Internet Kill Switch!

Via Grant Gross from Tech World:

"A US Senate committee has approved a wide-ranging cybersecurity bill that some critics have suggested would give the US president the authority to shut down parts of the Internet during a cyberattack...The bill, introduced earlier this month, would establish a White House Office for Cyberspace Policy and a National Center for Cybersecurity and Communications, which would work with private US companies to create cybersecurity requirements for the electrical grid, telecommunications networks and other critical infrastructure.

The bill also would allow the US president to take emergency actions to protect critical parts of the Internet, including ordering owners of critical infrastructure to implement emergency response plans, during a cyber-emergency. The president would need congressional approval to extend a national cyber-emergency beyond 120 days under an amendment to the legislation approved by the committee.

The legislation would give the US Department of Homeland Security authority that it does not now have to respond to cyber-attacks, Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said earlier this month."

An Interview with National Organization for Marriage's Maggie Gallagher

Thanks to Bil Browning of bilerico.com, we have this interview with Maggie answering questions those of us who rail against NOM want to know.

To Boycott Target?

This video has been circulating the web and getting some people in the GLBTQ community steamed.

To Boycott Target or no?

United Methodists Reconsidering the Gays?

According to United Methodist News Service:

The highest court in the United Methodist Church will review its 2005 ruling that allowed a clergyman to bar a noncelibate gay man from joining a congregation.

The Judicial Council will take up the issue when it convenes Wednesday, Oct. 27, through, Saturday, Oct. 30, in New Orleans.

Rush Limbaugh Supports Civil Unions

When it comes to The Gay and Rush Limbaugh, it has never been a pleasant meeting, but Rush, in his own words, supports civil unions:

“Elton John is not married to David Furnish, and Elton John is not a supporter of gay marriage,” Limbaugh tells his audience. “Elton John is on the same page as I am, as is Obama on gay marriage. He’s for civil unions, but he’s not for marriage.”

“Of course it had to be mentioned in the story that Elton John played my wedding reception … even though I am ‘vehemently anti-gay marriage and Elton John is married, he’s not.”

Charges Dropped Against Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo

Lt. Dan Choi and Capt. Jim Pietrangelo were due to face charges for hand cuffing themselves to the White House fence twice in protest of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." They were to be charged for their disobedience of the law. Then, out of the blue, the charges were dropped.

No ELR 7-24-2010

No ELR show next week -- it's out of town time!

Argentina Votes for Same Sex Marriage

As of this morning, the senate in Argentina voted 33-27 to take steps toward marriage equality. The bill will make its way to President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. Keep an eye or ear on this one.

The Church Not Yet Ready

The 219th General Assembly voted Thursday to keep the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.

The vote was 348-324, with six commissioners abstaining.

For some background on this story, from The Presbyterian Church USA site (http://www.pcusa.org/):

"Just prior to the Assembly’s action, the body accepted the recommendation of the General Assembly Civil Union and Marriage Issues Committee to approve the report of the Special Committee to Study Issues of Civil Union and Christian Marriage by a vote of 439-208. The Assembly decided to send both the special committee report and the minority report generated by three members of the special committee to the larger church for study after a motion to replace the final report with the minority report was defeated, 358-311."

The 219th General Assembly Moderator Cindy Bolbach said during a press conference, “The church was not yet ready to make a decision,” said following adjournment. “This kind of thing happens at every assembly.”

"The church was not yet ready." Never have truer words been said, sadly.

Modern Love Includes The Gays!

Hopefully you got to hear about the NBC show "Modern Love" and the rules for contestants that included being of good morals and not having anything in their backgrounds that would embarrass NBC or the Today Show (Read as: don't be gay!) Of course, if they were denying exclusion of gays at all, this story from GLAAD confirms the suspicion:

"This afternoon NBC and the Today Show did just that. Following a meeting between GLAAD and NBC executives, NBC announced that after listening to community concerns it will open the contest to same-sex couples and extend the submission deadline until Monday, July 12. Couples now have until then to apply. Finalists will be announced later this year and the wedding takes place live on the Today Show this October."

When Was Someone Going to Tell Me DOMA Violated the 10th Amendmant?

In the words of Reporter Rex Wocknoer, about the Commonwealth vs US HHS decision, because I cannot put it better,

"This court has determined that it is clearly within the authority of the Commonwealth to recognize same-sex marriages among its residents, and to afford those individuals in same-sex marriages any benefits, rights, and privileges to which they are entitled by virtue of their marital status. The federal government, by enacting and enforcing DOMA, plainly encroaches upon the firmly entrenched province of the state, and, in doing so, offends the Tenth Amendment."

Huh...sounds familiar...maybe it's because we've been saying it for a loooong time...

Hawaiian Governor Leaves Civil Unions Up to The Voting Booth

Republican governor of Hawaii, Linda Lingle, decided to veto the bill to legalize same-sex civil unions: She backed the decision by saying, "This is a decision that should not be made by one person sitting in her office or by members of the Majority Party behind closed doors in a legislative caucus, but by all the people of Hawaii behind the curtain of the voting booth."

Oh, thank, you, Linda! Allowing bigots to hide behind voting curtains in order to deny rights to a group of people that they view as second class citizens - if they view us as anything at all - sounds spectacular and noble...except, not at all.

What Do Gay Bars and Church Camp Have in Common?

Christian Youth Camps refuses to allow a fellow Christian group to put on a camp. Way Out, the groups is called, was denied because Christian Youth Camps feels that what Way Out believes is contrary to the Bible. From what I remember, personally, there are more gays at Christian camp than your local gay bar!

Attention Gays! We are a THREAT!

Anti-gay activists are scared for their lives and want to operate under a cloak of safety. Why? Well, let them tell you: From World Net Daily, "“We’ve got affidavits from more than 60 people who were targeted, harassed. There are newspaper reports of more cases. This seems to be a concerted campaign … to attack and stifle the opposition through harassment".

What vicious acts have us gays tortured the anti-gay activists with? "When the fight over marriage was raging in California, WND reported an angry mob of homosexual activists attacked an elderly bespectacled woman carrying a cross, then shouted her down during a live TV interview.

"We should fight! We should fight!" screamed one protester as the woman, identified as Phyllis Burgess, stood calmly with a reporter waiting to be interviewed."

Oh, how dare we shout at someone for wanting to take away our rights! Such violence! Oh, for shame!

The Prevention of Lesbian Babies!? What!?

Some doctors give pregnant women doses of dexamethasone, which is a Class C steroid that they say prevents congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) which can lead to ambiguous genitalia. The best part, there was an article published in a paper by Meyer-Bahlburg in 1999 that said: "CAH in women can cause such “a lower interest … in getting married and performing the traditional child-case/housewife role”.

I think performing the traditional child-case/housewife role causes lower interest in performing the traditional child-case/housewife role. But, what do I know?

Happy Birthday Civil Unions!

Congratulations, civil unions! You are 10 years old as of July 1st! On July 1st, 2000, Civil unions went into law in Vermont. Congratulations! A symbol of another step in the right direction made years ago.

Google Gots the Back of the Gays

Via the New York Times: "Google is going to begin covering a cost that gay and lesbian employees must pay when their partners receive domestic partner health benefits, largely to compensate them for an extra tax that heterosexual married couples do not pay. The increase will be retroactive to the beginning of the year."

Canyon Ridge Christian Church in cahoots with Pastor Martin Ssempa

Las Vegas Church, Canyon Ridge Christian Church in cahoots with Pastor Martin Ssempa, the proponent for the "Kill the Gays" bill. It's reported that the church is finacially supporting Ssempa and his church's staff. Both Canyon Ridge and Ssempa state that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill only sentences to death people who rape the handicap and molest children, anyone who reads the actual bill can see that the bill can kill anyone whose actions even implies gayness. Need proof? I have posted the bill in it's entirety on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/note.php?created&&suggest¬e_id=137196432974128&id=195733465167).

You could probably Google it too.