Dan Choi

First Lieutenant Dan Choi is an Arabic-speaking linguist who is being fired from the Army National Guard because he is gay. As Commander in Chief, Barack Obama is responsible for this.

Between 1996 and 2006 60 Arabic linguists were discharged for being gay under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. 12,500 otherwise qualified personnel have been discharged under the policy, at a cost of over $360 million.

Ejecting brave men and women with specialist skills is a threat to national security and leads to a dangerously weakened military, as Choi explains: “On Monday, September 10th 2001, a message was intercepted by the State Department: tomorrow is zero hour.

"Despite its simplicity, nobody was able to translate it. Any of the dozens of linguists already discharged for being gay at the time would have done so easily.” pinknews

911 could have possibly been avoided if this discriminatory policy had not been in place.

Here, Aaron Belkin explains why President Obama should and why he can sign an executive order today to stop this practice.

Straight people are really interested in the progress of gay rights, as this report from CNN shows. They start out talking about marriage but turn to DADT during the segment.



The segment points out, correctly I believe, that the gay community is being patient because we understand that there is a lot going on. Don't do anything contentious regarding gays just before you want to get a (hopefully) equality minded Supreme Court justice affirmed.

But, come on Mr. President. Save Dan Choi's job. Our country needs him.

Jonathan and David: A Love Story

It's just weird when you look out your front door early in the morning and a police car is parked there sideways in the road with lights "a flashing."

This was on the morning of the recent fire, however, and the car was blocking the street.

I promised in a comment a few days ago that I would provide an example of where homosexuality is treated in a positive way in the Bible. One such instance is the story of the love between David and Jonathan.

"When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house. Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt." 1Samuel 18:1-4.

This was pretty much love at first sight. Brotherly love does not lead a man to get naked and offer his most personal possessions, the symbols of his manhood, to another man, but that is what Jonathan did here.

Jonathan's father, King Saul, was not happy about the relationship:

"You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen David, the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established."
1 Samuel 20:30

In other words, Saul is furious that his son has chosen David as his lover, he says it is shameful, something many gay men have heard when they reveal themselves to their fathers. Saul tells Jonathan that he cannot produce an heir to the throne (while in a same sex relationship) so he can not claim the kingship.

"...they kissed each other and wept with one another; until David exceeded. Then Jonathan said to David, 'Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying "The Lord shall be between me and you, and my descendants and your descendants, forever"' He got up and left; and Jonathan went into the city." 1 Samuel 20: 41-42.

Again, clearly the association between Jonathan and David goes beyond what is expected from heterosexual males. They knew they would not see one another again, and this is the parting of doomed lovers, so to speak. Yet they made a bond that would last through all generations.


The Hebrew word used here, gadal, translated above as "exceeded," can have various meanings. It means to grow, to become great. Some scholars when translating this passage have completely changed the meaning, saying David "recovered himself, " or "got control of himself" or even deleted the ending completely, being uncomfortable with the obvious meaning, that David became erected.

After Jonathan's death, David wrote a song while mourning, in which he says:

"I am distressed for you my brother Jonathan;
Greatly beloved were you to me;
your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women." 2 Samuel: 1: 26

I have not known a heterosexual man to proclaim that his love for another man was greater than his love for a woman.

This is an example, in the Bible, of two men in a loving, sexual relationship, and the Bible celebrates that love in this song.

Picture Credit: Wikimedia commons. Gottfried Bernhard Goez: Jonathan Greeting David after David Killed Goliath

FIVE

Maine's governor has just signed a bill allowing same sex marriage!

Hooray

That's five states. Maine, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts and Iowa.

Soon we will know about New Hampshire, and any day now the California Supreme Court will hopefully rule favorably there.

Every day in this country more people realize that same sex marriage does not interfere with their own marriage, that LGBT people are just like everyone else, and that our creator loves us just the way he or she made us!

Someone recently asked if we might be moving to New England. Hmmm. Equality. Less likelihood of thugs wanting to rid the area of "faggots." Mountains. Beautiful fall colors.

Seis de Mayo and District 19 Forum Report

Updates at the end of this post.

Los Sombreros es un buen lugar para celebrar Cinco de Mayo.

Pardon my Spanish, but Los Sombreros in Bessemer is a good place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo because the management comes around and pours extra tequila into your frozen margarita.

Yet still, I am up early and able to function at full capacity.

At the forum for Democratic Senate district 19 candidates last night all of the candidates except for Madilyn Southern showed up to spar for votes. Rep. Rod Scott of Fairfield arrived late and only had 2 minutes to present his case. The others gave opening statements and then answered questions from the audience.

I asked a question about the budget passed by the senate yesterday. The budget included $2.8 million for AIDS funding, but $5 million is required to receive matching federal funds under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 formerly (and still commonly) known as the Ryan White Care Act.

Without the $5 million from the state, we stand to lose millions in money that pays for treatment and saves countless lives. In short, people will die.

I mentioned that the House had passed the same budget, as far as AIDS funding goes.

Both Priscilla Dunn and Merika Coleman were surprised. They indicated that they were not aware, and agreed to the importance of the match. They were surprised that Rep. Patricia Todd had not made them (and other legislators) aware of the urgency regarding this. Other candidates jumped on this, saying the current legislators should have been more informed and they they would have read the legislation and known.

Not necessarily. You might read "2.8 million" but the legislation is not going to say ("this does not meet federal matching standards").

Anyway, my multiple attempts to get a response from Rep. Todd about this have not been successful. When she does, I will post an update.

In the end, Dunn and Coleman believe that the budget can be adjusted in committee and the funding will be there. All of the candidates stressed the importance of getting matching funds when possible (I could have mentioned the lack of securing matching funds for public transportation by our Jefferson county delegation and local elected officials for years...decades, but we won't go there).

The Birmingham News reported this

(Eric)Major said he tried to introduce legislation while a representative to stop the
bond swaps, measures he said Coleman and Rep. Priscilla Dunn of Bessemer
opposed.
Coleman fired back by asking the voters to "Google" her record on
the issue.

I guess what she wanted the voters to be reminded of is Major's domestic violence charge and his trip to the Supreme Court of Alabama which threw out his $500,000 award for his claim that his civil rights were violated when he was arrested ( here and here).

Back to the AIDS funding.

There is still a final step left to finalize the General Fund budget. A committee of members from the House (Representatives Knight, Page, and Gaston) has to vote to reconcile the Senate's version of the budget.

Please take a moment to call and email Representative John Knight, Representative Victor Gaston, and Representative Jack Page and let them know that the $2.8 million for AIDS funding needs to be upped to $5 million, and while you are at it, tell them the $700,000 for AIDS Service Organizations needs to be added back as well.

Representative John Knight (334) 242-7660 John.knight@alhouse.org

Representative Victor Gaston (334) 242-7675 Victor.gaston@alhouse.org

Representative Jack Page (334) 242-7742 reppage@bellsouth.net.

Update: The house today unanimously rejected the Senate version of the budget for various reasons. Maybe they will fix this problem.

Also, today, a senate committee approved adding sexual orientation to the hate crimes bill. Now to the full senate.

Update: Rep. Todd told me she that Rep. Laura Hall is the primary advocate in the house for AIDS related issues. That makes sense, Hall had a son that died from AIDS and has been an outspoken advocate for AIDS issues over the years. One would think that Dunn and Coleman would have recognized this.

Another Fire

Fire on Dartmouth Avenue

This one story Queen Anne cottage at 1809 Dartmouth Avenue burned in the predawn hours today. The home was built c. 1905, and no one was living in the house.

Should We Be Embarrassed?

I don't travel up Carolina Terrace to Dartmouth Avenue often, and until yesterday had never noticed the street sign at the intersection. I'm also not the best speller around, and am thankful for spell check and my unofficial editors who point out my errors. But it's a bit embarrassing that the city street folks do not even know how to spell the names of the streets. Let's see how long it takes to correct it.

Senate Candidate Forum Tonight

The election for state Senate District 19 is May 12, and there will be a forum for candidates tonight at 6:00 at St. Mary's Catholic church in Fairfield. The candidates are trying to win the seat formerly held by E. B. McClain, who was removed from office after being convicted of misusing his office.

There are 8 candidates: Louise Alexander of Bessemer, Merika Coleman of Birmingham, Priscilla Dunn of Bessemer, Eric Major of Fairfield, Lawrence McAdory of Bessemer, Rod Scott of Fairfield and Madilyn Southern of Fairfield.

District 19 covers parts of Bessemer, Fairfield, Hueytown, Midfield and surrounding areas.

Torture and Prayer

Torture

A poll by the Pew Forum has shown that frequent churchgoers are most likely to support torture.White Evangelical protestants are the religious group most likely to agree.



Here are the poll results.

What gets me is that 15% of Americans (18% of Evangelical Protestants) think torture can be justified often. Let's not elect these people to office...please! But just as important, let's not select them to stand in the pulpit.

I guess what this indicates is that attending a weekly church service messes up one's moral compass, at least as far as human ethics and such are concerned.

That is not to say that there are not churches out there that respect humanity enough to teach that torture is wrong (notice that 25% of weekly churchgoers believe torture is never justified).

Prayer

With the National Day of Prayer coming up (May 7)here's some poll results on prayer, also from Pew.


Notice, the older one is, the more likely one is to pray daily, females are much more likely than males, and the more income one makes, the less likely. God v. mammon, I guess.

A Vision, A Splash and A Pig

Visionary Ministry
A historic landmark is reopening this weekend as Visionary Ministry. On Saturday, May 2, 2009, from 9 AM to 2 PM, there will be an opening celebration with entertainment, a health fair, food and more. The church is located at 1829 Dartmouth Avenue.

Elvira Kidd is the new Pastor. She wants this day to be day that a seed of unity for our community is planted. She says that "we are all God's children and that when we finally come together as a people, we will accomplish so much."

I have seen that the divisions in our community fall along the lines of race, sexual orientation, gender and age.

She says this will be a different type of ministry, one that focuses on the needs of the community and its members, not the needs of the church.

Everyone is invited, from our neighborhood or throughout Bessemer and neighboring communities.

Upsurge

By the time the opening celebration at Visionary is over, it will be hot. Here's a local spot to cool off. The new Upsurge water slide will open Saturday as well, at Alabama Adventure in Bessemer. The most recent photograph I could find is from a couple of weeks ago.

Picture Credit Alabama Adventure

It should look more like this by now.

The Origin of Swine Flu

Not to make light of a serious subject. Well, yes...to make light of a serious subject, here's where it started.


In addition to the common sense precautions (frequent hand washing, coughing and sneezing into your elbow rather than your hand so you don't transfer viruses with your fingertips, avoiding crowded places and not going to work or school or the theater or the Crawfish Boil and such if you are sick) there's one more recommendation: don't kiss pigs!