High Court hears challenge to flawed Bush analysis

Tomorrow morning the US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation. Many of us will be outside the court at a rally.

The case being argued is not just about whether the White House can spend money to promote religion through its ‘faith-based’ initiatives. The question before the Court is actually whether or not we will continue to be able to make sure that the government respects our Constitutional rights.

Separation of church and state is the first freedom outlined in the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is meant to ensure that all Americans, regardless of their race, religion or gender, are afforded certain “inalienable rights”. In other words, the Bill of Rights is a promise of protection for you and me against governmental abuse.

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights were written to protect us … NOT the administration. Therefore, we MUST have the power to make sure they are upheld.

Who better understands when a right is being violated than the people directly affected? Who is most likely to sound the alarm? The answer is obvious.

In Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Bush administration is urging the Supreme Court to overrule the 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals and other federal courts that have upheld taxpayer challenges to government expenditures on religion.

This wouldn't be the first time the Bush administration’s analysis is flawed … it's definitely an attempt to block us from fighting for our constitutional rights.

We not only have a right, we have a duty to insure that our Constitutional rights are protected

The Justices simply must uphold precedent that allows taxpayers to sue when the government uses tax dollars for religious purposes -- if there is any justice at all. Government funding of religion is not only improper, but unconstitutional.

The courthouse door must never be slammed in the face of Americans who are merely trying to maintain their … OUR … constitutional rights.

It's Oscar time!!

NOMINATIONS - 79TH AWARDS - WHO WILL WIN


Best motion picture of the year
BABEL
THE DEPARTED
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
THE QUEEN


Achievement in directing
Alejandro González Iñárritu - BABEL
Martin Scorsese - THE DEPARTED
Clint Eastwood - LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
Stephen Frears - THE QUEEN
Paul Greengrass - UNITED 93


Performance by an actress in a leading role
Penélope Cruz - VOLVER
Judi Dench - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Helen Mirren - THE QUEEN
Meryl Streep - THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA
Kate Winslet - LITTLE CHILDREN


Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Adriana Barraza - BABEL
Cate Blanchett - NOTES ON A SCANDAL
Abigail Breslin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jennifer Hudson - DREAMGIRLS
Rinko Kikuchi - BABEL


Performance by an actor in a leading role
Leonardo DiCaprio - BLOOD DIAMOND
Ryan Gosling - HALF NELSON
Peter O'Toole - VENUS
Will Smith - THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS
Forest Whitaker - THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND


Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Alan Arkin - LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Jackie Earle Haley - LITTLE CHILDREN Djimon Hounsou - BLOOD DIAMOND
Eddie Murphy - DREAMGIRLS
Mark Wahlberg - THE DEPARTED


Best animated feature film of the year
CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE


Best documentary feature
DELIVER US FROM EVIL
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
IRAQ IN FRAGMENTS
JESUS CAMP
MY COUNTRY, MY COUNTRY


Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
"I Need to Wake Up" - AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
"Listen" - DREAMGIRLS
"Love You I Do" - DREAMGIRLS
"Our Town" - CARS
"Patience" - DREAMGIRLS


Adapted screenplay
BORAT CULTURAL LEARNINGS OF AMERICA FOR
MAKE BENEFIT GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
CHILDREN OF MEN
THE DEPARTED
LITTLE CHILDREN
NOTES ON A SCANDAL


Original screenplay
BABEL
LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
PAN'S LABYRINTH
THE QUEEN

Sunday Funnies

Friends and First Freedom First

How delightful it is to be able to mix work and play ... something I've had the pleasure of doing since 1990, when I became a full time activist.

One of the best things about being an activist is thinking that you might, in some small way, leave this world a little better than it was when you came into it. It's also a great way to channel your energy when you think our leaders are taking this country in the wrong direction.

My mantra has always been: Don't agonize, organize!

The BEST part about being an activist, however, is the people you meet along the way and the friendships you make. Two new friends are Blue Gal and Tengrain at Mock, Paper, Scissors, and I'd like to give a shout out about the support they have given to the work I do for my day job.

Blue Gal is a great mentor and advocate for separation of church and state. Her posts promoting our First Freedom First project to safeguard separation of church and state have sent close to 25,000 people to the First Freedom First web site.

It was through Blue Gal that I found Mock, Paper, Scissors. I had the pleasure of meeting Tengrain on Friday, and anyone listening to our conversations might have thought we'd known each other for years ... it was that comfortable. Tengrain covered an event First Freedom First held in San Jose.

If you haven't yet visited the First Freedom First web site and signed the petition, please do. And if you are posting about the project, please let me know!

Going it alone

Justice ... better late than never

Update on the Jessica Hall story. The 25 year old mother of three, convicted of a felony for tossing a McDonald's cup at a car that cut her off in traffic, has just had her sentence reduced. Instead of facing the next two years in prison, Hall was sentenced to time served and will be placed on probation.

Hall, who has spent the past two months in jail, is finally going free! I don't know if there is any way to get the decision removed from her record, but I hope someone in the state will ask the Governor about it.

Who decides what is offensive?

Controversy is brewing again in the blogosphere. It seems that one of the BBB is defending sporting teams having (usually) white guys dressed in traditional Native American clothing as team mascots. The blogger, John Aravosis, is defending his college mascot, saying the image "honors" Native Americans. Some Native Americans don't think so ... which begs the question, who decides?

In the spirit of full disclosure, I know John and like him. Over the years he's done some great work on behalf of the LGBT and feminist communities. On this issue, however, I have to disagree with him.

IMHO the people who get to decide whether or not to be offended are the Native Americans -- not John.

I'm not outing him to reveal that John is gay. I doubt seriously that John would think a straight person has more authority over what images of gays are, or aren't, offensive to him than he does. It's too bad he can't extend this same courtesy to Native Americans.

(image from Wampum)

This is too funny ...

'McMissile' leads to major injustice

Imagine you are sitting in a hot car in July, driving on a major interstate highway, you have three squirming kids in the back seat, a sister in the front who is six months pregnant and having early contractions, some wacky driver keeps weaving in and out of your lane as traffic slows down and then creeps almost to a halt. Do you think you might be tempted to want to throw something?

Jessica Hall, 25, of Jacksonville, N.C., was -- and now she is a convicted felon facing two years in prison.

Hall, clearly stressed, decided to veer onto the shoulder of the road and speed up next to the car that had been cutting her off in traffic. And then wham! She tossed a large McDonald's cup filled with ice into the other car. To the locals, it's the "McMissile" case.

No one was injured, but the cup launcher, Jessica Hall, [who] was charged and convicted by a Stafford County jury of maliciously throwing a missile into an occupied vehicle, a felony in Virginia. The instructions given to the jury said that "any physical object can be considered a missile. A missile can be propelled by any force, including throwing."

Hall, a mother of three young children whose husband is serving his third tour in Iraq, has spent more than a month in jail.

The jury sentenced her to two years in prison, the minimum, and a judge will formally impose a sentence Wednesday. Under state law, the judge can only
decrease the jury's sentence.

Even the couple who filed charges think the sentence was wrong.

"I think that this is way too much of a punishment for her actions. This is just to me absolutely ridiculous," Fowle said.

According to court documents Hall is unemployed and with her husband's salary, the couple takes in $30,384 a year. She receives $388 a month in food stamps. (Keep in mind he is on his third tour of duty in Iraq!)

What is going to happen to their three children? What fate is in store for this family? Hall was supposed to start nursing school the day after she was sent to jail. Anyone want to guess what her chances will be to find employment now?

Yes, she made a mistake ... yes, she knows she made a mistake ... but this is simply ridiculous.

"Now people are going to see me as an angry, road rage, convicted felon. And it really upsets me," Hall said. "I must have been wrong . . . but seriously, God. Lesson learned. Lesson learned is one hour in this place."

For more on this, check out Howling Latina.

Trickle down economics

The war in Iraq is cost taxpayers billions and billions of dollars -- so much, in fact, that no-bid contractors have managed to lose more than $12 billion. Imagine having so much money that you could just lose a cool $12 billion.

So what does this have to do with trickle down economics?

Well, the more money spent on a war that should never have been started is that much less money the federal government can provide for state mandates. One of the mandates is the Bush administrations' 'All kids left behind' nonsense.

The Washington Post reported today that Prince William County (Northern VA) teachers won't be getting a cost-of-living increase many had expected. It also means their facilities are not going to be upgraded. The children will just need to get comfortable with overcrowded classrooms.

Maybe the VA teachers should ask Halliburton, or whoever misplaced the $12 billion, to make up the $38 million shortfall in the county's education budget.

And all the people across the country who demonize public school teachers take note that Prince William County teachers have worked hard to narrow some achievement gaps in recent years. Usually when people do a good job they are rewarded.

Where are our priorities as a nation when a failing CEO can get a multi-million dollar exit package, yet teachers who can show measurable improvement of their students can't even get a lousy cost-of-living increase.

Late night music break ...

Describe Bush in One Word (or less)

Thanks to a little morning blog surfing I found this fun bit of information. For the past few years the Pew Research Center has included the following question in one of their surveys: “Please tell me what one word best describes your impression of George W. Bush. Tell me just the one best word that describes him.” The question didn't include a list of choices, it was completely open-ended.

A review of the responses indicates the president approval is continuing to slide. If you were asked to describe Bush using just one word -- what would that word be?

Check out the list from Pew Research Center for the People & the Press (pdf). And thanks to Mock, Paper, Scissors for the tip!

I am Spartacus

A number of bloggers are all following Drifty's lead, in standing up for Shakespeare’s Sister who announced that she is bowing out of the Edwards campaign. It is a sad development for a number of reasons, some of which can be found on Mock, Paper Scissors. If you have a blog, join in. Blue Gal posted an update that: RedQueen's got "I'm Spartacus" shirts for sale now at Cafepress. All profits are going to Shakes and family.

Top Female Cops Back ... on DVD

It seems impossible that it's been 25 years since Cagney & Lacey first hit the airwaves. Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly played tough New York City cops who never set out to be role models, but that is exactly what they became.

The series will mark its 25th anniversary on May 8 with the DVD release of its first season. The first set also contains a two-part documentary and commentary from Gloria Steinem, who championed the show for featuring women in roles that typically went to men.

The program was initially cancelled after it's first season, but a letter writing campaign to the network -- led by the National Organization for Women -- convinced CBS to bring back the program. The shows producer, Barney Rosenzweig, credits NOW with saving the series.

Cagney & Lacey was a solid hit with the critics and viewers, winning virtually every important industry award possible, including 14 Emmys, a Golden Globe and Directors and Writers Guild awards.

"It changed the history of television for women," Gless told the AP Tuesday. "Absolutely changed it."

Gless, 63, said she has "never seen a better female character" than Cagney, who struggled with alcoholism and man troubles.

"She was ambitious, very strong," she said. "She was very complicated. She was kind of screwed up. Had a lousy attitude, hated authority. She was not what one would ever consider a hero, and that's why I love her. But she was. She was just very, very real."

Daly, who has stared in numerous Broadway productions, was last seen on television in the series Judging Amy, and Gless played the P-Flag mom everyone loved on Queer As Folk.

"I haven't seen it for 17 years or whatever it's been," Daly, who played Mary Beth Lacey, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Eighteen years? 25 years? ... So, you know, I haven't seen them in a very, very long time, but walking down the street in New York City I still get 'Cagney and Lacey' instead of, you know, other stuff I've done."

"I'll be really interested to see if anybody wants to see them again," said Daly, 60.

I met the two in 1995, first at a premier NOW hosted for the "return" of Cagney & Lacey, and later when the two top cops agreed to emcee a rally NOW held on the issue of ending violence against women. Our paths cross again in 2004 at the March for Women's Lives in DC, and Tyne was a keynote speaker last year at NOW's 40th anniversary conference.

The wonderful thing about being an activist is that every decade or so you get to catch up with friends ... some who have inspired you for 25 years or more!

Happy Valentines Day

The women are out, but Edwards is the loser

Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan have both resigned from the John Edwards campaign. The women may be out, but Edwards is the big loser.

The pressure placed on Edwards by Bill Donahue and other conservatives is NOTHING compared to the pressure that he would face as president. If he can't stand up to these domestic terrorists, how would he fair against international terrorists?

Sure, you might say that Edwards didn't cave, he didn't fire them -- but that would be untrue. He DID cave, by waiting DAYS to announce that he would not fire the two women. By waiting he sent a message that he was CONSIDERING letting these two women go. He let them twist in the wind far too long before finally saying something.

Edwards was already on shaky ground with me over his position on marriage equality. I'm not sure if it's possible for him to dig his way out of this hole.

It must be that time of the month

House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner gets emotional around debate of a non-binding resolution on troop escalation . MSNBC reports:

Boehner appeared at a stake out of House GOP leaders that featured an appearance by Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, who recounted his experience as a POW for seven years in North Vietnam, and how it was 34 years ago today that he was released from prison and had his first full day of freedom. Johnson talked about how his captors would play audio of antiwar protesters back in the United States over the loudspeakers at the prison. He drew a comparison with the message that he believes Congress is sending with this debate.

Boehner, standing by off Johnson’s right shoulder, began to shed tears. A moment later he took the microphone and — referring to Johnson’s remarks while speaking about the “solemn” nature of the debate this week — got misty all over again.

Boehner's actions are a bit confusing, given that he left the "solemn" event to deliver a tirade from the House floor.

Thank you to Think Progress for the photos.

Sunday Funnies

In Memoriam - Harriet Woods

Former president of the National Women's Political Caucus and former Missouri Lt. Gov. Harriett Woods — the first woman elected to statewide office on Missouri, died Thursday from complications of leukemia. She was 79. Woods was a leader in state and national politics and a champion of women's rights and women candidates.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch report includes a statement from her family:

"She will be remembered most as a loving mother and grandmother, but we are also incredibly proud of her life devoted to public service and her passionate and determined efforts to aid society's most vulnerable — the elderly, minorities and the homeless — to obtain equal opportunities for women ... and mentor future generations of leaders.

Woods accumulated a number of firsts during her lifetime. She was the first female editor of her college newspaper, Missouri's first woman on the state Transportation Commission, and the first woman to serve as a major-party nominee for the U.S. Senate from Missouri.

While undergoing cancer treatment, Mrs. Woods traveled to Washington last month to witness the swearing-in of Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and the first female speaker of the U.S. House, Nancy Pelosi.

"It was a bittersweet, triumphal visit for her,'' said close friend Betty Van Uum, the first woman elected to the St. Louis County Council and one of many political activists who saw Mrs. Woods as a trailblazer.

Said McCaskill: "She never completely understood the impact she had on all the women who have struggled to follow her example. I can't really express how much we will miss her."

Harriet Woods once said: “You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.”

Friday Night Music Break

Drew Faust - Breaking Harvard Glass Ceiling

Harvard University has announced it will name its first woman president since its founding in 1636. The Washington Post reports:

Drew Gilpin Faust, 59, dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and a leading historian on the American South, will be formally appointed president as early as this weekend, according to a source with knowledge of the decision.

Faust replaces Lawrence Summers, whose tumultuous tenure was marked by controversial remarks he made about women.

Faust, a popular figure on campus known for her collegiality, will succeed the blunt Summers, an economist and former U.S. treasury secretary whose combative five-year tenure as president ended last year. His departure followed a faculty revolt after he suggested that the shortage of elite female scientists may stem in part from "innate" differences between men and women.

Many educators said Harvard's decision would send a message to other major research universities in the country -- 14 percent of which are headed by women.

With Faust's selection, half of the eight Ivy League schools will be run by women: Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Brown University.

Faust will end the succession of 27 white men who have held the president's title at America's oldest institution of higher education. She will take the reins from Derek Bok, 75, a former 20-year Harvard president who took over as interim leader when Summers left.

Women are well over 50 percent of student bodies at many schools, it's time we see more women in leadership positions. Congratulations President Faust!

Blog Round Up -- posts too good to miss!

from Mock, Paper, Scissors

Thus proving that dreams do come true…

Lawyers to question Russert credibility

If they have time, I have other talking heads I’d like them to check out, too.

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from Crooks and Liars

Mary Matalin is Dazed and Confused

Her appearance on Imus this morning was just bizarre. The main point Imus wanted to cover is if she actually told Libby that Tim Russert hated Chris Matthews ... Basically—try to follow this logic—she says that she doesn't think she said Russert hates Matthews, that she was mischaracterized but if Scooter Libby told Fitzgerald that she said it than she did, but she doesn't think Russert hates Matthews, but if Libby said than she did say it ...

BAC: The Republicans are starting to lose it!

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from The Carpetbagger Report

Be on the lookout for a ‘platoon of lesbians’

I’m delighted to see that Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) and I are on the same page about reaching out to the government-trained military linguists, removed from duty because of their sexual orientation ... “For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are against terrorists, but they’re very brave with the terrorists,” Ackerman said. “If the terrorists ever got a hold of this information, they’d get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad.”

‘I don’t think 20,000 more troops is Democratic, I don’t think [it’s] Republican. I think it’s stupid’

On the Hill, conservative war supporters have a reflexive, knee-jerk reaction to any disapproval of the president’s policy — critics are weak and cowardly. It doesn’t matter whether the conservative avoided military service and the critic didn’t; Bush backers believe in “strength” and “courage,” and his detractors might as well be terrorist sympathizers ... When Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of “aiding the enemy,” the Democratic senators gathered around him yesterday did not wince. Nor did Democrats object when Soltz, the chairman of a group called VoteVets.org, called President Bush and Vice President Cheney “draft dodgers.”

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from Pandagon

Sometimes I Almost Feel Just Like a Human Being

I’ve deliberately refrained from writing about the wingnut witch hunt of Amanda and Shakes here for many reasons, not least of which being that I’d be preaching to the choir. Plus, I’m not going to be able to top Pam’s summary anyway.

But that Nezua guy, he sucked me back in by highlighting one of the things I think is most important about this: Bloggers are not a new species. They (WE) are nothing special, nothing strange, nothing unknown. BLOGGERS ARE PEOPLE. It’s just been so long since real people’s voices were actually represented in media or politics that when you begin hearing them, they sound so—ew—so…human!

Republicans plane wrong about Speaker Pelosi

Never mind that under Republican control Congress and the White House have lost more than $8 Billion of our taxpayer dollars. That's not the big issue on Republican minds these days ... the more important issue is whether or not Speaker Pelosi should have access to a plane that will take her non-stop across country.

Following 9/11, it was decided that the second in line to the President, the Speaker of the House, should travel by military plane for added security during trips back home. For Dennis Hastert, that meant a quick trip to Chicago -- but for the new speaker the trip is to the other coast.

Republicans decided to make a sink about something Speaker Pelosi didn't even do ... request a bigger plane. What makes this non-story even worse, is that media outlets are simply reporting the Republican spin, and not taking the time to find out the real story.

In an amazing turn of events, even the White House thinks this is a "silly story."

White House spokeman Tony Snow took a different tact, telling reporters Thursday morning, "This is a silly story, and I think it's been unfair to the speaker."

I'd like to suggest to the Republicans that a much better use of their time would be to find the missing $8 billion dollars. And to the press, why don't you look into the missing $8 billion dollars as well! That seems like a much better use of your time than blindly reporting a non-story about Speaker Pelosi.

Will John Edwards stand up to conservatives?

So far it's Flu 10 - BAC 0. I've been sick with the flu for more than 10 days now, so I'm way behind on topics I would like to write about. One of my favorite blogs is The Carpetbagger Report, so let me just share with you what Steve has written on a topic we should all pay attention to -- whether or not one of the leading Democratic presidential candidates has a spine.

Intemperate allies for me, but not for thee

The company the candidates keep

Targeting John Edwards' bloggers

If Edwards can't stand up to people who will NEVER vote for him, how can he be counted on to stand up for us? If this makes you as crazy as it did me, send a message to the campaign!

Republicans mobilize their base

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is reporting "a surprising and troubling resurgence" of the Ku Klux Klan over the past year.

The Ku Klux Klan, which just a few years ago seemed static or even moribund compared to other white supremacist movements such as neo-Nazis, experienced "a surprising and troubling resurgence" during the past year due to the successful exploitation of hot-button issues including immigration, gay marriage and urban crime, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

The League, which monitors the activities of racist hate groups and reports its findings to law enforcement and policymakers, has documented a noticeable spike in activity by Klan chapters across the country. The KKK believes that the U.S. is "drowning" in a tide of non-white immigration, controlled and orchestrated by Jews, and is vigorously trying to bring this message to Americans concerned or fearful about immigration.

I hope Karl Rove is happy.

Haggard to form Gay/Straight Alliance

In what might be called a predictable turn of events, Rev. Ted Haggard has just announced that he is "completely heterosexual."

One of the four ministers who oversaw Haggard's three weeks of intensive counseling, the Rev. Tim Ralph of Larkspur, told The Denver Post:

"He is completely heterosexual," Ralph said. "That is something he discovered. It was the acting-out situations where things took place. It wasn't a constant thing."

Haggard, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, resigned in disgrace after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced. Haggard has maintained that his sexual contact with men was limited to the former male prostitute who came forward with the allegations.

The ministers counseling Haggard suggested that he leave town, and strongly urged him to pursue secular work. It appears that Haggard agreed.

Haggard said in an e-mail Sunday . . . that he and his wife, Gayle, plan to pursue master's degrees in psychology. The e-mail said the family hasn't decided where to move but that they were considering Missouri and Iowa.

Stay tuned for part two: Missouri counselor, and former evangelical minister, caught with homosexual lover in drug bust -- film at 11.

Sunday Funnies

Sarah McLachlan: Angel

A tragic ending for two Rachel's

As a young girl I once wrote that there were secrets in my life that I was sure I would take with me to my grave. Thank goodness I had friends who helped me transition from that secret life to the authentic life I've been living for the past 30 years.

When I read about the two young Maryland girls found dead in a secluded area in West Virginia it broke my heart. There are still many questions to be answered about their deaths, but one thing seems very clear to me -- they were in love.

Rachel Smith, 16, and Rachel Crites, 18, were found side by side in a car parked on a remote trail near the West Virginia border. It was apparent the two did not want to be found.

Officials called the deaths apparent suicides, as there were no signs of trauma.

Troy Crites, father of the elder teenager, described how he had examined his daughter's diary and found a disturbing entry that alluded to her death.

"Wherever I end up laying, whether buried or cremated, I want to stay with my true love, buried next to her," it said. "This is my choice. I'm sorry."

We will probably never know why these two girls made this tragic decision, but we do know that lesbian and gay youth are 2 to 3 times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people.

Our society needs to wake up and realize there is nothing wrong, or immoral, about being lesbian or gay. Some people have brown hair, some are left handed and some are gay. And whether or not a person believes they were "born gay", or made a conscious choice to be lesbian or gay, there is nothing wrong with it.

If you are a teen and questioning whether or not you are lesbian or gay there are people you can talk to. Here are just a few of the resources available to you:

OutProud, The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth

Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL)

National Youth Advocacy Coalition

National Queer Student Coalition

Advocates for Youth

GenderPAC

For parents who think their child might be lesbian or gay, there are resources for you, too:

PFLAG National

More Molly ... we'll miss you