THREE COMMIT SUICIDE AT GUANTANAMO

This makes me sick sick sick..... I'd like to know HOW they committed suicide. We all know why.....no rights, no charges against them, no hope for a trial or ever being released. I don't use the word hate often, but I do hate George Bush. I don't think we'll ever recover from the damage he's done. God help the next President, who will have a massive amount of cleaning up to do.


MIAMI (Reuters) - Three foreign prisoners being held at the U.S. navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, died on Saturday in apparent suicides, the first since it started to be used as a prison in January 2002, the U.S. military said.

"Two Saudis and one Yemeni, each located in Camp 1, were found unresponsive and not breathing in their cells by guards," U.S. Southern Command said in a statement.

Read the full article here

Question Girl

MORE DATA STOLEN

This isn't even funny anymore. Is there anything this administration can't fuck up, including the lives of our veteran's and federal employees? Our government is riddled with incompetence. The king of keeping us safe with his illegal wiretaps can't even keep his own employee's information safe.


Data stolen at nuclear agency
1,500 Social Security numbers hacked

By H. Josef Hebert
The Associated Press
Posted June 10 2006


WASHINGTON · A hacker stole a file containing the names and Social Security numbers of 1,500 people working for the Energy Department's nuclear weapons agency.

But in the incident last September, somewhat similar to recent problems at the Veterans Affairs Department, senior officials were informed only two days ago, officials told a congressional hearing Friday. None of the victims was notified, they said.

Read the rest here

Question Girl

APPEALS COURT BACKS BUSH ON WIRETAPS

These are scary times we're living in. Kiss your freedoms and rights good bye....one by one by one.....



Appeals Court Backs Bush on Wiretaps

By PETE YOST
Associated Press Writer
Posted June 10 2006, 7:39 AM EDT


WASHINGTON -- A federal appeals court sided with the Bush administration Friday on an electronic surveillance issue, making it easier to tap into Internet phone calls and broadband transmissions.

The court ruled 2-1 in favor of the Federal Communications Commission, which says equipment using the new technologies must be able to accommodate police wiretaps under the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, known as CALEA.


Read the full story here

Question Girl

STORM WATCH

Here we go..... tis the season. The waters of the Atlantic in South Florida are 89 degrees. It amazes me the water gets that warm. But it does. I imagine the waters of the Gulf are about the same temperature. The warmer the water, the greater the threat of hurricanes forming in them.

First tropical depression of year forms

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

And so it begins. The first tropical depression of the 2006 season formed this morning in the northwestern Caribbean, and folks in the eastern Gulf of Mexico are warned to monitor its progress. The depression could become Tropical Storm Alberto later today.

Read and track here

Question Girl

THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGING!

My friend forwarded this email to me. He works for a major multi-national corporation. I was thrilled that this company would see fit to send this to it's employees. I find it interesting that this was sent out the same week that the Republicans pulled their ban gay marriage crap. Anyway......to my gay friends.....the times, they are a changing!! Oh, also... I noticed the Notable GLBT people has none listed. Don't know what's up with that. Fill in the blanks, perhaps!




Diversity
06/08/2006 04:48 PM

To: All ________ US Employees
cc:
Subject: June Spotlight - Gay & Lesbian Pride Month


Please Post and Distribute

Please take all of the following actions to communicate the message below
to all of your U.S. employees.

Post copies at your location
Fax a copy with posting instructions to your other locations
Forward copies of this to your employees


“The clear trend in American business is toward greater acceptance
and inclusion of GLBT employees and consumers."

—Daryl Herrschaft, director of the Workplace Project for the Human Rights
Campaign.
The Associated Press, March 14, 2006


June is the designated month for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender
(GLBT) pride. This month recognizes the contributions of gay and lesbian
Americans and raises awareness about the struggle against intolerance. It
also commemorates a historic event known as the Stonewall Riots. On June
27, 1969, police raided Stonewall Inn, a gay bar, in Greenwich Village, New
York. The raid provoked three nights of rioting, which in turn spurred the
organization of gays and lesbians across the country in fighting
discrimination. In June 1999, on the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall
incident, President Clinton issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring
June as Gay and Lesbian Pride month. In the spirit of honoring equality
and freedom, President Clinton said,"I encourage all Americans to observe
this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities that
celebrate our diversity, and to remember throughout the year the gay and
lesbian Americans whose many and varied contributions have enriched our
national life."

The total number of GLBT people in the United States is estimated to be
between 13 million and 17 million, according to major studies on the group.
Depending on the source, GLBT people represent anywhere from 3 percent to
10 percent of the total U.S. population. Both market researchers and
social science researchers believe this is a conservative estimate of the
actual GLBT population, since there is no way to derive a true count given
the challenge of relying on self-identification to tabulate the counts.
In 2002, GLBT adults totaled $451 billion in combined buying power and are
projected to reach $608 billion by 2007, a cumulative increase of more than
34 percent from 2002. The latest projection was developed by Witeck-Combs
Communications and MarketResearch.com.


According to Witeck, growth in the GLBT market is fueled in part by a
number of factors, including, the increased visibility of GLBT people over
time as society becomes more accepting, as well as incremental increases in
the number of households that identify as GLBT. Witeck said, "I've always
felt that there was an undercount [of GLBT households], and the
implications for the group's impact on the economy is underquoted."
According to data from the Census 2000, gay and lesbian households were
reported in virtually all counties in the United States, with same-sex
couples residing in 99.3 percent of all counties across America. The
report revealed that the mean income of gay men and lesbians in 2002 was
$38,431 and is projected to reach $46,757 by 2007.


In recent years, GLBT workers have lobbied for and received more fair
treatment in the corporate environment, resulting in an increased number of
companies that include non-discrimination policies that explicitly protect
GLBT employees. According to the Human Rights Campaign, a Washington,
D.C.-based advocacy group, 296 companies on the Fortune 500 list currently
have policies that address sexual orientation, while 172 Fortune 500
companies offer domestic-partnership benefits. By translating this
corporate citizenship into marketing strategies, businesses also express
how much they value their gay customers and shareholders.

__________, an equal opportunity employer, provides domestic partner health
insurance benefits (same-sex and opposite), has a written
non-discrimination policy covering gender identity and sexual orientation
in its employee handbook and offers diversity training that promotes
inclusiveness of all employees.

DiversityInc magazine publishes diversity related news content occurring in
the business world. Each year, the magazine showcases companies considered
diversity leaders in the market that successfully recruit diverse
employees, particularly people of color and gays/lesbians. These companies
instill a culture where employees feel comfortable and creative, and are
motivated to reach their potential. In their list of the top 50 companies
for diversity, the top ten companies listed below indicated they actively
recruited GLBT employees, had non-discrimination policies including sexual
orientation, and offered domestic-partnership benefits for same-sex
couples:

No. 1: Xerox

Also No. 4 on the Top 10 Companies for African Americans list and one of
DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies.

A longtime national leader of GLBT issues, Xerox tracks gay and lesbian
businesses in its supplier diversity database, includes sexual
orientation as well as gender identity in its published EEO statement
and lists GLBT awards in the employment section of its Web site. The
company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 2: JPMorgan Chase

Also No. 11 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list,
No. 3 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 6 in the Top
10 Companies for Latinos and No. 3 in the Top 10 Companies for Executive
Women.

Also a long-time national leader, the bank's supplier diversity page
includes its certification by the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce. It has emphasized its desire to reach gay and lesbian
borrowers and its nondiscrimination policy includes gender identity.
The company has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 3: AT&T

Also No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention, No. 4 in
the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women, No. 4 in the Top 10 Companies
for Latinos, No. 5 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 2
on the Top 10 Companies for African Americans list and one of
DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies.

The company, formed by the merger of SBC Communications and AT&T, has a
strong affinity group for GLBT employees and has made substantive
philanthropic donations to the community. The company has a 100 percent
HRC rating.

No. 4: Hewlett-Packard

Also No. 9 in the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity, No. 1 on the
Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans list, and No. 31 on The
DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

This company has a strong Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Pride
group and includes gender identity and expression on the
nondiscrimination page of its Web site. The company has a 100 percent
HRC rating.

No. 5: Bank of America

Also No. 25 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list
and No. 8 on the Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity list.

With a strong GLBT employee group, Bank of America has a long history of
commitment to community. The bank has sponsored local events and the
national Human Rights Campaign dinner for several years. It has also
provided financial support to PRIDEcelebrations and GLBT expositions. A
PRIDE credit card returns income to community organizations.

No. 6: Ernst & Young

Also No. 24 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

The accounting giant has an active GLBT affinity group and has made
substantial philanthropic contributions to groups such as the LA Gay &
Lesbian Center and Out & Equal. The firm has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 7: SunTrust Banks

Also No. 28 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list.

The bank has sponsored Gay Pride events to show its community support
and strongly emphasizes gender identity and no discrimination based on
orientation. The bank has a 100 percent HRC rating.

No. 8: Deloitte

The accounting firm, which recently conducted a national survey of the
GLBT community with Lambda Legal, has long been an advocate of equality
in the workplace regardless of orientation or gender identity.

No. 9: Cingular Wireless

Also No. 15 on The DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity list,
No. 2 on the Top 10 Companies for People With Disabilities list, No. 1
on the Top 10 Companies for Latinos and No. 9 in the Top 10 Companies
for Executive Women.

With a strong GLBT employee group, GLBT-Pride, the company has been
recognized by The Advocate and other gay and lesbian organizations for
its support.

No. 10: Safeco

The Seattle insurance giant has marketed to the GLBT community, has a
GLBT employee group, and has made substantive philanthropic donations to
the community.

Did you know?

As of Dec. 31, 2004, 14 states and the District of Columbia had civil
rights laws that protect all gay, lesbian and bisexual workers within
their borders from discrimination. In early 2005, two states passed
similar laws - Illinois and Maine - bringing the total to 16 states
covering sexual orientation, with six of these also including protection
for transgender individuals. An additional 11 states prohibit sexual
orientation discrimination against state employees, and three of these
include protection for transgender state employees. Louisiana added
such a policy in 2004.

October 11th is “National Coming Out Day.” This day commemorates
October 11, 1987, when the largest gay and lesbian gathering of its time
took place to protest against anti-gay discrimination and demand a
stronger federal government response to the AIDS crisis.


The 2000 U.S. Census reported 601,209 total gay and lesbian families.
(304,148 gay male families and 297,061 lesbian families).


May, 2004 - When GSociety, a Miami- and Hollywood, Calif.-based media
and entertainment company catering to gay and lesbian consumers, merged
with Capital Development Venture Group, the surviving entity became the
first publicly traded company to focus exclusively on the gay and
lesbian market.


The original gay pride flag was hand-dyed by a San Francisco artist,
Gilbert Baker, and consisted of eight stripes of hot pink, red, orange,
yellow, green, turquoise, indigo and violet. According to Baker, the
colors represent, respectively: sexuality, life, healing, sun, nature,
art, harmony and spirit. In 1979, the flag was modified and currently
displays six stripes representing the six colors (red, orange, yellow,
green, blue and purple) of the rainbow symbolizing the diversity and
pride of the GLBT community.


The reasons behind what makes a person gay or lesbian have been
speculated for a very long time. Most theories have centered on the
genetic makeup of a person or their upbringing. Scientific research
results, however, lean in favor of the theory that people are born
either gay or lesbian.


Living a double life is a hardship that no human being should have to
endure. Many gay, lesbian and bisexual people have to hide their
lifestyle from their families, friends and peers at work. In fact, more
than 40% of gay, lesbian and bisexual people lie about their true sexual
orientation to at least one co-worker.


Despite the gains in acceptance, a new study from Harris Interactive and
Witeck-Combs reveals that there’s still much ground to cover. According
to the study, many GLBT workers continue to confront workplace
discrimination and hostility. Nearly 40% of GLBT workers surveyed said
they consistently face some form of hostility or harassment on the job.
Additionally, almost one out of every 10 gay or lesbian adults said they
were fired or unfairly dismissed from a job—or pressured to quit a
job—because of their sexual orientation.


Notable GLBT People







Notable GLBT Support Organizations

ACLU - American Civil Liberties Union
NCLR - National Center for Lesbian Rights
HRC - Human Rights Campaign
SLDN - Servicemembers Legal Defense Network
NGLTF - National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
GLSEN - Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network
NIHGLEF - The NIH Gay and Lesbian Employee’s Forum
NLGLA - National Lesbian and Gay Law Association
DOJ - U.S. Department of Justice Pride
INGLO - International Network of Gay and Lesbian (public) Officials
GLARP - Gay and Lesbian Association of Retiring Persons
IALGJ - International Association of Lesbian & Gay Judges
GLMA - Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
AGLP - Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists

Sources

http://www.hrc.org http://www.census.gov
http://www.lambda.org http://www.advocate.com
http://www.glaad.org http://www.diversityinc.com

Question Girl

DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YA WHERE THE GOOD LORD SPLIT YA

Buh bye Tom. Man oh man it sure does my heart good to see this self centered, self serving, arrogant SOB go. Ahhhhh it looks like Helmet Head used a little too much Aquanet in this pic! :-)

Read more at Raw Story.

Support Nick Lampson

Question Girl

ACCOUNTABILITY SOUGHT IN THEFT OF VA DATA

So now it's nearly all active duty military who had their data stolen. This is really messed up!! Talk about incompetence.

Veterans can call a special help line at the VA to learn more about consumer identity protections. The toll-free number is 1-800-333-4636, and operates from 8 am to 9 pm (EDT) Monday through Saturday.


Accountability Sought in Theft of VA Data

By HOPE YEN
Associated Press Writer
Posted June 7 2006, 8:34 PM EDT


WASHINGTON -- Lawmakers from both parties said Wednesday the Bush administration should provide money and take responsibility for the data security breach involving nearly all active-duty military, Guard and Reserve members.

Senate Democrats demanded the ouster of Veteran Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson following the agency's disclosure that personal information for 2.2 million military personnel was stolen from a VA employee on May 3. The figure at first was claimed to be 50,000.

"It's amazing. Such incompetence is worse than anything I've ever seen in six administrations," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said at a news briefing. "At some point, this administration has got to stop saying we'll hire or appoint political cronies, but we'll actually appoint somebody who knows how to make the government work."


Read the full article here

IAVA ARTICLE

Question Girl

DISCOVERY'S CREW SET TO TAKE FLIGHT

The shuttle will launch during a window between July 1-19.

Michael Cabbage
Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted June 8 2006, 6:31 PM EDT


HOUSTON -- Space shuttle Discovery's astronauts are ready to fly and confident their ship has been made safer, Commander Steve Lindsey said Thursday.

"I haven't seen a decision made that I didn't agree with," Lindsey said. "I think we've done everything we can on the ground and it's time to go flight test."

Lindsey and his six crewmates could be less than four weeks away from a planned launch from Kennedy Space Center during a window extending from July 1-19. A Flight Readiness Review scheduled for June 16 and 17 will choose the precise target date for the first shuttle liftoff in almost a year.

Discovery's 12-day mission has several purposes. First, the flight will continue to test new procedures and hardware designed to improve safety after the 2003 Columbia accident and the launch of sister ship Discovery last July.

Perhaps the single biggest change is the removal of a 34-pound foam ramp from the shuttle's external fuel tank. A one-pound chunk of the ramp broke off during Discovery's last launch and narrowly missed hitting the orbiter.

Thirty-four smaller ramps that pose a smaller debris threat will not modified until a later flight.

"We'd just as soon make one change, flight test it, then go to the next change," Lindsey said.

The flight also will deliver 5,100 pounds of cargo to the international space station and drop off German astronaut Thomas Reiter, who will join the outpost's two other long-term residents. Discovery is scheduled to spend at least eight days docked to the station.

Reiter's stay on the outpost is expected to last about six months, but could be extended if future shuttle flights don't launch on time.

"If you are doing a long a long-term mission to the station, you always have to consider that situation." said Reiter, who spent 179 days aboard the Russian Mir space station in 1995 and 1996.

In addition to Reiter and Lindsey, Discovery's crew consists of pilot Mark Kelly and mission specialists Mike Fossum, Lisa Nowak, Stephanie Wilson and Piers Sellers. Fossum, Nowak and Wilson will be making their first flights into space.

The astronauts are scheduled to arrive at KSC on Monday to take part in a practice countdown and other training before next month's planned liftoff. A July 1 launch would occur at 3:48 p.m. With an on-time launch, the mission would be scheduled to land about 10:45 a.m. on July 13 at KSC.

Question Girl

SENATE BLOCKS SAME SEX MARRIAGE BAN

Senate Blocks Same-Sex Marriage Ban
Wednesday, June 7, 2006; Posted 11:06 a.m. (CDT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate blocked on Wednesday a bid to amend the Constitution to essentially ban same-sex marriage.

Republicans pushed the plan even though supporters conceded the measure did not have enough votes to pass.

Proponents failed to get the 60 votes needed to end debate and move to a vote on the actual amendment. The Senate vote was 49-48 to end debate.

Opponents called the measure an election-year ploy that wasted precious time on the legislative calendar.

"This is not about the preservation of marriage. This is about the preservation of a majority," Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Illinois, said as debate started Wednesday. "I think, sadly, most people realize there's political motivation here."

Read the rest here

Question Girl

THIS BLOG IS ANTI TORTURE

You know, the sad thing is, I could post several stories a day on torture. I know torture is nothing new, but what a sad state this world is in. What have we, as a human race, become?
Please take time everyday to visit some of the Anti-Torture blogs listed in the sidebar. Some great reading.....

Probe of CIA Prisons Implicates EU Nations

By JAN SLIVA
Associated Press Writer
Posted June 7 2006, 9:37 AM EDT


PARIS -- Fourteen European nations colluded with U.S. intelligence in a "spider's web" of secret flights and detention centers that violated international human rights law, the head of an investigation into alleged CIA clandestine prisons said Wednesday.

Swiss senator Dick Marty said the nations aided the movement of 17 detainees who said they had been abducted by U.S. agents and secretly transferred to detention centers around the world.

Some said they were transferred to the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and others to alleged secret facilities in countries including Poland, Romania, Egypt and Jordan. Some said they were mistreated or tortured.

Read the rest here

Question Girl

ANYONE EVER HEAR ANY MORE ABOUT THIS ONE????

I first posted this on March 16th. I thought about this when I read about the Haditha incident. I wonder how many times it's happened..... I don't recall ever hearing about this being investigated or the outcome of an investigation. Wait long enough, and it all goes away.... until the next time.


U.S. attack on house kills several civilians


Military says 3 died; witnesses say 11 killed

By John Johnson Jr.
Los Angeles Times
Posted March 16 2006


BAGHDAD · A U.S. raid Wednesday on a suspected militant hide-out in a rural region north of Baghdad resulted in the deaths of two women and a child as well as one insurgent, U.S. military officials said.

Neighbors and relatives in the Balad area near Samarra disputed that account, saying 11 members of a schoolteacher's family had been killed.

The military said troops conducting an operation to capture an al-Qaida organizer "were engaged by enemy fire" as they approached the building where the man was thought to be holed up.

"Coalition forces returned fire, utilizing both air and ground assets," the military said. The house and a vehicle were destroyed and an unidentified "foreign fighter facilitator" was captured, the military said.

Neighbors and local Iraqi police officials countered that the assault targeted innocent victims.

"At 5 a.m., we went to the house and saw the family members were hand-tied and shot in the head," said Mohammad Salih Mohammad, 35. "Even their cows died." Among those killed were four children, including a 7-month-old, the neighbors said.

Lt. Majid Shakir Ali of the Samarra police said that "according to our information those people have nothing to do with fighters or terrorists."

U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Barry Johnson said "there is a discrepancy" between the military account and accounts by the witnesses. "I don't have an answer yet" to explain it, he said, adding that the military was investigating the incident.

Relatives told The Associated Press that the 11 victims were wrapped in blankets and driven in three pickup trucks to the Tikrit General Hospital, about 45 miles to the north. AP photographs showed the bodies of two men, five children and four other covered figures arriving at the hospital accompanied by grief-stricken relatives.

On the eve of the first session of Iraq's parliament and within days of the third anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, vehicles were banned from Baghdad's streets to prevent car bombings. Authorities in one of the Shiite holy cities, Karbala, imposed a six-day driving ban starting today in a bid to protect pilgrims this year during the Arba'een religious holiday.

Politicians, meanwhile, reported a stalemate over the next government. Continuing divisions among lawmakers suggested that today's session of the legislature may do little more than swear in members elected three months earlier.

There was little sign of progress after a second full day of meetings among leaders of the major political blocs, sessions brokered by U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and designed to speed agreement on the shape of the next government.

Across Iraq on Wednesday, a handful of civilians were reported killed and about 40 wounded in attacks, mostly from roadside bombs.

The U.S. military said a U.S. soldier was killed by mortar fire southwest of Baghdad.

One man was killed and two others wounded while placing a bomb along a road near Kirkuk. Witnesses said the men were shot from a military plane as they attempted to place the device.

A bomb in Basra targeted a British military convoy, wounding two civilians and a British soldier.

In a Baqouba neighborhood that has been the site of frequent assassinations, a roadside bomb killed the commander of an Iraqi police SWAT team, who was identified as Lt. Alaa Jalil.

In west Baghdad, a car bomb detonated on Harthiya Street, a heavily commercial district of food stores, pharmacies and restaurants, killing a civilian and wounding 15, including two police officers.

It was the second car bomb to explode in 24 hours. The toll would likely have been much higher if it had not been that most people had gone indoors in obedience to an 8 p.m. curfew imposed in anticipation of the opening of the parliament today.
-------------------------------

Who do you believe? I believe the citizens. What the hell are we doing? Tied up and shot in the head??? This is what your military is doing? A 7 month old baby???? God help us!

Question Girl

D-DAY

GENERATION TO GENERATION

Only through preserving our past can we guarantee a future where the lessons and legacy of D-Day will be remembered.

Thought I should mention that it is the anniversary of D-Day. I haven't heard any mention of it on the news, nor read about it anywhere today. Sad....

D-Day Org.

D-Day Museum
This museum is in New Orleans.... I wonder how it survived Katrina.

D-Day on the Web

Question Girl

NEWS ROUNDUP

Thought I'd post some links to today's news. If anyone has any good links for election results, please post them in the comments section. I, for one, am very anxious to see how things turn out tonight.
I'll tell ya what.... the fish are jumping out of the water. I do believe if you took the boat out today, the fish would jump right in it.....just thought I'd share that little tidbit. It's good to be home :-)

SUPREME COURT DEVELOPMENTS

IRAN REACTS POSITIVELY TO PROPOSALS

THE ECONOMY IS GREAT....THE DECIDER SAYS SO

GEORGE BUSH AKA SNOOP DOGGY DOG

2500 PRISONERS TO BE RELEASED IN IRAQ

TWO US SOLDIERS KILLED IN AFGHANASTAN

I'LL POST THIS TO BE FAIR AND BALANCED....

EARPLUGS, MARINES AND HADITHA

EVERYONE IN THE WORLD NEEDS TO READ THIS

BILLY PRESTON, R.I.P.
Hey Buckarooner, a Billy Preston video would be nice :-)

VETERANS SUE OVER DATA THEFT

Question Girl

HONEY, I'M HOME.....

Great visit with family and friends....now back to the ole grind. The link below is to a blog out of Iraq. A look at what life is like in the war torn country.

Baghdad burning

And a thank you to Buckarooner.... you, my friend, are a treasure!!

Question Girl

'Ban on Same-Sex Marriage' Vote this Week

Billy House
Republic Washington
Jun. 4, 2006 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - "Republicans who control the Senate plan to vote this week on amending the U.S. Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage, a move that could boost the GOP's chances in the fall election"... more here

I'd like to take a moment and point out that no one can stop two men or two women from marrying, (just look at me for the proof). The proposed amendment would only stop state and local governments from recognizing them. No government entity can stop two people who love each other from promising to stand together, side by side, until the bitter end. This amendment would only deny gays the same benefits that opposite-sex couples now enjoy.

Therein lies the problem. The fly-in-the-ointment, so to speak. The people who are vehemently opposed to same-sex marriage point to religion for their stance. (Sure... No homophobia here!) So why is our (secular) government recognizing any marriage in the first place?

As someone pointed out on C&L several months ago, gays have made advances in the last several decades without any help from either side of the aisle. If there has to be a fight, let it be for removing the stranglehold that religion (and it's associated bigotry) has on American government!

Just my two-cents...
Buck

Anonymous