Alan Grayson: If We Got Invaded By Mars, The GOP Would Claim Obama's A Martian

I want to gay-marry Alan Grayson.

New Hampshire LOL

(Tipped by JMG reader Brian)

Meg Whitman: I'll Defend Prop 8

GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has announced that she will defend Prop 8 in court if elected.

"The issue right now is, as I understand is 'Will Proposition 8 have the appropriate support to actually make an appeal to the circuit court of appeals?' " Whitman said. "And I think the governor, the attorney general today has to defend the constitution and has to enable the judicial process to go along and has to enable an appeal to go through. So if I was governor, I would give that ruling standing to be able to appeal to the circuit court." The appeals court plans to hear the case in December, but Supreme Court appeals are planned by both sides, so Whitman would have plenty of time to intervene if she wins and takes office in January.

Whitman and Jerry Brown are essentially tied in the latest polls.

Franklin Graham: The President's Problem Is That He Was Born A Muslim

Billy Graham's son, for those that don't know.

Cee-Lo - Fuck You

From the Gnarls Barkley vocalist.

Beer Numbers

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

Afternoon View - Hillside Check-In Cabin

I've just arrived with my loyal companions Aaron and Chris for three days under the trees at Hillside Campground in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. The guys in this photo have had the site next to ours for the last three summers and we always seem to get here at the same time. It's 75 and completely clear, which bodes for a quite chilly evening, as summer nights so often are up on the mountain. Do they make electric sleeping bags?

UPDATE: I've added a photo of our new tent, which much to Chris' everlasting frustration has more ropes and material than we know what to do with. Experience tells us that this will vex him mightily all weekend.

Whining About The Protest At Porno Pete LaBarbera's Hate Academy

From one of Porno Pete's Christofascist supporters.

The Sneaky Ting Tings

If you'd like to hear Hands, the new single by popular dance duo the Ting Tings, you must first "like" them on Facebook, which of course tells your friends that you "like" them. And if you want to hear the remix of Hands (and what fan wouldn't?) you must unlock the mix by sharing it to your page. Clever, clever. Never seen this before.

Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury

Obviously NSFW for the audio. Unrelated to and contrary to what you'd expect of someone getting such a tribute as this song, earlier this week Bradbury decried modern technology. "We have too many cellphones. We've got too many Internets. We have got to get rid of those machines. We have too many machines now."

HomoQuotable - Mark Leno

"This bill simply affirms that California is a diverse state, and that we can all co-exist and make space for each others' beliefs without compromising the tenets of any religious group or individual. With the recent federal court ruling, we know that marriage for same-sex couples in California is on the horizon. Under the Civil Marriage Religious Freedom Act, churches and clergy members who fear their religious views are threatened by marriage equality will have clear and solid protections under state law. In addition, churches that welcome same-sex couples will continue to fully recognize those families within their faith." - California state Sen. Mark Leno, on the state Assembly's passage of his bill guaranteeing that no member of the clergy will ever be forced to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony against their wishes.

Leno's bill has the backing of Equality California and will be signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger after a concurrence vote in the state Senate, who first approved the item in May.

Rachel Maddow On Iraq Withdrawal

Well, that was a few trillion well spent. Thanks, Dubya.

Signorile: Why Won't HRC Change Target's Corporate Equality Rating?

While the Human Rights Campaign has come out uncharacteristically forcefully against Target, the company continues to enjoy a 100% rating on HRC's lauded Corporate Equality Index. Yesterday HRC's Fred Sainz told Michelangelo Signorile that it's just too complicated to change the Index right now. Signorile:

Sainz went onto again explain how complicated it supposedly is to change the Corporate Equality Index criteria (something he told me a week earlier when I had him on the show) and how the group is trying to “grapple” with the new changes since the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United and that they don’t want to make a "knee-jerk" response and that they are working it through but in a "thoughtful” manner. That’s all well and good, but the boycott is now, and as it goes on, HRC is still telling people to shop at Target.

Listen to Signorile's interview with HRC's Fred Sainz.

UPDATE: HRC has issued the following response in which they state that both Target and Best Buy will be removed from their list.

The recent political contributions by Target and Best Buy are cause for reflection on the criteria used for future editions of the Corporate Equality Index (CEI). While considering all of this, it’s important to keep in mind that the CEI has made a tremendous impact in the real lives of LGBT people in large part because it has been a predictable and transparent roadmap for companies to institute fair workplace policies. Instead of making capricious decisions about scoring criteria, we believe that a responsible consideration of all of the facts is the smartest way to move forward.

Already complicated, the Citizens United decision has made campaign finance issues even more complex. HRC is thoughtfully studying the many ramifications of political giving by companies in this new reality. The CEI, upon which the Buyer’s Guide is based, was completed in June 2009. Under that set of criteria, both Target and Best Buy scored 100 percent. The Buyer’s Guide available on our website was released in November 2009 and is representative of the information known to us at the time. Because we understand the impact of leaving Target and Best Buy on the various products associated with the Buyer’s Guide, both companies will soon be removed from it. HRC will not encourage people to shop at either store and believes that consumers should make their own decisions after careful consideration of all of the information available to them.

Bigotry Special At Target

Queer Rising made a customer service announcement at a Target in Madison, Wisconsin, much to the annoyance of store management.

Today In Teabagger Music Videos II

Today In Teabagger Music Videos

Complete with shots of lower Manhattan. Sample YouTube comment:

Ok all you athiest fags who have nothing better to do than try and slander good people can go eat shit. Here' a question for all those libtard butwimps, why did you look up this song if you hate us so much? I know why, because you are too cowardly to say any of this to real men and women's faces so you look for a Christian video to prove yourself to people who aren't staring you in the face. Close enough? You people can kiss me ass! BRING IT ON FAGETS!!!

Musically, it's actually not terrible.

Sarah Palin Retweets Homocon Tammy Bruce In Defense Of Dr. Laura

Do you think Palin knows that Tammy Bruce is a big ole lesbian? Strange, strange bedfellows in Teabagistan these last few days, huh?

OMD - If You Want It

From the coming album History Of Modern. This is OMD's first release since 1996's Universal. My all-time favorite OMD single remains 1984's Talking Loud And Clear.

Morning View - Union Square

Photo Of The Day - Kylie's Happy Bear

The Advocate reports that Facebook took down Kylie Minogue's self-posted photo as too raunchy. A Facebook rep told the disco pixie: "We do not allow photos that contain nudity, drug use or violence." It's just a microphone, kids.

Howard Dean Compares "Civil Unions Compromise" To Mosque Controversy

Dean thinks the downtown NYC mosque should be located elsewhere, a "good reasonable compromise" he compared to the creation of civil unions when he was governor of Vermont.

NOM Loses Again In Maine

NOM has lost yet another court battle to cloak the names of their donors in Maine.

Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said Thursday his group is disappointed in the ruling, but feels its arguments will hold sway with an appeals court. NOM will pursue an expedited appeal to the U.S. First Circuit Court in Boston, he said, because of the short time before the upcoming election season. Though Thursday's decision will delay NOM's plans for political activity in Maine, Brown said, the group is reviewing the decision to gauge a potential timeline for action. NOM plans activity in Maine both on behalf of candidates that support "redefining marriage," said Brown, and on candidates that support traditional marriage.

He declined to say whether NOM would be active in the state's governor's race, as well as the legislative races. Brown also expressed frustration at the legal hurdles spurred by what he called "frivolous" lawsuits filed by their political opponents, one of which, Californians Against Hate, asked the Maine ethics commission to investigate NOM. That group, one of the primary advocates for preserving California's gay marriage law that was repealed by voters there in 2009, questioned whether NOM raised more than $5,000 to directly repeal Maine's same-sex marriage law.

It's not a complete win for the good guys, however, as the judge also ruled some parts of Maine's campaign finance disclosure laws to be "unconstitutionally vague" and struck down the requirement that donations over $250 be reported within 24 hours.

Arch Homophobe Matt Barber Follows "Shemalevideos" On Twitter?

I noticed a rather interesting Twitter user on Liberty Counsel attorney Matt Barber's follow list last night. (I added his photo to the screen capture.) Fascinating. Like Matt Barber, I follow lots of my enemies on Twitter, but I don't feel the need to follow straight porn sites to know what the haters are up to.

Yale Researchers Discover What Circuit Boys Knew Fifteen Years Ago

Researchers at Yale have published a study touting the horse tranquilizer Ketamine as an effective anti-depressant at low doses. The drug's make-happy effect begins almost immediately, unlike regular anti-depressants which can take weeks to work.

Ketamine, a general anesthetic usually administered to children and pets but perhaps best known as a horse tranquilizer, is also highly effective in low doses as an anti-depressant, according a study published Thursday. Researchers at Yale University wrote in the August 20 issue of the journal Science that unlike most anti-depressants on the market which can take weeks to take full effect ketamine can begin to counter depression in hours. "It's like a magic drug -- one dose can work rapidly and last for seven to 10 days," said Ronald Duman, professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Yale and senior author of the study. The researchers noted that ketamine was tested as a rapid treatment for people with suicidal thoughts. Traditional anti-depressants can take several weeks to take effect, they noted.

A similar study at the National Institute of Mental Health found that 70% of patients who did not respond to traditional anti-depressants improved within hours of receiving Ketamine. Let's hope the ridiculous War On Drugs doesn't stifle this breakthrough. But don't rush out to self-medicate either, Ketamine remains a Schedule III drug in the U.S. with a penalty for possession of up to five years in prison.

Teabagger T-Shirts

Get them here.

Senate Candidate David Malpass: Obama & Gillibrand Are Destroying Your Way Of Life

He's the alternative, the Reagan alternative!

Olson & Boies May Ask Court To Force Protect Marriage To Pay Their Fees

In the event that Judge Vaughn Walker's overturn of Prop 8 is upheld by the Ninth Circuit, attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies are prepared to demand that Protect Marriage pay their fees. Via Advocate:

In court filings this week, the attorneys requested extended time to consider fees and court costs but have also asked Prop. 8 supporters for an expedited response in the matter—which they opposed in a Wednesday filing. "Plaintiffs seek to drastically shorten [our] time to respond to that motion so that they have more time to prepare an application for attorney’s fees in the event this Court does not grant their motion to enlarge time," Alliance Defense Fund attorney Brian Raum wrote. "Such a burden shift is unwarranted."

The amount that may be requested has not be disclosed, but you can bet that Olson and Boies do not come cheap.

The Minnesota GOP Would Like You To Know That Female Democrats Are Dogs

I looked at this yesterday and dismissed it as typical teabaggery. But today HuffPo reports this bit of assholery is actually the work of the Minnesota Republican Party.

Indian Pole Gymnastics

Wait for the hawt furry little cub.

This Isn't About Coffee

Nice work Oracle, especially the bit about jerking off to a photo of Bill Gates. But you could have at least given a hat tip to Sun Microsystem.

UPDATE: OK, so it's not from Oracle.

SAN DIEGO: 12 Activists Arrested In Marriage Protest At County Clerk's Office

A dozen activists were arrested today at a San Diego county clerk's office when they refused to leave without being issued marriage licenses.

On the day hundreds of gay and lesbian couples statewide planned to obtain their long-awaited marriage licenses, a crowd of about 50 people gathered at the county clerk's office Thursday to protest a federal judge's stay of a federal ruling that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional. Three people were taken away in plastic handcuffs by sheriff's deputies early in the demonstration and an additional nine people were removed later. A deputy said they were detained for blocking access to a county office. Tony and Tyler Dylan-Hyde and at least one other couple came to the county clerk's office this morning at 8 a.m. asking to receive their marriage license. "We believe that county officials and the Attorney General have the authority and the obligation to allow marriage licenses to proceed based on both federal court findings and that Prop. 8 is unconstitutional and the governor's filings in Prop. 8 cases," Tyler Dylan-Hyde said. "We are asking you to do what's right."

According to the linked news story, those arrested had blocked the entrance of heterosexual couples with appointments to get licenses.

Servicemembers United Announces DADT Lobby Day To Occur September 16th

Servicemembers United announces via press release:

Servicemembers United, the nation's largest organization of gay and lesbian troops and veterans, announced today that it will host another "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" lobby day for repeal supporters on Thursday, September 16, 2010. The fall lobby day, affectionately nicknamed "The Final Assault," will come at a critical time after the Senate reconvenes but before the chamber is expected to take up the repeal-inclusive defense authorization bill. Participants can register for the September 16th "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" lobby day at Servicemembers United.

"This lobby day will be the last major opportunity for supporters of repeal to come to Washington, make the case for this amendment, and hold their senators accountable on this vote," said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and a former U.S. Army interrogator who was discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." "Lobbying for repeal is now a lot more complicated than simply saying 'support repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' so we want to be able to explain the nuances of the current situation to repeal supporters and arm them with the detailed information they need to hold their Senators accountable."

Here is SU's just-released ad. Watch this, it's great.

The Australian Sex Party

Australia's just-launched pro-marriage equality Sex Party "wants the government out of our bedrooms."

Giggity Giggity

Fun with photoshop via Buzzfeed.

GOP Candidate For CA Attorney General: I Will Defend Prop 8 In Court

Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley says that if he is elected as state Attorney General in November, he will defend Proposition 8 in court. Current AG Jerry Brown had declined to do so.

"The role of the attorney general is to defend the will of the people," says [Cooley spokesman Kevin] Spillane. "He would defend (Prop. 8) and appeal" U.S. District Court Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling that found the anti-gay marriage ballot measure to be unconstitutional. Spillane says Cooley considers his position on Proposition 8 to be a matter of "general policy" if he became the next attorney general, not an issue of whether or not he opposes same-sex marriage. Two weeks ago, Walker found Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot measure that banned gay marriage in California, to be unconstitutional. The ruling has been appealed by proponents of Prop. 8, with the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals taking the case. Legal experts are not certain what role, if any, the next attorney general or governor in California will play in the appeal, but there is a possibility those offices could get involved. California Attorney General Jerry Brown and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have both refused to defend Prop. 8 in court. Cooley did not endorse or oppose the ballot measure in 2008, Spillane says.

The Democrats' candidate for California AG, Kamala Harris, has been a vocal supporter of marriage equality. GOP candidate for California governor Meg Whitman has not yet said whether she would appeal Judge Walker's decision, were she to be given the opportunity. But we know she would, of course.

Afternoon View - Williamsburg Bridge

MSNBC Rejects MoveOn's Anti-Target Ad

MoveOn.org's national ad buy for their anti-Target campaign has been rejected by MSNBC.

MSNBC spokeswoman Alana Russo says the commercial submitted by the liberal group MoveOn.org violates its advertising policy by directly attacking an individual business. MoveOn announced plans earlier this week to spend $35,000 airing the ad on MSNBC nationally and on three networks in the Twin Cities. The group says the stations in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market are running the ad. MoveOn head Justin Ruben says the rejection is "the height of hypocrisy." Minneapolis-based Target last month donated $150,000 to a political fund supporting conservative GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer in Minnesota. That triggered a national backlash from gay rights groups and liberals.

Very disappointing. View MoveOn's ad here.

Porno Pete To Ann Coulter: Give Your GOProud Money To Anti-Gay Hate Groups

"We at AFTAH have an idea: how about if Coulter donates her GOProud speaking fee to two worthy pro-family organizations whose mission (we hope) Coulter agrees with more than that of the phony 'conservatives' over at GOProud, who put 'gay rights' above traditional values. Here are two wonderful groups that could benefit from GOProud’s cash (via Coulter):

* Elaine Donnelly’s Center for Military Readiness, which has led the way in battling President Obama’s reckless plan to homosexualize the U.S. military in a time of war (GOProud supports the Democrat-led effort to repeal the ban on open homosexuals in the military)

* Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) — this worthy yet perpetually underfunded organization stands up for the rights of former homosexuals — who regularly get demonized and sometimes bullied by the supposedly “tolerant” Homosexual Activist Lobby.

"If Coulter insists on going forward with the GOProud speech — even though the organization supports many of the same homosexual-agenda goals of other 'gay' activist groups, then maybe she can make it count for some good by helping to sustain the noble work of these two fine organizations." - Porno Pete LaBarbera, writing from his dildo-strewn basement dungeon in suburban Chicago.

American Apparel Stock Value Plummets Amidst Talk Of Bankruptcy

American Apparel's stock value is plummeting upon news earlier this week that the company may be forced into bankruptcy over its vanishing credit line with vendors.

After warning this week that there was "substantial doubt that the company will be able to continue as a going concern," the company saw its stock fall 21.3% on Wednesday, ending at an all-time low of 81 cents. That was on the heels of a 26% plunge the day before. In recent months, the troubled company has been beset by sales declines, losses, a crackdown on undocumented workers, problems with its debt, delayed quarterly filings and, most recently, an investigation by the U.S. attorney's office in New York related to the company's abrupt change in accounting firms. Industry experts say the company's problems are so severe that nothing short of a major overhaul in its business practices and management, which could include a possible bankruptcy filing, can pull it out of its free fall.

Some analysts contend that the company could only be saved with the removal of mercurial CEO Dov Charney, who has also faced numerous sexual harassment allegations from staffers.

Hair Dye Company Offers Anderson Cooper One Million Dollars To Leave Gray Town

The Orlando Sentinel reports today that a hair dye company has offered CNN host Anderson Cooper one million dollars if he'll use their product to do away with his famous silver hair for five years.

The offer comes from Rise-N-Shine, the makers of Go Away Gray. “We feel like Anderson Cooper is a really visible and well-respected figure and thought he would be a great spokesperson for the product and the company.” said Cathy Beggan, the product’s developer And it doesn’t hurt that he’s a handsome gentleman.” Go Away Gray is a pill containing the enzyme Catalese. The company is willing to deliver the cash to Cooper after using the pills for 60 days and sharing his experiences with the new look via social media such as Twitter and Facebook.

It's a hair dye PILL? Yikes. The company suggests Cooper take the deal and donate the money to charity.

FLORIDA: Church Denied Koran-Burning Permit, Plans To Proceed Anyway

Gainesville's Dove World Outreach Ministries has been denied a permit to burn a pile of Korans on September 11th, but says it plans to proceed with the ceremony anyway.

Gene Prince, the interim chief of Gainesville Fire Rescue, said Wednesday that under the city’s fire prevention ordinance, an open burning of books is not allowed. Dove World has made international news since announcing its intention to burn the holy book of Islam to mark the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Telephone and e-mail messages left for church officials were not immediately returned Wednesday. But permit or no permit, the church has indicated it will go ahead with its planned protest of Islam. In an e-mail newsletter sent out Wednesday, the church announced: “City of Gainesville denies burn permit -- BUT WE WILL STILL BURN KORANS.” Prince said his department notified the church, which has fewer than 100 members, of the decision in a letter that was mailed Tuesday. He said the church could be fined if it went ahead and held the burning.

Dove World was also behind Gainesville's failed "No Homo Mayor" campaign. Openly gay Mayor Craig Lowe calls the church "an embarrassment to the community."

(Tipped by JMG reader Sozo)

HomoQuotable - Andrew Sullivan

"It seems pretty obvious to me...that the current Pope is a gay man (just as it was blindingly clear that John Paul II was straight). I am not claiming that Benedict is someone who has explored his sexuality, or has violated his own strictures on the matter. There is absolutely no evidence of that, or of hypocrisy of any sort. But that does not mean that he isn't gay.

"In fact, Ratzinger's command that gay priests should actively lie about their orientation makes any public statement about this on its face lacking in credibility. But when you look at the Pope's mental architecture (I've read a great deal of his writing over the last two decades) you do see that strong internal repression does make sense of his life and beliefs. At times, it seems to me, his gayness is almost wince-inducing. The prissy fastidiousness, the effeminate voice, the fixation on liturgy and ritual, and the over-the-top clothing accessories are one thing.

"But what resonates with me the most is a theology that seems crafted from solitary introspection into a perfect, abstract unity of belief. It is so perfect it reflects a life of withdrawal from the world of human relationship, rather than an interaction with it. Of course, this kind of work is not inherently homosexual; but I have known so many repressed gay men who can only live without severe pain in the world if they create a perfect abstraction of what it is, and what their role is in it." - Andrew Sullivan.

Facebook Goes Foursquare

For those who insist that the entire world know their precise whereabouts at every single moment. Do not get.

Mexico City Mayor Sues Catholic Cardinal Over Gay Marriage Accusations

Mexico City's Mayor Marcelo Ebrard has filed a defamation lawsuit against Cardinal Juan Sandoval after the cardinal told the press that Ebrard had bribed Mexico's Supreme Court justices to legalize same-sex marriage and gay adoption.

Sandoval made the allegations on Sunday during an event in Aguascalientes state. He also used a slur against gays while decrying the recent high court decisions that were called victories for the gay-rights community, as L.A. Times correspondent Tracy Wilkinson analyzes in this story. Church authorities were not backing down. Sandoval said Monday he would not retract his comments, and the archdiocese in Guadalajara later said it had proof of the allegations against the Supreme Court justices. Statements in support were issued from the archdiocese in Mexico City, while the Bishops' Conference of Mexico also said it supports Sandoval. In the secular institutional corner, the Supreme Court censured Sandoval's statements unanimously, and Ebrard issued a stark warning to the highest-ranking prelate of Mexico's second-largest city: "We live in a secular state, and here, whether we like it or not, the law rules the land," Ebrard said, according to La Jornada. "The cardinal must submit to the law of the land, like all other citizens of this country."

Earlier this month Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages performed in the nation's capital must be recognized in all 31 states. Last week the same court upheld the constitutionality of allowing gay adoption in Mexico City.

The Lands Of Human Sexuality

Everything from "Spin The Bottle" to stuff whose meaning I shudder to wonder. Visit the Human Sex Map to click off what you've already tried and liked, tried and hated, and so on.

Morning View - North On Fifth

SPAIN: Bull Turns Tables And Charges Into Spectator Stands, 30 Injured

RELATED: Last month Spain's Catalonia region, which includes Barcelona, banned bullfighting.

BRITAIN: Catholic Adoption Agency Must Serve Gay Couples

Britain's charity regulatory commission has ruled that the Catholic Care adoption agency must serve gay couples. The agency had demanded that it be exempt from the nation's anti-discrimination laws.

Catholic Care, a charity in Leeds, northern England, had argued that as a religious group it should be allowed to offer adoption-support services only to heterosexuals. It said its funding from the Roman Catholic church was dependent on its policy of helping only married heterosexual couples to adopt. In March, it won a High Court appeal of the original decision in the case, but in a final ruling Britain's Charity Commission said the group's policy was discriminatory and breached European human rights laws. The commission ordered the group to either cease its work to place children with adoptive parents or to abide by equality laws — meaning it would need to consider gay couples as prospective parents. "The charity is very disappointed with the outcome, Catholic Care will now consider whether there is any other way in which the charity can continue to support families seeking to adopt children in need," the group said in a statement.

American hate groups already scream about adoption agencies that have chosen to go out of business rather than serve gay couples. Expect them to leap upon this latest case as an example of homofascist suppression of religion.

Tonight In New York City

Meet and mingle with the FDNY firefighters of this year's City Of The Brave calendar. Facebook event page here. News story here. More photos here. Buy calendar.

Tweet Of The Day - Sarah Palin

Mama Grizzly don't appear to understand the First Amendment, do she?

Open Thread Thursday

If you could relive one day in your life, without any changes, what day would that be?

Ann Coulter To World Net Daily Founder Joseph Farah: Oh, It's ON Motherfucker!

"Farah is doing this for PUBLICITY and publicity alone. This was an email exchange between friends and even though I didn’t expressly say “OFF THE RECORD” and I believe everything I said, he’s a swine for using my private emails politely answering him. Why would he do such a despicable thing? … for PUBLICITY.

"I will say that Farah could give less than two shits about the conservative movement — as demonstrated by his promotion of the birther nonsense (long ago disproved by my newspaper, Human Events, also Sweetness & Light, American Spectator and National Review etc, etc etc). He’s the only allegedly serious conservative pushing the birther thing. For ONE reason: to get hits on his website." - Ann Coulter, in an extremely pissed off email to the Daily Caller.

Yesterday World Net Daily founder Joseph Farah published Coulter's email to him about being dumped from WND's Miami conference because she will headline GOProud's Quisling confab. This just gets better and better.

Brian Brown Vs. Rick Jacobs

Things got very heated when NOM's Brian Brown finally met the Courage Campaign's Rick Jacobs at the final stop on NOM's Hate Tour in DC. WATCH THIS.

Ted Olson On Cordoba House

Afternoon View - Strand Books

One Collar, Two Sleeves

The BBC is running a series of shorts that uses mnemonics as spelling helpers. Mildly interesting, I suppose, but ultimately a wasted effort in the Google age. (Although I did recently use HOMES when trying to remember all the Great Lakes.) What mnemonics did you or do you use?

NYC Flyover Warning!

Remember last year when half of New York City completely lost their shit when a jumbo jet went screaming along the Hudson at a low altitude, trailed by U.S. fighter jets? And how it turned out to be just a photo op for the White House, who wanted a shot of Air Force One over the Statue of Liberty? And how it cost a zillion dollars for a picture that any fifth-grader could have photoshopped? And how the outcry eventually resulted in a White House official falling on his sword?

Anyway, we're about to get a similar event. Gay City News reporter Duncan Osbourne predicts by email that even though this time we're getting a warning, thousands will still likely "run screaming through the streets." Via press release:

MEDIA ADVISORY: Aerial Events Scheduled over New York City

NEW YORK CITY – During Air Force Week in New York City 23-25 Aug., the United States Air Force will be making multiple flyovers over the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. New York City residents should be aware of the following aerial demonstrations and media are requested disseminate information as widely as possible. On Aug. 23 from 3-4 p.m., Two F-16s from the United States Aerial Demonstration Team, The Thunderbirds, will be making multiple practice flights over the Intrepid for flyover preparation the following day. On Aug. 24 at 10:35 a.m., the United States Aerial Demonstration Team, The Thunderbirds, will conduct a six-ship flyover of the Intrepid to commence the official start of Air Force Week. The team will be flying in an FAA approved holding pattern from 10:15 a.m. until the flyover. On Aug. 25 at 11 a.m., the New York Air National Guard 106th Rescue Wing will be flying a HH-60 Pavehawk onto the Intrepid. It will remain on display until it takes off at 4 p.m. and departs the area.

You have been duly warned.

PhoboQuotable - Robert Knight

"In light of federal Judge Vaughn R. Walker's ruling on August 4 striking down California's marriage law, let's imagine a worst-case scenario. It goes to the U.S. Supreme Court, where, flanked by leftist newcomers Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, Anthony Kennedy takes his latest plunge into existential mystery and manufactures a constitutional 'right' to force Americans to recognize same-sex 'marriage.' I'm not saying they are going to do this, but what if? What should right-thinking Americans do?

"First, they should announce loudly and clearly that they won't go along with this abuse of language ruse. Does a federal judge have the right to change the meaning of a word? For example, if a law gave special recognition to dogs (a dog license) could Judge Walker, a cat lover, arbitrarily decree that cats are dogs? Clearly not, any more than decreeing the absurdity of brideless or groomless 'marriage' into the law immediately transforms it into the real thing. Creating counterfeits and then forcing them down people's throats is straight out of George Orwell's Newspeak in 1984." - Coral Ridge Ministries spokestwat Robert Knight.

Knight further bleats that legalizing same-sex marriage would be similar to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which stifled dissent of the federal government.

Hate Group Vs. Hate Group!

The anti-gay Liberty Counsel wanted to be one of the hate groups arguing Prop 8. The anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund blocked their involvement, saying, "No fucking way, bitches. We're the only haters up in this here case." Protect Marriage even dissed the Liberty Counsel as the "extreme fringe" of the hate movement and "not part of the coalition that got Prop 8 passed."

And ever since Walker ruled, the Liberty Counsel's Matt Staver has been screaming about the lousy job the ADF did, whining that ADF didn't hate nearly hard enough during the case. Why, they never even said that dirty homos were doomed to eternal damnation!

"First was a misplaced idea of competition or domination of the case," he said. "And second, a desire to narrow the defense so as not to focus or even address the consequences of homosexuality and homosexual marriage." "We wanted to include that as part of our defense," he continued. According to Staver, the ADF "basically gave away the essence of the case, because they wanted to shy away from homosexuality and really were not willing to take the issue directly head on." The ADF wished to stipulate, he said, that counseling some homosexuals to change could be harmful, that homosexual partners form long and lasting relationships, and that homosexuality does not impair any area of life. Liberty Counsel was not willing to do so.

Regardless of the reason that the ADF opposed Liberty Counsel’s entrance, the attitude that the ADF wished to project towards the court was reflected in the witnesses they planned on calling: at least three seemed to think that homosexuality, in itself, was perfectly fine. Katherine Young and Paul Nathanson had been slated to testify before the court for the proponents of Proposition 8, but they were both withdrawn before they did so.

Advocates of same-sex “marriage,” however, used Young’s and Nathanson’s videotaped depositions to help bolster their own arguments. In Nathanson's deposition he stated that homosexuals can be good parents, while Young said in his videotaped testimony that homosexuality is a normal variant of human sexuality and that homosexuals have the same potential and desire as heterosexual couples to raise children. In 2003, Katherine Young and Paul Nathanson wrote that although legalizing "same sex marriage is a bad idea" they only opposed "gay marriage, not gay relationships." "There's nothing wrong with homosexuality," they stated. "One of us, in fact, is gay."

Staver further bitches that none of the Liberty Counsel's suggested witnesses, all of whom were ready to testify about the inherent eeee-ville of teh gay, were ever contacted, much less asked to appear in court.

Pouty Cat

I yelled at her for pushing on the screen.

HomoQuotable - Richard Socarides

"Can President Obama, who once supported gay marriage, only to oppose it now, change his position again? The answer is yes — and he in fact has no choice. People understand that most public officials who now support gay marriage once opposed it. It wasn’t until after they left office that Bill Clinton and Al Gore (and, most recently, Laura Bush) said that they favored marriage equality. As Nate Silver recently wrote on his blog FiveThirtyEight.com: “Does anyone really believe, in a country that is becoming close to evenly divided on gay marriage, that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Kerry are among the half who oppose it? “

"The sooner Obama changes his answer on this most important equal-rights issue of the day, the better off he will be. The Perry ruling provides the right opportunity to shift his emphasis and provide real leadership, reminding people that in this country, we look to the courts for direction on what our Constitution requires. It might also help the president’s popularity with those that elected him, and it puts him and his party on the right side of the equality question, where he, of course, belongs and presumably wants to be." - Former Clinton White House adviser Richard Socarides, writing for Politico.

Quote Of The Day II - Michael Bloomberg

"I said to David Paterson, I said, ‘You know, get yourself a cowboy hat and a shotgun. If there’s ever a great video it’s you standing in the middle of the New York State Thruway saying you know read my lips, the law of the land is this and we're going to enforce the law.'" - Michael Bloomberg, telling Gov. Paterson that he needs to crack down on Native-American tribes selling tax-free cigarettes.

Gothamist notes that the Seneca Nation is, uh, "on the warpath" over the historical insensitivity of the comment. Like in the rest of the country, New York's native tribes consider themselves sovereign nations and therefore not subject to state taxes. Both the city and the state recently increased the tax on cigarettes to the highest in the nation, sending city residents flocking to local Native-American websites and tribal outposts. In NYC a pack of cigarettes presently costs about $12-$13, with another increase due shortly. Bloomberg has stated that he wants to see cigarettes cost $20/pack before the end of his final term.

JES - Closer

Lady Gaga meets Sarah Jessica Parker meets Liquid Sky.

NEW YORK: Log Cabin Republicans Endorse Anti-Marriage AG Candidate

The Log Cabin Republicans today issued their endorsement of Dan Donovan for New York Attorney General. Donovan opposes marriage equality, but grudgingly allows that he'd defend whatever law the state enacts. Via press release:

“I’m honored to receive the endorsement of the Log Cabin Republicans. As Richmond County District Attorney, I’ve worked tirelessly to ensure that our system of justice never discriminates against our citizens,” said Donovan. “I believe the law provides us the right to be treated fairly and I stand firmly against intolerance. As Attorney General, I’ll make that same commitment, to protect all New Yorkers’ rights under the law regardless of sexual orientation.”

“As the District Attorney of Staten Island, Mr. Donovan has a long and distinguished record of treating everyone equal under the law,” Log Cabin Republicans of New York State PAC Chairman Gregory T. Angelo stated. “He is a man of integrity with a selfless commitment to uphold the rights of all citizens of this state, and we look forward to working with him when he becomes the next Attorney General of the State of New York in November.”

Last week the state Democratic Party slammed Donovan's opposition to marriage equality, saying, “The issue is a critical one in the race for Attorney General. Just last week, a federal judge reversed California’s same sex marriage ban thanks, in part, to a brief filed by the California Attorney General, Jerry Brown. And Attorneys General across the country have played a prominent role in promoting marriage equality, including in New York where Andrew Cuomo has defended the recognition of same sex marriages performed out of state.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Mary Cheney Again Donates To Anti-Gay Candidate

Openly lesbian spawn of Darth, Mary Cheney, has again donated to an anti-gay candidate.

Cheney gave $500 on April 1 to Kelly Ayotte, a Republican 2010 Senate candidate from New Hampshire, according to the election records database Newsmeat. Ayotte is seeking to fill the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Judd Gregg. Ayotte told the Concord Monitor last August that she is “against same-sex marriage and believes marriage is between a man and a woman,” the paper reported. The New Hampshire news station WMUR 9 also notes Ayotte opposes same-sex marriage. "Support traditional marriage," reads her stance on the issue, as defined by “one man, one woman.” Three of the other four Republican hopefuls have expressed similar views.

Cheney, who claims to support marriage equality, has given money to anti-marriage candidates at least three other times.

20% Of Teens Have Some Hearing Loss

The incidence of partial hearing loss among teenagers is soaring, according to a just-released study out of Massachusetts. And experts are naturally pointing to the iPod and similar devices.

The study of thousands of 12 to 19-year-olds found the number of them suffering from partial hearing loss jumped by 30 per cent between the early 1990 s and 2005-06. The prevalence of partial hearing loss rose from 14.9 per cent to 19.5 per cent - a relative jump of almost a third, found the authors of the study, led by Dr Josef Shargorodsky, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. The incidence of slight hearing loss jumped by 77 per cent. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), also found that boys were more likely to experience hearing loss than girls. Emma Harrison, director of public engagement at the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID), said: "This study highlights the widespread concern felt over the risks personal music players, together with loud music at gigs and clubs, pose to hearing." She said two-thirds of people who used iPods and other in-ear audio players, had used them to listen to music at louder than 85 decibels "which according to the World Health Organisation, can cause permanent hearing damage over time".

I haven't had my own hearing checked in years, but I often wonder what damage I may have done over 30 years on the dance floor.

Quote Of The Day - Michael Savage

"What does it mean? You hang around with a gay man, you’re gay? I mean, what are they, nuts? Don’t you see the hate that comes out of people when they try to pervert this? Who the fuck would sleep with Ginsberg even if they were gay? He was a horrendous man, horrible. An old, fucking disgusting queen. Communist NAMBLA member. There were a lot of reasons to not like the man, and he wasn’t my friend." - Radio blowhard Michael Savage, speaking to Playboy Magazine about beat poet Allan Ginsberg, with whom Savage was photographed swimming naked in the 1970's.

Letters and postcards exchanged between Savage and Ginsberg in the early 70's are maintained in the late poet's papers at Stanford University. Wikipedia notes that "One postcard mentions his desire to photograph Ginsberg in a provocative way, though Savage states that this correspondence is actually a forgery created by gay detractors." In 2006, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said on air, "For God's sake, Mike. Will you just cut to the chase and come OUT of the closet?"

FLORIDA: GOP Candidate For Gov Rips AG Bill McCollum Over Rekers Scandal

With the Florida primary less than a week away, GOP gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott, who is trailing Attorney General Bill McCollum by 12 points, has launched an all-out effort to further saddle McCollum with the George Rekers rentboy scandal, as evidenced by the above mailer Scott sent to voters this week. Readers of this blog temporarily shut down McCollum's Facebook page numerous times after the scandal broke, but thus far he seems relatively unscathed in the electorate's minds. Hopefully this new campaign by Scott (who is a douchebag as well) will have some legs through November.

NOM Supporters In DC: The United States Government Is Under Satan's Power

I believe this is the conversation that we could hear in the background during NOM's live stream from DC on Sunday.

(Via Alvin McEwen at Pam's House Blend)

Rolls Eyes

After ejecting a woman from their meeting because she rolled her eyes at them, the Elmhurst, Illinois city council is looking into making the gesture illegal.

Members of the Elmhurst city council have asked the City Attorney to look into the creation of a "disturbance and disorderly conduct" violation and to see if eye-rolling could somehow be shoehorned into its definition. Illinois state law defines disorderly conduct is "an act in such unreasonable manner as to alarm or disturb another, or to provoke a breach of the peace." While she apparently is against a prohibition on eye-rolling, the Elmhurst citizen who was booted from the meeting says she's all for having a definition of disorderly conduct in the city's books. "I'd like for them (city officials) to have a better understanding of the open meetings act and its meaning and to understand what disorderly conduct is," she explained.

Next on the council's agenda: talking to the hand. In NYC, the Duane Reade employee eye-roll is considered high art.

Stephanie Miller Vs. Dennis Prager Kamala Harris Vs. Harry Jackson

Last night on CNN newly out radio host Stephanie Miller took on conservative asshat Dennis Prager and Maryland carpetbagger Harry Jackson over marriage equality. San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, who we haven't seen much of so far, also weighs in. In the second clip Jackson bizarrely warns that same-sex marriage will lead to legalized prostitution.

Stephanie Miller: "Every little girl has a dream, Larry, and I have a new one. I want to be gay-married by Kathy Griffin to a black woman. I want Laura Schlessinger to be my maid of honor, at a mosque. So that every right wing head will implode simultaneously."

This Month's Rolling Stone

Golden Girls Nesting Dolls

Source.

Kathy Griffin On Prop 8 Stay

Dr. Laura Quits Show Over N-Word Fallout

Dr. Laura Schlessinger told Larry King tonight that she is leaving her show after her contract expires at the end of the year. Schlessinger says she's lost her First Amendment rights after repeatedly saying the N-word on the air. After the show first aired last week, Media Matters immediately launched a call for advertisers to cancel their contracts.

World Net Daily Dumps Ann Coulter Over GOProud Homocon Appearance

World Net Daily has "dumped" Ann Coulter (their word) from her scheduled keynote appearance at their coming annual hatefest in Miami because of her plan to headline GOProud's Quisling confab in NYC next month.

Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of WND, said the decision was a gut-wrenching one for his team because of their fondness for Coulter as both a person and writer-speaker. "Ultimately, as a matter of principle, it would not make sense for us to have Ann speak to a conference about 'taking America back' when she clearly does not recognize that the ideals to be espoused there simply do not include the radical and very 'unconservative' agenda represented by GOProud," said Farah. "The drift of the conservative movement to a brand of materialistic libertarianism is one of the main reasons we planned this conference from the beginning."

Asked by Farah why she was speaking to GOProud, Coulter said: "They hired me to give a speech, so I'm giving a speech. I do it all the time." Farah then asked: "Do you not understand you are legitimizing a group that is fighting for same-sex marriage and open homosexuality in the military – not to mention the idea that sodomy is just an alternate lifestyle?" Coulter responded: "That's silly, I speak to a lot of groups and do not endorse them. I speak at Harvard and I certainly don't endorse their views. I've spoken to Democratic groups and liberal Republican groups that loooove abortion. The main thing I do is speak on college campuses, which is about the equivalent of speaking at an al-Qaida conference. I'm sure I agree with GOProud more than I do with at least half of my college audiences. But in any event, giving a speech is not an endorsement of every position held by the people I'm speaking to."

Just as with that whole CPAC nonsense, the douchebags at GOProud have again provided us with hilarious wingnut infighting. For that, at least, we can thank them.

RELATED: Last week World Net Daily also booted the Florida Tea Party from their event after another teabagger faction accused the Florida group of being secretly full of Democrats.

Lady Bears Against Sarah Palin!

From the Democratic women's group, Emily's List.

Limbaugh Did It First

The RNC uses the escape chute metaphor against Obama.

(Via - New York Magazine)

HomoQuotable - B. Daniel Blatt

"In his latest email, the head of the gay affiliate of the California Democratic Party 'Equality California' tells us about 'the U.S. Constitution’s promise of equality for all'. Funny, I’ve read the U.S. Constitution more times than I can count and have never found. The framers did indicate that the charter’s purpose includes securing 'the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity'.

"Save for the Fourteenth Amendment when the word, 'equal,' appears, it only refers to legislative voting. And that Amendment specifies that 'No State shall make or enforce any law' which denies 'to any person within its jurisdiction.' Not sure how you get from that to a 'promise of equality.' Sorry, Geoff, you can’t read your ideological watchword into the constitution. It just ain’t there." - Gay Patriot blogger B. Daniel Blatt, hoping to be the next gay kapo quoted in court filings against marriage equality.