Anti-gay hate crimes up 11%, AP's incompetence up 100%

Leliorisen dissects the latest FBI study on hate crimes, and the media's response.

In the story released by the Associated Press, they state:

Overall, the number of reported hate crimes increased about 2 percent from last year. These same figures show a nearly 11 percent increase in hate crimes based on sexual orientation, and a nearly 9 percent increase in hate crimes based on religion. The largest category, racially-motivated hate crimes, fell less than 1 percent.

.... And yet, the AP includes their own skewed analysis:

The increases may be partly due to more law enforcement agencies reporting hate crimes data to the FBI: 2,145 agencies in 2008, compared to 2,025 agencies the year before.

Let's do the math. Hate crimes up 11%. Agencies reporting hate crimes up 5%. No it does not add up. Especially when one notes that racially-based hate crimes actually fell

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If you can't attract them legitimately... poach them!

The Catholic church has been experiencing the consequences of focusing on politics instead of Jesus Christ's message of service to the marginalized and less fortunate. They are having to close parishes because of their pedophilia scandals (in Maine, where they just spent at least half a million dollars bashing gays, the Catholic church had to close two parishes). Rather than refocusing their political organization on becoming a church once again, the Catholics are looking to poach Anglicans from the Episcopal church. They are hoping Anglicans who have a problem with women in leadership positions and "the gays" will join their Catholic (Political Action Committee) church and help them become more powerful. Sick.

The Roman Catholic Church today moved to poach thousands of traditional Anglicans who are dismayed by growing acceptance of gays and women priests and bishops.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams admitted that he had been caught out after Pope Benedict XVI announced a new “Apostolic Constitution” to provide a legal framework for the many thousands of Anglicans and former Anglicans who wish “to enter into full visible communion with the Roman Catholic Church”.

The announcement paves the way for thousands of Anglicans worldwide to join the Roman Catholic church while maintaining elements of their own spiritual heritage.

I guess the Catholic church or their newest potential Anglican members can compromise when it comes to little theological questions, like transubstantiation of the host, but when it comes to acceptance of gays and women they will take all haters no matter what they believe regarding questions of faith. Apparently, it's not about what you believe regarding Christ, but who you hate, that is truly what will bind them together in one faith.

I take issue with the article categorizing any Anglican wishing to join the Catholics as "traditional Anglicans." Not accepting evolving positions within the church's polity and leadership is not, by any means, a traditional theological tenet that Episcopalians espouse. I would argue that anyone leaving the Anglican communion over evolving social issues isn't very traditional at all. Remember, one of the reasons the Episcopal church formed was its belief that the divorce of King Henry VIII would not separate him, or the rest of us, from the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.

And they'll know we are Christians by our hate, by our hate, yes, they'll know we are Christians by our hate. /snark Read More...

NY State Court of Appeals issues positive ruling for same sex marriage

Elizabeth Benjamin, NY Daily News, reports that the New York State Court of Appeals has issued their ruling on same sex marriages that have occurred legally outside of New York, while same sex marriage supporters are in legal limbo waiting on the state Senate.

The majority opinion reached a positive result for LGBT advocates, but ruled narrowly expressing frustration with the legislature for not addressing the controversy.

We end, by repeating what we said in Hernandez v
Robles, expressing our hope that the Legislature will address this controversy; that it "will listen and decide as wisely as it can; and that those unhappy with the result -- as many undoubtedly will be -- will respect it as people in a democratic state should respect choices democratically made" (Hernandez v Robles, 7 NY3d at 366).

Interestingly, the minority opinion agreed with the majority but went much further. Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick writes:

Although I agree with the result reached by the majority, I write separately to set forth my view that the orders under review should be affirmed on the ground that same-sex marriages, valid where performed, are entitled to full legal recognition in New York under our State's longstanding marriage recognition rule. The issue is squarely presented in these appeals and plaintiffs' standing allegations are sufficient to allow us to reach it. The effect of the majority's rationale in affirming these orders will be to permit an unworkable pattern of conflicting executive and administrative directives promulgated pursuant to the individual discretion of each agency head. We ought to avoid the confusion that would arise from a same-sex couple being considered legally married by one agency for one purpose but not married by another agency for a different purpose.

Makes sense to me. Read More...

Republican candidates and being openly gay

Personally, I can see myself voting Republican about as much as I could see a Jewish person in pre-World War II Germany voting for Hitler. If I didn't vote for the Democrat, I would sit out the election or vote for the third party candidate, if possible, rather than enable a party that has done nothing but demonize me and my family for generations.

Politico is writing about a Globe article

Republican Charles D. Baker has chosen state Senate minority leader Richard R. Tisei to be his running mate in next year’s race for governor.

Baker made the announcement this morning on his website and sent his supporters a message via Twitter and Facebook.

“Want you to be the first to know: I’ve chosen State Senator Richard Tisei as my running mate,” Baker wrote. “Excited about this team.”

Tisei, 47, was one of four finalists. He publicly disclosed last week to the Globe that he is gay. The senator from Wakefield, who has been in the Legislature since he was 22, will provide balance for Baker, whose only experience in elective office was a stint as a Swampscott selectman. Tisei and Baker have known each other for years, and Tisei is Baker’s campaign chairman. A press conference has been scheduled later today.

My take is I doubt, outside of Massachusetts, we are going to see gay Republicans suddenly open up about their sexual orientation and be selected to run for higher office.

I know in Oklahoma, it was just four short years ago I was a poll watcher and had some illiterates show up all excited to "vote against the gays!" They wanted me to read for them. Of course, they asked the wrong person. Our Democratically controlled state legislature got the bright idea putting an anti-gay marriage question on the ballot would save their jobs at the State Capitol. It didn't, of course. The type of people in Oklahoma they energized to take time out to vote with their gay bashing rewarded them by turning our legislature from Democrat to Republican that year. While "voting against the queers" the energized conservatives also voted against the state Democratic congressmen they associate with more progressive social acceptance. Our state legislature has been dominated by Republicans ever since.

I'm calling this one a regional anomaly. We aren't going to be seeing any openly gay Republican candidates for a long time in the Southern bible belt. Read More...