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Senator Elizabeth Dole Proposes Naming AIDS Bill After Jesse Helms




North Carolina Senator, Republican Elizabeth Dole, offered an amendment to HIV/AIDS Legislation that was on the floor of the U.S. Senate to honor her anti-LGBT and anti-HIV/AIDS predecessor, Republican Jesse Helms, adding the recently deceased bigot's name to the "Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008."

Due to Helms bigotry and action, thousands of people died from HIV/AIDS and this former head of the Red Cross wanted to honor him by this?!

As JoeMyGod so succinctly put it:

"Jesse Helms, the man who in 1987 described AIDS prevention literature as 'so obscene, so revolting, I may throw up.'

"Jesse Helms, the man who in 1988 vigorously opposed the Kennedy-Hatch AIDS research bill, saying, 'There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy.'

"Jesse Helms, the man who in 1995 said (in opposition to refunding the Ryan White Act) that the government should spend less on people with AIDS because they got sick due to their 'deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct.'"

...Many people hold Ronald Reagan responsible for adding to the early AIDS death toll by his inaction on the pandemic, but it was Helms' actions in thwarting early research that inarguably hastened the demise of many thousands of Americans.

Fortunately Dole's lame-brained amendment was defeated and frankly so should she. If you can, give to her opponent, Democrat Kay Hagan.

Dole made Countdown's worst person of the world list.













New Edition of the Observer





Another new edition of The Observer, Tucson and Southern Arizona's LGBT newsweekly is up online at the website.











Attacker in Flagstaff Anti-Gay Assault Charged With Felony





FLAGSTAFF - Equality Arizona commends the Coconino County Attorney’s decision today to charge Travis Reiner with a felony assault in the June 22, 2008, anti-Gay attack on Michel Brown.

If found guilty on the felony assault charge, Reiner could receive an enhanced sentence under Arizona’s hate crime statute. Reiner was one of four men arrested after shouting anti-gay slurs and attacking several people gathered at a street corner during Flagstaff’s Pride in the Pines weekend festivities. The incident involved staff and volunteers of Equality Arizona, the statewide LGBT civil rights organization and resulted in at least two individuals being treated for injuries at a local hospital.

“We are pleased with the sensitivity and professionalism that the Coconino County Attorney’s office and local authorities have demonstrated during this investigation,” said Equality Arizona Executive Director Barbara McCullough-Jones. “We continue to stand with the victims, their families, and the Flagstaff community in seeking justice in this case.











Cheap Gas By Jimmy Petrol





Of the developed nations, the US has the cheapest gas. This is due primarily to the low tax on gasoline, which is about fifty cents per gallon.

Other developed countries tax gasoline heavily, to encourage conservation and for other "good government" reasons.

In relatively undeveloped countries that are also oil producers, the prices are heavily subsidized and kept at a very low point to encourage development and manufacturing. This subsidy comes from oil revenues when sold on the world market.

Here's a sampling of the current gas prices worldwide: (figures as reported by the New York Times this week).

Venezuela $0.25 per gallon, Iran 0.41, Saudi Arabia 0.60, Iraq 1.74, Mexico 2.54, China 2.84, Russia 3.79, United States 4.00, Japan 4.72, India 4.79, Canada 5.09, Spain 7.30, Sweden 8.60, United Kingdom 8.71, France 8.78, Italy 8.85, Germany 8.98, Netherlands 10.05.

For most of the countries that have prices above the US level, the additional cost is generally entirely due to taxes, which range from $0.49 per gallon in the US, $3.37/gal. in Spain to $5.34/gal. in Germany.

For all the countries that have gas selling cheaper than the US, there is no direct tax on the fuel as sold at the pump.

It is hard not to see the parallel between the countries currently in the cross-hairs of the American government and military and countries which are oil producers and have cheap fuel. Of the five cheapest gasoline producers, the United States is at serious odds with four and is at war or going to war with two.

Venezuela has a great deal on gas....odd coincidence that the US and Venezuela are at political odds.

The same goes for Iran; that country would be a great bargain, coming as it does with such cheap and plentiful fuel. Again, just a silly coincidence that the US and Iran are about to go to war.

It is plain that the United States tends to have serious, unresolvable issues with nations that produce gas cheaply. These countries will be annexed militarily in the next few years, as Americans clamor for more gas to fuel grossly inefficient vehicles.

There is a bit of irony in the current and impending war annexations; the fuel that is available in Iraq and Iran for next to nothing is not going to come to Americans. This fuel is headed for Eastern Europe via a brand new pipeline (as reported by The Economist last year) and also to India. India is a rapidly developing nation which depends on oil importation. It is also right next door to our new "territories". The current price at the Indian pump is $4.79, with no taxes added there. Clearly, the Indians will pay more than Americans for the Iraqi oil; the American oil companies who recently "won" contracts to "administer" the Iraqi oil will be sending it to the lucky Indians.

All of this is documented in business journals worldwide. The British weekly, The Economist, is accurate, even as it takes pains to paint the governments of Venezuela, Iran and Mexico as villainous and warranting custodial invasion.

The upshot to all this is simple; the oil wars are on, but the greedy American driver, hopeful and resplendent in his Hummer, Expedition and Suburban is not going to benefit at the pump. American Oil is busy doing business as usual, while the American government is providing the muscle.

Adding insult to injury, the oil will support rapid growth in India and former Eastern Block countries; people and places that are not generally considered to be American sympathizers. While we are browbeat into supporting the troops, the troops are drafted into support of profits for big oil. The United States military no longer serves the needs of the American people; the troops unwittingly support American Oil Company profits. Whether more profit for big American Oil supports freedom is one of those questions posed only to cloud the issue.

The fatuous intellectual practice of over-complicating these issues has been effective in the American political arena; most Americans choose to believe that the Oil Wars are about freedom, not profit. The task of the over-educated talking-heads of media, to obscure the obvious, has been successful.

Meanwhile, all the rest of the developed world uses gasoline more cautiously, taxes it judiciously and looks to the energy future as any country with truly custodial government must.











Lesbian To Blaze Trail Against Arizona Marriage Amendment on Ballot





For Meg Sneed, a 25-year-old Arizona Lesbian, journeys to change a thousand hearts begin with a single thought: There's power in sharing personal stories.

In 2006, she and other young activists in Soulforce, a gay-rights group devoted to the peaceful confrontation practiced by Gandhi and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., traveled eight weeks by bus to evangelical colleges to share what it's like to be gay.

The next year, Sneed, who was fighting cancer, was weak from chemotherapy but walked 60 miles to help raise money for breast cancer research.


Now, with her home state set to vote on banning same-sex couples from marrying, Sneed is back on the move: Starting Aug. 8, she and other young Soulforce activists will walk 96 miles to the state capitol to share touching accounts of how the amendment would hurt real people.

Read the rest of this wonderful column by Deb Price of the Detroit News here.











Chucklenuts Joins The Bee Hive July 18







A protest over Dubya's appearance will be taking place, for more details, click here.











Suzanne Westenhoefer at the Rialto, Aug. 22





TUCSON - Trailblazing comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer will be performing on August 22, 8:00 p.m. at the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress.

Suzanne vaulted onto the national comedy scene in the early 1990's as the first openly Gay comedian and she has been thrilling both mainstream and Gay and Lesbian audiences ever since. Her acclaimed career includes appearances on popular late night television shows as well as performances across the U.S. in popular theatres, clubs, and fundraisers.

Fearless. Bold. Sparkly. Hilarious. That’s Suzanne Westenhoefer in a nutshell. She’s made a career out of telling the truth. And, the truth is, life is funny (and no one is off limits). From her sister’s obsession with “Passion of the Christ” to her girlfriend’s Herculean thighs, Suzanne tells stories that leave audiences in stitches. Suzanne works mostly unscripted, so when she hits the stage it’s an unpredictable, original night of comedy magic.

For tickets or more information, either call (520) 740-1000 or go online to the Rialto Theatre's website.











Around The Old Pueblo For Upcoming Events





On Saturday, August 2, Wingspan will be holding their next in their Community Conversation series, Home Matters: Immigration and LGBT Life. This conversation will take place from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. at Wingspan, 425 E. 7th Street. For more information call (520) 624-1779.

On Saturday, July 26, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m., Senior Pride and Eon will meet in the library at Wingspan, 425 E. 7th St., surrounded by books and words and have some intergenerational poetry fun. This is not a slam, no judges, no competition. It's a chance to share your favorite poems/poets with the Wingspan community and everyone is invited. We'll have two featured readers and then time for open mic. If you want to read (or recite) contact Penelope to get on the list. All ages encouraged to participate. For more information, contact Penelope Starr, (520) 624-1779.

Come join Rainbow Families for two hours of bowling at Lucky Strike Bowl, 4015 E Speedway (just east of Alvernon), July 20, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The cost is $6.49 per bowler and includes two hours of unlimited bowling and shoe rental and everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Peter Lake (520) 245-6659.











Turnabout for Tihan Benefit Show - Sunday, August 24





TUCSON (Observer Update) - "Turnabout for TIHAN" is an annual show put on by Tucson's LGBT clubs and their bar staff. The staff request donations from their friends and customers in order to do a "turn-about" from male to female (or vice versa) and put on a fabulous show to benefit the work of TIHAN, the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network (tihan.org)

The theme for this year's "Turnabout for TIHAN" benefit show is "Stonewall," and you can imagine the glitz, the glamour, and fabulous splendor of it all! It’s one of the biggest drag shows of the year, and takes place on Sunday, August 24 at the Doubletree Hotel at 445 South Alvernon Way. The doors open at 4:30 p.m., and the show starts at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are only $15.00. Admission includes the show and finger food hors d’oeuvres at 4:30 p.m. The evening also features a raffle with some great prizes. Participating bars include: Colors, Howl at the Moon, IBT’s, Woody’s, and Yard Dog Saloon.

For more information on how you can participate in the fun, contact Scott Blades at (520) 299-6647. Tickets are on sale now through the TIHAN office (credit card orders can be taken), or at participating bars.











Straight Talk On Gay Adoption From McSame By Mark R. Kerr





So how does the presumptive Republican nominee for President, Arizona Senator John McCain and his beer baroness wife, Cindy, really feel about Gays and Lesbians, either single or in a committed, loving relationship adopting children from foster homes or orphanages?

In an interview with the New York TimesMcCain said the following

Q: President Bush believes that Gay couples should not be permitted to adopt children. Do you agree with that?

McCain: I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no I don’t believe in Gay adoption.

Q: Even if the alternative is the kid staying in an orphanage, or not having parents.

McCain: I encourage adoption and I encourage the opportunities for people to adopt children I encourage the process being less complicated so they can adopt as quickly as possible. And Cindy and I are proud of being adoptive parents.

Q: But your concern would be that the couple should a traditional couple —

McCain: Yes.

Senator McCain’s position is an extreme one, considering that only one state, Florida, forbids all forms of Gay adoption.

A March 2007 study estimated that 65,000 adopted children are living with a Gay or Lesbian parent, and determined that a national ban on LGBT foster care could cost anywhere from $87 million to $130 million.

After the interview and the subsequent fall out, the campaign has now issued a statement clarifying his position. "McCain could have been clearer in the interview in stating that his position on Gay adoption is that it is a state issue," said communications director Jill Hazelbaker, later adding that "McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative."











Bush Bee Gone Protest, July 18





Chucklenuts himself, George W. Bush will be in Tucson for a fund raiser for current state Senate President and Republican CD-8 candidate, Tim "Gay Marriage" Bee, Friday, July 18.

At 7:00 a.m.., people will gather at the intersection of Ina and Oracle, which is along the route the head of the Bush Crime Family will travel to the palatial foothills to join those writing checks for Bee.

Come send a message to Bush and Bee that we tired of their failed policies here in Arizona! A sign making party at the Pima Democratic Party Headquarters on Thursday July 17th, at 6:00 p.m. 4639 E 1st St. (1 block south of speedway, west at Swan), (520) 326-3716











Replace Anti-LGBT Arizona Legislators

Every year, Equality Arizona supports legislation that would strengthen families and guarantee equal protection under the law. Every year, legislative leaders refuse to bring these common sense bills up for a vote. Every year, legislative leaders ignore the majority of Arizonans, who overwhelming support our public policy priorities, by failing to give our pro-equality bills an up-and-down vote.

Most Arizonans support:

• Prohibiting employers, landlords, and business owners from discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations.
  
• Keeping our children safe in schools by protecting them from bias-motivated bullying, harassment and intimidation.
  
• Granting gay and lesbian couples domestic partnership rights, including the right to visit each other in the hospital and make emergency medical decisions for each other, and jointly adopt children.
  
• Prohibiting insurance companies from denying healthcare to transgender people just because they are transgender
  
• Protecting LGBT youth in foster care from unfair treatment.
  
• Adding gender identity or expression to existing hate crimes statute.

This year, we will hold legislators accountable. This year, you will help unseat out of touch legislators and replace them with pro-equality leaders. We must change the faces in the Legislature if we are ever going to secure equality in this state.

Please join Equality Arizona and our progressive partners as we kickoff this year's campaign season with America Votes. For months, we've been meeting with our partners to develop a statewide campaign plan to take back the Legislature.

Please attend one of the America Votes Arizona Campaign Kick Off Events and help us take back the Arizona House of Representatives.

America Votes - Arizona Campaign Kick Off

Phoenix: July 15th
Tucson: July 16th

3:30 Kickoff Rally

Phoenix:
IBEW Local Union 640
5808 N 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014

Tucson:
IBEW Local Union 570
750 S Tucson Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85716

5:00 Coordinated Voter Canvass
Phoenix - Legislative District 10
Tucson – Legislative District 26

Remember to bring a clipboard

7:30 After the Canvass
Phoenix – hop five miles south – Meet for Drinks at Rosie's
Rosie McCaffrey's
906 E Camelback Road
Phoenix, AZ 85014

Tucson – Drinks and Appetizers – Bar Location TBA

---

The Straight Talk Express Rolls On Over G/L Parents





From The New York Times

Mr. McCain, who with his wife, Cindy, has an adopted daughter, said flatly that he opposed allowing Gay couples to adopt. “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don’t believe in Gay adoption,” he said.

Asked if he considered himself an evangelical Christian, Mr. McCain responded, “I consider myself a Christian.”

Praise the Lord and pass the hypocrisy!











Dr. Anne Bradford Stericker At Dezert Partnerz, July 20





TUCSON (Observer Update) - The July meeting. Sunday, July 20, 2 - 4:00 p.m. at Wingspan, 425 E. 7th, of the Dezert Partnerz group will feature a presentation by Dr. Anne Bradford Stericker, a Tucson therapist who has provided support and counseling to the Transgender community for over twenty years.

Dr. Stericker is the principal mental health specialist dealing with Transgender issues in Tucson. She will be prepared to talk about some common challenges couples face, what helps couples survive the upheaval of a transition, and sexual challenges for couples with a Transgender partner.

Dezert Partnerz is a SAGA support group for people who share their lives with Trans people. It meets every Sunday afternoon from 2 - 4:00 p.m. Meetings are also be open to friends, allies, and parents of Trans people. For more information, go online to http://www.wingspan.org/content/SAGA.php or E-mail: sharon@sagatucson.org.











Around The Old Pueblo





Come join Rainbow Families for two hours of bowling at Lucky Strike Bowl, 4015 E Speedway (just east of Alvernon), Sunday, July 20, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. at Lucky Strike Bowl, 4015 E. Speedway. The cost is $6.49 per bowler and includes two hours of unlimited bowling and shoe rental. For more information, call Peter Lake (520) 245-6659, lakepet@hotmail.com.

If you have always wanted to know more about using a computer and your friends are bugging you to wade into the cyberworld, this is a perfect opportunity, starting Saturday, July 12, 10:00 a.m. to noon at Wingspan, 425 E. 7th St. You'll learn from the proven OASIS model in the company of other LGBT seniors in Wingspan's computer lab. Classes are being taught by the talented and knowledgeable Wingspan volunteer, Rick. This is a 4-week class that includes Getting Acquainted with the Computer and Exploring the Internet. Space is limited so contact Penelope to reserve a place for you. For more information contact Penelope Starr, (520) 624-1779 ext. 122, pstarr@wingspan.org.

P/T General Manager position open in Desert Voices Chorus who has been lifting Tucson spirits for 20 years and in need a GM for fund development and marketing projects. The salary range is $10K to $12K per year, but the opportunity for growth is contingent upon your skill and abilities! Desert Voices require some experience, and a lot of heart. Come join the Desert Voices family, and make music happen! Some experience required. Resumes are being accepted at DesertVoices.org or P.O. Box 270, Tucson, AZ 85702-0270, and are due by July 15. AA/EOE











So This Is How Gays and Lesbians Will Be Treated With A President McCain?





Pictured here is Alabama Attorney General, Republican Troy King, who is known for extremist views on religion and who has frequently made homophobic statements, including calling Gays the “downfall of society,” is the subject of rumors that his wife recently discovered him having sex with another man.

King was part of the Alabama Team Leadership Page for the McCain Presidential Campaign, until he was "scrubbed" from the site just like former Florida Republican state Representative Bob Allen but digressing.

As Pam Spaulding from Pam's House Blend blog put it "Republican Sexual Hypocrisy looks to be another fruitful area for interesting reporting in 2008, so I guess McSame wants to take the proactive path and 'convict' the highly anti-Gay King, who is rumored to have been booted by his wife for engaging in homo-sex with a male staffer. There has been no confirmed admission by King; the Attorney General's office denied the rumors of the affair and said King had no plans to resign."

For more information, go online here, here and of course, here which leaves one wondering WWLD?











ACLU Sues Over Unconstitutional Dragnet Wiretapping Law





The American Civil Liberties Union filed a landmark lawsuit today to stop the government from conducting surveillance under a new wiretapping law that gives the Bush administration virtually unchecked power to intercept Americans' international e-mails and telephone calls. The case was filed on behalf of a broad coalition of attorneys and human rights, labor, legal and media organizations whose ability to perform their work - which relies on confidential communications - will be greatly compromised by the new law.

The FISA Amendments Act of 2008, passed by Congress on Wednesday and signed by President Bush today, not only legalizes the secret warrantless surveillance program the president approved in late 2001, it gives the government new spying powers, including the power to conduct dragnet surveillance of Americans' international communications.

"Spying on Americans without warrants or judicial approval is an abuse of government power - and that's exactly what this law allows. The ACLU will not sit by and let this evisceration of the Fourth Amendment go unchallenged," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "Electronic surveillance must be conducted in a constitutional manner that affords the greatest possible protection for individual privacy and free speech rights. The new wiretapping law fails to provide fundamental safeguards that the Constitution unambiguously requires."

In today's legal challenge, the ACLU argues that the new spying law violates Americans' rights to free speech and privacy under the First and Fourth Amendments to the Constitution. The new law permits the government to conduct intrusive surveillance without ever telling a court who it intends to spy on, what phone lines and email addresses it intends to monitor, where its surveillance targets are located, why it's conducting the surveillance or whether it suspects any party to the communication of wrongdoing.

Plaintiffs in today's case are:

• The Nation and its contributing journalists Naomi Klein and Chris Hedges
• Amnesty International USA, Global Rights, Global Fund for Women, Human Rights Watch, PEN American Center, Service Employees International Union, Washington Office on Latin America, and the International Criminal Defence Attorneys Association
• Defense attorneys Dan Arshack, David Nevin, Scott McKay and Sylvia Royce

"As a journalist, my job requires communication with people in all parts of the world - from Iraq to Argentina. If the U.S. government is given unchecked surveillance power to monitor reporters' confidential sources, my ability to do this work will be seriously compromised," said Naomi Klein, an award-winning columnist and best-selling author who is a plaintiff in today's lawsuit. "I cannot in good conscience accept that my conversations with people who live outside the U.S. will put them in harm's way as a result of overzealous government spying. Privacy in my communications is not simply an expectation, it's a right."

The ACLU's legal challenge, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York today, seeks a court order declaring that the new law is unconstitutional and ordering its immediate and permanent halt.

In a separate filing, the ACLU asked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to ensure that any proceedings relating to the scope, meaning or constitutionality of the new law be open to the public to the extent possible. The ACLU also asked the secret court to allow it to file a brief and participate in oral arguments, to order the government to file a public version of its briefs addressing the law's constitutionality, and to publish any judicial decision that is ultimately issued.

"The new law allows the mass acquisition of Americans' international e-mails and telephone calls," said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. "The administration has argued that the law is necessary to address the threat of terrorism, but the truth is that the law sweeps much more broadly and implicates all kinds of communications that have nothing to do with terrorism or criminal activity of any kind."

In 2006, the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA) to stop its illegal, warrantless spying program. A federal district court sided with the ACLU, ruling that warrantless wiretapping by the NSA violated Americans' rights to free speech and privacy under the First and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution, ran counter to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and violated the principle of separation of powers. The Bush administration appealed the ruling, and an appeals court panel dismissed the case. However, the court did not uphold the legality of the government's warrantless surveillance activity and the only judge to discuss the merits of the case clearly and unequivocally declared that the warrantless spying was unlawful. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case earlier this year.

"A democratic system depends on the rule of law, and not even the president or Congress can authorize a law that violates core constitutional principles," said Christopher Dunn, Associate Legal Director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. "The only thing compromised in this so-called 'compromise' law is the Constitution."

Attorneys on the lawsuit Amnesty v. McConnell are Jaffer, Melissa Goodman and L. Danielle Tully of the ACLU National Security Project and Dunn and Arthur Eisenberg of the NYCLU. Attorneys on the motion filed with the FISC are Jaffer, Goodman, Tully, as well as Arthur Spitzer of the ACLU of the National Capital Area.

More information, including today's complaint, a video discussing the ACLU's legal challenge, plaintiff statements in support of the lawsuit and the FISC motion, is available at: http://www.aclu.org/safefree/nsaspying/faachallenge.html











A Question: By Mark R. Kerr









When did current Arizona Senate President, the 16th vote for the marriage amendment on the November general election ballot for Arizona and current Republican candidate for Congress in Congressional District 8, grow eyebrows?











TWO Kicks-Off Drive To Keep James Dobson Out Of The Radio Hall of Fame





TruthWinsOut.org (TWO) launched a campaign today to keep Focus on the Family founder James Dobson out of the Radio Hall of Fame. The Museum of Broadcast Communications nominated the anti-gay leader even though Dobson has been accused of distorting research and smearing gay and lesbian people for political gain. For example, Dobson told The Daily Oklahoman on Oct. 23, 2004, “Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It will destroy marriage. It will destroy the Earth.”

“It is outrageous and insulting that James Dobson would be nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “We believe that character counts and nominees should have careers based on honesty and integrity - not discrimination, distorting research and outright lying.”

“Incredibly, the Museum of Broadcast Communications has also nominated Dr. Laura Schlessinger to its Radio Hall of Fame and Rush Limbaugh was inducted in 1993. The pattern is clear.”

To fight back against this offensive decision, TWO strongly urges fair-minded people to take three actions. First, sign TWO’s formal request to have James Dobson removed from consideration. Second, contact Museum of Broadcast Communications CEO Bruce DuMont directly, brucedumont@museum.tv, to express your displeasure. Third, as an option, vote for nominees other than James Dobson or Laura Schlessinger (the general public may vote, and the other nominees are Bob Costas and Howard Stern). It is urgent to act now, as voting comes to a close on July 15.

In the past two years, at least seven researchers have accused Dobson of manipulating or cherry picking their results to back his anti-gay teachings. Letters and videos documenting the concerns of these respected professors can be viewed at TruthWinsOut.org.

Dobson also profits from intolerance. He founded a ministry, Love Won Out, that promises to “cure” homosexuals - even though the so-called “ex-gay” leader of Love Won Out, John Paulk, was photographed in a gay bar. Dobson also continues to promote dishonest psychological theories about gay people that are rejected by every respected medical and mental health association in America, including the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.

TruthWinsOut.org is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the “ex-gay” myth and educates America about gay life. For more information,visit the Truth Wins Out website

Even More Bee Droppings: By Mark R. Kerr





For those in the Arizona Congressional District 8 television market, current Arizona Senate President and Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Tim Bee has started running ads for his campaign touting character, commitment and leadership.

In an interview published in today's (July 10) Arizona Daily Star Bee would not tell how he would vote on the measure on the upcoming November general election ballot that would enact a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as "a union between one man and one woman."

This is the state Senator who was the prime sponsor of the original bill introduced during this session of the Arizona Legislature, who allowed it to proceed through the process, decrying when the measure was changed in the Arizona House, and then approved the amending of another bill, dumping Vietnam Veterans (for whom one of his big endorsers Senator John McCain fought in) to engage in some political Gay and Lesbian bashing, being the sixteenth vote to put the measure on the ballot in this election year!

During this "interview" Bee blather's about the nasty tactics of the Center for Arizona Policy who were the "proponents" of this proposed state constitutional amendment this time since they couldn't get their measure, known as Proposition 107 approved in 2006 because the Arizona voters saw the political sham it was!

So then what was the point of this Tim? To gain political traction, votes and contributions for your ill-fated bid for the U.S. House, latching on to a "wedge" issue for your gain. To quote one of your big endorsers yet again, "that's not leadership we can believe in!"

For the record, in the same interview, current Member of Congress for Arizona Congressional District 8, Democrat Gabrielle Giffords expressed her opposition to any proposed such federal or state constitutional amendment on the subject.

During the interview, Tim Bee said that former Arizona Gay Republican Congressman, Jim Kolbe, who had announced his intentions to not publicly campaign for Bee will still be advising him on policy issues. To the Log Cabinites a question, "Shouldn't it be people and their rights over politics and economic gain?"











A Morning Fish Slapping Dance

















Become A Strange Bedfellow

What Is The AccountabilityNowPAC?

The AccountabilityNowPAC was originally formed by our leftist Strangebedfellow members as a fundraising vehicle to block a Congressional leadership “compromise” on the corrupt FISA reauthorization bill now pending in the Senate. Over $300,000 has already been raised by the PAC, but we can do so much better than that! The goal of AccountabilityNowPAC is to become a permanent entity on the Washington DC political landscape which will let our politicians know that civil liberties MATTER. Our message to politicians in Washington is loud and clear: uphold constitutional rights and we will support you; abridge freedom in America and we will not be on your side. Democrat or Republican—it makes no difference to us. Our standard will be the same for all, so let’s end the surveillance insanity and take our country back. It starts right here—with AccountabilityNowPAC. This is our vehicle to enforce the sworn oath our political leaders take to preserve and defend the constitution. Make our politicians live up to their core pledge and promise. Make them ACCOUNTABLE—NOW.

Questions? Contact us at info@accountabilitynowpac.com











ACLU Announces Legal Challenge To FISA Following President’s Signature





WASHINGTON – In a blatant assault upon civil liberties and the right to privacy, the Senate passed an unconstitutional domestic spying bill that violates the Fourth Amendment and eliminates any meaningful role for judicial oversight of government surveillance. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 was approved by a vote of 69 to 28 and is expected to be signed into law by President Bush shortly. This bill essentially legalizes the president’s unlawful warrantless wiretapping program revealed in December 2005 by the New York Times.

“Once again, Congress blinked and succumbed to the president’s fear-mongering. With today’s vote, the government has been given a green light to expand its power to spy on Americans and run roughshod over the Constitution,” said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union. “This legislation will give the government unfettered and unchecked access to innocent Americans’ international communications without a warrant. This is not only unconstitutional, but absolutely un-American.”

The FISA Amendments Act nearly eviscerates oversight of government surveillance by allowing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to review only general procedures for spying rather than individual warrants. The FISC will not be told any specifics about who will actually be wiretapped, thereby undercutting any meaningful role for the court and violating the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable search and seizure.

The bill further trivializes court review by authorizing the government to continue a surveillance program even after the government’s general spying procedures are found insufficient or unconstitutional by the FISC. The government has the authority to wiretap through the entire appeals process, and then keep and use whatever information was gathered in the meantime. A provision touted as a major “concession” by proponents of the bill calls for investigations by the inspectors general of four agencies overseeing spying activities. But members of Congress who do not sit on the Judiciary or Intelligence committees will not be guaranteed access to the agencies’ reports.

The bill essentially grants absolute retroactive immunity to telecommunication companies that facilitated the president’s warrantless wiretapping program over the last seven years by ensuring the dismissal of court cases pending against those companies. The test for the companies’ right to immunity is not whether the government certifications they acted on were actually legal – only whether they were issued. Because it is public knowledge that certifications were issued, all of the pending cases will be summarily dismissed. This means Americans may never learn the truth about what the companies and the government did with our private communications.

“With one vote, Congress has strengthened the executive branch, weakened the judiciary and rendered itself irrelevant,” said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “This bill – soon to be law – is a constitutional nightmare. Americans should know that if this legislation is enacted and upheld, what they say on international phone calls or emails is no longer private. The government can listen in without having a specific reason to do so. Our rights as Americans have been curtailed and our privacy can no longer be assumed.”

In advance of the president’s signature, the ACLU announced its plan to challenge the new law in court.

“This fight is not over. We intend to challenge this bill as soon as President Bush signs it into law,” said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU National Security Project. “The bill allows the warrantless and dragnet surveillance of Americans’ international telephone and email communications. It plainly violates the Fourth Amendment.”

For more information, go to: www.aclu.org/fisa.











Protect Arizona's Constitution - By Equality Arizona





Arizona Constitution: Article II. Declaration of Rights

2. Political power; purpose of government

Section 2. All political power is inherent in the people, and governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, and are established to protect and maintain individual rights.

Click here for a copy of Arizona's Constitution.



Click here to help flip and gain the Arizona House and Senate.











Action Alert: Volume One - By Mark R. Kerr





During her weekly press conference, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, publicly expressed her opposition she opposes amending the Arizona Constitution to ban Gay and Lesbian marriage and called the November vote on the issue unnecessary. Governor Napolitano called the proposal a "prophylactic" constitutional amendment, one that isn't needed because courts have upheld a state law that bans same sex marriage.

Former Arizona Gay Republican Congressman, Jim Kolbe of Tucson, announced his renunciation of his open support for current state Senate President and candidate for the Republican nomination for Congress for Kolbe’s old seat, Tim Bee. According to the Sierra Vista Herald who initially broke the story and subsequent follow-ups by other news outlets, Kolbe would not give the reason why for the break with Bee’s campaign as honorary chair, holding a fund raiser for Bee in Washington D.C.

One can surmise that is was because of Bee being the 16th vote to getting a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as "a union between one man and one woman" on the November general election ballot despite current state law and court precedent but Kolbe won’t say why his renunciation, something that isn’t new for Kolbe, who won’t renounce his vote for the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996 - despite the recent admission that it was wrong, by the drafter of the bill, former Republican Congressman and current Libertarian Presidential candidate, Bob Barr.

When it comes to issues of concern to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) and HIV/AIDS communities, it is imperative to ensure that our collective voice plays a role in government and that we are “heard,” and with the upcoming elections, there is a lot of work to be accomplished between now and November.

As of press time, it will be less than a month before the deadline (August 4) to be registered for the September 2 primary election as well as early voting (July 31) commences and the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities must take part in these important elections to ensure that “our voice” does not go silent. In the next few issues, this column will cover the races of note.

For Congress in Southern Arizona, it is a “political no-brainer,” since the community is lucky to have such good, honorable public servants, U.S. Representatives Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords serving in the U.S. House. Neither faces a primary opponent but will have a general election campaign to run against their Republican challengers. Call (520) 629-0050 or go online to grijalvaforcongress.com or for Gabrielle Giffords, (520) 512-0012 or online at giffordsforcongress.com

In the Republican controlled Arizona Legislature, recently adjourned after their fourth longest session ever (166 days) passing a craptacular budget and approving legislation dealing with horsetripping, botox injections, guns in the class room and putting a proposed state constitutional amendment defining marriage as a “union between a man and a woman” on the November general election ballot, it is imperative to select people who will serve the interests of the people, not the interests of lobbyists and groups such as the homophobic, Center for Arizona Policy.

Of the primary contests in the Legislative Districts (LD), there are two of note that the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities can play a pivotal part, the Democratic contests for the (LD) 27 House and the (LD) 29 House. In Southern Arizona, there some districts that will have primary contests for the Republican nominations for the House and Senate but when can the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities expect anything from them, when they support measures to create “wedge issues” out of people, based on their gender, race, national origin and sexual orientation, perceived or otherwise.

In LD 27, House Democratic leader, state Representative Phil Lopes and state Representative Olivia Cajero-Bedford, two strong friends to the LGBT community are being challenged by former state Representative and now perennial candidate, John Kromko. It’s time for the community to step up and help Phil and Olivia out in this campaign. To reach Phil Lopes’ campaign, E-mail the campaign at lopesphil@gmail.com or call (520) 743-9258 and call (520) 623-1992, or E-mail: ocajerob@yahoo.com Olivia’s campaign.

With the retirement of state Senator Victor Soltero and the unopposed ascension by current state Representative and LGBT ally, Linda Lopez to the state’s upper chamber, a donnybrook has erupted to see who will succeed Lopez in the House. This contest could have unintended, negative consequences for the LGBT community if current state Representative Tom Prezelski is left out of the voting come September 2.

Prezelski has been active and ardent supporter of the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities through his past actions, amendments, legislation and statements made on behalf during the legislative session and especially this most recent marathon that took place at 1700 West Washington. He has been there when we needed him and its time to return that favor by helping his campaign out and for more information, either call Tom at (520) 349-9045 or E-mail him at fusilero@aol.com.