Conservative Christian Leader Says Single Moms Should Put Their Kids Up For Adoption

Author: Stephen D. Foster Jr. November 27, 2013 3:59 am

In what sounds like a strong suggestion for taking kids away from single moms by force, a ‘Christian’ leader urges them to give their kids up voluntarily. Photo from JuicyEcumenism.Com.

In what seems like a single step away from advocating that we take kids away from their single moms by force, a conservative Christian leader is urging them to give up their children voluntarily.

A conservative Christian leader says single moms should surrender their kids to Christian homes with two parents.

Right Wing Watch reports that Southern Baptist leader Richard Land is calling on single mothers to put up their kids for adoption so that Christian households with two parents can raise them.
In a November 23rd article published on The Christian Post, Land urges single mothers across the nation to stop being selfish and hand their kids over to good Christian parents so they can be raised properly, the way he thinks God intended.

“Keeping the baby is almost never preferable to allowing a baby to be adopted into a solid, faithful Christian home,” Land claims. “A single mother who keeps her baby is quite often denying that baby the father that God wants for that baby, and every baby, to have. Furthermore, in most circumstances, keeping the baby circumscribes and forecloses both the mother’s and the baby’s economic futures in tragic and unfortunate ways. If the mother is doing what is best for her baby (one of the defining marks of maternal love), she will part with her baby so that it will have the future God intended for him or her to have… Adoption allows the mother to give her child both a mother and a father who will love and cherish the child.”

Richard Land calls for a policy that would increase the number of kids in need of adoptive homes by millions.

Land says he understands that there are already 100,000 children waiting to be adopted in the United States, but he still thinks all 11 million single moms in the nation should freely surrender their kids. Why? Because he says the children of single moms are being raised improperly and really should be given the chance to have a father in their lives, even if they have to squander their childhood in orphanages waiting to be adopted.
Apparently, Land has no clue how many children that is. Try about 20 million. That’s how many children would be flooding the adoption system if Land had his way. Earlier in his article, before he completely insulted single moms, Land tried to make the case for adoption instead of abortion. He says that women should always choose adoption rather than seek an abortion. Since an estimated 1.2 million abortions are performed every year, that would be 1.2 million babies that the already overworked and underfunded adoption and child services system would have to deal with each year, in addition to the 20 million Land expects single moms to give up. Can anyone possibly imagine this turning out well?
Unless conservatives are literally willing to order their congressional puppets to open the government wallet and write a gigantic check (Can anyone honestly imagine that happening?), the system would implode upon itself. Millions of children would be stranded. And millions of children would be added to the million-plus children who are now homeless in America. It would create a crisis of epic proportions, with not enough Christian households around to solve it.

Richard Land’s call carves a dangerous path.

The fact is, abortion is a necessary choice that all women should have. Sure, they have ability to choose adoption. But it seems that Land is suggesting forcing that choice upon women. There are already so many children who have no home, why force women to thrust more children into that situation? It’s seriously insane.
Furthermore, after single moms read what Land said, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tarred and feathered him in a public square. As if conservatives haven’t attacked single mothers enough, this guy is openly claiming that they don’t raise their children right and that the only way they can do so is to have a husband. This personally enrages me, because I was raised by a single mother, as are millions of children every single year. Is it hard? Sure it is. But does that mean my single mother wasn’t a fantastic parent who raised me well? Absolutely not.
Land’s call for single moms to willingly surrender their children is a dangerous signal from religious conservatives. You know how conservatives are currently cheering for Russia to forcibly take children away from gay couples? It sounds like conservatives are now one step closer toward forcibly taking children away from single mothers here in America. I’m not sure what conservatives call that, but most sane people would call it kidnapping, which is illegal. Furthermore, Land’s call to for single moms to give up their kids to Christian couples is highly suspicious. Clearly, these Christian fundamentalists would be free to indoctrinate these kids. Basically, Land wants to take kids away from their single moms so they can be brainwashed with hate, fear, prejudice, and ignorance. Again, I’m not sure what Land calls that, but most sane people would call that child abuse.

Conservatives have stopped at nothing to attack single mothers.

This is yet another aspect in the GOP’s war on women. They simply can’t stand single moms, even though it’s a good bet that many right-wingers were raised by them. Despite that, conservatives have stopped at nothing to attack single mothers.
Kansas Republicans are increasing the cost of childcare across the state to fund abstinence-only programs that don’t work. You know who is going to be affected by that the most? Single moms. In Wisconsin, the GOP thinks single moms actually want fatherless children and have compared single motherhood to child abuse. Republicans even blame single moms for the epidemic of gun violence in this country.
But that’s not all. Republican policies such as abstinence-only programs and their anti-contraception crusade lead to more women becoming single moms. Not only that, their policies only make the lives of single mothers harder, thus making it more difficult to care for their children. GOP efforts to eliminate child care services, preschool, food stamps, and equal pay for women have only made things harder for single women.
Here’s a thought. The he-man woman haters within the GOP should get off their collective asses and begin pushing birth control and comprehensive sex education. The number of unintended pregnancies would drop as would the number of abortions. And here’s an even better idea. What if Republicans actually supported and enacted equal pay for women? What if they increased child care services and pre-school at the same time? Those combined efforts would reduce the number of women who become single mothers via unintended pregnancies. And single mothers would have a large enough income and the assistance they need to take care of their kids.

Richard Land’s call is sure to drive more women and their children into the welcoming arms of the Democratic Party.

Conservatives have the gall to wonder why women are voting for Democrats, and yet they attack women on all fronts. Of course, it’s not going to get any better for the GOP considering one of their own just insulted millions of single mothers and the millions of children who are raised by them. On that same note, let’s not forget that young people are increasing voting against the Republican Party. By attacking their moms, the GOP is just giving them another reason to vote Democrat.

Richard Land, and conservative men like him, are sexist assholes.

It’s amazing how conservative men can claim to know so much about child-rearing when they have made it abundantly clear that they expect women to do all the work. Maybe if Republicans advocated for teaching men to be good partners with the women they have a child with, more kids would have a father in their lives. Unfortunately, conservative men like Richard Land are too busy being sexist assholes, and you can’t expect sexist assholes to teach other men not to be one. In short, these anti-women conservative men are totally unfit to raise children and are totally unqualified to judge single mothers and how they raise theirs.

 

 

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/11/27/single-moms-surrender-kids-land/

Leading Republicans Bash Pope Francis, Claim He Doesn’t Know Anything About Christianity

November 27, 2013 By Allen Clifton

 

Following Pope Francis’ encouraging comments in an 85-page document written by the leader of the Catholic Church, it goes without saying that Republicans wouldn’t be very happy.

Nothing quite like having the most recognized religious leader on the planet bash your entire economic ideology.  Especially when your party claims to be based largely on Christian principles.
Well, following these comments, I found some exclusive reactions by several leading conservatives expressing their absolute disdain that Pope Francis might dare to act like a Christian.
First up was Texas Senator Ted Cruz who, as many of you know, was raised by an evangelical minister who’s claimed that communism and evolution go hand in hand — so you know Senator Cruz is a true “religious expert.”
Upon hearing what the Pope wrote, Cruz said:

“He clearly doesn’t understand the true meaning of Christianity.  I’m not sure what kind of socialist upbringing he’s had, but true Christian principles are found in taking from the poor — not giving to them.  How will the poor ever better themselves if we don’t make them work for it, at a very low paying wage?  We can’t continue to let Obamacare corrupt the Pope, which it clearly has.”

Echoing Cruz’s comments, Michele Bachmann also had this to say:

“I don’t know about you guys, but this Pope sounds like a communist who hates America and doesn’t understand the Bible.  This radical liberal talk of accepting people, not judging others and helping the poor must stop.  Talk like that isn’t from any form of Christianity that I’ve ever heard of.”Rush Limbaugh chimed in later in the day, saying:

“Look, I know Pope Francis thinks he knows something about religion, but he obviously doesn’t.  God and religion are tools meant to stir up fear, hate, anger and paranoia within people so they’re easier to manipulate.  And I’ll tell you what, this hopeful demeanor this new Pope has seems very similar to that of President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.  And we all know President Obama is the anti-Christ.  The last thing Americans need is hope.  Pope Francis might need to take a few classes in American Christianity before he offers any more insight because the stuff he’s talking about, the Koch brothers just won’t like.”

Alex Jones was particularly outraged about the Pope’s comments:

“This is clearly a false flag perpetuated by the New World Order to indoctrinate the Catholic religion with actual Christian principles instead of the ignorant, hateful, judgmental system of beliefs they’ve proudly shared for centuries.  I blame the government.  They’ve clearly implanted a microchip into the Pope’s brain and have full control over everything he says and does.”

And finally, Sarah Palin voiced her displeasure with Pope Francis:

“Look, I don’t know what kind of squirrely things this Pope thinks he’s up to, but in America we know Christianity.  We know the great white hope, the American named Jesus Christ blessed all of us good Americans with the power to determine what real Christian values are.  Pope Francis might want to come on up to Alaska and see what real Christianity is.  Because what he seems like to me is some kind of a socialist liberal who hates freedom.  I’m not sure what kind of Jesus he’s been taught about in whatever liberal schools he’s gone to, but here in the good ol’ U.S. Of A. We know about the real Jesus.  I guess Obama’s reach has no bounds as he’s clearly infiltrated the Vatican and convinced Pope Francis to follow his Marxist, fascist, socialist, communist Muslim beliefs.”

All right, I’m sure by now most of you probably figured out these comments aren’t real.  Sorry.  What is real is the fact that we have what may be the most progressive Pope to come along yet — and certainly in any of our lifetimes.
Hell, we’ve already had Sarah Palin say that he seems too “liberal,” but she’d need to “look into it” further.  And that’s just the beginning.
In fact, I received several comments from conservatives pertaining to communism and socialism after the Pope bashed trickle-down economic theories.To have the Pope almost directly call out the very foundation for which the entire Republican economic policy is based is a much bigger deal than most people presently think.  It’s one thing to have liberals say Republican economic policies are a scam, but for the leader of the Catholic Church to say it — well, that’s a whole different ballgame.
How can Republicans counter that?  Do they dare claim that the Pope — the leader of the Catholic Church — knows less about real Christianity than they do?  If they attack the Pope’s message, then they risk alienating millions of Catholic voters.
It’s going to be extremely interesting to see how Republican leaders go forward with comments such as these by Pope Francis gaining worldwide notoriety.  Eventually reporters are going to press a few of these politicians, and they’re going to be forced to answer questions about Pope Francis directly calling out trickle-down economics and saying the facts don’t support the theory.
And I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait to see what they’ll have to say.

Related Posts on Forward Progressives:

• Sarah Palin Implies Pope Francis is Too “Liberal” for Daring to Act Like a…
• Pope Francis Slams Trickle-Down Economics, Calls Out Republican Economic Policy
• Pope Francis May Not Be The Pope We Want, But He’s The Pope We Need
• Pope Francis Spoke — I’m Disappointed, But Not With Him

 

 

http://www.forwardprogressives.com/leading-republicans-bash-pope-francis-claim-he-doesnt-know-anything-about-christianity/

How to Find Out if Any of Your Ancestors Were Famous – or Infamous

Nov 21, 2013

The Internet is an amazing modern tool, creating new ways to shop, entertain, and communicate.  But one of the most profound things the Internet is doing right now is helping people to discover their family histories.

While it may be a cliché to say “We can’t know who we are until we know where we came from,” don’t tell that to the millions of people who have taken to the new online craze for family research. While some Americans are lucky enough to know their family tree going back hundreds of years, most people only know of a few generations before things get murky. However, new online services are changing that for many people.

Why should we care about our family history? For starters, most people who set out to research their roots find the experience interesting, exciting, and hugely rewarding. Chances are, there are many remarkable characters—both heroes and villains—in your family line. And you may even have relatives living close by that you didn't know about.
 
But, best of all, building and maintaining a family tree and understanding our ancestors' experiences can provide meaning and continuity to our lives, while providing something priceless to pass on to the next generation.

So, what’s facilitated this new craze? Billions of historical documents from city, county, state, federal, and military archives have been placed on the Internet where they can be easily searched and downloaded by anyone. And now there are new services that provide ordinary Americans an easy way to research and organize their family histories, as well as share them with their family and friends.

The largest and most comprehensive of these services is called Ancestry.com.

Ancestry.com gives you access to all of the data you need on one, comprehensive site. With more than one billion searchable digital records—and thousands of new ones added daily—it’s a key resource for your family history search.  It shows you where to start your search, how to construct your family tree, and how to get past seemingly dead-ends in your hunt for information.

The service also provides an easy family-tree module so you can build and share your family tree with others. You can also access copies of many original records, such as birth and death certificates, newspaper clippings, and other fascinating public records about your family. These can be downloaded and printed for scrapbooks, or even as replacements of original documents that you may have lost.

Another fun thing you can do using Ancestry.com is look up old newspaper clippings from 50, 100, or even 150 years ago that mention your family members. It gives you access to expert genealogists who can help you if needed, and contains a wealth of articles on special topics such as researching African-American histories, military research, and more.

Ancestry.com offers subscription plans that are considerably lower than other online services offering this type of service—and none of those companies have the same kind of reach. Best of all, Ancestry.com is currently offering new customers a free, 14-day trial. You can begin researching your family tree right away and see the amazing amount of information available through the service—all for free.

Discover your family story. Start your free trial today!

Troubled Yale professor, 34, dies in police custody after domestic dispute with his newlywed husband

By Snejana Farberov
PUBLISHED: 15:46 EST, 27 November 2013 | UPDATED: 17:36 EST, 27 November 2013

Mystery: Samuel See, 34, an assistant professor at Yale University, was found dead inside a jail cell after being arrested in a domestic dispute

A young Yale University professor has died while in police custody over the weekend following a domestic dispute with his estranged husband.
Police said Samuel See, 34, was arrested Saturday night after allegedly attacking officers who responded to reports of a disturbance in his home.
On Sunday, the 34-year-old English professor was found unresponsive in a cell at the Union Avenue Detention Facility and was pronounced dead a short time later.
New Haven police officers responded to See's home just after 5pm Saturday after getting a call from See's sister about a confrontation, NBC Connecticut reported. 
According to detectives, See's estranged husband, 32-year-old Sunder Ganglani, had stopped by the house to pick up his belongings and stayed there for more than two hours in violation of an order of protection.
Mr See asked police to remove his spouse from his residence, to which the officers responded that Ganglani also had an order of protection against him.
At that point, police said the 34-year-old man 'became enraged,' yelling that he should not be arrested because it is his house.
See allegedly put up a fight as the officers were trying to slap handcuffs on him.
As he was being led to the police cruiser waiting outside, See was quoted as screaming at one of the cops: 'I will kill you... I will destroy you.’

Sudden death: The English professor was found unresponsive in a cell at the Union Avenue Detention Facility in New Haven

Before being hauled off to jail, See was taken to a hospital to be treated for a cut above his eye.
At around 9pm, the 34-year-old Yale professor was taken to the Union Avenue facility and charged with violating a protective order, interfering with police and threatening.
The man remained incarcerated overnight, and at 6am the following morning Judicial Marshals found him unresponsive.

  The Marshals and first responders who arrived on the scene gave See CPR and attempted to revive him, but to no avail.  

The chief state medical examiner’s office has yet to determine the cause of death, New Haven Register reported, and police spokesman David Hartman said the investigation into See's untimely passing could take weeks.
The 34-year-old is not believed to have taken his own life. According to New Haven Independent, the young educator had had run-ins with police.

Rocky relationship: See (left) and Sunder Ganglani, 32 (right) got married this past May but had already obtained protective orders against one another

Young intellectuals: See had met his husband in Yale, where Ganglani (pictured) worked as a teaching assistant and artistic producer at The Foundry Theater

See, who obtained his PhD in English from UCLA in 2009, was an assistant professor of English and American studies at Yale focusing on modernist literature. He was on leave from the Ivy League university this semester.
‘The University community is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Samuel See. Our condolences go out to his family, faculty colleagues, and students, and his friends at Yale and elsewhere,’ the administration of Yale said in a statement.
See had met his husband in Yale, where Ganglani worked as a teaching assistant and artistic producer at The Foundry Theater.

Promising career: See, who obtained his PhD from UCLA in 2009, was an assistant professor of English and American studies at Yale focusing on modernist literature

According to Ganglani’s Facebook page, the two men got married this past May.
On Monday, the 32-year-old now-widower posted a message on his page saying, in part, that 'there is nothing that can take love away.'

Catholic League wants Bill Maher's HBO show canceled because Dan Savage said priests molest kids

An unrepentent Savage replies: 'The authorities turn a blind eye… so, yeah, someone has to condemn'

26 November 2013 | By Greg Hernandez

Dan Savage had had enough.
During an appearance on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher last week, he was asked to comment on a Catholic bishop who opposes marriage equality in Hawaii alleging children with same sex parents were at a greater risk of suicide.
'That’s total bullsh*t,' Savage told Maher. 'He’s confusing children with gay parents with children who are raped by Catholic priests. Sorry, I am just done being lectured about children and their safety by Catholic-f*cking bishops, priests, cardinals.'
Savage also had said: 'They don’t have moral high ground when they talk about the welfare and safety of children, they just don’t. They have squandered that on the tips of their d*cks.'
The bluntness of Savage, a columnist and founder of the It Gets Better anti-bullying campaign, has Catholic League President Bill Donohue demanding that HBO cancel Maher's show.
'On Friday night, Maher teed up Dan Savage, another anti-Catholic bigot. What happened was particularly vicious,' Donahue wrote on his Catholic League blog.
Donahue says his organization is sending to every member of Time Warner’s board of directors - the parent company of HBO - a copy of 54 anti-Catholic statements made by Bill Maher on TV.
'The time has come to close this show once and for all.' Donahue wrote. 'The show deserves to be canceled.'
On Twitter, Savage reacted to the criticism: 'Am I supposed to praise them? ... The Church covers up and enables, the Bill Donohues run interference, the authorities turn a blind eye... So, yeah, someone has to condemn.'
Savage also tweeted: 'Funny thing about this ... Is that I was raised Catholic. And so was @billmaher. Also, too, we're in the right.'

Bigots Go Bonkers Over “Kinky Boots” Performance At Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Bigots Go Bonkers Over “Kinky Boots” Performance At Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Video

by Will Kohler

Within seconds of the beginning of a musical number from the Tony Award winning Broadway musical "Kinky Boots" this morning at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade anti-LGBT bigots took to Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media howling like banshee's proving that hate does not take a holiday.

Melissa Dickey Boff Cannot believe that there is a dance skit called "Kinky Boots." I thought this was supposed to be a family event....not appropriate at all. Recording is deleted and not watching this again. Will also shop elsewhere....I've got plenty of other options.

Rebecca Gunder We just changed the channel , not to excited about the drag queen show! Stay classy

Adam Cervas Macy's worst decision ever with your cross dresser show on Thanksgiving, you've completely removed the family part of thanksgiving. Absolutely disgusting, whoever made that decision should be fired.

Shelby Wells Shame on you for putting transvestites in a traditionally family-friendly, wholesome event as the Thanksgiving Day parade. Awful of you to insinuate sexualization of children into this event- evil!

Rebecca Kling Boycotting Macy's immediately. My entire family and I were altogether disgusted. Changed the channel within seconds of the "Kinky Boots" act, before my young children were exposed to the highly sexualized explicit adult material. Disappointed is an understatement. As a business, you know that Word Of Mouth (WOM) communication is a huge part of marketing. You should also know that negative WOM spreads faster than positive. Be assured, I will never say another positive word about your company, but will make sure those who missed out on the debacle of your parade this year are aware of your grand entrance into the push of sexuality onto young children. A public apology is owed. Americans deserve better than this.

And that's only the armature bigots.  Wait until tomorrow when the pro's like Tony Perkins, Bryan Fischer, and One Million Old Biddys Moms show up.

As for them boycotting.  If I were Macy's I wouldn't worry. It's doubtful that any of these knuckle dragging, trailer park dwelling neanderthal bigots shop at Macy's at all  let alone afford it.   But while these transphobic inbred assholes rant on and bash macy's about the inclusion of the musical number lets all drop over to Macy's Facebook page and leave a note of THANKS for making this years parade diverse and for all families.

Will Kohler

The most dangereous snake in the world

 

Owner of alleged Satanic sex abuse daycare released as case against her falls apart

By David Ferguson
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 12:12 EST

Topics: Dan Keller ♦ Fran Keller

 

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The Texas woman who served 21 years in prison for allegedly molesting and abusing children as part of a series of Satanic rituals was released on Tuesday in Austin. The Austin American Statesman reported that Fran Keller, now 63, is being released as key components of the case that put her behind bars have unraveled.
The former Austin daycare owner and her husband Dan Keller were convicted of shocking crimes against three children left in their care, charges that were part of a wave of hysteria that gripped the country in the 1990s that later proved to be mostly groundless. While the Travis County District Attorney’s office stopped short of saying the Kellers are innocent of all charges against them, it did not oppose the couple’s release.
The Kellers’ attorney Keith Hampton said that Dan Keller is set to be released as early as next week.
In 1991, a 3-year-old girl left in the Kellers’ care at the Fran and Dan Day Care Center in Southeast Austin told her parents that Dan Keller had hurt her. At the prompting of a counselor, the little girl spun terrifying stories of ritual abuse that were purportedly corroborated by two other children who attended the preschool.
As the case wore on, the children’s allegations became ever more outlandish, including charges that the Kellers sexually molested them and allowed other adults to do so. The Kellers were accused of forcing the children to watch as they dismembered cats, dogs and another child.
The children even told investigators that they had been flown to Mexico, where they were abused by soldiers, then returned to the daycare in time to be picked up by their parents at the end of the day.
In spite of the far-fetched nature of the charges, the Kellers were found guilty and sentenced to 48 years in prison each. Now it appears that the two child care workers were the victims of an investigation run amok, a fraudulent child psychologist, reckless fact-finding and an overall atmosphere of media hysteria.
Hampton is working for Dan and Fran Keller pro bono, going back over archived court records and testimony to expose the holes in the case. The one piece of physical evidence in the case, he said, has now been proven to have been a medical error.
Dr. Michael Mouw was an Emergency Room doctor in 1991 when the parents of the 3-year-old girl who made the initial accusations brought her in. The doctor believed that he saw fresh tears in the girl’s hymen that were consistent with recent sexual abuse. He was wrong.
At a medical conference years after the Keller trial, Mouw saw a slide of a normal pediatric hymen that looked identical to the one he diagnosed in 1991.
“Sometimes it takes time to figure out what you don’t know,” Mouw said at an August appeal hearing, citing his lack of experience with pediatric sexual abuse. “I was mistaken.”
In the court filing of that appeal, Hampton wrote, “A 21st century court ought to be able to recognize a 20th century witch-hunt and render justice accordingly.”

Human chain against Gaza blockade

November 28, 2013 by occupiedpalestine 0 Comments

[ PIC 28/11/2013 - 11:28 AM ]


GAZA, (PIC)– Dozens of injured and disabled Palestinians have participated Wednesday afternoon in a human chain against Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip.
The human chain stretched along Omar Mukhtar Street in Gaza, where the participants raised Palestinian flag and banners condemning the siege imposed on them and calling for urgent intervention to put an end to the difficult humanitarian situation.
MP Jamal al-Khudari, Chairman of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, stressed during the event that Israeli racist and arbitrary measures will never break Palestinian people’s determination.
He pointed out that the Israeli siege affected all aspects of life in the Gaza strip, stressing the need to pressure the Israeli occupation to end the suffering of hundreds of people.
On the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, we call on international organizations headed by Red Cross and the free people to pressure the occupation to break the siege by allowing entry of medicines, food and fuel to the Gaza Strip.
MP al-Khudari also called on UN institutions to implement all UN resolutions for ending the Israeli occupation of all occupied Palestinian territories.
The Occupied West Bank suffers from the Apartheid wall and settlement escalation, Jerusalem suffers from Judaization, and Palestinians in the territories occupied in 1948 suffer from uprooting and displacement, while the Gaza Strip suffers an oppressive ongoing siege, he said.
For their part, the participants called on the free world to stop the suffering of the besieged strip.

Settlers, rabbis storm Aqsa Mosque

November 28, 2013 by occupiedpalestine 0 Comments

[ PIC 28/11/2013 - 10:27 AM ]


OCCUPIED JERSUALEM, (PIC)– Dozens of Jewish settlers stormed the Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem on Thursday morning under heavy police protection.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli policemen blocked entry of students into the Aqsa to allow free access for the settlers, who entered the holy Islamic site on the occasion of the festival of lights or Hanukkah.
They said that around 120 settlers broke into the Mosque in five groups and toured its various courtyards in the company of rabbis who briefed the settlers on the history of the alleged temple.
The eyewitnesses said that the Israeli police detained students, who study Quran in the Mosque, for protesting the desecration of the Aqsa Mosque.

Israeli minister vows to continue building in occupied Jerusalem, West Bank

Israeli minister vows to continue building in occupied Jerusalem, West Bank

by occupiedpalestine

"Settling" constitutes a warcime according to international law and ICC statute. Even under US' own military legislations' Law resources below this article [ PIC 28/11/2013 - 10:59 AM ] OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Israeli housing and construction minister Uri Ariel has vowed to continue building in occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank with full force. Ariel, […]

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Anti Marriage Equality Lawmaker Returns to Court for Challenge of Hawaiian Same Sex Marriage Law

Anti Marriage Equality Lawmaker Returns to Court for Challenge of Hawaiian Same Sex Marriage Law

Posted by: Lez Get Real on November 27, 2013.

Hawaiian Republican Rep. Bob McDermott has filed a new motion in court looking to invalidate the state’s new law legalizing same sex marriages.
According to The Honolulu Star Advertiser: 

The motion asks Judge Karl Sakamoto to reconsider the significance of Hawaii’s 1998 constitutional amendment; McDermott argues that measure prevents the Legislature from expanding marriage to same-sex couples.
“This is a serious issue, and we have case law and precedent on our side,” McDermott said in a statement today announcing the motion. “We shall fully litigate this through the appeals process.”

In a Nov. 14 decision of McDermott’s earlier suit, Sakamoto refused to issue the temporary restraining order being sought by McDermott and a group of Christians looking to prevent the state from issuing licenses to gay couples. Sakamoto also ruled McDermott and his fellow same-sex marriage opponents had standing to bring the lawsuit. He further said the plain meaning behind the vote for the 1998 constitutional amendment was for the Legislature to reserve marriage to heterosexual couples.
However, Sakamoto held that the 1998 vote did not restrict the Legislature’s separate authority to enact laws that define marriage.
McDermott’s new lawsuit says that the constitutional amendment does restrict that separate authority.
“The court battle is not over,” McDermott wrote on his Facebook page last week. “Please support our effort to protect the 1998 decision of Hawaii’s people in favor of the protection of traditional marriage. Don’t let Gov. Abercrombie rewrite history and the meaning of the constitutional amendment.”
A hearing on McDermott’s latest motion is scheduled for Jan. 13.

Greece looks set to get gay civil unions despite church threats

The Greek Government appears to be ready to honor a European Court of Human Rights ruling that it must open its scheme recognizing the relationships of unmarried heterosexual couples to gay couples, with a bill introduced by one of the government coalition parties

28 November 2013 | By Andrew Potts

Photo by Barcex

Greece appears to be ready to allow same-sex couples the civil unions it already offers heterosexual couples in line with a European Court of Human Rights ruling earlier this month.
The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) party announced it would table legislation to extend the civil unions scheme to gay couples after meeting with the Greek Minister of Justice Charalambos Athanassiou on Tuesday.
However a leading Greek Orthodox bishop has threatened to excommunicate any lawmaker who votes for the measure.
Bishop Seraphim, Metropolitan of Piraeus, posted a statement on his official website, claiming the bill, ‘puts Greece in a position of institutionalizing, in the most gruesome manner, the twist of human ontology and physiology and consolidating the psycho-pathological diversion of homosexuality.’
Bishop Seraphim has sought a meeting of senior Greek Orthodox leaders, writing ‘during these tragic times, we need to address the issue and enforce the necessary measure, like it happened in the Orthodox Church of Moldova.’
Seraphim’s comments appear to be a reference to a threat by Moldovan Orthodox clergy to refuse lawmakers communion until lawmakers amended a anti-discrimination law protecting LGBTIs there.
Seraphim has a history of opposing LGBTI rights and in 2010 he gave a televised interview where he alleged ‘Jewish bankers’ were conspiring to enslave Greece economically and undermine the church in an antisemitic tirade.

Report raises concerns about solitary detention for gay, transgender immigrants

Report raises concerns about solitary detention for gay, transgender immigrants

BY JAYNA OMAYE

MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON -- Many gay, lesbian and transgender immigrants held in U.S. detention centers, who may be vulnerable to abuse by guards and other detainees, are placed in solitary confinement to protect them, but the isolation can cause psychological problems, according to a new report by the left-leaning Center for American Progress.
“Solitary confinement is considered a form of torture,” said Sharita Gruberg, a policy analyst at the center, which released the report Monday addressing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender immigrant abuses in U.S. immigrant detention facilities. “When (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) does this to prevent people from being sexually assaulted, it puts them at risk of other forms of trauma.”
Some LGBT immigrants also face physical, sexual and verbal abuse from detention facility guards while in solitary, which defeats the purpose of isolating vulnerable populations, said Gruberg, who wrote the report.
The report found about 200 reports of sexual, mental and physical abuse involving LGBT detainees by guards and other immigrants at all federal facilities from 2008 to 2013.
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Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2013/11/report-raises-concerns-about-solitary-detention-for-gay-transgender-immigrants.html#storylink=cpy

EU calls on US to rebuild trust over data transfers

Ever increasing amounts of data flow in and out of the EU via fibre-optic cables

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Fears about the extent of US cyber-spying have prompted the European Commission to demand guarantees to protect its citizens.

Brussels and Washington currently recognise the Safe Harbour Principles, designed to ensure US companies respect the fact personal data protection is considered a right in the EU.
But after a series of alleged National Security Agency leaks, the commission says further steps are now needed.
It wants a response by "summer 2014".
"Massive spying on our citizens, companies and leaders is unacceptable," said Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding.
"Citizens on both sides of the Atlantic need to be reassured that their data is protected and companies need to know existing agreements are respected and enforced.
"There is now a window of opportunity to rebuild trust, which we expect our American partners to use."
The move follows the publication of documents leaked by former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, which suggest the agency has worked with UK counterpart GCHQ to obtain data stored in online services' computer servers - what is commonly known as "the cloud".
Digital rights During the past 13 years more than 3,200 companies have signed up to the Safe Harbour Principles, which limit what they can do with data transferred outside the 28-country bloc, how long they can hold it, and restrict to whom they can transfer it.

Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said the US needed to "rebuild trust"

They also gives individuals the right to access personal information about them and ask for it to be corrected or deleted if it is inaccurate.
An example of when the principles apply would be if a European telecoms provider used computer servers operated by an American company, meaning data on its customers might be transferred outside the EU.
It is a voluntary arrangement, but the rules are supposed to be binding on those who agree to them.
The commission said it wanted EU citizens to be given the right to judicial redress if a company broke the rules in the US - something they do not currently have if they are not a resident in the country.
It also wants to be able to fine companies up to 5% of their worldwide turnover for a breach.
2014 deadline In addition it raised concerns that some of the businesses that had self-certified their compliance were not in fact following the rules.
Among the 13 steps the EU wants the US to agree to are that:

• self-certified companies must publicly disclose their privacy policies
• self-certified companies must include the privacy conditions in any contract they sign with subcontractors
• a still-to-be agreed percentage of the companies should be investigated for compliance on a regular basis
• if a company is found to be breaching the rules following a compliant or investigation, it should face a follow-up probe one year later
• companies should alert their customers to the fact that their data might be accessed by overseas authorities including law enforcement agencies

The commission said it would take a decision on whether the Safe Harbour scheme could continue to operate once it had seen the US's response.
But the European Consumer Organisation, an umbrella group representing 41 national bodies, said it thought the recommendations did not go far enough.
"Better enforcement is crucial and we're glad to see that being examined," said the body's director general Monique Goyens.
"But the ability of companies to self-certify as offering Safe Harbour is unjustifiable and remains inexplicably outside the review.
"It is hard to see the purpose of proceeding without tackling such basic flaws and perhaps the time has come to put the Safe Harbour agreement to one side and move on."

Media Feeding Panic Over The So-Called ‘Knockout Game’ That Might Not Even Exist

By Annie-Rose Strasser on November 25, 2013 at 2:15 PM

"Media Feeding Panic Over The So-Called ‘Knockout Game’ That Might Not Even Exist"

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A slew of stories has come out in recent weeks about a dangerous “game” that people, mostly kids, have started playing. It involves the game-player punching someone in the face, unprovoked, with the goal of knocking out their victim. It’s called, say media outlets, “the knockout game.”
There’s just one problem, though: It might not be real.
Panic over the knockout game seems to have grown after a local news report in Jersey City showed young black kids with blurred faces explaining the game. “They just want to see if you have enough strength to knock somebody out,” says one kid in the video. The game was linked with other reports of random violence, particularly a spate of punching incidents in Brooklyn that had been qualified as hate crimes.
But the term was actually used as far back as 2011, in St. Louis, Missouri, after a few incidents — one where a group of kids who called themselves “The Knock Out clan” (TKO), beat up a 51-year-old man. And it’s not the only way to describe this so-called game. It’s also been called “polar bear hunting,” an allusion to the race of the victims — white.
The term “polar bear hunting” actually seems to have originated back in 2010, in Illinois, where a newspaper said of some random attacks there, “Earlier reports indicated a slang term of ‘polar bear hunting’ for these attacks, but police officials say that term is not evident in the recent attacks.” Conservative fringe blogs and racist websites quickly latched onto the term and have been using it since. Most recently, it was used to describe the killing of young white teen Christopher Lane on the conservative site American Thinker:

Sadistic activities such as “Knock-out King,” “Polar Bear Hunting,” “Apple Picking” etc. Are favorite pastimes in urban America. Unfortunately, the destructive tenets of this dysfunctional subculture have now manifested in Duncan, Oklahoma, where Blacks are a mere three-percent of its population.

Conservative sites have similarly caught on to the newest media frenzy over what is now being called the “knockout game.” Often, though, they use the term to reference targeted muggings, not just random violence, lending credence to the idea that it is more a racial characterization than about the type of violent act itself.
The New York Post says it is “on the rise across the country.” But in actuality, there is no data that such random violence is spreading — just a lot of media chatter.
In fact, police are not even certain that these incidents are connected, or that this widespread, trendy game based on knocking out strangers is real at all. A Jersey City police spokesperson told the New York Times, “If there ever was an urban myth, this was it.” And even Ray Kelly, the police commissioner of New York City who is notorious for his Stop & Frisk policy that targets Black and Latino men, said, “We’re trying to determine whether or not this is a real phenomenon.”
Kelly is also worried that bringing attention to the trend isn’t necessarily a good thing. “When you highlight an incident, or a type of criminal activity, some people will simply try to copy,” he said.

November 27th, 1978 – 35 Years Ago Today Harvey Milk Was Assassinated. Light A Candle for Harvey

November 27th, 1978 – 35 Years Ago Today Harvey Milk Was Assassinated. Light A Candle for Harvey

by Will Kohler

35 years ago today Harvey Milk, the greatest gay activist of our time was murdered along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.  The shooter was Supervisor Dan White, a conservative board member who had campaigned on a platform of law and order, civic pride, and "family values"

White, packing a gun and extra bullets, White climbed through a window in City Hall in order to confront Milk and Moscone about his troubled tenure on the Board of Supervisors.  White was angry that Moscone had refused to re-appoint him to his seat on the Board of Supervisors, from which White had just resigned, and that Milk had lobbied heavily against his re-appointment.  After shooting Moscone four times at close range, White reloaded his gun, calmly walked to the other side of the building, and invited Milk into his former office.  Dan White shot Harvey Milk in the arm, the chest, and twice in the head and then fled the building the same way that he had entered.  A few hours after Diane Feinstein, who became  Acting Mayor, and named White as the suspect.  ": "As President of the Board of Supervisors, it's my duty to make this announcement. Both Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed. The suspect is Supervisor Dan White".  A few hours later Dan White turned himself in.

That night an impromptu candlelight march started in the Castro leading to the City Hall steps. Tens of thousands attended. Joan Baez led "Amazing Grace", and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus sang a solemn hymn by Felix Mendelssohn. Upon learning of the assassinations, singer/songwriter Holly Near composed "Singing for Our Lives", also known as "Song for Harvey Milk".

In the last year of his life, Harvey Milk emphasized that gay people should be more visible to help to end the discrimination and violence against them in his final statement during his taped prediction of his assassination, he urged others to do so:

I cannot prevent anyone from getting angry, or mad, or frustrated. I can only hope that they'll turn that anger and frustration and madness into something positive, so that two, three, four, five hundred will step forward, so the gay doctors will come out, the gay lawyers, the gay judges, gay bankers, gay architects ... I hope that every professional gay will say 'enough', come forward and tell everybody, wear a sign, let the world know. Maybe that will help

Tonight on the 35th Anniversary of Harvey Milks assassination another candlelight vigil will be held in San Francisco's Castro.

Write the organizers on Facebook:

Harvey and George were the brightest beacons of hope for San Francisco’s disenfranchised and displaced. But more than that, they represented the spirit of San Francisco, a city for anyone and everyone, welcoming to all, affordable to all, with justice for all. 35 years later, the time has come again for us to gather, one and all, to remember Harvey and George. More importantly, the time has come to make their vision of a city of hope come alive. Now more than ever, we have to give each other hope.

The vigil will begin at Milk Plaza at 7pm followed by a candlelight march down Market Street to City Hall. A performance by the Gay Men's Chorus, various speakers and a recorded message from Harvey Milk will conclude the evening.

But even if you aren't in San Francisco tonight light a candle for Harvey.

Light a candle to remember the great man and what he did for us not only as a gay leader but for the message of equality and courage that his words and actions still motivate and bring forth change today all around the world for our LGBT brothers and sisters who need HOPE.

.

Will Kohler

Commission upholds free movement of people

by

Karafillis Giannoulis

26/11/2013 - 9:57am 

 

 

The European Commission adopted a policy paper to support the free movement of people within the EU.
On 25 November, the Commission published a policy paper to support the efforts of the Member States to enhance the free movement of people within the EU. The paper aims to address concerns in some EU Member States about the implementation of free movement rules on the ground. The Commission sets out five actions to help the appropriate authorities:
(i) Fight marriages of convenience: The Commission will help national authorities implement EU rules which allow them to fight potential abuses of the right to free movement; (ii) Apply EU social security coordination rules: The Commission is working closely with the Member States to establish a test with strict criteria to ensure that citizens who are not working may only have access to social security in another Member State once they have genuinely moved their centre of interest to that State (for example their family is there); (iii) Address social inclusion challenges: The Commission will help Member States further use the European Social Fund to tackle social inclusion; (iv) Promote the exchange of best practices amongst local authorities: The Commission will help local authorities to share knowledge developed across Europe to better address social inclusion challenges; (v) and ensure the application of EU free movement rules on the ground: the Commission will also set up by the end of 2014, in cooperation with Member States, an online training module to help staff in local authorities fully understand and apply free movement rights of EU citizens.
European Commissioner for employment policy, László Andor said about the new policy paper on the free movement of people. ”The Commission recognises that there can be local problems created by a large, sudden influx of people from other EU countries into a particular geographical area. For example, they can put a strain on education, housing and infrastructure. It therefore stands ready to engage with Member States and to help municipal authorities and others use the European Social Fund to its full extent.”
European Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding added. “The right to free movement is a fundamental right and it goes to the heart of EU citizenship…I am aware of the concerns of some Member States regarding potential abuses related to mobility flows…Let's work together on safeguarding the right to free movement. European citizens count on this.”

Author

Karafillis Giannoulis

Hoe kan dat ene gesprek tussen Van Rey en Teeven verdwenen zijn?

Door: Michael Persson − 27/11/13, 08:40

© anp. Staatssecretaris Fred Teeven (Veiligheid en Justitie)

Een telefoongesprek tussen de VVD'ers Jos van Rey en Fred Teeven op 20 september vorig jaar over de burgemeestersbenoeming in Roermond is 'door een technische storing' niet opgenomen. Onbevredigend, vindt Wim van de Pol de verklaring van het OM voor het verdwenen gesprek. Hij schreef een boek over aftappen.

•  

  'Dit klinkt allemaal zeer onwaarschijnlijk.'

  Wim van de Pol, aftapexpert

Aftappen is zo simpel, in Nederland - daarom gebeurt het ook zo vaak. Hoe heeft het dan toch mis kunnen gaan bij het afluisteren van Jos van Rey? Hoe is het mogelijk dat dat ene telefoontje van Fred Teeven niet is opgevangen?

'Of er is gerommeld, of er is iets grondig misgegaan in de tapkamer.' Volgens aftapexpert Wim van de Pol is de verklaring van het Openbaar Ministerie voor het verdwenen gesprek tussen staatssecretaris Fred Teeven en de van corruptie verdachte Jos van Rey onbevredigend. 'Dit klinkt allemaal zeer onwaarschijnlijk.'

Normaal gaat het zo: de politie, op zoek naar aanwijzingen, vraagt aan de rechter-commissaris toestemming om een tap te mogen zetten. Die geeft vervolgens een tapbevel aan de Unit Landelijke Interceptie (ULI) in Driebergen, die de betrokken telefonieprovider een 'werkformulier' geeft met het telefoonnummer of de telefoon in kwestie. Als het formulier voor 15 uur is ingeleverd, kan het afluisteren nog diezelfde dag beginnen.

Vervolgens toetst de provider, KPN bijvoorbeeld, het telefoonnummer in het afluisterprogramma. Vanaf dat moment is elk gesprek van de verdachte een conference call, zegt Van de Pol, die een boek schreef over aftappen. Met een derde lijn die alleen maar meeluistert.

•  

  De relevante gesprekken worden woordelijk uitgeschreven, en van de niet-relevante gesprekken wordt opgeschreven waarom ze niet relevant zijn.

• 
  © anp.
  Oud-Eerste Kamerlid en -wethouder Jos van Rey

Harde schijven
Dat meeluisteren kan live gebeuren of niet, maar de gesprekken - álle gesprekken - gaan hoe dan ook naar de harde schijven van de ULI. Politiemensen in zogeheten tapkamers zijn verplicht alles te beluisteren en uit te schrijven.
De relevante gesprekken worden woordelijk uitgeschreven, en van de niet-relevante gesprekken wordt opgeschreven waarom ze niet relevant zijn.

Niets blijft onopgemerkt, normaal gesproken. Wat kan er gebeurd zijn met het verdwenen gesprek tussen Jos van Rey en Fred Teeven?

De lezing van het OM is dat het gesprek nooit is opgenomen. Er zou een 'storing in een module van het tapsysteem' zijn geweest, waardoor het gesprek als verloren dient te worden beschouwd. Maar het aftapsysteem maakt automatisch melding van storingen: pas op, we nemen nu niets meer op. Daarvan hoort proces-verbaal te worden opgemaakt. Dat laatste is niet gebeurd, erkent het OM, maar geeft daarvoor geen reden.

Van de Pol vindt het 'onwaarschijnlijk' dat één gesprek niet is ontvangen. Daarmee komt een tweede optie in beeld: dat de politie het gesprek heeft gewist.

In theorie is dat mogelijk, zegt Van de Pol, maar ook daarvan zou het systeem melding maken. 'Je kunt niet zomaar een gesprek vernietigen. Dat is mogelijk bewijslast, en het wissen laat dus sporen na. Dat komt automatisch in een proces verbaal.'

Geheimhouders
Er is een derde optie: dat Teeven tot de zogeheten geheimhouders behoort. Nadat er in het vorige decennium ophef was ontstaan over afgetapte gesprekken tussen verdachten en hun advocaten (die mogen niet afgetapt worden), is besloten voor hen een extra beschermingswal in te bouwen in de software: advocaten van verdachten worden automatisch niet afgeluisterd. Het OM geeft de nummers van deze geheimhouders aan de aftappers van de ULI, waarna de gesprekken door het aftapsysteem automatisch worden genegeerd.

Een woordvoerder van het Openbaar Ministerie zegt in een reactie niet genoeg van het systeem te weten om inhoudelijk te kunnen reageren. De ULI geeft geen commentaar.