Another Look into the Meaning of Hannukah

Paganism is not separate from Christianity or Judaism - it's part of them. ~Jay Michaelson

"Judith Beheading Holofernes" - by Caravaggio




By Acharya S.

The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, Hannukah, Channukah, Chanukkah or other variant thereof is over, having begun this year at sunset on December 11th and ended eight days later, as sunset on the 19th. Bearing the happy title of "Festival of Lights," this holiday is celebrated by millions of Jews worldwide as a time of great rejoicing. Indeed, by its alternate title and its month of observance Hanukkah appears at first glance to be another form of the ancient winter-solstice celebration. But what does Hanukkah really represent?

The holiday of Hanukkah was established, it is claimed, in commemoration of the "cleansing" of the Jewish Temple by the Jewish military family of the Maccabees, during the second century BCE. Over prior centuries, the Temple had been "polluted" by the foreign and gentile presence of the Greeks, Romans and Syrians; hence, Jewish fighters decided to seize it in a purported act of patriotism and religious duty. During this siege, called the "Maccabean Revolt," an oil lamp was lit that supposedly "miraculously" lasted for eight days. Thus, Jews light one candle of the nine-branched candelstick or candelabra called a "menorah" each day. With today's religiously based fracas over which faith gets to be represented at "Christmas" time, it is often suggested that a menorah be included in public displays. But what does the menorah truly symbolize?

The rest of the story...

While most tales of Hanukkah stop with the miracle of the oil lamp, writer Andrew Marantz continues the narration of the temple siege by what he calls "Rambo Jews," based on the Jewish books 1 and 2 Maccabees:

The tale of the magic fuel starts and ends in chapter 4 of 1 Maccabees, but for the rest of that book (chapters 5 through 16) and for the entirety of 2 Maccabees (15 more chapters), the Rambo Jews go on kicking ass. They slaughter gentiles and lapsed Jews alike. "They forcibly circumcised all the uncircumcised boys they found within the boundaries of Israel,"

says the book. They burned their enemies alive and "divided a very large amount of plunder." They decapitated the enemy king and impaled his head on a pike, "a clear and conspicuous sign to everyone of the help of the Lord."

Marantz concludes: "At best, the Maccabees were fundamentalist freedom fighters. At worst, they were terrorists - the Bible clearly reports that they targeted civilians. When the Maccabees were triumphant, they made sacrifices unto God; when times were tough, they went on praying and retreated to the mountains, sleeping in caves and growing scraggly terrorist beards. These are the heroes of the Hanukkah tale: the Taliban without dialysis."

So, that's what is being commemorated during this happy festival season! Perhaps it's time to reform or toss out this blatantly anti-gentile holiday, which others have claimed was devised in actuality some centuries ago in order to compete with Christmas.

The pagan candlestick

And the menorah? Typically it is claimed that its branches represent the eight days of this Maccabean lamp-lighting "miracle" and that the ninth, middle branch is the "shamash," which it is said, means "guard" or "servant." In reality, shamash means "sun" and is the name in several Semitic cultures for the ancient sun god. In his Antiquities of the Jews (3.6.7), Jewish historican Josephus (37-c. 100 AD/CE) says that the Jews had a candlestick of "seven lamps," which "referred to the course of the planets, of which that is the number." This tradition, along with the twelve loaves upon the tabernacle table - representing the months of the year - and the candlestick also being branched out into 70 parts - symbolizing the "Decani, or seventy divisions of the planets" - Josephus traces back to the great Hebrew prophet Moses himself. Hence, this ancient "Jewish" holy celebration is based largely on patently astrotheological or pagan nature-worshipping motifs.

As Jay Michaelson says in the Huffington Post, "...paganism is not separate from Christianity or Judaism - it's part of them." Let us therefore end once and for all this pretension to superiority by the Abrahamic cultus that is so divisive and destructive to the human family as a whole.

Mystery of Blue Spiral Light Over Norway Solved

By Dan Murphy, Staff Writer, Christian Science Monitor

A UFO? A Stargate style wormhole opening a path to other galaxies? The Aurora borealis?

A videotape of a strange spiraling cloud captured over Norway at dawn on Wednesday morning has had the Internet all atwitter (literally) with speculation as to its causes – everything from space aliens arriving to celebrate Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize award, to clandestine aviation tests.

Well, now it appears the mystery of the phenomenon, which bore some resemblance to a spiral galaxy, has been solved. Russia says it was the result of a failed test launch for its troubled Bulava missile program. In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said it fired a Bulava from a submarine in the White Sea near the Norwegian coast Wednesday morning. The intercontinental ballistic missile’s first two stages worked perfectly, the ministry said, though the third stage engine proved “unstable.”

Though the ministry didn’t provide an opinion on whether its missile was responsible for the spiral, rockets often start spiraling on their own during partial engine failure. And the fact that the first two stages worked as the powerful missile hurtled skyward meant it should have been high in the atmosphere before the problem occurred, leaving a spiral of exhaust that would have been illuminated by the lights of Norway before the missile exploded.

Though the phenomenon delighted thousands in Norway, the cause behind it is the source of some embarrassment for Russia, which has planned the Bulava to be the crown jewel in its sea-based nuclear program. The missile is designed to carry a nuclear payload and to be easily launched from attack submarines, but so far eight of 12 test launches have resulted in failure....

Article continued at csmonitor.com

From Tehran to Riyadh, This is How We Are Discriminated Against - An Interview with Hossein Alizadeh

12/01/2009
An interview by Ernesto Pagano

Turkey and Lebanon are the countries most tolerant of gays; Iran and Saudi Arabia are the most homophobic. The picture painted by Hossein Alizadeh, a young Iranian who is the spokesman for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) with headquarters in New York, is that of a patchy Middle East, where on the one hand embryonic gay movements appear while on the other sentences against sodomy are ferociously applied.

Tell us about this organisation. When was it founded and what are its objectives?

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission was founded in 1990. Its mission is the emancipation of human rights for everyone, in all countries, to put an end to sexual discrimination, gender identity or restrictions to the expression of one's sexuality.

What are the most important problems faced by homosexuals in the Middle East?

Sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular are considered taboo by people and by the media. Many are only informed about homosexuality on the basis of what they have been taught by their religious leaders, who often speak of it as a sin, as well as gossip on the streets labelling gays as perverts. General ignorance has been exacerbated by laws on sodomy, whether based on Shari’a, as in Iran and in Saudi Arabia, or inherited colonial laws as in the Lebanon. The combination of disinformation and strict laws against homosexuality have made LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, editor’s note) extremely vulnerable in the Middle East.

Can one consider Beirut as a sort of refuge for homosexuals in the Middle East?

Historically the Lebanon has been one of the cultural centres for Arab countries. Its heterogeneous society has allowed the growth of a LGBT movement in loco. This works as an example and a model for the rest of the region. On the other hand political barriers do not permit gays and lesbians to travel to the Lebanon from other countries in the region. Furthermore, the Lebanese government is very sensitive as far as non-Lebanese Arab immigrants are concerned and makes it very difficult for them to settle in this country. There are also language differences that make the integration of between Arabs and non-Arabs more difficult, such as between Turks and Iranians.

Are there any other gay organisations appearing directly in the Middle East apart from the Lebanese one?

There are various LGBT groups in Turkey. In the Palestinian Territories there are two gay and lesbian organisations. There are also various activists in other countries such as Iraq, Iran, Morocco and the Sudan, who run their organisations from outside the region, in exile.

Do you remember any important episodes of homophobia in the region?

One of the most crude episodes perhaps is one that took place in the spring of 2009, when a few hundred homosexuals were raped and tortured by Shiite militias in Iraq. The manner in which homosexuals are treated by the Iranian authorities is also a dark chapter in the history of this movement.

How do homosexuals live their relationships in a country such as Iran?

There are many small secret clubs forming an underground network of gays and lesbians linking people and allowing them to meet and get to know each other. Unfortunately there is always a fear that government elements might infiltrate the organisation and in some cases there have been police roundups that have led to arrests, brutal torture and persecutions.

Are conditions for homosexuals improving in spite of repression?

The battle continues but I do not think the situation is improving. As long as there is ignorance, homophobia will prevail unconditionally. I am convinced that the role played by local activists is extremely important in establishing a dialogue with public opinion and in making the falseness of these prejudices understood.

Is it just a question of prejudice or are there links between Islam and homophobia?

Like many other religions, Islam is interpreted so as to only allow a binary vision of sexuality. Many religious leaders, using a literalist interpretation of religion, have brutally attacked homosexuality. Luckily, in recent times a movement of erudite preachers, both Sunni and Shiite, has encouraged a reanalysis of this issue with a more tolerant approach to sexuality in general and homosexuality in particular.

In his book Desiring Arabs, Joseph Massad criticises movements such as the IGLHRC because they impose the "homosexual" category there where it did not previously exist.

It is true that the concept of homosexuality as we know and understand it in the West is a strictly western experience. It is however certainly not true that people with desires for their same sex did not exist in other cultures before contact with the west. The truth is that Arab Islamic society has never accepted an open dialogue on sexuality. The idea of being gay and having a different identity has never been developed among Muslims. This does not mean that homosexuality has been exported from the West, just as it does not means that human rights are valid only for the West and not for Muslims.

Translated by Francesca Simmons

Read the original articles:

English text:
http://www.resetdoc.org/EN/Alizadeh-interview-gay.php
Italian text:
http://www.resetdoc.org/IT/Alizadeh-intervista-gay.php

Mysterious blue spiral light appears over Norway and stuns Norwegians

Astronomers and Norwegian citizens alike have been baffled by the appearance of a strange blue spiral light in the sky above the Scandinavian country last night: Was it aliens, evil Russians, or just a Dante's Inferno marketing stunt?

This one goes under "holy crap": The astronomical community (and the Norwegians) have been all up in a tizzy since the appearance of a bizarre spiral light in the night sky, reports the Daily Mail.

Witnesses in the north of the country reported an unusual atmospheric phenomenon that began when "what appeared to be a blue light seemed to soar up from behind a mountain. It stopped mid-air, then began to circulate ... Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Then a green-blue beam of light shot out from its centre - lasting for ten to twelve minutes before disappearing completely."

Story continued here: EscapistMagazine.com

Could it be related to Obama's Nobel Prize acceptance speech in Norway on Dec. 10th, and speculation that he's going to announce something about E.T. contact? Examiner.com

Original here: DailyMail.co.uk

See this story with video from similar spiral that appeared over China: UniverseToday.com

Yahoo Sells All Its Users Private Email Content to U.S. Agencies for a Small Price

By Kim Zetter

Yahoo isn’t happy that a detailed menu of the spying services it provides to "law enforcement" and spy agencies has leaked onto the web.

After earlier reports this week that Yahoo had blocked an FOIA Freedom of Information release of its "law enforcement and intelligence price list", someone helpfully provided a copy of the Yahoo company’s spying guide to the whistleblower web site Cryptome.org....


Source: wired.com
Photo: Jeff Pearce/Flickr

Sweden to allow gay couples to marry in church

The Lutheran Church of Sweden has decided to allow gay couples to marry in church.

Gay marriage became legal in the country on May 1st, allowing couples to wed in religious or civil ceremonies.

Until now, the church had not decided whether to allow them to marry in church.

In June, the church board submitted a petition to the Church of Sweden synod. The synod announced the decision this morning.

According to The Local, some small changes will be made to current church regulations, such as replacing “man and wife” with “lawfully wedded spouses” when gay couples marry.

In January 2007 the church, which was disestablished in 2000, began offering religious blessings to gay unions and actively welcomed LGBT clergy.

Six of the seven political parties in Swedish parliament backed the proposal to introduce a gender-neutral marriage law.

The proposal passed with a 261 to 22 vote and 16 abstentions.

The only party to oppose the ruling were the Christian Democrats, who said they wanted to maintain "a several hundred-year-old concept" of marriage.

Source: (pinknews.co.uk)

Extensive 30-year study shows no link between mobile phones and brain tumors

A large, 30-year study, covering virtually everyone in Scandinavia, shows no link between mobile phone use and brain tumours, according to a Reuters report.

Even though mobile telephone use soared from the 1990s , brain tumours did not become any more common, the researchers reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Over the years, various activist groups and researchers have raised concerns about a link between mobile phones and several kinds of cancer, including brain tumours, although years of research have failed to establish a conclusive connection, the Reuters report claims.

"We did not detect any clear change in the long-term time trends in the incidence of brain tumours from 1998 to 2003 in any subgroup," Isabelle Deltour of the Danish Cancer Society wrote.

Deltour's team analyzed annual incidence rates of two types of brain tumour – glioma and meningioma – among adults aged 20 to 79, from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, from 1974 to 2003. This represented virtually the entire adult population of 16 million people, the researchers said. The Scandinavian countries all have comprehensive cancer registries that record details of known cancer cases.

"In Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, the use of mobile phones increased sharply in the mid-1990s; thus, time trends in brain tumour incidence after 1998 may provide information about possible tumour risks associated with mobile phone use," the researchers wrote.

Over the 30 years, nearly 60,000 patients were diagnosed with brain tumours. While the team did see a small, steady increase in brain tumours, this started in 1974, long before mobile phones arrived.

"No change in incidence trends were observed from 1998 to 2003," the researchers noted. This would have been when tumours would start showing up, assuming it took five to 10 years for one to develop, they said.

Most scientific studies show no association between mobile phone use and brain tumours, and researchers trying to find a connection have failed to find any biological explanation for how a mobile phone might cause cancer, according to the Reuters report.

"Because of the high prevalence of mobile phone exposure in this population and worldwide, longer follow-up of time trends in brain tumour incidence rates are warranted," the research team cautioned.

Outrage on Swiss minaret vote, but how do Muslim states handle churches?

By Dan Murphy, The Christian Science Monitor

Muslim reaction across the world to Sunday’s Swiss referendum banning the construction of further minarets for mosques in the tiny Alpine nation has been almost entirely negative.

Indonesia’s Maskuri Abdillah, leader of the largest Muslim organization in the world’s most populous Muslim nation said the vote reflected Swiss “hatred” of Islam and Muslims.

Egyptian Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, close to the regime of President Hosni Mubarak, said the ban was an attempt to “insult the feelings of the Muslim community in and outside Switzerland.”

Yet the referendums outcome pales in comparison to restrictions on non-Muslims who aim to practice their faith in Muslim lands. In fact, the vote only brought Swiss legal practice closer to that of many majority Muslim states that also place limits on the construction of houses of worship.

Here’s a review of practices in four large majority Muslim states:

1. Indonesia. In a state with large minority populations of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, and animists, the US State department reported in 2009 that at least 9 churches – and 12 mosques associated with the Ahmadiyya Islamic sect (which mainstream Muslim groups consider heretical) – were forced shut by violence or intimidation from community groups, and that a number of churches and Hindu temples have struggled to receive official permits in recent years. The Indonesian government has on a number of occasions stepped in to prevent church construction, largely over fears that it would stoke sectarian violence. But religious practice, by and large, is freer in Indonesia than most other Muslim majority states.

2. Egypt. The country has a sizeable minority of Eastern Orthodox Christians, or Copts. By law, their churches must receive the permission of local Muslim communities before new construction is allowed. The State Department’s religious freedom report on Egypt in 2009 says in part: “Church and human rights leaders complain that many local officials intentionally delay the permit process. They charge that some local authorities refuse to process applications without ’supporting documents’ that are virtually impossible to obtain.”

3. Saudi Arabia, home of Mecca and Islam more generally, is one of the least religiously free nation’s on earth. In the Kingdom, the public practice of any faith but Islam is illegal. Christian’s and Jews receive 50 percent of the compensation that a Muslim would receive in personal injury court and the country has no churches at all, though it officially tolerates private worship in homes.

4. Pakistan. Freedom of religious worship is constitutionally guaranteed, but in practice the government sets limits and there has also been a rise in attacks by militant groups on both Christians and Shiites in the majority Sunni Muslim country in recent years. The State Department found that “societal discrimination against religious minorities was widespread, and societal violence against such groups occurred.” District level government “consistently refused to grant permission to construct non-Muslim places of worship, especially for Ahmadiyya and Baha’i communities” the State Department found, while also noting that missionaries are allowed to work inside the country. In 2009 “public pressure routinely prevented courts from protecting minority rights and forced judges to take strong action against any perceived offense to Sunni orthodoxy,” the report said.

Source: The Christian Science Monitor

Swiss ban on minarets is pure discrimination (latimes.com)

Swiss ban on minarets draws widespread condemnation (guardian.co.uk)

Swiss Ban Building of Minarets on Mosques (nytimes.com)

"For God so loved the world..."

The deliberate and vicious persecution against the LGBT community worldwide must STOP!

Dear human family,

I'm just about at the end of my rope. My beloved partner lives in Eastern Europe. It's been almost 6 weeks now - except for a 6 minute phone conversation on his birthday - since I've had any communication with him. No telephone or email contacts. My intuition tells me that he's in dire need of help and is in a potentially life-threatening situation. For a long time I've asked LGBT advocate organizations for some idea to help my angel, but they offer nothing, only ask for financial a contribution. The institutions of Christendom are waging a offensive against all LGBT people worldwide, intending to destroy us further. WE are not spiritual filth! God loves us. We love God, and we're some of the finest human beings that exist on Earth.

Where's the voice and swift intervention of the elected American President, whose ancestors were murdered and violated by the same group who hasn't stopped its persecution and killing orgy against LGBT people? Where's the loud outcry from the leaders of religion? From the institutions of my own faith, the faith of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i Faith? Why have I heard nothing from Jacques Soghomonian, the IV Guardian of the Baha'i Faith?

Please don't doubt or get too busy, and go on with your daily life after reading my letter. I believe in the power of focused prayer and visualization to influence creation. I believe in God, and a majestic, bounteous, beautiful Universe, that wants us all to be happy and to prosper. I'm calling on all of you, asking you to focus on my partner, and ask for God's/The Universe's intervention into his life, to surround him with unfailing, impenetrable protection, benevolent people to come to him and associate with him, and for a doorway to open for him to help him get out of Belarus so that he can experience freedom and happiness!

Love to all of you. And I mean it!

Madison Reed

SOS! Bi-national Same-Sex Couples Need Your Help! (blog.lotusopening.com)
Our Stories (imeq.us)

Bulgarian scientists say they're already in contact with extraterrestrial life

"Aliens are currently all around us, and are watching us all the time," Mr Filipov told Bulgarian media.

Work on deciphering a complex set of symbols sent to them is underway, scientists from the country's Space Research Institute said.

They claim aliens are currently answering 30 questions posed to them.

Lachezar Filipov, deputy director of the Space Research Institute of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, confirmed the research.

He said the centre's researchers were analysing 150 crop circles from around the world, which they believe answer the questions.

"Aliens are currently all around us, and are watching us all the time," Mr Filipov told Bulgarian media.

"They are not hostile towards us, rather, they want to help us but we have not grown enough in order to establish direct contact with them."

Mr Filipov said that even the seat of the Catholic church, the Vatican, had agreed that aliens existed.

He said humans were not going to be able to establish contact with the extraterrestrials through radio waves but through the power of thought.

"The human race was certainly going to have direct contact with the aliens in the next 10 to 15 years," he said.

"Extraterrestrials are critical of the people's amoral behavior referring to the humans' interference in nature's processes."

The publication of the BAS researchers report concerning communicating with aliens comes in the midst of a controversy over the role, feasibility, and reform of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Last week it lead to a heated debate between Bulgaria's Finance Minister, Simeon Djankov, and President Georgi Parvanov.

From telegraph.co.uk

Russian Lesbian Couple First to Challenge Russia's Anti-Gay Marriage Law by Marrying in Canada

Irina Shepitko and Irina Fedotova-Fet, a Russian same-sex couple who tried to marry in Russia, but were refused this summer by a Russian court, traveled all the way to Toronto, Canada and married there on October 23, 2009.

They hope that their marriage will help advance their struggle for equality and acceptance back home. With the support of their lawyer, Nikolai Alexeyev, they intend to pursue their case for human rights for gays and lesbians in Russia, to Russia's Supreme Court and to the European Court of Human Rights.

Events organized by Egale Canada; camera by Alex Lisman and edited by Nancy Nicol.

Related Stories:

Russian court denies lesbians the right to marry: (pinknews.co.uk)
Lesbian Couple Takes on Russian State in Fight for Same-Sex Marriage (rferl.org)
On Nikolai Alekseyev: Russia to Gays: Get Back into the Closet (time.com)

About my friend Madison Reed

By Christopher Worth

It's a spring morning. The room is drafty with the chill of a slowly disappearing winter. The servants move like ants scattered across the floor in rhythmic preparation. At first glance, all seems chaotic...and then slowly down the corridor a name rises up in whispers. van Eyck is here. The artist briskly enters the wedding chamber of Arnolfini, an Italian merchant. Van Eyck has been called to literally mark an occasion that signifies the merging of two powerful Italian families. The portrait to come out of this event is not just something attractive as a point of commemoration. Van Eyck's painting literally documents the wedding of these two individuals and will stand as legally binding, with all the symbolism of the time that is to be shared between a couple. This wedding did not occur in a grand chapel. It did not require the blessing of an esteemed pope. All that was required to bond these two individuals in legal matrimony was a third party- a witness- and in this case, his signed documentation which is the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait. The year was 1434, and the country was Italy.

Now, in the present day, there are groups of people (groups identified by their gender and sexuality) that are being denied the happiness of marriage that we see in the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait. What is gender? The Oxford English Dictionary says that gender, "In mod[ern] (esp. feminist) use, [is] a euphemism for the sex of a human being, often intended to emphasize the social and cultural, as opposed to the biological, distinctions between the sexes." Furthermore, what is sex? The OED has this to say: "Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and many other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions." To call myself gay is to signify yet another subculture that I don't so neatly fit into. The questions that fuel this response have more to do with social rights; though I am gay, does one who calls him or herself "gay" have the right to legally join in matrimony? My initial, gut response would be, "Who would ever want to get married?" Of course, I'm being humorous. I believe that everyone should have the right to marry no matter what subculture they belong to. There was a time even here in America, in fact, that my primary physical identification as a person with a physical challenge would have discouraged anyone from encouraging me to reproduce due to the facts of my physical challenges. The overwhelming assumption by so many is that marriage is tied directly to reproduction. In my mind, that is a heinous and archaic association. Can you imagine what Arnolfini's wife was thinking as the artist skilfully plumped her out, giving the illusion that she was already pregnant to signify her fertility in his recording? The role of any woman at that time was seen as being that of baby maker and housewife. So is the modern woman's position the same as it once was?

There have been homosexuals in the historical record from time immemorial. The identifying labels given to my community have changed over time to become more discriminatory. One is not an artist, a son, a daughter, but is instead their identifying gender/sexuality. This pigeonholes the subculture and from my perspective has caused many young men and women to pigeonhole themselves into the extremes of whatever their gender or sexuality identifier calls for. They are responding, as we all are responding, as though gender and sexuality are brands- as if we can label ourselves as Abercrombie and Fitch or Gucci. When pushed to extremes, people respond in the extreme, and although the "character" of homosexuality is more widely accepted in mass culture than ever before, I equate it to the singing and dancing of the African American during one of their highest points of exploitation: the 1920's and 30's, with the advent of jazz and the wide use of blackface in entertainment. So the question is, "Where is the shackle the tightest around the body of this subculture and what will break this shackle?" A place to begin is giving my people legal rights possessed by all other people in the United States.

Questions about what legally binds two individuals are alive with fervour in the halls of wherever Americans gather. On their lips is conversation about gay marriage. The idea of this kind of union is close to my heart in that I am a part of this community being discussed. Being questioned is the validity of marriage within constitutional right. Homosexual unions are not recognised by the majority of states in this country. This past week, in fact, voters have overturned the right for gay marriage in Maine. For what it's worth, this article is my two cents on the matter. For those who argue that marriage is a sacrament governed by the church, I simply say that it isn't exactly true. In this day and age, as it hasn't always been true even in the most dogmatically Catholic countries of the past, one does not have to be in a church to be considered married. There has long been the fact that one can get married in the eyes of the state, in front of the justice of the peace, and even legally be considered married after the passing of time in many states in the Union. So, the sanctity of marriage is bound only by a single very thin thread of truth. I encourage all people to support our forefathers at the foundation of this country when they said "Separation of Church and State." One cannot govern the other, but of course we all know it does. That brings me to the story of Madison Reed.

Madison Reed and his partner deserve the same legal rights as any other American. Tragically, these two men are separated by oceans of distance and culture. I have known Madison for 7 years. We met while I was a student at Marshall University here in Huntington. Madison immediately opened up to me and became a mentor in a time where I was defining so many things about myself. He is a proud man. This pride has to do with the fact that he has seen oppression and has come out on top. He has taught me to look for the building blocks of my pride in an ability to show understanding to all people, even those who may not even try to understand me. Madison has run a business, been a mentor, and in that a positive force in Huntington. He deserves to be united with his partner, Dzmitry, not through just some political or economic union. For Madison, relationships have nothing to do with those two things, but they have everything to do with the spiritual landscape of our society; and for him, Dzmitry is a unifying force and when they are finally brought together, it will be adding fuel to an already dynamic spirit in Madison Reed.

The problem is this: Under current federal law, gay or lesbian American citizens or permanent residents like Madison who have foreign same-gender life partners or spouses are given no legal mechanism to bring their partners to the United States to live together as a family unit, since they cannot marry, and cannot therefore meet the overriding federal definition of marriage, which states that a marriage must be between "one man and one woman." Under U.S. immigration law it is only an American who is legally MARRIED to a foreign spouse according to the federal definition, or intends to marry within 90 days after the arrival on U.S. soil of the fiancé, who can petition to the U.S. Immigration authorities on behalf of his relative, for the issuance of a family-based visa for his spouse or fiancé to enter the United States. Since the family-based immigration visa benefit is tied to whether a marriage or family relationship exists between the American applicant and his foreign beneficiary, bi-national couples of the same gender fail to meet this qualification, and cannot receive a family uniting immigration visa. Being married in a state that has legal same-sex marriage will not help, because to receive the federally conveyed immigration benefit, the couple must meet the federal, not state, definition of marriage. So Gays and Lesbians are left out in the cold with absolutely no possible way to live in the United States with their legal spouses or life partners. Even if they are legally married, the foreign spouses must leave the United States after their student visas or tourist visas expire. Their relationships are invisible, non-existent, to the federal government. These Americans are hopelessly barred from any means to sponsor their partners to receive an immigration visa. They are forced to spend their lives apart in two countries, go into exile into a third country, or give up and abandon their relationships. This has never been true for heterosexuals. Federal immigration law has always allowed any straight American citizen or permanent resident to sponsor his foreign partner to move to the United States, get a green card, and get married and live happily as a couple.

The Uniting American Families Act of 2009 (H.R. 1024, S. 424) is a bill in Congress that makes an exception in U.S. immigration law to allow Americans in same-gender bi-national relationships to bring their foreign partners to the United States to live with them as heterosexual Americans can do for their foreign spouses or fiancees. Americans like Madison, in bi-national relationships with their foreign partners, need our U.S. representatives in Congress to throw their support behind The Uniting American Families Act. The bill currently has 137 sponsors in the House, and 95 in the Senate. To date, there are no sponsors of the bill from West Virginia.

Comparatively, we have made great strides when weighed against times past, except that we are living in the now and we have so much opportunity within the fabric of our changing American landscape to make swift, strong, historical changes which will reunite what at one time made people breathless with wonder when they took in the great experiment called America. The homosexual community is not going away. We are here to stay and stand strong, and in our community we still hear Liberty as she cries "bring us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free..." Until next week!

Original story from Huntingtonnews.net

The stories of bi-national same-gender couples from Imeq.us

---

Belarusian leader blames pharmaceutical companies for A-H1N1 outbreak

The Belarusian ruler has commented on the swine flu outbreak with death cases in an outrageously cynical way.

Alyaksandr Lukashenka believes that the situation with swine flu in the world, as well as in Belarus and Ukraine, had been intentionally provoked by pharmaceutical companies.

“It is a usual provocation of pharmaceutical companies. Their ambitions and desire to earn money on people’s misfortune,” Lukashenka said in Kyiv airport Borispol when he arrived on the official visit to Ukraine, Interfax informs.

Answering journalists’ questions about whether the leader of the Belarusian state whether he had fear to go to Ukraine, Lukashenka said: “What should I fear? One should calm down and live it through”. “To my mind the whole world is squealing likes pigs today. Belarus and Ukraine are not exception,” the Belarusian leader said.

“As far as I know, we have much less pneumonia cases this year as compared to the last year. As far as I know, the situation is the same in Ukraine,” the Belarusian leader said.

Speaking about bilateral Belarusian-Ukrainian relations, A. Lukashenka said: “Me and Viktor (Yushchenko) have long been considering these issues including the border and the Eastern Partnership joint projects,” the President said.

Answering the question concerning the state border issue, in particular ratification of an agreement on that, A. Lukashenka stated: “We have never had problems with the Ukrainian border, and do not have them now either”. Everything here will be all right,” the Belarusian leader added.

As charter97.org website informed already, the main unsolved issue in the relations of Belarus and Ukraine is ratification of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. An agreement on the state border between Ukraine and Belarus was ratified by the Ukrainian side and still hasn’t been ratified by Belarus. Belarus linked ratification of the agreement with fixing financial obligations of Ukraine to Belarus, which formed after 1991 as a result of abandonment of mutual accounts on Soviet rubles.

In 2003 Ukraine and Belarus signed a bilateral protocol under which financial obligations of Ukraine of $134 mln were defined. In November 2003 Ukraine offered Belarus to pay 80% of the indebtedness by building facilities at the borders and building border crossings.

Original source: Charter97.org

Invocation to Archangel Michael to Intercede for LGBTs Worldwide

Oh Great, Ancient Michael, our Archangel who attracts the hearts of God's Legions of Helpers throughout all the worlds and dimensions, both seen and unseen!

We, LGBT Americans are suffering terribly from the effects of forced separation from our foreign spouses and partners.

Intervene for us and unite us with our loved ones!

Homosexual, bisexual and transgendered people throughout America and the world have been suffering endlessly for centuries from cruel and deadly oppressors who have controlled our world religions and societies for millennia.

Intervene on our behalf!

Our religions were causes founded by the Spiritual Suns of humanity, Who were born into the world to bring Love and Justice, and yet the Founders were immediately delivered into the hands of the same ecclesiastical and political authorities who continue to oppress us and dim human civilization.

Free the earth of all parasitic influences!

Until now, the world's religions have not brought unity, justice or peace! They have largely failed us.

Sweep away the superstition and perversity from religion so that we can have peace!

Let's not forget that humanity's Teachers were were spit on; they were beaten, exiled, imprisoned, and murdered. Their oppressors spit on us, beat us, exile us, imprison us and murder us.

Shield and free us!

The world's LGBT people need your swift intercession.

Unite and protect our families!

Rip the mental and legal chains that our enemies have wrapped around us, and set us free!

And remove our perennial oppressors from their power and influence, forever!

We rest in your strong arms, and await your intervention.

Amen

It Takes Two Guys to Tutor a Young Sparrow to Sing

It may take a village to raise a child, and apparently it takes at least two adult birds to teach a young song sparrow how and what to sing.

In the first study conducted in the field to examine how juvenile song birds learn their repertoire, University of Washington researchers have learned that eavesdropping on the singing conversations between two adult sparrows appears to be a key event in song learning. The results are being published Oct. 21 in the online edition of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The Royal Society is the British version of the National Academy of Sciences.

Scientists study how song birds acquire their songs because the process has parallels with human language learning. In each case eavesdropping seems to play a role.

The researchers used radio telemetry to track the young song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and monitor responses to recorded bird songs played over two speakers. Only male birds were studied because female sparrows generally do not sing.

“We measured how close the juveniles came to the speakers, how long it took for them to approach and their overall movements. They generally moved closer, faster and farther when they heard recordings of two adult male sparrows interacting than when they heard recordings of a solo sparrow singing,” said Christopher Templeton, a UW biology doctoral student and lead author of the study.

The research stems from an earlier UW laboratory study that showed young sparrows acquire more of their songs when they eavesdrop on two birds than when they interact with a tutor. That research was headed by Michael Beecher, a UW psychology and biology professor, who is a co-author of the new paper.

For the field study, the researchers radio tagged 11 male sparrows in Seattle’s undeveloped Discovery Park. These birds were about two months old and had not yet begun to sing. The park has a year-round resident population of approximately l50 breeding pairs.

To test a young bird’s reactions, it was first located by its radio signal and then the speakers were placed about 50 yards from the animal’s location. Finally the bird was exposed to five minutes of pre-recorded song, either from pairs of song sparrows, a sparrow and a chickadee (effectively a solo sparrow) or a pair of chickadees (the control condition). All of the sparrow recordings were from birds that were no longer alive, so that the songs the young birds heard were not familiar. Chickadees commonly live in the same habitat as song sparrows, so sparrows are familiar with their songs.

That the juvenile birds approached the simulated interaction of two song sparrows but largely ignored the solo singing of a song sparrow lends support to the social eavesdropping hypothesis proposed by Beecher. This theory says young birds learn to sing by eavesdropping on singing between adult birds, rather than listening to a single bird or directly interacting with an adult.

“They seem to be learning how to sing and interact by eavesdropping on interactions. This way they can learn shared songs, which will be important for their future success. Having shared song is the basis of song sparrow communications,” said Templeton.

“By listening to two birds, the juvenile can also learn how the songs are used, something he can’t learn by listening to a single bird. The young bird could do this by directly interacting with a mature adult bird, but that is risky because he might be chased away or beaten up.”

Co-authors of the study are Caglar Akcay, a UW psychology doctoral student, and Elizabeth Campbell, a research technician. Funding for the work came from the National Science Foundation, the American Museum of Natural History, American Ornithologists’ Union, the Animal Behavior Society and the UW Royalty Research Fund.

Article Source: http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/557558/?sc=swhn

It's time to pass the Uniting American Families Act

"There is no lawful manner for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to apply for a family-based visa for his or her partner if they are of the same sex. Our laws break apart these couples for no reason other than that they are of the same gender. This is unjust, cruel and unnecessary."

By Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) - 10/20/09 07:38 PM ET

In many respects, Greg and Jaime of New York City are like millions of other American families. They met at a mutual friend’s party in 1998 and have built a loving, stable life together over the past 11 years. They live in a pre-war apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and share a love of New York City, travel, dining out and hosting friends for dinner. Jaime has worked for nearly 10 years in the financial services industry. Like so many others in this economic downturn, Greg lost his job in January. If their life sounds unremarkable so far, that is because it is.

What is remarkable is that soon they may be forced to choose whether they will separate or leave the United States in order to remain together as a committed couple.

Greg and Jaime are both men, and Jaime, who was born in Argentina, is not a U.S. citizen. Because they are not a heterosexual couple, current immigration law does not allow Greg, who is a U.S. citizen, to sponsor Jaime for lawful permanent residence. When Jaime’s visa expires, in order to live together lawfully, they may have no choice but to leave the United States. This would mean abandoning their friends, Greg’s extended family and Jaime’s career. And then, where could they live together with immigration rights as a gay couple? Not Argentina.

Another couple, with the U.S. citizen a native of Vermont and his partner a Brazilian national, made this hard choice recently. The U.S. citizen was forced to sell his Vermont family farm and move to London in order to be able to live with his partner without violating immigration laws.

These couples are not alone. There are an estimated 36,000 other couples in America that face the same tortured predicament, in which one member of a same-sex couple is not a citizen and cannot be sponsored by his or her U.S. citizen partner for residence. There is no lawful manner for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident to apply for a family-based visa for his or her partner if they are of the same sex. Our laws break apart these couples for no reason other than that they are of the same gender. This is unjust, cruel and unnecessary.

It is not only same-sex couples that are harmed by this harsh and discriminatory system. Innocent children suffer when one partner loses his or her lawful immigration status and families are torn apart by deportation of the non-citizen partner. Almost half of gay or lesbian bi-national couples have children.

Extended family, communities and employers are also affected when these couples are needlessly separated. At a time when our economy is suffering, it makes no sense to drive skilled workers away or put unnecessary strains on hardworking Americans.

Moreover, in a society where a premium is placed upon strong, stable and intact families, it is strikingly backward for the United States to have a policy that destabilizes American families. The principle of family unification is a hallmark of American immigration policy. We must apply this principle to lesbian and gay couples too.

This issue is about civil rights, not about same-sex marriage, domestic partnerships or civil unions. To fix this problem, we need not re-open same-sex marriage laws; we simply need to modify our immigration laws to treat bi-national couples equally. Nineteen other countries, many of which are our closest allies, provide immigration rights to same-sex couples. The United States can and should follow suit.

We have introduced legislation to right this wrong — the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) of 2009. This bill would grant same-sex couples the same immigration benefits — and responsibilities — as opposite-sex couples, under the same existing legal framework. It is cosponsored by 22 senators and 117 members of the House of Representatives and has the support of a diverse coalition of businesses and civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, the American Bar Association and the Anti-Defamation League.

We must change the law to end the gratuitous cruelty being imposed on Greg, Jaime and the thousands of other couples just like them around the country. We urge Congress to incorporate UAFA into the forthcoming comprehensive immigration reform. No immigration reform we enact can be truly comprehensive unless it also addresses this deprivation of the civil rights of bi-national families. There is no rational reason to continue this discriminatory treatment. It is long past time that Congress did something about it.

NOTE: Greg and Jaime are a genuine couple. Their names were changed to protect their privacy but all details are accurate.

Leahy chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. Nadler is a member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Readers are asked to add their comment to Senator Leahy and Representative Nadler's article on The Hill. Comments can be added here: http://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/63987-pass-the-uniting-american-families-act

Hundreds of Thousands of LGBT Americans March on Washington, DC to Demand Full Civil Rights

WASHINGTON – Thousands of gay rights supporters marched Sunday from the White House to the Capitol, demanding that President Barack Obama keep his promises to allow gays to serve openly in the military and work to end discrimination against gays.

Rainbow flags and homemade signs dotted the crowds filling Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House as people chanted "Hey, Obama, let mama marry mama" and "We're out, we're proud, we won't back down." Many children were also among the protesters. A few counter-protesters had also joined the crowd, which stretched several blocks by the afternoon.

Jason Yanowitz, a 37-year-old computer programmer from Chicago, held his daughter, 5-year-old Amira, on his shoulders. His partner, Annie, had their 2-year-old son, Isiah, in a stroller. Yanowitz said more straight people were turning out to show their support for gay rights.

"If somebody doesn't have equal rights, then none of us are free," he said.

"For all I know, she's gay or he's gay," he added, pointing to his children.

Some participants in the National Equality March woke up energized by Obama's blunt pledge to end the ban on gays serving openly in the military during a speech to the nation's largest gay rights group Saturday night.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee said Sunday that Congress will need to muster the resolve to change the "don't ask, don't tell policy" — a change that the military may be ready for.

"I think it has to be done in the right way, which is to get a buy-in from the military, which I think is now possible," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.

Obama's political energies have been focused on two wars, the economic crisis and health care reform, though he pledged "unwavering" commitment even as he wrestled with those problems.

March organizer Cleve Jones, creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and a protege of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, said he had initially discouraged a rally earlier in the year. But he and others began to worry Obama was backing away from his campaign promises....[Continue story here]

Love Between German and Pole Survives Decades of Iron Curtain Separation

By VANESSA GERA, Associated Press Writer

MIESZKOWICE, Poland – For five decades, she kept his picture in her wallet — a black-and-white snapshot of a handsome young Polish man with brooding eyes.

The unlikely love story of Elvira Profe and Fortunat Mackiewicz began in the chaotic aftermath of World War II, as Poland's borders were redrawn by the victorious Allies and millions of Germans were expelled.

It blossomed even as their people seethed with mutual hate and endured some of the past century's most tortured upheavals, and survived the Cold War that drove them apart. Now, in this 70th year since World War II broke out, and 20th year since the Cold War ended, they are married in a love affair that has triumphed against all odds.

In January 1946, Profe was one of the few Germans left in this town that became part of Poland after the Nazi defeat. She was sickly and malnourished from a nearly a year spent in a Soviet forced-labor camp in Siberia. Mackiewicz had resettled here after the swath of eastern Poland where he lived was handed to the Soviets.

When they met, it was hardly love at first sight.

The once privileged daughter of a factory owner was by then a stick figure weighing just 33 kilograms (75 pounds). Her back was damaged by heavy labor and, at age 20, she was already sprouting gray hairs.

She had returned home from Siberia to the town she knew as Baerwalde and which now had a Polish name, Mieszkowice, and her family was having to beg for bread and milk. One day, at her family's bidding, she knocked on Mackiewicz's door. His family was kind to her; they had heard her parents never mistreated Poles.

When Mackiewicz, then 25, first saw her his first emotion was enormous pity.

"She was just a toothpick," he recalled recently, holding up a single finger.

The first time he kissed her, it was on the forehead, a gesture of compassion.

Their love took its time. She would spend entire days with his family, helping to milk their cows and carry hay. He would walk her home. "We were friends first. Friendship, great friendship, trust. And then in the end — love," Mackiewicz said.

If their romance developed slowly, it was about to come to an abrupt end. And it was their decision to marry that tore them apart.

When Mackiewicz went to the town hall seeking permission to wed, the authorities reacted with horror. Her father was not just a German, he was a German capitalist — a double sin in the eyes of the Polish communist bureaucracy.

They ordered Profe's family to leave town.

As Elvira and Fortunat — whom she affectionately calls Fortek — said their goodbyes in front of her father's factory, they...[Elvira and Fortunat's life story continues here]

Group of Scholars Formed to Bridge the Jewish Religion with Science

Newswise — An international group of natural and social scientists, philosophers, historians, physicians, rabbis, theologians and educators is working together to promote and facilitate a close relationship between the Jewish religion, its cultures and values, and the sciences, for the mutual benefit of all.

The Judaism, Science and Medicine Group was established and organized by the Center for Jewish Studies at Arizona State University in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

“Today there is a growing gulf between Judaism and the sciences. Although many scientists are Jews by birth, they do not consider Judaism relevant to their scientific work,” says Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, director of the center and ASU’s Jewish studies program.

“Conversely, religious Jews are either uninformed about or uninterested in recent developments in the sciences that have significant implications for their Jewish world view,” Tirosh-Samuelson says. “The Judaism, Science and Medicine Group considers this state of affairs to be detrimental to the intellectual wellbeing of Judaism in the 21st century and wishes to bridge the gap between Judaism and the sciences.”

To achieve their mission, the group will create forums for dialogue among scientists, health care professionals and scholars of Judaism, while fostering interdisciplinary, collaborative research projects and developing educational materials about the interrelation of Judaism and the sciences....[Story continued here]

Hundreds Participate in Minsk, Belarus Gay Rights Conference – Resolution on LGBT Rights in Belarus Adopted

Last Saturday 26 September, Minsk leading 5 star hotel Crowne Plaza hosted the largest ever LGBT conference in Belarus history. According to a diplomat who attended the event, “this hotel is known as the last place where a little bit of freedom is possible”.

Over 100 participants attended one day event, “LGBT Movement and NGOs: Prospects for Cooperation with active civil society to overcome homophobia in Belarus”, and 23 reports were presented.

Activists travelled from all across the country to attend the event, representing 9 different cities of Belarus. They were joined by delegates from several European countries such as Poland, Ukraine, France, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Hungary, United Kingdom and Russia.

More than 30 organizations from the civil society and the LGBT community were represented. Among them, the main human rights organisations, Belarusian Helsinki Committee and Human Rights Centre “Vesna”, the Green Party, the Association of Belarusian Journalists and the Movement for the future.

The conference aimed to be a forum representing the diversity of the civil society and the LGBT community in addressing the issue of homophobia.

Participants expressed a large extend of views on the necessity and strategy to address the issue of homophobia. The Belarusian Helsinki Committee reminded that gay rights are part of human rights and thus emphasized on the importance that human rights NGOs and LGBT activists work together.

Belarusian Social Democratic Party and the Green Party explained the necessity for their political movements to include LGBT Rights in their program. The Green Party reminded that it already set-up its LGBT Commission.

Activists from GayRussia.Ru insisted on the importance for homosexuals to come out to fight for their rights giving example of the campaigns of Harvey Milk. Other delegates discussed the issues of LGBT identity, psychological aspects of homophobia, history of homosexuality in Belarus, homophobia in politics, education of journalists on gay issues, gay business, homosexuality and religion.

The conference, held under the patronage of the International Day Against Homophobia – IDAHO Committee was co-organized by the LGBT Human Rights Projects GayBelarus.By and GayRussia.Ru.

During his welcome speech to the participants, Louis-Georges Tin, the President of the IDAHO Committee, explained that activists are making history, reminding that in Belarus, the Day against homophobia is regularly celebrated. “You are making history today” said Mr Tin.

Sergey Androsenko, head of GayBelarus.By and co-organizer of the event, urged the Belarusian LGBT activists to show solidarity: “Even if we hold sometimes different views, we have a common goal”.

Nikolai Alekseev, head of GayRussia.Ru and organiser of Moscow Pride, noted that exactly on the same day, 9 years ago, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approved historical recommendation on the rights of gays and lesbians in the member states of the Council of Europe. “Belarus as a European state can not remain cut from the processes taking place on the continent” said Mr Alekseev.

The delegation of the European Commission to Belarus gave its political support to the event. Mr Jean-Eric Holzapfel, head of the delegation, insisted in his opening speech on the necessity to fight homophobia in Europe and in Belarus in particular. Mr. Holzapfel noted in his speech that “As our immediate eastern neighbour, the human rights situation in Belarus is of particular interest to us. This applies of course to the situation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people”.

Representatives of the Swedish, French and Hungarian Embassies as well as a representative of the NGO “Global Rights Defenders” (ex-Swedish Helsinki Committee) were present as observers.

During the conference the participants watched a documentary produced by a French TV channel France 4 showing the cooperation of Belarusian and Russian LGBT movement in staging the first Slavic Pride last May in Moscow.

In conclusion, the conference delegates discussed and adopted a joint resolution on the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender persons in Belarus. The text, which will be sent to the President, the government and the parliament, is calling for the ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, the prosecution of hate speech, the recognition of equal rights of same-sex couples, the recognition of May 17th as the Day Against Homophobia. It furthers asks the authorities to provide support in organizing Slavic Pride in Minsk next May.

At the closing of the conference Nikolai Alekseev stressed to the participants that “today we made an important step to establish rights for LGBT people in Belarus”. He reminded that “we could not dream when we started our cooperation 10 months ago that we could achieve so much together”.

Late on Saturday the Swedish Embassy hosted a reception for the participants of the conference in one of Minsk restaurants.

The LGBT community plans to stage Slavic Gay Pride in Minsk on May 15, 2010.

On Saturday night a local club hosted the Grand Finale of the election of “Miss Trans Diva Belarus”. The crown was won by Belarus diva Lika Milovski.

The 5 Things Bill Clinton Should Do to Take a Firm Stand on Gay Marriage

By Michael A. Jones

Bill Clinton made a bit of history last night, when on Anderson Cooper 360, he finally admitted he was wrong to not support marriage equality while President of the United States. While not a full on retraction of his support for policies like the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the former President now admits that he was wrong to be hung up on the word marriage.

"Me, Bill Clinton personally, I changed my position. I am no longer opposed to that. I think if people want to make commitments that last a lifetime, they ought to be able to do it," Clinton told Cooper. He then cited his support for gay adoption and the fact that he grew up in a different time period and realized he needed to evolve as reasons for his change in position.

This is great news, albeit thirteen years too late to save DOMA from becoming law. Still, history is history, and this frankly is a bit of history. And the best part is that now there's time left for Clinton to take a stand for marriage equality and really help change this country. Here are five ways how he can do this:

1. Go to Maine and campaign for marriage equality. Maine, as well all know, is in the midst of a ballot initiative that could repeal the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. The No on 1 campaign needs all the support it can get to beat down this ballot initiative (vote no on 1!), and Clinton's voice could certainly help lend a hand. Poll numbers show that the race is neck-and-neck. Clinton's voice could make a huge difference.

2. Go to Washington and campaign for Referendum 71. Washington state is also in the thick of a battle to keep very good domestic partnership benefits in place. Anti-gay activists have put a ballot measure forward that could repeal these benefits for same-sex couples. Clinton's voice in Washington -- a state he carried twice with relative ease, and a blue state in almost every part of the word -- could be a huge boon for folks working for the Approve Referendum 71 campaign.

3. Lend his voice in support of the recently introduced Respect for Marriage Act. The bill, introduced in the U.S. House earlier this month by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. It would be the ultimate apology from Clinton to the LGBT world, and signify that he's not only changed his position on marriage equality, but he's also able to admit that sometimes politicians can screw up and put into law really bad pieces of legislation.

4. Endorse candidates who support full marriage equality. Clinton's endorsement powers are huge. Note the huge stink raised when he decided to throw his hat into the California 2010 Governor's race by endorsing pro-marriage equality candidate Gavin Newsom. That move is huge for Newsom, and certainly a welcome sign. It's dicey to place a litmus test on candidates, but on this issue, it's a real test of where a politician stands on equal rights. Endorsing candidates that don't support marriage equality -- if ever justified -- should be the exception, not the rule.

For the 5th, your going to have to go to Michael's blogging page at Change.org.

Photo: DNCC/Jackson Solway

Breaking News: President Clinton retracts his support of the Defense of Marriage Act

Breaking News: President Clinton retracts on DOMA and its Impact on Immigration Equality

By Melanie Nathan

Tagged with: Barack Obama Barney Frank Bill Clinton Defense of Marriage Act DOMA Earl Blumenauer Health care Huffington Post Immigration Immigration Equality Jerrold Nadler Melanie Nathan President Clinton Respect for Marriage UAFA Uniting American Families Act White HouseOriginal Article by from lezgetreal.com, Breaking – President Clinton retracts on DOMA and its Impact on Immigration Equality, Sep 2009

You should read the whole article.

Gratitude and Financial Virtue

Newswise — When it comes to money, the more grateful we are, the more likely we are to give on behalf of the greater good, according to new research conducted by Northeastern University associate professor of psychology David DeSteno.

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, found that grateful people act virtuously by giving financially—and not just to the people who caused them to feel grateful in the first place.

A long-standing view has held that individuals tend to act out of self-interest and a drive for personal profit. Under this thinking, a financial decision that favors the greater good requires individuals to “tame” their emotions.

DeSteno argues, conversely, that emotions actually equip individuals to make decisions that foster long-term communal financial gain, even over immediate self-interest. [Article continues here]

Newswise — When it comes to money, the more grateful we are, the more likely we are to give on behalf of the greater good, according to new research conducted by Northeastern University associate professor of psychology David DeSteno.

The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, found that grateful people act virtuously by giving financially—and not just to the people who caused them to feel grateful in the first place.

A long-standing view has held that individuals tend to act out of self-interest and a drive for personal profit. Under this thinking, a financial decision that favors the greater good requires individuals to “tame” their emotions.

DeSteno argues, conversely, that emotions actually equip individuals to make decisions that foster long-term communal financial gain, even over immediate self-interest. [Article continues here]

Roman Catholic declaration in support of same-sex marriage

Sign the Catholic Declaration in Support of Marriage Equality

As faithful Roman Catholics and citizens of the State of Maine, we believe that the right of every citizen to practice freedom of religion is based on the principle of respect for the dignity of each individual. Without that guarantee, the danger of one religious tradition or doctrine dominating another threatens all and protects none. Making the equality of citizens not only an ideal but a living truth, we affirm the May 6, 2009 act of the Maine Legislature to end marriage discrimination by granting civil marriage for same-sex couples. Our declaration of conscience is based on the following:

The American principle of the separation of Church and State was enshrined in the Constitution to ensure that no particular religious perspective would be imposed on our pluralistic society.

Catholic teaching on social justice has been central to the building of a just society, creating awareness of diversity in the human family, calling us to lives of respect for one another, and not only tolerance.

We remember that Roman Catholics were once denied civil rights, treated with suspicion, ridiculed because of our sacred rituals, and questioned as to our allegiance to “foreign authorities.” Memory challenges us to remain vigilant whenever bigotry and injustice enters into public discourse.

Same-sex civil marriage does not in any way coerce any religious faith or tradition to change its beliefs or doctrine or alter its traditional marriage practices.

We know that God is a most gracious and wonderful Creator. Many of us have gay and lesbian relatives and friends. We value the love and commitment we witness in their relationships; their devotion to each other and their children. Civil marriage bestows the dignity and equality called for in our nation’s highest ideals, “the inherent natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

As Roman Catholics, we differentiate between sacramental marriage and civil marriage. Therefore, we perceive that same-sex civil marriage poses no threat to our Church. While we respect the authority and integrity of the Church in matters of faith, our prayers and discernment have brought us to a new openness on this issue. We do not ask the Church to perform same-sex marriages. We do implore the Church to honor the State’s prerogative to authorize civil marriages for our gay and lesbian family and friends.

Grateful for the gift of our faith and the ways that we have been nourished by faith throughout our lives, and also grateful for our citizenship in America and in this State, we sign this statement as Roman Catholic citizens of Maine.

Please Click Here to Sign the Catholic Declaration in Support of Marriage Equality

Influential Ukrainians warn Obama, West of rising Russian threat

By Peter Byrne

After the Duma approved law on use of Russian armed forces overseas, several dozen Ukrainian intellectuals ask the West for security guarantees.

More than two dozen Ukrainian intellectuals are appealing to U.S. President Barack Obama and other Western leaders, warning of a greater Kremlin threat. Specifically, the group of influential Ukrainians is calling for stronger security guarantees to protect Ukraine from Russia, whose leaders they accuse of meddling in Ukrainian affairs.

In an open letter made public on Sept. 10, the authors expressed fears that Russia could use military force against Ukraine. They called on Western leaders to hold an international conference to provide guarantees for Ukraine’s security.

“The Russian leadership has consciously chosen a path to destroy existing security systems, a main aim of which is to subjugate Ukraine within the geopolitical interests of Russia. There are signs that the Kremlin is not ruling out using its arsenal and military methods. The informational war against Ukraine has reached unprecedented levels. A picture of Ukraine as the enemy is being formed within Russian society,” the letter reads. [Story continued at the Kyiv Post]

Pee goes green: Human urine advocated for larger, tastier tomatoes

In a recent Finnish study, tomatoes fertilized with human urine produced crops that yielded 4.2 times more tomatoes than those without pee.

By Rebecca Boyle

You say tomayto, I say tomahto.

You say Miracle-Gro, I say ... pee.

Apparently, human urine works remarkably well as a fertilizer for tomatoes, according to a new study out of Finland.

Plants fertilized with a mixture of stored human urine and wood ash produced 4.2 times more fruit than plants without the pee, the study found. The urine-fertilized tomatoes had more beta-carotene than unfertilized ones, and much more protein than traditionally fertilized plants. And the tomatoes were just as good as those grown with traditional fertilizer, according to a panel of 20 brave tasters.

Healthy human urine is rich in nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphate, all key ingredients for healthy plants. As long as the pee doesn't contain any fecal matter, it's usually free of any microorganisms.

Surendra K. Pradhan, K. Holopainen and Helvi Heinonen-Tanski of the University of Kuopio in Finland collected human urine during the winter of 2007-2008 from several eco-toilets in private homes. The urine was stored for about six months at 45 degrees F and tested for microbes and bacteria. The team mixed it with wood ash collected from a household furnace, and found the mixture was just as good as -- or better than -- conventional chemical fertilizer.

In taste tests, the urine-fertilized tomatoes tasted different from those fertilized with urine and ash, but tasters didn't have a preference -- "all tomato samples were evaluated as being equally good by the tasters," the study says. The results are reported in the latest Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

The same team had previously tested human pee as a fertilizer for cucumber and cabbage, and a South African team reported last year that urine had successfully fertilized maize. The Finnish team said they tried tomatoes because they're grown all over the world and are a staple ingredient in many recipes.

Persecuted Uyghur's of East Turkestan express condolences to the American People for the September 11 Tragedy

Eight years after the September 11 terror attacks, the Uyghur American Association (UAA) mourns the loss of thousands of lives that took place on that tragic day. UAA offers its support and condolences to the friends and loved ones of the victims of September 11, and to all people around the world who have been affected by terrorism.

“Uyghur people around the world remain steadfast in their support of the United States, the American people and the global fight against terrorism,” said Uyghur democracy leader Rebiya Kadeer. “Acts of violence and terror can never bring positive change, only sorrow. The international community must continue to work together to strive peacefully for democracy and human rights in every corner of the world.”

Since the events of September 11, the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has manipulated the “global war on terror” to persecute Uyghurs in East Turkestan. September 11 marked the beginning of a new wave of oppression and injustice at the hands of the Chinese regime, which re-branded its repressive actions against peaceful Uyghurs as “anti-terror” efforts. The Chinese government has manipulated the “anti-terror” label to persecute and harass Uyghur refugees who have fled the PRC for other countries. The Chinese government also frequently attempts to influence overseas Uyghur activists by harassing family members who remain in East Turkestan.

The Chinese regime continues to attempt to portray the Uyghur people’s struggle for the recognition and protection of their fundamental human rights as being motivated by violent and ‘terrorist’ intent. In the wake of serious unrest in the regional capital of Urumchi in early July of this year, which has resurged in recent days, the Chinese government has actively sought to inflame ethnic tensions between the Han Chinese and Uyghur residents of Urumchi. An already deteriorating human rights situation in East Turkestan has drastically worsened since July, as untold numbers of Uyghurs have been arbitrarily jailed and tortured, and executions loom for those detained in an environment lacking any form of judicial transparency or accountability.

“The Chinese government must end its exploitation of the anti-terror label to persecute Uyghurs, especially those who have been arbitrarily detained since July 5,” said Ms. Kadeer. “Instead of fanning the flames of fear, nationalism and hatred in East Turkestan, Chinese officials should work to promote true harmony in the region, and address the legitimate concerns of the Uyghur people. The Chinese government should end its misuse of a very sad occasion, the tragedy of September 11, to carry out political persecution.”

Since East Turkestan was incorporated into the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Uyghurs, who make up the region’s largest ethnic group, have lived without the freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and religion, and without the freedom to use and develop their language, all rights that are guaranteed under PRC law and in the PRC Constitution.

The Uyghur American Association (UAA) works to promote the preservation and flourishing of a rich, humanistic and diverse Uyghur culture, and to support the right of the Uyghur people to use peaceful, democratic means to determine their own political future.

The UAA has undertaken the Uyghur Human Rights Project (UHRP) for the purpose of promoting improved human rights conditions for Uyghurs and other indigenous groups in East Turkestan, on the premise that the assurance of basic human rights will facilitate the realization of the community’s democratic aspirations.

Uyghur Human Rights Project
Uyghur American Association
1701 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: +1 (202) 349 1496
Fax: +1 (202) 349 1491
info[at]uyghuramerican.org
www.uhrp.org
www.uyghuramerican.org

Satan's Plan: About a conference of demons and their plan to pull Christians away from Jesus

Physically Challenged Woman Searching for Stolen Best Friend

By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter

Huntington, WV (HNN) – You know that a dog is known as a man or woman’s best friend. But, in the case of one physically impaired woman living near Ninth Avenue, Scooby may be one of the woman’s only friends. That is, until someone stole the leash out of her hand across from the YMCA.

Madison Reed, owner of New Earth Resource Company, 826 10th Street, told HNN that his friend, Trisha Thompson always comes into his shop with her part Chihuahua and part Jack Russell terrier. However, Wednesday morning, September 9, she came alone into the shop crying. Ms. Thompson told Reed that while walking Scooby on a leash someone grabbed the leash from her hand and took the dog.

A police report has been made of the incident. Ms. Thompson, whose right leg is shorter than the left and wears a thick soled shoe, has called the animal control center.

According to Reed this is not the first time she nearly lost Scooby. Several months ago while walking on Ninth Avenue a man turned a pit bull loose on her and her dog. She fell to the ground, but the man pulled the pit bull off of her and Scooby. The two did not require medical treatment.

“This is why West Virginia needs [an enforced] hate crime law,” Reed said. “She’s handicapped and some people get a thrill out of harming people who are different.”

Reed’s particularly hopeful that someone will find --- or bring back with no questions asked --- the little dog. Due to her impairment, Reed said the dog is likely not only the traditional best friend, but her only true friend.

Original story: HuntingtonNews.net

See also:

"Hate Crime" (sundaygazettemail.com)
"West Virginia's Hate Crime Law: A Primer (ragingred.wordpress.com)
"Hate Crimes Legislation Needed Now More than Ever" (blog.nyacyouth.org)

---