Thursday, July 17, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - July 16, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Gene Variation May Raise Risk of H.I.V., Study Finds
A genetic variation that once protected people in sub-Saharan Africa from anow extinct form of malaria may have left them somewhat more vulnerable toinfection by H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS. The gene could account for11 percent of the H.I.V. infections in Africa, explaining why the disease ismore common there than expected, researchers based in Texas and London say.The researchers said their finding had no immediate public healthconsequences. But if confirmed, it would offer an important insight into thebiology of the virus.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/science/17hiv.html

-Op-Ed Columnist: Las Vegas Envy
You'll remember that Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gaymarriages, thanks to a court ruling in 2004. Everyone was not thrilled.There were petitions and attempts to pass constitutional amendments. MittRomney, who was evolving from liberal Republican governor to desperateRepublican presidential candidate, declared his determination to keepMassachusetts from becoming "the Las Vegas of same-sex marriages."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/opinion/17collins.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin

-Donation to Same-Sex Marriage Foes Brings Boycott Calls
A hotel owner's $125,000 donation to support a ballot initiative banningsame-sex marriage in the state has become a flashpoint, with opponentscalling for a boycott of two of his hotels and supporters highlighting thedonation in a fund-raising letter. The hotelier, Doug Manchester, donatedthe money to support the collection of signatures to qualify the initiative,which would amend the state's Constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage,for the November ballot.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/us/17gay.html



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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-An Easy Fix for 'Don't Ask'
Regarding the July 11 editorial "Time to End 'Don't Ask' ":
The quickest fix does not require action by Congress at all. DefenseSecretary Robert M. Gates can rescind the "don't ask" part of the policytoday. The law leaves it up to the secretary of defense to decide whetherrecruits are "asked," as they were before the 1993 policy change. Asking atthe point would reduce the number of gay men and lesbians who join themilitary but have to hide their sexual orientation. Having served on Navyships and seen the living quarters of junior enlisted sailors, most under 30years old, I think it would be the height of insanity to allow gay men andlesbians to serve openly. To do so would be as logical as making the ships'sleeping and shower facilities coed.
WAYNE L. JOHNSON
Alexandria
The writer, a retired Navy commander, served in the Judge Advocate General'sCorps, including prosecution and defense roles in cases involving
homosexuality.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602536.html

-Gay-Marriage Vote Stays on Ballot
The California Supreme Court decided not to hear a case seeking to keep offthe November ballot an initiative that would ban same-sex marriage. Thejustices' decision means Proposition 8 will stay on the ballot barringfurther legal action. It also clears the way for the secretary of state toprint voter pamphlets on the issue. The initiative seeks to amendCalifornia's constitution to ban same-sex marriage.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602685.html


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Judge: Fort Lauderdale officer entrapped man in gay solicitation:
Prosecutors told to drop case
A Fort Lauderdale police officer entrapped a middle-aged man into exposinghimself in Holiday Park and groping the officer's groin, a Broward Countyjudge has ruled. County Court Judge Gary Cowart ordered prosecutors todismiss charges of indecent exposure, committing a lewd act and batteryfiled against Michael Marsh as prosecutors presented no evidence Marshintended to commit those crimes before meeting Officer Nick Coffin inHoliday Park last August.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpentrapment0717pnjul17,0,3718694.story

-War of words for Fort Lauderdale's Mayor Jim Naugle
July 17, 2008
The July 9 South Florida Sun-Sentinel article, "Two gay candidates in racefor Fort Lauderdale mayor," included the earlier quote by which currentMayor Jim Naugle demeaned gay persons by saying, "I use the word'homosexual.' Most of them aren't gay; they're unhappy." One would suspectthat Naugle would be "unhappy" if his insensitivity led to the election of agay mayor. Paradoxically speaking, is it fair to conclude that an "unhappyNaugle" is synonymous with a "gay Naugle"? Let's hope not, as he is adiscredit to every group of which he is a member.
Carl Whitley
Fort Lauderdale
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-brmail707sbjul17,0,6525078.story


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Steve Rothaus
http://www.miamiherald.com/living/columnists/steve_rothaus/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Design Star's Mikey V reportedly starred in 1996 gay bondage film
Years before interior designer Mikey Verdugo appeared on HGTV's Design Star,the Hollywood police officer apparently had a brush with video fame -- in a1996 bondage flick called Rope Rituals, according to several gay bloggerswho are now coming out of the woodwork.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2008/07/under-investiga.html


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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Appeals Court Rules Anti-Gay Group Protest Broke Law
A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court ruling that the city ofPhiladelphia did not violate the rights of members of an anti-gay group whenit arrested them during a protest at the city's gay pride celebration in2004.

-Malaysian Opposition Leader Arrested For Sodomy
(Kuala Lumpur) Malaysian police arrested opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim onWednesday on suspicion that he sodomized a male aide, pre-empting hisvoluntary appearance at the police headquarters to answer the allegation.

-Poll: Candidate Support Falls Along Racial Lines
Barack Obama's status as the first black presidential candidate of a majorpolitical party has not influenced the perception of race relations in thiscountry, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Poll.


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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Ron Paul supporters mourn death of gay campaign chair
With no health insurance, Snyder leaves $400K in hospital bills
Activists belonging to the libertarian wing of the Republican Party continueto mourn the loss of Kent Snyder, a 49-year-old gay political operativecredited with propelling the presidential campaign of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul(R-Texas) into a national, grassroots movement that raised more than $35million. Snyder, who served as Paul's campaign chair, died of pneumonia onJune 26 after being hospitalized for about two months and after running upmedical bills exceeding $400,000, according to friends and family members,who said he did not have health insurance.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19742

-S.C. may lose money over "So Gay" ad campaign flap, consultant says
Gay rights leaders said Wednesday state leaders have been "misguided" ingetting upset over the state's purchase of tourism advertising targeting thegay community. And a national consultant on gay marketing said the statemay lose revenue because many gay travelers decide where to go based on anarea's reputation as "gay friendly."
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080716/NEWS01/80716047

-HOA Won't Allow Homes To Be Rented To Homosexuals, Unmarried Couples
An East Orange County subdivision is facing a dilemma. Several residents saythe Homeowner's Association at the Rybolt Reserve subdivision in OrangeCounty is discriminating against renters. "The Homeowner's Association istotally out of control," said Suzane Musashe of Jander Property Management.
http://www.wftv.com/news/16897375/detail.html

-Believing in Our Families
As you're reading this, I'm either on my way to, in, or on my way back fromNew Jersey. There reason for the trip is incredibly happy one. Today is theday we're finalizing Dylan's adoption. Last week we got a letter from theadoption agency's lawyer, confirming the court date. Wanting to make surethat seven months after we first got word that he'd been born -- and afterhis birthmother chose us to be his adoptive parents -- and set out to layeyes on the newest addition to our family, the judge will declare that Dylanis finally a member of our family; and that we legally and officially whatwe've known we were since day one: a family.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terrance-heath/believing-in-our-families_b_112965.html


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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-U.S. Senate Approves Repeal of HIV Travel Ban in America
The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the nation's law barringHIV-positive visitors and immigrants from traveling to America. Sens. JohnKerry (D-MA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) attached the repeal to legislationreauthorizing PEPFAR, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. ThePEPFAR bill was approved by a vote of 80 to 16 and now moves to committee inthe senate before being sent to the President.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57817.asp

-Court Rejects Suit Challenging California Marriage Amendment
The California supreme court has refused to hear a case seeking to keep aninitiative that would ban gay marriage off the November ballot. Thejustices' decision not to take up the case means Proposition 8 will stay onthe ballot barring further legal action. It also clears the way for thesecretary of state to print voter information pamphlets on the issue.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57775.asp

-Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Against Men in Abuse Case
A lawsuit brought against two Roman Catholic dioceses by five men sexuallyabused by a Catholic school teacher was dismissed Wednesday by the Wisconsinsupreme court.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57757.asp

-Study: EU Growing More Gay-Friendly
The latest Eurobarometer survey examining discrimination in the EuropeanUnion published this month reveals growing acceptance of the LGBT communitywithin the E.U., but more work needs to be done, according to a pressrelease from the International Lesbian and Gay Association.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57763.asp


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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Gay victims of Franco era to win compensation
In the dying days of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship, Antoni Ruizfound out for himself what thousands of others had already suffered forbeing gay. Antoni, then just 17, from Valencia, eastern Spain, told hismother he was homosexual and his family sought advice from a nun. "She wentstraight to the police and I was arrested and sent for trial," said Mr Ruiz.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/gay-victims-of-franco-era-to-win-compensation-430006.html

-Vandals Strike In East Tulsa
Vandals are terrorizing a neighborhood. They're spray-painting
discriminating messages on a home. But Oklahoma doesn't call it a hatecrime. Since Thursday, someone has vandalized a home twice near 21st andGarnett.
http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=50c8bbc5-806c-4753-9f8f-e69c696c3eed


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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-CA not the only state facing marriage challenge
Link: The Bay Area Reporter
As California LGBTs prepare to defeat Proposition 8 with the help of groupslike the national Human Rights Campaign, Arizona and Florida are facingsimilar November ballot measures that would amend those state constitutionsto ban same-sex marriage. The focus by HRC on California is drawing a mixedreaction from gay advocates in the other two states.

-"Anti-Gay Challenge Issued to Kids' Book About Marriage Equality in COLibrary"
Link: Edge Boston
Excerpt: image The blog of a Colorado librarian documents the firstchallenge to a children's book about a gay wedding, and predicts, "I suspectthe book will get a lot of challenges in 2008-2009." In anticipation offuture attacks on the book, the librarian, Jamie S. LaRue, adds in the July14 posting to his blog, called Myliblog, "So I offer my response, purgingthe patron's name, for other librarians."

-Poll: "28% - Is Gay Marriage a Campaign Issue?"
Link: Pew Research Center
Excerpt: As it did in October 2004, gay marriage ranks lowest in importanceamong 16 campaign issues for the average U.S. voter; overall, 28% say gaymarriage will be very important to their vote, down slightly from 32% in2004. Far more Republicans than Democrats (19 points) rate gay marriage asvery important. White evangelical Protestants (49%) place the mostimportance on the issue. Currently, 49% of the public opposes allowing gayand lesbian couples to marry legally, while 38% support gay marriage. Readmore

-Mombian: "Having Gay Parents Better than Being Abandoned, McCain Concedes"
Link: Mombian
Full text by permission. Source retains copyright.
Last Sunday, presidential candidate John McCain told the New York Times, "Ithink that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of afamily so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption" (which, like "gay marriage,"is a misleading term implying there is something so fundamentally differentabout the act when it is done by gay people that it requires the extramodifier). Presumably he's not too fond of adoption by single parents,either, although as Raw Story points out, his phrasing also seems to implythat two gay parents only constitute a single parent. (Hmm. . . . Twobecoming one. Isn't that how some people describe marriage?)


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Pink News - UK
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-New campaign encourages mums to help their kids come out
A new anti-homophobia campaign is targeting working class mothers in thebelief they "act as the catalyst for change" in the family unit.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8399.html

-Gay Iranian granted refugee status by UN
A gay Iranian asylum seeker has been granted refugee status by the UN aftereighteen months of campaigning. Kamal and Reza fled Iran for Turkey so theycould start a life together without the fear of being punished for theirsexuality.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8398.html

-Plan to name AIDS bill after homophobe is "bizarre"
He backed the ban on HIV+ people entering the United States and slammed thegovernment for spending money on a "disease transmitted by peopledeliberately engaging in unnatural acts." Now a Republican colleague hascalled on the US Senate to rename the 2008 United States Global LeadershipAgainst HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorisation Act after him.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8396.html

-Joker role could win posthumous Oscar for Brokeback star
The new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, lands in Britain next Friday.Buzzing with the glowing reviews of Heath Ledger's last performance as theJoker, the late actor has been tipped for a posthumous Oscar.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8395.html

-South Carolina gays pledge to pay for Tube adverts
The organisers of Pride in the US state of South Carolina have decided toraise money to pay for an ad campaign on the London Underground promotingthe state to gay tourists. "South Carolina is so gay," proclaimed postersdisplayed in one Tube station to coincide with Pride London earlier thismonth.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8389.html

-Former minister arrested over sodomy allegations
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been arrested and will bedetained overnight following allegations of sodomy made last month. It wasreported in June that the 60-year-old politician was accused of sodomy byhis assistant and had temporarily sought refuge in the Turkish embassy inKuala Lumpur.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8387.html


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Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
www.dailyqueernews.com
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Local Gay Advocates Slam Exodus Conference Message
Firestorm Café was filled to capacity Tuesday evening with a crowd of about100 people eager to hear gay advocate and author Wayne Beson. Beson,founder of Truth Wins Out and author of "Anything but Straight" and "BashingBack," counters the message of "ex-gay" ministries such as ExodusInternational at events like Tuesday's Just the Way You Are.

-Here's To You, Mr. Robinson
The emails have been coming in all day. My favourite begins: "Dear sodomitesupporter, you are nothing but a dirty sodomite-loving ugly stain of a manwho is a disgrace to humanity." It ends "Burn in hell, Mr K." Well, thankyou for that, Mr K. I have had a fair number of letters and emails frompeople who think like you. One suggested that I ought to be executed atTyburn. Another graphically described the details of fisting.

-Immigrant Students Face Harassment, Racial Profiling on Campus
As a Muslim male of Somali descent living in post-September 11 UnitedStates, Mustafa Jumale knew that he risked harassment from law enforcementofficers and racism from some Americans. Although he had never experiencedit himself, harassment by police was a common complaint among his peers. ButJumale thought that if he did everything right - completed high school andwent to college - people would treat him differently.

-NJ: Court Bars Town from Moving Sex Offenders
New Jersey towns cannot prohibit convicted sex offenders from living nearplaces such as schools, playgrounds and day care centers, a state appealscourt ruled Tuesday. In a unanimous decision, the three-judge panel saidMegan's Law is the exclusive law governing the treatment of sex offenders.Municipal ordinances restricting where they can live "interfere with andfrustrate" statewide efforts to monitor offenders and reintegrate them intosociety, the judges said.


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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article

-ScienceDaily: Pathologists Believe They Have Pinpointed Achilles Heel OfHIV
Pathologists Believe They Have Pinpointed Achilles Heel Of HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus researchers believe they have uncovered theAchilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions. Theweak spot is hidden in the HIV envelope protein gp120.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080715165520.htm#

-"Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty" September 8th in Washington, DC
What kind of religious freedom conflicts are likely to emerge if societyembraces same-sex marriage? A redefinition of marriage would impact a hostof laws where marital status affects legal rights-in housing, employment,health-care, education, public accommodations, and property, in addition tofamily law. These laws, in turn, regulate a host of religiousinstitutions-schools, hospitals, and social service providers, to name afew-that often embrace a different definition of marriage. As a result,church-state conflicts will follow. How might such conflicts be resolved?If the disputes spark litigation under the Free Speech, Free Exercise, orEstablishment Clauses of the First Amendment, who will prevail and why?When, if ever, should claims of religious liberty prevail over claims ofsexual liberty?


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Forwarded from Steve Krantz, PhD
PFLAG Director, S. Pacific Region, and National Board Member,
http://www.pflag.org
Jews for Marriage Equality Founder, http://www.jewsformarriageequality.org
Valley Grassroots for Democracy Board Member,
http://www.valleygrassroots.org
Personal Blog - http://krantzarama.blogspot.com

-Scientific American: Bisexual Species- Unorthodox Sex in the Animal KingdomInteresting article about the animal kingdom and sexual behavior.
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=bisexual-species


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Forwarded by Bill Sterling
whsterling1@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Pastors defy United Methodist officials to conduct gay weddings
Some have officiated at such ceremonies, some plan to and 82 retiredministers have offered their services. Bishop warns that violating churchguidelines has consequences. Scores of United Methodist Church ministers inCalifornia are putting their careers on the line in an open revolt againstreligious edicts that forbid them to conduct weddings for gay and lesbiancouples.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-methodist17-2008jul17,0,484099.story


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Triangle Foundation - Michigan
http://www.tri.org/index.html
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Domestic Violence within Our Communities
By Georgia Carpenter, Victim Advocate
Intimate partner violence, or domestic violence, includes any behavior usedby one person to manipulate and control their intimate partner. Thesebehaviors always convey the threat of or an actual physical harm. Tacticsused by abusers include behaviors meant to cause emotional and physicalpain, isolation, and fear. The women's rights movement has increasedawareness of intimate partner violence in heterosexual relationships.However, there are layers of complexities that exist in LGBT relationshipsthat are unique from heterosexual relationships.


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Forwarded from Michael Emanuel Rajner
merajner@gmail.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-FORT LAUDERDALE MAYOR JAMES NAUGLE AMONG THE FACTORS
FUELING THE HIV/AIDS EPIDEMIC
by Michael Rajner
Fort Lauderdale Mayor James Naugle appeared on 850AM radio on the morning ofThursday, July 10 and once again continued to bash the gay community andcontribute to the increasing stigma of people living with AIDS. "On the850AM radio show, Mayor Naugle attempted to place blame on the BrowardCounty Board of County Commissioners for the increase of HIV. What MayorNaugle fails to realize is his divisive actions and failure to providegenuine leadership are among the most harmful factors increasing the stigmaof HIV/AIDS. How dare this dishonorable man bring shame to the highestelected office in the City of Fort Lauderdale! "What Mayor Naugle fails torealize is while under his watch the Housing Authority of Fort Lauderdaletook advantage of people living with HIV/AIDS and floundered with fundingfor Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA). The City of FortLauderdale administers this program and yet the Mayor never advocated forsome of the neediest of people. Many of us owe great respect for the peoplewho served on the review committee, some who live with HIV/AIDS, whodemanded an end to mismanagement and eliminated funding to the HousingAuthority of Fort Lauderdale. "Below is an excerpt of a speech I made onOctober 2, 2007 before the City of Fort Lauderdale Commission meeting:

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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 16, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Problems Persist With Red Cross Blood Services
For 15 years, the American Red Cross has been under a federal court order toimprove the way it collects and processes blood. Yet, despite $21 million infines since 2003 and repeated promises to follow procedures intended toensure the safety of the nation's blood supply, it continues to fall short.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/us/17cross.html?hp

-Seattle's Automated Toilets Go Way of the Box and Chain
After spending $5 million on its five automated public toilets, Seattle iscalling it quits. In the end, the restrooms, installed in early 2004, hadbecome so filthy, so overrun with drug abusers and prostitutes, thatalthough use was free of charge, even some of the city's most destitutepeople refused to step inside them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/us/17toilets.html?hp

-Editorial: Talking Sense on Iraq
It has been obvious from the start of the 2008 campaign that the wars inIraq and Afghanistan are the biggest foreign policy challenges awaiting thenext president. But there has been precious little detailed discussion ofthem on the campaign trail.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/opinion/17thu1.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: Prosecuting Genocide
Many aid workers and diplomats suffered a panic attack when the chiefprosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought an arrest warrant thisweek for the president of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for committinggenocide. They feared that Mr. Bashir would retaliate by attackingpeacekeepers and humanitarian workers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/opinion/17kristof.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: France on Amphetamines
A few decades back, when we were young, Joni Mitchell sang of "sitting in apark in Paris, France" but dreaming of California because "I wouldn't wantto stay here; it's too old and cold and settled in its ways here." Throughthe big sleep of the Mitterrand and Chirac years, Joni could have come backand written the same lines. France changed, because everything and everyonedoes, but a remote, monarchical president continued to preside over acountry more alarmed than charmed by modernity.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/opinion/17cohen.html?ref=opinion

-Editorial: The Right to Know
In the face of near hysterical opposition from the Bush administration, theSenate Democratic leadership intends to take up a proposed shield law toprovide journalists with limited protection against being compelled toreveal confidential sources in federal court. A similar measure won Houseapproval last October in a bipartisan 398-to-21 landslide. But the WhiteHouse, as ever, is playing the fear card, orchestrating a barrage ofwarnings that the law would "wreak havoc" on national security and"completely eviscerate" the ability to investigate terrorism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/opinion/17thu3.html?ref=opinion

-France Urges Iran to Get Specific In Nuclear Talks
VIENNA/DAMASCUS (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said onThursday big powers were waiting for specific proposals from Iran in newtalks over its disputed nuclear work and Iran's foreign minister said U.S.participation was "positive." The United States said on Wednesday it wassending an envoy to Geneva to join nuclear talks with Iran for the firsttime to underline to the Islamic Republic and others that Washington desireda diplomatic solution to the volatile impasse.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international-iran-nuclear.html

-While the U.S. Spends Heavily on Health Care, a Study Faults the QualityAmerican medical care may be the most expensive in the world, but that doesnot mean it is worth every penny. A study to be released Thursday highlightsthe stark contrast between what the United States spends on its healthsystem and the quality of care it delivers, especially when compared withmany other industrialized nations.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/business/17health.html


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-What McCain Economic Policy?
"Government is not the solution to our problem," Ronald Reagan told hisfellow Americans in his first inaugural address. "Government is theproblem." For modern American conservatism, Reagan's words may as well havebeen inscribed on the tablets handed down at Mount Sinai. The market was godand Reagan was its Moses, and Republicans have sworn fealty to both for thepast quarter-century. One invariable feature of the 2007-08 Republicanprimary debates was the effort of each candidate to cast himself as Reagan'sone true heir. John McCain proudly recounted how he enlisted as a footsoldier in Reagan's revolution. How was he to know that government was aboutto become a solution again?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602434.html

-Listening To the Governors
When the luck of the draw made him the chairman of the National GovernorsAssociation in this, the centennial year of its first meeting -- withPresident Theodore Roosevelt -- Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty knew how andwhere he wanted to celebrate the occasion. He invited all the living formergovernors to join those now in office at this birthplace of the Republic.And so it was that on Saturday evening, a disappointing turnout of 27 stateexecutives mingled with 32 of their predecessors around the Liberty Bell totoast our unique form of government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602432.html

-A New Chance to Curb Gun Violence
The Supreme Court decision last month overturning the District's handgunban, though controversial, may have ended a long-standing political logjam.As a local law enforcement official, I hope this decision will allow aworkingcoalition to transcend partisan disagreements and support strategiesproven to reduce gun violence.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602430.html

-Who's On the Watch List
The federal government's consolidated terrorist watch list has become acentral issue in the debate about how we can best secure our homeland.Unfortunately, myths about the watch list continue to grow in just aboutevery report and retelling.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602431.html

-The Fannie-Freddie Dodge
The costs and contradictions of bailing out housing
THE PARLOUS financial condition of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac threatens theglobal economy. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr.'s request forstandby authority to lend the mortgage giants more money and, if necessary,inject capital seeks to reduce this "systemic risk." Democratic leaders inCongress plan to attach the Fannie-Freddie rescue to housing legislationalready passed by the Senate and slated for House consideration. Strangely,though, both the Senate and House versions of the bill potentially increasethe very risks Mr. Paulson's plan is intended to mitigate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602464.html

-Slowing Economy Gives Way to Global Role Reversals
The global slowdown stemming in part from the deepening U.S. financialcrisis is hitting the world's richest nations the hardest even as emergingnations, some with once-fragile economies, are proving relatively resilient.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602732.html?hpid=topnews

-White House Blocks Release of FBI Files: Privilege Is Cited in CIA LeakCase
The White House yesterday blocked a House committee's attempt to obtaininternal FBI reports about the leak of a CIA officer's identity, assertingthat notes from interviews of Vice President Cheney and other administrationofficials are protected by executive privilege.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071601786.html?hpid=sec-nation

-Chief's Pay Criticized As Charity Cuts Back
Food & Friends, a nonprofit organization that provides meals and othernutritional services to homebound HIV-AIDS and cancer patients across theWashington region, is scaling back its services, citing declining donationsand rising fuel and food costs.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602658.html


-Census Won't Count Gay Marriages
Diane Curtis and Ellen Leuchs tied the knot in May 2004, less than a weekafter Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage and a decade after beginningtheir life as a couple. To the U.S. Census Bureau, however, their marriagedoes not count. Or, more specifically, it will not be counted in the 2010census.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602566.html


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-McCain hasn't ignited the passions of evangelicals
Stirring her morning coffee, lifelong Republican Grace Droog voiced herdoubts - and those of many evangelical voters - about what she isn't hearingfrom John McCain in this year's presidential election. "I look forsomething about his faith," she said. "It's very important, it's what ournation was founded on."
http://www.miamiherald.com/692/story/607730.html

-THE OPPENHEIMER REPORT: It's time for Americans to master a secondlanguage
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's recent comment thatAmericans should get their children to study Spanish or another secondlanguage has drawn an avalanche of criticism from English-only advocates andcable television anti-immigration zealots. But Obama couldn't have beenmore right. Whether it's Spanish, or other languages, Americans are waybehind the rest of the industrialized world when it comes to mastering otherlanguages.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/story/607449.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-McCain courts skeptical blacks at NAACP event
Republican John McCain courted skeptical black voters yesterday, pledging tothe nation's oldest civil rights group that he will expand educationopportunities, partly through vouchers for low-income children to attendprivate school.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/17/mccain_courts_skeptical_blacks_at_naacp_event/

-Bush hitting dry holes in energy blame game
Despite President Bush's less-than-subtle jab this week, Florida is not thereason why gas prices are more than $4 per gallon. On Monday, Mr. Bushindulged his passion for empty symbolism by lifting a presidential ban onoffshore oil and gas drilling, a ban his father established. The gesture issymbolic because Congress would have to go along, and Congress won't,primarily because Democrats won't.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/07/17/a14a_leadedit_drill_0717.html

-The Current Oil Shock
Why there's no relief in sight from the energy reality we're facing. Lastweek, after hitting $146 a barrel, the price of crude oil took a sudden,two-day, $9 plunge, based in part on comments by Iranian PresidentAhmadinejad that an attack on Iran was unlikely and on a mid-Atlantic turnnorth by Bertha, the season's first significant hurricane, away from theoil-rig and refinery rich Gulf of Mexico. It was just long enough forpundits to wonder, hesitantly and somewhat wistfully, whether the globaleconomic bad weather had finally hit the oil market, and whether lowereddemand meant that a new (downward) trend was on the way. That was, ofcourse, before the Iranians started lobbing missiles, and traders got edgyabout a promised week-long strike at Brazil's state-run oil giant Petrobrasand the kidnapping of at least one foreign oil worker in the Niger Deltaregion of Nigeria. By Friday, the "trend" was toast and the price of abarrel of crude had briefly crested above $147.
http://www.motherjones.com/commentary/tomdispatch/2008/07/current-oil-shock.html

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - July 16, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

Help Florida Red and Blue
Please volunteer and join me @ the GLCC (1717 N. Andrews Ave) this Thursday(7/17) from 6-8pm Start to "say no to 2" by saying yes to one volunteershift. We hold weekly phone banks on Thursday evening from 6-8pm, andSaturday afternoon from 12-2pm Florida Red and Blue is committed toeducating voters on the hurtful and harmful impact that ballot initiative"Amendment 2" will have on the rights of millions of Florida residents innon-traditional families . If you are interested in volunteering you cansimply respond to this e-mail or call 954-775-2310. In The Unity For AWhole Community,
Bishop Ma-Hee
Broward Field Coordinator
Florida Red and Blue/Say No 2


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You are invited to view Michael Emanuel Rajner's photo album of CommissionerJoe Angelo's Farewell Party
http://picasaweb.google.com/merajner/July162008CommissionerJoeAngeloFarewellParty


=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Judge: Lauderdale police entrapped man in gay-sex sting at park
A Fort Lauderdale police officer entrapped a middle-aged man into exposinghimself in Holiday Park and groping the officer's groin, a Broward Countyjudge has ruled. County Court Judge Gary Cowart ordered prosecutors todismiss charges of indecent exposure, committing a lewd act and batteryfiled against Michael Marsh as prosecutors presented no evidence Marshintended to commit those crimes before meeting Officer Nick Coffin inHoliday Park last August.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbentrapment0717sbjul17,0,3743974.story



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-State Farm seeks 47.1% rate hike for home insurance
State Farm, Florida's largest private property insurer, on Wednesday askedthe state for an average rate increase of 47.1 percent on homeownerpolicies. State Farm Florida Insurance Co. says it needs to increasepremiums to have the cash to pay claims if major storms strike.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/insurance/sfl-flzstatefarm0717sbjul17,0,1476679.story

-Principal of Coconut Creek High quits after school gets F
Coconut Creek High School, which last week received its first-ever F in thestate's student progress report, has lost its principal. Eugene Butler Jr.,who came to Coconut Creek High in 2006 from Miami-Dade County's schooldistrict, resigned Monday to take over the principal job at Miami CentralSenior High School, said Broward Schools spokesman Keith Bromery.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbcreek0717sbjul17,0,5274195.story

- Giving cops wider ticket-writing authority beefs up road enforcement atright time
ISSUE: Broward cops get wider jurisdiction to write tickets. Mutual aidagreements - those pacts between neighboring law enforcement agencies tocome to one another's assistance - have traditionally been called into usein times of emergencies. Like patrolling for looters in the aftermath of ahurricane, or setting up a dragnet for a felon on the lam.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editnbmutualaidpnjul17,0,202901.story

-Poll of Miami-Dade voters shows lack of support for Marlins ballparkPoll pans ballpark
A majority of Miami-Dade County voters think financing a ballpark for theFlorida Marlins with tourist taxes is a "bad investment" for countytaxpayers, according to a poll by Bendixen & Associates to be releasedtoday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-marlstadpoll0717sbjul17,0,3877302.story


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Special report: School grades: 13 Florida high schools earn nothing butD's and F's since 1999
Amid the high-fives and congratulations last week over Florida's soaringschool grades was another bit of news. For the first time in six years,none of Orange County's trio of perennially struggling high schools got anF.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-dfschools1708jul17,0,15872.story?track=rss

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#####

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - July 15, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.

=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Australian court strikes ban on annoying pilgrims
SYDNEY, Australia -- A court struck down a new law Tuesday that bannedpeople from annoying participants of a Roman Catholic youth festival inAustralia that the pope plans to attend, ruling that the law restricted freespeech.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/15/AR2008071500021.html


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365Gay.com
http://www.365gay.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Aussie Gays Win Pope Protest Battle
(Sydney, Australia) A court struck down a new law Tuesday that banned peoplefrom annoying participants of a Roman Catholic youth festival in Australiathat the pope plans to attend, ruling that the law restricted free speech.

-Mormon Excommunicated For Sexy Male Calendar
The creator of a calendar that featured shirtless Mormon missionaries wasexcommunicated Sunday after a disciplinary meeting with local church leadersin Las Vegas.

-Extra Value Meal, Please
So, I walk out of "WALL-E" vowing never again to suck down a biggie soda -not because I want to boycott pop, but because I'm repulsed at the notionthat the last of the human race was living in floating loungers and suckingits meals and numerous night and day snacks through a straw. "Never again."So much for that vow. It's two days later and I'm at the counter inMcDonald's asking for super-sized everything. I'm also telling the cashierthat I'm feasting under the Golden Arches because the American FamilyAssociation called for a boycott of the fast-food chain.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/neff/neff.htm


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Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Sexuality stance 'embarrasses' Anglicans
The head of the Anglican church in the US has said that her church hasembarrassed other parts of the Anglican Communion with its approach tosexuality. Speaking ahead of the Lambeth Conference, Presiding BishopKatharine Jefferts Schori defended churches that had confronted thecontroversial issue.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7506294.stm


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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-McCain Denounces Adoptions by Gays
Presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain denounced adoptionfor same-sex couples this weekend in an interview with The New York Times.McCain, who with his wife, Cindy, has an adopted child, has aligned himselfwith President Bush, who vehemently opposes adoption rights for gays.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57671.asp

- Gay Conservative Shuts Down Blog, Abandons Prop. 8
Gay conservative David Benkof has closed down his blog Gays Defend Marriage,in which he supported marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Ina statement to LGBT advocacy group Truth Wins Out the writer, formerly knownas David Bianco, said, "I no longer feel comfortable being allied with thepeople running the Prop. 8 campaign."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57637.asp

-Robinson Defies Orders, Attends Anglican Conference
Gene Robinson, the first openly gay U.S. Episcopal bishop, was barred from aonce-a-decade Anglican meeting so he wouldn't become a focus of the globalevent. Anglicans on all sides of the issue agree: The strategy hasbackfired.
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57628.asp

-Tutu Calls for Anglican Unity Amid Homosexuality Controversy
Archbishop Desmond Tutu pleaded with the Anglican Communion to show unity asit tries to reconcile the views of liberals and conservatives overhomosexuality. "The Anglican Church prides itself -- and this is one of itsgreatest attributes -- it prides itself on being the church that iscomprehensive, meaning that it includes all kinds of points of view," Tututold Sky News. "One of the sadnesses about the current crisis is that weseem to be jettisoning this wonderful inclusivity that is a characteristicof our church."
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid57647.asp


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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Editorial: A long way since 1913
Other states can enforce their own laws. And if most states refuse torecognize some marriages that are legal in Massachusetts, that's their loss.While Romney sniffed at this state becoming the "Las Vegas of gay marriage,"one recent study suggests that letting same-sex couples from other statesmarry in Massachusetts would bring economic benefits of $37 million a year.But repealing the misbegotten 1913 law is the right move, even if it doesn'tyield a dime. For the measure only underscores the parallel betweeninterracial marriage and same-sex marriage. By repealing it, the Legislaturewill send a powerful message: Marriages that once seemed so threatening toso many people can become part of the social fabric over time.
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/

-Wayne Besen: The 'Pro-Family' Scam
A new study by the Center for Labor Market Studies at NortheasternUniversity showed that in 2006, for the first time in U.S. history, amajority of births to women under 30 -- 50.4 percent -- were out of wedlock.New York Times columnist Bob Herbert points out that, "By comparison, whenJohn F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960, just 6 percent of all birthswere to unmarried women under 30. One imagines that this report might havestartled "pro-family" organizations and they would have put their millionsof dollars towards stopping this trend. No such luck. Instead, they areinvesting huge piles of money and manpower to pass anti-gay marriageamendments in Florida, Arizona and California. The upshot for "pro-family"groups is that if heterosexuals keep screwing up marriage, by the time gaypeople finally win the right nationally, we won't want to use it."Evangelicals of the older generation have become obsessed in almost atechnical psychological sense in opposing gay rights," David Weddle, aprofessor of religion at Colorado College told the Colorado Springs Gazette."The irony is that homosexuality is not a biblical theme."
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/

-MA: Editorial--A long way since 1913
Link: Boston Globe
BY SOME odd twist of events, the best-known act of the MassachusettsLegislature of 1913 is a law denying marriage licenses to nonresidentcouples if their union would be illegal in their home states. The measurehas a miserable history. Though it resurfaced as part of the same-sexmarriage debate in 2004, its origins lie in racial discrimination. And it'sa legal anomaly; it asks public officials in Massachusetts to interpret themarriage statutes of other states.

-Commentary: "The Heterosexing of Gay America?"
Has the increased cultural visibility of LGBTs diluted the value of ourbrand? Will we lose our distinctively naughty outlaw spark on the day queerscan no longer claim oppressed minority status? Did those who threw punchesat Stonewall or stormed St. Patrick's Cathedral during the plague years ofAIDS do so to secure our precious right to tone it down, raise a family andfit in? Is normalization, assimilation or other boxy buzzwords ending in"ation" a reasonable price to pay for the things we've gained? These are allvalid, simple questions with obvious, definitive answers. . .


=
Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-UN under fire over treatment of gay asylum seekers
Two gay Iranian asylum seekers are being ignored by UN refugee authoritiesin Turkey because of their sexuality, claims the Iranian Queer Organisation.

-Insurance website claims gay men die younger than straights
A leading insurance comparison website has caused a storm of debate byclaiming gay men have a life expectancy 20 years shorter than heterosexualmen.

-Christian registrar who won 'gay marriage' case has illegitimate child
A civil registrar who claimed her Christian belief is so fundamental thatshe cannot not conduct civil partnerships is an unmarried single mother.

-Foreign Office issues advice to Pride travellers
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued advice for LGBT peopletravelling to gay Pride events. Holland, Denmark, and South Africa areholding major gay Pride marches later this summer.


=
Forwarded from Victoria Lavin
Daily Queer News
dailyqueernews@yahoo.com
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Santorum Wrong on Boy Scouts
As usual, Rick Santorum, the former U.S. Senator who was soundly defeated inthe last election by Sen. Bob Casey Jr., has gotten it all wrong. In hisJuly 3 column ("Boy Scouts could ease city woes; leave them alone"),Santorum appears to be so anxious to defend the Boy Scouts that he hasignored the sole reason they have been asked to look for a new home here inPhiladelphia. They are in violation of the law by actively discriminatingagainst individuals based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity.It is that simple.

-VIHA Survey Determines Gay Youth Face Low Self-Esteem
A recent study suggested young gay, bisexual and transgendered men inGreater Victoria have lower self-esteem than older gay men. The M-Tracksurvey, conducted by VIHA and the Public Health Agency of Canada, foundalmost 60 per cent of surveyed men aged 18 to 24 experienced verbal threatsor insults in the past year.

-Obama Campaign Furious Over Magazine Cover Depicting Him as a MuslimTerrorist
Blame sagging magazine sales and a crowded marketplace, some analystssuspect, but the current New Yorker magazine cover likening Barack Obama toa turban-wearing terrorist while he fist-bumps his gun toting wife isgetting raked over the coals by Obama supporters. The Obama campaign hascalled the caricature "tasteless and offensive," but the artist is standingby his work.

-Philippines: CBCP OKs Condoms for Married Person with HIV
Married persons infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and thosewith full-blown Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) will be allowedto use condoms to eliminate the risk of infecting their partners, anofficial of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said.Fr. Edwin Corros, executive secretary of the CBCP-Episcopal Commission forPastoral Care for Migrants

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Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-Moscow Pride Organizer Suggests To Hold International Conference On Freedom
Of Assembly In Russia
LGBT remain the most discriminated social group in Russia
Head of LGBT Human Rights Project GayRussia.Ru and organizer of Moscow Pride
Nikolai Alekseev suggested that an international conference on freedom of
assembly should be held in Moscow. Current policy of Moscow authorities
means total prohibition of any manifestation of LGBT people and serious
breaches of the rights of other social groups including opposition
movements. The proposal was announced during the meeting with members ofGerman Bundestag and Russian human rights activists in Moscow office ofhuman rights organization "Memorial" on July 12. The delegation ofBundestag Committee for Human Rights visited Moscow in order to learn aboutsituation with human rights in Russian Federation. The meeting was attendedby members of Bundestag Volker Beck (Green), Burkhardt Mueller-Soenksen(Liberal) and Holger Haibach (Christian Democrat). The meeting was dedicatedto the problems of freedom of assemblies and associations in Russia.

-We are contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent caseinvolving 2 gay Iranians, Reza and Kamal.
It is no secret that queer Iranians who flee to Turkey and other countriescontinue to face risks due to homophobia. This often results in depressionand post traumatic stress symptoms. Reza and Kamal, a gay Iranian couple,fled Iran 2 whole years ago, but have still not received refugee status.The common complications that queer refugees experience are escalated forthem because Kamal is seriously ill. Immediate attention by UNHCR iscritical! Please show your support by writing to the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to urge them to expedite the refugeeprocess for Reza and Kamal. There are 2 ways you can help:
http://www.irqo.net/IRQO/English/pages/145.htm


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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:

-Preaching to the converted
Gene Robinson is the Anglican church's only openly gay bishop. He wasdenied an invitation to this week's Lambeth conference but came anyway andon Sunday gave a dramatic sermon in London disrupted by heckling. What'sall the fuss about?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/15/anglicanism.gayrights


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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Go to the links for the following articles:
Contact rays.list@comcast.net if can't access the article

-Repent! Biker's blast at bishop
Bishop Robinson was heckled last night by a lone protestor as he preached asermon at St Mary's, Putney, south London. Despite a small policepresence outside the crowded church, a long-haired young man in a T-shirtand carrying a helmet joined the congregation and began shouting. Robinsonhad just criticised fear of gays in the church, saying there were moreimportant issues for Christians such as world poverty and stabbings inLondon. He said: "How sad and how discouraging" - when the man stood up andshouted: "Because of heretics like you, sir. Go back to your own church.Repent."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/14/anglicanism.religion1


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TWO - Truth Wins Out
by Wayne Besen
http://www.truthwinsout.org/

-Over the weekend, Focus on the Family's James Dobson released his pit bullsand personally attacked me. He is irate because I dared to launch a campaignto keep him out of the Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson is a venomous bigot whohas said that same-sex marriage will "destroy the earth." Clearly, he doesnot deserve to be honored and must be stopped. YOU are the only thingstanding between James Dobson and a Hall of Fame victory dance. The lastthing we want is for him to parade around on-stage with a trophy, using hisplatform to spew more bile against the GLBT community. There are four thingsyou can do TODAY to stop this troglodyte. You must act NOW, as Hall of Famevoting ends on July 15.
http://www.truthwinsout.org/dobson-petition.php

=

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 15, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


=
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Want Obama in a Punch Line? First, Find a Joke
On Monday, The New Yorker magazine tried dipping its toe into broad satireinvolving Senator Obama with a cover image depicting the presumptiveDemocratic presidential nominee and his wife, Michelle, as fist-bumping,flag-burning, bin Laden-loving terrorists in the Oval Office. The responsefrom both Democrats and Republicans was explosive.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/us/politics/15humor.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=nyt&oref=slogin

-Stocks Fall in Asia and Europe as Euro Hits a High
Financial stocks were pushed lower Tuesday in Asia and Europe and the eurohit a record against the dollar as new concerns about the global financialsystem rose to the fore. "People are thinking this is the next wave" of thecrisis, said Paul Robson, a currency strategist at Royal Bank of ScotlandGroup in London. "Investors are taking flight from troubles at the U.S.regional banks."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/16/business/worldbusiness/16markets.html?hp

-Video of Guantánamo Interrogation Released
Lawyers for a Canadian prisoner at Guantanamo Bay released excerpts ofvideotaped interrogations Tuesday, providing a first-ever glimpse into thesecretive world of questioning enemy combatants at the isolated U.S. prisonin Cuba. The 10 minutes of video -- selected by Omar Khadr's Canadianlawyers from more than seven hours of footage recorded by a camera hidden ina vent -- shows a 16-year-old Khadr weeping, his face buried in his hands,during the 2003 interrogation that took place over four days.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-Canada-Guantanamo-Detainee.html?hp

-Arrest Is Sought of Sudan Leader in Genocide Case
The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court formally requested anarrest warrant on Monday for Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, oncharges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed duringthe past five years of bloodshed in the Darfur region of his country.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/world/africa/15sudan.html

-In France, Syrian Stirs Tensions
President Bashar al-Assad of Syria was a guest of honor at France's annualBastille Day parade here on Monday, a day after he attended the inauguralmeeting of a new Mediterranean-oriented association in a sign that hisdiplomatic isolation is ending but one that angered many because of Syria'slinks to Iran and militant groups.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/world/europe/15france.html

-Obama Will Meet Palestinian Leaders in the West Bank
Senator Barack Obama, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, will meetwith Palestinian leaders in the West Bank during his trip overseas nextweek, the first details of which began to emerge on Monday. The trip willcome after a speech Mr. Obama will give on Tuesday on national security.Foreshadowing that address, he expanded on his positions on the wars in Iraqand Afghanistan on Monday, vowing to draw down combat forces in Iraq asconditions permit and deploy as many as 10,000 additional troops toAfghanistan to deal with resurgent Taliban and Qaeda fighters.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/us/politics/15campaign.html

-Op-Ed Contributor: Catching a War Criminal in the Act
Servian, France: THE prosecutor of the International Criminal Court hasmade the tough decision to seek an arrest warrant for a leader of a countryat war - Sudan's president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He is to be charged withgenocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the last five yearsof war in Darfur.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/opinion/15goldstone.html?ref=opinion

-China, Muslims and the Genocide
The BBC has uncovered evidence of Chinese military support for Sudaneseforces in Darfur. Given the arrest warrant sought today by the ICC's chiefprosecutor for Sudan's president on charges of genocide, that is recklessbehavior on the part of China. It always astonishes me that China is sosensitive to its image being hurt by anti-government demonstrations, yetwill sully its own image by helping out with genocide in Sudan.
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/china-muslims-and-the-genocideindex.html?ref=opinion


=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Rescue or Respite?: The Fannie-Freddie bailout, Day One.
YOU MAY NOW exhale. As of yesterday's market close, both Fannie Mae andFreddie Mac were still alive. Investors snapped up $3 billion in Freddie Macbonds; the firms' stock prices sank only about half a buck each, in contrastto the dizzying plunge of recent days. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson'sannouncement of a rescue plan for the two "government-sponsored enterprises"(GSEs) achieved its intended effect, sort of. The panic that threatened toslay the mortgage giants, upon whose shoulders the American economy rests,has abated. But for how long?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071402063.html

-It's Funny How Humor Is So Ticklish
Call it the attack of the Jonathan Swiftboaters. A New Yorker coverillustration, showing Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim fist-bumping hisgun-toting wife, fell afoul of the humor police yesterday. To some, it wassatire. To others, it was aid and comfort to the malice mongers who hideunder the rocks of American politics. In the end, it was both.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071402445.html?hpid=topnews

-Connection to Mugabe Threatens South African President's Legacy
JOHANNESBURG -- At first glance they are nothing alike. Zimbabwe's agingpresident, Robert Mugabe, is, at 84, among the last of a generation ofAfrican Big Men, clinging to power through brutal repression. South Africa'ssuave President Thabo Mbeki, nearly two decades younger, rules by popularmandate as the elected leader of one of the continent's most robustdemocracies.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071402081.html?hpid=topnews

-Adolescence Can Sting Adopted Kids
Adolescents are expected to chafe at adult oversight, act impulsively andbrood about the meaning of life. But adolescents who were adopted ininfancy are almost twice as likely as their non-adopted peers to end up incounseling for those kinds of behaviors, a fact that leaves many adoptiveparents wondering: Do adopted children really have more adjustment problemsin adolescence? Or do adoptive parents, hypervigilant as they famously are,overreact to the conventional struggles of young adulthood and refer theirchildren to mental health professionals more often than need be?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071401397.html?hpid=sec-health


=
Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Massachusetts: Repeal would expand gay marriage rights
When Massachusetts became the first state to issue marriage licenses to gaycouples in 2004, it left one big roadblock in place: Out-of-state couplesneed not apply. Now an effort is gaining momentum to repeal a 1913 statelaw that has prevented out-of-state gay couples from getting married. Thelaw says couples cannot be married in Massachusetts if their unions would beillegal in their home states.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flanatdig07152sbjul15,0,3229930.story

-EXECUTIVE POWER: Dumbing down of presidential speeches
People campaign for the presidency by talking their heads off. By the timethe winner reaches the White House, the habit is so ingrained that it isimpossible to shake. The result has been what professor Jeffrey Tulis ofthe University of Texas 21 years ago labeled ''the rhetorical presidency,''his term for an office in which the principal goal is to mobilize publicopinion successfully enough to dominate the dealings with Congress and evenforeign powers. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were, for most of theirtenures, masters of the art. George W. Bush had early success, but now haslost most of his audience and, with it, his sway.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/604912.html


=
Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Obama slams New Yorker portrayal
Barack Obama's campaign is condemning as "tasteless and offensive" a NewYorker magazine cover that depicts Obama in a turban, fist-bumping hisgun-slinging wife. An American flag burns in their fireplace. The NewYorker says it's satire. It certainly will be candy for cable news.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0708/11719.html

-Bush prods Congress on drilling, but ban sticks
President Bush lifted a long-standing executive ban on offshore drilling onMonday, a largely symbolic move designed to push Congress to do the same.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article699513.ece

-Barack Obama is coming to town
Barack Obama has taken the US political scene by storm. He now has anopportunity to convince some of America's leading allies that he is theright man to succeed President George W. Bush. In the next 10 days, theDemocratic presidential candidate is expected to embark on a visit to Europethat will see him visiting the UK, France and Germany. In each of thosenation's capitals, he will receive the warmest of receptions. After theoften traumatic relationship be-tween Europe and the US that dominated theBush years, Mr Obama looks like a man who, as president, would engage farmore closely with Washington's European partners. That is certain to makehim a most welcome guest.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a565a7d2-510e-11dd-b751-000077b07658.html?nclick_check=1

-Campaigns gear up in state
Romney jump-starts McCain bid, but Obama camp details biggest effort ever inMichigan. Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney returned tohis native state Monday to kick off John McCain's on-the-ground campaigneffort in Michigan -- an effort Republicans acknowledge will likely beoutmanned and outspent by Democrat Barack Obama.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080715/POLITICS/807150352/1374/POLITICS01

-Obama repeats calls for blacks to show greater responsibility
Democrat Barack Obama insisted last night that while Washington must providegreater education and economic assistance, blacks must demand more ofthemselves and show greater responsibility - a challenge that has upset someblack leaders. We "have to do more in our own lives, our own families andour own communities," Obama said in remarks prepared for delivery at theannual NAACP convention. "That starts with providing the guidance ourchildren need, turning off the TV and putting away the video games;attending those parent-teacher conferences, helping our children with theirhomework and setting a good example."
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/07/15/obama_repeats_calls_for_blacks_to_show_greater_responsibility/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z

-Israelis ponder Obama victory
Many express concern that a Democrat in White House might take foreignpolicy in an unknown direction
JERUSALEM - David Gerstein, an Israeli artist, is uneasy about Barack Obama,worried that if he gets to the White House he might take American policy inthe Middle East in new directions. "He talks about change, but the questionis: What change? What's troubling is the unknown," Gerstein, a popularpainter and sculptor, said over lunch at a mall near his studio. "I'mconcerned that he might impose on us things we don't want."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-obama-israel_greenbergjul15,0,5937678.story

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - July 15, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


=

~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

FLORIDA GAY, LESBIAN, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER
DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
http://www.floridaglbtdemocrats.org/

-You still have time to register and join us for our summer conference in Gainesville, Fri. July 18 and Sat. July 19, but TIME IS SHORT! Our hosts,the Stonewall Democrats of Alachua County have put together a greatconference and it something you don't want to miss. Friday night, July 18there will be a social at the Wild Iris Books and Cafe. The Saturdayconference will be at the UF Hilton Conference Center and will featureRepresentatives from the Human Rights Campaign, Equality Florida, and theFlorida ACLU LGBT Advocacy Project will speak at the Saturday meeting. Inaddition to the usual roster of local and statewide candidates andofficeholders, we are planning to include conversation panels on topics suchas gender identity ordinances and intersections among Democratic groups. Saturday night there will be a reception at the Pride Community Center ofNorth Central Florida and is being organized by the Human Rights Council ofNorth Central Florida. More information, including registration and links tohotel reservations can be found on the Caucus web site here.
http://www.floridaglbtdemocrats.org/conference-alachua.html


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Gary Resnick for Mayor of Wilton Manors
Mayor SCOTT NEWTON CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO ATTEND A FUNDRAISING RECEPTION FOR GARY RESNICK CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 4, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008 - 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Georgie's Alibi - Dana Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Drive Wilton Manors
Please RSVP To: rsvp@garyresnick.com
By Monday, July 14 OR (954) 761-7496
If unable to attend, contributions may be sent toGary Resnick Campaign
2800 NW 10th Ave.
Wilton Manors, FL 33311


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Vote: Absentee Ballots in Broward County
It has never been easier to cast your ballot to vote and to make sure yourrequests are counted. All you need to do is go to this website at the Broward Supervisor of Elections office and request that an absentee ballotbe sent to you. You can request your ballot for all elections from nowuntil 2010 and bypass the long lines at the polls. Do it now! Make sureyour voice is heard from the comfort of your home. There are no longer anyexcuses not to vote!!!!!
http://www.browards oe.org/AbsenteeR equest2.aspx


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Tropical depression may form in central Atlantic
As Tropical Storm Bertha lashed Bermuda with heavy rains and howling windsMonday, forecasters were monitoring a new system in the central Atlanticthat was expected to grow into a tropical depression, possibly as early asTuesday. "The system has the beginnings of a pretty well-definedcirculation," said senior hurricane specialist James Franklin, of theNational Hurricane Center in Miami-Dade County.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-bertha,0,4301754.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-MEDICINE: Foster child gets liver transplant, recovering well
A liver unexpectedly became available in Miami, and a Central Florida fosterteen was given lifesaving transplant surgery. A 15-year-old foster childwho was removed from an organ transplant list because he lacked a stablehome for recovery quietly received a new liver Sunday at Jackson MemorialHospital and is recuperating well from the eight-hour procedure.
http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/604923.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Toilet paper firm puts a lid on gun law
Georgia-Pacific has declared that its Palatka toilet- and tissue-paper plantisn't bound by a controversial employee gun-rights law, citing a Homeland Security exemption because the company handles barge-loads of explosivefuel. The company's decision -- following Disney World's recent decisionthat it's exempt because of its federal explosives permit -- has enraged theNational Rifle Association and spotlighted the Legislature's difficulty indrafting clear laws, especially when major lobbies clash during the brief
60-day lawmaking session.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/604468.html

-CFO Alex Sink's profile looms larger
Eighteen months ago, as Florida's newly elected Democratic chief financial
officer, Alex Sink was clear: Her political ambition didn't include the 2010governor's race.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article697516.ece

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#####

Monday, July 14, 2008

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - July 14, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Arts, Briefly: Ian McKellen Confronts Anglican Church on Gays
Ian McKellen accused the Anglican Church of homophobia during an appearanceon a BBC television program, the British newspaper The Guardian reported.Mr. McKellen, far right, the actor and a founding member of the Stonewallgay-rights group, made the comments while appearing on "The Andrew Marr Show" with Gene Robinson (pictured with Mr. McKellen), the gay Episcopalbishop from New Hampshire whose 2003 consecration has caused division withinthe church. According to The Guardian Mr. McKellen said that religiousauthorities and some leaders of Britain's armed forces and schools sharedsimilar negative attitudes toward gay people: "They root around in the Biblefor the bits that seem to be relevant." Mr. McKellen and Bishop Robinsonwill host the British premiere of an American 2007 documentary abouthomosexuality and religion, "For the Bible Tells Me So." The screening willbe held in London on Monday, two days before the start of the LambethConference, a meeting of Anglican bishops held every 10 years and hosted bythe Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/arts/television/14arts-IANMCKELLENC_BRF.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin

-Taliban Profits From Pakistan Marble
The takeover of the Ziarat quarry has enabled the Taliban to turn themselvesinto a self-sustaining fighting force.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/world/asia/14taliban.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-Give Amtrak a Fighting Chance
Amtrak's current funding is a woefully inadequate $1.2 billion. New billswould roughly double that, and sustain it for five years.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14mon2.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: Scandinavia's Scarred Mr. Dialogue
Scandinavia does reasonableness well, even when faced with unreason. TheOslo Accords of 1993 were as close as Israelis and Palestinians have come tolooking each other in the eye, admitting neither side is going away, andjettisoning a bitter past for a better future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14cohen.html?ref=opinion

-Editorial: Witnessing the War Dead, From Afar
There's a propaganda edge to waging every war, and a sad hallmark of theBush administration's approach has been to deny the nation the candid sightof flag-draped coffins of sacrificed soldiers returning from Iraq andAfghanistan. A nation at war should confront the reality of war.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14mon3.html?ref=opinion

-What's Next in the Law? The Unalienable Rights of Chimps
Spain's parliament recently passed a resolution granting legal rights toapes. Reaction has been mixed. Peter Singer, a Princeton Universitybioethics professor and animal liberation activist, declared the vote to beof "world historical significance." The comedian Stephen Colbert - flashinga photo of a performing chimpanzee - insisted that the new law had betternot give apes "the right to not wear a tuxedo and roller skates."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14mon4.html?ref=opinion

-Government as the Big Lender
By PETER S. GOODMAN
For millions of Americans, the government has morphed from lender of lastresort into effectively the only lender.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/washington/14guarantee.html?hp

-Sudanese President Accused of Genocide
Omar Hassan al-Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be charged bythe International Criminal Court. [...] The prosecutor at the InternationalCriminal Court on Monday formally requested an arrest warrant for Sudan'spresident, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, on charges of genocide and crimes againsthumanity committed during the last five years of bloodshed in his country'sDarfur region.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/world/africa/15sudan.html?hp

-Lieberman Finds Middle a Tricky Path
Joseph I. Lieberman, lapsed Democrat of Connecticut, strolled into theweekly lunch of the Senate Democrats last Tuesday, unaccompanied by a foodtaster. He greeted his colleagues, including some who felt he should nothave been there. He ate his lunch (salad, eschewing the mac and cheese) andsat through a discussion about gasoline prices and Medicare.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/us/politics/14lieberman.html?hp

-Sarkozy Helps to Bring Syria Out of Isolation
Leaders of 43 nations with nearly 800 million inhabitants inaugurated a"Union for the Mediterranean" on Sunday, meant to bring the northern andsouthern countries that ring the sea closer together through practicalprojects dealing with the environment, climate, transportation, immigrationand policing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/world/europe/14france.html

-Democrats Look to Lobbyist to Finance Convention
In terms of lobbyists, few are more connected - both west of the Mississippiand in the corridors of power in Washington - than Steve Farber, a Denverlawyer whose political contacts have thrust him into a central fund-raisingrole for the Democratic National Convention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/us/politics/14convention.html

-Schwarzenegger Weighs Post Under Obama
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, who has endorsed Senator JohnMcCain and called his fellow Republican a role model, suggested in aninterview broadcast Sunday that he would be willing to serve as an energyand environment czar under Senator Barack Obama should he win thepresidency.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/us/politics/14schwarz.html

-Op-Ed Contributor: My Plan for Iraq
The call by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for a timetable for theremoval of American troops from Iraq presents an enormous opportunity. Weshould seize this moment to begin the phased redeployment of combat troopsthat I have long advocated, and that is needed for long-term success in Iraqand the security interests of the United States.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14obama.html

-Will Little Havana Go Blue?
On the surface, political life in Cuban Miami seems unchanged. Little Havanais still partly a Disney version of a displaced Cuba and partly a genuinecommunity hub, where families who have long since left for suburbia stillcome for nostalgic weekend lunches. At the Versailles Restaurant, thecommunity newspapers preaching no compromise with Castro are all that are onoffer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/magazine/13CUBANS-t.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1216034045-GvZ+RsGrGR5HU2yGlFrA+Q


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Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-The World: The Week Ahead in International News
Monday: Envoys from Asia and Africa will meet in Jakarta, Indonesia, for aconference on the political and economic development of the Palestinianterritories. Wednesday: A once-a-decade Anglican church conference opensin Canterbury, England, but a quarter of the church's bishops are expectedto boycott it over the issues of female bishops and openly gay clerics.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/13/AR2008071301999.html

-Back In the USSR?
Vladimir Putin's appointment this spring as prime minister of the symbolic"union" of Russia and Belarus was yet another example of the troublingsimilarities between today's Russia and the other most stable and prosperousRussian regime of the past 80 years: Leonid Brezhnev's Soviet Union in the1970s. That economy, too, was fueled by then-record oil prices. And whilethere are clear differences between the two Russias, if these tendencies gounchecked, the increasingly authoritarian and economically statist countrymay soon face crises of the kind that became apparent under Brezhnev andcontributed to the Soviet Union's demise.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/13/AR2008071301721.html

-In Obama's Circle, Chicago Remains The Tie That Binds
For once, Barack Obama left his iPod and stack of news clips at his seat andworked the front cabin of his campaign's chartered plane, laughing andreminiscing with the people who know him best.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/13/AR2008071301904.html?hpid=topnews

-Magazine's 'satirical' cover stirs controversy
Barack Obama's campaign says a satirical New Yorker magazine cover showingthe Democratic presidential candidate dressed as a Muslim and his wife as aterrorist is "tasteless and offensive." The illustration on the issue thathits newsstands Monday, titled "The Politics of Fear" and drawn by BarryBlitt, depicts Barack Obama wearing traditional Muslim garb _ sandals, robeand turban _ and his wife, Michelle _ dressed in camouflage, combat bootsand an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder _ standing in the OvalOffice.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071400655.html


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Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Surrendering to Sharia law
So this is how it ends: not with a bang, but a whimper. The most seniorjudge in England has declared that Islamic legal principles in Sharia lawmay be used within Muslim communities in Britain to settle marital argumentsand regulate finance. Lord Chief Justice Lord Phillips said, "Those enteringinto a contractual agreement can agree that the agreement shall be governedby a law other than English law." In his speech at an East London mosque,Lord Phillips said Muslims in Britain could use Islamic legal principles aslong as punishments - and divorce rulings - comply with English law. Sharialaw does not comply with English law. It is a law unto itself. And so theEnglish who gave us the Magna Carta in 1215, William Blackstone and thefoundation of American law are slowly succumbing to the dictates ofintolerant Islam and sowing seeds of their own destruction.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-calt10julsbjul14,0,4549852.story

-Obama begins making his move
Until recently, one of the biggest raps against Barack Obama fromconservatives was his delicate dance around any issue that might upset hiscore constituents. How can he claim a break from "politics as usual," theysaid, if he wasn't willing to upset the left? They can't say that anymore.Now they say he's flip-flopped. That's OK. If you want to please everybody,you don't belong in politics. Obama's bigger worry is the old slogan ofliberal commentator Jim Hightower, a former Texas officeholder: "There ain'tnothing in the middle of the road but a yellow line and dead armadillos."In recent weeks, the likely Democratic presidential nominee has softened orabandoned his earlier positions on a parade of issues, including wiretaps,abortion, trade with Mexico and Canada, gun control and public funding ofhis own campaign.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-page10julsbjul14,0,814293.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-PRESIDENTIAL RACE: Obama's tactics confound McCain, GOP adversaries
John McCain is the candidate who actually had experience as a wartime flyer,but Barack Obama is the one who has most successfully adapted a favoritetactic of those intrepid aviators. When the pilots were over a targetheavily defended by anti-aircraft guns, they would release a cloud of finemetal scraps, hoping to confuse the aim of the shells or missiles beingfired in their direction.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/603869.html

-ECONOMIC DEBATE: Old script is in rewrite
The biggest political story of 2008 is getting little coverage. It involvesthe collapse of assumptions that have dominated our economic debate forthree decades. Since the Reagan years, free market cliches have passed forsophisticated economic analysis. But in the current crisis, these ideas arefalling, one by one, as even conservatives recognize that capitalism isailing.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other_views/story/603870.html

-NAACP head: Obama win won't solve racial injustice
Racial disparity will remain an issue in America, regardless of whetherBarack Obama is elected as the nation's first black president, the chairmanof the NAACP told the organization's national convention Sunday night.Julian Bond, a veteran civil rights leader, said Obama's candidacy doesn't"herald a post-civil rights America, any more than his victory in Novemberwill mean that race as an issue has been vanquished in America."
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/603624.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Palestinians: Obama to visit West Bank
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will visit the West Bank nextweek as part of a swing through the Middle East, a Palestinian official saidMonday, giving an important diplomatic boost to the Palestinians at asensitive time in peace talks.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/07/14/official_obama_to_visit_west_bank_meet_abbas/

-A clash of generations in black community
Jackson incident may reveal emerging divide. The Rev. Jesse Jackson'soffhand insult of Barack Obama last week has exposed a heated debate overwhether Obama's groundbreaking presidential campaign - and his repeatedchallenge to the black community to straighten out its own affairs - isdisplacing and alienating some in Jackson's generation of black leadership,which held the government accountable for the plight of African-Americans.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/07/13/a_clash_of_generations_in_black_community/

-Obama mines a Republican stronghold
In Newport Beach, unlikely friends help the Democrat rival McCain in OrangeCounty fundraising. On the Balboa Bay Club's wall of its most famousguests, there are photos of Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush,Gerald Ford and, of course, the Duke. There are no Democratic politicians.Securely tucked behind the Orange Curtain, Newport Beach is Republican-heldterritory.
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-obama14-2008jul14,0,5551006.story?track=rss

-Obama finds kindred soul at helm in Kansas: Sebelius rises in VP derby
When Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas gave the Democrats' response tothe State of the Union address in January, she rejected the usual partisanrhetoric. Instead, she gently called on President Bush to "join us" infixing problems like the economy and healthcare, pointing to areas of commonground.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/07/14/obama_finds_kindred_soul_at_helm_in_kansas/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Front+Page

-Obama clarifies view on Jerusalem
Barack Obama said yesterday that he used "poor phrasing" in a speechsupporting Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. "This was anexample where we had some poor phrasing in the speech. And we immediatelytried to correct the interpretation that was given," he said in an interviewthat aired yesterday on CNN.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/07/14/obama_clarifies_view_on_jerusalem/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+Today%27s+paper+A+to+Z

-Worth the risk? Debate on offshore drilling heats up
From his perch at the southern tip of Louisiana, port director Ted Falgoutsees green: the color of money that comes from the nation's busiest haven ofoffshore drilling. "It's OK to have an ugly spot in your backyard," Falgoutsays, "if that spot has oil coming out of it."
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2008-07-13-offshore-drilling_N.htm

-David Remnick On That New Yorker Cover: It's Satire, Meant To Target
"Distortions And Misconceptions And Prejudices" About Obama
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/13/david-remnick-on-emnew-yo_n_112456.html


=
Inside Higher Education
http://www.insidehighered.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Fantasies and Due Process
When advocates for faculty rights dream about the professors they would liketo defend, they think of the courageous dissenter who challenges heradministration or conventional wisdom in her discipline. They don't think ofone professor sharing his sexual fantasies about students with a colleagueat another campus.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/07/14/utsa

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - July 14, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

Ft. Lauderdale - Dolphin Democrats
http:\\www.dolphindems.org

-Please join us on Wednesday, July 16 from 7pm to 9pm to honor Wilton ManorsCommissioner Joe Angelo
At GLCC - Andrews Avenue

-August 13 Candidates Speak
Due to the number of county wide candidates invited to speak to our group,we will be starting our meeting at 7:00 pm Wednesday August 13th 2008. Group1 speakers will begin at 7:00 and Group 2 at 8:00. See below invitedcandidates and their group. To view the candidates list and questionaire CLICK HERE. http://dolphindems.org/candidates.html


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Sugar industry likely to remain potent political force: Industry may wieldmore clout after land deal
U.S. Sugar Corp.'s plan to sell its land to clear a path for Evergladesrestoration signals the decline of a major political player that has shapedstate and national policy for decades. U.S. Sugar and its allies in thesugar cane and sugar beet industry have poured millions into politicalcampaigns, boosted or cut short political careers and made their imprint onCongress and the Florida Legislature.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flasugarpolitics0714sbjul14,0,1106456.story

-Land involved in the U.S. Sugar deal - Map
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-701sugar,0,3218345.graphic

-Ft. Lauderdale: Cafe Europa on Las Olas Boulevard moving on
Italian eatery forced out by Riverside Hotel expansion
After 18 years at the corner of Las Olas Boulevard and Southeast EighthAvenue, Cafe Europa closed Sunday night. The popular Italian eatery, withits covered patio and replica of the Statue of Liberty, is being pushed outto make way for the expansion of the historic Riverside Hotel. It is one ofeight storefronts to be torn down for the upgrade.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbeuropa0714sbjul14,0,3354136.story

-Disney firing sets stage for battle between gun rights and property rights
ISSUE: Stage set for a three-ring circus pitting property and gun rightsagainst each other. Walt Disney World probably put itself in the legal cross hairs of America'sgun lobby this week when theme park officials fired a security guard whosought the law's protection but violated company policy in doing so.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editdldisneygunssbjul14,0,3548722.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Free pass for porn
OUR OPINION: LEGISLATURE SHOULD FIX ITS FIX OF THE SEX-OFFENDER LAW
With all the lawyers in the Legislature, one would think they might producean intelligible statute. But no. A 50-word section of a law that sought toprohibit sex offenders from possessing porn has tied up two state appellatecourts in conflicting opinions and led to an opinion by the state SupremeCourt with two dissents that stretched for 66 pages. Good grief.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/603851.html

-How secure is Citizens Property Insurance?
In less than four years, Citizens Property Insurance went from being atemporary fix for Florida's troubled insurance market to the state's largestinsurer of homes, condos and apartments. Along the way, it has paid outnearly $5.9 billion in 313,237 claims from eight hurricanes. It ramped upoperations to handle catastrophes practically as the storms raged. Its staffhas gone from fewer than 100 to more than 1,000. And it took on some 300,000policies practically overnight when three insurers failed two years ago.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/603228.html

-FLORIDA'S IMAGE: Time magazine revisits Florida's problems
Time magazine is tackling a familiar topic in a story reminiscent of itsclassic Paradise Lost article. Paradise has gone missing again. Says who?Time, that's who.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/603860.html

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#####

Sunday, July 13, 2008

GLBT DIGEST - July 13, 2008

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.


=
Express Gay News
http://www.expressgaynews.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Senate vote ends filibuster on HIV travel ban repeal
Ala. senator seeks to remove provision from AIDS bill
By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade | Jul 11, 10:19 AM
A global AIDS relief bill that includes language calling for the repeal of alaw that bans foreign visitors and immigrants with HIV from entering theU.S. cleared a major hurdle Friday when the Senate voted 65 to 3 to end afilibuster that had blocked the legislation for more than two months. Butthe provision calling for repealing the HIV visitor and immigrant ban facesanother obstacle next week, when Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) is expected tointroduce an amendment calling for striking the repeal provision from thelegislation, officially know as the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDSRelief or PEPFAR. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) named Sessionsas the senator seeking to kill the repeal provision minutes before theSenate voted to end the PEPFAR filibuster. Reid read a list of at least 10PEPFAR amendments expected to be introduced on Monday and identified theauthor of each one. A vote on the full PEPFAR measure could come as soon asMonday or sometime later in the week, Reid said.
http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=19645


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National Gay News
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Gay Marriage: Tying or Not
June 13 turned out to be a lucky day for Jerry Lee, 62, and Don Ofstedal,59, of Minneapolis. That's the day the two men flew out to California forwhat they thought would be a pleasant, yet uneventful vacation. But alongwith wine tastings, fresh food, a tour of Hearst Castle and stunning drivesup the coast, Lee and Ofstedal added a last-minute stop: San Francisco CityHall, where they were married June 19. "Our vacation turned out to be a'pre-honeymoon,'" Lee said with a laugh.

-U.S. Census Bureau Won't Count Same-Sex Marriages
Tens of thousands of same-sex couples are expected to marry legally inCalifornia by 2010, if a constitutional ban on gay marriage doesn't pass atthe polls in November. But no matter what the voters decide, the officialgovernment count of the number of married same-sex couples in California isnot in doubt. It will be zero.

-Italian Wins Damages Over Gay Driving Test Retake
An Italian court has ruled the government must pay 100,000 euros (79,981pounds) in damages to a man who was told to retake a driving test because hewas homosexual. When 26 year-old Danilo Giuffrida told doctors he was gayat his medical examination for military service, they passed the informationto the transport ministry, who told him he must repeat his driving test orhave his licence withdrawn due to his "sexual identity disturbance."

-AIDS Researchers Want Human Test of Vaccine
GeoVax Labs Inc., an Atlanta-based biotechnology company specializing inprevention and treatment of infectious diseases, said Tuesday that it hopesto begin a large human trial of its AIDS vaccine this fall. The EmoryUniversity spinoff is seeking approval from the U.S. Food and DrugAdministration to start a Phase 2 trial this fall of its human version ofits preventive vaccine that has proven successful in previous studies, saidRobert McNally, president and CEO of GeoVax Labs. The trial, to be conductedby the National Institutes of Health and supported by the HIV Vaccine TrialsNetwork, will involve 225 healthy volunteers from the United States andSouth America.


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Marriage Equality News
http://samesexmarriage.typepad.com/weblog/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Arkansas: Social issues fail signature count
Link: AP via Pine Bluff Commercial
For a group that successfully rallied Arkansas voters to outlaw same-sexmarriage four years ago, a campaign to effectively ban gays and lesbiansfrom serving as adoptive or foster parents seemed like a slam dunk.The Arkansas Family Council Action Committee set a goal of gathering 100,000signatures in support of its proposal _ a seemingly easy feat compared tothe roughly 200,000 it turned in for its gay marriage amendment in 2004.Instead, the group this month struggled to turn in slightly more than theminimum 61,974 required for initiated acts and is already preparing for asecond go-round on the assumption that the initial submission isn't likelyto have enough valid signatures.

-CA: Opinion--"Why Prop. 8 is a losing proposition"
Link: Los Angeles Times by Arnold Steinberg
In March 2000, Californians passed Proposition 22, making the Defense ofMarriage Act law: "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid orrecognized in California." Now comes Proposition 8, the California MarriageProtection Act, on the Nov. 4 ballot. This too reads: "Only marriage betweena man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." Proposition 22was an "initiative statute"; Proposition 8 is an "initiative constitutionalamendment." In 2000, Proposition 22 won, 61.4% to 38.6%, victorious in 52 of58 counties. Proposition 8 is most likely going down to defeat in November.All because the folks who brought you Proposition 22 miscalculated in 2000,and now, with Proposition 8, they've compounded their error.


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Forwarded from Euro-Queer
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:

-120,000 march in Vienna Rainbow Parade for gay rights
About 120,000 people in colourful and often scanty dress took part inVienna's annual Rainbow Parade on Saturday to call for equal rights for gaysand lesbians, organisers said. Thirty-degree heat and sunny weather ensuredrecord attendance for the 13th edition of the march, which like almost all other events this year inAustria had a football theme, even two weeks after the end of Euro 2008.
http://news.theage.com.au/world/120000-march-in-vienna-rainbow-parade-for-gay-rights-20080713-3e94.html


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Forwarded from Bill Sterling
whsterling1@yahoo.com

-Gay online soap opera has a serious message
Funded largely by West Hollywood, the racy Web show promotes safe sex at atime when diagnoses of AIDS and HIV are rising. The target is men too youngto recall the disease's early devastation. A young, muscled man named Edgaris flat on his back under a tree, clad only in camouflage-print underwear.The sun is well above the apartment buildings of West Hollywood.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-outthere11-2008jul11,0,5892506.story

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