BLOGARIFICA

Front Page Coming Out in Texas

2006-02-28T02:56:00.000-06:00

Do you remember when you actually exited the closet? Have you?

Well, let’s just say that my exit (if I was ever actually in the closet) was front page news. I had almost forgotten the details of this incident and was browsing Google when I came across the article.

You can read it here: http://www.ClintThomson.com/ClintArticle.pdf

I will give you a brief outline of my coming out so that you can understand what is happening here.

4th Grade - Realize I'm gay and hook up for the first time.
8-10th Grade - Running several "Boy-Friends" simultaneously.
10th Grade - Move to the States. (Arlington, Texas to be exact.)
10th Grade - Attend Lamar High for one year.
11th Grade - Transfer to Martin High.
11th Grade - Confirm close friends suspicions about my orientation. Deny to everyone else.
11th Grade - Participate in the above mentioned article.
11th Grade - Everyone reads the Metro section (Who Knew?!)
11-12th Grade - Endure absolute hell at school and actually skip most of the problem classes in favor of the mall (Dallas Galleria - 1hr drive)
12th Grade - Attend night school to make up missed classes in order to graduate.
And finally leave Martin High (Spelled H.E.L.L.)

Hope those bitches are working in Food Service now!!

Dallas Traffic Court - Eeew

2006-02-03T11:13:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I have just had my first experience with traffic court in Dallas. JT and I showed up, filed in through metal detectors and proceeded to a poorly decorated, florescent lit room with church pews. The room reminded me of the waiting room at a greyhound bus station.

The pews were hard as rock and there was a curious urine and alcohol blended stench which appeared to be reeking from one of several individuals that were in our immediate vicinity. The man in front of us appeared to be incubating a flesh eating plague and a woman near the front appeared to be hiding some fresh facial bruises with more make-up than a rose-room drag queen.

Ruddy, disheveled and flustered traffic attorneys spoke with those defendants that had actually acquired representation. They looked like car salesman at a Ford dealership and I suspected that this would be the beginning of a very long day for them.

Our attorney was taking the case as a favor to me. She usually handles criminal cases including murder; however her partner is a good friend and insisted that we have the absolute best representation, even for a simple speeding violation.

She was perfectly attired and manicured with a charcoal dress suit and black heals. Her hair was short and styled in a neat yet sophisticated manner. She carried herself with confidence and grace to the front of the court room and placed her black briefcase on the defendant's desk.

The Judge was a seemly jovial character who enjoyed his work and was appeared quite content to sit behind the bench and hand out relatively insignificant judgments against motorists.

Today was our lucky day. The rain and imminent arrival of President Bush to Dallas kept all of the traffic officers from appearing before the court and the Judge dismissed every case for lack of witness. We waved to our lawyer and skipped merrily away from the wretched place and back to our comfortable middle income lives.

New Pictures Posted - Attitude After Dark

2005-12-13T13:42:00.000-06:00

New Pictures Posted - Attitude After Dark

New Pictures Posted - Sailing in Bariloche - Patagonia

2005-12-13T13:40:00.000-06:00

New Pictures Posted - Sailing in Bariloche - Patagonia

It's My Party And I'll Cry If I Want To!

2005-09-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

Dallas 2005 Pride Parade

2005-09-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

2005-09-28T13:45:00.000-05:00

Goodbye P-Town

2005-07-05T15:41:00.000-05:00

P-Town Fireworks

2005-07-05T08:48:00.006-05:00

Last day in P-town. We catch the ferry at 3PM and arrive in Dallas at 10:50, if all goes well.

It’s sunny this morning and a bit warmer than last night. About 7 last evening the breeze picked up and it cooled down considerably. At about 9, we stood on the back porch of one of the rooms here at the B&B that faces the water and waited for the fireworks to begin. The wind was actually chilly. We sipped wine and drank Cape Cods, appropriate, huh? The fireworks were surprisingly good and had to have cost a fortune.

They shot the fireworks from a barge just off the pier. The harbor, where most of the sail boats are anchored, was between us and the barge. When the rockets exploded, the harbor lit up with whatever colors the firework produced. Most had several colors in succession, and the water, the boats and masts, and the pier itself glowed in the same sequence of colors, before fading again into darkness. Many of the rockets produced no real spray of color, but just a startling flash that lit the whole harbor followed a few anxious seconds later by a deafening retort, exploding across the water and echoing through the town behind us.

Our stay has been relaxing, refreshing, and fun. All in all a great break from Dallas.

Independence in Provincetown

2005-07-04T14:50:00.000-05:00

I am feeling particularly patriotic today, not in that tugging at the heart strings nostalgic way like when I was a kid, but in that deep-rooted conviction sort of way like I used to feel for my religion. It is not confidence in an act or action or even a result, it’s not about prevailing or dominating. It is confidence in an ideal.

If I look at the action of my government over the past three years, I am disappointed and disheartened. In a time when we needed men of conviction and moral strength, we got selfish opportunists. At a time when we needed to reinforce our core beliefs, we jettisoned them in favor of reactionary responses.

But I still believe in the values that have made our country great, and will make it great again: equality, freedom; that we have an inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that government is instituted among men primarily to promote those goals, and not to promote corporate greed or religious dogma; that our forefathers established a nation not a church.

The United States is nothing except its ideals and the people that hold them. It is a living, evolving entity that was not created in 1776 and set in stone thereafter. It is continually recreated with every generation, every congressional session, by every court decision and every presidential election. Given time, what has been done, can be undone and what is left undone until now can still be accomplished.

The US is potential and hope, nothing more but certainly nothing less. We can reach our potential and keep hope alive, or we can horde and conserve and let greed and selfish ambition ruin hope for all future generations.

Progressives have hope, and optimism in the future. Conservatives have fear and distrust the future. Conservatives think now is as good as it is likely to get so they horde all they can for themselves. Progressive think now is just the beginning of a bright shining future worth investing in for all our citizens.

A man without optimism and hope is nothing but an animated corpse. He is dead, he just doesn’t know it yet. Eventually, the grave will call, and he will go down. The trick is to keep him from pulling you in with him.

So I have hope today, hope that we can once again be the great nation we have been in the past, hope that we will, once more, return to our core beliefs and ideas. Our future is in expanding the hope of all our citizens for today and for the future. Our obligation is not let a shortsighted, self-centered powerful kill hope for our future.

All The Colours of The Rainbow

2005-07-03T18:39:00.004-05:00

Around Provencetown

2005-07-03T11:07:00.000-05:00

P-Town Playground

2005-07-02T15:15:00.000-05:00

P-Town is one big party that spills out into the street, and I do mean “the” street, Commercial Street, the main street in town. When we exited the ferry, we walked along Commercial, me wheeling our luggage behind me and Clint carrying both backpacks. We were told the hotel was five minutes from the dock. They lied. We walked for at least 10 minutes hauling our overstuffed bags, intermittently asking our friends, breathlessly, “How much further?” I know, for you people who live in a walking city, 10 minutes is nothing. But we live in Dallas, a 10 minute walk seems as daunting to us a trek across the Sahara. The difference in this instance being the animals you cross along the way. Instead of cobras and camels, we saw ripped roid-boys and costumed drag queens walking shoulder to shoulder with straight families (whose kids, by the way, did not even seem to notice the extravaganza playing out before them).

Commercial is a narrow street lined with typical Eastern seaboard, faded wood-framed houses, most of which were converted long ago to restaurants and t-shirt shops. But even with the commercialism apropos of it name, Provincetown’s main street still holds its old charm, from the clock tower of the Townhall to the long, narrow architecture of its waterside structures, it doesn’t take much imagination to place yourself back 200 years ago in this town at the end of the Cape.

On the Townhall grounds, there is an arched granite wall about 20 feet long and 4 feet tall. It is a memorial to the war dead of Provincetown. The wall has four square panels about 3 feet by 3 feet. The first two are dedicated to WWII the third to the Koean War and the fourth has “Vietnam” at its top center, but then to the right, along the edge, they’ve squeezed in a heading that reads, “Pnanma-Greneda-Haiti-Gulf-Bosnia-Somalia-Lebanon.” At first, when I saw that all the panels were full, I thought, “How niave and sad. They never dreamed we’d have so many battles in so few years.” Then I thought how sad that they don’t even have room for the latest war—Iraq. I guess they’ll build another, and another.” Will we ever learn?

Jeff and Ed walked to the top of the Pilgrim Tower this morning. It is a granite cut block structure built in 1907 to commemorate the landing of the Pilgrims. The tower rises thin and tall fom its 30 foot by 30 foot square base 150 feet into the air. Climbing the ramps on the inside turn corner by corner by corner, the only distractions are the few rectangular windows cut in the 3 foot thick walls give glimpses of the scenes belw, and intermitant placards or corner stones giving the names of various Massachusetts towns and when they were incorporated. Each placard was approximately 2 feet by 2 feet most with just the name of the town and a date like Boston 1648. But several had the original name of the city and a date, followed by “named changed to ______” and another date. One marker read, “Falls River 1640, name changed to _________, 1800, name changed back to Falls River 1832.” It made me wonder what was going on back then that led so many town to change their names, and in particular, what was happening in Falls river that made it change its name, then change it back, all in the span of 30 years. It all semed like such a waist.

As they made our way back down the tower ramps, which seems to take longer than going up, we came across a place that read, Swampscott, 1630. I turned to Jeff and said, “Swampscott? What kind of a name is Swampscott? Of all that towns that should have changed its name, that was the one.”

Montreal Reflection

2005-06-12T13:26:00.004-05:00

When I was six, my father took a business trip to Canada. He was gone only a few days, but knowing he was away bothered me, even at that young age. It also thrilled me thinking he was in a foreign country, a place far, far away. When he returned, I remember him showing me Canadian coins, one with an elk or caribou and one with a loon. Holding them made Canada real, and brought home to me that there was something more out there, another world waiting for me when I grew up and could travel on my own.

Canada has held a fascination for me ever since. For a while it was the rugged beauty of its mountain regions, then the allure of its largest city, Toronto, described for years as a “clean New York.” I visited Toronto 15 years ago and it exceeded my expectations, energetic, modern, and yes, clean, it had welcoming warmth even though it was mid-December and snowing.

But it wasn’t until last year that Canada took on a significance I never thought possible. For my entire life I bought the line that the United States was the home of the free. Prior to coming out and self-identifying as gay, I was able to delude myself that, that was, in fact, the case. But I know what other minorities have known for years, if not decades, that in the US you are only free is you are mainstream—white and Christian. Two years ago, Canada started allowing gay marriage. No matter how you react to the idea of two men or two women loving each other, you cannot deny that gays and lesbians are not free to marry and are not given equality in the US. When Bush talks about spreading freedom in the world, I laugh. He barely knows what real freedom is. He needs to spend more time spreading freedom in our own country.

So when I came to Canada this time, I didn’t really think much about how I’d feel being here, in a country that truly treats me and my people as free and equal. But after being here, I can tell you the feeling is powerful and refreshing.

As grateful as I am to Canada for recognizing that GLBT people have the right to freedom and equality, I am just as disappointed with the US for its bigoted, backwards adherence to prejudice and discrimination. I never thought I’d have to visit another country do fee true freedom.

Melting Like the Ice Caps in Montreal

2005-06-11T16:46:00.000-05:00

So Montreal is hot! No, I mean it’s hot, as in really, really humid and about 98 degrees. So much for that theory of coming to Montreal to escape the Texas heat. It has to be cooler in Dallas and at least in Dallas we have air conditioning. I know, it would have been better for the environment if air-conditioning had never been invented. It destroys the ozone layer which even wrecks more havoc on the environment. Generally, I am very environmentally friendly, but right now I’m just hot and all I can think of is how wonderful air conditioning is. We went to dinner last night at 9 PM. The restaurant seated about 20, so intimate, and when we approached the front door, we noticed a floor-stand oscillating fan twisting left, then right, then left again. My heart sank. We’d walked only a block and a half to the restaurant from our B&B in The Village, and were already drenched with sweat. At that point I wasn’t even that concerned about how great, or even adequate, the food would be, only that it be cool and refreshing and relaxing. Instead, we arrive only to find that their one and only air-conditioning unit, a long, narrow slit of a contraption high on the all near the ceiling, was broken. Since the only place to stand was just inside the door, we stood there awaiting our table. Unfortunately, we also happened to be standing between the fan and the patrons, many of whom looked up from there plates or away from their companions long enough to glare at us. We shuffled a bit to one side, pressing ourselves against the wall and tried not to block the flow.

The restaurant is BYOB. We chose a Chateaux Nuef that turned out to need breathing, lots of it, and since the stifling heat made it hard for us to catch our breaths, I could relate. The food, however, was fantastic. I’d highly recommend it. I had the veal chop and Clint the duck.

Today we visited Olympic Park. Again the heat was wilting, the Metro stifling. We saw the Biodome and road the funicular to the top of the Tower. The view of Montreal was hazy through the humid air.

Tonight we are off to Old Montreal to a French restaurant there. The Grand Prix is in town this weekend and finding a reservation is difficult, but we are told the restaurant is superb and they definitely have AC. We called and made sure.

As we were walking along Sainte Catherine’s Street this afternoon a scary thought hit me, “If it’s this hot here, a thousand miles North of Texas, this much closer to the North Pole, surely the ice caps must be melting at an alarming rate.” Clint nodded, wiped his brow with the back of his hand, and we slogged on.

Realizing Relief in Montreal

2005-06-11T11:09:00.000-05:00

Mid-way through a banking turn over Montreal last night as we made our final approach--the bright lights of the city stretching out beneath us, the Olympic stadium reaching up from the city like the raised command deck of a futuristic starship--I grew tearful, and I didn't know why. I've always wanted to visit Montreal, a French-speaking slice of the old world within three and a half hours of Dallas. I'd heard it was beautiful, energetic, and gay friendly with great restaurants, and night life. Just minutes earlier I was excited to be landing. Why the sadness? What changed? My mind sifted data trying to find the answer. Then it hit me. I wasn't sad so much as relieved or maybe a bit of both, but for different even if related reasons. For the first time in my life, I was about to land in a country where I was truly free and truly equal. I had not realized how tired I was from fighting, how stressed I was from the constant struggle. It's not like I think about it every day, but living in the US, perhaps especially in a Red State, is like existing in a constant low-grade state of siege, and it wears on us. One of the psychiatric associations recently called for recognition of our right to marry precisely because of the added stress our relationships are under due to the social stigma and lack of support structures. It takes a lot out of us, whether we realize it our not. I didn't realize it until my heart and mind gave an autonomic sigh of relief. I was sad for my country and the state it is in, how it has lost it's way and perhaps even it's soul. And I was relieved to know that we would soon be touching down in allied territory.

2005-05-30T14:05:00.000-05:00

War Protest In Atlanta

2005-05-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

War Protest in Dallas

Bring Your Gays - Beheadings at 5:00

2005-05-26T18:01:00.000-05:00

Bring Your Gays - Beheadings at 5:00

Follow-up : My Letter to Microsoft regarding HB1515 and Microsoft's Stance on GLBT Policy

2005-05-15T15:27:00.000-05:00

Below is the response from Microsoft regarding my letter which is also listed below.

From: Microsoft
Sent: Sunday, May 15, 2005 6:00 AM
To: Clint Thomson
Subject: CST191225xxxxD - RE:Microsoft.Com ContactUS

Hello Clint,

This is Farrah of Microsoft.com Customer Support. I apologize for the delayed response.

Thank you for sharing your views with us. After considering views from all sides, Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, has articulated a clear policy that we will use to decide which issues will be the focus of our public policy activities. The company has thought carefully in developing these principles and has concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda. The company therefore will continue to support federal legislation that would extend existing law to prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and will support legislation similar to HB 1515 should it come up in a future Washington State legislative session.

Steve’s mail can be found on Microsoft PressPass at:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/misc/05-06-05StevebPublicPolicy.asp .

Should you have other concerns, please feel free to write back.

Sincerely,

Farrah
Microsoft.com Customer Support

--- Original Message ---
From: Clint Thomson
To: Microsoft Partner Services
Sent: Thu Apr 21 14:02:56 PDT 2005

To whom it may concern:

I was very surprised by the change of direction from Microsoft on GLBT civil rights. Microsoft has removed support for House bill 1515, the anti-gay-discrimination bill currently under consideration by the Washington State legislature.

In response, our company will begin stocking and promoting competing server and productivity based software (Linux, Novel, Word Perfect, etc.) to all of our clients.

I do hope that you will change your stance on this and other issues. We are a loyal reseller and have been so for many years. We are also a Gay owned and operated company that provides services to GLBT and straight clients and businesses.

It is time to stand up against bigotry and hate. You have the power.

I am very ashamed of Microsoft and I hope that you are equally ashamed of yourselves.

Sincerely,
Clint Thomson
Celeratec Managed Services
Dallas, TX

You Know You are a Fundamentalist Christian When ...

2005-05-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

10 - You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence of yours.

9 - You feel insulted and "dehumanized" when scientists say that people evolved from other life forms, but you have no problem with the Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.

8 - You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a Triune God.

7 - Your face turns purple when you hear of the "atrocities" attributed to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in "Exodus" and ordered the elimination of entire ethnic groups in "Joshua" including women, children, and trees!

6 - You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.

5 - You are willing to spend your life looking for little loopholes in the scientifically established age of Earth (few billion years), but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by Bronze Age tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that Earth is a few generations old.

4 - You believe that the entire population of this planet with the exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in all rival sects - will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of Suffering. And yet consider your religion the most "tolerant" and "loving."

3 - While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the floor speaking in "tongues" may be all the evidence you need to "prove" Christianity.

2 - You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.

1 - You actually know a lot less than many atheists and agnostics do about the Bible, Christianity, and church history - but still call yourself a Christian.

My Thoughts on Religion

2005-05-12T11:39:00.000-05:00

I was excited to see that someone intelligent actually read my previous post and provided some counter points to my "Top 10 Reasons Conservatives Push Religion". I wanted to clarify some of the points that I made, since it was really late when I wrote the previous post and I think it was a little blunter that it should have been.

Before I take on his points, I want to clarify my position on religion, and Christianity specifically.

History - I was baptized Catholic, and have attended Baptist, Methodist, Anglican, Catholic, Revivalist, and many other churches. Starting at the age of 8 and proceeding until the age of 16, I attended church every Sunday and was heavily involved in after church activities. I also attended a Christian boy’s year-round boarding school, where we said prayer at every meal, and twice a day at assembly. I have been "born again" three times, repented my sins, given my life to Jesus, and sung in the choir.

My views on religion in general - Most religions spring from very lofty and wholesome ideas such as love thy neighbor, treat others as you would be treated, feed the poor, etc. The idea behind them is a good and loving one; however as with everything humans do, most organized religion has become co-opted and corrupted by power hungry, greedy, hateful people.

My views on Christianity specifically - Christianity is religion based on the teachings of Jesus (Christ) of Nazareth, yet very few Christian leaders, permitted by Christians to represent them in the media and to the world, are anything like Christ. People like James Dobsen, Jerry Falwell and Fred Phelps draw no visible rebuke from the Christian community when they twist and bend the teaching on Christ to suit their needs and reinforce their points.

Finally, Counterpoint to the comment of my previous post.

>>2. Faith - I'm sure you have faith in some things or people. Does that make you ignorant? <<

I have faith in people because I can see their actions, I have faith in things because they follow a defined set of rules. I have faith in these items because I can see, hear, feel, smell and taste them. Yet faith is not a good description for this, knowledge is better. I have knowledge of a person or item. I know what it will do (or likely do); I know what it is because I have experienced it using one of my senses. If God exists and created us, providing us with these gifts of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, do you not also think that he gave us thought to decide for ourselves about religion, the world and God?

>>3. Hate - I know you're probably referring to Christianity when you say religion. Actually, Christianity teaches just the exact opposite. <<

What Christianity teaches and what its students do are two very separate things (See Hypocrisy below). Think about the evil and vile things that have happened in our past and you can almost always link the majority of them back to religion and a lot back to Christians. (Iraq, Mathew Shepard, Salem Witch Trials, Crusades, etc.)

>>7. The Bible - I guess since you weren't there you kind of have to have faith to believe that it wasn't written by God through these people. Can you prove that it wasn't? <<

Can you prove that it was? (See Faith Above)

>>8. Hypocrisy - A lot of Christians are hypocritical. They just go with the flow. But, not all Christians. <<

Do you consider yourself a hypocrite? Do you adhere strictly to everything in the bible? Do you eat pork? Wear polyester or nylon? Burn offering to God? Masturbate? It seems strange to me that Christians will adhere to the parts of the bible and the teaching of Christ that are convenient for them while condemning non-believers to death or worse for not adhering strictly to every teaching or scripture.

>>10. Blind Faith Followers - Again, if you're referring to Christianity you're wrong! Christianity commands just the opposite again. We are told to not blindly follow religious leaders. <<

Again what Christianity teaches and what its students do are two very separate things (See Hypocrisy above). Also most American's are to lazy to do anything other than follow blindly, why do you think that Fox News is popular and viewers believe that it is actually real news?

>>I don't understand why it's ok for you to hate a group of people (Christians) but then accuse them of the same thing. Weird. <<

You misunderstand me, I do not hate anyone (except Tom Delay). I do not hate Christians, I just feel frustrated at their hypocrisy and ignorance. I am also sad that such a beautiful religion has become so corrupt and twisted.

>>The problem is not Christians. The problem is people that call themselves Christians so they can try to use it to justify their own hate. Unfortunately, those are the people that you see on TV or read about in the paper. Not the real Christians that are following Christ and don't hate. <<

This is an honest statement and I am glad that at least one Christian can see this. The problem is this, where are the Christian protesters, or real Christian leaders that stand up and challenge these charlatans?

Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Push Religion

2005-05-12T01:58:00.000-05:00

I was Blog surfing and happened upon the following blog entry of a so called "recovering long-haired hippy freak that became a card-carrying member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy". The blog entry "Enlightenment Reactionary: Top Ten Reasons Liberals Fear Religion" was just screaming for a sane response, so here goes.

Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Push Religion (not any religion, just Christianity because the other religious are all false)

1. Fear - Fear motivates better than anything else in life.

2. Faith - There is no reasonable argument against it. If something cannot be proven, then you should take it on faith. (Faith is another word for ignorance.)

3. Hate - religion gives believers permission to hate others (gays, witches [1692], etc.).

4. Funding - Organized religion is big business and they give heavily to conservatives.

5. Deflection - Religious issues (gay marriage, Terri Schiavo) draw attention away from embarrassing mistakes. (Tom Delay!!)

6. Proselytize - indoctrinated at an early age, most followers of Christianity learn early to indoctrinate others in order to get into heaven.

7. The Bible - A book written by fallible humans with as much communication with god then as today provides written instruction on everyday life including government. (incidentally, only specific books of the bible chosen by some people in the church made it into the generally accepted print edition. * see Gnostic entry below)

8. hypocrisy - Conservatives like to pick and choose the parts of Christianity and the bible that applies to them while all others are expected to adhere strictly to it. They believe that this gives them the right to tell others how they should live (no gays Leviticus 20:13 NAB) while ignoring parts of the bible that conflict with their habits, lifestyles or things that no sane person would adhere to in these times (Slavery Permitted [I Peter 2:18], Divorce [Mark 10:11-12], Child Abuse Permitted [Proverbs 23:13-14 NAB], Death for Adultery [Leviticus 20:10 NLT], No Sex During Menstruation [Leviticus 20:18NAB], etc, etc, etc). ** See what Jesus thought about hypocrites below.

9. Power - Religion commands power and influence through the many people in leadership positions who believe and fear hell unless they comply with the will of the church. Conservatives like to tap into that power and abuse it for their purposes.

10. Blind Faith Followers - Religion commands legions of Blind faith followers (see faith above) who vote for the candidate endorsed by religious leaders.

* Gnosticism is an ancient form of alternative Christianity which competed with the Catholic Church for the first 350 years of Christian history. You've probably never heard of it, because the Church wiped it out as soon as Roman persecution ended, and the Gnostic scriptures were not included in the "Bible." They were instead buried in a jar in the Egyptian desert, where they remained hidden until 1945. Ironically, many scholars now believe that Jesus himself was probably Gnostic!

** There seems to be little Jesus of Nazareth hated as much as hypocrisy; he condemned it more than anything else.
Jesus also claims that hypocrites "have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23). Peter advised, "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind" (1 Peter 2:1).

Microsoft Gives In to a Bigot and Gives Up On Gays!

2005-04-21T16:08:00.000-05:00

In response to this article (Microsoft Caves on Gay Rights, Pressured by Evangelical Minister, Microsoft Withdraws Support for Civil Rights Bill, by Sandeep Kaushik (04/21/05)) I wrote the following letter to Microsoft.

To Whom it may concern :

I am very disappointed and ashamed today.

I am disappointed in Microsoft for allowing a Bigoted Evangelical Minister (Ken Hutcherson of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond) to successfully pressure Microsoft (The largest and most powerful software company in the World) in to reversing their stance on House bill 1515, the anti-gay-discrimination bill currently under consideration by the Washington State legislature.

I am equally ashamed to now tell people that my company is a Microsoft reseller.

We have been a loyal partner of Microsoft for many years serving GLBT and straight businesses in our service areas and recommending Microsoft products and services. Oh, and did I mention that we are a gay owned and operated company?

As a consequence of your actions today, we will begin more vigorously promoting your competitors products.

I hope that you reconsider this decision and allow us the opportunity to resume our prior business relationship.

Sincerely,
Clint Thomson

A Day in Colonia, Uruguay

2005-04-19T08:46:00.000-05:00

A short ride by high-speed ferry sipping mimosas and peering out of a window onto the river, that is how our morning began yesterday. We were on our way to Colona, a small city located in Uruguay. Arriving after 58 minutes of smooth sailing, we disembarked to a quaint old village. We rented a couple of scooters and spent that day tooling around the village. A short drive up the coast, a small lunch in a side café, and a little "Zoom Zoom" all the way.

Sunday in the Park.

2005-04-18T08:13:00.000-05:00

<> Ju <> st <> o
<> ut <> si <> de
<> t <> he <> g
<> ates to Cementario Ricoleta there is a park. On
Saturdays and Sundays the sidewalks of the park are lined with vendors,
one after the other after the other. On Sundays, in beautiful weather,
the park is packed with the citizens of BA, some checking out the booths
but most just sitting or even lying on the grass listening to the
numerous musicians or watching jugglers and performers. In BA, as with
all great cities, you see people. You cannot help it. And the people
you see, the people you literally rub shoulders with, are not only your
family or fellow church members or social club members. These are real,
everyday people from all walks of life, various backgrounds and even
nationalities. You do not get to choose who will see when make the next
corner. In big cities, you struggle with anonymity. But even though in
the crowds no one really knows you, you are seen--as one piece in a
mosaic of people, one point in a Serat painting. And it is the whole,
the final work that with prospective takes shape and meaning. I think
in our country, especially in cities where people do not walk and where
there are no large public parks, people do not see each other. It is
easier to care about a people when you've spent a lazy Sunday afternoon
with them in the park. And it's harder to wish them ill once you've
rubbed shoulders with them.

Forgery in Argentina

2005-04-17T22:52:00.000-05:00

Well it has happened to me! Some how, somewhere I
managed to acquire a forged bank note. The note in question is in the
alleged amount of 10 Argentine pesos or about $2.90 by current exchange
rates. I was warned about this and even instructed by a merchant early
in our trip about which security markings to look for.

How often do you actually inspect the change you receive from a vendor?
I can not think of a single time in my life that I have ever inspected a
five, ten, twenty, fifty or even one-hundred dollar bill for
authenticity at the time of receipt. Yes I have taken currency and
marveled at the security features days, weeks or even months after I
received it, just to see how interesting those security features are.

The merchant I was attempting to buy trinkets from immediately
identified the forgery from a stack of notes I gave to her and returned
it to me. In her eyes I could imagine her thinking "what a shame, you
stupid American, duped into accepting a forged note without even
noticing."

I must say that it is indeed a very good forgery, clearly a high quality
scan and very good inkjet printer with water-proof ink was used to
create this forgery. Even a simulated watermark help the elusion.

One critical missing element gave the note away instantly to a trained
eye. Argentine pesos have the denomination printed in one corner with a
iridescent raised ink that is hard to duplicate and instantly
verifiable.

The imbedded metallic strip, another missing feature in my forgery is a
common security measure included in most currency today.

Oh well, now what do I do with it? Is there a secret service here in
Argentina that wants to inspect this note and trace the forger? Should I
burn it? Suggestions please!

San Telmo Antique Market

2005-04-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

On Sundays, a small square in a quaint neighborhood adjacent to downtown is transformed into an outdoor antique market overrun with tourist and
local buyers. You can find almost anything there from old locks to old
gaucho equipment to old hats and dolls. Wherever there is a crowd,
there are the trinket sellers and, in BA, the tango dancers. It is a
bright, calm, cool Sunday morning here. A nice day to visit San Telmo.

City of Death

2005-04-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

... you can also tell a lot about a people by the way they treat their
dead. For instance, if there was ever any wonder whether Buenos Aires
is a wealthy city, the question is quickly answered the minute you set
foot inside the Cementerio de la Recoleta. The monuments are
spectacular and substantial and each had to cost a small fortune. I
told Clint that the density of art alone was staggering. Every tomb was
a work of art, most with statues or reliefs, some with stained glass,
almost all with crosses. That is the other fact confirmed by a walk
among the dead of BA. Argentines are a very religious people, not in
the let-me-hit-you-over-the-head-with-it way of some Americans, and not
by saturation as in parts of Mexico, but they believe deeply. And it
seems, as with most peoples, they believe even more deeply in, or near,
death. At lunch today, in the Recoleta, one of the poshest parts of
town, the restaurant had a picture of Pope John Paul II on their window.

Rainy Day in BA

2005-04-14T18:20:00.000-05:00

Our first full day in BA has so far been filled with rain and shopping.
The apartment owner arranged a car to take us to the Leather Fabricator
where we spent the day trying on leather jackets and deciding the deign
we wanted. The sales people were very helpful and friendly and we spent
way too much money, even though the prices are relatively good here. Ed
took laundry to a small lavanderia where no one spoke a lick of English
and we think he arranged for the cleaning to be back tomorrow with the
pants ironed. Of course he could have told them to bleach everything
and throw them away. We never know for sure. Clint has spent much of
the day on the computer working, but if you have to work, working from
BA isn't bad.

We are off for massages, since the rain is keeping us from seeing the
sights. We'll touch base later.

Buenos Aires First Morning

2005-04-14T18:19:00.000-05:00

In Bariloche, the only sounds in the morning were the birds chirping and the wind blowing through the branches. Not so in BA. If I did not know better, I would swear I was in NY. The distant hum of diesel engines and of blaring horns echoing off the buildings, reminds me of Manhattan.

Our apartment is on Avineda Santa Fe in an area of BA called the Ricoleta. The part we've scene so far is much like London and New York rolled together. It's 8 AM here, 6 AM in Dallas and I am sitting at a corner café looking out onto the main street--a four lane, one-way street filled with taxi's and delivery trucks and a few private cars for good measure. On this rainy, cool Thursday morning, the sidewalks are busy with people making their way to work and with pigeons enjoying the leftover bread thrown out by the Café workers. BA, like most great cities, is a pedestrian city. People mostly walk or take cabs. Like I said, it is similar to New York or even London before the tax (on driving into the city). I assume there is a subway, or rail of some kind, but I haven't seen it yet.

Most of the buildings in this area are 10 story, no higher. In that way, BA is more like London than New York, but the streets are wide and noisy, more like New York than London. I hear that BA is much like Paris is some places, but I haven't seen those yet.

We head to a leather factory today to be fitted for coats. For Christmas, before we knew for certain we were traveling here, my mother gave us money for coats. Clint and I both lost leather jackets last year. We never purchased replacements. It turned out to be fortuitous, I hope. We'll see what the prices and quality are. I think we may be shopping a lot here.

We went to an incredible restaurant last night called Nectarine. The owner of the apartment we are renting asked to join him. He swears it is the best restaurant in BA. Every dish was complex and savory, every bite a little different than the last, and the combination of flavors was surprising.

It's good to be surprised, pleasantly of course. Allowing yourself to be surprised, is a gift. Almost by definition, being surprised requires a prior loss of control (whether voluntary or not).

Our last hours in Bariloche

2005-04-13T17:21:00.000-05:00

We are in Buenos Aires, but cannot help thinking about Bariloche. It is
so unique, so beautiful, and so surprising. We thought we'd forward a
few shots from the last 24 hours in Bariloche. We will send a few from
BA tomorrow. For tonight, we are off to have wine with a friend then
dinner. Probably Italian since BA is know for that. Tomorrow, if the
rain lets up, we will walk the city and go to a leather factory for
jackets. Anyway, we miss Bariloche already. Let's hope the rain lets
up.

The only sounds we heard in Bariloche at night were the falcons
screeching above the hotel. Here, there are horns blaring in the back
ground. And when we landed there was a protest at the airport. The
protestors all had deoms and five-gallon (or the liter equivalent)
buckets and they were pounding out ferociously obnoxious rhythms
chanting slogans demanding . . . Well we're not sure what they were
demanding, but the were not happy.

Did I say we miss Bariloche?

The Captivating Sights of Argentina

2005-04-11T19:19:00.000-05:00

We’ve taken road trips the last two days each with one amazing view after another. We traveled to the other side of Lake Nuhuel Huapi to the Neuquen Region. Bariloche is in the Rio Negro Region. We drove through the Step, a more arid region with high, rugged hills and then further north into the wetter region where the trees towered above us and the rain fell intermittently all day. Near Chile, the vegetation was thick and the trees covered in moss. We entered Chile for about 5 minutes, until they told us our rental car papers did not allow us to stay.

Today we stayed on the Bariloche side of the Lake and traveled north to Llao Llao. The llao llao is a parasite that burrows into the trees. As the tree tries healing itself it creates a ball around parasite causing a rough wooden ball to form on the branch. Some are more than a foot wide. One of the most stunningly beautiful hotels in the world in Llao Llao and it’s called the hotel Llao Llao. Ironic that one of the “poshest”, most exclusive hotels in the world is named after a wooden crust housing parasites.

I always heard the beef in Argentina was good, but I had no idea how good. I’m not even sure it is possible to get a bad steak here. And the deserts (dulces) are extraordinary. The traditional desert is called a panqueque con dulce de leche. It is a crepe (or pancake) that they fill with dulce de leche (caramel) and chocolate. Needless to say we will have to work out often when we get home.

Argentina Part I

2005-04-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

We only just arrived after a 10 hour flight to BA and a two hour flight
to Bariloche. Bariloche is in the Andes on the western edge of
Argentina. It is snuggled up against an enormous slate-grey lake which
is itself surounded on three sides by mountains. The Andes are a
relatively young mountain range and, therefore, rugged and jagged. The
magnificant peeks seemeingly jutt up out of the water. It is early Fall
here and the mountains are already covered in snow and the lower hills
are dusted as well. We are off to a small Irish Pub and then on to
dinner at a restaurant known for "typical Patagonian fare." Whatever
that is. The hotel is on a hill overlooking the lake. It's starkly
modern architecture is in jolting juxtaposition to the traditional
chalet architecture of the early settlers who were mostly transplanted
Germans,Italians and Swiss whose roots were in the Europian Alps. Every
now and then you see the tiled roofs of the more traditional Spanish
inluence.

The spelindid vistas from our room down the cliff and into the lake take your breath away and make you pause to admire the inherent beauty of the world.

Clint & Ed.

The New Christian Manifesto - Part 8 - Kill the Gays!

2005-03-28T08:24:00.000-06:00

*Continued from Yesterday*

Gays and the Christian Community

Jerry Falwell:

"[T]hese perverted homosexuals…absolutely hate everything that you and I and most decent, God-fearing citizens stand for…Make no mistake. These deviants seek no less than total control and influence in society, politics, our schools and in our exercise of free speech and religious freedom….If we do not act now, homosexuals will own America!" 1999

Lou Sheldon, founder of the Traditional Values Coalition:

“Our little children are being targeted by the homosexuals and liberals who are pushing for this legislation," wrote Sheldon. "They want our preschool children…. They want our kindergarten children….They want our grade school children….They want our middle school and high school children….To be brainwashed to think that homosexuality is the moral equivalent of heterosexuality. We can't let that happen."

Dr. James Kennedy, Senior Minister of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale and the president of Coral Ridge Ministries, calls for a constitutional "Firewall" to protect the nation from counterfeit marriage.

From the Baptist Press:

"I see this becoming probably the largest domestic issue that will be addressed in this election cycle -- if the economy continues to improve," Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, told Baptist Press. Conservatives are pushing for a constitutional amendment protecting the traditional definition of marriage, and one such effort -- the Federal Marriage Amendment -- already has some 100 cosponsors in the House of Representatives. If passed, it would trump the Massachusetts ruling as well as any other such ruling by a court. To become law it would require passage by two-thirds of the House and Senate and three-quarters of the states.”

From Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association:

“The sacred institution of marriage is under attack. There are those who want to redefine marriage to include two men, or two women, or a group of any size or mix of sexes: One man and four women, one woman and two men, etc. If they fail to secure legal protection classifying these arrangements as 'marriage,' they want to include all these mixtures under the definition of 'civil union,' giving them identical standing with the marriage of one man and one woman.

They have gained the support of the national media and many politicians. Their efforts are intended to force, by law, 97% of Americans to bow down to the desires of the approximately 3% who are homosexuals.”

From the Concerned Women for America's Janet LaRue:

"These are the court jesters of the century. The Massachusetts Legislature should summon the moral courage to impeach the majority for their abuse of power and distortion of the state constitution."

President of Family Research Council, Tony Perkins:

"This is THE wake-up call for both the American public and our elected officials. If we do not amend the Massachusetts State Constitution so that it explicitly protects marriage as the union of one man and one woman, and if we do not amend the U.S. Constitution with a federal marriage amendment that will protect marriage on the federal level, we will lose marriage in this nation."

Anti-Gay Politics and the Religious Right

Sen. Trent Lott has equated gays with alcoholics and kleptomaniacs, but it has long been a central tenet of True Christian Right groups that homosexuals are diseased, and can be cured with a combination of religious indoctrination and psychological counseling. Reparative therapy as practiced by a variety of ex-gay ministries includes a large dose of gender stereotyping: men are encouraged to play football or learn auto mechanics, women to wear dresses and makeup. John Paulk and his wife Anne are the current "poster children" of the "ex-gay" movement, appearing on the cover of Newsweek; in 1993 John Paulk told the Wall Street Journal that "To say that we've arrived at this place of total heterosexuality - that we're totally healed - is misleading."

Politically, Religious Right groups use the disease or addiction model to assert that civil rights protections should not be afforded to gays and lesbians. According to this "logic," public policy that treats gays with equality and dignity actually inhibits individuals from seeking to be "cured." In Maine earlier this year, "ex-gays" were featured in one of the television commercials run by Religious Right groups during the successful campaign to overturn a statewide anti-discrimination law.

The recent ads also attempt to equate homosexuality with AIDS and other diseases; one of the recent ads was titled, "From Innocence to AIDS," cleverly alluding to Religious Right myths about gay recruitment of children and promoting Religious Right efforts to portray homosexuality as a "death-style." Typical of such rhetoric was a recent Chuck Colson article about Billy, a doll being marketed in the gay community. Colson suggested that all Billy dolls should come with a plastic coffin, asserting that most gays are "men whose lives are tragically marked by disease, addition, misery, and early death."

Misrepresenting ideology as science is a favored tactic. Paul Cameron is a virulently anti-gay "researcher" whose methods led to his being ousted from the American Psychological Association. Although Cameron has been thoroughly discredited, his "research" continues to be a favored source of ammunition for the Religious Right. William Bennett, Chuck Colson, and others continue to repeat Cameron's conclusion that the life expectancy for gay men is 43 years, a statistic based on his reading of obituaries in gay newspapers. (Cameron's statistic was effectively demolished in online magazine Slate) Bennett's trumpeting of this statistic last year on ABC's This Week and in the Weekly Standard was picked up by National Review and continues to circulate as the kind of "truth" that the Religious Right wants to tell America.

The Death Penalty for Homosexuality

Among those of us who embrace "reconstructionism," which advocates imposing a radically fundamentalist interpretation of "Biblical law" onto American society are many outspoken advocates of the Christian America concept. On the September 4, 1998 Armstrong Williams talk show, Colorado talk-radio personality Bob Enyard called for the death penalty for gays and adulterers. Last year, a Christian radio talk-show host in Costa Mesa, California said, "Lesbian love, sodomy are viewed by God as being detestable and abominable. Civil magistrates are to put people to death who practice these things." The announcer urged listeners to contact legislators and ask that they enact capital punishment for homosexuality. The station manager called the program "an honest dialogue concerning Christian beliefs." Congressional candidate Randall Terry, former head of Operation Rescue, extends this view of "Biblical law" to include a removal of all homosexuals from positions of influence in American society with especial reference to the American education system at all levels. This even extends to suspected perverts as well as brazen practitioners of perversions

In addition, the battle cry against "special rights" was the centerpiece of opposition to a federal anti-discrimination bill, the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA), which was defeated by one vote in the U.S. Senate in 1996. More recently "no special rights" was the core message of the Religious Right's campaign to overturn President Clinton's executive order banning discrimination against gays in the federal workplace. Carmen Pate of Concerned Women for America said the executive order was "not about equality under the law, but about special privileges." In the last instance, the rhetoric was so plainly and patently untrue that a sufficient number of Republican members of Congress voted in favor of equality on the job and the executive order was allowed to stand.

Our Church has launched many attacks on corporations that offer domestic partner benefits and make it very clear that our leaders' anti-gay ideology will not permit any special treatment or recognition of their gay employees. A few years ago, American Airlines was attacked for its gay-acceptance policy in hiring and for its support of gay community organizations. A host of Religious Right leaders, including D. James Kennedy, Gary Bauer, James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Beverly LaHaye (Concerned Women for America), Don Wildmon (American Family Association), and Richard Land (Southern Baptists) signed an open letter, printed as a newspaper ad, attacking American Airlines. American Airlines officials met with Christian Community leaders but rejected demands that they discontinue marketing to the gay community. This is a battle to which we will certainly return and we now plan to extend our efforts to other large American corporations. We are planning to promulgate a nation-wide boycott against any such corporation that either hires homosexuals or supports the so called “Special Interest” programs cleverly designed to introduce gays into normal society by making them acceptable to the gullible and uninformed.

Read More - TBRNews.org : God's Control of America

The New Christian Manifesto - Part 7 - Expanding Israel

2005-03-27T08:22:00.000-06:00

*Continued from Yesterday*

An Expanded Israel

Certain events have to occur for Falwell's version of prophecy to be fulfilled. As quoted by a fellow Christian pilgrim in Prophecy and Politics, a book by Grace Halsell who participated in two Falwell-led pilgrimages to Israel in 1983 and 1985,

"The Jews must own all of the land promised by God before Christ can return. The Arabs have to leave this land because this land belongs only to the Jews. God gave all of this land to the Jews." (p.87)

Ed MacAteer, one of the founders of the Moral Majority has spoken of his beliefs.

"I believe that we are seeing prophecy unfold so rapidly and dramatically and wonderfully and, without exaggerating, makes me breathless. Every grain of sand between the Dead Sea, the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea belongs to the Jew. every bit of it."

The Fate of the Jews

The Reverend Tim LaHaye describes the fate of the Jews in the book Left Behind.

"The final battle in the history of the future will be fought on this ancient battleground in Northern Israel called Armageddon. And the Jews? Well two-thirds of them will be wiped out by now and the survivors will accept Jesus at last."

Settlements in West Bank and Gaza: Key to Fulfilling Prophecy

Falwell made his first trip to Israel in 1978 with an invitation from Prime Minister Menachim Begin. This began a strong relationship between the Likud Party, the hawkish party of Israel, and the Religious Right in the United States. Falwell has led many groups of Christian Zionists on pilgrimages to Israel, and the Religious Right has been subsidizing settlements ever since.

A Colorado-based group called Christian Friends of Israeli Communities - communities translates as settlements in the West Bank and Gaza - runs an adopt-a-settlement program. According to the director of its Jerusalem office, one-third of the 145 settlements receive funds from Christians.

The late Grace Halsell's book, Prophecy and Politics, is no longer in print, but can be found in some libraries. It was published in 1986 by Lawrence Hill and Co. Halsell was an author and journalist who worked in the Johnson White House. She grew up in rural Texas in a fervently fundamentalist Christian culture. Halsell attended two pilgrimages organized by the Reverend Jerry Falwell -- one in 1983 attended by 630 pilgrims, and a second in 1985 attended by 850 pilgrims. She also attended the First Christian Zionist Congress in 1985. One resolution at that Congress called for all Jews living outside Israel to move to Israel.

The Christians also urged Israel to annex that portion of occupied Palestine called the West Bank, with its near one million Palestinian inhabitants. An Israeli Jew, seated in the audience, rose to suggest that perhaps the language might be modified. He pointed out that an Israeli poll showed that one-third of the Israelis would be willing to trade territory seized in 1967 for peace with the Palestinians.

"We don't care what the Israelis vote!" declared van der Hoeven [spokesman for the International Christian Embassy]. We care what God says! And God gave that land to the Jews!" After his impassioned outburst, the Christians by a nearly unanimous show of hands passed the resolution. (p.133)

Halsell interviewed Charles Fischbein, executive director of the Jewish National Fund, who described his work with the American Christian Trust headed by Mrs. Bobi Hromas, wife of a top official with a West Coast defense contractor:

"The trust enjoys 501(c)(3) status and receives funds from private individuals, estates and large evangelical-fundamentalist organizations... The Trust in turn gives this money to Israel, expressly for Jewish settlements in the West Bank... Mrs Hromas told me the Trust planned to raise a hundred million dollars to purchase land for Jewish settlements in the West Bank, the present target area being in the Palestinian town of Hebron... This I was told would help fulfill biblical prophesy. (p,170-171)

House Majority leader, Tom DeLay, is a strong supporter of Israeli expansion as fulfillment of Biblical Prophecy. When President Bush began to propose a road map for peace in the Middle East that would lead to a two-state solution, DeLay was speaking to members of the Israeli Parliament saying, "Israel is not the problem. Israel is the solution." (Meaning the settlements are not the problem. They are the solution.)

*Continued Tomorrow ...*

Read More - TBRNews.org : God's Control of America

The New Christian Manifesto - Part 6 - Conversion of Muslims by Force

2005-03-26T17:40:00.000-06:00

*Continued from Earlier*

The Conversion of the Muslims to Christianity.

With the active and even enthusiastic support of our President, Christians are now aiming at a great conversion of the Muslim population of Iraq. Once closed to our workers, now, Iraq lies at our feet and because we will be protected by the armed might of the United States, we can do the Lord’s work in safety.

Franklin Graham, founder of Samaritan's Purse said in an interview with Beliefnet.com,

“I believe as we work, God will always give us opportunities to tell others about his Son….We are there to reach out to love them and to save them, and as a Christian I do this in the name of Jesus Christ.”

About the International Mission Board, the missionary arm of the Southern Baptists:

Organizing in secrecy, and emphasizing their humanitarian aid work, Christian groups are pouring into conquered Iraq , which is 97 per cent Muslim, bearing Arabic Bibles, videos and religious tracts designed to "save" Muslims from their "false" religion. The International Mission Board, the missionary arm of the Southern Baptists, is one of those leading the charge. John Brady, the IMB's head for the Middle East and North Africa, this month appealed to the 16 million members of his church, the largest Protestant denomination in America. "Southern Baptists have prayed for years that Iraq would somehow be opened to the gospel," his appeal began. That "open door" for Christians may soon close. "Southern Baptists must understand that there is a war for souls under way in Iraq," his bulletin added, listing Islamic leaders and "pseudo-Christian" groups also flooding Iraq as his chief rivals.

Although proselytizing is usually forbidden, most countries in the region are eager to have Western religious groups running hospitals and clinics, and working on economic development and education. Some long-established missionary groups in the Middle East have come to terms with this by focusing their work on serving the social needs of the local population, and hoping that they might draw Muslims to Christianity more indirectly, through example.

But other missionaries, including many evangelicals, say it is part of their faith as Christians to try to spread the gospel.

Sometimes, these efforts have led to friction not only with Muslims, but also with other Christian missionary groups, which fear that such efforts put them in danger and their work in jeopardy.

We view with anticipation the projected “Americanization” of the Middle East. Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries are slated for our “American Freedom” projects and if we are successful in Christianizing Iraq, soon enough we will have even wider horizons in which to plant the seeds of Christianity throughout an area that by rights is a Christian domain.

*Continued Tomorrow ...*

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The New Christian Manifesto - Part 5 - Roe V. Wade / Gun Control

2005-03-26T08:18:00.000-06:00

*Continued from Yesterday*

Roe V. Wade

In order to eliminate this gross aberration, the Bush Administration has named a fetus a human being, thus flouting Roe v. Wade and the authority of the courts.

Just twenty-two days after taking office, Bush re-imposed restrictions known as the "Global Gag Rule." This policy restricts foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive U.S. family planning funds from using their own, non-U.S. funds to provide legal abortion services, lobby their own governments for abortion law reform, or even provide accurate medical counseling or referrals regarding abortion.

Bush has chosen pro-Christian and anti-choice extremists for key positions such as Attorney General and Secretary of Health and Human Services. His administration has named a fetus a 'human being' preparing the way to argue that abortion is murder. And Bush's nominees to the federal courts are consistently anti-choice

Gun Control

The Christian Right absolutely opposes any form of gun control. The House of Representatives, now dominated by the Religious Right, passed a bill that immunizes gun makers and sellers from liability. On March 2, 2004, because of the actions of organized secular humanists, the Senate rejected the bill.

The ten-year ban on assault weapons expires in September, 2004. The House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, who decides what bills will and won't come up for a vote, has announced that a vote to continue the ban on assault weapons will not come up for a vote, so Tom DeLay will have decided that assault weapons will become available once again.

President Bush opposes ballistics finger printing, "because it would interfere with a gun owner's privacy."

*Continued Later Today ...*

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The New Christian Manifesto - Part 4 - Council on National Policy

2005-03-25T08:16:00.000-06:00

*Continued from Yesterday*

The Council on National Policy:

The Council for National Policy, which was co-founded by former Moral Majority head LaHaye, has included: John Ashcroft, Ed Meese, Ralph Reed, the editor of The National Review, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Grover Norquist and Oliver North.

The CNP has rendered yeoman service in assisting Christian conservatives take control of the Republican state party organizations in Southern and Midwestern states. It has assisted in spreading the word about the infamous 'Clinton Chronicles' videotapes that linked the president to a host of crimes in Arkansas, and was a determinant factor in bringing about the impeachment of Clinton.

The CNP, after much soul-searching, determined on George W. Bush as their candidate for President as early as 1999.

Speaking before the CNP, George Bush promised to appoint only anti-abortion-rights judges to the Supreme Court, or he stuck to his campaign 'strict constructionist' phrase and took a very firm stand against the proliferation of homosexuals and lesbians. The President, through the guidance of the CNP is fully supporting an amendment that can effectively severely limit public access to birth control, abortion, and any form of non-procreative sex.

Critics exist but we will silence them

The Republican National Committee is now very effectively securing the support of the Federal Election Commission to issue new rules that will effectively silence deviant groups that have dared to communicate with the public in ways critical of President Bush or Conservative and Christian members of Congress. Happily, these labors in the vineyard of the Lord are bearing fruit. Under the President’s firm guidance, the FEC has just proposed rules that would do exactly that. Any kind of non-profit -- conservative, progressive, labor, religious, secular, social service, charitable, educational, civic participation, issue-oriented, large, and small -- will be affected by these rules. No longer will secular humanists, so-called liberals, sexual perverts and non-Christians be able to confuse, obfuscate and confound our President and our Christian legislators in the prosecution of the establishment of a truly Christian Nation, under God.

On March 4, 2004, the FEC voted 5-1 to consider new rules that would have the effect of redefining many nonprofit groups as political committees, thereby forcing these groups to meet vastly more stringent financial and reporting requirements or to forego many of the advocacy and civic engagement activities at the core of their missions. By merely expressing an opinion about an officeholder's policies a nonprofit group could turn overnight into a federally regulated political committee with crippling fund-raising restrictions. Then these divisive voices will fall silent and we need to hear their lies and obfuscations no longer.

Under the leadership of President Bush and a Republican and increasingly Christianized Congress, we are more than pleased to see that faith-based organizations will have new access to tax funds in excess of $40 billion dollars.

But note that in spite of the Administration’s efforts, the Senate wrongfully has refused to overturn decades of anti-discrimination laws that prevent federal funds to go to charities that that discriminate in hiring. In defiance of the Senate bill passed in 2003, the President has been disbursing funds to charities that openly proselytize for the Christian Cause and are firm in policies of not hiring gays, illegal aliens, Jews, Muslims or other alien groups.

The White House firmly by-passed Congress's legislative functions in the year 2002. At the President’s direction, the Department of Health and Human Resources set up a Compassion Capital fund of $30 million that allocated funds released by Congress for a different purpose.

*Continued Tomorrow ...*

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The New Christian Manifesto - Part 3 - Enforce Biblical law!

2005-03-24T08:13:00.000-06:00

*Continued from Yesterday*

The strategy of the coming Christian Based Republican Party is simple.

First, enact a permanent tax cut which will eliminate $6 trillion in revenue over the next 20 years. This will in effect starve the federal government so it will be unable to fund many liberal and essentially anti-Christian governmental functions instituted since the Communist-inspired New Deal.

Second, fill the liberal and secular federal judiciary with Christian advocates whose judicial philosophy will reverse the disastrous trends on civil rights, environmental protections, religious liberty, reproductive rights and privacy and so much more.

Third, mandate the teaching of Divine Creationism in all public and private schools and remove from all school curriculums the Secular Humanist false theories of Darwin and others.

Fourth, revise the Federal Constitution so that it better reflects Divine Will and strips away false secularism entirely.

A Constitution that conforms to Biblical Law will rely on the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament as its guiding source. Therefore, the Ten Commandments hold a special meaning. The New Christian lawmakers are going to pass legislation in various state legislatures that will mandate government posting of the Ten Commandments in all public buildings.

Rev. Joseph Morecraft is pastor of the Reconstructionist Chalcedon Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Georgia and he states his belief in the persecution of nonbelievers and those who are insufficiently orthodox is crystal clear. Reverend Morecraft describes democracy as "mob rule," and states that the purpose of "civil government" is to "terrorize evil doers. . . to be an avenger!" and “To bring down the wrath of God to bear on all those who practice evil!"

"And how do you terrorize an evil doer?" he asks. "You enforce Biblical law!" The purpose of government is "to protect the church of Jesus Christ," and, "Nobody has the right to worship on this planet any other God than Jehovah. And therefore the state does not have the responsibility to defend anybody's pseudo-right to worship an idol!" "There is no such thing" as religious pluralism, he declared. Further, "There has never been such a condition in the history of mankind. There is no such place now. There never will be."

"When God brings Noah through the flood to a new earth, He re-establishes the Dominion Mandate but now delegates to man the responsibility for governing other men in order to protect human life. He does this by instituting capital punishment - the backbone of civil government." U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

Now let us begin with some realistic soul-searching. Let us define the purposes and directions of our ranks for, although we may see the same Enlightenment in different ways, in the end, we are all True Christians.

A definition of the True Christian membership:

The implementation of Biblical Law is central to the mission of building the Kingdom of God on earth. The way to get to Biblical Law is through politics. Therefore, God's law as manifested in the Bible should govern. References to the Ten Commandments are more than symbolic. It reflects a belief that the Bible, not the Constitution, represents the final legal authority.

1) The federal government should recede into the background through massive tax cuts. This concept, heartily embraced by President Bush, has more than one benefit. As money available for corrupting so-called “entitlements” dries up, there will not be funding for welfare leeches, birth control programs, support for the army of illegal aliens now flooding out country and the notorious Social Security give-aways.

2) Churches should be mandated to take over responsibility for welfare and education by Faith-based initiatives and school vouchers. By these means, True Christians can establish a firm control over the education of American youth. We can, and will, instill Christian Values in our youth and by this means insure a growing body of young Christians, ready, willing and able to assume leadership positions in a Christian United States.

3) Capitalism is the sole reason that America is now the greatest nation on earth and the Christian Community firmly believes that this engine of national success and power should be freed of current regulations that harmfully restrict America’s major corporations in achieving their maximum growth potential. We are therefore opposed to so-called “environmental” rules and regulations, restrictive and repressive work safety regulations, involvement by the Federal government in civil rights matters. We must first and foremost introduce and secure legislation to halt devastating personal injury lawsuits against Corporate America.

4) The U.S. Constitution should conform to Biblical Law.

The Constitution Restoration Act of 2004, introduced into both houses of Congress on February 11, 2004, includes the acknowledgment of God as the sovereign source of law by an official in his capacity of executing his office. This is another firm and ascending step in the establishment of a true Christian society in America.

Among the sponsors of the bill are Rep. Robert Aderholt AL, Rep. Michael Pence IN, Sen. Richard Shelby, AL,Sen. Zell Miller, GA, Sen. Sam Brownback, KS, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, SC.

The Promulgation of the Faith by our President

Bush has stated firmly and clearly that he believes God is involved in world events and that he and America have a “divinely guided mission.”

In the Bush White House, attendance at Bible study is strongly mandated and supervised. White House staff members are lovingly encouraged to attend these meetings, organized by Karl Rove and while attendance is not compulsory, staffers are reminded that a lack of interest in Christian Doctrine and Practice is important for continuing employment. Attendance is also requested of currently non-Christians and Mr. Rove has stated that anyone can become a Christian if he wishes; all it takes is the discovery of God’s Perfect Love through Christ.

With the help of evangelical speechwriter Michael Gerson, Bush fills his speeches with code words directed at Christian conservatives. In this year's State of the Union address, Bush mentioned the "wonder-working power" of the American people, an allusion to an evangelical Christian song whose lyrics cite the "power, wonder-working power, in the blood of the Lamb" -- i.e., Jesus.

George W. Bush, to his eternal glory, has brought forth many concepts that advance our Holy Cause. He has nominated many Christian judges who will give the law a, pro-Christian bent. He has put forward, school-prayer guidelines issued by the Department of Education, faith-based initiatives and his personal directives to virtually every federal agency, has wonderfully increased both the presence and the potency of religion in American government.

*Continued Tomorrow ...*

Read More - TBRNews.org : God's Control of America

The New Christian Manifesto - Part 2 - Rule the world for God!

2005-03-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

*Continued from Yesterday*

Herewith we present our Watchwords and our Credo to you for your guide and inspiration.

1.Rule the world for God!

2.Give the impression that you are there to work for the Republican party, not push an ideology.

3.Hide your strength.

4.Don't flaunt your Christianity.

Our Credo is:

Jesus Christ is Lord in all aspects of life, including civil government.

Jesus Christ is, therefore, the Ruler of Nations, and should be explicitly confessed as such in any constitutional documents. The civil ruler is to be a servant of God, he derives his authority from God and he is duty-bound to govern according to the expressed will of God.

The civil government of our nation, its laws, institutions, and practices must therefore be conformed to the principles of Biblical law as revealed in the Old and New Testaments.

In confronting Secular Humanists and Satanists, we must realize that it is vital to stress the following Proclaimed Truths:

1. The unique divine inspiration of all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments as originally given, so that they are infallible and uniquely authoritative and free from error of any sort, in all matters with which they deal, scientific and historical as well as moral and theological.

2. Special creation of the existing space-time universe and all its basic systems and kinds of organisms in the six literal days of the creation week.

3. The full historicity and perspicuity of the biblical record of primeval history, including the literal existence of Adam and Eve as the progenitors of all people, the literal fall and resultant divine curse of the creation, and worldwide cataclysmic deluge and the origin of nations and languages at the Tower of Babel.

Brother Pat Robertson said in 1992,

"We want...as soon as possible to see a majority of the Republican Party in the hands of pro-family Christians..."

Ralph Reed said in 2001,

"You're no longer throwing rocks at the building; you're in the building."

Once dismissed as a small regional movement, Christian conservatives have become a staple of politics nearly everywhere. Christian conservatives now hold a majority of seats in 36% of all Republican Party state committees (or 18 of 50 states), plus large minorities in 81% of the rest, double their strength from a decade before.

Active Christian Conservatives who are obedient to Almighty God and his Commandments in the United States Senate are:

Bill Frist, TN, Mitch McConnell, KY, Rick Santorum, PA, Bob Bennet, UT, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, TX, Jon Kyle, AZ, George Allen, VA, Richard Shelby, AL, Zell Miller, GA, Sam Brownback, KS, Sen. Lindsey Graham, SC

These True Christians deserve our heartfelt thanks and our continued support, both fiscal and personal.

The twin surges of Christians into GOP ranks in the early 1980s and early 1990s have begun to bear fruit, as naïve, idealistic recruits have transformed into highly proficient operatives and leaders, building organizations, winning leadership positions, fighting onto platform committees, and electing many of our own to public offices at all levels of American governance.

Christians need to take leadership positions. Since Republican Party officers control the membership and our legislative bodies, it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions whenever possible, God willing.

One of our brilliantly successful tactics in gaining control of Republican organizations is to tie up the meetings for hours until people left. Then we appointed ourselves leaders and make key decisions. Once we took over the local leadership throughout our target State, we can then control the state party apparatus. Once we have a target state under Christian control, we can then use the same tactics in other states until we build a solid Christian foundation that can control any election, state or national.

*Continued Tomorrow ...*

Read More - TBRNews.org : God's Control of America

The New Christian Manifesto - Part 1 - God's Control of America

2005-03-22T17:00:00.000-06:00

I found this article online and it send chills down my spine! Since I think that it is so inflammatory, I have included it below in it's entirety. I urge you to read it and know what they think is happening in this country today with religion!

It is very long so I am breaking it into sections and posting a new section every day.

God's Control of America

(From an internal Pentecostal website courtesy of TBRnews)

The New Christian Manifesto

To Our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings!

It is with glowing pride that we contemplate the growing control and spiritual influence of True Christians in establishing strict control of the American political and educational realms. America was founded in 1620 by Religious Dissenters, True Christians, who fled from secular persecutions in England. They set up a religious community in Plymouth Bay and flourished greatly. But in subsequent years, America drifted away from her True Christian origins and became a nest of Secularism. Americans have turned away from the One True God to worship Mammon and materialism! Self-indulgence has replaced self-discipline and the cell phone has replaced Our Lord Jesus Christ in daily importance! But rejoice in your hearts because the True Disciples of Christ have organized to save America from Secular Humanism and hedonism and we are now at the very gates of the True Kingdom of Heaven on earth! The True Disciples have begun their Sacred Mission by gaining virtual control over the Republican Party in almost every state in the Union, have elected a President of our One True Faith, have filled the halls of Congress with Representatives of both the people and Christ the Lord! We are well on our way to reestablish the True Christian nation, under God Almighty, that was founded in 1620.

The Politics of God

Now, with the advent of a True Christian as a second-term President of the United States, we Christians stand closer now to establishing a truly Christian-based government in this country since 1620!

By faith and determination, we have placed many of our people into the ranks of the Republican Party; have organized local elections to put our members on vital school boards where they can, and have, successfully supplanted the false Darwinism with the Divinely Inspired Biblical Creationism. We have elected members to serve in Congress who are sensitive to our needs and wishes but we need far more in order to establish a firm majority.

Since 2001 dozens of True Christians, by Presidential order have been placed in key positions within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Drug Administration and on commissions and advisory committees where they have made serious progress. Three years later God-sent Bush Administration has established one of the most righteous sexual health agendas in the Western world.

As one example of the growing power of the Lord in American politics, the Texas Republican Party Platform for 2002, called for rescinding United States membership in the United Nations and removing the United Nations from US soil. Pat Robertson, in his book, “The Millennium”, depicts the United Nations as a Satanic plot to take control of the world. And in the LaHaye “Left Behind” books, we can see that the United Nations is firmly in the hands of the anti-Christ!

*Continued Tomorrow.*

Read More - TBRNews.org : God's Control of America

Law Maker Corruption Abound!

2005-03-22T14:12:00.000-06:00

Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500 employees and has the following statistics:

*29 have been accused of spousal abuse.
*19 have been accused of writing bad checks.
*117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses.
*3 have done time for assault.
*71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.
*14 have been arrested on drug-related charges.
*8 have been arrested for shoplifting.
*21 are currently defendants in lawsuits.
*84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year.

Can you guess which organization this is?

Give up?

It's the 535 members of the United States Congress!

Read More at TBRNews.org : CORRUPTION IN THE WORK PLACE

The making of a Political "crap storm" with a vegetable

2005-03-21T23:39:00.000-06:00

One of the people I despise more than any other (Delay) entered the fray of the Schiavo mess in, what I'm sure is an attempt to change the focus from his evil doings to things more disgusting.

GOP Talking Points employed from Weblog DC's Inside Scoop mention the following outrageous points:

* This is an important moral issue and the pro-life base will be excited that the Senate is debating this important issue.

* This is a great political issue, because Senator Nelson of Florida - has already refused to become a cosponsor and this is a tough issue for Democrats.

* This legislation ensures that individuals like Teri Schiavo are guaranteed the same legal protections as convicted murderers like Ted Bundy.

View the full entry here - DC's Inside Scoop: EXCLUSIVE: GOP's Schiavo Talking Points Revealed In Full

How much lying and hypocrisy can one nation stand? Quite a bit actually:

Hypocrisy Recap:

1) Republicans stand for limiting government control in our personal lives unless it conflicts with their agenda.
2) Bush tackled a very similar issue in 1999 as Texas Governor and (I am no lawyer and this recap is a very rough summary of one section of the law) enacted law designed to allow HMO's the kill their patient if they decided that there was no hope of recovery.

Tally = Hypocrisy Squared

New Photos - Chad's Birthday Party

2005-03-18T01:59:00.000-06:00

New Photos - Chad's Birthday Party

DemsTV.com Experiences Denial of Service Attack

2005-03-17T16:37:00.000-06:00

Apparently someone does not like what DemsTV.com is doing because it looks like someone might have launched a denial of service attack on DemsTV.com. While they get things fixed, you can see the inaugural show temporarily mirroed here. Note that you can't use this link with a FireFox browser - sorry, but this is a temporary fix.

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON GANNON RESOLUTION ON WEDNESDAY AT 10 A.M.

2005-03-16T08:31:00.000-06:00

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE TO VOTE ON GANNON RESOLUTION ON WEDNESDAY AT 10 A.M.

BROADCAST LIVE ON THE INTERNET

http://judiciary.house.gov/

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tomorrow, March 16, at 10 a.m. the House Judiciary Committee will vote on a House resolution which will direct the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to respond to remaining questions on Gannongate. The resolution was introduced by Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, and twenty-eight Members of the House of Representatives. The American public deserves the full truth as to who at the White House paved the way for Mr. Guckert to have repeated and staged access to the President.

WHAT: Full committee markup of Gannon Resolution of Inquiry (H. Res. 136)

WHO: House Judiciary Committee

WHEN: Wednesday, March 16th, 2005, 10 a.m.

WHERE: 2141 Rayburn House Office Building

**Broadcast live on the Internet, http://judiciary.house.gov/

Winning Hearts and Minds

2005-03-15T17:47:00.000-06:00

Most Republicans are born that way. That is to say that they are born into Republican households and never change their party affiliation. Some do change, by usually only after their party does not align with their point of view on a personal issue over an extended period of time.

It is shocking to me that in the last Presidential election, almost one quarter of all GLBT registered voters chose George Bush. George Bush with all of his GLBT hate mongering and divisive civil liberty assaults was still able to carry almost one quarter of the GLBT voters.

Why? Does that quarter think it does not deserve freedom from persecution by the leaders of this country? Are they self loathing and yearning to be straight? Are they greedy and just in it for the personal profit? Do they think that by acting straight and/or being a Republican, they will become wealthy?

Since I am not one, I can only speculate, however John, a friend of mine, was all of the above and more when I first met him. He was born into a heavily religious Republican family and was dealing with being gay. He was an ardent Republican supporter and often defended their so-called beliefs with vehement fervor.

He certainly believed in idea of the party, and how the party used to be in the 70’s and 80’s. A more centrist republican party was what John thought he was supporting.

I think what finally severed his already waning loyalty to the Republican Party was when Carl Rove started using gay marriage as a wedge issue in 2004 Presidential election and an all out war between fanatical religious Republican conservatives and the GLBT advocacy groups such as HRC and Lambda Legal began.

Below is an email from John that I recently received.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: John
Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 9:33 AM
To: Clint

Subject: Winning Hearts and Minds

Like a lot of gay activists, I cringed at the same time I celebrated the ruling that gay people are not second class citizens in California - and therefore our marriage rights are protected by California constitution. The backlash to this ruling will be enormous. We can all do a little bit to help lessen the blow, though, by fostering an environment where bigotry is not tolerated.

That's right! We must win the "hearts and minds" of the "insurgents" that have been angered by the visibilty and increased protection of gay people.

I'm only asking you to all to do a little something as the news is brought up by your coworkers, friends, colleagues and church goers: stick up for us! You don't have to waive a rainbow flag or anything, just rebuff their attempts to drag you into a bigotry-filled conversations.

Here are some great noncommittal comebacks.

- "It's heterosexual divorces that are ruining marriage in America, not gays."
- "This country was founded on freedom from religious persecution. The fact that you want to persecute gays in anti-American."

Humorous:

- "What is 'traditional' marriage anyway? In caveman times they hit each other with clubs, does that mean we should go back to that?"
- "There are a lot of biblical scholars that believe Adam was a hermophrodite before there was Adam and Eve, much less Adam and Steve."

Don't forget to point out that gay marriage will help a lot of industries - travel, event planning, lawyers, healthcare, education - and married couples give lots more to charitable organizations than single people. Gay marriage is good for America!

Thanks for sticking up for me now - my future husband and children will thank you!

-John

P.S. And as always, I'm sorry if this email annoys you - it annoys me that I have to fight for my equal rights.

Ski Weekend In Sante Fe

2005-03-12T23:31:00.000-06:00

This weekend I am in the beautiful city of Sante Fe, New Mexico.

The View of Sante Fe From Our Accomodations

This weekend is primarily a ski weekend with friends.

It's Only Just Begun - What the FED thinks about Bushonomics

2005-03-11T10:23:00.000-06:00

According to a Reuters news piece by Andrea Ricci, Alan Greenspan appears to finally be taking a stand on his opinion of the current US budget. In an almost uncharacteristic flare, Greenspan told reporters yesterday that "the nation's budget outlook gave him pause."

Has he only just realized what we have all been saying about the Bush economy and how ludicrous it looks? Let's summarize:

Bushonomics Plan Details:

1) Spend More (WAR)
2) Earn Less (TAX CUTS)
3) Put Everything on Credit (DEFICIT)

I'll admit it is a little oversimplified, but this is "W" we are talking about here and a little simplification might just give him the edge he needs to understand the whole money thing.

Yahoo! News - Greenspan Says Worried on Budget

DemsTV.com Upsets Sean Hannity and comes under fire.

2005-03-10T11:19:00.000-06:00

Sean Hannity seemed to become quite upset yesterday when he viewed a promo ad run by DemsTV.com on their website. In the ad a Hannity bobble-head is run over by a car and smashed to pieces.

You can see Hannity's response here.

John Aravosis from America Blog who stars in the premiere episode, state on his website Tuesday that "the site has been inaccessible all day, and its looking increasingly like our friends on the right have successfully (and illegally) shut the site down. Our boys are still investigating, and it's still possible that the site has been so wildly popular that is what caused the problem (such a problem to have!), but nonetheless, many of us think that after Sean Hannity complained about DemsTV.com on his show last night, one of his deranged followers might have done something."

As of today the site was still inaccessible, however you can view the premiere episode here.

Delay caught accepting money from foreign agents!

2005-03-10T10:47:00.000-06:00

The Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives on Gifts and Travel state that "a Member, officer or employee may not accept travel expenses from 'a registered lobbyist or agent of a foreign principal.' ", however since Tom Delay seems to think that he is above the law, I think he just assumed that this was another rule that did not apply to him.

In a Washington Post Article today, Tom Delay is accused of having taken a $106,921 three day trip to Korea with his wife, Christine; and two other Republican lawmakers, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Ander Crenshaw, both Florida Republicans. That turns out to be $26,730.25 per person for the three day vacation to Korea paid for by a foreign principal, Chairman Seung Youn Kim of the Hanwha Group. The Hanwha Group is one of South Korea's top 10 holding companies.

The documents also show that arranging the lawmakers' trip is just one of numerous steps the lobbyists promised to take for Kim. Others included arranging a meeting with President Bush and lawmakers in Washington.

So first delay and then Bush, was this not the exact same issue that the Republicans got their knickers in a knot about with Clinton? Sounds familiar to me, oriental businessman given access to government officials for large sums of cash.

What is Delay’s excuse? The age old “I didn’t know that they were foreign principals, besides I got permission from an imaginary friend in the ethics committee who also didn’t know because they were not registered as foreign principals when I asked the Ethics Commission for permission.” – Not actual quote, re-enacted for effect.

USA Next Sued for 25 Million Over Anti-Gay AD!

2005-03-09T14:31:00.000-06:00

As I write this entry, John Aravosis is currently in court on this issue. I applaud the couple for taking this rabid group to court. Finally someone is fighting back against the rampant homophobia that runs unchecked in politics. These right wing nuts would be very upset if we used one of their pictures to promote GLBT tolerance and acceptance but have no qualms about using some anonymous gay wedding picture to whip up a media frenzy over gay marriage and the AARP opposing the Presidents social security plan.

As a side note, the group who created this ad is the same group involved in the "swiftboat veterans for truth".

John Aravosis of AmericaBlog.org and Spokesman for Richard M. Raymen and Steven P. Hansen announced today on his website that his clients will be suing USANext a Right wing lobby group who used the couple's wedding picture without permission in a homophobic ad against the AARP.

The Press Release can be found here

A copy of the ad can be viewed online here

DEMSTV.COM

2005-03-08T10:48:00.000-06:00

Check it out: http://www.demstv.com/ - DEMSTV.COM

How The President can and does get away with Murder

2005-03-08T01:15:00.000-06:00

It has taken me some time and research energy to finally wrap my mind around this issue. The question is this, how is it that leaders in the past and this president in particular are able to get away with serious crimes to humanity with little or no immediate outcry if any at all? Theft, fraud, torture and even murder of hundreds, thousands or even hundreds of thousands of humans on this earth?

After the then presidential candidate clearly stole the election of a super-power, where were the riots? How about when with a very transparent lie, this new Commander in Chief sent thousands of young citizens to their death and sentenced tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians to death and occupation?

Using the Iraq war as an extreme example to highlight this issue, was I the only person in the world who could see through the thinly veiled excuses and cheap distracting spin trickery? Was I the only person who cared not just about our citizens, but all humans including the Iraqis?

Apparently I was a member of a very small group whose members, each with varying degrees of success, were able to ascertain the real truth and be very concerned by it. So what about the others?

Well there is anything but an easy answer to that question. I am not a cognitive scientist or any sort of specialist, however I believe that my overly simple hypothesis is a bit common sense coupled with some recent reading.

The human mind is a very interesting and quite unknown factor in how people behave. First of all, you may have noticed that it takes energy and effort to concentrate. Concentrating is the process of utilizing the services that the brain and mind have to offer to the cognitive thought process. Most humans are able to concentrate completely on one specific task at a time with little effort, however as we begin to muti-task our ability to perform each task becomes diminished and the energy and effort required to process multiple information sources increases.

Now think about your daily life. You are constantly assaulted with multiple pieces of information on multiple subjects each day. Each piece of information is shaped by the people disseminating this information. This shaping is call framing and/or spin if the source is shaping the message and bias if the intermediary such as a reporter or news outlet shapes the message.

In this day and age, the people in US politics are so adept at framing and/or spinning the message that they are able to alter your opinion on an issue without your knowledge. Since we are all very busy these days living our lives, and since we have news "spoon fed" to us everywhere we go, it is no wonder that we take the easy way out and just absorb the framed and spun news that trickles out of our biased media outlets.

More information on framing by George Lakoff is available here.

Now back to our example, the Iraq war. Why did so many people support this war? Was it the news that they were fed? Seven separate polls by The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) in 2003 and 2004, which included 9,611 respondents, and had a margin of error from 2 to 3.5 percent concluded that a majority of Americans held mistaken impressions about the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

Three of the most common mistaken impressions were that U.S. forces found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. There was clear evidence that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein worked closely with the September 11 terrorists and that People in foreign countries generally either backed the U.S.-led war or were evenly split between supporting and opposing it.

Overall, 60 percent of Americans held at least one of those views in polls reported between January and September by the Program on International Policy Attitudes, based at the University of Maryland in College Park, and the polling firm, Knowledge Networks based in Menlo Park, California.

In fact, no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. U.S. intelligence has found no clear evidence that Saddam was working closely with al-Qaida or was involved in the September 11, 2001, attacks and Gallup polls found large majorities opposed to the war in most countries.

Analysis also points to the correlation between the news source and the misconceptions. 80 Percent of those who said they relied on Fox News and 71 percent of those who said they relied on CBS believed at least one of the three misconceptions. The comparable figures were 47 percent for those who said they relied most on newspapers and magazines and 23 percent for those who said they relied on PBS or National Public Radio.

Susan Moeller, a University of Maryland professor, said that much reporting had consisted of "stenographic coverage of government statements" with less attention to whether the government's statements were accurate.

Among those with one of the three misconceptions, 53 percent supported the war. Among those with two, 78 percent supported it. Among those with three, 86 percent backed it. By contrast, less than a quarter of those polled who had none of the misconceptions backed the war.

To review the study, go to http://www.pipa.org

In conclusion, "stenographic coverage of government statements" or Framing coupled with different news organization bias led to inaccurate perceptions by the public and the steady march to war.

Question Everything or Blame Yourself When Things Go Wrong!

CBS News 60 Minutes | The D.A. And Tom DeLay | March 6, 2005 20:15:08

2005-03-07T01:24:00.000-06:00

In a recent story on CBS News - 60 Minutes I was glad to see that the scandalous and sickening abuse of power by Tom DeLay The Republican House Majority Leader is finally heating up and the Republicans are a little worried.

I do not strongly detest him for the money he raised illegally from corporations during the 2002 state elections in Texas. I loath and despise him for his continued and blatant self satisfying, unethical and immoral actions which have propelled him to one of the highest leadership positions in Texas. I do not think that I would be lying to say that he would sell his mother down the river to get ahead. He thinks that he is a king, untouchable and high above all else.

I don't think anyone ever told him that this was a republic and his sole purpose as Texas Republican House Majority Leader is to serve the people! I think that this also appears to be an affliction that has befallen many of our leaders. Consider the old adage, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely" an observation that a person's sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases. The statement was made by Lord Acton, a British historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Allow me to illustrate my point:

On September 17, 1787 Benjamin Franklin emerged from the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia where a new country's Constitution was being shaped after a war for freedom. Elizabeth Powell, whose husband was mayor of Philadelphia, anxiously asked Franklin what kind of government this new country would have. A republic, madam, if you can keep it, replied the eminent statesman.

I feel as if we "the people" are loosing control of our leaders and our country and thus our republic is slowly shifting into unique form of fascism. If we define fascism as a political system that emphasizes nationalism, militarism, and totalitarian rule with an opposition to democracy and human rights where individuals are allowed to retain ownership of capital goods but are subject to centralized control, then are we not already there?

Let's see:

1) Emphasized Nationalism - Check
2) Militarism - Check (Iraq - PATRIOT Act)
3) Totalitarian Rule - Pending
4) Opposition to Human Rights - Check (Abu Gharib / Gay Rights)
5) Centralized Control - Pending

These and many other events should be "alert indicators" to the American people that we may have a problem, but they go almost unnoticed by Americans. If the citizens of this country do not have to sacrifice anything while we are at war killing thousands of innocent civilians on a lie, then why worry? If I can drive my "Hummer" down the road at 5 miles to the gallon (exaggeration) without long lines at the gas pump, then what's the problem?

As one self proclaimed Republican expressed to me in a recent heated discussion, "They have the oil and we need it! Since we are stronger than them, we can take it and we should. It's the law of nature, the strong survive and the weak do not." She reinforces my opinion that most of us (All Humans) will never be more than slightly intelligent animals.

Canadian Lawmakers Swamped With Anti-Gay MailFrom US

2005-02-23T10:28:00.000-06:00

In a new article on [365 Gay] I learned that apparently meddling in other countries affairs is not only a Bush/Rove issue. It appears that American conservatives and evangelical Christians feel that they have the rights (or duty) to meddle wherever they feel, be it another state or another country.

I wonder how outraged they would feel if Canadians suddenly started lobbying our representatives for gay marriage? Outraged I’m sure, yet they are doing exactly this. It fascinates me that they can be such hypocrites and not even know it. How do they fool themselves into living a double standard while not even noticing it?

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that they have been deceived their whole lives and just accept fiction as fact if it must be taken on “faith”. Let me illustrate, your grandmother tells you that she sat down with the late Princess Dianna of Whales yesterday for tea and had a wonderful chat. Is she Crazy or does she have Dementia? Perhaps, but Dr. James Dobson tells you that he spoke to Jesus and was told that the whole gay marriage issue is bad and will lead to the end of the world. Is he Crazy or does he have Dementia? Probably, unless you have faith and believe.

There seems to be this huge double standard. Things which are not logically explainable or something which can be verified using the scientific method are valid and real if they are religious and you as a believer must take them on faith. Additionally, it does not matter what non-believers believe as they will be burning in hell soon. So save as many souls as you can so that you can get into Heaven by proselytizing to them and converting them to your religious beliefs without regard for their own beliefs.

Oh and of course PRAISE JESUS!

The American mystery deepens: Tylenol PM is Evil

2005-02-22T23:34:00.000-06:00

Can I say fabulously funny? I was quite shocked when just days after my first blog entry I noticed that one of my postings had a comment on it.

I instantly accessed the comment to get this juicy results and was a little confused by the brief comment so I decided to see who was commenting on my blog.

After deducing that the comment was regarding my subject matter and not my audacity to attempt a blog unaided on my own, I read a little further and discovered this wonderful entry.

The American mystery deepens: Tylenol PM is Evil

We have all been there at one time and I found the whole story decidedly hilarious and most entertaining. In crude terms "I busted out laughing".

Love it, Love it, Love it !!

Parents Beware: 'Shrek 2' Features Transgenderism And Crossdressing Themes

2005-02-22T13:07:00.000-06:00

Following the recent outing of Sponge Bob Square Pants by James Dobson, the Traditional Values Coalition has announced that the upcoming DVD release of Shrek 2 contains many "subtle sexual messages".

Such messages include:

"The movie features a male-to-female transgender (in transition) as an evil
bartender. The character has five o'clock shadow, wears a dress and has female
breasts. It is clear that he is a she-male."

and

"An earlier scene in the movie features a wolf dressed in grandma's clothing and
reading a book when Prince Charming encounters him. Later, one of the characters
refers to the wolf's gender confusion. "

It seems quite silly to any person of reason, but apparently the supporters of this and other similar organizations are to stupid to see the absurdity of all this. I still find myself wondering at night, do they actually believe this crap?

What crap? You might ask. We simply that the Gay Community as a whole or in part has the power to influence a Hollywood studio to incorporate subtle "gay agenda" items into a movie simply to advance that whole "Gay Agenda".

What do you think?

US Man charged in alleged plot to assassinate Bush!

2005-02-22T13:00:00.000-06:00

A US Citizen has been charged in alleged plot to assassinate Bush. A former Virginia high school valedictorian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as a suspected terrorist was charged Tuesday with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and with supporting the al-Qaida terrorist network.http://g.msn.com/0MNBUS00/2?http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7012172&&CM=EmailThis&CE=1

I would love to comment on this story, however I'm sure that Homeland Security would waste precious resources and manpower investigating me needlessly to the detriment of our nations safety.

Gannon Gate Finally Hits The Mainstream Media!

2005-02-17T11:59:00.000-06:00

Finally after bloggers left and right have been pushing this very important story that the White House very much wants to distance itself from, the mainstream media has begun to touch it with a ten-foot pole.

The New York Times : The White House Stages Its 'Daily Show'
Christian Science Monitor : Bush administration blurs media boundary
Salon.com : Midnight cowboy in the garden of Bush and evil

It amazes me that there are so many American's oblivious to this administration's tactics and those of chief advisor Carl Rove. Carl Rove has been using the same tactics to benefit his party at the expense of the truth since his days in Texas.

Why then should the media and the public at large not get upset and REALLY demand answers when a gay, conservative, hooker who has no formal journalism education background or affiliation with any reputable media outlet is allowed unfettered access to the White House briefing room?

Let's break it down so that those among us who lack the ability to think for themselves (you know who you are - W 04) may get a clue.

Irrelevant Points:

Subject is gay.
Subject is a hooker.

Relevant Points:

Subject used an alias (pretended to be someone else) and apparently thwarted the hightened post 9/11 security measures put in place to protect the President and the White House every day for two years.
Subject has not formal journalism training.
Subject is a conservative working for a conservative propaganda machine (Talon News) masquerading as a news organization.
Talon News has ties directly to the RNC and will often regurgitate it's talking points as news.
Subject was able to obtain a daily pass to the White House briefing room everyday for two years while never obtaining any access to congress because he could not pass their screening process.
The White House Spokes Person almost always called on him to deflect more important questions.

This now makes 5 individuals that this administration has paid or been linked to who claim to be performing unbiased journalism while actually spreading domestic propaganda illegally.

Corrupt Journalists So Far:

Armstrong Williams
Karen Ryan
Alberto Garcia
Maggie Gallagher
Jeff Gannon / Jim Guckert

Domestic propaganda it illegal, so who will pay the price? No one unless the public demands someone's head. This is unlikely since a majority of the selfish, self-absorbed Americans are all ignorantly wrapped up in their own lives. If they didn't care when the President admitted to lying about weapons in Iraq as a reason for going to war, then what is a little domestic propaganda and continued lying?

FYI - This is the exact language in the law which governs dissemination of information within the United States:

"The Secretary is authorized, when he finds it appropriate, to provide for the preparation, and dissemination abroad, of information about the United States, its people, and its policies, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, and other information media, and through information centers and instructors abroad. Subject to subsection (b) of this section, any such information (other than ''Problems of Communism'' and the ''English Teaching Forum'' which may be sold by the Government Printing Office) shall not be disseminated within the United States, its territories, or possessions, but, on request, shall be available in the English language at the Department of State, at all reasonable times following its release as information abroad, for examination only by representatives of United States press associations, newspapers, magazines, radio systems, and stations, and by research students and scholars, and, on request, shall be made available for examination only to Members of Congress. (b) Dissemination of information within United States
(1) The Director of the United States Information Agency shall make available to the Archivist of the United States, for domestic distribution, motion pictures, films, videotapes, and other material prepared for dissemination abroad 12 years after the initial dissemination of the material abroad or, in the case of such material not disseminated abroad, 12 years after the preparation of the material."

The reference in the United States Code is:

Title 22 Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Chapter 18 United States Information and Educational Exchange Programs
Subchapter 5 Dissemination Abroad of Information About The United States
Section 1461 General Authorization

New to Blogging, not to the web!

2005-02-15T22:47:00.000-06:00

I recently reformatted my personal website and decided to give blogging a try. For me writing in a journal was always a problem. My handwriting is absolutely pathetic, I would come back and find that I was unable to read my own journal. I also seem to easily loose track of my possessions, including my journals. I do not know where my many journals have disappeared to.

To that end, let's see how long I can keep this online journal going, and what springs from it very lines of word and code.