GLBT DIGEST - October 25, 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:

-Austria Confronts a Leader's Sexuality
PRAGUE - There were rumors for years, but they were widely ignored in Austria, a conservative nation not much interested in prying into the private lives of its leaders. Now, grieving over the death of Jörg Haider, the charismatic far-right politician, the country has been forced to confront directly the question of his sexuality after his political successor asserted that Mr. Haider had been "the man of my life."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/world/europe/24austria.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin


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

-Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother slain in Chicago
The mother and brother of Jennifer Hudson were found shot dead Friday at a South Side home, and police were looking for a missing child who is the nephew of the singer and Oscar-winning actress. A man suspected in the deaths was in custody Friday night, but the 7-year-old boy had not been located, according to published reports.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402802.html?hpid=topnews

-'Arc' Founders in the Shallows
If, like me, you're unfamiliar with "Noah's Arc," the cable series on which the feature-length spinoff "Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom" is based, it might be helpful to think of the series and its spinoff as a male version of "The Golden Girls." A young, gay, African American male version of "The Golden irls." At least that's what the movie feels like. As broad as the beloved "Golden Girls" sitcom and with the emotional depth of a wading pool, "Jumping the Broom" takes place over a single wintry weekend on Martha's Vineyard, where a tightly knit group of friends has gathered to celebrate the nuptials of Noah (Darryl Stevens) and Wade (Jensen Atwood). The phrase "jumping the broom," by the way, refers to a traditional African American wedding ritual.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102300889.html

-Was Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider gay?
VIENNA, Austria -- Was Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider secretly gay? Speculation that he led a double life raged this week after his political protege, Stefan Petzner, publicly called Haider "the man of my life" in a tearful tribute to the former Freedom Party boss killed in a car crash earlier this month. Petzner, 27, did not say explicitly that he and Haider, a 58-year-old married father of two, were gay or had a sexual relationship.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102400974.html

-5 Myths About Value Voters
"Values" is a word that clings to American office-seekers like rhetorical lint: They all have traditional ones and their opponents don't. The trick, of course, is in the definitions. Traditional values for one group may be "un-American" in another part of the country, we have been told lately.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102301849.html

-Jerry Lewis makes another anti-gay slur
CANBERRA, Australia -- Jerry Lewis made an anti-gay slur on Australian television similar to one he apologized for using on his annual telethon a year ago. Following a news conference in Sydney Friday, Lewis, 82, was asked by a Network Ten national TV reporter for his opinion on the Australian nation sport of cricket.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102403544.html

-Christian right intensifies attacks on Obama
Terrorist strikes on four American cities. Russia rolling into Eastern Europe. Israel hit by a nuclear bomb. Gay marriage in every state. The end of the Boy Scouts. All are plausible scenarios if Democrat Barack Obama is elected president, according to a new addition to the campaign conversation called "Letter from 2012 in Obama's America," produced by the conservative Christian group Focus on the Family Action.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102403330.html


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The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Big Labor Does Gay Marriage
Because a teachers' union has other priorities besides education. Here's a pop quiz: Who's donated the most money to an effort in California to defeat Proposition 8, an initiative on the November 4 ballot that would define marriage as between a man and a woman in the state?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122480597946864923.html


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

-Young victims of sex abuse often stay silent:
Fear, guilt keep youth from reporting crime
The older daughter was the first to speak up. Her mother, Michelle, struggled to process what the girl was saying. Was the 15-year-old misinterpreting her father's affectionate behavior? Was this the product of an overactive imagination? Then Michelle thought about her younger daughter. She was only 9. And Michelle's ex-husband had a scheduled visit coming up with her. Michelle called the Department of Children & Families to report her suspicion that the girls were being sexually abused by their father.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbsafety1025sboct25,0,3227658.story


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Steve Rothaus
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Injured 'Queer as Folk' star Gale Harold out of ICU
"Queer as Folk" star Gale Harold is out of intensive care at a Los Angeles hospital and improving daily after suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle accident. A statement from the actor's representatives, Nancy Seltzer and Associates, says "a full recovery is expected."

-No on Prop 8
Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees' same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person's fundamental rights - including the right to marry - should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8.


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

-Corvino: Making the case for gay marriage
I've been doing a lot of same-sex marriage debates lately, and thus interacting with opponents-not just my debate partner, but also audience members, some of whom will soon be voting on marriage amendments.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-making-the-case-for-gay-marriage/

-Withers: The promise and failings of Barack Obama
A few days ago I chided Barack Obama for being timid in his response to Prop 8. He has a comfortable lead in California and a PSA or even some words from him would be very helpful to those fighting for same sex marriage Before any Obama fans get cranky as they sip their morning coffee: I do remember that Obama's running mate Joe Biden noted on Ellen DeGeneres' show that if he were a California resident Prop 8 would get a no from him.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/102408-obama-and-the-gay-and-lesbian-community/

-Fla. anti-gay amendment creeps closer to victory
With just over a week before election day, a new poll shows a proposed amendment to the Florida constitution to ban same-sex marriage and any legal recognition of the unions of unmarried couples is moving closer to passage. The Mason-Dixon poll also indicates that though the number of undecided voters is shrinking, they will still decide the outcome of the measure, known as Amendment 2. The survey, taken Monday and Tuesday this week, shows that 57 percent of likely voters support the amendment, just shy of the 60 percent required for passage.
http://www.365gay.com/news/fla-anti-gay-amendment-creeps-closer-to-victory/

-Rudolph: Teaching children about gays and lesbians
The right-wing groups trying to revoke marriage equality in California have been making the fictitious claim that unless Proposition 8 passes, schools will be required to teach young children that marriage of same- and opposite-sex couples is equivalent-and that this is a bad thing.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/rudolph-teaching-children-about-gays-and-lesbians/


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

-Chicago Mayor Questions Need For Gay High School
After the Chicago city council decided to prolong a vote on establishing an LGBT high school, Mayor Richard Daley has expressed his reservations about the plan. "You have to look at whether or not you isolate and segregate children," he said on Thursday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "A holistic approach has always been to have children of all different backgrounds in schools. When you start isolating children and you say, 'Only 50% here, 40% here' - same thing we went through with the disabled - then you want to do that when they're adults," Daley said.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64393.asp

-Battle for the Black Vote
Organizers both for and against California's Proposition 8 are working to win over the state's population of black voters. Numbers show that the pulpit may have a heavy hand in helping voters decide, but marriage equality advocates are still going after this influential group.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid64338.asp


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

-Sarah Palin: John McCain will push for Federal Marriage Amendment
Link: The Bilerico Project
Is she off-message or does she know something we don't know? Palin told Dr. James Dobson in a radio interview, which aired today, that she believes McCain -- if elected -- will implement the Republican Party platform, which includes positions stem cells, abortion and gay marriage that are more conservative than previous positions McCain has taken. "I do, from the bottom of my heart," she told Dobson. "I am such a strong believer that McCain believes in those strong planks and we do have good conversations about some of the details too, about the different planks and what they represent."

-U.C. Berkeley Chancellor Birgeneau warns of brain drain if Proposition 8 passes
Link: U.C. Berkeley News
As Chancellor of UC Berkeley, I am writing to inform you of the likely impacts on our campus of the passage of Proposition 8, a ballot initiative that would eliminate the right of same-sex couples to civil marriage in the State of California. Of course, all members of the Berkeley community must exercise their own best judgment in deciding on how they wish to vote on this ballot measure. In June of this year, the California Supreme Court reaffirmed the constitutional right to marry for same-sex couples. This ruling supports UC Berkeley's commitment to equity and inclusion by recognizing the family relationships of all members of our campus community, including lesbian and gay faculty, staff and students.


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

-Court backs Swedish lesbian's right to puppies
Sweden's Court of Appeal has rejected a kennel owner's request to appeal a sexual orientation discrimination case he lost after he refused to sell a dog to a customer because she was in a lesbian relationship. During a phone call to the kennel owner enquiring about a puppy advertised for sale, the lesbian woman mentioned her partner.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9391.html

-'Gay wedding' vicar in line for Stonewall award
A Church of England priest who has expressed regret for performing a "gay wedding" for two fellow clergy is one of the nominees for Stonewall's Hero of the Year award. The gay equality organisation will hold its third annual awards next month at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It emerged yesterday that Rev Martin Dudley has written to the Bishop of London and said he "can now appreciate that the service held at St Bartholomew the Great on 31 May 2008 was inconsistent with the terms of the Pastoral Statement from the House of Bishops issued in 2005."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9394.html

-Mum of murdered gay man honoured with Cronkite award
Judy Shepard is among the recepients of this year's Walter Cronkite Faith & Freedom Award, it has been announced. SInce the murder of her son ten years ago, Mrs Shepard has become a leading advocate for gay rights. With her husband Dennis she created The Matthew Shepard Foundation in memory of their 21-year old son, who died as a result of an anti-gay hate crime in Wyoming in October 1998.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9392.html

-Catholics to celebrate their queer saints
The Feast of All Saints will be marked in an unusual way by London's LGBT Catholics next month. At a Mass to celebrate the feast day, organised by Soho Masses Pastoral Council, prayers will be said to mark "those Saints in the Catholic Church calendar who have a special place in LGBT history."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9388.html

-Malaysia's Mulsims ban lesbian sex and other "masculine behaviour"
An Islamic body in Malaysia has issued a ruling that bans lesbian sex or other "masculine" activities for female Muslims. The National National Fatwa Council's ruling could have legal ramifications in the country, which is 60% Muslim.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9387.html

-Organisers delighted at success of LGBT Muslim conference
Scholars, academics and activists from across the world gathered in London earlier this month to mark the tenth anniversary of the largest support group for LGBT Muslims in Europe. Imaan marked its birthday with a two-day conference featuring guest speakers and delegates from Islamic, Christian, Jewish, Sikh and secular backgrounds.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9383.html


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

-Malaysia: FATWA ON TOMBOYS
KOTA BARU: The National Fatwa Council has ruled that tomboyism, where a girl behaves or dresses in a boyish manner, is forbidden in Islam. Its chairman Datuk Dr Abdul Shukor Husin said the decision was prompted by recent developments as there had been cases of young women inclined to behave like men and indulging in homosexuality. Parents must stop their children from indulging in disruptive activities that are against Islamic teachings, he told reporters here yesterday. Bernama
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/24/nation/2362908&sec=nation

-Turkey: Gay and group sex approved by court
A suspect caught selling films of group and gay sex was judged by an Istanbul court not to have been selling material portraying ?unnatural sex? and was sentenced only for sale of illegal pornographic material. The Turkish Penal Code demands higher penalties for the sale of movies that include ?unnatural? intercourse. The court sentenced the suspect on the lesser charge of selling pornographic films in an illegal location.
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=118253


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

-Malta - Post-operative M2F gender variant woman Joanne Cassar to go all the way in her fight to get married
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/2008/10/22/t11.html

-Jorg Haider and his boyfriend revived an old tradition
Past Notes: the number of gay men in Hitler's Brownshirts was well known Jörg Haider's last hours - involving an argument with his boyfriend and a search for solace in a gay bar - has surprised those who thought the late far-right demagogue and father of two was a pillar of respectability. His party, the Alliance for the Future of Austria, will not be honouring his wish that his boyfriend, Stefan Petzner, should take the helm. Now deputy leader, Mr Petzner has nonetheless revived an old tradition of the nationalistic Right. For his relationship with Haider had a parallel in the Nazi Brownshirt movement. Also known as the Sturmabteilung or SA, the Brownshirts were the Nazis' stormtroopers whose thuggery helped to clear a path for Hitler's rise to power.
http://tinyurl.com/6zdfcd


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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

-California: Activist strikes a nerve with governor's office
San Francisco activist Michael Petrelis has gotten under the skin of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's spokespeople, and now a representative for one of them wants him to call off his "phone zap" in which he asked people to call and demand that the governor take a more public role in the effort to defeat Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative. Petrelis issued his call earlier this week, and provided phone numbers to Schwarzenegger spokespeople Julie Soderlund and Adam Mendelsohn. "When you call those numbers, you'll get a live receptionist," Petrelis wrote. "Please be polite and to the point. Tell them you want to reach Soderlund and Mendelsohn to have them convey to the governor that his muscle and voice are needed to defeat Prop 8."
http://ebar.com/blogs/?p=100

-James Dobson and the Radio Hall of Fame
On November 8, 2008, the Museum of Broadcast Communications plans to induct James Dobson's anti-gay Focus onthe Family radio program into its Radio Hall of Fame. GLAAD has posted a video on our blog that aims to bring attention to the hurtful and defamatory things Dobson has said and drive people to contact the Radio Hall of Fame to express their concern over his induction.
http://www.glaad.org/2008/Eblasts/dobson102308.png

-Drip, drip, drip. In the ongoing stream of good news for Democrats, we're that much closer to gaining another wingnut's seat. The NRCC is abandoning Marilyn Musgrave. In a surprise move, National Republican Congressional Committee canceled its TV advertising buy in the 4th Congressional District for the last week of the election on Wednesday in what some experts say is clear sign Republican incumbent Rep. Marilyn Musgrave's re-election bid for fourth term is at risk.
http://coloradoindependent.com/12414/breaking-news-nrcc-pulls-out-of-4th-cd

-Log Cabin Republicans:
As we enter the election's homestretch, gay and lesbian Republicans have come under intense fire from the gay community for daring to speak our minds about this campaign. Instead of arguing the merits of their candidate, too many on the left resort to name calling. Emotion replaces fact. Name calling replaces logic. In this case, those we often hear speaking about tolerance sound awfully intolerant. We need your help today to stand up to the voices of intolerance wherever we find them. Despite having the most pro-gay GOP presidential nominee in American history, we are attacked from the gay left.
http://www.logcabin.org/ct/c1BmeI11gRwX/

-Gates Foundation wants your input on MSM!
On October 30th, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is hosting a meeting of donors who focus their grant making on HIV, LGBT, sexual and reproductive health, and human rights. The purpose is to identify opportunities for collaboration to support the needs of MSM living in developing countries. Prior to this meeting, we are conducting a quick, informal survey of advocates and implementers working around the world on issues pertaining to MSM. We would greatly appreciate your feedback and will provide any responses you wish to give to the funders attending this meeting. Your responses are anonymous, even if you provide your email address for further information.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=mgCgHXw95BGLaNtWTiiE9Q_3d_3d

-Activists Claim Online Porn Censorship Impedes Free Speech
Free-speech activists are concerned filtering online child porn could lead to wide-scale Internet censorship
http://avn.com/internet/articles/33018.html


-NC: GOP Mailer discovered: Democrat has 'radical homosexual' agenda, will force Boy Scouts to accept gays
A new anti-gay offensive has been launched against Democratic North Carolina state senator and U.S. Senate candidate Kay Hagan. Campaign literature produced by the North Carolina Republican Party has been mailed to households in the state, PageOneQ has learned. A new mailer in support of incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole claims that Hagan's agenda, with the help of "liberal judges," will be to advance a "radical homosexual agenda" which includes same-sex marriage, removing "Under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, and forcing the Boy Scouts to accept gay and atheist troop leaders.
http://pageoneq.com/news/2008/haganmailer1023.html

-RALEIGH - A gay disc jockey in Raleigh originally convicted of violating HIV
infection regulations in August has been placed on house arrest after admitting he broke probation orders in early October. On Sept. 6, Q-Notes reported that Joshua Waldon Weaver, 23, who works in clubs in Raleigh and Wilmington, pleaded guilty to charges that he failed to disclose his HIV-positive status and engaged in unprotected sex with three people. Weaver was given a suspended jail sentence and placed on probation. The terms of his probation ordered Weaver to use protection when engaging in sexual activity.

-N.Y. Judge Grants Divorce to Lesbians Wed in Massachusetts
A Manhattan judge has ruled that a same-sex couple wed in Massachusetts can obtain a divorce in New York. Concluding that the divorce action could proceed between the two women, who were New York residents at the time of their August 2005 marriage, Supreme Court Justice Rosalyn Richter cited Martinez v. County of Monroe, 50 AD 3d 189 (4th Dept. 2008), and Beth R. v. Donna M., 350284/07, in which New York courts recognized same-sex marriages contracted in Canada. The judge also noted that her decision was consistent with recent "political developments," including Gov. David A. Paterson's May directive that state executive-branch agencies recognize same-sex marriages
solemnized outside of New York.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202425505170&pos=ataglance

-Research: Gay Marriage Bans Represent Public Health Issue
SAN FRANCISCO - Three new research studies - two of which are scheduled to be published in the March 2009 issue of the National Sexuality Resource Center's peer-reviewed journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy - indicate "separate but equal" is no more equal in the matrimonial realm than it is in education. Consequently, the authors strongly suggest American policymakers dispense with efforts to define marriage as "the union of one man and one woman."
http://avn.com/gay/articles/33011.html


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Soulforce
http://www.soulforce.org/
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-2008 Equality Ride Road Report
The last five days have been quite busy! The weekend began at Heritage Christian University. Located in Florence, Alabama, the school offers degrees in Biblical Studies and trains young evangelicals for missionarywork. It goes without saying that the prospect of engaging students was very exciting. Soon after we arrived, a representative came out and told us that since they had declined our offer for dialogue, we were "unwanted guests." In response, we stood before the university in silent vigil, embodying the absence of affirming voices on campus. Inside, however, things were not so still. One supportive student described the atmosphere as a state of "homophobic panic." Eventually, that tension culminated in the arrest of three Equality Riders. As Katie Higgins, Caitlin MacIntyre, and Taueret Manu carried letters to the president, they were stopped by police and provided a trespass warning. Refusing to leave, the young women were summarily handcuffed and taken away. Their letters, which chronicled their unique journeys into activism, were taken by an officer and delivered to an administrator, affirming the sometimes unpredictable value of civil disobedience.

-Halfway Point: We've Come So Far -- But We've Got So Far to Go
There are 21 days left to go on the Equality Ride, and some of the toughest schools are ahead.
https://www.soulforce.org/ComeSoFar


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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - October 25, 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:

-Editorial: Barack Obama for President
Hyperbole is the currency of presidential campaigns, but this year the nation's future truly hangs in the balance. The United States is battered and drifting after eight years of President Bush's failed leadership. He is saddling his successor with two wars, a scarred global image and a government systematically stripped of its ability to protect and help its citizens - whether they are fleeing a hurricane's floodwaters, searching for affordable health care or struggling to hold on to their homes, jobs, savings and pensions in the midst of a financial crisis that was foretold and preventable.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/opinion/24fri1.html?ref=opinion

-For Obama, a Melancholy Biography Tour
HONOLULU - For the last 21 months, she has followed the odyssey of his presidential campaign like a spectator in a faraway balcony. She underwent a corneal transplant to see him on television. She reluctantly agreed to film a political ad when he needed to urgently reassure the voters about his distinctive American roots. She told him during one of their frequent telephone conversations that it might not hurt if he smiled a bit more. And on Friday, Senator Barack Obama spent the day saying goodbye.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/us/politics/24cnd-obama.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-The California Prison Disaster
California should move away from mandatory sentencing laws that have packed prisons and sent corrections costs through the roof.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/opinion/25sat1.html


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

-Olympic Hangover
The Games are over, but Hu Jia is still in prison. LAST WEEK, China made permanent the single most conspicuous gesture toward political liberalization it offered before the Beijing Olympics: a modest easing of controls on reporting by foreign journalists. The relaxation hasn't always been observed in practice, and it doesn't apply in sensitive regions such as Tibet, where foreign reporters are still banned. It has had little impact on Chinese media or the information available to the Chinese population. Still, the communist regime trumpeted the step. "Opening up is very important. I believe in the past year and a half, China has improved a lot in this regard, and I believe it will do an even better job in the future," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102302884.html

-Comedian Becomes Serious Contender
Democrat Franken Leads Senate Race in Minn.
Al Franken settled into the Wagon Wheel Cafe and for 45 uninterrupted minutes talked with a handful of Minnesota farmers about the promise of cellulosic ethanol, the impact of the sinking dollar on crop prices and his pledge to secure a seat on the Agriculture Committee if he is elected to the U.S. Senate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102403593.html?hpid=topnews

-US Muslim voters are election year outcasts
-- Lepers. Untouchables. Politically radioactive. These are ways American Muslims describe their status in an election year when Barack Obama's opponents are spreading rumors that he is Muslim, when he is Christian, and linking him to terrorists. So when Colin Powell, a Republican, condemned using Muslim as a smear _ a tactic he said members of his own party allowed _ there was an outpouring of gratitude and relief from American Muslims.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/23/AR2008102301987.html?hpid=sec-religion

-The ACORN Storm: From John McCain, hyperbole about potential voter fraud
THE VERY "fabric of democracy," or so Sen. John McCain warned at the final presidential debate, is at stake. "We need to know the full extent of Senator Obama's relationship with ACORN, [which] is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country," Mr. McCain said, referring to the liberal group the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Mr. McCain's hyperbole about ACORN, which has endorsed Mr. Obama, is unwarranted.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402954.html

-Perceptions of Palin Grow Increasingly Negative, Poll Says
While top-of-the-ticket rivals John McCain and Barack Obama both remain broadly popular heading into Election Day, public perceptions of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin have fallen dramatically since she emerged on the national political scene at the GOP convention.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402698.html?hpid=topnews

-Kennedy focuses from home on health care overhaul
An ailing Sen. Edward Kennedy is trying to lay the groundwork for a breakthrough on health care reform next year, though many believe the enormous undertaking has been made even more difficult by the troubled economy. Kennedy, aides say, has held several video conferences with lawmakers and staff in recent months as he fights from home to overcome brain cancer. His staff has held more than a dozen meetings in recent weeks with various advocacy and interest groups that will help influence the debate.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102401754.html?hpid=sec-health


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The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Where Were the Boards?
Accountability shouldn't end with the CEO. These days it's impossible to avoid news stories about the financial crisis -- and the news about the economy especially seems to be getting worse. There is certainly plenty of blame to go around among the politicians, chief executives, corporations, homeowners and consumers who've borrowed well beyond their ability to repay. Yet one very important question has gotten little attention: Where were the boards of directors of the companies that helped create this mess?
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122489049222968569.html


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

-Government must respect press freedom
Below are excerpts from the recommendations of The Price of Silence: The Growing Threat of Soft Censorship in Latin America, a recent report by the Open Society Justice Initiative.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/740867.html


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Obama/Biden vs McCain/Palin, what if things were switched around?....think about it.
Would the country's collective point of view be different? Could racism be the culprit?
Ponder the following:
What if the Obamas had paraded five children across the stage, including a three month old infant and an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter?
What if John McCain was a former president of the Harvard Law Review?
What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?
What if McCain had only married once, and Obama was a divorcee?
What if Obama was the candidate who left his first wife after a severe disfiguring car accident, when she no longer measured up to his standards?
What if Obama had met his second wife in a bar and had a long affair while he was still married?
What if Michelle Obama was the wife who not only became addicted to painkillers but also acquired them illegally through her charitable organization?
What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?
What if Obama had been a member of the Keating Five? (The Keating Five were five United States Senators accused of corruption in 1989, igniting a major political scandal as part of the larger Savings and Loan crisis of the late 1980s and early 1990s.)
What if McCain was a charismatic, eloquent speaker?
What if Obama couldn't read from a teleprompter?
What if Obama was the one who had military experience that included discipline problems and a record of crashing planes?
What if Obama was the one who was known to display publicly, on many occasions, a serious anger management problem?
What if Michelle Obama's family had made their money from beer distribution?
You could easily add to this list.
If these questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are?
This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.
Educational Background:
Barack Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations. Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude
Joseph Biden: University of Delaware - B.A. in History and B.A. in Political Science. Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)
vs.
John McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899
Sarah Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester North Idaho College -
2 semesters - general study University of Idaho - 2 semesters -journalism
Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester University of Idaho - 3 semesters -
B.A. in Journalism
Education isn't everything, but this is about the two highest offices in the land as well as our standing in the world. You make the call.
Roger Leisner - Radio Free Maine
http://searchwarp.com/swa385207.htm


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Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-America Changing
Latinos Account for Half of U.S. Population Growth Since 2000
A new Pew Hispanic Center report analyzes changes in Latino growth and settlement patterns over the past three decades. The report includes a series of interactive maps and data bases that provide demographic information about the Latino population in each of the nation's 50 states and 3,141 counties. Read more

-Positive Politicos
Republicans: Still Happy Campers
Despite the imploding stock market, the looming recession, the unpopular president and discouraging political polls, a new Social Trends survey finds GOP adherents still beat Democrats on the happiness scale. Read more

-Campaign Countdown
Liberal Democrats Top Conservative Republicans in Donations, Activism
With less than two weeks to go before Election Day, voters remain riveted to the presidential campaign. But liberal Democrats are engaging in far more activism than other partisan and ideological groups. Read more

-Canvassing Campaign Media: An Analysis of Time, Tone and Topics
Coverage of the presidential race has not so much cast Obama in a favorable light as it has portrayed McCain in a substantially negative one, according to a new study of the media. Read more

-Most Voters Say News Media Wants Obama to Win
By a margin of 70%-9%, voters say most journalists want to see Obama, not McCain, win on Nov. 4. Since 1992, voters have consistently believed the media favor the Democratic candidate, but this year's margin is especially wide. Read more

-Daily Number
11% - National Satisfaction
Only 11% of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the country today; the lowest level of satisfaction ever measured by a Pew Research Center survey. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more


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

-Watchdog group files complaint over clothing purchases for Palin family
A watchdog group filed a complaint yesterday with the Federal Election Commission against Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, the Republican National Committee, and several political operatives associated with the RNC, alleging that they improperly spent $150,000 on clothing for Palin and her family. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics cited news reports that clothing and accessories purchases for Palin and her family included $49,425 spent at Saks Fifth Avenue and $75,062 at Neiman Marcus.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/24/watchdog_group_files_complaint_over_clothing_purchases_for_palin_family/?rss_id=Boston+Globe+--+National+News


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Will Ferrell Back As Bush With Tina Fey's Palin On Thursday's "Saturday Night Live" (VIDEO)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/23/will-ferrell-back-as-bush_n_137399.html


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - October 25, 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~~

Sunday! Early Voting Rally with Matt Damon,
Alicia Silverstone and Kerry Washington
South Beach North Shore Bandshell - 6pm
73rd Street & Collins Avenue
On Sunday, October 26, at 6pm, as part of Vote Fest '08, Matt Damon, Alicia Silverstone and Kerry Washington, will participate in an Early Vote Rally on Miami Beach, sponsored by the Miami-Dade Democrats. It would be great to have a big turnout from the GLBT community in South Florida. For folks who can't get there on Sunday, Matt Damon will be in South Beach on Monday, participating in one of our 27 Marches for Change being held throughout Florida - 27 Marches on October 27 for 27 Florida Electoral Votes that Barack will win on November 4. The march will begin at 21st and Collins and end at the Early Vote Center at Miami Beach City Hall. The march begins at 2100 Collins at 5pm.


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Join us Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. for a
Wine and Cheese Social with National Obama Surrogate Jared Polis (D-CO). After the Social, join us again as we walk with Jared down Wilton Drive, stopping at some of the social hotspots to announce early voting! Jared stands to be the 3rd openly GLBT member of Congress, following in the footsteps of Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).


=
Tell Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida -
"We Have Your Back"
When the largest and oldest health insurance provider speaks out against Amendment 2 people listen. And Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida (BCBS-FL) has been speaking out against the deceptively named "marriage protection" amendment quite a bit. Their clear and public stand has earned them high points for courage and integrity but it has also earned them the animosity of the far right backers of Amendment 2.
Link: Write to BCBS-FL today and tell them how much we appreciate their principled stand.
http://ga4.org/campaign/BCBS


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Stonewall Library and Archives - Ft. Lauderdale
http://www.stonewall-library.org/

-Heritage Gala
Saturday, November 15
Design Center of the Americas [DCOTA]
The Stonewall Heritage Gala is promising to be not only this year's signature event for The Stonewall Library but probably one of the most memorable GLBT events in Ft. Lauderdale history. Congressman Barney Frank is scheduled to receive our Heritage of Pride award and with the pending opening of our new library, I know you don't want to miss it. For tickets!
http://www.stonewall-library.org/payment_gala.html


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GLCCSF - Ft. Lauderdale
IRON LADIES ANNUAL GOLF TOURNMENT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2008
Palm Aire Country Club, 2600 Palm Aire Drive North, Pompano Beach, Florida. A fun filled day on the greens of Palm Aire Country Club in Pompano Beach benefitting the SMART Ride. Iron Ladies will take place October 25, 2008 and will attract 100 professional women from around South Florida. Golfers will play 18 holes on the Cypress Course at Palm Aire and then head over to New Moon in Wilton Manors for a festive cocktail party, buffet and awards ceremony. To Play or Volunteer contact: Carol@newmoonbar.com.


=
South Florida Blade
http://www.floridablade.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Wilton Manors: Gym's demise leads to business blues
Shop owners report general slowdown after Main Street Gym was closed
http://www.floridablade.com/2008/10-23/news/localnews/5188.cfm




~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-While McCain Looked Away, Florida Shifted
John McCain, who once had a commanding lead, is in a neck-and-neck race for a state vital to his hopes of victory.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/25/us/politics/25florida.html?hp


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

-Despite the ailing economy, home sales in South Florida were way up in September
Broward home sales jumped last month, a sign of plunging prices. Analysts say it's still not clear whether the housing market has hit bottom. Home and condo buyers are scooping up South Florida bargains, priced low to sell by desperate homeowners and banks overwhelmed with foreclosure properties.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-fla1ahousingheadline1025sboct25,0,3128851.story

-Plantation man gets 30 years in beating death of homeless man
The second of two Plantation men learned his prison sentence today in the beating death of a sleeping homeless man. Brian Hooks was sentenced to 30 years behind bars, a day after his co-defendant, Thomas Daugherty, 19, received life behind bars for his role in a trio of Jan. 12, 2006 unprovoked attacks against homeless men, one of which was captured on videotape.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sfl-1024homelessbeating,0,5170475.story

-Home sales: 52% INCREASE
Year over year increase in home sales in Broward County between September 2007 and Sept. 2008
25% DECREASE
Year over year decrease in the median price for Broward County over the same period
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flzhousingbox1025sboct25,0,4632760.story

-Median prices, home sales for Broward, Palm Beach counties Multimedia
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/broadband/theedge/sfl-edge-homesales,0,275221.flash

-Map: Foreclosures, subprime loans in S. Florida
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/realestate/sfl-edge-foreclosures08,0,1456063.flash

-Sun-Sentinel Endorsements
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/


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

-Miami Herald Endorsements
http://media.miamiherald.com/smedia/2008/10/19/19/recommend.source.prod_affiliate.56.pdf

-Find Waiting Times at Poll Locations
http://www.miamifly.net/maps/earlyvote/

-ELECTION 2008: Democrats have the edge so far in early voting
Early data show Democrats lining up more frequently for early voting than Republicans, balancing out the GOP's absentee-ballot advantage. The crush of early voting in Broward and Miami-Dade counties is leaning decidedly to the left, with Democrats lining up at the polls more than three times as often as Republicans, according to Democratic Party numbers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/740827.html


=
If there's one thing we learned from 2000 and 2004, it's that Republicans don't hesitate to fight dirty.
Here's the best way to stop them from stealing this election... WIN IT BY A LANDSLIDE.
Obama may be ahead in the polls right now, but to neutralize right-wing voter suppression we need to win really big. And that means coming together to make sure everyone who supports him gets out to vote. At 7 PM on Monday, October 27, please join Palm Beach County members of Democracy For Americaand MoveOn who are gathering at the Koffee Okee, 271 NE 6th Avenue in Delray Beach, to learn how to Vote Naked and for a screening of "STEALING AMERICA:
Vote by Vote" and find out how you can help to protect the outcome of this election. Will you join them?
http://stealingamerica.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/11766
Other members of Democracy for America and MoveOn in your area are already getting involved--click here to sign up and join them on Monday, October 27:
http://stealingamerica.bravenewtheaters.com/screening/show/11766
YES WE CAN!!!
Rick Neuhoff
www.RickNeuhoff2008.com
Co-Chair Palm Beach County DEC - Web & Technology Committee
Palm Beach County DEC - VOICE Committee
Palm Beach County DEC - Legislative Committee
United South County Democratic Club - Legislative Committee
Boynton Beach Democratic Club - Legislative Committee
Palm Beach County Democracy For America - Co-Secretary
Phone 561.358.0830
Email DishNetTV@aol.com
Obama for President
www.barackobama.com
The Democratic Party
www.democrats.org
The Palm Beach County Democratic Party
www.pbcdemocraticparty.org



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

-Sink predicts hard times for state
Don't expect economic hard times to begin turning around in Florida for at least a year, the state's chief financial officer said yesterday. "We are in for a hard ride here in Florida," Alex Sink told several dozen members of the Space Coast Tiger Bay Club at a luncheon meeting. That hard ride already has included a $9 billion reduction in the state budget from two years ago, with additional cuts still likely this year as revenue collections likely aren't matching earlier predictions.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20081024/NEWS01/810240334/1006

-Florida: By County - Absentee and Early Voting Reports
http://doe.dos.state.fl.us/fvrscountyballotreports/FVRSAvailableFiles.aspx
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-poll2408oct24,0,3000967.story?track=rss

-Poll: 56% favor ban on gay marriage
Love it or hate it, most Florida voters have made up their minds about a ballot amendment to ban same-sex marriage. And most likely, a new poll shows, they'll vote to insert a definition of marriage into the state's constitution. Two other ballot proposals, intended to protect conservation lands and give tax breaks to waterfront businesses, also have a fighting chance.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-poll2408oct24,0,3000967.story?track=rss

-Political races' effects on Amendment 2 unknown
The proposed gay-marriage ban Florida voters are deciding now could be the electoral chicken to the presidential race's egg. Which came to the polling booth first, opponents of Amendment 2 or supporters of Sen. John McCain? Proponents of the marriage amendment or backers of Sen. Barack Obama? Neither. Or both. Maybe.
http://floridacapitalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081024/CAPITOLNEWS/810240334


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

GLBT DIGEST - October 23, 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:

-Public schools become focus of gay marriage ban
A girl in pigtails bounds into the kitchen after school and asks her mother to guess what she learned that day. "I learned how a prince married a prince, and I can marry a princess," she exclaims to her mortified mom. This television advertisement for a ballot initiative that would ban same-sex marriage in California urges voters to "protect children" by approving the measure.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102202213.html

-Hollywood comes out in support of gay marriage
For weeks, Hollywood had been criticized for not contributing enough to defeat a ballot initiative in California that would ban same-sex marriage. Now, members of the film and TV industries are sweeping in to preserve gays' right to get hitched.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102202612.html


=
Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-HRC religion and faith news
Holding onto one's faith can be a struggle when bombarded by the shameful promotion of discrimination in the name of religion. The radical right in collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has used distortions and outright falsehoods to play on people's fears that loving relationships of same sex couples in California are a threat to heterosexual families.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Gap shrinking in Calif. anti-gay amendment
A monthly tracking of California voters finds a slim margin opposing a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. The new Public Policy Institute of California survey finds that the ban, known as Proposition 8, is losing among likely voters, 52 percent to 44 percent. But when the margin of error is factored in, it is almost a dead heat.
http://www.365gay.com/news/gap-shrinking-in-calif-anti-gay-amendment/

-Elderly couple murdered in home
Indianapolis police say they have few clues in the slayings of an elderly gay couple found in their home earlier this week. Police have not divulged how Milton Lindgren, 70, and Eric Hendricks, 73, were murdered, or how long their bodies had been inside the house. A police spokesperson would say only that the men died by "violent means."
http://www.365gay.com/news/elderly-couple-murdered-in-home/

-Protest against anti-gay leader induction to Hall Of Fame
A coalition of LGBT groups will protest the induction next month of James Dobson, the head of Focus on the Family, into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Dobson and FOF are longtime opponents of LGBT civil rights with Dobson frequently speaking out against gays on his nationally syndicated radio show. He also is a proponent of the so-called ex-gay movement.
http://www.365gay.com/news/protest-against-anti-gay-leader-induction-to-hall-of-fame/


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

-New York Governor Repeats Pledge to Sign Marriage Bill
Gov. David Paterson addressed a packed Empire State Pride Agenda fund-raiser Monday night and said fighting for the equal rights of LGBT people was "as American as the signing of the Constitution."
http://advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid64216.asp

-GLAAD Donates $50,000 to No on Prop. 8
The effort to defeat California's Proposition 8 -- which would constitutionally ban same-sex marriage in the state -- just received another boost, with a $50,000 contribution from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The group, which fosters inclusive portrayals of LGBT people in media, urged its members to support the No on Prop. 8 campaign. GLAAD's donation marks a total of $150,000 contributed by the organization. "GLAAD, our board of directors, and staff are proud to stand alongside organizations and allies and play our part in ensuring all loving and committed couples in California continue to have the protections and respect that marriage provides," GLAAD president Neil Giuliano wrote in a release. "Defeating Proposition 8 is imperative to our quest for equality and we call on all our members and friends to support this campaign." (Neal Broverman, The Advocate)
http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64217.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:

-Biden Says He'd Oppose Calif. Gay Marriage Ban
Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joseph Biden says if he lived in California, he would vote against a ballot measure that seeks to ban gay marriage. During an appearance Monday on the "Ellen" show, Biden called Proposition 8 "regressive" and "unfair" and added that he and running mate Barack Obama opposed a similar initiative nationally. Biden was responding to a question by the show's host, Ellen DeGeneres, who is gay and has urged California voters to oppose Proposition 8. DeGeneres married actress Portia de Rossi in August. Biden previously has said he supports partnership rights for gays and lesbians although he is opposed to same-sex marriage. Read more...
http://nationalgaynews.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/


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

-Ellen DeGeneres Slams Sarah Palin On Gay Marriage (VIDEO)
Link: Huffington Post - with Video
Ellen DeGeneres gave an emotional plea on behalf of gay marriage on her show Wednesday, and included remarks targeting Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin:
"I don't know if you saw this, but Vice Presidential Candidate, Governor Sarah Palin says she's that in favor of a federal ban on gay marriage," Ellen said. "Basically she wants to change the constitution. So if you're wondering, I'm sure you are, how I feel about this...I don't like it, I don't like it. I don't agree. Maybe it's because I'm gay that I think we should all be equal. But I feel that we're all equal."

-Arkansas: Vote no on Act 1
Link: Pam's House Blend
Arkansas Initiated Act 1 is a measure that if passed would ban unmarried co-habitating couples from fostering or adopting children. Arkansas Families First has released this powerful ad:

-WY: pro-equality U.S. Senate candidate Nick Carter
Link: Pam's House Blend
In a Red state, here's a pol who supports equality -- Wyoming U.S. Senate candidate Nick Carter. In this video he debates anti-gay incumbent John Barrasso on marriage equality. Via the Casper Star-Tribune:


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

-Trans woman claims violation of human rights over marriage refusal
A woman in Malta who has been refused the right to get married to her male partner because she used to be male has challenged the decision in court. The Director of Public Registry's decision to refuse to issue marriage banns is a breach of her fundamental human rights, claims Joanne Casser.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9376.html

-Leader of Austrian right sacked for revealing Haider was his gay lover
The man who had taken over the leadership of right wing political party Alliance for the Future of Austria after the death of Joerg Haider has revealed that they were lovers. Stefan Petzner, 27, said in a radio interview about Mr Haider's death last week in a car accident: "We had a relationship that went far beyond friendship.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9373.html

-Little Britain star's civil partnership dissolved
Matt Lucas and Kevin McGee's relationship legally ended today when their civil partnership was dissolved by the family court in London. Mr Lucas, one of the stars of comedy show Little Britain, was granted a dissolution on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour by Mr McGee, a TV researcher.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9366.html


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

-Two Methodist Women Get 'Extraordinary Ordination'
By Frank D. Roylance | Baltimore Sun
Annie Britton and Rev. Jonathan Almond
Two women blocked from ordination as United Methodist ministers because one is a married lesbian and the other disagrees with church rules on gay rights received "extraordinary ordination" in Baltimore yesterday. Organizers said it was the first such action by dissenters hoping to change Methodist policies toward gays. Neither woman will be eligible for assignments to lead Methodist churches under existing policies, but they both believe their new credentials will make them eligible for other jobs within the church, or as ministers in other denominations. "This day is historic. We have all chosen to live the future now," said Annie Britton. Her legal marriage three years ago to another woman in Massachusetts ended her path to ordination within her church. Now the Rev. Annie Britton, she plans to work in church ministry and outreach with a United Church of Christ congregation in Rhode Island. Read more


=
Southern Poverty Law Center
http://www.splcenter.org/

-SPLC threat alert
from Morris Dees
Our trial against the Klan in November promises to be one of the greatest security challenges we've ever faced. As soon as we filed the lawsuit, the threats started rolling in, including a web post stating "I say we should blow up their building." We've recently learned that one of the Klan leaders we're facing in our upcoming trial is suspected by an undercover FBI informant of being involved in a plot to kill me. Ron Edwards, Imperial Klans of America (IKA) leader, is a hardened veteran of the white supremacist movement with connections throughout the violent world of neo-Nazis and skinheads. When I took his deposition, he showed up carrying a concealed pistol. The words "F*** SPLC" were tattooed on his shaven head. I hope you will send a special gift today to help with the security measures we're taking to protect our staff at the upcoming trial against the IKA. Over the past 25 years, more than 30 individuals have been convicted of crimes in connection with plots to kill me or in some way harm the Center or its staff.
https://secure.splcenter.org/donate/online/online.jsp?ondntsrc=MBS081070SCE&splcnewsletter=dnewsgen-102308


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

-No on 8 lead is eroding in polls
Most voters reject a ban on gay marriage but the margin is closing. Experts say the tally is hard to predict. While California voters remain closely divided on the question of gay marriage, a majority oppose a measure to ban it, according to a poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California.
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-gaymarriage23-2008oct23,0,3080119.story?track=rss


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - October 23, 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:

-Confessions of a Phone Solicitor
GAIL COLLINS
If you can come up with something that would send a telemarketer over the edge, you have really overachieved on the offensiveness front.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/opinion/23collins.html?ref=opinion

-Rebranding the U.S. With Obama
NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
In the western industrialized world, the idea of electing a member of a racial minority to the highest office seems an astonishing breakthrough.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/opinion/23collins.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

-Iran Is Job One
ROGER COHEN
Iran's leadership would pay a high price for a handshake with America. As the 30th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution looms, it's time to rethink U.S. strategy toward Iran.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/opinion/23Cohen.html?ref=opinion

-$150,000 Wardrobe for Palin May Alter Tailor-Made Image
Republicans feared that Gov. Sarah Palin's "hockey mom" image would fray amid revelations that the Republican Party outfitted her from high-end stores.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/us/politics/23palin.html?hp

-China, an Engine of Growth, Faces a Global Slump
As demand for its exports weakens, China hopes to prevent the possible global recession and financial crisis from derailing the country's economic miracle.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/world/asia/23china.html?hp


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

-Pakistan to Arm Tribal Militias
Hope is nascent anti-Taliban groups will replicate "Awakening" movement that worked in Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102203708.html?hpid=topnews

-Stopping A Nuclear Tehran
It is likely that the first and most pressing national security issue the next president will face is the growing prospect of a nuclear-weapons-capable Iran. After co-chairing a recently concluded, high-level task force on Iranian nuclear development, we have come to believe that five principles must serve as the foundation of any reasonable, bipartisan and comprehensive Iranian policy.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102203005.html

-A Healthy Schism in South Africa
In 1990, when Nelson Mandela was released after 27 years' imprisonment in South Africa, he noted in his first speech to a waiting world: "I am a loyal and disciplined member of the African National Congress. I am therefore in full agreement with all of its objectives, strategies and tactics." His iconic status helped sustain the ANC over the next decade and a half as it transformed itself from a liberation movement into an electorally unassailable democratic government.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/22/AR2008102202890.html


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

-Block the Vote
Will the GOP's campaign to deter new voters and discard Democratic ballots determine the next president? These days, the old west rail hub of Las Vegas, New Mexico, is little more than a dusty economic dead zone amid a boneyard of bare mesas. In national elections, the town overwhelmingly votes Democratic: More than 80 percent of all residents are Hispanic, and one in four lives below the poverty line. On February 5th, the day of the Super Tuesday caucus, a school-bus driver named Paul Maez arrived at his local polling station to cast his ballot. To his surprise, Maez found that his name had vanished from the list of registered voters, thanks to a statewide effort to deter fraudulent voting. For Maez, the shock was especially acute: He is the supervisor of elections in Las Vegas.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23638322/block_the_vote

-Ugly election incidents show lingering U.S. racism
Two weeks before an election that could install the first black U.S.
president, scattered ugly incidents have reflected a deep residue of racism among some segments of white America. A cardboard likeness of Barack Obama was found strung from fishing wire at a university, the Democratic presidential nominee's face was depicted on mock food stamps, the body of a black bear was left at another university with Obama posters attached to it.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE49L7D020081023

-Obama, living "American dream," well ahead in China poll
BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama enjoys a support rate as high as 75 percent among the Chinese, state media reported on Thursday, with an analyst saying he personified the American dream. That is the result of an online poll conducted on the China Daily website by the U.S. embassy. Another survey issued by Horizon Research also showed that Obama was strongly favored in China over his Republican rival, John McCain.
http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE49M1RU20081023?feedType=RSS&feedName=politicsNews

-Palin on defensive as scrutiny rises
Spent $150,000 of RNC money for clothing
As her qualifications, her understanding of the vice presidency, and even her wardrobe came under renewed scrutiny yesterday, Sarah Palin told a high- profile conservative Christian leader that she isn't discouraged by the Republican ticket's sagging poll numbers because she and running mate John McCain have always been underdogs.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/23/palin_on_defensive_as_scrutiny_rises/

-Group asks IRS to investigate Catholic bishop against Obama
A church-state watchdog group has asked the Internal Revenue Service to investigate whether the Roman Catholic bishop of Paterson, N.J., violated tax laws by denouncing Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama. In a letter sent to the IRS on Wednesday (Oct. 22), Americans United for Separation of Church and State accused Paterson Bishop Arthur Serratelli of illegal partisanship for lambasting Obama's support of abortion rights.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-10-22-irs-catholic-obama_N.htm?csp=34

-Health care plans: Obama vs. McCain
Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee John McCain have dramatically divergent visions of how to reshape the health insurance system. For example, Obama wants to require parents to provide health insurance for their children, while McCain does not. Both proposals are complex, and both candidates have offered broad outlines of what they would do - without some key specifics. MORE INFORMATION: Health plan analyses on the Web
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-10-21-health-plans_N.htm


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - October 23, 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~~

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

-Amendment 2 will cause harm
It was gratifying to read on Oct. 12 that The Miami Herald recommends a No vote on Amendment 2 to the Florida Constitution. It also was heartening to read recently that a coalition of state religious leaders calls the amendment ``an infringement upon the religious freedoms of all Floridians.'' With the economy in the state it's in, this is not the time to eliminate healthcare and other benefits for unmarried couples in Florida, which will happen if this amendment passes. It must be stressed again that gay marriage already is banned in our state. This amendment will affect all unmarried couples, gay and straight. Imagine not being allowed to visit a seriously ill loved one in the hospital. Too many people don't understand the ramifications and think the amendment is only about banning marriage between partners of the same sex.
LINDA HORKITZ, Miami Beach
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/letters/story/737561.html

-Amendment 2 is a threat to unwed senior couples
Clarice Pollock and Ed Lesen have shared their love nest for 30 years. They first met in New York, in 1976, and were immediately taken with each other. Since they were both divorced they saw no reason to get married. They moved in together and became a de facto couple. Since then, their relationship has been based on ``love, respect and trust.'' Although they didn't have children, they formed a family, and when her grandchildren visit them in Hallandale, where they retired, the kids call him grandpa. There are thousands of elderly couples just like them in Florida, who for various reasons decided to live the rest of their lives together without getting hitched at the altar. Now the benefits and assurances once extended to these couples are in jeopardy, due to an absurd constitutional amendment that invalidates any relationship based on love, gay or straight, other than matrimony.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/737483.html


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Sun-Sentinel endorses Scott Newton for Wilton Manors Mayor and Justin Flippen for Wilton Manors City Commission
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/community/news/wilton_manors/sfl-editgswiltonelexsboct22,0,3552115.story


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GLBT G.O.T.V. Center - Wilton Manors
Show your support!!!
Everyone was clamoring for their very own Obama yard sign so we had some
made! Come and get 'em!
Also, we recently received a new batch of the more popular bumper stickers. The merchandise coming from the official Obama Campaign store is taking more than 2 weeks for delivery due to unexpected higher demand, so this will definitely be our final offering. Each is a fundraising item. Your donation of $5 for a sign or $2 for a sticker all goes to help run the GLBT G.O.T.V. Center - located at 2040b N. Dixie Highway - just 1/3 mile south of "5-points" intersection on the east side in Wilton Manors. The space we have rented is in the far back left corner of the new GLCC campus. We are open M-F 10am - 10pm, Sat. 9-6, and Sun. noon-6. (954) 630-VOTE (8683). Volunteers are needed daily: light phone banking, light canvassing, and office work - please contact JD Camp to see how you can help. We are running out of time, so if you are certain you want the Republicans to retain the White House, then do absolutely nothing. 4 hours of your time now can mean the difference in the next 4 years of our country. You decide because it is up to you and only you! We are primarily contacting NEWLY REGISTERED or INFREQUENT voters. There is NO persuasion or confrontation. It is VERY simple! For every 12 doors knocked or phone calls made - YOU (and only you can do this) get one more voter for OUR SIDE!!! Again, YOU decide.


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Join us Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 6:30 p.m.
Wine and Cheese Social with
National Obama Surrogate Jared Polis (D-CO).
After the Social, join us again as we walk with Jared down Wilton Drive, stopping at some of the social hotspots to announce early voting! Jared stands to be the 3rd openly GLBT member of Congress, following in the footsteps of Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).


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From Earl Rynerson for Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign.
UNBELIEVEABLE!!
Top Paid City Bureaucrats asking for an additional "Cost of Living" Raise!
Thanks to your "hard working" Fort Lauderdale Mayor and Commissioners, they are now allowing the incredibly greedy City Manager Gretsas and City Attorney Stewart to raid the municipal piggy bank once again! According to the Sun Sentinel today (Oct 22); (with Vice Mayor Charlotte Rodstrom dissenting), the Mayor and Commission "gave tentative approval to a 5 percent cost-of-living raise to top managers who aren't in a union, at a cost of $1.1 million; the 5 percent raise will go to the highest paid city employees, City Attorney Harry Stewart and City Manager George Gretsas, as well as to the city clerk and city auditor and about 245 others." Folks, this comes from property tax dollars that YOU are required to pay, and its going directly to greedy City Bureaucrats that already make more that any elected official in Washington DC, save the President of the US. Gretsas' salary is already at $230K, and with pensions, swells to $315K. (That's three hundred and fifteen thousand dollars a year!) With Stewart it's even worse! His salary is $243K; with his pension it swells to $348K.
earl@earlformayor.com



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

-Broward County absentee ballots can still be requested
If the long lines at Broward County's 17 early voting sites have you thinking about casting an absentee ballot, you can request one through Wednesday 10/29. The ballots then can be mailed back or taken to one of the county's elections offices. To receive a ballot, call 954-357-7055; fax 954-357-7033; or go to one of the elections offices and submit an application in person. An absentee ballot also may be obtained by e-mailing elections@browardsoe.org or by going to www.browardsoe.org/AbsenteeRequest2.aspx . Include name, date of birth and mailing address. Ballots must be returned to the Supervisor of Elections Office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.


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

-Florida home foreclosures continue to rise
New foreclosure filings in Florida were up 44 percent over the same month a year ago and 9 percent from August, according to foreclosure tracking firm RealtyTrac of Irvine, Calif.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/737438.html

-Extra voting booths added to prevent lines
As long lines continued at many early voting sites, Miami-Dade and Broward elections officials brought in more equipment to help cope with the delays.
http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/737936.html


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

-UPDATE: Florida Republican Party directs voters to wrong early voting sites
If you're looking for information on early voting sites, one place to avoid: the Republican Party of Florida's Web site. Under a "Voter Action Center" tab on the state party's home page, voters can select their county and, in theory, find out a convenient early voting location. The problem: For Palm Beach County, it lists 14 early voting sites. In fact, there are only 11. The erroneous early voting information also was sent to voters in a mailer.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/palm/blog/2008/10/florida_republican_party_direc.html

-If Amendment 2 fails, backers say kids will be led into 'gay lifestyle'
Failing to ban gay marriage in the state constitution could result in the indoctrination of schoolchildren into a gay lifestyle, supporters of Amendment 2 said today. John Stemberger, the force behind the proposed anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment on the Nov. 4 ballot, cited cases in other states where similar proposals failed, resulting in teachers of students as young as 7 years old using books about same-sex marriage to promote diversity in families.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2008/10/22/1022gaymarriage.html


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

GLBT DIGEST - October 22, 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.


=
Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us

-Gay Marriage in Peril in California
A state ballot measure to ban gay marriage in California is gaining momentum, with polls showing almost even odds of it passing after trailing by double digits a month ago. In June, the state legalized same-sex marriages. The next month, Proposition 8, defining marriage as between a man and a woman, was put on the ballot for November. Initial polling showed that a majority of Californians were likely to vote against Proposition 8. A Sept. 18 poll by the San Francisco-based Field Poll found the measure losing 55% to 38% among likely voters.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122463078466356397.html


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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-LA Observed: Transgender female sports writer returns to paper as a man
Mike Penner returns to Los Angeles Times
Eighteen month after writing a column about becoming Christine Daniels, veteran sportswriter Mike Penner has quietly returned to work at the Los Angeles Times, according to multiple sources close to the LAT's Sports staff. Penner's column in April 2007 about his sexual transformation became one of the most-viewed Times' stories of the year and was followed by a story in the LAT from media writer James Rainey and tons of other media attention. Daniels for a time chronicled her transformation in a blog at LATimes.com; the blog entries have been removed and the Times has so far posted nothing about Penner's return. I emailed him and Sports Editor Randy Harvey, who replied, "We're looking forward to Mike's byline appearing in the paper and on the website with increased frequency. He continues to be a valued member of our sports staff."
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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

-Besen: Dobson's fib factory
I once had a revealing conversation with an A-list news reporter, when I was trying to convince him to cover the scientific distortions of Focus on the Family's James Dobson. He declined to do so because he felt that Dobson lies so frequently that it wasn't news. With the media inured to Dobson's Fib Factory and its assembly line of lies, it is difficult for the truth to gain traction. I believe, however, that the press has it backwards. Each nugget of nonsense peddled by ideologues, such as Dobson, should be on the front page of every newspaper and lead daily newscasts. Allowing falsehoods to fester has created a cynical political climate where truth is whatever a press release says it is.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/besen-dobsons-fib-factory/

-Withers: Obama on Ellen's show but Prop 8 not talked about
I'm all prepared to eat crow on this one (some of you think I should do that every time I type a word but let's deal with that later), but from written reports Barack Obama made a surprise appearance "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" yesterday (it will air today).
http://www.365gay.com/blog/102208-obama-on-ellens-show-but-no-mention-of-prop-8/

-Palin expenses probe raises new questions
Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.
http://www.365gay.com/news/palin-expenses-probe-raises-new-questions/

-Indian Gov't Calls Homosexuality 'A Sickness'
(Delhi) The High Court in Delhi has issued a harshly worded rebuke to the Indian government for calling homosexuality a disease that cannot be tolerated. The government assertion came during a court case challenging India's sodomy law. The case was filed by LGBT rights groups and AIDS outreach organizations.
http://www.365gay.com/news/indian-govt-calls-homosexuality-a-sickness/

-Republicans bring back the gay monster
Perhaps it was in honor of the Halloween season that residents of Mississippi have been treated to a gay-baiting political advertisement from Republican Senator Roger Wicker. Wicker, who is locked in a surprisingly close race with former governor Ronnie Musgrove, has resorted to the tried and true tactic of portraying his opponent as a terrifying "other" in a desperate attempt to pull out a win.
http://www.365gay.com/features/republicans-bring-back-the-gay-monster/

-Ruby-Sachs: Maybe a miracle in Florida?
Florida might well defeat Amendment 2, a Proposition 8 on steroids that targets rights for all unmarried couples including health care benefits for domestic partnerships. The Amendment's proponents say it's a necessary step to ensure the defeat of gay marriage in the State. In reality, it's a broad attack on every couple who chooses to not tie the knot.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/ruby-sachs-maybe-a-miracle-in-florida/

-More Equality Ride Arrests
Arrests are mounting up for members of the nondenominational Soulforce Equality Ride as they attempt to enter Christian colleges in the deep South to engage students in a discussion on gay inclusion. Two Equality Riders were arrested for trespassing when they walked onto the Mississippi College campus to deliver a letter from an anonymous gay male student who is currently enrolled at the school in Clinton, Mississippi.
http://www.365gay.com/news/more-equality-ride-arrests/


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

-Gay Comic: Troy
http://www.365gay.com/troy/troy-214-a-matter-of-size/

-Mormons Bankroll Anti-Gay Marriage Amendments in California, Arizona
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has mobilized followers to give an estimated 77% of donations to support California's proposed marriage ban. Californians Against Hate released figures Tuesday showing that $17.67 million was contributed by 59,000 Mormon families since August to groups like Yes on 8. Contributions in support of Prop. 8 total $22.88 million. Additionally, the group reports that Mormons have contributed $6.9 million to pass a a similar law, Proposition 102, in Arizona.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64163.asp

-Boston College Study: Why Gay Couples Marry
A recently released Boston College study indicates that legal recognition and the opportunity to make a public statement are the prime motivators for Massachusetts gay and lesbian couples to marry. The college conducted the study 13 months after Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage. (The state began marrying gay couples in May 2004.) Professor Pamela J. Lannutti surveyed 263 couples, including those who were legally married in Massachusetts and those who plan to marry. The average relationship duration was 7.5 years.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64157.asp

-Florida Anti-Marriage Equality Rally Draws 700
Some 700 supporters of Florida's Amendment 2, which would ban same-sex marriage, turned out at a rally in Orlando on Monday night. That was far fewer than the thousands of people organizers had said would show up at the First Baptist Church, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64125.asp


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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

-Uganda: Just three weeks ago, two prominent trans/gay activists in Uganda were arrested, beaten with batons, and held in jail for a week without bail or access to a lawyer. Their crimes? "Spreading homosexuality" - a crime that does not exist - and carnal knowledge against the order of nature - a crime that they were not engaged in at the time of arrest. In many parts of the world, sodomy laws are still fully enforced, giving the government unbridled power to frighten and silence lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities. The fight to ensure equal rights of LGBT people to love, to speak, and to live free from imprisonment and discrimination is an ongoing global struggle requiring an equally global response. Because homophobia does not stop at the border of any country, each violent threat from a political or religious leader anywhere in the world creates abacklash that threatens and affects us all.
http://www.iglhrc.org/site/iglhrc/

-AETNA FIRST HEALTH PLAN TO LINK GAY AND LESBIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION PROVIDER DIRECTORY TO ITS OWN ONLINE DOCTOR RESOURCE
SAN FRANCISCO: Aetna (AET) and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) today announced that Aetna is the first health benefits company in the U.S. to link its online provider directory -- DocFind® -- to GLMAâ?Ts growing online database of more than 1,200 health care providers. The database includes primary care providers, specialists, therapists, and dentists who welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) patients. In addition, Aetna has awarded GLMA a $50,000 grant as the diamond sponsor of GLMAâ?Ts 26th Annual Conference scheduled for October 22-25 in Seattle. The conference is remarkable for its size, scope, and diversity of programming, with presentations and workshops on HIV/AIDS; lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual health; substance abuse; aging; families and relationships; and legal issues.
www.aetna.comhttp://www.witeckcombsmail.com/util/link.jsp?e=9gm1_Fa32ZdnSxEAc2RwVx989Vzt337an32fxPpijX7pqL_Yt7j2GWrXPVkGjz4aG&s=4uNsvfQ..A&v=5fdWyvHbsoXXI7Rk3Xa4dnA..A

-UCLA¹S WILLIAMS INSTITUTE RELEASES NEW STUDY SHOWING THERE ARE MORE THAN 14,570 ASIANS AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS WHO ARE IN SAME-SEX COUPLES; 31% OF API WOMEN AND 21% OF API MEN RAISING CHILDREN WITHIN THESE COUPLES
The full report may be found at:
www.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute


=
Anything but Straight
by Wayne Besen
http://www.waynebesen.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Radio Hall of Shame
I once had a revealing conversation with an A-list news reporter, when I was trying to convince him to cover the scientific distortions of Focus on the Family's James Dobson. He declined to do so because he felt that Dobson lies so frequently that it wasn't news. With the media inured to Dobson's Fib Factory and its assembly line of lies, it is difficult for the truth to gain traction. I believe, however, that the press has it backwards. Each nugget of nonsense peddled by ideologues, such as Dobson, should be on the front page of every newspaper and lead daily newscasts. Allowing falsehoods to fester has created a cynical political climate where truth is whatever a press release says it is. This lack of accountability has allowed Dobson, and others of his ilk, to portray themselves as spokespersons for morality, even though they are regularly engaged in glaring examples of moral turpitude. Occasionally, they are even honored for their sinister "success" and showered with undeserved adulation.
http://www.waynebesen.com/


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

-Fresno Bee editorial: No on Prop. 8
Link: Fresno Bee
Proposition 8, which would define marriage in California as only between a man and a woman, raises a number of issues. But one question stands out: Should we use the state constitution to take the right to marry from a particular group of people? We believe that notion is wrong, and recommend a "no" vote on Proposition 8. [.] The notion that same-sex marriages somehow threaten the sanctity and strength of heterosexual marriages is simply absurd. Those who worry about the health of heterosexual marriages should focus their attention on divorce, which is the real threat to marriage.

-Oregon tribe's marriage law faces challenge
Link: The World- Coos Bay, Oregon
A Coquille Indian Tribe member is challenging a recent decision by the Tribal Council to allow domestic partnerships and marriages regardless of sexual orientation. Brady Metcalf, who lives in Pahoa, Hawaii, said he believes the Marriage and Domestic Partnership Ordinance should be placed on a special tribal ballot, allowing the general council to weigh in on the topic. The general council includes every adult tribal member, of which there are about 580.


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

-Irish gay rights group says civil partnerships "a matter of immediate urgency"
Despite considerable progress in the last year, there remain significant challenges for gay and lesbians in Ireland, according to the annual report from the nation's leading homosexual rights group. Earlier this year the Irish government published draft legislation on civil partnerships, which the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (GLEN) described as "a matter of practical and immediate urgency for lesbian and gay couples."
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9361.html

-Decision on Chicago's LGBT high school delayed
The Chicago school board will not vote on plans for a high school for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans students until next month. A decision was expected to be taken today, but has been delayed until November 19th.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9363.html

-LGBT Alzheimer's suport group recognised with special award
The Alzheimer's Society has honoured the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Support Group for their "outstanding contribution to people with dementia and their carers." The group provides a dedicated support helpline across the UK for anyone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and who is, or who has been, caring for someone with dementia.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9362.html

-Bahrain MP calls for action against homosexuals
The new session of Parliament in the Gulf state of Bahrain began this week with calls for a crackdown on gays. Al Menbar MP Shaikh Mohammed Khalid Mohammed wants the government to begin a number of initiatives designed to rid the country of gay people.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9360.html

-Gays are "recruiting" claims Ugandan paper
The gay community in Uganda is recruiting new members, according to a leading newspaper in the East African nation. "Recruitment is reportedly highest in secondary schools and in prisons," reports The Independent.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9356.html


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

-Teens in Transition
By Gloria Hochman | For The Inquirer | Philadelphia Inquirer
Shortly after school began in the fall of 2004, an eighth grader named Tye Clark delivered a jolting message to her classmates."I'm the same person I was last year and the year before, but I am transgender and will now come to school as a boy," Tye told four assemblies at Cedarbrook Middle School in Cheltenham Township. "You may not agree, but I hope you will respect me and my right to get a good education." Eyes misting with tears, Tye asked to be known as Ty. The transgender teen finished to rounds of applause. Ty celebrated his 18th birthday yesterday. He was born female, but as far back as he can remember, he felt in his brain and his heart that he was a boy.
Read more

-IL: Chicago Homeless Shelters Get Training on Gay Issues
Southern Voice
Homeless shelters across Chicago are getting a crash course in how to better serve members of the gay community. The Chicago Department of Human Services is conducting four days of mandatory sensitivity training at the Center on Halsted, the city's gay community center. About 160 people are attending the training, which includes sessions on the barriers faced by members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community and the effects of prejudice, said Lisa Elkuss, communications director for the human services department. "We're all really very pleased that this is taking place," Elkuss said Monday. "We're glad that things have evolved to this point, and we're pleased with the response of the shelters." Read more


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - October 22, 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:

-Some Cut Back on Prescription Drugs in Sour Economy
As people respond to hard times by juggling the cost of necessities like groceries and housing, drugs sometimes have to wait.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/business/22drug.html?hp

-Stocks Drop Sharply in Europe and Asia
Stocks dove in Europe and Asia, the euro and British pound fell to their lowest points against the dollar in years and oil prices dropped below $70 a barrel.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/23/business/23markets.html?hp

-Hecklers Have Mortgage Bankers Longing
Although no arrests were made at a mortgage bankers' convention, stage-storming did occur. A protester approached Karl Rove, above, during a panel discussion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/us/22mortgage.html?hp

-Bailout (and Buildup)
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
We can't afford a financial bailout that also isn't a green buildup - a buildup of a new clean energy industry that strengthens America.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/opinion/22friedman.html?ref=opinion

-Moved by a Crescent
MAUREEN DOWD
In a gratifying "have you no sense of decency, Sir and Madam?" moment, Colin Powell went on "Meet the Press" and pushed back on ugly innuendo. [...] But what sent him over the edge and made him realize he had to speak out was when he opened his New Yorker three weeks ago and saw a picture of a mother pressing her head against the gravestone of her son, a 20-year-old soldier who had been killed in Iraq. On the headstone were engraved his name, Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, his awards - the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star - and a crescent and a star to denote his Islamic faith.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/opinion/22dowd.html?ref=opinion

-Acorn Report Raises Issues of Legality
An internal report by a lawyer for the community organizing group Acorn raises questions about whether the web of relationships among its 174 affiliates may have led to violations of federal laws.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/us/22acorn.html

-Reporter's Notebook
After a Year on the Road, Obama Is Changing His Tempo
Where's Miles Davis? Who kidnapped Elvis? Up there on the riser in the Virginia arena, there is this careful guy reading from a teleprompter and keeping his tone not exactly monotone but not exactly soaring, and he is repeating more or less the same lines that he read the night before and the same lines he will read the day after.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/us/politics/22obama.html

-Report Cites Chronic Absenteeism in City Schools
More than 90,000 of New York City's elementary school students - roughly 20 percent - missed at least a month of classes during the last school year, with attendance problems most acute in central Brooklyn, Harlem and the South Bronx, according to a report scheduled for release on Tuesday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/nyregion/21attend.html


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

-The Irony of Obama
Less than two weeks away from his likely election as president, the debate continues about the nature of Barack Obama's deepest political beliefs. Is he -- as some liberals quietly hope and many conservatives loudly accuse -- a closet radical? Or is he a more subtle and moderate political figure who embraced, then discarded, the leftism of south Chicago in pursuit of a restless ambition? There is evidence for both views.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102255.html

-More Poison
Another prominent adversary of Vladimir Putin is mysteriously exposed to toxins. ON OCT. 7, 2006 -- Vladimir Putin's birthday -- the crusading Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya was gunned down outside her Moscow apartment. Last week, pretrial hearings were scheduled for three alleged accomplices in the murder; the suspected gunman remains at large, and the sponsors of the hit have never been identified. Ms. Politkovskaya's family was due to be represented at the trial, which is being held in a closed military court, by Karina Moskalenko, a lawyer who has taken up the cause of some of Russia's best-known dissidents and prisoners. But Ms. Moskalenko could not attend. Instead she underwent testing in the French city of Strasbourg after complaining of headaches, nausea and swelling -- and after pellets of the poisonous heavy metal mercury were discovered in her family's car.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102342.html

-For Nonbelievers, Reassurance on Wheels
British Atheists Announce Plan for Bus Ads, and Contributions Start Rolling In
LONDON, Oct. 21 -- British atheists announced Tuesday a high-profile advertising campaign to put posters on London buses that say: "There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102433.html?hpid=sec-religion

-O'Reilly: You'll Still Have Me to Kick Around
Bill O'Reilly has signed up for another tour of duty at Fox News, saying that he decided "to put myself through all the attacks and smears" for several more years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102102522.html?hpid=sec-artsliving


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us

-Poll: Obama Opens Double-Digit Lead
A greater number of voters say they would be comfortable with Obama as president. A new WSJ/NBC poll gives him a 10-point edge over McCain, 52% to 42%.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122462257051655701.html

-Oil Drops Below $70 as Dollar Strengthens
Crude-oil futures fell below $70 a barrel Wednesday in Asia, weighed down by a strengthening U.S. dollar and an expected buildup of U.S. oil stocks. Investors shrugged off a looming production cut by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries after company forecasts suggested the U.S. may be headed for a severe economic slowdown that crimps crude demand.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122465984572857915.html

-Pakistan Needs Up to $15 Billion in Aid
Subscriber Content Read Preview
Pakistan will need as much as $15 billion over the next two or three years to extricate itself from a severe financial crisis and will require up to $4 billion of that in the next month, officials said. The estimate of how much money Islamabad needs to refill its emptying hard-currency reserves and jump-start its stalled economy came as officials from Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund opened an annual meeting in Dubai to review Pakistan's economic health -- and possibly hammer out an emergency aid package.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122466341423857933.html


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

-Sorry, but 'fake Americans' aren't the real threat
BY LEONARD PITTS JR.
Excuse me while I say a few words on behalf of us Fake Americans. Not that I really think of myself as such. I mean, here in Fake America, life proceeds much as it does in Real America. We are raising our kids and paying our taxes, trying to keep up with the dishes in the sink, going to the movies now and then. In fact, if you didn't know better, you'd never realize our America was Fake.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/735892.html

-The perils of ACORN's voter-registration efforts
ACORN or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, the national community organization of 500,000 low and moderate income family members in communities throughout the United States, is having what I refer to as its ``Britney Spears moment.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/inbox/story/735212.html

-Study: Gap growing between rich, poor
A report from a Paris-based organization said the United States has the highest inequality and poverty rates among member countries.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/735763.html


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

-Surprising Impact of Student Loan Crunch
46% of private colleges report that some students have "stopped out" of school or shifted to part-time study because they could not get private loans to pay tuition.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/10/22/naicu


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Pew Research center
http://pewresearch.org/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-Doubts Grow About McCain's Judgment, Age and Campaign Conduct
Obama, who holds a 52%-to-38% lead in Pew's latest survey, is inspiring more confidence on several key issues, including Iraq and terrorism, than he did before the debates, and his margin over McCain as the candidate best able to improve economic conditions has grown. Read more

-Polls and Plumbers Drive Narrative
Campaign coverage increasingly focused on tactics -- including McCain's invocation of an Ohio plumber to represent the working man -- as well as fights in battleground states and the parade of polls. Read more

-More See Campaign as Negative
Perceptions of the tone of the campaign have grown increasingly negative over the past month and are now nearly identical to views of the 2004 election. Independents have a much more favorable view of Obama's ads than they do of McCain's. Read more

-Technology's Impact
Networked Families
Parents and spouses are using the internet and cell phones to create a "new connectedness" that builds on remote connections and shared internet experiences. Read more

-Public Opinion - Poll Power
Though by no means a perfect instrument, polls make it possible for more opinions, held by a broader and more representative range of citizens, to be known to the government and thus, potentially, heeded. Read more

-Faith and Foreign Policy
Ten Years of U.S. Efforts to Promote Religious Freedom
A scholar describes the controversy surrounding the passage of the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998 and discusses its impact worldwide. Read more

-Daily Number
59% - Americans Tighten Their Belts
Many Americans are delaying or cancelling spending, including nearly six-in-ten who have cut back on vacation spending. Check back every weekday for another number in the news. Read more


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

-AFRICAN AMERICAN VOTERS TURN OUT EARLY
Americans are voting early in large numbers this year -- and African-Americans in several states are turning out in disproportionate numbers. Some fear that polling places in predominantly black neighborhoods will be overwhelmed by a record turnout on Election Day. Others are voting early to be certain the chance to elect the first black U.S. president doesn't slip away. In Georgia, where early voting began on Sept. 22, African-Americans account for 29% of active voters but have so far made up nearly 36% of about 758,000 early voters. By comparison, African-Americans represented 25% of the overall turnout in 2004. In Florida, African-Americans accounted for 21% of ballots cast Monday even though they make up 13% of voters. In North Carolina, African-Americans accounted for 33% of ballots cast as of Monday even though they make up 21% of voters. New registrations, due partly to excitement over the candidacy of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and a voter-registration drive by his campaign, are driving much of the higher participation. In Georgia, nearly 165,000 blacks joined the rolls this year, up from 129,878 in 2004. While black women voters outnumber black men, this year more black men registered than black women.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122463439049156841.html?mod=article-outset-box

-More Democrats Casting Early Ballots, Data Show
With as many as one-third of voters expected to cast their ballots before Election Day, preliminary data from several key battleground states show more Democrats than Republicans have voted early.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/22/us/politics/22early.html?partner=MOREOVERNEWS&ei=5040

-Powell gives voice to voters' thoughts
If one could subtract all political party identifications from the remarks Sunday of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, it could be said that he put a voice to what a lot of people, many of them political leaders, have been thinking as the race for president between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama has progressed. Powell offered substantive reasons why he thinks Obama is the better of two candidates who, he said, would both make good presidents. At the same time, he made clear his exasperation with the diversions of the campaign that have little or nothing to do with the important issues of the day but seem intended to stir up antagonism and suspicion in the electorate.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/736340.html

-AP INVESTIGATION: Alaska funded Palin kids' travel
Gov. Sarah Palin charged the state for her children to travel with her, including to events where they were not invited, and later amended expense reports to specify that they were on official business.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008293768_appalinfamilytravel.html

-Senate GOP leader McConnell in tight re-election race
In tight race, Senate GOP boss McConnell touts pork prowess
At a time when politicians of all stripes declare loudly that Washington is broken, spending is out of control and change should be the new gold standard, Sen. Mitch McConnell, a wily Republican veteran running for his political life in the mountains and hollows of Kentucky, is going the other way-paying unapologetic homage to the most important food group of electoral politics, pork.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-kentucky-mcconnelloct22,0,5416968.story


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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - October 22, 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~~

St. Petersburg Times
http://www2.tbo.com/

-Study: Florida's 'Civic Health' Ranks Among Lowest In U.S.
Florida's civic health is among the poorest in the country - ranking 47th among the states - though voters in the state do seem energized by the current presidential election, officials said Tuesday. Former Sen. Bob Graham and officials of The Florida Joint Center for Citizenship and the National Conference on Citizenship released a study that shows Florida generally ranks low in its rates of voting, volunteerism and attendance of public meetings.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/oct/21/study-floridas-civi-health-ranks-among-lowest-us/news-politics/


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Equality Florida
Early Voting Has Begun!
Find Out Where To Vote, And Pick Up Your FREE Voter's Guide Today
See Where They Stand! Get your guide today!
http://www.eqfl.org/ElectionCenter/


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Save Dade: Activist groups issue election endorsements
A number of South Florida activist groups have issued their endorsements this week:
SAVE Dade Action Pac (gay group against marriage amendment) Download the guide:
Activist groups issue election endorsements
A number of South Florida activist groups have issued their endorsements this week:
SAVE Dade Action Pac (gay group against marriage amendment)
http://www.savedade.org/endorsements.htm


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From Justin Flippen for Wilton Manors City Commission
www.JustinFlippen.com

Under the law, marriage is a contract. Under religion, holy matrimony is a sacrament. Separation of church and state principles do not permit government to regulate a religious sacrament. But the regulation of legal contracts is another matter and rests with the government. A marriage contract grants about 1,000 Federal and 500 state reciprocal rights and responsibilities to the two people who agree to that contract. The Federal government only permits opposite-sex couples to enjoy these 1,000 rights and responsibilities, and most states only permit opposite-sex couples to enjoy these 500 rights and responsibilities. [...] Please consider the ramification and power of your vote this November and vote NO on Amendment 2.
Sincerely,
Justin S. Flippen, Candidate for Wilton Manors City Commission
www.JustinFlippen.com Contact Ray's List for the full letter.


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A message from Ted Verdone
On behalf of Jerry's Kids - Musculature Distrophy

-I'm proud to tell you that I'm being locked up...that's right, I'm going behind bars to help Jerry's Kids© and MDA. To be released on good behavior I have to raise bail and I need your help! All you have to do is to make a secure, online donation before 11/12/08. Your donation will help families living in our community and help guarantee me an early release. I can't wait to add you to my list of contributors. Thanks in advance for your help. Don't hesitate to call or email me with any questions. Together we'll make a difference, Ted
P.S. I'm counting on you, click here to donate.
https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/27402/Participant/tedverdone/SID/1544566/Default.aspx


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Recent pictures of the Four Fort Lauderdale Mayoral Candidates
From the Earl For Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Campaign Office
http://www.earlformayor.com/2008/10/recent-pictures-of-the-four-mayoral-candidates/


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Steve Rothaus
www.MiamiHerald.com/gay
Go to this link for the following articles:

-HRC 'rewards' Ros-Lehtinen with endorsement, $10,000 contribution
Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest gay-rights group, announced Tuesday it has endorsed the reelection of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Miami -- and contributed $10,000 to her campaign. "She is a very good friend to the LGBT community on the Hill,'' said HRC communications coordinator Rachel Balick. "She has gone above and beyond what we could ask members of Congress. She was one of the lead Republicans on the Hate Crimes Bill that passed this year." The bill later passed in the Senate, but was removed in conference committee. Ros-Lehtinen, also co-sponsored ENDA, the Employment Nondiscrimination Act which passed last year, and is a member of the House LGBT caucus.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/

-Florida student who won ACLU gay-rights suit wins Hefner First Amendment
Award ACLU news release:
Senior Heather Gillman honored for "fearlessness" in speaking out for the rights of gay and lesbian students
MIAMI - The American Civil Liberties Union announced today that Heather Gillman has been selected by the Playboy Foundation to receive the Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award for "her fearlessness in speaking out on behalf of the rights of gay students" at Ponce de Leon High School, located in Florida's Panhandle.
Gillman won a First Amendment case against her school after her high school principal discriminated against her gay and lesbian friends, banned any sort of symbol or slogan supporting gay rights, and suspended at least 11 students. At trial, the principal testified that he believed clothing or stickers featuring rainbows would make students automatically picture people having sex, and he forbade students from wearing any sort of clothing, stickers, buttons, or symbols to show her support of equal rights for gay people.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Fla. Amendment 2 opponents ask for investigation
Opponents of an amendment that would define marriage in the Florida Constitution said they sent a complaint to the state Tuesday saying supporters have hidden campaign donations and are improperly running television ads ahead of the Nov. 4 election. The opponents, Florida Red & Blue, are asking the Florida Elections Commission to investigate the actions of Amendment 2 sponsor Florida4Marriage.org, its chairman, and a group that donated large amounts to the campaign.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/miami/sfl-1022-flaamend2,0,7647167.story



~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-In South Florida, Obama pledges tax cut for 'Joe the Plumber'
Democrat Barack Obama's two-day sweep across Florida showed he can whip up overflow crowds, orchestrate a massive early-voting blitz and rattle off the state's grim economic statistics to drive home his indictment of the Republican Party. The campaign's reach into nearly every corner of Florida also forced Republican John McCain to hightail it back to a state that once leaned heavily in his favor, with plans to campaign Thursday in Central Florida.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/735894.html



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Long waits again plague early voters in Broward County
Booths added; waiting times to be announced
By Scott Wyman | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Lines up to 3 ½ hours long continued to plague early voting across Broward County on Tuesday, leading elections officials to scramble to find ways to cut the wait and ease frustration. More voting booths were added at the 17 early voting locations. Chairs were provided for the elderly. Anticipated wait times will be made public twice a day. Those in line will be reminded they can still request a ballot to vote by mail if they don't want to wait.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbearly1022sboct22,0,3958874.story

-Broward County plans convention center bypass to skirt port security
New road would allow access without being halted at gates to port Every time visitors and vendors come to the Broward County Convention Center, they must first show their drivers licenses and file through a security gate that restricts access into Port Everglades.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbportroad1022sboct22,0,2472302.story

-Broward Charter amendments need careful study before you vote
Broward County voters have to approve or reject 10 proposed amendments and revisions to the County Charter on the Nov. 4 ballot. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board recommends voters choose the following:
..Question 1: Metropolitan Transit Authority - Vote NO
This would duplicate existing efforts. If anything, Broward County transit efforts should be expending time, energy and resources on regional projects. This proposal is also premature. The first step in this process should be to produce a plan with a broad support, and then establish an agency to carry it out.
..Question 2: Non-Interference by County Commissioners - Vote YES
This language is in the Charter already, for the most part. This proposal clarifies some duties, that much is good. What this measure lacks, unfortunately, are penalties to dter interference.
..Question 3 - Voting Conflicts - Vote YES
This proposal would require county commissioners with a conflict of interest in a particular issue to recuse themselves, leave the commission chamber and refrain from communicating on or participating in that issue. That's fair and appropriate.
..Question 4: Creation of Broward Housing Council - Vote NO
Broward County already has agencies to address housing needs. The county does not need another agency to feed at a time of austere budgeting.
..Question 5: Implementation of Regional Focus - Vote YES
The county has plenty of areas with a regional stretch, from transit to public safety. The measure would simply insert language into the charter to detail the county's role as a regional and countywide authority. Vote YES, but understand that it is pretty much a vote to state the obvious.
..Question 6: Parks Preservation - Vote YES
This is a good idea, even if the 60 percent threshold may be too high. This measure would ban the county from selling, transferring or changing the use of such parks without a 60 percent vote of approval from the electorate.
This measure, in part because of the high threshold, may dissuade future efforts to designate park or green space land because of the inflexibility that comes with it.
..Question 7: Right to a Sustainable Environment - Vote YES
Who's against a sustainable environment? This measure inserts needed
language into the Charter, but doesn't go further than that.
..Question 8: Creation of Broward Ethics Commission - Vote YES
It's necessary to do so. But it's critically important that the members
appointed to this group produce a strong county ethics policy with teeth.
Otherwise, it will be a waste of time and money.
..Question 9: Independent Redistricting Consultants - Vote YES
This measure is worth taking a shot at, because an independent analysis is the best way to have fairly apportioned districts. But understand this: A consultant's report is only as good as the consultant. The choosing of the consultant must be accomplished through as dispassionate a process as possible.
..Question 10: Setting an earlier reconvening of the Management and Efficiency Study Committee - Vote YES
Moving the organization of the Management and Efficiency Study Committee isn't a bad idea. But its results have to be taken seriously, especially at a time when budgets are extraordinarily tight.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editbrowardchartersboct22,0,2609304.story


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

-Short of stamps for absentee ballot? Never fear
Bigger, beefier absentee ballots technically require more than one stamp -- but they'll get there even without proper postage. Many of the quarter-million-plus absentee ballots already distributed in Miami-Dade and Broward counties are too heavy for a single stamp to pay the freight.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/735874.html

-Gay marriage ban tactic questioned
Supporters of a ballot measure that would amend Florida's Constitution to ban gay marriage are encouraging donors to avoid public disclosure by contributing to groups that don't have to list contributions. The campaign tactic, laid out in an e-mail Florida4Marriage.org leader John Stemberger sent to supporters last month, was brought to light Tuesday by opponents to Amendment 2.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/elections/article865394.ece

-Fla. elections officials dealing with long lines
Elections supervisors are adding new equipment, updating Web sites with wait times and handing out fans and water to people standing in long early voting lines. Lines were so long in Broward County on Monday that the last person cast their ballot at 10:20 p.m., hours after the polls closed.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081022/APN/810220647


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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

GLBT DIGEST - October 21, 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:

-The Right to Know, Then to Say 'No'
Terminally ill patients in California are the first in the nation to have a legal right to information from their doctors, upon request, about end-of-life options, including hospice, palliative care, refusing or withdrawing life-prolonging treatments, and making the choice to refuse food and hydration.
http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/the-right-to-know-then-to-say-no/?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse


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

-Biden opposes Calif. gay marriage ban; Palin calls for federal amendment
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is.
http://www.365gay.com/news/biden-opposes-calif-gay-marriage-ban-palin-calls-for-federal-amendment/

-Withers: Prop 8, Obama, California, and race
Anyone remember the Rev. Donnie McClurkin fiasco last fall? McClurkin is a gospel singer of note who has called being gay "a curse"; last year McClurkin was the headliner performer in Barack Obama's "Embrace the Change" musical tour that played in various venues in South Carolina.
http://www.365gay.com/blog/102108-prop-8-ca-and-race/

-Male calendar maker has BYU diploma yanked
Brigham Young University has yanked the diploma of a man who created a calendar featuring shirtless Mormon missionaries and was later excommunicated from the church. Chad Hardy of Las Vegas attended graduation ceremonies Aug. 15 after finishing up his last four units of study online in June. But on July 13, in between completing his studies and the graduation ceremony, he was excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
http://www.365gay.com/news/male-calendar-maker-has-byu-diploma-yanked/

-African AIDS leader wins $5 million prize
(London) He took an AIDS test publicly despite a deep stigma in Africa against the disease. He pressed to cut the prevalence of mothers passing the HIV virus onto their babies. He fought to make more anti-retroviral drugs available. Festus Gontebanye Mogae, the former president of Botswana, was honored Monday with a multimillion-dollar leadership prize for his campaign to tackle one of the world's highest HIV infection rates.
http://www.365gay.com/news/african-aids-leader-wins-5-million-prize/

-Report: Gay hate crimes triple in Scotland
(Edinburgh, Scotland) An examination of police complaints across Scotland reveals a tripling of hate crimes against members of the LGBT community, The Daily Record newspaper reported Monday. The paper said that the situation may be worse than what it uncovered. A spokesperson for one police force admitted to The Record that it does not keep records on crimes based on the victim's sexuality.
http://www.365gay.com/news/report-gay-hate-crimes-triple-in-scotland/


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

-Kansas Black Gay Couple Receives Death Threats
A black gay couple reportedly received death threats since moving into a new apartment complex in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City, two weeks ago. The couple said they received a flier on their front door and on their car window with pictures of several Ku Klux Klan members and the words "Nigger Fags Leave or Die" written above it, according to KCTV News. The unidentified couple said they had never experienced this sort of problem before, but one of the men said in the report that they "may have to move again." Overland Park police said they are investigating the case but have no leads. (Michelle Garcia, The Advocate)
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64078.asp


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

-Commentary: Do Mormons Deserve Equal Protection Under the Law?
Link: Huffington Post
by Rick Jacobs
We take for granted that this nation was founded to allow for equality and acceptance of religious observation and belief, provided the government stays out of religion and religion stays out of government. Jews gained from that "tolerance" as much as anyone. And by the way, so did Mormons, who were chased across the country by Christians who found their latter-day teachings heretical, cultish and worthy of death. Why are Mormons, some fundamentalist Christians and apparently the Roman Catholic Church arrayed to attack my rights? How do I in any way undermine any of the beliefs or institutions of those religions? I feel laid bare that people I do not know can vote secretly to remove my rights. This is, unfortunately, reminiscent of Nazi Germany's Nuremberg Laws that led to Kristallnacht, that horrible event 70 years ago next month that resulted in the burning of over 200 synagogues and countless other Jewish-owned establishments. The Nazis stripped rights from Jews piecemeal until finally Jews lost the right to eat and then to live.

-CA: Proposition 8 and the quiet governor
Link: Los Angeles Times
Back in April, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed to fight any attempt to pass a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. "I will always be there to fight against that because it should never happen," he told the Log Cabin Republicans at their San Diego convention -- a month before the state Supreme Court recognized the right of gays and lesbians to marry. And after that ruling, the governor again promised to oppose the effort to take away that right -- now known as Proposition 8. But Schwarzenegger has been awfully quiet about an issue that could use his visible presence. Not that he has switched camps. He just hasn't been showing up to remind Californians that they generally champion expansive civil rights, not the elimination of such rights. He hasn't been around to reassure voters that their churches won't have to conduct same-sex marriages and their preschoolers won't have to attend gay weddings.

-Commentary: Mohler Misstates Christian Support for Same-Sex Couples
Link: Box Turtle Bulletin
by Timothy Kincaid
In second part of his series about same-sex marriage, Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary seeks to make two points. The first is a rather bold assertion that only a small minority of Christians see room within Scripture to allow for a cultural recognition of same-sex unions. The second is that only a small portion of the world's nations offer such recognition. He presents each as evidence of the other.

-Commentary: "Don't take it so personally"
Link: Daddy, Papa and Me
"Don't take it so personally." That is what a man said to me the other day. He, and what looked like his teenage son, were passing out flyers and wearing t-shirts that declared "one man + one woman = marriage" in front of the grocery store in the Sunset district of San Francisco. He was working for the California constitutional amendment that would take away the rights and protections of my family. My 6-year-old daughter was at soccer practice, so I thought I'd get in some grocery shopping done during the time. As I was pushing my cart out the door, the man approached me. At first I just put up my hand, looked away and say "No!"


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

-Gays are "recruiting" claims Ugandan paper
The gay community in Uganda is recruiting new members, according to a leading newspaper in the East African nation. "Recruitment is reportedly highest in secondary schools and in prisons," reports The Independent.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9356.html

-Nigerian ambassador to EU pressured over treatment of gay Christians
Members of the European Parliament have drawn attention to the harassment faced by people working for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Nigeria. MEPs from the Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights have written to the Ambassador Usman A Baraya at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the EU.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9354.html

-Trans trucker awarded £20,000 by employment tribunal
A transsexual who was hounded out of her job as a trucker after she began her transition from her former male gender has been awarded damages by an employment tribunal. Vikki-Marie Gaynor, 37, from Wallasey in Wirral, will get £20,000 following her successful claims of sexual discrimination against Exel Europe, part of delivery giant DHL, and recruitment agency Blue Arrow.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9353.html

-Catholic adoption agency's plan to discriminate rejected
The Charity Commission has ruled that a Roman Catholic-run adoption agency cannot change the purpose for which it was created in order to avoid dealing with homosexual couples. The Sexual Orientation Regulations 2007 outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation in the provision of goods, facilities and services, including adoption.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9346.html

-Abortion dominates debate as lesbian fertility rights come before Commons
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill is back before MPs this week. If it passes the Commons without amendments on Wednesday it will become law. In May MPs voted to remove the requirement for doctors to consider the need for a father when assessing women for ferility treatments as part of the bill.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9344.html

-Ugandan lesbian granted asylum in UK
A judge has ruled that a lesbian woman from Uganda may remain in the UK. Prossy Kakooza, 26, fled her homeland after her family found her in bed with her partner and marched both women naked to the police station where Ms Kakooza was raped and tortured by police officers.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9343.html

-Experts predict sharp rise in HIV infections among Hong Kong gays
One third of men who have sex with men could be infected with HIV unless prevention measures work, according to experts in Hong Kong. There have been sharp rises in the number of men getting the virus through gay sex.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9342.html


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

-Mary Cheney, Partner Attend White House Dinner
By LOU CHIBBARO JR, Washington Blade | Oct 14, 11:59 AM
Vice President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter, Mary Cheney, and her domestic partner, Heather Poe, were on the official guest list for a White House state dinner Monday in honor of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The guest list released by the White House indicates that Mary Cheney and Poe attended the dinner with Vice President Cheney and his wife, Lynne Cheney, along with the vice president's other daughter, Elizabeth Cheney. Although gay activists were likely to be pleased that an out lesbian couple participated in an official White House dinner, some activists might question the way the guest list identified Poe. The wives or husbands of dozens of U.S. government officials and diplomats attending the dinner, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband Paul Pelosi, were identified as a "spouse." Read more

-Biblical Homosexuality and New Testament Homosexuality: Issues for Many
People
News Blaze
It's not shocking to most people that the media has the power to influence American culture. In fact, studies show people are more influenced by the media than most other outlets, including their friends and co-workers. Thus, it should come as no surprise the media also influences homosexuality in America. Considering the power of the outlet, ex-gay activist Anthony Falzarano and his supporters are speaking out against the political gay agenda in America. Anthony not only speaks out against homosexuality but has committed his life's work to attacking the political gay agenda in this country. Mr. Falzarano lived as a gay man for nine years and speaks of the glamour, thrill and excitement associated with the culture in his new book "And Such Were Some of You". However, after meeting another Christian struggling with his sexuality Falzarano realized through Christ he could choose not to be gay. While this may seem impossible to many people in America (due to the political and media influence) Falzarano testifies the power of God delivered him from homosexuality. He notes his unusual journey out of the homosexual world and into the world of Jesus Christ in an exciting and inspiring way. Read more


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

-"MEPs asking Nigerian government to intervene against harassment of LGBT activists."
On 17 October the European Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights sent a letter to the Ambassador Usman A. Baraya at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the EU. "We have to react to continued and life-threatening media harassment of human rights defenders taking place in Nigeria," said Michael Cashman, President of the Intergroup. "Media outlets in the country have been inciting hatred against human rights activists of the NGO House of Rainbow in Lagos and many of them are scared for their lives and hiding or have left the country. That is unacceptable and the government must intervene". MEPs are reminding in the letter to the embassy that under the Revised Cotonou Agreement of 2005, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is obliged to protect and respect the human rights of every citizen of Nigeria without discrimination of any kind. Please find the full text of the letter at www.lgbt-ep.eu


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

-Senator Joe Lieberman more clueless and misguied than McCain on HIV/AIDS?
by Michael Emanuel Rajner
Several months ago, Waymon Hudson asked me to contribute to the Bilerico Project as a person living with AIDS. Over the past few months I have struggled immensely to find the time, but after losing my voice at a community event posted below in Pompano Beach where Florida State Representative Ellyn Bogdanoff and United States Senator Joe Lieberman spoke, I forced myself to make the time and share the experience.
http://florida.bilerico.com/2008/10/us_senator_joe_lieberman_more_clueless_t.php#more


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From Southern Poverty Law Center
http://www.splcenter.org/

-KKK: Inside American Terror
National Geographic Channel
Recently, I sat down with SPLC Intelligence Project Director Mark Potok and a team from the National Geographic Channel to discuss the inner workings of modern Ku Klux Klan groups, including the Imperial Klans of America (IKA), one of the largest and most violent in the country. As you know, the IKA is the target of our current efforts to put another hate group out of business. We'll be in a Kentucky courtroom next month trying our case against the IKA, whose members viciously beat teenager Jordan Gruver. The National Geographic special includes interviews with IKA leader Ron Edwards and many of the Klan members and leaders we monitor. You'll also get an insider's look at the IKA compound and the violence these men and women embrace. Tune in to the National Geographic Channel, Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 4 p.m. ET and see just how important your support is in our fight against injustice and bigotry.
http://www.splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=339&splcnewsletter=dnewsgen-102108


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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - October 21, 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:

-Obama Leaving Trail to Visit Ailing Grandmother
Senator Barack Obama will cancel events to fly to Hawaii to visit his grandmother, whose health is deteriorating.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/obama-leaving-trail-to-visit-ailing-grandmother/?hp

-Ruling on Guns Elicits Rebuke From the Right
Four months after the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess guns, its decision is under assault - from the right. Two prominent federal appeals court judges say that Justice Antonin Scalia's majority opinion in the case, District of Columbia v. Heller, is illegitimate, activist, poorly reasoned and fueled by politics rather than principle. The 5-to-4 decision in Heller struck down parts of a District of Columbia gun control law.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/washington/21guns.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-Bush Decides to Keep Guantánamo Open
Despite his stated desire to close the American prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, President Bush has decided not to do so, and never considered proposals drafted in the State Department and the Pentagon that outlined options for transferring the detainees elsewhere, according to senior administration officials.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/washington/21gitmo.html?hp

-3 Oil-Rich Countries Face a Reckoning
CARACAS, Venezuela - As the price of oil roared to ever higher levels in recent years, the leaders of Venezuela, Iran and Russia muscled their way onto the world stage, using checkbook diplomacy and, on occasion, intimidation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/world/21petro.html?hp

-Afghan Journalism Student Sentenced to 20 Years
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- An Afghan appeals court overturned a death sentence for a journalism student accused of blasphemy and instead sentenced him Tuesday to 20 years in prison. The death sentence against 24-year old Parwez Kambakhsh came to symbolize Afghanistan's slide toward an ultraconservative view on religious and individual freedoms.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-AS-Afghan-Journalist-Trial.html


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

-Palin breaks with McCain on gay marriage amendment
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is. In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, the Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102001956.html

-Ready, Aim, Fire
There's a civil war erupting on the right, and Colin Powell is caught in the crossfire. The split has been deepening for months as some of the nation's top conservative commentators have soured on John McCain's campaign and ridiculed the notion of Sarah Palin as qualified for the heartbeat-away job. The high-profile dissidents now include, to varying degrees, David Brooks, Peggy Noonan, George Will, David Frum, Kathleen Parker and Christopher Buckley.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/21/AR2008102100572.html

-Palin to Appear on '700 Club'
Gov. Sarah Palin held a wide-ranging 20-minute interview this weekend with the Christian Broadcast Network, laying out her prayer requests, discussing her baptism in Little Beaver Lake in Alaska and saying she would be comfortable using the controversial line about Sen. Barack Obama "palling around with terrorists" again.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/20/palin_to_appear_on_700_club.html

-Party Like It's 1964
A column, like a good movie, should have an arc -- start here, end there and somehow connect the two points. So this column will begin with the speech Condi Rice made to the Republican National Convention in 2000 in praise of George W. Bush and end with Colin Powell's appearance Sunday on "Meet the Press" in praise of Barack Obama. Between the first and the second lie the ruins of the GOP, a party gone very, very wrong.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102002292.html

-The Power of Powell's Rebuke
Colin Powell demonstrated his eponymous "Powell Doctrine" of overwhelming force on Sunday when he endorsed Barack Obama on "Meet the Press." The one-time chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff systematically marshaled his assets to neutralize the Republican endgame strategy, which is to suffuse the air around Obama with a vague mist of terrorism, socialism and "otherness."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102002393.html

-What Colin Powell Also Said
His comments on Muslims in America bear repeating -- and repeating.
NATURALLY, WHAT garnered the most attention on the day after former secretary of state Colin Powell's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama was its political significance. But we hope that another message that Mr. Powell tucked into his endorsement isn't forgotten.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102002395.html

-Zimbabwe's Bitter End
As the economy collapses and mass starvation looms, Robert Mugabe still refuses to yield power. WHEN ZIMBABWEAN strongman Robert Mugabe signed a deal to share power with opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai last month, we were skeptical that it would end the country's crisis. At best, we hoped, it would stop Mr. Mugabe's murderous campaign against opposition activists and permit international relief agencies to deliver food to the starving.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102002394.html

-Two Justices Clash Over Race and Death Penalty
Ga. Court's Handling of 1999 Case at Issue
The sensitive issue of race and the death penalty triggered an unusual public debate yesterday between two Supreme Court justices. In respectful but pointed language, Justices John Paul Stevens and Clarence Thomas clashed over whether race could have influenced the imposition of the death sentence for Artemus Rick Walker, a black Georgia man convicted of killing a white bank vice president. The court rejects hundreds of cases each year, mostly without comment, and yesterday it declined to hear Walker's appeal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102003133.html?hpid=sec-nation


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

-The Case for Barack Obama
Obama is pushing to change the parameters of the country's comfort zone. That's leadership. It has become fashionable to lament the state of presidential politics and decry the tenor of campaigns. But in fact, this election has been a pleasant surprise. In the last debate, as the candidates discussed their respective health-care plans in some detail, the danger was that the American people would be turned off not by negativity but by boredom.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/164498/page/1

-Obama to hold jobs summit in Fla. with governors
Democrat Barack Obama is bringing several GOP-leaning states he's aiming to win together in one place. He's holding a jobs summit Tuesday in economically precarious Florida, with participation by the governors of several states that went Republican four years ago and for which the Democratic presidential nominee is making a serious play this time around.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/21/obama_to_hold_jobs_summit_in_fla_with_governors/

-Why is Barack Obama now electable?
From the youth vote to Sarah Palin's outdated embrace of the rural mystique, Salon's panel of demographers and consumer trend experts talks about how America is changing. Cable TV and newspaper Op-Ed pages are full of pundits and campaign strategists using the latest election polls to opine glibly on the mood of America. Bored with this kind of bloviating, Salon decided to do the exact opposite - and use the mood of America as a way to generalize about the election. We assembled three leading demographers and trend analysts to talk about which major nonpolitical factors are shaping the electoral environment - from population shifts to major changes in public attitudes. We asked them about the state of America on the eve of one of the most epochal elections in modern history.
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/10/21/demographics/

-Men vote Barack Obama "most influential man"
Barack Obama was voted the most influential man of 2008 in an online poll released on Tuesday that asked men to decide who most impacted the way they behave, buy and think. The U.S. Democratic presidential candidate was ranked No.1 by readers on the AskMen.com lifestyle Web site, beating Apple chief executive Steve Jobs and Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps, who landed in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively.
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/10/21/men_vote_barack_obama_most_influential_man/

-The High School Dropout's Economic Ripple Effect
Mayors Go Door to Door, Personally Encouraging Students to Stay in the Game for Their Own Good -- and for the Sake of the City
As the financial meltdown and economic slump hold the national spotlight, another potential crisis is on the horizon: a persistently high dropout rate that educators and mayors across the country say increases the threat to the country's strength and prosperity.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122455013168452477.html

-Alternative Energy Suddenly Faces Headwinds
For all the support that the presidential candidates are expressing for renewable energy, alternative energies like wind and solar are facing big new challenges because of the credit freeze and the plunge in oil and natural gas prices. Shares of alternative energy companies have fallen even more sharply than the rest of the stock market in recent months. The struggles of financial institutions are raising fears that investment capital for big renewable energy projects is likely to get tighter.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/business/21energy.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin


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Los Angeles Times
http://www.latimes.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Gop Operative arrested and charged with voter registration fraud,
The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters this year was arrested in Ontario late last night on suspicion of voter registration fraud. State and local investigators allege that Mark Jacoby fraudulently registered himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California. Jacoby's arrest by state investigators and the Ontario Police Department comes after dozens of voters said they were duped into registering as Republicans by his firm, Young Political Majors, or YPM. The voters said YPM tricked them by saying they were signing a petition to toughen penalties against child molesters. The firm was paid $7 to $12 for every Californian it registered as a member of the GOP. YPM is also tied to Voter Fraud In Florida.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-fraud18-2008oct18,0,1216330.story?track=ntothtml


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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - October 21, 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~~

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

-Gay Democratic group supports Democratic candidates
The political action committee assocated with the Florida State Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic caucus has a series of recommendations on ballot questions and a list of candidates it considers supportive of the gay community. It's recommending a "no" vote on proposed state constitutional amendment 2, the proposal that would add the state's existing ban on gay marriage to the state Constituion. It's also recommending a "no" on Amendment 8, allowing a potential sales tax for community colleges. It's recommending "yes" votes on all other proposed state amendments. It's also recommending "yes" votes on all proposed amendments to the Broward County charter and Fort Lauderdale city charter. The group's bylaws prevent it from endorsing candidates. But it said the caucus considers all the Democratic candidates on the countywide ballot, supportive of the gay community. And it listed three Wilton Manors candidates who are members of the caucus: mayoral hopeful Gary Resnick and commission candidates Justin Flippen and Tom Green.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/10/gay_democratic_group_supports.html


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FLORIDA GAY PAC ANNOUNCES BROWARD RECOMMENDATIONS AND CANDIDATE INFORMATION
The Florida Gay Caucus Political Committee (FGCPC) has announced its Broward recommendations and candidate information in conjunction with the start of early voting.

-On Florida Constitutional amendments, the FGCPC recommends:
Amendment 1: Yes
Amendment 2: No
Amendment 3: Yes
Amendment 4: Yes
Amendment 6: Yes
Amendment 8: No

-The FGCPC recommends a YES vote on all Broward Charter amendments, and a YES
vote on the Fort Lauderdale Charter amendment. In addition, the FGCPC is providing information on Broward candidates' positions. The FGCPC considers many factors in its recommendations and also provides information on where candidates stand in support of the GLBT community, their memberships in GLBT organizations, and their backing by labor unions.
President: Obama/Biden
US House District 19: Robert Wexler
US House District 20: Debbie Wasserman Schultz
US House District 21: Raul Martinez
US House District 22: Ron Klein
US House District 23: Alcee Hastings
FL Senate District 25: Linda Bird
FL House District 91: Chris Chiari
FL House District 97: Martin Kiar
Clerk of Courts: Howard Forman
Sheriff: Scott Israel
Wilton Manors Mayor: Gary Resnick
Wilton Manors Commission: Justin Flippen
Wilton Manors Commission: Tom Green
For a link to the scorecard, click here
http://www.floridaglbtdemocrats.org/documents/CandidateScorecardPostcardP1.pdf


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Safe Schools South Florida
www.safeschoolssouthflorida.org
Back to School with Safe Schools South Florida
An update!

-September 6 and September 20, Safe Schools South Florida trainer Lisa La Monica trained twenty South Florida youth as speakers for Safe Schools workshop panels at Museum of Contemporary Art in North Miami in collaboration with the Alliance for GLBTQ Youth.

-October 4, Safe Schools South Florida youth staffed the Safe Schools booth at the Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce Expo at the Miami Mart. Thank you, Aimee and Veronica!

-October 15 -17, Safe Schools South Florida trainer Lisa La Monica presented its programs to the National Safe Schools Roundtable on GLBT Youth sponsored by the National Education Association and PFLAG and held in Washington, D.C.

-October 18, Safe Schools Co-founder and Executive Director Robert Loupo presented a one-hour training on GLBTQ issues and youth to Switchboard of Miami volunteers.

-October 18, Safe Schools South Florida was recognized as one of the community organization grant recipients at the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Recognition Dinner at the Intercontinental Hotel (see "Recent Grant Awards" below).
www.safeschoolssouthflorida.org


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Steve GLASSMAN For Fort Lauderdale City Commission District 2 Leadership for a Change
From Naugle and Rodstrom to a Majority Community-Friendly Commission Gay Leaders excited over the potential for change in the upcoming electionsEven before a single vote is cast in this historic presidential election season, pro-community activists were looking ahead to Fort Lauderdale 's municipal elections. Key leaders optimistic about the potential for change include important voices in Fort Lauderdale's community, political and neighborhood organizations such as Michael Albetta, president of the Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus and Waymon Hudson, founder of Fight Out Loud .Watching historic change coming to America and the White House, the local leaders sense opportunity for Fort Lauderdale and both have endorsed Steve Glassman's candidacy in the strongest terms. Albetta explained, " Naugle is termed out and so the Mayor's race is wide open. Cindi is departing so that's District 4. And so you have Rodstrom, whose silence on important issues and failure to live up to loudly stated campaign promises has been a slap in the face of the GLBT community." Hudson, who started Fight Out Loud after experiencing a Hate Crime, summed it up, " Look, the last Commission meeting was the latest example of intolerance from the dais that is just outrageous. Rodstrom was clapping after one pro Amendment 2 speaker for goodness sake. I am endorsing Steve Glassman because Rodstrom has become an obstacle to having a commission that is committed to all its citizens."
http://voteglassman.com/



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Obama Blitzes Florida As Early Voting Starts
Sen. Clinton Adds Emphatic Endorsement
Barack Obama barnstormed the battleground of Florida on Monday with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and others, as voters began going to the polls in a state that has vexed Democrats in the past two presidential elections.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102003112.html?hpid=topnews


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

-Wife of Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney files for divorce
The wife of Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney filed for divorce Monday, a week after Mahoney admitted to "numerous" affairs. In divorce papers filed Monday by Stuart attorney Karen Steger in the North Palm Beach County Courthouse, Terry Mahoney says the couple's marriage is "irretrievably broken." The two married Dec. 31, 1984.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpmahoneydivorcesboct21,0,2928972.story


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

-Obama-Clinton pep rally in Florida draws 50,000
Hillary Clinton was in Broward and Barack Obama is expected in Miami Tuesday as the Democrats draw big crowds. With some Florida polls showing the presidential race tightening in the final fortnight, Democratic nominee Barack Obama tried to lock down the nation's largest battleground state with a flurry of early-voting pep rallies and a coast-to-coast tour that wraps up Tuesday night in the heart of downtown Miami.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/734579.html

-AMENDMENT 4: Environmentalists back state Amendment 4 -- with caveat
There is wide support to provide owners tax relief to help preserve wild Florida, but even supporters caution that the devil is in the details. Environmentalists are backing a big tax break for Florida's largest land owners. You read that right. In an election year notable for nastiness, two typically partisan factions have reached accord over at least one thing: Amendment Four, a measure that would reduce or eliminate property taxes for owners who protect their land from bulldozers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/734509.html

-Opposition scarce to amendment giving waterfronts relief
A proposed constitutional amendment to help working waterfronts avoid heavy tax assessments is on the Nov. 4 ballot. While lobster and stone crab catches held steady at the docks over the last decade, property taxes at Manny's Sea Food went skyward as new condos rose near the Miami River.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/734855.html


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

-Schools must cut millions
No school resource officers, no middle school athletics and no field trips for elementary and middle school students. Those were some of the stark choices presented to Manatee County School Board members Monday as district staff warned they will likely have to cut between $6 million and $9 million more from this year's budget because of falling sales tax revenue.
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081021/ARTICLE/810210386/0/SPORTS0501

-In swing states like Florida, voters need to know rights
Under the rubric of voter fraud, which they cannot demonstrate, and in the face of a massive and successful Democratic voter registration campaign, Republicans are scrambling to limit Americans' right to vote in Florida and other key Electoral College states. These anti-democratic efforts put more pressure on voters to make sure that they are registered properly and know where to vote.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/10/21/a12a_leadedit_elexfraud_1021.html


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Tonight! Tuesday, October 21st, please join Barack and Michelle Obama in Miami, where they will talk about Barack's vision for creating the kind of change we need. Early Vote for Change Rally with Barack and Michelle Obama Bicentennial Park
1075 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33132
Doors Open: 3:45 p.m.
Program Begins: 5:45 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public.
Tickets are not required; however, an RSVP is strongly encouraged.
http://fl.barackobama.com/MiamiChange


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#####

GLBT DIGEST - October 20, 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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The Advocate
http://advocate.com/
Go to this link for the following articles:

-TipperGore, LA Gay & Lesbian Center Dinner Shines Focus on No on 8
The mood at this year's Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center's Anniversary dinner had a definite focus -- do what ever it takes to defeat proposition 8 at the polls. All eyes are on California this election season as the LGBT community looks to California to pave the way for other states and defeat proposition 8; which would define marriage as being between a man and a woman. This year's gala dinner, celebrating the center's 37th year, shone the spotlight on continuing efforts to preserve same sex marriage throughout the state.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid64040.asp


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

-Arizona Republic: No on 102
Link: Arizona Republic
One of the best arguments against a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage is this: Secretary of State Jan Brewer blocked ballot language that would have told voters that state law already prohibits such marriages. If voters were clear on existing law, many might decide there's no reason to adopt the amendment. Changing the state Constitution is a very serious step that has ripple effects through the legal system. The possibilities for unintended consequences are enormous. And thy can only be fixed with another trip to the voters for another change in the Constitution.

-FL: Marriage prohibition lacks support needed to pass
Link: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
An effort to rewrite the Florida Constitution to prohibit gay marriage is falling short of the numbers needed for victory in the Nov. 4 election, a Sun Sentinel and Florida Times-Union poll shows. The poll of 600 likely voters shows support for Amendment 2 at 53 percent, less than the 60 percent approval rate required to change the constitution. The gay-marriage question is one of six statewide referendums on this year's lengthy ballot. The poll found uncertainty high on all of the rest, whichrange from tax breaks for homeowners who install hurricane protection toelimination of racist language from the state constitution.

-CA: Prop. 8 battle rages over whether gay marriage would be taught in schools
Prop. 8 battle rages over whether gay marriage would be taught in schools - Los Angeles Times [...] School districts and the California Department of Education, meanwhile, are getting a steady stream of calls from the media and parents wanting to know whether gay marriage will be taught in schools if Proposition 8 is defeated. The answer, it turns out, is slightly more complicated than can be captured in the 30-second television advertisements put out by both sides. There is nothing in the state education code that requires schools to teach anything about marriage. Even the decision about whether to offer comprehensive sex education is left up to individual school districts.

-Advocate of Florida Amendment 2 challenged; refuses to rule out work against domestic partnerships
Link: St. Petersburg Times
Florida Family Association executive director David Caton was a popular guy at the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa luncheon Friday. He was there advocating passage of Amendment 2, which asks voters to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The meeting included candidates for political office, but Caton fielded most of the questions.

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - October 20, 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:

-New Doubts Cloud Iraqi Security Pact With U.S.
BAGHDAD - Hopes that a security agreement between Iraq and the United States could be concluded swiftly receded Sunday as several of the leading Iraqi political parties, including some that had negotiated the agreement, appeared to back away from quick approval.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/world/middleeast/20iraq.html?hp

-Beijing Olympics Building Chief May Be Executed for Corruption
BEIJING - A former Beijing official who oversaw citywide construction projects for this year's Olympic Games has been given a suspended death sentence for corruption in a case that involved bribery and lavish living, state news outlets reported on Sunday.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/sports/olympics/20beijing.html

-China's Economic Growth Is Slowest in 5 Years
HONG KONG - Economic growth in China slowed to 9 percent in the third quarter of this year, the slowest pace in more than five years, as industrial production and construction slackened because of weak exports, a slumping real estate market and temporary restrictions imposed during the Beijing Olympics.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/business/worldbusiness/21yuan.html

-Trial Memo: A Showdown, and Some Final Evidence, Before a Senator's Case Goes to the Jury
The ethics trial of Senator Ted Stevens heads to what should be a dramatic climax on Monday: a courtroom confrontation between Mr. Stevens and a Justice Department prosecutor that features a crucial telephone conversation.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/washington/20stevens.html

-The Real Plumbers of Ohio
Paul Krugman
John McCain's strategy, in this final stretch, is based on the belief that Republicans can still pursue plutocratic policies while claiming to be the party of regular guys. [...] And when it turned out that the right's new icon had a few issues, like not being licensed and comparing Mr. Obama to Sammy Davis Jr., conservatives played victim: see how much those snooty elitists hate the common man? [...] But President Bush's policies have already led to disaster - and whatever he may say, Mr. McCain proposes continuing Mr. Bush's policies in all essential respects, and he shares Mr. Bush's anti-government, anti-regulation philosophy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/opinion/20krugman.html?ref=opinion

-The Case Against and for Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Until one of Russia's oligarchs, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, is freed from a labor camp, he will be seen as a dissident of the government and as a symbol of the lost rule of law.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/opinion/20mon4.html?ref=opinion

-Russia Unromanticized
By John R. Bolton
Former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Shultz argued recently on this site that the United States should neither be "isolating" Russia nor drifting toward "confrontation." The Post's Masha Lipman urged us to avoid "Cold War preconceptions and illusions." Unfortunately, these distinguished commentators are aiming at straw men: No serious observer thinks we face a new Cold War or that isolating Russia because of its increasing foreign adventurism is a real solution. U.S. opposition to Russia's recent behavior should not rest on a desire to "punish" Russia but on the critical need to brace Moscow before its behavior becomes even more unacceptable.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101901332.html

-Ortega Amnesia
By Jackson Diehl
This is a column about a country that has scarcely been mentioned in the presidential campaign, that has disappeared from the American press and that has essentially been forgotten by Washington -- which is the oddest part of the story. After all, two decades ago Nicaragua and its president, Daniel Ortega, inspired fierce passions here: Democrats and Republicans spent most of a decade bitterly debating whether to fund an armed opposition movement against his Sandinista regime, and senior Reagan administration officials broke the law in order to do so.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101901334.html

-OIL SHOCK: As Fuel Prices Fall, Will Push For Alternatives Lose Steam?
Just four months ago, a conference here on electric cars drew four times as many people as expected. District fire marshals ordered some of the crowd to leave, and the atmosphere was more like that of a rock concert than an energy conference. A brief film depicted an electric car owner driving off with a beautiful woman to the strains of "The Power of Love" while her original companion struggles to pay for gasoline. The audience cheered.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101902073.html?hpid=topnews

-Archbishop criticizes Obama, Catholic allies
Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput labeled Barack Obama the "most committed" abortion-rights candidate from a major party in 35 years while accusing a Catholic Obama ally and other Democratic-friendly Catholic groups of doing a "disservice to the church." Chaput, one of the nation's most politically outspoken Catholic prelates, delivered the remarks Friday night at a dinner of a Catholic women's group.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101900451.html?hpid=sec-religion


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

-ANALYSIS | COLIN POWELL ENDORSES BARACK OBAMA
Will Powell propel Obama?
One analyst said Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama was 'devastating' for John McCain's chances; another said it `gives Obama a little more credibility.'
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/733041.html


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

-A friendly nod from a familiar face
Colin Powell's decision will not make him a liberal darling, but it will influence voters unsure of Obama's military experience Pssst. The truth is, among people who are most likely to be ardent supporters of Barack Obama, Colin Powell would not win any popularity polls. Even factoring in today's endorsement of Obama, he will long be best-remembered by American liberals for his now-infamous presentation to the UN on Saddam Hussein's phantom weapons of mass destruction and for not going public with what everyone assumes were his serious reservations about the war in Iraq to begin with.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/michaeltomasky/2008/oct/19/colin-powell-endorses-barack-obama

-Investigator To Interview Palins This Week
Palins Will Give Depositions To Troopergate Investigator This Week
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and her husband will meet this week with an investigator determining whether she violated state ethics law when firing her public safety director. Thomas Van Flein, the attorney for both Sarah and Todd Palin, said Sunday the separate depositions by an attorney for the Alaska Personnel Board will be held out of state. The investigator, Timothy Petumenos, will fly to meet the Palins.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/19/ap/politics/main4531413.shtml

-Obama opens 6-point lead over McCain
Democrat Barack Obama has expanded his national lead over Republican John McCain in the presidential race to 6 percentage points, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Monday. Obama leads McCain 50 percent to 44 percent among likely U.S. voters in the latest three-day tracking poll, up from Obama's 3-point advantage on Sunday. The telephone poll has a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/20/AR2008102000077.html


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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - October 20, 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~~

Palm Beach Human Rights Council
http://www.pbchrc.org/

-List of Endorsements from Palm Beach Human Rights Council
http://www.pbchrc.org/endorsements.html


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ArtsUnited - Ft. Lauderdale
-FLIFF presents LGBT Films
ArtsUnited sponsors "Ready?OK!" November 2
The Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival is presenting a series of lgbt films at this year's festival and ArtsUnited is sponsoring the comedy "Ready? OK!" in lieu of the Films 4 Us presentation in November. ArtsUnited is sponsoring the comedy "Ready? OK!" on November 2 at 8:45pm at Cinema Paradiso, about a harried single mom struggling to understand her young son's obsession with dresses, dolls, and girl's cheerleading, but not the cheeleaders. Sometimes all it takes to figure things out is a deep breath and the perfect cheer. On October 24, FLIFF presents "When Kiran met Karen" at 7pm and "Last Dance at the Roxy" at 9pm along with the gay shorts "Thirteen Minutes or So" and "Two Men Kissing" at Cinema Paradiso. "The New Twenty" plays October 26 at 6:45 pm at the Coral Ridge AMC theatre. Tickets are $9 General/ $5 FLIFF Members. For a complete line up of lgbt films and to buy tickets go to: www.fliff.org

-Night of 1000 Homosexuals?
Arts NightOUT at Arscht Center, November 20th
The Arscht Center in Miami invites ArtsUnited members to an Arts NightOUT with "1000 Homosexuals" at 8pm, on Thursday, November 20, at a special discounted rate. "1000 Homosexuals" by Michael Yawney, tells the story of Anita Bryant's 1977 crusade against gay civil rights. The play is a documentary/fantasy/comedy presenting Anita just the way she would want: as a musical Joan of Arc battling a powerful and perverse gay mafia. The performances take place at the Adrienne Arscht Center for the Performing Arts, Carnival Studio Theatre from November 19-23, 2008. ArtsUnited is invited to Thursday night's performance, on November 20, at 8pm, at a special rate of $30.25. To puchase discounted tickets for this offer, visit http://www.arshtcenter.org/tickets/login/account/login.aspx


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

-RALLY WITH BARACK AND MICHELLE OBAMA IN MIAMI ON TUESDAY, OCT. 21
Attached is the announcement of the early voting rally with Barack and Michelle on Tuesday in Miami. This will be an amazing and historic event that everyone should plan on attending if possible. Doors open at 3:45 and the program begins at 5:45. The event is open to the public and will be held in Bicentennial Park -1075 Biscayne Blvd. - in downtown Miami. This may be the last time Barack or Michelle are in Miami before the election.
Matt Nosanchuk
State Research Director and Regional LGBT Vote Director
Barack Obama's Campaign for Change
(813) 857-1728 (campaign)
mnosanchuk@floridaforchange.com
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the flyer attachment.~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~


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

-Early voting starts today in Broward and Palm Beach counties
Polls open at 10 a.m. for those who want to avoid the long lines expected on Nov. 4
Early voting begins today with both presidential campaigns making big pushes to encourage people to vote in advance of the Nov. 4 election. Residents can cast ballots over the next two weeks at 17 locations in Broward County and 11 in Palm Beach County.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbearlyvote1020pnoct20,0,7110437.story

-College students working in South Florida to increase the youth vote
In an already historic election year, South Florida college students would like to make some history of their own. Young voters hope to turn out in record numbers this year, dispelling the perception that they are an apathetic voting bloc. "A lot of young people are really taking this election seriously and trying to educate themselves on all the issues," said Shane Johnson, 21, a senior from Boynton Beach who leads a nonpartisan voting campaign called "Step it Up" at Nova Southeastern University in Davie.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/education/highered/sfl-flpcollegevote1019sboct20,0,7512787.story

-Our recommendations
There are six proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board urges voters approve and reject the amendments as follows.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editamendmentssboct18,0,3485418.story

-Sun-Sentinel Endorsements
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/


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

-The radioactive debate
The big positive: Nuclear produces huge amounts of power with zero greenhouse gas emissions without using a drop of foreign oil. The two new reactors planned for Turkey Point in South Miami-Dade are the equivalent of roughly 90 square miles of solar panels. The big negative: More than two million pounds of high-density radioactive waste sit right now at Turkey Point. It's growing by 40 tons each year, and there's no place to send it.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/731045.html


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Local10.com
http://www.Local10.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Democrats Have Edge In Registered Voters In Sunshine State
Florida Democrats now have a more than 600,000-person advantage in registered voters over Republicans, nearly double the gap between the two parties' registered voters since the last presidential election. Voter registration closed in Florida on Oct. 6, but the final numbers of voters eligible to cast a ballot in the November election were released Sunday. Democrats held a lead in registered voters during the last presidential election in 2004, when Florida voters chose Republican President George W. Bush. Since then, however, Democrats have added more than two and a half times the number of new voters to the rolls than Republicans have. Democrats increased their numbers by about 461,000 registered voters while Republicans increased their registered voters by approximately 172,000.
http://www.local10.com/politics/17758227/detail.html?treets=mia&tid=2655619429813&tml=mia_dailyforecast&tmi=mia_dailyforecast_1_04000710202008&ts=H

-Many voters undecided, uninformed on proposed amendments
Floridians in November will decide on six proposed constitutional amendments. Less than a month before the election, most voters don't know much about them.
http://www.floridatoday.com/article/CD/20081019/CAPITOLNEWS/810190336/-1/capitolnews


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

GLBT DIGEST - October 19, 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:

-Moments in History, Converging Anew
FOR American gay culture this month marks a doubly somber anniversary. Ten years ago, on Oct. 12, Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, died in a Colorado hospital almost a week after two men viciously beat him and left him tied to a fence near Laramie, Wyo. That same night Terrence McNally's play "Corpus Christi," about 13 gay men who perform the story of Jesus, had its final preview performance at Manhattan Theater Club; due to weeks of protests and bomb threats, ticket holders had to pass through metal detectors before taking their seats.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/theater/19blan.html?scp=3&sq=gay&st=cse

-Same-Sex Marriage: Gay Couples Celebrate New Status
BETH KERRIGAN and Jody Mock returned from their twins' first overnight Boy Scout camping trip last Sunday afternoon with loads of laundry and everyone tired and hungry. They ordered in Chinese food, threw some clothes in the washing machine and read to the boys before bed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/nyregion/connecticut/19gayct.html?scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse


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

-A Faith's Dwindling Following
The Rev. Robert Duncan, 60, is not a Lutheran, but he is a Luther, of sorts.
The former Episcopal bishop of Pittsburgh has, in effect, said the words with which Martin Luther shattered Christendom and asserted the primacy of individual judgment and conscience that defines the modern temperament: " Ich kann nicht anders" -- I cannot do otherwise. The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh recently became the second diocese (the first was in Fresno, Calif.) to secede from the U.S. Episcopal Church since, but not entirely because of, the 2003 ordination in New Hampshire of an openly gay bishop -- Gene Robinson, a classmate of Duncan's at General Theological Seminary in New York in the 1970s. Before the Robinson controversy, other Episcopalians, from South Carolina to Southern California, had disassociated from the Episcopal Church and put themselves under the authority of conservative Anglican bishops who serve where the church is flourishing -- often in sub-Saharan Africa, where a majority of Anglicans live.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/17/AR2008101702529.html

-Divides Aside, Va. GOP Agrees McCain Fumbled
Some Republicans say John McCain is in danger of becoming their party's first presidential candidate since 1964 to lose Virginia because he hasn't put enough stress on issues such as illegal immigration, gay marriage and abortion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/18/AR2008101801940.html


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

-Thousands attend funeral of right-wing but gay Austrian politician Joerg Haider
Tens of thousands of people have lined the streets of the Austrian city of Klagenfurt for the funeral of the fascist politician Joerg Haider who died in a car crash a week ago.

-Mum's tribute to son murdered and cooked by Mr Gay UK
The mother of the man killed, cooked and eaten by a former Mr Gay UK winner has spoken of her special bond with the son she tragically lost.

-Europe cannot impose recognition of same-sex partnerships says EU Commissioner
The man responsible for the new EU directive on discrimination has said that it is up to individual member states whether or not to legally recognise gay and lesbian relationships.

-Dutch court hears evidence from victims of 'HIV gang'
The trial of three men accused of deliberately injecting others with HIV-infected blood has heard testimony from some of their alleged victims.

-I know a dozen gay professional footballers claims retired player
A former professional football player has told a forum on homophobia he knows of a dozen gay men at the top of the game.

-Police told to avoid arresting people having sex in parks
New guidelines for police officers on how to deal with public sex have recommended they avoid "knee jerk" reactions to people cottaging, dogging and cruising.

-Spanish military LGBT activist releases gay calendar
Albert Marchena and made history by being part of the first ever same-sex civil ceremony to take place between two military men in Spain in 2006.

-Gays motivated by greed, Ugandan bishop tells school
Bishop of Mukono Eria Paul Luzinda claimed that homosexuality is increasing in Uganda, and that this increase can be blamed on a desire for wealth.


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

-k.d. lang's 'Watershed' Moment
By DYANA BAGBY
She's a Buddhist vegetarian lesbian. And k.d. lang is also quite the soulful singer and songwriter, with her latest album, "Watershed," marking her first album of original work since 2000. Dubbed a "Canadian chanteuse," lang, 47, began her career in country music and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her 1989 album, "Absolute Torch and Twang" during her "cowpunk" early years. Read more

-Riley Hopes to be GA's First Openly Gay State Senator
By MATT SCHAFER | Southern Voice
Tim Riley could make history on Nov. 4, but that hasn't been a focus of his campaign. A candidate for the District 47 seat in the Georgia Senate, Riley has been quietly running as an openly gay man and said it hasn't been an issue in his largely rural district. Read more

-Catholic Women March in Rome for Female Priesthood
By ALESSANDRA RIZZO | Associated Press Writer | Omaha World Herald
ROME (AP) - Catholic women seeking to become priests denounced the church's ban on female ordination as sexist and unjust, bringing their campaign close to the Vatican on Wednesday during a worldwide gathering of bishops. Read more

-Iranian Queer Railroad Launched
By: DOUG IRELAND | Gay City News
Arsham Parsi, a gay sexual refugee living in Toronto, (seen here at right accepting this year's Felipa Award from IGLHRC, alongside Chilean trans activist Andrès Ignacio Rivera Duarte) is pressing the fight to help queer Iranian refugees find suitable resettlement Arsham Parsi, a gay sexual refugee living in Toronto, (seen here at right accepting this year's Felipa Award from IGLHRC, alongside Chilean trans activist Andrès Ignacio Rivera Duarte) is pressing the fight to help queer Iranian refugees find suitable resettlement. Arsham Parsi, the well-known Iranian gay activist, has announced the launch of the Iranian Queer Railroad (IRQR), a new organization designed specifically to help the growing number of LGBT Iranians forced to leave their country by the violently homophobic policies of the ayatollahs' theocracy. Homosexuality is a capital crime in Iran. Parsi, 28, founded the first Iranian gay group, the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organization (PGLO), in 2004 while still living in Iran. With the police on his tail for his gay activism, Parsifled to Turkey in 2005, where he continued his work to publicize the plight of LGBT Iranians, and eventually was granted asylum as a sexual refugee by Canada, where he moved two years ago and changed the name of the PGLO to the Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO).


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

-Iran: IGLHRC Welcomes Moratorium on the
Death Penalty for Juveniles
The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) welcomed the announcement this week by the Deputy Attorney General of Iran that judicial authorities would put a moratorium on the death penalty for juveniles. The moratorium will take effect immediately, with plans to seek final parliamentary approval. "The ban on juvenile execution is an important human rights development for sexual minorities, particularly those perceived to be gay," said IGLHRC executive director Paula Ettelbrick. "All too frequently, young Iranian men have been executed as juveniles after being charged with sodomy and other sexual crimes.
http://www.iglhrc.org


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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

-Free Comprehensive Florida VOTER Guide nowavailable for whole state....please use it!
http://www.eqfl.org/ElectionCenter/

-Do Babies Matter in Science?
A true measure of gender equity in academe would look at both the career and family outcomes of female Ph.D.'s
http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=ZynxddZm9tbs3NCqGjSGqrHxccdDxztn

-Joerg Haider was drinking in a gay bar before he crashed
The Austrian far-Right politician Joerg Haider was seen drinking in a gay bar shortly before his fatal car crash.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/austria/3217869/Joerg-Haider-was-drinking-in-a-gay-bar-before-he-crashed.html

-Judge Dismisses Transgendered Model's Sex Assault Claim Against Financier
A Manhattan judge has thrown out a sexual assault suit filed by a 24-year-old transgendered model against financier Jeffrey Epstein on statute-of-limitations grounds. State Supreme Court Justice Edward H. Lehner rejected plaintiff Maximilia Cordero's motion to toll the statute on the basis of her insanity, finding that her ability to function within society demonstrated she was not "insane" under the state guidelines.
http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202425327649&pos=ataglance

-Maryland Sex Offenders Must Post 'No Candy' Signs
Really want to scare the bejesus out of your neighbors this Halloween?
Consider posting the sign at right, which the Washington Times reports was recently sent in the mail to all registered sex offenders in Maryland. The paper signs began arriving last week in the mailboxes of the roughly 1,200 violent and child-sex offenders across the state with a letter explaining how they are to comport themselves on Oct. 31. "Halloween provides a rare opportunity for you to demonstrate to your neighbors that you are making a sincere effort to change the direction of your life," the letter states.
http://dcist.com/2008/10/15/maryland_sex_offenders_must_post_no.php

-The Right to be Left Alone 07; Age of Consent
The right to sexual freedom is regulate in all states. In some states it is not just age of consent but also what one is allowed to do sexually in their given state. There is nothing so fundamental then a human being and his or her sexuality. To some it is the God given right to procreation to others a way of enjoying a deeper since of self, but no matter why or how one choices to have sex it is important to understand just what is allowable even in the privacy of our own beds. The right to be left alone in one's own bed or with the consent of one's partner is regulated as are many of the rights bestode upon the citizen by the state. Check out the following link on the right of the age of consent; A list by country and state:
http://www.ageofconsent.com/ageofconsent.htm

-Two Britons Sentenced to Prison for Their Public Display of Affection
Two British citizens were found guilty on Thursday of having sex in public and were sentenced to three months in prison to be followed by deportation. Hassan Matar, a lawyer for the defendants, Michelle Palmer and Vince Acors, left, said they would appeal. Under the laws of the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is a part, the maximum sentence for sex outside of marriage is a year in prison and the minimum is three months. "The verdict shows that the judge was convinced that they did not have sexual intercourse, but he punished them for the indecent act of kissing," Mr. Matar said. Dubai is a popular destination for European tourists, but it also adheres to some strict Islamic rules, among them a ban on sex out of wedlock.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/world/middleeast/17briefs-TWOBRITONSSE_BRF.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y&oref=slogin

-Gay Hate in Miami Beach
A condo association rejects a dream tenant and his partner.
Miami Beach, Tower 41 Condominium
The call came in to Tower 41 Condominium, a salmon-pink set of buildings on Pine Tree Drive, on February 22, 2006. Why, asked real estate broker Ricardo Herran, had his client's application to live there been rejected? In a hushed voice, a curly-haired secretary told him: "It's two men.... Residents are conservative." Herran's client, Steven Bloomfield, is gay. He is also a dream tenant. The slight, bespectacled 48-year-old makes six figures, has stellar credit, and is about as imposing as a granny in a rocking chair. "My face got hot with humiliation and rage," he says. "I felt like a piece of shit."
http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2008-10-16/news/gay-hate-in-miami-beach?src=newsletter


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From Transgender Equality
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-I found this article about a transgendered teacher. Is amazing how accepting kids can be but adults always have an issue with what they don't understand.
http://www.kcra.com/cnn-news/17714619/detail.html


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From Ron Mills
http://RonMills.us

-On the October 17 episode of MSNBC's Hardball, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota claimed that Barack Obama and other members of Congress share anti-American views. To Watch The Video and sign the petition go to http://RonMills.us

-Top Tampa GOP Figure Circulates Joke About Killing Obama
Al Austin, a longtime, high-level Republican fundraiser from Tampa, today sent to his list of political contacts an e-mail containing a joke that refers to the assassination of Barack Obama. When asked about the e-mail, Austin said it was a mistake and apologized and that he wouldn't knowingly have circulated it. He said he planned to send an apology and retraction to the same e-mail list. if you can not access the above link go to http://BrowardForChange.com


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Soulforce
http://www.soulforce.org/
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article

-The Soulforce Q Equality Ride launched on October 1, 2008. This year it will focus on the South, journeying to fifteen schools of various denominations, including some faith-based historically black colleges and universities. True to its purpose of going where it is needed, the 2008 Equality Ride will visit both undergraduate schools and graduate level seminaries. Come meet the new Equality Riders and read what they have to say about this exciting project! More on the Equality Ride - Meet the 2008 Riders -Donate to the Ride - 2008 Equality Ride Route - Blogging from the Road - Video from Liberty
http://www.soulforce.org/index.php

-Equality Ride Under Attack by Mississippi Newspaper -- Write Your Letter
Today
The Soulforce Equality Ride needs your help. The Clinton News in Clinton, Mississippi has published an inaccurate and dismissive commentary suggesting that the Equality Riders "like to get arrested" and that publicity "fuels their anger."
http://www.soulforce.org/sendstudio/link.php?M=35882&N=617&L=1919&F=H


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

-Corvino: Scared in California
If the election were held tomorrow, it's quite likely that gays would lose marriage in California. That's California, our most populous state, home of San Francisco and Nancy Pelosi and the liberal Hollywood elite. What progressive California giveth, progressive California may taketh away.
http://www.365gay.com/opinion/corvino-scared-in-california/

-Three equality riders arrested in Alabama
Three Equality Riders were arrested for trespassing today at Heritage Christian University. They were on campus to deliver letters describing their personal experiences and advocating for the safety and acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.
http://www.365gay.com/news/three-equality-riders-arrested-in-alabama/

-Evangelicals are in the news, but not in newsrooms
Here is a foolproof way for politicians to score points with evangelical voters: Attack the media, an institution widely seen as lacking conservative Christian voices.
http://www.365gay.com/news/evangelicals-are-in-the-news-but-not-in-newsrooms/

-Evangelist in court for transporting minors for sex
Evangelist Tony Alamo appeared in court Friday for a five-minute hearing on a federal charge accusing him of transporting minors across state lines for sex.
http://www.365gay.com/news/evangelist-in-court-for-transporting-minors-for-sex/

-Fla. anti-marriage group begins ad campaign
A group attempting to constitutionally ban gay marriage in Florida began an advertising campaign today that warned gay activists were trying to scare voters.
http://www.365gay.com/news/fla-anti-marriage-group-begins-ad-campaign/

-Gay-friendly rental car companies
Last summer, my partner and I flew to North Carolina for a friend's wedding.
When we arrived at the Avis counter to pick up our rental car, I asked if I could add her as an additional driver, and was told it would cost $35. As the woman behind the counter ran my credit card, she casually drawled, "Yep. It's thirty-five dollars unless you're co-workers, spouses or domestic partners." My partner and I exchanged a look and I knew we were both thinking the same thing: "Is it worth thirty-five dollars to convince someone that we're gay? In public? In a red state?"
http://www.365gay.com/features/gay-friendly-rental-car-companies/


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

-Ellen Buys $100K in Airtime for No on 8 PSA
On the heels of an announcement that talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres would be starring in her own PSA urging Californians to vote against Prop. 8 comes the news the gay community has been waiting for -- she's giving money to the campaign by paying for the ad to air on television.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid63964.asp

-Video Takes Aim at Arkansas's Divisive Act 1
A new video challenging the merits of Arkansas's Act 1 -- a ballot measure that would bar unmarried couples, including gay couples, from adopting children or being foster parents -- has hit YouTube.
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid63939.asp

-Obama Campaign Unveils Plan to Fix Underfunded HIV/AIDS Programs
Sen. Barack Obama's campaign held a conference call Thursday intended to highlight his policy prescriptions for combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic -- including increased funding for research, care, and prevention as well as developing a national HIV/AIDS strategy within the first year of his administration.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid63934.asp

-The Battle Over Florida's Amendment 2
By Nadine Smith
In the midst of an ugly battle, something beautiful is happening in Florida.
Despite a too-close-to call battle over Amendment 2 -- which would go further than California's Prop. 8 by stripping away all legal protections for unmarried couples, gay or straight -- LGBTs are organizing in hanging-chad, butterfly-ballot, nail-biter, presidential-election-decider Florida.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid63909.asp

-Fort Lauderdale Mayor's Race Heats Up With Two Gay Candidates
Remember the Fort Lauderdale mayor who wanted to spend $230,000 on a "robo-toilet" to cut down the number of men who have sex with men in public restrooms? His name is Jim Naugle, and after 18 years in office, come spring 2009, the homophobic mayor will bid adieu to City Hall. Two gay men are seeking to take his place and, in aligning themselves with Barack Obama's bid for the White House, hoping to make Florida a blue state in 2008.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid63845.asp

-Congress, Washington Culture to Blame for Foley Vindication
Lane Hudson became a household name when he revealed to the Human Rights Campaign that he was the anonymous blogger who exposed the scandal that brought down congressman Mark Foley. Now he responds to Advocate writer James Kirchick's analysis of how the Foley investigation led to the shamed lawmaker being vindicated of all crimes.
http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid63877.asp


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

-Gay and Lesbian Medical Association launches Marriage Equality Initiative
Link: Pam's House Blend
by Pam Spaulding
We always see studies touting the benefits of marriage in terms of health and wellness; it's wonderful to see medical professionals speak out to educate why those mental and physical health benefits should be available to gay and lesbian couples. (GLMA):

-Religious leaders rally to shoot down Florida marriage ban
Link: Miami Herald
A coalition of religious leaders from across Florida joined forces Thursday to speak against a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriage. Florida Clergy for Fairness, a group of interfaith clergy, say that Amendment 2 is mean-spirited and an nfringement upon the religious freedoms of all Floridians.


=

[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - October 19, 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:

-Former Secretary of State Powell Backs Obama
Former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell endorsed Senator Barack Obama for president on Sunday morning as a candidate who was reaching out in a "more diverse and inclusive way across our society" and offering a "calm, patient, intellectual, steady approach" to the nation's problems. The endorsement, on the NBC public affairs program "Meet the Press," was a major blow to Senator John McCain, who has been a good friend of Mr. Powell for decades. Mr. Powell, a Republican, has advised Mr. McCain in the past on foreign policy.
[...] Colin L. Powell called Barack Obama a "transformational figure" and said that John McCain's campaign had gone "too far" in its tactics.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/powell-endorses-obama/?hp

-Among Fans of Palin, Dudes Rule
The stoutest defenders of Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, are often the Joe Sixpacks in her crowds.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/us/politics/19palin.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-Another Invitation to Abuse
In the Bush administration's last months, it continues to violate Americans' civil liberties and undercut the balance of powers in the name of fighting terrorism.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/opinion/19sun2.html?ref=opinion


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

-Obama Sets Fundraising Record
Candidate pulls in $150M in Sept., the most campaign dollars raised in a single month.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/10/19/obama_shatters_fundraising_rec.html?hpid=topnews

-Taliban kill around 30 people after stopping bus
Taliban militants stopped a bus traveling on Afghanistan's main highway through a wild and dangerous part of the country's south, captured some 50 people on board and slaughtered around 30 of them, officials said Sunday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101900458.html?hpid=moreheadlines


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Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/public/us

-Bush Plans Crisis Summit
Bush will host a summit of world leaders in the near future to discuss the global response to the financial crisis.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122433901538447677.html

-Sadr Urges Rejection of U.S.-Iraq Pact
Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Iraq's parliament to reject a U.S.-Iraqi security pact. His followers rallied against the deal.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122433105660347635.html

-Crude's Falling Price Tests Putin
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122428427371546367.html

-Fannie Suit May Pay Shareholders
A class-action lawsuit alleging securities fraud by Fannie Mae could yield a hefty payment to shareholders.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122428804156146581.html


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

-Fear has profoundly changed us
By LEONARD PITTS JR.
Meanwhile, back at the War on Terror . . . You remember the War on Terror, don't you? It was in all the papers. Back before presidential politics sucked the air from the room and your 401(k) shrank till it was worth maybe dinner and a movie, it was considered quite the important news story. Abu Ghraib? Extraordinary renditions? Fight 'em over there so we don't have to fight 'em over here? Surely you recall.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/other-views/story/730752.html

-Poll: Voters souring on McCain, Obama stays steady
When it comes to the public's image of John McCain, it's as if somebody dialed the electricity down in the in the past month. For Barack Obama, the juice is still flowing.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/top-AP-stories/story/729985.html

-Ignorance and Hate!
Video: What some of the unwashed think of Obama.
http://blogs.independent.co.uk/independent/2008/10/ignorance-is-no.html


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FLORIDA DIGEST - October 19, 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~~

~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~



~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

Early voting starts tomorrow - Monday!!!!
Avoid the long lines on November 4, Vote early!

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Dolphin Democrats
www.dolphindems.org
Go to the links for the following articles:

We stand on the brink of history. This applies to more than just our next president. Changes are happening all throughout the world, the country and the state. Here in Florida we have a chance to take part in those changes, whether it is informing people why they should say "No" to Amendment 2 or helping people with transportation to and from the polls so they can vote for their favorite candidates. As Dolphins, we are being offered the opportunity to do more than stand on the sidelines watching history happen. We have the chance to help create it and help create our future. The Get Out the Vote Center is having a number of nights dedicated to local organizations' outreach efforts. Among these are Dolphin Democrats nights. The Dolphin Democrats nights will take place on October 20, 27, and November 4th, 2008. This is an opportunity for each of us individually as concerned citizens, as voters, as Democrats and as Americans to help our candidates and causes. Please RSVP to JD Camp at Campjdftl@gmail.com to reserve your time to get involved, get active and get your voice heard. Thank you and I look forward to seeing many of you there.
Sincerely,
Justin S. Flippen, President
Adriane Reesey,Vice President

-There is a new feature on The Broward SOE website now that permits an inquiry from any one to verify if they are registered and at what address. There are two ways to see it. It's on the Home page under the Register To Vote section and in the middle of the Home page with the link Check Your Registration Status. Check it out.
www.browardsoe. org

-Deadline to request an absentee ballot is Wednesday, October 29, 2008
-Voter Information Card is recommended but not required to vote.
-A Broward County voter can vote at any one of our 17 early voting sites.
-Postage for the absentee ballot is $1.17.
-In a general election, a voter can vote for the candidate of their choice, no matter their political party affiliation.

-Campaign season is in full swing and voter turnout is expected to break all records! With early voting and vote-by-mail available, we're trying to help people make sure their votes are counted and educating them on these opportunities. The last thing we want on election day is a surprise that people weren't allowed to vote. We need your help. Please volunteer this weekend for two great events: The first is Bubba's Country Fair at Scandals Saloon in Wilton Manors Saturday and Sunday, October 18 and 19, with shifts between 11 am and 7 pm.


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Equality Florida
http://www.eqfl.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Pick up your FREE Equality Florida Customized Voter's Guide Today!
We've polled over 1,000 candidates.
We've convened statewide and local endorsement committees
We've created customized voter's guides for all 67 counties in Florida
http://www.eqfl.org/ElectionCenter/


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GLCC - Ft. Lauderdale
http://glccsf.org/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-GLCC Fundraiser!!
Help us raise funds for the GLCC while you shop!
Your participation in our fundraising is critical to help us achieve our finanancial goals. We have now made it easier than ever. Just visit our on-line store at www.shoptoearn.net/glcc. Every purchase you make sends a donation to the GLCC. We have teamed up with over 500 retailers you love! Just purchase items through our site, you get your products and we earn cash. That is it! Everybody wins. The holidays are right around the corner. If you are buying anything on-line, visit our site first.
http://www.shoptoearn.net/cgi-bin/genesis.exe/index.html?p_get_webid=glcc


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Mark's List
http://frontpage.jumponmarkslist.com/MSFL/2008/052908.htm
Go to the links for the following articles:

-The Gay and Lesbian Business Committee and Miami Beach Mayor Matti Herrera Bower Invite you to Come Out October 19, 2008 1 PM to 4 PM. Locals and Gay-friendly businesses will unite in Flamingo Park for the kickoff event for Gay Pride, April 18, 2009.


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Justin Flippen for Wilton Manors City Commission Campaign
Justin@justinflippen.com
954-610-9100
Wilton Manors City Commission candidate Justin Flippen has been endorsed by the Broward County Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and Equality Florida. The Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale has also voted to recommend Justin Flippen for Wilton Manors City Commission.


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Gary Resnick for Wilton Manors Mayor Campaign
RESNICK RECEIVES ENDORSEMENTS FROM BROWARD COUNTY AFL-CIO, QUALITY FLORIDA
AND MANY ELECTED OFFICIALS,
Wilton Manors Florida
Commissioner Gary Resnick, Candidate for Mayor of Wilton Manors, is pleased to announce the endorsements of Broward County AFL-CIO, Equality Florida
http://www.garyresnick.com/


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

-Sexual preference is irrelevant in adoptions
October 17, 2008
I am not sure the writer of the letter, "Gay adoption ban moral must," realizes that in his argument against homosexual adoption, he actually provides the very reasons why it should be allowed. Does he believe there are not heterosexual parents who have sexual preferences that he might consider unacceptable? Yes, what is important is that you are a good parent.
Your sexual preference is irrelevant.
Niki Wilson, Boca Raton
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-pbmail996sboct17,0,2064032.story


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~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Join Hillary on Monday!
This Monday, October 20th, please join Senator Hillary Clinton in Fort Lauderdale for an Early Vote for Change Rally, where she will talk about Barack's vision for creating the kind of change we need.
Early Vote For Change Rally
with Senator Hillary Clinton
Huizenga Plaza
One East Las Olas Boulevard
(Las Olas Boulevard and Andrews Avenue )
Fort Lauderdale , FL 33301
Monday, October 20th
Gates Open: 11:00 a.m.
Program Begins: 12:00 p.m.
This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required; however, an RSVP is strongly encouraged. For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal items. No signs or banners allowed.
http://fl.barackobama.com/FtLauderdaleChange


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

-You'll have six chances to change constitution
Here are the Florida constitutional amendments you'll see on the Nov. 4 ballot. Amendments 5, 7 and 9 were removed by the state Supreme Court. Each amendment must win 60 percent approval to be added to the state constitution.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-floamendments1019sboct19,0,460299.story

-State amendments seem likely to lose
Like five others, gay-marriage ban currently lacks support needed to pass
An effort to rewrite the Florida Constitution to prohibit gay marriage is falling short of the numbers needed for victory in the Nov. 4 election, a Sun Sentinel and Florida Times-Union poll shows.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flbamendpoll1019sboct19,0,1805467.story

-GAY MARRIAGE GREEN TAX BREAK State amendments seem likely to lose
Undecided voters could still determine the outcome of most proposals An effort to rewrite the Florida Constitution to prohibit gay marriage is falling short of the numbers needed for victory in the Nov. 4 election, a Sun Sentinel and Florida Times-Union poll shows. The poll of 600 likely voters shows support for Amendment 2 at 53 percent, less than the 60 percent approval rate required to change the constitution.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flbamendpoll1019pnoct19,0,5147812.story

-Faith factor in politics creates many blurred lines
Religious beliefs cross political lines in very personal, meaningful ways. Dr. Marc Swerdloff is a proud Jewish Republican. Wendy Bourgault is a Catholic who has no problem with same-sex unions. Marcus Davis, an evangelical Christian, calls himself pro-choice on abortion. Amar Mehta says that if he heard an official at his Hindu temple endorse a candidate, he'd walk out.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/lifestyle/sfl-flfaithsboct19,0,60253.story

-Confused about the amendments? Say no to discrimination, yes to the rest
Early voting starts Monday, which means it's time to cram for all those confusing ballot questions. Today, my election cheat sheet covers the six proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution. Thank the Florida Supreme Court for simplifying things. It threw out three amendment proposals for being vague or misleading, including one that would have radically altered public school funding by cutting property taxes and possibly raising sales taxes.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-flbmayocol1019sboct19,0,3718622.column

-Florida's unemployment remains at 6.6 percent in September, maintaining 14-year high
Palm Beach County has region's highest rate; Broward's also up sharply Unemployment in Florida remained at 6.6 percent in September, but it's still the highest jobless rate in 14 years, the state Agency for Workforce Innovation said Friday.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzjobless1018sboct18,0,5798461.story

-Voter's guide: Build your own ballot
http://z3.thevoterguide.org/a-sun-sentinel/?sfr


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From Scott Newton for Wilton Mayor Campaign
Wilton Manors Mayor, Scott Newton, has been endorsed by the Broward County Police Benevolent Association(PBA) and recommend by The Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale.
VoteNewton.com


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

-Rep. Mahoney admits affairs, says he broke no laws
U.S. Rep. Tim Mahoney, embroiled in an adultery scandal and a tight race for re-election, admitted Friday to having at least two affairs but insisted he broke no laws and will not resign. The first-term Democrat conceded that one of the affairs began as he was running on a family values platform to replace Mark Foley, a Republican who resigned amid revelations that he sent lurid Internet messages to male pages who had worked on Capitol Hill as teenagers.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/campaign-2008/story/730575.html

-CAMPAIGN 2008 | REPUBLICANS
FIU gives John McCain a hearty welcome
John McCain was cheered by an enthusiastic, predominantly Hispanic audience at Florida International University.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/731111.html


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

-Will Sunshine State Sway Red Or Blue?
CBS Evening News: Why Florida Is One Of The Final Battleground States Lifelong republican Jim Piccillo always thought he'd vote for John McCain. But as the Florida housing market crashed, so did the mortgage company he worked for. Two months ago, he lost his job.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/17/eveningnews/main4530305.shtml?source=RSS&attr=HOME_4530305

-CAMPAIGN 2008 |ENVIRONMENT: Obama favors Everglades restoration Candidate Barack Obama promised increased funding for the Everglades, a Tamiami Trail bridge, and cleaner rivers and beaches -- but no money details.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/729592.html

-Broward senator to head biotech panel
State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland, was named today to lead the Task Force for the Study of Biotech Companies.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/10/broward_senator_to_head_biotec.html

-Sheriff's race is the hottest election in Broward
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/10/sheriffs_race_is_the_hottest_e_1.html

-Incendiary sign in McCain office links Obama to dictators
Among the images that greeted visitors to the John McCain campaign office in Pompano Beach this week was a sign headlined "Barrack Hussein Obama" that compared the Democratic presidential candidate to Karl Marx, Adolf Hitler and Fidel Castro. Shown a picture of the sign Thursday night, Broward Republican Chairman Chip LaMarca said he was "disgusted" by it and would immediately go to the office and remove it.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/10/incendiary_sign_in_mccain_offi.html

-Take a good look at the economy, governor
While Gov. Charlie Crist campaigned in Miami with John McCain on Friday, more bad economic news tumbled out of his administration. Florida's unemployment rate remained at 6.6 percent in September for the second month in a row. That's half a percentage point above the national average and 2.4 points higher than a year ago.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/article860299.ece

-Wasserman Schultz has earned another Congressional term
Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz would be a highly formidable foe even if she had a solid, well-financed opponent in the U.S House District 20 race.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editgsushouse20sboct18,0,94743.story

-An update on 'no match' controversy
Fears about "tens of thousands" of voters being disenfranchised by the controversial "no match" law are not adding up, but the number has grown to 9,259, according to new figures released today by the Department of State.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2008/10/an-update-on-no.html

-ACORN targeted by violent threats
When Civil Rights-hero and congressman John Lewis warned the McCain-Palin campaign over the weekend that their attacks were creating a supercharged climate which raised the threat of violence, we assume these were the sort of threats now aimed by ACORN were among the things he was worried about.
Here's an excerpt from a story by McClatchy Newspapers' Washington bureau: WASHINGTON -- An ACORN community organizer received a death threat and the liberal activist group's Boston and Seattle offices were vandalized Thursday, reflecting mounting tensions over its role in registering 1.3 million mostly poor and minority Americans to vote next month.
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/10/acorn_targeted_by_violent_thre.html

-Mel on Palin, the economy and being a "slow white guy"
Mel Martinez addressed a gathering of newspaper editors from around the country this morning at the Citrus Club, fielding questions about everything from Sarah Palin to his relationship with Barack Obama. Among his comments to leaders of the American Society of Newspaper Editors: * He believes the bailout was necessary but didn't really do anything to address "underlying problems" of declining home values. He also said that, in the meeting with Paulson and Bernanke before the vote, he was left with the message that they believed America was heading towards a "deep and long recession, bordering on the Great Depression."
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_namesblog/2008/10/mel-on-palin-th.html

-Officials see no signs of voter fraud
Despite the national furor over voter fraud, elections officials in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast said they saw no evidence that people had falsified voter registration forms in hopes of stuffing the ballot box on Nov. 4. Of the roughly 15,000 voter registrations that streamed into the Palm Beach County elections office since mid-September, 503 couldn't be verified, Assistant County Administrator Brad Merriman said. By Friday, 183 voters had submitted documentation and were cleared to vote. Information is trickling in and he expects more will be issued voter cards during the next two weeks.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/10/17/1017voterreg.html

-New voter registration law snares mostly minorities
Hispanics and blacks account for more than half of the people in Florida whose voter registration forms were rejected in recent weeks under the state's controversial new voter verification law.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article858377.ece


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#####