Posted on June 5, 2012 by Michael
Good news has been popping up over the past week or so for the rights of gay Americans:
A federal appeals court in California has denied a petition to have Prop 8 -the 2008 California ballot initiative that defines marriage as between a man and a woman – further reviewed by a larger panel of judges, which means the case likely is headed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
In February , the majority of a three judge panel sitting on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down Prop 8 ruling that the initiative “serves no purpose, and has no effect, other than to lessen the status and human dignity of gays and lesbians in California and to officially reclassify their relationship and families as inferior to those of opposite-sex couples.” The court ruled on narrow grounds specific to California and Proposition 8. It did not find a fundamental right of same sex couples to marry.
Supporters of Prop 8 – opponents of gay marriage – had asked for “en banc” review of the case. This would have meant that the Chief Judge of the circuit along with 10 randomly selected judges would have mooted their colleagues’ decision and started anew. But in a filing today the court said that a majority of judges had voted to deny the petition.
We all know that Political Figure Scalia made his decision on this matter a few decades ago, and we all know that once Political Lapdog Thomas gets word of his lawless colleague’s position he will also be voting against equal rights. But that said, it’s hard to imagine the Supreme Court, even with 4 devoted bigots, will ultimately rule against fair treatment under the law. Sure, it took them until the 1950’s to make the right call on the mirror issue of racial segregation, gays in America have been swift with showing just how much of this country they are. Now that over half the nation is ready for equal rights for gays, I think the Supreme Court may be ready, too.
Plus there’s this:
Today’s ruling comes a week after a federal appeals court in Boston struck down a key provision of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In that case, legally married same sex couples argue that the federal government is denying them benefits available to opposite sex couples.
The Supreme Court will most likely consider both the Prop 8 case and the DOMA cases next term.
The tide is a-turnin’.
Filed under: News, Rights, Same-sex marriage | Tagged: Clarence Thomas, Gay rights, Same-sex marriage, Scalia, Supreme Court | 1 Comment »
Posted on June 4, 2012 by Michael
This is from 2009 (though it should be from 1995), but I just came across it:
In July, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a working group of the World Health Organization, added ultraviolet (UV) radiation-emitting tanning devices – tanning beds and lamps – to the list of the most dangerous forms of cancer-causing radiation. It joins an assembly of hazardous substances including plutonium and certain types of radium, as well as radiation from the sun.
The IARC report cited research showing that tanning is especially hazardous to young people; those who use sunbeds before age 30 increase their lifetime risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 75 percent. The authors also pointed to studies showing a link between UV radiation from indoor tanning devices and melanomas of the skin and eyes. Melanoma will kill an estimated 8,650 people in the US this year alone. And melanoma isn’t the only problem: people who use tanning beds are 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma kills an estimated 2,500 Americans a year.
I am absolutely convinced that people do not appreciate the tenacity and seriousness of cancer. There seems to be a it-won’t-happen-to-me attitude that pervades society. Or maybe quacks have lulled people into a false sense of security. Just take some garlic, laxatives, and a little black elderberry and you’ll be fine! For Christ’s sake. I recently developed a small splotch on my nose. It wasn’t a blackhead and it didn’t go away after a couple of weeks, so I made an appointment to get it checked out (alongside a physical). I figured it was nothing given its color and shape, but why take risks? It matters how quickly these things are identified. It turned out, as I figured, to be nothing more than a new freckle (probably a result of my time in Haiti or some of the nicer days we had not too long ago). I’m fine this time, but who knows about next time? I’m not somehow magically exempt from how biology works. Neither is anyone else. I am, however, exempt from a 75% increase in getting melanoma. Also, think about this:
Filed under: Biology, News | Tagged: cancer, Patricia Krentcil, Tanning booths, WHO | 1 Comment »
Posted on May 19, 2012 by Michael
And the tide has turned:
The NAACP’s board of directors voted Saturday to endorse same-sex marriage rights – adding the influential voice of the country’s leading black civil rights organization to a debate that has divided the African-American community…
“Civil marriage is a civil right and a matter of civil law,” NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous said in a statement released Saturday. “The NAACP’s support for marriage equality is deeply rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution and equal protection of all people. The well-funded right wing organizations who are attempting to split our communities are no friend to civil rights, and they will not succeed.”
I have said in the past in one place or another (if it was on FTSOS, I can’t find it) that the black community should have been ashamed of itself given its high proportion of bigots during the Prop 8 days in California. (If memory serves, other minorities also suffered from a high rate of bigotry over the issue.) Of all the groups in the US, blacks may be the most well positioned to understand what discrimination is like and why it’s wrong. It isn’t merely an intellectual exercise for them; it have been reality for so many decades and centuries. Yet here we are, still trying to get over this hurdle. I think this announcement by the NAACP is going to give progress a big boost, but it’s slightly surprising that more blacks and other minorities aren’t ahead of the curve on this one. Chalk it up to Christian influence, I suppose.
The NAACP now presents itself as a counterbalance to the influence of the traditionally socially conservative black church. It can also help establish closer ties between blacks and gays, two of Obama’s most loyal constituencies.
I’ve always wondered what the black church looks like. Where is it located? Who runs it? Who are its members? How does it file with the IRS? Is it a made-up concept that unnecessarily simplifies all black people?
Filed under: News, Same-sex marriage | Tagged: gay marriage, NAACP | 10 Comments »
Posted on May 17, 2012 by Michael
An alcohol binging meth addict by the name of Armando Rodriguez has been jailed for not abiding by his needed treatment for his active TB:
Rodriguez has been noncompliant with his treatment and could become contagious as a result, Ginger Wick, nursing director for San Joaquin County, said in a letter requesting a warrant for Rodriguez’s arrest.
After failing one time to give himself the drugs, Rodriguez told a nurse he had gone on an alcohol binge and taken methamphetamine and didn’t want to hurt his liver, Wick said in her letter.
Rodriguez was arrested Tuesday and is expected to be arraigned Thursday on two misdemeanor counts of refusing to comply with a tuberculosis order to be at home at certain times and make appointments to take his medication.
This is a modern day case of Typhoid Mary, the woman who was responsible for multiple deaths in the early 20th century. The difference here is that Rodriguez appears to also have a drug problem, so I suppose a case can be made that his irresponsibility isn’t as motivated by douchiness as Mary Mallon’s was.
Many of those who do support criminal prosecution in the rarest of cases when public health is in jeopardy oppose the jailing of patients.
“I think it’s an error to confine someone in the criminal justice system for a public health crime,” said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown University public health law professor who drafted a model law adopted by several states struggling with the issue. “The whole intention is to protect the public’s health. It’s not to lay blame on someone.”
I can only get behind this in part. The criminal justice system is needed, but jail or prison isn’t appropriate. Rodriguez has to be quarantined until he is able to comply with public health interests. (Also, I disagree with Gostin’s implication that the purpose of the criminal justice system is to lay blame on someone. Its purpose is rehabilitation and public safety, not revenge.)
Filed under: News | Tagged: Armando Rodriguez, TB, Typhoid Mary | 3 Comments »
Posted on May 9, 2012 by Michael
This really isn’t news except insofar as he has overtly said it. Everyone has always known that he supports gay marriage. He just hasn’t been able to say so because he has a tough re-election coming up and he doesn’t want to lose votes in some of the more bigoted swing states. Unfortunately, Joe Biden made a “gaff” (that is, he told the truth) by saying he was comfortable with gay marriage. That forced the President’s hand:
“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to friends and family and neighbors when I think about members of my own staff who are in incredibly committed monogamous relationships, same-sex relationships, who are raising kids together, when I think about those soldiers or airmen or marines or sailors who are out there fighting on my behalf and yet feel constrained, even now that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is gone, because they are not able to commit themselves in a marriage, at a certain point I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same sex couples should be able to get married,” Obama told Roberts, in an interview to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Thursday.
There is a clip of the interview available at the above link. I would embed a YouTube video, but ABC news has disabled embedding and the other clips will probably disappear shortly. Because corporate America is filled with assholes. But I digress.
I’m glad President Obama supports gay marriage, but I think my liberal brethren have made a mistake by pushing the issue. It was always obvious the President supported equal rights but that he was holding back on saying so until after November. His stance is a vote-loser in many of the bigoted southern swing states. The jostling here has only served to put gay marriage in more danger.
Filed under: News, Same-sex marriage | Tagged: gay marriage, Joe Biden, President Obama | 15 Comments »
Posted on April 5, 2012 by Michael
You’d think Tennessee, of all places, would know better:
Tennessee, where the nation’s first big legal battle over evolution was fought nearly 90 years ago, is close to enacting a law that critics deride as the “monkey bill” for once again attacking the scientific theory.
The measure passed by the Tennessee General Assembly would protect teachers who allow students to criticize evolution and other scientific theories, such as global warming. Republican Gov. Bill Haslam said this week he would likely sign it into law.
Interestingly, the governor is claiming that the law will basically do absolutely nothing while changing approximately zilch. The truth is different:
The bill says it would encourage critical thinking by protecting teachers from discipline if they help students critique “scientific weaknesses.”
In other words, teachers won’t be punished for telling students lies.
I think a great test of this horseshit bill would be for a teacher to go into a dead-pan routine where he questions the validity of the theory of gravity. Talk about its weaknesses, cast doubt on its validity, and maybe even propose some alternatives. Of course, those “alternatives” would need to be couched in science-y language, but I’m sure there are plenty of creationist groups out there willing to lend their expertise to those who wish to abuse science.
Filed under: Creationism, Evolution, News | Tagged: Evolution, Tennessee, Theory of gravity | 8 Comments »
Posted on March 21, 2012 by Michael
And it failed by a hefty margin:
New Hampshire lawmakers easily defeated a bill on Wednesday that would have been the first step toward reversing the state’s law that allows same-sex couples to marry.
The attempt to repeal a law that made gay marriages legal in the state, failed by a vote of 116-211 in the Republican-controlled legislature, drawing applause from many lawmakers in the historic statehouse in Concord.
Three things. First, good. Second, it was going to get vetoed anyway. Third, what state legislature needs nearly 330 members? Maine has 186 members in its House and Senate whilst boasting about the same population (1.3 million) as New Hampshire.
Filed under: News, Same-sex marriage | Tagged: gay marriage, New Hampshire | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 17, 2012 by Michael
The bigoted roommate who filmed Rutger’s student Tyler Clementi has been found guilty on all charges:
The Rutgers University spying trial has dealt a mighty blow to Dharun Ravi, who was found guilty on Friday of all 15 of the charges he faced in connection to peeping via webcam on his roommate, Tyler Clementi, as Clementi had sex with another man in September 2010. Ravi had promoted his invasive broadcast via tweets and text messages, in which he encouraged friends to tune in and watch the intimate moment unfold in real time. Clementi would take his own life three days later, by jumping off of the George Washington Bridge. Ravi was not standing trial for Clementi’s death, but his supporters argued that in a way he was: They argued that by appending the “hate crime” label to it, and the harsher sentences that come along with it, Ravi was being subjected to manslaughter-level justice for what amounted to an immature and bratty prank. Besides, there was no way to prove Ravi held any bias against gay people.The jury didn’t agree.
Good.
Filed under: News, Politics and Social | Tagged: Dharun Ravi, Rutgers | 11 Comments »
Posted on March 17, 2012 by Michael
At least a few states can get things done:
The state Senate voted Thursday to significantly raise taxes on Marylanders earning half a million dollars or more — prompting complaints that liberals were bent on launching class warfare in the state.
The Senate’s vote to adopt what is being dubbed a “millionaire’s tax” came after some liberal-leaning senators said they would refuse to support a smaller, across-the-board increase in income taxes unless the wealthy took a special hit. The chamber was considering a plan to raise taxes on most Maryland taxpayers by up to a quarter of a percentage point — a proposal that eventually passed by a vote of 26-20.
The plan to tax top earners — those earning more than $500,000 a year — at a higher rate would only affect 15,000 households, who would pay at least $2,752 more for joint filers.
I’m not sure how an extra $2700 or so dollars is “significant” when we’re dealing with a half million or higher. I’m sure the wealthy will get along just fine with or without this tax. And I bet they won’t change their spending or investing habits one bit either.
Filed under: News | Tagged: Maryland, Taxes, Wealthy | Leave a comment »
Posted on March 11, 2012 by Michael
Andrew Wakefield is a disgraced doctor who made up data that questioned the safety of vaccines. As a result, many parents refused to vaccinate their kids, especially in the U.K. Arguably, children died as a result. Andrew Wakefield is clearly a dangerous man and I’m glad that the scientific community has firmly rejected his nonsense. In fact, certain scientific journals and people even outside the scientific community have been quite critical. These include the British Medical Journal and journalistic Brian Deer. In response, Wakefield sued them for defamation. Now they are countering with an anti-SLAPP motion:
The anti-SLAPP statute protects journalists and publishers from baseless libel claims like Dr. Wakefield’s by providing for a special “motion to dismiss” to be filed at the outset of the case. To avoid dismissal, the plaintiff must submit “clear and specific evidence” to support each essential element of his claims. Where, as here, the plaintiff cannot satisfy that burden, the Court must dismiss the case and award the defendants their reasonable fees and costs, along with any additional sanctions appropriate to deter the plaintiff from filing similar actions.
This is what would have happened to Christopher Maloney had he been foolish enough to continue. Now the onus is on Wakefield to prove that he has actually been defamed. And, of course, he is unlikely to succeed. I hope this costs him a lot of money – and, more so, supporters.
via Popehat.
Filed under: News | Tagged: Andrew Wakefield, Anti-SLAPP, British Medical Journal, Christopher Maloney, Popehat, The Lancet, Vaccines | 4 Comments »
For the Sake of Science 