Sen. John Kerry

It was bad enough to find out that hundreds of lobbyists had registered to petition the “super committee” for special considerations as they try to come up with a budget deficit plan before Thanksgiving. They are charged with cutting the deficit by $1.2 trillion through 2021 or automatic spending cuts would be triggered in January, 2013.

The whole thing is a truly stupid idea to begin with. No congress has the power to control what a subsequent congress does. This congress cannot prevent spending or impose taxes that last forever. Every congress is empowered with the ability to undo or redo anything done before them.

Furthermore, all this committee can work with is suppositions. They cannot tell with accuracy what the revenues or costs of this government will be six months from now. How are they supposed to judge accurately how these things will be in 2020? This entire process is nothing more than a bunch of people reading Tarot cards and setting public policy based on whether or not the Lovers came up in reversed position.

Now, there are rumors that the super committee Democrats are seriously considering reopening the negotiations that occurred between President Obama and Speaker Boehner during the debt ceiling crisis. At that time, President Obama offered almost $4 trillion in cuts – three times what the Republicans were demanding. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts addressed the rumors, saying “I don’t think it helps our negotiations to be doing it in public. I think people know what the issues are and we just need to negotiate them in good faith.” Asked about a counter-proposal from the Republicans, Kerry said “I’m expecting a negotiation. I’m expecting us to negotiate until we don’t negotiate, either because we succeeded or not. One or the other. We have to negotiate. That’s our job. I’ve always said I think it’s important that the committee do the most that we can do. I think it’s critical for the country.”

When Democratic committee member Rep. James Clyburn was asked about the rumors, laughed and said “Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”

Look at the parameters of the task the super committee has been given. The budget cuts would kick in automatically in January 2013, the same time that the winners of the 2012 election are installed in Congress. There would be more than enough time for the winners of that election to cancel the whole deal before the budget cuts kicked in and did any damage. The Republicans cut this deal with that in mind. If they take a larger majority in the House and a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, they can cancel the automatic budget cuts and implement their own plan to cut social programs. If the Democrats win in 2012, they can cancel the automatic budget cuts and deal with the deficit the way Clinton did. The entire debt ceiling “deal” was just a major smoke-and-mirror nonsense to push off dealing with the deficit until one or the other has control.

The two sides could agree to give away the moon and it would be nothing more than political circus. Whatever they agree to will not be the best thing for America, but the best thing they can present as they campaign for re-election

Related articles

• Super Committee Stuck in Molasses (news.firedoglake.com)
• Washington debt panel holds rare public hearing, with few signs of progress (boston.com)
• Debt panel is stoking skepticism (thehill.com)
• Democrats Propose $3 Trillion Cut to Budget Deficit (usnews.com)
• DOWNGRADE WATCH: The Super Committee Is (Predictably) Deadlocked Over Taxes (businessinsider.com)
• Supercommittee GOP, Democrats swap offers (sfgate.com)
• Super-committee Democrats offer to knock $3tn off federal deficit (guardian.co.uk)

Of course he never seems to want to get that Perkins is a Baptist, and likely a Southern Baptist, which means that he views Donohue as a follower of a Satanic cult, but then again, Donohue probably has never had Perkins actually say that to his face. After all, the Southern Baptists are not above getting in bed with the Satanists and Cultists to keep their view of theocracy going. They will just boot the Catholics and Mormons out of the bed the moment that they gain theocratical supremacy in the US.

Still, over at Back2Stonewall they noted that:

For those of you who don’t know Bill Donohue he is is the current president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and what is ALWAYS filed to me mentioned, especially when the news media invites him and others like him on the show is that The Catholic League is not part of or affiliated officially with the Archdiocese of New York. Bill Donohue and his organizationt does not speak authoritatively for the Church. They are a self made tax exempt organization and an extreme fringe group. To invite Donohue to talk about Tony Perkins and Pastor Robert Jeffers is like having David Duke of the KKK talk about Neo -Nazi’s. They may night be in the same group but they have the same ideas and opinions.

Donohue has said in the past, that the Catholic Church has a “homosexual”, not a “pedophilia”, problem. Donohue has referred to the “gay death style,” remarked, “God forbid we’d run out of little gay kids,” claimed that Senator John Kerry “never found an abortion he couldn’t justify,” and claimed that “Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular … Hollywood likes anal sex.”

Ah well, this is not surprising. Donohue wants to talk while the actual hierarchy of the Church does not because, well, that COULD result in them getting asked some tough questions about the pedophile problem that they have.

"Ambassador" Robert Ford visiting dissidents in Syria

Our man in Damascus, who has been putting his life on the line to make contact with the Syrian dissident community, has never been formally confirmed as our ambassador to that country. He was temporarily appointed last January when the Senate was in recess, and they just haven’t gotten around to it. Finally, his confirmation process has gotten rolling and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved his appointment. It now goes to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently upbraided the Senate about the delay, after Ford’s Damascus residence came under attack along with the embassy and after Ford was threatened by the Assad regime for his unauthorized visits to dissidents and the sites of protests. Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the committee, hopes the confirmation will send a “tough message” to the Assad regime that our government stands with the protestersm while Ford himself “continues courageously to visit cities under military siege and speak truth to power.”

Ford’s appointment wasn’t as badly delayed as some have been. The Republicans filibustered dozens of mid-level appointees in 2009 and 2010, just for jollies. They had no real objections to the appointments, they just wanted to muck up the Obama administration.

It’s about time Robert Ford was acknowledged as having the full support of this nation in a dangerous and difficult assignment. The next time he and members of his staff venture forth from the embassy, it might not be just eggs and tomatoes being hurled at them.

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• US condemns Syrian envoy attack (bbc.co.uk)
• US reads ‘riot act’ to Syria over attack on envoy (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
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Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler have introduced legislation that would end discrimination against gay people in the housing and credit markets.

The Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) would, among other things, amend both the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in housing and credit.

According to the ACLU, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) stated in a report earlier this year, that there is strong evidence that LGBT individuals and families do not have equal access to housing.

As one example, the HUD report cites a 2007 study of housing discrimination based on sexual orientation in Michigan:

Testers who posed as gay or lesbian home seekers received unfavorable treatment on issues such as whether housing was available, the amount of rent, application fees, and levels of encouragement as compared to testers posing as heterosexual home seekers. The gay and lesbian testers also were subjected to offensive comments.

Kerry and Nadler both say their bill would help end that discrimination and expand the numbers of Americans who have equal access to credit, home lending, the home rental market, and the home sales market.

“LGBT Americans, non-traditional families, and the disabled should not be subjected to housing discrimination at the hands of the unscrupulous or bigoted,” said Nadler in a statement. “This legislation will ensure that the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act are actually protecting ALL Americans and guaranteeing people of any sexual orientation, gender identity, marital and familial status, and source of income the right to the housing they choose.”

“It’s hard to believe that in 2011, any law-abiding, tax-paying American who can pay the rent can’t live somewhere just because of who they are,” said Kerry. “Housing discrimination against LGBT Americans is wrong, but today in most states there isn’t a thing you can do about it. This legislation would end discrimination that continues to hurt people.”

Nadler is joined by six House members in co-sponsoring the legislation: Representatives John Conyers of Michigan, Edolphus Towns of New York, Steve Israel of New York, Bobby Scott of Virginia, Alcee L. Hastings of Florida and Jared Polis of Colorado.

Join Kerry sponsorship of the bill in the Senate are Tom Harkin of Iowa, Patty Murray of Washington, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Coons of Delaware.

It is common practice for those in the media to snap bad pictures of politicians and celebrities. These pictures are often done to make a politician look angry, unhinged, old, ancient, mummified, deranged, or just downright creepy. This picture of Michele Bachmann may take the cake when it comes to creepy, innuendo inducing pictures, though.

Apparently, this is how the picture happened, according to Business Insider:

Michele Bachmann, Iowa born and the favorite to win the Straw Poll, arrived half an hour late for her slot and then spoke for just over two minutes, saying that Iowans were “going to send the signal” to the rest of America just as they had in 2008. “This is where Barack Obama got his start. This is where he’s going to come to his end, in Iowa.”

She beat a hasty retreat after being aggressively heckled by a young man who shouted that she believed homosexuals were “second-class citizens” and that she should not try to “pray away the gay”.

Driving away on a golf cart with her husband Marcus beside her, Mrs Bachmann stopped to buy a foot-long corn dog – a chicken and beef sausage in deep-fried batter. After applying mustard and allowing Mr Bachmann to take the first bite, she chomped into it with gusto.

Somehow, there comes a point where the complaints about the picture taking, though, just seem rather pathetic, but the picture is hardly going to derail the campaign. After all, it was not the pictures of John Kerry crawling around in a clean suit that derailed his campaign. . .

It was the satire that did that.

Still, we here at LezGetReal like a good joke. . .

07 August 2011
by Bridgette P. LaVictoire

Edmund L. Andrews recently wrote an article called “Why S&P’s Downgrade is No Joke”. In that article, contends that the downgrade occurred less from the problems in the economy and more from the problems within the economic system. The entire article is worth a read.

Most of the reason why the downgrade occurred is because of a lack or revenue. This is mentioned time and time again in the statement from S&P. The Republicans, bowing to pressure from the Tea Party, refused to raise taxes on the rich and, instead, put the burden of this debt cut on the poor. This backfired.

Andrews wrote:

The big new element on Friday was an official outside recognition that U.S. creditworthiness is being undermined by a new factor: political insanity. S&P didn’t base its downgrade on a change in the U.S. fiscal and economic outlook. It based it on the political game of chicken over the debt ceiling, a game that Republicans initiated and pushed to the limit, and on a growing gloom about the partisan deadlock. Part of S&P’s gloom, moreover, stemmed explicitly from what a new assessment of the GOP’s ability to block any and all tax

……..

To be sure, S&P didn’t specifically single out Republicans. It criticized the overall $2.4 trillion deal as too limited, and it implicitly criticized both political parties for refusing to tackle their sacred cows – entitlements, in the case of Democrats; tax increases in the case of Republicans.

But it’s hard to read the S&P analysis as anything other than a blast at Republicans. In denouncing the threat of default as a “bargaining chip,” the agency was saying that the GOP strategy had shaken its confidence. Though S&P didn’t mention it, the agency must have been unnerved by the number of Republicans who insisted that it would be fine to blow through the debt ceiling and provoke a default.

Republicans have been trying to blame President Barack Obama and the Democrats, but it is hard to actually do so when the S&P makes it clear why they did this. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts appeared on Meet the Press this morning where he discussed how the Republicans took the debt ceiling hostage and refused to consider raising any revenue:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In the end, the Republicans and the Tea Party are responsible for this downgrade because they would rather play chicken and have prioritized the removal of President Obama rather than working towards compromise and working with Democrats to raise revenue, get people working again, and get the economy flowing.

It was an interesting final week for Glenn Beck on Fox News. He made headlines by saying that he and his family were harassed and someone kicked wine on his wife during a film showing in New York’s Bryant Park. He made headlines again when the woman who was sitting behind him at the Park went on-line and denied his version of the events. No harassment, no kicking, her friends half-filled glass of wine fell over on the uneven ground (though the witness did think it was well deserved, probably because Beck’s bodyguards were harassing other viewers of the movie.)

Today was his final day. He had no guests. It was just Beck, dressed in Christ-like robes and carrying a staff, circling around his many blackboards. Talking, talking on and on and on.

He will be starting his own “television network” GBTV, which is actually a pay-for-stream set-up. For $4.95 a month you can just watch his nightly show. For $9.95 a month you get…..whatever. Beck will be going to Israel this summer “in search of courage.” He’s been selling tickets for a rally in Israel similar to the one he held in Washington.

One last word about the Washington rally. Beck held up aerial photos of his rally the next day, insisting that everyone on the Mall was attending his rally. Not true. The Park Service had limited his crowd to the areas immediately surrounding the Reflecting Pool. It was the last weekend in August and one of the most important weekends in Washington for tourists. Beck’s permit was contingent on allowing free access for tourists to the war monuments separated from the Reflecting Pool by a row of trees, and to the Smithsonian which is on the Mall. The official count on his rally was around 35,000, not the 100,000 to a million that Republicans insisted on. And we still haven’t found out how much of the money that was donated through that rally actually made it to the Wounded Warriors Foundation. The fine print on the website said that the donations would go to the Special Ops Wounded Warriors AFTER paying the expenses of the rally. This man made over $30 million last year, but syphoned off the donations people thought they were making for scholarships for the children of the fallen to pay for the rally where he had said he was going to deliver “God’s Plan, well, not really a plan….” for America.

Back to the last hurrah.

Beck’s closing speech was pure Beck “We tried to teach you things to help. I’m a dad, too. I want my country to be around. What we have been trying to tell you lately, over the last year, is that you are the answer. We must have faith, hope and charity in our hearts.”

Pure Beck – What did he “teach”? Where to start? How about his warped versions of history? Just one, I don’t have all night. He taught that the “Black Robe Regiment” was ministers who fought in the Revolution, proof of the Christian heritage of our nation. The “Black Robe Regiment” were Scots Presbyterians who were deeply opposed to the Hanover dynasty and still fighting the deposing of James II Stuart. It had nothing to do with Christianity and even less to do with our freedom. The overwhelming majority of clergy were Anglican and faithful to the Crown, particularly since the King was titular head of their church.

His charity does not extend to the people at that Bryant Park movie, or to President Obama’s daughters, or to George Soros (who hasn’t made any meaningful contributions to any political campaign since John Kerry), or to anyone who doesn’t believe that Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover weren’t financial geniuses – you know, the guys who gave us the Great Depression.

As for his faith, well, what can we say? The man heard a voice while visiting the Vatican, a voice telling him how important his work was. Right, a Mormon in St. Peter’s hearing a disembodied voice. Got it. He never did deliver “God’s Plan, well, not really a plan…..” as promised.

And hope? This is the man who declared our republic dead. Often. That’s hope, in his view. I think he meant that we were seeing the rise of the oligarchy, but he would never use that word to describe the corporatization of America, would he?

Beck is gone. Personally, I can think of only one immediate consequence. If one were logged into the Yahoo News Service comments between 5 and 6 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday, one would notice a drop-off in the rightwingnut posting hate-filled, obscene, offensive comments. They don’t even evacuate the sites during church hours on Sunday as regularly as they did to watch Beck. Those five hours a week of reasonable debate on the sites are now gone, never to be enjoyed again. I will miss those five hours.

Gosh, it seems like forever I’ve been waiting to write this……BECK IS GONE!

Related articles

• Glenn Beck Restoring Courage Rally in Jerusalem (rightpundits.com)
• Red Eye Panel Wonders What Glenn Beck Was Doing In Bryant Park (mediaite.com)
• Glenn Beck: I’m Better Than Jon Stewart Because I Talk Longer And Have Fewer Writers (mediaite.com)
• Tearful Glenn Beck Describes How He And His Family Were Attacked In New York Park (mediaite.com)
• Glenn Beck and FOX – it’s over! (rt.com)
• The Mystery Of How Spilt Wine Landed On Glenn Beck’s Blanket In Bryant Park (mediaite.com)
• Ann Coulter: GLENN BECK VS. THE MOB (A Relentless Demonic Mob) (gunnyg.wordpress.com)

Jon Stewart

In his weekly radio address, President Obama again stressed the need for patience over the recovery. “The recession didn’t happen overnight and won’t end that way, either.” It’s going to take time.” The most recent poll shows growing disapproval for the President’s handling of the economy, hitting a high of 59%. Unemployment inched back up to 9.1% and job growth slowed. Manufacturers cut 5,000 jobs in May. Those were the first job losses in seven months. Since Franklin Delano Roosevelt, no president has won re-election with unemployment over 7% give or take a decimal point.

The President has almost no options for helping to stimulate the economy. The House of Representative is in the hands of a party with one agenda, and it’s not curing the economy. The more they can retard the recovery, the greater their chances of keeping control of the House and gaining the Senate and White House. Sen. Mitch McConnell admitted it – all they care about is making Obama a one-term president and the rest of us can bloody well go to hell.

Back in 2004, Jon Stewart appeared on the old CNN show Crossfire with Paul Begala and Tucker Carlson. Carlson took Stewart to task for “not asking the hard questions” when he had John Kerry on The Daily Show. Stewart’s response was a classic. He pointed out that his show is on Comedy Central. The lead-in to his show back then was a program with puppets making crank phone calls. Then he turned the question back on Begala and Carlson – why weren’t they asking the hard questions?

I have been reminded of that exchange almost daily watching Republican leadership press conferences and MSNBC and CNN hosts interviewing Republican legislators. Stewart won his second Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism that year. Begala and Carlson barely survived until after the election. Stewart may not have hit John Kerry with any “hard questions” on that appearance, but he doesn’t pull as many punches as the mainstream media have been.

Where is the challenge when a Republican congressman says that businesses are not creating new jobs because they are uncertain about the direction the country is taking. Uncertain? American businesses posted a 53% increase in profits last year and are on track to beat that this year. They are not “uncertain.” They have figured out that people are so scared of losing their jobs they will endure anything – unpaid overtime, unreasonable cuts in hours, no benefits – rather than risk being unemployed. When a Republican insists that “tax cuts create jobs,” why aren’t they being challenged with the fact that tax cuts never, ever create jobs? When they talk about what “the American people” want, why isn’t anyone saying “80% of the American people want taxes raised on the rich”? There was more life in the reporters facing Anthony Weiner about his confession than there has been all year in journalists facing the Great Republican Lie.

Veteran journalist Bill Moyers says that today’s “journalists” are lazy, not digging for facts and information, just offering up an endless stream of opinion and commentary. He’s only got it half right. The right claims that the “mainstream media” is liberally biased and untrustworthy. To avoid being labeled liberally biased, they are flat-out betraying the reason our Founding Fathers believed that a free press was essential to our freedom. They are refusing to challenge the well-rehearsed sound bites and confront the lies. Those few television hosts who do get confrontational do not get the Republicans on their shows.

In the past few weeks, we have seen the press obsessing over Sarah Palin’s bus tour and Anthony Weiner’s weiner. Practically every day we are seeing that the mainstream media really has become the “lame-stream media” – or maybe lame-brained would be a better term.

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He went on to say “Freedom of the press clearly includes the right to question the actions and motives of religious figures and institutions. But freedom doesn’t excuse prejudice or poor handling of serious material, especially people’s religious convictions. What’s new today is the seeming collusion –or at least an active sympathy — between some media organizations and journalists, and political and sexual agendas hostile to traditional Christian beliefs.”

In his talk “Religion, Journalism, and the New American Orthodoxy”, he also said “This new orthodoxy seems to influence the selection of religious news and how that news gets presented. It seems to frame which opinions are appropriate and which ones won’t be heard. And it seems to guide the historical narrative that media present to their audiences.

“This new thinking seems to presume a society much more secular and much less religious than anything in America’s past or warranted by present facts. A society where people are free to worship and believe whatever they want, so long as they don’t intrude their religious idiosyncrasies on government, the economy or culture.”

He was asked by New York Times reporter Laurie Goodstein why he has not been taking interviews, but he has stated that he was not doing so because in 2004, a Times reporter misquoted him during the John Kerry presidential campaign. The paper apparently portrayed the Catholic bishops as trying to derail Kerry’s campaign because of his support for legal abortion.

Chaput apparently did signal that he might change his mind regarding granting interviews if the newspapers showed differences in how they cover issues such as Pope Benedict’s handling of the sexual abuse scandals.

The Archbishop praised the now defunct Rocky Mountain News for its fair approach to the Church, and stated that “The Denver Post was generally fair in its coverage, if not in its placement.” Of course, one has to wonder just where his concern for fairness was when the Catholic Church transferred priests who sexually molested children from place to place instead of handing them over to the police.

He went on to say how religion journalists are some of the “the most introspective people I have ever known in my life.” He went on to say

“The late media scholar Neil Postman liked to argue that social science isn’t really ‘science’ at all. but a disguised form of moral theology. The deficiencies in today’s coverage of religion are too real to ignore, and they’re not simply issues of deadlines and resources. They’re also attitudinal; even ideological.

“One of the worst habits many Catholics had at the start of the clergy sex abuse crisis, including many bishops, was to minimize a very grave problem, but news media show many of the same patterns of denial, vanity, obstinacy and institutional defensiveness in dealing with criticism of their own failures.

“We now commonly see religion coverage that’s illiterate about the subject matter, or narrows the scope of facts or sources to fit an unfriendly narrative — especially when it comes to the Christian faith and its traditional content. Coverage of Islam tends to be equally ill-informed and confused on matters of history; but also more respectful and even sympathetic, as in the recent New York mosque controversy.

“Know yourself and your prejudices. Acknowledge mistakes, and don’t make them a habit. Be as honest with yourself as you want your sources — me — to be. Understand believers and their institutions as they understand themselves. And if you do that — and do it with integrity, fairness and humility-then you’ll have the gratitude of the people you cover, and you’ll embody the best ideals of your profession.”

Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, which has donated a large amount of money to the National Organization for Marriage, Carl Anderson also shared his thoughts on religion and Americans by noting that eight-four percent of Americans believe in God, three quarters of Americans believe religion is somewhat important in their lives, and two-thirds look to religion help define their morals. He stated “It’s almost as if we have two Americans. There is a moral center to America.” Of course, the author of the book “Beyond a House Divided: The Moral Consensus Ignored by Washington, Wall Street and the Media Divided” wants Americans to follow a Christian morality that follows the Catholic Church’s beliefs without noticing that the morality that many people support includes people who support LGBT rights and even same-sex marriage.

Of course, the Catholic Church would really like the media to stop taking on their failings including the fact that they have a history of shielding child molesters instead of protecting child abuse victims.

Source

He made the statement at the FDA’s Blood Products Advisory Committee hearing. The current policy bars men from donating blood if they have had sex with another man since 1977; however, the same policy allows heterosexual men and women from donating blood if they have had sexual contact with an HIV-positive partner after one year.

Not only has there been an advancement in the ability to understand what sexual behaviors are risky, but it is also become easier to detect the disease. John Kerry was the 2004 Democratic nominee for President. He is the senior Senator from Massachusetts.

Source

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Tim Coco and Genesio Oliveira married in 2005, when same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts.

However because gay people are unable to sponsor a spouse for immigration to the USA in parity with heterosexual couples,  they were separated for nearly three years with Tim in Massachusetts and Genesio stuck in Brazil..

In an extraordinarily rare show of compassion, the  immigration officials granted permission for Genesio to enter the USA and remain here for one year on humanitarian grounds, clearing the way for him to try again for legal residency.

His return followed personal appeals by Senator John F. Kerry, US Attorney General Eric Holder, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on their behalf.

On Wednesday, Oliveira returned to Massachusetts for an emotional reunion “We’re overjoyed. Words can’t express it,” Coco, 49, an ad agency owner, said yesterday from their home in Haverhill, where he had decorated his yard with yellow ribbons to mark their long separation. “Every new moment now is a fresh new moment in our life.”

Tim coco has been advocating aggressively and consistently for his spouse  for years. This is what it takes – personal advocacy – that is what it took for Shirley Tan to get the Introduction of her Privater Bill.   But why are we still doing this?  Given this form of recognition as the only route for bi-national spouses, I recommend all Binationals start advocacy blitzes – maybe if we overrun the system with special requests they will wake up and pass UAFA as a matter for  their own convenience, rather than as a matter of our LGBT rights, the latter having been ignored thus far!

Lezgetreal reported on the couple back in October 2009 at http://lezgetreal.com/2009/10/melanie-nathan-calls-for-moratorium-as-brazilian-husband-denied-asylum/

Coco said he has spent about $250,000 in legal bills.  A heterosexual sponsorship of a spouse costs $750-$1500 if you use an attorney.

Oliveira was denied a visa to return to Massachusetts last year for the funeral of Coco’s mother.

Coco said the couple had  plans to launch a legal challenge against the federal Defense of Marriage Act as a violation of immigration laws. This rare permission comes in the face of the pending challenge.

Binational column by Melanie Nathan on LGR
http://lezgetreal.com/category/columns/binationals-uniting-american-familes/page/3/

By Melanie Nathan.

binationals@privatecourts.com

By Melanie Nathan:  Let us analyze this Politico report below;  My comments:

From an LGBT and binational perspective -  What is of great concern is that there is no mention of LGBT inclusion at this time and whatever the plan is – it is said to be on the hush – No answers.  But we do know that Senator Schumer was at the Senate Judiciary committee hearing on June 3rd, 2009, for the Uniting American Families Act- UAFA  (albeit for a brief few minutes) and that he heard the moving testimony of Shirley Tan and Gordon Stewart, (presuming he went to You Tube thereafter)  as well as the support of Julian Bond from NAACP.   

While I think there is a good chance that Schumer may include it at this early stage of a Bill introduction for comprehensive immigration reform (CIR)  I am fearful that the interest of binational spouses dwarf in the eyes of the Senate by comparison to the other interest groups involved.  

All I can say at this point is that if Senator Schumer fails to include UAFA or similar, at the outset, our cause is doomed and in the eyes of the LGBT community- the good and usually supportive Senator will join the ranks of  ’ Democtratic Senatorial Persona Non Grata!‘  I am hoping that Senator Gillibrand would exert some influence here as I really believe that she has the binational community’s interests at heart and that she could take a role in influencing leadership on the issue. 

I do not want to hear that he purposely excluded UAFA , only include it later. This did not work for me with Guiterrez’s lame snub and it will not work for me for any legislation any more. When Politicians subscribe to the old view – “keep the queers under the radar in case anyone notices,” all they are doing is perpetuating the closet – in essence endorsing a mindset that renders LGBTQI relationships unacceptable. 

I am urging Senator Schumer to do one of two things:
1.  Include us in CIR and make sure we cannot be excluded;  (Although I have never liked the idea of us in CIR because it is going to be a big bad battle and we risk being dumped….. but we are compelled at this time to subscribe to this option because we have been cornered into it by Immigration Equality’s strategy) – OR
2. Take a significant and poignant role on UAFA and push for it as an emergency separate bill NOW! NOW!

  Politico reports that Senator Schumer  is pressing the immigration reform issue hard in the Senate:

 Schumer is quietly spreading the word within the immigration community that he has the White House’s support to pass a bill by April. At the same time, Kerry has been mounting his own campaign to pass a climate bill — telling environmentalists, business groups and fellow senators that his bill will pass this spring, ideally by June. “Schumer would lead us all to believe that the White House is completely on board with doing all that in that time frame,” said Bruce Josten, head of government relations at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose lobbyists have met several times with Schumer and his staff.

 Schumer is …invested in guiding an immigration bill to the floor, after assuming the chairmanship of the Senate immigration subcommittee from Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) last year. His work on the issue dates back to 1986, when he brokered a key compromise that helped pass the first major immigration overhaul in decades. “The only reason [immigration] has a shot is because [Schumer] has a pretty good understanding of what it would take to do it,” said Kessler.

 Politico says there is a conflict between Schumer and John Kerry, who support climate change as the next issue the Senate should deal with.

 Democratic aides in both the House and the Senate say the winning issue will be whichever one attracts the most Republican support. Both immigration and climate bills will need backing from moderate Democrats like Sens. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Evan Bayh of Indiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

 It has long been assumed that the climate bill would emerge as the final big issue of the year in the Senate, since immigration has been so divisive.  But immigration got a boost in recent weeks, when top White House officials scheduled a conference call to reassure Latino activists that they would move on a reform bill this year.

 Advocates argue that taking up immigration could help boost turnout among Latino voters in the midterm elections and drive a wedge between the GOP and Latino voters.

 “The whole reason some people on the Democratic side view immigration as a great issue is because there is a side of the Republican Party that frankly cannot help itself on the issue,” said a senior Republican aide. “They go ballistic, and it comes across as anti-Hispanic — that’s not what they intend, but that’s the way it is perceived.” But even immigration activists admit that the economy is a serious hurdle.

  Why  are we still waiting for CIR?  We need to get UAFA passed as a stand alone- uncomplicated – asap….

Word has it that there are countless gay and lesbian binational couples in the State of New York or in exile abroad, who want to come home to New York; however until legislation passes there is little hope  for these couples as they are unable to sponsor their same-sex partners / spouses for greencards or Visas to the USA.

 by Melanie Nathan.  www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com
Nathan@privatecourts.com

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Tim Coco, the US citizen binational spouse said that  Attorney General Eric Holder did not act on a Friday deadline in the case of Genesio “Junior” Oliveira, effectively denying the 30-year-old Brazilian man’s request for asylum in the U.S. on humanitarian grounds.

This is not the first time a gay man from Brazil has been denied an immigration path through marriage to the USA.  The other case involving a Brazilian is that of the husband of US citizen Gordon Stewart, as Pfizer employee who is now living in exile in the United Kingdom so he and his spouse can live their marital relationship.

In June 2009, Gordo, together with Shirley Tan provided oral testimony before Senator Leahy and other Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee in the hope that the Uniting American Families Act would engage congress enough to do something about the inequities in our immigration law.

Coco said, “We needed the Attorney General to make a decision on whether Junior could come home,” said Coco, 48, of Haverhill. “He didn’t take this request seriously.”  It seems as if the Justice department has yet to respond to questions about this case.

In 2002, Oliveira had sought asylum in the U.S. apparently basing his case on a rape as a teenager in Brazil.  But an immigration judge denied his request.  The Associated Press noted that it does not typically name rape victims, but Oliveira speaks openly about his case and is allowing his name to be used.

Oliveira  and Coco married in Massachusetts in 2005 and bought a house together. However unlike other married couples in the US, gay marriages have no bearing on the immigration law that overtly discriminates against same-sex spouses.  The undeniable fact is that gays and lesbians are allowed  to marry in the US in under the law of certain States. Yet because of the Defense of Marriage Act they are precluded from federal rights which includes that provided by the Immigration and Naturalization Act.

In March, Sen. John Kerry asked Attorney General Eric Holder to grant Oliveira asylum on humanitarian grounds.  Kerry spokeswoman Brigid O’Rourke said Monday that the senator will continue to work toward a solution that would reunite the couple for good. The fact is that if Tim and Junior were a heterosexual married couple, they would never have suffered through more than two years of separation,” said O’Rourke.

The Uniting American Families needs it’s time now. While there are thousands of unpublicized stories in the shadows right now, many more are being exposed to Congress and yet Senators such as Kerry who favor the passage of UAFA are still failing in their leadership on the issues.  What is the point of advocating for individuals when you have the power of the legislation in your hands?

Coco said he thought there was “no way” the Obama Administration would deny Oliveira’s asylum request after Kerry made his plea to Holder.  “We are profoundly sad,” said Coco. “This is more than any married should have to face.”

AP reports, the case comes as Obama tries to smooth a rocky relationship with gay activists, who want him to end the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays, which he has pledged to do but hasn’t given a timeline. Tens of thousands of gay rights supporters marched in Washington earlier this month, demanding Obama keep his promise to end the policy.

Coco said he has spent about $250,000 in legal bills and hasn’t seen Oliveira since January, though the two video chat online every night. A heterosexual sponsorship of a spouse costs $750-$1500 if you use an attorney.

Oliveira was denied a visa to return to Massachusetts last year for the funeral of Coco’s mother. Gordon Stewart’s husband has been denied the right to visit his spouse’s sister who has cancer. 

Coco said the couple plans to launch a legal challenge against the federal Defense of Marriage Act as a violation of immigration laws.

That may be a worthy attempt but with my experience in this issue I believe that energy should be put into legislation – we should be calling all our Representatives in Congress and demanding the change we were promised.  Challenging this in the Courts will still yield one major shield for those who are not allowed to marry in their respective States.  Until marriage is uniform, UAFA, which ascribes the right to Permanent Partners, as the relationship that seeks validity to circumvent DOMA.  

 In the meantime, pending legislation, which must happen and soon,  I call on Senators Feinstein, Kerry, Gillibrand, Schumer, Frank to pave the way for binationals by enacting / introducing/Class Private Bill whatever it takes -a moratorium on all deportations of married LGBT spouses;  by providing a special Visa Program with status for married LGBT couples (perhaps one that can sunset pending a solution or legislation– similar to the R1 (religious workers visa program) for married lesbians and gay spouses.

When I was in DC during August I spoke with congressional staffers and received an “interested” response to this idea. 

The reason for this is based less on the privilege granted to ‘a would be immigrant,’ but rather based on the RIGHT – the CIVIL RIGHT of the American Spouse…. Never since the days pre-civil rights movement has there been such a flagrant apartheid-esque practice perpetuated upon US citizens.  We do not have a right that other Americans have.

O’Rourke said Kerry supports the couple’s legal challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits how state, local and federal bodies can recognize partnerships and determine benefits. He also called for a law to extend benefits to domestic partners. This I personally find outrages. Why does Senator Kerry not get behind the REPEAL of DOMA.  Congressman Nadler has had the courage to introduce it in the form of the Respect of Marriage Act.  Why is he talking Domestic Partnership.  Another incremental crumb? I don’t want to hear that word…Domestic Partnership.

This month, Obama called on Congress to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. Well do it. This case is one in thousands. We need our remedy now. I am not available for a life on hold. Neither is Mr. Coco.

 Melanie Nathan. nathan@privatecourts.com

blogger  and personal advocate
www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com

What is known is that there will be one person who will not be running to replace him. Representative Barney Frank has chosen to remain in the House. Had he both run and won, Rep. Frank would have been the first openly gay member of the Senate. While there have been four openly gay Representatives, there have not been any Senators who have come openly from within the LGBT community.

“I would have liked to have been a senator,” Frank has told the media. Five years ago when Senator John Kerry was running for President, Frank showed an interest in replacing him, but that was then. Today, he is far more willing to remain part of the House, where he has a great deal of influence due to his seniority.

Rep. Frank has been in the House since 1981. His long tenure in the House gives him a lot of seniority and a lot of pull. At the age of 69, he may feel that it is a little too late to rebuild that kind of power Senate side.

In the race to replace Kennedy, the majority of the candidates who have openly expressed interest are Democrats, with Attorney General Martha Coakley having already announced that she will run. Currently, no Kennedys are willing or able to run for the seat, though a son of Robert F. Kennedy is in the probable running to replace Senator Roland Burris in Illinois.

Massachusetts Senate President Therese Murray is a firm supporter of the current special election system. It’s been speculated that State Sen. Murray is a major supporter Martha Coakley, Massachusetts first woman Attorney General. There are quite a number of people interested in replacing Sen. Kennedy. Among these are his nephew Joseph P. Kennedy II, a Representative from Massachusetts. One possibility is not openly discussed as of yet is the possibility of shortening the campaign to one month. This would minimize the amount of time between the passing of Sen. Kennedy and the appointment of his replacement.

Both Murray and Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo have stated that they are unlikely to change the law to allow for direct appointment of a replacement. “We have great respect for the senator and what he continues to do for our commonwealth and our nation. It is our hope that he will continue to be a voice for the people of Massachusetts as long as he is able,” they said in a joint statement printed in the Boston Globe.

Massachusetts Gov. Duval Patrick issued a statement saying “it’s typical of Ted Kennedy to be thinking ahead and about the people of Massachusetts, when the rest of us are thinking about him.” Gov. Patrick, a former civil rights official under President Clinton, noted that 40 states currently directly appoint Senatorial replacements. Such a process is largely seen as being undemocratic. Gov. Patrick, however, noted that the financial issues facing Massachusetts would make paying for a special election difficult at best.

Joseph Kennedy and Martha Coakley are not the only Democrats who might run succeed Sen. Kennedy. Representatives Stephen Lynch, Michael Capuano, Edward Markey, James McGovern, and William Delahunt. Former Representative Martin Meehan, now chancellor of of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, has already amassed $4.8 million in federal campaign money. That amount of money might make this sprint or him to win.

Republicans who might run it to replace Sen. Kennedy include businessman Jeff Beatty, former Lieut. Gov. Kerry Healey, former US Attorney Michael Sullivan and Chris Egan, former US ambassador to the Organization for Cooperation and Development. One potential person who could run to replace Sen. Kennedy is former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, though he seems more interested in running for President rather than for the Senate.

Until former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made a major announcement refuting the recent speculation on her marital status, these rumors had remained pinned to the pages of some blogs and tabloids. As a “family values” candidate, Palin’s martial woes become fodder for those who wish to expose a certain level of the “do as I say, not as I do” mentality among certain areas of the political arena. In many ways, this is what made the marital strife of Governor Mark Sanford and Senator John Ensign so salacious. Both men looked hypocritical for their affairs, especially in light of their own past condemnation of other politician’s affairs. The rumors of the Palins having affairs and being on the cusp of breaking up have been tabloid fodder since October ‘08. They were largely ignored by the major media outlets simply because, quite frankly, most reporters are not in the habit of actually caring about the personal life of politicians until it becomes unavoidable. With this announcement going after the media who had not reported anything substantive concerning the divorce rumors, Governor Palin all but assured that the major media outlets would now have to pay attention.

Politicians attract rumors like nobodies’ business. Rumors swirl around President Barack Obama, and have swirled around his predecessors. The media typically does not go after those rumors until they are shown to be at least partially true. Some rumors you address like with John Kerry and the Swift Boaters or President Barack Obama and the Birthers. Some rumors, like this one, you just do not comment on. Commenting on them only makes the media sit up and notice.

There are some who are suggesting that the reason Governor Palin addressed these rumors now rather than letting them simply fade has more to do with a lack of press coverage of late. The price that Governor Palin’s leaving office is paid in the lack of media coverage. Mitt Romney is largely ignored now because he is no longer in office. Others, of course, are now wondering if they rumors are true since she took the extraordinary step of addressing them.

Since announcing that she was leaving office, Governor Sarah Palin’s support among Republicans has slipped drastically. While she has her supporters, they are largely a segment within the GOP rather than a major component of it. Currently, there are four leaders within the GOP rather than one. Sarah Palin simply heads up one segment within the Party rather than being its leader. Unfortunately, the divisions within the GOP are as divisive as those delineating the divide between the Republicans and Democrats. Despite claims that she is on the way up, her political future remains murky. Many Democrats would love to see her run for President in 2012 because they believe that she will be easy to beat. Unfortunately for her, many Republicans also feel that she will be easy to beat.

In her favor is that three years in politics is a long time. The big unknown will be the economy. If the economy does not recover, the Democrats will have problems. Of course, the Republicans know this and are trying everything that they can to derail reform. The divisions between sides will continue to get deeper.

Todd and Sarah Palin to divorce

Senator Dodd’s prognosis is good, according to his office. As a disease, it is one of the most common forms of cancer that men suffer from and is fairly easy to treat compared to most forms of cancer. Depending on the type of cancer, Dodd will likely be on androgen inhibitors to stop the spread of the cancer if it is linked his testosterone levels, as many prostate cancers are. The treatments will knock Dodd off the campaign trail for most of the August recess, which is a major problem for him. The recess is a time when many candidates who are seeking reelection start their campaigns to retain their seats, and the increasingly competitive nature of this race is going to mean that Dodd cannot waste any time on recovery.

Senator Dodd has had some major issues with regards to his personal and the national finances. Dodd, who chairs the Senate Banking Committee has faced questions over his handling of the financial meltdown which began back in September of ‘08. Making matters worse, he has been accused of receiving VIP treatment in pursuing a home loan, and that might have been ethically shady.

Senator Dodd is not likely to bow out of the race for a sixth term in office; however, his health may be an issue. He has also expressed that his recovery will not impact the crafting of the healthcare reform legislation. Given that most legislation discussed during the recess is done through emails and telecommunication lines, it would be highly unlikely that anything short of major surgery would interrupt the legislative process for any given lawmaker. What the recovery time does is put the kibosh on his attending campaign events and fundraisers. Right now, his opponents have raised close to $1.25 million between them, but that also has to fund their primary battle on the GOP side. Right now, Nate Silver at 538 is listing this race as the fourth most likely to change parties. It ranks behind Missouri, Kentucky, and New Hampshire for the July rankings. It is also the highest ranking seat with an incumbent in it to face a change of party. This is largely due to the political scandals that have plagued Dodd and the questions that have arisen over his handling of the banking crisis.

Senator Dodd voted to expand hate crimes legislation to include sexual orientation, but has stated repeatedly that he opposes same-sex marriage. He had supported civil unions; however, his views on this issue changed as the people of his state become more willing to support marriage equality. Senator Dodd recently came out in favor of marriage equality. Connecticut is one of six states which currently allow marriage between same-sex couples.

Senator Dodd has become a champion of healthcare reform largely due to the influence of his friend Senator Ted Kennedy, who has brain cancer. Dodd is not the only politician who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Both Senator John Kerry and New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani have had it, and both have recovered after treatment.

Correction: Senator Dodd has since come out in support of same-sex marriage. Due to internet issues, I was unable to verify this change prior to going to press. This article has been fixed to reflect the new information. Thank you.

Dodd has prostate cancer, prognosis good
Chris Dodd Diagnosed With Early-Stage Prostate Cancer

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Bankster – A financial elitist who manipulates the government through the manipulation of money. A Bankster can be a campaign contributor, lobbyist, etc., or can even be the politician/high ranking official itself.

The coverage of Michael Jackson’s death is another great example of the media pushing the distractions, when people are really interested in the real news. One blog poll showed that a whopping 87% of people polled thought there was too much MJ coverage by the Main Stream Media (MSM). I personally can’t stand watching all these vultures circling around MJ’s coffin, trying to soak up all the echo fame they possibly can. It turns my stomach to see all these greedy flies using the opportunity, like some weird sacrifice ritual glorifying his death, for the sake of prolonging the attention.

The story I want to bring to your attention is Matt Taibbi‘s latest in Rolling Stone:

THE GREAT AMERICAN BUBBLE MACHINE

“In Rolling Stone Issue 1082-83, Matt Taibbi takes on “the Wall Street Bubble Mafia” — investment bank Goldman Sachs. The piece has generated controversy, with Goldman Sachs firing back that Taibbi’s piece is “an hysterical compilation of conspiracy theories” and a spokesman adding, “We reject the assertion that we are inflators of bubbles and profiteers in busts, and we are painfully conscious of the importance in being a force for good.” Taibbi shot back: “Goldman has its alumni pushing its views from the pulpit of the U.S. Treasury, the NYSE, the World Bank, and numerous other important posts; it also has former players fronting major TV shows. They have the ear of the president if they want it.”Here, now, are excerpts from Matt Taibbi’s piece and video of Taibbi exploring the key issues.”

Amy Goodman interviewed Taibbi on Democracy Now back in late March, 2009 for the preceding cover story The Big Takeover:

“AMY GOODMAN: You write in your piece, “In 1997 and 1998”—so like ten years ago—“the years leading up to the passage of Phil Gramm’s fateful act that gutted Glass-Steagall, the banking, brokerage and insurance industries spent $350 million on political contributions and lobbying. Gramm alone—then the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee—collected $2.6 million in [only] five years. The law passed”—not close—“90-8,” you say, “in the Senate, with the support of 38 Democrats, including some names that might surprise you:”—you write—“Joe Biden, John Kerry, Tom Daschle, Dick Durbin, even John Edwards.”

MATT TAIBBI: Right, right. I think one of the things that people don’t understand about this crisis is they—we always have this instinct in America to blame one side or the other for any political problem. You know, people on the left want to say, “Oh, George Bush did it,” and on the right they always want to say, “It was Clinton.” Well, this is as purely a bipartisan problem as we’ve ever had in this country. This was absolute unity on the part of both parties. They both were absolutely complicit in passing these deregulatory moves.

You know, in the instance of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, that was sponsored by Phil Gramm and by the Republicans, but it was very, very enthusiastically supported by Robert Rubin and Larry Summers, and it was signed into law by Bill Clinton and passed with the support of all those very powerful Democratic senators. And this continued to be the case throughout late ’90s and throughout this whole decade, and that’s why we’re in the situation that we are right now, because nobody is really, you know, representing the other side.”

You can watch that interview at the end of the first playlist above.

I’d like to point out here what the definition of fascism is, and why it is so important that we take care of this problem, and not let it get swept under the rug and forgotten like most truly important stories. The videos included in this blog helped me finally gain a real grasp on the economic meltdown, and how to fix it. And it doesn’t involve another $13 trillion going to the banks.

“Fascism, pronounced /ˈfæʃɪzəm/, comprises a radical and authoritarian nationalist political ideology and a corporatist economic ideology.”

In laymen’s terms, fascism is the highjacking of Corporations by Government. I think this scenario would be better called Corpratism, since it’s the reverse. Wall Street has hijacked Washington.

In the Big Takeover, Taibbi says: “People are pissed off about this financial crisis, and about this bailout, but they’re not pissed off enough. The reality is that the worldwide economic meltdown and the bailout that followed were together a kind of revolution, a coup d’état. They cemented and formalized a political trend that has been snowballing for decades: the gradual takeover of the government by a small class of connected insiders, who used money to control elections, buy influence and systematically weaken financial regulations.

The crisis was the coup de grâce: Given virtually free rein over the economy, these same insiders first wrecked the financial world, then cunningly granted themselves nearly unlimited emergency powers to clean up their own mess. And so the gambling-addict leaders of companies like AIG end up not penniless and in jail, but with an Alien-style death grip on the Treasury and the Federal Reserve — “our partners in the government,” as Liddy put it with a shockingly casual matter-of-factness after the most recent bailout.”

The connection between Wall Street and Washington must be severed. Both political parties are infected with this disease, but We the People are the ones who suffer the symptoms. Now that we’ve heard how Giethner was the one who made sure WS got its bonuses, on top of all his other failures, he should be let go. I’m not going to fall into the left right trap of “Well we automatically have to defend him because the Republicans are attacking him!”, or vice versa. He’s snarky, if you ask me, and he needs that smirk wiped off his face. “I used Turbo Tax”, really? Even I can do my own taxes dude.

Author Nomi Prins is also covering this story on Mother Jones.com.

The writer of the book It Takes a Pillage does a great job breaking down the complex issues in an understandable way. Especially when it comes to the new policies being proposed by Timothy Giethner and the Obama Administration.

“In the meantime, average Americans, who don’t have a $13 trillion federal insurance policy to fall back upon, have fared poorly. Over the past three months, unemployment has hopped a full point, to 9.4 percent—nearly double what it was one year earlier. For the third straight month, home foreclosures have broken the 300,000 mark, with the defaults reaching well into the prime loan turf, and home prices are still falling.

Considering the true size of the bailout, the continued loan deterioration, and the weakness in the overall economy and job market, the economic signs simply aren’t that positive. For Geithner to pretend that a few banks paying back federal money with other federal money is an encouraging sign is to miss all of them.”

And here she breaks it down well in another DN interview:

“While the treasury secretary conveyed to the senators some understanding of the plight of the rest of us, this show was all about Treasury and the banking sector. Geithner praised the government for pulling off stress tests of the 19 largest financial institutions last month. “The clarity and transparency provided by the tests,” he said, “has helped improve market confidence in the banks, making it possible for them to collectively raise nearly $90 billion through private equity offerings, bond issuances without government guarantees and sales of business units.”

But Tim’s not playing it straight,” Prins continues. “The fact that most of these banks passed their stress tests would only have mattered if the tests had any value. As I discussed when the tests were first unveiled, these tests were designed in tandem with the banks, the evaluations were provided by the banks, and some of the assumptions they were based upon—such as where unemployment would be—had been exceeded before the test results were released.”

Secretary Geithner is quickly proving to be the “Heck of a job Brownie” of the Obama Administration.

He’s a Corporatist Bankster in my book, and at the very least he’s an idiot who got laughed off the stage on his trip to China. By a bunch of economic STUDENTS, no less. This is NOT the best guy in America for the job.

Why is Obama clinging to these Wall Street Banksters, and giving them such high ranking positions? Why is he relying on Goldman Sachs? Where is the accountability for this crisis, which more and more seems to be entirely manufactured by the Banksters? How bad does it have to get before Americans wake up and smell the coffee?

Obama better take a broom to these crooks before the American people do, or he’ll get swept right out the door with them. This is why we need to support Ron Paul’s bill HR 1207 to Audit the Federal Reserve! Let’s open the books on these crooks, and clean up our government so we can really get the change we need, and that we deserve dammit.

I’m not going to hold my breath though, this 2008 article in the New York Times reports that Goldman Sachs was one of Obama’s biggest donors:

“When you break it out by individual companies, you find that employees of Goldman Sachs gave more to Obama than workers of any other employer. The Goldman Sachs geniuses are followed by employees of the University of California, UBS, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, National Amusements, Lehman Brothers, Harvard and Google. At many of these workplaces, Obama has a three- or four-to-one fund-raising advantage over McCain.

When he is swept up in rhetorical fervor, Obama occasionally says that his campaign is 90 percent funded by small donors. He has indeed had great success with small donors, but only about 45 percent of his money comes from donations of $200 or less.”

This is finally catching fire in the blogosphere, but how long will it take for the MSM to get mad and start sticking up for the little guy? I guess that’s means its up to us to fend for ourselves till more brave journalists like Taibbi start to stand up too.

I’ll try to end on a more upbeat note. Getting through all this information can certainly feel like a chore, but I don’t know of any way to fix our economy, and government without understanding more. Go ahead and tell the people about Tiny Tim, Lady Sings the News!

This weekly wrap up post features some of the top LGBT news stories that we saw around the internet as we were covering other features…

Equality on the move in Delaware

Delaware is taking hopeful steps toward equality. The state Senate has defeated a proposed amendment to the state constitution seeking to define marriage as between a man and a woman. The state House has passed a non-discrimination bill – unfortunately, it does not include gender identity.

Teen Charged for Killing Gay Journalist

The teenage boy accused of stabbing a New York journalist pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and weapons charges. Sixteen-year-old John Katehis, who was arraigned Wednesday night in Brooklyn, is being held without bail.

Gay and lesbian couples are more likely to be poor, study finds

“The myth of gay and lesbian affluence is just that–a myth,” says a study published March 20 by the Williams Institute. The study, titled “Poverty in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community” is not the first to challenge the myth of gay and lesbian affluence. But it is the most complete, and the first to use actual census data and other well-regarded studies to track family growth and health indicators.

Gov’t to enable Japanese to marry foreign gay partners overseas

The Justice Ministry plans to enable Japanese nationals to marry same-sex partners who have citizenship in countries where gay marriage is legally approved, ministry sources said Thursday. The ministry will issue certificates necessary for such marriage of Japanese citizens and foreigners, the sources said, adding the ministry will soon convey the decision to its legal affairs bureaus across the nation, the sources said.

Wichita pastor gets $14,000 settlement from city

The city of Wichita will pay a Wichita pastor more than $14,000 as part of a settlement in a case stemming from his 2007 arrest at a gay pride event. In a consent order, issued this week, the city said Wichita police officers and the city violated Pastor Mark Holick’s “rights to free speech, due process, and free exercise of religion by arresting him based on his religious speech in a traditional public forum.”

Catholic Churches Sign Up to Administer ‘Gay Test’

The Vatican — arguably the most out of touch religious leadership in the world — strongly urges Catholic Churches to test wannabe preachers on their sexuality. Now, is that a urine or a blood test?

Demand Wal-Mart Support GLBT Employees

The worlds largest grocery retailer, Wal-Mart has been fairing well in this fragile economy where consumers seek out lower prices. GLBT employees among other groups of workers at Wal-Mart’s stores are not being given the fair end of the deal.

Therapists offer gay ‘treatment’

A significant minority of mental health professionals had agreed to help at least one patient “reduce” their gay or lesbian feelings when asked to do so. The survey, published in the journal BMC Psychiatry and conducted by London researchers, involved 1,400 therapists. Many were acting with the “best of intentions”, said the lead author.

Bloomberg Pushes for N.Y. Marriage-Equality

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg urged state legislators to pass a bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Wednesday night, citing increased support for marriage equality in his appeal for lawmakers to “do the right thing.”

John Kerry’s Plea for Asylum for Gay Brazilian Married to U.S. Citizen

Sen. John Kerry is asking U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to grant asylum to a 29-year-old gay Brazilian man, allowing him to reunite with his American husband in Massachusetts, The Associated Press (AP) reports.

Gay worker sues Microsoft for discrimination

A British worker for Microsoft is suing the computer giant in London, alleging discrimination. Jamie Durrant, 38, claims in his complaint to the labor tribunal that the company failed to take action despite numerous complaints he was being harassed by fellow workers.

Jim Carrey gay movie “too risque” for American audiences

Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor’s upcoming dark comedy may have problems acquiring U.S. distribution, thanks to an explicit sex scene in the film.

Gay Clubs: No Bachelorettes Allowed

Gay bar patrons in Chicago — and across the country — have decided they don’t want the fact that they can’t marry rubbed in their faces on a Friday night.

Microsoft Funding Gay Cruises?

Times are good for young tech entrepreneur Lorenzo Thione, an Italian wiz whose search-engine company Powerset was recently purchased by Microsoft for $100 million.

Secret AIDS Charity Spreading Lies?

The Beverly Hills-based Center for AIDS Prevention appears to have no history, no financial records, no ties, no outreach, and loads of false information — but one massive advertising campaign.

Ms. Cleo Is Now A Lesbian – Wonder If She Saw It Coming?

Ms. Cleo is now a lesbian, wonder if she saw that coming. The woman also known as Youree Dell Cleomili Harris moved from Davie to Lake Worth, came out as a lesbian, released a spoken-word CD, and started a radio show. Sounds as if people are still willing to free a scammer with precious green.

LGBT workers call for ‘dignity and respect’ at work

The top priority of LGBT staff is “dignity and respect” at work, a Unite survey has shown. The union’s Have Your Say survey also revealed that workers believe trade unions must use education to eliminate homophobia and tackle discrimination.

Italian footballer calls homosexuality ‘a sin’

Juventus defender Nicola Legrottaglie has denounced homosexuality as a sin and said it is “seen like fashion” these days. According to Goal.com, which translated remarks made in the footballer’s newly-released autobiography, he discussed his Christian beliefs and recommended that gay people should read the Bible.

“Jersey Four” Lesbian Gets Jailed for Assault

A New Jersey lesbian pleaded guilty on Tuesday to assaulting a man in 2006. Renata Hill will serve the remainder of a three-year sentence for reportedly stabbing Dwayne Buckle after he made sexual comments to her and the group of women she was with, according to Newsday.

Spain Counters Pope, Sends Condoms to Africa

Spain announced that it will send a million condoms to Africa to fight the rampant spread of HIV on the continent. The announcement comes a day after Pope Benedict XVI stated that condoms do not slow the spread of HIV but rather “increase the problem.” On his way to Cameroon, the pope told reporters, “You can’t resolve [AIDS] with the distribution of condoms.” The disbursement of the condoms are to fight HIV with a proven method, the Spanish health ministry said in a statement today. “Condoms have been demonstrated to be a necessary element in prevention policies and an efficient barrier against the virus.”

Gay West Point grads come out

Thirty-eight West Point graduates came out of the closet Tuesday, announcing the formation of an organization to fight the ban on gays serving openly in the military. In a statement, the group said that they are prepared to help the military college make the transition to LGBT equality once the ban is lifted.

Gay-themed film cost Oklahoma teacher her job

Gay rights groups are complaining about the firing of a rural Oklahoma high school teacher who lost her job last week after assigning a play about the 1998 death of a gay college student. But the tiny school district says the move came after the teacher held a mock “funeral” for a canceled film production of the play.

Tyson Beckford Loves the Gays (But Not That Way)

Model Tyson Beckford hosts Bravo’s Make Me A Supermodel, a show we love to hate (and hate to love). And, like any attractive fella working in the runway biz — especially when he doesn’t sport lady arm candy like some others — Beckford’s often been lumped into the “Isn’t he gay?” category. Allow him to definitely put those rumors to rest…

Israel Grants Gay Dad 2 Months Off Work

The National Insurance Institute authorized Israel’s first-ever “maternity” leave for a male couple.

Lamba Legal urges court to reject Howard K Stern’s gay defamation claim

LGBT charity Lambda Legal has filed a brief arguing that a federal court should reject Howard K Stern’s claim that being called gay is defamatory and entitles him to collect damages. Stern’s lawsuit concerns passages in a book titled Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind the Death of Anna Nicole Smith.

Thoughts on Butchness Sparked by Rachel Maddow

“A butch lesbian, at least in the ideal, is not the best of both worlds, male and female — she is a new world. She is the discovery, every day, of how a woman can be a woman without the trappings of femininity.” –Malinda Lo, “Rachel Maddow, Butch Fatale,”

New Zealand: SMS service launched for teenagers questioning sexuality

Young people with questions about sexuality can now them ask via text message, with a personalised reply promised within 48 hours.

Surge in anti-gay hate crime cases

Hate crime cases involving anti-gay sentiment shot up in Santa Clara County last year, a striking increase that a leading prosecutor attributes to controversy over Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on gay marriage. Anti-gay incidents accounted for more than half of hate-crime cases last year — 56 percent — a big jump from only 15 percent in 2007. There were 14 anti-gay cases out of 25 hate-crime cases in 2008, compared with only 3 out of 20 in 2007.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Grand Marshall of Long Beach Pride Parade

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will serve as political grand marshal at the 26th annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride Parade. Newsom is often credited with opening gay marriage in California.

Two Yakima lawmakers stand up for just rights for same-sex couples

For the third time in three years, lawmakers in Olympia are ready to pass legislation that would extend benefits to same-sex couples.

Mexico has its first openly gay mayoral candidate.

Mexico has its first openly gay mayoral candidate. Miguel Antonio Galan will be on the ballot this summer seeking to take Guadalajara City Hall, on the Mexican Social Democratic Party (PSD) ticket. The selection of Galan came on Friday when the PSD picked its official slate of candidates for local elections in the industrial region, reports the Spanish news agency EFE.

Extraordinary Conceptions Extends Helping Hand

If you are an Intended Parent and you have lost money with the disappearance of the Michael Charles Holding Company and Surrogenesis, Extraordinary Conceptions, LLC would like to offer a helping hand by discounting your Egg Donation and Surrogacy Cycle. We know how hard you have worked and how many years you have suffered and to have a company like Surrogenesis give you false hope that your dreams of having a child will come true, only to steal your life savings blind is appalling.

Iowa Gender-Neutral Marriage Bill Dies

Unfortunately, it looks like the Republican leaders in Iowa learned a little something from the headless Kentucky GOPers who were so busy suing each other that they forgot to be anti-gay and inadvertenly let their anti-gay adoption bill die.