[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Josh Richman's blog over at the Contra Costa Times has an interesting little tidbit. "Didja know Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress were still on the United States' list of organizations considered to be terrorists?" he asks his readers. 

Well, Majority Report readers, didja know Kim Jong-il and the North Korean government will no longer be on the United States' list of organizations considered to be terrorists? Apparently, by blowing up a reactor cooling tower and handing over some paperwork to the Bush Administration, the hermit state has proved to the Bush Administration it does not promote terrorism abroad. 

"I think this represents the definitive collapse of the Bush Doctrine and I'm sure they're popping champagne corks in Pyongyang." said ultra-hawk and former Bush-appointee to the U.N. John Bolton. 

While Bolton is convinced North Korea is just waiting to unleash it's arsenal of drunk-on-champagne, nuclear-powered super-soldiers upon the world, it may be time to look at the politicized nature of the terrorist-sponsoring organizations list.

by Killer of Sacred Cows [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

In an analysis published today on both Metnews.com and the Log Cabin Republicans blog, Kevin Norte wrote a scathing analysis of the legal issues behind the anti-equality initiative which is currently working its way through validation proceedings and aimed at the California ballot in November. Norte has been a research attorney for the Los Angeles Superior Court since 1991.

According to Norte's analysis, the initiative cannot legally proceed to the ballot because it constitutes a revision, not just an amendment, of the California Constitution.

If this is the case, then the GLBT people of California have nothing to fear from this ballot initiative. It's already dead in the water. It's a moot point. Even if it was passed, it could not be enforced. It's already as archaic as the anti-sodomy, anti-miscegnation and Jim Crow laws are.

More after the jump...

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

I read with interest this Capitol Alert post about Republican candidates for office rejecting and in some cases condemning endorsements from the Log Cabin Republicans. (For those of you unfamiliar, they are the LGBT political branch of the Republican Party.)
 
First off, I've got to say that's just rude. It's 2008 -- grow up! There are LGBT folks everywhere ... even in the Republican Party. And they vote!
 
Secondly, (and I mean this with love and respect to all of my Republican LGBT friends) WHAT WHERE YOU THINKING?? You endorsed George Runner? He may want to keep taxes low and such, but holy smokes -- he is the flame-keeper for Pete Knight and Prop. 22! He doesn't want us in the LGBT community to have equal rights.
 
That's right -- no domestic partnership rights, no workplace protections ... Nada. Zip. Zilch. That's right -- get fired for who you love! Wow. What's American about that?

There's more...

Image courtesy NIOSH.

[courtesy of The California Majority Report]

Governor Schwarzenegger has vowedto oppose conservative attempts to once again get an initiative on theballot to constitutionally ban gay marriage in California, reportsthe Sac Bee. In keeping with his previous vetos of such a ban, hestated, “Well, first of all, I think that it will never happen inCalifornia because I think that California people are much furtheralong on that issue, and number two, I will always be there to fightagainst that because it will never happen.”

On the other hand, as Calitics notes, Arnold was speaking in front of the Log Cabin Republicans,a gay Republican group.  The governor still has a long way to go beforeproving his credentials on the issue, as he’s also twice vetoed billsthat would legalize gay marriage.

It’s official: the salmon season has been canceled,packing a wallop to Califonia’s $150-million commercial salmonbusiness, reports the LA Times. Federal regulators adopted a ban onsalmon fishing this year due to concern over the markedly decreasedsalmon population.

by David Dayen [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Hmm...

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says if an initiative to ban gay marriage qualifies for the November ballot, he's prepared to fight it.

California's governor was in San Diego today speaking at the annual convention of the Log Cabin Republicans, the nation's largest gay Republican group.

Schwarzenegger said he was confident that a ban would never pass in California but called the effort "a waste of time" -- joking that he wished activists would focus on allowing naturalized citizens to run for president instead.

Notice of course who he was speaking to.

Now, Arnold has vetoed bills legalizing gay marriage on two occasions.  And each time he has retreated to referencing the Knight Initiative and saying that "the people have spoken" on this matter.  Now, however, he'd like the people to speak in a different way, I guess.

Wonder what's going on here...

by DFA Staff [courtesy of Blog for America]

The Dallas Morning News reports on the effort of the Dallas Log Cabin Republicans to change the Texas Republican Party Platform stance on homosexuality:

The Log Cabin Republicans’ attempt to amend the Texas Republican Party Platform — a 31-page document articulating the official stance on a variety of issues — begins Tuesday, when the party conducts “precinct conventions” at primary election voting stations after polls have closed.

Evidently, the Platform is filled with mentions of homosexuality and even devotes a whole section to the subject:

The Texas Republican Party Platform, passed in 2006, references homosexuality numerous times throughout its 31 pages and includes a section on the issue:

“Homosexuality: We believe that the practice of sodomy tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases

Danny
Communications Director