights give fundamental legal protections that lesbian and gay couples would never have if they are waiting for this civil rights question over a word to be decided at the U.S. Supreme Court.
[A]s some Mainers work to overturn the veto that overturned the legislature's marriage-equality bill, one must ask the question: is this the best way to resolve the issue of gay marriage's legality? By "best," I do not mean the quickest or easiest way to make gay marriage legal; in that respect, ballot initiatives currently have an abysmal track record. I question whether the referenda approach to legalizing or prohibiting same-sex marriage is constitutional. Is it legal; is it fair?
Ballot initiatives are democracy in action...But democracy suffers from a tyranny all its own. For while the sum total of all the votes on an issue will reflect the view of the majority, that opinion can be oppressive and infringe upon the rights of the minority. Direct democracy works great with small-scale issues – infrastructure, bond levying, and so forth – but when it comes to the question of rights, democracy, like all good things, can be taken to dangerous extremes. A majority slice of the population should not be able to vote away the rights of minority members by virtue of the fact that it has more people.
...If the Supreme Court were to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry, its decision would not be tyrannical. Unfortunate, yes, but not tyrannical. It would follow all the proper constitutional channels; this is how our government and legal system works. When the American people vote to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry, that is despotism in democracy's clothing – and I assure you, democracy is a sharp dresser. That is one person – or a majority of persons – determining the rights of another. It is reprehensible both constitutionally and morally (which ever you think is more important) because the question of a group's civil rights should not even be up for public debate.
And that is the question we have to answer -- why are we affirming mob rule when it comes to civil rights, rather than accepting it's unconstitutional in the first place?
My too-thin avatar (left; Yahoo's Plus Size avatars are average sized) and a turkey on that platter, I am actually planning to cook a leg of lamb. This year's menu...
Roasted leg of lamb (seasoned with fresh garlic, black pepper, chopped celery and carrots and Worcestershire sauce), with lamb gravy;
Mac & Cheese: simple - very sharp cheddar with Velveeta melted down as the sauce w/ half-percent milk, seasoned w/black pepper. Baked. My brother will eat half of it before Friday is over.
Collard greens: The peeps have to have this. I boil them down with either some ham bits or bacon in vinegar and water.
Vegetable medley: The one health item on the menu one of my faves - summer squash, zucchini, onion, red pepper and corn steamed together with some spices.
Dessert: Apple Pie from Millburn Farms (a local farm that sells amazing apple products); a cheesecake (plain) and pumpkin bread. Vanilla ice cream.
Basically, I'll have a taste and no more of those desserts; nothing sugar-free there.
What's on your menus?
***
In the giving thanks for 2009, I have plenty to be thankful for:
I have a job.
I live in a great state -- NC -- that's moving in the right direction. I could move somewhere Blue and leave some of the fight behind, but being here keeps me grounded and aware of how much work needs to be done.
I have a wonderful wife - Kate shares me with my full-time job and a full-time blog; I can't ask for a more supportive spouse. She definitely deserves more of my time!
My wonderful families: the ones I am related to by birth and those added to my life by choice. I feel especially thankful for the fight and the love received from my Aunt Judi, who continues to battle her ailing body and connect with those who love her dearly. She means so much to so many of my cousins whose lives have been touched by her.
My health: though it's frustrating to be saddled with crappy chronic pain and the constellation of illnesses that have made life more difficult, I'm still here and still contributing, so at least the candle hasn't reached the bottom yet.
PHB baristas -- my contributors are stars in their own right, particularly my admin baristas (Autumn, Lurleen and Louise), who have taking on the extra responsibility of monitoring coffeehouse comments and TOS violations (no small task), dump trolls, and still keep the brew here at the Blend fresh and steamin' hot with their own blogging.
The PHB readers - the Blenders. Blogging is certainly no way to make a living; it's only a labor of love, the ability to connect on a level that helps us realize that we're not the only one thinking about odd, difficult or painful subjects. It's a caring readership that is also passionate, sometimes so much so they need a nudge to stay within the TOS, lol.
But what happens above the fold in a post by a diarist is only half of the story -- the comments are where the dialogue occurs, many times in agreement, but also sometimes a 180 from the contributor's perspective. Reasoned dissent has to be acknowledged and respected -- a diversity of opinion means thinking through the other side's perspective to affirm that you have thought through your own view in terms of the big picture.
The folks who "get it." For those who aren't in the coffeehouse, but understand what citizen journalism and commentary mean in 2009, and how it shapes politics, establishment and grassroots, the nature of 24/7 news cycles and empowerment that is not a threat, but an evolution in terms of leadership, governance, journalist and activism -- into a different paradigm. It's not something to fear -- it's about change and adaptibility, nimbleness and checking egos at the door. Change isn't easy, but it's something you cannot stop. Give thanks as we attempt to think outside of the box for the sake of equality.
Thank you everyone. Have a happy Thanksgiving, whether you celebrate it or simply take time off to recharge.
Tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, Americans across the country will sit down together, count our blessings, and give thanks for our families and our loved ones.
American families reflect the diversity of this great nation. No two are exactly alike, but there is a common thread they each share.
Our families are bound together through times of joy and times of grief. They shape us, support us, instill the values that guide us as individuals, and make possible all that we achieve.
So tomorrow, I'll be giving thanks for my family -- for all the wisdom, support, and love they have brought into my life.
But tomorrow is also a day to remember those who cannot sit down to break bread with those they love.
The soldier overseas holding down a lonely post and missing his kids. The sailor who left her home to serve a higher calling. The folks who must spend tomorrow apart from their families to work a second job, so they can keep food on the table or send a child to school.
We are grateful beyond words for the service and hard work of so many Americans who make our country great through their sacrifice. And this year, we know that far too many face a daily struggle that puts the comfort and security we all deserve painfully out of reach.
So when we gather tomorrow, let us also use the occasion to renew our commitment to building a more peaceful and prosperous future that every American family can enjoy.
It seems like a lifetime ago that a crowd met on a frigid February morning in Springfield, Illinois to set out on an improbable course to change our nation.
In the years since, Michelle and I have been blessed with the support and friendship of the millions of Americans who have come together to form this ongoing movement for change.
You have been there through victories and setbacks. You have given of yourselves beyond measure. You have enabled all that we have accomplished -- and you have had the courage to dream yet bigger dreams for what we can still achieve.
So in this season of thanks giving, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to you, and my anticipation of the brighter future we are creating together.
With warmest wishes for a happy holiday season from my family to yours,
Ah, here we go -- as expected, some fundie was going to try for some PR by filing a complaint to the FCC over Adam Lambert's "shocking" ABC-promoted performance on the American Music Awards last week. Hot to trot on the complaint news was...drumroll please...The Peter.
Folks, we’ll have much more on Adam Lambert and his calculated use of his nationally broadcast American Music Awards stage act to advance homosexual immorality and sadistic perversions in the name of “nondiscrimination.”
Then he quotes the Liberty Counsel Web site:
Liberty Counsel has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against the American Broadcasting Company (“ABC”) for airing an outrageously lewd and filthy performance by Adam Lambert on November 22, 2009 during the 2009 American Music Awards.
Prior to going on-air, Lambert explained that his motive went beyond performing. According to the Associated Press, Lambert “wanted to break down a double standard that existed where female performers are often sexually provocative while men don’t do it that often.”
When faced with the opportunity to edit the performance before airing it on the West Coast, ABC’s reaction was to promote Lambert’s indecent acts and actually tease and tout his actions as “what everyone will be talking about tomorrow.” This shows that ABC used Lambert’s obscene sexual conduct and not his vocal performance to promote its show.
Peter, of course, is practically having a boner over the development.
Millions of young Americans saw this simulated homosexual oral sex act on ABC thanks to Adam Lambert pushing his "queer" lifestyle choice on the rest of us. Lambert deliberately sought to be provocative and characterized criticism of his vulgar stage act as "discrimination."
Honestly, the thing aired so late that most "young Americans" were in bed. Besides, whatever happened to parental control?
Shameless second family post. Feel free to skip over...
When a new one arrives, everyone wants to see who the young one looks more like, the mom or dad, or sometimes the baby ends up looking more like a sibling or more distant relative.
In this case, Mr. E at times looks a lot like my brother; Miranda and Tim think he looks like me. I don't really see it except for maybe the nose and hair color (mine was actually about the color of Mr. E.'s when I was 2). Here are some pix taken yesterday with the little man.
As I prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of the autumnal harvest time's spiritual significance. As a time of connectedness, I pause to acknowledge what I have to be thankful for. But I also reflect on the holiday as a time of remembrance - historical and familial.
Historically, I am reminded that for many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is not a cause of celebration, but rather a National Day of Mourning, remembering the real significance of the first Thanksgiving in 1621 as a symbol of persecution and genocide of Native Americans and the long history of bloodshed with European settlers.
I am also reminded of my Two-Spirit Native American brothers and sisters who struggle with their families and tribes not approving of their sexual identities and gender expressions as many of us do with our families and faith communities.
"Yes, there's internalized homophobia in every gay community, but as Native Americans we are taught not to like ourselves because we're not white. In our communities, people don't like us because we're gay," Gabriel Duncan, member of Bay Area American Indian Two Spirits (BAAITS), told the Pacific News Service.
And consequently, many Two-Spirit Native Americans leave their reservations and isolated communities hoping to connect with the larger LGBTQ community in urban cites. However, due to racism and cultural insensitivity, many Two-Spirits feel less understood and more isolated than they did back home.
But homophobia is not indigenous to Native American culture. Rather, it is one of the many devastating effects of colonization and Christian missionaries that today Two-Spirits may be respected within one tribe yet ostracized in another.
"Homophobia was taught to us as a component of Western education and religion," Navajo anthropologist Wesley Thomas has written. "We were presented with an entirely new set of taboos, which did not correspond to our own models and which focused on sexual behavior rather than the intricate roles Two-Spirit people played. As a result of this misrepresentation, our nations no longer accepted us as they once had."
Traditionally, Two-Spirits symbolized Native Americans' acceptance and celebration of diverse gender expressions and sexual identities. They were revered as inherently sacred because they possessed and manifested both feminine and masculine spiritual qualities that were believed to bestow upon them a "universal knowledge" and special spiritual connectedness with the "Great Spirit." Although the term was coined in the early 1990s, historically Two-Spirits depicted transgender Native Americans. Today, the term has come to also include lesbian, gay, bisexual, and intersex Native Americans.
Failed 2008 GOP presidential contender and possible member of the GOP Clown Car in 2012 Mike Huckabee has begun his usual "culture will unravel" mantra over marriage equality.
Having learned that comparisons to bestiality in 2008 didn't go over well with reality-based voters, he's now honed in on polygamy as the horned beast. Here he is with Katie Couric reiterating his call to amend the U.S. constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
Hucakabee, who appeared on the program to promote his new book A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories that Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit, said that he does not oppose gay marriage but is in favor of traditional marriage.
...Huckabee told Katie Couric that if you alter marriage to include gay couples “then there is really no limit” to how it might be defined and suggested polygamy would soon follow.
“Can we change it to multiple spouses?” he rhetorically asked. “If not, why not? You know, I hear people say, 'Well, what would be wrong?' What would be wrong, then, with a man having two or three or six or seven wives? Or a woman having six or seven husbands all at the same time?”
“If enough people believe that we should have – I'll just use the illustration of polygamy – then we should accommodate that. Otherwise, are we being just as bigoted and intolerant and lacking compassion 'cause we don't promote and accept and put a sanction on polygamy?” he asked. “I don't think so.”
Of course it's much more complex to ponder how polygamy does or doesn't fit this frame of marriage equality, but to have a fundie like Huckabee condemning it when biblical figures had 900 wives and such nonsense is kind of funny -- shows again the selective interpretations these hypocrites engage in.
A Rutland Family Court judge ordered a first-of-its kind parent custody change Friday in a child-visitation dispute involving a Virginia woman and her former lesbian partner who lives in Fair Haven.
In a 21-page order, Judge William Cohen granted sole custody of 7-year-old Isabella Miller to her nonbiological but court-recognized parent, Janet Jenkins.
Jenkins and her former partner — and Isabella's biological mother — Lisa Miller, who renounced homosexuality after the couple split in 2003, have been in and out of courtrooms in Vermont and Virginia for years arguing over visitation rights.
. . . After finding Miller in contempt of court earlier this year for denying Jenkins access to Isabella, Cohen said he decided the only way to ensure the child equal access to both parents was to switch custody.
Watch out for the religious right barrage of nonsense to come crashing down regarding this case. It has been their cause celebre for a long time.
Despite how they will spin it, there are a few facts that I am sure the religious right will not tell anyone about this situation.
Just moments ago, we made history. The Charleston City Council passed legislation that prohibits discrimination in matters of public accommodations and housing to include protection for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) Charlestonians.
All across South Carolina, we are celebrating this historic victory for all families as Charleston joins Columbia as the second city in the state to enact such nondiscrimination ordinances.
These pro-business ordinances are consistent with the values of Charlestonians; they send the clear message that Charleston welcomes families from all walks of life.
This groundbreaking success is a result of many months of work by a collaborative team, led by SC Equality and including representatives from the Alliance for Full Acceptance (AFFA), Stonewall Democrats, Log Cabin Republicans, and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Working together, these five groups educated city council members on the importance of these ordinances and guided the proposed legislation to passage.
Prior to today's vote, the City did not have a public accommodations ordinance. The ordinance that was passed prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, or sexual orientation. The vote also expanded the City's existing housing nondiscrimination ordinance to add age and sexual orientation. In both ordinances, the definition of sexual orientation includes gender identity or expression.
This work to ensure protection for all families in Charleston could not have been done without you. Your generous contributions to SC Equality is what makes this kind of legislative progress possible. Thank you for all you do!
Yours for equality,
C. Ray Drew
Executive Director
South Carolina Equality
This morning I got an email from NOM's Brian Brown stating that NOM had launched a $500,000 voter outreach campaign to make sure "New Jerseyans" know what's going on in Trenton. The campaign features a radio ad called "Give Me a Break", which can be heard here. Below is the script provided by NOM, but by now you can probably write it in your sleep. Same load, different day.
Male ANNCR: Here's a question. If you were a state legislator, what would you focus on during the Lame Duck session?
Female ANNCR: There's lots of choices. I'd say jobs and the economy. And the budget deficit!
Male ANNCR: Good pick there. New Jersey has an $8 billion deficit.
You know what some legislators are focused on? Redefining marriage. Throwing marriage to the curb and redefining it as any two people regardless of gender.
Female ANNCR: With all our problems, they want to legalize gay marriage?
Male ANNCR: Governor Corzine had four years to bring this issue up but hasn't, and now, with just days to go in his administration, the big push is on.
Female ANNCR: No voter input. No accountability. Give me a break!
Male ANNCR: 290,000 New Jerseyans have signed petitions opposing gay marriage. And every state where the people have voted on gay marriage has rejected it.
Female ANNCR: Gay couples ought to be able to live as they choose, but they shouldn't get lame duck legislators to redefine marriage for all of society.
Male ANNCR: Take a stand. Call your state legislators and tell them you oppose redefining marriage.
Paid for by the National Organization for Marriage.
Naturally Garden State Equality was prepared, and has released two of its own radio ads. The first is called "In New Jersey" and anticipates and refutes some of the old saws that the opposition is so fond of. Listen here
Man: Can you believe what's happening in New Jersey? Hospitals won't let some people visit sick loved ones. And some employers won't give health care to couples who aren't married. It's terrible! Civil unions aren't good enough.
Woman: I don't understand why New Jersey doesn't let all couples... just... marry. When two people marry, it doesn't affect our marriage.
Man: Wait - no health care?! In this economy?! Because people can't marry?! That ain't fair.
Woman: And neither are the phony arguments against equality. What does anyone's marriage have to do with curriculum? New Jersey law already lets parents control what's taught in school.
Man: We need to focus on the economy... jobs... lowering taxes. You know what? Straight, gay... let people get married. Have equal health care. And share the American dream.
Woman: Paid for by Garden State Equality. We believe in equality for everyone.
GSE's other ad, "Marsha and Louise", is the radio version of one of their tv ads (see below fold). Listen here
Announcer: New Jersey parents. New Jersey heroes. Marsha and Louise.
Louise: We've had to deal with raising four children, two of whom had significant handicaps. They could not be without health insurance. When I was looking for jobs, I had to ask the question, "Do you have civil union benefits?" Many looked at me as if I had two heads.
Announcer: New Jersey's civil union law failed Marsha, Louise and their children.
Marsha: That put us in quite a bit of debt in order to meet their special needs. One of our children had significant medical complications... and he passed in July.
Louise: We've been together for 20 years, in circumstances in which most people would have separated or divorced. I don't know what a marriage is, if it is not what we have, and I want that legal recognition.
Announcer: Give Marsha and Louise the freedom to marry. It won't affect your marriage, but it will mean everything to them. Paid for by Garden State Equality.
I like how Garden State Equality is using local voices for their ads, like Maine and Washington did. NOM seems to like hiring actors lacking regional inflection. Help keep Garden State Equality's ads on the air with a donation. And if you're a New Jersey resident, contact your legislators and let them know that voting on and passing the Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act this session is not negotiable.
It's Thanksgiving week, so I'd like to express my thanks to Pam and for Pam-- the African-American Lesbian and Head Barista here who embraces the wide diversity within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community.
So, why point out she's an African-American lesbian? Well, the reason I'm thinking about this is my friend Zoe Brain (ZoeB) provided a link to blog site article by a blogger who identifies this way:
Rolling stone black lesbian separatist with Southern roots. I hate males of all ages, colors, and sizes.
If you have a problem with American black women, have the decency not to sully the comment threads on our posts. If you think American black women are oppressing you, as a western nonblack woman, there are more things wrong with you than I would ever be able to address in a blog post. So, just don't even bother. Thanks.
Well, with that much love oozing from the About page, you know she's going to feel-the-love regarding trans women... right?
Enh, not so much. This self-identified black American lesbian separatist blogger, who blogs for AROOO (A Room Of Our Own), seems to actually be an individual black woman working to oppress those whom she sees as oppressibly trans. In her piece No Such Thing As A Transsexual:
If there are so many males who "just want to change their body," without regard to gender, then why are they calling themselves "women" after they've had themselves chopped up? A mutilated male is a mutilated male. As I've said before, if males just want to hack off their penises and shove plastic bags under their pecs, how about they call themselves eunuchs instead of "women," "transwomen," and "transsexuals"? How about calling themselves males who wanted to chop off their penises and have it fashioned into a hole?
Dear Representatives Conyers, Frank, Murphy, Baldwin, Nadler, Sanchez, Honda, Stark, Christensen and Senators Merkley, Leahy, and Whitehouse,
We, the undersigned, wanted to take a moment during this Thanksgiving holiday season to express our appreciation.
Thank you for taking the lead on the important pieces of legislation that will grant protection and equality to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans and their families.
Our community has high expectations for this Congress. With clear Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress and a pro-equality President ready and willing to sign pro-equality legislation, this is a moment that must not be squandered.
Fortunately, elected officials like you have decided to stand up for your LGBT constituents.
With your sponsorship of the Matthew Shepard Act, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, the Military Readiness Act, the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act, the Respect of Marriage Act, the Uniting American Families Act, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, the Reuniting Families Act, the Every Child Deserves A Family Act, and your work to make health care reform LGBT inclusive, you will help the United States take steps closer to our founding promise of equality and justice for all.
On this Thanksgiving holiday, know that we're thankful for your leadership.
I have a wonderful wife - Kate shares me with my full-time job and a full-time blog; I can't ask for a more supportive spouse. She definitely deserves more of my time!
PHB baristas -- my contributors are stars in their own right, particularly my admin baristas (Autumn, Lurleen and Louise), who have taking on the extra responsibility of monitoring coffeehouse comments and TOS violations (no small task), dump trolls, and still keep the brew here at the Blend fresh and steamin' hot with their own blogging.
As I prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday, I am reminded of the autumnal harvest time's spiritual significance. As a time of connectedness, I pause to acknowledge what I have to be thankful for. But I also reflect on the holiday as a time of remembrance - historical and familial.
