GLBT DIGEST - September 10, 2008

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NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - September 10, 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:

-Across Country, New Challenges to Term Limits
A decade after adopting rules to oust politicians, many local governmentsare considering reversal.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/nyregion/10limits.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

-Wall Street's Fears on Lehman Bros. Batter Markets
Investors were gripped by fears that another big financial institution mightfounder - and that the government might not come to the rescue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/business/11lehman.html?hp

-Still No Exit
President Bush wants to have it both ways - claiming success in tamping downviolence in Iraq and yet refusing to make the hard choices that would flowfrom that.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/opinion/10wed1.html?ref=opinion

-From the Gut
Whoever slipped that Valium into Barack Obama's coffee needs to be found andarrested by the Democrats because Obama has gone from cool to cold. [...]How, you ask, can two people running with the exact same policies as theparty that has been in power for eight years, claim to be the agents of"change?" That's politics. There's no shame. But what this has done is tomake the word "change" as a campaign slogan meaningless. Obama will need tofind another way to connect his ideas - clearly, crisply and passionately.Because, while the pollsters tell us it is still really close, my owntotally unscientific, seat of the pants poll tells me this: When you sayObama's name today and ask people for their first impression - a quick,flash, gut, first impression - no single word or phrase or policy comes tomind. His opponents will fill that vacuum if he doesn't. They already are.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/opinion/10friedman.html?ref=opinion

-MAUREEN DOWD: My Fair Veep
Now all Sarah Palin has to do is prove that she can be the leader of thefree world on a moment's notice, and field dress Vladimir Putin as adeptlyas she can a moose. [...] For the first time in American history, we have a"My Fair Lady" moment, as teams of experts bustle around the most famouswoman in politics, intensely coaching her for her big moment at the ball -her first unscripted interview here this week with ABC News's CharlieGibson.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/opinion/10dowd.html?ref=opinion

-Meaner Streets in Washington
A bill being considered in Congress that would eviscerate gun controls inthe District of Columbia is a gross trampling on the right of the districtto govern itself.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/opinion/10wed2.html?ref=opinion

-North Korean Leader Is Very Ill, U.S. Official Says
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/world/asia/10korea.html


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

-Bob Woodward - Washington Post Associate Editor
Washington Post investigative journalist Bob Woodward will be online
Wednesday, September 10 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the revelations in The WarWithin: A Secret White House History 2006-2008, his just-published fourthbook about the presidency of George W. Bush. The book draws on exclusiveinterviews with administration insiders, including the President himself, toportray the divisions between the White House, the Pentagon, the StateDepartment and intelligence agencies over military and political strategyfor the Iraq War. Excerpts appeared this week in the Washington Post.Woodward has worked for the Washington Post for 37 years, where he firstmade his name with his coverage of the Watergate scandals of the Nixonpresidency. He has authored or coauthored 11 national best-sellers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2008/09/04/DI2008090402466.html?hpid=topnews

-Doubt, Distrust, Delay - Part 1
The War Within
The inside story of how President Bush's team dealt with its failing Iraqstrategy
By Bob Woodward
Sunday, September 7, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/06/AR2008090602691.html?hpid=topnews

-The War Within | Rift - Part 2
Outmaneuvered And Outranked, Military Chiefs Became Outsiders
By Bob Woodward
Monday, September 8, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/07/AR2008090702426.html?hpid=topnews

-'You're Not Accountable, Jack' - Part 3
How a Retired Officer Gained Influence at the White House and in Baghdad
By Bob Woodward
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090802839.html?hpid=topnews

-A Portrait of a Man Defined by His Wars - Part 4
President Bush still has few doubts, but he has tempered his rhetoric overseven years.
By Bob Woodward
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090903491.html?hpid=topnews

-The Commander in Speech
Fighting an unpopular war and low approval ratings? Give a victory speech.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090903137.html?hpid=topnews

-Trig's Breakthrough
In addition to Barack Obama making history as the first African American tobe nominated for president and Sarah Palin taking her shotgun to the glassceiling, there was a third civil rights barrier broken at the politicalconventions this year. Trig Paxson Van Palin -- pronounced by his mother"beautiful" and "perfect" and applauded at center stage of the Republicanconvention -- smashed the chromosomal barrier. And it was all the moremoving for the innocence and indifference of this 4-month-old civil rightsleader.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090902519.html

-How to Beat McCain's Bounce
Sarah's a hit with the ladies -- white ladies, anyway. Monday's WashingtonPost-ABC News poll, which showed a newly deadlocked presidential race,registered a 20-point bump for the McCain ticket among white women since theprevious poll, taken before Sarah Palin was loosed on the world. Among thesewomen, Barack Obama's eight-point lead has turned into a 12-point deficit.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090902518.html

-Mexico's War
The government's battle against drug gangs is deadlier than most Americansrealize.
MANY PEOPLE in Washington are rightly alarmed about the rising toll ofmilitary and civilian casualties in Afghanistan. They might be surprised tolearn that a roughly equal number of people have been killed so far thisyear in a war raging much closer to home -- in Mexico. More Mexican soldiersand police officers have died fighting the country's drug gangs in the pasttwo years than the number of U.S. and NATO troops killed battling theTaliban. Civilian casualties have been just as numerous, and as gruesome: There have been scores of beheadings, massacres of entire families andassassinations of senior officials. By the official count, kidnappings inMexico now average 65 a month, ranking it well ahead of Afghanistan andIraq. The challenge facing Mexican President Felipe Calderón, whocourageously declared war on the drug syndicates shortly after taking officein December 2006, gets relatively little attention here because Americansare only rarely among the casualties. But U.S. money and weapons are fuelingthis war.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090902844.html

-U.S. Shifts Tactics in Hunt for Bin Laden
Predator drones are increasingly used to search for the al-Qaeda leaderafter efforts were stymied by an inability to develop informants, officialssay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090903404.html?hpid=topnews

-Does the Truth Matter Anymore?
This is not false naivete: I am genuinely surprised that John McCain and hiscampaign keep throwing out false charges and making false claims without anyqualms. They keep talking about Sarah Palin's opposition to the Bridge toNowhere without any embarrassment over the fact that she once supported it.They keep saying that Barack Obama will raise taxes, suggesting he'd raisethem on everybody, when Obama's plan, according to the Tax Policy Institute,would cut taxes for "about 80 percent of households" while "only about 10percent would owe more." And as Sebastian Mallaby pointed out in his recentcolumn, Obama would cut taxes for middle-income taxpayers "moreaggressively" than McCain would. And now comes a truly vile McCain adaccusing Obama of supporting legislation to offer "'comprehensive sexeducation' to kindergartners." The announcer declares: "Learning about sexbefore learning to read? Barack Obama. Wrong on education. Wrong for yourfamily."
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/does_the_truth_matter_anymore.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

-Massive particle collider passes first key tests
GENEVA -- The world's largest particle collider passed its first major testsby firing two beams of protons in opposite directions around a 17-mile(27-kilometer) underground ring Wednesday in what scientists hope is thenext great step to understanding the makeup of the universe. After a seriesof trial runs, two white dots flashed on a computer screen at 10:26 a.m.(0826 GMT) indicating that the protons had traveled clockwise along the fulllength of the 4 billion Swiss franc (US$3.8 billion) Large Hadron Collider _described as the biggest physics experiment in history.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/10/AR2008091000274.html?hpid=moreheadlines

-No questions, please; Palin sticks to her script
John McCain took a risk in picking little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as arunning mate, but now the campaign's playing it safer. She's sticking to agreatest hits version of her convention speech on the campaign trail andsteering clear of questions until she's comfortable enough for a hand-pickedinterviewer later this week.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090902009.html?hpid=sec-politics

-Palin's nomination adds fuel to abortion debate
The abortion debate is gaining a higher campaign profile this year than inother recent general elections, partly because of divisive ballot measuresand partly because of Sarah Palin. Veteran leaders in the anti-abortioncamp say they have never before seen the degree of enthusiasm that greetedPalin's selection as John McCain's Republican running mate. She opposesabortion even in cases of rape or incest, and lived out her convictions bybearing an infant son she knew had Down syndrome.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/09/AR2008090902002.html?hpid=sec-religion


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

-Hurrican Ike - 5-day forecast map
http://weather.sun-sentinel.com/tropical/tracking/at200809_5day.html


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

-Palin seen as asset to win evangelical vote
While Barack Obama is working harder than his Democratic predecessors tocourt Christian voters, he is facing a groundswell of support foranti-abortion Republican Sarah Palin.
http://www.miamiherald.com/979/story/679697.html

-DETROIT MAYOR
Being black doesn't mean innocence
If Kwame Kilpatrick were white, don't you think he'd have been thrown out ofoffice a long time ago? Heck, he'd be out of jail by now and shopping hismemoirs. Instead, it was just last week, after a year of scandal andrevelation that has paralyzed his city and made it the punchline to aninternational joke, that Detroit's mayor surrendered his office and copped aplea: 120 days in jail, five years probation and a $1 million fine. Because,you see, Kilpatrick is not white, he is black in a city that is itself morethan 80 percent black. And that complicated things.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/columnists/story/679582.html

-More than a handout this time, a full-fledged bailout
The government's seizure of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issobering evidence of the depth of America's housing and mortgage crisis.Only six weeks ago, Congress approved a housing-rescue package thatauthorized the Treasury Department to extend credit to Fannie and Freddie --if the mortgage titans needed it -- to avert a loss of confidence that couldtrigger a worse crisis. Now the government is saying, in effect: Forget theloan; we have to intervene directly to restore confidence.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/677946.html

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[Send your comments about articles to Rays.List@Comcast.net]
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FLORIDA DIGEST - September 10, 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

-Court rules against ban on gay adoptions
Circuit Court rules against Florida's ban on gay adoptions
A Monroe Circuit Court judge has ruled Florida's 31-year-old gay adoption ban ''unconstitutional'' in an order that allows an openly gay Key West foster parent to adopt a teenage boy he has raised since 2001. Declaring the adoption to be in the boy's ''best interest,'' Circuit Judge David J. Audlin Jr. said the Florida law forbidding gay people from adopting children is contrary to the state Constitution because it singles out a group for punishment. Florida is one of only two states -- the other is Mississippi -- that forbids gay people from adopting. Circuit judges in Florida have found the statute unconstitutional twice before, both in 1991, but both challenges stalled. A Miami case expected to be heard next month may provide an additional challenge to the law. At the heart of the Monroe case is a 13-year-old boy with learning disabilities and special needs who has lived in his Key West foster father's two-story home since the Department of Children & Families placed him there in 2001. The boy is identified as John Doe. The father, 52, is not identified. Audlin appointed the foster father as guardian for the boy in 2006. At a recent hearing, the boy testified he wanted the man to be his ''forever father'' -- like all the other kids had -- ''because I love him,'' the order says. A home study by a social worker ''highly'' recommended the guardian and his partner be allowed to adopt the boy, saying the two men provided a ''loving and nurturing home,'' provided ''fair and consistent'' discipline and are financially secure, the order says. Miami attorney Alan Mishael, who represents John Doe's guardian, declined to discuss the ruling, since Audlin has not yet published it formally. He said the ruling is less about public policy than the welfare of a former foster child who wants a father of his own. ''This is a case about a young man who already had a permanent guardian but wanted to have a father,'' Mishael said. ``That's what the case is about. That's all it's about.'' In the ruling, the judge noted that the statute was passed by lawmakers in 1977 amid a politically charged campaign to, as one lawmaker at the time put it, send gay people ''back into the closet.'' Audin said the law violates the Constitution's separation of powers by preventing family court and child welfare judges from deciding case-by-case what is best for a child. ''Contrary to every child welfare principle,'' Audlin wrote, ''the gay adoption ban operates as a conclusive or irrebuttable presumption that . . . it is never in the best interest of any adoptee to be adopted by a homosexual,'' Audlin wrote. In 1991, a Key West judge tossed out the anti-gay adoption statute as a violation of privacy and equal protection, but the ruling never was published or appealed. That same year, a Sarasota Circuit judge declared the law unconstitutional, citing the earlier case. But two years later, an appeals court in Lakeland reversed the decision, in a case involving a man named James W. Cox who had been told he could not adopt a foster child. The Florida Supreme Court agreed with the Lakeland court in 1995. State law does not preclude gay people from fostering abused and neglected children. John Doe's guardian has cared for 32 children who were in DCF custody, the order says. DCF Secretary George Sheldon said his agency took no position on the Key West adoption because the boy already had been placed in a permanent guardianship with his foster father, essentially stripping DCF of authority over family decisions. ''We were not a party, and we are still not a party,'' he said.
MCCOLLUM MUM
Sandi Copes, press secretary for Attorney General Bill McCollum, declined to discuss the Key West ruling. McCollum's office chose not to become involved in the case because the teen was no longer in DCF's custody, Copes said. The attorney general still can appeal the order, the ruling says. Surveysdone by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggest gay couples already are raising children in large numbers. A study published last year by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law, which used data provided by Health and Human Services said one-third of lesbians and 16 percent of gay men have kids. Of those without children, 41 percent of gay women and 52 percent of gay men said they would like children. Forty-six percent of lesbians said they had considered adoption -- as compared to 32 percent of straight women, according to the study, which did not include data for gay men. In all, the study said, two million gay people nationwide said they would like to adopt. Mathew Staver, founder and chairman of the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, a conservative advocacy group, called the ruling ``absurd.'' ''State and federal courts have already addressed the constitutionality of Florida's law, and both have upheld it,'' Staver said. He said Audlin ``has no authority to disobey state and federal court precedents.'' ''I think this kind of ruling illustrates why judges should judge and not be activists,'' Staver added. ``Apparently, he should run for office, as opposed to sitting behind a bench.''
RULING HAILED
Howard Simon, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, which has litigated several cases on behalf of prospective adoptive parents who are gay, defended the ruling, saying, ''Child welfare policy has been held hostage by politics'' for too long. ''You won't find a child welfare professional or organization that does not believe judges ought to be able to make individual determinations as to who would be good adoptive parents and who would not,'' Simon said. As an order from a trial judge that has not been ppealed, Audlin's ruling is unlikely to hold much sway as legal precedent, several constitutional scholars said. Florida's gay adoption ban has been upheld repeatedly by state and federal appeals courts, they noted. ''On the one hand, this is one trial judge in Key West,'' said professor Michael Allen, who teaches constitutional law, federal courts and civil procedure at Stetson University's law school in St. Petersburg. ``But for these two men and their child, it has greater effect than any order by the Supreme Court.'' He said the ruling, and the adoption hearing set for next month involving a gay foster father from Miami, may start to chip away at the state law. ''Cracks begin to develop in legal doctrine,'' Allen said. ``Even if it has no effect as precedent and it is not repeated someplace else, it's a crack. If you get enough cracks, things break.''
http://www.miamiherald.com/569/story/679719.html

- BROWARD SCHOOL BOARD: Broward School Board opposes gay marriage ban
Broward School Board members said they oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that strengthens Florida's ban on gay marriage. Concerned that a ban on gay marriage would mean losing employees or getting slapped with lawsuits, the Broward School Board on Tuesday voted unanimously to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/679707.html


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Ft. Lauderdale - Stonewall welcomes gay trailblazer David Mixner
Stonewall invites you to..SNAP
(Social Network of Active Professionals)
Stonewall and Gay American Heroes Foundation will host an informal meet andgreet with political icon and gay rights champion David Mixner. The eventwill be held at Stonewall, located at 1717 North Andrews Ave, FortLauderdale, Thursday, September 18, at 6:00 pm. In his over forty years ofpolitical engagement, Mixner worked inside campaigns, got arrestedprotesting unjust wars and rallied his LGBT brothers and sisters around hisold friend Bill Clinton. Mixner went on to join Clinton's campaign andbecame the first openly gay man actively - and very publicly - involved ina presidential election. Clinton would later break with Mixner by signing"Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Understandably angry over Clinton's apparentbetrayal, Mixner came out against the discriminatory policy, a move whichended up getting him exiled from the Clinton inner circle.
Thursday, September 18 - 6:00 pm
Stonewall Library & Archives
1717 North Andrews Avenue
Fort Lauderdale
Mark your calendars -SNAP meets every third Thursday
For further information, please contact:
Jack Rutland, Executive Director
Stonewall Library & Archives
954-763-8565
Jack-rutland@stonewall-library.org
Scott Hall, President
Gay American Heroes Foundation
321-506-8738
gayamericanheroes@yahoo.com


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ArtsUnited will feature the mixed media art work of local artists RobertTabor in a solo exhibit
from September 8 through October 3, 2008 at the Stonewall Library andArchives. The gallery is located at 1717 North Andrews Avenue in FortLauderdale, Florida. The exhibit opens with a reception to meet the artistfrom 6:30 to 8:00 PM on Monday, September 8th. The exhibit and reception arefree and open to the public. Refreshments will be served at the reception.With a degree in Graphic Design and a unique look at life, Robert Tabor hasdeveloped his professional career in Boston, New York, LA and now SouthFlorida. Robert's shoe sculptures take broken down high heels and give themone last bit of respect as a one-of-a-kind art piece. His shoe creationscommunicate through sculpting clay, foams, fabrics, metals, acrylics,pearls, crystals, leathers and feathers. Funding for this exhibitprovided by ArtsUnited. For more information about ArtsUnited, go online towww.artsunitedonline.org.


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

-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist won't campaign for anti-gay-marriage amendment
Crist says he'll focus on McCain presidential bid
Gov. Charlie Crist on Tuesday said he won't actively support a stateconstitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, casting doubt on whetherthe issue will pack a political punch this fall.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-flfcrist0910sbsep10,0,2718291.story

-Palm Beach Community College OKs domestic partner benefits
Palm Beach Community College will offer health insurance to partners of gayand unmarried employees, ending a yearlong debate that divided the school'sgoverning board. Trustees approved 3-2 an 18-month pilot program whereemployees can sign up for domestic partners benefits. The trustees willconsider in mid-2010 whether to continue it. "It's taken them a long time,but finally the board realizes the importance of treating all familiesequally," said Rand Hoch, president of the Palm Beach County Human RightsCouncil, a gay rights group.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/schools/sfl-flppbcc0910pnsep10,0,2406662.story


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

APPLY FOR ABSENTEE BALLOT
Florida will once again be a pivotal swing state in this year's presidential election. In order to ensure a victory here in the state, Barack Obama needs your vote. And the good news is that you can easily vote from home. To apply for an absentee ballot, click here: Broward County Absentee Ballot Request Form. http://www.browardsoe.org/AbsenteeRequest2.aspx Florida law allows any registered voter to request an absentee ballot from the Supervisor of Elections. We are encouraging our supporters to request an absentee ballot and vote early. The process is very simple and will be extremely beneficial for Barack Obama here in Florida. It will also save you the effort of waiting in line at the polls on Election Day! You may request an absentee ballot from your Supervisor of Elections in the following ways: In erson - By Telephone - By Mail - To find your local county Supervisor of Elections, click Supervisor of Elections Addresses and Phone Numbers in the Important Links section in the right-hand column.
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/voter-registration/voter-reg.shtml


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

-Wind from successive storms hasten erosion of South Florida's beaches
Cumulative effect of storms evident on shoreline in Broward, Palm Beach counties
Florida escaped the fury of Hurricane Ike, but its accompanying winds, coupled with those from a succession of other nasty storms, are chewing away sand from beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Not a good thing in an area already plagued by chronic erosion, largely due to overdevelopment, experts say.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flberode0910sbsep10,0,3922151.story

-No deal yet for Broward teachers
The Broward Teachers Union and the Broward School District failed to reach a deal Tuesday night in ongoing negotiations over an additional teacher raise for the current school year. The sticking point: Whether teachers will get a guaranteed increase next year by moving to the next salary level. Teachers received an increase for the current school year by moving to a higher step on the pay scale, but wanted an additional cost-of-living increase above that. The two sides were in talks for nearly four hours before the discussions ended without a deal.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbunion0910sbsep10,0,3711766.story

-Fort Lauderdale bikers and walkers must share Intracoastal Waterway bridge
THE PROBLEM: Steven Jay Thor, of Fort Lauderdale, contacted the Sun Sentinel to ask about missing signs on the Commercial Boulevard bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway that directed bicycle riders to walk bikes over the bridge. THE BACK STORY: Thor said the bridge walkway doesn't have enough space for pedestrians and bike riders. He's concerned about the safety of pedestrians.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-flhlpbsswatch0908sbsep08,0,1546752.story

-Wind from storms hasten beach erosion
Florida escaped the fury of Hurricane Ike, but its accompanying winds,coupled with those from a succession of other nasty storms, are chewing awaysand from beaches in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flberode0910sbsep10,0,3922151.story

-Haitians badly need food, water after storms
More than two days after storm-driven floodwaters led to at least 60 deathshere, river water is threatening to kill again - this time from disease.South Florida agencies are pleading for emergency items to send to Haiti,and residents are donating.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbhaiti0910sbsep10,0,1628391.story


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

-Obama opens new campaign office in South Florida
Barack Obama's campaign is opening a new office in South Florida. StartingWednesday, the Democratic presidential nominee will have a presence inSunrise, about 40 miles north of Miami. Obama spoke at a 16,000-person rallyin the city back in May, during which he mistakenly called it "Sunshine."Voters will decide on a new president in less than two months, choosingbetween Obama and Republican nominee John McCain.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/680080.html

-Lake Okeechobee returns to safe level
After rising nearly four feet over the past month, Lake Okeechobee seems tohave stabilized. The lake sat at 15.10 feet above sea level on Tuesday, thesame as the previous day -- a first since Tropical Storm Fay dumped heavy rains almost three weeks ago and caused a record rise.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/679684.html

-BROWARD SHERIFF: Sheriff Al Lamberti fights Democrat tide
A well-financed Republican, Sheriff Al Lamberti will try to hold on to hisseat in a year of anticipated high Democratic voter turnout. Broward'sappointed sheriff, Al Lamberti, is trying to join an exclusive club: Republicans who have won countywide office in the Democratic stronghold.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/679711.html

-Crew, School Board headed for a split
At the end of the day today, after the Miami-Dade School Board andSuperintendent Rudy Crew have agreed to part ways, this is what will remain:1) The budget gap and teacher-pay issue will still not be solved. 2) Atleast four members of the board will continue to be cantankerous. 3) Thefuture of education in Miami-Dade, including progress made under Mr. Crew'sleadership, once again will be in doubt.
http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/editorials/story/676486.html


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

-Amendment 2 will fail, according to poll
Study shows anti-gay marriage amendment does not have enough supportAt last, some good news for GLBT advocates in Florida: it seems Amendment 2will not receive enough votes to become part of the Florida Constitution.According to a Quinnipiac University poll, Florida voters support Amendment2 by a margin of 55 percent to 41 percent. That is shy of the 60 percent"supermajority" required for passage on Nov. 4. (FYI, Quinnipiac Universitypolls are widely accepted in the U.S. for being the most unbiased andscientific polls on public policy and politics.)
http://www.floridablade.com/blog/index.cfm#20879


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Ft. Lauderdale - Earl Rynerson for Mayor Campaign

-The "Earl For Mayor" Campaign Reception, held August 23rd at Earl's home, was a resounding success! Over 80 people attended and over $8,000 wascollected to help Earl on his quest to win the Fort Lauderdale Mayor's racenext February! If you missed this event, don't worry; we are havinganother event this month as well. Mark your calendars! Friday, September26th from 7-9pm at the home of Earl Rynerson: 438 NE 8th Ave, here in FortLauderdale! Be sure to stop by and listen as Earl speaks about his visionfor making Fort Lauderdale a World Class City that we can all be proud of!Bring a friend! AND PLEASE BRING A CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION (up to $250 perperson). Here are some pictures of this most recent event. Thanks to SteveShires Photography for these! Hope to see you later this month!
Earl Rynerson
www.earlformayor.com

-I thought you would find this information interesting about our City'sBudget and how much we provide in compensation to our City Attorney and ourCity Manager.
Thank you - Earl Rynerson
www.earlformayor.com
Contact Ray's List for the attachments


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Palm Beach Human Rights Council
www.pbchrc.org
Palm Beach Community College

-TRUSTEES FINALLY OFFER DOMESTIC PARTNER HEALTH INSURANCE
By a vote of 3 to 2, and after more than a year of delays, the Board ofTrustees of Palm Beach Community College finally voted this evening to offerdomestic partner health insurance to college employees.


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

-Thank you to everyone who showed up to speak and support the School Boardof Broward County as they denounced Amendment No. 2. Please thank SchoolBoard Member Jennifer Gottlieb and her fellow members for their continuedleadership.

-School board votes to oppose "Marriage Protection'' Amendment
The Broward County School Board unanimously approved a resolution Tuesdayagainst a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage.School Board member Jennifer Gottlieb brought forth the resolution againstthe amendment, and her fellow board members lined up in opposition toAmendment 2. Some board members said they feared the amendment, if passed,would hinder the district's ability to offer domestic partner benefits."This couldreally affect a lot of our employees in a negative way," saidboard member Stephanie Kraft. Other board members said they didn't thinkit was appropriate for the state to dictate what kinds of benefits thatlocal governments could give their employees. "This board chooses toafford our employees the opportunity to take part in domestic partnerbenefits," said board chairwoman Robin Bartleman. " ... I don't think it's right for the state to come in and say, 'You're not allowed to offer that anymore, by the way.'"
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/09/school_board_votes_to_oppose_m.html


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

-Bogdanoff won't retain her Republican leadership job after November election
State Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, won't return to her post as majority party whip - a post in the Republican leadership - after the November election. As whip, she was responsible for rounding up votes from rank-and-file members and making sure they followed the wishes of the speaker and other party leaders. The news was contained in a memo from House Speaker-designate Ray Sansom to members of the House on Tuesday. Assuming she's re-elected in November, Bogdanoff will be vice chairwoman of a pivotal House committee, the Rules and Calendar Council, which orchestrates the speaker's wishes by organizing the flow of legislation and other business that members get to consider.
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/09/bogdanoff_wont_retain_her_repu.html

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#####

GLBT DIGEST - September 09, 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:

-MONTGOMERY COUNTY: Transgender Law Ruling Is Expected This Week
Maryland's highest court is expected to rule this week on whether Montgomery County residents will vote in November on a new transgender rights law, and its decision could hinge on whether advocates of the law missed a critical deadline. Gay and transgender rights supporters urged the Court of Appeals yesterday to overturn a ruling that they failed to meet the deadline to challenge the county Board of Elections, which certified a petition to put the law to a vote on the Nov. 4 ballot.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090801941.html


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

-Gay marriage fight coming to airwaves and pulpits
Now that vouchers and property tax reform have been given the boot, there's still one highly volatile constitutional battle coming soon to a voting booth near you: Gay marriage. Amendment 2, a petition initiative spearheaded by social conservatives, remains. It would add 37 words to the Florida Constitution: "Inasmuch as marriage is the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife, no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-flbmayocol0909sbsep09,0,1223661.column

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

-UK: Cardinal Newman's reburial illegal?
Jack Straw urged to revoke reburial license
Justice Secretary, Jack Straw MP, is being urged to rescind the license granted to the Catholic Church for the exhumation and reburial of Cardinal John Henry Newman, on the grounds that it is "certainly unethical and probably illegal." "It is morally wrong and arguably unlawful for the Ministry of Justice to grant a reburial license that violates Newman's instructions to his executors and that gives a non-relative third party control over his remains," according to human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell. "Newman insisted that he should be buried with the man he loved, Father Ambrose St John. The two men would be separated under Vatican plans to rebury him in Birmingham Oratory church.

=
Wayne Besen
http://truthwinsout.org/

-This week, Truth Wins Out has been busy raising awareness about GOP Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's church, which supports so-called "ex-gay ministries." Wasilla Bible Church believes that people can "pray away the gay" and is actively promoting Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference - which will be coming to Anchorage this Saturday. Tomorrow, I board a plane and travel to Anchorage to fight back against the ex-gay lies that have harmed so many gay and lesbian people. I will be joining the local Metropolitan Community Church to help gay and lesbian teenagers understand that they are not broken and in need of fixing. They are not sick and in need of healing. These young people are fine just the way they are and we will make sure they know it. Truth Wins Out likes to be on the ground where the action is. It is not enough for us to sit in the comfortable confines of New York City and send out press releases over a fax machine. We travel where vulnerable people in conservative areas need to hear our message of love, hope and acceptance. But, our work takes money and we need your help to continue our outreach. Help me fight back in Alaska by giving what you can today. If you can generously give $1,000, please consider doing so. If what you able to offer right now is $10, we can use your help. Join the fight to educate America and help GLBT teenagers find the self-acceptance they deserve.
Or Send a check to:
Truth Wins Out
Post Office Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202


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Detroit News
http://detnews.com/

-McCain pledges inclusion, gets Log Cabin backing
by Deb Price
Warned that a publication would soon out him as gay, a Republican congressman decided in 1996 to come out voluntarily. Before telling the world though, he first told his closest political friend, fellow Arizonan John McCain. "There's something personal that's going to come out that I need you to know about me," Jim Kolbe recalled last week at a "Big Tent" luncheon of gay Log Cabin Republicans during the Republican National Convention. "At that point, (McCain) just put up his hands, and he said, 'Jim, it doesn't make any difference. ... You're a great legislator today; you're going to be a great legislator tomorrow. You're my friend today; you're my friend tomorrow. So none of this makes any difference.' "
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080908/OPINION03/809080363

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#####

FLORIDA DIGEST - September 09, 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~~

ABSOLUT® presents: TGIF South Florida.
GLAAD and ABSOLUT® Vodka invite you to the second annual TGIF South Florida - a Friday evening happy hour event series held at Georgie's Alibi. The perfect opportunity to meet like-minded young professionals and support the work of the only LGBT media advocacy organization in the country, this event is also the perfect way to kick off your fall. Enjoy two hours of hosted ABSOLUT® cocktails with entry, win prizes from local businesses and feel good knowing your Friday plans support an important cause.
Date: Event #1: Friday, September 19, 2008
Event #2: Friday, October 17, 2008
Event #3: Friday, November 21, 2008
Time: 9 - 11 pm
Location: Georgie's Alibi
2266 Wilton Drive
Wilton Manors, FL
Tickets: TGIF Series Passes are only $35 and provide access to all three TGIF Events in the city series. 100% of the funds are donated to GLAAD and you receive a one-year GLAAD membership. Purchase your series pass online.
http://www.glaad.org/events/detail.php?event_id=184


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Ray Sanchez in Havana: Ike blasts Cuba, heads for Gulf
The 5 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center showed Ike's center about 85 miles southeast of Havana. The storm was moving west-northwest at near 13 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-flbcubaike0909sbsep09,0,3496722.story

-60-year-old homeless man tells jury about beating
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-flbhomeless0909sbsep09,0,183152.story

-Political groups call on the state to help ensure a fair election
Norma Leardi, of Boca Raton, wrote Palm Beach County commissioners with asimple question: "What can we do to make sure our votes count?" Citizenslike Leardi who worry if their vote will be counted accurately aren't alone.On Monday, major area political groups called on state officials and countyleaders to take steps to fix the county's voting problems before the Nov. 4election.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpelexmess0909pnsep09,0,4497057.story

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#####

GLBT DIGEST - September 08, 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:

-The Bachelor Life Includes a Family
DANIEL E. GURR, a doctor in Miami, had always wanted a baby. The yearninglasted through his 30s and early 40s, through medical school and into hisresidency. That longing created tension; he and his longtime boyfriend, hesaid, fought each time the subject came up. At 46, Dr. Gurr, who is settledin his job but now unattached, is finally fulfilling his wish. Next month,through a surrogate, he will become the single parent of a baby boy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/fashion/07single.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=gay&st=cse&oref=slogin


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

-Declaring that clergy have a constitutional right to endorse politicalcandidates from their pulpits, the socially conservative Alliance DefenseFund is recruiting several dozen pastors to do just that on Sept. 28, indefiance of Internal Revenue Service rules.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/07/AR2008090702460.html

-Russia in legal bid to ban "extremist" U.S. cartoon
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winningsatirical U.S. cartoon South Park, calling the series "extremist" afterreceiving viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said on Monday. South Park, acartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of nine-year olds in aColorado ski town, has courted controversy from its 1997 debut, parodyingcelebrities, politicians, religion, gay marriage and Saddam Hussein.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090800408.html

-Public Display: The Picture-Perfect American Family?
These Days, It Doesn't Exist.
With the debut of the Palins before a nationwide audience, a presidentialcampaign that was supposed to be about the economy, Iraq or even race hasunexpectedly become -- for a little while, at least -- a conversation aboutfamily. But even before the surprising news of 17-year-old Bristol Palin'spregnancy, the Obamas, Bidens and McCains had spent an inordinate amount ofprecious convention time introducing us to their loved ones: videos,scripted shout-outs, smiling tableaus as the confetti came down. Bothparties clearly thought that it was crucial for the candidates to show howdeeply they value their family lives.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090502652.html


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

-Palin church promotes converting gays
Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convertgays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer. "You'll be encouragedby the power of God's love and His desire to transform the lives of thoseimpacted by homosexuality," according to the insert in the bulletin of theWasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/politics/wire/sns-ap-2008-race-rundown,0,316466.story

-Being gay has nothing to do with parental fitness
I am troubled by a recent letter writer's comments outlining her reasons forvoting GOP. Most unsettling is her statement that since gay couples cannotproduce children, why should they be allowed to marry? Does she know howpainful and offensive that is to all of the heterosexual couples in Americathat for health/fertility reasons cannot "produce children?" Does shesuggest proof of fertility be submitted with the application of a marriagelicense? I am sick of the Republican viewpoint that only a male/female paircan effectively raise offspring. Look around you. I'm certain most of usknow at least one adult who is the result of bad parenting by a "straight"couple. Sadly, too many of us know a child or two also not benefiting from atraditional household. Let's remove sexuality from parenting ability!
I had truly been on the fence about which candidate deserved my vote, but Ithank the writer of that letter for offering me clarity. By voting Democrat,I can try to protect our Supreme Court from the antiquated and narrow-mindedviews of the GOP.
Marianne Petrino, Coral Springs
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-brmail509sbsep08,0,5738643.story


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

-National Suicide Prevention Week runs through Sept. 13
News release from Switchboard of Miami: Did you know that, in the UnitedStates, one person commits suicide every 16 minutes? Or that it's estimatedthat more than 5 million people in the United States have been directlyaffected by a suicide?
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/


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Forwarded from Gay Asylum - UK
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayasylum/messages?o=1
Contact Ray's List for the full article:

-Call for Action: An Iranian gay couple in India need your support
We are contacting you to request your assistance on a very urgent caseinvolving 2 gay Iranians, Ali and Mohammad. It is no secret that queerIranians who flee to other countries continue to face risks due tohomophobia and laws calling for punishment of homosexuals. This oftenresults in depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Ali and Mohammad,a gay Iranian couple, fled to India. Although United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has officially recognized them each asrefugees, the Canadian Embassy in New Delhi has still not acted tofacilitate their resettlement in Canada. It has been one whole year sincethe Canadian Embassy began processing their cases! In India, Ali andMohammad are illegal queer refugees.


=
Forwarded from Gays Without Borders
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article
gayasylum@yahoo.co.uk

-Was Cardinal Newman gay?
Vatican claims of heterosexuality unsubstantiated
Celibacy probable, but unproven
"The Vatican is panicked that allegations about Cardinal Newman's sexualorientation may derail its plans to make him a saint," said human rightscampaigner Peter Tatchell of the London-based gay rights group OutRage!"The Pope's spin doctors have gone into over-drive to denounce claims thatNewman was gay and to justify his exhumation and reburial. This reburial iscontrary to Newman's instructions to his executors. He wanted to be buriedwith the man he loved and with whom he lived for much of his life, FatherAmbrose St John.
http://www.google.co.uk/books?id=b6O01T7JsvQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Alan+Bray,+The+Friend&lr=&as_brr=0&ei=YYi2SNrXCJWyyQSXuZSGBw&sig=ACfU3U3yK482o_HYMtOEdWS5WlnllgqrmQ#PPA290,M1

-This is a first look at a new film about the lives of LGBT in Africa.
From a Times interview with the film makers: The stories include atransgendered male-to-female Nigerian, a partnered lesbian activist in Uganda, a transgendered male-to-female Ugandan, a Kenyan who was abused along with his twin brother by an uncle, a gay Ugandan farmer, gay partners in Kenya who dream of having their union blessed and a gay Nigerian who was beaten badly simply for being gay. Considering the penalties in Africa for being actively gay - in Uganda it carries a life sentence - these people must be applauded for their bravery.
http://madikazemi.blogspot.com/2008/09/voices-of-witness-africa.html


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

-RUSSIA: Special Rapid Reaction Unit of Krasnoyarsk made a raid on a gayclub
Once again In Krasnoyarsk there happened an arbitrariness of the authoritiesrelative to the citizens of Russia, people of homosexual orientation.According to gaynews.ru, late at night from 30th-31st of august officers ofSpecial Rapid Reaction Unit rushed into the local club "Hunter" wheretraditional Saturday meeting for gays and lesbians was taking place.According to the words of Igor N., one of the witnesses and involuntaryparticipant of the events, that took place in the club and outside of it,Special Rapid Reaction Unit burst into the club about midnight. Their comingwas accompanied by obscene language, clinking of broken glass, turning thefurniture over and also by shots in the air. Officers of SRRU orderedeverybody to lie with their faces down and their hands behind their head.Some of the people were kicked, others were injured because of the pieces ofbroken glass.
http://lgbtrights.ru/eng/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=47&Itemid=1

-The Observer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/
Italy's gay policemen join forces to come out
In a country where masculine values hold sway, gay recruits to Italy'spolice and armed forces have avoided going public about their sexuality forfear of suffering ostracism and forced transfers. That is until lastweek, when a group of openly gay men in uniform announced they were planningto set up an organisation to combat discrimination and that they wereplotting a collective coming-out event to show Italy's police chiefs andarmy generals that they are a force to be reckoned with.


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Dr. Laura Rips Sarah Palin a New One
Homophobic radio host and right wing crusader Dr. Laura has little love for Sarah Palin becoming John McCain's VP candidate and the new star of the Republican Party.
In a post on her blog, Dr. Laura calls Palin an unsuitable role model: I am extremely disappointed in the choice of Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential candidate of the Republican Party...I'm stunned - couldn't the RepublicanParty find one competent female with adult children to run for VicePresident with McCain? I realize his advisors probably didn't want a"mature" woman, as the Democrats keep harping on his age. But really, whatkind of role model is a woman whose fifth child was recently born with aserious issue, Down Syndrome, and then goes back to the job of Governorwithin days of the birth? I am haunted by the family pictures of the Palinsduring political photo-ops, showing the eldest daughter, now pregnant withher own child, cuddling the family's newborn.
Let the Celebrity Deathmatch begin!
http://www.bgay.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=559&Itemid=23


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

-New group to pressure US government on gay rights worldwide
An openly gay former US Ambassador is to work as an adviser to a newcoalition of gay and straight human rights groups. The Council for GlobalEquality wants the American government to defend the rights of lesbian, gay,bisexual and trans people across the world.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8929.html

-Colombian police get LGBT training
650 police officers in Bogota, Colombia, have taken part in a workshop runby an LGBT group on the rights of the community. One of the group'srecommendations was having female officers deal with gay men in certaincases.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8927.html

-Gay Congressman attacks VP candidate over pregnant daughter
A veteran US politician has said that the teenage pregnancy of Republicancandidate for Vice President Sarah Palin "underscores the flaws in thepolitical philosophy that was critical to her being selected by JohnMcCain." Barney Frank has represented the 4th District of Massachusettssince 1981, and is one of two out gay people in the House ofRepresentatives.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8926.html

-Tutu claims "God is weeping" over gay arguments in Anglican church
A leading Anglican has castigated his church for obsessing over gay issueswhile poverty, disease and hunger are ravaging the human race. Speaking ata conference of church leaders in London organised by global poverty charityTearfund, Archbishop Desmond Tutu accused his church of "persecuting thealready persecuted" in its attitude to gay people.
http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-8921.html


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

-Commentary: Public Display
by Andrew J. Cherlin
With the debut of the Palins before a nationwide audience, a presidentialcampaign that was supposed to be about the economy, Iraq or even race hasunexpectedly become -- for a little while, at least -- a conversation aboutfamily. But even before the surprising news of 17-year-old Bristol Palin'spregnancy, the Obamas, Bidens and McCains had spent an inordinate amount ofprecious convention time introducing us to their loved ones: videos,scripted shout-outs, smiling tableaus as the confetti came down. Bothparties clearly thought that it was crucial for the candidates to show howdeeply they value their family lives.

-CA: ACLU puts in $1.2 million for No on 8
Link: Sacramento Bee Capitol Alert
The American Civil Liberties Union reported donating $1.2 million to defeatProposition 8, the ban on gay marriage, on the November ballot. The $1.2million donation is the single largest check written to the campaign, thoughEquality California, a gay-rights group, and the Human Rights Campaign, asimilar group, have bundled more total donations.

-Sam Brownback lets his hair down with Mike Signorile
Link: Pam's House Blend
Next week should be fun on Mike's show. [...] Get a load of this encounterwith Kansas Senator and failed presidential candidate Sam Brownback. Sam istruly off the charts batsh*t insane: Last night I got a chance to interviewKansas Senator Sam "Snowflake Baby" Brownback, a man obsessed with embryosand women's uteruses, not to mention homosexuality. As someone who ran forthe nomination he of course hoped he'd be up there last night giving hisacceptance speech, but nonetheless it helped him to highlight his issues andshape the party platform. He told me, ominously, that even if ten morestates legalize marriage for gays and lesbians over the next 10 or 15 yearsand millions of gays and lesbians get married, he and Christianconservatives will work to ultimately turn that around and take away therights of those millions.

-Newt Gingrich Falsely Claims Calif. Gay Marriage Judges Appointees
Link: On Top Magazine
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has released a video on YouTubeurging Californians to vote for Proposition 8 - the constitutional amendmentthat would make gay marriage in the State illegal once more - where hefalsely claims that California Supreme Court judges are appointees.

-San Francisco Mayor Newsom Predicts Obama and McCain Permanently Damaged ByNot Embracing Marriage Equality For All
Link: San Francisco Sentinel
The Milk preview trailer was released Tuesday, with San Francisco MayorGavin Newsom predicting both Barack Obama and John McCain will bepermanently damaged by their lack of support for marriage equality. "Thisis going to permanently damage any politician in their future," Newsom toldthe Sentinel.

-Two male convicts marry in Belgian jail
Link: Telegraph
Raoul Simon married a life prisoner, named only as Christophe, after lovebloomed between the two serving convicts in the grim Mons prison, in theFrench-speaking Walloon part of Belgium. Mr Simon was released from theprison in June, but his partner Christophe, sentenced to "perpetuity" injail can not expect freedom any earlier than 2013.


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Victoria Lavin
http://www.dailyqueernews.com/
Contact rays.list@comcast.net for the full article:

-Pacific Islands 'Must Decriminalize Gay Sex'
GayNZ
The Pan Pacific Gathering for HIV+ People has called on Pacific regiongovernments to decriminalise sex between men and to outlaw discriminationagainst people with HIV. The call comes in the final Declaration issued atthe conclusion of a four day conference of HIV positive people and supportworkers, convened in Auckland last week and attracting delegates from mostPacific nations. Pacific nations in which consensual sex between adultmales is still a criminal offense include the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru,Niue, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tongaand Tuvalu. In some of those countries penalties as severe as fourteen years' imprisonment are still on the statutes. It is increasingly recognised aroundthe world that fear of discrimination or legal punishment drives same-sexactivities underground, leading to inaccurate HIV statistics and hinderingeducation programmes.

-4 N. Texas Firms Earn 1st Perfect Equality Scores
By Ben Briscoe | Dallas Voice
A new report from the Human Rights Campaign has local gay business peopleboasting that Dallas is a great place to be an LGBT employee. In the 2009edition of HRC's Corporate Equality Index - released on Tuesday, Sept. 2 -the number of companies nationwide that scored a perfect 100 rose from 195to 259. But in North Texas, the number doubled, going from four to eight -and with the move of AT&T from San Antonio to Dallas, nine.

-Palin's Record Poor on LGBT Issues
Dallas Voice
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin supported a constitutionalamendment banning same-sex marriage in Alaska and opposed domestic partnerbenefits for state employees there. Meanwhile, Time magazine reported thatthe church where the Alaska governor's family worships, Wasilla BibleChurch, recently was promoting an "ex-gay" reparative therapy programsponsored by the right-wing group Focus on the Family. "America may notknow much about Sarah Palin, but based on what our community has seen ofher, we know enough," Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign,said in a statement this week. "Sarah Palin not only supported the 1998Alaska constitutional amendment banning marriage equality but, in her lessthan two years as governor, even expressed the extreme position ofsupporting stripping away domestic partner benefits for state workers.

-Obama Speech an 'Emotional Moment' for Gay Leaders
CHRIS JOHNSON | Washington Blade
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's nomination speech last weekimpressed and excited many gay rights activists. Joe Solmonese, presidentof the Human Rights Campaign, called Obama's speech an "emotional moment"and a "brilliant opportunity" for Obama "to speak to more Americans than he's probably ever spoken to before or may speak to again before the election."He said he hoped people took away a sense of the candidate's vision forAmerica, which "very much includes GLBT Americans." "GLBT Americans, Ihope, would feel as inspired as I do coming away from it," Solmonese said.Rea Carey, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, saidObama's speech was extraordinary and demonstrated "the energy for a newtime.

=

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#####

NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST - September 08, 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: John McCain's Energy Follies
The industries that create energy - coal, wind, nuclear, ethanol, and, ofcourse, oil and gas - all clamored to be heard at the Republican convention.At cocktail receptions and in hundreds of ads, each claimed to welcome thechallenge of creating a cleaner, greener energy future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/opinion/07sun1.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: Palin and McCain's Shotgun Marriage
SARAH PALIN makes John McCain look even older than he is. And he seemed morethan willing to play that part on Thursday night. By the time he sloggedthrough his nearly 50-minute acceptance speech - longer even than BarackObama's - you half-expected some brazen younger Republican (Mitt Romney,perhaps?) to dash onstage to give him a gold watch and the bum's rush.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/opinion/07rich.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin

-Op-Ed Columnist: Clash of the Titans
You know what I'm thinking, because you're thinking it, too. If BarackObama had chosen Hillary Clinton as his running mate, we would now belooking forward to the greatest night in the history of American politics:the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate between Ma Barker and Sarah Barracuda.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/opinion/07dowd.html?ref=opinion

-Op-Ed Columnist: Georgia on My Mind
On Wednesday, The New York Times on the Web flashed a headline that caughtmy eye: "U.S. to Unveil $1 Billion Aid Package to Repair Georgia." Wow, Ithought. That's great: $1 billion to fix Georgia's roads and schools. But asI read on, I quickly realized that I had the wrong Georgia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/opinion/07friedman.html?ref=opinion

-US government takes on big role in mortgage market
Uncle Sam has just become the 800 pound gorilla in the U.S. mortgage market.The Bush administration announced Sunday it was seizing troubled mortgagegiants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a bid to help reverse a prolongedhousing and credit crisis. But private analysts worried that it may not beenough to stabilize the slumping housing market given the glut of vacanthomes for sale, rising foreclosures, rising unemployment and weak consumerconfidence.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Mortgage-Giants-Crisis.html

-Bhutto's Widower, Viewed as Ally by U.S.,
Wins the Pakistani Presidency Handily
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of the assassinatedformer Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto who has little experience in governing,was elected president of Pakistan on Saturday by a wide margin.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/world/asia/07pstan.html

-Paralympic Athletes Add Equality to Their Goals
When he rolls to the starting line for the 1,500-meter wheelchair race atthe Paralympics, the Olympics for disabled athletes that begin Saturday inBeijing, Tony Iniguez will wear his Team USA uniform with pride. He willcompete for the United States's Olympic program. He is also suing it fordiscrimination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/sports/othersports/06paralympics.html

-Arctic Ice Hints at Warming, Specialists Say
Leading ice specialists in Europe and the United States for the first timehave agreed that a ring of navigable waters has opened all around thefringes of the cap of sea ice drifting on the warming Arctic Ocean.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/science/earth/07arctic.html

-Atomic Club Votes to End Restrictions on India
The worldwide body that regulates the sale of nuclear fuel and technologyapproved a landmark deal on Saturday to allow India to engage in nucleartrade for the first time in three decades, after a pressure campaign by theBush administration and despite concerns about setting off an arms race inAsia.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/world/asia/07india.html

-Unboxed: When Academia Puts Profit Ahead of Wonder
"It is the policy and objective of the Congress to use the patent system topromote the utilization of inventions arising from federally supportedresearch or development" and "to promote collaboration between commercialconcerns and nonprofit organizations, including universities." -- TheBayh-Dole Act, a k a the University Small Business Patent Procedures ActTHE law of unintended consequences is perhaps less a "law" than a simplestatement of fact: We cannot accurately predict all the results of ouractions. We may do something with the best of intentions, and sometimes evenaccomplish the good toward which we aim. Yet, at the same time, we are alltoo often surprised by results that didn't occur to us beforehand.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/technology/07unbox.html


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

-DISSENSION: Doubt, Distrust, Delay
by Bob Woodward
The Inside Story of How Bush's Team Dealt With Its Failing Iraq StrategyDuring the summer of 2006, from her office adjacent to the White House,deputy national security adviser Meghan O'Sullivan sent President Bush adaily top secret report cataloging the escalating bloodshed and chaos inIraq. "Violence has acquired a momentum of its own and is nowself-sustaining," she wrote July 20, quoting from an intelligenceassessment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/06/AR2008090602691.html?hpid=topnews

-What's Fair Game With Sarah Palin?
Watching Gov. Sarah Palin explode onto the national scene over the last weekgot me thinking back to a cold evening earlier this year, just before theNew Hampshire primary. I was half-listening to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clintonspeak at an auditorium when a strange noise interrupted the event: two youngmen shouting, in muffled voices, "Iron my shirt!"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/05/AR2008090502656.html

-Declaring that clergy have a constitutional right to endorse political
candidates from their pulpits, the socially conservative Alliance DefenseFund is recruiting several dozen pastors to do just that on Sept. 28, indefiance of Internal Revenue Service rules.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/07/AR2008090702460.html

-Russia in legal bid to ban "extremist" U.S. cartoon
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Prosecutors in Russia want to ban the award-winningsatirical U.S. cartoon South Park, calling the series "extremist" afterreceiving viewer complaints, a spokeswoman said on Monday. South Park, acartoon aimed at adults and featuring a group of nine-year olds in aColorado ski town, has courted controversy from its 1997 debut, parodyingcelebrities, politicians, religion, gay marriage and Saddam Hussein.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/08/AR2008090800408.html

-Lawmaker Seeks Removal of Peer Leading Palin Probe
The Alaska lawmaker leading an investigation into Gov. Sarah Palin'sdismissal of her public safety commissioner should be removed because heappears to be manipulating the probe to damage her vice presidentialcandidacy, a Republican legislator said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/06/AR2008090602983.html?hpid=sec-politics


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

-Why the Earth could end when the new collider fires up
When European physicists bring their monstrous supercollider to life, willit swallow up Fermilab? Could it even spell doom for planet Earth? Tribunescience reporter Jeremy Manier explains. Sounds like the premise of a bad sci-fi movie: Big-time physics experimentaccidentally destroys the Earth. Scientists really don't think that willhappen when the Large Hadron Collider fires up at the Swiss-French border onWednesday, but the fact it's being debated tells you how unprecedented thenew device is. Seven times more powerful than Fermilab's main particlecollider in Batavia, the new facility will smash together intense beams ofsubatomic protons, producing so much energy that some theories predict itcould form tiny black holes. That has led to two lawsuits-one filed inEurope, one in Hawaii-seeking to halt the project and save the planet.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/chi-fermilab-explainer_bd07sep07,0,7273662.story

-Medicare guidelines for drugs not met
About 85 percent of the marketing materials that private insurers use fortheir prescription drug plans fail to meet all of Medicare's guidelines forthose products, federal auditors said Thursday. The marketing productsinclude enrollment applications for the Medicare drug benefit orexplanations of a plan's benefits and rules. The Centers for Medicare andMedicaid Services has dozens of requirements for how the information issupposed to be presented to the elderly and disabled. Auditors found thatthe materials routinely violated one or more of those requirements.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-flamedicare0905sbsep05,0,2812616.story

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FLORIDA DIGEST - September 08, 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:

-School board will weigh in on gay marriage ban
The Broward County School Board will be the latest Broward government tovote on whether to oppose a proposed constitutional amendment that would bangay marriage. The county commission last week voted to oppose theamendment, which will appear on the November ballot. The School Board'sresolution states that passing the amendment would "usurp power andauthority traditionally reserved to local government to offerbenefits and protections for its citizens beyond those mandated by state andfederal law," and "the loss of domestic partner benefits could cause greatharm to the education or the children of Broward County, as many [SchoolBoard] employees would be forced to leave Florida and seek employmentproviding said benefit."
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2008/09/school_board_will_weigh_in_on.html


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ACLU Friends
On Tuesday, September 9 at 1:30pm, the Broward County School Board will bevoting on a resolution to oppose Amendment 2! This is great news and we arethrilled the Board will be demonstrating great leadership to stand againstdiscrimination and the marginalization of any Floridian. This resolution ssponsored by Broward County School Board Member Jennifer Gottlieb. To showour support for this wonderful act, we are asking individuals to attend theBroward School Board meeting on Tuesday, September 9th. The Resolution toOppose Amendment No. 2 is set on the Agenda as time certain for 1:30pm.Please arrive at the Board Room prior to 1:30 to show your support, theBoard will be voting at that time. Note: If you are employed by theBroward County School Board and wish to share your testimonial with us,please contact David Ganim at dganim@aclufl.org or At 786-363-2717We are asking our friends interested in defeating Amendment 2 to show up,wear a Vote No on 2 sticker (we will provide) and support the leadership ofthe Broward County School Board to publically oppose thisdiscriminatory ballot measure. The location of the meeting is:
School Board of Broward County
Board Room of the Kathleen C. Wright
Administration Center
600 Southeast Third Ave.
Fort Lauderdale, FL


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

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

-Hurricane Ike roars ashore in eastern Cuba
Hurricane Ike weakened somewhat overnight as it moved over inland Cuba. Thestorm has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center said Ikeslammed into Cuba's Holguin province at 9:45 p.m. Sunday as a dangerousCategory 3 storm. At 5 a.m. a tropical storm warning was issued for theFlorida Keys and a hurricane watch remains in effect.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-hurricane-ike-0908-5am,0,3953102.story

-Hurrican Ike Five Day Forecast Map
http://weather.sun-sentinel.com/tropical/tracking/at200809_5day.html

-What Lake Okeechobee's roller-coaster levels mean for you
ONE WEEK IT'S TOO LOW, THEN TOO HIGH, BUT WHY? SOME ANSWERS ON LAKEOKEECHOBEE
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/675414.html

-Pair's defense for beating homeless men as senseless as one's death
Theiractions were called "reprehensible," "atrocious," "deranged" and "depraved."And these were the words of their own lawyers. But they sat nonplused asthe early morning events of Jan. 12, 2006, were recounted in the courtroomlast week, occasionally scribbling notes at the defense table. Brian Hooks,wearing a jacket and tie, looked like he belonged in church. ThomasDaugherty, his curly locks long shorn, scratched his face when theprosecutor demonstrated to the jury how he allegedly delivered a two-handedblow with a baseball bat to Norris Gaynor's skull in Fort Lauderdale'sEsplanade Park.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/sfl-flbmayocol0907sbsep07,0,44009.column



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From Scott Newton Campaign for Wilton Manors Mayor
I would like to thank everyone that supported me in my campaign for the
State House Seat. It was a hard and long fight. We fell a bit short of our
goal but I couldn't have made it as far as I did without the support from
all of you. I have no regrets. I have learned a lot and made many new
friends. For that I am grateful. I do believe things happen for all kinds
of reasons and I feel in my heart that my work in Wilton Manors is not
complete. So, it is my great pleasure to announce to you that I am running
for re-election as MAYOR of WILTON MANORS. I am asking for your support as
we continue to keep our city moving in the right direction. Under my
leadership for the last four years we as a community have accomplished a
great deal, but there is continually more that we can do for our city'sfuture. As always I want to move forward with the community's input so wecan all live and continue to feel safe in Wilton Manors. . If there issomeone you know that has supported me feel free to forward this email. Itis impossible for me to reach out to all who offered their support. Pleasestay tuned for upcoming events in the near future. Thank you for yoursupport and friendship,
Scott Newton
votenewton.com
954-914-5274


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From Gary Resnick Campaign for Wilton Manors Mayor
I am honored to announce that after serving 10 years on the City Commission,including 2 years as Vice Mayor, I have decided to run for Mayor of WiltonManors. Our election is Nov. 4 (the same date as the Presidentialelection). I am also honored to have the endorsement of our Broward CountyCommissioner (and former Dolphin President) Ken Keechl, as well asDemocratic State Legislators, State Senator Chris Smith and State Rep. PerryThurston. For more information about my candidacy and to volunteer tosupport my campaign, please visit my website, www.garyresnick.com.
Thanks.
Gary Resnick
Wilton Manors City Commissioner


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