Current Events

King Kong – Retro Style

Stephanie and I are going to see King Kong (the classic 1933 Fay Wray/Empire State building version, not the 1970s Jessica Lange/Twin Towers/so bad it’s funny version) on the terrace at the Indianapolis Museum of Art this Friday evening. I’m taking advantage of my summer hours program to go early and stake out a spot, complete with a good book and a picnic basket. Y’all are welcome to join us if you’d like. We’ll save some space on the blanket if you let me know ahead of time that you’ll be there. You have to go see the big monkey! Who doesn’t love giant monkeys? Besides, you should see the original before the Peter Jackson movie comes out.

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Homophobia in the News

Gay teenager forced by parents to go into a “sexual re-orientation” camp to “cure” him of his homosexuality. Nevermind that all licensed, legitimate psychological and psychiatric professionals say it isn’t possible to change sexual orientation because it isn’t a disease.
Read Salon’s four part expose on these “ex-gay” camps.
The New York Pizza Depot in Ann Arbor, Michigan is undergoing a boycott by a catholic group for displaying an rainbow flag sticker — a symbol of tolerance of diversity — in the window of their store. “I find the rainbow flag offensive because it is a symbol of the homosexual movement that, in my opinion, indicates a validation of the homosexual lifestyle, as opposed to a sign that indicates ‘openness’ to customers who are of the homosexual orientation” — said one of the boycotters.
In Washington, D.C., Rev. Willie Wilson, pastor of Union Temple Baptist Church, has been demonizing gay and lesbian people in his church sermons. “Sisters making more money than brothers and it’s creating problems in families… that’s one of the reasons many of our women are becoming lesbians” Wilson said.

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Editor and Publisher’s take on Rove Scandal

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Reporter Malpractice, Texas Hold-em & the Plame Game. Exactly. That’s what I was trying to write, except that I couldn’t sort out my thoughts on it adequately.

When Bob Whitehouse dropped Plame’s identity on Miller, he immediately breached his contract with her. An agreement of confidentiality binds both parties, not just the reporter. When the source swears the journalist to secrecy, he/she incurs an obligation to behave ethically, as well. A reporter’s good faith oath isn’t a license of indenture, and it may not be played in bad faith to place a reporter in undue jeopardy. If Whitehouse breaks that trust, the reporter is no longer under any obligation whatsoever to protect his name.
Miller needed to step back and say “thanks Bob, but no thanks — you’re the story now.” Reporters are obligated to the truth, and allowing themselves to be pimped by those who would use them as tools against the truth is a crime against the profession and the society it serves. Protecting that which you are bound to expose is malpractice.

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Indy Star’s InTouch “Blogs” Censorship

I recently posted a comment to an “blog” post on the Indy Star’s INTouch page, and they have refused to post the comment to the entry in question. Here’s the entry by Kevin Bain, regarding “attacking” Christians.
Unfortunately, I didn’t save a personal copy of my comments, but I promise, I was very tame. I basically pointed out that what he’s calling a “straw man” isn’t one at all, since there are actual Christians, like Eric Miller and Micah Clark who accurately fit his three point definition listed in the first paragraph.
I also pointed out that his “working definition” of Christianity is terrifying to those of us who aren’t Christians, because it indicated that he feels his religion should have dominion over “pretenders” like goverment, and by implication, over me. That doesn’t leave much room for my religion, does it?
They claim that they only moderate comments to prevent spamming, but my comment didn’t make it to the article. Since my comment didn’t clear inspection, feel free to post yourself if you get a chance.
Interestingly enough, the don’t seem to censor wildly reactionary right wing comments posted to some of the blog entries.

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London bombing the result of Bush Admin info leak

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Two years ago, a man named Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan was captured by Pakistani authorities. He was an Al Qaeda operative responsible for planning an attack on the London Underground and other attacks. On his laptop, which was recovered by intelligence officials, he had information about the plans, and about Al Qaeda operatives in London. The intelligence officials got him to agree to send info to his fellow terrorists so they could be captured, but before he could do so, Tom Ridge leaked his name to the media to justify their raising the terror alert level. Kahn’s fellow operatives were able to evade capture due to the leak. They are now suspected of being some of the same men who planned or carried out last week’s bombing in London.

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Father kills 3-year old son because he thinks child is gay

In Tampa, Florida, the 21-year old father of a small boy went on trial this week for killing his son, whom he was boxing with because he thought the boy was gay.

Even though the boy would shake and wet himself, his father, Ronnie Paris Jr., would box with the 3-year-old, slapping him in the head until he cried because he didn’t want his son to grow up to be “a sissy,” the boy’s mother testified Monday.
“He was trying to teach him how to fight,” said Shanita Powell, Nysheerah Paris’ sister. “He was concerned that the child might be gay.”
Even Sheldon Bostic, who was Ronnie Paris Jr.’s Bible-study friend, said he warned the father several times not to play so rough with his son.
“He really did what other fathers do – slap box,” Bostic said. “He always said he didn’t want his son growing up to be pushed around.”
“Did Ronnie use a term for that?” asked Jalal Harb, an assistant state attorney.
“He didn’t want him to be a sissy,” Bostic said.

Gene Stone at the Huffington Post has some very eloquent thoughts on the subject:

The right wing’s relentless propaganda machine has a pernicious effect throughout society. Not only does it remind gays how much they’re hated by a segment of the population, it helps convince parents who don’t know much about homosexuality that it’s evil, a perversion, something that no family could possible want in its midst. When people are exposed only to the hateful bigotry of the right, what’s the result? When taken to the extreme, infanticide — as the Tampa case reveals.
Is this really what the right wing wants? A war against homosexuality in which innocent children are slaughtered in the name of righteousness?
Sometimes, it seems that, yes indeed, this is exactly what the right wing hopes for. Because where else can such anger, hatred, and intolerance lead?

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