Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Antigay Chick-Fil-A now bullying heteros, too; will soon open in Papillion after recruitment by Mayor David Black, a huge fan
The chain, which donated $2,000,000 to antigay groups in 2010, also has quite a history of making what some would consider overreaching legal threats to various individuals, including the heterosexual below who isn't taking the company's intimidation lying down.
(Via Towleroad)
This is what Jeremy Hooper had to say:
If Dan Cathy is proud that his company's efforts have alienated a customer base that is only going to grow with every passing year, then he has every right to take that defiant position. Pro-equality companies will do the reverse, despite boycotts from groups like NOM. But refusing to own the facts at hand is not an option for either side. And refusing to own the facts by hiding behind a false layer of "family" support (which, by extension, casts LGBT people and allies out of that same unit)? That makes Mr. Cathy sound a bit like a, well—chicken.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Jazz On The Green — Mike Gurciullo & his Las Vegas Lab Band
Video by AKSARBENT's own "Fingers" DeMille:
Fingers mistaken estimated that Mr. Gurciullo wouldn't have his head chopped off because of the less than 100% viewfinder coverage of the camera. He was wrong. Here's Gurciullo with his head intact:
Mike & his Las Vegas Lab Band will appear every Monday in July at Anthony's Ozone Lounge at 7220 F at 6:30 pm. Attention cheapskates: there is no cover! Anthony's is on the North Side of 72nd. You can't miss it, just look for the large sculpture bovine outside. Richard Simmons once voiced his regret at not climbing on top of the thing when he was in Omaha, but we doubt he would have been the first to do so, drunk or sober.
Below, Martin at Ozone demonstrates his "Trick of the Week" (at the 2:10 mark) — the Mark of Zorro:
Fingers mistaken estimated that Mr. Gurciullo wouldn't have his head chopped off because of the less than 100% viewfinder coverage of the camera. He was wrong. Here's Gurciullo with his head intact:
Mike & his Las Vegas Lab Band will appear every Monday in July at Anthony's Ozone Lounge at 7220 F at 6:30 pm. Attention cheapskates: there is no cover! Anthony's is on the North Side of 72nd. You can't miss it, just look for the large sculpture bovine outside. Richard Simmons once voiced his regret at not climbing on top of the thing when he was in Omaha, but we doubt he would have been the first to do so, drunk or sober.
Below, Martin at Ozone demonstrates his "Trick of the Week" (at the 2:10 mark) — the Mark of Zorro:
Ron Paul delegates get swamped at last-in-the-nation Nebraska GOP convention
Paul supporters were hoping that the Cornhusker state would be the fifth (GOP rules require 5 states) in which they would get enough delegates to get Paul nominated at the GOP convention in Tampa, along with Romney, and prompt a convention fight. It didn't happen. They only got two of Nebraska's 35 convention delegates. Romney was worried enough to have sent (according to the World-Herald’s Robynn Tysver) "as many as five
Romney staffers, including campaign counsel Ben Ginsberg, who was on the
scene in Grand Island to keep an eye on things."
Nebraska Watchdog noted:
Nebraska Watchdog noted:
Heineman did not attend the convention because he was chairing the National Governors Association meeting in Virginia – while Louisiana’s governor skipped the governors’ meeting to speak at Nebraska’s convention.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Romney campaign tries to get Boston Globe to validate its Bain Capital lie; is told to take a hike; campaign now won't release letter it sent to Globe
From the Daily Kos: Did Mitt Romney inadvertently tell the truth about when he left Bain Capital?
Here's the letter from the Boston Globe to the Romney campaign, refusing to cooperate with Romney's falsehood about leaving his company in 1999:
Dear Ms. Gitcho:
We received your request late this afternoon for a correction regarding this morning’s Globe story. Having carefully reviewed that request, we see no basis for publishing a correction. The Globe story was entirely accurate.
The Globe story was based on government documents filed by Bain Capital itself. Those described Governor Romney as remaining at the helm of Bain Capital as its “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president” until 2002. The story also cited state financial disclosure forms filed by Romney that showed he earned income as a Bain “executive” in 2001 and 2002, separate from investment earnings.
The Globe story accurately described the contents of those documents.
The Globe story also gave a full account of the Romney campaign’s position that, notwithstanding several years of regulatory filings, Mitt Romney “retired from Bain Capital in 1999 … (and) has had no involvement in the management or investment activities of Bain Capital, or with any of its portfolio companies, since that time.” In your correction request, you reiterate points that are fully detailed in the Globe story.
Sincerely,
Martin Baron
Editor, The Boston Globe
Scathing Sandusky report damns former University of Nebraska at Lincoln Chancellor Graham Spanier
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| Graham Spanier, removed by Penn State board in 2011 over handling of Sandusky scandal |
Spanier's machinations were fricasseed in the just-released report of the independent investigator hired by Penn State, former FBI director Louis Freeh. Excerpts from the report follow the video below.
Four of the most powerful people at The Pennsylvania State University — President Graham B. Spanier, Senior Vice President-Finance and Business Gary C. Schultz, Athletic Director Timothy M. Curley and Head Football Coach Joseph V. Paterno — failed to protect against a child sexual predator harming children for over a decade.
These men concealed Sandusky's activities from the Board of Trustees, the University community and authorities. They exhibited a striking lack of empathy for Sandusky's victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and well-being, especially by not attempting to determine the identity of the child who Sandusky assaulted in the Lasch Building in 2001.
Further, they exposed this child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child's identity, of what McQueary saw in the shower on the night of February 9, 2001.
These individuals, unchecked by the Board of Trustees that did not perform its oversight duties, empowered Sandusky to attract potential victims to the campus and football events by allowing him to have continued, unrestricted and unsupervised access to the University's facilities and affiliation with the University's prominent football program.
Indeed, that continued access provided Sandusky with the very currency that enabled him to attract his victims.
...By not promptly and fully advising the Board of Trustees about the 1998 and 2001 child sexual abuse allegations against Sandusky and the subsequent Grand Jury investigation of him, Spanier failed in his duties as President...
...Spanier said, in his interview with the Special Investigative Counsel, that he never heard a report from anyone that Sandusky was engaged in any sexual abuse of children. He also said that if he had known or suspected that Sandusky was abusing children, he would have been the first to intervene.
Taking into account the available witness statements and evidence, the Special Investigative Counsel finds that it is more reasonable to conclude that, in order to avoid the consequences of bad publicity, the most powerful leaders at the University - Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley - repeatedly concealed critical facts relating to Sandusky's child abuse from the authorities, the University's Board of Trustees, the Penn State community, and the public at large.
The avoidance of the consequences of bad publicity is the most significant, but not the only, cause for this failure to protect child victims and report to authorities...
...A decision by Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley to allow Sandusky to retire in 1999, not as a suspected child predator, but as a valued member of the Penn State football legacy, with future "visibility" at Penn State and ways "to continue to work with young people through Penn State," essentially granting him license to bring boys to campus facilities for "grooming" as targets for his assaults. Sandusky retained unlimited access to University facilities until November 2011...
...Curley notifies Schultz and Spanier that he has "touched base with" Paterno about the incident. Days later, Curley emails Schultz: "Anything new in this department? Coach is anxious to know where it stands." Board meeting on May 15: Spanier does not notify the Board of the ongoing investigation...
...A retirement agreement with Sandusky is reached in June 1999, including an unusual lump sum payment of $168,000, an agreement for the University to "work collaboratively" with Sandusky on Second Mile and other community activities, and free lifetime use of East Area Locker Room facilities. As the retirement package is being finalized, Curley requests the emergency re-hire of Sandusky for the 1999 football season, which is approved. In August 1999, Sandusky is granted "emeritus" rank, which carries several privileges, including access to University recreational facilities. Documents show the unusual request for emeritus rank originated from Schultz, was approved by Spanier, and granted by the Provost, who expressed some uneasiness about the decision given Sandusky's low academic rank and the precedent that would be set...
...March 5, 2001: Scheduled date of meeting between Curley and Sandusky. In his 2011 Grand Jury testimony, Curley said he told Sandusky "we were uncomfortable" about the incident and would report it to the Second Mile. Curley says he also told Sandusky to stop bringing children to the athletic facilities. Sandusky's counsel later reports that no accusation of sexual abuse was made at this meeting and that Sandusky offered to provide the name of the boy to Curley, but Curley did not want the boy's name. Board of Trustees meeting: Spanier does not report the Sandusky incident to the Board...
...April 1, 2011: A Trustee emails Spanier, asking if the Board will be briefed about the Sandusky investigation reported in the paper. Spanier tells the Trustee: "Grand Jury matters are by law secret, and I'm not sure what one is permitted to say, if anything. I'll need to ask Cynthia [Baldwin] if it would be permissible for her to brief the Board on the matter..."
The Trustee emails Spanier again: "despite grand jury secrecy, when high ranking people at the university are appearing before a grand jury, the university should communicate something about this to its Board of Trustees." Spanier responds, downplaying the significance of the investigation: "I'm not sure it is entirely our place to speak about this when we are only on the periphery of this..."
...Spanier separately emails Baldwin, noting "[the Trustee] desires near total transparency. He will be uncomfortable and feel put off until he gets a report..."
...May 12, 2011 Board of Trustees meeting: Spanier and Baldwin brief Board on status of Grand Jury investigation; Spanier and Baldwin downplay importance of the investigation to Penn State. The Board asks a few limited questions...
...July 15, 2011 ? Board of Trustees meeting: Spanier and Baldwin do not update the Board on the Sandusky investigation. The Board does not ask about the Sandusky investigation...
...September 9, 2011 Board of Trustees meeting: Spanier and Baldwin do not update the Board on the Sandusky investigation. The Board does not ask about the Sandusky investigation...
...Sandusky is arrested. Grand Jury presentment released, noting there was no "attempt to investigate, to identify Victim 2 or to protect that child or any others from similar conduct, except as related to preventing its re-occurrence on University property." A Trustee asks Spanier, "What is going on, and is there any plan to brief the Board before our meeting next week?"
...Baldwin advises Spanier to tell the Trustee, "you are briefing the chair and the Board will be briefed next week." Spanier issues a press release expressing "unconditional support" for Schultz and Curley; with regard to child victims, Spanier only states, "Protecting children requires the utmost vigilance." Spanier emails Baldwin: Spanier says that if the Board is briefed, "it will be nothing more than what we said publicly." The Board meets on a conference call that evening. A senior administrator suggests an independent review of Penn State's intercollegiate athletics. Baldwin replies, "If we do this, we will never get rid of this group in some shape or form. The Board will then think that they should have such a group." Spanier agrees...
...November 6, 2011 Board of Trustee meeting: Board places Curley on administrative leave; Schultz re-retires. Spanier issues a second press release stating that Curley and Schultz voluntarily changed their employment status. Board members disagree and express frustration at changed tone of press release. Spanier says he only made "grammatical" edits to the press release...
...Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley did not even speak to Sandusky about his conduct on May 3, 1998 in the Lasch Building. Despite their knowledge of the criminal investigation of Sandusky, Spanier, Schultz, Paterno and Curley took no action to limit Sandusky's access to Penn State facilities or took any measures to protect children on their campuses...
...Spanier and Schultz failed to report the 1998 investigation to the Board of Trustees. Sandusky was convicted of several assaults that occurred after the 1998 incident. Some of these sexual assaults against young boys might have been prevented had Sandusky been prohibited from bringing minors to University facilities and University football bowl games...
...In an email from Curley to Schultz and Spanier at 5:24 p.m. captioned "Joe Paterno," Curley reports, "I have touched base with the coach. Keep us posted. Thanks." In an interview with the Special Investigative Counsel, Spanier said he did not recall this email, and pointed out that he received numerous emails everyday that provide him with updates on various issues. In a written statement from Spanier, he characterized the May 5, 1998 email as a "vague reference with no individual named..."
...Nothing in the record indicates that Spanier, Schultz, Paterno or Curley spoke directly with Sandusky about the allegation, monitored his activities, contacted the Office of Human Resources for guidance, or took, or documented, any personnel actions concerning this incident in any official University file. Spanier told the Special Investigative Counsel that no effort was made to limit Sandusky's access to Penn State...
...Spanier never declared Sandusky a "persona non grata" on Penn State campuses, as he did toward a sports agent who, before the 1997 Citrus Bowl, bought $400 worth of clothing for a Penn State football player. Spanier was very aggressive in that case and banned the agent from campus. Spanier said the agent "fooled around with the integrity of the university, and I won?t stand for that." The University conducted its own investigation, and provided the results to law enforcement. In an email dated May 13, 1998, Spanier said, "The idea is to keep [the sports agent] off campus permanently, to keep him away from current athletes, and to keep him away from current graduates or students whose eligibility has recently expired..."
...Spanier told the Special Investigative Counsel that his first knowledge of the 1998 event came when he was before the Grand Jury on April 13, 2011. Yet notes from Spanier's interview on March 22, 2011 with members of the Attorney General's Office reflect he was asked, "[d]id you have info @ the 1998 incident?" Cynthia Baldwin, who was then General Counsel, confirmed to the Special Investigative Counsel that Spanier was asked about the 1998 event in the interview before the Grand Jury appearance. According to Baldwin, after the interview, Spanier said the interview "was no big deal" and he was "quite comfortable" going before the Grand Jury...
...On June 29, 1999, Spanier approved a one-time lump sum payment to Sandusky of $168,000. A senior University Controller's office official and a retired Senior Vice President both stated that they had never known the University to provide this type of payment to a retiring employee...
...Sandusky was also awarded "emeritus" rank, with special privileges including access to the University's East Area locker room complex. Sandusky's positions in the University did not meet the general eligibility requirements for this honor, yet University administrators found themselves in a "bind" because Spanier had promised the emeritus rank to Sandusky...
...On February 12, 2001, Schultz and Curley met with Spanier to give him a "heads up" about the report concerning Sandusky. Spanier said this meeting was "unique" and that the subject matter of a University employee in a shower with a child had never come up before...
...There is no information indicating that Spanier, Schultz, Paterno or Curley made any effort to identify the child victim or determine if he had been harmed...
...The February 26, 2001 email and related emails that follow among Curley, Schultz and Spanier over the next two days are unique from the hundreds of thousands of other emails reviewed by the Special Investigative Counsel. These messages are the rare documents where proper names and identifying information are replaced with generic references. Spanier told the Special Investigative Counsel that Curley communicated in "code" in sensitive emails because the Athletic Department was notorious for leaks. When Curley communicated about other sensitive issues involving Sandusky, however, he did not use "code" words.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Mitt Romney's newest lie may be a felony (actually 3)
In order to evade responsibility for Bain Capital's behavior (including outsourcing American jobs), Mitt Romney has repeatedly claimed he left the company in 1999 to run the Salt Lake City Olympics, ending his role in the company.
But the Boston Globe says that's not what he told the Security and Exchange Commission. Filings show he actually remained the firm’s “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president.”
Clearly, Romney has been caught in yet another lie; the only question is: Was he lying then or is he lying now? If now, then he's "merely" trying to dupe voters. If he was lying in 2000, 2001 and 2002, then he committed at least three felonies.
Obama campaign lawyer Robert Bauer said Thursday that there could be “severe consequences” for individuals and companies that lied to the SEC.
But the Boston Globe says that's not what he told the Security and Exchange Commission. Filings show he actually remained the firm’s “sole stockholder, chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and president.”
Clearly, Romney has been caught in yet another lie; the only question is: Was he lying then or is he lying now? If now, then he's "merely" trying to dupe voters. If he was lying in 2000, 2001 and 2002, then he committed at least three felonies.
Obama campaign lawyer Robert Bauer said Thursday that there could be “severe consequences” for individuals and companies that lied to the SEC.
Romney advisor Matt McDonald apparently doesn't see a problem, just as long as his guy was only deceiving voters:“If in fact as he now claims that he was not active with the company, that he was not the controlling person that is described here, that means that these statements are false and as I said, there are very, very serious legal consequences that would follow,” Bauer explained.“Of particular consequence would be a misrepresentation that involves a controlling person,” he added. “And as these representations show, Romney is the controlling person. You know, he is the person who is the sole stockholder, the chairman of the board, the chief executive officer and the president. And the consequences for the controlling person of this sort of potential misrepresentation — and frankly on this record, it appears by his own words — absolute misrepresentation because he’s now saying none of this matters, none of this is true.”“[It's] very, very serious. And in the normal course would subject somebody in this position to every manner of investigation with all the consequences that you can imagine that would follow.”
“They are not saying that he would be guilty of a federal felony [just] for saying he left in 1999.”
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
CBS: House GOP has squandered $50 million of your taxes repealing Obamacare 33 times
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| Above: Iowa and Nebraska's GOP representatives. Clockwise from upper left: Steve King (5th district, Iowa), Adrian Smith (3rd District, Nebraska), Lee Terry (2nd district, Nebraska), Tom Latham (4th District, Iowa), Jeff Fortenberry (1st District, Nebraska) |
Midwest grocery store chain apologizes for letting Bradlee Dean group beg for money in its parking lot last weekend; says he 'wasn't completely honest'
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| Michele Bachman's good friend, evangelist Bradlee Dean explains gay behavior. (Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC) |
To the Newton Community:
 |
| Jason Crocker |
The group presented itself to us as a suicide prevention organization, and group members said they wanted to raise money for the schools for suicide awareness. We now know they weren't completely honest with us regarding the organization's goals and activities - if they had been, we would not have permitted them to use our property for fundraising. My management team and I should have been more diligent in checking out the background of this group before granting permission to solicit at Hy-Vee. I apologize for this oversight, and assure you that we have put procedures in place to prevent such situations in the future.
Hy-Vee strives to create a welcoming environment in which all customers and employees feel respected and appreciated. The inflammatory and divisive agenda and comments made by You Can Run leaders do not reflect the opinions or values of Hy-Vee.
If any of our customers feel they were misled into contributing to this organization, I invite them to contact me personally. To assist in the cause of suicide awareness and prevention, the Newton Hy-Vee is donating $250 to Capstone Behavioral Healthcare of Newton, an organization that provides mental health counseling, treatment and prevention services in our community.
Once again, I am very sorry for any distress this situation has caused.
Sincerely,
Jason Crocker
Store Director
Newton Hy-Vee
Not even magic Mormon underwear could enchant an NAACP audience with this Romney script
Romney must have thought he was still in the Hamptons. Or that his NAACP audience was deaf, incapable of lip-reading and stupid to boot. Reportedly, he was also booed after taking a swipe at same sex marriage.
(Via Towleroad)
If he's still alive and registered to vote, will someone please give the guy below a ride to the polls in November?
(Via Towleroad)
If he's still alive and registered to vote, will someone please give the guy below a ride to the polls in November?
Nebraska Family Council's Hannah Buell to Regents: including gay couples in health benefits would 'lead students to disrespect the academic process'
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| Photo: Fred Knapp |
Nevertheless three of the eight regents bought her preposterous arguments.
We communicate to students that sexual relationships without a lifelong commitment are just as beneficial as relationships with such a commitment, such as marriage,” she said. “Yet we know that after decades of social science research that this belief is scientifically inaccurate. This proposal could unintentionally lead students to disrespect the academic process and scientific research and lead students to make personal decisions that cause damage that could have been avoided.
Comedian Daniel Tosh to a woman who didn't like his rape jokes: Wouldn’t it be funny if that girl got raped by like, 5 guys right now? Like right now?
After the show, an acquaintance of the victim blogged about the incident:
Below: Daniel Tosh ripping off a video which went viral and which was first posted by AKSARBENT. Of course Tosh never bothered to credit the source — it's just not how he rolls.
After Tosh made "some very generalizing, declarative statements about rape jokes always being funny," she shouted back, "Actually, rape jokes are never funny!"Later, Tosh 'apologized' with the tired 'taken out of context' defense and then went on to smear the woman he disgusted as a 'heckler.'
Gay Chicago attorney Laura Ricketts, sole Democrat in billionaire TD Ameritrade family, helps launch lesbian super PAC
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| Laura Ricketts (right) and brother Peter, who was the largest 2008 contributor to Nebraska State Sen. Beau McCoy, who unsuccessfully sponsored Tennessee-style legislation in Nebraska's unicameral to void any municipal gay rights laws. |
From the Washington Post:
Laura's father, Joe Ricketts, the founder of TD Ameritrade, recently launched an anti-Jon Bruning attack ad blitz which was probably responsible for destroying the US Senate hopes of the homophobic GOP Nebraska Attorney General. Some people in the Cornhusker State are wondering if Ricketts bought himself a senator in Deb Fischer, who still has to beat popular former Nebraska senator and governor Bob Kerrey.“Being a woman and being gay is really a unique position in our society,” said Ricketts, a co-chair of the Democratic National Committee’s LGBT Leadership Council and one of President Barack Obama’s fundraising bundlers. “I know in my experience of activism, oftentimes it makes a difference if something is women-focused. It’s likely to get the attention of women much more easily.”
The elder Ricketts' flirtation with an attack ad campaign proposal (which Ricketts says he vetoed before it was leaked) against Barack Obama has infuriated Chicago Mayor Ron Emmanuel and may cost the Ricketts up to $300,000,000 in Wrigley field repairs and upgrades for their Chicago Cubs baseball team. The family was trying to get the city of Chicago to foot the bill, but now the mayor of Chicago won't even speak to Ricketts.
Boutique Monsanto legislation may strip rights of federal courts to halt planting of genetically engineered crops during legal appeals
This week the House of Representatives will consider a provision to House Agricultural Appropriations Bill that will fundamentally undermine the concept of judicial review. Hidden under the guise of a “Farmer Assurance Provision” (Section 733), the provision strips the rights of federal courts to halt the sale and planting of genetically engineered crops during the legal appeals process.In the past, legal advocates have successfully won in court the right to halt the sale and planting of unapproved GMO crops while the approval of those crops is under review by a federal judge. This dangerous new House provision, which we're calling the Monsanto Protection Act, would strip judges of their constitutional mandate to protect consumer rights and the environment, while opening up the floodgates for the planting of new untested genetically engineered crops, endangering farmers, consumers and the environment.Once again, Monsanto and the biotech industry are working behind closed doors to undermine your basic rights. This time they’ve gone too far! Join us in putting a stop to the Monsanto Protection Act!
Arizona GOP Gov. Jan Brewer's antigay policies now hurting tourism; a resignation from the Tourism Advisory Council and more bad publicity for the state
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| Left: Edwin Leslie; Right: AZ Gov. Brewer berating President Obama |
Governor Brewer,
It is with sincere regret that I today announce my immediate resignation as your appointee to the State of Arizona Tourism Advisory Council.
On July 3, 2012 you released your official statement on our States celebration of Independence Day, your quote ““For more than two centuries, citizens of this great country have been blessed with liberties and inalienable rights that make us truly and uniquely American. Over the coming days, let us take the opportunity to reflect on these freedoms – paying special tribute to our founders, whose courage and wisdom transformed sovereignty from vision to reality”
However, your actions taken on July 8, 2012 in determining to seek the Supreme Courts intervention in the State of Arizona’s duty to provide same sex domestic partners with insurance and other benefits are in direct conflict with your reiteration that all Americans are entitled to the same “inalienable rights”.
As a member of the Arizona Tourism Advisory Board it is my responsibility to remind you that your actions are contrary to those needed to ensure the success of the Tourism industry in Arizona. The State of Arizona derives considerable revenues from Tourism and considerable revenues from LGBT community members that visit our great State. Your actions discriminate against one part of the State’s residents to appease a small fraction of the population. Arizona residents by and large are supportive of LGBT equality. A recent PPP poll found that 77 percent of Arizona voters support either full marriage equality or civil unions. 83 percent of independents in the state support marriage or civil unions, along with 63 percent of Republicans. The tourism industry is critical to the State’s economy. I urge you to put aside the politics and act responsibly in favor of the this critical part of our economy.
Business, politics and the economy aside, my decision to resign the Tourism Council is rooted in the fiber of my conscience. The LGBT community, of which I am a proud part, deserves all of the same rights, privileges and liberties as every American, be it in domestic partner benefits, adoption, marriage or any other rights that are so freely enjoyed by every other person in the US. It is my hope that one day The State of Arizona leads the nation in extending benefits to LGBT families, allowing same sex marriage and adoption, and show that everyone is welcome in Arizona.
In your statement of July 3, 2012 you stated “I encourage you, amid your Independence Day festivities, to take an opportunity to re-read the Declaration and to recognize why we celebrate this day every year. I am hopeful that you never take for granted this document nor its promise and purpose.” However, you seem to ignore Jefferson’s most important words:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Please accept this as my official resignation as your appointee to the Arizona Tourism Advisory Council representing Maricopa County effective immediately.
With Regrets
Edwin W. LeslieCc: Sherry Henry Director Arizona Office of Tourism 1110 W. Washington Street, Suite 155 Phoenix, AZ 85007
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Mixed message
AKSARBENT wants to know if the California Department of Health thought of this all by itself or if it had help from a very stupid ad agency.
(Imgur via reddit via copyranter via joemygod)
(Imgur via reddit via copyranter via joemygod)
Mitt Romney says unions 'killed' GM and Chrysler;
so why does Germany sell twice as many cars and pay its workers twice as much?
Mitt Romney, quoted in the Los Angeles Times:
Al Sharpton has a reenactment:
Labor has asked for too much and business people have exceeded their demands only to see the business ultimately fail," he told the Ames Tribune's economic board in December. "That's what happened to GM and Chrysler. The demands of labor unions over time killed those businesses and made America become less competitive.Some auto industry statistics from Forbes regarding German vs. auto production in 2010:
Vehicles produced: Germany: 5.5 million; US: 2.7 millionMeanwhile, last weekend, Romney picked up another $3,000,000 at three fundraisers in Long Island's tony Hamptons; at the home of former U.S. Ambassador Clifford Sobel, at the $18 million Southhampton beach house of David Koch (puppetmaster of astroturf attack group Americans for Prosperity) and at the 50-acre compound of Revlon chairman Ronald Perelman.
Average hourly worker wage including benefits: Germany $67.14; US: $33.77
Al Sharpton has a reenactment:
Vicious homophobe Bradlee Dean spotted last weekend at Newton, IA Hy-Vee soliciting money for 'suicide/drug abuse prevention'
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| Bradlee explains gays. (Rachel Maddow Show/MSNBC) |
Dean, who is suing Rachel Maddow for $50,000,000, was just ordered by a Washington, DC court to pay almost $25,000 in attorney's fees to Maddow, MSNBC, The Iowa Independent and Andy Birkey.
Dean claims that the "average" gay molests 117 people before being found out.
From Andy Kopsa's blog (Link added by AKARBENT):
Well, they are back in Iowa – just this last weekend – accepting donations for their “ministry” at a Newton Hy-Vee. This from a Newtonian who witnessed the thing first hand:
Jason Crocker
Newton, IA Hy-Vee
Store Director
I am pissed! I gave them $5 earlier today because they CLAIMED they were taking donations for a ministry geared toward suicide prevention and drug abuse prevention! I marched right down there and caught them leaving and they STILL claimed that none of the money I gave them is to dispense an anti-gay agenda! I got the name of the group (which I should have done FIRST) :You Can Run But You Can’t Hide and googled it on my phone while in HyVee. What I found made my blood boil: the group is out of Minnesota and does school assemblies in which they make the girls chant a submissiveness toward their future husband, show videos of aborted fetuses and spread a hateful message about homosexuality. Several schools were misled with the same anti drug/suicide agenda which they only found out to be a lie after the assembly. Expecting a call from the HyVee Mgr who approved their presence tomorrow!Interfaith Iowa has already reached out to the store manager and encouraged them to research the group and the true message they are sending: anti-gay hate.
Familia Es Familia: Over 20 leading US Latino groups launch public service campaign on behalf of gays
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| Above: frame from Familia Es Famlia YouTube video |
Over twenty groups, including the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the Cuban American National Council, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI), the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA), the Dolores Huerta Foundation and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, are endorsing the Familia es Familia Campaign.
Nebraska GOP convention truce: Paulites say they will behave; GOP says it will call off the dogs; Paulites don't trust rented GOP vote scanners
Faced with the spectre of Ron Paul ruckus-raising, the Nebraska GOP had scheduled increased security at this weekend's Nebraska State GOP Convention in Grand Island. Here's why, as explained by Rachel Maddow:
Now the tension has been ratcheted down a few clicks. From the joint statement republished on state GOP Chairman Mark Fahleson's blog:
More from the Ron Paul supporters:
Now the tension has been ratcheted down a few clicks. From the joint statement republished on state GOP Chairman Mark Fahleson's blog:
- The NEGOP and RLCNE will not engage in nor encourage and will actively discourage any kind of dilatory or disruptive tactics that could interfere with the mutual goal of an orderly and efficient convention.
- Based upon assurances provided by the RLCNE, the NEGOP has reconsidered and withdrawn its plan to hire additional security officers for the NEGOP Convention.
The GOP convention will be held, predictably, at Grand Island's Riverside Country Club, 2820 Riverside Drive.Nebraska Republican State Convention Friday, July 13, 2012 at 5:00 PM - Saturday, July 14, 2012 at 7:00 PM (CT) Grand Island, NE
Professional Parliamentarians are more then welcome to come.
More from the Ron Paul supporters:
Fish Sister Streaming www.ustream.tv/channel/suriyahfish (They're driving 9 hours to be there. So if you're a delegate, you have NO excuse not to come. If they can put in the effort so can you.)
Live Stream Chip-In http://libertylivestreamteam.chipin.com/nebraska-convention
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Problems Paul supporters will be facing
1 Jordan McGrain - executive director of the Nebraska GOP
2 Chairman Mark Fahleson (We tried to replace him, but were not successful)
3 Rented ballot-counting machines will be used to count the votes at the convention (See: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0301/S00166.htm , http://blackboxvoting.com , http://blackboxvoting.org, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_voting#Documented_pr...)
4 Watch out for Charlie Cheater. He may be there. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l60B0TXpiU&feature=youtu.be
5 In a joint statement from Mark Fahleson and Laura Ebke, it states that "The RLCNE will discourage those wishing to attend the NEGOP Convention for the purpose of intimidation, agitation or monitoring from attending." I really hope that by "monitoring" they don't mean live streaming or checking if the voting machines counts are accurate. (See: http://www.dailypaul.com/243939/peace-treaty-proposed-with-n...)
Chuck Norris makes a sleazy innuendo about President Obama and 7 Boy Scouts in 'closed door meeting'
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| Chuck Norris, 72-year-old wingnut, and former star of gratuitously violent CBS TV show, Walker, Texas Ranger. One particularly sadistic episode, Cyclone, aired 11/23/1996, depicted a busload of schoolkids buried alive and ransomed for $10 million as they gasped at a steadily diminishing amount of oxygen. |
Norris lobbed a laughably sleazy innuendo (in Ammoland.com — a highly respected political journal, we're sure) about President Barrack Obama's encounter with a group of Boy Scouts "behind closed doors."
Is it a coincidence, too, that on March 3, 2009, Obama became the honorary president of the BSA but that Obama’s induction was held behind closed doors in the Oval Office with seven or so Boy Scouts present and absolutely nothing noted in the White House daily briefing or any other official communication?GLAAD: "Chuck Norris should talk to Mitt Romney, who Norris endorsed for president and who has said on the record that all Americans should be able to participate in the Boy Scouts of America regardless of sexual orientation.... Chuck Norris appears to be a fame-hungry has-been with poor research skills."
Monday, July 9, 2012
The Keystone XL Pipeline Summer to-do list
Complete the list, and Bold Nebraska will award you a prize...
Summer To-Do List1) Put Up a Yard Sign: pick up a yard sign and show your solidarity with fellow Nebraskans who want to stop the pipeline2) Spread the Word to Landowners: post this document at the local coffee shop or email the "landowners rights" page and the NEAT website to folks you know along the proposed pipeline route3) Help Fund the Citizen Lawsuit and Ads Featuring Landowners and Citizens: a legal challenge to LB 1161 and putting up more ads and bulletin boards will help us keep Nebraskans informed and fired up to stop the pipeline, donate today4) Submit Comments to the DEQ Process: while we hope the DEQ process becomes null and void because of the legal challenge, it is still very critical you weigh in on the process by submitting a comment, demand to see the full list of chemicals in TransCanada's proposed pipeline5) Write Letters to Elected Officials: we give some examples of letters, tips and all the contact info you need, write at least 3 letters to check this off your list6) Get 10 Friends to Sign this Petition: thousands of Nebraskans have weighed in on the pipeline and its critical to continue showing elected officials we continue to have major concerns regarding this tarsands pipeline7) Attend Summer Events: in the next few weeks we will post dates for a July and August pipeline event, watch for more info soon8) Write a Letter to the Editor: letters to your local paper are very powerful tools since many elected officials read the LTEs as well as fellow citizens, we give a few examples and some tips9) Submit Comments to the PSC Process: even though the PSC is not yet overseeing the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline route process for our state, if the lawsuit is successful, they will be in charge so giving comments now on their process is critical10) Watch Pipe Dreams and Raise Money for Bold: hold a BBQ with your friends and watch the documentary Pipe Dreams, ask folks to donate to help keep the pressure on to stop the pipeline, you can buy the video online (or you could host a table at the local farmers market, showing Pipe Dreams on your laptop and have a "tarsands free bake sale")
E.J. Dionne, Jr.: political partisan, Justice Antonin Scalia, has stepped off the curb, should resign
In his June 27th Washington Post column, E.J. Dionne, Jr. said that Scalia has lost the ability to even fake judicial impartiality and that it is time for the 76-year-old juror, who has spent 1/3 of his life on the Supreme Court, to kick rocks.
So often, Scalia has chosen to ignore the obligation of a Supreme Court justice to be, and appear to be, impartial. He’s turned “judicial restraint” into an oxymoronic phrase. But what he did last month, when the court announced its decision on the Arizona immigration law, should be the end of the line.Not content with issuing a fiery written dissent, Scalia offered a bench statement questioning President Barack Obama’s decision to allow some immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children to stay. Obama’s move had nothing to do with the case in question. Scalia just wanted you to know where he stood.
Antigay evangelist and Michele Bachmann supporter Bradlee Dean ordered to pay $24,625.23 to defendants MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, Minnesota Independent and Andy Birkey
JoeMyGod reports via BradleeDeanInfo that a DC court, as of June 25th, issued the following order:
A litany of the highlights of Bradlee Dean's toxic attacks on gay people was made by ThinkProgress.
Left: Bradlee Dean misbehaving during his delivery of a controversial Minnesota House morning prayer, which he used as a platform to question Barack Obama's faith.
Later, GOP state party exec Ben Zierke told College Republicans who invited Dean to St. Cloud University that they might have trouble getting GOP jobs in the future if they host the event: "If you are going to do dumb things, and not take the advice of the state college Republicans and the state chairman of the Republican party, it might have some consequences.”
Here's the Rachel Maddow segment over which Dean preposterously sued for $50,000,000. In it, Dean exhibits his command not only of junk, undocumented statistics about alleged incidence of child molestation by gay males, but also his curious contextual use of the word "livid," which Dean has apparently never looked up in a dictionary.
Memorandum and Order Granting in Part Defendants' Motion for Attorneys' Fees and Denying Plaintiffs' Combined Motions for Reconsideration and Sanctions Entered on the Docket 6/25/12. Signed in chambers 6/25/12. Electronically filed via CaseFileXPress on counsel for the parties 6/25/12. Plaintiffs shall pay to Defendants fees and costs in the amount of $24,625.23 within thirty days.
A litany of the highlights of Bradlee Dean's toxic attacks on gay people was made by ThinkProgress. Left: Bradlee Dean misbehaving during his delivery of a controversial Minnesota House morning prayer, which he used as a platform to question Barack Obama's faith.
Later, GOP state party exec Ben Zierke told College Republicans who invited Dean to St. Cloud University that they might have trouble getting GOP jobs in the future if they host the event: "If you are going to do dumb things, and not take the advice of the state college Republicans and the state chairman of the Republican party, it might have some consequences.”
Here's the Rachel Maddow segment over which Dean preposterously sued for $50,000,000. In it, Dean exhibits his command not only of junk, undocumented statistics about alleged incidence of child molestation by gay males, but also his curious contextual use of the word "livid," which Dean has apparently never looked up in a dictionary.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Christer school vouchers turning out to be exactly the ruse that cynics always suspected they were
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| Louisiana Dist. 64 Rep. Valerie Hodges, left, and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, whose school voucher program Hodges now opposes. Hodges: “I actually support funding for teaching the fundamentals of ...Christianity, in public schools or private schools. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana.” |
The school willing to accept the most voucher students -- 314 -- is New Living Word in Ruston, which has a top-ranked basketball team but no library. Students spend most of the day watching TVs in bare-bones classrooms. Each lesson consists of an instructional DVD that intersperses Biblical verses with subjects such chemistry or composition.Meanwhile, via the Omaha Coalition of Reason's facebook page:
... At Eternity Christian Academy in Westlake pastor-turned-principal Marie Carrier hopes to secure extra space to enroll 135 voucher students, though she now has room for just a few dozen. Her first- through eighth-grade students sit in cubicles for much of the day and move at their own pace through Christian workbooks, such as a beginning science text that explains "what God made" on each of the six days of creation. They are not exposed to the theory of evolution.
"We try to stay away from all those things that might confuse our children," Carrier said.
Other schools approved for state-funded vouchers use social studies texts warning that liberals threaten global prosperity ...
The Omaha Coalition of Reason billboard is up on the northwest corner of 72nd & Pacific St. in Omaha! The billboard officially announces the Omaha CoR and heralds the coming 4th annual Midwest Freethought Conference to he held at UNO on August 3-5th. Check out the conference website for more information.
Friday, July 6, 2012
A drag photo surfaces of lying GOP Ohio Senate candidate Josh Mandel, whose dishonest campaign is buoyed by $9 million in conservative funds
"Humor has always been an important part of his personality, especially when he used it to keep up morale among his Marines in Iraq."
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