Gareth Thomas Dances On Ice

Openly gay rugby champion Gareth Thomas competed last night on Britain's Dancing On Ice. And he did so surprisingly well, at least one website is saying that he has emerged as the contest's front-runner.  

Brian Brown Writes From France

"I write to you from France, where a pro-marriage rebellion is underway! Francois Hollande, the ultra liberal President of France, swept into power last May, promising among many other things a swift legalizing of same-sex marriage and adoption. But the people of France did not want this to be. You see, the French people know in their bones that every child deserves a mother and father. And so they took to the streets – hundreds of thousands of them! I am proud to be a part of this historic moment in France. I have been so excited to be part of this new international solidarity movement in defense of marriage, children and family. I will certainly be reflecting more on this experience on my flight home.

"And I would ask you to join me in thinking about more creative ways we can proclaim our pro-marriage views with passion and conviction...and in the public square where our fellow Americans can see our fervor and resolution. I can't wait to come back to the country I love. But I am inspired to see that those of us in America who hold the institution of marriage sacred truly have so many friends overseas and around the world. A new day is dawning for marriage. As I said when I ended a speech last night before a group of French leaders in the fight to protect marriage: Vive le Marriage -- Vive la France!" - Hate group leader, Vatican stooge, and foreign meddler Brian Brown, whose own webmaster created and hosted a website for France's hate rally.

IDAHO: Survivalists Plan Armed Fortress

Idaho survivalists have launched a website detailing their plan to create an armed fortress city surrounded by a "defensible perimeter" complete with gun towers.

Citadel organizers envision their project to be a community where residents are bound by a desire to “live together in accordance with Thomas Jefferson’s ideal of Rightful Liberty,” which they have determined to mean “that neighbors keep their noses out of other neighbors’ business, that neighbors live and let live.” “Marxists, Socialists, Liberals, and Establishment Republicans may find that living within our Citadel Community is incompatible with their existing ideology and preferred lifestyles,” the group — which claims no leader other than the “ideal of Jefferson’s Rightful Liberty” — explains on its website.

From their about page: "The Citadel Community will house between 3,500 and 7,000 patriotic American families who agree that being prepared for the emergencies of life and being proficient with the American icon of Liberty — the Rifle — are prudent measures. There will be no HOA. There will be no recycling police and no local ordinance enforcers from City Hall."

One Million Moms Versus Oxygen Media

Just in via press release:

Dear Joe,  Since reality shows of families with many children have been done, Oxygen Media, LLC has decided that a program with one dad, eleven children, and ten moms is a good idea. During a Fox News interview, the dad finds nothing wrong with the show or his choices since he supports all eleven of his children on his own without any government assistance. Parents are concerned that this show sets the wrong example for today's youth on a moral standard.

The basis of the program is that the man has fathered eleven children by ten different women and a lot of drama is created by the situation. This is morally wrong, but the network finds the chaos produced to be entertaining. Oxygen Media, owned by NBCUniversal, will promote this program with commercials which will cause confusion for the children viewing them. It is appalling that this man will be paid because of his lack of values while young viewers could be desensitized into thinking this is normal. The show is set to air soon so we need to contact NBCUniversal and let them know that this type of programming is unacceptable and they need to cancel it immediately.

They haven't even seen it yet, but they want it canceled. Meanwhile the Duggars reality show, 19 Kids & Counting, is about to go into its eleventh season.

KENTUCKY: Town With Population Of 334 Approves Broad Pro-Gay Protections

The tiny Kentucky mining town of Vicco, population 334, has approved broad anti-discrimination protections for LGBT residents. The ACLU of Kentucky reports:

Today the Fairness Coalition joined the Appalachian town of Vicco, Kentucky as they approved the state's first lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) anti-discrimination Fairness ordinance in a decade. The measure, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations based upon a person's actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity, received support from three of the city's four-member commission and Mayor Johnny Cummings.  Vicco joins three other cities in the commonwealth with anti-discrimination Fairness protections--Covington, which passed an ordinance in 2003, Lexington, and Louisville, which both approved laws in 1999. 

Vicco got its name from the initials of the Virginia Iron Coal and Coke Company. Go Vicco!

Matt Barber: I'm Keeping My Guns

"No one’s taking my guns either. Period. And if Dianne Feinstein orders me from her lofty perch on the left-coast to retroactively register them with some federal autocracy, I think I might just forget I even have them. Tens of millions of law-abiding, God fearing Americans just like me and Dad, I suspect, feel the same way. I love guns. Grew up with ‘em. As a former police officer with 12 years in the U.S. military, I know how to use them, too – use them well. I plan to buy more – a bunch more. In fact, who’s to say I don’t already have a veritable arsenal? Point is, tain’t Big Brother Barack’s nor any other candy-keistered-liberal-cream-puff’s bloody business whether I do or not." - Hate group leader Matt Barber, warning of civil war if machine guns are outlawed.

No Pants Subway Ride 2013

Press Release Of The Day

Just in via email:

Today, People For the American Way will deliver 178,000 petitions to House Speaker John Boehner urging him to remove Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in the 113th Congress. Bachmann earned rebukes from Boehner, John McCain and others last year when she launched a smear campaign against Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin, alleging that Abedin and other Muslim-American public servants were agents of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Michele Bachmann has used her position on the Intelligence Committee to spread baseless conspiracy theories and smear the reputations of honorable public servants,” said Michael Keegan, President of People For the American Way. “Speaker Boehner himself called her actions ‘dangerous.’ It’s mysterious, then, why he has chosen to reward her reckless extremism with continued access to sensitive national security information and a powerful platform for her agenda.” “Members of the Intelligence Committee are responsible for the safety of all Americans,” continued Keegan. “178,000 Americans are sending Speaker Boehner a clear message: we don’t want our national security in Michele Bachmann’s hands.”

Bolding is mine.

Breitbart: Andrew Sullivan Was Fired

Breitbart writer John Nolte today claims that according to a mysterious unnamed source, Andrew Sullivan was actually fired by the Daily Beast. Two weeks ago Sullivan announced the end of his relationship with the site and launched a (so far) successful subscription model. Nolte writes:

According to this source, who spoke exclusively with Breitbart News, the powers that be at the Daily Beast decided the traffic Sullivan's Daily Dish delivered just wasn't worth the price of holding on to him for another year. In other words, the Daily Beast did not renew Andrew Sullivan's contract, and he was let go. Though Sullivan never came out and said directly that it was his choice to leave the Beast, the carefully worded January 2 post announcing the move most certainly left the impression that the reason for the separation didn’t involve him being dumped. Rather, that this was all about Sullivan and his editorial staff making a scary/brave decision to embark on a new adventure involving a completely independent, subscription-based blog.

Nolte offers the following as "proof" of Sullivan's unpopularity.

For a blogger with a media profile as big as Sullivan's, the fact that he has fewer than 75,000 Twitter followers is a bit surprising. By comparison, Ben Smith has over 125,000, Dave Weigel over 98,000, and Michelle Malkin (who Sullivan has named an unflattering award after) has more than the three of them combined. Furthermore, a quick scan of the Daily Dish front page, which holds around 40 individual posts, reveals that (as of this writing Friday afternoon) only one post has received more than a hundred Facebooks "Likes," and 24 have fewer than ten. These days, connecting with social media is absolutely crucial to clicks and readership. If those Facebook numbers are the norm, the Dish is severely lacking in all-important social media traction.

As I noted in the comments in the above-linked post, judging the popularity of a blogger merely by Facebook likes on individual posts is really lame.  A quick check of Sitemeter reveals that Andrew Sullivan's sub-site on Daily Beast received just over 120 million pageviews in 2012.  Not only that, Sullivan's one-man-show (with staff) out-performs ALL of Breitbart and its many, many contributors.  

NOM Chair Denounces National Cathedral

Flu Tracker App Launched

The New York Post reports:

Hell’s Kitchen is burning up — with the flu. The neighborhood is the city’s most infected area — closely followed by the Upper West Side, Carroll Gardens and Elmhurst, Queens, according to a formula created by two upstate professors. The complex, Twitter-based algorithm maps out areas of New York City that are hardest-hit with virus — and then color-codes the outbreaks in green, yellow and red. The Germ Tracker Web app pinpoints key words on the social-networking site — like “headache” and “sick” — to flag high-risk areas in the city. The data are available on smartphones and computers. As of 5 p.m. yesterday, Hell’s Kitchen, the Upper West Side and East Harlem experienced the most “flu-like” symptoms in Manhattan. Other “high-risk” neighborhoods included Elmhurst, Carroll Gardens and the East Village.

BRITAIN: Over 1000 Catholic Priests Sign Letter Opposing Same-Sex Marriage

From the letter:

After centuries of persecution, Catholics have, in recent times, been able to be members of the professions and participate fully in the life of this country. Legislation for same-sex marriage, should it be enacted, will have many legal consequences, severely restricting the ability of Catholics to teach the truth about marriage in their schools, charitable institutions or places of worship. It is meaningless to argue that Catholics and others may still teach their beliefs about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time.

The tabloid Daily Mail notes: "The letter, signed by 1054 priests as well as 13 bishops, abbots and other senior Catholic figures, expresses fears that the simple acts of practising or speaking about their faith will be severely limited."

Top Selling Artists Of 2012

(Via Boy Culture)

FEMEN Disrupt Speech By Pope

Yesterday topless Ukrainian activists FEMEN disrupted a Vatican City speech by the Pope by disrobing and screaming "Homophobe! Shut up!" at the little man in the window. Police moved in quickly and one woman attending the speech repeatedly smacked a protester with her umbrella. Below is FEMEN's own video of the action, which begins with a strategy session. Cube dwellers should note that there are boobies ahead.

Quote Of The Day - Larry Ward

"I believe that Gun Appreciation Day honors the legacy of Dr. King. The truth is, I think Martin Luther King would agree with me if he were alive today that if African Americans had been given the right to keep and bear arms from day one of the country’s founding, perhaps slavery might not have been a chapter in our history. And I believe wholeheartedly that’s essential to liberty.” - Larry Ward, chairman of Gun Appreciation Day.  Hit the link for video.

Petition For Sister Simone Campbell To Give Inauguration Benediction

Nuns On The Bus member Sister Simone Campbell spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The petition is here.

Official White House Petition Response

After a petition to build a Death Star topped the required 25,000 signatures, the White House issued an official response. It begins:

This Isn't the Petition Response You're Looking For

The Administration shares your desire for job creation and a strong national defense, but a Death Star isn't on the horizon. Here are a few reasons:
- The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.
- The Administration does not support blowing up planets.
- Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

Hit the link, the rest is just as funny. (Image source)

Exorcism Of The Day

"Marsha had experienced rejection from a boyfriend -- she manifests in violent tremors! But the demon of Jezebel is cast out!"  Oh, the screaming!

TODAY: SiriusXM At 2:30PM

Today at 2:30pm I'll be on Michelangelo Signorile's SiriusXM show to talk about some of the latest LGBT-related news items. The gays are on channel 108 and you can listen live online if you sign up for a freebie account. What are your top five gay news items of the last week?

Gay Marriage Made Him A Drunk

Maryland GOP state Rep. Don Dwyer says that part of the that reason he was arrested for drunk boating after an accident that injured six people is that he was upset about the passage of same-sex marriage.

Dwyer says he felt sold out when Dels. Tiffany Alston, Wade Kach and Bob Costa voted for same-sex marriage, an issue he spent years crusading against. Dwyer told reporters one day before the vote that he had enough support to block the bill. Kach, a Republican from Baltimore County, and Alston, a former Democrat from Prince George’s County, voted against the bill in committee. But Kach changed his vote after hearing testimony from gay couples. Alston shifted her vote after her amendment was adopted. Kach and Costa, of Deale, were the only two House Republicans to vote for the bill. It passed the House by two votes in February. “I had no time to do anything,” Dwyer said. “Had I known earlier, I could have taken some action.”  That betrayal really affected me,” he said. “I was physically ill. You pour your heart into an issue like that and it’s devastating.” He said his drinking culminated in the crash. He won’t discuss this part. It’s still not clear where he was traveling that evening.

Among the four children hurt in the boat crash was a five year-old girl who suffered a skull fracture. Dwyer has not yet gone to trial and remains in the Maryland Assembly.  He says he plans to join Alcoholics Anonymous.

RELATED: You may recall that in 2011 Dwyer sat next to Maggie Gallagher during Maryland's marriage equality hearings, telling the committee that any state delegate that testified in favor of the bill should be "arrested for perjury" because saying that gay people deserve equality "is a lie and they know it." During the hearings Dwyer presented documents from the SPLC-certified hate group, MassResistance, claiming that gay activists want to introduce sadomasochism to grade school children. Dwyer also recorded an anti-gay robocall for NOM.

WYOMING: State GOP Reps Introduce Bill To Arrest Federal Gun Agents

Via Daily Caller:

This week, Wyoming lawmakers introduced a bill banning the federal government from enforcing an assault weapons ban or a prohibition on high-capacity magazines in the state, calling the effort an attempt to “take the Second Amendment seriously.” The bill, which is sponsored by eight Wyoming state representatives and two state senators, calls for federal agents who attempt to enforce those measures to be imprisoned for at least one year and up to five years, and fined a maximum of $5,000.  It also contains broad language prohibiting any “public servant … or dealer selling any firearm in this state” from enforcing “any act, law, statute, rule or regulation of the United States government relating to a personal firearm, firearm accessory or ammunition that is owned or manufactured commercially or privately in Wyoming and that remains exclusively within the borders of Wyoming.”

You can't make it up, folks.

Church Sign Of The Day

(Via JMG reader Scott)

WE DO: Same-Sex Couples Campaign For Marriage Equality In The South

ILLINOIS: Business Leaders Come Out In Support Of Same-Sex Marriage

A long list of major corporations and local business leaders have signed on to a letter issued in support of the same-sex marriage bill in Illinois.

State lawmakers aren't scheduled to be at the Capitol much until early February, and sponsors of a measure to grant gay and lesbian couples the freedom to marry are likely to need some time to win over dozens of rookie colleagues. But in an open letter issued Sunday, business executives stated their case to lawmakers that marriage equality would strengthen the Illinois workforce and boost economic development. "To be competitive, a state must create an equitable, fair and respectful environment for all of its citizens," the letter said. "For this reason — among others — it is vitally important that Illinois lawmakers enact marriage equality soon." In addition to Google, Orbitz Worldwide and Groupon, individual signers of the letter include Desiree Rogers, CEO of Johnson Publishing Co.; Lance Chody, CEO of Garrett Popcorn Shops; Fred Eychaner, chairman of the Newsweb Corp.; and Laura Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs. Eychaner and Ricketts are openly gay executives who are helping fund the statewide push for same-sex marriage, the Tribune has reported.

The letter closes with this: "Illinois simply cannot afford to be less competitive than other states."

Homocon Tweet Of The Day

NOM Launches Rhode Island Site

NOM has launched a new website in opposition to same-sex marriage in Rhode Island. Below is their opening clip.

SPOILER: Downton Abbey

Stay out of the comments if you've not yet seen last night's episode. Otherwise dive in and dish.

Golden Globes Awards

Best Motion Picture (Drama)  
Argo
Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy)  
Les Miserables
Best Director 
Ben Affleck, Argo 
Best Actor (Drama) 
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln 
Best Actress  (Drama) 
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) 
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) 
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor (Motion Picture) 
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Best Supporting Actress (Motion Picture) 
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
Best Foreign Language Film  
Amour
Best Animated Feature 
Brave
Best TV Series (Drama)  
Homeland 
Best TV Series (Comedy)  
Girls

Here's the full list.

You...Get Out Of Here!

Jodie Foster Comes Out

I'll have video shortly.

UPDATE:  From Mediaite writer Matt Wilstein:

Jodie Foster had the Golden Globes audience on the edge of their seats as she accepted the special Cecil B. DeMille Award. She began by thanking Robert Downey, Jr., who presented the award to her, but quickly went off in a more personal direction, hinting that she was about to announce something big. “So while I’m here being all confessional, I guess I just have a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never really been able to air in public… a declaration that I’m a little nervous about… but I’m just going to put it out there, loud and proud. And I’m going to need your support on this. I am, uh… single.” After the laughter and whistling died down, Foster sort-of clarified her intentions, saying “I’m not going to do a big coming out speech tonight. Because I already did my coming out speech about a thousand years ago, back in the stone age.”

Afternoon View - Penn Station Cab Stand

Always a clusterfuck.

FRANCE: Thousands March In Paris To Protest Against Same-Sex Marriage

As expected, tens of thousands of Catholics and Muslims marched through the streets of Paris today in opposition to the same-sex marriage bill proposed by President Francois Hollande and his Socialist Party.

Organisers reserved five high-speed trains and 900 buses to bring protesters from provincial towns to the capital, some before dawn, to join Parisians and display the extent of the opposition that has built up in recent weeks. "Nobody expected this two or three months ago," said Frigide Barjot, a flamboyant comedian leading the "Demo for All" she described as "multicultural, multireligious and multisexual." Strongly backed by the Catholic hierarchy, lay activists have mobilised a coalition of church-going families, political conservatives, Muslims, evangelicals and even homosexuals opposed to gay marriage. "We want this draft law to be withdrawn," Patricia Soullier, a protest organiser, told BFM-TV before boarding a Paris-bound train in Montpellier in the south of France. Hollande angered opponents of same-sex marriage by trying to avoid public debate on the reform, which Justice Minister Christiane Taubira described as "a change in civilisation", and wavering about some of its details.

The number of protesters that appeared today differs widely, with some press accounts estimating the crowd "in the tens of thousands." Organizers, unsurprisingly, have different figures.

The organisers put the number of marchers at 800,000, with demonstrators pouring into Paris by train and bus, carrying placards that read, "We don't want your law, Francois" and "Don't touch my civil code". Police had earlier told French media the figure was 120,000 and one government minister said the turnout was lower than the organisers had predicted. A similar march in November attracted around 100,000 people. The "Demo for all" event was being led by a charismatic comedian known as Frigide Barjot, who tweeted that the "crowd is immense" and told French TV that gay marriage "makes no sense" because a child should be born to a man and woman.

UPDATE: More from The Star.

The protest march started at three points across Paris, filling boulevards throughout the city as demonstrators walked six kilometres to the grounds of France’s most recognizable monument. Paris police estimated the crowd at 340,000, making it one of the largest demonstrations in Paris since an education protest in 1984. “This law is going to lead to a change of civilization that we don’t want,” said Philippe Javaloyes, a literature teacher who bused in with 300 people from Franche Comte. “We have nothing against different ways of living, but we think that a child must grow up with a mother and a father.” Public opposition spearheaded by religious leaders has chipped away at the popularity of Hollande’s plan in recent months. About 52 per cent of French favour legalizing gay marriage, according to a survey released Sunday, down from as high as 65 per cent in August.

Anonymous Vs Westboro

Homocon Tweets Of The Day

GOProud's board of directors is also in DC this weekend, presumably to plan more fake hate crimes.

Lance Armstrong To Confess

Under Attack!

Church Sign Of The Day

(Via JMG reader Daniel)

Brian Brown Is In France

"A massive rebellion against gay marriage is brewing in France. I'm here now, and I'll report to you first hand from the rally planned for Sunday. To read the news accounts in the U.S., you would think gay marriage is inevitable here. Like everywhere. That's what they always say, right? Recognize that argument for what it is: a tactic to make you feel helpless and impotent and therefore submissive. To get you to give up and just submit to whatever they have planned. There are only two things we know for sure about the future: it hasn't happened yet. And for those of us who are people of faith—we know that God is in charge. But to be here is to recognize something extraordinary is happening, something totally unpredicted when French President Francois Hollande set out to pass gay marriage: a massive popular rebellion." - Hate group leader and Vatican stooge Brian Brown. (Remember how NOM screams about outsider interference?)

Morning View - Teamsters HQ

Rachel Maddow On Jeanne Manford

You'll need a tissue for this.

Perkins: Obama Wants To Shut Us Up

"As we learned yesterday, liberals are no longer satisfied by the church's silence on homosexuality. They will accept nothing less than the active embrace and celebration of what the Bible calls sin--or use totalitarian tactics to get it. What was once outrage over Christian activism has been replaced by outrage over Christian association. The White House has declared that anyone who holds to the belief--spoken or unspoken--that sexual immorality is wrong has no place at democracy's table.

"This should be a wake-up call to every evangelical who thinks they can pacify the Left by making the symptoms of immorality their sole focus and being silent on the cause: sin. As those who seek to emulate Christ, our approach must be holistic. We should help the hurting regardless of the cause, but we must also have the courage to go beyond the symptoms to the source. Engaging the world through social justice or conservationism may help us find common ground--but it will not mollify faith's detractors. Nothing less than one hundred percent capitulation will." - Hate group leader and white supremacist Tony Perkins, via press release.

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