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.
"What we are suggesting is that the idea of sexual identity be separated from the problem of sexual abuse,'' said Margaret Smith of John Jay College, in a speech to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. "At this point, we do not find a connection between homosexual identity and the increased likelihood of subsequent abuse from the data that we have right now.''
The question has been raised repeatedly within and outside the church because the overwhelming majority of known victims were boys. As part of the church's response to the crisis, the Vatican ordered a review of all US seminaries that, among other issues, looked for any "evidence of homosexuality'' in the schools.
Yet, many specialists on sex offenders reject any link between sexual orientation and committing abuse. Karen Terry, a John Jay researcher, said it was important to distinguish between sexual identity and behavior, and to look at who the offender had access to when seeking victims.
The bishops commissioned the $2 million study as part of widespread reforms they enacted at the height of the abuse crisis.
Hear that over at the Vatican? NO TIE. The bishops spent $2 million of churchgoers' scratch in the basket to find out what everyone with a brain free of homobigotry already knew.
The problem with the child-raping priests that each diocese had to hide, transfer and pay off the families of victims - with the approval of The Vatican - is that they are men with serious psychosexual problems attracted to the priesthood that were enabled by their employer even after the criminal carnage continued over and over.
To think that purging the ranks of moral, law-abiding priests that happen to be gay is going to solve the ethical, legal or moral problems the church is drowning in is a ludicrous farce that is driving away American Catholics in droves.
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin lauded an historic vote in a House committee that moves the nation a step closer to equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans.
The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today passed the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act (H.R. 2517), authored by Congresswoman Baldwin (D-WI). Under the legislation, same-sex domestic partners of federal employees living together in a committed relationship would be eligible for health benefits, long-term care, Family and Medical Leave, and federal retirement benefits, among others. The domestic partners of federal employees would also be subject to the same responsibilities that apply to the spouses of federal employees, such as anti-nepotism rules and financial disclosure requirements.
“Today’s actions mark another significant step in our march toward LGBT equality,” said Congresswoman Baldwin, Co-Chair of the House LGBT Equality Caucus. “Our movement is gaining momentum around the country and Congress is following the will of the people. Today is a day to celebrate yet another milestone and recognize anew that ‘the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.’”
The bill now moves to the full House for consideration. In a ceremony at the White House in June, President Obama voiced his strong support for the measure.
A federal judge today ordered compensation for a Los Angeles couple denied spousal benefits by the federal government because they are gay men.
U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Stephen Reinhardt deemed the denial of healthcare and other benefits to the spouse of federal public defender Brad Levenson to be a violation of the Constitution's guarantee of due process and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, which is prohibited by California state law.
. . .
Reinhardt, who is the federal judge responsible for resolving employee disputes in the Federal Public Defenders office within the 9th Circuit, had earlier ordered the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts to process Levenson's application for spousal benefits for Sears. The federal government's Office of Personnel Management stepped in to derail the enrollment, however, citing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act that prohibits the recognition of same-sex marriage for the purpose of federal benefits or programs.
Levenson appealed, seeking either an independently contracted benefits package for his spouse or payment of the equivalent value of the coverage denied. Reinhardt ordered the latter, based on a "back pay" provision in the law covering federal defense lawyers' employment.
. . .
The judge's order is expected to resolve the injustice Reinhardt has cited in previous orders in Levenson's case. But it also recognizes the status quo of federal government rejection of gay marriage under the Defense of Marriage Act. Several other challenges by those denied federal benefits, like filing joint tax returns, are making their way slowly through the federal courts.
MULTI MILLION DOLLAR BOND SET FOR KILLER OF THE YOUNG HOMOSEXUAL VICTIM
Judge Madeline Vega of the Courts in Guayama, found cause for the arrest of Juan Martinez Matos for charges related to the killing of a young homosexual Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, and his bond was set for 4 million dollars. (NO BONDSMAN IN PR OFFERS THAT AMOUNT)
The public prosecutor Yaritza Carrasquillo presented three charges under Article 505 violation of weapons charge, and a charge under Article 106 of the murder in first degree, for the cruel murder of a young 19 year old in Cidra, Puerto Rico.
The next court hearing for Martinez Matos was set for December 7 in the Courts of Caguas.
While the killer was being transported he was passed by Jorge's father and he stoped and asked for his forgiveness, and his father said "I already forgave you; you should ask God to forgive you".
As the killer was being transported out of the court he was departing from his family, during all that he was crying, and was then transported to las Cucharas Jail in Ponce, Puerto Rico.
"Thank God that justice has been served" the victim's father said to the agent in charge of the matter. Angel Rodriguez has done a fast and efficient job in this case.
Martinez Matos confessed to the horrific urder of Jorge Steven who he decapitated, desmember, burned and finally threw his body into the area of Guevate in Cayey.
Below the fold, more details of Matos' confession via 365gay.com, including that Matos thought Lopez Mercado was a woman.
Who'd have thought we'd be talking about miscegenation in 2009? But as we saw yesterday, and now with this bit of business, there are people who have "Jungle Fever" still eating away at their bigoted brains 40+ years after Loving v. Virginia.
For quite some time, the press, including Mike Stark of The Stark Report, have been trying to get Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) to give a comment about the racist Hammond, Louisiana Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell, who refused to marry an interracial couple. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Sen. Mary Landrieu were quick to condemn Bardwell (who said he wasn't racist because his black friends can "use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else.")
Well, maybe there's a reason Vitter hasn't made a comment. Mike Stark just learned that, after catching up with Vitter, the senator's excuse is even more breathtaking -- I haven't read the case." Watch it:
I emailed Vitter's Press Secretary and asked if Vitter believed Loving had been decided correctly or if it was a case of unwarranted judicial activism. I let them know that if they sent me back a clarification, I wouldn't have to ask the Senator on camera. Of course, if I did see the Senator before I received their statement, hopefully he would be prepared to answer the question.
Almost a month had passed when I ran into the Senator yesterday.
Here is the result:
I mean savvy politicians are good at an artful dodge, but this bumbling performance is classic. Mike:
Vitter graduated Tulane Law School in 1988. Loving v. Virginia, decided in 1967, was a unanimous Supreme Court decision that declared state anti-miscegenation (interracial marriage) laws unconstitutional. It is one of the bedrock civil rights cases, right up there with Brown. It is simply not credible for any lawyer to claim ignorance when asked about Loving.
UPDATE: Jackson and the Alliance Defense Fund have filed suit against the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics over its refusal to allow an initiative to ban same-sex marriage. And BFF Tony Perkins has put John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management and the highest ranking openly gay official in the Obama administration in the bullseye.In what has to be one of the shoddiest bits of journalism since its boot-licking profile of NOM's Brian Brown, the Washington Post's Wil Haygood fails to do even a cursory use of TEH GOOGLE to discover anything negative about the reputation of professional homophobe, carpetbagger and useful tool of the religious right, Bishop Harry Jackson. Protect your keyboards, because the desire to hurl will be almost uncontrollable after this snippet from "Seeking to put asunder: Despite D.C. setback, Bishop Jackson carries his national message -- and mission -- against gay marriage":
Setbacks seem only to embolden him. "All over the country, it's evident that the strategy of the radical gay movement is to work the courts and legislatures," Jackson says. "It's gonna be a knock-down, drag-out legal situation."
His neck is thick -- nearly stretching the clerical collar -- and his voice is smooth as molasses. "I just feel like I'm on a mission," he says. "It's not a mission of hate. It's a mission to protect godly boundaries."
Using his Pentecostal congregation, Hope Christian Church, as a springboard, he has founded the High Impact Leadership Coalition, which comprises ministers who plow into national moral dilemmas. In addition to same-sex marriage, the coalition focuses on abortion, two hot-button issues that cause liberals and conservatives to cross swords.
His admirers have multiplied, and so have his critics. More than once, police have stopped by his Southeast Washington apartment to check on his safety. His mother, Essie, calls her son's crusade one of "holy boldness."
Jackson calls it stopping the erosion of the black family.
It goes on and on about his godly background. I've got a Blend archive chock full of pitiful and enraging exhibits of Jackson fomenting his bigotry, in particular serving up arguments meant to stoke black relgious voters to take positions against civil equality.
This man is infesting DC, framing the marriage equality issue as the "privileged white gays" are working to deny black voters the right to vote on the issue" -- that's a powerful (and sick) message to cultivate. And he did it.
It should be noted that the profile of Clergy United for Marriage Equality was covered by the Washington Post. Kudos to the paper for doing this; with that already published, it should have been referenced along with Jackson's long history of working against equality, reproductive freedom and a host of other issues supported by the religious zealots. Without context, we're left with the impression that Jackson indeed holds sway over the majority of black religious voters in the district.
Peter Montgomery at People for the American Way penned an expose of Bishop Jackson's escapades shuffling and shilling for the bible-beaters, "Point Man for the Wedge Strategy: Harry Jackson is the face of the Religious Right's outreach to African American Christians." It is a must-read. Perhaps Wil Haygood should be politely alerted to some facts. Generally in a profile piece of this nature, certainly with one about a controversial figure like Jackson, the reporter should have had Jackson address some of the numerous intolerant quotes and positions he's taken, but no, this is a puff piece that makes the WaPo look like the PR firm of the fundamentalist right instead of a major newspaper.
Kentucky Equality Federation applauds legislation pre-filed by Representative Mary Lou Marzian (BR 93) to place the issue of same-sex marriage or civil unions back in the hands of Kentucky citizens.
Earlier this year, Kentucky Equality Federation and Marriage Equality Kentucky began collecting signatures to present to lawmakers to repeal the law by giving voters another opportunity to vote on the issue. The "Marriage Declaration", started in July 2009.
Currently, the Commonwealth will not recognize any type of same-sex union. Marriage, domestic partnerships, and civil unions are all illegal in Kentucky (even if performed in other countries or states).
"We are very pleased with Representative Marzain's pre-filed bill," stated Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer.
"Currently, same-sex couples are basically 'second-class' citizens even though we pay the same taxes as everyone else; same-sex couples currently have absolutely no rights whatsoever and the Kentucky Constitution doesn't mention having a lower class of people.
If this passes both the Kentucky House and Senate and voters ratify it, lawmakers would then be able to legislate domestic-partnerships, or civil unions, such as the new domestic partnership law in the state of Washington."
Palmer continued, "We could certainly reach a compromise with domestic partnerships or civil unions. Being able to file joint income-tax returns, having hospital visitation rights, making medical decisions for your partner, spousal privilege, the right to inherit property, and many other benefits are the very foundation of any union.
Same-sex couples are not asking for special treatment, we simple want to be treated equal; we love, honor, and cherish our partners the same as heterosexual couples."
"I realize some will turn this into a religious debate, but we have separate of church and state; the Kentucky Constitution clearly states 'absolute and arbitrary power over the lives, liberty and property of freemen exists nowhere in a republic, not even in the largest majority,' and that is exactly what Section 223A of the Constitution has done.
The Constitution also states 'the civil rights, privileges or capacities of no person shall be taken away, or in anywise diminished or enlarged, on account of his belief or disbelief of any religious tenet, dogma or teaching.'"
This week she takes a look at the hypocrisy of the Obama-approved, recloseted homosexual pastor Donnie McClurkin and his church versus openly gay gospel singer Tonéx.
Pastor Donnie McClurkin's Gay Church
Rev. Irene Monroe
The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is the largest African American and largest Pentecostal church in the United States.
And as the largest denominational black church in the country it is also the loudest in rebuking homosexuality.
With many of the gospel music industry mega-stars from COGIC, the church's charismatic worship style shouts to a black gay male queer gospel aesthetic every Sunday. And the church is conflicted with itself.
Unfortuantely, these black gay male mega-stars are always forced to go back into the closet denouncing publicly their sexual orientation at the church's annual convocation.
Case in point: Speaking at the COGIC's 102nd Holy Convocation International Youth Department Worship Service on November 7 held at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, Pastor Donnie McClurkin, the poster boy for African American ex-gay ministries, was one of them.
"God did not call you to such perversions. Your only hope is Jesus Christ. Were it not for this Jesus I would be a homosexual today. This God is a deliverer," McClurkin told his audience.
McClurkin attributed his homosexuality to being raped twice as a child, first at age eight at his brother's funeral by his uncle, and then at age thirteen by his cousin, his uncle's son.
Confusing same-gender sexual violence as homosexuality, McClurkin misinterpreted the molestation as the reason for his gay sexual orientation. McClurkin "testi-lies" that his cure was done by a deliverance from God and a restoration of his manhood by becoming the biological father of a child.
Sarah Palin may fashion herself as a go-it-alone maverick, but her book is producing a crowd.
By the time the former governor's memoir - "Going Rogue: An American Life" - officially hits book stores on Tuesday - there'll be a legion of titles waiting to cash in, from unauthorized biographies to critical essays to a tongue-in-cheek coloring book.
That doesn't even include the picture book "Terminatrix: The Sarah Palin Chronicles" - which superimposes her head on paintings and famous photos - and a boomlet of self-published books, including one that weirdly takes Henrik Ibsen's play "Hedda Gabler" and merely substitutes Gabler for Palin and George Tesman for Todd Palin.
Other authors are going simply for laughs, such as "Going Rouge: The Sarah Palin Rogue Coloring and Activity Book" by Julie Sigwart and Micheal Stinson, which is filled with political cartoons drawn in the style of a coloring book. Readers can do a word search for Palin's potential vice presidential picks - can you find "Rush Limbaugh" and "Tina Fey"? - or tackle a puzzle maze of oil pipelines.
One of the more bizarre offerings is "Sarah Palin's Secret Diary," by Joey Green, a former contributing editor to the National Lampoon, who has previously written books skewering Monica Lewinsky and George W. Bush.
I was contacted by The Advocate several days ago to see if I was interested in doing a piece for the mag on Chapel Hill's incoming mayor, Mark Kleinschmidt, who is openly gay and won only by a hair (106 votes), in what is one of the most liberal cities in NC.
Well, it certainly wasn't hard to say yes to that scoop. I emailed Mark and we met not far from my office in downtown Durham at a popular restaurant, Toast. I set up my trusty cam, and we ordered lunch for a leisurely conversation about many things -- his election, his family involvement with the race, and the unexpected homophobic (and ill-thought-out tactic) by an opponent. He also had some interesting and thoughtful things to say about the loss of marriage equality in Maine as he and other out candidates around the country celebrated victory on election night.
Since you have been personally and professionally out of the closet for a long time, did you expect your orientation to be an issue in this race, since C.H. has a progressive rep?
I didn't. And then I had some opponents that were unexpected, including a couple of Republicans, and it did give me pause. I wondered when they joined the race whether or not it was going to be an issue. And it did come up toward the end in a way that didn't help my opponents at all.
During the early voting [two weeks before the election], one of the candidates [Kevin Wolff] announced that he was withdrawing from the race; nonetheless he maintained a presence at the polling sites and did some amount of campaigning. And one of the things he did was that he had signs at our early-voting places with literature tacked on for voters to educate themselves. And he had a typical campaign piece where he compared himself to his opponents ... and there was a checklist - "Who's going to lower your taxes ... I would, he [Kleinschmidt] wouldn't," typical things like that. But then there were these other points ... "Family," as in does he have a family - "I have a family," but Kleinschmidt doesn't have a family. The last one was "Gay Rights Activist" and he proudly has "N" for no, he's not one, and neither were any of the other candidates, but then "Yes. Mark Is a Gay Rights Activist." I was shocked.
The greatest impact it had was it showed voters how out of touch he was with the community; he had just moved to town four years ago, and he apparently has not been around long enough to know the town he has moved to.
About Mark Kleinschmidt:
Position: Chapel Hill town council member since December 2001. He was the fifth openly gay North Carolinian to be elected in state history.
Profession: Executive director of the Fair Trial Initiative; represented several North Carolina capital defendants in post-conviction litigation; recruited and mentored of young attorneys and their development toward becoming capital trial attorneys. Previously was social studies teacher at West Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, where he was named the 1997 teacher of the year.
Boards and organizations: North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union, the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials, the North Carolina Democratic Party, and Equality NC.
Family: His father, Jim Kleinschmidt, is a retired U.S. Air Force chief master sergeant and his mother, Marge Kleinschmidt, is a registered nurse. He has a twin sister, Michelle Barbee, who served as campaign treasurer.
Next week I will have the entire interview here on PHB, including additional video -- what's up at The Advocate is only about two-thirds of my conversation with Mark.
One more question, about how outsiders view NC is below the fold.
Under the leadership of Gov. Janet Napolitano, the Arizona state government in 2008 created a health insurance benefit for the domestic partners and children of state employees and retirees. This past September, the Arizona legislature stripped those benefits from state employees with now-Governor Jan Brewer's approval. Oh, but they made sure to retain spousal health benefits for heterosexual employees. Who do you think burdens the state budget more, the legions of heterosexual employees, or the handful of gay ones?
Today, Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) filed a Motion for Summary Judgment in US District Court as part of their response to the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Motion to Dismiss Gill v. OPM, a challenge to Section 3 of DOMA. DOMA Section 3 prevents the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages. The DOJ has until December 4th to respond to today's filings.
Regardless of how the US District Court judge rules, GLAD expects the decision to be appealed to the 1st Circuit Court and perhaps ultimately to the United States Supreme Court, which may or may not decide to hear the case.
If GLAD is ultimately successful, the natural question is "how will the ruling affect me?"
Only in bible-beating America can such hypocrisy and batsh*ttery be married in one insane statement. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) for the win with this bold career advice for Carrie "XXX" Prejean:
[Carrie] has the ability to draw crowds and if she has a strong message to go with that, who knows what she can do? She has star power which can open doors.
We've all made mistakes when we were 17. [The sex tape] is going to be an impediment, but people are excited about her convictions and her beliefs.
In what has to be one of the shoddiest bits of journalism since its 
This man of God beds down with the anti-gay-for-pay Beltway set, most closely with Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council. He even wrote a book with him, 
But the fact that Jackson has a large following doesn't mean "might makes right." In Washington, DC, he's not the only voice of faith in the community. The Reverends Christine Y. Wiley & Dennis W. Wiley of 
Pastor Donnie McClurkin's Gay Church
Case in point: Speaking at the COGIC's 102nd Holy Convocation International Youth Department Worship Service on November 7 held at the Memphis Cook Convention Center, Pastor Donnie McClurkin, the poster boy for African American ex-gay ministries, was one of them.
Does one call this "beefcake" or "moosecake"?
I was contacted by The Advocate several days ago to see if I was interested in doing a piece for the mag on Chapel Hill's incoming mayor, Mark Kleinschmidt, who is openly gay and won only by a hair (106 votes), in what is one of the most liberal cities in NC.
Only in bible-beating America can such hypocrisy and batsh*ttery be married in one insane statement. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) for the win with 
