Friday, November 10, 2006

GLBT DIGEST - November 10, 2006

**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.

=


Bloody prejudice

The National Blood Service is stereotyping gay men as modern-day "Typhoid Marys" by rejecting them as donors.

By Peter Tatchell

The Guardian - Comment Is Free - 3 November 2006

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_tatchell/2006/11/gay_blood_ban_shame.html


Gay blood is banned by the National Blood Service (NBS). No man who has had oral or anal sex with another man - even just once, with a condom - is allowed to donate blood.

When I recently volunteered to be a donor, I was advised by the NBS: "Sorry, Mr Tatchell, you cannot give blood." Why not, I asked. "We don't accept donations from gay men," said the NBS.

The NBS gay ban is based on the unscientific, homophobic presumption that all gay and bisexual men are 'high risk' for HIV, regardless of their individual sexual behaviour.


=
The Express News

http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=9993


Gay blogger sought to protect pages
Fired HRC staffer denies political motive in exposing Foley e-mails
LOU CHIBBARO JR. | Nov 8, 9:43 PM


The gay blogger who is credited with posting the first set of e-mails that helped ensnare former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) in a sex scandal insists that his motive behind exposing the closeted gay Republican was not partisan politics.

'It became clear to me that there was a culture in Washington that knew about this activity and condoned it by doing nothing about it,' says Lane Hudson, the gay blogger credited with triggering the scandal that brought about the resignation of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley. (Photo by J.R. Davis)

Lane Hudson, 29, a South Carolina native who worked for former Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) from 1995 to 2002, said he created an anonymous website called Stop Sex Predators in July in an effort to draw attention to what he called Foley's inappropriate overtures toward teenage pages on Capitol Hill.




=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs095/1098473122089/img/9.jpg?a=1101449757070

2006 ELECTIONS:

DID SEXUAL FREEDOM WIN OR LOSE?

November 08, 2006

Did sexual freedom win or did we lose? We achieved a a majority in the House of Representatives. At this point the Senate is evenly divided and we must wait for either a recount or legal action to determine the victor in Virginia. It apears that we gained six Democratic Governors.

While the victors are generally accepting of sexual freedom issues we have to acknowledge that they won on the back of sexual freedom.

We know what the public issues were - particularly the anti-incumbent sentiment against the war in Iraq. And there was a strong vote against corruption - but that corruption was linked, time and again, to sexual freedom. What cost the incumbents their seats was the demonization of sexuality.



=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org



US: Dale Carpenter--Same-sex marriage and the election (Part2)

The Volokh Conspiracy (blog), November 8, 2006

http://volokh.com/posts/1163007674.shtml

Same-sex marriage and the election (Part 2) Dale Carpenter

Much more important to the politics of gay marriage than the national election results are the results in (1) popular votes on state constitutional gay-marriage bans and (2) the results in state legislative races. Both suggest that we may be headed for more state legislative action toward the recognition of same-sex relationships in the form of civil unions and domestic partnerships (less so, for now, in the form of full marriage). This post will address the first development.

State constitutional gay-marriage bans

There are two huge stories in the votes on gay-marriage bans around the country. First, for the first time ever a gay-marriage ban has been rejected by the voters of a state, Arizona. It's not the same as an endorsement of gay marriage, but it's an unprecedented and potentially significant defeat for opponents of gay marriage. Still, I am at a loss to explain the precise reason for the result in Arizona.



=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


Wednesday, November 8, 2006 (SF Gate)

God Hates Gay Evangelicals/Will Pastor Ted's love of hot man sex open the narrow mind of the religious right?

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

Let's assume it's all true. Let's assume that Ted Haggard is just deliriously, stupidly, crazyjuicy gay. I know, not much of a stretch, but let's go with it.

Yes, Pastor Ted, disgraced former leader of 30 million blithely homophobic evangelical Christians, yet another of those flamboyant semi-insane Liberace-with-a-Bible megachurch preachers, a man who had weekly conference calls with George W. Bush, a man who lobbied Congress on behalf of homophobic Supreme Court nominees, Ted has had so much gay sex with a male prostitute it makes Mark Foley look like child's play (so to speak). Fair enough?

Furthermore, let's assume the reaction of Haggard's stunned flock is also true, that many of his devout Christian set are "devastated" and "shocked" and "pulverized" and "beaten with God's own giant rod of icky homo scariness" (note: quotes not verified) about Ted's utter obvious gayness.



=

The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/15965775.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Thu, Nov. 09, 2006


ISRAEL

Israel plans force of 9,000 to guard gay pride parade Israeli police are mounting an 'unprecedented' operation to head off trouble at a gay pride parade in Jerusalem.

BY STEVE WEIZMAN
Associated Press


JERUSALEM - About 9,000 police will protect gay marchers in Jerusalem, the biggest internal civilian security operation in Israel's history, the police commander said Wednesday, after a week of riots by ultra-Orthodox Jews who threaten to attack the parade.

Jerusalem police chief Ilan Franco said permission was granted for 5,000 gay activists to march Friday through a nonresidential area away from the city center and to hold a closing rally in a university stadium there, while 20,000 religious protesters demonstrate about a mile away, near the Jerusalem central bus station.

Other anti-gay demonstrations are expected at main road junctions in Jerusalem and around the country, he said. The police deployment is code-named ''Operation Colors of the Rainbow,'' reflecting the gay movement's rainbow flag.




=

Anything But Straight
by Wayne Besen
http://www.waynebesen.com/


Anything But Straight
November 8, 2006


A Return To Reality


In the very week Saddam Hussein was sentenced to hang, George W. Bush has found his presidency in the gallows. Hussein now awaits his fate as a dead duck, while Bush will usher in his final two years as a lame duck. How bitterly ironic it must be that the Democratic landslide victory was fueled on outrage over the quagmire in Iraq and the president's refusal to "change the course" even after the facts repeatedly changed on the ground. This is more a victory for reality than a win over a sleazy and atavistic Republican majority that empowered lowlifes such as Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff and extremists like Rick Santorum.


The GOP is learning that reality may take extended vacations, but it never completely vacates. Denial may be effective as a tactic, but at the end of the day it does not stave off tragedy. In an even a greater state of denial than the president are Prozac Protestants, who must have become depressed and stayed home in larger numbers this Election Day. Who can blame them? First, we had Ralph Reed "humping in" on accounts with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, then we had Foleygate and now we have the fall of Rev. Ted Haggard.



=

http://online.logcabin.org/news_views/reading-room-back-up/log-cabin-republicans-blast.html


News Release
For Immediate Release

November 7, 2006
Log Cabin Republicans Blast Social Conservatives for Causing Defeat in House


(Washington, DC)-"Republicans lost this election because independent voters abandoned the GOP," said Log Cabin Executive Vice President Patrick Sammon. "Social conservatives drove the GOP's agenda the last several years. Their divisive agenda alienated the mainstream Republicans and independents who determined this election's outcome. Social conservatives should take responsibility for this loss."

"Democrats didn't win because of anything they stood for. They won because of Republican mistakes," said Sammon. "GOP leaders lost sight of what brought our Party to power in 1994. Limited government, lower spending, high ethical standards and accountability, and other unifying GOP principles attracted a broad coalition of support including fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, mainstream Republicans, libertarians, and independents. Now we've lost the U.S. House because Party leaders turned their backs on the GOP's core principles and catered only to social conservatives."



=

The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/15965809.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Thu, Nov. 09, 2006


SOCIAL ISSUES
Conservatives fail on ballot measures

Several GOP-leaning states rejected popular conservative causes, instead backing stem cell research and rejecting limits on abortion rights.
By DAVID CRARY
Associated Press


From the country's heartland, voters sent messages that altered America's culture wars and dismayed the religious right -- defending abortion rights in South Dakota, endorsing stem cell research in Missouri, and, in a national first, rejecting a same-sex marriage ban in Arizona.

Conservative leaders were jolted by the setbacks and looked for an explanation Wednesday. Gay-rights and abortion-rights activists celebrated.

The verdict on abortion rights was particularly clear:

. Oregon and California voters defeated measures that would have required parents to be notified before a girl under 18 could get an abortion.



=


Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

Associated Press, November 8, 2006

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/11/08/politics/p134004S73.DTL&type=politics

Losses on Ballot Measures Jolt Religious

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

>From the country's heartland, voters sent messages that altered America's culture wars and dismayed the religious right - defending abortion rights in South Dakota, endorsing stem cell research in Missouri, and, in a national first, rejecting a same-sex marriage ban in Arizona.

Conservative leaders were jolted by the setbacks and looked for an explanation Wednesday. Gay-rights and abortion-rights activists celebrated.

The verdict on abortion rights was particularly clear. Oregon and California voters defeated measures that would have required parents to be notified before a girl under 18 could get an abortion, and South Dakotans - by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent - rejected a new state law that would have banned all abortions except to save a pregnant woman's life.

"This was really a rebellion in the heart of red-state, pro-life America - the heart of the northern Bible Belt," said Sarah Stoesz, head of the Planned Parenthood chapter that oversees South Dakota. "It sends a very strong message to the rest of the country."





=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


URGENT ALERT!!! Police Crackdown on the International LGBT Conference in Minsk

Svara till: lgbtbelarus-owner@googlegroups.com


Gomel, 08 November 2006: Today, at 8:20 pm the special police forces broke into the apartment where the meeting of Organizing Committee of the International LGBT Conference took place and arrested seven people: Vyacheslav Andreev, Sviatlana Bortnik, Svyatoslav Sementsov, Tanya Ivanova, Aleksei Filipenko, Natallia Kavalchuk, and Viachaslau Bortnik. The Conference materials have been seized. Activists have been brought to the Zheleznodorozhnyi Borrow Police Department and interrogated. Police officers asked for detailed information on the program of the conference, list of participants, and venue of the conference. International guests were of the special interest of police. Four of activists have been released after tow hours of detention.

According to our information at 10:25 pm, Vyacheslav Andreev, Svyatoslav Sementsov and Viachaslau Bortnik of Organizing Committee remain to stay at the police station. Two activists who are taking duty near the entrance to the Zheleznodorozhnyi Borrow Police Department confirmed that they haven't left the building and their cell phones are switched off.

We're following the situation and will keep you posted.

On behalf of Organizing Committee of the International LGBT Conference in Minsk, Tanya Ivanova Co-president of TEMA - information center loveforever@tut.by


[ Send your comments about any of the articles in Ray's List Digest to Rays.List@Comcast.net ]

#####

GLBT DIGEST - November 10, 2006

**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.

=


Bloody prejudice

The National Blood Service is stereotyping gay men as modern-day "Typhoid Marys" by rejecting them as donors.

By Peter Tatchell

The Guardian - Comment Is Free - 3 November 2006

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/peter_tatchell/2006/11/gay_blood_ban_shame.html


Gay blood is banned by the National Blood Service (NBS). No man who has had oral or anal sex with another man - even just once, with a condom - is allowed to donate blood.

When I recently volunteered to be a donor, I was advised by the NBS: "Sorry, Mr Tatchell, you cannot give blood." Why not, I asked. "We don't accept donations from gay men," said the NBS.

The NBS gay ban is based on the unscientific, homophobic presumption that all gay and bisexual men are 'high risk' for HIV, regardless of their individual sexual behaviour.


=
The Express News

http://www.expressgaynews.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=9993


Gay blogger sought to protect pages
Fired HRC staffer denies political motive in exposing Foley e-mails
LOU CHIBBARO JR. | Nov 8, 9:43 PM


The gay blogger who is credited with posting the first set of e-mails that helped ensnare former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) in a sex scandal insists that his motive behind exposing the closeted gay Republican was not partisan politics.

'It became clear to me that there was a culture in Washington that knew about this activity and condoned it by doing nothing about it,' says Lane Hudson, the gay blogger credited with triggering the scandal that brought about the resignation of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley. (Photo by J.R. Davis)

Lane Hudson, 29, a South Carolina native who worked for former Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) from 1995 to 2002, said he created an anonymous website called Stop Sex Predators in July in an effort to draw attention to what he called Foley's inappropriate overtures toward teenage pages on Capitol Hill.




=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


http://ih.constantcontact.com/fs095/1098473122089/img/9.jpg?a=1101449757070

2006 ELECTIONS:

DID SEXUAL FREEDOM WIN OR LOSE?

November 08, 2006

Did sexual freedom win or did we lose? We achieved a a majority in the House of Representatives. At this point the Senate is evenly divided and we must wait for either a recount or legal action to determine the victor in Virginia. It apears that we gained six Democratic Governors.

While the victors are generally accepting of sexual freedom issues we have to acknowledge that they won on the back of sexual freedom.

We know what the public issues were - particularly the anti-incumbent sentiment against the war in Iraq. And there was a strong vote against corruption - but that corruption was linked, time and again, to sexual freedom. What cost the incumbents their seats was the demonization of sexuality.



=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org



US: Dale Carpenter--Same-sex marriage and the election (Part2)

The Volokh Conspiracy (blog), November 8, 2006

http://volokh.com/posts/1163007674.shtml

Same-sex marriage and the election (Part 2) Dale Carpenter

Much more important to the politics of gay marriage than the national election results are the results in (1) popular votes on state constitutional gay-marriage bans and (2) the results in state legislative races. Both suggest that we may be headed for more state legislative action toward the recognition of same-sex relationships in the form of civil unions and domestic partnerships (less so, for now, in the form of full marriage). This post will address the first development.

State constitutional gay-marriage bans

There are two huge stories in the votes on gay-marriage bans around the country. First, for the first time ever a gay-marriage ban has been rejected by the voters of a state, Arizona. It's not the same as an endorsement of gay marriage, but it's an unprecedented and potentially significant defeat for opponents of gay marriage. Still, I am at a loss to explain the precise reason for the result in Arizona.



=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


Wednesday, November 8, 2006 (SF Gate)

God Hates Gay Evangelicals/Will Pastor Ted's love of hot man sex open the narrow mind of the religious right?

By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist

Let's assume it's all true. Let's assume that Ted Haggard is just deliriously, stupidly, crazyjuicy gay. I know, not much of a stretch, but let's go with it.

Yes, Pastor Ted, disgraced former leader of 30 million blithely homophobic evangelical Christians, yet another of those flamboyant semi-insane Liberace-with-a-Bible megachurch preachers, a man who had weekly conference calls with George W. Bush, a man who lobbied Congress on behalf of homophobic Supreme Court nominees, Ted has had so much gay sex with a male prostitute it makes Mark Foley look like child's play (so to speak). Fair enough?

Furthermore, let's assume the reaction of Haggard's stunned flock is also true, that many of his devout Christian set are "devastated" and "shocked" and "pulverized" and "beaten with God's own giant rod of icky homo scariness" (note: quotes not verified) about Ted's utter obvious gayness.



=

The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/front/15965775.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Thu, Nov. 09, 2006


ISRAEL

Israel plans force of 9,000 to guard gay pride parade Israeli police are mounting an 'unprecedented' operation to head off trouble at a gay pride parade in Jerusalem.

BY STEVE WEIZMAN
Associated Press


JERUSALEM - About 9,000 police will protect gay marchers in Jerusalem, the biggest internal civilian security operation in Israel's history, the police commander said Wednesday, after a week of riots by ultra-Orthodox Jews who threaten to attack the parade.

Jerusalem police chief Ilan Franco said permission was granted for 5,000 gay activists to march Friday through a nonresidential area away from the city center and to hold a closing rally in a university stadium there, while 20,000 religious protesters demonstrate about a mile away, near the Jerusalem central bus station.

Other anti-gay demonstrations are expected at main road junctions in Jerusalem and around the country, he said. The police deployment is code-named ''Operation Colors of the Rainbow,'' reflecting the gay movement's rainbow flag.




=

Anything But Straight
by Wayne Besen
http://www.waynebesen.com/


Anything But Straight
November 8, 2006


A Return To Reality


In the very week Saddam Hussein was sentenced to hang, George W. Bush has found his presidency in the gallows. Hussein now awaits his fate as a dead duck, while Bush will usher in his final two years as a lame duck. How bitterly ironic it must be that the Democratic landslide victory was fueled on outrage over the quagmire in Iraq and the president's refusal to "change the course" even after the facts repeatedly changed on the ground. This is more a victory for reality than a win over a sleazy and atavistic Republican majority that empowered lowlifes such as Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff and extremists like Rick Santorum.


The GOP is learning that reality may take extended vacations, but it never completely vacates. Denial may be effective as a tactic, but at the end of the day it does not stave off tragedy. In an even a greater state of denial than the president are Prozac Protestants, who must have become depressed and stayed home in larger numbers this Election Day. Who can blame them? First, we had Ralph Reed "humping in" on accounts with lobbyist Jack Abramoff, then we had Foleygate and now we have the fall of Rev. Ted Haggard.



=

http://online.logcabin.org/news_views/reading-room-back-up/log-cabin-republicans-blast.html


News Release
For Immediate Release

November 7, 2006
Log Cabin Republicans Blast Social Conservatives for Causing Defeat in House


(Washington, DC)-"Republicans lost this election because independent voters abandoned the GOP," said Log Cabin Executive Vice President Patrick Sammon. "Social conservatives drove the GOP's agenda the last several years. Their divisive agenda alienated the mainstream Republicans and independents who determined this election's outcome. Social conservatives should take responsibility for this loss."

"Democrats didn't win because of anything they stood for. They won because of Republican mistakes," said Sammon. "GOP leaders lost sight of what brought our Party to power in 1994. Limited government, lower spending, high ethical standards and accountability, and other unifying GOP principles attracted a broad coalition of support including fiscal conservatives, social conservatives, mainstream Republicans, libertarians, and independents. Now we've lost the U.S. House because Party leaders turned their backs on the GOP's core principles and catered only to social conservatives."



=

The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/15965809.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Thu, Nov. 09, 2006


SOCIAL ISSUES
Conservatives fail on ballot measures

Several GOP-leaning states rejected popular conservative causes, instead backing stem cell research and rejecting limits on abortion rights.
By DAVID CRARY
Associated Press


From the country's heartland, voters sent messages that altered America's culture wars and dismayed the religious right -- defending abortion rights in South Dakota, endorsing stem cell research in Missouri, and, in a national first, rejecting a same-sex marriage ban in Arizona.

Conservative leaders were jolted by the setbacks and looked for an explanation Wednesday. Gay-rights and abortion-rights activists celebrated.

The verdict on abortion rights was particularly clear:

. Oregon and California voters defeated measures that would have required parents to be notified before a girl under 18 could get an abortion.



=


Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

Associated Press, November 8, 2006

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/11/08/politics/p134004S73.DTL&type=politics

Losses on Ballot Measures Jolt Religious

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

>From the country's heartland, voters sent messages that altered America's culture wars and dismayed the religious right - defending abortion rights in South Dakota, endorsing stem cell research in Missouri, and, in a national first, rejecting a same-sex marriage ban in Arizona.

Conservative leaders were jolted by the setbacks and looked for an explanation Wednesday. Gay-rights and abortion-rights activists celebrated.

The verdict on abortion rights was particularly clear. Oregon and California voters defeated measures that would have required parents to be notified before a girl under 18 could get an abortion, and South Dakotans - by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent - rejected a new state law that would have banned all abortions except to save a pregnant woman's life.

"This was really a rebellion in the heart of red-state, pro-life America - the heart of the northern Bible Belt," said Sarah Stoesz, head of the Planned Parenthood chapter that oversees South Dakota. "It sends a very strong message to the rest of the country."





=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


URGENT ALERT!!! Police Crackdown on the International LGBT Conference in Minsk

Svara till: lgbtbelarus-owner@googlegroups.com


Gomel, 08 November 2006: Today, at 8:20 pm the special police forces broke into the apartment where the meeting of Organizing Committee of the International LGBT Conference took place and arrested seven people: Vyacheslav Andreev, Sviatlana Bortnik, Svyatoslav Sementsov, Tanya Ivanova, Aleksei Filipenko, Natallia Kavalchuk, and Viachaslau Bortnik. The Conference materials have been seized. Activists have been brought to the Zheleznodorozhnyi Borrow Police Department and interrogated. Police officers asked for detailed information on the program of the conference, list of participants, and venue of the conference. International guests were of the special interest of police. Four of activists have been released after tow hours of detention.

According to our information at 10:25 pm, Vyacheslav Andreev, Svyatoslav Sementsov and Viachaslau Bortnik of Organizing Committee remain to stay at the police station. Two activists who are taking duty near the entrance to the Zheleznodorozhnyi Borrow Police Department confirmed that they haven't left the building and their cell phones are switched off.

We're following the situation and will keep you posted.

On behalf of Organizing Committee of the International LGBT Conference in Minsk, Tanya Ivanova Co-president of TEMA - information center loveforever@tut.by


[ Send your comments about any of the articles in Ray's List Digest to Rays.List@Comcast.net ]

#####

FLORIDA DIGEST NOVEMBER 10, 2006

**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.

=


Local10.com

http://www.local10.com/entertainment/10282021/detail.html?treets=mia&tml=mia_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=mia_natlbreak_1_11310211092006



'60 Minutes' Newsman Ed Bradley Dies Bradley Was 65

POSTED: 12:19 pm EST November 9, 2006
UPDATED: 12:36 pm EST November 9, 2006


Ed Bradley, a longtime veteran of the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes," has died.

Bradley was 65.

In an on-air announcement, anchorwoman Katie Couric said Bradley died from complications of leukemia.

Bradley died Thursday at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital.

The 2005-06 season of "60 Minutes" marked Bradley's 25th year with the groundbreaking, critically hailed CBS news magazine.

Bradley was born June 22, 1941 in Philadelphia.



=

Toledo Blade


http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061108&Category=NEWS09&ArtNo=611080485&SectionCat=&Template=printart

Strickland easily takes Ohio governor job

By JAMES DREW and STEVE EDER
BLADE STAFF WRITERS


COLUMBUS - Disgusted by scandal and frustrated with Ohio's lagging economy, voters yesterday elected a Democratic governor for the first time in 20 years, taking aim at the Republican machine that had controlled every statewide office since 1994. See the latest Ohio results

Ted Strickland, a congressman from southeast Ohio who campaigned on a message of change including cleaning up Republican corruption, trounced Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a conservative who vowed to revive the state's economy by cutting taxes.

With 64 percent of precincts reporting, Mr. Strickland had 59 percent of the vote to Mr. Blackwell's 38 percent, in the first general election since the scandal erupted over the state's $50 million rare-coin investment controlled by Tom Noe.



=

Sun-Sentinel


http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-ahouse09nov09,0,2950641.story?coll=sfla-news-sfla


South Florida Dems vow: Up with ethics, down with drug prices

By William E. Gibson
Washington Bureau Chief

November 9, 2006


Flush with victory at the polls, South Florida Democrats vowed Wednesday to push for lower drug prices for patients and new ethics rules for Congress when their party takes control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year.

Suddenly in the majority, they will wield more clout when Congress begins a new session in January, posing opportunities to pursue causes long dormant under 12 years of Republican rule.

Democrats gained roughly 30 House seats, depending on late vote counts in a few districts. Late Wednesday, they appeared to secure control of the Senate when The Associated Press declared Virginia Democrat Jim Webb the winner over Republican Sen. George Allen.

Democrats dominate the South Florida congressional delegation and represent all parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. The region will send six Democrats to Congress, including newcomers Ron Klein of Boca Raton and Tim Mahoney of Palm Beach Gardens. Three Cuban-American Republican incumbents from Miami will join them.



=

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-montana-senate,0,3573917.story


Montana's Newest Senator Seeks Change

By MARY CLARE JALONICK
Associated Press Writer

November 9, 2006, 4:27 AM EST


HELENA, Mont. -- Democrat Jon Tester ran as an outsider to what he called Washington's "culture of corruption" -- but got a boost from opposition to the war in Iraq and his Republican opponent's gaffe-laden campaign.

The 50-year-old organic farmer and state Senate president rode that populist horse all the way to a Senate seat by ousting Republican Sen. Conrad Burns by a wafer-thin margin.

"It is absolutely, critically important that we change the direction of the country," Tester said Wednesday. "Now is the time to come together and put politics aside."

Tester's win -- and fellow Democrat Jim Webb's victory in Virginia Wednesday -- gave the Democrats the 51 Senate seats they need to control the chamber.




=

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/us/politics/09BUSHCND.html?ei=5094&en=90b2a0d9c77157ea&hp=&ex=1163048400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print


November 8, 2006

Rumsfeld Resigns as Defense Secretary After Big Election Gains for Democrats

By DAVID STOUT


Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the hard-driving and super-confident Pentagon boss who came to symbolize President Bush's controversial Iraq policy, is resigning, President Bush announced today.

Mr. Bush, appearing at the White House the day after the Republican Party suffered sweeping defeats in Tuesday's midterm elections, said he and Mr. Rumsfeld had had "a series of thoughtful conversations" and agreed that "the time is right for new leadership at the Pentagon."

The president said he would nominate Robert Gates, former head of the Central Intelligence Agency and now president of Texas A & M University, to replace Mr. Rumsfeld.



=

http://www.local10.com/politics/10260699/detail.html?treets=mia&tml=mia_natlbreak&ts=T&tmi=mia_natlbreak_1_08110211082006


AP: Democrats Win Both Houses Of Congress
Va. Senate Race Goes To Webb
POSTED: 3:41 am EST November 7, 2006
UPDATED: 9:02 pm EST November 8, 2006


WASHINGTON -- The Democrats clinched the final victory needed for a 51-seat majority in the U.S. Senate Wednesday night, according to the AssociatedPress, effectively handing both houses of Congress to the party for thefirst time since 1994.

Jim Webb was declared the winner by the AP reporters who contacted election officials in all 134 localities where voting occurred. About half hadcompleted canvassing and nearly all absentee ballots had been counted,according to the AP.

As of Wednesday, the Senate stood at 49 Republicans and 50 Democrats(including two independents who caucus with the party), with Virginia stillup in the air. Because Vice President Dick Cheney holds the tie-breaker inthe chamber, the Democrats needed a full 51 seats in their caucus to win majority control.




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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/us/politics/09BUSHCND.html?ei=5094&en=90b2a0d9c77157ea&hp=&ex=1163048400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print


November 8, 2006
Rumsfeld Resigns as Defense Secretary After Big Election Gains for Democrats
By DAVID STOUT


Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, the hard-driving and super-confidentPentagon boss who came to symbolize President Bush's controversial Iraqpolicy, is resigning, President Bush announced today.

Mr. Bush, appearing at the White House the day after the Republican Party suffered sweeping defeats in Tuesday's midterm elections, said he and Mr.Rumsfeld had had "a series of thoughtful conversations" and agreed that "thetime is right for new leadership at the Pentagon."

The president said he would nominate Robert Gates, former head of the Central Intelligence Agency and now president of Texas A & M University, toreplace Mr. Rumsfeld.

Mr. Bush said that as the leader of the Republican Party, he bore the responsibility for its losses on Tuesday. The Democrats picked up 27 seatsand took control of the House, and so far it has gained five seats in theSenate.




=




http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/09/AR2006110900240_pf.html


Montana's Tester Squeaks by GOP Rival

By MARY CLARE JALONICK
The Associated Press
Thursday, November 9, 2006; 4:40 AM


HELENA, Mont. -- Democrat Jon Tester ran as an outsider to what he called Washington's "culture of corruption" _ but got a boost from opposition tothe war in Iraq and his Republican opponent's gaffe-laden campaign.

The 50-year-old organic farmer and state Senate president rode that populist horse all the way to a Senate seat by ousting Republican Sen. Conrad Burnsby a wafer-thin margin.

"It is absolutely, critically important that we change the direction of the country," Tester said Wednesday.

"Now is the time to come together and put politics aside."




=

Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org

Huffington Post (blog), November 8, 2006

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terry-curtis-fox/the-antirights-democrat_b_33679.html

The Anti-Rights Democrat
Terry Curtis Fox

Out here in the blue part of the Blue/Red Zone, people have been walking around with shocked smiles. This is Western North Carolina, where I've beenteaching, as divided a Congressional District as any in the country. Thereis very little purple in these hills. Asheville is as liberal as SantaMonica; the university town fifty miles to the west is much the same.

In between is an area so red that a local preacher demanded that his congregants leave church if they so much as thought of voting for John Kerry.

But vote Democrat is what a good number of red-area folks must have done.Western North Carolina just unseated an eight-term pork-barrel (and ratherporcine) Republican and replaced him with ... well, that's kind of thequestion.



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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110802522_pf.html


Mike Beebe (D)

Thursday, November 9, 2006; A42

Arkansas Attorney General Mike Beebe handily defeated Republican As Hutchinson to give Democrats control of the governorship. Beebe replacesGov. Mike Huckabee (R), who was term-limited and in office since 1996. Beebe, 59, is a veteran politician who has been in public office for 24years. Hutchinson, a former congressman and Department of Homeland Security official, was the first opponent Beebe had ever faced.

The race was the most expensive in state history, with the candidates spending a combined $8.8 million and each drawing campaign visits from such party luminaries as former president Bill Clinton and President Bush.

Beebe promised to phase out the state's 6-cent tax on groceries and expand pre-kindergarten programs.

He also tried to neutralize any advantage Hutchinson had with conservative voters in a state that has trended Republican in recent years by proclaiming his support for gun and property rights and for reinstating a state law banning gay foster parents.




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Technology Review


http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17771&ch=biztech


Monday, November 06, 2006
Microsoft unveils 3-D maps in latest bid to upstage Google
By Associated Press


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. has upgraded its online mapping service to include three-dimensional tours of 15 U.S. cities, marking another step in its dogged pursuit of Internet search leader Google Inc.

With the improvements unveiled Monday, Microsoft is hoping to upstage Google's popular ''Earth'' software, which enables about one-third of theworld's population to obtain an aerial view of their homes andneighborhoods.

Google says it has distributed more than 100 million free copies of the Earth software since its June 2005 introduction.

Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, is touting its 3-D version of ''Virtual Earth'' as a more compelling alternative that provides''photorealistic'' images of the 15 targeted cities: San Francisco, SanJose, Seattle, Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Detroit,Phoenix, Houston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas.


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Wednesday, November 08, 2006

FLORIDA DIGEST NOVEMBER 8, 2006

**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-elxbtrends08nov08,0,4613265.story

Republicans lose County Commission, legislative seats in Broward

By David Fleshler, Buddy Nevins and Robert Nolin
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

November 8, 2006

Broward County became a grim place for Republicans on Tuesday, as votersejected the party's incumbents from the Florida House, County Commission andCongress.

Leading the list was U.S. Rep. Clay Shaw, of Fort Lauderdale, dean ofFlorida's congressional delegation, who lost to Democratic state Sen. RonKlein. Voters also turned out County Commissioner Jim Scott and state Rep.Susan Goldstein.

Republicans are heavily outnumbered in Broward, holding sway only in a fewwealthy enclaves along the beach and in some suburbs. They faced aparticularly difficult road this year because of the unpopularity ofPresident Bush. Several people said they voted the straight Democraticline -- from U.S. senator to agriculture commissioner to staterepresentative -- as a protest against the president.


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http://www.sptimes.com/2006/11/08/news_pf/State/Sink_s_win_is_a_major.shtml


Sink's win is a major gain for Democrats
Members of the Republican Party won the other Cabinet seats
ALISA ULFERTS AND AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published November 8, 2006


Democrats broke the Republican Party's hold on the state Cabinet Tuesday asretired banker Alex Sink defeated Republican Senate President Tom Lee forthe job of chief financial officer.

The GOP held on to the other two Cabinet seats, however, as Bill McCollumbeat Walter "Skip" Campbell to become the next Attorney General, andAgriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson easily turned back challenger EricCopeland.

Sink was the only statewide seat the Democrats were able to win, but hervictory was a major victory for the struggling minority party. It alsointroduced Sink as a rising power in the Democratic Party.



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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15954634.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Tue, Nov. 07, 2006


McCollum beats Campbell for Florida attorney general

BY AMY DRISCOLL AND DAN CRISTENSEN
adriscoll@MiamiHerald.com


Republican Bill McCollum will be Florida's attorney general, easily winningthe contest against Walter ''Skip'' Campbell, a Broward County attorney.

''Tonight's going to be for Florida and for Republicans a great night,''McCollum told supporters early in the evening, as he predicted RepublicanCharlie Crist's win for governor.

Campbell conceded shortly after 10:30 p.m., standing before a crowd ofsupporters at a Fort Lauderdale bar, Dicey Riley's.



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Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006

Link - Florida Legislative Races

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2006/general/by_state/state_sen_house/FL.html?SITE=FLLAUELN&SECTION=POLITICS


Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/elections/2006/general/by_state/us_house/FL.html?SITE=FLLAUELN&SECTION=POLITICS

Florida
November 08, 2006 - 08:54AM ET(i) = incumbent= winner= runoff
U.S. House - District 1 - 234 of 234 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Miller, Jeff (i)GOP134,92868.57
Roberts, JoeDem61,85131.43


U.S. House - District 4 - 326 of 326 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Crenshaw, Ander (i)GOP140,73169.77
Harms, RobertDem60,98730.23



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Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-elxsenate08nov08,0,696029.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Nelson rolls easily to second term in U.S. Senate

By William E. Gibson
Washington Bureau Chief

November 8, 2006


FORT LAUDERDALE · In one of the more lopsided yet closely watched statewideraces in Florida history, voters on Tuesday handily re-elected DemocraticU.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and emphatically rejected Republican challengerKatherine Harris.

Loved or hated as a partisan political celebrity, Rep. Harris, of Sarasota,gave up a safe House seat and on her bid for the Senate. Her campaign wasmarked by endless travails, constant staff turmoil and controversialremarks.

Harris conceded in a telephone call to Nelson and urged her supporters tocontinue to promote conservative causes.



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The Miami Herald
November 8, 2006

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15956363.htm

SCHOOL BOARD

Rubinstein unseated in uproar over Broward schools chief's ouster

Eleanor Sobel and Phyllis C. Hope were elected to the Broward School BoardTuesday. Voters booted incumbent Marty Rubinstein.

BY HANNAH SAMPSON
hsampson@MiamiHerald.com

Voters ousted Broward School Board incumbent Marty Rubinstein Tuesday,apparently making good on a promise to remove those who voted to fire thedistrict's superintendent.

And outgoing state Rep. Eleanor Sobel sailed into the Southeast Broward seatvacated by an ailing Carole Andrews.

Rubinstein lost to Phyllis C. Hope, a Piper High School guidance specialistwho raised far less money, held poetry readings as campaign events andboasted a rap song as her campaign anthem.



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The Miami Herald
November 8, 2006

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/15953848.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Chaplain quits after appearing on gay website

BY EVAN S. BENN
ebenn@MiamiHerald.com

An Episcopalian chaplain resigned from his job at a Palmetto Bay privateschool after explicit images of him appeared on a gay wrestling website thatwas circulated this week around the school, school officials said.

Father Adrian Parry, 47, of South Miami, quit his post at Palmer TrinitySchool on Monday after almost two decades as its chaplain and head of thehumanities and history department, according to school headmaster SeanMurphy.

Parry ''had been engaging in what, in our opinion, were inappropriate andunacceptable outside activities,'' Murphy wrote in a statement.



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The Miami Herald
November 8, 2006

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/politics/15958210.htm

Constitution just got harder to tinker with

Florida voters said yes to six amendments, including one that will make itharder to approve constitutional amendments.

BY GARY FINEOUT
gfineout@MiamiHerald.com

TALLAHASSEE - Florida's voters on Tuesday made it harder to change the stateConstitution in the future -- a move that could spell doom for loomingelectoral battles over gay marriage and private school vouchers.

All six amendments on the ballot passed, including Amendment 3, which wouldrequire future constitutional amendments to pass by a supermajority insteadof a simple majority.

Ironically, Amendment 3 won support from nearly 58 percent of voters -- notthe 60 percent the amendment would require in elections to come.



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The Miami Herald
November 8, 2006

Posted on Wed, Nov. 08, 2006



Nelson's son arrested in altercation with Orlando police

BY ERIKA BERAS
eberas@MiamiHerald.com

It seemed a good night for Bill Nelson. The Democratic U.S. senator fromFlorida easily beat his opponent, Katherine Harris.

But hours after Nelson made a victory speech in Orlando, his 30-year-old sonwas arrested.

At 2:45 a.m., Charles William Nelson was charged with three felonies byOrlando police.

About 2:40, police responded to calls of a fight involving 20 people. By thetime authorities arrived, most of the crowd had dispersed.



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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-elxgov08nov08,0,4912134.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

Crist overcomes big South Florida deficit to capture governor's race

By Linda Kleindienst and Mark Hollis
Tallahassee Bureau

November 8, 2006


ST. PETERSBURG · Voters elected Charlie Crist the state's 44th governorTuesday, handing him a victory over Democratic rival Jim Davis in the mostexpensive -- and one of the most vitriolic -- campaigns in Florida history.

Crist, the attorney general, will take office during inaugural ceremoniesJan. 2, becoming the first Republican to succeed another GOP governor sincethe 1870s.

In his victory speech at the swanky Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club,Crist gave special thanks to God and his parents, but also cited Davis forhis "spirited and honorable" campaign.



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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2006/11/08/a22a_guv_edit_1108.html


Will Crist be the show horse or the work horse?
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Wednesday, November 08, 2006


Eleven years after "Chain Gang Charlie," it will be Gov. Crist. The questionfor Floridians is: Which Charlie Crist will it be?

Will it be the Charlie Crist who said during the campaign that theDemocrats' plan to have the state take over the first layer of hurricaneinsurance "has merit"? Or will it be the Charlie Crist who just weeks latercalled the plan "a risky scheme"? Will it be the Charlie Crist who said hewould have vetoed the inadequate insurance bill that went through theLegislature this year? Or will it be the Charlie Crist who, after thecomment got into print, reversed himself and said he would not have vetoedthe bill?



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http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20061108/CAPITOLNEWS/611080323/-1/capitolnews&template=printart


Bronson remains ag commissioner
By Paul Flemming
FLORIDA CAPITAL BUREAU


Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson is the only member of the FloridaCabinet running to return to his same seat, and he'll have the job foranother four years.

The incumbent Republican ran against Democratic challenger Eric Copeland inthe race that pre-election polls identified as the most lopsided, inBronson's favor.

With about half of precincts reporting, Bronson led with 1,721,697 votes, or56 percent. Copeland had 1,361,938 votes, or 44 percent, according to statetallies.

''I think it looks very good,'' Bronson said Tuesday evening. ''We weren'tsure, with some of the things going on nationally ... how much that wouldaffect our race.''



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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/breaking_news/15954994.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Tue, Nov. 07, 2006


Broward voters reject transit, courthouse tax hike

BY NIRVI SHAH
nshah@MiamiHerald.com


Read their votes: no new taxes.

Broward County voters today rejected an increase in sales taxes to pay forbetter mass transit and paying more property taxes to refurbish the countycourthouse.

Voters soundly defeated boosting the sales tax by a penny, from 6 percent to7 percent of every dollar spent. The tax would have brought in about $260million a year, an amount that would have increased each year along withconsumers' spending and county growth.



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http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/OPINION/611080383/1004&template=printart


November 8, 2006


Our view: Challenges await Gov. Charlie Crist

State's new leader should focus on insurance crisis and target space jobs

Florida has a new governor and it's Republican Charlie Crist.

Now, almost 18 million state residents -- including many on the SpaceCoast -- are looking to him to solve one of the most serious problems thestate has ever faced:

Insurance costs rising so steeply that Florida's economy is threatened.

Crist, who received $763,507 from the insurance industry in 2004-06, butpromised that money would never influence his treatment of the industry, hasto come through fast with a workable plan that will lower consumers' ratessharply.



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Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006

Links - Results by S. Florida Counties:

Broward
http://www.browardsoe.org/enrsummary.aspx?eid=65


Palm Beach
http://enr.clarityelections.com/Default.aspx?eid=61


Miami-Dade
http://enr.clarityelections.com/Default.aspx?page=S&eid=44




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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pelxfoley08nov08,0,953587.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines


Democrat Mahoney wins Foley's congressional seat by narrow margin



By Joel Hood and Marc Freeman
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

November 8, 2006


HUTCHINSON ISLAND -- Democrat Tim Mahoney completed an improbable run forthe U.S. House on Tuesday night, narrowly defeating Republican Joe Negronand winning a congressional seat thought impossible before Mark Foley'sstunning fall.

By 11 p.m., Mahoney held a razor-thin lead over Negron in the 16th Districtcongressional race with Highlands County the only one of eight counties notreporting. More than 100 supporters turned out for a Mahoney victorycelebration Tuesday night at the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa.




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Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/sfl-ussenateresult1107,0,2751766.htmlstory

U.S. Senate

The Associated Press

Posted November 7, 2006

U.S. House - District 16 - Florida 334 of 335 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Mahoney , Tim Dem 114,836 49.58
Foley-Joe Negron , Mark GOP 110,317 47.63
Ross , Emmie Ind 6,473 2.79


U.S. House - District 21 - Florida 188 of 188 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Diaz-Balart , Lincoln (i) GOP 65,368 59.24
Gonzalez , Frank Dem 44,972 40.76


U.S. House - District 22 - Florida 419 of 422 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Klein , Ron Dem 105,056 51.11
Shaw , Clay (i) GOP 96,343 46.87
Evangelista , Neil Ind 4,134 2.01




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Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/sfl-ussenateresult1107,0,2751766.htmlstory

U.S. Senate

The Associated Press

Posted November 7, 2006

U.S. House - District 16 - Florida 334 of 335 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Mahoney , Tim Dem 114,836 49.58
Foley-Joe Negron , Mark GOP 110,317 47.63
Ross , Emmie Ind 6,473 2.79


U.S. House - District 21 - Florida 188 of 188 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Diaz-Balart , Lincoln (i) GOP 65,368 59.24
Gonzalez , Frank Dem 44,972 40.76


U.S. House - District 22 - Florida 419 of 422 Precincts Reporting
NamePartyVotesPct
Klein , Ron Dem 105,056 51.11
Shaw , Clay (i) GOP 96,343 46.87
Evangelista , Neil Ind 4,134 2.01




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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/sfl-ammendments07nov07,0,3213640.htmlstory

Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006


Florida Amendments

The Associated Press


Amendment - 1 State Budget -
Florida 6942 of 6950 Precincts Reporting
NameVotesPct
Yes 2,532,853 59.79
No 1,703,746 40.21


Amendment - 3 Constitutional Amendments -
Florida 6942 of 6950 Precincts Reporting
NameVotesPct
Yes 2,563,351 57.70
No 1,879,008 42.30


Amendment - 4 Tobacco Settlement -
Florida 6942 of 6950 Precincts Reporting
NameVotesPct
Yes 2,749,535 60.90
No 1,765,234 39.10


Amendment - 6 Homestead Exemption -
Florida 6942 of 6950 Precincts Reporting
NameVotesPct
Yes 3,486,629 76.36
No 1,079,395 23.64


Amendment - 7 Vets Tax Break -
Florida 6942 of 6950 Precincts Reporting
NameVotesPct
Yes 3,505,617 77.80
No 1,000,324 22.20


Amendment - 8 Eminent Domain -
Florida 6942 of 6950 Precincts Reporting
NameVotesPct
Yes 3,007,417 69.03
No 1,349,394 30.97





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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST NOVEMBER 8, 2006

**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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Ray's List will be offline Thursday, and Friday - November 9 and 10.

This will allow your computers to cool down a bit.

Best wishes!!!

Ray and Michael
.


=


http://www.boston.com/news/local/connecticut/articles/2006/11/08/lieberman_victory_included_anti_war_voters_poll_shows?mode=PF


Lieberman victory included anti-war voters, poll shows
By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer | November 8, 2006


HARTFORD, Conn. --U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman's support of the Iraq war did notdeter his most ardent supporters, including some who voted for the 18-yearincumbent Tuesday despite their strong opposition to the war and the Bushadministration.

While many voters who oppose the U.S. involvement in Iraq supported anti-warDemocratic candidate Ned Lamont, results of an Associated Press exit pollsuggest Lieberman was able to capture enough of that vote to help securere-election.

Lieberman, who launched an independent bid in August after losing theDemocratic primary to Lamont, also was helped by strong support fromRepublican and independent voters.



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http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-arnold8nov08,1,7526466.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR

Schwarzenegger can focus on legacy
Healthcare, teacher accountability and new prisons are key issues.

By Peter Nicholas
Times Staff Writer

November 8, 2006

SACRAMENTO - With a second term ensured, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans touse the next four years to showcase California as a one-of-a-kind model ofbipartisan cooperation - and to forge a legacy that will be a springboardfor his next political move.

Riding the momentum of his victory and a string of legislativeaccomplishments this year, he hopes to work with Democrats and Republicansto expand access to healthcare, improve teacher accountability in Californiaschools and build enough new prisons to ease rampant overcrowding.




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http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/11/07/patrick_kennedy_lead_democrats_parade?mode=PF


Patrick, Kennedy lead Democrats' parade
By Ken Maguire, Associated Press Writer

November 7, 2006

BOSTON --Massachusetts elected its first black governor on Tuesday whenDeval Patrick defeated

Kerry Healey, and returned Sen. Edward M. Kennedy to Capitol Hill for aneighth term.

Patrick's victory restored the Democratic Party to the governor's officeafter a 16-year absence. He defeated the Republican lieutenant governor aswell as independent Christy Mihos and Grace Ross of the Green-Rainbow Party.Gov. Mitt Romney, considering a presidential bid, did not seek re-election.

"You know change won't come in a flash," Patrick, 50, said in his victoryspeech at the Hynes Convention Center. "You know that it will take focus andcommitment and patience. But you also know that government by gimmick andphoto op and soundbite has failed us. Do not expect more of that from me."

Gov. Mitt Romney introduced Healey before her concession speech, telling thecrowd, "In my mind, she's the best lieutenant governor in the entirecountry. And, frankly, in my mind, there's no doubt about it: You'll beseeing more of her in four years."



=

The New York Times


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/opinion/08kane.html?pagewanted=print


November 8, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor

No Atheists in a Foxhole? No Idiots, Either
By TIM KANE and MACKENZIE EAGLEN
Washington

THE Pentagon's announcement that all military branches reached or exceededtheir active-duty recruiting goals for fiscal year 2006 grabbed plenty ofheadlines. Small wonder. After all, it flouts the conventional wisdom thatour military is mired in an unpopular war. Recruiters must be looking underrocks and bending standards to fill the ranks, right?

Wrong. Indeed, a study we conducted of the recruiting classes for allmilitary branches in 1999 and from 2003 through 2005 puts the lie to thecrass assumption that the United States is fielding a low-quality military.

A common misperception is that the ranks are increasingly filled withrelatively uneducated young men and women from low-income households. Yetthis myth doesn't hold up under inspection.




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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/us/politics/08govs.html?pagewanted=print

November 8, 2006

Democrats Oust G.O.P. in Governing Six States
By KIRK JOHNSON

CHICAGO, Nov. 7 - Democrats won open governor's seats in five states Tuesdayand knocked off the Republican incumbent in Maryland, tilting control of themajorit of governorships to Democrats for the first time since the 1990s.

The Republicans began Election Day with a 28 to 22 advantage over theDemocrats in governorships.

But they were faced with the daunting prospect of defending nine of the tenopen seats amid a mood that was decidedly anti-Republican in many parts ofthe country. Democrats were able to capture statehouses in the Northeast,the West and the South. The open seats were in Arkansas, Colorado,Massachusetts, New York and Ohio.

In Florida, Republicans were able to protect the seat that Gov. Jeb Bush hascontrolled for two terms. But in Maryland, Mayor Martin O'Malley ofBaltimore, a Democrat, edged Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.




=

The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/nyregion/08york-paper.html?hp&ex=1163048400&en=d1d61deab7f3a6b1&ei=5094&partner=homepage

November 8, 2006

Clinton and Democrats Sweep Races in New York
By PATRICK HEALY

Eliot Spitzer, the state attorney general who crusaded against Wall Streetcorruption, was elected governor of New York yesterday in a historicDemocratic sweep of statewide offices, which included a huge victory bySenator Hillary Rodham Clinton that positions her for a possiblepresidential bid in 2008.

Rounding out the party's triumph were Andrew M. Cuomo, who mounted apolitical comeback to succeed Mr. Spitzer and restore his family name as aforce in New York politics, and State Comptroller Alan G. Hevesi, who wonre-election despite his potentially illegal use of state workers tochauffeur his ailing wife at taxpayer expense.

Mr. Spitzer scored a record percentage for a governor's race, beating Gov.Mario M. Cuomo's 64.6 percent in 1986. Senator Clinton won a fifth of thevote of Republicans and a quarter of conservatives, according to exitpolls - a show of strength that makes a White House bid more possible, saidsome of her advisers, who expect deliberations about 2008 to turn serioussoon.



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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/legislature/sfl-elxnation08nov08,0,5124865.story


AROUND THE NATION

Santorum among top Republican losses


November 8, 2006


Alabama

Republican Gov. Bob Riley, gaining local buzz as a possible 2008 vicepresidential pick, easily won a second term, defeating Democratic Lt. Gov.Lucy Baxley, whose I Love Lucy theme fared poorly. Riley touted record lowunemployment, a tax cut and a fat budget surplus.

Strange indeed: Former Gov. Jim Folsom Jr., whose 6-foot-8 father wastwo-term Gov. "Big Jim" Folsom, ran for lieutenant governor against 6-foot-9Republican "Big Luther" Strange.

more....


=


Sun-Sentinel
November 8, 2006

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/files/specials/election_night_2006/us_map/index.html?SITE=FLLAUELN&SECTION=POLITICS

Link - Interactive - Congressional and Gubernatorial Overview

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



[ Send your comments about any of the articles in Ray's List Digest to
Rays.List@Comcast.net ]

#####

GLBT DIGEST - November 8, 2006

**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.

=

Ray's List will be offline Thursday, and Friday - November 9 and 10.

This will allow your computers to cool down a bit.

Best wishes!!!

Ray and Michael
.


=



http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/11/110806victory.htm


Record Number of Gays Elected To Office
by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
November 8, 2006 - 10:00 am ET


(Washington) The wave that swept Democrats to victory on Tuesday led tounprecedented success in electing openly gay candidates.

Sixty-seven candidates endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, anorganization that helps LGBT candidates gain office, were elected innational, state and local races.

Some of the victories were historic said Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe.

"This is the tipping point election for openly gay candidates," said Wolfe.

"We're proving that qualified, well-prepared candidates matched withcommitted donors means gays and lesbians can move from having a stake inpolicy to actually making policy. There's no reason to sit on the sidelineswith our fingers crossed anymore."



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From Marc Adams
HeartStrong


An Open Letter to Ted Haggard

November 2006

Dear Ted,

There comes a time in every man's life where his true character is allowedto show. I've never met you but from the events over the past years ofyour life, it would be safe for me to say that this is your time.

Struggling with being gay is nothing new. In fact, for millions of peoplearound the world, through every place and time, people have struggled tounderstand their homosexuality.

The most common reaction to this fight is to find something to blame forthe struggle. As a former fundamentalist Baptist Christian, I struggledfor many years as a young gay man. I was taught that my family structure,coupled with my inability to resist Satan was the cause for my giving into homosexuality.

It was much easier for me to find something to blame my homosexuality onthan to look into my heart and find that being gay was as much areflection of my true self as my sister's heterosexuality was a reflectionof her true self.

This is your moment for you to show your true character; to stand and be areal man and learn how to accept yourself and respect yourself as you are.

Reparative/restorative therapy does not work. You can convince yourself,your family and friends that you have changed your behavior over time. Infact, you can manipulate your brain enough to actually believe that yourfaith in God will help you with overcoming what you view as a sin.

Your own personal history has already shown that regardless of your faith,regardless of your desire to be a heterosexual and regardless of yourattempts to build a heterosexual life, you are not a heterosexual.

Discovering that is not a reason for sorrow, remorse or shame. Rather, itis a time to reflect, count your blessings and find a way to move into aplace of self acceptance.

You may want to try reparative/restorative therapy since it has alreadybegun for you. But keep in mind as you go through the process, that whileyour family, church, accountability partners and others may not see yourreality, every single person who has ever struggled to find a place ofself acceptance knows exactly what you are going through. We know what itis you will be thinking about when you are alone. We know how easy it isto think about ending your life rather than moving into a place of selfacceptance.

Believe it or not, your struggle, and the recent events regarding yourremoval from religious leadership can be the catalyst that allows you tobe a real man and stand for what you know in your heart has always beentrue and real for you.

Instead of continuing the charades and duality in your life (yes, many ofus have lived that way as well), you can begin your life anew. A lifelived honestly and with confidence is the best life to live.

Forgiveness for your past of deception and your deadly anti-gay words isfairly easy to come by. But you have to take that first step, which ishonesty.

You are not alone.

Over the past ten years, HeartStrong has helped many hundreds of peoplewho have attended religious schools like yourself. And, we are here tohelp you now.

Your friend on the journey,

Marc Adams
marcadams@heartstrong.org
http://www.heartstrong.org



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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/15939059.htm

Posted on Mon, Nov. 06, 2006

Carnal Knowledge

Looking at porn through a gender gap

By Faye Flam
Inquirer Staff Writer

Last month researchers at McGill University in Canada reconfirmed what we'llcall the porn paradox: When hooked up to instruments measuring sexualarousal, men and women reacted with equal speed when watching pornographicfilms.

This raises several questions, including why women are so much less likelythan men to consider viewing porn a valuable use of our time. But the typeof material used in the study also raises broader questions about theeffects of porn on both sexes.



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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


National Review Online, November 6, 2006
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=OGZkYTBiZTI3MDkyMGE2ZjNjNTY4NjgyZmVkNDdmYjM=


Saving the Conservative Soul
Don't take the wrong lesson from Ted Haggard's fall.
By David Klinghoffer

The meaning of evangelical leader Ted Haggard's downfall needs to be wellunderstood by religious conservatives, lest the tragedy be compounded. Thepain that has befallen the man - now resigned as president of the NationalAssociation of Evangelicals - along with his family and church is theconsequence of his poor decisions.

What would be worse than his personal destruction, however, is if the sideof the culture war that Haggard ably fought against in his public life wereallowed to define his sins as a final proof that religious conservatismitself is cruel, stupid, and morally corrupt. On the contrary, the Haggardstory confirms some truths of the worldview he defended.



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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


The Age, Australia, November 6, 2006

http://www.theage.com.au/news/relationships/licence-to-wed/2006/11/06/1162661583031.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1


Licence to wed
Steve Dow

Should marriage be accessible to all? Many gay couples are finding their wayaround Australian law.

Young love can be such a trip. On a Thursday evening in 1993, Theo Phillip,a Yorkshire-born 27-year-old of West Indian and English heritage, wasenjoying his weekly convivial at Cruise, a gay bar near London's TrafalgarSquare.

His group of friends' briefcases lay at their feet as they drank."This cute boy - I thought he was American - came and tripped over ourbags," Phillip says. "He smacked his face and I helped him up. So I pickedhim up in a bar, literally."



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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


PA: Pastor welcomes church trial for lesbian marriage

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA, November 6, 2006
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06310/735978-51.stm
Pastor welcomes church trial for lesbian marriage By Ann Rodgers, PittsburghPost-Gazette

Most people send formal invitations for weddings, but the Rev. Janet Edwardshas gone a step further with invitations to her church trial for conductingthe wedding of two lesbians.

"I feel such delight in having an opportunity to engage in the absolutelyessential discussion that has to go on in the Presbyterian Church over theplace of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people among us that Ireally do want the church to come and join in it and witness it. I can'tquash that delight," said the Rev. Edwards, a minister of the PresbyterianChurch (USA) and a pastoral associate at the Community of Reconciliation inOakland.




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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


Deb Price--Saginaw group plots ways to overturn gay marriage ban

Detroit News, MI, November 6, 2006

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061106/OPINION03/611060309/1008/OPINION01


Saginaw group plots ways to overturn gay marriage ban Deb Price

Americans instinctively hunt for creative solutions.

So it's only natural that, after a series of elections in which votersamended their state constitutions to ban marriage for gay couples,industrious gay and gay-friendly folks came together to start drawingblueprints for a workable 10-year plan to erase their state's ban.

It happened on a recent Saturday night in Saginaw -- historically a hotbedof innovation and inspiration -- when 70 people brainstormed at a town hallappropriately billed as "Turning the Anti-Gay Tide."



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http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/vote2006/2006-11-07-scandals-usat_x.htm


Sex, money scandals figure into some House races
Updated 11/8/2006 2:22 AM ET
By Martha T. Moore, USA TODAY


Sex, money and influence - the trifecta of political scandals - dominatedmore than a dozen Congressional races.

Many of the candidates in trouble were linked to Jack Abramoff, a lobbyistwho pleaded guilty in January to felonies including bribing a member ofCongress, or to former congressman Mark Foley, the Florida Republican whoresigned in September after being confronted about sexually explicitcomputer messages and improper e-mails sent to teenage boys serving asCongressional pages.

Democrats took three seats vacated as a result of scandal: those of Foley;former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who resigned his Texas seat in Juneafter a fundraising scandal; and former Ohio Republican Rep. Bob Ney, whoresigned last week after pleading guilty to corruption in the Abramoffscandal.



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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2006/11/07/us/07pedophile.html&tntemail1=y

November 7, 2006

Prosecutor Kills Himself in Texas Raid Over Child Sex
By TIM EATON

TERRELL, Tex., Nov. 6 - A prosecutor in this North Texas town killed himselfSunday as the police tried to arrest him on charges of soliciting sex overthe Internet from a person he thought was a 13-year-old boy.

The prosecutor, Louis Conradt Jr., 56, had been caught in a sting operationset up by Dateline NBC, the television news magazine, and an Internetwatchdog group called Perverted Justice. An NBC camera crew was outside thehouse to film the scene when the fatal shot was fired.



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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org


Townhall.com, November 7, 2006

http://www.townhall.com/Columnists/DennisPrager/2006/11/07/is_a_gay_who_opposes_same-sex_marriage_a_hyprocrit

Is a gay who opposes same-sex marriage a hyprocrit?
By Dennis Prager

Why did a gay prostitute tell the media about the homosexual behavior of aleading Christian opponent of same-sex marriage on the weekend before anelection, an election in which eight states vote on whether to maintain thedefinition of marriage as between a man and a woman?

Because he knew, first of all, that the media love to publicize the sexuallives of public figures. How else to explain the extensive reporting by themainstream news media of the private sexual acts of a prominent sportscastera decade ago -- a basketball announcer, not a politician, not a religiousleader?




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Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org



http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gardenguy6nov06,1,5845758.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Landscapers: We don't take gay customers

A Houston company's rejection of a client shocks some in the city, wherehomosexuals have made strides.

By Lianne Hart, Times Staff Writer
November 6, 2006


HOUSTON - The co-owner of a landscaping company here called Garden Guyturned down a job last month by sending an e-mail to a man who had requestedan estimate for work on his yard:

"I am appreciative of your time on the phone today and glad you contactedus," Sabrina Farber wrote. "I need to tell you that we cannot meet with youbecause we choose not to work with homosexuals. Best of luck in findingsomeone else to fill your landscaping needs. All the best."




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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_top13nov08,0,2896547.story


Gay Marriage Ban Rejected in Arizona

By DAVID CRARY
AP National Writer

November 8, 2006, 6:35 AM EST


In a triple setback for conservatives, South Dakotans rejected a law thatwould have banned virtually all abortions, Arizona became the first state todefeat an amendment to ban gay marriage and Missouri approved a measurebacking stem cell research.

Nationwide, a total of 205 measures were on the ballots in 37 statesTuesday, but none had riveted political activists across the country likethe South Dakota measure. Passed overwhelmingly by the legislature earlierthis year, it would have been the toughest abortion law in the nation,allowing the procedure only to save a pregnant woman's life.



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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/ats-ap_us18nov07,0,4180793.story

Dobson Quits Haggard Counseling Team


November 7, 2006, 9:19 PM EST


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Citing a lack of time, Focus on the Familyfounder James Dobson withdrew Tuesday from the team overseeing counselingfor the Rev. Ted Haggard, the evangelical pastor who was fired amidallegations of gay sex and drug use.

"Emotionally and spiritually, I wanted to be of help -- but the reality is Idon't have the time to devote to such a critical responsibility," Dobsonsaid.

The other two members of the team, Pastors Jack Hayford of The Church on theWay in Van Nuys, Calif., and Tommy Barnett of First Assembly of God inPhoenix, declined to comment.

Haggard was forced out as senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Churchon Saturday after a former male escort alleged they had sex repeatedly andthat Haggard used methamphetamines.



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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-agender08nov08,0,1420275.story

Boy or girl? It's a personal choice
New York plans to allow changes on birth certificates

By Damien Cave
The New York Times

November 8, 2006


NEW YORK · Separating anatomy from what it means to be a man or a woman, NewYork City is moving forward with a plan to let people alter the sex on theirbirth certificates even if they have not had sex-change surgery.

Under the rule being considered by the city's Board of Health, which islikely to be adopted soon, people born in the city would be able to changethe documented sex on their birth certificates by providing affidavits froma doctor and a mental health professional laying out why their patientsshould be considered members of the opposite sex, and asserting that theirproposed change would be permanent.




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The Miami Herald
November 8, 2006

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15954208.htm


Wisconsin votes against gay marriage, for death penalty
CHRIS JENKINS
Associated Press

MILWAUKEE - Gay rights advocates targeted Wisconsin as the one place theymight be able to turn the tide of state constitutional amendments banninggay marriage.

It didn't happen, but an Arizona surprise softened their disappointment.

Wisconsin voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment banningstate recognition of gay marriage and any type of civil union similar tomarriage. With 98 percent of precincts reporting, 59 percent of votersfavored the amendment according to unofficial returns.




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http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/11/110706uChurch.htm


Canada's Largest Protestant Church Launches Gay Positive Media Campaign
by The Canadian Press
November 7, 2006 - 9:00 pm ET


(Toronto, Ontario) An ad showing Jesus Christ sitting in a Santa Clauschair is part of a United Church campaign launched Tuesday aimed at reachingout to the 30-to-45 crowd in hopes of getting some of them back into thepews.

The ad, among a half dozen to appear in December issues of lifestylemagazines and community newspapers, is just one aspect of a three-year $9million campaign called Emerging Spirit that also includes an interactivewebsite and a grassroots effort to get the church's 3,500 congregationsinvolved.

The ad, depicting Jesus sitting in a shopping mall with a child on his kneeand surrounded by presents, asks: ``Would you still take your kids?''



[ Send your comments about any of the articles in Ray's List Digest to
Rays.List@Comcast.net ]

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Monday, November 06, 2006

FLORIDA DIGEST NOVEMBER 6, 2006

**
*NOTE: AOL is regularly blocking Ray's List.
Please go to http://www.rayslistglbtnews.blogspot.com/
to read the digests if you don't don't receive them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Ray's List will be offline on Tuesday - We'll be poll workers!

Be sure to vote!

Ray and Michael


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Vote Tue, November 7th

Jim Davis Is Within Storm Surge Distance

Ron Klein Is Ahead In The Polls

Ken Keechl, Cristian Chiari And Marty Kiar as well As Phyllis Hope areWithin Striking Distance

TODAY IT IS ALL ABOUT THE GROUND GAME

We Must Play It Forward

In my October Dolphin Democrats Vice President's Message I recommendedthat every member and our allies Vote by Absentee and find 5 more to VoteAbsentee then find 5 to Vote Early and then 5 to Vote on Election Day, Theseraces are so close that everyone NEEDS to call 25 freinds in the next 2 daysand get them to the polls on election Day.

If you need a Palm Card you can download one HERE

http://www.dolphindems.org/documents/PalmCard.pdf

If you have the time in the next 40 plus hours we need you !!

we have many volunteer opportuninties availableCall JD at the Democratic Vote Center 954-763-1880



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ArtsUnited Features Artist Steven Sylvester in November


ArtsUnited will feature the mixed media art work of Steven Sylvester in asolo exhibit at the Stonewall Library and Archives from November 6 throughDecember 2, 2006. The exhibit opens with a reception to meet the artist onMonday, November 6 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. The Stonewall Library and Archivesis located at 1717 North Andrews Avenue in Fort Lauderdale. The exhibit andreception are free and open to the public.

Steven Sylvester often played in mud puddles as a child. Things aren'tmuch different for him as an adult. Mud is still his medium of choice.Playing with mud as an adult clay artist requires a balance between delicatefinessing and outright mud wrestling with a creative result as the goal.

Steven initially entered the profession of social work. In 1993 he becamethe owner of a wholesale clay art business in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, thusopening doors for exposure to creativity. Selling the business in 2003allowed time for his total immersion in the creative process.

Along with the making of handbuilt clay and mixed media pieces, Stevenpaints in abstract style on rolled slabs of clay which he uses as hiscanvases. In addition, he is developing his sculptural abilities with an eyetoward the installation of large-scale ceramic art pieces in the homes ofcollectors and public places. Pursuing this interest in large scaleinstallations, Steven was recently awarded an Individual Artist EnhancementAward Grant by the State of Florida. This allowed him to participate in aweek-long International Architectural Ceramics Symposium held in St.Petersburg, Florida. At the symposium Steven studied under internationallyknown ceramic artists Peter King, Xinia Marin, Stan Bitters and Gwen Heeney.

Mr. Sylvester's work has been shown in numerous exhibits includingArtsUnited's ArtExplosion and United and Proud Exhibits. For moreinformation about the artist, go to www.stevensylvester.net. For moreinformation about ArtsUnited, call 954-530-2723 or go online towww.artsunitedonline



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The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/people/15939837.htm

By Steve Rothaus

'Political rock star' Clinton drops in on gay group's gala in SoBe

Former President Bill Clinton, in South Florida to campaign for Democraticcandidates, made a surprise appearance Saturday night at the National Gayand Lesbian Task Force's 10th annual Recognition Dinner in South Beach.

Clinton arrived at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel about 8 p.m. and greetedNAACP Board Chairman Julian Bond, who received the evening's NationalLeadership award. Local honorees: philanthropist Bob Cole (The Miami HeraldHumanitarian Award) and TWN (The Weekly News), South Florida's gay newspaperthat closed in March after 29 years.

Clinton, 60, and Bond, 66, exchanged a few words, then the former presidentshook hands with dozens of the dinner's 600 attendees. He gave no speeches.

Soon, Secret Service agents whisked Clinton down a winding staircase and outof the hotel.




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The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/15939168.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Mon, Nov. 06, 2006

BROWARD SCHOOLS
Broward schools consider gender-separated classes
The Broward School District might begin an experiment in student learning byseparating boys and girls at one middle school next year.
BY NIRVI SHAH
nshah@MiamiHerald.com


In Marie Cadet's first-period civics class, 19 seventh-graders -- allboys -- stare back at her as she goes over a lesson.

When she looks for volunteers to read out loud, a few hands go up. When sheasks a question about how they will analyze the passage they are reading,there are even more volunteers.

Cadet, a three-year teacher working for the first time at Odyssey Middle inBoynton Beach, was surprised that most of her classes would be separated bygender. She worked in high schools before and said the change is palpable.



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http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061106/NEWS01/611060319/1006


Crist says he won't join Bush today at rally
Gubernatorial hopeful to stump across state
Aaron Deslatte
News Journal capital bureau

Michael Stewart
mstewart@pnj.com


While President Bush, his wife, Laura, and brother Jeb campaign forRepublicans in Pensacola today, the GOP candidate for the state's top jobwill be elsewhere.

Gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist said his absence is not because hedoesn't support the president or does not care about Northwest Florida.

"We want to be in different parts of the state. That's all it means," Cristsaid. "We're doing very well in Pensacola. We've got to fight for votes inother parts of the state."

While today's prospective presidential visit has generated excitement inthis Republican stronghold, the euphoria does not seem to be as high as thatexperienced during Bush's visit to the Pensacola Civic Center two years ago.



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The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/06/opinion/06mon2.html?pagewanted=print


November 6, 2006
Editorial

Protecting the Right to Vote

No one expects Florida elections to go smoothly, but this year the state gotoff to an alarming start. Voters reported that after selecting Democraticcandidates on electronic voting machines, the review screens registered thatthey had chosen Republicans. A spokeswoman for the Broward County supervisorof elections told The Miami Herald that the machines often fall out of syncunder heavy use, but that they can be fixed when voters complain.

That snapshot of Florida's early voting is confirmation - as if any wereneeded - that a great deal can go wrong tomorrow, much of it eminentlypreventable. Six years after the 2000 election meltdown, voting machines arestill unreliable, and there are an array of other obstacles to voters whowant their votes to count.




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Please help us spread the word:

JOIN THE GLCC FAMILY ON THANKSGIVING!

The GLCC will once again host a community potluck on Thanksgiving Day,Thursday - November 23, 2006. The event is free and open to the entirecommunity, you may also bring a potluck dish but it is not mandatory.

Volunteers are needed from 11am to 5pm. Dinner will be served from 12:30pmto 3:30pm.

"This year we have been very fortunate to receive covered dishes donated bythe Church of the Holy SpiritSong, which include: turkey, gravy, stuffing,mashed potatoes and veggies," reports Nicole Martin, Operations Manager ofthe GLCC. "The Church meets at the Center weekly on Sunday mornings at 10amand we are very grateful for their generosity."

Suggested potluck items are salads, side dishes, beverages and desserts.

Anyone interested in volunteering may contact Nicole at 954 463-9005 x227 orvia email at nicole@glccsf.org

The Center Switchboard, Admin Offices and Group Meetings will be closed onThanksgiving.

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