ClusterHuck: Huckabee compares same-sex marriage to incest, polygamy, drug use

By GottaLaff

ClusterHuck:

In discussing same-sex marriage, the Perspective reported, Huckabee said, "You don't go ahead and accommodate every behavioral pattern that is against the ideal. That would be like saying, well, there are a lot of people who like to use drugs, so let's go ahead and accommodate those who want who use drugs. There are some people who believe in incest, so we should accommodate them. There are people who believe in polygamy, so we should accommodate them."

There are some people who believe in bigotry, so should we accommodate them? No. Including Mike Huckabee.

Can we talk about ClusterHuck's record for a minute?

This is the same ordained Southern Baptist minister who joked about torturing the underpants bomber.

And who commuted the suspected Washington shooter's sentence years ago.

This from the fine soul who said, under President Obama's health care reform bill, Ted Kennedy would be told to "go home to take pain pills and die."

And endorses Rubio.

And called Judge Sonia Sotomayor "Maria".

This is who Mike Huckabee is. So when he makes despicable statements like the ones above, put it into context.

When you step back and look at the entire picture of what this small-minded stain of a man represents, I don't think this is anyone we would want to accommodate in any way whatsoever.

The underlying concern about same-sex marriage

By GottaLaff

Oh, but I teased you. You must go to Dependable Renegade for the punch line.

Here's a nibble:

J.D. Hayworth: Gay marriage opens doors to bestiality

By GottaLaff

John Sidney McCain's bigoted opponent equated same-sex marriage with bestiality on a Florida radio show.

J Sid is pro-Don't Ask Don't Tell. What a pair:

"You see, the Massachusetts Supreme Court, when it started this move toward same-sex marriage, actually defined marriage," Hayworth said. "Now get this, it defined marriage as simply, quote, 'the establishment of intimacy.' Now how dangerous is that? [...] I mean, I don't mean to be absurd about it..."

Too late.

... "But I guess I can make the point of absurdity with an absurd point. I guess that would mean if you really had affection for your horse, I guess you could marry your horse."

Hey J.D., if it's that absurd, you might have had the presence of mind to keep your big mouth shut... for once. No self-discipline: The sign of a trustworthy leader.

And how about not even thinking it? Equating same-sex marriage with marrying an animal? Really? You're going there?

Conservative:

1.

disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.

2.

cautiously moderate or purposefully low: a conservative estimate.

3.

traditional in style or manner; avoiding novelty or showiness: conservative suit.

4.

(often initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Conservative party.

That remark was far from "conservative", despite your party affiliation. More like outlandish and offensive.

I am appalled by the level of incivility and irrationality in this country. What has caused such a devolution? Why are we as a country tolerating this apparent downward spiral? What happened to us? We should be demanding better.

Prop 8 Trial Watch: Gay marriage generates millions, expert tells court

By GottaLaff

Maybe Prop 8ers will understand dollar signs, since they can't seem to appreciate, you know, love and commitment:

Legalizing same-sex marriage would generate millions of dollars for San Francisco, the city's chief economist said Thursday, as a trial on California's gay wedding ban entered a fourth day.

Edmund Egan, who directs San Francisco's Office of Economic Analysis, said legalization of same-sex marriage would increase the intake of real estate, payroll and sales taxes and would slash the number of uninsured. [...]

Further, because married people amass more wealth than unmarried individuals, they are likely to spend more, spurring sectors of the economy.

Uh oh! Census Counts Same-Sex Couples

By GottaLaff

Oh what fun, a whole new controversy to contend with, because, you know, gay couples don't really count:

When the U.S. Census Bureau counts same-sex married couples next year, demographers expect hundreds of thousands to report they are spouses -- even though legal same-sex weddings in the United States number in the tens of thousands.

Gay advocates say they plan to use "A Census that Reflects America's Population," as the Census Bureau calls its plan to report same-sex marriage statistics, to push for legislative and policy initiatives, while groups opposed to same-sex marriage weigh a counteroffensive.

That's right, Rushpublics, we wouldn't want to pretend that gay love is valid, or that they're even allowed to love each other in the first place, right? That would make them ::gasp!:: equals! Besides, it totally messes up public policy.

Particularly at the state and local levels, gay advocacy groups say census data on income for same-sex couples will show the need for more protections against job discrimination. Statistics on households with children will help them challenge laws limiting gay adoptions and legal guardianship. With raw numbers to illustrate the need, it will be easier to demand services, they say.

"Why does the census ask if people are young or old, black or white, married or single?" said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, which promotes civil rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. "It's because we want to understand if the country is meeting the public-policy needs of those Americans. That's particularly so for LGBT Americans."

Not if you're compassionate homophobic conservative.

But conservatives say the tally could just as easily support their position that most gay people aren't looking to get married. They say they will oppose attempts to make policies more gay-friendly.

See, conservs, when you are denied the right to marry, then it's kind of a deterrent to getting married. There now. That wasn't so complicated, was it?

"It seems homosexual activists use these various markers as ways push their agenda, to force people to go along with whatever they demand," said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, which promotes "biblical values." "Regardless of what the numbers are, they're going to exaggerate the importance of it and claim all of society must change in order to comport with their demands."

Darn them gays and their agendas! How dare they want to be treated the same as other people? Who do they think they are... Americans?! The very idea!

The 2010 Census will not be the first in which same-sex couples have identified themselves as married. But it will be the first in which the raw numbers are publicly reported, reflecting an evolution in the way the Census Bureau keeps track of American lifestyles.

Hint: Being gay is not a lifestyle. But who's counting?

Obama asks court to toss gay marriage law challenge

By GottaLaff

Good, good, but is it enough?

President Barack Obama on Monday declared that the Defense of Marriage Act discriminates against gays and lesbians, even as his administration moved in federal court to defend the law.

In a court filing in Los Angeles, Justice Department lawyers urged a federal judge to throw out a case brought by a gay couple married in California.

"The Department of Justice has filed a response to a legal challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, as it traditionally does when acts of Congress are challenged," the president said in a written statement. "This brief makes clear, however, that my administration believes that the act is discriminatory and should be repealed by Congress."

Well, then, that's a good thing, right? The gay rights community must be thrilled!

That did not satisfy leaders of the gay rights community.

"It is not enough to disavow this discriminatory law, and then wait for Congress or the courts to act," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "While they contend that is the (Department of Justice's) duty to defend an act of Congress, we contend that it is the administration's duty to defend every citizen from discrimination."

In his presidential campaign, Obama had strong backing from the gay community because of his promise to press for repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.

Oh.

The Justice Department Monday stressed the administration has not changed its views on the law.

More here.

Episcopal leaders vote to lift ban on gay bishops

By GottaLaff

Gays and religion

Step by step:

The Episcopal Church, casting aside warnings about further alienating conservatives within its ranks, on Tuesday lifted a de facto ban on the ordination of gay bishops and is continuing to weigh a measure that would sanction blessings for same-sex couples.

Bishops, clergy and lay leaders voted overwhelmingly at the denomination's General Convention in Anaheim to open "any ordained ministry" to gays and lesbians.

The liberalized policy represents a reversal from guidelines adopted by the church at its last convention in 2006 that effectively prohibited the consecration of bishops whose "manner of life" would strain relations with the 77-million member Anglican Communion. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the communion.

Much more here.

Bill Clinton comes out in support of marriage equality

By GottaLaff

Finally. Let's hope this kick starts a wave of public support:

Former President Bill Clinton has come out in support of same-sex marriage.

After speaking at the Campus Progress National Conference in Washington, DC, on July 8, the former president was asked if he supported same-sex marriage. Clinton, in a departure from past statements, replied in the affirmative.

Clinton opposed same-sex marriage during his presidency, and in 1996, he signed the Defense of Marriage Act, which limited federal recognition of marriage to one man and one woman. In May of this year, Clinton told a crowd at Toronto's Convention Centre that his position on same-sex marriage was "evolving."

Asked if he personally supported same-sex marriage, Clinton replied, "Yeah." "I personally support people doing what they want to do," Clinton said. "I think it's wrong for someone to stop someone else from doing that [same-sex marriage]."

Same-sex penguin couple split

By GottaLaff

That does it. Now that a gay penguin couple has gotten their divorce, the righties will start frothing about how Teh Gay can "switch teams" as long as the right hetero comes along:

Linda the penguin has split up two male penguins who lived as a nesting couple for six years at the San Francisco Zoo, caretakers said.

Male penguins Harry and Pepper had been so content together they were allowed to incubate and hatch an egg laid by another Magellanic penguin last year, zookeeper Anthony Brown said.

Watch. Wait. Listen. You'll hear the murmurs of "See? Conversion!" grow into roars soon enough. Gay-to-Straight Schools will be overcome by admission requests, and everyone will suddenly realize what a snap it is to become straight.

See how much we can all learn from our feathered friends? All it takes is a bird named Linda to achieve what nobody else could in the history of mankind.

Now someone please tell me this: How easy must it be, then, for a straight person to turn all gay and stuff? Based on the above logic, it must be a piece-o'-cake, right? Maybe, say, Sarah the Quitter could give it a shot and get right back to ya.

Flowcharting gay marriage debate

By GottaLaff

Excellent:

By Patrick "E-Sheep" Farley, a webcomics creator

H/t: 1txsage1957

VIDEO: What Barack Obama promised the gay community

By GottaLaff

My two earlier posts about President Obama and DOMA are here and here:

Attorney General Defends DOMA

By GottaLaff

I've already sent a letter to the ObamAdministration via the Internets. Please follow that link and do the same. Here's the back story and part of a very angry response:

On Wednesday, Attorney General Eric Holder, once heralded by the gay community as someone who would work to achieve President Obama’s promise to repeal DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, on Wednesday stood in front of his Department of Justice’s LGBT employees and, as reported in an article just released by The Washington Blade, spoke to the Obama Administration’s promise of equality for all [...]

That was Wednesday.

Thursday, Holder’s Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss a gay marriage case the U.S. Court of Appeals is hearing. In “Obama defends DOMA in federal court. Says banning gay marriage is good for the federal budget. Invokes incest and marrying children,” John Aravosis of AmericaBlog writes,

Obama didn’t just argue a technicality about the case, he argued that DOMA is reasonable. That DOMA is constitutional. That DOMA wasn’t motivated by any anti-gay animus. He argued why our Supreme Court victories in Roemer and Lawrence shouldn’t be interpreted to give us rights in any other area (which hurts us in countless other cases and battles). He argued that DOMA doesn’t discriminate against us because it also discriminates about straight unmarried couples (ignoring the fact that they can get married and we can’t).

He actually argued that the courts shouldn’t consider Loving v. Virginia, the miscegenation case in which the Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to ban interracial marriages, when looking at gay civil rights cases. He told the court, in essence, that blacks deserve more civil rights than gays, that our civil rights are not on the same level. [...]

Attorney General Holder has taken one of our most sacred pieces of history and all but used it against us. What’s past IS prologue, Mr. Holder, Mr. Obama. You too should know that better than most Americans. We certainly do.

It’s time to march. It’s time to fight for our rights. It’s time to win.

I don't understand this at all. I am as disappointed as I can be. Please go sign the letter. Let Obama hear your voices.

"My Tweet Spot": Propostion 8- Aired May 29, 2009

By GottaLaff


Did you know that I do radio segments every Friday? Look at me going all podcasty and stuff!

"My Tweet Spot" is a recap of the week in politics via Tweets from Twitter. Today's episode consists of Proposition 8 flavored Tweets.

I do three per show (or here ) every Friday. Podcasts here.

Enjoy all the rich tasty goodness.

Meghan McCain is mad at Steve Benen

By GottaLaff

I've been following MegMac's Twitter time line on this, and had a problem with the content of her Tweets, too. Steve Benen, a frequent guest on The Rachel Maddow Show, explains:

I had an item yesterday noting that Dick Cheney's remarks on gay marriage may have a role in the party's debate over gay rights. I added what seemed like a pretty uncontroversial idea -- while Meghan McCain and Steve Schmidt were other Republicans of note who've taken progressive views on the issue, Dick Cheney has far greater influence.

Apparently, this has angered Meghan McCain in some way. She's added at least four tweets complaining about my observation. In the order in which they were posted:

# Hey Washington Monthly, so it's only important to speak out for marriage equality if your an old man?

# so I guess young women should just stfu and be seen and not heard Washington Monthly....? Only Dick Cheney should speak out...?

# I wonder if the Washington Monthly thinks if all women or minorities speak out it is "almost meaningless" - apparently only Cheney matters

# I guarantee you if one of my brothers were doing what I am doing right now the Washington Monthly would think it had meaning.

This is what I wrote that prompted these tweets: "It was pretty meaningless to hear Meghan McCain urge her Republican Party to come around on gay marriage. It seemed a bit more important when Steve Schmidt, John McCain's campaign manager, gave the GOP the same advice. But in terms of influence in Republican politics, Dick Cheney is on another level."

I haven't the foggiest idea why this seems so outrageous to McCain...

And he goes on to explain, ending on this note:

Based on an 18-word sentence in a blog post, Meghan McCain has concluded that I only respect old white guys, I don't respect young women, and I'm somehow hostile to minorities. I still don't really know how she came to these conclusions, but I'm pleased to report she's mistaken.

MegMac has some growing up to do, or perhaps a little more experience. If she insists on painting herself as a budding journalist, and if she demands credibility, then she needs to learn to do a little more research before making comments like these.

Must-see VIDEO: "The Defenders" (Prop 8 spoof and more)

By GottaLaff

Via the wonderful Pam. "How would you feel?"

I shot this short film to protest the passage of Prop 8, the ban on gay marriage in California. It was amazing how many people volunteered their time to help out with it. There's more info up on the "Educate Against Prop 8" facebook site:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Educate...

Written and Directed by Keith Hartman

Philadelphia senator pushes bill to allow gay marriage

By GottaLaff

Inch by inch, state by state, Senator by Senator:

When it comes to the subject of legalizing gay and lesbian marriage in Pennsylvania, two state senators are going in totally opposite directions.

Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, today announced plans to introduce a bill that would offer "full and equal marriage rights to same-sex couples in Pennsylvania." The measure also would recognize same-sex marriages conducted in other states.

"There has never been a more propitious time for Pennsylvania to embrace equality and enshrine the civil right of all Pennsylvanians to marry," Mr. Leach said.

But don't tell that to Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Blair. He wants to strengthen Pennsylvania's 1996 law, the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as only permitted between one man and one woman.

A little "brotherly" love never hurt anyone, right?

New N.O.M. VIDEO: "Legalizing same-sex marriage has consequences for kids!"

By GottaLaff



Wait, what?!

"We have to accept gay marriage whether we like it or not"?

Oh noes! Does this mean we have to accept straight marriage too? And other natural things, like, oh I dunno, aging? And eating? And being born? And hair color? And ... love? No! NOOOO! Not love!

Check out the error at the end. Some folks have suggested that Miss California wrote and edited this gem.

Did you see see the error error at the end end?

Look who's uniting to launch federal challenge to Prop 8

By GottaLaff

I looked up to the sky, and zomg! What did I see? I saw a piggy with wings:

Oh boy, now the Obama administration will have to take its head out of the sand as the stakes have been raised by an outfit called the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Two of the nation's top litigators who opposed each other in the Bush v. Gore election challenge in 2000 have joined forces to seek federal court intervention in California's gay marriage controversy.

Theodore B. Olson and David Boies have filed a U.S. District Court lawsuit on behalf of two gay men and two gay women, arguing that the California constitutional amendment eliminating the right of gay couples to marry violates the U.S. constitutional guarantee of equal protection and due process.

The LAT:

Their suit, to be filed in U.S. District Court in California, calls for an injunction against the proposition, allowing immediate reinstatement of marriage rights for same-sex couples.

...Legal scholars have observed that proponents of gay marriage have avoided taking the issue to federal court so far because of the dominance of conservative judges and justices on the federal bench after the eight-year tenure of President George W. Bush.

The Advocate begs to differ:

As for the timing of the suit, Olson said that recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court "make it clear that individuals are entitled to be treated equally under the Constitution. I'm reasonably confident that this is the right time for these [injustices] to be vindicated."

...Olson said his law firm and others also are contributing resources pro bono. [...] Olson and his representatives declined to specify who was funding the campaign.

You say potato, I say po-tah-to....

VIDEO-- Prop 8 decision protest: "Civil rights put on the ballot and taken away"

By GottaLaff

We will eventually correct this irrational equality deficit. It's inevitable:

Pelosi promises efforts to restore marriage equality for Californians

By GottaLaff

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Keep this promise, okay, Nance?

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) deemed the California Supreme Court's decision today to uphold Proposition 8 as "deeply disappointing" in its stripping of marriage rights from same-sex couples.

"I have long fought for equality for all of California's families and will strongly support efforts to restore marriage equality in California, so it can join the ranks of states such as Iowa and Vermont,” said the California Democrat.