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Friday, March 23, 2012
Gay travel index released; Iowa 14th, Nebraska 30th
Nebraska was 30th, with one point (one point each for having the same age of consent for both heteros and homos and for antidiscrimination legislation (Thank you Omaha) but it lost a point for "hostility of locals." Or, as we like to call it, the Jean Stothert/Franklin Thompson/Hal Daub/Dave Heineman factor.)
Iowa was 14th, with a total of 5 points (two each for antidiscrimination and equal adoption, one each for equal age of consent and marriage equality, but losing a point for "hostility of locals." Or, as we like to say, the Bob Vander Plaats/Chuck Hurley/Danny Carroll factor.)
In last place were Alabama and North Carolina, both -3. In first, New York and Massachusetts, both 8.
Grant Wood, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, painted American Gothic, perhaps the most reproduced and parodied portrait in the history of art. In Iowa City, where he taught art classes at the University of Iowa, he was denounced as a homosexual in a formal departmental complaint lodged by five colleagues. The matter was hushed up. He died of cancer brought on by a severe drinking problem.
Nebraska's greatest novelist, Willa Sibert Cather (1873-1947) was born on Pearl Harbor Day before it was Pearl Harbor Day. H.L. Mencken, the cynic's cynic, said “No romantic novel ever written in America, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as My Antonia.”
The Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial ridiculously denied that she was a lesbian, despite considerable evidence to the contrary.
Cather left Nebraska to live in Pittsburgh (a great city!) and, later, Greenwich Village in New York City.
H/T: JMG
Iowa was 14th, with a total of 5 points (two each for antidiscrimination and equal adoption, one each for equal age of consent and marriage equality, but losing a point for "hostility of locals." Or, as we like to say, the Bob Vander Plaats/Chuck Hurley/Danny Carroll factor.)
In last place were Alabama and North Carolina, both -3. In first, New York and Massachusetts, both 8.
Grant Wood, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, painted American Gothic, perhaps the most reproduced and parodied portrait in the history of art. In Iowa City, where he taught art classes at the University of Iowa, he was denounced as a homosexual in a formal departmental complaint lodged by five colleagues. The matter was hushed up. He died of cancer brought on by a severe drinking problem.
Nebraska's greatest novelist, Willa Sibert Cather (1873-1947) was born on Pearl Harbor Day before it was Pearl Harbor Day. H.L. Mencken, the cynic's cynic, said “No romantic novel ever written in America, by man or woman, is one half so beautiful as My Antonia.”The Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial ridiculously denied that she was a lesbian, despite considerable evidence to the contrary.
Cather left Nebraska to live in Pittsburgh (a great city!) and, later, Greenwich Village in New York City.
H/T: JMG
Jimmy Carter: Jesus never said a word about homosexuality
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| Jimmy Carter Library |
A lot of people point to the Bible for reasons why gay people should not be in the church, or accepted in any way.
Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things -– he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.
I draw the line, maybe arbitrarily, in requiring by law that churches must marry people. I’m a Baptist, and I believe that each congregation is autonomous and can govern its own affairs. So if a local Baptist church wants to accept gay members on an equal basis, which my church does by the way, then that is fine. If a church decides not to, then government laws shouldn’t require them to.
Iowa senator on Vander Plaats / Brown stance: 'hot air'
| State Sen. Thomas Courtney, D-Burlington |
State Sen. Thomas Courtney, D-Burlington, scoffed at assertions by Bob Vander Plaats and Brian Brown that three years of gay marriages in Iowa have hurt the state. Courtney, father of three and grandfather of four, was quoted in the Ames Patch:
“It’s just hot air is all it really is. I’m not gay, but I don’t mind that two people that love each other get married. To me, it’s just a hate race,” Courtney said. “If it’s against God’s law, that will be straightened out some other time — not in the Iowa Legislature.”
Bing Bombing Brian Brown, Bob Vander Plaats
"Rush Limbaugh" sings new version of "I am woman"
Posts linked to below: Brian Brown, of the National Organization for Marriage, wants you to know he's higher than a kite; Bob Vander Plaats, dollar store demagogue
Amidst all the squawking from the right-wing antigay-for-pay hustlers about being tagged for their inventory of hate speech and perhaps not being invited on television as much as they used to be, AKSARBENT wondered whether any of them realized the real threat from GLAAD's Commentator Accountability Project: that Rick Santorum's Google problem might become their problem too.
A few days ago, AKSARBENT put up a post mentioning Brian Brown and Bob Vander Plaats and, just for the hell of it, inserted links for both to the GLAAD/Jeremy Hooper Commenter Accountability Project.
After doing so, we thought: "Wow, if everyone did this whenever they mentioned people on the CAP list, they really would be accountable for their past vitriol every time someone Googled them."
Apparently, this is already starting to happen — on Bing (2.7 billion searches last month).
Somewhere, in Jeremy Hooper's cellar (or storage unit) there must be a picture — not of Dorian Gray, but of Madame DeFarge...
LGBT? GLBT? WTF!
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| Like Montgomery Clift, AKSARBENT has a flash of insight! |
AKSARBENT has noticed in passing that around here, while some politicians and newscasters say "LGBT," others say "GLBT."
Inexplicably, they got conflicting memos from the International Homosexual Conspiracy. After seeing several council members comically stumble over these awkward abbreviations, AKSARBENT's board met in executive session to address the matter, except for Lucille, AKSARBENT's Director of Issue Analysis for Government and Public Policy, who was outside trying to sneak up on a black squirrel.
Our humbly-proposed solution is a model of clarity, practicality and simplicity: BLT+G! Everyone can remember BLT! Even Franklin Thompson! Everyone will be on the same page!
The genius of our solution became even clearer after several glasses of Argentinian Melbec (really, is there any other kind?), when we realized that BLT+G beautifully accommodates those activists who insist on the inclusion of "Q."
BLT+GQ! We can't wait to see John Knicely and Rob McCartney get with the program on the channels 6 and 7, 6 p.m. news! "Today, Omaha's BLT+GQ community..."
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Coach Ron Brown's antics alienating NU alumni
and here.)
Hudson Taylor, a straight U. of Maryland wrestling star who founded Athlete Allies to combat the bullying of gay athletes, was disgusted enough after reading a lengthy OutSports post about Ron Brown's history to have started a petition to attempt to persuade NU get rid of a coach he thinks has stepped off the curb once too often.
Below is his Hudson's rationale and the reasons some people, including NU alumni scattered throughout the country, have signed. AKSARBENT has deleted their last names.
On March 6, assistant football coach Ron Brown testified against an Omaha ordinance that would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. Brown used his religious beliefs to oppose equality for the LGBT community. You can watch his testimony here.Though we respect Brown’s right to his religious views, the University of Nebraska’s stated anti-discrimination policy prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. Given his testimony in Omaha, we fear that allowing Brown to remain on the University of Nebraska coaching staff may lead to violations of that school policy and send a harmful message to LGBT students and their allies.We believe that a coach at any university must be equipped to mentor and empower a diverse student body, including LGBT individuals, regardless of his or her religious beliefs. Sports are an important part of many individuals’ lives and everyone should feel comfortable accessing them with dignity and respect, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation.Interested in other opinions? Check out this op-ed discussing concerns about Brown's testimony.Please join us in calling on the University of Nebraska to stand up against discrimination by cutting ties with Ron Brown.
Hudson Taylor, Executive Director of Athlete Ally
Why People Are Signing
2 days ago
I signed because sports should be a welcome, safe and empowering space for everyone and I believe that begins with supportive coaches.
Victor
about 18 hours ago
'Cause this guy is a homophobic prick and as a black man he should know better than to carry the standard of bigotry.
Kelly
about 1 hour ago
It is time for all coaches to just respect everyone and coach. This man has crossed the line. He is not fit to coach. We do not all have the same religious beliefs. The USA is free for all religions or no religion.
Dr. John
about 9 hours ago
As a proud Ph.D. alumnus of Nebraska, I am aghast that the University tolerates this behavior. As a former Nebraska and current California attorney, I can say that Ron Brown is creating an atmosphere on the team that is probably in violation of several Federal standards and financially threatening to the University. How the University handles this will definitely affect future donations from myself. Dr. John H. Neu
Jacklyn
about 11 hours ago
My father played for the Huskers in the 70's. He would not have stood for this, and neither should any of the current players. This kind of hateful bigotry cannot be tolerated in a nationally sponsored organization like NCAA football. It goes against American core values of tolerance and respect. Come on now. This is a no-brainer.
Brian
14 minutes ago
I'm a native of Nebraska and an alumni that is deeply hurt by the actions of Ron Brown. As fan that watches every Husker game and returned just last year for the Ohio State game, I'm finding it increasingly difficult to support a team where a gay man like me would be ostracized and unwelcome.
Jeremy
about 11 hours ago
As a citizen of the state of Nebraska, and an avid fan of all sports at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, I am apalled that Ron Brown used his position at the university to spew hateful remarks during a city council meeting. I agree that in no way can Ron Brown possible adhere to the university's anti-discrimination policy, and in my opinion has already violated it. It is time for him to go. GO BIG RED!
David
1 day ago
A Public University permitting an employee to voice opinions which directly contradict policy in a public forum is cause for termination of employment. If not, why are those who are tasked with upholding the University's policies still employed themselves?
Bill
about 9 hours ago
I grew up in Nebraska have been a Husker fan for over 50 years. I cannot believe that this team, this school would countenance this kind of narrow-minded bigotry. Brown needs to go. Let him get a job at BYU.
Ron
about 9 hours ago
As an employee of a publicly supported educational institution, one does not get to use one's position at that institution to promulgate his religious views. If he desires to do so he should work for a religious institution.
Teresa
about 7 hours ago
I'm sick and tired of people using religion as a reason for their bigotry. How many young people have been damaged by Ron Brown's "lessons?"
Jessica
about 10 hours ago
As a Nebraskan and a Husker graduate, it sickens me that this man is able to tarnish our reputations with his hatred.
Ronald
about 10 hours ago
As a Nebraska-born educator and alum of both UNL and UNO, I agree that Coach Brown's actions do not allow for a safe, non-discriminatory space on the UNL campus and within the athletic program.
Adio
about 17 hours ago
I'm against discrimination on any level. No H8.
Matt
about 21 hours ago
I'm signing because student athletes should be able to feel like they can be honest about themselves with their teams and educational communities. Prejudice does not belong on a football team at a school that renounces discrimination based on orientation. Mr. Brown should choose a school that shares his opinion.
Bob
about 9 hours ago
Bigots should not be in positions of authority, especially over young people. This man is a disgrace and he needs to go.
Garrett
about 13 hours ago
This would affect my decision on sending my kid there is he decided too....
James
about 9 hours ago
A high profile coach whose own employment is protected by the very non-discrimination policy that he demonstrates his opposition for others, is a very poor role-model indeed.
Carol
1 day ago
In addition to the need for sports to be a safe, welcoming, and empowering space for everyone, I signed because I believe in Freedom From Religion.
Zachary
about 10 hours ago
As a proud alumni of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln it was a low moment for UNL to have an employee publicly display hate & discrimination. Ron Brown is NOT the kind of representation the University needs!
Chris
about 21 hours ago
Intolerance has no refuge on a state funded campus
Just substitute KFAB for WLS
You can find out how to complain to the FCC about Rush Limbaugh's right-wing Omaha outlet and see a partial list of sponsors whose ads have been broadcast during the show here.
Prop 8 attorney to MPAA on Bully rating: 'They better shape up or here we come'
Jeremy Kinser of The Advocate reports that attorneys David Boies and Ted Olson, who successfully challenged California’s ban on same-sex marriage, are not amused that the Motion Picture Association of America has rated the documentary Bully as an "R" and refuses to budge, which prevents it from being shown in schools.
Neither lawyer minced words during a recent screening at New York's Paley Center for Media.
“How ridiculous and unfair and damaging it is to have a film of this power and importance that is being censored by a rating system that has got simply no rational basis,” Boies says. “You can kill kids, you can maim them, you can torture them and still get a PG-13 rating, but if they say a couple of bad words you blame them. I hope, for heaven's sake, that they find some rational basis before we have to sue them to revise the rating system."...“This is an irrational decision, and I've heard it defended as '[The MPAA] really can't do anything about it because if we make an exception here, they'll be all sorts of people lined up wanting to have exceptions made with respect to their movies,'” Olson says. “What a reason for not doing something. So they better shape up, or here we come.”
VH1 finds out if 'Hey, Soul Sister' is really about fellatio
Last week at SXSW, Train put to rest the rumor that 'Hey, Soul Sister' is really about an epic BJ. VH1's Mark Graham said, " ... Our theory has always been that the song is about a particularly memorable blowjob, our evidence being the line in the song that goes "Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left side brains / I knew I wouldn’t forget you / And so I went and let you blow my mind."
Source
Get More: Music Videos, Free Music Videos
Mean Jean Stothert now on twitter
If you're not following the hilarious fake twitter account of councilwoman Mean Jean Stothert, what are you waiting for? And yes, the video referenced is AKSARBENT's own catalogue of Stothert's dissemblage and antigay mischief at the City Council meeting before she voted against Ben Gray's passed ordinance to protect LGBT Omahans in employment and public accommodations.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
National Organization for Marriage's Starbucks fail
From GoodAsYou comes audio of NOM's shareholder attempt to put the screws to Starbucks management over its endorsement of marriage equality in Washington State. Immediately after not getting what it wanted, NOM launched a prefabricated "Dump Starbucks" website. So much for its stated concern about "shareholder value."
Petition circulating to fire NU assistant coach Ron Brown
From Cyd Zeigler comes word of a Change.org petition to get rid of NU running backs coach Ron Brown. Although AKSARBENT has printed a lengthy excerpt, there is MUCH more to see at Outsports. For over 20 years, University of Nebraska assistant football coach Ron Brown has used his position in the university to preach his discriminatory anti-gay brand of Christianity. His latest crusade to fight for discrimination against the LGBT community finally warrants his termination from the school’s football program.
Hudson Taylor, a straight
U of Maryland wrestling star
and founder of Athlete Ally,
started the petition
to get rid of Brown.
The University has a clear, inclusive non-discrimination policy that contradicts the words and actions of Brown on various levels:The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is a public university committed to providing a quality education to a diverse student body. One aspect of this commitment is to foster a climate of inclusion and mutual support that will enhance our ability to achieve our overall goals … while allowing all of us to focus our energies and talents on our important missions of education, research and service. To this end, it is the policy of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln not to discriminate based upon age, race, ethnicity, color, national origin, gender, sex, pregnancy, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran’s status marital status, religion and political affiliation.This policy protects Brown’s religion as much as it protects my sexual orientation. But this isn’t about a man’s religion or his politics. This is about using that religion to discriminate against others and build an environment on the Cornhusker football team that prohibits gay athletes and allies from achieving their goals. Both of these contradict the university’s non-discrimination policy....Brown has said his purpose in coaching football at Nebraska is to “bring honor and glory to God.” Notice he doesn’t say it’s to prepare young men for adulthood or win football games; Those are secondary to his religious goals.From a 1997 interview:I realize football enables me to do the two, in my opinion, most important things in my life, and that is one, to know Christ more intimately and number two, is to make him known. And that’s why I’m here in Nebraska, that’s why I’m a part of football.Notice again he did not include any of the three stated missions from Nebraska’s non-discrimination policy: Education, research and service. He puts the University’s stated missions behind his own religious dogma.Over the last week I’ve watched over two hours of Ron Brown speaking via YouTube videos. In many of them, Brown is seen on the field just after a Nebraska football game. He looks into the camera and uses his position as a coach to preach the gospel and promote FreedMen Nebraska, his organization dedicated to “making the God connection in every realm.” In almost all of his videos he connects his religious doctrine to his job in football at the University of Nebraska.Last autumn he shot a video in a Nebraska sweatshirt at a Cornhusker indoor facility for FreedMen. He says in that video that God chose to expose the Penn State pedophilia scandal because Nebraska was Penn State’s next opponent, and Brown could lead a joint pre-game prayer with both teams “before America.”
...Helen Carroll, who heads up the sports project at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, agrees that it’s time for Nebraska to part ways with Brown....Brown might claim that he would welcome a gay athlete. But the paradox of his message is revealed when asked how a gay athlete in the locker room should be treated:“I think Christians should love a homosexual teammate just like they would any other teammate,” Brown said. “Let me tell you what else is in that locker room. There are thieves, liars, people who lust, people addicted to pornography, even some players who are alcoholics. There are all kinds of sinners in that locker room.”Ah, the age-old tactic of likening gay people to liars and alcoholics. Real welcoming, right?Then:“You put your arms around that person struggling with homosexuality and you help walk him or her to the truth of Jesus Christ, just as you would any other player involved in any other sin.”So while saying he would welcome a gay athlete, he says he would attempt to change that person to fit his Christian vision. The kind of conversion therapy that Brown is advocating here, whether it’s to drive that gay person to a life of celibacy or a heterosexual life, is damaging to the victim and flies in the face of the university’s non-discrimination policy that aims to be a “climate of inclusion and mutual support.”Pat Tetrault runs the LGBTQA resource center at the University of Nebraska.
While speaking for herself and not for the University, she said it’s impossible to believe Brown’s views on anti-gay discrimination don’t affect his job with student-athletes:“When you have a non-discrimination policy, and you make your views that a certain segment of the population should be singled out for discrimination, it really is hard to not believe it doesn’t impact the students and the staff who may not believe the same way he does.”Roger Brigham, founder of the Equality Coaching Alliance, agreed with Tetrault, pointing out how Brown’s actions create an environment of intolerance.“Ron Brown’s statement is a statement not of faith but of ignorance,” Brigham said. “It is contrary to the anti-discrimination policies at Nebraska. Such statements of ignorance create a hostile environment for young athletes, drive many would-be athletes away from sports, and engender an ongoing culture of bigotry and malice.”Carroll, who has tackled anti-LGBT discriminatory practices at the University of Florida, Penn State, San Diego Mesa College and others, says Brown has put Nebraska on notice that he will discriminate against LGBT athletes. That, she says, leaves them susceptible to legal action:“They’re leaving themselves wide open to a lawsuit from a gay athlete, or even a straight athlete if they feel it’s harming the atmosphere on the team and they’re not able to become successful because of this. We would look seriously at a case like that.”One university has already rejected Brown’s discriminatory practices. In 2002 Brown was a candidate for the head coaching position at Stanford University.
After Brown’s religious views on gay people came to light, Stanford terminated his candidacy. A Stanford athletic department official said “(His religion) was definitely something that had to be considered. We’re a very diverse community with a diverse alumni.” It defies logic that a public university with a non-discrimination policy like Nebraska would keep him as a coach....There are lots of steps the University should take to combat the exclusionary, discriminatory practices of coach Brown:
- Invite Athlete Ally’s Hudson Taylor and Changing the Game’s Pat Griffin to speak with the football coaching staff about how to foster a welcoming environment on the team.
- Encourage the Cornhusker football team to take GLSEN’s Team Respect Challenge to demonstrate a commitment to equality.
- Record an “It Gets Better” or “You Can Play” video featuring coaches, athletes and administrators taking a proactive step to make the football team inclusive of all people.
In addition to these steps, the University of Nebraska should fire coach Ron Brown immediately, based on his discriminatory policies and his efforts to make the University of Nebraska a climate of exclusion. Any action by the university short of removing Brown would be approval for him to continue using the university to espouse his discriminatory version of Christianity.
You can support the firing of Ron Brown by signing this Change.org petition.You can also email Chancellor Perlman at hperlman1@unl.edu.
Brian Brown, of the National Organization for Marriage, wants you to know he's higher than a kite
AWOL from the million-dollar, five-acre mini-estate he inhabits in Great Falls, Virginia, Brian Brown, of the National Organization for Marriage, jetted into Des Moines to help Bob Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley attack gay Iowans yesterday.
In not-very-well-prepared remarks, Brown said he was taking the "30,000" foot view, which would indeed have made him higher than a kite.
This would go a long way toward explaining Brown's assertion, "We are walking in the same steps as William Wilberforce, who, in the late 1800s, stood up and said 'NO' to the slave trade..."
A truly remarkable revelation, since by the late 1800s there was no slave trade in the U.S. Also, Wilberforce was British. Also, he died in 1833. Also, he disapproved of women in the abolition movement, Catholics holding public office, and the printing of newspapers on Sunday.
Brown went on to say: "We were born to speak truth to power"
AKSARBENT would be happy if Brown and the National Organization for Marriage would speak the truth to the States of Maine and Minnesota, which are investigating NOM for refusing to comply with their laws governing the disclosure of the identities of NOM's multi-million dollar donations from wealthy, anonymous benefactors.
In not-very-well-prepared remarks, Brown said he was taking the "30,000" foot view, which would indeed have made him higher than a kite.
This would go a long way toward explaining Brown's assertion, "We are walking in the same steps as William Wilberforce, who, in the late 1800s, stood up and said 'NO' to the slave trade..."
A truly remarkable revelation, since by the late 1800s there was no slave trade in the U.S. Also, Wilberforce was British. Also, he died in 1833. Also, he disapproved of women in the abolition movement, Catholics holding public office, and the printing of newspapers on Sunday.
Brown went on to say: "We were born to speak truth to power"
AKSARBENT would be happy if Brown and the National Organization for Marriage would speak the truth to the States of Maine and Minnesota, which are investigating NOM for refusing to comply with their laws governing the disclosure of the identities of NOM's multi-million dollar donations from wealthy, anonymous benefactors.
Bob Vander Plaats, dollar store demagogue
We always knew Vander Plaats was a money-grasping bully. But he has never revealed, with such clarity, the degree to which he is also a judicial anarchist. In Iowa, as in every other state, the interpretation of the constitution isn't made by you or me or Mike Gronstal or Bob Vander Plaats or the Family Leader or the carpetbaggers from the National Organization for Marriage of Washington, DC.
Only seven people get to decide what the Iowa Constitution means, and those seven people — the Iowa Supreme Court — appointed by both Democratic and Republican Governors, spoke loudly and clearly and unanimously when they found the proscription against gay marriage unconstitutional, so they struck that language. They didn't create a new law or "legislate from the bench," no matter what unprincipled liars like Vander Plaats or Brian Brown say.
Bob Vander Plaats thinks his self-serving collection of "loving" bigots should be able to second-guess the decision via a mob thumbs-down. To get his way, he's been taking out judges* by abusing the retention vote process, which was never meant to be a means of exacting revenge on justices with whose decisions one disagrees — it's supposed to be a way of removing corrupt judges or those who are simply too old to do their jobs.
Here's an excerpt from Vander Plaat's asinine remarks in the Iowa statehouse yesterday:
(Via Towleroad)
----------------------------------
*Vander Plaats has repeatedly trumpeted his success at conning heterosexual supremacist Christers (with hundreds of thousands of dollars of out-of-state, anonymously-contributed National Organization for Marriage dough) into dumping Iowa justices as some kind of great populist victory. Not really — about 30% of Iowans customarily vote to dump every judge on their ballots, a fact of which we were unaware until Mike Gronstal pointed it out to us.
Only seven people get to decide what the Iowa Constitution means, and those seven people — the Iowa Supreme Court — appointed by both Democratic and Republican Governors, spoke loudly and clearly and unanimously when they found the proscription against gay marriage unconstitutional, so they struck that language. They didn't create a new law or "legislate from the bench," no matter what unprincipled liars like Vander Plaats or Brian Brown say.
Bob Vander Plaats thinks his self-serving collection of "loving" bigots should be able to second-guess the decision via a mob thumbs-down. To get his way, he's been taking out judges* by abusing the retention vote process, which was never meant to be a means of exacting revenge on justices with whose decisions one disagrees — it's supposed to be a way of removing corrupt judges or those who are simply too old to do their jobs.
Here's an excerpt from Vander Plaat's asinine remarks in the Iowa statehouse yesterday:
Oh shut up.You see, on April 3, 2009, you had a supreme court who stepped outside of its constitutional authority and said Iowa will be a same-sex marriage state. They had no power to legalize it. They had no power to execute that opinion. But they did it anyway. And in the process, what they did was they told the people of Iowa, "Your voice doesn't matter. Your voice doesn't count. They shunned the people of Iowa. They shunned the legislature. They shunned the law.
(Via Towleroad)
----------------------------------
*Vander Plaats has repeatedly trumpeted his success at conning heterosexual supremacist Christers (with hundreds of thousands of dollars of out-of-state, anonymously-contributed National Organization for Marriage dough) into dumping Iowa justices as some kind of great populist victory. Not really — about 30% of Iowans customarily vote to dump every judge on their ballots, a fact of which we were unaware until Mike Gronstal pointed it out to us.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Shots fired Monday night after Omaha Tyga concert; Sochitta Sal, aka Honey Cocaine shot in arm, Derrick Lowe grazed on hip
The Omaha World-Herald is reporting that what began with threats erupted into an all-out fight toward the end of Tyga's performance with water bottles, then trash cans thrown on stage.
Tyga returned the challenge with racial slurs and an invitation to meet him outside after the show. Someone did - armed with a gun, according to Omaha police.
A black sedan followed the Young Money performers' tour van and shot and injured two of the ten occupants, Omaha police said.
Some local people said they heard an Omaha-area rapper was mad because he had been told he could open at Monday's show, only to learn later that no local artists would be allowed on stage. The news, they said, didn't go over well, even though the local rapper was told he still would be paid.
Iowa Sen. Matt McCoy: 'Bob Vander Plaats needs to get a real job' — dueling Des Moines events by pro and anti-gay marriage supporters; Heterosexual supremacist Brian Brown invokes Martin Luther King
 |
| Iowa State Senator Matt McCoy pictured celebrating with son after his team won statewide Little League title. |
There, Sen. Matt McCoy of Des Moines said, “The truth needs to be told. Bob Vander Plaats needs to get a real job instead of working on spreading a message of hate and discrimination. [See press release from One Iowa below.]”
Gay Des Moines Register reporter Jason Clayworth says McCoy is "the Legislature’s only member who publicly [emphasis added by AKSARBENT] acknowledges he is gay." Possibly related: the Iowa Republican can't stand reporter Clayworth, and has ominously taken note of Clayworth's facebook engagement announcement to partner Joe.
Presumably straight Des Moines Register reporter Jason Noble covered the earlier, extremely geriatric anti-gay-marriage coalition rotunda rally. A key objective of this event was to intimidate Democratic Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, who faces reelection in his Council Bluffs district. On Sunday, AKSARBENT spoke to Gronstal, who doesn't seem terribly worried about NOM carpetbaggers from Washington, DC, or Vander Plaats, of Sioux City. (Link/s below added by AKSARBENT.)
Below is One Iowa's press release:Opposition to gay marriage is not rooted in fear and hate as supporters suggest, Vander Plaats said, but rather love and religious truth. He also lashed out at the notion of “marriage equality” as a slippery slope toward no restrictions on relationships whatsoever.“If we want marriage equality, let’s just stop for a second. Why stop at same-sex marriage? Why not have polygamy? Why not have a dad marry his son or marry his daughter? If we’re going to have marriage equality, let’s open this puppy up and let’s have marriage equality,” he said. “Otherwise, let’s stick to the way God designed it – one man and one woman, period.”Referring to Senate Democrats’ refusal to advance the amendment and clear the way for a statewide vote, National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown invoked Martin Luther King, Jr., to suggest that it was the opponents of same-sex marriage whose civil rights were threatened.“We hear that this is about civil rights, and that those of us who oppose the redefinition of marriage are somehow bigots,” Brown said. “And yet, what Dr. Martin Luther King called the most important civil right – the right to vote – these very same folks are trying to deprive us of this right.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress ReleaseMarch 20, 2012Contact: Molly Tafoya, One Iowa, molly@oneiowa.orgCoalition of Marriage Equality Supporters Respond to the Family Leader “Marriage Rally”
One Iowa, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, AFSCME Iowa Council 61, Senator Matt McCoy, and Iowa Republicans for Freedom speak out against a marriage banDes Moines, IA—This morning, anti-equality groups The Family Leader and The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) stormed the state capitol with roughly 20,000 unverified petition signatures to intimidate Iowa legislators into passing a marriage amendment that would ban marriage for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples. In response, One Iowa, Interfaith Alliance of Iowa, AFSCME, Senator Matt McCoy and Solon couple Tammy Steinwandt and Melanie Muth held a press conference in support of marriage equality.“With growing support for equality nationwide, One Iowa is committed to having meaningful conversations with Iowans in every corner of the state about why marriage matters,” said Calla Rongerude, One Iowa Interim Executive Director. “Marriage isn’t about signatures or politics or cameras and sound bites. Marriage is about love and commitment. Today, we are working to ensure that Iowa families don’t get lost in the noise of this rally. Iowa families deserve better than a sideshow.”The 2009 Iowa Supreme Court case of Varnum v Brien unanimously ruled that gay and lesbian couples could no longer be excluded from the freedom to marry. Since then, anti-equality advocates in the state--most notably, The Family Leader--have worked to pass a harmful ban on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Bob Vander Plaats, the President and CEO of The Family Leader, has been an outspoken opponent of marriage equality and claims to be the “kingmaker” for Republican candidates in spite of three unsuccessful bids for Governor.Senator Jeff Angelo, Founder of Iowa Republicans for Freedom was unable to attend due to an illness. He shared the following statement and is available for comment: “The Family Leader claims to speak for Iowa conservatives and for Christians. But as a conservative, I can tell you that I value small government and individual freedom, which includes the freedom to marry for loving and committed gay and lesbian couples,” he said. “As an evangelical Christian, I believe in loving my neighbor and valuing the dignity of all Iowans. My hope is that all families will be treated the way I would want to be treated.”“The Family Leader continues to waste valuable time with stunts like these. They have stormed the capitol with only 20,000 signatures in a grand attempt to bully us into passing a marriage ban,” said Senator Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines. “These scare tactics will no longer work. We know that Iowans want a stronger economy, more jobs, and better schools, not a harmful marriage ban that will hurt Iowa families. I will work with my fellow legislators to focus on the issues that matter most to Iowans.”This so-called “marriage rally” was organized by The Family Leader and was bankrolled by The National Organization for Marriage (NOM). NOM has traveled to Iowa frequently in order to infuse their agenda into Iowa politics. In 2010, after NOM flooded the state with out-of-state money to influence the judicial retention vote, Brian Brown, President of NOM said that "his group's focus is now to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Iowa to give voters a chance to overturn the court's decision and redefine marriage as being between one man and one woman.""AFSCME Iowa Council 61 will continue to be among the coalition of supporters from across the state. We must work together to fight any attacks on equality. It is time to raise our voices and let our legislators know in no uncertain terms, that we will not stand by and allow such an attack to become successful,” said Danny Homan, President, AFSCME Iowa Council 61. "Let’s put these anti-equality groups and supporters on notice: We will do everything in our power to keep you from turning back the pages of equality and freedom for all Iowans."In response to the rally, a coalition of marriage equality supporters gathered for a press conference to voice their opposition to a marriage ban and to the shameless political tactics of The Family Leader and NOM."It is a privilege for the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa to represent the many faith leaders and people of different faiths from across our state that support ALL Iowa families, including those headed by gay and lesbian couples," said Reverend Matt Mardis-Lecroy of The Interfaith Alliance of Iowa. "Of course, I am one of those faith leaders. I am a Christian minister who supports marriage equality in the state of Iowa and the Family Leader does not speak for all people of faith. I do not support marriage equality in spite of my Christian faith; I support marriage equality because of my Christian faith."“Iowa is a wonderful place to live. We are proud and blessed to live here. We are especially proud that we live in a state that values all families,” said Tammy Steinwandt of Solon, Iowa. She and her wife Melanie Muth have been married for three years. “Every day that we have been married is counted as a blessing! Marriage equality is truly about people not all of this political rhetoric. We stand proud to be who we are and we celebrate this state where we are free to love and marry our soul-mate and best friend.”
NE Gov. Dave Heineman to Humane Society of the US: 'We're going to kick your ass and send you out of the state'
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| Factory farm sow confinement. Photo source. |
Today the Omaha World-Herald reported on Dave Heineman's March 7 comments at the Nebraska Cattlemen symposium in Lexington and how people concerned about animal cruelty in factory farms have reacted.
Omahan Jocelyn Nickerson...state director of the Humane Society of the United States, says the governor's comments were offensive to the approximately 51,000 Nebraskans who believe in her organization."The governor says he wants to kick us out," she said. "Where does he want us to go?"...In recent years, under the leadership of President Wayne Pacelle, HSUS has launched initiatives on farm animal welfare, succeeding in outlawing tight confinement practices for pregnant sows, veal calves and laying hens in at least a half-dozen states.
Monday, March 19, 2012
The Mean Jean Stothert Chronicles:
Trying to kill Omaha's LGBT protection measure
Jean Stothert, the GOP terror of District Five, had quite a bit to say about the LGBT community before she voted against Ben Gray's ordinance to extend employment and public accommodations protections to them. AKSARBENT was there and managed to get most of her comments recorded without throwing up. She has a history of homophobia going back to her tenure on the Millard School Board.
We weren't the only ones repulsed. A group has already formed to get rid of her:
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Gronstal unfazed by Tuesday NOM/Family Leader "rally" targeting him; a Gibraltar of protection for his gay constituents
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| Gronstal answering constituent questions in Carter Lake, Iowa Saturday 3/17/2011 |
Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal took his reelection campaign Saturday morning to the Carter Lake Public Library, about 10 minutes from AKSARBENT's luxurious global headquarters.
Carter Lake is the only part of Iowa on the Nebraska side of the Missouri, which happened when the river changed course suddenly in the 1800s.
This anomaly is a constant source of amusement to locals who watch the confused looks of travelers riding down Abbott Drive from Eppley Airfield to downtown Omaha as they see signs that say "Welcome to Nebraska," "Welcome to Iowa," and then "Omaha."
Next Tuesday, Brian Brown, of the National Organization for Marriage, will jet into Des Moines from the million-dollar, five-acre mini-estate he occupies in Great Falls, VA., to gang up on Gronstal with Bob Vander Plaats in a "rally" on the first floor of the Iowa Capitol.
Meet Bob Vander Plaats, the guy going after Mike Gronstal:
Gronstal isn't a bit intimidated. NOM, flush with millions of attack ad dollars from wealthy donors it won't identify, fails to understand one thing: Gronstal has been knocking on voters' doors in Council Bluffs for 30 years.
Gronstal told AKSARBENT a story about a Republican C.B. constituent, who, with his wife in the other room, told him that he didn't agree with Gronstal on the gay marriage issue but was impressed that his senator, now Iowa Majority Leader, was still pounding the pavement and showing up at his threshold in person, face-to-face, after decades in office.
Gronstal loves to tell funny stories, including the one about him not realizing until the age of 14 (because he grew up in a Republican household) that damndemocrat was actually two words. AKSARBENT's favorite story was the one about Christie Vilsack, Jesse Ventura and the Gutenberg Bible. But we shan't repeat it here because we already tease Republicans enough.
AKSARBENT had never met Gronstal before. He spent an hour and a half in the Carter Lake Library meeting room in front of just six people, three of whom were his campaign manager, AKSARBENT, and a reporter from the Council Bluffs Nonpareil.
We learned that those who will tell you that Gronstal is a walking, talking Iowa Almanac are NOT kidding.
Gronstal answered, with specific, pertinent facts and nary a pause, virtually every question put to him and threw in mini-seminars on Iowa economics to boot. He knows how many permanent maintenance jobs 28 windmills create, how many of the fluorescent lights in the room are powered by wind energy, where Iowa stands nationally in graduation, in community college tuition costs, and in Medicare benefits (about half that of Louisiana, but new regulations favoring providers who deliver better medical outcomes after treatment might favor Iowa, which excels in that respect. Anything else?).
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| Gronstal with wife, Connie |
He will also tell you that about 30% of Iowa's voters typically vote to throw out every judge on their ballot, which rather diminishes the impressiveness of Brian Brown's brag about the results of the $600,000 NOM poured into Iowa from Washington, DC in order to get rid of three justices it didn't like.
In Gronstal, gay Iowans have a brick wall between them and the National Organization for Marriage carpetbaggers who will swoop into Des Moines next Tuesday from their East Coast aerie, looking for an issue to exploit and an opportunity to deny civil marriage to gay Iowans — along with domestic partnerships and civil unions — two things they never talk about.
In Gronstal, straight Iowans (especially moderate Republicans) have a fantastically knowledgeable senator who remains a bulwark against the destructive ideological excesses of the more reckless members of their party.
Either group would be foolish to turn Granstal out; our guess is that Vander Plaats and NOM underestimate the ability of most Council Bluffs voters to see through their game.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
New York City St. Patrick's Day parade a travesty of genuine, modern Irish attitudes
The Catholic group, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, still gets away with banning gay Irish descendents from marching under their own banner down public New York City streets by saying that the parade is a religious procession and technically a private event — a gargantuan farce of a excuse if AKARBENT ever heard one. Remind us again about how religion is under seige in the US and how victimized Christers are!
Conway notes that in the real Ireland, 73% approve of gay marriage in the country's constitution, civil unions are legal, the former president has refused a NYC grand marshal title on the grounds that gay groups in the Big Apple are banned from the parade, and the current foreign minister says, about New York's parade: "Exclusion is not an Irish thing."
He concluded: "The New York City parade is celebrating an Ireland that no longer exists."
As Mike Gronstal files for reelection, National Organization for Marriage returns to Iowa capitol Tuesday, March 20 to intimidate him at rally; MN and ME investigating NOM campaign disclosure violations
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| Brian Brown, National Organization for Marriage |
Brian Brown of NOM and Bob Vander Plaats of the Iowa Family Leader will attend the rally.
The event occurs as Gronstal begins his senate reelection campaign and two states ramp up their investigations of campaign disclosure violations by the National Organization for Marriage. Kevin Nix, writing in Nom Exposed, wrote:
NOM has refused to disclose the five anonymous donors who contributed more than $8 million (about 88% of its revenues, even though it poses as a "grassroots" organization) to its coffers in 2010.With the Minnesota election board’s decision to pursue an investigation into Minnesota for Marriage, the umbrella group co-founded by the National Organization for Marriage, taking up all the oxygen, let’s not forget NOM has been under investigation by the Maine Ethics Commission.
Gronstal with wife, Connie NOM remains under investigation by the Maine Ethics Commission for failing to register with the state as a ballot question committee and refusing to disclose the donors to its campaign to overturn Maine’s marriage equality law in 2009. The group has been fighting – hard – to keep those donors under wraps, even though an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to hide its donors was denied earlier this year. NOM provided more than $1.8 million of the $3 million spent by opponents of marriage equality to pass Question 1 – but it illegally failed to disclose where the money came from.
Last year ThinkProgress reported that ABC news learned that the head of the Iowa Family Leader, Bob Vander Plaats, tried to solicit money from Rick Santorum in exchange for his endorsement during the last two presidential elections.
11/9/2010 Video about NOM by then-HRC president Joe Solmonese:
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Friday, March 16, 2012
National gay bloggers, Omahans thank you
LGBT people in Omaha have a lot of people in their own community and just as many (likely more) straight allies to thank for the recent passage of Ben Gray's ordinance. You know who all those people are, which is good, because this post isn't about them.
It is about the people outside Nebraska who provided tremendous support to our effort by writing about it on a national level. At one point council members were receiving hundreds of emails a day; most of them were from out of state, and you know the fundamentalists weren't sitting on their hands.
In 2010, when the Omaha Chamber of Commerce lobbied against LGBT Ordinance 1.0, Joe.My.God said this to its readers: "If you were planning on any business or personal travel to Omaha, let the Chamber of Commerce know if this news changes your plans."So many of them did, that apparently the server software must have thought it was under attack and shut itself down (AKSARBENT's supposition) because the website was unavailable most of the next day. When AKSARBENT called the Chamber to find out why, we were told by the receptionist that it was "broken" when she arrived in the morning.
Over and over again, bloggers with a national audience like Andy Towle of Towleroad and Jeremy Hooper of GoodAsYou and Joe Jervis of JoeMyGod and Zack Ford and Igor Volsky of ThinkProgress — even Cyd Zeigler of OutSports — posted updates on the efforts in Omaha to get this thing done. And not because an LGBT ordinance in Middle America, 20 years overdue, was a big draw to their readers.
The gay bloggers in the so-called eastern establishment are anything but provincial. They understand how important it is that gay people in urban strongholds leverage their national influence on behalf of gay people who live in places where hostile heterosexual supremacists rule the roost. They never take for granted what they have achieved and prove it every day with their support of us and others.We are all in their debt.
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