Arch-homophobe diagnosed with leukemia

AP Wire | 05/05/2004 | Author of Calif. gay marriage ban diagnosed with leukemia: "California Sen. William J. 'Pete' Knight, the architect of the state's gay marriage ban, has been diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia and may not return to Sacramento before he is termed out of office in November, according to his Capitol office."

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Next they'll be marrying our women

Verbatim from the AgapePress:

A Christian homeowner in Michigan says Muslims in his area are involved in a calculated effort to take over the once largely Polish Catholic community where he and his wife have lived for years. Bob Golen says the neighborhoods in his hometown of Hamtramck have drastically changed over the past few years as Muslim immigrants have transformed them into increasingly Islamic communities. The city is already embroiled in a controversy over its council's vote to exempt local Mosques from a noise ordinance so they can blast calls for prayers over loudspeakers -- this in a place where the Ten Commandments or other Christian displays are considered politically incorrect. And now Golen feels the Muslim newcomers are engaging in what area realtors call "block busting." In other words, he says, "They came in, paid outrageously high prices for some of our homes that you wouldn't give $20,000 for, paying 60 and 70 thousand, which then entrenched a number of [Muslim families] on every block." Golen believes this is part of a "concerted effort" on the part of Muslims to use their financial power take over the city, and he says, "they're doing a heck of a job because nobody's standing up to them." Now that area homeowners are unable to sell without bringing their prices far below what they have invested in their homes, Golen says the Muslims will try to bring the rest of their people in to stabilize the housing market for themselves.

For those who don't know, the AgapePress is a religious right news service used to provide online newsfeeds to most of the top religious right Web sites. Read the rest of this post...

Navy chaplain: US soldiers have opportunity to spread Christianity in Iraq

Oooh, this is gonna go over real well...

A Navy chaplain who served in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom believes the civilian population of that country is ready for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Lieutenant Carey Cash was assigned to the First Battalion of the Fifth Marine Regiment during the opening months of the war....

Cash says the Iraqis seem burdened under Islam. He believes this creates an openness to Christianity, he says, "in part because Islam, as a cultural motif, does oppress. And I think that says that one day, perhaps, a new day may dawn in that nation where the gospel can be proclaimed without fear of reprisal, and where it can liberate men, women, and children unlike they've ever known."

Despite the influence of Islam in Iraq, Cash says he finds there is great openness to Christianity there now, and he feels that believers currently serving in that country will have an even better opportunity to share their faith in the future. - AgapePress

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Conservatives want Bush to push gay marriage

The Weekly Standard's latest editorial, written for the editors by Fred Barnes, argues, somewhat disingenuously in favor of Bush using the gay marriage issue as an election-year winner. The article is a lot of BS until you get to the part about voter turn out. I think Barnes is right that putting a gay marriage ban on the state ballot in the fall might turn out conservative voters in the ballot state, thus helping Bush win collateral votes. But that being said, the Democrats have been scoring record turnouts as well, and it's not clear that such a ballot measure might not spur liberals to equal action.

More disturbing is that this editorial comes at a time when the religious right has finally begun their public campaign to chastise the president for dropping the ball on gay marriage. I've been predicting for a while that come this month the religious right would start publicly freaking out over the fact that Bush is no longer talking about the constitutional amendment, and I think that freaking out has finally begun. The Family Research Council, one of the top religious right anti-gay hate groups, came out and criticized the president today for being silent on the issue. More such criticism will likely come from the American Family Association, the AgapePress, and others of their ilk in the days ahead.

In the end, the religious right, and Fred Barnes with them, are nuts if they think gay bashing is the way to get the campaign moving. Middle America does not want to talk gay issues, especially when the boys are dying in Iraq. But Bush has proved time and again that when the far right screams loudly enough, he knuckles under and does their bidding. For that reason I think this is coming back soon, and with a fury. Read the rest of this post...

Bush is refusing to apologize in person, Rumsfeld the fall guy?

ABC News just reported that Bush is refusing to apologize for the Iraqi prison scandal. He put his spokesman, Scott McClellan, out there today to say "the president is deeply sorry for what occurred," but when asked "why didn't he say so himself?", McClellan responded "I'm saying it for him right now."

In other news, the White House let it be known that the president called Rumsfeld and was unhappy about not finding out about the photos until the CBS show aired. Now, that's a cute defense - Bush had NO idea this was going on and his staff kept him out of the loop - but how many times do people have to suffer because this guy is out of the loop before people stop giving him a pass for being a deadbeat president? Once out of the loop and 3,000 people die, shame on the terrorists - maybe. Again and again and again out of the loop? Shame on Bush. Read the rest of this post...

'I think they deserved it. Those people are crazy over there. I'm voting for Bush.'

The Bush voter. Read the rest of this post...

Bush does not think Rumsfeld should resign

Heck, if gross incompetence, criminal neglect, and loss of life were the standard for Bush administration resignations no one would be left. Read the rest of this post...

Powell's friends get even with the Bushistas

I took the liberty of going through the new GQ article on Colin Powell and noting some of the best quotes. None of the quotes below are from Powell, most if not all are from one of his closest friends and confidants:

"This is, in many ways, the most ideological administration Powell's ever had to work for. Not only is it very ideological, but they have a vision. And I think Powell is inherently uncomfortable with grand visions like that."

"He's tired. Mentally and physically."

The chasm that has emerged between State and Defense over the past three years is wider than it has been at any point in recent history, a division that transcends anything remotely healthy or useful. It is no longer just a difference of strategy and logistics but of fundamental values, principles, and philosophy.

"I can tell you firsthand that there is a tremendous barrier between Cheney and Powell, and there has been for a long time. It's like McCain saying that his relations with the president are 'congenial,' meaning McCain doesn't tell the president to go fuck himself every time."

"Condi's a jerk."

"He has spent as much time doing damage control and, shall we say, apologizing around the world for some less-than-graceful actions as he has anything else."

It's easy to talk about "ending states" when you've never been sent to end one, when you've never watched a man split apart in a rain of shrapnel. But for an old grunt who's been on the front lines, who tromped through the elephant grass in Vietnam, who took a punji stake through the foot and saw ears cut off as trophies, who had slept beneath the aching odor of a fifty-five-gallon oil drum stuffed with burning human feces, for a man like Colin Powell, the path of diplomacy had a battle-born allure that no draft-dodging neocon could possibly comprehend, and he meant for them to know it.

"I make no bones about it. I have some reservations about people who have never been in the face of battle, so to speak, who are making cavalier decisions about sending men and women out to die. A person who comes immediately to mind in that regard is Richard Perle, who, thank God, tendered his resignation and no longer will be even a semiofficial person in this administration. Richard Perle's cavalier remarks about doing this or doing that with regard to military force always, always troubled me. Because it just showed me that he didn't have the appreciation, for example, that Colin Powell has for what it means."

"I call them utopians," he said. "I don't care whether utopians are Vladimir Lenin on a sealed train to Moscow or Paul Wolfowitz. Utopians, I don't like. You're never going to bring utopia, and you're going to hurt a lot of people in the process of trying to do it."

"It hasn't worked in Cuba for forty years," I said. "Dumbest policy on the face of the earth," he said. "It's crazy."

"He's tired. Mentally and physically. And if the president were to ask him to stay on - if the president is reelected and the president were to ask him to stay on, he might for a transitional period, but I don't think he'd want to do another four years."

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Oklahoman May Have Infected Nearly 170 Women With HIV

Another heterosexual proudly defending the institution of marriage. Read the rest of this post...

Bush Tour Bus Made in Canada

AP. Atrios also noted that in the picture of the bus tour, you can see Bush leaning on a French flag. Ooh la la!

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Limbaugh defends abuse of Iraqis

Wonkette, my first blog crush (for a girl, no less), found this little ditty from Limbaugh the other day. Here's Wonkette's take:

Rush Limbaugh put it all in perspective, after a caller remarked that the "stack [of] naked men" was "like a college fraternity prank."

RUSH: Exactly. Exactly my point! This is no different than what happens at the skull and bones initiation and we're going to ruin people's lives over it and we're going to hamper our military effort, and then we are going to really hammer them because they had a good time. You know, these people are being fired at every day. I'm talking about people having a good time, these people, you ever heard of emotional release? You of heard of [sic] need to blow some steam off?

[NOTE: This is still Wonkette talking] Of course. That's how we like to unwind at the end of a hard day ourselves. Some soft music, a cocktail and some simulated ass-fucking. Oh, I'm sorry: Forcing someone else into simulated ass-fucking. And hey, isn't it nice to see a leader in the conservative movement finally come out in favor of a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in the military?"

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Rummy Called to Testify at Iraq Abuse Hearing

I suspect Rumsfeld has no choice but to show up, but let's see what restrictions the administration tries to put on his appearance. Read the rest of this post...

Gay-marriage rule eased

Actually, it's kind of fascinating that political pressure in Massachusetts is forcing the now-anti-gay* Governor Romney to stop being such an ass. One might have thought that with marriage becoming legal for gay couples in that state on May 17, there might be a bit of a backlash. I certainly didn't expect that Romney would be forced to soften his tone. Can't wait for fundies to react to this:

"Romney administration officials said yesterday that out-of-state gay couples who want to marry in Massachusetts do not have to show documents proving that they live here or plan to move here, a major shift from the governor's earlier stance on enforcing limitations on licensing gay marriage."

* I say "now-anti-gay" because ten years ago, when Romney was running against Ted Kennedy in the Senate race, Romney was stumbling over himself to be more pro-gay than Kennedy. The man's an opportunist. But at least that means that he's equally able to betray the religious right some day if the spirit moves him. Read the rest of this post...

Comedians on the political campaign

Jay Leno (via the SF Chronicle):

"President Bush said he's visiting small towns in Michigan and Ohio because he said, 'I find it really fun to go to a place where people didn't expect the president to come.' Next, he's going to a book store. Should be fascinating.' "

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Nader is going to screw us again

You vote for Nader and you are responsible for re-electing Bush. Either every counts or it doesn't. But don't pretend that your vote counts enough that you simply MUST offer a protest vote for Nader, then pretend, after Bush is re-elected, that your vote doesn't count at all, so you're not responsible. Bottom line: had you guys voted for Gore last time, Bush wouldn't be president. No matter what you say, no matter what cute argument you offer, you can't deny that simple mathematical fact. You vote for Nader, you're responsible for Bush.

"If the Nov. 2 election were held today, 43 percent of the registered voters surveyed April 26-May 3 said they would vote for Bush, 40 percent for Kerry and 6 percent for independent Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate. Bush had a six-point lead over Kerry in the previous Quinnipiac poll published March 25 -- 46 percent to 40 percent. " - Reuters

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Rummy still refuses to apologize

What is it with these people? Why can't Rummy simply apologize? And where the f*ck is Bush?

"Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Wednesday 'any American' felt apologetic for abuses of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. soldiers but stopped short of offering a direct apology himself.

Asked on ABC's morning television show whether he would like to apologize to the Iraqi people, he replied: 'Oh my goodness, any American who sees the photographs that we have seen has to feel apologetic to the Iraqi people who were abused and recognize that that is something that is unacceptable and un-American.' " - Reuters

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Video of protesters greeting Karen Hughes

The woman continues to claim that she didn't say what she's recorded as saying. That's certainly a convenient answer - whenever you get caught mouthing off, just deny it - but the bottom line is that Karen Hughes got asked a question about abortion and the first words out of her mouth in response were "September 11." September 11 had nothing to do with abortion and it's a typical cheap Bush administration ploy to try to use a national tragedy for partisan political purposes.

See the video here of protesters in Georgia confronting Hughes. Read the rest of this post...

"Condi's a jerk": Powell mentor says

Oh, the rats are jumping ship already.

You can read the entire GQ article here. Read the rest of this post...

Disney forbidding distribution of Michael Moore's new film criticizing Bush

Yet another company cowering in fear before the Bush dynasty:

Disney came under heavy criticism from conservatives last May after the disclosure that Miramax had agreed to finance the film when Icon Productions, Mel Gibson's company, backed out.

Mr. Moore's agent, Ari Emanuel, said Michael D. Eisner, Disney's chief executive, asked him last spring to pull out of the deal with Miramax. Mr. Emanuel said Mr. Eisner expressed particular concern that it would endanger tax breaks Disney receives for its theme park, hotels and other ventures in Florida, where Mr. Bush's brother, Jeb, is governor.

'Michael Eisner asked me not to sell this movie to Harvey Weinstein; that doesn't mean I listened to him,' Mr. Emanuel said. 'He definitely indicated there were tax incentives he was getting for the Disney corporation and that's why he didn't want me to sell it to Miramax. He didn't want a Disney company involved.' - NYT

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US "deeply sorry" over Iraq abuse, Rice says

More like, US is deeply sorry everyone found out.

The administration knew about this 2 1/2 weeks ago when they asked CBS not to show the photos. They weren't "deeply sorry" then. They weren't deeply sorry last Wednesday when the photos finally aired. They weren't deeply sorry when the Army's own internal report highlighted such abuses this past February. And they weren't deepy sorry last November when Paul Bremer was allegedly alerted to the abuses by the Iraqi human rights minister. The only time they're deeply sorry is today, now that the entire world knows about this and it's become a horribly embarrassing scandal for Bush and the entire country. Read the rest of this post...