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FT. LAUDERDALE MAYOR NAUGLE TRASHES GAYS
SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW TO RESPOND - BELOW
Mayor Jim Naugle - mayorjames@aol.com
Ft. Lauderdale City Hall
100 North Andrews Avenue
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
Telephone: 954-828-5003/5004
Next meeting of the Ft. Lauderdale City Commission is
This Coming Tuesday, July 10, 2007 at 6 PM
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From Marc Paige
marcpaige@msn.com
At times we hear about openly-homophobic politicians in other parts of thecountry or the state, but when the ugliness hits home, I do not think we canaffored to remain silent.
In today's Sun-Sentinel, a column by Brittany Wallman about illegal sex inpublic restrooms has this quote from Mayor Naugle: "The homosexual newspapersaid it's the 'gay parking lot.' That's not me saying that," Naugle said. "Idon't use the word 'gay.' I use the word 'homosexual.' Most of them aren'tgay. They're unhappy."
At first I had to remind myself that this was 2007, and not 1957, and then,that this was Ft. Lauderdale, and not Warsaw or Nigeria. I know everyoneagrees that this is outrageous, but what I am wondering is if communityleaders feel they need to quickly come together to determine a response fromthe gay community and the community of decent South Floridians who value andrespect all citizens, including gay citizens who contribute so much to ourregion.
I am not sure if it is a demonstration, or a request that the CityCommission issues a statement condemning Naugle's hate speech. or a demandfor his resignation. I am not even sure if anyone else believe's we shouldacknowledge these remarks, but I do know that if Naugle had said similarcomments about Jews or African-Americans, those communities would mobilizeto respond to this ignorance strongly and rapidly.
Please get back to me.
Marc Paige
401-837-6828 (cell)
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Wayne Besen's thoughts about Mayor Naugle
WBesen@aol.com
Something needs to be done. The truth is, the only thing more difficult tofind than sex in a Fort Lauderdale bathroom is toilet paper. Sex in therestroom has virtually disappeared since Gore invented the Internet. What aloser Naugle is - remember, this is same mayor who nearly wept when CoralRidge closed down the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ.
Maybe we impeach the pig with the appropriate slogan: "Can Naugle." We do itunder the auspices of "waste management" in that he wants to spend a $250kon electro Johns while Floridians are losing homes due to soaring insurancerates.
I'm unclear what the rules are in Florida to ax a mayor or if otheractivists think it is worth it. But, I've had about enough of this buffoonrepresenting one of the gayest cities since ancient Greece.
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A Tentative Conference Call Sunday, 8pm
Michael Emanuel Rajner
National Secretary - Campaign to End AIDS
Founding Member - Campaign to End AIDS-FLORIDA
merajner@gmail.com
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle has certainly demonstrated that he a Mayoronly for the privileged and select few. His utopian world parallels theactions of Adolf Hitler in cultivating a society that would not includemarginalized and vulnerable populations such as homosexuals, the homelessand individuals below 600% (approx. earning under $65,000 annually) of theFederal Poverty Limit.
Are we inspiring and educating our own community that uneducated commentslike that of Mayor Naugle are not only appreciated, but not that we are nolonger going to tolerate them!
What are our next steps?
Should the community wish to meet by conference call, I have access to aconference call system that can hold up to 75 participants. This servicewill be made available for concerned community members to discuss this issueand decide where to go next.
We must organize as a community with a common interest that is greater thanhomosexuality. This Mayor continues to perpetuate such hate in SouthFlorida. We as concerned residents, tax-payers and voters need to demand achange in the course of direction.
This issue goes beyond political party affiliation - this issue is basichuman rights! The longer we linger in our apathy, the farther our journeyand fight becomes to obtain equality for all!
Tentative Conference Call Scheduled for:
Sunday, July 8, 2007 8:00 pm
Access Number: 1 866 394-9509 (alternate number 1 847 619-2419)
Participant Code: 7761180#
Purpose of the Call: To discuss this issue and arrive at a consensus foraction
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle says robotic toilet may put stop to'illegal sex': Naugle says beach 'robo john' could stop illegal sex'
Click below to view Sun-Sentinel article
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbtoilets0704sbjul04,0,6887467,print.story?coll=sfla-news-broward
With you in the Fight!
Michael Emanuel Rajner
Please contact rays.list@comcast.net if you would like Michael Rajner's fullletter.
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21publish.com
http://talkblogs.21publish.com/DonaldCavanaugh
From Donald Cavanaugh
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Happy Hetero Holiday
Ah! July 4. Independence Day. The day in 1776 when the ContinentalCongress voted to declare independence from Great Britain.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident," starts the second paragraph ofthis honest document, "that all men are created equal, that they are endowedby their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Let me add... "if you're heterosexual."
If you're not heterosexual, your life may be endangered; your liberty maybe curtailed, and your pursuit of happiness has been legislated away fromyou by people who have imposed their misconceptions about non-heterosexualsin the uniformed armed services, and their religious beliefs about marriagebeing between one man and one woman -- in violation of the First Amendmentof the Constitution which says "Congress shall make no law respecting anestablishment of religion."
Nowhere in the Constitution or Amendments is there a gender requirement forequality. How can there be? Creating such a requirement automaticallyresults in one gender having different rights than the other. Different isnever equal. If John can marry Mary, why can't John marry me? Am I lessequal than Mary? Or is it that Mary is less equal than John because she's awoman and he "takes" her "in holy matrimony?" And matrimony without alesser spouse can't exist.
Article 1 of the 14th Amendment reads: "No State shall make or enforce anylaw which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of theUnited States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, orproperty, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within itsjurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
Non-heterosexual people get neither due process nor equal protection.While we are fortunate that several counties and cities in the country haveordinances protecting non-heterosexuals, in the majority of jurisdictions inthis nation non-heterosexual citizens can still be denied housing,employment, credit, medical treatment and basic services - just because ofwho we are - and there's not a single thing we can do about it.
So think about it while you enjoy your barbecue and watch the fireworks....The rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the UnitedStates in the 21st century are dependent on your sexual orientation andgender identity.
Happy Hetero Holiday.
Donald
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From Marc Adams
Volunteer Executive Director - HeartStrong
http://heartstrong.org/
The Pride Foundation is having a special funding giveaway.
All you must do is click on this link:
http://www.pridefoundation.org/raffle/rafflemain.html
and enter your information and HeartStrong's name and State (which isWashington) and then confirm your information when they send you anconfirmation email.
It's easy, free and HeartStrong could get some much needed money!
Feel free to forward this email to EVERYONE you know and ask them to dothe same. You don't need to be a resident of Washington, Idaho, Oregon orMontana to place your vote for HeartStrong.
Thanks!
Questions? Email heartstrong@heartstrong.org
Marc Adams
Founder/Volunteer Executive Director
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Forwarded from Wayne Besen
http://www.waynebesen.com/
Weekly Column: Anything But Straight
Anything But Straight
July 3, 2007
The Pious Publishers Are Already In Heaven
Charlene Cothran (Venus magazine) and Michael Glatze (Young Gay Americamagazine editor) were gay niche publishers who discovered that peddlingfiction is much juicer (and potentially more profitable) than sellingstraight news on gay life. The newly minted "ex-gay" stars tell us they haveseen the light - unfortunately, it appears to be the spotlight - as they nowparade themselves in the Christian media, pawning their terrific tales oftransformation. Cothran and Glatze explain that they are simply offering asmall snapshot of their new lives, but it sure seems like a full-blown photoshoot.
Interestingly, both Cothran and Glatze found God and renounced homosexualityshortly after they split up from what they once considered their spouses. Ina sense, it seems like these break-ups caused nervous breakdowns where theembittered party tried to punish an "ex" by becoming ex-gay.
Cothran's conversion occurred after she split up with her life-partner often years. The divorce hurt so badly that Cothran remained celibate forthree years - hoping that they would eventually reconcile. When therelationship was finally on its deathbed, the former Venus publisher becameborn again. How convenient.
Meanwhile, Glatze moved from San Francisco to Halifax, Canada in 2004 withhis partner to start a family, according to "Weird Nut Daily," a right wingpublication. His conversion happened after a pro-gay speech he delivered atHarvard in 2005 - meaning that that he and his husband likely split withinmonths of his miraculous makeover.
Instead of checking out potential new dates, Cothran and Glatze simplychecked out, found Jesus, and blamed their personal failures onhomosexuality. Whereas most people handle getting dumped by drinking at thebar, those susceptible to the ex-gay myth simply drink the right wingKool-Aid. They drown their pain in prayer and their sorrow in Scripture,while rationalizing that if they quit love, they will never hurt so badlyagain.
Unfortunately, the opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality forex-gays - it is a lifetime of loneliness, despair and celibacy.
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Heroin overdose ends scandalous life of Bismarck's descendant
By Andy McSmith
Published: 04 July 2007
The Independent
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2733244.ece
The scandalous life of Count Gottfried von Bismarck, playboy descendant ofGermany's greatest statesman, has ended from a heroin overdose. The count,who was 44, was found dead when paramedics broke into his Chelsea flat atthe weekend.
The ambulance was called by an estate agent who was selling the property,after the agency had failed to contact the count for several days. The flatwas almost empty as the sale was close to completion. Drugs equipment wasfound near the body.
Bismarck achieved notoriety as an undergraduate in 1986, when he hosted adrug-fuelled party in his rooms at Christ Church College, Oxford, whichculminated in the death from a heroin overdose of Olivia Channon, the22-year-old daughter of a Conservative government minister, Paul Channon.
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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
From Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
http://www.afa.net/aatemplate/images/bottom.jpg>
July 3, 2007
Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people aspossible by forwarding it to your entire email list of family and friends.
Boycott continues to drive Ford sales down
Company ignores stockholders and dealers, supports homosexual agenda
Ford Motor Company sales for the month of June dropped 8 percent comparedwith sales during June 2006. Ford sales have gone down in 14 of the last 16months. While the boycott isn't totally responsible for the drop in sales,it has played a major role.
AFA has identified Ford as a leading promoter of same-sex marriage and thehomosexual agenda. AFA began a boycott of Ford in March 2006 after Fordreneged on an agreement with AFA to cease their promotion of the homosexuallifestyle. More than 720,000 individuals have signed the AFA sponsoredBoycott Ford Pledge. For more information on the Ford boycott, and to signthe pledge, click here
Ford continues to financially support homosexual groups despite the massivesales drop and a loss of millions for the company's stockholders. Dealersand stockholders have asked that the company take a stand similar to that ofWal-Mart which will not support or oppose controversial issues. Chrm. BillFord has refused to establish such a policy, choosing to continuefinancially supporting the homosexual movement.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/04/AR2007070401531_pf.html
Students Take to the Road for Social Justice
Trip Is Part of Year-Long Program to Inspire Activism Among Black and JewishYouths
By Virgil Dickson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 5, 2007; B03
In the basement of Maryland Del. Jeffrey D. Waldstreicher's house lies achunk of drywall that has motivated him over the years as he has navigatedthe political world.
Waldstreicher (D-Montgomery) gathered his treasure on a summer trip 11 yearsago with Operation Understanding D.C., a group that each year takes morethan 30 African American and Jewish students on a tour of the South to meetwith civil rights leaders. Waldstreicher went during the summer that severalblack churches were burned in Alabama, and part of the trip was spenthelping a congregation rebuild. He kept a memento.
"That piece of drywall is often an inspiration for me," said Waldstreicher,who lives in Kensington. "It helps to prevent cynicism from creeping up, andit's easy to let that happen when working in politics."
This morning, 31 students are set to embark on a 25-day journey to learn howthey can continue a shared legacy of social change. The trip will take themto New York to visit historic synagogues and churches, and they will headsouth through North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. They are scheduled tomeet such people as Joe Levin, co-founder of the Southern Poverty LawCenter, and the Rev. C.T. Vivian, an activist who challenged officials inSelma, Ala., over the right to register black voters.
The trip is part of a year-long program in which students are immersed inAfrican American and Jewish cultures through such things as lectures andpotluck dinners. They also visit places of worship during Passover andEaster.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/04/AR2007070401384_pf.html
The Sky Isn't Falling
Experience may be trumping hysteria over gay marriage.
Thursday, July 5, 2007; A16
WHEN THE high court of Massachusetts ruled in 2003 that the commonwealth's constitution gave same-sex couples the right to marry, detractors railed against "activist judges" who were "imposing" their will on the people. Onlythe people, through their elected representatives, should decide somethingso fundamental, they said. Thus began an effort to amend Massachusetts'sconstitution by referendum to define marriage as a union between a man and awoman. Four years and about 10,000 same-sex marriages later, here's what thepeople have said: never mind.
To get the referendum on the 2008 ballot, opponents of gay marriage neededonly 50 of Massachusetts's 200 legislators to vote for the amendment duringconsecutive two-year sessions. The first vote at the end of the lastsession, in January, garnered the support of 62 lawmakers. But the secondvote last month attracted only 45. Now the earliest the amendment could hitthe ballot is 2012. By then, the response from the people very well might be"What's the big deal?"
Opponents of same-sex unions felt democracy was under attack by the courts,with judges dictating what people could and couldn't accept. Meanwhile,supporters argued that the rights of a minority should not be put to a vote.The ultimate defeat of the referendum was democracy catching up with thecourt.
Despite dire predictions, the institution of marriage didn't crumble underthe weight of homosexuals seeking the rights and responsibility that comewith it. The sky didn't fall in Massachusetts. Nor has it buckled in theDistrict of Columbia and the five states that offer civil unions or domesticpartnerships to gay couples. Washington state's domestic partnership lawgoes into effect next month. Oregon's domestic partnership law and NewHampshire's civil unions take effect in January 2008. Acceptance of gaymarriage is by no means widespread. Marriage is restricted to one man andone woman by constitutional amendment in 26 states and by state law in 19others. But the tide is slowly changing. Opinion polls show growingacceptance of gay rights.
At a commemoration last month of the 40th anniversary of Loving v. Virginia,the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down laws prohibitinginterracial marriage, Mildred Loving joined many civil rights organizationswhen she threw her support behind gay marriage. "I believe all Americans, nomatter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation,should have that same freedom to marry," she said. And as hysteria gives wayto real-life experience, more people will realize that the loving andcommitted relationships of homosexuals should be recognized.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flpsolar0705pnjul05,0,2533369,print.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Sunshine State lags in harnessing sun's energy to cut energy bills
By Joel Hood
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
July 5, 2007
When it comes to harnessing the sun's rays for electricity, the SunshineState is largely in the dark.
Despite almost ideal weather, South Florida is lagging far behind Californiaand states in the Southwest in powering homes, businesses and governmentoffices by tapping into the ultimate renewable energy source - the sun. Butit's changing.
Scientists, environmental engineers, and solar energy experts are pushingstate and local officials for greater financial incentives for homeownersand businesses looking to conserve natural resources and cut energy bills byswitching to solar power. In the face of soaring energy costs and heightenedconcerns about the effects of climate change, Gov. Charlie Crist isinsisting on sweeping measures. He vetoed a bill in June that would haveforced cities and counties to adopt more eco-friendly building standards andset aside millions for research of alternative fuels. His reason: The billdidn't go far enough.
On July 12-13, Crist will join California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger andothers in a two-day "climate summit" in Miami to set Florida's environmentalagenda for years to come. But solar power advocates say the technology andresources already exist to do what Crist and others want-to slash Florida'sdependency on natural gas and coal-burning energy.
What's lacking, they say, is the political will to address the issue on abroad scale and the personnel to fill the growing demand for solar energyright now.
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NationalGayNews.com
http://www.dailynews.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?articleId=6291566&siteId=200
Jury awards black lesbian firefighter $6.2 million
BY EUGENE TONG Staff Writer
LA Daily News
Article Last Updated:07/04/2007 12:12:28 AM PDT
A jury this afternoon awarded $6.2 million to Brenda Lee, a Los Angeles FireDepartment firefighter who said she was harassed by her superiors becauseshe is African-American and a lesbian.
The verdict in Los Angeles Superior Court came after a two-week trial. Theaward covers past and future economic and noneconomic damages suffered byLee.
The case also names LAFD Capt. Christopher Hare as a defendant. The jurywill consider punitive damages against him Thursday, which means Lee couldbe awarded even more money.
Now on unpaid leave from the LAFD, the former firefighter at Station 96 inChatsworth alleged she was discriminated against because of her race, genderand sexual orientation.
Rob Kitson, an attorney for Lee, declined to comment today, saying SuperiorCourt Judge Michael L. Stern has asked counsel not to discuss the case as itis still ongoing.
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365gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/07/070507candidates.htm
White House Hopefuls Parade Their Stars & Stripes In Iowa
by The Associated Press
Posted: July 5, 2007 - 9:00 am ET
(Clear Lake, Iowa) Fourth of July virtually everywhere was about fireworks,flags, firetrucks and floats. In Iowa Wednesday, people eyeing the White House also were in the mix.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton walked hand in handwith her husband Bill in a sunny, postcard-perfect holiday parade in thisnorth-central lakeside town.
Iowa is among the earliest presidential delegate-selection states, and some10,000 people were expected here. Many White House aspirants already havecrossed these highways, visited the farms and broken bread in the coffeeshops, in the earliest-ever jockeying for the parties' presidentialnominations.
Veterans led Wednesday's parade, which included a float featuring a womandressed as a gold Statue of Liberty. Sen. Clinton followed closely, causinga long wait between floats. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney alsomarched - further back.
In Waterloo, Iowa, Sen. Clinton took President Bush to task, saying he hasrun the nation into debt, forcing it to borrow from other countries and fromsocial programs to fund the war in Iraq.
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