Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Cost of Not Spending on Infrastructure
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A bridge in Paulsboro, New Jersey collapsed Friday morning, derailing a train carrying highly flammable and carcinogenic vinyl chloride into Mantua Creek. The most recent reports say at least 28 people are having trouble breathing from the spill’s vapors and residents are being evacuated. Local schools are in lockdown.~Even if the Mantua Creek bridge is successfully repaired after this latest disaster, there are thousands of similar “time bomb” bridges around the country ready to collapse at any moment. The average American bridge is now 43 years old — and a 2008 Department of Transportation survey determined that 72,868 are “structurally deficient,” while 89,024 are “functionally obsolete.”Despite the urgency of this crisis, US spending on infrastructure is projected to fall short by $139 billion or more over the next decade. Meanwhile, Republicans have pushed for a devastating cut of $871 billion in infrastructure investment.
Transgenderism Removed From Mental Disorder List
From Think Progress:
This Saturday, the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees approved the latest proposed revisions to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, what will now be known as the DSM-V. This marks a historic milestone for people who are transgender and gender non-conforming, as their identities are no longer classified as a mental disorder. Homosexuality was similarly declassified as a mental disorder in 1973.Until now, the term “gender identity disorder” has been used to diagnose people who are transgender. For conservatives, this has provided rhetorical carte blanche to describe the entire trans committee as disordered, delusional, and mentally ill. In some cases, this diagnosis has even been used to discriminate against trans people, with claims that they are unfit parents or employees, as examples. On the other hand, insurance companies have been more willing to cover the expenses associated with transition under this language, because treatment for a disorder is considered medically necessary, rather than cosmetic.
Virginia's Todd Akin: Ken Cuccinelli
From Think Progress:
Virginia’s Republican Party appears poised to nominate state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to be its candidate for governor in 2013 — embracing a man whose extreme political views bear striking resemblance to those of unsuccessful 2012 Senate candidate Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO).With his fervent anti-science, anti-choice, and anti-LGBT, anti-federal government activism, Akin’s extreme positions were well known long before his infamous August pronouncement that victims of “legitimate rape” are unlikely to become pregnant helped derail his 2012 U.S. Senate campaign. Cuccinelli’s views closely mirror Akin’s in all of those areas.Over seven-and-a-half years as a Virginia state senator and three years as the commonwealth’s attorney general, Republican Ken Cuccinelli II has been, in the words of the Washington Post’s editorial board, “the most overtly partisan attorney general in Virginia’s history.” Though he claims he is “best known for his efforts to preserve liberty and defend the US Constitution,” it is his opposition to liberty for women and LGBT Americans and his frequent court losses based on his flawed constitutional theories that have defined his political career to date...
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2. He does not believe LGBT people deserve legal protections. Cuccinelli has made it clear that he believes same-sex relationships are immoral. In 2009, he told a Virginia newspaper, “My view is that homosexual acts, not homosexuality, but homosexual acts are wrong. They’re intrinsically wrong...3. He is a climate-change denier. As part of his efforts to cast doubt on climate-change science, he used his position to launch an inquisition against a former University of Virginia climate scientist. Citing possible “fraud against taxpayers,” Cuccinelli demanded the university provide him with a wide range of records relating Dr. Michael E. Mann’s grant applications. A circuit judge and then the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the Attorney General was incorrect in believing he had the legal authority to undertake such a fishing expedition...4. He suggested President Obama stole the 2012 election. In a radio interview, Cuccinelli told the host he completely agreed with her assertion that investigations are needed to determine why President Obama lost “every one” of the states with photo identification requirements for voting, yet won re-election. Though studies have shown Americans are more likely to be struck by lightning than to commit voter fraud, he told the host she was “preaching to the choir” with her unfounded theory.
The Conservative Agenda: 1st Cousin Marriage
In the debate over marriage equality for same-sex couples, we often hear folks from the right say that same-sex marriage will lead to, among other things, incest. However, there are currently six states (soon to be nine) plus the District of Columbia which have legalized marriage equality. Over twice as many states allow first cousins to marry each other. Given this fact, I' not really sure where they get off saying that "gay marriage" will lead to incest given that incest marriage is far more legal currently compared to gay marriage. Then again, conservatives are notorious for ignoring facts, reason, and logic.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Why You Should NOT Donate to Salvation Army
- When New Zealand considered passage of the Homosexual Law Reform Act in 1986, the Salvation Army collected signatures in an attempt to get the legislation killed. The act decriminalized consensual sex between gay men. The measure passed over the charity's objections.
- In the United Kingdom, the Salvation Army actively pushed passage of an amendment to the Local Government Act. The amendment stated that local authorities "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship." The law has since been repealed, but it led many schools and colleges to close LGBT student organizations out of fear they'd lose their government funding.
- In 2001, the organization tried to extract a resolution from the White House that they could ignore local non-discrimination laws that protected LGBT people. While the commitment would have applied to all employees, the group claimed that it needed the resolution so it "did not have to ordain sexually active gay ministers and did not have to provide medical benefits to the same-sex partners of employees." After lawmakers and civil rights activists revealed the Salvation Army's active resistance to non-discrimination laws, the White House admitted the charity was seeking the exemptions.
- Also in 2001, the evangelical charity actively lobbied to change how the Bush administration would distribute over $24 billion in grants and tax deductions by urging the White House deny funding to any cities or states that included LGBT non-discrimination laws. Ari Fleischer, White House press secretary, issued a statement saying the administration was denying a "regulation sought by the church to protect the right of taxpayer-funded religious organizations to discriminate against homosexuals."
- In 2004, the Salvation Army threatened to close all their soup kitchens in New York City to protest the city's decision to require all vendors and charities doing business with the city to adhere to all civil rights laws. The organization balked at having to treat gay employees equal to straight employees.
Lowlights & Highlights: December 1, 2012
What makes this even sadder is that I am sure no one was surprised to hear this from an Alabama official. It is, after all, Alabama. The state at large (or for that matter the South in general) is not known for being LGBT-friendly. The state does not cover gender identification of sexual orientation in its hate crimes law (it actually DOES cover race, which is an honest shock to me).
The attacker is out on bond, which is galling. He has a history of beating this woman TWICE, and he gets let out. Nothing about this case makes sense. It is almost as if the "justice" system is going out of its way to act as though what happened here did not matter. My guess is that when he goes to trial, if he ends up convicted, he will end with a light sentence (think Dharun Ravi). I seriously hope that guess ends up wrong, but if I end up being correct, I will not be surprised in the least. Justice for LGBT people in places like this is illusive at best.
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If you have been on the Facebook page for this blog, you will have noticed I changed the avatar to an anti Salvation Army picture. I did the same thing on my personal page. A couple of people asked me why I am against the Salvation Army including one of my oldest friends. When they asked me this, I simply gave them a link to a blog post from earlier this week which gives an overview of the organizations homophobic stances and history. When my friend found out about this, she told me that she donates to them every year but she no longer would. Despite this friend of mine being a practicing Catholic, she still is very much for LGBT equality. She has lived primarily in New York City and was thrilled when the state legalized marriage equality.
I'm not setting out to tell people what to do. I am merely disseminating information of which some people may not be aware. In so doing, every once in a while, some tells me that this (whether explicitly or implicitly) that I am making at least some positive difference. That is pretty much the point of this whole blogging endeavor. When my friend let me know that she would no longer support this anti-gay organization, it let me know that getting the word out about such things is well worth the work and the effort. I could not help but smile.
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