N.Y. Congressman Calls Obama "Timid"

Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York, known for his hard-charging style and outspokenness, blasted the Obama administration for its approach to LGBT issues and called the posture “timid.”

Weiner, who represents parts of Queens and Brooklyn, spoke with New York gay newspaper Gay City News on June 8 about the prospects for passing an inclusive ENDA, repealing DOMA, and achieving other progress. 

According to Gay City News:

“In the wake of the president’s announcement early in June that he was extending some partner benefits to gay and lesbian federal government employees, Weiner was asked what the prospects were, in the near term, for passing the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act — which would extend the same federal benefits to gay and lesbian couples currently available under marriage — and for repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. The Brooklyn Democrat said he doubted whether either measure would move before the November election and also took note of the limited nature of the president’s order regarding federal employees — health benefits, for example, are not generally available under the executive directive.

Weiner then turned to the political excuse that the Defense of Marriage Act provides the president for achieving only incremental advances at best on LGBT partnership and family recognition.

‘DOMA becomes a sort of all-purpose cloak for a timid administration,’ he said. ‘Yeah, we want to do more, but there’s DOMA.’

Asked directly whether he considered Obama’s team ‘timid,’ Weiner replied, ‘Yes.’”

In the interview, Weiner also criticized the administration for losing control of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” debate during last month’s compromise vote in Congress. 

The congressman, a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential campaign and potential 2013 candidate for New York City mayor, is engaged to marry Huma Abedin, a top aide at the State Department, next month. 

Julie Bolcer

Euro Court Of Human Rights: "Nation Do Not Have To Allow Same Sex Marriage"

European nations do not have to allow same-sex marriage, the European Court of Human Rights has ruled, though gay rights groups claimed a partial victory Friday because the court acknowledged growing agreement that their relationships should be recognized in law.

Seven judges at the European court ruled unanimously that two Austrian men denied permission to wed were not covered by the guarantee of the right to marry enshrined in Europe's human rights convention.

The judges acknowledged "an emerging European consensus" that same-sex couples should have legal recognition but said individual states may still decide what form it should take because marriage had "deep-rooted social and cultural connotations which may differ largely from one society to another."

The European Union's 27 member states range from socially liberal countries like Sweden and the Netherlands to religious, conservative nations such as Poland.

Six EU states — Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal, Norway and Spain — have legalized gay marriage. About a dozen others, including Britain, Germany, France and — since January — Austria, have legal partnerships, which carry much the same status as marriage.

Horst Schalk and Johann Kopf sought a marriage permit in Vienna in 2002, but were turned down because Austrian law only recognizes marriages between a man and a woman. They took their case to the courts in a battle that made its way through the Austrian system before being referred to the European court in Strasbourg, France.

Despite Thursday's ruling, there was little to cheer opponents of gay marriage. The judges noted that the European rights charter was drawn up in 1950, when "marriage was clearly understood in the traditional sense of being a union between partners of different sex." They said that was lo longer automatically the case.

"The Court would no longer consider that the right to marry ... must in all circumstances be limited to marriage between two persons of the opposite sex," the judges said.

Legal experts said the European Court ruling would not have a significant impact.

"It just means that questions of marriage are within the margin of discretion of particular states," said British human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson. "Each state is entitled to have its own marriage law. I don't think it will have many implications here or elsewhere."

Gay rights groups applauded the finding that marriage must not necessarily be limited to people of the opposite sex, along with the court's ruling that gay couples are covered under charter definitions of family life.

The European section of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association said the court had recognized "a rapid evolution of social attitudes toward same-sex couples."

"As more and more countries provide legal recognition for same-sex partners, Europe as a whole is gradually moving towards full equality for same-sex families," said spokesman Martin K.I. Christensen.

Derek Munn, Director of Public Affairs for British gay rights group Stonewall, said he was "pleased that the court has recognized same-sex relationships for the purposes of article 8 of the (convention) — the right to family life."

"It is to be hoped that Austria will follow Britain in including full parenting rights in its civil partnerships," he said.

Same-sex couples in Austria cannot adopt children.

HOSI, Austria's gay and lesbian advocacy organization, said it was not surprised by the ruling because a finding against the Austrian government would have set a precedent with far-reaching implications for European states.

Spokesman Kurt Krickler said the decision "makes clear that international human rights bodies are not ready to set the way for developments in society and that legal progress for lesbians and gays has to primarily be fought for in the political arena."

The court's rulings are binding on members of the 47-nation Council of Europe, which have signed up to the human rights convention.

____

Jill Lawless reported from London. Associated Press Writer Paisley Dodds in London and George Jahn in Vienna also contributed to this report.

Is It Raining Oil In LA.? Watch Video and Be The Judge

Johan Santana's Friends Think Sex Scandal Old News= Fooling Themselves

Teammates and media insisting Johan Santana's sex scandal is old news only fooling themselves

BOB RAISSMAN

Friday, June 25th 2010, 11:27 AM

Simmons/News

The saga surrounding Johan Santana, brushed aside by Keith Hernandez and Gary Cohen (b.) Wednesday night, has the ability to derail the team's current hot streak.

Sabo/News

 

The background laughter Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez provided for Jerry Seinfeld on Wednesday night was now off the track, derailed by humorless reality.

It was in the ninth inning when Cohen injected the Johan Santana situation into SNY's Tigers-Mets telecast. The play-by-play man reported that a sexual-assault complaint, lodged against the pitcher in October of 2009, had surfaced. In January, the sheriff's office in Lee County, Fla., confirmed that prosecution was denied because there was not sufficient evidence to prove lack of consent.

"Then the case is closed," Hernandez said. "It's yesterday's news and on with it. I don't think it's going to affect this ballclub or that gentleman (SNY's camera was on Santana) there."

Yep, ya still gotta believe - in wishful thinking.

Despite the flow of spoken-like-a-Mets-fan drivel, proclaiming this Santana thing will go away, no one knows where the story is headed. And no one can accurately predict how much of a distraction it will be to Santana and his teammates.

There is only one certainty: The story ain't going away.

"It is going to have some legs," an MLB team executive said Thursday. "Fairly or not, it puts a lens on someone who was previously looked at as a guy with a pristine image, a guy who could do no wrong."

Santana's image took on more rust Thursday when a sealed portion of the police report was released. In it, Santana, married and the father of three children, admitted under oath to a sheriff's investigator he had consensual sex with the woman, identified only as Jane Doe, "in the open field alongside the golf cart path." The woman had a different story, saying Santana forced himself on her.

The report contained other graphic descriptions not suitable for display on the Citi Field scoreboard. That space is now reserved for reporting the scores of Mets victories. The team is on a roll.

Nonetheless, some of Santana's pitching performances (velocity down, blah, blah, blah) have been subject to question. Now every time a Santana performance is deemed subpar, there will be a new set of inquiries. Are continuing media reports of this seamy sexual encounter interfering with his brain waves? Is dealing with his family taking his focus away? Johan, how long has all this stuff been on your mind?

And what happens when Jane Doe goes public, in front of microphones and cameras?

The initial reaction to this mysteriously delayed report, which was broken by TMZ on Wednesday, was strange. If the name on the complaint was "Alex Rodriguez" instead of "Johan Santana," would there have been a real sense of urgency across the media board?

Some outlets, such as ESPN-1050, followed the Hernandez Doctrine, treating the story like "yesterday's news" by ignoring it for much of Wednesday afternoon. Instead the station opted to pound its listeners with Bonnie Bernstein updates featuring news of Team USA's dramatic 1-0 World Cup win over Algeria, the Wimbledon marathon match and Lawrence Taylor being indicted on sexual assault charges.

The oversight was not without irony.

"This is the place for all breaking (sports) news," Michael Kay, ESPN-1050's afternoon mouth proclaimed Wednesday. "We have all the vast resources of ESPN."

If that's supposed to be some big deal, if Kay's statement was the undisputed truth, then why was there no mention of the Santana story during the 4:20 p.m., 4:40 p.m. and 5:40 p.m. updates? It wasn't until 6p.m. that the story got any play on Bernstein's reports. Down the dial, on WFAN, the Santana thing had been primed and extensively updated the entire afternoon by America's UpDork, John Minko.

Working a remote from some golf course, Mike (Sports Pope) Francesa was on edge, waiting for Santana's response to the report. After finally airing it, Francesa was not pleased with the quality of the audio feed.

"What did we send that (transmission) with, two tin cups and a clamp?" Francesa asked. "What kind of quality was that?"

Good questions. Fortunately Francesa's own transmission - the way he handled this Santana report - was crystal clear. Spoken like a mouth with experience.

"You have to watch carefully how this thing is going to play out," said Francesa, pointing out that the story could take on a life of its own.

This is a talkie who has been around for all those Mets days of whine and bleach, rape allegations and drugs. Those stories did not end in happy recaps.

Now, as long as the Mets - and Santana - keep on winning, fans won't care how this seamy tale plays out. They'll still flock to Citi Field to see him pitch. But will fathers keep purchasing Santana jerseys for the kiddies? Will companies, after reading the details of the report, want Santana to endorse their products?

Currently, in the eyes of the law, Santana has done no wrong. In the eyes of those who believe in fidelity he has. Will Santana, the man with the golden arm, suddenly stumble over losing his golden reputation?

 Detective NYPD Busted for Stalking 11 year old On Way To School

NYPD Detective Deodhram Singh

 

A veteran NYPD detective was arrested in Albany for stalking an 11-year-old girl on her way to school and asking her three times if she wanted to make money, police said.

Detective Deodhram Singh, 38, followed the young girl Tuesday in his pickup truck, causing her to grow more frightened eachtime he pulled alongside her and barked out sleazy questions, authorities said.

"Do you want to make money," the 16-year veteran asked her the first time he approached, according to the Albany Police Department.

The girl ignored him and continued on, thinking he had gone. But a few blocks later, he reappeared, asking the same question and then inquiring about her age.

Terrified, she ran to her grandparents' home nearby. As she neared the home, Singh again interrogated her, asking, "Are you young?" and "Do you want to make $100?" cops said.

The girl ran into the home and told her grandfather she was being stalked.

Furious, the grandfather jumped into his car, chased down the third-grade detective's pickup and jotted down his license plate number, police said.

Albany cops traced the tag number and eventually collared Singh, who has homes in Albany and in Freeport, L.I., police said.

The handcuffed cop never once said he was an NYPD detective. It was not until law enforcement officials analyzed his fingerprints that they learned what Singh does for a living.

He was slapped with charges of endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree harassment. After being arraigned in Albany County Court, he was ordered held in Albany County Jail.

Albany Police Detective James Miller said cops believe the girl's accusation against Singh.

"There was no legitimate reason for him to engage in a conversation with an 11-year-old girl, especially since he's a New York City cop," Miller told the Daily News.

KENNETH LOVETT AND JOHN LAUINGER
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

We now know Judge Who Overturned Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Owned Drilling Stocks

Update: Same judge denies stay on drill ban ruling; Report: Gulf state judges' hands tied by oil industry interests

LATEST: Judge reportedly receiving death threats, claims pro-drilling, conservative radio host

According to Jeff Crouere at Bayou Buzz, US District Court Judge Martin Feldman "is now receiving death threats in the aftermath of his bold ruling."

Last night, Feldman served as a celebrity judge at a cooking contest at a school gymnasium in Uptown New Orleans. Due to the threats, Feldman was accompanied by a federal marshal security team.It is a sad indictment of our society today that a judge with such a sterling record of integrity and service to his country would be subject to such threats. Feldman was appointed to the federal bench by President Reagan in 1983. Today, he is in the eye of a political hurricane unlike anything he has ever experienced.

Much of the sensational reporting on Feldman’s investments was based on outdated information. The Judge was blasted for owning stock in Transocean, Ltd and Halliburton, two of the major companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Feldman owned those stocks in 2008; however, he sold those shares long before issuing his ruling this week. In fact, this updated information will be released in the next report on his stock holdings.

If Feldman held financial interests in any of companies involved in the lawsuit or the Deepwater Horizon rig, he would not have been allowed the take the case. The 5th District Court uses a sophisticated computer system to check whether judges have a conflict of interest in any legal proceeding. This system automatically determines whether a judge needs to be recused from a particular case. In this lawsuit, Feldman was allowed to take the case because he did not own any stock related to the parties involved.

According to his Wikipedia entry, Crouere "has held several positions within the Louisiana Republican Party, formerly including executive director. In 1995, Crouere unsuccessfully ran for a seat at the Louisiana Legislature against Democratic incumbent Mitch Landrieu."

Last August, Crouere attacked Obama for attempting to transform the US into a "European style socialist nation."

A Wall Street Journal article on partiality charges against Feldman notes,

 of the sensational reporting on Feldman’s investments was based on outdated information. The Judge was blasted for owning stock in Transocean, Ltd and Halliburton, two of the major companies involved in the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Feldman owned those stocks in 2008; however, he sold those shares long before issuing his ruling this week. In fact, this updated information will be released in the next report on his stock holdings.

If Feldman held financial interests in any of companies involved in the lawsuit or the Deepwater Horizon rig, he would not have been allowed the take the case. The 5th District Court uses a sophisticated computer system to check whether judges have a conflict of interest in any legal proceeding. This system automatically determines whether a judge needs to be recused from a particular case. In this lawsuit, Feldman was allowed to take the case because he did not own any stock related to the parties involved.

Agence France-Presse

1 pic=Michael Brent

Head Of Family Research Council Wants To Get Down On His Knees!

Tony Perkins Wants To Get Down On His Knees!

This is laughable at best. But hey, we can always use a good laugh at the expense of the anti-gay religious right…right?!

Tony Perkins’ Family Research Council has been busy planning their 4th of July festivities and he wants to go down on his knees.

According to a mass email sent out by the group:

America is in deep trouble. Consider the following:

• Environmental disaster of epic proportion in the Gulf of Mexico
• Economic struggles with unemployment at nearly 10%
• Protracted bloody wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Political leadership bent on promoting what God forbids

We are a broken nation full of broken people who have broken God’s laws and God’s heart. Consequently, in these difficult days, the Lord has continued to impress upon me the great need for us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to take responsibility for the broken state of our nation and go to God for help because He is the only one who can help.

Yet we must go to God on His terms: in humility, prayer, and repentance as outlined in 2 Chronicles 7:14. We must begin on our knees. That is why we have re-launched the “Call2Fall” for Sunday, July 4^th.

So there! Get down on your knees on the 4th of July.

But seriously…is his cult following this stupid?

Point one, the oil spill. Who deregulated big oil and is really to blame for this? George W.
Point two, the economy. Who caused this? George W.
Point three, the wars. Who started these? Who was able to get congress to waive their responsibilities and allow the president to engage in a war through an executive order rather than a congressional act? George W.
Point four, he hates the gays. Since when was a religious belief suppose to dictate the lives of all Americans? Since George W.

Tony, this display of complete insanity shows your desperation and perhaps is a clear indication you’re simply not the brightest star in the sky.

So go ahead, get down on your knees this 4th of July Tony. But be careful. When you get back up they may be dirty!

James Hipps