Well, my body is back home. My mind and spirit are whooshing back to the States as I write this.
It was an amazing pilgrimage.
More to come.
Pace!
B
With Deal, G.E. Clears Path to Sale of NBC
24 minutes ago
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
Melody Barnes: Domestic Policy Advisor in Obama Admin. Pro-Equal Rights in Marriage?
One more thing: Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Advisor in Obama Admin., may be speaking truth about equal rights to marriage. From the advocate.com:
Barnes responded: “I appreciate your question, and I also belong to United Church of Christ. And I guess I would respond in a couple of different ways. One, I appreciate, I really appreciate your frustration and your disappointment with the president’s position on this issue. He has taken a position, and at the same time, he has also articulated the number of ways that he wants to try and move the ball forward for gay, lesbian and transgendered Americans, including signing the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and a whole host of other things that we’ve started to do to model as a leader in terms of what the federal government is doing, as well as to encourage changes both in the military, in the workplace, and certainly with regard to hate crimes. I accept that that is very different than what you are talking about. And what you’re talking about is something that is quite fundamental.
“With regard to my own views, those are my own views. And I come to my experience based on what I’ve learned, based on the relationships that I’ve had with friends and their relationships that I respect, the children that they are raising, and that is something that I support. But at the same time, when I walk into the White House, though I work to put all arguments in front of the president, as you say, I also work for the president. And we have very robust policy conversations, very robust constitutional conversations with the White House counsel, and others about these issues, and we’ll see what happens from there. At this point, all I can say to you is that his plans right now are to move the ball forward in the ways that I’ve described. He hasn’t articulated a shift in his position there, and that is something that at this moment I accept as it being, it is what it is, even as we continue to have a national, or we continue to have a conversation with him about it.”
She said.
I believe it.
Pace!
B
Barnes responded: “I appreciate your question, and I also belong to United Church of Christ. And I guess I would respond in a couple of different ways. One, I appreciate, I really appreciate your frustration and your disappointment with the president’s position on this issue. He has taken a position, and at the same time, he has also articulated the number of ways that he wants to try and move the ball forward for gay, lesbian and transgendered Americans, including signing the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and a whole host of other things that we’ve started to do to model as a leader in terms of what the federal government is doing, as well as to encourage changes both in the military, in the workplace, and certainly with regard to hate crimes. I accept that that is very different than what you are talking about. And what you’re talking about is something that is quite fundamental.
“With regard to my own views, those are my own views. And I come to my experience based on what I’ve learned, based on the relationships that I’ve had with friends and their relationships that I respect, the children that they are raising, and that is something that I support. But at the same time, when I walk into the White House, though I work to put all arguments in front of the president, as you say, I also work for the president. And we have very robust policy conversations, very robust constitutional conversations with the White House counsel, and others about these issues, and we’ll see what happens from there. At this point, all I can say to you is that his plans right now are to move the ball forward in the ways that I’ve described. He hasn’t articulated a shift in his position there, and that is something that at this moment I accept as it being, it is what it is, even as we continue to have a national, or we continue to have a conversation with him about it.”
She said.
I believe it.
Pace!
B
On Pilgrimage
I will not be adding many, if any, new blog posts for the next 10 days. I am putting on my other hat as the Dir. of the School of the Pilgrim, going on pilgrimage for 10 days in the Sinai desert: part camel, part jeep, part walking. It is going to be an exciting time as I join four other veteran pilgrims who know this land better than I do. It will be time with the desert, the Desert Fathers, and the Desert Mothers.
Quick question/poll: how many of you folks who read this blog would be interested in an LGBTQ and straight allies pilgrimage, 7-10 days, walking to Santiago de Compostela, or in Ireland, in 2010? The hope is to remind us of the spiritual journey we are on, each and every one of us. If there is enough interest, then I will formally work on plans for such a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage of coming out, in 2010.
Pace!
B
Quick question/poll: how many of you folks who read this blog would be interested in an LGBTQ and straight allies pilgrimage, 7-10 days, walking to Santiago de Compostela, or in Ireland, in 2010? The hope is to remind us of the spiritual journey we are on, each and every one of us. If there is enough interest, then I will formally work on plans for such a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage of coming out, in 2010.
Pace!
B
A Case for Civil Marriage for All
Saw this on andrewsullivan.com, and I think I've seen it posted on other web and blog sites. It is filmed in NY, as a constituent of Sen. Maziarz of NY Senate is asked by Ann (filmed by her wife Beth), about how is going to vote for the marriage equality bill in NY. She is eloquent, rational, logical, and as she states often, she is asking for a vote for CIVIL and not a religious marriage, as guaranteed by the law re: equality of all people under the law.
He, in return, is polite, doesn't answer her question except to say he either believes or feels that marriage is between one man and one woman.
But I don't care about what he feels or believes: I want him to do the serious work of thinking through the implications of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc., which guarantees us the right to marry, just like any straight person(s) can. For $40, straight people can get a marriage certificate and have all these laws that protect couples, especially in hard times. Over 1,000 laws. Meanwhile, we in our partnered state get nada; null; nothing; zero; air.
Come on, people: think this one through and let's act on it.
Pace!
B
He, in return, is polite, doesn't answer her question except to say he either believes or feels that marriage is between one man and one woman.
But I don't care about what he feels or believes: I want him to do the serious work of thinking through the implications of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, etc., which guarantees us the right to marry, just like any straight person(s) can. For $40, straight people can get a marriage certificate and have all these laws that protect couples, especially in hard times. Over 1,000 laws. Meanwhile, we in our partnered state get nada; null; nothing; zero; air.
Come on, people: think this one through and let's act on it.
Pace!
B
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Catholic Church and DC Same Sex Marriage Law: Stalemate?
In the Washington Post this morning, an article on the Catholic Church threatening to withdraw certain services to D.C. if the same sex marriage law becomes, well, law.
Communities of faith do this all the time. PCUSA, UMC, UCC, ELCA...we ALL have offices in D.C., as well as the NCC and WCC, along with our state agencies and bureaus.
What our offices do is call us to act and work with legislators to bills favorable to the Gospel.
Catholics are doing what all our communities of faith do.
So now we do what we've always done: argue back.
Click here for more.
There are going to be a lot of skirmishes in this long-term war for equal rights.
Pace!
B
Communities of faith do this all the time. PCUSA, UMC, UCC, ELCA...we ALL have offices in D.C., as well as the NCC and WCC, along with our state agencies and bureaus.
What our offices do is call us to act and work with legislators to bills favorable to the Gospel.
Catholics are doing what all our communities of faith do.
So now we do what we've always done: argue back.
Click here for more.
There are going to be a lot of skirmishes in this long-term war for equal rights.
Pace!
B
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Mormons Support Us?
Everyone on the blogs is wary of the support the Mormon church is showing in Salt Lake City as the city debates employee protection of LGBTQ people in the area of employment and housing. Apparently, as long as it doesn't have to do with marriage, they'll support us. From queerty.com:
As the Salt Lake City Council yesterday debated whether to add sexual orientation to the list of protected classes in housing and employment backed by Mayor Ralph Becker, LDS public affairs managing director Michael Otterson testified that the Church supported the measure "because it is fair and reasonable and does not do violence to the institution of marriage."
OK...so when do we get to the hard stuff: equal access to marriage?
Pace,
B
As the Salt Lake City Council yesterday debated whether to add sexual orientation to the list of protected classes in housing and employment backed by Mayor Ralph Becker, LDS public affairs managing director Michael Otterson testified that the Church supported the measure "because it is fair and reasonable and does not do violence to the institution of marriage."
OK...so when do we get to the hard stuff: equal access to marriage?
Pace,
B
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