Yesterday, more than 100 retired generals and admirals called for repeal of the US Military "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays so they can serve openly.And I am proud to say my father, a retired US Air Force General, was one of them as he joined retired four-star Admiral and two-time superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy Adm. Charles Larson, in signing this statement.Larson also has a gay daughter.Admiral Larson has been quoted as saying that this fact has broadened his thinking on the subject, and he believes a generational shift in attitudes toward homosexuality has created a ...

I am going to make it a point to start researching the financial backers of Proposition H8. I found this site very informative, easy to read and well, I suggest you take a look: Californians Against Hate.Here are the top donors:Knights of Columbus (Headquarters) gave: $250,000 on 2/4/08, $1,000,000 on 8/15/08 and $150,000 on 10/21/08Knights of Columbus (California) gave: $25,000 on 4/18/08A total of $1,425,000Howard "Howie" Ahmanson, Jr. gave: $100,000 on 2/22/08, $200,000 on 2/29/08, $100,000 on 3/24/08, $100,000 on 8/26/08, $100,000 on 8/28/08, $300,000 on 9/25/08, $95,000 on 10/18/08, $250,000 on 10/27/08 and ...

America, this is it. Time to put up or shut up. Time to divide and die, or come together and prosper. We may have our disagreements but we are all on the same team. If we crumble from the inside, our enemies will capitalize on it. Let us forget about gay marriage, and all the other issues. Let us all just agree at the very least, that our nation survives in this time of peril because of the courage of all Americans from every walk of life. If someone is willing to lay down their life for our ...

Oooohwwee!! It was a good one! Remember when Elizabeth and Rosie got into it on the show The View? Well the girls were sitting around the table and got into a heated conversation about Prop. 8 right now. Whoopi has been an advocate for keeping this conversation alive on the show and I love it!! Of course Elizabeth always defends the Yes on 8 side, and Sherry has been defending it too. Joy has been defending the No on 8 side. Today when Whoopi brought it up, she mentioned that people are saying "Gay is the new black." ...

Below you'll find another contact from a Pittsburgh Cinemark Theater (Pittsburgh Mills). Note this one uses the term "sexual orientation" in lieu of yesterday's "sexual preference" usage by the corporate office. Do you think it is a local sensibility or just a lesson well learned? Dear Sue,We received your correspondence regarding your concerns about the Proposition 8 vote in California. Please know that Cinemark made no financial contribution to either side on this issue. The company does not take a formal position on political issues that do not directly affect our business. It would be inappropriate to influence ...

Paula BrooksPaula "The Surf Mom" Brooks lives in the Outer Bank of North Carolina with her partner Debbie, their twin daughters Halie and Kyma and her hearing helper dog Sammy, where they own and operate a vacation home rental business. She has been an Internet publisher for over 5 years. Paula, who is hearing impaired, is also an educator for the hearing impaired and a tireless campaigner for LGBT rights and Gay Marriage. A life long Surfer Girl, who currently owns no less then 12 surfboards, Paula has traveled the world looking for the perfect wave and that search has ...

The Obama-Biden PlanThe Obama Administration may be one of the first in this nation’s history to focus so much on LGBTI rights. Their plan is ambitious, and may hinge on securing enough votes to override filibusters out of the more Conservative areas of this country. While both President-Elect Obama and Vice-President-Elect Biden have come out against same-sex marriage, their platform is to push for civil unions across the country. Here are the point by point plans without the spin...Hate Crimes- The Obama Administration is planning on pushing for inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity into the Federal ...

by Scotty Matthews, Syracuse, NYI had just given my first public speech in the cause of LGBT equality, to a rally of nearly 200 people from the steps of City Hall in Syracuse. It was a day of national protest against California’s passage of Proposition 8, which outlawed gay marriage in that state. When I finally got home, I wrote a blog entry about the events of the day, uploaded a photo, and then opened a local news website to see what coverage the rally might be getting.There it was; a headline so shocking, I had to ...

My cellphone rang when I was walking in the front door of the apartment, the caller ID showing my mother's number. Blurg. I hesitated to answer once I saw Ms. K in the kitchen wearing nothing but an apron and a smile. Now this is what I call a birthday. Dinner was cooking -- pork tenderloin with apple chutney, brussels sprouts, and pureed sweet potato -- and Ms. K was the dessert.I motioned that I regrettably needed to take the call before copping a quick feel."Hi, mom," I finally answered a little out of breath after walking up six ...

It’s almost time to haul our lesbian, vegan, wiccan asses back to the small towns from which we escaped years ago, so that we can celebrate how thankful we are to have done so. Here are just a few do’s and don’ts for the big day: DO initiate a discussion about Sarah Palin and the liberal media. This will be more entertaining than a barrel of monkeys, trust me. DON’T ask any relative over the age of 70 how s/he is feeling unless you are an EMT and can handle this sort of thing over dinner. DO bring your love bunny. Bonus points for ...

Immediately following his election Obama’s transition team launched change.gov. This site aims to continue his relationship with his supporters whilst detailing and also recruiting people to work in his administration (it explicitly lists a ban on discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity for those working in the Obama led White house and other agencies). Today further information is provided on the agenda of an Obama led government on issues for the LGBT community and other civil rights issues. Whilst Irish LGBT’s have workplace and service protection, there are several issues on this list that ...

My Googling often takes me to strange corners of the Internets. After writing about my “Darth Vader” moment the other day, I remembered another toy I really liked- and also caused a sort of malapropism on my part. In the mid-to-late 70’s there were a bunch of toys based off Japanese cartoons and whatnot. If I recall, I had seen commercials for this specific toy on TV and was fascinated. One day my mom wanted to know what I wanted for Christmas. “A shogun warriant,” I replied. My mom asked me to repeat it; I said it again. She asked coworkers, relatives, anyone ...

REALLY?Have you seen the utube video on www.gmfactsandfiction.com?This video does all the math.If GM/Ford/Chrysler collapse 3 million jobs will be lost. Auto Industry workers & retirees, parts suppliers, auto dealers and their employees will all be affected.$156.4 Billion government tax loss over the next 3 years.$25 Billion loan now or lose $156.4 Billion later?Let's all take a trip in the WABAC Machine to the Chrysler Crisis Bailout - Time Magazine August 20, 1979The Chrysler bailout of 1.5 billion is equivalent to $4 billion in today's dollars.One of the major differences between then ...

Lately Dear Son has been convinced he is JJ the Jet Plane, running around the backyard, arms out to his side, wind blowing thru his blond hair - seemingly free as a bird… to him he is flying. When he races, which is frequently now, he says “I’m JJ the Jet Plane.” The freedom of imagination, where it can take us - no limits, no boundries, follow our dreams.  As adults, we should hold on and capture that feeling, that freedom and remember it in times of trouble and times of searching. ...

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This past weekend I exercised my right to free speech and assembly as part of the Join the Impact protests against Prop 8. I attended the protest in Chicago with my friend Jane and my girlfriend. In Illinois, smaller protests were held in the smaller (and redder) cities of Peoria, Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, and Carbondale. Simultaneous protests were held in 49 other states. Despite the fact that thousands and thousands of LGBT people and allies peacefully assembled in cities all over our nation this past weekend, some in the "marriage defense" movement have mocked and vilified us ...

Uttered by Ross Tucker on SI, about the Eagles’ & Donovan McNabb’s shabby performance Sunday: McNabb completed less than 50 percent of his passes for the second straight week as the Eagles played to a 13-13 tie against the lowly Cincinnati Bengals. A tie, in this instance, might as well be a loss for the Eagles given their remaining schedule. And if a tie is in fact like kissing your sister, the Eagles have one god-awful-looking sister. Now, I’ve never heard of a tie being compared with kissing one’s sister before. (I could make a smack comment about ties in soccer, ...

I'm back. Well, I guess that's obvious as I'm here writing this ;@)I think I could have done with two weeks off. But then I would have said I could have done with three. Perhaps even a year. And now, on my second day back at work, I feel like I've been here for much longer: It's busy again.We didn't do much during our holiday and, perhaps, that was the nicest part. We did, however, go to the Eden Project which was fantastic. We especially liked the rainforest biome, and the food was rather enjoyable too. What surprised us ...

I'm meeting up with some friends on Saturday afternoon for some leisurely beer drinking. I'm looking for a place with a substantial selection of beer  where we can chat, linger and eat something too. I'm thinking maybe some place that specializes in beer & moules frites, something like that. I've got a few ideas and I'm Yelping for more, but any suggestions you might have are welcome too. I like to find new places. Looking for locations in chelsea, hell's kitchen, west or east village, or williamsburg.thanks! ...