Once upon a time...

With the Parkers and Wirthlins now suing practically everyone in the town of Lexington over children's books, I started to think about other books that people could use to sue school districts (or get on the O'Reilly Factor):

One woman shares her house with 7 men. What kind of arrangement do these people have? Why, its polyamory! And when she eventually dies from her stepmother poisoning her, some necrophiliac kisses her dead body and awakens her? Are we to believe this man is Jesus-like? That's against the Bible.

How about a young boy who is forced to work by his mother. Where is her husband? Surely school children shouldn't be seeing examples of single parent households. The boy is clearly an idiot too, selling a cow for magic beans! It's probably because he has no father figure in his life, I'm surprised he's not gay. Without a father figure he's bound to lead a life of stealing. Whoa, if you read a little further, he DOES steal. He even murders the man (a giant man) he's stealing from. What does this teach our children?

Don't get me started on the old man who carves figures of boys out of wood for his own amusement. Come to think of it, we shouldn't be allowing Fairy Tales at all in school, I mean, look at that name, FAIRY TALES. How many children are being indocrinated by that?

Mass News Must Have Missed This One

I came across an editorial in Mass Lawyers Weekly that I wanted to share with you all. If you recall, Lawyers Weekly was started by the anti-gay marriage J. Edward Pawlick of the "famed" Massnews. In just about every article written about him they always include the following:

after a distinguished career as the founder and CEO for twenty-five years of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the bible for all lawyers in the state (and in seven other states before he sold the business in 1997).

So I was a bit astounded that Mass News never posted the editorial by Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, David L.Yas, Esq since he is the "guy in charge" now at the Mass Lawyers Weekly. Well, Ok, I know why Mass News hasn't posted it, look at the title:

Gay-marriage opponents: time to hang it up guys

You can probably find it on the Mass Lawyers Weekly website, however you will have to pay to view it. It's at page 34 MLW 1842.

Suffice it to say this heterosexual holds back no punches. He reminds us about how we were warned of chaos ensuing after same sex couples started marrying and that it didn't happen, well it only happened to those who want this new anti gay amendment:

He also gives a quick civics lesson by reiterating that the MA SJC gets paid to interpret the Constitution, it's what they do.

But the end, it made me laugh out loud. Those of you who read Mass News can attest to the daily updates of the "planes flying overhead" seeking Margaret Marshall's resignation. Well, Yas asks "we can can all agree that anyone who is persuaded by a few words on an airplane banner is not the type of person we want voting on important societal issues."

It's funny because it's true. The editorial is a great read if you can get a copy of it.

Update: Mass Marrier has gotten permission to post the whole editorial. You can read it here.

I'd Take the Singing Myself

Did you hear the one about the Boston Gay Men's Chorus singing in Concord, MA on Palm Sunday? (I heard they were wonderful too!) Well...(hat tip to S & C):

Mexican priest confesses to cutting up his pregnant lover on Easter

The Rev. Cesar Torres, 42, admitted killing the 22-year-old woman at his parish on Mexico City's eastern outskirts, Mexico state Attorney General Abel Villicana said.

Villicana read from a statement signed by Torres in which the priest described his affair with the woman, Veronica Andrade Salinas, and said she came to his home at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in the city of Nezahualcoyotl to say she was pregnant and ask for money.

So while one group is singing joyous songs of love, a man of the cloth, a priest, on Easter, the most sacred day of the Catholic year, is strangling and cutting up a young pregnant woman.

But according to the Catholic doctrine, Gay people are evil. Is that right Cardinal O'Malley?

Putting Lipstick on a Pig

Cardinal Sean O'Malley gave the Globe an interview (as part of his Rainbow Tour?): "O'Malley sees a test of values" and talked about Boston being "a rich testing ground for the church as it attempts to convince a secular culture of its religious values." Unfortunately I don't think he gets that Boston IS a very religious town. We just don't believe someone that says: ''It's about Christ, his church, his mission. I'm just a small part of it. I'll do my best." and then does something completely opposite.

My knowledge of Cardinal O'Malley goes back to when he was the Bishop of Fall River. There, like Boston, he was brought in to close churches and shuffle people around. The church that my grandparents were baptized/married/buried in and I was baptized in was closed by O'Malley. He came in and closed churches that were noted for the ethnic ties and combined them into "generic" non-ethnic churches. So he was a "closer" way back then.

From the Globe:

O'Malley suggested that, for example, other states would have been more receptive to the recent request from the archdiocese that it be allowed to exclude gays and lesbians from adopting children through Catholic Charities. The Massachusetts Legislature declined to consider the exemption.

Funny, these other states also have the death penalty and high divorce rates too in addition to legally allowing discrimination. But he goes on to say:

''It is challenging to teach in this environment, but this is a very important environment for the church to be involved in teaching in. Here we have so many intellectual centers, this is the Athens of the West, and they say that St. Paul's most eloquent sermon was given in Athens and it's the one that had the least impact," he said, chuckling. ''I think certainly this is a great challenge for us as Catholics in an atmosphere where our doctrines are being challenged and questioned, but I think that makes us stronger in responding to those kinds of challenges."

So in one paragraph he equates himself to St. Paul AND calls Boston an intellectual center. What he will soon realize (because he hasn't already) is that this intellectual center KNOWS that gay people are not intrinsically evil.

I imagine St. Peter at the gates hitting O'Malley upside the head saying:

"You were supposed to protect and care for the children and instead you prevented them from getting loving homes and parents. You also screamed of Red Ink yet paid to send out millions of newletters attacking your gay and lesbians neighbors. And those socks AND sandals, Sister, what were you thinking!?!"

Same Time THIS Year

Gay People exist. Same sex couples ARE getting married in Massachusetts (and around the world.) Same sex couples HAVE and WILL CONTINUE to have children. And, as Amy from Article 8 so eloquently said last week on their radio show, approval of this MFI's anti-gay marriage amendment will still allow thousands of same sex couples to stay married which Article 8's leader, Brian Camenker, should know since he signed the petition for amendment.

But some people still deny reality and want to get into that time machine...

• It's Lexington;
• a book which shows positive images of gay people is in a classroom;
• that school is Estabrook;
• A parent complains;
• Article 8 lists the emails from the parent to the school on its website;
• Article 8 sends out an email decrying indoctrination of youth;
• They send out the press releases a month after the "incident" happens.

No, the parents aren't the Parkers, nor is it 2005, but the story is essentially the same just the players are different, they're the Wirthlins and their son is in 2nd grade.

Apparently "The Wirthlins" are "livid" because they were not notified to opt their child out of the reading of the book because (as Article 8 writes) "gay marriage is legal" and they [the school] may describe homosexual relationships to their son in second grade"

There's one section from their email which I wanted to point out:

This is a children's book about homosexual romantic love and "marriage". Its purpose is to normalize homosexuality in the mind of a child, using the vehicle of a children's fairy tale. It was brought into the classroom by the teacher for that reason, and read to the kids for that reason.

I'm sure they're right, just like the Curious George books normalized us to chimps with men or "The Gingerbread Man" normalized us to egotistical talking cookies. Oh Please! Gay people ARE normal, we do not need to be normalized in anyone's mind. Their prejudice is THEIR problem NOT OURS. That children's book is no different than Sleeping Beauty or Snow White (who were both awoken with a kiss from a prince). This isn't calculus people, this is love.

We pay more taxes and our children go to school right next to those children whose parents want to shield them from reality. Our children have every right to hear about families that are like them and the schools should represent all the families.

That Lexington couple does have a choice however, they can take their kid out of school and place them in a private school that caters to their prejudices or move out of state. Gay marriage is here to stay whether the marriage amendment passes or not.

Addition (4-21-060): The Globe covers this story. The last line of the article says it all:

The Wirthins contacted his group [Parent's Rights Coalition/Article 8] for help in dealing with Lexington schools.

Hmmm...

The Post Massresistance Didn't Want You To See

Well she's done it again. Apparently, Ms. Massresistance is posting like crazy and for some reason pulls her posts, why? A North Shore MRW reader captured her irrational and angry post. Read it for yourself (It was dated Monday, April 17, 2006):

MFI: Politeness Is the Chief Virtue
Bay Windows reports that Mass. Family Institute (MFI) thinks we're rude (!) and they're "distancing" themselves from the likes of us. (Yes, they appear to have spoken with Bay Windows! Why?)

It seems MFI sent a letter to all the Massachusetts state legislators begging them not to confuse them (MFI) with Article 8/MassResistance or the Pawlicks (Mass. Citizens for Marriage). For some reason, MFI didn't send us a copy of their letter, even after we politely asked!

MFI is the group behind the current horribly flawed marriage amendment. Tight with Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family, they like to be polite. They seem not to realize that the barbarians are at the gates. They don't think it's polite to reveal the unpleasant truth about homosexuality, or speak passionately to our representatives.

MFI believes it's a good political strategy to redefine "family" to include the new "families" made since same-sex "marriages" began in May 2004. And it's a REALLY good idea to send openly gay, activist legislators VERY POLITE postcards asking them to PLEASE "Let the people vote!" -- to confirm this ghastly redefinition of the family. An example of very polite testimony from MFI for their amendment:

The amendment is quite limited, as it only relates to "marriage" as such and says nothing one way or the other about benefits, civil unions, domestic partnerships-which are left to legislative rather than constitutional determination. It also only operates prospectively, and will not undo existing same-sex marriages that have been entered into under the authority of the Goodridge decision. ... Only the union of male and female can beget offspring, and only wives and husbands can provide children with a married mother and a father, which is the ideal arrangement for raising children. Obviously other parenting arrangements are possible, and they are allowed by law; but these should not be allowed to undermine the sense that children being raised by a married mother and father is optimal. Preserving the traditional definition of marriage is the least that can be done to make that point.

And MFI wants to distance itself from Brian Camenker and yours truly (Brian -- who is brave enough to expose things like "Fistgate" and the "Little Black Book"), and the Pawlicks (who were behind the PURE marriage amendment of a few years back). Now what did we do to earn the reputation of being "rude"? We suggested to citizens that it's OK to contact legislators at home if they can't reach them at their offices. (Reps did choose to run for public office, after all; and they must have caller ID and voice mail; and can choose not to answer their phones if they're eating dinner!) Or to demand that our reps preserve parental rights. Or that it's OK for citizens to be angry that there are bills filed by Mass. legislators advocating the de-criminalization of bestiality.

No, says MFI, don't be angry -- remain polite and calm. Beg -- but with poise -- for your voting rights. Everything will be OK. And don't be distracted by Article 8/MassResistance's alerts identifying those dangerous bills! (Reminds us of the videos of captured Westerners begging for their lives as the terrorists are about to shoot them in the head, or decapitate them. Weak and hopeless.)

posted by AMann @ 8:18 PM

It's always lovely when they attack each other over who is more hateful.

Heterosexuals Gone Bad

Here's another installment of "Heterosexuals Gone Bad" (no gay people were part of these horrendous stories):

• Baby boy dumped with trash found alive

It's a wonder that heterosexuals are allowing to have children at all.

• Charges upgraded after death, police say

A domestic disturbance where the husband beat the wife, now she's dead. At the same link is another disturbing story about someone leaving messages and female underwear in Qunicy.

• Woman found crushed by an ATV in boyfriend's garage dies

It wasn't her girlfriend who did it, it was her boyfriend, the father of the youngest of her 3 children. Now those kids won't have a mother or a father.

And one a National Level:

• 2 Duke lacrosse players charged with rape

There is also a report that one of these two players is accused of a gay bashing in Washington DC.

The Swans Are Here!

And I don't mean those same sex fowls Juliet and Juliet. This year we have a whole flock of male swans, well, males in swan costumes that is.

Since Bourne hatched his ''dansical" (with no dancing en pointe and nary a tutu in sight, it's hardly a ballet), ''Swan Lake" has been showered with just about every theatrical award on the planet -- Britain's Olivier Award and Broadway's Tony chief among them. And from the start it was clear that Bourne's vision had tapped into a new metaphor for love that made the classic fresh; it was drawing crowds again in Britain, New York, and eventually Europe and Tokyo, on the 100th anniversary of its first success. Even the queen, a prime target of its satire, saw it and later bestowed upon Bourne an Order of the British Empire.

Yes, next week starts the all male "Swan Lake" and I must say it sounds and looks to be a hit (ok, it's critically acclaimed). Of course it has been playing everywhere for 10 years but this is the first time it is in Boston for one week only.

Importing Testimony

It wasn't enough for the Mass "Family" Institute to pay people to collect signatures for their anti-marriage amendment, they have now brought in people from other countries to "testify" at the Judicial hearing on the amendment. (Gee they don't want US Courts to be influenced by foreign decisions but apparently it's ok for State legislatures to be influenced)

Yes folks, MFI had to bring people from Canada to testify. Of course they bragged about it in their email updates:

Among the panels assembled by Massachusetts Family Institute were two excellent speakers, Louis DeSerres and Dawn Stefanowicz. "With same-sex marriage, we are now taking away the fundamental rights of our most vulnerable citizens, children," DeSerres explained to committee members. He referred to a recently released study in France, and the decision by that country to not only not legalize same-sex marriage, but to also reiterate its prohibitions against adoption and access to medically assisted reproduction for all same-sex couples. DeSerres, a Canadian citizen, said in his country, "adult homosexual rights have increased in weight to the point where they now trump children's rights and best interests."

And I thought they didn't like the French! Of course they discount any of the studies that have gone on in the US but foreign studies that boost their argument is OK!

The woman, Stefanowicz, talked about her experience in Canada as a child. (I'm guessing she's about 40ish?) Which means she was brought up in the 60's. Yeah, I'm sure there are no heterosexual adults who lived "that hippy lifestyle" and raised children like her. Wasn't that the premise of the TV show "Family Ties"? Anyway, Dawn Stefanowicz is the darling of anti-gay movement and has been making the rounds in the US after no one cared about her "story" in Canada.

"My father could not show affection or affirmation to females, making me believe it was better to be a boy," Dawn said in one of the more telling statements in her testimony. This statement goes right to the point that two mothers or two fathers cannot fill the needs that a mother and a father provide to a child. "Children have no voice when they grow up in a homosexual household. Children are unwillingly forced to tolerate their parent's sexual choices and living arrangements," she said.

Was she testifying against marriage or parenting? It sounds like her father might have just been a bad father, I don't think whether he was gay or not had anything to do with his parenting skills. I think the important this about her testimony is that she is an example that gay parents do not make their children gay.

Side Note: Catch Bay Windows today where MFI distances itself from Massachusetts Citizens for Marriage (MCM), Mass News, Article 8 and Massresistance. Even hate can't keep them together.

Questions to Ponder...

Why do the anti-gay groups always shout out that we define ourselves by out sexuality yet they are always labeling us "Homosexual employee" or "Lesbian Activist"? We don't label them as "Ugly homophobic bigots" when we could.

How come supporters of the anti- same sex marriage amendment claim "gay marriage is weakening morals in Massachusetts and could lead to an inevitable loosening of sexual restraints" when pretty much all the crimes being committed against spouses (and in general) are heterosexuals?

• Neil Entwistle, the British guy who killed his wife
• Man pleads not guilty in stabbing death of estranged wife
• Boyfriend pleads guilty to murder
• Couple Faces Murder Charges in Death of Baby
• Boyfriend charged with assault
• Couple Admits Sextuplet Hoax and they're from a Red State too!

Yeah, I'm sure same sex couples marrying made them do it too, I can't wait for the trial!

Why does the Catholic Church in Massachusetts want exemptions from the anti-discrimination statutes in the state and not pay taxes yet wants a say in who should get a civil marriage?

What will the anti-gay Massachusetts "Family" Institute do if this silly amendment gets to the voters and the voters say no? Will they move out of state?

Finally, What did you think of Vito Spatafore's leather outfit? Frankly, I didn't buy it. I picture him more of the piano bar type, discuss...

Kick Them When They're Down!

Agape Press is trying to put the pressure on Ford again since it's past failed attempt at a boycott didn't succeed. They even have a website to target Ford. I guess I'd suggest the "Christians" over at Agape Press should mosey over to the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index to see the other companies who scored 100. That's right, if you're taking pictures with Kodak film you're supporting equality.

Do you use Saran Wrap or Windex? Should you use Pledge? How about Raid to get rid of those nasty bugs? Well, these are just some of products put out by SC Johnson, A family company, who is SO PROUD of earning a 100 on the HRC CEI that it put it on it's website:

" Johnson is pleased with this recognition from the Human Rights Campaign because this honor acknowledges our ongoing efforts to cultivate an inclusive culture," said SC Johnson President and CEO Bill Perez. "This second consecutive 100% score award is a testament to our continued commitment to respecting the individuality of all people."

Is your mortgage at Wells Fargo or do you have an insurance policy with Metlife? How about an Intel chip in your computer or a Motorola phone? Do you shop at Best Buy? Do you wonder "What's in Your Wallet" but have a Capital One credit card anyway. Well, you guessed it, all these companies scored 100 on the CEI.

Of course they are some companies who did not score well and rescinded its domestic partner benefits, Exxon Mobil anyone? But they are clearly in the minority (and there's always another gay station right next to them too).

I just wonder why the American "Family" Association is picking on Ford, but I have an idea. You see Ford recently laid off a lot of workers and is not doing all that great at the moment. I guess if they do go under AFA will take credit for it. Kind of like stabbing a corpse and taking credit for the murder.

AFA needs some kind of success in its boycotts, the 9 year Disney boycott yielded nothing except another 9 years of Gay Days.

?Quien Proximo?

The upcoming hearing on the anti-gay marriage amendment and the recent rally in Boston on illegal immigration brought me back to the Constitutional Conventions in 2004. My friends and I attended each day of the convention. We took time off from work because this issue affects our daily lives unlike the bus loads of senior citizens and non English speaking people that the Mass Family Institute brought it.

The ConCon also came to mind because of all the talk the Right is doing now about the illegal immigrants and how they want them out.

When the State House opened we all rushed up to the gallery to gather. It was very clear who was for the amendment and who was against it. There were very large groups of non English speaking people shouting "One Man/One Woman". How did I know they were non English speaking? Well, I overheard them talking to each other and when I tried to engage them in conversation they couldn't (or wouldn't?) understand. Keep in mind that I wasn't praying over them or yelling at them, I was asking them why they were there.

I could see that someone had organized all these people to come there out for the amendment because they hadn't done it on their own. Which brings me up to the present. It was/is clear that the people who are rallying recently in Boston do have a vested interest in what's going on. Nobody bussed them in with promises of McDonald's or taught them to say "One Man One Woman" in English. However, it appears that the people who brought them in for the anti-gay marriage amendment have now abandoned them on immigration. They now support deporting them back to where they came from. "You did your job now don't let the door hit you in the ass". Who will they bus in for the next ConCon? (Seniors don't forget that gays and lesbians were not responsible for the Medicare fiasco either!)

The eerie part of all this is that at the ConCon I told some of them "You know after us, they will be coming after you." I guess I didn't realize how soon they would be thrown under the bus that brought them in.

See You Next Tuesday?

The Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing on Tuesday, April 11, to discuss the Marriage Amendment. The anti-gay groups are planning to make a demonstration of their support for this anti-family amendment. Here's the info:

Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Time: 10:00 AM

Place: State House - Boston, MA Hearing Room A-1

BIG Gay Expo

There's a big gay expo this weekend at the Bayside Expo and Executive Conference Center. They expect to have over 125 vendors including Marriott Vacations, American Airlines and some cryogenic companies, sounds interesting...along with various different kinds of entertainment. The hours are Sat. 10 to 8 and Sun. 10-6.

If you go be on the look out for those anti-gay voyeurs. They love showing up at gay events with their cameras and snapping pictures of the gay folk. I've heard that it is a fetish!