Posts made by leatherbear

Some liberal Catholic commentators have criticized the bishops’ priorities, saying they are playing into the culture wars. John Gehring, Catholic outreach coordinator with Faith in Public Life, a liberal religious advocacy group in Washington, said, “The bishops speak in hushed tones when it comes to poverty and economic justice issues, and use a big megaphone when it comes to abortion and religious liberty issues.”

As long as this is the accepted behavior of Bishops nothing will change. And change is needed badly these days.

After getting all of Pope Benedict's luggage loaded into the limo, (and he doesn't travel light), the driver notices the Pope is still standing on the curb.
'Excuse me, Your Holiness,' says the driver, 'Would you please take your seat so we can leave?'
'Well, to tell you the truth,' says the Pope, 'they never let me drive at the Vatican when I was a cardinal, and I'd really like to drive today..'
'I'm sorry, Your Holiness, but I cannot let you do that. I'd lose my job! What if something should happen?' protests the driver, wishing he'd never gone to work that morning..
'Who's going to tell?' says the Pope with a smile.
Reluctantly, the driver gets in the back as the Pope climbs in behind the wheel. The driver quickly regrets his decision when, after exiting the airport, the Pontiff floors it, accelerating the limo to 205 kms.. (Remember, the Pope is German..)
'Please slow down, Your Holiness!' pleads the worried driver, but the Pope keeps the pedal to the metal until they hear sirens.
'Oh, dear God, I'm going to lose my license – and my job!' moans the driver.
The Pope pulls over and rolls down the window as the cop approaches, but the cop takes one look at him, goes back to his motorcycle, and gets on the radio.
'I need to talk to the Chief,' he says to the dispatcher.
The Chief gets on the radio and the cop tells him that he's stopped a limo going 205 kph.
'So bust him,' says the Chief.
'I don't think we want to do that, he's really important,' said the cop.
The Chief exclaimed, ‘All the more reason!'
'No, I mean really important,' said the cop with a bit of persistence.
The Chief then asked, 'Who do you have there, the mayor?'
Cop: 'Bigger.'
Chief: ' A senator?'
Cop: 'Bigger.' 
Chief: 'The Prime Minister?'
Cop: 'Bigger.'
'Well,' said the Chief, 'who is it?'
Cop: 'I think it's God!'
The Chief is even more puzzled and curious, 'What makes you think it's God?'

Cop: 'His chauffeur is the Pope!'

This is about pedophilia not Homosexuality.  IMHO. This whole story reminds people of the old stigma of recruiting and will cause many wild reactions. Sandusky was and is a pedophile pure and simple as that.

The Penn State debacle that erupted following football coach Joe Paterno's dismissal continues to rankle sports fans. Now, two high-profile voices are now linking the child sex abuse charges facing Paterno's former assistant with the LGBT community – in particular, citing the case as evidence against gay parenting and same-sex adoption.

First to speak out was Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association, who used the much-publicized breakup of Toronto's famed "gay" penguins as representative of "the fluidity" of sexual orientation before turning his attention to Penn State's retired assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who has been arrested and charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse involving eight boys over a 15-year period. "It's a simple, stubborn fact that homosexuals molest children at much higher rates than the heterosexual population," Fischer said. "This is one of the reasons the Boy Scouts have every right to keep homosexuals from becoming Boy Scout leaders."

Echoing those sentiments was the Family Research Council's Jerry Cox, who appeared on the NPR news and analysis show "To The Point" via a California-based affiliate and used Sandusky's case as an argument against same-sex adoption. "I find it interesting that we talk about the Penn State situation, and then when we talk about people who claim to have these rights to adopt or foster; in both cases, the children's rights get put in second place," Cox told host Warren Olney, after a gay parent from L.A. spoke about the stringent adoption process to which he and his partner were subjected. "If those are the only two choices -- a child be institutionalized or in a same-sex home -- I would like to challenge this and say, maybe the state can do better than that. I blame the state for that. These children need a place to recover." (You can listen to that interview here)

Olney quickly issued a statement via the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) apologizing for the incident. "We apologize for any confusion about today’s 'To the Point,' which dealt with both the Penn State child-sex scandal and the issue of same-sex couples as foster or adoptive parents," Olney wrote, noting he planned to clarify the error on Monday's show. "The connection we intended to make was this: a suspected pedophile backed by a powerful institution was allowed to have foster children, while same-sex couples, who can provide loving families, are often denied that opportunity."

Watch Fischer's AFI speech: hXXp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/12/penn-state-scandal-jerry-sandusky-gay-adoption-_n_1090253.html

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the Respect for Marriage Act by a 10 – 8 vote along party lines.

But considering that the bill repealing the Defense of Marriage Act only has about 31 Senate votes and no chance of ever passing in he Republican-led house, is this all just an exercise in futility—or worse, a ploy to garner LGBT support for Democrats?

The Courage Campaign’s Adam Bink says:

“We may not get to the finish line on repealing DOMA before this Congress adjourns. But if you’re working to repeal DOMA with us, don’t let anyone tell you that your work is a waste of time. If we wake up within shouting distance of having enough votes come January 2013, then we need to be in a position to deliver the final blow, otherwise we may miss our chance.

We repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at the eleventh hour, at the very end of the last Congress, and with some last-minute legislative maneuvering at that. Couples suffering from DOMA deserve a quicker resolution. That means we need to start changing senators’ minds now. Success is not measured by what we can do now, but by progress we’ve made to achieve a goal.”

Of course, the Commander in Chief is pleased—with a caveat. A statement from the White House read:

“President Obama applauds today’s vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee to approve the Respect for Marriage Act, which would provide a legislative repeal of the so-called ‘Defense of Marriage Act.’ The President has long believed that DOMA is discriminatory and has called for its repeal. We should all work towards taking this law off the books. The federal government should not deny gay and lesbian couples the same rights and legal protections afforded to straight couples.”

That doesn’t mean he’s okay with state governments denying us our rights, does it?

Medical researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles had 36 HIV-negative men and women use a topical microbicide gel containing a potent anti-HIV drug. The study participants then provided rectal tissue samples to researchers who exposed the samples to HIV in the laboratory.

The researchers found that the gel significantly reduced infection even though it was originally developed for vaginal use. They’ll formulate a rectal version and start testing it in January.

Medical writer Enrique Rivero notes that “anal-receptive intercourse is known to be the main route for new HIV infections in men who have sex with men.”

So… once the anal gel is on the market, will it provide an excuse for some to start barebacking again? Or would it simply be a way for determined barebackers to cut down on the possibility of infection?

By Brody Levesque

BOSTON — Seventy major U.S. companies, including CBS, Google, Microsoft, Nike and Starbucks, have come together in an “amicus” brief — commonly referred to as a “friend of the court” brief — claiming that the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is harmful to commerce.

In the legal filing in the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the companies assert that compliance with DOMA essentially compels them to “investigate the gender of the spouses of our lawfully married employees and then to single out those employees with a same-sex spouse,” imposes significant administrative costs, and harms their ability to attract and retain talent.

The brief was filed in support of the suit Gill v. the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which challenges the denial of federal rights and benefits to lawfully married gay and lesbian couples. The suit was brought by Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders (GLAD), as well as the consolidated case brought by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, challenging DOMA’s discrimination against its own citizens.

In the brief, the companies argue that the GOP-led U.S. House of Representatives — through its defending of DOMA — is seeking to continue to impose a uniform rule of eligibility for federal marital benefits under its guidelines, while at the same time ignoring the state’s laws.

The companies argue that DOMA presents a burden on employers who do business in multiple jurisdictions because marriages are celebrated and recognized under state law, and that a federal law withholding marital benefits from some lawful marriages, but not others, creates a non-uniform rule.

The companies also say that DOMA forces them to discriminate against their own employees.

“It puts us, as employers and enterprises, to unnecessary cost and administrative complexity, and regardless of our business or professional judgment forces us to discriminate against a class of our lawfully-married employees, upon whose welfare and morale our own success in part depends.”

According to the brief, DOMA causes employers to incur administrative burdens and expenses, forcing them to administer dual systems of benefits and payroll, imposes on them the cost of the workarounds necessary to simultaneously treat employees with same-sex spouses as “single” for the purposes of federal tax withholding, payroll taxes, and workplace benefits, and as “married” for all other purposes under state laws.

“These dual regimes have spawned an industry of costly compliance specialists,” wrote the lawyers in the filing, noting that “the burden on the small employer is especially onerous.”

“Our enterprises are engaged in national and international competition — for talent, customers, and business,” the brief concludes.

“That competition demands teamwork, and teamwork thrives when the enterprise minimizes distracting differences, and focuses on a common mission. DOMA’s core mandate — that we single out some of our married colleagues, and treat them as a lesser class — upsets this imperative.”

“If the Republicans truly are concerned about reducing government intrusion and interference with commerce, then based on those factors alone, DOMA should be repealed,” said one business consultant, who wished to remain anonymous.

The seventy corporations included in the brief are:

ABT Associates
    Aetna, Inc.
    Akamai Technologies, Inc.
    Alere Inc.
    Bank of New York Mellon Corporation
    Biogen Idec, Inc.
    Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass., Inc.
    Boston Community Capital, Inc.
    Boston Medical Center Corp.
    Bright Horizons Children’s Centers LLC
    Calvert Investments, Inc.
    CBS Corporation
    The Chubb Corporation
    Communispace Corp.
    Constellation Energy Group, Inc.
    Diageo North America, Inc.
    Eastern Bank Corp.
    Exelon Corp.
    FitCorp Healthcare Centers, Inc.
    Gammelgården, LLC
    Google Inc.
    Integrated Archive Systems, Inc.
    Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group, LLC
    Levi Strauss & Co.
    Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Trust, LLC
    Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co.
    Massachusetts Envelope Company, Inc.
    Massachusetts Financial Services Company
    Microsoft Corp.
    National Grid USA, Inc.
    Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.
    New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.
    New England Cryogenic Center, Inc.
    NIKE, Inc.
    The Ogilvy Group, Inc.
    Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Partners HealthCare System, Inc.
    Reproductive Science Center of New England
    Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    Starbucks Corp.
    State Street Bank and Trust Co.
    Stonyfield Farm, Inc.
    Sun Life Financial (U.S.) Services Co., Inc.
    Time Warner Cable, Inc.
    Trillium Asset Management Corp.
    W/S Development Associates LLC
    Xerox Corp.
    Zipcar, Inc.

Law and professional firms:

Burns & Levinson LLP
    Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP
    Foley Hoag LLP
    Goodwin Proctor LLP
    Goulston & Storrs, P.C.
    McCarter & English LLP
    Nixon Peabody LLP
    Parthenon Group LLC
    Ropes & Gray LLP
    Salera Consulting
    Seyfarth Shaw LLP
    Sullivan & Worcester LLP

Professional, trade and civic organizations:

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
    The Boston Foundation
    Massachusetts Association of Health Plans
    Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, Inc.
    The National Fire Protection Association
    Out & Equal Workplace Advocates
    Retailers Association of Massachusetts

And the following cities:

The City of Boston, MA
    The City of Cambridge, MA
    The City of New York, NY

I am a fat person that has lost 35 pounds recently and continue to struggle with losing more weight. I would take them in a heartbeat given the chance and aware of the consequences as you seem to be.  :hug:

You do not say whether this is also Doctor supervised program or not. This would be a real concern for me with those pills. Are they prescribed, are they addictive etc.

After that then just be sure exercise is a major part of your program because one day you have to stop those pills. You want to be physically ready for potential weight gain from stopping the meds.

Same-sex couples are to be allowed to hold civil partnership ceremonies in churches and other places of worship in England and Wales.

Equalities Minister Lynne Featherstone said no religious group would be forced to host them, but those who wished to could apply by the end of the year.

The Church of England said it had "no intention" of blessing gay couples.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell welcomed the move, but regretted it did not allow religious same-sex marriages.

The announcement was made in a written response to a consultation.

Ms Featherstone, a Liberal Democrat MP, said: "The government is advancing equality for LGB (lesbian, gay and bisexual) people and ensuring freedom of religion for people of all faiths.

"No religious group will be forced to host a civil partnership registration, but for those who wish to do so this is an important step forward."

Civil partnership ceremonies are currently entirely secular.

Marriage between people of the same gender is not legal in the UK, but civil partnerships were introduced in 2005 to give couples the same legal protection as if they were married.

'Deviation'

A Church of England spokesman said it had no intention of allowing civil partnerships to be registered in its churches.

"The House of Bishops' statement of July 2005 made it clear that the Church of England should not provide services of blessing for those who register civil partnerships and that remains the position," he said.

However, the spokesman said the Church would study the draft regulations to check that ministers had delivered "genuine religious freedom" by way of denominational opt-in, and if so, there would no reason to oppose the regulations.

The Roman Catholic Church has long held that homosexuality is a "deviation" and is not expected to agree to same-sex ceremonies.

The legislation would also cover synagogues and mosques, although homosexual relationships are forbidden under Islam and Orthodox Judaism.

However, leaders of Liberal Judaism, the Quakers and the Unitarians have in the past expressed interest in registering to hold partnership ceremonies on their premises if the law changed.

Mr Tatchell said it was "ironic" that the government was allowing civil partnerships in religious premises, but continuing to ban religious gay marriages even if a faith organization wanted to conduct them.

"We believe religious organizations should be permitted by law to perform both same-sex religious marriages and same-sex civil partnerships, if they wish to do so. The current blanket bans must go."

He said it was an "infringement of religious freedom" and accused the equalities minister of supporting discrimination

The Office Of National Statistics reported 6,385 civil partnerships by same-sex couples in the UK in 2010.

A controversial column suggesting same-sex attraction was the work of the devil has been retracted from the country's oldest Catholic newspaper.

The piece by Daniel Avila, an associate director for policy and research for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, was published in The Pilot on Oct. 28 and was pulled from the publication's website Wednesday, Nov. 2 accompanied by an apology, The Associated Press reports.

The nearly 900-word column ponders the origin of homosexual attraction from a "born this way" standpoint. It stated:

Disruptive imbalances in nature that thwart encoded processes point to supernatural actors who, unlike God, do not have the good of persons at heart.

In other words, the scientific evidence of how same-sex attraction most likely may be created provides a credible basis for a spiritual explanation that indicts the devil…

...whenever natural causes disturb otherwise typical biological development, leading to the personally unchosen beginnings of same-sex attraction, the ultimate responsibility, on a theological level, is and should be imputed to the evil one, not God.

Avila later stated that the commentary was "not authorized for publication" and that he apologized for the "hurt and confusion" the piece caused. In an editor's note, the publication said it was sorry for "having failed to recognize the theological error in the column."

"As we absorbed what was in the paper, we said, 'Whoa, that's a problem' Terrence Donilon, a spokesperson for the archdiocese told the Boston Globe about the column. "That's not the position of the church or the archdiocese."

Avila also acknowledged that he does not support unjust treatment or violence toward anyone.

A printed apology will appear in this week's issue of the publication, the Boston Globe reports.

UPDATE: 12:42 p.m. --

Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest, supports The Pilot's decision to retract the column.

"Satan doesn't create homosexuality any more than Satan creates heterosexuality," Martin told The Huffington Post in an email. "God creates gays and lesbians, loves them into being, and love them into eternity.

"Opining that their sexuality comes from satanic forces seems to be in opposition to the Catechism," he added.

Want a side order of anti-gay rhetoric with your chicken sandwich?

Chik-Fil-A might be able to help you with that.

According to EqualityMatters.org, the fast food company donated nearly $2 million in 2009 to groups that have anti-gay agendas.

IRS 990 forms show that WinShape, the restaurant chain's charitable foundation which was founded by Chick-Fil-A's chairman S. Truett Cathy in 1994, gave to the following groups in 2009:

Marriage & Family Legacy Fund: $994,199
    Fellowship Of Christian Athletes: $480,000
    National Christian Foundation: $240,000
    Focus On The Family: $12,500
    Eagle Forum: $5,000
    Exodus International: $1,000
    Family Research Council: $1,000

An earlier investigation by Equality Matters found that Chick-Fil-A, which was recently voted the third most beloved restaurant chain in the United States, donated more than $1 million to anti-gay groups between 2003 and 2008. The IRS forms from 2009 are the most recent available as public records.

In January Chick-Fil-A president Dan Cathy defended the chain saying, "We're not anti-anybody… Our mission is to create raving fans."

Cathy was also forced to respond to gay activists' claims after the company provided lunch at a marriage-training event sponsored by Pennsylvania Family Institute.

Cathy asserted, "While my family and I believe in the Biblical definition of marriage, we love and respect anyone who disagrees."

In recent months students attending at least six universities, including University of North Texas, Mississippi State University, and the University of New Orleans, have launched petitions asking their schools not to support anti-LGBT businesses like Chick-Fil-A.

LGBT activists have also staged protests at a number of the chain's locations throughout the country, including Chicago and Hollywood.


Although I support this cause I will not be going "Clean Shaven". I would not know myself with out my mustache.  :afr:

Thank you for this update. I guess I dropped the ball on following this up as I said I would. The local police just quit talking to me and never returned my calls.

Tim was an incredible person to know and have as a friend. I miss him much and always will. :cry2:

A small, private college in Georgia has a new requirement for its employees: that they be straight.

Shorter University, a Christian Baptist school located in Rome, Ga., is mandating that its 200 employees sign a "personal lifestyle pledge" declaring that they reject homosexuality, premarital sex and adultery, WSBTV reports.

Shorter President Don Dowless told WSBTV that their goal "is not to offend people," but to "declare who we are."

The New York Daily News reports that there has been some pushback to the pledge on campus:

One employee told the Georgia Voice newspaper that the pledge has some fearing "witch hunts" on campus.

"We now will live in fear that someone who doesn't like us personally or someone who has had a bad day will report that we've been drinking or that we are suspected of being gay," the employee, who didn t give his name, told the Voice, an LBGT-oriented paper in Atlanta.

That employee told the Voice that students weren't happy about the pledge.

The statement also requires that employees abstain from drug use and participate in local church activity.