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I found these in my Email today,,
http://www.topix.net/content/kri/2003987238259187411740769781743578324528
September 13, 2006
We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.
President Bush raised some eyebrows last month when he spoke of fighting 'Islamic fascism.' Some Muslims were upset, including Parvez Ahmed, chairman of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who said in an open letter to the president that the term 'contributes to a rising level of hostility to Islam and the American-Muslim community.'
In his Sept. 11 address, Bush toned down his description to 'perverted vision of Islam.'
I'm not a Muslim, but to me, either description seems appropriate.
The term 'fascism' was originally used by Italy's dictator, Benito Mussolini, in the 1930s and '40s, and exalted the state and race above the individual. In more recent usage, 'fascism' refers to autocratic or dictatorial control. When you combine the current usage with the fact that terrorists have justified their actions through their faith in Islam, then 'Islamic fascism' seems reasonable.
Islamic leaders such as Ahmed are rightly concerned about hostility, but his complaintswould carry more weight if the worldwide Muslim communityloudly condemned acts of terrorism and the fringe theology that condones them.
A good case study, on a much smaller scale, of how radical religion should be treated can be found here in Kansas. Fred Phelps, the Christian minister from Topeka, spews his hatred of homosexuals and our country wherever he can and to whomever he pleases. But he is roundly condemned by most Christians. Even people who agree with him in principle about the immorality of homosexuality are quick to criticize his methodology and rigid theology.
The Muslim community in Wichita has strongly condemned terrorism and the perversion of Islam. But the worldwide community needs to make a concerted, unified effort to marginalize and shrink the radical elements within its faith. Until then, the complaints about using the fascist label likely won't carry much weight with many non-Muslims.
Religion should be used to make a positive change in people. I chose Christianity because I believe its teachings are true. Millions of others have chosen Islam for the same reason. We may disagree, but we shouldn't use our faith as a justification to hate or hurt others.
Author Jonathan Swift made a wise point when he acknowledged a potential shortcoming of faith:
'We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.'
Let's not use religion as a justification for hate. And let's not stand by as others pervert faith, using hatred for their own gain.
THIS IS JUST TO SICK FOR WORDS, ACLU HELP GAYS TO GET THE VERY BASIC RIGHTS THAT EVERY HAS. THEN OTHER FACE OF THE ACLU HELP THIS ASSHOLE....
by Anthony Glassman
Cleveland--The ACLU of Ohio is challenging a new state law intended to keep a notorious anti-gay preacher from picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq.
The legislature passed the Rest in Peace Act last spring. The ACLU says the measure is overly broad and filed suit against it on August 24, shortly after it took effect.
The act was a reaction to protests by Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, an unaffiliated congregation with a history of virulently anti-gay rhetoric.
Phelps’ church, which is mostly his extended family, has traveled the country since the early 1990s, protesting funerals of people who died of AIDS and hate crime victims like Matthew Shepard. They wave signs reading “God hates fags” and “Thank God for 9/11.”
In the past year, the group has taken to picketing the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq, promoting Phelps’ line that God is punishing soldiers because the United States shelters homosexuals and is filled with “fag enablers.”
The church’s protests led to a federal law barring demonstrations at federal cemeteries, and states across the country have passed similar measures.
Ohio’s law bans protests during funerals and an hour before or afterward, creating a 300-foot protest-free zone around the funeral home, cemetery and funeral procession.
“The ban is far too broad,” said ACLU of Ohio legal director Jeffrey Gamso. “The time restraints, free speech ‘bubble’ and the fact that it will move with the funeral procession will effectively prohibit protesting for large amounts of time in many communities around Ohio.”
“If a political group wanted to have a demonstration on Main Street and a funeral procession was driving by, they would not be permitted to continue, even if the protest has nothing to do with the funeral,” he said. “That is clearly too strict and would severely limit free speech.”
Similar laws have been challenged in other states, including Kentucky, though none of those challenges have yet been decided.
ACLU of Ohio Executive Director Chris Link brought up the example of striking workers picketing outside their place of employment. She said that, as the law stands, if a funeral procession drove by, the workers would have to stop.
The Westboro demonstrators have spurred another backlash: the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of 53,000 people nationwide who attend military funerals to show their respect and, if need be, block protesters from view.
Patriot Guard Riders were present at the funeral earlier this year of Mark Todd Shinkle, the president of the Buckeye Region American Veterans for Equal Rights.
“We do it to respect and honor the soldier and support the family,” Bob “Tater” Smith, a Sandusky veteran, told the Toledo Blade of the Patriot Guard Riders’ mission. The group has 1,600 members in Ohio.
Smith believes the Rest in Peace Act is unnecessary and will be more trouble than it’s worth.
“They threaten more than they show up,” he said of Westboro Baptist Church. “If you ignore them, they just go away. Our way costs a lot less for the taxpayers.”
A FRIEND CALLED this week to ask, “Do we really have to go to the HRC Dinner? For Christ’s sake, they are honoring Lance Bass and Reichen Lehmkuhl!”
My first thought was it had to be a joke.
"Indeed, how many times have I read editorials in the gay press insisting that pop stars and other celebrities have an obligation to come out of the closet precisely because their fame alone would give a boost to our cause and provide visible role models in the community? And now that Mr. Bass has done so, Mr. Foster diminishes the importance of that event. Talk about damned if you do, damned if you don't."
The big lie about gay men and sex (Gay)
If straight men could find sex in public restrooms with women, we’d never be able to use the facilities for legit purposes.
By WAYNE BESEN
Friday, September 15, 2006
THE WORLD OF men can be divided into two groups: Those who feel empty after a one-night stand and those who roll over and go to bed feeling completely satisfied.
This emotional divide among males is equally as dramatic as the more publicized difference in sexual orientation between gay and straight men. Yet the phenomenon is rarely talked about as the conventional wisdom wrongly concludes that “men are pigs.”
The gulf between the men who oink and boink and those who bed and wed is worth exploring. It seems to me that these men have little in common, as pigs are from Pluto and mensches are from Mars.
This split in the way men think about sex is best illustrated in listening to the two groups discuss former President Bill Clinton’s dalliance with Monica Lewinsky.
The mensches scratch their heads and ask, “How on earth could he do that? How can a man cheat on his wife and squander his presidency for a moment of joy with a chubby intern?”
While the pigs were disappointed with Clinton, on a fundamental level they understood his actions. “He was alone in the Oval Office, he was probably under a lot of stress, Monica walked in, and things just sort of happened,” they reason.
What flummoxes the pigs, more than Clinton’s behavior, is the mensches’ genuine bewilderment of how a man might jeopardize power over a fleeting moment of sexual gratification.
THIS BATTLE OF the male brain is now playing itself out in gay society after paparazzi ambushed pop star George Michael coming out of the bushes following a supposed sexcapade with a pot-bellied peasant.
Michael, for his part, implied that his behavior was a result of entrenched gay customs. “Are you gay?” he asked the paparazzi, “No? Then fuck off. This is my culture.”
That may have been true in the 1970s, when gay culture had been set up to accommodate married men on the sly. Back in those days, bathhouses were hugely popular and the gay bars had blackened out windows, creating a virtual cocktail-serving closet. Many of the patrons had to have sex away from home to keep the secret from an unsuspecting wife and kids.
Of course, there was a portion of men who did have options — just as Michael does today — but who enjoyed unfettered promiscuity for the thrill.
With time, the ease with which people could come out, combined with the fear of contracting HIV, sharply curtailed the carnal carnival the gay subculture once represented.
The whole notion that gay men are more libidinous than straight men is a canard pushed by right wing fanatics in an effort to deny homosexuals basic rights. Indeed, one of the most guarded secrets of gay life is that a good portion of homosexuals are as undersexed as their straight counterparts.
Some of these lonely gay sorts keep long hours at the office and don’t have time to pursue partners. Others are shy and have great difficulty meeting people. Many men, gay and straight, simply have low sex drives and hardly desire gratuitous encounters.
From my observation, a surprisingly large portion of men find the notion of hooking up with strangers totally unappealing. It is not looks nor variety, but intimacy that is the greatest turn on.
FOR THE HYPER-AGGRESSIVE men who fancy uninhibited sexual exploration, it is easier being gay because you can always find another man looking for the same thing. But, instead of being blamed for a lack of self-control, most gay men should get a medal for restraint.
Heck, if straight men could have sex in public restrooms with women, would we ever again be able to use the facilities for legitimate purposes? If straight men could easily pick up women for sex in parks after midnight, would the grounds be so trodden that ants would become an endangered species?
Yeah, gay men have access to sex if they want it bad enough and are willing to take risks, like George Michael did, but the majority consistently chooses not to recklessly cruise.
George Michael may “want his sex,” but placing the blame on “gay culture” no longer reflects modern reality. Given a full range of choices, including marriage, gay life increasingly looks as diverse as mainstream culture — with monogamously oriented men finally having the option to choose monogamy.
(Seville, Spain) The Spanish military - once a crusty remnant of a right-wing regime closely linked to the Roman Catholic Church - got its first public taste of gay marriage Friday as two male soldiers wed, sealing their union with gold rings and a long kiss.
Alberto Linero, 27, and Alberto Sanchez, 24, both privates in the air force, wore dark blue dress uniforms with red and gold epaulets as they exchanged vows in a reception room at Seville's town hall - the first known wedding among same-sex members of the military since Spain legalized gay marriage last year.
Some members of the military may not be happy about the union - the grooms declined to say if they are suffering harassment from commanders or colleagues - but the Defense Ministry has said it considers the wedding a personal matter and the men will be allowed to continue with their careers. It had no comment Friday on the nuptials.
Spain has no law against gays in the military, and other service members have acknowledged their homosexuality in the past.
In the United States, the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy prohibits the military from inquiring about the sex lives of service members but requires those who openly acknowledge being gay to be discharged.
The men were married by Seville Mayor Alfredo Sanchez Monteseirin, who said their wedding marked a victory for gay people everywhere who have suffered discrimination.
"This is not just your wedding. You symbolize millions of people who are not here and suffer from homophobia," Sanchez Monteseirin said. "The city will protect your rights."
After they were pronounced spouses, Linero and Sanchez placed gold rings on each other's fingers and shared a kiss. The 100 people in attendance clapped wildly. Sanchez later wept as he hugged his younger brother Sergio.
The mayor is a member of the Socialist party, which oversees a government that legalized gay marriage last year and has pushed through laws including fast-track divorce and easier terms for medically assisted fertilization.
The laws have irked the church and the country's conservative establishment, which has accused the government of tearing away at the nation's traditional values.
Addressing a gaggle of reporters after the ceremony, Linero said the wedding was a small step toward complete equality for homosexuals.
"We've done our little bit. We hope society realizes this," he said.
Some 4,500 same-sex couples have wed under the gay marriage legislation, which took effect in July 2005, according to the Justice Ministry.
The wedding is believed to be the first marriage between two same-sex members of the Spanish armed forces, said Beatriz Gimeno, president of Spain's Federation of Gays and Lesbians.
She welcomed the wedding as something the military and Spaniards in general have to get used to.
"I don't think the army in a democratic society has to be conservative," Gimeno said.
Besides Spain, the Netherlands, Canada and Belgium have legalized same-sex marriage, while Britain and other European countries have laws that give same-sex couples the right to form legally binding partnerships.
In the United States, only the state of Massachusetts allows gay marriage, while Vermont and Connecticut permit civil unions.