h/t Feministing

A bill outlawing all abortions - even in the case of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother -- is scheduled for a hearing in the Ohio House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Right wing antics to win elections?  You bet.  Tapping into misogeny to garner votes?  Absolutely.

This piece legislation has 18 co-sponsors.

Yet another reason I'm glad there's a bit of West Virginia between me and most of Ohio.

This past Friday, we accepted an invitation to catch the local performance of "The Hardest Question Ever," a puppet show performance art piece examining the societal role in creating and punishing violence through the prism of incarceration.  The show was put together by Indicator Species, a Pittsburgh based collective of teachers, artists and activists who work on prison issues. 

The show opened with live music from Ricardo who took our collective breath away.  His acoustic guitar performance and lyrics were just stunning.  I hunted him down at the end and ordered him to add us to his email list.  :-)     He told us he'd be performing live soon so we'll keep you informed.

The show itself was a 1/2 hour mixture of live action, puppets, and music.  I was skeptical at first as I always am when surrounded by a crowd of seemingly preternaturally thin people who made me feel incredibly mainstream .... one of the nightmare moments when someone points at you and yells "She's wearing Mom jeans" while everyone laughs.  Then someone's actual mom sat down in front of us with her two staunch suburbanite lady friends and I felt a the comforting shift back to slightly left of center.  Whew.  As soon as the group took the stage, all sense of discomfort fell away and I merged right into a crowd waiting to be taught.

The stage included a life-sized prison cell that is used for solidary confinement.  The walls were constructed from thousands of letters the artists had received through their books for prisoners program Book 'Em, a project of the Thomas Merton Center.  The show included 4 acts reconciling the horror of crime with the horror of prison.  Through live narration of cases based on the real life experiences of the artists, the show explores the complicated nature of something mainstream media and politics tends to oversimplify -- delving into the gray.  One case involved a former friend and comrade who had raped and murdered a woman -- the dialogue was a refreshing examination of all that had come before. 

I have to give the Indicator Species credit -- they really did ask the hardest questions.  When someone you know has raped and murdered, what does that mean for our own complicity in creating a violent society?  To simply say that you could not have physically prevented the crime is not enough of an answer.  What about all that came before -- at what point can we as a society prevent any crime?  And how does the way we treat our criminals reflect back on our values? 

"The cracks I fell through were the indifference of the people around me."

Indicator Species will be taking their show on the road for a two month tour.  For more details on upcoming Pittsburgh performances fedup@riseup.net or trust_the_shadow@yahoo.com

It was a good show -- thoughtful, earnest and personal.  It was obvious that the members of the collective put a huge investment of their personal stories, fears, hopes, and values into this show.  That investment touched me from the first chord and lifted me over any bumps in the road.  I would see this again when it returns to Pittsburgh.  And I'm going through my books to donate to the program.   

The PG contained three letters to the editor all in support of gay marriage and clearly opposed to amending either the state or federal constitutions.

Wilma Hutchings of Aspinwall writes, "Now the fools need to pass a no-divorce law. Divorce is much more devastating to the family than gays getting married."

Joseph Kowalski of North Huntington writes, "Constitutions, state and federal, should be used to expand on human rights, not to limit the rights of an entire segment of the population. Constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage are nothing more than a political diversionary tactic to keep voters from focusing on the very real problems facing Pennsylvania and this nation."

Finally, Roy Frye resident of Squirrel Hill and registered Republican writes," As a registered Republican I want to congratulate Sen. Arlen Specter for voting against the federal amendment intended to ban gay marriage.  This measure would have only fomented division and resentment between fellow American citizens. Since this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, we should be brave enough to allow our fellow citizens who are a little bit different from us to be free in their personal pursuit of happiness. "

Columnist Sally Kalson takes a stab at understanding Metcalfe's rational, but can only conclude that he and his merry band of zealots don't know any homos:

There's only one way social conservatives could believe the things Mr. Metcalfe said about gay families: They don't know any, or don't realize they do. They've never been to their homes, watched them interact with their children over meals, schoolwork or upset stomachs, gone with them to worship. In that vacuum, they've invented cardboard characters who don't share love and commitment, don't need health coverage, joint custody, power of attorney or inheritance rights that others take for granted.

Perhaps some gay parents should invite Mr. Metcalfe over to see if their families are really so different from his own. It won't change his convictions, but it could break down some of his preconceptions.

She also does a nice dissection of that fact that 20 Democrats from Southwestern Pennsylvania voted in support of the Amendment. 

20 House Democrats from the Pittsburgh area voted for this redundant, mean-spirited amendment. Of course it's a cynical ploy to distract voters from the lawmakers' abysmal record. But it works because it taps a visceral fear that gay people have gained too much ground and must be slapped back into the margins. Then God-fearing "normal" people can go back to pretending they don't exist.

God bless her, Sally may be onto something.  But guess what --- the homos aren't going to go quietly into the margins this time.  No matter how hard Catherine Specter tries to drag up all back into the 1950's, it ain't gonna happen.

Tune into John McIntire on KDKA Monday evening 7-10 PM when he interviews lesbian traitorous Mary Cheney. 

Activists and politicians are planning to march through Warsaw today (Saturday) as a show of solidarity for homosexuals throughout Eastern Europe.  365gay.com reports that gays are under increasing pressure from the left and right in Poland where communists and Catholics alike are exerting tremendous societal pressure to suppress homosexual activism.

Gay rights groups say they've suffered even more of a setback since the election victory last fall of Law and Justice, a conservative party whose leaders have openly denounced homosexuality. A new coalition formed last month has also raised concerns because it includes a right-wing party, League of Polish Families, with a youth wing that has attacked gay pride parades in Poland in recent years.

The group, All-Polish Youth, said Thursday it was canceling plans to rally this Saturday in hopes of preventing a "physical confrontation with leftist fundamentalists."

A member of the League, Wojciech Wierzejski, also caused a stir in past weeks for asking the interior and justice ministers to investigate gay rights groups to determine whether pedophiles and drug dealers were financing them.

In April, dozens of people were injured when youth from the League of Polish Families attacked a peaceful parade. 

Human rights monitors indicate that this latest in a series of clashes between homosexuals and those who would sanction discrimination is a reflection of a larger clash between the East and West.

Organizers expect a large showing of support from activists and politicians throughout Europe.

Saturday's march is expected to draw supporters from throughout Europe, including lawmakers from Germany and Sweden who are mobilizing in reaction to recent violence against gays in the region. A week earlier in Bucharest, Romania, passers-by threw plastic bottles and shouted anti-gay slogans at a gay rights demonstration.

During a march in Moscow on May 27, gay rights activists were pummeled by right-wing protesters and detained by police when they rallied in defiance of a city ban. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov said gay parades "may be acceptable for some kind of progressive, in some sense, countries in the West, but it is absolutely unacceptable for Moscow, for Russia."

Several politicians from throughout Europe are also mobilizing to support gay rights. Members of Germany's Greens party plan to travel to Warsaw to take part in the march, including Volker Beck, who was beaten by nationalist youths during the Moscow rally, as well as Renate Kuenast and Claudia Roth.

The Campaign Against Homophobia said lawmakers from Sweden, France and the Netherlands would also attend in a sign of solidarity.

"This isn't just about gays and lesbians anymore," Biedron, the leader, said in an interview. "This march will be a big demonstration against fundamentalism and the violation of human rights."

Three letters today. All opposed to the amendment. 

It is unbelievable that the only trump card the Republicans have is to try to scare people into believing that gay unions will somehow destroy the institution of marriage. The Republicans have no solutions or new ideas except tax breaks for the wealthy and scaring people who they hope will vote for them in November.

Kathy Brennan, Squirrel Hill

Shame on the Pennsylvania Legislature and President Bush for wasting our time and money on an issue that is none of their business

Amy Kellman, Oakland

What is needed is an amendment banning divorce. Of course, the homicide, abuse, adultery and suicide rates will skyrocket, but you can't have everything. Most important, the "sanctity" of marriage will be preserved.

Gerry Walkowski, Brookline

Nothing in the Tribune-Review or its underlings.  Its important to keep this up as the Senate Judiciary Committee considers the Senate bill on Tuesday.  We want them to hold hearings on the bill; its proponents will want a straight up or down vote because there's only so much of the democratic process necessary when you are pushing through a hate amendment.

Send your own message to the Post-Gazette. 

Apparently, someone has their panties in a knot about a recent Correspondent post "Post Gazette Kisses White House Ass, Fawns Over Local Sibs" where I exercise my remaining freedom of speech and criticize Pittsburgh residents who make a living supporting a murderous, hate-mongering, deceitful Administration.  That post has been getting an incredible amount of visitors over the past few days, indicating that someone has passed around the link so all of their friends can click their tongues in outrage, stomp their expensively shoed feet and call me a mean bitch. 

They also insult my family by insinuating I didn't get enough hugs AND imply that I don't know from good ice cream. Perhaps I should be grateful the ice cream twins haven't set the FBI on me. 

But the ice cream bit is just blatantly not true.  We regularly have ice cream and have found that hands down the best place in town is

Shakes, floats, sundaes ... they do it all.  They will even give your dog a baby cone if you bring her with you. 

And, best of all, your hard earned money willl go into the coffers of someone who isn't employed by George Bush.  Now that's a sweet deal!

Mean bitch signing off ...

h/t Page One Q

Click here for video ....

Bennett: Well I think if gay..gay people are already members of families?

Stewart: What? (almost spitting out his drink)

Bennett: They?re sons and they?re daughters..

Stewart: So that?s where the buck stops, that?s the gay ceiling.

Bennett Look, it?s a debate about whether you think marriage is between a man and a women.

Stewart:I disagree, I think it?s a debate about whether you think gay people are part of the human condition or just a random fetish.

According to the Post-Gazette, our esteemed legislators have had the bright idea of fast-tracking the marriage protection amendment through the Senate. 

House Bill 2381, which would amend the state constitution to limit marriage to between one man and one woman, is set for a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday morning. The bill was approved by the full House this week by a 2 to 1 margin.

If approved by the Judiciary Committee Tuesday, as several senators expect, it could be voted on by the full Senate as soon as June 19, Senate Republican Whip Jeffrey Piccola of Dauphin County said yesterday.

He and another supporter, Sen. Bob Regola, R-Hempfield, said they expect the bill to get full Senate approval on June 19 or soon thereafter -- definitely before the Senate recesses for the summer in late June or early July.

Keep that in mind as you toodle off on your summer vacation over rutted state highways; as your grandmother tries to stretch her social security to pay for all her prescriptions;  as your son looks for a job or faces moving your grandkids out of state; as your parents struggle to pay their property taxes and keep the home they worked a lifetime to own. 

I'll be here still not married to my partner.  Don't you feel your interests are well protected?

Here's a message from LGBT political organizer Dana Elmendorf:

The amendment will now go to the Senate for a vote as SB1084 by the end of June before the legislators go home for summer vacations. From there, both bodies will need to vote on it again in the next session - if they vote yes, it will end up on the ballot and serve as a divisive issue in 2008. Even though proponents of the amendment succeeded at this step in terms of numbers, when we look at the amount of thoughtful discourse that has been happening around the issue of fairness and equality and compare our efforts with even ten years ago, we feel we are involved in an historic effort.

 

PLease send a letter to or call your STATE Senator in the next week urging them to vote against SB1084.  You can easily do this by visiting www.center4civilrights.org . If you prefer not to get on a mailing list, you can go to www.vote-smart.org to find out who your STATE Senator is and call them directly with a quick message.

 

While I was initially saddened by the result of Tuesday night's vote, I am now more grateful than ever to have friends and allies like yourself willing to step forward for the people you love.

 

Feel free to forward this info along..................Dana Elmendorf

Donald J. Gilbert of Mt. Lebanon (PG):

I have been married for almost 45 years. Not once in all that time did either my wife or I feel threatened by the gay people we knew. What I need is protection from people like the "jubilant" state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-Cranberry

And this from the Trib ....