Tag: iran

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Iranian spared from execution!

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Yay!!!

Amid global pressure from human rights organizations, and due to global protest, “Iran’s chief justice nullified the imminent death sentence of Makvan Mouloodzadeh”!!!!

This is FANTASTIC news. This restores a tiny bit of faith for me in humanity.

To everyone that blogged about it, and cast attention towards the issue, this shows that speaking up can make a difference! This is great news. I, for one, am very happy that at least this one case was changed because of global pressure. If we keep putting pressure on these people, hopefully, MANY more people can be spared!

(source)(source)

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some wins, a major worry, and a lack of perspective (yet again)

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I want to high-five Dennis Kucinich; it does take balls to put forward something like the impeachment of Cheney (especially when we have been calling for it for so long). While it may not actually happen (boo!), I hope that it does; and I won’t forget that Dennis is the guy that got the issue actually going, which is a welcome sign that there are some balls somewhere in the house of Dem.

ENDA passed; which is a great step forward in the protection against being fired simply for being gay or lesbian. I hope that this signals more good things in store for the equalization of rights for all of us. No one should be able to be fired because their boss is a bigot, and now, it seems like they are a little safer. Bravo.

I blogged about it before, but please, don’t forget that there is a gay youth in serious danger of being hanged for being gay in Iran. This cannot happen. I am glad to see that the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is at least paying some attention now. This is a chilling reminder that gays and lesbians are NOT free in this world, and if one of us is at risk of being murdered because of who we are, we are all at risk. It cannot be allowed to happen, and Iran must not be allowed to conduct serious acts of murder and violence against any human. I certainly feel for this boy and his family. By keeping this topic in the news, we are keeping Iran under the microscope, and hopefully, it will lead to a stay of execution indefinitely.

Finally, I was amused when I read that this is what Bush had to say about the veto override the Senate exercised in the funding of projects to rebuild the areas affected by hurricane Katrina:

“American taxpayers should not be asked to support a pork-barrel system of federal authorization and funding where a project’s merit is an afterthought,” he said.

Wait, WHAT? All of a sudden, Mr. Bush is concerned what WE taxpayers are concerned with when it comes to government spending? Uh, Mr. Bush, you can’t have a blank check for your war on the middle east, and then get all pissy when we want money to rebuild parts of our own nation; it just shows how out of touch with the real situation he really is. Someone, please get this man a large does of perspective; stat. I love how it was “an afterthought”… uh, someone really needs to get him up to speed as to what is going on in the world right now; the man clearly has no idea.

Other than that… I am sure that there is a lot more SHIT going on in the world that is scary and evil, but it almost seems too overwhelming to deal with it all, doesn’t it? I mean, just look at the CRAPPER that the economy is in… we are seriously inching towards being TOTALLY fucked instead of just being fucked. When will the great America turn things around for herself? I just hope that we can.

civil rights, get involved, is it just me?, listen up!, near and dear, that is so gay, tragic, well?

executing homosexuals doesn’t bother us… so long as it happens elsewhere

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This has me upset, outraged, and disturbed.

Less than 24 hours ago, atlmalcontent professed an agreement with my position on gay marriage as an issue, and it is the issue that has gotten me so upset, that brings us to agreement again; in a big way. There is a boy about to be executed for alleged homosexual acts in Iran, and there is an almost chilling silence (or worse (??), only a simple passing mention — which I admit, is at least SOMETHING), coming from the gay rights organizations and gay mouthpieces of the world. How is this possible? I thought that our gay rights organizations like the HRC stood for equalizing and gaining HUMAN rights for gays and lesbians everywhere? Perhaps it is more accurate then, to say that they are focused more on gaining rights for gays and lesbians here in America only? I wish it weren’t the case, but one can only surmise that the apparent silence with regards to this boy’s pending execution, definitely suggests that this is a more accurate mission statement. So I wonder, why aren’t we fighting for every gay and lesbian person in the world; or for that matter, the freedom and equality of everyone? I know that it is important that we focus energy on finding equality for ourselves, but it is clear that we need to widen our focus, because acts against any homosexual as awful as this, are acts against all of us — because it could BE any of us.

Instantly, when I heard about this case, I was reminded of when those two boys were executed in Iran for the very same thing a while back, and how they were very publicly hanged for their “crimes”. That image is still burned in my mind, and thinking of it turns my stomach to knots, and brings tears to my eyes. In addition to that memory, to think that someone was/is going to be hanged for doing something that I take for granted is indeed scarily humbling and intensely frightening. What’s worse, in my mind, is to think that we don’t seem very concerned about the fact that it is happening again. Why aren’t we all up in arms about this case, as we supposedly were before (because really, what was done about it last time?)? Could it be, that we are waiting for the kid to be swinging from the rafters before we give it a passing glance? WTF? Why aren’t the human rights organizations outraged, and calling for action from the government? Those questions are burning me up inside, and because of a lack of attention, I can have no answers.

Even more, part of me shudders to think that it could (at least in some small part) be because the boy is Iranian, and we are currently being drilled by our government to believe that Iranians are our enemies, linking the boy with our concept of an enemy (and therefore, lack of care if he dies(?)). I really hope that isn’t so, but it is swimming in my mind nonetheless. The lack of any concern has me reeling, and looking for any answers, to be quite honest.

The point here is this: there is an awful crime that has happened before about to happen again; and it should not go unchecked. The Iranian government should not be able to commit such heinous acts of violence against anyone, and someone should say something, and at a bare minimum, focus some attention on this situation. This represents the very problem with only focusing on “some” civil liberties in “some” places for “some” people; if you go somewhere else, in the world where you are not protected (or worse, for those that have no choice but to be born gay in those places), and it means that you have done nothing to help the global cause of equality for all gays all over the world. Being safe in America, and able to marry, does not protect gays in other parts of the world; and that is something that should concern us. We should care that gays and lesbians in other countries are KILLED for what we take for granted.

I for one am hoping that something is done, and this CHILD does not have to die. I hope that our gay rights organizations speak up, and show some consideration for what this child is going through; because it could just as easily be one of our own… but again, the fact is, that he IS one of our own. This boy’s struggle for life should really shake us to the core, and make us realize how good we have it here; and challenge us to make it better everywhere… but for whatever reason, it isn’t, and that really bothers me.

Please, do what this post is doing, and direct as much attention as you can to this situation. I heard about this from atlmalcontent, and by voicing our outrage, we are forcing this to be discussed. If one person tells someone else, this can go somewhere; I believe that. Attention to heinous acts of violence like this, can hopefully make changes happen; and it is clear that we are the ones who shine the light on it. Please, don’t remain silent.

My heart goes out to this boy and his family. I can only hope that he is saved. This is a dark, dark day for gay rights worldwide; unfortunately, it has happened before, and will probably happen again. What will it take for us to stand up and unite?

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covering your ass and why I hate cell phones now (apparently)

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Minor, not-even-worth-paying-attention-to-if-I-were-you-update: the coward parade gains a new member! LOL It must be hard to be so right and awesome all of the time, because keeping that up means that you feel the need to pick on others to make yourself feel even more awesome and right. How cool! LOL!!!! Pathetic.

First the cell phone thing, because it will be brief. This morning, driving to work, I saw what I always see, some asshole driving like a maniac, that I or other people have to avoid to prevent an accident. In this morning’s case, it was a woman that ran a very red light at a very precarious intersection, because she was blabbing away on her phone, and couldn’t be bothered to notice. Be it running a red light, stopping suddenly to make a turn with no turn signal, whatever, the point is, these idiots are putting our lives, and my car, in danger. What is the one factor that I notice about 99% of these people? Just like the woman this morning, they are on cell phones when they are doing this shit. HANG THE FUCK UP AND DRIVE. I rarely talk on the phone when I am driving, and if I do, I keep it short, and get off as soon as I can. I want to be able to focus, and it appears that I need that extra focus, because those that refuse to put down the phone and drive are actually trying to have an accident with me. That is why I now hate cell phones. The end.

Now, I haven’t really said anything about the firing of the US attorneys because I really don’t care that much, but after reading what Mr Bush said this morning, I really want to applaud him for an amazing ability to cover his own ass. Not only is he saying that investigating this beyond what he is willing to turn over is a partisan fishing expedition, but he also is confident that it is an unnecessary confrontation that the Democrats are trying to bully him into. Wow, Mr. Bush, you really know how to prevent people from seeing what really happened. You are great at covering your ass!!!

Basically, if the people that had a hand in this do get supeanaed, they are going to have to admit that they did indeed fire these people because they weren’t investigating Democrats as much as they wanted them to be. The attorneys that were fired have come forward and said that they were pressured to investigate Democrats more than Republicans, and in some cases, as much as a 7 to 1 ratio, so let me ask you, Mr. Bush, who is the one that is doing the partisan confrontation now? These attorneys can’t just be fired because they are investigating stuff that you and others in government have done wrong in the middle, or beginning, of an investigation… oh wait! You covered your ass!! You got Gonzalez to fire them so that they wouldn’t investigate what you didn’t want them to, something that the other ones have been compellingly convinced to stay away from (or else, get fired themselves!)!!! I get it now… you are just covering your ass. (Keep in mind that we KNOW that no other president has fired US BI-PARTISAN attorneys mid-term. It’s cool to fire them when you come in to office, but if you fire them while you are still there, because they may (or already have begun) investigate something one party has done illegally that is currently sitting, well, that just reeks of guilt. That’s practically a confession.)

I seriously wish that someone, anyone, would go after uncovering the crookedness that is going on in the White House, without the big “hell no” that is coming from them. I don’t think that anyone in this country is immune to investigation if there is reasonable suspicion that they have done something wrong, and that includes members of congress, senate, and especially those at the White House. Mr. President, can you please stop trying to cover your ass, because it is getting more and more obvious that you are scrambling to do so, and, calling the Democratic effort to call you out on your shit a partisan confrontation for political gain, is both laughable and pathetic. If you do something wrong, you need to be cooperative, because it is well known that not do is almost always the first sign of being guilty; and low and behold, you don’t want to cooperate. Maybe, you aren’t covering your ass at all… Hmmm… maybe you are just covertly admitting your guilt. Interesting thought. I hope that you and the rest of your office aren’t able to sweep this away like you want to. I hope that it gets the attention that it deserves.

Finally, I know that there are several of you that are all “bomb the fuck out of Iran”, but I am seriously terrified of what will happen if we do. I seriously can’t afford $5 a gallon for gas, and I don’t know many that can. I also don’t want to see us pulled into more war, especially since we have such a broken military right now (and I especially don’t want to see ANY MORE lives lost to this war). The best way to put out a fire is NOT to throw more fuel on it, and that is exactly what we will be doing if we bomb Iran. Yes, they are dangerous. Yes, they can cause more and more harm, but NO, we should not go to war with them. That is going to make things WAY worse. The ONLY thing that comes out of war is death and destruction (well, unless you are a government contractor, because then it is wealth and fortune, but that is beside the point). We have got to figure something else out, and stop occupying the middle east already!

Alright. Vent is over for now. Discuss.

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the wednesday run-down

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Today, there are 5 distinct thoughts running through my head, so I thought I would give you a run down. In summation, here it is: 1) come on Dems!, 2) get this CD NOW, 3) examining relationships, 4) buying too much stuff?, and finally 5) comments on TV things. Let’s get started, but let’s keep it brief.

First of all, most people don’t think that I am critical (enough) of the Democrats actions. They are wrong. This is just great; now we can EXPECT an attack on Iran. Why were these guidelines abandoned? This just seems to keep getting worse and worse; if we don’t at least put caps and regulations on things, then things will continue to go in the same direction, and there will be NO changes. That can’t be allowed to happen! We need to send a message, that is LOUD and CLEAR to the president; no more occupation! No more war! Things just seem to be idling along, while real action needs to be taken. This is seriously disappointing, to say the least. UGH. We need some people that will take real action, fast.

In lighter fare, I am proud to announce the American release of a GREAT UK artist’s sophomore disc, entitled Back to Black. It is none other than the fantastical Amy Winehouse, and you must do yourself a favor and buy this CD today. It is only $8 at Target and Best Buy, and it is definitely $8 well spent. Let’s show our appreciation for bringing great artists to our shores, rather than leaving them as imports. Amy’s voice is an old classic voice, much like Billy Holiday, and it has power, class, soul, and life. The music is fantastic, like a hip hop jazz, and you will enjoy this if you enjoy great music. Do yourself a favor and pick it up today!

Relationships. UGH. Sometimes they are great. Sometimes they suck. Sometimes you realize that certain relationships in your life are not worth fighting for, but for whatever reason, they go on, because you let them. You don’t want yourself to be like them, so you do your part; even when they don’t do theirs. All that leads to is frustration, and the occasional cryptic portion of a blog post. I am just wondering what I will do next time they take it upon themselves to call. Perhaps I will just let it go for months on end, as it seems they prefer to do themselves; or maybe I will do what I did this time, and just suck it up, and sit through another fake attempt to maintain something that isn’t really there in the first place. Oh well… we’ll see. Relationships can really take it out of you. Thank God for the good ones.

I spent a lot of money yesterday and goodies that made me feel better. Sometimes, you just gotta pull out that card and swipe it. I am glad that I did, but I need to calm down. This is kind of a suggestion and a reminder of that need. Retail therapy! WOO!

Finally, I just want to say this, if you watch 24, were you not extremely excited that Martha came back this week? Even more than that, can you BELIEVE what she did to Logan?!?!? I LOVE YOU JEAN SMART!!!! YAY! Also, if that Sanjaya Malakar makes it through, I will be PISSED. Melinda, girl, you are my favorite, and I hope you win. Lastly, I wouldn’t mind having a three-way (or a four way if James wants in) with Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis. Those boys are hot AND they can sing!

Hope everyone is having a great hump day! That’s the run-down! I’m out!

civil rights, is it just me?, that is so gay, tragic

Atrocity in Iran: Two boys killed for being gay

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I am sure that by now, everyone has heard about (and probably written about) the two teenaged boys that were hanged in Iran for being gay. Not only does writing this and thinking about this actually happening make my physically ill, it makes me wonder: what is it about being gay that is so wrong, that it would warrant such behavior or action? It also makes me question, and really being to look deeper at, the stance and direction the southern Baptist convention is taking in our American struggle for equality and civil rights. That�s when I begin to have scary thoughts like: Could it ever get this bad here in the USA? Could there come a time when people are hanging for being gay?

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