Breaking News Events

[Sun]

White House, Obama Administration Mark 14th Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance (http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/11/white-house-obama-administration-mark-14th-annual-transgender-day-of-remembrance/)

[Kobi]

It's a White House tradition with a century and a half of history behind it, but PETA is asking the White House to skip it this year.

Today President Obama is set to pardon two turkeys - Cobbler and Gobbler - just as every president since George H. W. Bush has. The tradition finds its roots in a moment of sympathy Abe Lincoln's son, Tad, had for their table's turkey back in the 1860s.

Now Ingrid Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says the turkey pardon has got to go.

"It makes light of the mass slaughter of some 46 million gentle, intelligent birds and portrays the United States' president as being in some sort of business partnership with the turkey-killing industry," Newkirk wrote in a letter sent to President Obama today. "Turkeys do not need to be 'pardoned'-they are not guilty of anything other than being born into a world of prejudice. They are innocents who should be respected for who they are: good mothers, smart birds, and interesting animals."

"You understand so well that African-Americans, women, and members of the LGBT community have been poorly served throughout history," Newkirk writes, "and now I am asking you to consider other living beings who are ridiculed, belittled, and treated as if their sentience, feelings, and very natures count for nothing."

Those are turkeys she's talking about.

When asked if the comparison of turkeys with minority Americans was a little extreme, PETA spokesperson Ashley Byrne answered that turkeys feel pain and fear, just like humans.

"Everyone deserves to be free from suffering, and that includes turkeys," Byrne said.

So will the White House forego the fowl tradition and opt for Tofurkey? Not likely.

Last year PETA similarly took issue with the term "pardon," asking the White House to say "spare" instead. But the White House went along with its usual use of the p-word .

Byrne said this Thanksgiving gives Obama a new opportunity to connect with his constituency and go vegan like another Democratic president - Bill Clinton - who gave up his beloved hamburgers, all meat in fact, for health reasons after leaving office.

"With more Americans than ever cutting meat out of their diets, we hope that the president could see this as a way to get with the times," Byrne said.

http://news.yahoo.com/peta-asks-obama-opt-turkey-pardon-235928774--abc-news-politics.html

[Kobi]

LONDON (Reuters) - British researchers have come up with a new body scanning device that gives accurate measurements and could boost online clothes shopping.

Shoppers are still nervous about ordering clothes online because they often do not fit and, some say, there will never be a substitute for trying something on - one reason why the boom in online retail has not had the same impact on clothing as on music, books and electronics retailing.

In the United States, for instance, the consultancy ComScore estimated that only 14 percent of online spending went on clothes and accessories in the year to June.

The new scanner is being developed by the London College of Fashion, video imaging researchers at the University of Surrey and the company Bodymetrics.

The company already has in-store scanners that use the motion sensors from Microsoft Corp's Kinect gaming device in Bloomingdale's (part of Macy's Inc) in the United States, Selfridges and New Look in Britain, and Karstadt in Germany.

Some firms, including Berlin-based Upcloud, are already offering home scanners that use a webcam, but the British developers say their system is able to measure in unprecedented detail.

Philip Delamore from the London College of Fashion estimates that 30 to 60 percent of clothes bought online are returned.

"It's common for online shoppers to order two or three different sizes of the same item of clothing at the same time as they're unsure which one will fit best," he said.

With the new system, a shopper inputs his or her height as a reference and can then take a single full-length picture with a webcam or smartphone from which all their other measurements are calculated.

It uses the measurements combined with a person's overall proportions to build a 3D image.

Combining this with sizing information from retailers, the system would also overcome the problem of variable sizing, which can mean a shopper is a "medium" in one store but a "large" in another.

The technology builds on previous work by the University of Surrey that was used to create animated characters in games like the Sims.

Adrian Hilton, who is working on the technology at the University, told Reuters that while some shoppers may still enjoy the experience of browsing in stores and trying on clothes, for others an improvement in the reliability of shopping online will be welcome.

"For the male market, I think we're there," he said.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/body-scanner-offers-virtual-tape-measure-online-shopping-000354672--finance.html

[Kobi]

WASHINGTON (AP) — When the next Congress cranks up in January, there will be more women, many new faces and 11 fewer tea party-backed House Republicans from the class of 2010 who sought a second term, and for the first time, more than half of House Democrats — 105, in this case — will not be white males.

Overriding those changes, though, is a thinning of pragmatic, centrist veterans in both parties. Among those leaving are some of the Senate’s most pragmatic lawmakers, nearly half the House’s centrist Blue Dog Democrats and several moderate House Republicans.

That could leave the parties more polarized even as President Barack Obama and congressional leaders talk up the cooperation needed to tackle complex, vexing problems such as curbing deficits, revamping tax laws and culling savings from Medicare and other costly, popular programs.

‘‘This movement away from the center, at a time when issues have to be resolved from the middle, makes it much more difficult to find solutions to major problems,’’ said William Hoagland, senior vice president of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a private group advocating compromise.

Full story. (http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/2012/11/25/new-congress-fewer-moderates-make-deals-harder/aCxQhr9dkIAB1wTCkk57iO/story.html)

[Kobi]

The White House "kill list"--a regularly updated chart showing the world's most wanted terrorists used by President Barack Obama during kill or capture debates--may soon be getting a rule book to go with it.

According to the New York Times, the administration--faced with the possibility that President Obama might lose the 2012 election to Mitt Romney--"accelerated work in the weeks before the election to develop explicit rules for the targeted killing of terrorists by unmanned drones, so that a new president would inherit clear standards and procedures."

Until now, President Obama has had the "final moral calculation" overseeing the "kill list," the existence of which was first revealed in May in the wake of a drone strike that killed an al-Qaida leader.

But according to the paper, administration officials are looking to curb the power of the commander in chief with the rule book.

President Obama has voiced his support for such rules.

"Creating a legal structure, processes, with oversight checks on how we use unmanned weapons is going to be a challenge for me and my successors for some time to come," President Obama said in an interview with author Mark Bowden for "The Finish," a book on the killing of Osama bin Laden. "There's a remoteness to it that makes it tempting to think that somehow we can, without any mess on our hands, solve vexing security problems."

Full story (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/kill-list-rule-book-190528285--election.html)

[DapperButch]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/fox-news-interview-guest-network-wing-republican-party_n_2192506.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk1%26pLid%3D238305

Watch the video.

[Kobi]

(Reuters) - Long-time suitor ConAgra Foods Inc finally sealed a deal to buy private-label foods maker Ralcorp Holdings Inc for $5 billion, to tap into the booming business for packaged food that stores sell under their own brands.

Demand for private-label foods has outpaced growth in branded packaged foods as consumers buy more lower-priced options marketed by stores. ConAgra Chief Executive Gary Rodkin said he expects that growth to continue.

Combining Ralcorp's scale as a leading private-label provider with ConAgra's innovation and category management, "you've got a very powerful story in a very fragmented private-label industry," he said.

The deal, broadens ConAgra's exposure to faster-growing retailers with robust private-label brands, like Whole Foods and Costco, he said.

"We'll be able to capitalize on the long-term growth momentum in the private label business, which has been growing about twice as fast as branded on a dollar basis over the last 13 years," Rodkin said on a conference call.

Ralcorp is the top private-label maker of large and growing categories like cereal, pasta, crackers, jams and jellies, syrups and frozen waffles, he said.

Full story (http://news.yahoo.com/conagra-acquire-ralcorp-5-billion-121828953--finance.html)

-------------------------------------


Good for shareholders. Not so good for consumers.

[morningstar55]

The 23-year-old was beaten at her girlfriend's family Thanksgiving celebration.
BY DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL NOVEMBER 26 2012 4:00 PM ET
351

A Thanksgiving Day assault on a young lesbian in Mobile County, Ala. has infuriated LGBT activists who responded with a viral campaign to get hate crime charges filed against the alleged perpetrator. According to Robin Raven at Yahoo! News, 23-year-old Mallory Owens was invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with her girlfriend's family. What happened there was anything but festive. According to Yahoo! she was attacked by her girlfriend's brother, 18-year-old Travis Hawkins, Jr., and sustained a number of severe injuries including, among others, bleeding on the brain, crushed cheek bones, broken nose, and skull fractures.

Travis Hawkins, Jr. was arrested and charged with second-degree assault. but Owens' family and supporters are calling for hate crime charges against the man. There is a Facebook group, Justice Today for Mallory, which Sonia Mason, owner of The Red Carpet in Pensacola, Fla., started to get the word out about the tragic crime. Posts on Facebook have been cropping up all over the U.S. today in support of Owens.

There's also a petition on Change.org aimed at pushing Mobile County District Attorney Ashley Rich to to meter out the proper justice for Travis Hawkins, Jr.

But, it took four days for the mainstream media to pick up the story, says Raven, and only then "after a cry from the supporters of Mallory who flooded their Facebook page with requests for a report on the tragedy" did local news station WKRG report on the assault.

According to FoxTV10, Owens is currently recieving treatment at USA Hospital in Mobile. The station also reports that this isn't the first the police have heard of Hawkins. In 2011, his father shot the then-17-year-old in the chest.

[Kobi]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Four female service members filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat, hoping the move will add pressure to drop the policy just as officials are gauging the effect that lifting the prohibition will have on morale.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, is the second one this year over the 1994 rule that bars women from being assigned to ground combat units, which are smaller and considered more dangerous since they are often in battle for longer periods.

The legal effort comes less than a year after the ban on gays serving openly was lifted and as officials are surveying Marines about whether women would be a distraction in ground combat units.

"I'm trying to get rid of the ban with a sharp poke," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Hunt, who was among the plaintiffs in the latest lawsuit and was injured in 2007 when her Humvee ran over an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Hunt and the other three women said the policy unfairly blocks them from promotions and other advancements open to men in combat. Three of the women are in the reserves. A fourth, Marine Corp Lt. Colleen Farrell, leaves active duty this week.

Women comprise 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel. The lawsuit alleges that women are barred from 238,000 positions across the Armed Forces.

At a Washington, D.C., news conference, Pentagon press secretary George Little said the Defense Department was making strides in allowing more women into combat. He said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has opened about 14,500 combat positions to women.

"And he has directed the services to explore the possibility of opening additional roles for women in the military," Little said. "His record is very strong on this issue."

Full story (http://news.yahoo.com/female-military-members-sue-serve-combat-192246975.html)

--------------------------------------


Cant figure out how I feel about this.

On the one hand, I understand women wanting to have the opportunity to advance in the military and needing combat duty to achieve it.

On the other hand, this is stirring up the problem I have with the military mentality. Or maybe with our military men and women being used as pawns in unjustifiable wars. Dunno. Have to think this thru.

[Corkey]

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Four female service members filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the Pentagon's ban on women serving in combat, hoping the move will add pressure to drop the policy just as officials are gauging the effect that lifting the prohibition will have on morale.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, is the second one this year over the 1994 rule that bars women from being assigned to ground combat units, which are smaller and considered more dangerous since they are often in battle for longer periods.

The legal effort comes less than a year after the ban on gays serving openly was lifted and as officials are surveying Marines about whether women would be a distraction in ground combat units.

"I'm trying to get rid of the ban with a sharp poke," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Hunt, who was among the plaintiffs in the latest lawsuit and was injured in 2007 when her Humvee ran over an improvised explosive device in Iraq.

Hunt and the other three women said the policy unfairly blocks them from promotions and other advancements open to men in combat. Three of the women are in the reserves. A fourth, Marine Corp Lt. Colleen Farrell, leaves active duty this week.

Women comprise 14 percent of the 1.4 million active military personnel. The lawsuit alleges that women are barred from 238,000 positions across the Armed Forces.

At a Washington, D.C., news conference, Pentagon press secretary George Little said the Defense Department was making strides in allowing more women into combat. He said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has opened about 14,500 combat positions to women.

"And he has directed the services to explore the possibility of opening additional roles for women in the military," Little said. "His record is very strong on this issue."

Full story (http://news.yahoo.com/female-military-members-sue-serve-combat-192246975.html)

--------------------------------------


Cant figure out how I feel about this.

On the one hand, I understand women wanting to have the opportunity to advance in the military and needing combat duty to achieve it.

On the other hand, this is stirring up the problem I have with the military mentality. Or maybe with our military men and women being used as pawns in unjustifiable wars. Dunno. Have to think this thru.


Thing is women have been serving in combat, just weren't paid for it or get the bennies for it. That being said, they should win their case.

[Greyson]

Family Research Council chief praises Uganda anti-gay push

"Family Research Council head Tony Perkins sent out this tweet Monday praising Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni for embracing criminalization of homosexuality. Museveni was once a highly regarded resistance fighter turned statesman, but now appears to be another president for life."



http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/11/28/family-research-council-chief-praises-uganda-anti-gay-push/

[Greyson]

Obama Nominates Hispanic Lesbian for Federal Judgeship
If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro would be the first out gay Hispanic woman to serve on the federal bench.

BY Julie Bolcer.November 27 2012 12:17 PM ET


http://www.advocate.com/society/law/2012/11/27/obama-nominates-hispanic-lesbian-federal-judgeship#.ULT21wlZM14.twitter

[Greyson]

I generally don't read Fox News but I found this story when reading about immigration reform from a policy list I subscribe to. The story is not about immigration reform.

I wish it was good news but it is not. I am posting it because I want others to be aware of some of the women in this world, not just in the USA, that are making a difference.

__________________________________________________



Mexican Mayor Maria Santos Gorrostieta Killed by Gunmen was Defiant to the End


Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/11/28/mexican-mayor-maria-santos-gorrostieta-killed-by-gunmen-was-defiant-to-end/#ixzz2Dj9T62UP

[Sun]

Family Research Council chief praises Uganda anti-gay push

"Family Research Council head Tony Perkins sent out this tweet Monday praising Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni for embracing criminalization of homosexuality. Museveni was once a highly regarded resistance fighter turned statesman, but now appears to be another president for life."



http://blog.sfgate.com/nov05election/2012/11/28/family-research-council-chief-praises-uganda-anti-gay-push/

The Family Research Council is a Hate group. They make me sick. How can they call themselves "Christian" and advocate for murder?

Poor Biblical scholarship is an epidemic in this nation but to spread that disease around the world is just criminal. They know not of what they speak. Infuriating.

Here is the Washington DC office # for FRC if anyone wants to call them and give them some feedback on this ridiculous stance. It would be great if we could flood the phone lines on this issue.Tel: 202/393-2100 I am also cross posting this all over Facebook.

Greyson do you know if anyone has posted a link to the SPLC list of active Hate groups in the USA?

[Daywalker]

I generally don't read Fox News but I found this story when reading about immigration reform from a policy list I subscribe to. The story is not about immigration reform.

I wish it was good news but it is not. I am posting it because I want others to be aware of some of the women in this world, not just in the USA, that are making a difference.

__________________________________________________



Mexican Mayor Maria Santos Gorrostieta Killed by Gunmen was Defiant to the End


Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/11/28/mexican-mayor-maria-santos-gorrostieta-killed-by-gunmen-was-defiant-to-end/#ixzz2Dj9T62UP

This is so sad.

I was following her for a bit.


Her courage and spirit reminded me of Benazir Bhutto.

:rose:

:daywalker:

[Greyson]

Greyson do you know if anyone has posted a link to the SPLC list of active Hate groups in the USA?


Sun, there has been information from the Southern Poverty Law Center posted in the threads. There was a Femme, and I cannot remember her name because she has not been around in awhile. She use to bring stuff from the SPLC into the discussions here in the threads.

* FYI: Go check out the Hate Map and click on your state. You will see the groups that SPLC consider Hate Groups. California leads the list with 84 groups identified. Unbelievable! :|


http://www.splcenter.org/



http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/hate-map

[Sun]

I generally don't read Fox News but I found this story when reading about immigration reform from a policy list I subscribe to. The story is not about immigration reform.

I wish it was good news but it is not. I am posting it because I want others to be aware of some of the women in this world, not just in the USA, that are making a difference.

__________________________________________________



Mexican Mayor Maria Santos Gorrostieta Killed by Gunmen was Defiant to the End


Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/11/28/mexican-mayor-maria-santos-gorrostieta-killed-by-gunmen-was-defiant-to-end/#ixzz2Dj9T62UP

Mexico, when will the fighting end? Horrible news. Tragic.

It blows my mind how our neighbors are in such turmoil and how so many Americans are tuned out to this issue.

[Greyson]

I am usually not quite sure where to post some of the stuff I post. I do not want to start an entire thread for discussing the media unless people really want to talk about it.

I read a lot of "stuff." I usually do ask the questions, Who wrote this? Who is the audience? What site, did this piece originate from? Until very recently I was unaware of some of the work the United Nations is doing in regards to "equitable Media Representation.

I came upon this site of videos of called "Journeys of Belonging" and was moved and of course got the old analytical wheels turning. This video addresses many of the same concerns we discuss here on the site; gender, class, race, sexuality, religion. I want to share some links with the community. You may be interested in reading.

__________________________________________________ ____




Journeys of Belonging is an original multimedia project that takes an in-depth look at the personal narratives of 17 women and men of diverse age, faith and cultural backgrounds. It has been jointly developed by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the British Council, the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the Reynolds Institute.

http://journeysofbelonging.org/



About the British Council

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. We create international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and build trust between them worldwide. We work in over 100 countries in the arts, education, society and English. The Our Shared Future project, based in the US, aims to improve the public conversation about Muslims and intercultural relations in the US and Europe. Our Shared Future is supported in large part by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa

http://www.oursharedfuture.org




About the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

The United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) aims to improve understanding and cooperative relations among nations and peoples across cultures and religions. It also helps to counter the forces that fuel polarization and extremism. The UNAOC was established in 2005, at the initiative of the Governments of Spain and Turkey, under the auspices of the United Nations.


http://www.unaoc.org

[Greyson]

50 Grades of Grey: Harvard becomes latest college to accept BDSM club


College Approves BDSM Group

By Nathalie R. Miraval, CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2012



http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/11/29/bdsm-new-club-approved/

[Kobi]

West Point Military Academy has made history by hosting the institution's first same-sex marriages.

The 210-year-old Academy hosted the nuptials of Brenda "Sue" Fulton, a 53-year-old West Point graduate, and Penelope Gnesin, 52, at the Academy's Cadet Chapel on Dec. 1. "It was such a sacred, joyous day," Fulton told CNN.

The chapel was the first place Fulton heard the Cadet Prayer – which includes the line, "make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong" – and it resonated with her.

"As both Penny and I worked to support LGBT military people, those principles were always in front of us," Fulton said. "To be able to celebrate this with so many of our straight and gay military folks, bi and trans, was really overwhelming."

Prior to Fulton and Gnesin's ceremony, Army 1st Lt Ellen Schick and Shannon Simpson wed in West Point's original Old Cadet Chapel on Nov. 24.

"Ellen is very proud to serve her country and wanted a military wedding," Simpson told OutServe Magazine. "We felt that we should be allowed the same opportunity to marry on a military post as any heterosexual military couple."

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20652962,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+people%2Fheadlines+%28PEOPLE. com%3A+Top+Headlines%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

[Sun]

Certainly the "Wedding Industry" awaits the Supreme Court hearing Prop 8, but more importantly are the tens of thousands of couples who are waiting. The more that I see how the "sanctity of marriage" is turned into such a farce by so many "straight" people who do nothing to honor the institution, the more eager I am to see marriage equality across the nation.


Gay Couples and Wedding Industry Await Supreme Court Ruling on Proposition 8 (http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_22102527)

[Greyson]

Patterns and Predictors of Disclosure of Sexual Orientation to Healthcare Providers among Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals

By Laura E. Durso & Illan H. Meyer
December 2012

New research shows that bisexual men and women are less likely than gay men and lesbians to disclose their sexual orientation to healthcare providers. The study, which examined nondisclosure of sexual orientation among lesbians, gay men and bisexual men and women, found that concealment of sexual orientation from healthcare providers was related to poor psychological wellbeing.

Public health professionals recommend that lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals (LGB) disclose their sexual orientation to healthcare personnel to facilitate optimal care. The study found that LGB individuals with greater internalized homophobia were less likely to disclose their sexual orientation to healthcare providers than individuals with lesser internalized homophobia. LGB individuals who were connected to the LGBT community were more likely to share their orientation with providers than those with lesser connection to the community. Expectations of rejection and discrimination and past experiences with everyday discrimination did not predict disclosure to health care providers.
The study was conducted in New York City among 396 LGB individuals. Nondisclosure was higher among bisexual men of whom 39% did not disclose to any medical provider and bisexual women of whom 33% did not disclose to any medical provider. Disclosure was much more prevalent among gay men and lesbians among whom only 13% and 10%, respectively, did not disclose their sexual orientation to any medical provider. Among lesbians, greater nondisclosure was found among racial/ethnic minorities, women with lower educational level, and women with children. Among both gay and bisexual men, greater nondisclosure was found among younger men and men who were born outside the U.S.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and is published in Sexuality Research and Social Policy.

Click here for the full study.


http://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/research/health-and-hiv-aids/durso-meyer-srsp-dec-2012/

[Greyson]

International
The lottery of life
Where to be born in 2013

Nov 21st 2012 | from The World In 2013 print edition

Warren Buffett, probably the world’s most successful investor, has said that anything good that happened to him could be traced back to the fact that he was born in the right country, the United States, at the right time (1930). A quarter of a century ago, when The World in 1988 light-heartedly ranked 50 countries according to where would be the best place to be born in 1988, America indeed came top. But which country will be the best for a baby born in 2013?

Best places to be born (from The Economist):
1. Switzerland
2. Australia
3. Norway
4. Sweden
5. Denmark
6. Singapore
7. New Zealand
8. Netherlands
9. Canada
10. Hong Kong

*The USA tied with Germany for 16th place.

http://www.economist.com/news/21566430-where-be-born-2013-lottery-life

[Greyson]

Duchess of Cambridge hoax call nurse found dead


The hospital said in a statement: "We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital.

"She was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20645838

[Arwen]

Duchess of Cambridge hoax call nurse found dead


The hospital said in a statement: "We can confirm that Jacintha was recently the victim of a hoax call to the hospital.

"She was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20645838

I cannot even begin to express how incredibly angry this news story made me. This is the direct result of our society's unhealthy obsession with the lives of other people. We have NO RIGHT to personal information about anyone that they do not care to divulge.

And yet, two DJ's felt it necessary to pose as Royals to get information. From the sounds of this article, this nurse self-terminated because of this.

At what point do we humans get that it's not our right? I blame reality TV and gossip columnists of old for this mind set--this self-righteous sense of entitlement.

Yep. This truly pisses me off.

[Greyson]

I cannot even begin to express how incredibly angry this news story made me. This is the direct result of our society's unhealthy obsession with the lives of other people. We have NO RIGHT to personal information about anyone that they do not care to divulge.

And yet, two DJ's felt it necessary to pose as Royals to get information. From the sounds of this article, this nurse self-terminated because of this.

At what point do we humans get that it's not our right? I blame reality TV and gossip columnists of old for this mind set--this self-righteous sense of entitlement.

Yep. This truly pisses me off.

Arwen, I completely agree with you. In fact I was trying to figure out how and where to start a thread to talk about Media, Reality TV and such. I want to know what other people are thinking. Do any of us take any responsibility for the TV programs we watch, media we read, buy? Does this seemingly cultural obession with celebrity and observing the lives of others, (Reality TV, Radio DJs with morning shows that do the "pranks." Thank you Howard Stern.)

What is the role of the consumer and the media? Have we had enough yet?

[LeftWriteFemme]

Victory for lesbian, years after her longtime partner's death

Here's the story of the Lesbian couple whose love brought one of the most important cases of our lifetime to the Supreme Court.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/us/new-york-doma-windsor/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[Okiebug61]

Victory for lesbian, years after her longtime partner's death

Here's the story of the Lesbian couple whose love brought one of the most important cases of our lifetime to the Supreme Court.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/18/us/new-york-doma-windsor/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

We saw this on TV last night. It is very exciting to see this happening. I heard one person say they believe the outcome will be giving the individual states the right to decide. If this is the case I wonder how that can or will effect SS benefits. Seeing that is a federal run program I don't see how any state could keep you from getting this at all.

[Andrea]

US Government Plans To Install Sophisticated Audio Surveillance On Public Buses

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-plans-audio-surveillance-on-buses-2012-12 (http://www.businessinsider.com/us-plans-audio-surveillance-on-buses-2012-12)

"Documents obtained by The Daily reveal that the technology is in the process of being implemented in Eugene, Ore.; San Francisco; Athens, Ga.; Baltimore; Traverse City, Mich.; Hartford, Conn.; and Columbus, Ohio.

In San Francisco the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided a grant that covers a $5.9 million contract to install the surveillance system on 357 buses and trolley cars over four years, with an option for 613 more vehicles."

[Kobi]

US Government Plans To Install Sophisticated Audio Surveillance On Public Buses

http://www.businessinsider.com/us-plans-audio-surveillance-on-buses-2012-12 (http://www.businessinsider.com/us-plans-audio-surveillance-on-buses-2012-12)

"Documents obtained by The Daily reveal that the technology is in the process of being implemented in Eugene, Ore.; San Francisco; Athens, Ga.; Baltimore; Traverse City, Mich.; Hartford, Conn.; and Columbus, Ohio.

In San Francisco the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided a grant that covers a $5.9 million contract to install the surveillance system on 357 buses and trolley cars over four years, with an option for 613 more vehicles."


Orwell was just a wee bit off in his timing.

[Nomad]

Orwell was just a wee bit off in his timing.



just putting the finishing touches on the panopticon - it's for your own good. (insert evil laugh here)

the part that's saddest is that there are people who think those cameras will keep them from being harmed

[Okiebug61]

http://news.yahoo.com/science-homosexuality-isnt-genetic-biological-232225880.html

[Toughy]

http://news.yahoo.com/science-homosexuality-isnt-genetic-biological-232225880.html

There is some research that says masculine females are created in the womb. The fetus gets a big testosterone dose and bingo you have a butch. Can't remember where I read that, but I first heard it in the mid 90's I think.

That little excerpt doesn't tell me enough to make any kind of opinion on it.

[Toughy]

the actual article and a press release.....I'm trying to digest it...

download the pdf to get the actual paper:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668167#abstract

a couple more articles about the paper:

http://io9.com/5967426/scientists-confirm-that-homosexuality-is-not-genetic--but-it-arises-in-the-womb?post=55106590

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/nifm-sfe120612.php

[starryeyes]

the actual article and a press release.....I'm trying to digest it...

download the pdf to get the actual paper:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/668167#abstract

a couple more articles about the paper:

http://io9.com/5967426/scientists-confirm-that-homosexuality-is-not-genetic--but-it-arises-in-the-womb?post=55106590

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-12/nifm-sfe120612.php

I also am trying to digest it, and trying to fully understand what an epi-mark is?

I have always believed that I was born gay due to inheriting a gene from my fathers side of the family, and I still believe that. I have a very unique situation, and I think scientists should study my family!

I was born to a gay father and a straight mother. I also was born a twin, me being gay and my sister being straight. If you look at my sister and I, I have all of the characteristics of my fathers side of the family (gay, personality, looks, body type). My twin sister has all of the characteristics of my mothers side (straight, hair, body type, personality) she even looks exactly like my mom's sister to a T. We are fraternal as well, so we share different genes.

And, I'm a high femme lesbian... No masculine traits here which doesn't fit into the epi-marks being erased during fetal development and allowing too much testosterone into the mix.

It just seems too perfect of a situation for it not to be inherited.

I am going to research more about this epi-mark.

[CherylNYC]

...
And, I'm a high femme lesbian... No masculine traits here which doesn't fit into the epi-marks being erased during fetal development and allowing too much testosterone into the mix...



Too much testosterone? If exposure to testosterone in the womb actually does create butches, then too much is never enough.

[Greyson]

I was born to a gay father and a straight mother. I also was born a twin, me being gay and my sister being straight.


I too am a twin. We are identical twins. My twin is a femme and very feminine in her presentation. I have always been butch and expressed as masculine. We are both Queer. My sister is attracted to butchs and I am attracted to femmes.

I do believe most Queer people are "born this way" and others become gay due to other factors that are not found in our DNA.

[Bella~Vita]

I am not a twin but born to a gay Father and straight Mother !

[starryeyes]

I too am a twin. We are identical twins. My twin is a femme and very feminine in her presentation. I have always been butch and expressed as masculine. We are both Queer. My sister is attracted to butchs and I am attracted to femmes.

I do believe most Queer people are "born this way" and others become gay due to other factors that are not found in our DNA.

Interesting!!! :)

[*Anya*]

AFA's Bryan Fischer declares homosexuality a birth defect, forecasts the abortion of gay babies

by Chrislove Dec 12, 2012 5:52pm PST

After reaching many, many new lows throughout his long and sick career as American Family Association spokesbigot, Bryan Fischer seems to be furiously trying to find yet a new low.

This time, his mouth is foaming over a new study which suggests there may be an "epigenetic" explanation for homosexuality. The study links fathers to lesbian daughters and mothers to gay sons. In case you missed the story, here's the gist from US News:

Long thought to have some sort of hereditary link, a group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuality is linked to epi-marks — extra layers of information that control how certain genes are expressed. These epi-marks are usually, but not always, "erased" between generations. In homosexuals, these epi-marks aren't erased — they're passed from father-to-daughter or mother-to-son, explains William Rice, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California Santa Barbara and lead author of the study.
[...]

Rice and his team created a mathematical model that explains why homosexuality is passed through epi-marks, not genetics. Evolutionarily speaking, if homosexuality was solely a genetic trait, scientists would expect the trait to eventually disappear because homosexuals wouldn't be expected to reproduce. But because these epi-marks provide an evolutionary advantage for the parents of homosexuals: They protect fathers of homosexuals from underexposure to testosterone and mothers of homosexuals from overexposure to testosterone while they are in gestation.

"These epi-marks protect fathers and mothers from excess or underexposure to testosterone — when they carry over to opposite-sex offspring, it can cause the masculinization of females or the feminization of males," Rice says, which can lead to a child becoming gay. Rice notes that these markers are "highly variable" and that only strong epi-marks will result in a homosexual offspring.

This study has launched Fischer into rabid-dog mode. For a man who has built an anti-gay career on the notion that homosexuality is a "lifestyle choice," he seems quite eager to accept the new study. Of course, he is also eager to distort it and to assign the label of "birth defect" to homosexuality. See, it's a disease after all! Of course, he's full of shit, and that's not what the researchers are trying to get across at all, but don't tell that to Fischer, who is just positively thrilled about the notion that gay people have some kind of defect.
Writing for the AFA's website, Fischer takes it a step further and explains how this "birth defect" he's so obviously excited about could lead parents to choose abortion to avoid having gay children.

The scientists in Koebler’s article, in my view, are now resorting to genetic subterfuge and are coming dangerously close to saying that homosexuality is the result of a genetic defect, a genetic abnormality. In other words, read from one angle, these same scientists are saying that homosexuality is the result of a birth defect.
[...]

Now these researchers are quite at pains to avoid saying anything like this, but the logic to me seems inescapable: Homosexual children, on this theory, are born evolutionarily and genetically disadvantaged. They have been overexposed or underexposed to testosterone because something has gone wrong in the process of genetic transmission. In other words, they are the product of a genetic abnormality at best, a birth defect at worst.

...I expect many abortion-minded parents will want to know exactly how strong this epi-marker is in their unborn children so they can decide whether or not to exercise reproductive choice.

In fact, I expect that if this theory gains some currency, it will not be long before we have legislation from the homoexual lobby prohibiting “sex-selection” abortions on any child carrying this epi-marker.

He repeated these points on his radio show today. You can just hear the excitement in his voice at the idea that gay people are defective and could possibly be aborted by prospective parents.

http://m.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/12/1169366/-AFA-s-Bryan-Fischer-declares-homosexuality-a-birth-defect-forecasts-the-abortion-of-gay-babies

[Kobi]

Epigenetics is a fascinating field of study in evolution.

As to the phenomemon of queerness, they are postulating that:

~ sex-specific epi-marks passed from father to daughter or mother to son could cause homosexuality

~genes hold the instructions, epi-marks direct how those instructions are carried out – when, where and how much a gene is expressed during development. Epi-marks are usually produced anew each generation, but recent evidence demonstrates that they sometimes carry over between generations

~this usually happens in response to spikes in testosterone — sex-specific epi-marks formed in early fetal development activate to protect the fetus from the testosterone surge. Otherwise, the high testosterone could cause female fetuses to ‘masculinze’ or vice versa for male fetuses.

~different epi-marks protect different sex traits from being masculinized or feminized, some affect the genitals, others affect sexual identity and others affect sexual preference. But when epi-marks are transmitted from fathers to daughters or mothers to sons, they may cause reversed effects, such as the feminization of some traits in sons, such as sexual preference, and similarly a partial masculinization of daughters.

~the transmission of sex-specific epi-marks between generations is the most plausible evolutionary mechanism of the phenomenon of human homosexuality


Theories are only as good as the thoughts behind them, and how those thoughts influence conclusions.

Seems to me, the thought behind this science is deeply rooted in stereotypical assumptions about queers i.e. gay females are masculinized and gay males are feminized.

The science could also be said to be steeped in the patriarchy. It is all testosterone based. Lord knows we have all been taught and socialized to believe ALL revolves around testosterone. Now, they are just looking for the bio-genetic proof.

On the other hand, as a feminist, it was also intriguing to see a defective testosterone process being targeted as the causal factor in this process :cheesy:

However, I am sure it is just a matter of time before it will all link back to Adam, Eve, and that freakin apple.

[Ginger]

Not exactly breaking news in the traditional sense, but a butch-femme couple is on the front page of this morning's New York Times!

https://www.nytsyn.com/images/photos/873604.html

[Nadeest]

The epi-marks might well explain a bit on how and why transsexuals and transgender people come about, as well. I don't know for certain, of course, if the theories of how we happen are accurate. I just have to deal with the results, in my life.

[*Anya*]

Not exactly breaking news in the traditional sense, but a butch-femme couple is on the front page of this morning's New York Times!

https://www.nytsyn.com/images/photos/873604.html

Oh, I love this so much!! Makes me teary!

In other news: how do epi-marks explain femmes??!!

Doesn't really explain us does it?

[Greyson]

Loud Commercials and the CALM Act

Effective December 13, 2012, the FCC's rules require television commercial advertisements to have the same average volume as the programs that they accompany. The FCC established these rules to comply with the directive of Congress contained in the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act (PDF).

What the New FCC Rules Do

The FCC's new rules require TV stations, cable operators, satellite TV operators and other pay TV providers to limit a commercial's average volume to that of the programming that it accompanies. A commercial may have louder and quieter moments, but, overall, it should be no louder than the surrounding programming. This may mean, however, that some commercials will comply with the new rules, but still sound "too loud" to some viewers.



http://www.fcc.gov/guides/program-background-noise-and-loud-commercials

[Corkey]

Susan Rice withdraws her name from consideration for Sec of State.

[LeftWriteFemme]

North Carolina woman believes she was denied membership in military spouses’ group because she is a lesbian

Ashley Broadway, who wed after the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ believes her sexuality is why her request to join the Association of Bragg Officers’ Spouses met with ‘do not qualify.’ But another organization, The American Military Partner Association, has started a petition in her defense.



http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/woman-military-spouses-group-rejected-gay-article-1.1218895

[CherylNYC]

Not exactly breaking news in the traditional sense, but a butch-femme couple is on the front page of this morning's New York Times!

https://www.nytsyn.com/images/photos/873604.html

Did anyone else notice that they're riding the Q train?

[Canela]

Not exactly breaking news in the traditional sense, but a butch-femme couple is on the front page of this morning's New York Times!

https://www.nytsyn.com/images/photos/873604.html

YAY! And Congrats!

[RockOn]

Where do they get these judges???

Hope I am posting the entire, correct link for you. It can be hit/miss sometimes using this cellular.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2012/12/13/judge-derek-johnsons-rape_n_2297379.html?icid=hp_los-angeles_gallery

[Nomad]

Epigenetics is a fascinating field of study in evolution.

As to the phenomemon of queerness, they are postulating that:

~ sex-specific epi-marks passed from father to daughter or mother to son could cause homosexuality

~genes hold the instructions, epi-marks direct how those instructions are carried out – when, where and how much a gene is expressed during development. Epi-marks are usually produced anew each generation, but recent evidence demonstrates that they sometimes carry over between generations

~this usually happens in response to spikes in testosterone — sex-specific epi-marks formed in early fetal development activate to protect the fetus from the testosterone surge. Otherwise, the high testosterone could cause female fetuses to ‘masculinze’ or vice versa for male fetuses.

~different epi-marks protect different sex traits from being masculinized or feminized, some affect the genitals, others affect sexual identity and others affect sexual preference. But when epi-marks are transmitted from fathers to daughters or mothers to sons, they may cause reversed effects, such as the feminization of some traits in sons, such as sexual preference, and similarly a partial masculinization of daughters.

~the transmission of sex-specific epi-marks between generations is the most plausible evolutionary mechanism of the phenomenon of human homosexuality


Theories are only as good as the thoughts behind them, and how those thoughts influence conclusions.

Seems to me, the thought behind this science is deeply rooted in stereotypical assumptions about queers i.e. gay females are masculinized and gay males are feminized.

The science could also be said to be steeped in the patriarchy. It is all testosterone based. Lord knows we have all been taught and socialized to believe ALL revolves around testosterone. Now, they are just looking for the bio-genetic proof.

On the other hand, as a feminist, it was also intriguing to see a defective testosterone process being targeted as the causal factor in this process :cheesy:

However, I am sure it is just a matter of time before it will all link back to Adam, Eve, and that freakin apple.



when i listened to the news story, that (in red) is what stood out to me also. complete lack of explanation for those of us who, depending on identity, show no signs of being more or less masculinized or feminized. i'm getting really tired of the stereotyping.

and it's not Adam and Eve and the apple i'm worried about. it's the extremists who will now start looking for the gene they want to weed out in order to have straight kids. i've already heard one "see, homosexuality is a birth defect" story that resulted from this research. next thing you know, fundamentalists everywhere will start swamping abortion clinics when they find out their baby carries the "gay gene".

wait. fundamentalists. abortion clinics? :thud:

[Kobi]

when i listened to the news story, that (in red) is what stood out to me also. complete lack of explanation for those of us who, depending on identity, show no signs of being more or less masculinized or feminized. i'm getting really tired of the stereotyping.

and it's not Adam and Eve and the apple i'm worried about. it's the extremists who will now start looking for the gene they want to weed out in order to have straight kids. i've already heard one "see, homosexuality is a birth defect" story that resulted from this research. next thing you know, fundamentalists everywhere will start swamping abortion clinics when they find out their baby carries the "gay gene".

wait. fundamentalists. abortion clinics? :thud:


I hear you. The problem gets to be, as usual, people dont understand the "science". But, they use their misunderstanding to support a position.

From my understanding, this is a theory not a proven fact. And it is not a gene per se but the epi marker that determines how a gene is expressed. And they are postulating that the epi marker when over exposed or underexposed to testosterone may influence sexual orientation. Thats a boatload of maybes.

Even the scientists say "it is the most plausible explanation". Thats not fact, but scientific conjecture.

Do fundamentalists believe in abortion?

[Happy_Go_Lucky]

http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-police-responding-to-incident-in-newtown-20121214,0,3969911.story

Please respond with updates when you have them. Thank you.

[Kobi]

More than two dozen people, mostly elementary school children, were shot and killed at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school this morning, federal and state sources tell ABC News.

The massacre involved two gunmen and prompted the town of Newtown to lock down all of its schools and draw SWAT teams to the school, authorities said today.

One shooter is dead and a manhunt is on for a second gunman. Police are searching cars. One shooter was described as a 24-year-old armed with four weapons and wearing a bullet vest, sources told ABC News.

It's unclear how many people have been shot, but 25 people, mostly children are dead, multiple federal and state sources tell ABC News. That number could rise, officials said.

Today's shooting occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, which includes 450 students in grades from kindergarten through fourth grade. The town is located about 12 miles east of Danbury.

http://gma.yahoo.com/breaking-conn-school-district-locked-down-shooting-report-151955384--abc-news-topstories.html

[Lady Pamela]

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s480x480/533488_468675819840639_469691443_n.jpg

[Jesse]

More than two dozen people, mostly elementary school children, were shot and killed at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school this morning, federal and state sources tell ABC News.

The massacre involved two gunmen and prompted the town of Newtown to lock down all of its schools and draw SWAT teams to the school, authorities said today.

One shooter is dead and a manhunt is on for a second gunman. Police are searching cars. One shooter was described as a 24-year-old armed with four weapons and wearing a bullet vest, sources told ABC News.

It's unclear how many people have been shot, but 25 people, mostly children are dead, multiple federal and state sources tell ABC News. That number could rise, officials said.

Today's shooting occurred at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, which includes 450 students in grades from kindergarten through fourth grade. The town is located about 12 miles east of Danbury.

http://gma.yahoo.com/breaking-conn-school-district-locked-down-shooting-report-151955384--abc-news-topstories.html

This makes every problem I have seem so insignificant....I just can't wrap my head around folks shooting babies! :candle:Sending prayers and healing to all of the families.

[Sun]

mIA0W69U2_Y

[RNguy]

It's a sad day and a sad world we live when our schools have to partake in regular drills on what to do if somebody enters the school armed with guns and starts shooting .
That's all I have to say about this .

[anotherbutch]

Dear Father, We have gathered as a community,
not because
we wanted to, but because we felt compelled to;
because we couldn't not be here––for one another,
for the families of the victims
We gather as citizens who love our God
and who love the good land God has given us;
who cherish the freedoms we enjoy,
and who lament our innocence lost.
With anger we come, and with sorrow;
with confusion and concern.
Our spirits boil with emotion;
our minds are ajumble with nagging implications.
We come
to pray,
to listen,
to speak to God and to one another;
to lament our losses
and lift up our wounded hearts for healing. ♥♥♥

[Nat]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/14/world/asia/china-knife-attack/index.html

Beijing (CNN) - Twenty-two primary school children were wounded in a knife attack Friday in central China, authorities said.

The attack took place at the entrance to the Chenpeng Village Primary School in Henan province, according to the public information department of Guangshan county, the area where the school is located. An adult was also wounded, it said.

Several of the children are in critical condition, the state-run website Chinanews.com said, citing local authorities.

Police say they have detained a suspect, a 36-year-old man from the village, state media reported.

Initial assessments suggest the man is mentally ill, Chinanews.com said, citing Guangshan authorities.

China was hit by a spate of knife and cleaver attacks that targeted school children in 2010.

A number of measures were introduced at the time, including increased security at schools across the country and a regulation requiring people to register with their national ID cards when buying large knives.

CNN's Shao Tian in Beijing and journalist Pan Xinlei in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

[Leigh]

A family from here in my city of Winnipeg moved to that town in Connecticut not long ago; the man and his wife had a son and daughter ......... apparently his daughter was one of the ones who were killed :(

[Okiebug61]

I have been wondering why no one is talking about how the guy got into the school. They had a buzzer and a monitor. I heard he pushed his way in. Does anyone know how?

[Ginger]

I have been wondering why no one is talking about how the guy got into the school. They had a buzzer and a monitor. I heard he pushed his way in. Does anyone know how?

I've been wondering that too. I haven't seen the Times today.

His mother was either a former teacher or a volunteer at the school. They might have just "known" him.

[Okiebug61]

I've been wondering that too. I haven't seen the Times today.

His mother was either a former teacher or a volunteer at the school. They might have just "known" him.

I imagine they are looking over the evidence to see why he was let in. I would think they want to make sure the person who is responsible for this followed the procedures. I can't imagine being the person who let him in and how they must feel.

[Soon]

In my Ontario, Canada city (and high school I work at), one can just walk in the front door to a school. People come in and out and report to the main office--parents dropping off things, late arriving students or returning from appointments, office deliveries, supply teachers coming in etc. It's odd (and sad) to think of my entire school locked up during the day. No one buzzes people in or anything like that.

USA schools are all locked up during the day?

[spritzerJ]

Each school set up will be unique to the building. Some have a double set of doors scenario. Where you can go in the first set of doors and then be buzzed through the 2nd after checking in. You can push your way in if others are entering/exiting at the same time. Especially at a high transition time like the morning.

And for Soon.... yes all outside doors are locked during the day. Only one set of doors is open where folks can be buzzed in.

[GPS]

I have been wondering why no one is talking about how the guy got into the school. They had a buzzer and a monitor. I heard he pushed his way in. Does anyone know how?

they are now saying he shot the gun thru a window. he was not buzzed in. his mother was not a teacher at the school. and.... it was not the oldest of the 2 boys it was the younger one.

again who really knows?

[GPS]

In my Ontario, Canada city (and high school I work at), one can just walk in the front door to a school. People come in and out and report to the main office--parents dropping off things, late arriving students or returning from appointments, office deliveries, supply teachers coming in etc. It's odd (and sad) to think of my entire school locked up during the day. No one buzzes people in or anything like that.

USA schools are all locked up during the day?

Canada is a type of country i wish we had. Seriously. i practically grew up in Crystal Beach, hell it was about a 40 minute ride from home. we spent holidays and summers there.

i honestly wish we were more like Canada

[Okiebug61]

they are now saying he shot the gun thru a window. he was not buzzed in. his mother was not a teacher at the school. and.... it was not the oldest of the 2 boys it was the younger one.

again who really knows?

Ok thanks for the update!

[Happy_Go_Lucky]

to think that most if not all the schools in the near future will be monitored like a Fort Knox. Seems this country has plenty of money AFTER a tragedy ala 9/11 but when it comes to preventive care, the far right politicians turn a blind eye.

This will get worse before it improves. What exactly will it take for many politicians to get on board with sane gun laws and stop the NRA cult from spitting all over us. Their 2nd amendment rights DO NOT supercede my right, your right to live a peaceful and safe existence.

Rant Off

[Okiebug61]

http://www.upi.com/blog/2012/12/14/Mike-Huckabee-links-Newtown-shooting-to-lack-of-religion-in-schools/5121355523408/

[Martina]

I worked in a high school in a very dangerous neighborhood. A continuation high school. Our metal detectors were broken. The doors were never locked.

If you are going to solve this with security, it's going to be very expensive. And guess what, once again, the U.S. will show by its actions that the lives of poor kids don't matter.

[Toughy]

Not all public schools in the US are locked up...........It depends on the paranoia level of the school officials. I would suggest if someone wants to kill someone in a school they will find a way in......

[Okiebug61]

I worked in a high school in a very dangerous neighborhood. A continuation high school. Our metal detectors were broken. The doors were never locked.

If you are going to solve this with security, it's going to be very expensive. And guess what, once again, the U.S. will show by its actions that the lives of poor kids don't matter.

I have belief that we are a much better nation and much more carring than you feel we are.

The kids in Conn. were not poor and they had a security system set up that failed.

This issue is not just about the poor it is about children.

[Toughy]

I have belief that we are a much better nation and much more carring than you feel we are.

The kids in Conn. were not poor and they had a security system set up that failed.

This issue is not just about the poor it is about children.

Do we know the security failed? The guys mother worked in the school and he may have visited her many times. My sister was a teacher and I went in and out of her school/classroom all the time.

So no one should get in a school except the teachers and the kids?

[Chancie]

When I first started teaching, I saw a documentary about how many weapons were found inside a school with metal detectors. I swore I would never teach in a school with metal detectors or a police officer with a weapon. I still feel that way.

I am very sad about what happened in Connecticut, and I am definitely feeling the weight of the huge responsibility, not only to teach math, but to keep my students safe.

[Greyson]

I have belief that we are a much better nation and much more carring than you feel we are.

The kids in Conn. were not poor and they had a security system set up that failed.

This issue is not just about the poor it is about children.


Okiebug, I too believe there are many caring and good people in our country. I see it almost daily because I look for them or else I would be greatly disheartened overall by what is on the news daily.

I do believe that the majority of Americans care about our children (even if they are not related to us). We can care and have the best of intentions and still not grasp the totality of things happening in our nation every day.

I cannot help but wonder why as I watch this latest tragedy unfolding why our nation does not react with such magnitude when everyday a brown, black or poor white child is killed. It is as if we accept it on some level. That is the way things are and the best we can do is distance ourselves from such lives and neighborhoods.

When it happens in a community that is much like the community many of us live in or aspire to live in, then we are shocked and outraged. I don't think most Americans conciously realize that this reaction or lack there of is in fact collectively our responce to everday gun violence and violence in general.

[Teddybear]

Okiebug, I too believe there are many caring and good people in our country. I see it almost daily because I look for them or else I would be greatly disheartened overall by what is on the news daily.

I do believe that the majority of Americans care about our children (even if they are not related to us). We can care and have the best of intentions and still not grasp the totality of things happening in our nation every day.

I cannot help but wonder why as I watch this latest tragedy unfolding why our nation does not react with such magnitude when everyday a brown, black or poor white child is killed. It is as if we accept it on some level. That is the way things are and the best we can do is distance ourselves from such lives and neighborhoods.

When it happens in a community that is much like the community many of us live in or aspire to live in, then we are shocked and outraged. I don't think most Americans conciously realize that this reaction or lack there of is in fact collectively our responce to everday gun violence and violence in general.

IMHO I think we do react with the same intense feelings however since it was a MULTITUDE of children or adults killed it doesn't get reported nationally as these stories do.


To me some of the blame for how somethings r reported as to do with the shock factor. Over the yrs our news has gotten this shock them fully mentality. The bigger they make it the better the ratings. What happened to reporting what wad known and NOT making a media circus out of it.

Again IMHO I think if it wasn't reported like the next coming of Christ maybe ppl who r planning this would see their 15 mins of fame isn't going ro happen

[Greyson]

IMHO I think we do react with the same intense feelings however since it was a MULTITUDE of children or adults killed it doesn't get reported nationally as these stories do.


To me some of the blame for how somethings r reported as to do with the shock factor. Over the yrs our news has gotten this shock them fully mentality. The bigger they make it the better the ratings. What happened to reporting what wad known and NOT making a media circus out of it.

Again IMHO I think if it wasn't reported like the next coming of Christ maybe ppl who r planning this would see their 15 mins of fame isn't going ro happen

I disagree TB. I do think race and class makes a huge difference when things get noticed and acted upon in our country. In part the magnitude of yesterdays tragedy and because it was primarily children was reported widely. Also our colletive reaction to it.

I am willing to bet you are white or perceived to be white. I don't think being white makes you a bad person but it can give you a perspective that is completely divorced from the perspective of POC and the things that happen daily in a poor urban environment.

I don't expect what I am saying is going to be heard easily. I understand. Some of the realities of our nation are not pretty nor easy. That goes for all races and cultures.

[Ginger]

I cannot help but wonder why as I watch this latest tragedy unfolding why our nation does not react with such magnitude when everyday a brown, black or poor white child is killed. It is as if we accept it on some level. That is the way things are and the best we can do is distance ourselves from such lives and neighborhoods.

In the last couple weeks there have been several photos on the front page of the New York Times showing dead or bleeding children in Syria and around the world.

The distance you refer to closed when it was children in the U.S.

But it should never be there.

[Greyson]

In the last couple weeks there have been several photos on the front page of the New York Times showing dead or bleeding children in Syria and around the world.

The distance you refer to closed when it was children in the U.S.

But it should never be there.

Good point. I am referring to the children in the U.S.

[Teddybear]

I disagree TB. I do think race and class makes a huge difference when things get noticed and acted upon in our country. In part the magnitude of yesterdays tragedy and because it was primarily children was reported widely. Also our colletive reaction to it.

I am willing to bet you are white or perceived to be white. I don't think being white makes you a bad person but it can give you a perspective that is completely divorced from the perspective of POC and the things that happen daily in a poor urban environment.

Grayson

My race or perceived race has nothing to do with my perspective. I went and listened to a lady whose son committed suicide in the talk she addressed issue she told us that many times she had been asked the question if she thought that the latest person who committed suicide after being bullied was getting more attention then the death of her on since she wax white and he wasn't. She told us that he still gets attention years after his death and that there was and still is the same amount of coverage.

I think the shear numbers of ppl killed really plays into how something is reported.

I can and do appreciate ur opinion on this

[Greyson]

Grayson

My race or perceived race has nothing to do with my perspective.
I can and do appreciate ur opinion on this

Wrong. You may be unable to realize it, recognize it but it does not make what you believe, a fact.

I too have appreciated your willingness to post your opinion. We need to hear all opinions in order to have a conversation and hopefully change.I wish you well but we are going to continue to disagree on this one.

[spritzerJ]

I have belief that we are a much better nation and much more carring than you feel we are.

The kids in Conn. were not poor and they had a security system set up that failed.

This issue is not just about the poor it is about children.

I could have quoted many posts. For brevity I choose this one.

We do have many in this nation that care.

The security of children in SOME places is in place.

The inequalities exist. Children in poor schools/districts or that are poor are at more risk. Do we address their needs adequately when it comes to safety? I believe we do not. I believe race, income and how we view children in our society is reflected in the media's presentation and our reaction. The context of our personal realities can't be denied as part of how we react, talk and perceive this event.

Can we send children to fortresses to protect them from every possibility no matter their income level? I think that won't address the issue of safety in society. Nor do I think that is the learning environment I'd want for children.

On another tangent... The perprator, while we have limited information about him... was affluent and an adult. Yet, I note the mother shaming happening in the news. I am horrified.

[Kobi]

I disagree TB. I do think race and class makes a huge difference when things get noticed and acted upon in our country. In part the magnitude of yesterdays tragedy and because it was primarily children was reported widely. Also our colletive reaction to it.

I am willing to bet you are white or perceived to be white. I don't think being white makes you a bad person but it can give you a perspective that is completely divorced from the perspective of POC and the things that happen daily in a poor urban environment.

I don't expect what I am saying is going to be heard easily. I understand. Some of the realities of our nation are not pretty nor easy. That goes for all races and cultures.


I do agree with Greyson on this. This tragedy took place in an affluent white neighborhood, affecting rich white kids.

Take a look at the massive law enforcement response and the length of time it took to mount that response.

Keep an eye on the media coverage and how long it is likely to go on. Look at how many news stories were supposedly quoting "state and federal officals who were not authorized to divulge information."

Even Obama felt the need to weigh in on this.

Take a look at how long it is taking to process the crime scene.

Take a look at the responses of the general public on news forums and elsewhere. Read the stories where the Conn shooting has reached the international community.

Taegedy is never pretty, but even in tragedy, there are perks for being white and rich.

[Teddybear]

Wrong. You may be unable to realize it, recognize it but it does not make what you believe, a fact.

I too have appreciated your willingness to post your opinion. We need to hear all opinions in order to have a conversation and hopefully change.I wish you well but we are going to continue to disagree on this one.

Let me inform u and others I LOOK white however part if mt family is native American. No I don't feel the need broadcast my heritage. I was raised outside looking in so my perspective isn't typical by no means. So please understand that to me race isn't what I focus on when we r talking about a group ANY group.

I like u can't tell other ppl how they believe we r or should
. To me and my family color of ur skin isn't what makes u WHO u r or ur worth to us. I wish others would could realize just that. What a more understanding place it could b

[Kobi]

****Trigger Warning******


By NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
December 15, 2012

All of the children killed by a gunman at a Connecticut elementary school were shot multiple times, according to the state's chief medical examiner, who said that it was worst scene he had witnessed in three decades examining crime scenes.

“This is a very devastating set of injuries,” said Dr. H. Wayne Carver II, the chief medical examiner for the state.

Carver said that parents were shown photos of their children to spare them from seeing the gruesome results of the shooting rampage, which left 20 children dead, along with six adults at the school. The gunman, identified by law enforcement officials as Adam Lanza, 20, shot and killed his mother at his home before going to the school, then killed himself after the rampage. Carver said that they had not yet completed examinations of Lanza and his mother.

Carver that in the seven autopsies he himself had performed, the victims had from three to 11 wounds.

With the examinations complete and the families informed, the authorities released the names of those killed.

They ranged in age from 6 to 56. Among the children, there were 12 girls and eight boys; all were in the first grade, officials said, and all were 6 or 7 years old.

As families began to claim lost loved ones, there were new and tragic details about what took place in Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The principal and the school psychologist were shot as they tried to tackle the gunman “in order to protect her students,” the school superintendent said Saturday.

The superintendent, Janet Robinson, said teachers and staff members who were caught up in the nation's second-deadliest school shooting had managed to save students' lives with “incredible acts of heroism.”

But it was not enough: First responders described a scene of carnage in the two classrooms where the children were killed, with no movement and no one left to save, everything perfectly still. On Saturday, a police spokesman, Lt. J. Paul Vance, said Lanza had forced his way into the school, which had a security system requiring visitors to be buzzed in.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, used his weekly radio and Internet address to mourn the victims, saying that “every parent in America has a heart heavy with hurt.” Republicans, who normally prepare a reply to the president's address, did not do so this time.\

Children:
Charlotte Bacon, 6
Daniel Barden, 7
Olivia Engel, 6
Josephine Gay, 7
Ana M. Marquez-Greene, 6
Dylan Hockley, 6
Madeleine F. Hsu, 6
Catherine V. Hubbard, 6
Chase Kowalski, 7
Jesse Lewis, 6
James Mattioli, 6
Grace McDonnell, 7
Emilie Parker, 6
Jack Pinto, 6
Noah Pozner, 6
Caroline Previdi, 6
Jessica Rekos, 6
Avielle Richman, 6
Benjamin Wheeler, 6
Allison N. Wyatt, 6

ADULTS
Mary Sherlach, 56
Victoria Soto, 27
Anne Marie Murphy, 52
Lauren Rousseau, 30
Dawn Hocksprung, 47
Rachel Davino, 29

[LeftWriteFemme]

Gay Employee Led Customers To Safety in Oregon Mall Shooting

(make sure to watch the video at the bottom)

http://www.advocate.com/crime/2012/12/13/watch-gay-employee-led-customers-safety-oregon-shooting

[Wolfsong]

Westboro Baptist Church to picket funerals of Newtown shooting victims


Vile (http://www.examiner.com/article/connecticut-school-shooting-protest-planned-to-stop-westboro-baptist-church)

[morningstar55]

Westboro Baptist Church to picket funerals of Newtown shooting victims


Vile (http://www.examiner.com/article/connecticut-school-shooting-protest-planned-to-stop-westboro-baptist-church)

............ WHY?? ...........
I HOPE THE POLICE INTERVENE AND KICK THEM OUT OF TOWN

this is too upsetting

[Okiebug61]

Okiebug, I too believe there are many caring and good people in our country. I see it almost daily because I look for them or else I would be greatly disheartened overall by what is on the news daily.

I do believe that the majority of Americans care about our children (even if they are not related to us). We can care and have the best of intentions and still not grasp the totality of things happening in our nation every day.

I cannot help but wonder why as I watch this latest tragedy unfolding why our nation does not react with such magnitude when everyday a brown, black or poor white child is killed. It is as if we accept it on some level. That is the way things are and the best we can do is distance ourselves from such lives and neighborhoods.

When it happens in a community that is much like the community many of us live in or aspire to live in, then we are shocked and outraged. I don't think most Americans conciously realize that this reaction or lack there of is in fact collectively our responce to everday gun violence and violence in general.

Greyson,
I think each of us have our own prespective and that prespective is dependent upon our own experiences.

I don't see it being all Americans, it's like any other issue. There are people who will change their mind on gun control and there will be those who ideas of the open carrying act will be stronger than ever.

I believe in a very strong gun control policy, but I do not believe in outlawing guns.

The individual that committed this horrific act used guns because it was the easiest and most available. However he planned this attack, he didn't just get up and decide to do this. I believe he would have used any form of weapon he could have to accomplish his goal. If the guns had not been available he could have easily made pipe bombs or any other easily made explosives. He was on a suicide mission and I believe he would have done this no matter what.

Not that this matters to anyone, but I was 7 miles north of the Oklahoma City bombing. I felt the overwhelming power of the explosion and I lost friends. There weren't any guns used that day, it was ammonium nitrate fertilizer .
168 people died, 19 children under the age of 6. My point is, the wacko that attacked the school layed out a plan. I firmly believe that his plan would have been carried out no matter what. He was on a mission to kill and nothing was going to stop him.

We need to work on strengthening our mental health system. It's quite obvious to me that this person appeard to be mentally ill. It's sad the number of people that do not get treatment due to know one caring, the lack of services available or far worse the denial of family members because they are embarassed that someone they love has a mental illness and they try to keep it a secret and refuse to seek help. I can't believe his mother did not see there was something wrong with her own kid.

[spritzerJ]

Snipped for ease of addressing my point...



We need to work on strengthening our mental health system. It's quite obvious to me that this person appeard to be mentally ill. It's sad the number of people that do not get treatment due to know one caring, the lack of services available or far worse the denial of family members because they are embarassed that someone they love has a mental illness and they try to keep it a secret and refuse to seek help. I can't believe his mother did not see there was something wrong with her own kid.

I recommend this article...
http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

To help understand a bit of parent perspective when it comes to seeking help for a mentally ill child.

To me it is wrong to speculate/shame/question the mother's actions. What happens inside families is hardly ever so simple as "did not see" or "denial".

I was in college at the time of the Thurston High school shooting (Springfield Oregon 1998) and taking a class from with a family services professor. The professor and community services leader in the area was asked the week before the shooting by the father for help. On a plane ride once he found out who the man was sitting next to him the father asked for help. He was searching everywhere and not finding help for his son. He was willing to bare it to a stranger on a plane for a helping hand.

[Okiebug61]

Snipped for ease of addressing my point...



I recommend this article...
http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/

To me it is wrong to speculate/shame/question the mother's actions. What happens inside families is hardly ever so simple as "did not see" or "denial".


I respect this and totally agree that we should not assume. I took my assumption from what a relative had said and that was the mother was not happy with the plan they had for her son. My partner is an educator and the word plan is not typically used in the education process unless there is something that would keep this child from learning in a traditional classroom setting.

There seems to be something that was not right, but you are correct that I should not have assumed his mother should have known anything.

Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

[Okiebug61]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/westboro-baptist-church-picket-connecticut-school-shooting_n_2312186.html

I have always wanted to gather 1000's of our community members and protest in front of their church.

[Greyson]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/westboro-baptist-church-picket-connecticut-school-shooting_n_2312186.html

I have always wanted to gather 1000's of our community members and protest in front of their church.


These Fred Phelps robots are without any sense of compassion. IMO they are not "Christians" and they are an example of sensless violence. The damage they do may not be physical but they have harmed many psychologically and emotionally.

Pure and simple self rightious idiots. God help their children who they are raising to be just as closed hearted and closed minded as they are.

[Kätzchen]

In light of tragedy that struck in my own metro area and subsequent tragedy which transpired in Connecticut, I came across an exceptionally well written essay authored by a mother, Liza Long, a mother of four children: of whom one suffers a complicated set of debilitating mental illnesses.

The following essay (see link below) was picked up and published by The Blue Review an non-profit publication affiliated with Boise State University.

I feel compelled to share this particular article for two reasons: One, because mental health issues (illness) can range from treatable cases to cases where it is terribly hard to come up with the best possible solution to help individuals, and family members who are their care givers or overseers in daily life or even lay persons or mental health professionals who deal with or try to help people, who suffer debilitating types of mental illness. Two, because in my own family, I have a brother who suffers severely from mental illness and to this day, not even my own mother who has devoted her entire career and life as a highly skilled Psychiatric Nurse, not even my mother is able to clearly see all that is wrong with my brother and not even, by today's standards, medical doctors specializing in care and treatment processes for people like my brother, have one clue how to go about narrowing in on a diagnosis that might help bring some sort of relief to my brother's life or even my mother's life.

I am not sure how many people or families are affected by mental illness; but I know my own family is not alone in the daily struggle to oversee my brother's care and we hope that we live to tell about a day that our family could find the right set or combination of treatments to bring relief to not only one of my brothers, but relief for my mother; and for all of us who are affected by the perilous struggle in caring for someone who's afflicted with some form or another of mental illness.


<<< LINK to The Blue Review article (http://thebluereview.org/i-am-adam-lanzas-mother/)>>>

[LeftWriteFemme]

Anonymous hits Westboro Baptist Church over Sandy Hook picket plans

Hackers publish private information about church members following news that it would picket the Newtown school



http://www.salon.com/2012/12/16/anonymous_hit_westboro_baptist_church_over_sandy_h ook_picket_plans/

[Greyson]

How the NRA Defeats National Tragedies

First it scares people into thinking the government is coming for their guns. Then it quietly asks the public to pray for the victims of the next rampage.

By David Weigel|Posted Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, at 4:07 PM ET


You might think that “spokesman for the National Rifle Association” is the toughest job in PR. You might be wrong. At least once a year, and several times in bad years, reporters reach out to the NRA’s Andrew Arulanandam and ask him whether the gun lobby has anything to say about the latest massacre. Arulanandam says basically the same thing, every time.



http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2012/12/nra_and_gun_control_the_national_rifle_association _scares_its_members_into.html

[Ginger]

no.


Obviously riding on the coattails of Homeland, but I agree with the general sentiment.

[Okiebug61]

Obviously riding on the coattails of Homeland, but I agree with the general sentiment.

Why did you post that picture? I don't understand.

[Ginger]

Why did you post that picture? I don't understand.

And from Kobi:

"lil warning with this would have been nice. tho the shock value is enormous"



Our drone attacks kill children in Pakistan and other countries, year round.


http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/25/world/asia/pakistan-us-drone-strikes/index.html

[Okiebug61]

Our drone attacks kill children in Pakistan and other countries, year round.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/25/world/asia/pakistan-us-drone-strikes/index.html

Do we know why?

[Okiebug61]

http://news.yahoo.com/few-memorials-forgotten-victim-gunmans-mother-074052159.html

[Okiebug61]

Do we know why?

no.


Obviously riding on the coattails of Homeland, but I agree with the general sentiment.

This is some accurate information.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/interactive/2012/aug/02/drone-attacks-pakistan-map

[Arwen]

I am leaving this thread. Pictures like that are horrendous. I don't need to be reminded of what is ongoing. I don't need to be traumatized like that. Sorry but this was just absolutely unnecessary. :(

[Okiebug61]

I apologize for reposting the horrible picture in my reply. It was not done intentionally.

[Medusa]

no.


Obviously riding on the coattails of Homeland, but I agree with the general sentiment.


IslandScout -

I have removed the photo of the dead child and am going to insist that you do not post photos like that on this site again.

That photo is not only hugely triggering but there is no way to post a sufficient warning so that people have the opportunity NOT to view something like that.

Discussing the violence of the world is ok. Posting actual photos of dead bodies anywhere on the site is not.

Thanks,
Medusa/Admin

[Admin]

And from Kobi:

*removed content of private rep*



Our drone attacks kill children in Pakistan and other countries, year round.


http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/25/world/asia/pakistan-us-drone-strikes/index.html


IS-

It is also against our TOS to post content from private messages or rep notes. Removed.

Thanks

[Kobi]

The National Rifle Association on Friday, a full week after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, gave its first response to the massacre that killed 20 schoolchildren in Newtown, Conn. Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president, argued at a press conference in Washington, D.C., that gun control legislation would not prevent similar shootings and offered the organization's own proposal: a nationwide program that would place armed security in every school desiring protection.

"I call on Congress today to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation," LaPierre said. The proposed program, called the National School Shield, would help train and install security at schools nationwide under the leadership of former Arkansas Republican Rep. Asa Hutchinson.

"Innocent lives might have been spared," LaPierre said, if armed security was present at Sandy Hook. "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/nra-announces-national-program-place-armed-personnel-schools-164814742--politics.html

[Kobi]

NEW YORK/SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - The coming weeks may well be a banner one for gun sales in America - and the massacre at a Connecticut elementary school will likely be a reason.

The appetite for guns tends to increase following a mass shooting, according to a Reuters analysis of U.S. government data on background checks run on prospective gun buyers in the past 13 years - generally regarded as a reliable indicator of whether gun sales are increasing.

Gun dealers say after such shootings some customers fear for their personal security, while others are concerned the events will spur new restrictions on gun ownership.

Figures for the first few weeks of this month are not yet available, but anecdotal evidence from nearly a dozen gun shops nationwide suggests a similar response after the deadly shooting of 20 children and six adults at the Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut, on Nov, 14.

At the Village Gun Store in Whitefield, New Hampshire, the phone was ringing almost continuously Thursday with gun buyers calling to see if the store had any AR-15 type semiautomatic rifles, the weapon used in the massacre.

Six people were browsing the rifles that line the bare plywood walls of the store, the largest within 50 miles, and the long rows of handguns in a glass case near the cash register.

"I have a ton of rifles and guns on my wish list," said Thomas Roads, 25, a gun collector who owns seven rifles and three handguns already. He was buying accessories for a vintage black powder (muzzle-loader) handgun for a gift, but he also said the rhetoric out of Washington is "speeding up" his decisions on gun purchases.

Demand in San Antonio, Texas appears to be just as strong.

"Yesterday was the biggest day I have had in the gun industry, and I have been in the gun industry for twenty years," Jerry McCall, owner of Texas Guns and the Texas Thunder Gun Range in San Antonio, said on Wednesday.

U.S. gun sales have grown rapidly in recent years on the back of easing state and federal restrictions, and as savvy marketing by gun manufacturers has appealed to a broader base of customers. That is reflected in the increased volume of background checks logged in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), with November 2012 seeing a record number of queries, experts said.

Background checks are necessary for individuals buying firearms from federally licensed retailers. Actual gun sales figures are not easily trackable.

Reuters examined the number of background checks in the month of and the month after 15 mass shootings since 1999. A mass shooting was defined as an incident where at least five people were killed and where the event received sustained media attention over a period of days.

The analysis found that background checks in the month of and the month after mass shootings were on average 19 percent higher than checks in other months. The pattern holds even after 2006, when gun sales broadly started to rise.

Just this year, for example, background checks rose 17 percent in July and August, around the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, July 20 that killed 12 people and wounded 58.

To be sure, the NICS database is incomplete as it does not include many sales at gun shows, which do not always require background checks. Also, not every background check results in a sale, though the entire firearms industry uses the data as a sales proxy.

Reuters shared its findings with prominent criminologists, who said the results were consistent with their experience of how gun buying can be triggered by such events.

"People become concerned that the society is becoming more violent after the highly publicized mass shootings - as one response, they arm themselves," said Richard Rosenfeld, a professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and former president of the American Society of Criminology.

For Kyle Hunt, 32, a surgeon and father of two young children with a stay-at-home wife, the Sandy Hook shooting put a new urgency on protection.

"My wife and I have definitely thought in the wake of the Connecticut shooting of getting her a weapon," said Hunt, who was buying gun cleaning supplies for his hunting rifle and pistol at Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World in Brandon, Mississippi. "You should be able to have a gun to protect yourself."

That gun sales soar at a time when more people are talking about restricting ownership illustrates the deep ideological divide in America. The country enshrines the right to bear arms in its Constitution but also suffers from some of the worst gun violence in the developed world.

Events that create "anxiety-producing circumstances for gun ownership" will lead to a short-term increase in sales, said Frank Zimring, a criminologist and professor at the University of California - Berkeley Law School.

FEARS OF SECURITY

In gun shops across the country, owners said demand has been strong since the Sandy Hook shooting, particularly amid calls for tougher rules on gun ownership from President Barack Obama, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other politicians.

Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday convened the first meeting of a new White House task force charged by Obama with drawing up a plan to tackle gun violence in the United States.

McCall, from the San Antonio store, said political rhetoric is behind the rush to buy.

"They want to go after the inanimate objects. That's why our sales are going through the roof, because people know that these anti-gunners have to do some sort of feel-good legislation, and they use instances like what happened in Connecticut to push their agenda, their Bloomberg agenda," McCall said.

Before the Newtown massacre, firearm industry experts said gun ownership has become more socially acceptable, particularly among groups not traditionally seen as gun buyers. Women in particular have become a rapidly growing market for gun sellers.

The annual production of rifles and shotguns for the U.S. market rose nearly 40 percent between 2002 and 2011, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The National Shooting Sports Foundation estimates the size of the industry at roughly $4 billion a year.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, said in October that revenue from guns rose 76 percent in the first half of its fiscal year, while revenue from ammunition rose 30 percent.

Investors have taken note: shares of gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson Holding Corp had doubled in 2012 before the Newtown massacre, while shares of Sturm Ruger & Co Inc were up almost 48 percent.

Smith & Wesson reported in early December that its sales in the six-month period ended October 31 were up 48 percent from the same period last year.

"These data points, among others, suggest to us that firearms have now taken their place in the basket of mainstream, durable goods that consumers want to buy on Black Friday," Chief Executive James Debney said on a conference call earlier this month, referring to the traditional day-after-Thanksgiving start of the holiday shopping season.

SELL-OFF

Since Friday's shooting, gun makers' share prices have plunged and major U.S. pension funds said they were reviewing their investments in the sector.

Cerberus Capital Management LP, the private equity heavyweight, said it plans to sell Freedom Group, the top U.S. manufacture of firearms, including the AR-15-style Bushmaster, the rifle that Newtown shooter Adam Lanza used.

Recent history has shown, though, that while gun makers come under pressure in the days after a shooting, over time their growth has been uninterrupted.

For example, shares of Smith & Wesson fell in the trading sessions immediately following five major shooting incidents since January 2011, but they quickly recovered each time and are up 133 percent since then.

Smith & Wesson did not return requests for comment.

While, some large, national retailers pulled rifles like the one used at Sandy Hook Elementary off shelves in nearby stores in Connecticut, most other gun stores nationwide said they were operating as normal - with some setting records.

That was the case all week at the Hyatt Coin and Gun Shop on the west side of Charlotte, North Carolina, which has been in business since 1959 and seeing record one-day sales all week.

"They're buying it faster than we're getting it in," said owner Larry Hyatt. "After this horrible tragedy, the whole country, it scared ‘em to death ... People who were thinking about buying guns in the future want to do so now."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/insight-mass-shootings-tend-lift-gun-sales-data-203025880--finance.html

[Kobi]

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - An appeals court ruled on Friday that Wisconsin's same sex domestic partnership registry does not violate an amendment to the state constitution banning gay marriage.

The registry gives same-sex couples limited rights and benefits.

"Domestic partnerships carry with them substantially fewer rights and obligations than those enjoyed by and imposed on married couples," the three-judge Wisconsin panel wrote in its ruling.

The registry gives the right to hospital visits, family medical leave to care for a stricken partner, health benefits under a partner's insurance, and the right to inherit assets when a partner dies.

While the state's Department of Health Services continues to administer the registry, Governor Scott Walker and Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, both Republicans, have refused to defend it in court, claiming it is unconstitutional.

The registry, created in 2009 under Democratic Governor Jim Doyle, has more than 2,000 couples on it, according to Fair Wisconsin, a gay-rights organization based in Madison.

"We fought off this ugly attack against the rights and protections currently available to same-sex couples and their families in Wisconsin - a sweet holiday present to loving couples and families," said Christopher Clark, an attorney with Lambda Legal, a national group that advocates for gays and lesbians.

In 2006, Wisconsin voters approved a referendum to add an amendment to the state constitution prohibiting gay marriage. Wisconsin Family Action, an anti-gay rights group, argued in a 2010 lawsuit that the registry violated the amendment because it resembles a marriage under state law.

"The people of Wisconsin have strongly affirmed the lifelong, faithful union of a man and a woman as the fundamental building block of civilization," said Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, in a statement.

The case was brought to the Court of Appeals after a Dane County judge ruled against the Wisconsin Family Action lawsuit in June 2011.

The U.S. Supreme Court announced earlier this month it will hear gay marriage cases for the first time as gay rights continues to be a politically charged topic through the United States.

Same-sex marriage is prohibited in 31 states while nine states and Washington D.C. have legalized it, including three by referendum in the November election.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/wisconsin-court-rules-favor-same-sex-domestic-registry-234848176.html

[Kobi]

A gunman set a trap and shot and killed two firefighters responding to an early morning blaze in Webster, N.Y., police officials said. Two other firefighters were in serious condition.

"It does appear that it was a trap that was set for first responders, but the cause or reasons we don't have at this time," said Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering as he described the scene where shots were fired at West Webster firefighters when they arrived at 5:35 a.m. to battle the blaze along Lake Road. Webster is about 10 miles east of Rochester.

The apparent gunman was found dead at the scene, but it’s unclear if he was killed by a self-inflicted gunshot or if it was from a weapon from police officers who were chasing him.

The victims were Mike Chiapperini, also a lieutenant and public information officer with the local police department, and Tomasz Kaczowka, Pickering said.

Chiapperini was described by Pickering as a lifelong firefighter who started with the department's explorer program and had about 20 years of experience. Kaczowka was a younger firefighter and was also a 911 dispatcher, he said.

West Webster firefighters Joseph Hofsetter and Theodore Scardino were seriously injured and are at Strong Memorial Hospital with gunshot wounds, a hospital spokeswoman said. Scardino has injuries to his chest and lungs. Hofsetter was injured in the pelvis, the spokeswoman said at a media briefing.

Pickering said that one of the firefighters who survived made his way across a bridge to get to safety. The other three did not make it across, Pickering said. Police arrived and rescued the other three firefighters, but two were fatally shot, Pickering said.

The morning scene was described as chaotic as police and firefighters dealt with an immense blaze as well as gunshots, local news station WHAM-TV reports.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/two-firefighters-shot-killed-while-responding-webster-n-163105823.html

[Kobi]

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Experts say 2012 was a year of unparalleled justice for child sex abuse victims, but whether the string of high-profile convictions will translate into a turning point for juvenile safety remains to be seen.

The year's headlines heralded the criminal convictions of former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky, Monsignor William Lynn of the Catholic Church's Philadelphia Archdiocese and ultra-Orthodox Jewish therapist Nechemya Weberman, a prominent figure in New York's Satmar Hasidic sect.

Sandusky, 68, was sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars for raping and molesting 10 boys, some in the campus football showers. Lynn, 61, was ordered to prison for up to six years for covering up for pedophile priests. Weberman, 54, faces up to 25 years' imprisonment when he is sentenced on January 9 for sexually abusing a girl during counseling sessions.

Each conviction hinged on the testimony of victims brave enough to shatter years of silence surrounding the abuse. Each verdict was reached by a jury determined to decide fairly in the shadow of a revered institution that, at best, ignored the crimes, sometimes for years.

Decades of secretiveness have shrouded child sex abuse within institutions that turned a blind eye, said David Clohessy, director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

One development encouraging victims to come forward today is more women in law enforcement and criminal justice who may seem more approachable, experts say. Another is a growing acceptance of homosexuality, which could help ease the victims' humiliation, and the idea that survivors with calamitous lives may nevertheless be telling the truth, experts say.

"We're learning that victims inevitably seem troubled and flawed. It's very rare that someone can be sexually violated as a child and live a charmed, perfect life," Clohessy said.

Heightened publicity has also drawn out victims who now know they are not alone, said David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire.

"The climate is so much better for survivors than it was a decade ago when they felt isolated and like a freak," Finkelhor said.

"Almost everyone knows this happens to other people now. It's not nearly as stigmatizing," he said.

The momentum in prosecuting child sex abuse cases depends upon many factors, including whether state legislatures broaden the time frame for victims seeking justice, a move under discussion in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

By the time a child victim is able to confront an assailant, a state's statute of limitations may prevent prosecution. If victims are still eligible to file civil lawsuits, however, the surrounding publicity may draw out other victims and could lead to subsequent criminal prosecutions, advocates say.

"When a predator is exposed in any way, in any form, it encourages victims, witnesses, whistle-blowers to step forward and perhaps file criminal charges," Clohessy said.

"Obviously, kids are safest when predators are jailed," he said. "Sometimes civil suits lead to criminal prosecution. Even when they don't, they warn people about a potentially dangerous child molester."

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/americas-victims-child-sex-abuse-2012-landmark-174321747.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Dutch minister slams Pope for gay hate Christmas message



http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/dutch-minister-slams-pope-gay-hate-christmas-message241212

[LeftWriteFemme]

Charges Dismissed Against Lt. Dan Choi



http://www.queerty.com/dan-choi-20121223/

[Gráinne]

There was a kitchen fire at the Peabody (site of the Reunion) that led to the evacuation of the hotel. No one was injured, and the restaurants are supposed to open tomorrow pending the health department's inspection.

[Kobi]

Measures on gay rights and child safety are among the top state laws taking effect at the start of 2013, along with attempts to prevent identity theft and perennial efforts to restrict abortion and illegal immigration.

In many states, new laws take effect on Jan. 1, while in others they do so 90 days after a governor's signature.

Voter-approved laws allowing same-sex couples to marry take effect in Maryland in January and in Maine on Saturday. California also approved a law exempting clergy members opposed to gay marriage from performing same-sex marriage ceremonies.

In California, a first-of-its-kind law bans a form of psychotherapy aimed at making gay teenagers straight but is on hold during a court challenge. The law would ban what is known as reparative or conversion therapy for minors; such therapies are widely discredited by medical professionals.

A number of laws seek to protect children from bullying and abuse. Pennsylvania school employees in contact with children, who already must report suspected abuse, must now be trained to recognize the warning signs, their legal obligations and what are considered appropriate relationships with children.

That law was being debated and voted on in June as a jury was finding former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky guilty of 45 counts for sexually abusing 10 boys over 15 years.

California coaches and administrators in K-12 schools, as well as higher education employees who have regular contact with children, will be required to report suspected child sexual abuse. Oregon will require schools to adopt a policy on teen dating violence, a law that follows state legislation earlier this year requiring school employees to report acts of bullying, harassment and online bullying.

In Florida, the Safe Harbor Act includes provisions that require police to turn over to the Department of Children and Families any children who are alleged to be sexually exploited or dependent for assessment and possible shelter.

States continue to wrestle with illegal immigration. Pennsylvania will include a requirement that contractors on public works projects make sure through the federal E-Verify system that their employees are legal U.S. residents, while a Montana ballot measure taking effect denies illegal immigrants of state services.

Supporters say the Montana law will prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining services and prevent them from taking jobs at a time of high unemployment. Opponents argued there is no proof illegal immigrants are using state services in Montana.

Also in Montana, voters overwhelmingly passed a measure requiring parental notification for minors' abortions, while in Georgia a new law will prohibit doctors from performing an abortion 20 weeks after an egg is fertilized unless a pregnancy is determined to be medically futile, meaning it would result in the birth of a child unlikely to survive because of a serious defect. Georgia became the seventh state in the country to approve the so-called fetal pain act.

"Today, we are reaffirming Georgia's commitment to preserving the sanctity of all human life," Gov. Nathan Deal said in a statement released shortly after he signed the bill in May.

The measure passed over the objection of many female lawmakers, including Sen. Valencia Seay, who said the bill's passage and signing was "unconscionable, but not surprising" and typical of the male-dominated General Assembly.

New Hampshire enacts a ban on a type of late-term abortion procedure sometimes called "partial birth abortion" after lawmakers overrode the veto of Gov. John Lynch, who said the measure was unnecessary because federal law already prohibits such procedures. Supporters of the ban say they don't trust the government to prosecute the law.

In Maryland, parents will be able to freeze their child's credit at any time if the child becomes a victim of identity theft. "This just freezes the information to ensure that it's not used for ill purposes," said Delegate Craig Zucker, a Democrat who sponsored the bill in the Maryland House of Delegates.

In Delaware, state officials must request an annual credit report for every child in foster care.

http://news.yahoo.com/laws-address-gays-children-immigration-181035284.html;_ylt=AmTHnPcNLYqjG4.ELJ_5Ss9tzwcF;_ ylu=X3oDMTVxY2o4MjNxBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2 lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDQXJ0aWNsZSBNaXhlZCBMaXN0IE5ld3Mg Zm9yIFlvdSB3aXRoIE1vcmUgTGluawRwa2cDNjUxNWQxZjEtOD Y0Mi0zNGRmLThiN2UtY2VhZDAyZWUwMGQxBHBvcwM1BHNlYwNu ZXdzX2Zvcl95b3UEdmVyAzU4NjliODgxLTRmYjMtMTFlMi1iZm ZiLTNlZmFhMDFkYjU0Yw--;_ylg=X3oDMTM1cjNjMmwwBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRw c3RhaWQDY2JmNGVkOWQtMjgxYS0zNzMwLTgzOGUtZTExYjlkNz k3OTQxBHBzdGNhdANwb2xpdGljc3x0aGVjb3VydHMEcHQDc3Rv cnlwYWdl;_ylv=3

[LeftWriteFemme]

White House Petition To Recognize Westboro Baptist Church As Hate Group Becomes Most Popular Ever



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/26/white-house-petition-westboro_n_2365799.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay%20Voices

[LeftWriteFemme]

Dutch Catholics leaving church over opposition to same-sex marriage



http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/dutch-catholics-leaving-church-over-opposition-same-sex-marriage281212

[Happy_Go_Lucky]

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/28/16211363-gunman-dead-after-shooting-3-cops-at-nj-police-station?lite

If only the police officers all had guns....

Oh wait......

[LeftWriteFemme]

Op-ed: Scalia Too Biased to Judge Marriage Cases

Before the Supreme Court hears arguments on Proposition 8 and Edie Windsor's DOMA case, the bench must address one justice's scornfully biased record.



http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2012/12/27/scalia-too-biased-judge-upcoming-marriage-cases

[LeftWriteFemme]

Maine same-sex couples marry in first hours of law



http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Maine-same-sex-couples-marry-in-first-hours-of-law-4153534.php#photo-3958299

[Happy_Go_Lucky]

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/30/16238005-potential-heir-to-300-million-clark-copper-fortune-found-dead-homeless?lite

The 60 year old Clark heir dying of hypothermia and his great aunt living in a hospital for 20 years while her palatial estates sat vacant is quite interesting. She left nigh a penny to her family, thus a familial squabble ensues.

Money does not necessarily purchase happiness does it? Especially mad money.

[Toughy]

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/30/16238005-potential-heir-to-300-million-clark-copper-fortune-found-dead-homeless?lite

The 60 year old Clark heir dying of hypothermia and his great aunt living in a hospital for 20 years while her palatial estates sat vacant is quite interesting. She left nigh a penny to her family, thus a familial squabble ensues.

Money does not necessarily purchase happiness does it? Especially mad money.

Your title said 'sounds like undiagnosed mental illness'. I read the story and mental illness never entered my mind. I'm really curious why you think that.

The old woman could have had very good reasons for not dealing with her family. So what if she had vacant mansions. So what if she lived in a hospital for 20 years. Those things do not make her mentally ill. Eccentric, odd, different, filthy rich....lots of adjectives, but mentally ill is not one we can assign to her based on the story.

Lots of people in this country have relatives who are living on the streets. Are the relatives of all homeless folks mentally ill?

The term 'mental illness' gets thrown around a lot. It does a huge dis-service to those who actually have some type of mental illness (including many of the Planet family).

[Corkey]

House passes budget deal, with more than the 218 needed.

[Toughy]

House passes budget deal, with more than the 218 needed.

The votes were interesting:

SENATE ROLL CALL ON FISCAL CLIFF DEAL

The 89-8 roll call Tuesday by which the Senate passed the Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012, which broke the "fiscal cliff" stalemate.

A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill.

Voting yes were 47 Democrats, 40 Republicans and 2 independents.

Voting no were 3 Democrats and 5 Republicans.

3 Senators did not vote.


HOUSE ROLL CALL ON FISCAL CLIFF DEAL

The 257-167 roll call Tuesday by which the House passed the agreement that avoided the so-called fiscal cliff of middle-class tax increases and spending cuts and sent the measure to President Barack Obama.

A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the bill.

Voting yes were 172 Democrats and 85 Republicans.

Voting no were 16 Democrats and 151 Republicans.

X denotes those not voting.

There are 3 vacancies in the 435-member House.



Read more: http://nation.foxnews.com/fiscal-cliff/2013/01/02/see-who-voted-fiscal-cliff-deal#ixzz2GrZfCyvr

[Kobi]

(Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett filed a lawsuit on Wednesday demanding that sanctions imposed on Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal be thrown out, saying they threatened to devastate the state's economy.

Corbett called the sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, which include an unprecedented $60 million fine, "overreaching and unlawful."

"I cannot and will not stand by and let it happen without a fight," the Republican governor, who was accused of dragging his feet on the Penn State scandal when he was state attorney general, told a news conference.

A lawsuit Corbett filed with U.S. District Court in Harrisburg called for all Sandusky-related sanctions imposed on Penn State to be thrown out.

Corbett's suit charged the NCAA and "competing colleges and universities represented on its governing boards" had "cynically and hypocritically exploited" the case "to impose crippling and unprecedented sanctions on an already weakened competitor."

The suit said stigma from the case would diminish recruitment of students and student athletes and the value of a Penn State education for decades.

According to Corbett's office, Penn State football was the second most profitable collegiate athletic program in the United States in 2010-11, when it brought in $50 million, generating more than $5 million in tax revenue.

Penn State University released a statement saying it was not party to Corbett's lawsuit and reiterated its commitment to comply with the NCAA sanctions. The university recently made the first payment of $12 million of the fine to a national fund to support victims of child abuse.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/governor-sues-ncaa-over-penn-state-sex-scandal-005248396--nfl.html

---------------------

This has got to be one of the strangest attempts to recoup lost tax revenue known to humankind.

[Kobi]

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Reuters) - A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple so they could have a child said on Wednesday he is shocked the state is now trying to make him pay child support.

William Marotta, 46, donated sperm to Jennifer Schreiner and Angela Bauer under a written agreement that he would not be considered the father of the child nor liable for child support. A daughter, now 3, was born to Schreiner.

But in October, the state of Kansas filed a petition seeking to have Marotta declared the father of the child and financially responsible for her after the couple encountered money difficulties.

Marotta will ask the court in a hearing January 8 to dismiss the claim, which centers on a state law that the sperm must be donated through a licensed physician in order for the father to be free of any later financial obligations. Marotta gave a container of semen to the couple, who found him on Craigslist, instead of donating through a doctor or clinic.

The case is seen as having repercussions for other sperm donors. Sperm banks routinely provide sperm to people who want to conceive a child on the understanding that the donors are not responsible for the children.

Kansas is seeking child support from Marotta, including about $6,000 in medical expenses related to the child's birth, according to its petition.

The case has attracted national attention. Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Wednesday "it is unfortunate and unfair" that Kansas is seeking money from a sperm donor.

"It certainly might have a negative effect on other men's willingness to help couples who need a donor, which would be harmful to everyone," Minter said.

"I also think it undermines everyone's respect for the law when you see it operate so arbitrarily."

Kansas officials are required under the law to determine the father of a child when someone seeks state benefits, said Angela de Rocha, spokeswoman for the Department for Children and Families. The couple was compelled to provide that information, which led to investigation of the sperm donation.

Marotta should be declared the father and subject to financial claims because he donated the sperm directly to the women and not through a physician, as required by Kansas law, the state's petition states.

Lawyers for Marotta argue that he had no parental rights because of his agreement with the couple and cannot be held financially responsible.

They cite a 2007 case in which the Kansas Supreme Court ruled against a sperm donor seeking parental rights because he did not have any such agreement with the mother, lawyers for Marotta said.

"So now, we are flipping the argument around," Marotta attorney Ben Swinnen said Wednesday.

If the father had no legal parental rights in the 2007 case, Marotta should be declared to have no parental obligations in the current case, Swinnen said.

Marotta, a race car mechanic, responded to an ad on Craigslist from someone offering to pay $50 for sperm donations, but he made the donation for free. Marotta said he and his wife have no children of their own but have fostered a daughter. Marotta said he was simply trying to help a couple wanting a child.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/child-support-claim-rankles-sperm-donor-lesbian-couple-014725388.html

[Happy_Go_Lucky]

http://www.oregonlive.com/living/index.ssf/2013/01/northwest_love_stories_for_60.html

Long. Live. Love.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Anonymous Takes On Rape Culture: Leaks Video Of Steubenville Jocks Mocking Rape Victim (VIDEO NSFW)



http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/01/03/anonymous-takes-on-rape-culture-leaks-video-of-steubenville-jocks-mocking-rape-victim-video-nsfw/

[Ginger]

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (Reuters) - A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple so they could have a child said on Wednesday he is shocked the state is now trying to make him pay child support.

William Marotta, 46, donated sperm to Jennifer Schreiner and Angela Bauer under a written agreement that he would not be considered the father of the child nor liable for child support. A daughter, now 3, was born to Schreiner.

But in October, the state of Kansas filed a petition seeking to have Marotta declared the father of the child and financially responsible for her after the couple encountered money difficulties.

Marotta will ask the court in a hearing January 8 to dismiss the claim, which centers on a state law that the sperm must be donated through a licensed physician in order for the father to be free of any later financial obligations. Marotta gave a container of semen to the couple, who found him on Craigslist, instead of donating through a doctor or clinic.

The case is seen as having repercussions for other sperm donors. Sperm banks routinely provide sperm to people who want to conceive a child on the understanding that the donors are not responsible for the children.

Kansas is seeking child support from Marotta, including about $6,000 in medical expenses related to the child's birth, according to its petition.

The case has attracted national attention. Shannon Minter, legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, said Wednesday "it is unfortunate and unfair" that Kansas is seeking money from a sperm donor.

"It certainly might have a negative effect on other men's willingness to help couples who need a donor, which would be harmful to everyone," Minter said.

"I also think it undermines everyone's respect for the law when you see it operate so arbitrarily."

Kansas officials are required under the law to determine the father of a child when someone seeks state benefits, said Angela de Rocha, spokeswoman for the Department for Children and Families. The couple was compelled to provide that information, which led to investigation of the sperm donation.

Marotta should be declared the father and subject to financial claims because he donated the sperm directly to the women and not through a physician, as required by Kansas law, the state's petition states.

Lawyers for Marotta argue that he had no parental rights because of his agreement with the couple and cannot be held financially responsible.

They cite a 2007 case in which the Kansas Supreme Court ruled against a sperm donor seeking parental rights because he did not have any such agreement with the mother, lawyers for Marotta said.

"So now, we are flipping the argument around," Marotta attorney Ben Swinnen said Wednesday.

If the father had no legal parental rights in the 2007 case, Marotta should be declared to have no parental obligations in the current case, Swinnen said.

Marotta, a race car mechanic, responded to an ad on Craigslist from someone offering to pay $50 for sperm donations, but he made the donation for free. Marotta said he and his wife have no children of their own but have fostered a daughter. Marotta said he was simply trying to help a couple wanting a child.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/child-support-claim-rankles-sperm-donor-lesbian-couple-014725388.html


So if you donate sperm through a sperm bank or a licensed physician, depending on that state's laws, you are not liable financially for the child. That makes sense to me. Otherwise, no one would donate sperm. And besides, people seek anonymous donations of sperm in order to protect themselves from or simply avoid the sperm donor's intervention in their and the child's life. The donor can't demand parental rights and the recipient can't demand child support.

That seems fair.

I guess if you donate sperm informally, like this guy did on Craig's list, there's no way to prove what your agreement was—so you're not protected from the mom's claim down the road.

It's not like the mom is offering parental rights to him and in return, expecting payment. She just wants his money.

I don't think she should get it.

I wonder what the real story is, about their relationship—the mechanic, the women, and his wife, what was her role? Sounds like a good screenplay.

[Kobi]

So if you donate sperm through a sperm bank or a licensed physician, depending on that state's laws, you are not liable financially for the child. That makes sense to me. Otherwise, no one would donate sperm. And besides, people seek anonymous donations of sperm in order to protect themselves from or simply avoid the sperm donor's intervention in their and the child's life. The donor can't demand parental rights and the recipient can't demand child support.

That seems fair.

I guess if you donate sperm informally, like this guy did on Craig's list, there's no way to prove what your agreement was—so you're not protected from the mom's claim down the road.

It's not like the mom is offering parental rights to him and in return, expecting payment. She just wants his money.

I don't think she should get it.

I wonder what the real story is, about their relationship—the mechanic, the women, and his wife, what was her role? Sounds like a good screenplay.


If I read the story correctly, she applied for benefits from the state. The state always checks to see if there is an identifiable father they can recoup monies from.

The craigslist thing sounds a bit bizarre tho. Probably a lot more to the story that I dont want to know about. LOL.

[Corkey]

(Reuters) - Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett filed a lawsuit on Wednesday demanding that sanctions imposed on Penn State University over the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal be thrown out, saying they threatened to devastate the state's economy.

Corbett called the sanctions imposed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, which include an unprecedented $60 million fine, "overreaching and unlawful."

"I cannot and will not stand by and let it happen without a fight," the Republican governor, who was accused of dragging his feet on the Penn State scandal when he was state attorney general, told a news conference.

A lawsuit Corbett filed with U.S. District Court in Harrisburg called for all Sandusky-related sanctions imposed on Penn State to be thrown out.

Corbett's suit charged the NCAA and "competing colleges and universities represented on its governing boards" had "cynically and hypocritically exploited" the case "to impose crippling and unprecedented sanctions on an already weakened competitor."

The suit said stigma from the case would diminish recruitment of students and student athletes and the value of a Penn State education for decades.

According to Corbett's office, Penn State football was the second most profitable collegiate athletic program in the United States in 2010-11, when it brought in $50 million, generating more than $5 million in tax revenue.

Penn State University released a statement saying it was not party to Corbett's lawsuit and reiterated its commitment to comply with the NCAA sanctions. The university recently made the first payment of $12 million of the fine to a national fund to support victims of child abuse.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/governor-sues-ncaa-over-penn-state-sex-scandal-005248396--nfl.html

---------------------

This has got to be one of the strangest attempts to recoup lost tax revenue known to humankind.


Corbett was the DA who failed to bring charges against Sanduskey. Can we say covering his ass???

[Toughy]

Corbett was the DA who failed to bring charges against Sanduskey. Can we say covering his ass???

He was the state Attorney General. I don't think it was his jurisdiction to bring charges. I think it was the city/county DA that has jurisdiction and if I remember correctly that asshat investigated Sandusky long before the story broke and decided not to file charges.....until shit hit the fan in the media....Penn State has a long arm and as was pointed out BIG TIME BUCKS for football.

[dykeumentary]

I'm sure there is much more to this story than Rueters/Yahoo is posting in this report. The feminist in me fears the worst. Also, as someone who watches poor women's rights get trampled on, I guess I just wonder what worker at the Kansas Department of Children and Families gave this story to the press, and if that was legal. I assume they are poor because Medicaid must have been involved at the birth if they have a $6K bill, and need more help now. Aren't there privacy laws? Who benefits from selling this sad story.
I haven't seen a photo, but if she is a woman of color... Well we all know where this is headed.

They also make sure to mention the donor's working class job.

I also assume there was an agreement (that will be produced in court, but not reported by Yahoo) because they must have had the guy tested for HIV and other diseases before using the sperm.

And if there was no agreement and this poor women just put untested fluids into her body, then she might have mental/emotional problems (which should remain as private as any medical condition should). This is the kind of lurid "look at what stupid poor women do" that Jerry Springer and his ilk have made millions on.

I'm with the NCLR on this: let's apply the law fairly.

[Ginger]

Besides the agency's role, I'm not seeing enough to assume the mom is a victim, either of the guy who sold her the sperm or the agency hoping to facilitate her receipt of payment from him (it's clear they're behind it; I SO agree with you on that one). For all we know, she might be a very savvy woman making choices based on careful consideration of facts. But yeah, there's a lot left out and maybe we'll see it unfold!

[CherylNYC]

So if you donate sperm through a sperm bank or a licensed physician, depending on that state's laws, you are not liable financially for the child. That makes sense to me. Otherwise, no one would donate sperm. And besides, people seek anonymous donations of sperm in order to protect themselves from or simply avoid the sperm donor's intervention in their and the child's life. The donor can't demand parental rights and the recipient can't demand child support.

That seems fair.

I guess if you donate sperm informally, like this guy did on Craig's list, there's no way to prove what your agreement was—so you're not protected from the mom's claim down the road.

It's not like the mom is offering parental rights to him and in return, expecting payment. She just wants his money.

I don't think she should get it.

I wonder what the real story is, about their relationship—the mechanic, the women, and his wife, what was her role? Sounds like a good screenplay.

Neither mother sought financial support from the sperm donor. They all signed an agreement releasing the sperm donor from all rights and responsibilities for the future baby. Since it costs many thousands of dollars to obtain sperm from a sperm bank, I assume the mothers used Craigslist because they couldn't afford to use the state sanctioned method.

The state of Kansas is behind this idiocy, and I have no suspicions that either mother is working some savvy angle to get paid. The biological mother sought public assistance after the couple split up. Clearly, the non-biological mother should be tapped for child support, not the sperm donor.

[Nat]

If I have a kid, it will not be through an expensive sperm bank but some sort of similar agreement. I don't trust Texas judges to honor such an agreement, so the "father" would be left blank on the birth certificate and and the state will never be informed of the donor's name.

[firegal]

I,m thinking the "2" women who entered into this .....both of them should be responsible.

Kansas is a bit out there in this quest.... no offense to those that live there.

It also shows whats been happening in this sorry economy,folks/govt has been pulling out all stops and making some piss poor decisions in the name of saving/bringing in money!

[Ginger]

Neither mother sought financial support from the sperm donor. They all signed an agreement releasing the sperm donor from all rights and responsibilities for the future baby. Since it costs many thousands of dollars to obtain sperm from a sperm bank, I assume the mothers used Craigslist because they couldn't afford to use the state sanctioned method.

The state of Kansas is behind this idiocy, and I have no suspicions that either mother is working some savvy angle to get paid. The biological mother sought public assistance after the couple split up. Clearly, the non-biological mother should be tapped for child support, not the sperm donor.


Yes, I see what you mean.

[Ginger]

If I have a kid, it will not be through an expensive sperm bank but some sort of similar agreement. I don't trust Texas judges to honor such an agreement, so the "father" would be left blank on the birth certificate and and the state will never be informed of the donor's name.


It would be good if you could also verify he isn't HIV positive or whatever health things matter to you.

I would do a background check on him, too, but that's just me.

And I think your instinct not to trust a Texas judge is a good one...

Maybe talk to some expert? Not a lawyer, that would probably cost, but maybe someone who works in a clinic or something?

I don't know. This is all just off the top of my head.

Just saying the benefit of a sperm bank is the screening they do of the donors. Assuming they do...

I remember meeting these two women for dinner, I was with my partner at the time, and the women wanted a baby. They had a FedEx package with them, containing sperm from a bank in California.

I never had a strong urge to perpetuate my genetic material, not that there's anything wrong with that, so I never thought about sperm banks. There were times in my life I would have adopted, though. Especially an older kid.

Off topic. sorry. But breaking news is kind of a discussion starter, I think.

[Kobi]

I wish I knew how to multi-quote. Would make this easier.

Others seem to be seeing things in this article on the sperm donor that I dont.

I dont see anything about the lesbian couple breaking up or seeking state assistance because of a break up. It says. " in October, the state of Kansas filed a petition seeking to have Marotta declared the father of the child and financially responsible for her after the couple encountered money difficulties."

Every state has rules and regulations which govern the circumstances under which anyone can receive taxpayer aid. Each state exercises its own judgement as to how to pursue other potential avenues of support as a condition for assistance. Whether I like this or not is a moot point.

People applying for state assistance can sometimes be put between a rock and a hard place. You want assistance, you jump thu the hoops. If you dont jump thru the hoops, assistance is denied. Clearly, a difficult position to be in.

The law in Kansas is very clear. Use a sperm bank and the donor is protected. Dont use a sperm bank and you open yourself up to potential problems. Again, one doesnt have to agree with it.

I find it very odd that anyone would use Craigslist to find a sperm donor. I find it odder that anyone would actually answer such an ad.

I doubt if one can only afford 50 bucks for sperm, the likelihood that one can afford to have the donor tested for potential dieases and genetic problems, do a background check, and the other things one might want to know about, is slim to none.

I suspect if you cant afford the above, it is highly unlikely anyone consulted an attorney to be advised of the potential pitfalls in a private contract given the prevailing law or used an attorney to draw up the paperwork.

The comments suggesting an ulterior motive on the part of the biological mother and what seems to be a willingness to excuse the sperm donor feels misogynistic to me.

The entire story is odd to me. Then again, people never cease to amaze me.

[CherylNYC]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/william-marotta_n_2395412.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl6%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D251993

William Marotta, Kansas Sperm Donor To Lesbian Couple, Fighting Child Support Payments
By JOHN HANNA 01/02/13 10:51 PM ET EST



TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas man who donated sperm to a lesbian couple after answering an online ad is fighting the state's efforts to suddenly force him to pay child support for the now 3-year-old girl, arguing that he and the women signed an agreement waiving all of his parental rights.

The case hinges on the fact that no doctors were used for the artificial insemination. The state argues that because William Marotta didn't work through a clinic or doctor, as required by state law, he can be held responsible for about $6,000 that the child's biological mother received through public assistance – as well as future child support.

At least 10 other states have similar requirements in their laws, including California, Illinois and Missouri, the Kansas Department of Children and Families argued in a prepared court documents it gave to The Associated Press late Wednesday.

Department spokeswoman Angela de Rocha said that when a single mother seeks benefits for a child, it's routine for the department to try to determine the child's paternity and require the father to make support payments to lessen the potential cost to taxpayers.

Marotta, a 46-year-old Topeka resident, answered an ad on Craigslist in 2009 from a local couple, Angela Bauer and Jennifer Schreiner, who said they were seeking a sperm donor. After exchanging emails and meeting, the three signed an agreement relieving Marotta of any financial or paternal responsibility.

But the Kansas Department for Children and Families argues the agreement isn't valid, because instead of working with a doctor, Marotta agreed to drop off containers with his sperm at the couple's home, according to documents faxed to the Shawnee County District Court late Wednesday and provided to the AP.

The women handled the artificial insemination themselves using a syringe, and Schreiner eventually became pregnant, according to the documents.

Late last year, after she and Bauer broke up, Schreiner received public assistance from the state to help care for the girl.

"My ex-partner and I wanted to have a baby," Schreiner said in a written statement to the department in January 2012, also included in the department's latest filing. "We were a gay couple so we had a sperm donor."


In October, the department filed a court petition against Marotta, asking that he be required to reimburse the state for the benefits and make future child support payments. Marotta is asking that the case be dismissed, arguing that he's not legally the child's father, only a sperm donor. A hearing is set for Tuesday.

Marotta told The Topeka-Capital Journal that he is "a little scared about where this is going to go, primarily for financial reasons."

His attorney didn't immediately return a phone message Wednesday from The Associated Press, and there was no listing for his home phone number in Topeka. Listings for Schreiner and Bauer were either incorrect or out of service, and Schreiner did not respond to a message sent by Facebook.

The agreement signed by Marotta, Schreiner and Bauer in March 2009, said the women "hold him harmless" financially. The agreement also said the child's birth certificate would not list a father.

Under a 1994 Kansas law, a sperm donor isn't considered the father only when a donor provides sperm to a licensed physician for artificial insemination of a woman who isn't the donor's wife. The result is an incentive for donors and prospective mothers to work with a doctor, de Rocha said.

"I believe that is the intent of the law, so that we don't end up with these ambiguous situations," she told the AP.

Also, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled in October 2007 that a sperm donor who works through a licensed physician can't legally be considered a child's father – and doesn't have the right to visit the child or have a role in its upbringing – absent a formal, written agreement. But the case involved a sperm donor who was seeking access to a child but had only an informal, unwritten agreement with the child's mother.

Linda Elrod, a law professor and director of Washburn University's Children and Family Law program, said the law seems clear: Sperm donors who don't want to be held liable for child support need to work with a doctor.

"Other than that, the general rule is strict liability for sperm," said Elrod, who filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Supreme Court case.

____

[Ginger]

Thanks, Cheryl, that fills some of the gaps.

Hi, Kobi. You wrote:

"The comments suggesting an ulterior motive on the part of the biological mother and what seems to be a willingness to excuse the sperm donor feels misogynistic to me."

Now I see that the mom isn't behind the suit, it's the state agency (I still don't understand how it's "mysoginistic" of the state to file the suit, but I'll listen and stay open to that—maybe I'll change my mind when I hear more).

It appears the agency feels it has a legal wedge created by ambiguity in the law, and it's going to use it. Maybe the legislation will change to prevent it happening in the future.

Regarding the second part of what you wrote, I don't see how it's "mysoginistic" to "excuse" the donor from having to pay child support for a child he agreed to help create with $50-worth of sperm, no strings attached on either side, all parties on board with that.

(Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote?)

Assuming I didn't, all I can say is, I'll stay open and maybe when there's more information, I'll change my mind on that one.

And it doesn't matter.

Tuesday, the courts decide without our input :(

[Breathless]

Personally, I dont think he should be held responsible for support. My question is tho, and it comes from a suspicious place, if the mothers were not required to list a father on the birth certificate, and he was nothing more than a donor, how does the state know who the donor is? Who released that little tidbit of information? And what was the purpose? I feel there is a major part of this story missing. Did social services send a letter of demand of support to the other mother? And why the hell is she not standing up and assisting with the raising and financial needs of her child???

[Ginger]

Personally, I dont think he should be held responsible for support. My question is tho, and it comes from a suspicious place, if the mothers were not required to list a father on the birth certificate, and he was nothing more than a donor, how does the state know who the donor is? Who released that little tidbit of information? And what was the purpose? I feel there is a major part of this story missing. Did social services send a letter of demand of support to the other mother? And why the hell is she not standing up and assisting with the raising and financial needs of her child???

Yeah, you're right! Good questions. Who knows.

[Ginger]

January-03-13

House Lets Violence Against Women Act Expire

The House of Representatives let the Senate-approved bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) expire at the end of the 112th congressional session without ever seeing a vote. This is the first time VAWA has not been reauthorized since it was first passed in 1994.

The Senate approved the reauthorization of VAWA in April 2012 and included new provisions that would extend access to law enforcement and services for Native American women, better access for immigrant women who fear deportation if they report violence, and better access for LGBT victims.

The House drafted a second version of VAWA that excluded these new protections, the Cantor/Adams VAWA. The House passed the Cantor/Adams version of the bill, which was the first time a draft of VAWA had been approved by either chamber that narrowed or restricted protections.

Without approval by both the Senate and the House, the process of reauthorizing VAWA must start over with the new congressional session.

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) was one of the key sponsors of the bill in the Senate, and plans to reintroduce the bill in 2013. She issued the following statement regarding the failure of the House to reauthorize the bill, "The House Republican leadership's failure to take up and pass the Senate's bipartisan and inclusive VAWA bill is inexcusable. ...No matter how broad the bipartisan support, no matter who gets hurt in the process, the politics of the right wing of their party always comes first."

"I think they are still so kowtowing to the extreme on the right that they're not even listening to the moderates, and particularly the women, in their caucus who are saying they support this," Senator Murray told the Huffington Post.

In the almost 18 years since VAWA was initially passed, millions have benefited from its provisions. Between 1993 and 2010, the rate of intimate partner violence declined by 67%. VAWA established the National Domestic Violence Hotline, which receives over 22,000 calls each month and VAWA funds train over 500,000 law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and other personnel each year.

Media Resources: Guardian 1/2/2013; Huffington Post 1/2/2013; MSNBC 1/2/2013; Feminist Newswire 5/17/2012, 4/26/12

[Ginger]

January-03-13

Domino's Pizza Founder Wins Injunction Against ACA

Tom Monaghan, founder of the Domino's Pizza franchise, was awarded a temporary restraining order by a federal judge on Sunday against the provision under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires employers to provide birth control coverage.

Federal Judge Lawrence Zatkoff, who issued the temporary restraining order while Monaghan's lawsuit against the federal government is pending, supported his decision by claiming that Monaghan had "shown that abiding by the mandate will substantially burden his exercise of religion."

Monaghan, who is devout Catholic, filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the mandate requiring employers to provide coverage for contraception. Monaghan argued that contraception is not healthcare but a "gravely immoral" practice. His is among 11 other lawsuits pending against the federal government on contraception access.

Monaghan sold Domino's Pizza to Bain Capital in 1998, but is still owner of Domino's Farms Corp., a land management company in Michigan.

Media Resources: CNN 12/31/2012; Huffington Post 12/31/2012; Detroit News 1/1/2013



Birth control is "immoral"? This sickens me. This and the attack on Planned Parenthood in Texas, a ruling today leaving 50,000 women without a way to get inexpensive pap smears and other types of "well care."

[Kobi]

Thanks, Cheryl, that fills some of the gaps.

Hi, Kobi. You wrote:

"The comments suggesting an ulterior motive on the part of the biological mother and what seems to be a willingness to excuse the sperm donor feels misogynistic to me."

Now I see that the mom isn't behind the suit, it's the state agency (I still don't understand how it's "mysoginistic" of the state to file the suit, but I'll listen and stay open to that—maybe I'll change my mind when I hear more).

It appears the agency feels it has a legal wedge created by ambiguity in the law, and it's going to use it. Maybe the legislation will change to prevent it happening in the future.

Regarding the second part of what you wrote, I don't see how it's "mysoginistic" to "excuse" the donor from having to pay child support for a child he agreed to help create with $50-worth of sperm, no strings attached on either side, all parties on board with that.

(Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote?)

Assuming I didn't, all I can say is, I'll stay open and maybe when there's more information, I'll change my mind on that one.

And it doesn't matter.

Tuesday, the courts decide without our input :(


In referring to the almost misogynistic comments, I wasnt referring to the article. I was referring to the comments on the article questioning the motives of the biological mother. Presumptions were made or inferred about the woman.

It was very clear in the original article that the suit was brought by the state not the mother.

We also have no idea what the financial agreement or input is for the non-biological mother. The fact that the mother applied for state assistance implies neither mother had/has the financial resources to support a child at the time.

In referring to the donor, this is a little more complicated to explain. There was a legal method for him to protect himself. Ignorance of the law, attempting to circumvent the law, and failing to protect oneself does not and should not exempt one from the consequences of their actions. A private contract still needs to conform to and adhere to current and prevailing state law. Failing to do so, implies acceptance for the potential for unintended consequences. As such, to my way of thinking, the donor is not an "innocent victim" here.

The only "innocent victim" here is a 3 year old child in need of financial support.

Be interesting to see the results of this lawsuit.

[Ginger]

Kobi wrote:

"In referring to the donor, this is a little more complicated to explain. There was a legal method for him to protect himself. Ignorance of the law, attempting to circumvent the law, and failing to protect oneself does not and should not exempt one from the consequences of their actions. A private contract still needs to conform to and adhere to current and prevailing state law. Failing to do so, implies acceptance for the potential for unintended consequences. As such, to my way of thinking, the donor is not an "innocent victim" here."


Okay, well we see it really differently. But I'm listening to you.

[Kobi]

Kobi wrote:

"In referring to the donor, this is a little more complicated to explain. There was a legal method for him to protect himself. Ignorance of the law, attempting to circumvent the law, and failing to protect oneself does not and should not exempt one from the consequences of their actions. A private contract still needs to conform to and adhere to current and prevailing state law. Failing to do so, implies acceptance for the potential for unintended consequences. As such, to my way of thinking, the donor is not an "innocent victim" here."


Okay, well we see it really differently. But I'm listening to you.


LMAO. Someday we might see eye to eye on something.

[Ginger]

LMAO. Someday we might see eye to eye on something.



Actually, if I had to assign a percentage, I'd say we agree about 80% of the time.

That's pretty high, don't you think?

It's much more interesting when there's a little friction, a little spark, than constantly getting nods of approval, which never makes me articulate something and think deeper.

And I love responsible argument. Back in the day, I taught Logic & Rhetoric to college freshmen. I even tried to get work as a tutor to people trying to get their kids into tough schools and posted a flyer that said, "Your teenager knows how to argue. But can she write an argumentative essay?"

I thought I was really going to rake it in, charge those rich kids' parents through the nose for my services.

Didn't get a single call.

But I did love being in a classroom. I taught a semester at GWU, the semester of 9/11, and I have never seen more impassioned political writing than what those kids cranked out. I also found that the more I protected the conservative students who were getting bashed in class, the more liberal they became. I didn't intervene a lot except to keep it fair. As much as I could, and they started to sound like me, asking each other, What's your evidence? Then discussing if it's valid evidence.

I just had an awful fight with my sister today. A fight about something in the news. She adores a prison warden renown in his state for making the prisoners sleep in tents, not providing air conditioning in 128 degree heat, not allowing exercise, or GED classes. I was stunned that he was her "hero." It broke my heart.

I tried to write to her about it, and it enraged her. I kept looking at my tactics, thinking I had been even, I had been fair, but I just kept pissing her off more. I was stunned she wasn't more like the people on here. At least we try to be respectful in our disagreements and are careful to back up our claims. I was sad that I couldn't have with her, what I have on here. I'm still sad. I wish I hadn't challenged her.

Oh well. Back to breaking news.

[CherylNYC]

We also have no idea what the financial agreement or input is for the non-biological mother. The fact that the mother applied for state assistance implies neither mother had/has the financial resources to support a child at the time.

In referring to the donor, this is a little more complicated to explain. There was a legal method for him to protect himself. Ignorance of the law, attempting to circumvent the law, and failing to protect oneself does not and should not exempt one from the consequences of their actions. A private contract still needs to conform to and adhere to current and prevailing state law. Failing to do so, implies acceptance for the potential for unintended consequences. As such, to my way of thinking, the donor is not an "innocent victim" here.

The only "innocent victim" here is a 3 year old child in need of financial support.

Be interesting to see the results of this lawsuit.



I've read several articles so far, so I'm not perfectly sure where I read that the donor said he never even took the $50 offered for his services. He thought he was helping out a couple who wanted to have a baby. It's probably not relevant, but that article also said that he and his wife are childless, but have raised one foster child.

The child in this case is now three years old. The mothers most likely contacted the sperm donor at least four years ago. A lot has happened in that time that could have caused a family to seek public assistance, like a huge recession and the foreclosure crisis. It's really unfair to suspect that the mothers knew they couldn't support the child when they conceived. And, I'm sorry to say, jumping to that conclusion about a woman who has now become a welfare mother has an odour of misogyny to it. In my opinion, it's a little classist, too. Sometimes people fall on hard times and they need to go on welfare. It's not our place to judge.

It's unclear whether the biological mother sought public assistance before the couple split up. If, as one article inferred, the request for assistance came post split, there's no difference between her and any other woman left alone to take care of her child/ren after the husband/partner leaves. This is one of the biggest reasons why we have public assistance- So that children hopefully won't starve or freeze to death if their parents don't stay together.

Speaking of going on welfare, I don't know anything about how it works in Kansas, but if they're pursuing sperm donors to recover assistance grants to women with children, I'm going to feel safe assuming that Kansas requires welfare mothers to jump through a bunch of hoops in order to receive a grant. Breathless wants to know how the state of Kansas came to know the donor's identity. If a social worker questions a woman closely she could easily give up that information inadvertently. She might even have simply let it slip that the man was known to her, at which point the social worker might be required by state law to with hold the grant until she disclosed his name.

As for expecting the participants in this mess to know and abide by the law re:sperm banks and doctors, it's not something I would have known about. It's not strange to me that these people wouldn't have known, either. What's more, there have been cases in the past where single lesbians and lesbian couples have been denied access to private sperm banks. Those cases were in the midwest and bible belt, so it's possible that these women might have been turned away from legal avenues in Kansas even if they were wealthy enough to access them. Why is it OK for Melissa Etheredge to collect sperm from her buddy Steven Stills so her wife could make a baby, (or was it Graham Nash?), and not OK for two non-celebrity women to circumvent the sperm bank?

There are many potential victims if the sperm donor is tapped for child support. Every lesbian and gay family with children will be victimised and further marginalised if the court refuses to recognise the non-biological mother as the parent who they should be tapping for support. A decision recognising a sperm donor as the parent over the mother would further erode the status of all lgbt families in Kansas with one biological parent and one non-bio parent.

[Breathless]

You have made many good points Cheryl.

I am just a blunt type woman. I call it like I see it. We have kicked the state out of our bedrooms are so many other issues, as a parent myself, my first priority is to protect my child. If it came down to it, I would have claimed to have not known who the father was, to protect the gift I was given, by both the powers that be, and the gentleman who was willing to give of himself so that this family could have a child together.

It outrages me, that people wait for the courts to tell them to take care of the children they create. I understand that circumstances happen, that people lose their once secure jobs, and as a result their homes and livelyhood. But I tell you, I would rather starve myself, then allow my child to go without the necessities of life.

I am a strong believer, that if there is a will there is a way, and I too have had to live on nothing, and I made it work, because failure was not an option. I am no way trying to pass judgement on these women, as much as it might sound that.. that is what I am doing.. but I know my role in my childrens lives, and it is to protect them and love them no matter what, first and foremost, and that includes providing for them.

I have a hard time viewing this as anything other than a one irresponsible person not owning up to her responsibilities, the other with a big mouth kicking the gift horse in the teeth, all while calling themselves parents. Yes, he should have protected himself legally, he made a mistake there, and he is most likely going to have to pay for it.

This little girl is watching people fight about money, like she has a dollar value over her head, and who should have to pay for her, it breaks my heart.

[Ginger]

Yeah, it's sad, Breathless. However you look at it, it's a hard time for families.

[Okiebug61]

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/sworn-virgins-of-albania-slideshow/

[Sun]

So its ok for our people to serve in active duty and risk their lives, but its not ok to attend a support group with their spouse even when it is with others that they served with and would be to the benefit of their mental, emotional, and physical well being. Good to know.


Gay Military Spouses Face Fight for Acceptance (http://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Gay-military-spouses-face-fight-for-acceptance-4208592.php)

[Greyson]

So its ok for our people to serve in active duty and risk their lives, but its not ok to attend a support group with their spouse even when it is with others that they served with and would be to the benefit of their mental, emotional, and physical well being. Good to know.


Gay Military Spouses Face Fight for Acceptance (http://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/article/Gay-military-spouses-face-fight-for-acceptance-4208592.php)

I understand your frustration. This is yet another example of the reality of queer phobia. You know as an activist this double speak has been going on for generations. This particular incident is the Army leadership showing their true colors. The Marines had a similar situation going on but the Marines chose to stop playing games and do the right thing.

[Toughy]

It's ironic to me that the Marine Corps......the last bastion of the manly man.....would insist that all married soldiers be treated the same and have all services sponsored by the Corp available to all Marine families.

The Corps was the one everybody thought would have to be dragged kicking and screaming into this new (to the US) military world. Instead it's the Army that are assholes.

The Corp is providing the leadership needed to do this. The commanders got their orders and they are obeying them.....actually they are more than obeying orders...they are insisting that all soldiers and their families be treated equally.

Simper Fi to the Corps

[Okiebug61]

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-moves-enact-anti-gay-law-nationwide-125825051.html

[Soon]

http://news.yahoo.com/russia-moves-enact-anti-gay-law-nationwide-125825051.html

Levada polls conducted last year show that almost two thirds of Russians find homosexuality "morally unacceptable and worth condemning." About half are against gay rallies and same-sex marriage; almost a third think homosexuality is the result of "a sickness or a psychological trauma," the Levada surveys show.
Russia's widespread hostility to homosexuality is shared by the political and religious elite.

Lawmakers have accused gays of decreasing Russia's already low birth rates and said they should be barred from government jobs, undergo forced medical treatment or be exiled.

[Sun]

Breaking: Rhode Island - Marriage Equality bill makes it out of committee and is on its way to the House floor. Historic day for RI. Congratulations. One more state on the way to marriage equality.

[Sun]

I understand your frustration. This is yet another example of the reality of queer phobia. You know as an activist this double speak has been going on for generations. This particular incident is the Army leadership showing their true colors. The Marines had a similar situation going on but the Marines chose to stop playing games and do the right thing.

The Army Chaplains told the couple that they could attend. This was about trauma and emotional scars. What the hell? How can we let our soldiers down like that. This woman had a chance at healing some of those wounds with her partner and with the people that she served with. It is disgraceful. Shame on the Army for letting one of their own suffer.

This is just just as bad as the Government deporting Vets that are not US Citizens but served with honor. Yep, Google Brothers Velenzuela. Crazy infuriating. I get my Veteran friends all fired up on this one.

[Greyson]

This is just just as bad as the Government deporting Vets that are not US Citizens but served with honor.

Don't even get me going on this one. Our military lets them serve, knowing they are undocumented or their temporary documentation will expire while they are enlisted. Then after they have served honorably, deport them? I am pretty sure many fellow Americans do not know of this and will not believe it really does happen. Most that have served and are being deported are Latino/a.

[Ginger]

Don't even get me going on this one. Our military lets them serve, knowing they are undocumented or their temporary documentation will expire while they are enlisted. Then after they have served honorably, deport them? I am pretty sure many fellow Americans do not know of this and will not believe it really does happen. Most that have served and are being deported are Latino/a.


So discouraging to hear. At one time, enlisting was a way of ensuring citizenship. At least I remember that to be true when they were trying to recruit people to invade Iraq. That was ten years ago, though.

[Toughy]

It's just they are brown. Canadians (and other Anglos) serve in our military and get citizenship (dual) with no problem.

[Kobi]

A sperm donor has been ordered to pay child support for the biological daughter he fathered to a lesbian couple who found him via Craigslist.

Angela Bauer, 40, and partner Jennifer Schreiner, 34, placed an ad on the site three years ago for a donor which was answered by William Marotta.

Mr Marotta provided sperm which was used for artificial insemination by Ms Schreiner. In return, he gave up parental rights including financial duties for the child.

The three signed a legal document which stated Mr Marotta, a married mechanic who fosters children with his wife, would have no rights to the child.

The arrangement changed earlier this year when Ms Schreiner, the only parent registered on her daughter's birth certificate, applied for social welfare.

Ms Bauer had been supporting the child but was left unable to work due to ill health.

On October 3, 2012, attorney Mark McMillan filed a petition on behalf of the Department of Children and Families seeking a ruling that Marotta is the father of Schreiner's child and owes a duty to support her.

It said the department provided cash assistance totaling $189 for the girl for July through September 2012, and had paid medical expenses totaling nearly $6,000.

Schreiner had allegedly been put under pressure to reveal Mr Marotta's name so that her daughter could continue to have health care.

The legal agreement that the three made in 2009 was deemed invalid by Kansas state because they did not use a certified doctor for the insemination.

Hannah Schroller, Mr Marotta's attorney, argued that the case was consistent with a 2007 case in which the Kansas Supreme Court denied parental rights to a man who sought them after providing a sperm donation under similar circumstances.

A licensed physician performed the insemination in the 2007 case.
Schroller wrote that Marotta took the same actions as the man in the 2007 case did, and he - like that man - should be considered a sperm donor, not a father.

She stressed that sperm banks regularly ship donations for the intended purpose of artificial insemination within the United States and abroad to both residential and medical facility addresses.

Schroller argued in court documents that if a donor is free of parental responsibility only when a doctor performs an insemination, 'then any woman in Kansas could have sperm donations shipped to her house, inseminate herself without a licensed physician and seek out the donor for financial support because her actions made him a father, not a sperm donor.

'This goes against the very purpose of the statute to protect sperm donors as well as birth mothers'.

Ms Bauer and Ms Schreiner had been together for eight years and adopted eight children. They ended their relationship in 2010 but continue to co-parent their sons and daughters who range from three months to 25 years old.

The state of Kansas does not recognize same-sex unions, so each of their children was registered for adoption by a single parent.

A motion to dismiss the state's case will be heard in Shawnee County District Court on January 8.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2255241/Sperm-donor-ordered-pay-child-support-lesbian-couple-despite-giving-rights-child.html

---------------------------------------

The evidentiary hearing in the sperm donor case in Shawnee County District Court has been postponed from Tuesday to April. Oral arguments will be heard in June.

[Greyson]

Voice actor for Charlie Brown arrested in Calif.

The Associated Press
Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 - 7:21 am

SAN DIEGO -- Authorities in California say the voice actor who portrayed Charlie Brown in many "Peanuts" shows was arrested on charges that include stalking.

Robbins was the voice of Charlie Brown for TV specials, "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown."
http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/23/5134250/voice-actor-for-charlie-brown.html#storylink=omni_popular


Looks like it is time for Peppermint Patty to step in and top Charlie Brown, again.

[Allison W]

U.S. military opening combat positions to women. No shit.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/23/military-to-open-combat-jobs-to-women/

I'm almost inclined to think this is a big enough deal to deserve its own thread, but I may just have strong feelings on the issue.

[Corkey]

Women have been in position for years on the front lines, now they will get paid for it.

[LeftWriteFemme]

Ashley Furniture Shop Slapped With Lawsuit From Ex-Worker Allegedly Fired For Being A Lesbian



http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/22/ashley-furniture-lesbian-lawsuit-fired-gay-_n_2526855.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices

[Greyson]

U.S. military opening combat positions to women. No shit.

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/23/military-to-open-combat-jobs-to-women/

I'm almost inclined to think this is a big enough deal to deserve its own thread, but I may just have strong feelings on the issue.



Spring 1993, Vol. 25, No. 1

Women Soldiers of the Civil War
by DeAnne Blanton


The existence of soldier-women was no secret during or after the Civil War. The reading public, at least, was well aware that these women rejected Victorian social constraints confining them to the domestic sphere. Their motives were open to speculation, perhaps, but not their actions, as numerous newspaper stories and obituaries of women soldiers testified.

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-1.html



Women Soldiers of the Civil War, Part 2
by DeAnne Blanton

After the war, Cashier worked as a laborer, eventually drew a pension, and finally went to live in the Quincy, Illinois, Soldiers' Home. In 1913 a surgeon at the home discovered that Albert D. J. Cashier was a woman. A public disclosure of the finding touched off a storm of sensational newspaper stories, for Cashier had lived her entire adult life as a man. None of Cashier's former comrades-in-arms ever suspected that he was a she. Apparently, neither did the commandant at the Soldiers' Home. She died October 11, 1914 in an insane asylum.

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-2.html


Women Soldiers of the Civil War, Part 3
by DeAnne Blanton


Despite the fact that the U.S. Army did not acknowledge or advertise their existence, it is surprising that the women soldiers of the Civil War are not better known today. After all, their existence was known at the time and through the rest of the nineteenth century. Even though some modern writers have considered Seelye and Cashier, the majority of historians who have written about the common soldiers of the war have either ignored women in the ranks or trivialized their experience. While references, usually in passing, are sometimes found, the assumption by many respected Civil War historians is that soldier-women were eccentric and their presence isolated. Textbooks hardly ever mention these women.


http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1993/spring/women-in-the-civil-war-3.html

[LeftWriteFemme]

Connie Mack: You Can Legislate Morality When It Comes To Gays, But Not Guns



http://www.queerty.com/connie-mack-you-can-legislate-morality-when-it-comes-to-gays-but-not-guns-20130124/#WTZQ2zs7Sv8HktbW.99

[Allison W]

articles about women soldiers in the U.S. Civil War

I admit, one of the reasons I like that combat roles are being opened to women now is that it will not be something that can be neatly brushed under the rug and forgotten: it will be right in our culture's face. I look forward to the irreparable damage this will do to our culture's myths about women, like "a woman is peaceful and not violent" and "women, like children, are weak, passive victims and must be protected by men."

[DapperButch]

I just received this email from the World Professional Associattion of Transgender Health.




Dear WPATH members:

It is with great sadness that I share the news of the death of Dr. Leah Schaefer, a giant in our field and former WPATH (then HBIGDA) President from 1991 to 1995. I am including an obituary written by former Board member and Committee Chair Dr. Kit Rachlin.

Survivors include her beloved niece, Board member and Committee Chair Dr. Randi Ettner.

Leah was a remarkable woman and revered by many in our membership.

In the words of President-Elect Jamison Green, " We are all impacted by the loss of her intellect, warmth, humor, and kindness, as well as her fierce support of our collective work and the dignity of transsexual and transgender people".

Dr. Leah Cahan Schaefer obituary by Dr. Kit Rachlin:

Dr. Leah Cahan Schaefer died last night after a long illness. Leah was a pioneer in the field of gender and sexuality. She was a founding member of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association (today, WPATH) and was an author of the first five versions of the Standards of Care. She was a two-time President of HBIGDA and a President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. Her doctoral dissertation, and book, Women and Sex was groundbreaking in its frank portrayal of female sexual experience. As a gender specialist in private practice in New York City she shared her compassion and wisdom with thousands of individuals. She was the custodian of Harry Benjamin's files and her private and professional papers are at the Kinsey Institute Library. She will be deeply missed by her friends, family, and colleagues. Funeral Services will be held at 9:30 in the morning on Monday, January28th at the Plaza Memorial Chapel between 90th and 91st Streets in Manhattan. Plaza Jewish Community Chapel. | 630 Amsterdam Avenue at 91st Street New York, NY10024 212.769.4400, Shiva will held on Monday evening between 5:00-9:00 at 285 River Side Drive apartment 15A at the corner of 101st Street.

Lin

Lin Fraser EdD
WPATH President __________________
-Dapper

[LeftWriteFemme]

Wynne makes history as first openly gay premier in Canada


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/wynne-makes-history-as-first-openly-gay-premier-in-canada/article7894440/

[Okiebug61]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/boy-scouts-end-ban-gays-193808487.html

[Ginger]

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/boy-scouts-end-ban-gays-193808487.html

I know, right? Maybe now they will have a Tolerance badge.

[Greyson]

Yesterday the Senate and President made public their proposed immigration reform. They are two separate proposals. I want to alert our community to the fact that the Senate Proposal does not include visas and permanent residency (Green Card) for Same Sex Couples. President Obama's

It is my hope, each of us will contact our US Senators and ask why this is the case and recommend it be included in the Senate recommendations for Immigration reform.

__________________________________________________ ___________

Similarities and differences between Obama, Senate proposals

January 30, 2013 by swyatt11


SAME-SEX COUPLES
Senate:

— Does not include a provision allowing sponsorship of a same-sex partner.

Obama:

— Allows U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor a visa for a same-sex partner.



http://21border.com/2013/01/30/similarities-and-differences-between-obama-senate-proposals/#more-3051

[Ginger]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/02/04/malala-speaks-publicly-for-the-first-time-since-her-attack-video/

[Toughy]

One of the carry over policies from Bush Jr. This side of Obama is very very troubling.........


Bipartisan Group of Senators Seeks Legal Justifications for the Deliberate Killing of Americans

http://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/bipartisan-group-of-senators-seeks-legal-justifications-for-the-deliberate-killing-of-americans-


Wyden Statement on DOJ Memo on the Killing of Americans During Counterterrorism Operations:

http://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-statement-on-doj-memo-on-the-killing-of-americans-during-counterterrorism-operations

[Dante]

We knew it was coming. No more mail delivered on Saturdays by the US Post Office, except for packages, effective on August 1st, I believe.

[Toughy]

This is happening completely because Congress has fucked the post office for years............the Republicans want to privatize a perfectly good cost efficent government run program..........asshats

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-saturday-mail-delivery-end-postal-service-20130206,0,3214004.story

[Toughy]

Here is an excellent article about how the Post Office got to this point:

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/05/26-1

[Dante]

Meanwhile , in So Calif, we have this former LAPD cop on the loose, who has killed a cop and apparently plans to do a whole lot of killing. He has an "agenda". 3 people dead so far. He contacted Anderson Cooper of CNN , Huge manhunt under way and he apparently is in a remote area lying in wait. shakin head.....so much killing enough enough

[Greyson]

I was reading more on this current news story and was surprised to read this ex LAPD officer had specifically referred to lesbian officers in supervisory positions in his manifesto. (See below. He also included other groups.)

Apparently Dorner sees lesbian officers in supervisory positions as misandry and not feminism. In my thinking if he sees feminism as misandry he is feeling threatened. Is it really a fine line or ?

__________________________________________________ _______

From: Christopher Jordan Dorner /7648

To: America

Subj: Last resort

Regarding CF# 07-004281


Those Caucasian officers who join South Bureau divisions (77th,SW,SE, an Harbor) with the sole intent to victimize minorities who are uneducated, and unaware of criminal law, civil law, and civil rights. You prefer the South bureau because a use of force/deadly force is likely and the individual you use UOF on will likely not report it. You are a high value target.

Those Black officers in supervisory ranks and pay grades who stay in south bureau (even though you live in the valley or OC) for the sole intent of getting retribution toward subordinate caucasians officers for the pain and hostile work environment their elders inflicted on you as probationers (P-1′s) and novice P-2’s. You are a high value target. You perpetuated the cycle of racism in the department as well. You breed a new generation of bigoted caucasian officer when you belittle them and treat them unfairly.

Those Hispanic officers who victimize their own ethnicity because they are new immigrants to this country and are unaware of their civil rights. You call them wetbacks to their face and demean them in front of fellow officers of different ethnicities so that you will receive some sort of acceptance from your colleagues. I’m not impressed. Most likely, your parents or grandparents were immigrants at one time, but you have forgotten that. You are a high value target.

Those lesbian officers in supervising positions who go to work, day in day out, with the sole intent of attempting to prove your misandrist authority (not feminism) to degrade male officers. You are a high value target.

Those Asian officers who stand by and observe everything I previously mentioned other officers participate in on a daily basis but you say nothing, stand for nothing and protect nothing. Why? Because of your usual saying, ” I……don’t like conflict”. You are a high value target as well



http://ktla.com/2013/02/07/read-christopher-dorners-so-called-manifesto/#axzz2KT7GqnW2

[Allison W]

words about this Dorner guy

Dammit and for a while there I thought this whole escapade was really kind of fascinating in a morbid, "Will this progress until he gets the military chasing him down like some kind of bizarre real-life Grand Theft Auto analogue?" way. And now this shit.

That said, solely on a hunch, I get a vague and probably unreliable impression that he doesn't see himself as opposing feminism per se, but that he had a bad interaction with a female superior and got the (probably erroneous) idea that she hates him for being male. While I don't know what actually happened, of course, this guy is unstable and probably has a persecution complex. I'd wager there's a good chance he read something into such an interaction that wasn't there, or he pissed her off and in his head he just sort of conjured "misandry" as a reason for her disliking him, or she was feeling short-tempered about that whole "male privilege" thing that day, or she simply called him out on or disciplined him for some bullshit of his (possibly male-privilege-related) and he took it as a personal attack. None of which justifies his pissy attitude, but I'm one of those people who looks for context in all the wrong places, so.

[Greyson]

That said, solely on a hunch, I get a vague and probably unreliable impression that he doesn't see himself as opposing feminism per se, but that he had a bad interaction with a female superior and got the (probably erroneous) idea that she hates him for being male.

You may be correct. I read the entire manifesto and have been following this story. At first I thought the woman who was on patrol with him and allegedly kicked the cuffed suspect in the face might be a lesbian, but upon further reading it looks like she was heterosexual and going through a break up/divorce with a male partner.

I personally believe some of Dorner's recollections did take place. However, it is not a pass for murder. It just really struck me as odd and sadly familiar how a lesbian with some perceived power or real power, her actions are seen as misandry and most likely suspect to be a "man hater."

[alexri]

This was a total surprise. A pope has not resigned since 1415.

Disclaimer- I am not Catholic, though my family raised me with that religion. I left it in college. But I still have some mixed feelings about this, and wonder what the future is regarding a lot of issues.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/11/world/europe/pope-benedict-resignation/index.html

Rome (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI will resign on February 28, his spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told CNN Monday.

The 85-year-old pope is resigning "because of advanced age," Benedict told the cardinals of the Catholic Church on Monday.

"Strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me," the pope told the cardinals, according to the Vatican.

[jac]

This was a total surprise. A pope has not resigned since 1415.

Disclaimer- I am not Catholic, though my family raised me with that religion. I left it in college. But I still have some mixed feelings about this, and wonder what the future is regarding a lot of issues.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/11/world/europe/pope-benedict-resignation/index.html

Rome (CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI will resign on February 28, his spokesman Father Federico Lombardi told CNN Monday.

The 85-year-old pope is resigning "because of advanced age," Benedict told the cardinals of the Catholic Church on Monday.

"Strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me," the pope told the cardinals, according to the Vatican.

Yeh this has me a bit piffed right now. I too am not a practicing Catholic but was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. Hardcore. My mom has pictures hanging on the wall where my grandfather is seated with popes. My grandfather was a tour guide in the Holy Lands for many many years and so I was raised with all these known understandings of what is expected in the church and of a pope.

That his reasoning is "because of advanced age" doesn't cut it with me and I can bet a million bucks my mom will have much to say about this. She had her doubts about this pope from day one. A pope reigns till death. Age is not a reason to resign....

I really don't want to be judgemental about this decision of his. If he has any doubts of his ability to reign then he really doesn't need to be sitting in the Vatican. I have to let this go....

The oldest reigning pope was Pope Leo XIII - age 93yo.

[alexri]

Yeh this has me a bit piffed right now. I too am not a practicing Catholic but was raised in the Roman Catholic faith. Hardcore. My mom has pictures hanging on the wall where my grandfather is seated with popes. My grandfather was a tour guide in the Holy Lands for many many years and so I was raised with all these known understandings of what is expected of a pope.


Something just seems weird that it would also happen during Lent.

[Toughy]

The Pope resigns and good riddance to a former Nazi and a known, proven pedophile protector.

This resignation comes as a new HBO documentary is released about the extent of pedophilia in the Catholic Church and the extent of the cover-up by this Pope and previous ones. "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God" begins its enraging journey by introducing the crimes of the Rev. Lawrence Murphy, who molested hundreds of boys under his care at St. John's School for the Deaf in Milwaukee.

If in the 60s, 70s, the Church had not excommunicated all of the priests and nuns who followed Liberation Theology teachings, there might be a chance this institution (and all Christianity) could vault itself into the 21st century.

[MsTinkerbelly]

Outgoing DOD boss Panetta extends some benefits to same-sex spouses, partners of gay troops

By Bill Briggs, NBC News contributor

Departing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta extended Monday a list of benefits — all previously denied by the Pentagon — to the same-sex spouses of service members as well as to the unmarried partners of gay troops.

The perks, automatically available to heterosexual military spouses, will include hospital child care services, hospital visits, and the issuing of military ID cards, which will give same-sex spouses and partners access to on-base commissaries, movie theaters and gyms. The policy changes will go into effect once training on the new rules is completed, Panetta said.

While advocates for gay and lesbian service members and their families hailed Panetta’s policy switch as “substantive” and “encouraging,” the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) still blocks the DOD from enacting more than 85 other benefits now provided to heterosexual military spouses and their children — most notably medical and dental care, housing allowances, and death benefits.


Also, as NBC News reported Feb. 4, that same federal law mandates that when a gay service member is killed in combat, military officials must first notify that troop’s blood family, not their spouse, as is normally the course of action.

Panetta said DOMA is “now being reviewed by the United States Supreme Court" — and he offered his first clear signal that the Pentagon wants that law overturned.

“There are certain benefits that can only be provided to spouses as defined by that law,” Panetta said. “While it will not change during my tenure as secretary of defense, I foresee a time when the law will allow the department to grant full benefits to service members and their dependents, irrespective of sexual orientation. Until then, the department will continue to comply with current law while doing all we can to take care of all soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and their families."

Same-sex advocates have been pushing the DOD to extend full benefits to the spouses and partners of all U.S. service members since the repeal 17 months of ago of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which prohibited gay troops from revealing their sexual orientation.

“At the time of repeal, I committed to reviewing benefits that had not previously been available to same-sex partners based on existing law and policy,” Panetta said. “It is a matter of fundamental equity that we provide similar benefits to all of those men and women in uniform who serve their country ...

“Taking care of our service members and honoring the sacrifices of all military families are two core values of this nation. Extending these benefits is an appropriate next step under current law to ensure that all service members receive equal support for what they do to protect this nation."

Advocates for gay and lesbian service members and their families praised Panetta’s policy shift although they said that the move is not groundbreaking due to the DOMA legal blockade.

“Secretary Panetta’s decision today answers the call President (Barack) Obama issued in his inaugural address to complete our nation's journey toward equality, acknowledging the equal service and equal sacrifice of our gay and lesbian service members and their families,” said Allyson Robinson, an Army veteran and executive director of OutServe-SLDN, an association of actively serving lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender U.S. military personnel with more than 50 chapters and 6,000 members.

“We thank him for getting us a few steps closer to full equality — steps that will substantively improve the quality of life of gay and lesbian military families,” Robinson said.

The American Military Partner Association (AMPA), a support network for LGBT military families, released the following statement today in response to Panetta's announcement:

“We’ve waited far too long for this, and it’s fantastic news that our dedicated military families will now have access to some of the benefits and support services they need and deserve,” said Stephen Peters, the group's president. “However, (DOMA) continues to undermine our military families who sacrifice so much for our nation. This summer, we hope that the Supreme Court will make it clear that our families are just as important and deserve the same protections, benefits, and support that federal recognition brings.”

To offer the new benefits to partners, DOD will ask gay and lesbian service members to sign a “Declaration of Domestic Partnership” in which they will attest that they are in a committed relationship, and intend to remain so indefinitely, and that neither is legally married, according to OutServe-SLDN.

The changes will take “several months to complete, Pentagon officials said. The extra time is needed so that military leaders can offer a chance for the public to comment on the new rules and also to allow an opportunity for each of the branches to update its IT system, develop new processes for issuing ID cards, and train their personnel on the refreshed benefits package.

Panetta did stop short on offering a full slate of benefits that gay advocates have been requesting for two years: on-base housing and burial at Arlington National Cemetery and other items that don’t fall under DOMA, according to OutServe-SLDN. (The organization’s lawyers drafted an explanation outlining the policy shift for gay service members and their families.)

DOD officials have explained to OutServe-SLDN that “policy for burial at Arlington National Cemetery is under review. At issue is how to verify eligible same-sex relationships for the surviving spouse in order to ensure equitable policy implementation."

[CherylNYC]

The Pope resigns and good riddance to a former Nazi and a known, proven pedophile protector.

This resignation comes as a new HBO documentary is released about the extent of pedophilia in the Catholic Church and the extent of the cover-up by this Pope and previous ones. "Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God" begins its enraging journey by introducing the crimes of the Rev. Lawrence Murphy, who molested hundreds of boys under his care at St. John's School for the Deaf in Milwaukee.

If in the 60s, 70s, the Church had not excommunicated all of the priests and nuns who followed Liberation Theology teachings, there might be a chance this institution (and all Christianity) could vault itself into the 21st century.

The Liberation Theology movement was the last moment of social relevance for the Catholic Church. When he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, this pope in his role as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, (also known as the Holy Roman Inquisition. Yes, really.), was fully responsible for the above-mentioned excommunications. Not surprising for someone who was a member of the Nazi Party. I wonder if he's feeling.... guilty?

[Toughy]

The Liberation Theology movement was the last moment of social relevance for the Catholic Church. When he was still Cardinal Ratzinger, this pope in his role as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, (also known as the Holy Roman Inquisition. Yes, really.), was fully responsible for the above-mentioned excommunications. Not surprising for someone who was a member of the Nazi Party. I wonder if he's feeling.... guilty?

He is running from the HBO documentary as well. How in the hell are the going to find a Cardinal that is not tainted by pedophilia and ignoring the social justice teachings of their Jesus the Christ?

[Dante]

Thanks for this info. I am taping it on HBO.

[dreadgeek]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/north-korea-nuclear-test_n_2666319.html

This is not smart on the part of Pyongyang. When China has gotten tired of them (and they have) you know they've gone too far. I say that simply because China has been a loyal ally of North Korea and are, pretty much, the only friend the North has left.

Cheers
Aj

[Toughy]

love the sinner but hate the sin and try to have a segregated Prom


A group of students and parents at Sullivan High School in Sullivan, Ind., have banded together to push for a “traditional” prom that would prohibit their lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered classmates from attending.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/02/11/indiana-high-schoolers-push-to-ban-gay-classmates-from-traditional-prom/#ixzz2KhnKcV3e

[Toughy]

WATCH: Montana TV Station Warns of ‘Zombie Apocalypse’

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/02/12/montana-tv-station-warns-of-zombie-apocalypse/#ixzz2KhnyTI7z

[starryeyes]

Awesome! But I would have been scared if I heard that while watching TV... LMAO

[Greyson]

Pastor in same-sex parent dispute remains jailed
By WILSON RING, Associated Press
Thursday, January 31, 2013

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — A pastor was taken back to jail Thursday for continuing to refuse to tell a grand jury what he knows about a woman who fled the country to escape a custody dispute with her former lesbian partner.


Miller told the judge that the week he has spent in jail has strengthened his resolve that his beliefs require him to follow God's law when they conflict with civil law. He said he is willing to pay the price, even if it means more time in jail.

"If I were to bring testimony against a fellow member of Christ's kingdom, for honoring Christ's kingdom's laws, I would be disloyal to his kingdom and to Christ," Miller said.



http://www.sfgate.com/news/crime/article/Pastor-in-same-sex-parent-dispute-remains-jailed-4238106.php#ixzz2KiXa0ClM

[Kobi]

Alaska environmental regulators say Nestle Prepared Foods Co. has issued a recall of Lean Cuisine mushroom ravioli after consumer reports that glass shards were found in the product.

Officials say affected packages of Culinary Collection Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli with the UPC number 13800-58358 and production codes of 2311587812 and 2312587812. Both codes have a "best before" date of December 2013.

It was distributed in November.

Officials say there have been no reports of injuries or illnesses.

Consumers who may have the recalled Lean Cuisine dish should not eat it, but instead contact Nestle Consumer Services at (866) 586-9424 or leancuisine@casupport.com.

Nestle will provide a replacement coupon to reporting consumers and also may make arrangements to retrieve the product for further examination.

Read more: http://www.wcvb.com/news/money/Glass-shards-prompt-recall-of-Lean-Cuisine-ravioli/-/9848680/18517164/-/qo8oyv/-/index.html#ixzz2KiodruVd

[starryeyes]

Chris Dorner is apparently surrounded in Big Bear. He had 2 female hostages, one escaped and alerted police. Chris shot 2 more officers when he was approached. I'm scared to see how this ends.

[Greyson]

Lesbian Couple Denied Wedding Cake Accept Celebrity Baker’s Offer


A lesbian couple who were denied a wedding cake by an Oregon bakery have accepted a sweet offer from ”Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman.

The celebrity baker offered the brides-to-be a free wedding cake after they were shunned by an Oregon baker who said he does not serve same-sex marriages.


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/02/lesbian-couple-denied-wedding-cake-accept-celebrity-bakers-offer/

[Semantics]

Lesbian Couple Denied Wedding Cake Accept Celebrity Baker’s Offer


A lesbian couple who were denied a wedding cake by an Oregon bakery have accepted a sweet offer from ”Ace of Cakes” star Duff Goldman.

The celebrity baker offered the brides-to-be a free wedding cake after they were shunned by an Oregon baker who said he does not serve same-sex marriages.


http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/02/lesbian-couple-denied-wedding-cake-accept-celebrity-bakers-offer/

I love Duff Goldman so much.
Just when I thought he couldn't get any more awesome.

[DapperButch]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/wendi-kali-photographer-l_n_2669934.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular

[Toughy]

I am stunned beyond belief. This is true. The Catholic Church is in deep shit.


Pope Benedict resigned to avoid arrest, seizure of church wealth by Easter
Posted on February 13, 2013 by itccs

Diplomatic Note was issued to Vatican just prior to his resignation

New Pope and Catholic clergy face indictment and arrest as "Easter Reclamation" plan continues

A Global Media Release and Statement from The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State

http://itccs.org/2013/02/13/pope-benedict-resigned-to-avoid-arrest-seizure-of-church-wealth-by-easter/

[Toughy]

Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War It airs Monday Feb 18 at 9pm ET/ 6pm Pacific.

Join Rachel Maddow for the step-by-step true story of how the American people were sold on the Iraq war.


http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3036750/ns/msnbc-documentaries/#50810559

[Toughy]

And don't get me started on those asshat treasonous Senate Republicans filibustering Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary.........the FIRST time in history this has ever happened. No up or down vote period.

*insert many words not used in polite company*

[Corkey]

And don't get me started on those asshat treasonous Senate Republicans filibustering Chuck Hagel as Defense Secretary.........the FIRST time in history this has ever happened. No up or down vote period.

*insert many words not used in polite company*

Tell me about it, I'm full of expletive deleted's about this.

[Toughy]

Tell me about it, I'm full of expletive deleted's about this.


There is a thread about the Church and Uganda. and queers. I posted my link there also

[Kobi]

I am stunned beyond belief. This is true. The Catholic Church is in deep shit.


Pope Benedict resigned to avoid arrest, seizure of church wealth by Easter
Posted on February 13, 2013 by itccs

Diplomatic Note was issued to Vatican just prior to his resignation

New Pope and Catholic clergy face indictment and arrest as "Easter Reclamation" plan continues

A Global Media Release and Statement from The International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State

http://itccs.org/2013/02/13/pope-benedict-resigned-to-avoid-arrest-seizure-of-church-wealth-by-easter/


On a quick search, I cannot find anything that legitimizes the ITCCS or the International Common Law Court of Justice.

What I did find was pretty much their own rhetoric on multiple website derivatives which read a lot like The National Enquirer.

Has anyone found anything that leads them to believe either of these organizations are viable? A force to be reckoned with? Has any legitimate power?

[Toughy]

I must confess I did not do my usual diligent research before posting that little tidbit. Now that I have I have to agree with you Kobi..........I'm not sure this is anything but a crack pot.

mea culpa

[Kobi]

I must confess I did not do my usual diligent research before posting that little tidbit. Now that I have I have to agree with you Kobi..........I'm not sure this is anything but a crack pot.

mea culpa


Toughy, np. Just couldnt and still cant figure out what either of these organizations might be. Was just wondering if someone found something that might shed some light on them.

[Sparkle]

I've seen these articles pop up as well.

I do not question Ratzinger's culpability, but there is no proof (so far as I am aware) that he, himself, abused a child/children.

That does not make him less culpable.

In fact I would say he is far more culpable because he has colluded and lead a widespread cover up the extent of the sexual abuse that has happened in the church for decades (and sadly, probably centuries). And this cover up not only demeans its victims but allows it to continue.

And there is considerable proof that he has had a direct hand in doing that during his tenure as Cardinal and as Pope Benedict.

Ratzinger headed up the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the organization (in the church) responsible for dealing with the sexual abuse cases.

And it is very likely he has met with the Italian President before/since announcing his resignation, but the nature of those meetings is speculative at best.

There have been multiple cases filed against the Church and against Pope Benedict IX/Cardinal Ratzinger for his role in covering up the abuse cases.

There is a significant case that was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights a little over a year ago, and that is the legal case to watch. It was filed with the Hague as a "Crime Against Humanity" (as it should be!).
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/13/pope-crimes-humanity-victims-abuse

But until his resignation is complete the Pope has immunity from prosecution as a the head of a sovereign state.

The question after his tenure is complete... will he leave Vatican City?

If he does leave Vatican City there is no doubt he will face legal action. But the extent to which they go after him personally, remains to be seen.

Victims, organizations supporting the victims and their litigators really want to hit the Church itself. When he ceases to be the leader of the Church, his value as a legal target is significantly reduced; both symbolically and financially.

If he does not leave the Vatican City, I am not sure if he can be successfully prosecuted. As far as I am aware Vatican City (an independent sovereign state) does not have extradition treaties with any country. As leader of the sovereign state, obviously, he was not going to approve his own extradition; but I'm pretty certain no incoming Pope would approve his extradition either if Ratzinger remained in the VC to avoid prosecution.

It will be interesting, indeed, to see how it all plays out.

[Sparkle]

My personal (conspiracy) theory is this:

I think Ratzinger's resignation is purposeful. I think the plan is for him to martyr himself for the church.

Ratzinger as Cardinal and as Pope has lead the church in dealing with the sex abuse cases, and he's done everything he can to protect the name of the Church and put the Church above the victims.

The Catholic Church is in the worst position in terms of PR, in terms of "membership" and in terms of international support -- that it ever has been in, in the entirety of it's history...and *that* is saying something because it has a long gory history of murder and theft on an international scale.

But the sex abuse cases have not been squelched, despite the Church's best efforts. The predators have, for the most part, not been brought to justice and the Church has not been made accountable in any real or substantial way; and yet the victims keep coming forward and the cases keep mounting and it is impossible for the international community to ignore.

This is a case of the masses truly turning the tide, I believe; leading a revolution really. The threat to the Church is that serious, and they know it. And they are far too clever to go down in a blaze of paparazzi flash bulbs during international tribunals.

I think Ratzinger will resign, I think he will leave the protection of VC and I think he will make himself the kingpin for the legal cases. He's 85, he's in ailing health; he is unlikely to live to see the end of legal battles of this size.
Make no mistake, the Church is still on trial, but while there is a "face" to the evil, the public will be focused on him. (and oh, he has a perfect face for this kind of thing, doesn't he? he oozes evil.)

And while Ratzinger sits it out in international court and in front of the AP; the Church distances itself from Ratzinger and all those "bad guys", and begins its own campaign, with a new puppet, to improve its image and standing in the world.

[Kobi]

*Looks at Sparkle and smiles.*

As a recovering Catholic with some knowledge of the Bible, it kind of amazes me how scandals of any sort seem to fit a familiar pattern - scandal erupts, scapegoat must be found, scapegoat must be sacrificed, the sacrificial lamb symbolicly brings atonement and justice (whatever that might be), and on and on it goes.

The process of atonement and justice is reminescent of the Roman coliseums with man against man or man against beast for the entertainment of the masses. In some weird way, the masses find justification and absolution in this process. Kind of a bizarre cleansing ritual where we feel elevated above our human flaws that make such scandals and despictable behavior possible in the first place. Kind of a holier than thou kind of thing.

I often wonder how many times we have each had to make decisions where our values and ethics were challenged by something outside of ourselves? How often does our workplace demand a loyalty and a way of doing things which compromises us? How many times do the various laws of the land put us in conflict? How many times have we done the wrong thing for what seemed at the time to be the right reasons? How many times did we have the courage to say NO and face the consequences of doing so?

It aint easy being a people. Sometimes we are spectacular. Sometimes we suck. Sometimes we even defy words or descriptions. Sometimes life seems to be a reality show.

Do we have the right to judge? To speculate? I dunno. Is more of a question day than an answer day.

[Nat]

Y'all watching the Russian meteorite stuff? Awesome Dashcam vids

[Linus]

There are a few other videos/photos here: http://zyalt.livejournal.com/722930.html?nojs=1 (may take time to load).

One of the shots shows the back end of the zinc factory and it appears that something went through it (either result of the sonic boom or physical damage from meteorite piece(s) )

[ruffryder]

MOSCOW (AP) --
A meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over Russia's Ural Mountains with the power of an atomic bomb Friday, its sonic blasts shattering countless windows and injuring nearly 1,000 people.

The spectacle deeply frightened many Russians, with some elderly women declaring that the world was coming to an end.

The meteor - estimated to be about 10 tons - entered the Earth's atmosphere at a hypersonic speed of at least 54,000 kph (33,000 mph) and shattered into pieces about 30-50 kilometers (18-32 miles) above the ground, the Russian Academy of Sciences said in a statement.

Amateur video broadcast on Russian television showed an object speeding across the sky about 9:20 a.m. local time, just after sunrise, leaving a thick white contrail and an intense flash.

Rest of story here Meteor falls in Russia (http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2013/2/15/400_injured_by_blasts_as_meteor_falls_in_Russia.ht ml)

Comes as DA14 comes close to Earth later in the day today.

on.rt.com "If it were to hit the Earth, it could blast a crater with a force equivalent to hundreds of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima.

The last time an object of a size similar to DA14 hit the earth was also in Russia, in what is known as the Tunguska event.

However, both objects pale in comparison to the 6-mile-wide asteroid that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs some 66 million years ago."

Check out Asteroid 2012 DA14 LIVE from Samford Valley Observatory in Australia here http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2

[maryam]

I think the most interesting thing about the news the past few days is the way the conspiracy theorists and "End of Days" crowd are tying the Pope, the comet and the meteor together. (That sounds like the beginning of a bad joke. "A Pope, a comet and a meteorite all walk into a bar"...) I am not either of the above, but I do watch them closely for two reasons. I'm fascinated by psychology of the groups (especially comparing the way the mass responds to something as opposed to the individual) and because I feel, as a member of a marginalized group, (or two!) that for the safety of my friends and loved ones, I have to keep a weather eye out for the crazy. In this, I suppose I am a prepper. I am not afraid of the end of the world, but I am concerned about the rampaging hordes reacting en mass to a perceived threat to humanity. So I make sure we have groceries and an escape route planned...:byebye:

So anyway, the Pope resigns, for whatever reason (I'm kind of buying into the martyr thing, but I'm not committed to that yet. Gotta wait and see) but he was a placeholder Pope. The Church is swinging more conservative, and in some ways, he was liberal enough to get the nod from the less conservative Bishops 8 years ago. He then began appointing more conservative Bishops, who will make the next Pope. Many of the End of Days Crowd who think we've entered the Revelation, say that the second to last Pope was supposed to be preparing for the AntiChrist Pope, who then unite the nations, bring peace to the Middle East before it all goes to heck. According them, Benedict was the Second to Last Pope and the next elected Pope is the AntiChrist. Some blogs have been saying for weeks that the comet passing us today is another Sign, and the meteorite in Russia is just more proof. The end of the world is coming, folks.

This is like people watching at the mall, in a train wreck sort of way.

I don't buy any of the second paragraph above, aside from the fact that the there's more to Benedict's resignation than meets the eye. I do think he was supposed to move the Church in a more conservative direction, and that he hasn't succeeded as well as he thinks he did. I see a schism in the making. Some will claim that's a Win as the people who formally separate will make their own Church and be out of their hair, but it's a Phyrric victory at best.

[Toughy]

Somebody I know pointed out that in the movies, the President is black when some meteor (or other huge disaster) comes crashing to earth......oopppssss

Over in the 'pope kills gays' thread somebody (sorry) posted a Reuters link and another link that is on the edges of this.

I so want this to be true (nailing the Church) hence I did not check very well.......dammitt.....:koolaid:

[Toughy]

Where is Aj? She explains stuff really well (that was horrible english...lol). If I remember there are a whole mess of little meteors or asteroids or chunks of rocks that accompany the big daddy meteor.. and is what exploded over Russia......that is how they work I believe.

NASA swears the big daddy will not hit earth.

[Toughy]

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

This is better than the Ustream because it has way more information. They say the meteor is unrelated to the big daddy named "2012 DA14".

[dreadgeek]

Where is Aj? She explains stuff really well (that was horrible english...lol). If I remember there are a whole mess of little meteors or asteroids or chunks of rocks that accompany the big daddy meteor.. and is what exploded over Russia......that is how they work I believe.

NASA swears the big daddy will not hit earth.

So Asteroid 2012 DA14 made its closest pass to Earth about 11:43 Pacific today. The meteor that exploded over Russia had nothing to do with the asteroid it just so happens that the two objects were in close proximity to Earth at the same time. That actually isn't all that rare.

Generally, Toughy, anything that makes it this far into the system is going to be pretty much a whole chunk, at least until it hits atmosphere. What happened with the meteor in Russia is that it did not actually hit the ground in one big chunk. As these things are measured it was pretty small (about the size of a bus and weighing about 7000 pounds) It exploded about 30 miles up and released the energy equivalent to about 20 Hiroshima sized bombs (~320 kilotons of TNT) but most of that was absorbed by the atmosphere. What actually hit the ground were smaller fragments that were left when the meteor exploded.

I think what you're thinking of is what happened when Comet Shoemaker-Levy slammed into Jupiter. That was different for a couple of reasons. The first and most important here is that Jupiter is HUGE. It would take 11 Earths lined up side-by-side to stretch across Jupiter's diameter. It would take 1321 Earths to equal the volume of Jupiter. It would take 122 Earths, flattened out, to cover the surface of Jupiter. It would take 318 Earths to equal the mass of Jupiter. It's gravity at the surface (if it had a surface which it doesn't) would be 2.5 times that of Earth. I say that because in order to understand what happened to Shoemaker-Levy you need to have a sense of scale. Jupiter quite literally tore the comet apart as it approached the big planet. It's called tidal forces. For reasons I won't get into now and even though you don't realize it, there is slightly *more* gravity pulling on your feet than on your head. You don't realize it because the difference is very slight because Earth doesn't have the mass to have strong tidal forces (this is different than the tides). Jupiter, on the other hand, has sufficient mass for tidal forces to be noticeable to something like a comet that has been captured in its orbit. So the head of the comet felt more of Jupiter's gravity than the end of the comet and it ripped the comet apart. The pieces then fell into Jupiter over the course of a few days.

The meteor that exploded over Russia did so not because of our gravity but because of our atmosphere. It hit the atmosphere doing about Mach 50 (50 times the speed of sound or 33000 miles per hour. To give you a sense of scale, the Space Shuttle would reenter at ~17500 or Mach 25. The fastest true airplane built so far is the SR-71 Blackbird which would get up to ~Mach 4). When it hit the atmosphere that fast it heated up very quickly. When things heat up, they expand. You get the idea. Typically this is the fate of most objects that enter our atmosphere.

The *really* big stuff are the rocks that actually make it through our atmosphere and hit the ground. To give you a sense of scale, the rock that exploded today was about 49 feet wide. The asteroid that passed close by was about 150 feet across. The rock that delivered the coup de grace to the dinosaurs 65 million years ago was about 6 miles across! There was enough of it when it hit the ground that it took a chunk out of what is now Eastern Mexico and vaporized it!

If anyone has other questions about either the asteroid or the meteor explosion I'll do my best to answer them.

Cheers
Aj

[Toughy]

Thank you Aj.......and yes it was that comet I was thinking of.....

[maryam]

And another meteor in California! This one didn't impact the ground, but was really bright.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Watch-Fireball-Streaks-Across-Bay-Area-Sky-191508391.html

[Toughy]

FreedomWorks produces a Hillary and a fake Giant Panda oral sex video. The executive VP of FreedomWorks was in this video.

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/02/freedomworks-panda-hillary-clinton-sex-video-response-investigation

[Greyson]

I agree with one of the comments made regarding the article. Most likely this will be spun into some plot the democrats came up with to destroy Freedomworks.

Shaking my head. If I had any allegiance with the Tea Party, I would want some explanations, take names, put great distance between these idiots and everything they stand for.

Actions like this also tell me these little dweebs are really feeling threatened and scared by a strong, articulate, intelligent woman, Hillary.

[Lady Pamela]

Mindy Mccready dies...

http://www.theboot.com/2013/02/17/mindy-mccready-dead-dies?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-nb%7Cdl1%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D271812





.

[femmeInterrupted]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/brazil/9005835/Loggers-burned-Amazon-tribe-girl-alive.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/amazon-girl-burned-alive-by-loggers-one-story-among-hundreds-of-unreported-deaths/2012/01/12/gIQAnbWatP_blog.html

[Smiling]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343902


I am by no means a physicist, but it had never occurred to me to think that the Universe wouldn't have an end (at least as it pertains to the way we know it now). However, I am absolutely riveted [and simultaneously a little unnerved] by the complexity and possibilities of this machine!

[Toughy]

In CA sexual orientation and sexual identity are included in the protected classes ....meaning you can't discriminate based on those things.......there is a long ass list for CA in addition to the Federal protected classes. Sexual orientation and sexual identity are not included in the federal classes.

Boy Scouts could lose tax break for gay ban
Wyatt Buchanan
Updated 11:21 pm, Tuesday, February 19, 2013

California would strip the tax-exempt status from youth organizations like the Boy Scouts if they have policies that bar gay people from participating, under a bill introduced at the Capitol Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Boy-Scouts-could-lose-tax-break-for-gay-ban-4292197.php#ixzz2LTqt7SCU

[Smiling]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57570542-504083/ron-kronenberger-ohio-landlord-whipped-tenant-for-falling-behind-on-rent-police-say/

I don't even know where to begin...
SMH.

[Kobi]

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57570542-504083/ron-kronenberger-ohio-landlord-whipped-tenant-for-falling-behind-on-rent-police-say/

I don't even know where to begin...
SMH.


Um, why am I thinking there is a LOT more to this than meets the eye?

[Smiling]

I wish I could organize my thoughts regarding this story. I think I could write a book about all the issues touched on [possibly; because you are correct that we don't have the full story] in this article.

[SF_Boi]

I don't understand what the issue is? It takes a village to raise a 29 year old.

[Smiling]

I don't understand what the issue is? It takes a village to raise a 29 year old.

Hi SF_Boi,


The first issue is that this man felt empowered to (not use the court system), but to "discipline" his tenant who [allegedly] was afraid of ramifications. (Why does the landlord feel it is within his rights to do so?)

The second issue is that it (I am not saying you specifically, but comments I read in some of the papers that picked up the story) are making light of the story. (I confess, I laughed at first). I think this sort of thing makes victims reluctant to come forward.

The landlord was quoted (by the tenant; so allegedly) as saying "If you are going to act like a child, I am going to treat you like one" which implies that he feels it is acceptable to do that to a child.

Again, we don't have all the facts and maybe I am just reading too much into it, but I found this to be laden with problems.

[Kobi]

Hi SF_Boi,


The first issue is that this man felt empowered to (not use the court system), but to "discipline" his tenant who [allegedly] was afraid of ramifications. (Why does the landlord feel it is within his rights to do so?)

The second issue is that it (I am not saying you specifically, but comments I read in some of the papers that picked up the story) are making light of the story. (I confess, I laughed at first). I think this sort of thing makes victims reluctant to come forward.

The landlord was quoted (by the tenant; so allegedly) as saying "If you are going to act like a child, I am going to treat you like one" which implies that he feels it is acceptable to do that to a child.

Again, we don't have all the facts and maybe I am just reading too much into it, but I found this to be laden with problems.


I was a wee bit more stumped by this:

"An Ohio landlord is accused of whipping a tenant with a belt on his bare buttocks for falling behind on his rent."


And then I found this article:


Landlord Ron Kronenberger whipped one of his tenants after the man failed to pay his rent on time. The tenant submitted to the punishment as a way of compensating for the delay in payment. Kronenberger used a belt to do the deed.

The incident in question took place in Waynesville, Ohio, at Hometown Marketplace, a supermarket owned by Kronenberger

According to The Inquisitr, the 29-year-old tenant owed Kronenberger $2,800 in back rent. When the tenant stopped by the office at the supermarket, he took off his pants and let Kronenberger whip him four times on his naked backside.

http://www.opposingviews.com/i/oddball/landlord-ron-kronenberger-whips-tenant-over-late-rent#


*raises eyebrow and refrains from comment*

[Toughy]

'Gender And Sexual Diversities,' Or GSD, Should Replace 'LGBT,' Say London Therapists

Could "LGBT" one day become "GSD"? A London-based advocacy group certainly hopes so.

Pink Therapy director Dominic Davies and fellow therapist Pamela Gawler-Wright suggested GSD, or "Gender and Sexual Diversities," as a more inclusive community term in a new video posted on the group's Facebook page.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/25/gender-and-sexual-diversities-gsd-lgbt-label-_n_2758908.html?ir=Gay+Voices

[Nat]

I wouldn't mind moving from alphabet soup but I'm not keen calling myself a "diversity" nor do I prefer using terms that emphasize sex over other elements that make up orientation. We are already overly sexualized in the public sphere. I hate it when I hear people talk about "what people do in the privacy of their own bedroom" as though that's the sum total of what LGBQ folks are.

[Kobi]

I wouldn't mind moving from alphabet soup but I'm not keen calling myself a "diversity" nor do I prefer using terms that emphasize sex over other elements that make up orientation. We are already overly sexualized in the public sphere. I hate it when I hear people talk about "what people do in the privacy of their own bedroom" as though that's the sum total of what LGBQ folks are.


Was thinking something similar. Makes it sound like people are being grouped into 2 categories i.e. cis and hetero or some kind of diverse. Kind of like a "separate but equal" gender/sexual orientation thing - and we know how well that worked out in race relations.

I am not fond of grouping gender with sexual orientation. And something about gender/sexual diversities is a little to close to gender/sexual deviancy or dysphoria.

I dont know if continuing to see ourselves as "separate from" or "different from" is advantageous or empowering. Just seems to be another way of reinforcing the status quo.

[dreadgeek]

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/343902


I am by no means a physicist, but it had never occurred to me to think that the Universe wouldn't have an end (at least as it pertains to the way we know it now). However, I am absolutely riveted [and simultaneously a little unnerved] by the complexity and possibilities of this machine!

I find this scenario for the end of the universe rather interesting. The two scenarios that I've been most familiar with--heat death and the Big Crunch have nothing on this. The first, heat death, is a consequence of the universe expanding. Since *most* of the universe is spreading out away from most of the rest of the universe (here I'm largely talking about galaxies) at some point these objects will get so far away from one another that they are no longer visible. The night sky on any given planet would be largely just darkness because there would be nothing else within a planet's 'light cone' (the distance where light can still be viewed from a distant source).

The Big Crunch (which I don't know if anyone even talks about it any longer) is just a reverse of the Big Bang. Since gravity is *always* attractive, eventually all the mass in the universe would pull on all the other mass in the universe eventually resulting in the universe collapsing in on itself. I believe that given the expansion of the universe that is very unlikely to happen.

This idea that a tear in space-time will destroy the universe is intriguing.

Cheers
Aj

[Kobi]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday passed and sent to President Barack Obama a far-reaching extension of the Violence Against Women Act. The vote came after House Republican leaders, cognizant of divisions in their own ranks and the need to improve their faltering image among women voters, accepted a bill that cleared the Senate two weeks ago on a strong bipartisan vote.

The bill renews a 1994 law that has set the standard for how to protect women, and some men, from domestic abuse and prosecute abusers. Thursday's 286-138 vote came after House lawmakers rejected a more limited approach offered by Republicans.

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-passes-bill-renewing-anti-violence-law-170141520.html

[Jesse]

rPMM5_h7NIg

[AmazonWoman1]

8 Year old Indigenous girl burnt alive
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...irl-alive.html



They need to start some kind of prosecution for companies & their people that are looting the Amazon.These barbarians burnt a forest!!!!That ought to be dealt with extremely harshly.Not just for the murder but the loss of forest ,rare life both floral & fauna as well as just a way of life.That is intolerable to me.That ought to be a hate crime.They are trying to force the indigenous people out.

[Tommi]

APA Claims: "No Scientific Basis For Prohibiting Same-Sex
Marriage, Key Associations Argue"

Leading Mental Health Groups File Briefs in Supreme Court Cases Challenging Defense of Marriage Act, California's Proposition 8

WASHINGTON - There is no valid scientific basis for denying same-sex couples the right to legal marriage, or to deprive them of considerable benefits of the institution, according to legal briefs filed with the U.S. Supreme Court by the American Psychological Association and other leading mental health associations.

"Empirical research demonstrates that the psychological and social aspects of committed relationships between same-sex partners largely resemble those of heterosexual partnerships," the briefs state. "Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples form deep emotional attachments and commitments. Heterosexual and same-sex couples alike face similar issues concerning intimacy, love, equity, loyalty and stability, and they go through similar processes to address those issues."

Denying recognition to legally married same-sex couples stigmatizes them, according to the "friend of the court" briefs filed in the cases of Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenges California's Proposition 8, and U.S. v. Windsor, which challenges the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Perry is slated to be argued before the court on March 26; Windsor will be argued on March 27.

The briefs cite empirical scientific evidence that demonstrate that "homosexuality is a normal expression of human sexuality, is generally not chosen and is highly resistant to change."

Likewise, "there is no scientific basis for concluding that gay and lesbian parents are any less fit or capable than heterosexual parents, or that their children are any less psychologically healthy and well-adjusted," according to the briefs.

"In drawing conclusions, we rely on the best empirical research available, focusing on general patterns rather than any single study," the briefs state. All the studies cited in the brief were critically evaluated to assess their methodology, including the reliability and validity of the measures and tests employed, and the quality of data-collection procedures and statistical analyses.

APA President Donald N. Bersoff, PhD, JD, noted that the association has a long history of supporting equal access to legal marriage based on years of scientific research. "There is no scientific basis for denying marriage to same-sex couples particularly when research indicates that marriage provides many important benefits," Bersoff said. "The research shows that same-sex couples are similar to heterosexual couples in essential ways and that they are as likely as opposite-sex couples to raise mentally healthy, well-adjusted children."

Joining APA in filing the Windsor and Perry briefs were: the American Academy of Pediatrics; American Medical Association; California Medical Association; American Psychiatric Association; American Psychoanalytic Association; and National Association of Social Workers.

Also joining the Windsor brief were: the New York City and New York state chapters of the National Association of Social Workers and the New York State Psychological Association. Also joining the Perry brief were the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy; the California Chapter of NASW and the California Psychological Association.

________________________________
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 137,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.


________________________________

www.apa.org<http://www.apa.org/>

[Tommi]

GLMA Files Amicus Briefs in Marriage Equality Cases

On February 26, 2013, GLMA submitted friend-of-the-court briefs to the US Supreme Court, providing our expertise as health professionals to the Court and proudly joining a chorus of organizations and individuals in support of marriage equality.

GLMA’s amicus briefs in Hollingsworth v. Perry (challenge to California’s Proposition 8) and United States v. Windsor (challenge to federal DOMA, the so-called Defense of Marriage Act) highlight for the justices the scientific and clinical evidence that sexual orientation is an innate human characteristic.

The briefs cite decades of studies of sexual orientation establishing that genetic, hereditary, hormonal and biological influences are major factors in determining sexual orientation. The briefs also show how the evidence used by supporters of Proposition 8 and DOMA to show that sexual orientation is not innate is scientifically unreliable or wholly misconstrued.

Finally, the briefs explain how “sexual orientation is an innate human characteristic that deserves the full and equal protection of the law,” and ask the Supreme Court to uphold lower court rulings that Prop 8 and DOMA are unconstitutional.

GLMA recognizes Boston-based law firm, Sullivan and Worcester LLP, and partner Nick O’Donnell, for representing GLMA in these matters. GLMA also owes a debt of gratitude to past president Kate O’Hanlan for her significant contributions to the briefs.


Health and Marriage Equality
GLMA’s 2008 publication, Same-Sex Marriage and Health, documents the large body of scientific research indicating that the denial of marriage rights to gay men and lesbians can negatively impact their health and well-being and that of their children.

Hollingsworth v. Perry
After a narrow majority of California voters in 2008 passed Proposition 8, taking away the freedom to marry from California same-sex couples, the American Foundation for Equal Rights was formed to file a federal court challenge. In 2010, the US District Court of Northern California held a 13-day trial. On August 4, 2010, the District Court issued a sweeping and historic rulingthat Prop. 8 is unconstitutional. The decision was affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

United States v. Windsor
Edie Windsor – represented by the ACLU and NYCLU – was forced to pay more than $360,000 in federal estate taxes after her beloved spouse Thea Spyer died in 2009. Edie and Thea were together for more than 40 years; after a decades-long engagement, they were finally able to legally marry two years before Thea’s death. If Edie and Thea had been a married straight couple, Edie would not have owed any estate taxes after Thea’s death. Edie challenged Section 3 of DOMA, which defines marriage as between “a man and a woman” for federal laws and programs. A federal district court and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals declared DOMA unconstitutional.

http://www.glma.org/

[Kobi]

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Lech Walesa, the democracy icon and Nobel peace prize winner, has sparked controversy and outrage in Poland by saying that in his view gays have no right to a prominent role in politics and that as a minority they need to ‘‘adjust to smaller things’’ in society.

Some commentators are now suggesting that Walesa, the leading figure in Poland’s successful democracy struggle against communism, has irreparably harmed his legacy.

Walesa said in a television interview on Friday that he believes gays have no right to sit on the front benches in parliament and, if there at all, should sit in the back, ‘‘or even behind a wall.’’

‘‘They have to know that they are a minority and adjust to smaller things, and not rise to the greatest heights,’’ he told the private broadcaster TVN during a discussion of gay rights. ‘‘A minority should not impose itself on the majority.’’

In some ways the uproar says as much about Poland today as it does about Walesa — or possibly more. Walesa, Poland’s first democratic-era president, is a deeply conservative Roman Catholic and a father of eight who has never advocated progressive social views.

The democracy he helped create in 1989 from the turmoil of strikes and other protests has, however, been undergoing a profound social transformation in recent years.

A key symbol of the change in this European Union member is a new willingness to tackle gay rights — long a taboo subject. In 2011, the first openly gay lawmaker and the first transsexual were elected to parliament in historic firsts for the country. The two have become a constant presence in the public eye since, while lawmakers have recently been debating a civil partnership law. Though lawmakers struck down three proposals for such a law recently, the discussions continue.

Some predicted the consequences for Walesa’s comments on gays could be serious.

A national committee devoted to fighting hate speech and other crimes filed a complaint with prosecutors on Sunday in Gdansk, Walesa’s home city, accusing him of promoting a ‘‘propaganda of hate against a sexual minority.’’

Others questioned whether he would continue to be considered a moral authority at all despite his past achievements.

Walesa is no longer active in Polish political life, though he is often interviewed and asked his opinion on current affairs, like on Friday, when he was asked about his views on civil partnerships and a new public gay rights campaign. Much of his time is spent giving lectures internationally on his role in fighting communism and on issues of peace and democracy.

Some Polish commentators questioned whether anyone would consult him as a moral authority now.

‘‘From a human point of view his language was appalling. It was the statement of a troglodyte,’’ said Jerzy Wenderlich, a deputy speaker of parliament with the Democratic Left Alliance.

Now nobody in their right mind will invite Lech Walesa as a moral authority, knowing what he said,’’ Wenderlich said.

Some, however, said they were not surprised by Walesa’s words.

‘‘I am surprised that only now we are noticing that Walesa is not in control of what he says and that he has views that are far from being politically correct,’’ said Adam Bielan, a conservative Polish member of the European Parliament.

- See more at: http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/2013/03/03/lech-walesa-shocks-some-poles-with-anti-gay-words/Jla1Wr9sap86hw3bO0IfoO/story.html#sthash.GR6P7ig2.dpuf

[femmeInterrupted]

http://images.sciencedaily.com/2013/03/130303172640-large.jpg


Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins University today described the first documented case of a child being cured of HIV.
The landmark findings were announced at the 2013 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta, GA.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130303172640.htm