What Were We Fighting For?

Although 150 years have passed since the start of the Civil War, Americans are still divided over what exactly sparked the conflict and which side was more sympathetic, according to a new national poll.

"In the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll released Tuesday, roughly one in four Americans said they sympathize more with the Confederacy than the Union, a figure that rises to nearly four in ten among white Southerners.



When asked the reason behind the Civil War, whether it was fought over slavery or states' rights, 52 percent of all Americas said the leaders of the Confederacy seceded to keep slavery legal in their state, but a sizeable 42 percent minority said slavery was not the main reason why those states seceded.


"The results of that question show that there are still racial, political and geographic divisions over the Civil War that still exists a century and a half later," CNN Polling Director Holland Keating said.


When broken down by political party, most Democrats said southern states seceded over slavery, independents were split and most Republicans said slavery was not the main reason that Confederate states left the Union."

Why am I not surprised? In the South you still see Confederate flags on bandanas, T-shirts and the backs of trucks. You'd never see Germans wearing swastikas shirts (unless they're Neo-Nazis). And the rationale is always the same: "It's a part of our Southern heritage."

No, New Orleans jazz, Cajun food and Mardi Gras are a part of our heritage. Proudly wearing/displaying a symbol of a culture that auctioned off and used human beings like cattle, separated them from their families, raped their women and degraded them at every possible turn, all under the guise of "God's will," should not be celebrated. It should remembered as a human rights tragedy that should never be repeated.

Even if you wanted to say the war was all about states' rights or the South's economic dependence on cotton, the issue still goes back to--wait for it--slavery! Southern states were fighting for their right to own slaves, and slave-picked cotton drove the South's economy. And while we're at it, let's not act like the North was some Promised Land for black folks, flowing with jobs and money. Northern states also benefited from the cotton trade, and discrimination was alive and well among northerners. Racism didn't magically stop at the Mason-Dixon line. In reality most of the Union army(and Abraham Lincoln) weren't idealistic abolitionists hell-bent on wiping out slavery: they were simply trying to preserve the Union and ending slavery was the best option.

Yes your Confederate great-great grandfather/uncle/cousin may have fought bravely in the war for a variety of reasons; but he was still fighting to hold onto a way of life that viewed me as three fifths of a person. So don't be surprised if I don't feel like showing my pride.

The Worms Will Live In Every Host...

Enshrining a theocracy seems to be on the agenda for potential 2012 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and Tea Party, who believe that every knee shall bow at gunpoint. Why don't these people understand that while Christianity is the dominant religion of the United States, it is not the official religion of the United States. No religion is. That's because we have this nifty idea called separation of church and state, so that we won't all be at the mercy of another person's faith and belief system. Hell, most of the founding fathers were deists/atheists/agnostics, not the reincarnation of the 12 disciples like these wingnuts seem to believe. Watch the nuttiness below:

Here We Are Now, Legalize Us

The Washington State legislature has voted to recognize all valid out-of-state same-sex marriages. According to the Associated Press:

"On a 28-19 vote, the Senate cleared the last hurdle for the bill.  Under the measure, gay marriages performed elsewhere would be recognized as domestic partnerships here, as well as domestic partnerships performed in other states.

Currently, five states, the District of Columbia and Canada allow same-sex marriages. Washington becomes the fourth state to approve a similar bill, following Rhode Island, New York and Maryland. The measure enjoyed wide support among Democrats. It passed the House 58-39, mostly on party-line votes."

Side note: Five points to anyone who can guess where the inspiration for this post's title came from! Good luck!

H/t Rod 2.0

Magazine For LGBT Military Members Announced

An adovcacy group is announcing a magazine made for and by gay military members. Outserve, an underground organization made up of active U.S. service members who are lesbian, gay, bi or transgender, produces the publication, which may soon be displayed at military stations around the world.

"Our first objective with the magazine is to let all the gay, lesbian, bi, and trans members currently serving know that they are not alone," an active-duty officer who goes by the pseudonym JD Smith said in a statement. "Visibility is key," Smith said, who added that OutServe hopes to have its next version available in print at "some larger military bases."


The magazine is currently available for download online. The magazine will also contain features on how the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell " will be implemented, as well as pertinent information for LGBT military members.

"We also want to communicate to all troops that there are capable gay military members serving honorably, and that accepting that and moving on will make our military stronger," said Smith.

Read the full article HERE.

Tennesee Tea Party Wants Slavery Removed From History

I guess these were just love taps from Massa.

The rewriting of history continues. As if we needed further confirmation that many in the Tea Party are slightly off their rockers, the Tennesse branch of the party wants all instances of slavery and genocide committed against blacks and Native Americans removed from history textbooks, since they make the founding fathers look back.

According to the Memphis Commerical Appeal:

"The material calls for lawmakers to amend state laws governing school curriculums, and for textbook selection criteria to say that “No portrayal of minority experience in the history which actually occurred shall obscure the experience or contributions of the Founding Fathers, or the majority of citizens, including those who reached positions of leadership.”



Fayette County attorney Hal Rounds, the group’s lead spokesman during the news conference, said the group wants to address “an awful lot of made-up criticism about, for instance, the founders intruding on the Indians or having slaves or being hypocrites in one way or another.


“The thing we need to focus on about the founders is that, given the social structure of their time, they were revolutionaries who brought liberty into a world where it hadn’t existed, to everybody — not all equally instantly — and it was their progress that we need to look at.”

Poor Tea Party. We don't wanna hear about the negros gettin' lynch and beaten and raped by their masters! Or how the Indians were slaughtered and driven out of their land! All that truth stuff isn't good for our founding fathers' image!

This foolishness just reiterates my point about the current santification that's going on with Ronald Reagan. You cannot erase the parts of history you hate. All of it--the good, the bad and especially the ugly--must be told. Otherwise the same mistakes will be repeated. I don't have the energy to rant and rave at these folks, who are clearly deluded.

Read the rest of the report here.

Happy Birthday Ronnie. NOT!

I'm sorry but I don't get all the fuss people are making about Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday. I'm sure his kids, Nancy and other family members and friends probably have fond personal memories of him. But what I truly hate, as I do with any public figure, be it Michael Jackson or Martin Luther King Jr. is this mass white-washing of his legacy that is currently taking place. No one (with a very few expcetions) is a complete saint or a certified sinner. So let's get a few facts straight about Ronald.

"Reaganomics"did nothing to help anyone but the weathiest Americans and is an ambomination that has continued to hurt middle and working class people to this day, as it has become Republican gospel. Wake up! It's been over 30 years and the money still hasn't trickled down! Not to mention his cutting of social programs that would've further helped non-millionaires.

During his presidency he did nothing to help the black or gay communities. How quickly everyone seems to have forgotten about the Iran-Contra scandal, in which drug trafficking led to black communities being flooded with crack cocaine in the eighties, from which sprung addiction and drug-related gang violence in neighborhoods already ravaged by poverty. Poverty that was the result of  by you guessed it, Reaganomics!

And lest we forget, Reagan's silence on AIDS and hooking up with fundamentalist douche bags like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson held up funding and potential medical treatments for years. In fact, AIDS, then called the "gay cancer" was pretty much joke in the White House during the early 80's. Literally.

The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
Press Briefing by Larry Speakes
October 15, 1982
The Briefing Room
12:45pm EDT


Q: Larry, does the President have any reaction to the announcement -- the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, that AIDS is now an epidemic and have over 600 cases?


Mr. Speakes: What's AIDS?


Q: Over a third of them have died. It's known as "gay plague." (Laughter.) No, it is. I mean it's a pretty serious thing that one in every three people that get this have died. And I wondered if the President is aware of it?


Mr. Speakes: I don't have it. Do you? (Laughter.)


Q: No, I don't.


Mr. Speakes: You didn't answer my question.


Q: Well, I just wondered, does the President ...


Mr. Speakes: How do you know? (Laughter.)


Q: In other words, the White House looks on this as a great joke?


Mr. Speakes: No, I don't know anything about it, Lester.


Q: Does the President, does anyone in the White House know about this epidemic, Larry?


Mr. Speakes: I don't think so. I don't think there's been any ...


Q: Nobody knows?


Mr. Speakes: There has been no personal experience here, Lester.


Q: No, I mean, I thought you were keeping ...


Mr. Speakes: I checked thoroughly with Dr. Ruge this morning and he's had no -- (laughter) -- no patients suffering from AIDS or whatever it is.


Q: The President doesn't have gay plague, is that what you're saying or what?


Mr. Speakes: No, I didn't say that.


Q: Didn't say that?


Mr. Speakes: I thought I heard you on the State Department over there. Why didn't you stay there? (Laughter.)


Q: Because I love you Larry, that's why. (Laughter.)


Mr. Speakes: Oh I see. Just don't put it in those terms, Lester. (Laughter.)


Q: Oh, I retract that.


Mr. Speakes: I hope so.


Q: It's too late.


This transcript was quoted at the beginning of Jon Cohen's book, Shots in the Dark: The Wayward Search for an AIDS Vaccine, 2001. ISSN # 1052-4207.

By the time Reagan finally decided to speak about AIDS in 1987, not only did he state the government shouldn't provide sex education, but his comments were tailored to his evangelical base, who were all to eager to claim the disease as God's punishment.

"On April 2, 1987, Reagan said: "How that information is used must be up to schools and parents, not government. But let's be honest with ourselves, AIDS information can not be what some call 'value neutral.' After all, when it comes to preventing AIDS, don't medicine and morality teach the same lessons."

Hmmm. I wonder whose values are those?

According to Act-Up New York:

AIDS research was chronically under-funded. When doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health asked for more funding for their work on AIDS, they were routinely denied it. Between June 1981 and May 1982 the CDC spent less than $1 million on AIDS and $9 million on Legionnaire's Disease. At that point more than 1,000 of the 2,000 reported AIDS cases resulted in death; there were fewer than 50 deaths from Legionnaire's Disease. This drastic lack of funding would continue through the Reagan years.



When health and support groups in the gay community were beginning to initiate education and prevention programs, they were denied federal funding. In October 1987 Senator Helms amended a federal appropriations bill to prohibit AIDS education efforts that "encourage or promote homosexual activity" — that is, efforts that tell gay men how to have safe sex.

When Rock Hudson, a friend and colleague of the Reagans, was diagnosed with AIDS and died in 1985 (one of the 20,740 cases reported that year), Reagan still did not speak out as president ... In 1986 (after five years of complete silence), when Surgeon General C. Everett Koop released a report calling for AIDS education in schools, Bennett and Bauer did everything possible to undercut and prevent funding for Koop's too-little-too-late initiative. Reagan, again, said and did nothing. By the end of 1986, 37,061 AIDS cases had been reported; 16,301 people had died.

I understand that personal responsiblity is a factor. No one forced anyone not to wear condoms or smoke crack. We all are accountable for our own behavior. But that still doesn't change the fact that the Reagan and his administration systematically failed to meet the needs of people that desperately needed them most. That he allowed politics and personal prejudices to override any sense of compassion for communities that were suffering, and by doing so, exacerbated it. Reagan's job as president was to serve all Americans and he actively chose not to do so.

Now he's being reinvented as the Great American, an omnibenevolent president who as a friend to all. Pardon my french, but that's a bunch of bullshit. When public/historic figures, be they politicians or entertainers, are made out to be saints or demons (unless they are complete sociopaths), we do both ourselves and them a disservice by denying their humanity.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a great leader, a gifted speaker, and a fearless fighter against injustice. But he was also a philanderer and occasionally engaged in plagiarism.

Michael Jackson was a tremendously gifted performer, songwriter and singer who gave millions away to charity. But he was also an emotionally crippled man riddled with self-hatred about his black skin and features, and did everything he could to get rid of both.

Or course this also works the other way. Malcom X called white people devils (maybe that's why there's no Malcom X Day for the kiddies:) and proclaimed blacks should totally separate themselves from society. But he also recanted such statements after he went to Mecca.

My point is that when we white-wash a person's legacy we turn them into a symbol that is impossible to aspire to, forgetting their negative actions and their flaws. And when we make someone out to be a complete and utter villain (again with exceptions, i.e. Hitler, Stalin), we can often forget the good things they've done or changes that may occur in their views over a lifetime.

So when you wish Reagan a happy birthday, think twice as you blow out the candles.

Sarah Palin Inc.

Sarah Palin wants to get her name trademarked. Lest you think your eyes have deceived you, I'll type it again. Sarah Palin wants to get her name trademarked (and little Bristol's too). According to PoliticsDaily.com, Sarah and Bristol want to trademark their names for "entertainment and educational services:

"According to patent office application (serial # 85170226, Van Flein registered for a trademark of "Sarah Palin" on Nov. 5, 2010 -- three days after the midterm elections. The government trademark examining attorney has "found no conflicting marks that would bar registration." In other words, nobody else had already taken the proposed trademark.

A "Bristol Palin" application (serial #85130638) was filed on Sept. 15, 2010. Bristol Palin's stint with "Dancing With the Stars" premiered on Sept. 20."

For Sarah Palin's application, there are two classes of commercial service for which her name would be a registered trademark. One is for "information about political elections" and "providing a website featuring information about political issues." The second is for "educational and entertainment services ... providing motivational speaking services in the field of politics, culture, business and values."

The "Bristol Palin" application is for "educational and entertainment services, namely, providing motivational speaking services in the field of life choices."

This woman might as well wear a sign that says Still wanna vote for me? I can fix that!. I amazed that the irony of this situation escapes her. Why would you want to trademark your name as an entertainment brand when you're trying to establish yourself as a serious, viable candidate for the next presidential race (which I'm assuming she'll at least try to run for--get your wig and glasses ready Tina!)? But then again, why would a potential candidate do a reality show and use words like refudiate without a trace of shame?

I mean really, it's one thing when musicians or actors do it. Because they're entertainers. As much as I view them as artists, I (and they) recognize that they are a brand that generates millions, or sometimes billions of dollars, and is in need of protection.

Of course Sarah Palin is entertaining, but for all the wrooooong reasons. And as for Bristol, chile please. Five years from now you'll probably be praying that someone wants to infringe/misappropriate your likeness. I'm just sayin'. This is just further proof of how out-of-touch she is.

The applications haven't gone through yet because the patent office needs Palin's written consent before her name can be trademarked--that and the fact the office feel she hasn't provided enough evidence that her name has been used for commercial purposes. But I'm sure Ms. Maverick will keep on trying.

The Rent Is Too Damn High: Auto-Tune Remix!

Hilarious. Watch the clip below:

I Only Got 4 Minutes....

This should've been thought of sooner. The White House has uploaded a four-minute video of the major points in President Obama's healthcare proposal. The video takes excerpts from the president's recent speech on reform and provides bullet points to make the plan clear. Watch it below:

Five Down, 45 To Go

Same-sex marriage became legal in Maine today after Gov. John Baldacci signed a bill after it passed through the state legislature(damn does that sentence remind of the Bill song from School House Rock? Lol) anyways, the governor had this to say on his decision to sign the bill:

"I have come to believe that this is a question of fairness and of equal protection under the law and that a civil union is not equal to civil marriage," said Baldacci, a Democrat.

But he raised the possibility that the residents of the state would overturn the law, saying, "Just as the Maine Constitution demands that all people are treated equally under the law, it also guarantees that the ultimate political power in the State belongs to the people."

The Human Rights Campaign, a gay and lesbian rights organization, praised Maine's new law.

"This law is simply about making sure that loving, committed couples, and their families, receive equal rights and responsibilities. This is a step that will strengthen Maine families," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said in a statement.

New Hampshire lawmakers are currently considering a similar bill, but have not reach a decision yet. Maine now joins Iowa, Connecticut, Vermont and Massachusetts as states that marry gay couples. Hopefully this wave of equality will flow down South.

News and Notables

Gay Couples Begin To Wed In Iowa

Iowa county clerks began processing same-sex couples' marriage applicaations on Monday, following the April 3rd ruling that legalized gay marriage in the state. Iowa is the third state to legalize gay marriage along with Massachusetts and Vermont. Bouquets were expected to be handed to the newlyweds by volunteers in the state's larger cities.

Maryfrances Evans, 46, and Stephanie McFarland, 39, plan to hold their ceremony Friday, performed by the same judge who finalized the adoptions of their two daughters, now 5 and 3.

"It's all about me having the legal right to protect my family, and it's about my daughters being able to grow up knowing that their family is absolutely as valid as any other family," said Evans, who lives in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale.

Obama Reflects on Holocaust

At a memorial for the Holocaust, in which millions of Jews were transported to concentration camps and murdered by Nazi Germany, President Obama emphasized that silence is unacceptable in dealing with evil and bigotry.

"Today, and every day, we have an opportunity, as well as an obligation, to confront these scourges -- to fight the impulse to turn the channel when we see images that disturb us, or wrap ourselves in the false comfort that others' sufferings are not our own," Obama said. "Instead, we have the opportunity to make a habit of empathy; to recognize ourselves in each other; to commit ourselves to resisting injustice and intolerance and indifference in whatever forms they may take."

Ending on a hopeful note, Obama referenced more recent violent conflicts such as those in Ireland and Rwanda, both of which have since subsided.

"Our fellow citizens of the world, showing us how to make the journey from oppression to survival, from witness to resistance, and ultimately to reconciliation," Obama said. "That is what we mean when we say, 'Never again.'"

Soujouner Truth Memorial Bust Unveiled

Today Soujourner Truth, respected abolitionist and women's right activist, became the first black woman honored with a memorial bust in the U.S. Capitol.

"One could only imagine what Sojourner Truth, an outspoken, tell-it-like-it-is kind of woman ... what she would have to say about this incredible gathering," first lady Michelle Obama said at the Celebration of Truth ceremony. "We are all here because, as my husband says time and time again, we stand on the shoulders of giants like Sojourner Truth."

"And as just Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott would be pleased to know that we have a woman serving as the speaker of the House of Representatives, I hope that Sojourner Truth would be proud to see me, a descendant of slaves, serving as the first lady of the United States of America," she said.

Those in attendance at the ceremony included Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Republican Leader John Boehner and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, as well as actress Cicely Tyson, who recited Truth's famous "Ain't I A Woman" speech.

New Jersey Voters Support Same-Sex Marriage Law

New Jersey voters support a law legalizing same-sex marriage by a 49-43 margin, according to a Quinnipac University poll.

And voters support 63 - 30 percent the existing law establishing civil unions for same-sex couples.

A proposed same-sex marriage law wins 64 - 29 percent support from Democrats and 50 - 41 percent from independent voters, but Republicans oppose it 67 - 26 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds. Men oppose it 48 - 44 percent while women back same-sex marriage 53 - 39 percent.

Read the rest of the poll results here.

News and Notables

Study Finds Transgender Youth Face Extreme Harassment

A study done by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network titled Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation's Schools, revealed that transgender face harassment more and victimization in high schools than their lesbian, gay and bisexual peers. However, they are also more likely to speak out about LGBT issues in the classroom.

In addition to comparing the two groups, the study also examined the lives of the 295 transgender students who took the survey. According to the study:

Nearly nine out of 10 transgender students experienced verbal harassment at school in the past year because of their sexual orientation and gender expression, more than half experienced physical harassment because of their sexual orientation and gender expression and more than a quarter experienced physical assault because of their sexual orientation and gender expression. These levels of victimization were higher than those faced by the non-transgender lesbian, gay and bisexual students who participated in the 2007 National School Climate Survey, GLSEN's biennial survey of LGBT students.

The high rate of victimization had a direct impact on school attendance and academic performance. Transgender students who experienced high levels of harassment were more likely to miss school because they felt unsafe and had lower grade point averages than those who experienced lower levels of harassment.

You can read the whole report here.

Louisiana Must Add Gay Couple's Names to Birth Certificate

It's so rare to here good news about gays in my homestate, so I had to blog about this. District Judge Jazy Zainey ruled that Louisiana had 15 days to add the names of Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith to the certificate of a boy born in Shreverport.

Under current Louisiana law, an umarried couple cannot adopt child. However since the adoption became official in New York, which ruled in January that same-sex couples could use both their names on birth certificates, Zainey ruled that the courts must recognize the adoption.

The state legislature is trying to fight the ruling by introducing bill that would make any adoption not complying to Louisiana's adoption laws illegal. Guess we'll have to stay tuned to see what happens next.

Mary Mary, Why You Buggin'?

Mary, I don't know about this one girl. Mrs. Blige is set to star in Tyler Perry's next movie, an adaptation of his stage play I Can Do Bad All Myself. Blige is playing the role of a nightclub singer(at least she'll have a homecourt advantage:) named Tanya and her friend April, played by Taraji P. Henson. Madea will also make an appearance (Lawd knows she's made some of his movies more bearable to watch lol!)

If you ask me, Mary and Taraji's roles should be reversed. Don't get me wrong I love Mary J., but her acting experience is limited at best. She's only guest starred in a few sitcoms and played a small role in one movie (Prison Song). At this point I don't think she's ready to carry a whole film by herself. Maybe she'll surprise me. But then again she is starring in a Tyler Perry movie. Hmm. I'll just leave it at that;).

P.S.- 5 points to anyone who guess what the song the headline of the Mary post references:).

News and Notables

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Protest Rally Held in D.C.

A crowd of about 200 gathered in Washington D.C. Friday to protest the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Speakers such as Takia Mitchell told spoke about the negative effects of the discriminatory policy. Mitchell, who served openly gay for two years in South Korea with no problem, said the situation was very different when she returned the U.S.

"The Army was my life," she said. "It gave me purpose. And at first it gave me a place to thrive. But by the end I was truly an Army of one, singled out because I was gay."

While Congress has announced hearings on the policy, no concrete timetable has been given for making a change. Veteran Neal Riley, who is straight, said the current policy doesn't only affect gays and lesbians.

"For every person we turn away or discharge under this policy, that’s one less Arabic translator in Iraq," he said. "It’s one less special operations soldier looking for Osama bin Laden. It’s one less medic who can save lives on the battlefield."

Presbyterian Leaders Vote Against Gay Clergy Ban

Presbyterian leaders in Kentucky voted 83-61 Tuesday to approve an amendment that would open pastor, deacon and elder positions to gays and lesbians. However, some in the church fear its passage, which be appoved by a national majority of churches, would lead to a denominational split.

The Rev. John Manon of Corbin Presbyterian Church, who opposed the amendment, said he expects the proposal to be approved nationally. If that happens, "the potential is there" for a split in the denomination, he said. "My hope and prayer is that it does not" cause a schism, he said.

Under the new policy ordination would be extended to gays and lesbians, but only under "really tight circumstances" according to Richard Smith, general presbyter for the Translyvania presbytery.

"We're not going to be ordaining anybody who's not a confirmed, solid Christian person. It's not a wide open door by any means," he said. "We take the question of ordination very seriously."

Hopefully gay Presbyterians will seriously be considered.

Obama Rolls Out Education Plan

President Obama outlined his plan for a major overhaul of the U.S. educational system on Tuesday, saying his new plan will follow children "from the cradle up through a career."

"We have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short and other nations outpace us," Obama said in an address to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "The time for finger-pointing is over. The time for holding ourselves accountable is here."

"The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy and unacceptable for our children, and we cannot afford to let it continue," he said.

The president outlined a five-tier plan that included $5 billion from the recently passed stimulus package going toward the Head Start program, a proposal to offer 55,000 first-time parents "regular visits from trained nurses to help make sure their children are healthy and prepare them for school and life," and promised to increase federal support by way of an "Early Learning Challenge" program, which offers grants to states that develop plans that improve early education programs.

"In promoting his program, the president called for an end to the "partisanship and petty bickering" that many observers believe has typically defined education policy debates in the past, according to CNN.com.

"We need to move beyond the worn fights of the 20th century if we are going to succeed in the 21st century," he said.

NAACP Calls For Overturn of Prop 8

Very refreshing news. The NAACP called for passage of HR 5 and SR 7, two resolutions that would effectively overturn California's Proposition 8. National Board Chair Julian Bond, a civil rights verteran and staunch advocate for LGBT rights, says it is a matter of fairness.

"The NAACP has long opposed any proposal that would alter the federal or state constitutions for the purpose of excluding any groups or individuals from guarantees of equal protection," adding the amendment "threaten[ed] civil rights and all vulnerable minorities."

While the California branch of the organization was part of the original lawsuit that led to same sex marriage in California, but this is the first time the national organization has spoken about same-sex marriage. Way to turn 100, NAACP.

OMG It's Uncle Ruckus!

Well not really. It's actually Jesse Lee Peterson, but he might as well be. Everyone's favorite self-hating negro with the comments he recently made on Fox News. Via Pam's House Blend and News Hounds:

"As soon as Peterson had a chance to speak, he launched his racial attack against Obama: "I think we all agree that Barack Obama was elected by, mostly by black racists and white guilty people. Most black Americans, 96 percent of them, are racists who (unintelligible) white Americans. And white folks feel guilty and they are afraid of being called racists," Peterson said.

This was too much even for Hannity, who usually tacitly approves Peterson's bigoted rants. This time, Hannity said, "Do you really believe 96% of black America is racist? You don't believe that."

"Yes, sir," Peterson answered.

"No, you don't believe that," Hannity repeated.

OK, so maybe Hannity thinks Peterson believes only 90% of blacks are racist. Because that is exactly the kind of thing that Peterson has been saying for years on Hannity & Colmes, without a peep of objection from Hannity.

Shocking? Not hardly. This ain't Peterson's first time at the dumb remarks rodeo:

If whites were to just leave the United States and let blacks run the country, they would turn America into a ghetto within 10 years. The audience, shall we say, disagreed with me strongly. Now I have to disagree with me. I gave blacks too much credit. It took a mere three days for blacks to turn the Superdome and the convention center into ghettos, rampant with theft, rape and murder." -- his 9/21/2005 WND column, "Moral poverty cost blacks in New Orleans"

"If black folks want to blame someone for this tragedy they only need to look in the mirror." -- More Peterson "it's the poor darkies' fault" for Katrina tragedy, in The Washington Times.

"Most blacks, not all but most in Tennessee, especially in the Memphis, Tennessee area, are still living in the 50's and 60's. They are so racist that they don't even realize that white Americans have moved on. And so whenever there's a campaign like this, such as this, they always use racism in order to intimidate white America." -- Jesse's analysis of the congressional primary between Nikki Tinker, a black woman who used bigoted tactics, and incumbent, Steve Cohen. Cohen swept all demos with a landslide 80% of the vote.

And Rev. Peterson's versatile - check out his views about women and gays:

"Most women themselves don't understand why they provoke and agitate their spouse to lash out or run away. They don't understand the subtle control they have over weak men....In a relationship the man often has an unnatural need for his wife or girlfriend. He's addicted to her approval and to her sex. The woman senses this wrong need the man has and she begins to test him. Often times, men find themselves giving in more and more in order to a receive her favor. Sometimes the demands of the woman become unbearable to the point that the man may lash out -- I'm not saying this is right, but this is the reality. " -- Peterson on man-woman relations in his WND column, "Why fathers leave"

"The so-called 'Hate Crimes' bill is an attempt to take away the rights of Christians to speak out and express their freedom of speech. This is unjust and Americans deserve better than this from their elected officials." -- the wisdom of Peterson in WND article opposing hate crimes legislation.

Damn, where's Huey Freeman when you need him. Audio proof below:

Obama Pledges To Take "Air Out of Golden Parachutes"

President Obama announced Wednesday that all executives of companies receiving government aid will have their salaries capped at $500,000.

"Last year's 'shameful' handout of $18 billion in Wall Street bonuses "is exactly the kind of disregard for the costs and consequences of their actions that brought about this crisis: a culture of narrow self-interest and short-term gain at the expense of everything else," Obama said to White House reporters.

The president further blasted executives', calling their exorbitant spending decisions during a financial crisis not only "bad taste," but "a bad strategy." "I will not tolerate it," he said.

Under the new plan, companies paying their executives more than $500,000 will have to do so through stocks that cannot be sold until the company pays back its bailout fees to the government, according to CNN.com.  Bank shareholders will also have a greater say in executives' salary under the new plan.

CNN: Obama Sets Executive Pay Limits

Mormon Church Donated $190,000 for Prop 8

Oh how the mighty have fallen (or at least been exposed). On Friday the Mormon Church, facing an ongoing investigation by the state Fair Political Practices Commission, reported that it spent $190,000 in the campaign to pass Propostion 8, a figure previously unlisted and denied by the church. Via the San Francisco Chronicle:

"The report, filed with the secretary of state's office, listed a variety of California travel expenses for high-ranking members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and included $20,575 for use of facilities and equipment at the church's Salt Lake City headquarters and a $96,849 charge for "compensated staff time" for church employees who worked on matters pertaining to Prop. 8."

Up until Friday, the Mormon Church denied the claims made by Prop 8 opponents that they had spent big money on the 'Yes on 8' campaign, saying they had only spent $2,078. Guess they forgot about the other $187,922 they forked out to deny other folks their civil rights. But then again, it wasn't like the church was ready to reveal the full extent of their Prop 8 activities.