UPDATE: At the end of this post. You knew Barack Obama's townhall meeting today in Tampa might not go well when he started off by giving a shoutout to that "model individual" Tony Dungy, the former Indianapolis Colts coach who... ...

The Human Rights Campaign has a national campaign to repeal the anti-gay Don't Ask Don't Tell policy in the U.S. military. Voices of Honor is an effort to ensure that the 66,000 gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members no longer have to hide their identities and risk being taunted or kicked out of the military.The policy has been in place since 1993 but President Barack Obama has pledged in his State of the Union address to work with congress to repeal the policy this year.Urge congress to act swiftly to repeal DADT, an archaic and ...

With the stakes high for his flagging presidency, President Barack Obama managed not to blow his first State of the Union. That was a relief, for a failed president with three years left in office is no help to anyone.... ...

"I'm a little taken aback by the immediate and vocal lack of enthusiasm for the product. What does it lack? What was everyone hoping for that did not materialize? This is a very rough thought that I may or may not refine, so take it as such, but the iPad is a lot like Barack Obama: Everyone was able to project their own fantasies and aspirations on a product with which they were mostly unfamiliar, only to sour on it once they realized that it did not live up to their impossible expectations. Only with the iPad it took about ...

1/27/2010 Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) issued the following statement in response to President Barack Obama's remarks regarding "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" in his State of the Union address: "In his State of the Union address, President Obama asked Congress to repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy. I am immensely proud of, and thankful for, every American who wears the uniform of our country, especially at a time of war, and I believe it would be a mistake to repeal the policy. "This successful policy has been in effect for over fifteen years, and it is well understood and ...

The New York Times and the Washington Post today seem to have boiled down the meaning of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address tonight. Or at least they've captured the national mood hanging over the event. Assembled before... ...

more about "Barack Obama’s Super Bowl Favorite: N…", posted with vodpod ...

The Hawaii State Senate approved a civil-unions bill by a vote of 18 to 7 yesterday that would give the same yet separate rights and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.  House Democrats are expected to meet on Monday in private caucus to decide how to proceed in hopes that they can muster a two-thirds' majority to override a possible veto. And while this debate echoes through the state there is one incredibly popular voice that remains absolutely silent on the issue. That voice belongs to President Barack Obama. Despite his many campaign promises to end DOMA and to ...

“I want him to succeed. But I am very upset by what he’s not done in terms of rights of gays and lesbians. I understand it tactically in a campaign, but at this point I don’t know. There is some belief that he actually doesn’t believe in same-sex marriage. But it’s fundamentally inexcusable for a member of the Democratic Party to stand on the principle that separate is now equal, but only on the basis of sexual orientation. We’ve always fought for the rights of minorities and against the whims of majorities.” – San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom speaking with ...

Republican state senator Scott Brown has won the special election for Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts, beating Attorney General Martha Coakley and delivering a stinging blow to the Democratic majority and to President Barack Obama's agenda.The Boston Globe reports: "The victory caps a dramatic surge in recent days as Brown, a state lawmaker from Wrentham once thought to have little chance of beating a popular attorney general, roared ahead of Coakley to become the first Republican senator elected from Massachusetts since 1972. With 93 percent of precincts reporting, Brown had 52 percent and Coakley had 47 percent. In a ...

Saw this over on Wicked Gay Blog and wanted to share it with you guys as well. Adam sings the classic with overlays of Dr. Martin Luther King and Barack Obama. Check it out… ...

“I hope my Democratic president will catch up to my conservative Republican co-counsel.” -Perry v. Schwarzenegger attorney David Boies from Maureen Dowd's latest column, commenting on President Obama's lagging behind Ted Olson on the issue of marriage equality Amen. Just don't forget constitutional law professor Barack Obama, Mr. Boies. In terms of falling short, the president's marriage stance would seem to be letting down that earlier bio line even more than his current one! The whole thing reminds us of another timely quote: "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." -Martin Luther ...

Well this is something to look forward to... not. Heinous Ugandan pastor Martin Ssempa (who is, incidentally, Pastor Rick Warren's man in Uganda) is planning a "million man march" in support of the ""kill the gays" bill. Reuters: "The east African nation has faced intense pressure from Western governments and human rights groups over anti-homosexuality legislation tabled in parliament as a private members' bill last year. Museveni seemed to distance himself and the government from the proposed law on Tuesday, saying it was a foreign policy issue and calling for more talks. The ex-rebel leader said he had been ...

Thousands are likely dead in the desperately poor island nation of Haiti following a 7.0 earthquake that struck late yesterday. These photos, from Twitter, show some of the destruction. Others are simply too horrific to show. The WaPo: "Teams from across the U.S. government, including the Defense, State and Homeland Security Departments, are coordinating efforts to assist victims of the powerful earthquake that struck Haiti Tuesday. President Barack Obama told members of his national security staff late Tuesday that he expects 'an aggressive, coordinated effort.' Earlier, Obama said his thoughts and prayers were with the people of Haiti ...

Leno/Conan/Fallon. Just do it already. If this doesn't prove cheaper isn't always better...I don't know what does.This can't go without mentioning, yet all the media attention is probably exactly what he wanted in a twisted, sick way to bring attention to himself and the reality show he is set to appear in. What am I talking about? A certain Caucasian, jackass, ousted, former Governor of Illinois said in an Esquire interview that he is "blacker than Barack Obama". Seriously? First of all you are a Caucasian. Second of all...it's 'President Barack Obama'. Show the appropriate amount of respect. Wait ...

US President Barack Obama has appointed a trans woman to the role of senior technical advisor to the Department of Commerce. Amanda Simpson is on the board of directors of the National Centre for Transgender Equality and has worked in the aerospace and defense industry for 30 years. In a statement, she said: "I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. "And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that ...

The South certainly doesn't have a monopoly on racism, but it is particularly venomous there. From The Guardian 1/4/10:The US secret service is investigating an apparent effigy of Barack Obama hung from a storefront in Georgia. Local television news showed what appeared to be a black doll at the end of a noose on the main road in Plains, home of Jimmy Carter, the former Democratic president, Georgia governor and Nobel peace prize winner.Witnesses said the doll bore a sign with Obama's name. The effigy was quickly removed by the fire department after it was discovered on ...

The ban on HIV-positive people entering the US officially ends today, Monday 4th January. The 22-year-old law was one of the most restrictive immigration policies in the world for people with HIV but was lifted following pressure from the EU. In November President Barack Obama described it as a "decision rooted in fear rather than fact". ...

The Republicans have been seizing over our president, Barack Obama, and his “lack of attention” to the threat of terror. They criticize the president for taking three days to respond publicly to the “underwear bomber.” (I like calling this guy the underwear bomber. I’m not trying to diminish or belittle his attempted act, which would’ve killed nearly 300 Americans. Instead, I’m gonna try and belittle him as a person, as a human being.) I found this article on the Huffington Post. It chronicles Bush’s response to the original Shoe Bomber. I think that this is very ...

Minneapolis assistant police chief Sharon Lubinski was confirmed as U.S. Marshal today, making her the first openly gay U.S. Marshal. The Star Tribune reports: "Her confirmation by the U.S. Senate was announced Monday morning by Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar, who recommended her. Lubinkski was formally nominated for the post in October by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the Senate in a flurry of pre-holiday legislative activity last week. U.S. Marshals oversee federal courthouse security, protect witnesses, transport prisoners, and catch federal fugitives. Already one of the nation's highest-ranked female law-enforcement officers, Lubinski now becomes the state's first ...