Mike Duke, Newest CEO of WalMart, Inc. Is Listed As a Signer of The Anti-Gay Adoption and Foster Care Petition
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Mike Duke, Newest CEO of WalMart, Inc. Is Listed As a Signer of The Anti-Gay Adoption and Foster Care Petition
April 30, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (45) | TrackBack (0)
From Our Email Archives Ever Since We Published The Names of Signers of Act 1, Foster and and Adoption Ban
from [email protected]
Hi,
I just checked your list here on Arkansans who signed the petitions. I must say I am a little upset with all of the names on the list. I looked through it and saw several people that I know and it really chaps my Heine that I did not find my name on the list. Yes I signed the petition but my name is not on there.
I promise that next time I see a petition along these lines such as for gay marriage, gay foster parents etc. that I will be sure and make my name and address nice and legible for you to read.
I find no reason to get mad about you publishing this list. I have the right to sign the petitions as well as you having the right to publish the list. Our constitution gives us these rights and I will fight for yours even if I do not agree with them.
So, go ahead and publish the lists as you are doing, and enjoy thinking that it really makes people mad because you have put there name on a list. It does not bother me in the least and trust me, the scare tactics of your publishing the list does not work.
(just in case you would like to add it to your list)
James Sides
10407 Dollarway Road
White Hall, Arkansas 71602
________________________________________________________________________________
and from [email protected]
Thanks you very much for having this very important website. Now I know which of my neighbors are truly great conservatives. Now that I have their names address's I can contact them and work harder against groups such as yours. It must have been a big expense and hard work to make this website and I do appreciate all your hard work. Sadly my name did not make the list but it should have. Homosexual people should not be able to adopt. Mainly because it is wrong and because there are enough normal people who would love to adopt. I don't think times have gotten so tough we need mentally disturbed people like homosexuals adopting children. I will pray for you and other misguided people like yourself.
Haskel
(A good southern christian conservative)
_________________________________________________________________________________
and I saved the best for last from [email protected]
Tom and Randi of Know Thy Neighbor:
Shame, shame, shame on your organization. First....you completely misstate what the proposed legislation was all about. Please take note..."An Act Providing That An Individual Who Is Cohabitating Outside Of A Valid Marriage May Not Adopt Or Be A Foster Parent Of A Child Less Than Eighteen Years Old". The fact that you chose to title your press release as "an anti-gay petion", blatently displays your true intention, which seems to be intimidation and hate-mongoring. Are you planning to provide protection for the petition signers? Signing a petition is no different than our right to a secret ballot. Who's to say that these people won't face harmful effects from radical gay rights activists? Beyond the unthinkable personal safety risks, activists could easily use this data to punish, discrimnate against, or intimidate petion signers. What if John Doe gets his home loan app denied (because the loan officer, loan processor...or any number of bank employees saw his name on the petition)? Then, what if Jane Doe, recently laid off due to the economy, can't even get in to an interview due to the fact that her name was on the petition. Wait, wait!!! God forbid, my child is discriminated against at school because his/her ubber-liberal teacher saw our family name on the list?! Can we please have petition signers added to the list of "the protected class"?! Oh, oh...and if the signers are physically hurt due to this, can we please classify it as a hate crime?! {Please know I'm being sarcastic here....I believe all violent crimes against a person is due to hate, whether they are listed in a "protected class" or not.}
I love this statement on your website...."Tom and Aaron saw the petition as an act of violence against the gay community"!! Whoa buddy....that's exactly what you've just done in a much more direct and personal way. Do you react to "violence" with violence?? That's certainly what I teach my children. The initiative in Massachusetts did not personally name you, your addres and/or signature as a "gay activist".....not sure where you see the violence in that. Are you afraid for your life because of the petition? I'm sure that there are quite a few hundred thousand voters throughout Arkansas, Florida, Massachusetts, and Oregon who feel threatened in their personal safety and general well-being...as well as completely disenfranchised in the legislative process.
Again....shame, shame on you! How dare you publish this information! I understand it may be perfectly legal for now, but that ABSOLUTELY does not make it the right thing to do!!!! How dare you try to bring fear and intimidation into our sacred legislative process!!! Obviously, the petition collected enough signatures to get the measure on the ballot........and in turn, the people of the state voted it into law. That in itself shows how Arkansas feels about this issue.
I hope and pray that you realize how wrong you were in publishing these documents. You need to know, while I personally do not support the gay lifestyle...I have tons of love and compassion for gay people. In no way do I hold myself up higher than you....I don't even hold my pastor higher than you. I firmly believe that God loves you just as passionately as He does my family, friends, and church family. His sacrifice is just as needed and releveant for you, as it is for me. If He loves you enough to forgive you, who I am I to argue with that...I must show that same level of forgiveness and love. However....I do not and cannot agree with the tactics you are using to further your cause. I must compel you to seriously re-think your plan of action.....using fear and intimidation is a slap in the face of all those that fought for the advancement of human rights in our country....the 60's civil rights activists..and those that fought in the civil and revolutionary wars.
Friends, Family, Neighbors.....I'm asking you to visit this sight to read about what this organization "Know Thy Neighbor" is doing to impede the legislative process in our state. I strongly urge you to contact your government officials to voice your opinion about these practices. Your voice is important....please make it heard. One person can make the difference!! I also encourage you to contact this organization with your thoughts. Their contact info is below...
http://www.knowthyneighbor.org/
KnowThyNeighbor Main Contact
Tom Lang, Director
(978) 335-0477
[email protected]
Arkansas Contact
Randi M. Romo
(501) 244-9690 office
(501) 258-3186 cell
[email protected]
Thank you,
Tara Peterson
Bentonville, Arkansas
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UPDATE
And a post from 05/01/09 from a person claiming to be Jonolan who manages this blog
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April 30, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)
CAR Partners With “Know Thy Neighbor” to Publish Act 1 Ballot Initiative Signatures
Not long after the tragic loss of Act 1 at the polls, CAR was contacted by Tom Lang of Know Thy Neighbor, a Massachusetts based organization that specializes in posting on their website for public viewing the names of all of the individuals who sign ballot petitions that further disenfranchise members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community. Until now the primary focus has been on anti-marriage initiatives. We deeply appreciate that Tom Lang and Know Thy Neighbor understands how important what happened in Arkansas is to not only LGBTQ Arkansans and our allies, but to the rest of the nation.
CAR was asked to partner with Know Thy Neighbor to publicize the signatures that were used to place Act 1 on the 2008 ballot here in Arkansas. CAR unequivocally said yes! To see the list go to
Knowthyneighbor.org and click on National and then click on Arkansas.
At no time was the welfare of children ever the primary intent of Jerry Cox and his Family Council Action Committee. Children in the most need were placed in the unfortunate position of being a political football to support Mr. Cox and the Family Council’s systemic efforts to disenfranchise the LGBTQ community in Arkansas. Jerry Cox publically stated in a news broadcast that Act 1 was indeed about blunting the homosexual agenda.
The Family Council was also the author of the 2004 Constitutional Amendment that banned not only same sex marriages, it also prohibited any form of legal family recognition for lesbian and gay couples by forbidding civil unions and domestic partnerships.
Additionally Act 1 significantly shrank the pool of potential quality parents offering safe and loving homes to children who were in desperate need of homes. Act 1 did little to increase the numbers of married heterosexual couples signing up to adopt or provide foster care. Act 1 also banned unmarried heterosexual couples from adopting or providing foster care. Act 1 went further still; taking away the rights of parents to leave their children to relatives or friends who are unmarried couples, straight, lesbian or gay.
Today we at CAR are pleased to be a part of shining the light on the bigotry that continues to disenfranchise LGBTQ Arkansans. We are proud to be a part of peeling back the veil of anonymity that those who signed the petition may have assumed that they had. They don’t! These lists are a matter of public record. In partnership with Know Thy Neighbor we are sending a message, “If you attack the lives and families of the LGBTQ community, then you must be prepared to be held accountable and to be named!”
We are asking our members to share the information with everyone you know. Take a look at the list; if you see a family member, friend, co-worker, etc. then talk to that person. Ask them why? Why would they be a part of keeping you from full equality? Why would they allow children to be used in such a despicable way?
It is our stories, our faces and our names, that are the core of creating the change needed to move hearts and minds. We must continue to remind our fellow Arkansans that ALL Families Matter!
April 28, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (39) | TrackBack (0)
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Primary Contact:
Tom Lang, Director of KnowThyNeighbor.org
(978) 335-0477
[email protected]
Arkansas Contact:
Randi Romo, Center for Artistic Revolution
[email protected]
(501) 244-9690 (office)
(501) 258-3186 (cell)
NAMES OF ARKANSAS ANTI-GAY PETITION SIGNERS POSTED ONLINE
Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, April 28, 2009 -- KnowThyNeighbor.org, the gay rights organization that drew national attention for posting online the names of over half a million anti-gay petition signers in Massachusetts and Florida, announced today that it has posted the names of over 83,000 Arkansas citizens who signed an anti-gay adoption and foster care petition in 2008. The names are accessible in a searchable database at www.knowthyneighbor.org/arkansas.
"This is about responsibility and dialogue," said Tom Lang, KnowThyNeighbor.org's director. "These petition signers need to stand behind their signatures and be responsible for this dehumanizing attack on the gay community. It's disgraceful that they have chosen to exercise their prejudice at the expense of children who are now being denied access to loving adoptive and foster parents. Such activity must be challenged and cannot be allowed to pass under the cover of darkness."
As in Massachusetts and Florida, KnowThyNeighbor.org expects that many petition signers will be confronted about their actions as their names are discovered on the website by family members, friends, coworkers, customers, and acquaintances. "These conversations can be uncomfortable for both parties," says Lang, "but they are desperately needed. The more that gays and lesbians talk about the importance of their relationships and their love for their children, the faster stereotypes break down and both sides begin to realize how much they have in common."
The data that appears on KnowThyNeighbor.org was provided by the Arkansas Secretary of State's office and is a matter of public record. KnowThyNeighbor.org scanned the paper petitions and transcribed them into the electronic database that is now available on its website. The first name of each petition signer is linked directly to a pdf version of the actual document they signed.
The petition in question garnered enough signatures to make it to the Arkansas ballot last November. According to ballotpedia.com, it was approved by the voters with 57 percent voting in favor and 43 against -- making it illegal for any individuals cohabiting outside of a valid marriage to adopt or provide foster care to minors. Ballotpedia.com states that, "While the measure was proposed primarily to prohibit same-sex couples from being adoptive or foster parents, this measure also applies to all otherwise qualified couples who are not legally married."
Tom Lang, a gay married Republican, and Aaron Toleos, a straight married Democrat, founded KnowThyNeighbor.org in July 2005 to counter a proposed anti-gay marriage amendment in Massachusetts. That amendment was defeated with over 75% of the state legislature voting it down. The organization expanded to Florida in 2006 where it partnered with Christ Church of Peace in Jacksonville to post almost 400,000 names online. In 2007, KnowThyNeighbor.org launched a campaign in Oregon to oppose two anti-gay petition drives. Both petitions failed to meet the threshold for signatures.
April 28, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (72) | TrackBack (0)
Our Old Friend Kris Mineau of the Massachusetts Family Institute Needs to Stop Lying About Gay Marriage
I am quite sick of this. Again, the Anti-Gay Marriage folks terrorizing churches and those blind followers into thinking that if Same-Sex Marriage is allowed that churches will be forced to marry gays. This coming from the response of the Christian Right after The Empire State Pride Agenda announced that it is posting testimonies from different denominations of Massachusetts clergy regarding the non-impact that same-sex marriage has had on any legal aspect of church policy. A great read is from the blog Clerical Whispers.
Here we have Kris Mineau, avid and vociferous, anti-gay, saying, "Same sex mariage is on a collision course with religious liberties, it's inevitable." And he also predicated that some churches could lose their non-profit status if they do not agree with public policy on gay rights. Mineau also goes on to cite Catholic Charities having dropped its adoption services, after close to 100 years of placing children in homes because of this (false) fear.
Kris Mineau I suggest heavily that you shut up as I have known you for years and I think you may just be incapable of anything but lies. Catholic Charities took close to 40% of its funding from public sources, ie taxpayer dollars. So yes, when a social services organization like CC is publicly funded, I guess it might just have to abide by state or Federal anti-discrimination guidelines. Catholic Charities is NOT a church. What sickens me about this is that I am sure that Catholic Charities calculated PR stunt in the middle of the fight for Marriage Equality here in Massachusetts did alot of harm to innocent children when it stopped adoptions for "fear of being forced to treat potential same sex and gay parents equally to heterosexual couples when chosing a home for its children." To this day I still cannot stomach any Hood Milk products as one of the Catholic Charities Directors responsible for this nasty form of child abuse owns Hood Milk, the Kaneb family. And it is child abuse--the use of children to further a political agenda. Children as fodder. And the most vulnerable of children, those without homes.
For all those out there who believe the lies that Kris Mineau tells should think for themselves and ask themselves this question. "Are Churches forced to marry heterosexual couples from other denominations?" I mean, I don't see any Jewish couples suing the Catholic Church to marry them. Or what about Muslims demanding to be married in a Synagogue. Then why would there be any fear that any church would be forced to marry gays?
But if you still don't like buy my argument, then why not call Kris Mineau himself. Kris understands the ballot process, God knows he and VoteOnMarriage certainly know how to garner signatures through deception, misinformation and outright trickery. Maybe the Massachusetts Family Institute should sponsor a ballot question which would put into our Constitution a clause that would spell out that churches don't have to marry gays if they don't want to. I am sure this would pass the electorate with flying colors. Heck I would even sign this petition...and Kris Mineau wouldn't even have to tell me that I am signing a petition to allow beer and wine in supermarkets.
Tom Lang, Director
April 24, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
Architect to the Nullification of the Goodridge Decision and Anti-Gay Fear Mongerer, Mary Ann Glendon Has No Business Being Validated By Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History and Ourselves, the human rights and educational organization which provides resources to communities worldwide by linking the past with the moral choices of today, has unfortunately missed the mark recently, severly. On its website, viewers, educators, students of human rights will find a video in which Bush appointed, current Ambassador to the Holy See, Mary Ann Glendon, speaks of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Mary Ann Glendon, was the leading legal expert for gay-marriage opponents during and after the Goodridge Decision in Massachusetts. Glendon worked with then Governor Mitt Romney to draft a bill which would have killed the Goodridge Decision and defined marriage as One Man and One Woman. In a March 10, 2004 Boston Globe article, Ron Crews, the former Chairman of the anti-gay Massachusetts Family Institute said of Glendon, "She has been kind of an on-call" in MFI's work to nullify same-sex marriage.
But Glendon's work against Marriage Equality is even more heinous. Also in the Globe Article it reports that Glendon authored and signed a letter back in 2004 in which House Republicans distributed which warned that if the infamous "Compromise Amendment" which would have at least given gays "civil unions" that churches would be forced legally to change their views and embrace civil unions." In other words, creating fear and terrorizing the churches and the electorate into thinking that the churches would be forced to "marry" us. So false and damaging were Glendon's claims that both Senate President Travaglini and Speaker Finneran issued a statement to the legislature debunking Glendon.
To this day one of the strongest and most false arguments made by anti-gays is that legalizing Marriage Equality will force churches into marrying same-sex couples. And we can thank Ambassador Glendon for that.
Organizations like Facing History and Ourselves have no business giving validation to prolific bigots like Mary Ann Glendon. Glendon and her like should be left to the discussion of the "wrong side" of history and not be given any sort of forum or celebrity/associative status by being connected with good organizations like Facing History. For more information on Mary Ann Glendon read again the Boston Globe Article. Wait to you hear her opinions on Abortion and The Boston Globe Exposing the Pedophilia Scandal in the Catholic Church.
Action Alert: Contact Adam Strom at Facing History and Ourselves and ask him to not validate anti-gay bigots and to remove the Mary Ann Glendon video from his website.
617-232-1595
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Tom Lang, Director
April 22, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)
The New Hampshire Senate held a public hearing allowing testimony from citizens and interested parties April 15, 2009 on the matter of HB436; the Gay Marriage Bill. The opposition to equality did their best to equate civil marriage given by the state as religious marriage so they can claim the inclusion of GLBT equality would be an infringement on their religious rights. I'm not sure how successful they were with the Senate panel, but the number of opponents to HB436 was disturbing from a supporter's point of view.
Ronald "Pants Guy" Goodwin has made his mark in history, but will his friends and relatives appreciate the mark he left? Here's what he had to say; video taken by Ryan Marvin of NH Coalition for Equal Rights:
Bear in mind the NH Senate is mostly female when you imagine how well Goodwin's testimony will be received by those Senators not present to hear him in person.
The disturbing truth is there seems a level of ignorance that should not be. Even though it is painful to hear it gives me hope. Ignorance is not a choice; hate based on ignorance can be healed if the mind is open to logic. There are fewer hateful people today than there was before. I wake up and realize that's true all over again Every day. Someday soon we will live in a society that respects the strengths individuality brings, understands the prudence of caution, and remembers that courage brings us both growth and pride. Until that day comes we need to approach everyone we can and help them become fully informed on matters of equality.
April 18, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
I've spent about $100 on Amazon.com so far in 2009. I won't spend a $1 more until this stops.
The good people at Amazon have made a small change to the way you can search for books. It’s Easter Sunday, so you’re probably not supposed to notice. The target of their new approach is anything that they consider to have adult content, and especially anything that might involve GLBT issues. The writing community is already staring to blaze about this, but it needs much wider attention. <p>Basically, any title that Amazon consider "adult" will no longer be included in the "Best Sellers" lists – or ranked at all. These titles will not show up on all searches, even when the exact title of the book is entered. Who decides what books are "adult"? That’s not at all clear. But whoever’s making the choices is casting the net far and wide, and hauling in an awful lot of GLBT books.What are some of these books?
This is the ever-growing list of titles that have been scrubbed by this policy change from Meta Writer at Live Journal. Many are non-fiction works, such as Dr. Nathaniel Frank’s Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America and The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students.It gets worse when you go to the Live Journal site.
According to Towleroad, Amazon's now claiming this is all just a glitch -- but they've offered no explanation as to how it happened, why it happened on Easter Weekend (when few are paying attention) and, most importantly, why it mainly happened to books about gay issues or with gay characters. Quite frankly, Amazon just isn't credible right now -- this isn't even the first time something like this has happened with the website company. They owe it to their costumers and the glbt community to explain exactly what happened and what steps will be done to make sure it never happens again.
Please, sign the petition now. Angry costumers and Amazon losing money is the only way to make sure this is a) properly resolved and b) never happens again.
April 13, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack (0)
April 13, 2009 | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
LGBT and marriage-equality activist John Hosty-Grinnell is terrifically sincere but not necessarily the subtlest among us. He wants to invite one or more right-wing callers to explain themselves next Tuesday, April 14th.
He's the guest on the Left Ahead! weekly podcast at 2:30 p.m. If you want to listen or join in, click over to the show then. The call-in number is on that site. Be sure to press 1 on your keypad to let us know you're ready.
John is beyond tired of the lies and irrationality of the anti-gay and anti-equality types. He says it's past time to call them out on the craziness and have them take responsibility for what they say.
Whether wingers call in or not, this promises to be an intense show.
If you can't get to a computer or phone at show time, check back at Left Ahead! or the show URL to listen later.
Until then, you can find John's posts on KTN as well as Live, Love, and Learn.
April 08, 2009 in Current Affairs | Permalink | Comments (16) | TrackBack (0)
This is nothing but intimidation and an attempt to expose people who disapprove of faggots to identity theft.
You have just JUSTIFIED every occurrence of gay bashing that has ever happened. May the Gods grant mankind the will to do even more of such as your punishment.