Re: New York City gays not marching in Discriminatory St. Patrick's Day parade

The Ancient Order of the Hibernians, the sponsor of the New York City
event, have barred Irish LGBT organizations from participating for
approximately 20 years. As reported by Huffington Post, the group
maintained in a court case the parade is a 'private religious
procession.'
---
more religious learning about acceptance and non-judgment

On Mar 19, 10:07 am, Tommy News <tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
> New York City gays not marching in St. Patrick's Day parade
> Largest St. Patrick's Day parade still discriminates against gays and lesbians
> 17 March 2012 | By James Withers
>  Gays and lesbians might be able to marry in the Empire State, but
> they still can't march in the St. Patrick's Day parade.
>
> The Ancient Order of the Hibernians, the sponsor of the New York City
> event, have barred Irish LGBT organizations from participating for
> approximately 20 years. As reported by Huffington Post, the group
> maintained in a court case the parade is a  'private religious
> procession.'
>
> Irish Queers, an advocacy association, will continue its yearly
> protest of the Fifth Avenue celebration. This year, the organization
> plans to focus on the participation of the city's law enforcement.
>
> 'How much does the NYPD [New York City Police Department] support
> religious anti-gay bigots,' the group asked on its website. 'The NYPD
> actively fought to keep Irish queers out of the parade, fought queers'
> right to protest the parade, and now sends thousands of officers to
> march in NYPD contingents. Most recently, when a dozen queer rights
> and immigrant/cultural groups joined forces to tell NYPD Commissioner
> Kelly that police endorsement exacerbates anti-queer violence, and to
> demand that the NYPD pull out of the parade, Commissioner Kelly didn't
> even bother to respond.'
>
> City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an out lesbian and rumored to be
> planning a run for mayor, is boycotting this year's festivities.
> Instead she will attend Mass with her father.
>
> 'It saddens me that I cannot march as an openly gay woman of Irish
> descent alongside my father,'  Quinn said, as reported by the Daily
> News. 'I hope to one day march in this parade with lesbian, gay,
> bisexual and transgender people in a way that allows us to freely
> celebrate our heritage and identity.'
>
> The Ancient Order of the Hibernians points out gays and lesbians can
> march; however, overt displays of sexuality are not allowed.
>
> Richard Conway, writing for The Guardian, questioned this reasoning.
> He also noted in 2010 Ireland's former president, Mary McAleese,
> declined to be New York's parade marshal because of its anti-gay
> policy.
>
> 'To me, this attitude is outmoded, misrepresents modern Ireland, and
> as a Dubliner, is not something I recognize,' Conway wrote.
>
> More:http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/new-york-city-gays-not-marching-st...
>
> --
> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> Have a great day,
> Tommy
>
> --
> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> Have a great day,
> Tommy

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum

* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.

Tyler Clementi and the Dharun Ravi Trial: Why the Verdict Is Just

Tyler Clementi and the Dharun Ravi Trial: Why the Verdict Is Just

-by Michelangelo Signorile

I'm with those who lament the sad reality of young lives ruined in the
aftermath of Tyler Clementi's suicide and the conviction of his
roommate, Dharun Ravi, who spied on Clementi with a webcam. And I
don't want to see Ravi deported, nor getting a ten-year prison term,
the maximum sentence for his crimes.

But the bottom line is that Ravi was offered a plea deal in which he
would have avoided jail time as well as deportation. Instead, he and
his legal team put faith in what they thought was a homophobic
judicial system, one that would slough off hate crimes against gays --
as it had so many times in the past -- and once again validate the
"gay panic" defense, which in this case was dressed up as the "teen
prank" defense.

But it didn't work. The jury did exactly as it was instructed to do,
looking at the law and the 15 counts and returning with a guilty
verdict on all of them. Ravi did spy on Clementi, thereby violating
the invasion of privacy law. He did tamper with the evidence later,
deleting text messages and tweets, knowing what he'd done. And all of
the evidence shows that he did attempt to intimidate Clementi on the
basis of his sexual orientation -- and he succeeded -- which was the
basis of the hate crimes counts.

No jury that thought long and hard about the case could have returned
with any other verdict. It is not the jury's job to think about
sentencing or punishment. It is its job to follow the law.

We've seen too many cases in the past where juries didn't do that,
where they accepted the "gay panic" defense, as well as its cousin,
the "trans panic" defense -- in which defendants get sympathy for
harboring feelings that many in society, presumably including jurors,
also harbor, even if all believe those feelings are wrong.

In the days since the verdict, we've seen claims that it went to0 far
and articles focusing on the debate on hate crimes laws. But I'd like
to ask those who say it was just a "prank" to replace Ravi's
statements and implications about gays with those of other groups.
What if Ravi had told others that he suspected his roommate was a Jew,
and made it clear that he didn't like the idea of having a Jewish
roommate? What if he then spied on his Jewish roommate in an attempt
to embarrass him based on some characteristic or activity connected to
his being Jewish, and then invited others to mock the Jew online?

Ravi was attempting to play into the "ick" factor, sending tweets of
his roommate "making out with a dude." His attorney tried to make this
into an understandable reaction on the part of an 18-year-old today,
claiming "he didn't know how to deal with it because he was a kid."

In other words, kids are expected to be homophobic and freaked out by
affection between two men. The jury, in this day of gay-straight
alliances in high school and over a couple of decades of gay and
lesbian characters all over television, including MTV, didn't buy it.

That's not to say that Ravi should have the book thrown at him. On my
radio program on Friday we were inundated with calls from people
unhappy with me for not believing Ravi should be deported nor get the
maximum ten years. But this is not about vengeance. Though Ravi broke
several laws, he did not cause Clementi's death. Many others who would
be spied on and intimidated would not commit suicide as a result.
Ravi's crimes should be treated independently of Clementi's death.

Ravi came to the U.S. from India as a child, not of his own choosing.
It would be cruel to deport him as a punishment. Nor should he serve
ten years in prison. Those issues are up to the judge in this case as
well as immigration officials and, ultimately, an immigration judge,
and hopefully they will be fair.

But the jury did its job. The system worked. Hate crimes laws are
meant to send a message about bias-motivated crimes -- which are
directed at an entire group, not just at an individual -- to would-be
criminals. But this case perhaps means that these laws should also
send a message to those already charged -- those who know they are
guilty and and are facing a trial: Take the plea and don't put your
faith in the system being homophobic, because that can't be counted on
any longer. Sad as all the facts are in this case, that is progress.

More:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelangelo-signorile/tyler-clementi-dharun-ravi_b_1362562.html

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum

* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.

Re: MUSLIM GIRLS GONE WILD!

learning the American way at the end of a gun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY8y3Xr3k4o&feature=related

On Mar 18, 6:35 pm, Travis <baconl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> **
>            New post on *Bare Naked Islam*
> <http://www.endtimestoday.com/?author=1>  MUSLIM GIRLS GONE
> WILD!<http://barenakedislam.com/2012/03/18/muslim-girls-gone-wild/>by
> barenakedislam <http://www.endtimestoday.com/?author=1>
> This is what happens when you force young girls to dress in black shrouds
> and forbid them from even talking to boys their own age.
>
> http://widgets.vodpod.com/w/video_embed/Video.16242623
>  *barenakedislam <http://www.endtimestoday.com/?author=1>* | March 18, 2012
> at 6:00 pm | Categories: Just the
> Facts<http://www.endtimestoday.com/?cat=44200>| URL:http://wp.me/p276zM-Gbt
>
>   Comment<http://barenakedislam.com/2012/03/18/muslim-girls-gone-wild/#respond>
>    See all comments<http://barenakedislam.com/2012/03/18/muslim-girls-gone-wild/#comments>
>
>   Unsubscribe or change your email settings at Manage
> Subscriptions<https://subscribe.wordpress.com/?key=7f89380f46003915c34c2cdd2b126a38...>.
>
> *Trouble clicking?* Copy and paste this URL into your browser:http://barenakedislam.com/2012/03/18/muslim-girls-gone-wild/

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum

* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.

Re: Scores of Occupy Wall Street protesters Arrested as the Police Clear Zuccotti Park

some people never learn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwbfK9PFWHM&feature=fvwrel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCT5CVdd0z0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU9Dx0x9h4A&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_7rZbVerlI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RdTtGLIs6o&feature=related

On Mar 18, 9:08 am, Tommy News <tommysn...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Scores Arrested as the Police Clear Zuccotti Park
> By COLIN MOYNIHAN
>
> 1:09 a.m. | Updated Scores of Occupy Wall Street protesters were
> arrested on Saturday night as police officers swept Zuccotti Park in
> Lower Manhattan and closed it.
>
> Dozens of demonstrators sat down and locked arms as officers moved in
> about 11:30 p.m. The protesters chanted "we are not afraid" as the
> police began pulling people from the crowd, one by one, and leading
> them out of the park in handcuffs.
>
> The operation occurred after hundreds of people had gathered in the
> financial district to observe the founding of Occupy Wall Street six
> months ago. Earlier, protesters had embarked upon a winding march,
> after which police officers made initial arrests of about a dozen
> people near the park.
>
> By 11:30 p.m., as police officers massed on Broadway, a commander
> announced that the park was closed. Those inside shouted back that the
> park was obliged through an agreement with the city to remain open.
> The commander then announced that anyone who remained inside would be
> arrested and charged with trespassing.
>
> After clearing the park, police officers and private security guards
> began placing a ring of metal barricades on the park's perimeter, as
> those who had been arrested were placed inside a city bus.
>
> At one point, a woman who appeared to be suffering from seizures
> flopped on the ground in handcuffs as bystanders shouted for the
> police to remove the cuffs and provide medical attention. For several
> minutes the woman lay on the ground as onlookers made increasingly
> agonized demands until an ambulance arrived and the woman was placed
> inside.
>
> By 12:20 a.m., a line of officers pushed against some of the remaining
> protesters, forcing them south on Broadway, at times swinging batons
> and shoving people to the ground.
>
> Kobi Skolnick, 30, said that officers pushed him in several directions
> and that as he tried to walk away, he was struck from behind in the
> neck. "One of the police ran and hit me with a baton," he said.
>
> Earlier that afternoon, as protesters gathered under blue skies while
> carrying banners and signs, the day was in some ways reminiscent of
> the first time the Occupy protesters gathered in mid-September. Just
> after 1 p.m., brandishing placards with messages like "Take back
> government from corporations," the crowd left Zuccotti Park headed
> south on Broadway, chanting the now familiar slogan "We are the 99
> percent."
>
> When the first protesters set foot in the financial district six
> months ago, few people imagined what would follow, including a
> two-month encampment in Lower Manhattan, similar camps in cities
> across the country and critiques of corporate greed becoming part of
> the national dialogue.
>
> The movement was mainly quiet during the winter, but organizers said
> they were aiming for a springtime resurgence.
>
> "It's just a reminder that we're here," Brendan Burke said, as the
> crowd marched past the New York Stock Exchange. "It's an opportunity
> to remind Wall Street that we aren't going anywhere."
>
> In several respects, Saturday's march was similar to the inaugural
> one. The crowd was small but spirited and marched past the bronze
> sculpture of a bull at Bowling Green, which had served as a mustering
> spot for the first march. Marchers were accompanied by police officers
> on foot and on scooters who at one point blocked access to Wall
> Street, just as they did on Sept. 17.
>
> And, as they did that day, the marchers made sudden turns that
> appeared to surprise the police and walked along Wall Street for at
> least a brief time.
>
> At one point, several demonstrators stood on the steep steps of
> Federal Hall and chanted "1-2-3-4, I declare class war."
>
> Later, members of the group ignored orders from the police to remain
> on sidewalks and flowed onto parts of Exchange Place and Beaver
> Street. Later, on Broad Street, a deputy inspector turned to a
> sergeant and said, "We got to start collaring some."
>
> For the next 30 minutes or so, things remained calm as marchers stuck
> to the sidewalks and entered Zuccotti Park.
>
> But then, just after 2 p.m., police officers began telling a large
> group of protesters that they could not stand on the sidewalk on a
> stretch of Liberty Street. Officers pushed the crowd until more than
> 100 protesters on the sidewalk were pressed against a wall that
> borders the park.
>
> Then the police began grabbing and arresting people, taking into
> custody at least half a dozen. Officers surged into the crowd,
> dragging protesters toward the street, as people yelled objections.
>
> "They were grabbing people randomly," Zachary Kamel said, adding that
> his girlfriend, Lauren DiGoia, had been arrested while dancing on the
> sidewalk.
>
> One sergeant grabbed a woman wearing a green shirt by the bottom of
> her throat and shoved her head against the hood of a car. A moment
> later, another officer approached and forcefully pressed her head
> against the car before placing her into the back of a police truck.
>
> Over the next few hours, protesters conducted meetings inside Zuccotti
> Park and held a dance party fueled by a saxophone and a battery of
> drums. Sporadic moments of tension also arose.
>
> At one point, the police arrested a handful of protesters on Cedar
> Street near Trinity Place. A few moments later, near Cedar Street and
> Broadway, a police captain pushed a man by the shoulders for almost a
> block, then released him when a crowd loudly demanded to know whether
> the man was under arrest.
>
> The man, Charlie Gonzalez, 31, said that the captain had told him he
> was not permitted to stand on the sidewalk.
>
> About an hour later, the same captain pushed another man several
> hundred feet east down Cedar Street, about a block from Zuccotti Park,
> and briefly detained him.
>
> That man, Yoni Miller, 19, said he was counting officers standing in
> rows near Broadway when the captain forced him to walk around a corner
> onto Cedar Street, then asked him if he was a terrorist or was
> planning any crimes.
>
> Paul Moore, 25, said that he was videotaping the encounter when the
> captain asked him for identification and began pushing him away,
> telling him he was not permitted to document what was happening.
>
> After nightfall, the number of people inside the park swelled to more than 500.
>
> About 10 p.m., some of those in the park began a regimen of running
> and dancing that they called "spring training," which they said was
> meant to prepare for coming demonstrations.
>
> At 10:30, protesters sprung up a green tarp, folded over a piece of
> rope suspended from two trees near the center of Zuccotti Park.
> Security and police officers looked on from the perimeter.
>
> More:http://p.nytimes.com/email/re?location=cdOHbQcFwieSwGnV/swc3pcO+JEZkG...
>
> --
> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> Have a great day,
> Tommy
>
> --
> Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
> Have a great day,
> Tommy

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum

* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.

New York City gays not marching in Discriminatory St. Patrick's Day parade

New York City gays not marching in St. Patrick's Day parade
Largest St. Patrick's Day parade still discriminates against gays and lesbians
17 March 2012 | By James Withers
Gays and lesbians might be able to marry in the Empire State, but
they still can't march in the St. Patrick's Day parade.

The Ancient Order of the Hibernians, the sponsor of the New York City
event, have barred Irish LGBT organizations from participating for
approximately 20 years. As reported by Huffington Post, the group
maintained in a court case the parade is a 'private religious
procession.'

Irish Queers, an advocacy association, will continue its yearly
protest of the Fifth Avenue celebration. This year, the organization
plans to focus on the participation of the city's law enforcement.

'How much does the NYPD [New York City Police Department] support
religious anti-gay bigots,' the group asked on its website. 'The NYPD
actively fought to keep Irish queers out of the parade, fought queers'
right to protest the parade, and now sends thousands of officers to
march in NYPD contingents. Most recently, when a dozen queer rights
and immigrant/cultural groups joined forces to tell NYPD Commissioner
Kelly that police endorsement exacerbates anti-queer violence, and to
demand that the NYPD pull out of the parade, Commissioner Kelly didn't
even bother to respond.'

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, an out lesbian and rumored to be
planning a run for mayor, is boycotting this year's festivities.
Instead she will attend Mass with her father.

'It saddens me that I cannot march as an openly gay woman of Irish
descent alongside my father,' Quinn said, as reported by the Daily
News. 'I hope to one day march in this parade with lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender people in a way that allows us to freely
celebrate our heritage and identity.'

The Ancient Order of the Hibernians points out gays and lesbians can
march; however, overt displays of sexuality are not allowed.

Richard Conway, writing for The Guardian, questioned this reasoning.
He also noted in 2010 Ireland's former president, Mary McAleese,
declined to be New York's parade marshal because of its anti-gay
policy.

'To me, this attitude is outmoded, misrepresents modern Ireland, and
as a Dubliner, is not something I recognize,' Conway wrote.

More:
http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/new-york-city-gays-not-marching-st-patricks-day-parade170312

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy

--
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum

* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.