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.
Remember the promises of Pastor Marc Grizzard, of Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, NC? He was going to hold a BBQ and book burning of non-King James versions of The Good Book, including the Good News for Modern Man, the Evidence Bible, the New International Version Bible, the Green Bible and the Message Bible -- all deemed as "Satan's Bibles" by the church.
Right Wing Watch reports that the best laid plans by these reality-challenged fundies...FAIL. In fact, RWW has nominated this for Worst.Book.Burning.Ever. Here's the rip-roaring backup plan (keyboard protection on, please).
[W]hen the big day came around, a combination of rain, protesters, and a state law against burning paper all conspired against them.
Amazing Grace Church had this to say about people who noted that God must intervened to stop the insanity.
We wanted to say that the Book Burning was a great success[.] We wanted to thank all the Bible doubters who prayed for rain with us. All the protestors and media got wet; we were inside where it was nice and dry[.] We are not glad people got wet, we are glad that His Word was honored. Some have written praising God that he intervened and stopped the Book Burning because of the rain, protestors, and state laws about burning paper. Nothing was stopped. Our goal was to destroy garbage as noted below, and we did just that. We didn't care how it was destroyed; only that it was destroyed. These same people must have never heard about "Paper, Rock, & Scissors." Scissors cut paper, and paper tears real easy. We destroyed everything as planned. Praise God! God answered every prayer that everyone prayed, but they don't like the answer.
This is why the NC GOP is dying the death of 1000 cuts. They are way out there in wingnut land and the laughingstock of NC politics. That it is now led by Tom "I am not gay" Fetzer only adds to the fun. (Under the Dome):
The N.C. Republican Party is bringing in Doug Hoffman, the defeated conservative New York congressional candidate who helped spark a national debate about the party's future, to speak at a political fund raiser in Raleigh later this month.
State GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer said that Hoffman would be a good fit for Tar Heel Republicans, Rob Christensen reports.
"His candidacy in New York inspired conservatives across the country, and he will reach out to North Carolina conservatives to help us reclaim our government," Fetzer said in a statement.
Hoffman is the guy who was drop kicked after Dede Scozzafava was smeared as too moderate for the GOP by such leaders as Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. I honestly don't think inviting Hoffman can help the NC GOP move any more to the right than it already is. They are hanging from the fringe.
We'll be adding final results here as well as tidbits on some of the races out there.
There's great news here in NC: pro-LGBT incumbents win in Durham, and Chapel Hill has an openly gay mayor. I just heard from Jake Gellar-Goad of the Mark Kleinschmidt campaign and Mark is going to be the next mayor of Chapel Hill. He won by 101 votes in a squeaker. Woohoo!
Mark Kleinschmidt emerged victorious in his campaign for mayor of Chapel Hill on Tuesday, with a 49.49 percent (4,006) to 46.53 percent (3,766) lead against chief opponent Matt Czajkowski with 21 of 21 precincts reporting. Shortly after 9:00 p.m., Czajkowski conceded to Kleinschmidt.
A member of the Chapel Hill Town Council since 2001, Kleinschmidt will become the third openly gay man to hold mayoral office in the state, following Mike Nelson in Carrboro and Elic Senter in Frankinton.
In Durham, all of the seats up for re-election on the city council (including the mayor's seat), are winning in landslides. All voted for the marriage equality resolution, and the bible beaters were calling for their defeat. Not a chance: 77% Bell, 76% Cole-McFadden, 72% Clement, 87% Woodard.
***
Out lesbian Annise Parker, the city comptroller of Houston, is leading the pack running for mayor. Houston Chronicle:
Houston Mayor In: 84%
Annise Parker 30.5%
Gene Locke 25.9%
Peter Brown 22.9%
Roy Morales 19.8%
Surf over to Senate Guru for all eight reasons; I'll just share a few of the most egregious ones. Senator Richard Burr, the wingnut who's up for election here in NC, has surfaced a lot this year after slumbering through the rest of his term. Clearly he wants to make a name for himself back with the voters, but for god's sake, he's such a amoral, principle-free character he needs to be ejected in a landslide. Don't even bother asking about where he stands on LGBT issues. One example of his character is how he earned the name "Bank Run Burr. "
Richard Burr Ordered His Wife to Make Some Notorious Trips to the ATM
Richard Burr describes his earliest reaction to the impending economic crisis last year and "Bank Run" Burr is born:
"On Friday night, I called my wife and I said, `Brooke, I am not coming home this weekend. I will call you on Monday. Tonight, I want you to go to the ATM machine, and I want you to draw out everything it will let you take," Burr said, according to the Hendersonville Times-News. "And I want you to tomorrow, and I want you to go Sunday.' I was convinced on Friday night that if you put a plastic card in an ATM machine the last thing you were going to get was cash."
Richard Burr had insider information about the impending economic crisis. Did he warn his constituents, the families of North Carolina that Burr claims to care about? Nope. He ordered his wife to make a run on the banks, to cash out all the money she could so that the Burrs would be fine and other North Carolina families would be left high and dry.
But that's not even close to the top two reasons this man needs to be bounced:
Richard Burr Is a Shameless Hypocrite When It Comes to President Obama's Economic Stimulus Bill. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when I saw a clip about Burr on the local news. After seeing him damn the economic stimulus plan, just this month, as the cash flowed in, he glowed about the Obama government loot as he presented a nice chunk to a local firestation. UN-F*CKING-BELIEVABLE:
Burr was on hand on Friday to present the Bethlehem, N.C., fire department with a grant for $2 million to build a new fire station. Burr called the grant a "great thing" for the area.
"We're not accustomed to federal dollars in that magnitude finding their way to North Carolina," Burr said, according to a local newspaper.
The grant, according to the local fire chief, came through the Department of Homeland Security by way of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That money was allocated through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the $787 billion stimulus measure passed with just three Republican votes in the Senate in February.
Burr was not one of those three votes. In a statement on Burr's Senate website, published before the vote, Burr criticized the bill for spending "almost a trillion dollars of borrowed money on projects and programs that are unlikely to produce any real broad-based stimulus or create jobs that will still be here two years from now."
FAIL. But wait, it's far worse. My #1 pick that illustrates why Burr must go...
Richard Burr Voted to Keep "Being a Victim of Domestic Violence" as a Pre-existing Condition Worthy of Denying Insurance Coverage
While that statement alone is gasp-worthy, the story gets even more appalling: this issue had a chance to be ended - once and for all - in the Senate HELP Committee in 2006. At that time, an amendment was introduced to the Health Insurance Marketplace Modernization and Affordability Act of 2006 that would have forced insurance companies to stop ignoring state laws that provided protection for victims of domestic violence, specifically when it came to denying them insurance coverage.
BTW, Burr has a lot of fellow pro-rape buddies; check out all of the senators who gave the bill a thumbs down at the "Republicans for Rape" web site. The names will not surprise you:
Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Richard Shelby (R-AL), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), John McCain (R-AZ), Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), James Risch (R-ID), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Jim Bunning (R-KY), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), David Vitter (R-LA), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Kit Bond (R-MO), Mike Johanns (R-NE), John Ensign (R-NV), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Richard Burr (R-NC), Tom Coburn (R-OK), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Jim DeMint (R-SC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Bob Corker (R-TN), John Cornyn (R-TX), John Barrasso (R-WY), Mike Enzi (R-WY)
The one question I have about these Senators and their votes -- do you think they would have voted it down if there were instances of men being raped by men under the auspices of a contractor? Just asking.
Here it is, Matt Boswell and the Hillbilly Blues Band in all its glory...to an audience of well, tens (if that, see the photo), who seem to be preoccupied with other things. I only see one woman in overalls clap at the homophobic line added to the Merle Haggard song, Merle Haggard's "Are the Good Times Really Over for Good?": 'And you can't get married, you stupid gays and queers, so why don't you go somewhere else?'
Thanks to gaydudenc for loading this one up. His accompanying description:
Yee-haw, Maw! Pass me a big ol' chaw!
C'mon in buckaroos and buckarettes! Hitch up your horsie for some down home entertainment...country style!
Look ya'll, this twangy little ditty is the anti-gay song that got country music singer wanna-be, Matt Boswell, 'booted' to the curb by city officials in Reidsville, North Carolina for good. Boswell was performing at the 2009 Downtown Reidsville Fall Festival, and he made up his own lyrics to a famous Merle Haggard song. Boswell decided to spice it up with some of his homegrown, corn-pone lyrics...including, 'And you can't get married, you stupid gays and queers, so why don't you go somewhere else?'
After Reidsville city officials found out about the use of the inflammatory hillbilly lyrics (a viewer complaint was filed with local TV station WGSR 47 in Reidsville which got the 8-ball rolling) - guitar plunking Matt Boswell was permanenty banned from ever performing at city sponsored events. The city manager, Kelly Almond, called Boswell's performance "tasteless" and he would never be booked again at a city sponsored, tax-paid family events.
Shoo-wee, Pappy! Break out your overalls, cowboy hats, Skoal, Tony Lama boots..and sit a spell! Take a load off while you cry in your beer. And stop kicking that coon-dog!
By the way, my little corn fritters, the offensive lyrics begin at around the 3:12 mark...if you can take it that long. Lots of alcohol would help. Oh, and watch the faces of the crowd as they're riveted to Boswell's performance. Okay, maybe not riveted. They were probably thinking that lots and lots of alcohol would be good right about then.
Folks, Reidsville is no hotbed of LGBT equality, but this small town ( less than 15K) had heard enough of Matt Boswell and the Hillbilly Blues Band, who were hired to entertain people at the town's fall festival. The Hillbillies were sorely mistaken about level of Reidsville's homophobic camaraderie during a rendition of Merle Haggard's "Are the Good Times Really Over for Good?" (QNotes):
Boswell sang, "Well you'll never take my guns, and I'll pray anywhere that I please./My daddy always told me, if you were able, and didn't work then you don't eat./All you Wall Street bankers, as far as I'm concerned, you can all go to Hell./And you can't get married, you stupid gays and queers, so why don't you go somewhere else?"
A viewer later emailed the station asking that anti-gay lyrics be stripped from future broadcasts. Reidsville City Manager Kelly Almond told Q-Notes the language used by Boswell was "tasteless."
"It was absolutely unacceptable and certainly unacceptable at a city-owned venue and city-sponsored event," he said.
Almond also said the employees in charge of booking public events have been "instructed not to book [Boswell] again," with similar thoughts echoed in an email to WGSR 47: "I can assure everyone involved that, if this language was used, this person, or anyone representing him, will not play another city event. Market Square, and indeed all city venues, are places meant to bring people together, not divide them. We certainly support tasteful, patriotic acts. We also have to respect everyone's Free Speech rights. However, we don't have to pay for it or include it in a city sponsored event, and we will not."
You see, Boswell, just because Reidsville hasn't progressed enough to include sexual orientation or gender-identity in its non-discrimination policy for city employees yet doesn't mean you have a venue to foment hate. You're now banned from performing in that small NC town.
"I believe the King James version is God's preserved, inspired, inerrant and infallible word of God." -- Pastor Marc Grizzard, Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Canton, N.C.
Our Western NC bible beaters know how to do it right, baby... Video from KBMT:
Raw Story gives you the insight into these nutcases who think Rick Warren is slated for the Hell Express.
A Baptist Church near Asheville, N.C., is hosting a "Halloween book burning" to purge the area of "Satan's" works, which include all non-King James versions of the Bible, popular books by many religious authors and even country music.
Church leaders deem Good News for Modern Man, the Evidence Bible, the New International Version Bible, the Green Bible and the Message Bible, as well as at least seven other versions of the Bible as "Satan's Bibles," according to the website. Attendees will also set fire to "Satan's popular books" such as the work of "heretics" including the Pope, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and Rick Warren.
To my mind, this says [Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)] would have supported the sexual orientation only bill voted on last time, but she is not sure whether she can vote for the current bill and will have to "consider" it. This is exactly the type of "supportive non-support" that got gender identity pulled from the [Employment Non-Discrimination Act] last time. This should not be tolerated in 2009 or else we will wind up back in 2007.
-Dr. Jillian Todd Weiss
For those who aren't following Bilerico, Dr. Jillian Todd Weiss -- an Associate Professor of Law and Society at Ramapo College -- is running a campaign Facebook for an Inclusive ENDA. On Bilerico, she's listing a ENDA Targeted Legislator of the Day as a means for targeting our federal legislators who have not either co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA - S1584) or confirmed yes votes on ENDA -- some of those who have confirmed have only confirmed their support privately.
Prof. Weiss also has her own blog: Transgender Workplace Diversity. [Did I mention that she's a transgender woman whose working not only for transgender workplace civil rights, but for broader lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community's workplace civil rights?] In that blog she explains the ENDA legislation, with heavy emphasis on how legally, a fully inclusive ENDA will impact transgender people.
Earlier this week, the ENDA Targeted Legislator Of The Day was North Carolina's Senator Kay Hagan. In response to that post by Prof. Weiss, a transgendernews reader sent a e-letter to Senator Hagan -- of whom she is a constituent -- about the Senator's position on a fully inclusive ENDA. Sen. Hagan's staff sent a response, and it's below the fold.
[Below the fold: Sen. Hagan, in Prof. Weiss's opinion, is giving us "'supportive non-support' that got gender identity pulled from the bill last time."]
I happened to post a link to an article in the News & Observer today, "N.C. to impose 'fat tax'", on my Facebook page and I couldn't believe how many comments were generated there, opening up a somewhat heated dialogue revolving on the "blame the fattie" meme. So I decided to post it as an entry here for discussion. First, the news article:
North Carolina is poised to become only the second state to impose a fat fee on its state employees by placing them in a more expensive health insurance plan if they're obese.
Smokers will feel the drag of higher costs, too, as North Carolina state employees who use tobacco are slated to pay more for health insurance next year.
State workers who don't cut out the Marlboros and Big Macs will end up paying more for health care. Tobacco users get placed in a more expensive insurance plan starting in July and, for those who qualify as obese, in July 2011.
...The policies have generated a backlash among at least a portion of state workers. Some workers are anxious about the idea of tests for smoking.The tests involve examining a saliva sample for cotinine, a derivative of nicotine found in the system of tobacco users. Health plan officials recognize those concerns and are getting ready to take bids from companies that will perform the tests. The state plan has not yet developed a procedure to monitor members for the obesity standard due to take effect in 2011.
That last line says it all. There are serious problems with this policy that you don't need a medical degree to see are going to crop up.
Is all obesity the same? No, but it's treated in this policy as if it's all about "stop shoving Big Macs in your mouth." Obesity is a complex problem; if it were that easy to lose weight and keep it off, everyone would be thin, and we'd already have a pill that is safe, effective and can be taken long term. Speaking of pills, many medications to treat other illnesses (diabetes, depression) are the documented cause of substantial, sudden weight gain that is almost impossible to shed.
For fibromyalgia, for example, I refused to take Lyrica because it was associated with too many cases of weight gain, as in 30-60 lbs(!). On message boards I surfed, there were people so fraught with pain, and who never had a weight problem, suddenly finding themselves obese, but with reduced pain. Will NC employees in similar situations be told to stop those medications? I doubt it, but how does that solve the policy problem? If the state really cares about the health of these people (instead of naked costs), then they would have thought this through.
The no-win situation. The state says in order to stay in the 80/20 plan (the insurance pays 80%, the employee 20%), your BMI must be under 40. So if you kick your butt in the gym, do Nutrisystem or whatever plan of the month is, and gut bust down to 39 BMI you should be good to go, right? Nope. The state moves the goalposts the next year, because they lower the BMI qualification to 35. Sweet.
The onus is solely on the employee. The logical question is, will insurance then cover bariatric surgery for those who want to make the BMI goal? Something tells me I doubt it. Will it cover weight loss programs? What if the employee has two jobs and kids and can't afford any gym membership, let alone the time to go? Is that person then punished with a higher premium?
What about yo-yo effect. It's well-known that calorie-restricted diets simply don't work. The weight does come off, but the vast majority of individuals put the pounds back on over time, and some end up even heavier than they were prior to dieting. The cycle of yo-yo dieting and the strain it places on the heart is well-known as well. Did the state take this into consideration? How about when you yo-yo and go over 40 BMI, drop to 35 and go back up to 40 -- do they keep switching you back and forth between plans?
As I said, on my Facebook page, the discussion escalated quite quickly. See some of it below the fold.
During a Durham City Council Candidate Forum on Sunday, Rev. Sylvester Williams of The Assembly at Durham Christian Center (who is a local fundie trying to unseat a long-service councilman) decided to bellyache about the Council's unanimously passed resolution stating gay and lesbian couples should have the right to civil marriage. This forum was held at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church on S. Alston Avenue (Audio via Kevin Davis of Bull City Rising).
"The Defense of Marriage Act says that it is one man, one wife...What is the City of Durham doing passing a resolution without discussion, 7-0, as though they're reflecting the wishes of the entire City of Durham? They're pandering...Why are we out of step with the rest of the country, why are we out of step with the state of North Carolina?"
He received feeble applause for that statement, by the way.
Dammit, instead of going to the animal shelter to see the dogs, Kate and I should have taken the opportunity to rub shoulders with the queen of Opposite Marriage in the wingnut movement, disgraced Miss California Carrie Prejean, who was in the Triangle to stimulate intellectual discussion during her lunch keynote at the 4th Annual NC Conservative Leadership Conference, sponsored by the John William Pope Civitas Institute.
This is a gathering of the good-old-boy set and economic/fiscal conservative crowd.
The vision of the Civitas Institute is of a North Carolina whose citizens enjoy liberty and prosperity derived from limited government, personal responsibility and civic engagement. The mission of the Civitas Institute is to facilitate the implementation of conservative policy solutions to improve the lives of all North Carolinians
* Judicial Misconduct and Gay Adoption * Defending Marriage in N.C. * 2009 Session Legislative Recap Series: Life and Family * Why "Sexual Orientation" is Not a Protected Nondiscrimination Class * Government-Run Health Care And Taxpayer-Funded Abortions * Deception: The Story of North Carolina's Bullying Bill and How It Was Passed * The Damage of HB 88/ S221-An Unhealthy Youth * Get The Facts... On Abstinence Education * Life & Family Legislation: A Coming Storm? * Legislative Recap Series * Let's Not Forget Life * North Carolina Needs Fetal Homicide Law * Life and Family Issues Recap * Stem Cell Research in North Carolina ... What's Really Going On? * Marriage Amendment Blocked * A Decade of Parental Consent...And 750 Shining Faces!
According to the N&O, Prejean gave the usual stump speech about being persecuted for her beliefs about marriage by the Miss USA Pageant. I doubt her Piousness brought up her topless modeling photos or the contract terms she broke that caused pageant officials to yank her crown. Also, a group of progressives from Durham attended as the eyes and ears of the reality-based residents in the state.
"It has illuminated why the extreme right-wing grass-roots are so cynical and hateful," said Lanya Shapiro, executive director of Traction Action Fund, a social network of activists. here's Traction on FB
"Their leaders call the left evil and power-grabbing," Shapiro said. "We want to know what we're up against."
Friday featured Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform along with the author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam," Robert Spencer. How could I have missed the "Ongoing Terror Symposium"?
And look at what I missed on Saturday...plus: if you want to see how the wingnuts put on a real slamming fest, check out some video from last year's conference below the fold, complete with move-to-the-beat elevator music...
My column is up on the web and in driveways this AM: "Night at the City Council." It includes additional behind-the-scenes action during my on-the-scene coverage of the marriage equality resolution a few weeks ago. I go into the interesting politics in the room as well as my "history" with the mayor. A snippet:
Mayor Bell walked in -- I said hello to my former neighbor (as in way back when I was 8, a lifetime ago). I mused to myself that this is the oddity of local politics: there's always a chance you actually know the people running the government.
I checked my videocam as people started streaming in. I casually noticed that the seat next to me remained open. I didn't realize why until the meeting was about to start and Lavonia Allison of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People sidled by me and sat down. "Hmmm. Had I taken her usual seat?" I wondered briefly, then I went back to Tweeting to update readers in real-time as the council started taking their chairs.
I was watching CNN this AM and saw this pathetic piece about North Carolina Principal Chris Gibbs of Claremont Elementary School. He was forced by winger parents to censor the President's school speech on Tuesday. For point of reference, the school is west of the Triangle, near Hickory. Needless to say, it's Red territory.
In this interview, Gibbs, who is black, knows exactly what the score is -- he's dealing with a bunch of ignorant bigots, and his head was going to roll if he didn't comply with the bullying extremists who thought the speech contained "communist" rhetoric that they didn't want to expose their precious children to.
Gibbs does his diplomatic best in the heat of this situation, but he calls it like it is:
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This North Carolina school principal had to decide whether or not to air President Obama's speech for students in his school. The pressure was on.
CHRIS GIBBS, PRINCIPAL, CLAREMONT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: This may sound a little strange, but after a flurry of phone calls, my first thing was to go in my office, shut my door and have a prayer because I knew I was going to have to make a decision.
TUCHMAN: What was he hearing from parents? Mostly comments like those we heard at the county fair just down the road.
(on camera): Do you think the school should play Barack Obama's speech?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely not.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's more like communism saying we're going to do this and we're going to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it should be up to the parents' decision if they want their children to hear that or not.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): And that is exactly what Principal Chris Gibbs decided. The speech will not be shown at Claremont Elementary School.
Teachers we met at the school told us they backed the decision.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not something that we want to divide our school with.
TUCHMAN: In our research of the schools and school districts that will not be showing the president's speech live, we found that most of them perhaps not surprisingly are in counties where Barack Obama did not do particularly well during the November elections.
(on camera): Catawba County, the home of the Claremont Elementary School is no exception. John McCain received 67 percent of the vote here.
This is what he's going to say in his speech. If you quit in school, you're not just quitting on yourself, you're quitting on your country. Isn't that a message you want your kids to hear? Isn't that part of what education is all about?
GIBBS: Most definitely. And we've asked our parents, again, going back to responsibility. A responsible parent is going to sit down and talk to their kids about staying in school.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): But Barack Obama's message about it won't even be shown here in an edited form in the days to come. The principal has decided that the children are to see any of it, it should only be from their parents.
(on camera): Let's say if President Obama said I want to come to you school? He calls you up, I want to make a live appearance at your school and we'll have an assembly. You would be dealing with the same things with these parents, wouldn't you?
GIBBS: I would, probably.
TUCHMAN: How does that make you feel?
GIBBS: Well, we have a long way to go (And these synapse-firing-free parents are a prime example of this -- ed.). And the issues out there today are the issues, they're sensitive issues (As in these bigots are thisclose to calling the POTUS an uppity n*gger. -- ed..) But if the president wanted to come to Claremont Elementary School, he would certainly be welcome to come to Claremont Elementary School. And I guess I would have to go back in my office and shut the door and pray again.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Claremont, North Carolina.
In an interesting move, the Charlotte Observer has endorsed openly gay political newcomer Owen Sutkowski over incumbent straight ally Councilmember Patsy Kinsey for the District 1 seat on the Charlotte City Council. Sutkowski is obviously a better match for his district than Kinsey, according to the Observer:
This is a difficult choice. Ms. Kinsey is diligent in attending neighborhood meetings, and constituents say she's responsive and follows through. But she hasn't been a strong voice on behalf of the district. Somewhat oddly, in a Democratic district, she often votes with Republicans. Further, her voting record has some puzzling items. One example: She was the only Democrat to vote against adopting a citywide bicycle plan a year ago, a plan the developers' lobby opposed. Yet she represents neighborhoods that are among the city's most bicycle-friendly.
In another puzzling vote, she was in the majority setting a bad precedent for historic preservation in a city with too many instances of neglecting preservation. The council refused to give a historic landmark designation to a 1957 Modern-style house, despite a local Landmarks Commission study and the homeowner's permission. For someone who represents several historic neighborhoods, that was disturbing.
Sutkowski's resume is much shorter than Kinsey's – he's only 26 – and his campaign isn't well funded. But he has dived enthusiastically into civic issues, serving on the city-county Community Relations Committee and the city's Privatization/Competition Advisory Committee. He is pushing transparency and accessibility of city government and seems to have an ability to see the big picture in a confusing set of interconnected local governments.
Voters must decide whether to stick with a known quantity who seems a bit out of touch with the district's interests, or to gamble on an unproven newcomer who's smart and energetic. We conclude it's time for a change. We recommend Owen Sutkowski.
As I've mentioned before, even though Charlotte is a metropolis with a large gay population and many LGBT-friendly businesses, Mecklenburg County is also home to a large conservative church-going community. It has sent ace deranged homoobsessed, homo-obsessed, county commissioner Bill James back to serve as a county commissioner numerous times. Sutkowski's reaction to the endorsement:
"I am exited to see the variety of community groups and citizens making their voices heard. They are urgently seeking a fresh perspective in local government and I look forward to working with the people of District 1, and across Charlotte, for change."
Referring to my area of NC (the Triangle of Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill), one Freeper registers his disgust at Durham's high 'mo factor:
I used to live in the triange (K-9th Grade), and it was a great place to grow up (Durham Co, not city), however after the mid-90s' the new wave of carpetbagger liberal (allied at times with liberal blacks), btw The triangle has a HUGE problem with pro-homosexual people/policies) have made it very liberal in places! SICKENING TO see DIXIE become so weak.
Yeah, baby...we don't miss ya! In news related to the article that generated the above comment, was the recent ruling by the state Court of Appeals regarding second parent adoption and custody issues.
The appeals court ruling upheld a 2005 adoption by Sen. Julia Boseman of her partner's son. The child was conceived by Melissa Jarrell of Wilmington through artificial insemination; she and Boseman jointly raised the boy.
After the couple split, Boseman sought joint custody; Jarrell argued that the adoption wasn't valid because the law doesn't allow unmarried partners to have such parental rights. The court's decision validated only Boseman's adoption, giving her standing to fight for joint custody of her son; it did not make a sweeping pronouncement about unmarried couples' rights.
In NC, many same-sex couples come to Durham or Orange county because the judges are amenable to granting second-parent adoptions.
Such adoptions became commonplace in Durham County in 2002. Sharon Thompson, a Durham family lawyer and a former state representative, asked her county clerk of courts and local judges to consider what she had seen a few other states do: waiving the requirement that a parent forfeit rights before another can adopt. Thompson said that citizens can waive legal rights. She argued that surrendering legal parenthood before an adoption is a benefit and protection for the parent who wishes to give up the child. Therefore, she argued, the surrender is a right that can be waived...Adoption law experts say Thompson's method isn't valid. Even the Court of Appeals gently criticized the process in its ruling this week.
So the adoptions have been going on for years apparently under the radar of the GOP gasbag lawmakers. This ruling has awakened and outraged the batsh*t wingnuts in our legislature; it's the usual homo-obsessed suspects, James Forrester and Paul "Skip" Stam. They are making threats to enact legislation to specifically bar gay and lesbian couples from adopting.
"The effect of this is that adoption policy can now be set by our district court judges," said state Rep. Paul Stam, a Wake County Republican and a lawyer. "All people have to do now is find one district court judge who will do what they want. That's the lowest common denominator adoption policy."
State Sen. Jim Forrester, a Gaston County Republican, said it might be time for legislators to explicitly tell judges what kind of families can adopt children. Forrester, who is against gay adoptions, said judges are crossing the line and becoming advocates instead of arbiters.
So if they get riled up enough, EqualityNC and allies will be back to battle the wingnuts again.
Just to irritate Forrester and Stam more, NC Pride 2009 is scheduled for Saturday, September 26, 2009, 10am - 5pm at Duke East Campus, in Durham. I'm the keynote speaker this year. Still haven't written my speech yet, there's a lot to fit into 15 minutes!
Anyway, I'm still wondering what that Freeper *ss-clown is imagining what would return "strength" to Dixie-going back to stringing up some nigras, and burning and beating fags and dykes to death for entertainment? The good old days. I sure wouldn't want to be the neighbor of this creep-any guesses as to where he's living?
I am very proud of my hometown tonight after attending the Durham (NC) City Council meeting where a resolution supporting civil marriage equality for same-sex couples was passed unanimously. Mayor Bill Bell and council members affirmed marriage equality. While NC does not allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, it is heartening to have the support of the Bull City (our state legislature has also turned away, for the sixth time, a state marriage amendment).
When I entered the council chambers to sign up to speak (around 6:20, with the meeting to begin at 7PM), it was already filling up. I gave a hug to Mayor Bell, who has known me since I was a little p-a-m. He apparently keeps up with the "trouble" I get into on the Blend and in The Durham News. I was also greeted and hugged by Mike Woodard, who frequently marches in the Pride Parade with the allies and "family" Old West Durham peeps (even though neither of us live in the neighborhood these days).
I sat down in the second row. After several proclamations and bits of business it came to the main agenda items of the night. It was clear this was a big meeting for two reasons -- the resolution and a matter concerning the city's recycling vendor contract. I'm sorry to say that I was not up to date on the latter issue, but after an excruciating hour of debate that shed little light (at least to me) on what the outcome was, it was time for the resolution.
The council decided to move on the issue, meaning no debate was needed. All but one of those who signed up to speak was in favor of the equality resolution. One woman in my row (well-known local homophobe and failed political candidate Victoria Peterson) jumped to her feet to object (about 4:30 in) "Excuse me, I'd like to speak." Mayor Bell firmly, but politely told her "I'm running the meeting" and said they were ready to move the item and vote. And they did -- and there was a standing ovation (4:48).
Notice the racial divide -- who was standing and who remained seated. It's too bad that I was unable to get up to speak. That's for another day...I'll take this opportunity to announce that I've been asked to be the keynote speaker atNC Pridethis year. The parade, which weaves in OWD next to Duke's East Campus, ends with the keynote and other guests. It will be a good opportunity to celebrate the victories -- and address this sad divide in understanding.
Here we go again with the burgeoning political perv-o-rama...this time in my state of North Carolina, where a 74-year-old Democrat and the longest-serving state Senator in our legislature is facing charges that he engaged in inappropriate sexual contact, was handing out generous sums of cash to clients behind bars and has now jumped onto the FBI's radar with an investigation into prostitution and molestation.
Stacy Scott, who's now 27, made the allegation during a Wednesday interview that aired on Wilmington television station WWAY-TV. Scott is a former client of Soles, who has practiced law in Tabor City for 50 years.
Dowless said Scott never reported to police the abuse allegations and the claim that Soles paid the man $1,000 to keep quiet about the incident.
"If it's true, then we need to get to the truth of it and put this thing to rest," Dowless said.
But wait, there's more...take a look at one of Soles's "close friends who is defending him.
"I think it's a bunch of lies, all these allegations that are being made," said Allen Strickland, who called Soles a family friend.
Strickland, 17, said Soles has provided him enough money in recent years to buy a Corvette and a 640-square-foot house.
I'm not sure that endorsement, which includes the quote "He didn't just offer me money. I told him I needed some school supplies," is particularly helpful to Soles. If you check out Soles's web site, there's no evidence of political sexual hypocrisy or blatant wingnuttery, nevertheless, he's in a world of trouble that indicates at the very least, he's unaware that he has placed himself in a situation that will be hard to explain, let alone explain away.Strickland's home burned down a couple of weeks ago, and that's how the radar on the relationship came to light. StarNews Online has been following the relationship between Soles and Strickland.
Soles...has been the subject of recent media coverage about his relationships with several young men/law clients in Columbus County since the home of one of them, 17-year-old Allen Strickland, was torched by an arsonist two weeks ago.
...According to media reports, Soles has also given money to a man named B.J. Wright, who was recently released from prison.
...In August 2008, Soles called the police to report that Strickland and another man were following the senator's car, harassing and yelling at him. But Soles asked the police not to arrest them because they were former clients. Strickland was twice charged with trespassing at Soles' home and law office in April, and then in May he told a police officer the lawmaker tried to touch him.
OK, I don't know what on earth is going on in this story, but the fact that touching and fondling keep coming up, and the senator doesn't want to comment, means the media will keep sniffing this one out. More below the fold.
Love it! This is going to be on Monday. Just received this e-blast from Equality NC.
Dear Pam,
Our friends at PFLAG Triangle and NC Against H8 tipped us off to an upcoming Durham City Council vote in support of civil marriage for same-sex couples. Usually alerts about these votes aren't so positive, because they're in support of the Marriage Discrimination Amendment--and we've sent out quite a few of those in the past few months. Please let your council members know that you support this resolution, and be there to tell them in person on Monday night! And, of course, spread the word.
What? The Durham City Council is voting to adopt the Resolution in Support of Civil Marriage for Same-Sex Couples
When? Monday, August 17, 2009 at 7:00pm
Where? 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC 27701
Council members are getting pressure from conservatives to vote against this resolution. Make sure they know where you stand by contacting them directly:
NOTE FROM PAM: This is great news. For a good look at all of the announced candidates seeking to unseat Richard "Bank Run" Burr (North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, former State Senator Cal Cunningham, Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy, and attorney Kenneth Lewis, who is profiled by Jake below), see Senate Guru's post on the race. (In the "it's a small world department," I was Kevin Foy's co-worker back in 1989-1990ish at the Forest History Society in Durham). We need to see where all of these candidates stand on LGBT issues; as we all know, now-U.S. Senator Kay Hagan dodged the LGBT media and our issues during her race.
Kenneth Lewis is the first candidate to declare on the democratic side of the 2010 senate race here in NC.
I've learned about his campaign largely from BlueNC.com & so I wanted to share a clip from their story:
"Can he win?
The Lewis for Senate campaign is about more than having a compelling personal story or a long history of community service. Kenneth has a realistic idea of the energy and time it takes to run a statewide campaign. He has experience raising money and proved he can raise money by pulling in $109,000 in 21 days. Instead of waiting to see who else might jump in, he stepped up to lead early and he committed to a strong, viable campaign by taking the step to hire Joe Trippi, a pioneer in internet fundraising and messaging."
Kenneth also answered some of my lgbt equality questions about DADT, ENDA, and marriage equality.
The President is here on Wed to hold a health care town hall and the wingnuts of the Wake County Republican Party tried to rally their troops with an e-blast that is so sad I had to run it in full below the fold (h/t, Blender Jami). A taste of the jack*ssery from Jeff Morse of the Wake GOP:
We need to find a Fife and Drummer some flag carriers (NC, US, and maybe the "Don't Tread on Me" flag), and as many people as we can muster to waive signs with Anti Obama-Care Slogans as we can make.
If you are or know anyone that plays a Fife or Drum please let us know! We would like people dressed up as Colonials.
I'll have to check the YouTubes to see if any of these dolts dressed up. I also will need to see if any of these signs materialized (complete with numerous misspellings, particularly of Gov. Perdue's name):
Remember 
This is why the NC GOP is dying the death of 1000 cuts. They are way out there in wingnut land and the laughingstock of NC politics. That it is now led by Tom "
We'll be adding final results here as well as tidbits on some of the races out there.
Richard Burr Ordered His Wife to Make Some Notorious Trips to the ATM
Richard Burr Is a Shameless Hypocrite When It Comes to President Obama's Economic Stimulus Bill. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when I saw a clip about Burr on the local news. After seeing him 
Richard Burr Voted to Keep "Being a Victim of Domestic Violence" as a Pre-existing Condition Worthy of Denying Insurance Coverage
Here it is, Matt Boswell and the Hillbilly Blues Band in all its glory...to an audience of well, tens (if that, see the photo), who seem to be preoccupied with other things. I only see one woman in overalls clap at the homophobic line added to the Merle Haggard song, Merle Haggard's "Are the Good Times Really Over for Good?": 'And you can't get married, you stupid gays and queers, so why don't you go somewhere else?'
>
Boswell sang, "Well you'll never take my guns, and I'll pray anywhere that I please./My daddy always told me, if you were able, and didn't work then you don't eat./All you Wall Street bankers, as far as I'm concerned, you can all go to Hell./And you can't get married, you stupid gays and queers, so why don't you go somewhere else?"
Church leaders deem Good News for Modern Man, the Evidence Bible, the New International Version Bible, the Green Bible and the Message Bible, as well as at least seven other versions of the Bible as "Satan's Bibles," according to the website. Attendees will also set fire to "Satan's popular books" such as the work of "heretics" including the Pope, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham and Rick Warren.
I happened to post a link to an article in the News & Observer today, "
During a Durham City Council Candidate Forum on Sunday, Rev. Sylvester Williams of 
Dammit, instead of going to the animal shelter to see the dogs, Kate and I should have taken the opportunity to rub shoulders with the queen of Opposite Marriage in the wingnut movement, disgraced Miss California Carrie Prejean, who was in the Triangle to stimulate intellectual discussion during her lunch keynote at the 
My column is up on the web and in driveways this AM: "
A snippet: 
I checked my videocam as people started streaming in. I casually noticed that the seat next to me remained open. I didn't realize why until the meeting was about to start and Lavonia Allison of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People sidled by me and sat down. "Hmmm. Had I taken her usual seat?" I wondered briefly, then I went back to Tweeting to update readers in real-time as the council started taking their chairs.
I was watching CNN this AM and saw this pathetic piece about North Carolina Principal Chris Gibbs of Claremont Elementary School. He was forced by winger parents to censor the President's school speech on Tuesday. For point of reference, the school is west of the Triangle, near Hickory. Needless to say, it's Red territory.
In an interesting move, 
I used to live in the triange (K-9th Grade), and it was a great place to grow up (Durham Co, not city), however after the mid-90s' the new wave of carpetbagger liberal (allied at times with liberal blacks), btw The triangle has a HUGE problem with pro-homosexual people/policies) have made it very liberal in places! SICKENING TO see DIXIE become so weak.
So the adoptions have been going on for years apparently under the radar of the GOP gasbag lawmakers. This ruling has awakened and outraged the batsh*t wingnuts in our legislature; it's the usual homo-obsessed suspects, 
State Sen. Jim Forrester, a Gaston County Republican, said it might be time for legislators to explicitly tell judges what kind of families can adopt children. Forrester, who is against gay adoptions, said judges are crossing the line and becoming advocates instead of arbiters.
I am very proud of my hometown tonight after attending the Durham (NC) City Council meeting where a resolution supporting civil marriage equality for same-sex couples was passed unanimously. Mayor Bill Bell and council members affirmed marriage equality. While NC does not allow gay and lesbian couples to marry, it is heartening to have the support of the Bull City (our state legislature has also turned away, for the sixth time, a state marriage amendment).
Here we go again with the burgeoning political perv-o-rama...this time in my state of North Carolina, where a 74-year-old Democrat and the longest-serving state Senator in our legislature is facing charges that he engaged in inappropriate sexual contact, was handing out generous sums of cash to clients behind bars and has now jumped onto the FBI's radar with an investigation into prostitution and molestation.
The President is here on Wed to hold a health care town hall and the wingnuts of the Wake County Republican Party tried to rally their troops with an e-blast that is so sad I had to run it in full below the fold (h/t, Blender Jami). A taste of the jack*ssery from Jeff Morse of the Wake GOP:
