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Gay Rights: 2 Urgently Important Petitions That Will Impact The Elections

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The 2012 national and local elections in the United States present stark choices on the human rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Americans. There is no room for complacency about the momentous LGBT human rights progress achieved under the Obama administration. And of equal importance, it would be impossible to underestimate the malice, sociopathy and sadistic ambition of anti-gay political bullies and thugs for 2012. Many of today’s ringleaders of anti-gay politics jeered “Fag!” at gay classmates when in school. Not coincidentally, adult political gay-bashers are against sexual orientation-specific anti-bullying protections in the schools today. We are in a society where some of these psychopaths actually say that anti-gay bullying is a “healthy” form of peer pressure.

Princeton University Professor Robert George, Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the so-called National Organization for Marriage (NOM), believes that homosexual intimacy should be a prosecutable crime. George has drafted a federal constitutional amendment prohibiting marriage equality.  Nationwide, and beyond, George zealously promotes 1) ignorance fueled anti-gay bigotry and 2) sexual orientation apartheid having force of law. His scandalous anti-gay smear op-eds — containing shameless junk scholarship — get published in journals that prominently mention his association with Princeton University.

A group Robert George founded, the so-called National Organization for Marriage, is very aggressively inserting itself into elections nationwide — its sole aim in doing so being to double down on sexual orientation apartheid in the United States. The NOM pledge signed by many Republican presidential candidates would have state level marriage recognition ripped away from all currently married gay American couples, with no regard for how the children those couples are raising would be negatively impacted. NOM also is highly-active in the militant ignorance inherent to opposing sexual orientation-specific anti-bullying policies in the schools.

One of the petitions I’m urging you to sign asks Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to ban NOM and its affiliates from Facebook for 1) NOM’s violations of Facebook’s terms of use and 2) because NOM is an anti-gay hate group. NOM though in violation of Facebook’s terms of use exploits the platform to beg for donations from anti-gay bigots. As of this writing, the petition has garnered 1,193 signatures.  Many signers have added their reasons for signing. One said, “I’ve been beaten, jailed and abused for being gay. It’s time for this to stop. We need your help.”  Another said, “’Misleading, malicious, and discriminatory’ describes NOM’s rhetoric exactly. Facebook needs to enforce its own Terms of Service and stop giving NOM a bully pulpit.” Yet another, citing a study by Columbia University’s Dr. Mark L. Hatzenbuehler, said they were signing because “” [d]epression and drug use among LGBT people have both been shown to increase significantly after new laws that discriminate against gay people are passed”, and that’s exactly what the NOM is after.”

The second petition I am urging you to sign asks the Princeton University Board of Trustees finally to repudiate Professor George’s anti-gay bigotry. George only gets away with publishing his anti-gay junk scholarship because ignorance-fueled anti-gay bigotry is still prevalent in the society. Were George to attempt to publish papers containing equally faked and fraudulent scholarship in a field not dealing with perceived “moral” judgments – physics, for example – he would be an academic laughing stock, not a celebrated Princeton professor. And, George at Princeton is grooming the next generation of academic gay bashers; his savagely anti-gay article “What is Marriage?” is co-authored by a Princeton Ph.D. candidate. The signers of this petition too have left compelling explanations of why they signed. One said, “It’s time for law professors to stop making outrageous, offensive, pernicious statements, as if this were just another argument about something. Words do hurt people. And no legal argument justifies the severe damage these hateful words inflict.” Another signer said “I am a survivor of an abusive academic environment which purposely inhibited learning and growth among LGBT students.” Yet another remarked, “It is frightening that the anti-gay bigot Professor George has it in his power to evaluate young students.” And another said “People in a position to mold the minds of young people should have a higher ethical standpoint and should not be the bully that we are trying to protect our children from in the first place.”

Circulate, repost and promote as widely as possible 1) the petition asking Mark Zuckerberg to ban NOM and its affiliates from Facebook, as well as 2) the petition asking the Princeton University Board of Trustees to repudiate Professor Robert George’s anti-gay bigotry.  And, tell your Democratic elected officials that the Republicans are very aggressively attacking LGBT Americans’ human rights for the 2012 elections — the Democratic defense of those rights must be at least equally vigorous.

 
New York City-​based novelist and freelance writerScott Rose’s LGBT-​interest by-​line has appeared on Advocate​.com, PoliticusUSA​.com, The New York Blade, Queerty​.com, Girlfriends and in numerous additional venues. Among his other interests are the arts, boating and yachting, wine and food, travel, poker and dogs. His “Mr. David Cooper’s Happy Suicide” is about a New York City advertising executive assigned to a condom account.

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OPINION

MAGA State Superintendent Supports Chaplains in Public Schools – But Not From All Religions

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May 1, 2024

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Visitors to Oklahoma’s State Schools Superintendent’s personal social media page will notice a post vowing to “ban Critical Race Theory, protect women’s sports, and fight for school choice,” a post linking to a Politico profile of him that reads, “Meet the state GOP official at the forefront of injecting religion into public schools,” a photo of him closely embracing a co-founder of the anti-government extremist group Moms for Liberty, and a video in which he declares, “Oklahoma is MAGA country.”

This is Ryan Walters, a far-right Republican Christian nationalist who is making a national name for himself.

“God has a place in public schools,” is how Politico described Walters’ focus.

Last week the Southern Poverty Law Center published an extensive profile of Walters, alleging “hateful rhetoric toward the LGBTQ+ community, calls to whitewash curriculum, efforts to ban books, and attempts to force Christian nationalist ideology into public school classrooms.”

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“Walters is superintendent of public instruction, and public schools are supposed to serve students of all faiths, backgrounds and identities,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD, told SPLC.

Walters is supporting new legislation in Oklahoma that follows in Texas’ footsteps: allowing untrained, unlicensed, uncertified, and unregulated religious chaplains and ministers to be hired as official school counselors.

“We heard a lot of talk about a lot of those support staffs, people such as counselors, having shortages,” Rep. Kevin West, a Republican, said, KFOR reports. “I felt like this would be a good way to open that door to possibly get some help.”

Walters praised West, writing: “Allowing schools to have volunteer religious chaplains is a big help in giving students the support they need to be successful. Thank you to @KevinWestOKRep for being the House author for this bill. This passed the House yesterday and moves on to the Senate where @NathanDahm is leading the charge for this bill.”

As several Oklahoma news outlets report, there’s a wrinkle lawmakers may not have anticipated.

“With the Oklahoma House’s passage of Senate Bill 36, which permits the participation of uncertified chaplains in public schools, The Satanic Temple (TST) has announced its plans to have its Ministers in public schools in the Sooner State. If the bill advances through the Senate, this legislation will take effect on November 1, 2024. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, a vocal advocate for religious freedom in schools, has endorsed the legislation. The House approved SB 36 by a 54-37 vote on Wednesday,” a press release from The Satanic Temple reads. “The Satanic Temple, a federally recognized religious organization, has expressed its dedication to religious pluralism and community service.”

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Walters responded on social media to The Satanic Temple’s announcement.

“Satanists are not welcome in Oklahoma schools, but they are welcome to go to hell,” he wrote.

Former Lincoln Project executive director Fred Wellman served up an equally colorful response.

“Hahahaha!!! You are an idiot,” Wellman wrote. “How did you not see this coming? Satanists, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, Pastafarians…come one come all! After all you’re not trying to establish Christianity as the state religion are you? We had a whole ass revolution about that. There are history books about it…oh…right. Not your thing. What a fool.”

The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) served up a warning.

“The state of Oklahoma cannot discriminate against people or groups based on their religious beliefs,” the non-profit group wrote. “Walters’ hateful message shows, one again, that he only believes in religious freedom for Christians and that he is unfit to serve in public office.”

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Potential Trump VP Pick Says ‘If You’re a Billionaire’ You Should Vote for Trump

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May 1, 2024

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One of the possible picks to be Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, seen as “rapidly ascending” the list, is urging billionaires to vote for the ex-president.

North Dakota Republican Governor Doug Burgum “is quickly moving up former President Trump’s list of possible vice presidential picks because Trump’s team believes he would be a safe choice who could attract moderate voters,” Axios reported on Sunday. “Burgum is on a long list of VP contenders, but Trump’s rising interest in the North Dakota governor has been clear in recent weeks — and reveals his latest thinking about how he thinks his running mate could help him with undecided voters.”

Praising Governor Burgum, the National Review’s Michael Brendan Dougherty on Monday wrote he was “the only candidate in 2024 to easily exceed expectations in the debates.”

“He is a well-liked governor from a small state. He projects seriousness and sobriety, two qualities Pence also had that were important to balance the 2016 Republican ticket. Burgum is also good at championing Republican policy, including our desperately needed policies of energy abundance and supply-side reform. He is also the right age — 67 — with no signs of slowing down. Burgum needs to survive the millions poured into opposition research, but, if he does, I think he would bring credit and balance to the Republican ticket.”

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On Tuesday, Gov. Burgum, appearing on Fox News, told Laura Ingraham, “when you see someone who cares this deeply about this country, what he’s going through and what the Democrats and the liberal media is putting him through, and how he gets up and fights for every day people in America every day, and then his policies are all in the right direction.”

“If you’re a billionaire and you care about your shareholders, you care about your family and your grandkids, you should be voting for someone that’s going to bring prosperity to America and peace to the world, that’s what President Trump is going to do, that’s what he did for us when he was president,” Burgum claimed.

The Hill adds, “Ingraham suggested a lot of billionaires are still planning to support President Biden, especially those that are the ‘Wall Street types.’”

Last year, asked if he would ever do business with Trump, Bergum told NBC News, “I don’t think so,” and added, “I just think that it’s important that you’re judged by the company you keep.”

Some reports call Bergum a billionaire, while Forbes last year reported it “estimates Burgum’s net worth to be at least $100 million.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

READ MORE: Trump Would Not Oppose State Pregnancy Surveillance or Abortion Prosecution

 

 

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‘Next Week, Absolutely’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Says She Will Move to Oust Speaker Johnson

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May 1, 2024

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U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), standing in front of posters showing Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson casually embracing Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and behind a podium with a sign calling Johnson the “Uniparty Leader,” announced she will call up her “motion to vacate,” to try to oust Johnson “next week, absolutely.” She made her announcement despite public and private remarks and signals from top Republicans opposing the move, and despite it having little to no chance of passing.

Speaking Wednesday morning at a press event, Greene lashed out at the Republican House Speaker and Democratic Minority Leader after  Jeffries announced Democrats will vote to keep Johnson as Speaker.

“Now we have Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats coming out, embracing Mike Johnson with a warm hug and a big wet sloppy kiss.”

She later claimed taxes will go up if Democrats take the House in the November election because Johnson and Jeffries are “holding hands together.”

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Backing herself into a corner, the far-right Georgia MAGA Republican has positioned herself as the outraged opposition to her own party, with a small following – just two other House Republicans have announced they will support her move to oust Johnson.

Early into her remarks Greene said she had the right to try to oust Johnson because “I elected him,” also adding that she had voted for Johnson for Speaker.

Greene then unleashed a lengthy list of grievances against Johnson.

“Americans all together gave Republicans the House they gave us the House in 2022,” she said, according to a rush transcript. “You want to know why? Because they were fed up with the Democratic agenda that is destroying this country, wide open borders. An economy that’s crashing, freedoms being stolen, COVID shutdowns, all the horrors that happened when Joe Biden took the White House and Democrats took full control.”

The COVID shutdowns happened during Donald Trump’s presidency and were ordered by governors of both parties.

“He passed three continuing resolutions, and then he finally passed a two part omnibus that fully funded Joe Biden’s agenda and the Democrat agenda, funding the Department of Justice,” she said, adding that funding DOJ is effectively putting “President Trump in jail for the rest of his life, which is a death sentence.”

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“Mike Johnson fully funded the FBI which raided Mar-a-Lago and gave them a brand new building as a gift. Pro-life Mike Johnson funded full term abortion clinics, funded the trans agenda on children that 70% of Americans are completely against on both sides of the aisle. And he fully funded Joe Biden’s open border policies, the number one issue in America.”

“Mike Johnson fully joined the disgusting business model of Washington, D.C. to fund forever wars. Yeah, that’s what this is. The uniparty is Make Ukraine Great Again. The uniparty is all about funding every single foreign war. They think this is the business model that needs to be done.”

She went on to angrily complain about funding “the murder and killing in foreign countries.”

“Our economy should not be built on the blood of wars in foreign countries. That’s not what our economy should be built on. That’s not how you grow jobs in America. That is that is horrific. It is evil it needs needs to end but that’s what the uniparty does. And that’s what they continue. Mike Johnson fully embraced it. And he funded $61 billion to Ukraine, funded war in Israel, while he funded Hamas and Gaza. How do you support Israel when you’re funding Hamas? And give more money away while our border stays open? And today 300 Americans will die from fentanyl tomorrow 300 Americans will die from fentanyl and the next day 300 more Americans will die from fentanyl poisoning because there’s a war on America. Led by the cartels in Mexico and nobody in Washington, D.C. gives a damn and has enough courage to face it.”

Watch clips of Greene above and below or at this link.

 

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