YOU ARE INVITED TO A BOXING DAY LUNCHEON ON DECEMBER 26, 2010

Bring a little box (or bag, or whatever) for friends in need

Holiday Greetings 2010

A NEW TRADITION IS BORN IN SAN MIGUEL

On December 26th, St Stephens, the day after Christmas, at 2:00 in the afternoon, Leonardo Ricardo and Juan Carlos Castillo are celebrating the holiday and our holiday visitors Ricardo Soto from San Juan, Puerto Rico and Steven Hergert of San Francisco who will be visiting us for a few days in San Miguel, Sacatapequez.

We are inviting you to come meet our friends Ricardo and Steven and join the festive get-together including drinks, lunch, much comradery and holiday good-will for ¨Boxing Day¨ which is also known as ¨The Day of Good Will.

Our Menu--¨serious¨ Asian Food

FOR YOUR PLEASURE: We are serving Korean, Japanese, Chinese specialties--Far Eastern favorites which will no doubt offer a tasty variation after many traditional holiday dinners.

2:00 Greet/Drinks

Open Bar
Soft Drinks/Mineral Water
Fruit Drinks
Limonada y Naranjara
·
Mixed Nuts
Japanese Mixed Rice Snacks

3:00 Lunch

Japanese Cold Sweet/Sour Salad--Carrots, Onions, Cucumbers
Korean Cold Noodles--Tomato Wedges, Hard Boiled Eggs, Spicy Sauce
Singapore Chicken
Korean BBQ Beef
Chinese Stur Fry Fresh Mixed Vegetables
Japanese White Rice
Sesame Noodles
Korean Kimchi
Fresh Mixed Fruit Kabob
·

Dessert:
Chinese Fortune Cookies
Lemon Pie
Iced Tea/Hot Tea

Our Boxing Day ¨Food Bank Box¨ Tradition begins 2010

In addition to the our Boxing Day luncheon party honoring our visitors Ricardo and Steven--Elizabeth and Tom McCullough, Juan Carlos and I will be encouraging/accepting food donations (packages of dry basic foodstuffs of rice, beans, sugar and/or canned goods) for the NEW San Miguel Food Bank we´re planning.

Our hope is that we´ll receive many contributions of food donations and that we will then be able to safely ¨stock¨ and later distribute (with the help of local trusted priest) much needed emergency food to families and ¨elders¨ who will be in extra need of food help through 2011.

Friends anonymously helping friends is our plan and when our San Miguel Food Bank needs restocking, well, we´ll just have another party and invite you!

Looking forward to greeting you in San Miguel on Boxing Day!

Best to you and your loved ones during the Christmas Season and siempre,

Elizabeth, Tom, Juan Carlos and Leonardo

 leonardoricardosanto@gmail.com

SPLC INTELLIGENCE=TRUTH REPORT: Myth #10 -- ¨Gay people can choose to leave homosexuality.¨

TENTH MYTH REGARDING GAYS:

¨Gay people can choose to leave homosexuality.¨

THE ARGUMENT:

¨If people are not born gay, as anti-gay activists claim, then it should be possible for individuals to abandon homosexuality. This view is buttressed among religiously motivated anti-gay activists by the idea that homosexual practice is a sin and humans have the free will needed to reject sinful urges.

A number of “ex-gay” religious ministries have sprung up in recent years with the aim of teaching homosexuals to become heterosexuals, and these have become prime purveyors of the claim that gays and lesbians, with the aid of mental therapy and Christian teachings, can “come out of homosexuality.” Exodus International, the largest of these ministries, plainly states, “You don’t have to be gay!” Another, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, describes itself as “a professional, scientific organization that offers hope to those who struggle with unwanted homosexuality.”

THE FACTS:

“Reparative” or sexual reorientation therapy — the pseudo-scientific foundation of the ex-gay movement — has been rejected by all the established and reputable American medical, psychological, psychiatric, and professional counseling organizations. In 2009, for instance, the American Psychological Association adopted a resolution, accompanied by a 138-page report, that repudiated ex-gay therapy. The report concluded that compelling evidence suggested that cases of individuals going from gay to straight were “rare” and that “many individuals continued to experience same-sex sexual attractions” after reparative therapy. The APA resolution added that “there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation” and asked “mental health professionals to avoid misrepresenting the efficacy of sexual orientation change efforts by promoting or promising change in sexual orientation.” The resolution also affirmed that same-sex sexual and romantic feelings are normal.


Some of the most striking, if anecdotal, evidence of the ineffectiveness of sexual reorientation therapy has been the numerous failures of some of its most ardent advocates. For example, the founder of Exodus International, Michael Bussee, left the organization in 1979 with a fellow male ex-gay counselor because the two had fallen in love. Alan Chambers, current president of Exodus, said in 2007 that with years of therapy, he’s mostly conquered his attraction to men, but then admitted, “By no means would we ever say that change can be sudden or complete." HERE


Evelyn Schlatter is a research fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center. She is the author of Aryan Cowboys: White Supremacists and the Search for a New Frontier, 1970-2000.

Robert Steinback is deputy editor of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report magazine and Hatewatch blog. Prior to joining SPLC, he worked for 24 years at The Miami Herald as a reporter, editor and columnist.

¨Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement more than 30 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize homosexuals — or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society. For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of gays and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. But in addition to hawking that myth, the legions of anti-gay activists who followed have added a panoply of others, ranging from the extremely doubtful claim that homosexuality is a choice, to unalloyed lies like the claims that gays molest children far more than heterosexuals or that hate crime laws will lead to the legalization of bestiality and necrophilia. These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at homosexuals, who are more targeted for such attacks than any other minority in America.¨

Most days throughout this Holiday Season 2010 my blog will present you and yours with the GIFT OF TRUTH AND REAL FACT regarding 10 key myths propagated by the anti-gay movement, along with the truth behind the propaganda. Truth is a big gift and we give thanks to our blog-world-associates Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback. Leonardo Ricardo HERE

· Thanks to Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback
· Thanks to The Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute
· Thanks to SPLC INTELLIGENCE REPORT/AlterNet
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing, Moonjazz
· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker  HERE
· Thanks to Professor Gregory Herek, University of California, Davis
· Thanks to The American Academy of Pediatrics
· Thanks to The American Psychological Association
· Thanks to The American Psychiatric Association
· Thanks to The Child Welfare League of America
· Thanks to A Christian Voice for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender, sidebar
· Thanks to National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization
· Thanks to Christine Mueller, professor of history at Reed College
· Thanks to Historian Jon David Wynecken
· Thanks to Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
· Thanks to The Palm Center, University of California at Santa Barbra
· Thanks to Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach
· Thanks to Richard J. Wolitski, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing

SPLC INTELLIGENCE=TRUTH REPORT: Myth #9 -- ¨No one is born a homosexual.¨

NINTH MYTH REGARDING GAYS:

¨No one is born a homosexual.¨

THE ARGUMENT:

¨Anti-gay activists keenly oppose the granting of “special” civil rights protections to homosexuals similar to those afforded black Americans and other minorities. But if people are born gay — in the same way people have no choice as to whether they are black or white — discrimination against homosexuals would be vastly more difficult to justify. Thus, anti-gay forces insist that sexual orientation is a behavior that can be changed, not an immutable characteristic.¨

THE FACTS:

Modern science cannot state conclusively what causes sexual orientation, but a great many studies suggest that it is the result of biological and environmental forces, not a personal “choice.” One of the more recent is a 2008 Swedish study of twins (the world’s largest twin study) that appeared in The Archives of Sexual Behavior and concluded that “[h]omosexual behaviour is largely shaped by genetics and random environmental factors.” Dr. Qazi Rahman, study co-author and a leading scientist on human sexual orientation, said: “This study puts cold water on any concerns that we are looking for a single ‘gay gene’ or a single environmental variable which could be used to ‘select out’ homosexuality — the factors which influence sexual orientation are complex. And we are not simply talking about homosexuality here — heterosexual behaviour is also influenced by a mixture of genetic and environmental factors.”

The American Psychological Association (APA) acknowledges that despite much research into the possible genetic, hormonal, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no evidence has emerged that would allow scientists to pinpoint the precise causes of sexual orientation. Still, the APA concludes that “most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”In October 2010, Kansas State University family studies professor Walter Schumm said he was about to release a study showing that gay parents produced far more gay children than heterosexual parents. He told a reporter that he was “trying to prove [homosexuality is] not 100% genetic.” But critics suggested that his data did not prove that, and, in any event, virtually no scientists have suggested that homosexuality is caused only by genes. HERE

¨Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement more than 30 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize homosexuals — or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society. For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of gays and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. But in addition to hawking that myth, the legions of anti-gay activists who followed have added a panoply of others, ranging from the extremely doubtful claim that homosexuality is a choice, to unalloyed lies like the claims that gays molest children far more than heterosexuals or that hate crime laws will lead to the legalization of bestiality and necrophilia. These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at homosexuals, who are more targeted for such attacks than any other minority in America.¨

Most days throughout this Holiday Season 2010 my blog will present you and yours with the GIFT OF TRUTH AND REAL FACT regarding 10 key myths propagated by the anti-gay movement, along with the truth behind the propaganda. Truth is a big gift and we give thanks to our blog-world-associates Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback. Leonardo Ricardo HERE

· Thanks to Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback
· Thanks to The Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute
· Thanks to SPLC INTELLIGENCE REPORT/AlterNet
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing, Moonjazz
· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker  HERE
· Thanks to Professor Gregory Herek, University of California, Davis
· Thanks to The American Academy of Pediatrics
· Thanks to The American Psychological Association
· Thanks to The American Psychiatric Association
· Thanks to The Child Welfare League of America
· Thanks to A Christian Voice for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender, sidebar
· Thanks to National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization
· Thanks to Christine Mueller, professor of history at Reed College
· Thanks to Historian Jon David Wynecken
· Thanks to Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
· Thanks to The Palm Center, University of California at Santa Barbra
· Thanks to Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach
· Thanks to Richard J. Wolitski, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing, alicemariedesign

Visions of Christmas Past/Present: Rowan Williams has failed to address the dangerous moral issues of excluding, bigotry, fear/hatemongering directed against LGBTI Anglicans

Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury

When I was a child growing up in the Pacific Northwest of The United States of America we enjoyed every Christmas with Snow.  We loved snow (at least in the beginning of the Winter Season) and I remember our Mom dressed us up in Leggings, Hats with Ear Muffs, heavy Winter Coats and Boots to face the freezing cold--off we roared into the whiteness wilderness of it all.  We were secure, happy and ready to make Angels in the Snow,  Snowmen,  Snow Forts (my favorite) to hide in/behind for the upcoming neighborhood wars featuring Snow Ball fights!  We felt especially warm, loved and secure at Christmastime.

Some of those Snow Ball Fights were great fun and they weren´t meanspirited. They remained games as long as the ¨players¨ weren´t vendictive or feardriven warriors acting on some stored up hatred, prejudice, jealousy and resentment that went way beyond fun and revealed sadistic behavior.

Innocent acts of play and fellowship sometimes became opportunities to punish, to humiliate and demean.  Just plain mean and sometimes even dangerous games of sadism and bullying that happen even today, this Christmastime,at The Anglican Communion.

Often in my growing up years--until today--I´ve found myself amongst people who have less than ¨normal¨ or ¨moral¨ good/clean fun on their minds when they endlessly slander, mock, demonize and even physically attack their own family members, friends, neighbors, schoolmates.  The abused friends and coworkers often are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex real people with whom we ALL associate with at all levels of society everyday.  Abusing others is no casual accident, no act of random violence, spite or hate. Bigotry is premeditated anger exposed. Bigotry is a spiritual and emotional sickeness in the raw, nothing less. Bullies of every national and cultural stripe often spew unfunny words and inflict emotional and physical pain/scars on others whom they fear and despise just because they are ¨different¨ from them.  We´ve seen it all before, endlessly before, lifetimes of persecution and primitive vileness directed against LGBTI people. Who stands with the victims of outcasting/marginalizing when they are abused,defamed, demoralized and despised at Church?  Who will say a kind word, provide a little reason, compassion and encourage justice and understanding for all?  Who will offer love and look hate in the face and stare bigotry down?

Not the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, continues to play a deadly game of pretend/denial/placating vicious abusers of LGBTI Christians this Christmas Season, 2010.  Rowan Williams fails to address the deep moral issues and the blatant excluding, fear and hate-mongering directed against LGBTI Anglicans, our families and loved ones by those who terrorize at Church/The Anglican Communion.

Abuse of others is happening everyday at many provinces within The Anglican Communion-- every minute of everyday bigotry finds a way to harm others.   Our Anglican/other humankind family members are being tormented at Church while Rowan Williams looks the other way.

Persecuting of fellow Christians/others is currently being done by self-named ¨orothodox¨ ruthless/ignorant Bishops who make bigotted pronouncements that marginalize and outcast LGBTI Anglicans at the Body of Christ.   Bishop Rowan buries his head as a religious ¨equality¨ debate has become a deadly hate campaign launched against LGBTI Anglicans by the Gafcon-Global South Anglican gang. 

Archbishop Rowan mostly ignores hatecrimes resulting in injury and murder against LGBTI people.  Crimes that are  IN HIS FACE in Liverpool (during the Lambeth Conference), London, Kingston/Jamaica and/or Kampala/Uganda are deflected as he panders to superstitious primates who initiate lies, thieve from others, shame, blame and preach demeaning and death from the pulpit radiating anti-LGBTI spew.

Rowan Williams has turned a shallow/butchered ¨Lambeth 1.10¨ statement and  ¨Listening Process¨ into a instrument of punishment of LGBTI Anglicans in England, Africa, The West Indies, the Middle East and Southeast Asia...he remains silent in the face of large group persecution/discrimination and doesn´t seem to ¨listen¨ at all except to the urge others to honor his resentments against those with whom he disagrees over LGBTI equality at Chruch/beyond.

Dr. Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury is responsible for playing a political power game at Church/Communion instead of promoting basic human rights, love and tolerance amongst all Episcopalians and Anglicans thoroughout the world...love amongst the Anglican Communion family everywhere ought not be ignored in favor of rewarding prejudice, discrimination and hate by pretending it doesn´t exist.

                                                                  

Anglican Hero Archbishop Martin Barahona, Bishop of El Salvador and Primate Emeritus of Central America

“The Windsor Report,” he said. “It’s just a report. When did it become like The Bible? The Covenant. Why do we need another covenant? We have the Baptismal Covenant. We have the creeds. What else do we need?” HERE

KENYA IS NOT A THEOCRACY: ¨Homophobia – the irrational, unscientific, and primitive fear of gays and lesbians – is the vilest of hatreds.¨

Dean Makau Mutua, SUNY Distinguished Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

Bottom Line: Kenya's Constitution Protects Gay Rights

"Let me state the bottom line up-front – [Kenya's] Constitution protects gay rights. Period – plain and simple." So writes Makau Mutua, Dean and SUNY Distinguished Professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School.

This is both a statement of fact and law. But the Constitution goes even further. It does not prohibit same-sex marriages.As any average first year law student knows, a liberty or freedom that is not prohibited is permitted. But more is at stake.

Are we going to be ruled by fear and hatred, or love? I have said it before, and will do so yet again. Kenya is not a theocracy.

The country is not, and cannot be, governed by religious law. Nor can antiquated cultural norms and tyrannical beliefs imprison us.

Homophobia – the irrational, unscientific, and primitive fear of gays and lesbians – is the vilest of hatreds.

It’s illogical and untenable. Homophobia lies in the same gutter with all the other hatreds, including racism, misogyny, religious bigotry, and tribalism. It’s the oppression of the most vulnerable members of our society.

No progressive person can be a homophobe. Just like no progressive person can hate women because of their gender.

Homophobic heterosexuals need to relax a little and see the humanity in their homosexual compatriots.

Why do I think the Constitution protects gay rights and permits same-sex marriages? I am going to offer you a cold legal analysis of the Constitution devoid of advocacy or politics.

You can take my legal advice to the bank. Perhaps there is no more important clause in any modern Constitution than the “equal protection clause”. This is the overriding provision that is anchored in the anti-discrimination and equality norms.
Without the equal protection clause a constitution would be worthless to protect human rights.

Human rights pivot on – and are made possible by – the legal fiction of equality. Take that away and we all become animals in a jungle. This is the “civilising” core of the modern state.
The universal modern constitution protects a large array of identities in its equal protection clause.

This includes traditional categories like religion, race, ethnicity, colour, social origin, belief, language, conscience, culture, and sex.

But constitutional and international human rights law also protects newer and emerging categories of vulnerability.

These include pregnancy, disability, dress, marital status, and sexual orientation. That’s right – sexual orientation...¨ please read it all, HERE

· Thanks to Dean Makau Mutua
· Thanks to Buffalo Law School
· Thanks to SUNY Distinguised Professor
· Thanks to State University of New York
· Thanks to African Activist, sidebar
· Thanks to Amplifying Africa's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Voices

SPLC INTELLIGENCE=TRUTH REPORT: Myth #8 -- ¨Homosexuals are more prone to be mentally ill and to abuse drugs and alcohol.¨

EIGHTH MYTH REGARDING GAYS:

¨Homosexuals are more prone to be mentally ill and to abuse drugs and alcohol.¨

THE ARGUMENT:

¨Anti-gay groups want not only to depict sexual orientation as something that can be changed but also to show that heterosexuality is the most desirable “choice” — even if religious arguments are set aside. The most frequently used secular argument made by anti-gay groups in that regard is that homosexuality is inherently unhealthy, both mentally and physically. As a result, most anti-gay rights groups reject the 1973 decision by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses. Some of these groups, including the particularly hard-line Traditional Values Coalition, claim that “homosexual activists” managed to infiltrate the APA in order to sway its decision.¨

THE FACTS:

¨All major professional mental health organizations are on record as stating that homosexuality is not a mental disorder.

It is true that LGBT people suffer higher rates of anxiety, depression, and depression-related illnesses and behaviors like alcohol and drug abuse than the general population. But studies done during the past 15 years have determined that it is the stress of being a member of a minority group in an often-hostile society — and not LGBT identity itself — that accounts for the higher levels of mental illness and drug use.

Richard J. Wolitski, an expert on minority status and public health issues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, put it like this in 2008: “Economic disadvantage, stigma, and discrimination … increase stress and diminish the ability of individuals [in minority groups] to cope with stress, which in turn contribute to poor physical and mental health.” HERE
 
¨Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement more than 30 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize homosexuals — or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society. For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of gays and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. But in addition to hawking that myth, the legions of anti-gay activists who followed have added a panoply of others, ranging from the extremely doubtful claim that homosexuality is a choice, to unalloyed lies like the claims that gays molest children far more than heterosexuals or that hate crime laws will lead to the legalization of bestiality and necrophilia. These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at homosexuals, who are more targeted for such attacks than any other minority in America.¨

Most days throughout this Holiday Season 2010 my blog will present you and yours with the GIFT OF TRUTH AND REAL FACT regarding 10 key myths propagated by the anti-gay movement, along with the truth behind the propaganda. Truth is a big gift and we give thanks to our blog-world-associates Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback. Leonardo Ricardo HERE

· Thanks to Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback
· Thanks to The Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute
· Thanks to SPLC INTELLIGENCE REPORT/AlterNet
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing, Moonjazz
· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker  HERE
· Thanks to Professor Gregory Herek, University of California, Davis
· Thanks to The American Academy of Pediatrics
· Thanks to The American Psychological Association
· Thanks to The American Psychiatric Association
· Thanks to The Child Welfare League of America
· Thanks to A Christian Voice for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender, sidebar
· Thanks to National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization
· Thanks to Christine Mueller, professor of history at Reed College
· Thanks to Historian Jon David Wynecken
· Thanks to Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
· Thanks to The Palm Center, University of California at Santa Barbra
· Thanks to Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach
· Thanks to Richard J. Wolitski, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
· Thanks to Flickr Photo Sharing, alicemariedesign

THE NO ANGLICAN COVENANT COALITION: “Ten Reasons Why the Proposed Anglican Covenant is a Bad Idea”

Ten Reasons Why the Proposed Anglican Covenant Is a Bad Idea

1. The proposed Anglican Covenant would transform a vibrant, cooperative, fellowship of churches into a contentious, centralized aggregation of churches designed to reduce diversity and initiative. The Covenant would institutionalize the “Instruments of Unity” as never before and would give extraordinary power to the newly enhanced Standing Committee.


2. Under the Covenant, churches will be inhibited from undertaking new evangelical or mission initiatives for fear of offending other Communion churches and becoming embroiled in the disciplinary mechanisms set up by the Covenant.


3. The centralization of authority envisioned by the proposed Covenant is cumbersome, costly, and undemocratic. In an era in which power and authority are being distributed in many organizations in order to achieve greater efficiency, responsiveness, and accountability, what has been proposed for the Communion seems out of step with current thinking regarding large organizations.


4. Although the proposed Covenant is offered as a mechanism to achieve unity, its immediate effect is to create divisions. Churches that cannot or will not adopt the Covenant automatically become second-class members of the Communion. The inevitable application of the disciplinary provisions of Section 4 will likely further distinguish between “full” members of the Communion and less-than-full members.


5. The proposed Covenant is dangerously vague. Sections 1–3 of the Covenant, which are seen by many as innocuous, leave much room for divergent interpretations. Section 4 makes it all too easy for any church to “ask questions” about the actions of another, which may then be subjected to unspecified “relational consequences.” There is no sure measure of what behaviour is likely to be acceptable, no checks provided against unreasonable complaints, and no guarantee that “consequences” (i.e., punishments) meted out will be commensurate with the alleged offence.


6. The proposed Covenant runs counter to the gospel imperative of not judging others. It is all too easy for Communion churches to complain about the sins of their sister churches while ignoring or diverting attention from their own failures to live out the Gospel.


7. The proposed Covenant encourages premature ending of debate. Rather than taking the advice of Gamaliel (Acts 5:38–39) and seeing how controversial matters play out, the Covenant evidences an eagerness to “settle” them. This is an unfortunate temptation to which the Communion seems subject. It has too quickly concluded that “homosexual practice” is “incompatible with Scripture” and that adopting the Covenant is “the only way forward,” neither of which is either intuitively obvious or universally agreed upon.


8. The notion that we need to make “forceful” the “bonds of affection” is fundamentally flawed. If we need force and coercion to maintain relationships between Communion churches, there is no true affection, and the very foundation of the proposed Covenant is fraudulent.


9. The proposed “Covenant” seems more like a treaty, contract, or instrument of surrender than a covenant. In the ecclesiastical context, a covenant is usually thought of as an agreement undertaken in joy and in an atmosphere of trust—baptismal and marriage covenants come to mind. The proposed Anglican Covenant, on the other hand, is advanced in an atmosphere of anger, fear, and distrust, and with the threat of dire consequences if it is not adopted.


10. The proposed Covenant is not the only way forward; there are better options. The Anglican Communion would be better served by remaining a single-tier fellowship of churches, allowing disaffected members to leave if they must, while keeping the door open for their return. Any alternative position cedes too much power to those willing to intimidate by threatening to walk away. HERE

JOIN US AT THE NO ANGLICAN COVENANT BLOG  HERE

SPLC INTELLIGENCE=TRUTH REPORT: Myth #7 -- ¨ Allowing homosexuals to serve openly would damage the armed forces.¨

Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach  HERE

SEVENTH MYTH REGARDING GAYS:

¨Allowing homosexuals to serve openly would damage the armed forces.¨

THE ARGUMENT:
 
 ¨Anti-gay groups are adamantly opposed to allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces, not only because of their purported fear that combat readiness will be undermined, but because the military has long been considered the purest meritocracy in America (the armed forces were successfully racially integrated long before American civilian society, for example). If gays can serve honorably and effectively in this meritocracy, that would suggest that there is no rational basis for discriminating against them in any way.¨
 
THE FACTS:

¨Homosexuals now serve in the U.S. armed forces, though under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy instituted in 1993, they cannot serve openly. At the same time, gays and lesbians serve openly in the armed forces of 25 countries, including Britain, Israel, South Africa, Canada and Australia, according to a report released by the Palm Center, a policy think tank at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The Palm Center report concluded that lifting bans against openly gay service personnel in these countries “ha[s] had no negative impact on morale, recruitment, retention, readiness or overall combat effectiveness.” Successful transitions to new policies were attributed to clear signals of leadership support and a focus on a uniform code of behavior without regard to sexual orientation.

A 2008 Military Times poll of active-duty military personnel, often cited by anti-gay activists, found that 10% of respondents said they would not re-enlist if the DADT policy were repealed. That would mean some 228,000 people might leave the military in that instance. But a 2009 review of that poll by the Palm Center suggested a wide disparity between what soldiers said they would do and their actual actions. It noted, for example, that far more than 10% of West Point officers in the 1970s said they would leave the service if women were admitted to the academy. “But when the integration became a reality,” the report said, “there was no mass exodus; the opinions turned out to be just opinions.” Similarly, a 1985 survey of 6,500 male Canadian service members and a 1996 survey of 13,500 British service members each revealed that nearly two-thirds expressed strong reservations about serving with gays. Yet when those countries lifted bans on gays serving openly, virtually no one left the service for that reason. “None of the dire predictions of doom came true,” the Palm Center report said.¨  HERE

¨Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement more than 30 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize homosexuals — or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society. For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of gays and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. But in addition to hawking that myth, the legions of anti-gay activists who followed have added a panoply of others, ranging from the extremely doubtful claim that homosexuality is a choice, to unalloyed lies like the claims that gays molest children far more than heterosexuals or that hate crime laws will lead to the legalization of bestiality and necrophilia. These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at homosexuals, who are more targeted for such attacks than any other minority in America.¨

Most days throughout this Holiday Season 2010 my blog will present you and yours with the GIFT OF TRUTH AND REAL FACT regarding 10 key myths propagated by the anti-gay movement, along with the truth behind the propaganda. Truth is a big gift and we give thanks to our blog-world-associates Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback. Leonardo Ricardo HERE

· Thanks to Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback
· Thanks to The Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute
· Thanks to SPLC INTELLIGENCE REPORT/AlterNet
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing, Moonjazz
· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker  HERE
· Thanks to Professor Gregory Herek, University of California, Davis
· Thanks to The American Academy of Pediatrics
· Thanks to The American Psychological Association
· Thanks to The American Psychiatric Association
· Thanks to The Child Welfare League of America
· Thanks to A Christian Voice for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender, sidebar
· Thanks to National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization
· Thanks to Christine Mueller, professor of history at Reed College
· Thanks to Historian Jon David Wynecken
· Thanks to Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act
· Thanks to The Palm Center, University of California at Santa Barbra
· Thanks to Lt. Colonel Victor Fehrenbach

SPLC INTELLIGENCE=TRUTH REPORT: Myth #6 -- ¨Hate crime laws will lead to the jailing of pastors who criticize homosexuality and the legalization of practices like bestiality and necrophilia.¨

10 Hateful Anti-Gay Myths Debunked

SIXTH MYTH REGARDING GAYS:

¨Hate crime laws will lead to the jailing of pastors who criticize homosexuality and the legalization of practices like bestiality and necrophilia.¨

THE ARGUMENT:

Anti-gay activists, who have long opposed adding LGBT people to those protected by hate crime legislation, have repeatedly claimed that such laws would lead to the jailing of religious figures who preach against homosexuality — part of a bid to gain the backing of the broader religious community for their position. Janet Porter of Faith2Action was one of many who asserted that the federal Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act — signed into law by President Obama in October 2009 — would “jail pastors” because it “criminalizes speech against the homosexual agenda.”

In a related assertion, anti-gay activists claimed the law would lead to the legalization of psychosexual disorders (paraphilias) like bestiality and pedophilia. Bob Unruh, a conservative Christian journalist who left The Associated Press in 2006 for the right-wing, conspiracist news site WorldNetDaily, said shortly before the federal law was passed that it would legalize “all 547 forms of sexual deviancy or ‘paraphilias’ listed by the American Psychiatric Association.” This claim was repeated by many anti-gay organizations, including the Illinois Family Institute

THE FACTS:

The claim that hate crime laws could result in the imprisonment of those who “oppose the homosexual lifestyle” is false. The Constitution provides robust protections of free speech, and case law makes it clear that even a preacher who suggested that homosexuals should be killed would be protected.

Neither do hate crime laws — which provide for enhanced penalties when persons are victimized because of their “sexual orientation” (among other factors) — “protect pedophiles,” as Janet Porter and many others have claimed. According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation refers to heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality — not paraphilias such as pedophilia. Paraphilias, as defined by the American Psychiatric Assocation, are disorders characterized by sexual urges or behaviors directed at nonhuman objects or non-consenting persons like children, or that involve the suffering or humiliation of one’s partner.

Even if pedophiles, for example, were protected under a hate crime law — and such a law has not been suggested or contemplated anywhere — that would not legalize or “protect” pedophilia. Pedophilia is illegal sexual activity, and a law that more severely punished people who attacked pedophiles would not change that. HERE

¨Ever since born-again singer and orange juice pitchwoman Anita Bryant helped kick off the contemporary anti-gay movement more than 30 years ago, hard-line elements of the religious right have been searching for ways to demonize homosexuals — or, at a minimum, to find arguments that will prevent their normalization in society. For the former Florida beauty queen and her Save Our Children group, it was the alleged plans of gays and lesbians to “recruit” in schools that provided the fodder for their crusade. But in addition to hawking that myth, the legions of anti-gay activists who followed have added a panoply of others, ranging from the extremely doubtful claim that homosexuality is a choice, to unalloyed lies like the claims that gays molest children far more than heterosexuals or that hate crime laws will lead to the legalization of bestiality and necrophilia. These fairy tales are important to the anti-gay right because they form the basis of its claim that homosexuality is a social evil that must be suppressed — an opinion rejected by virtually all relevant medical and scientific authorities. They also almost certainly contribute to hate crime violence directed at homosexuals, who are more targeted for such attacks than any other minority in America.¨

Most days throughout this Holiday Season 2010 my blog will present you and yours with the GIFT OF TRUTH AND REAL FACT regarding 10 key myths propagated by the anti-gay movement, along with the truth behind the propaganda. Truth is a big gift and we give thanks to our blog-world-associates Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback. Leonardo Ricardo HERE

· Thanks to Evelyn Schlatter and Robert Steinback
· Thanks to The Child Molestation Research and Prevention Institute
· Thanks to SPLC INTELLIGENCE REPORT/AlterNet
· Thanks to Flickr Photosharing, Moonjazz
· Thanks to The Reverend Dr. Jerry Maneker  HERE
· Thanks to Professor Gregory Herek, University of California, Davis
· Thanks to The American Academy of Pediatrics
· Thanks to The American Psychological Association
· Thanks to The American Psychiatric Association
· Thanks to The Child Welfare League of America
· Thanks to A Christian Voice for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Transgender, sidebar
· Thanks to National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization
· Thanks to Christine Mueller, professor of history at Reed College
· Thanks to Historian Jon David Wynecken
· Thanks to Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act

DRUM ROLL/INTRODUCING--CONFESSIONS OF A GAY UGANDAN TEEN : ¨In all this, Bahati came across as a pretty decent guy, a polite monster ...¨

Anglican and Member of Parliament David Bahati doing the Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Deny

Dear Erupting Volcano Friends, I´m pleased to introduce to you from on-the-ground in Kampala, Uganda, our very newest online LGBTI  activist/associate ¨Gay Ugandan Teen¨ who has reviewed for you MP David Bahati´s recent T.V. interview with Ms. Rachael Maddow, MSNBC!

CONFESSIONS OF A GAY UGANDAN TEEN

Some observations regarding ¨DAVID BA'HATE¨:

¨...He is adhering to the time honored tactic of the 5 D's; Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge. He didn't answer a single question directly. Lies and obfuscation are the only refuge of the bigoted, as one of the commenters mentioned. And yeah, of course he played the recruitment card. When asked about evidence of recruitment, he said something bordering on ‘Oh yes I can tell you, it’s a fact, it’s a fact because it is happening and we know it is happening because it is a fact, it is not a myth. It is a fact that people who do not believe in homosexuality know.’ Oh how hilarious. I’m amused at how he says the “people who do not believe in homosexuality.” Believe??? Homosexuality is not something to be believed in, it is just a thing. It’s like saying I don’t believe in that escalator, while seating at Mokka Terrace in Nakumatt, or saying I don’t believe in weather…there’s nothing to believe or not to believe in, it’s there! Period!!! Bahati’s utterances are very typical of many Ugandans that choose to bury their heads in the political sands of self righteousness, people who ignore all reason and choose to remain blinded by the curse of bigotry.

I don’t really know where the idea of recruitment came from…oh wait, I do. Remember Anita Bryant and her pals? Well it seems that ideology has remained in the minds of the anti gay evangelicals that have followed…some of whom came to Uganda about two years ago to spread their hate. This recruitment thing seems to be something that’s just there to veil personal homophobia. Using children to justify your hatred towards a minority group has been a tactic bigots have used for years to justify their prejudices.

The more you think of the idea of recruitment the more ridiculous it gets. Our high schools here are structured in a way that outsiders cannot get in and the closest you can get to seeing the outside world is visitation/open day. I cannot even imagine someone getting into Namilyango College or SMACK and recruiting those burly figured boys. Or even the primary schools, regardless of whether they’re day or boarding. I have not heard any Ugandan parent come forward saying their six year old kid came home and told them of how a strange man came to class and told them it is okay for Jack to marry John…and you know how honest kids can be. In fact technically that is not recruitment at all, nonetheless, this still doesn't happen in Uganda. How is it even done? What do these recruiters look like? Do they have rainbow uniforms? Do they carry around notebooks to list down their new recruits? Or IPads, they are being sent 15 million dollars after all, that should come with a couple IPads right? How do I get one? I was really looking forward to understanding all this when Bahati promised to send proof of recruitment to Rachel Maddow’s inbox, proof that she said she would gladly air on her show and that she is still waiting on by the way. Any non biased, educated Ugandan with a brain can see that these allegations are flawed and fabricated. But then again the majority of us are biased, and many among us aren’t that well educated, even if they went through school. How else does one explain Bahati or Ssempa?

Mrs. Maddow (Can I call her that?) also mentioned how the American psychological association declared that homosexuality is inborn and condemns any forms of attempted reparative therapy. Bahati then went on to respond that we (Ugandans) have our own views of dealing with these things different from America. Now that was a laugh! We don’t even have an active psychological association, or one that I have heard of. Please enlighten me if I'm wrong. Suddenly I'm reminded of what I normally hear from anti gay Ugandans when they are told about international pressure to stop the bill; ‘they (International community) should not undermine Uganda’s supremacy.’ Bahati’s statement is a classic case of what I like to call East African ignor-arrogance! What exactly are our ways of dealing with things? Wake up and smell the bacon people! We’re in the third world. Rwanda also had its own views and look what happened…a nation’s history scarred so much you can actually still see the effects of it today. Why weren’t the FBI Officials who came in the aftermath of the bomb blasts told to go back, because we Ugandans have our own ways of dealing with things? Send back all the medicine that’s being shipped in! We Ugandans can use our herbs after all, even for cancer! So far all I can see that our way of doing things has brought us is more potholes,, corruption, increased HIV rates, collapsing buildings and Journalism Graduates that settle for pit latrine publishing. Most Ugandans will shun me for saying this and say I’m unpatriotic, but it is the hard truth that we need to face in order to move forward freely. China and Russia can afford to pretend they have their own way of doing things when they actually know every country needs the rest; Britain can, the Aussies can, but sorry, not Uganda.

In all this, Bahati came across as a pretty decent guy, a polite monster – that’s what they’re calling him. In spite his poor debating skills and irrelevance, he was kind, which is probably why Rachel just couldn’t give him the Cohen-style smack down he so truly deserved. I also realized how he bears a striking resemblance to Idi Amin Dada. Weird. And his almost red eyes, with their extremely different world view...combine these with his strong forceful accent and you can render me catatonic around him.

MP David Bahati bears a striking resemblance to Idi Amin Dada. 

Still a part of me thought this could be just a guy who due to his inevitable mindset has found himself on the wrong side of history. Perhaps that’s what Rachel saw too.¨ don´t miss a word, HERE

· Thanks to Confessions of a Gay Ugandan Teen, sidebar
· Thanks to Rachael Maddow, MSNBC