This should be interesting

Let's see. First Obama refuses to meet with Putin because Russia is harboring Edward Snowden. And now this:

MOSCOW — Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights activists said Tuesday they have been invited to meet with President Barack Obama on the sidelines of this week's Group of 20 summit in Russia. 

What will Putin do? It's all so junior high, so tit-for-tat, when you get right down to it. Will Putin view Obama's meeting with gay reps as "propaganda" and arrest him? That would be fun. On the other hand, will Putin punish the gay reps afterward? I wouldn't like to see that happen.

But seriously, the whole thing is like a cartoon. The Russian president with a fixation on personal manliness goes after the gays. And the American president who promised the most transparent administration in history goes after whistleblowers with demonic vengeance. (And after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, tries to start World War III -- to prove his manliness.)

These are cartoon times, for sure.

The popeyguy said this

In a short, rather inconsequential AP article at the NYT, we learn what Pope Francis said about gay marriage when he was a mere cardinal in Argentina.

"But if they're granted marriage rights and can adopt, there could be children affected. Every person needs a masculine father and a feminine mother to help them settle their identity." 

So now straight fathers have to be masculine, and straight mothers must be feminine, in order to earn god's approval? There's a ton of nelly straight men out there who are under the impression that they are real, valid fathers. And there's an equal number of tomboy mothers who've given birth and raised their kids up till this very moment. Those poor, blind straight people! Little did they know they're not authentic parents. But the news is out now. The popeyguy's past words tell the tale.

I guess these inadequate parents will be forced to hand in their marriage certificates and hit the road. Kids need butch fathers and fem mothers. Without these key ingredients, the poor children will be confused -- and might even succumb to the temptation of becoming gay themselves. Mercy!

Bigotry in Mississippi? Nah, can't be.

AmericaBlog has a great story about local reaction to a Mississippi newspaper's frontpage coverage of the county's first gay wedding.

I especially liked this:

(Same-sex marriages are not legally-recognized in Mississippi. Though slavery was abolished in Mississippi two weeks ago, so hope springs eternal.)

Funny -- and accurate.

Gays, Boy Scouts and good ol' Southern bigotry

Over at the Daily Beast, Michael Tomasky eviscerates southern bigots for their reaction to the Boy Scouts' statement that they'll (probably) allow gay scouts and adults in the organization. Here's a tidbit:

As I've written previously, we are past the point in this country now where one's views on homosexuality can be called a "matter of conscience." No. Being against equality here isn't a matter of conscience anymore than having been against racial equality in 1955 was. It is just bigotry plain and simple. Enough. Piss off. Go form your own Boy Scouts. Go form your own stupid country. You aren't America anymore.

Scroll down on the "reaction" link to read what the Southern Baptist Convention had to say about opening up the Boy Scouts' ranks to gays. These cavemen have to go.

Dear, sweet Michelle

Bachmann Family Values is a touching column by Frank Bruni in today's NY Times. It's about the experience of a lesbian who is a longtime friend of Michelle Bachmann. In her own words, she reveals the pain of hearing Bachmann say publicly that she doesn't have the right to marry the woman she loves. She and Michelle lived in the same house; they were close. And yet Bachmann tossed her aside like so much garbage. The article is impressive in an understated way. Give it a read if such things interest you.

The always classy Sal Cordileone

"SF Archbishop Jokes About Recent DUI Arrest" is the headline of an AP story up at the New York Times today.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Amid heavy security and the splendor of his faith's most sacred rites, the new Roman Catholic archbishop of San Francisco assumed office Thursday without referring to the distress his appointment has aroused in this gay-friendly city, but offering self-deprecating jokes about his recent drunken driving arrest. 

He comes into town to trash gay people -- at the behest of the pope -- gets a DUI almost immediately, and jokes about it from the pulpit.

Sal Cordileone is displaying perfect Christian values right out of the box. There is no morality in such a person's world. Destroying gay families for Jesus? Check. Getting DUI? Check. Joking about DUI: check again.

I wonder if the pope's infallibility came into play when he appointed this gem of a fellow.

The willful blindness of the Vatican

After the violence (see post below), the pope's spokesperson actually said the following.  Apparently, irony is unknown at the Vatican.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that "unjustified offense and provocations" against Muslims have "sometimes tragic results" that "nourish tension and hatred" and unleash "unacceptable violence."

This statement is outrageous since it comes from a church that has been persecuting gay people all around the world for as long as I can remember. This, too, qualifies as "unjustified offense and provocations" that have "tragic results" that "nourish tension and hatred" and unleash "unacceptable violence".

It seems they don't have any mirrors in the Vatican.

Breaking news from the Vatican!

I imagine we'll be seeing "breaking news" headlines from the Vatican now that they've got an official Fox News spokesperson.

In his new job as the Vatican’s senior communications adviser, Burke, 52, will be counseling Pope Benedict XVI and his closest staff on how to better project the Catholic Church’s image to the rest of the world.

I can just see it now. The popey guy appears on-screen. Below his image, big red letters blink with the word: "ALERT ALERT ALERT". And then the popey guy says, breathlessly, "A miracle has occurred in Transylvania! The Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared to thousands!"

Oy. It fits right in, doesn't it? Heck, he can use direct Fox News feeds and call them his own. After all, they say the same sorts of things the popey guy says: anti-gay, anti-Obama, anti-sanity stuff. It's a miracle! And I heard on Fox News that this whole set-up was preordained in the Bible!

Popey guy says absolutely nothing

Here's what the popey guy said to his capos (bishops) recently about gay marriage:

"Particular mention must be made of the powerful political and cultural currents seeking to alter the legal definition of marriage... Sexual differences cannot be dismissed as irrelevant to the definition of marriage. Defending the institution of marriage as a social reality is ultimately a question of justice, since it entails safeguarding the good of the entire human community and the rights of parents and children alike."

That doesn't even mean anything. It's just a bunch of words. It's ultimately a "question of justice"? Well, yes it is: justice for gay people who want to marry and should be able to. But what is the popey guy talking about? "[S]afeguarding the good of the entire human community and the rights of parents and children alike"? How? 

The church has been viciously attacking gay people for many, many years yet they have never been able to state one rational reason for their actions. Why do they attack gays? It's a question sorely in need of an answer.

But of course, the answer is a reason "that cannot speak its name". They do this because they're a bunch of closet cases. Because they're gay, and they've stupidly chosen to live within a church that condemns them for what they are, they lash out ever more furiously at...themselves. That's what closet cases do. They're the original one-trick ponies.

If I'm wrong about the church's motives, then pray tell, what is the real reason for this virulence? The popey guy's words are empty. They tell us nothing. It's an amazing travesty and I can't believe that anyone who's Catholic -- and awake -- will remain with this church much longer. And that, in case you're not keeping track, is a good thing.  

Media notices Timmy Dolan is anti-gay

An article in today's New York Daily News reveals the ugly, blackened heart that sits in the chest of NY's recently minted cardinal, Timmy Dolan. Here's an excerpt:

The conflict was set in motion after Carl Siciliano, founder of the nonprofit Ali Forney Center, sent a letter to Dolan, saying his “loud and strident voice against the acceptance of LGBT people” creates “a climate where parents turn on their own children.”

Dolan fired back: “For you to make the allegations and insinuations you do in your letter based on my adherence to the clear teachings of the Church is not only unfair and unjust, but inflammatory,” he wrote. “Neither I nor anyone in the Church would ever tolerate hatred of or prejudice towards any of the Lord's children.”

He won't "tolerate" hatred or prejudice. What a joke. Dolan is the Vatican's point-man for bigotry against GLBT people. He is the primary voice of American religious hatred against gays. It's not like this is a secret. The man travels far and wide to spread his special kind of poison. And the end result is a worsened situation for GLBT people throughout the United States (and the world). This causes increased discrimination, rejection, depression and death for this population of "the Lord's children". And it's particularly harmful to young GLBT people, who are generally without resources and sometimes resort to suicide.

This is who Timmy Dolan is. He is a creature filled with hatred for GLBT folks -- and this is true despite there being no rational reason for the hatred. GLBT folks never did a thing against the church. It's all from the church's side: hate, hate, hate. It's sickening and I'm glad to finally see the general media covering this issue. I hope they stay with it.

With this sort of thing going on, day after day and year after year, I don't know how anyone remains a Catholic. I say to these people: look toward your church, see the hatred it spews against an innocent group, and then leave the church forever. It's obvious that the Roman Catholic Church has no connection to a "loving god". You've been duped.

Popey guy spouts more nonsense

You learn something new every day. Here's the lede for a popey guy story in the Times:

Vatican City (AP) -- Pope Benedict XVI has called on infertile couples to shun artificial procreation, saying such methods are a form of arrogance.

Are you roaring with laughter yet? Arrogance? This, from the prime agent of human arrogance. They really have no sense of irony. The story goes on:

Benedict spoke Saturday at the end of a 3-day Vatican conference on diagnosing and treating infertility. Reiterating Vatican teaching, he called marriage the only permissible place to conceive children.

Two things here are funny. First, the very fact that the all-male vatican loons held a conference on infertility. It's just like the recent Republican panel on contraceptives: a bunch of pinhead men focusing on matters that concern women. It's rich.

The other thing is this idea of referring to marriage as "the only permissible place" to conceive children. Now, I had no idea marriage was a place. I really didn't. Now everything makes perfect sense! They don't want gays to marry and have children in this place that is marriage. On account of, you know, it'll get crowded there. I really, really didn't know that marriage was like a city or a country club. Silly me. I thought it was a simple, straightforward arrangement between two like-minded people.

Thank dog we have the popey guy to clear stuff like this up for us. Thanks, popey guy!

The disease spreads

Some financially strong Catholic-sponsored medical centers are joining with smaller secular hospitals, in some cases limiting access to treatments like contraception and abortion.

The idiot, Santorum

Hunter at KOS has been on a roll lately. I love this description:

It's difficult to take Rick Santorum seriously. It always has been, and adding "campaigning for president" to his resume did nothing to help. The man has no gravitas and even less charisma, but comports himself as if he did. The effect is of a whiny adolescent know-it-all who is eternally peeved that society isn't recognizing his obvious superiority. Add to this a devout narrow-mindedness, a stubborn refusal to even acknowledge others might have opinions or experiences different from his own, and you get the perfect Conservative Religious Whiny Emo Teenage Mutant Candidate.

Hunter, you da man.

They enjoy putting women down

Here's the lead paragraph in an AP story about Amanda Knox, the young woman who has been confined in an Italian prison since 2009, when she was convicted of the murder of her roommate:

Italian lawyers described Amanda Knox, the American student convicted of killing her British roommate, as a "she-devil" and a "witch" in an appeals court Monday while calling her alleged victim a "beautiful girl in the prime of her life."

You just know he's got the emerald shoes, too

Note: On my graphics blog, this post is accompanied by a photo of the popey guy in a garish green outfit. If you want to see it, here's a link.

The popey guy's such fun, isn't he? And damn straight he's got the emerald slippers to go with this outfit. If there's one thing the popey guy knows, it's coordinating dresses with shoes.

And crowns! Normal women just have tiaras, but the popey guy gets to wear something even better than a crown: a hat-crown! Very stylish.

So what's the popey guy been up to? I'm glad you asked. Why, just yesterday, at his grand poobah speech to the Roman Rota, he said the right to a church wedding requires that the bride and groom intend to "celebrate and live the marriage truthfully and authentically." (I think that's how they talk about sex at the vatican.)

As a parting shot, the popey guy threw out this comment: "No one can make a claim to the right to a nuptial ceremony." I wonder who he could be referring to. Seriously, I have no clue. 

Ah, popey guy, what would we do without ye?

Obama and morality

President Obama spoke of morality the other day in an almost universally-praised speech about the murders and mayhem in Arizona. He gives a good speech. We already knew this. But this president seems not to have moral values. If he had some, he'd stand up for what's right. He never does that.

Today, three days before Martin Luther King Day, the Obama administration filed a brief in support of DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, which is expressly designed to oppress gay people and deny them the right to marry.

When asked directly about his position on gay marriage, Obama freely states that he hasn't decided yet if it's okay. This is not different from a white president saying he can't decide if black people should be allowed to marry. There is not one iota of difference between these two things.

But then, this is a man who continues the policy of perpetual wars, who sends drones nightly to kill innocent Afghan families, who continues to torture people in secret prisons (and American prisons!) and holds people in an endless state of solitary confinement though they are charged with no crime.

If Obama knew right from wrong, the public option would be in the health care bill -- because he would have fought long and hard for it. He would speak out against rampant taser use, the rising police state and the wearing of guns in public. If Barack Obama was a moral man, Bradley Manning wouldn't be sitting in solitary confinement, tortured by Americans. And the US would not be fighting to have Julian Assange jailed or killed for practicing journalism. But the man doesn't know right from wrong. He shows us this again and again. When it counts, he's nowhere to be found.

Morality is a land far away from the world of Barack Obama. And this is entirely of his own choosing. I have come to believe he is not a good man, and I say this as someone who cried with joy when he was elected, if only for what the moment represented. But even then, in my heart I knew the man was an illusion. He had already announced that Rick Warren, a virulently homophobic preacher, would deliver the invocation at his inauguration. I knew right then who Barack Obama was.

Barack Obama is not a good man.