kileyrae:

The big story of the night. (via @BorowitzReport)

Yeah, I can’t see anyone who won BUT Obama tonight.

pantslessprogressive:

Washington state has legalized same-sex marriage. Washington’s legislature passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage Wednesday by a 55-43 vote, making Washington the 7th state to do so.

Gov. Chris Gregoire says she will sign the legislation into law next week.

Washington joins Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont (and Washington D.C.) in granting marriage licences to same-sex couples.

State Rep. Jamie Pedersen (D-Seattle), who is gay, spoke on behalf of the approved bill:

“I would like for our four children to grow up understanding that their daddy and their poppa have made that kind of a lifelong commitment to each other. Marriage is the word that we use in our society to convey that idea.”

Most excellent! Congratulations, Washington!

I spent last year in Afghanistan, visiting and talking with U.S. troops and their Afghan partners. My duties with the Army’s Rapid Equipping Force took me into every significant area where our soldiers engage the enemy. Over the course of 12 months, I covered more than 9,000 miles and talked, traveled and patrolled with troops in Kandahar, Kunar, Ghazni, Khost, Paktika, Kunduz, Balkh, Nangarhar and other provinces.

What I saw bore no resemblance to rosy official statements by U.S. military leaders about conditions on the ground.

Entering this deployment, I was sincerely hoping to learn that the claims were true: that conditions in Afghanistan were improving, that the local government and military were progressing toward self-sufficiency. I did not need to witness dramatic improvements to be reassured, but merely hoped to see evidence of positive trends, to see companies or battalions produce even minimal but sustainable progress.

Instead, I witnessed the absence of success on virtually every level.

This speaks for itself. I shall let it do so.

sinidentidades:

More Catholics support contraception coverage than other Americans

Catholics in the U.S. are more likely that other Americans say that employers should be required to provide insurance that covers free contraception, according to a recent poll.

A survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute on Tuesday found that 58 percent of Catholics think businesses should be required to provide health plans with free birth control, compared with 55 percent of all Americans who agreed with the requirement. At 38 percent, white evangelical protestants were the least likely to agree free contraception should be provided by employers.

Religiously unaffiliated Americans, at 68 percent, were the most likely say that company health plans should cover birth control for free.

Among political parties, 73 percent of Democrats and 51 percent of independents said health insurance should include free birth control. But only 36 percent of Republicans agreed with that point of view.

The poll also uncovered a significant gender gap. Overall, 62 percent of women said contraception should be provided at no cost, while only 47 percent of men thought it should be a requirement.

I find this fascinating, especially because I have a good friend who’s a Catholic seminarian, and he openly states that he believes that anyone who believes in contraception (or gay marriage, for that matter) cannot be Catholic. I’m guessing that there is going to be an increasingly vicious split between the laity and the Ecclesiarchy on that point.

sinidentidades:

O’Reilly: More ‘bigotry against pro-life people than gay people’

Fox News host Bill O’Reilly declared Monday evening that hatred for pro-life advocates is stronger in America than for gay people.

In a discussion about social issues, regular O’Reilly guest Bernie Goldberg condemned “the bigotry on the right” for attacking Ellen DeGeneres’ and the LGBT community.

“Reasonable people may disagree on gay marriage, that’s fine,” Goldberg said. “But to call on someone’s dismissal to be fired, to lose her job, because she’s gay, is bigotry. And I don’t care how many people listening to us right now don’t like that, it’s bigotry.”

But O’Reilly felt later on that another group received far more animosity throughout the nation.

“The bigotry against pro-life people is I think way more than the bigotry against gay people,” he said. “Particularly in the media because the media supports gay people in this country.”

WATCH: Video from Fox News, which was broadcast on February 6, 2012.

Wow. Could it be that it’s because pro-lifers tend to be violent, hateful wingnuts, and people in favor of SSM tend to try to be loving and accepting instead? I wonder!

socialistexan:

nine-time:

Breaking news! Newt Gingrich is still a total dick. 

I refer you to this

Good job at being on the wrong side of history, Newt. Makes hating your pompous ass that much easier.

Obviously Newt hasn’t read the actual decision, which was actually fairly narrow. Mr. Gingrich not knowing what he’s talking about? Color me surprised.

</sarcasm>

mightygodking: I’m surprised it took anti-same-sex-marriage campaigners so long to ape the common tactic of SSM families to use little kids to speak to their views. Granted, it’s nowhere near as compelling for the anti-SSM crowd as it is for the pro-SSM crowd, because when kids of SSM families say that they grew up just fine and their parents love each other, they’re both refuting the common argument that SSM weakens families and reiterating the pro-SSM argument that same-sex love is dignified, healthy, and deserving of all the societal endorsement that straight relationships get.

In comparison, when a kid speaks up against gay marriage, we get this:

I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender. Even though some kids feel like it’s fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on. I don’t want any more kids to get confused about what’s right and OK. I really don’t want to grow up in a world where marriage isn’t such a special thing anymore. It’s rather scary to think that when I grow up the legislator or the court can change the definition of any word they want. If they can change the definition of marriage, then they could change the definition of any word. People have the choice to be gay, but I don’t want to be affected by their choice.

In order, that’s

1.) An endorsement of traditional straight marriage as “special” and “wonderful” without bothering to explain why it is special or wonderful
2.) A suggestion that homosexuality is wrong without bothering to explain why it is wrong
3.) The old saw that same-sex-marriage will make straight marriage less special, which is an argument from privilege
4.) Sky-is-falling assertions about the powers of the courts to change legal definitions (which have existed since there were courts, basically)
5.) The suggestion that homosexuality is chosen behaviour despite mountains of evidence to the contrary

On the bright side, this young woman’s career path is most likely already mapped out for her. In ten to twelve years, expect to see Sarah Crank (and oh my god is that not the most appropriate last name ever) either writing for National Review or on Fox News, depending on how conventionally pretty she is.

jonjonlewis:

searchingfor-peace:

catchthisreason:

lettersfromtitan:

1. This is very triggering about bullying and suicide. Proceed with caution.

2. This is from Rolling Stone’s Valentine’s Day issue.

3. If you are a straight person in the Glee fandom, oh god, do I want you to read every word of this.

Everyone needs to read this. This isn’t just me and my silly Glee fannishness this is horrible and horrifying and people need to know about it because I definitely hadn’t heard about this before today.

What?! In Anoka? In Anoka?! Nope. I am blown away. I had no idea. I’m so heartbroken. I am so upset. I am going to offer Tammy Aaberg a hand. 

I could not get through this article… I got way too upset… I don’t know what to say..

I wish that these articles wouldn’t call them suicides. I mean, technically, they are. They killed themselves.

But spiritually, morally? These were murders. These children were driven to their deaths, by the very people who should have protected them. By people who couldn’t put their ideology aside long enough to try and empathize with a young person in terrible pain. Christians, who are called to be the guardians of the outcast and the ostracized, who did this.

If I have one hope, it’s this, as taken from the prophet Amos: Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

captain-sonic:

thedailywhat:

Are You Kidding Me With This? of the Day: In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Discount Gun Sales has partnered with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to release a special pink “Hope Edition” (I sh*t you not) of the Walther P22 semi-automatic pistol. According to DGS, a “portion” of each sale will go to benefit Komen’s Seattle chapter.

Because nothing says “pro-life” like a machine designed to kill living things.

[wisconsingazette.]

OH LAWD. ALL THE FACEPALMS.

Wow. So now a breast cancer survivor can shoot people for a cure!