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Archive for the ‘Legal’ Category

The Lesbian and Gay struggle for the same rights as straight people has taken many turns. From straight allies going on record saying they support the right of people being able to marry who they wish, to bigots using their position to “keep them in their place”, to people hiding behind religion to justify bigotry. Add this story to the “bigots keeping them in their place!”
 
Melissa McKenzie, and 18 year old Lesbian was recently kicked out of school because she lives with her 17 year old girlfriend. What does McKenzie living with her girlfriend have to do with her going to school? The principal of Del City high school told Melissa “if you move back home with your parents, you can come back to school.” And how does living at home change that? HUH???
 
Kelsey Hicks needs to graduate from high school so she can follow her dream of being a firefighter. Both girls, high school softball players, were also kicked off of their team for complaining about their situation. Hicks, McKenzie’s girlfriend, who also wanted to come back to school, thinks the school’s attitude is this:, “you probably won’t do anything with your life so you might as well drop out now.” The “powers that be” must not know of all of the Lesbians and gays who have “done something with their lives.” What about the Lesbian and Gay doctors, lawyers, service men and women, police officers, and teachers, “who do something with their lives every day.” Does Ellen DeGeneres ring a bell?
 
People in power are no different than anyone else. They have their own biases and bigotries. But they are NOT supposed to use their position to dictate how other people live their lives. The principal’s job is NOT do decide who will “do something with their lives.” His job is to make sure EVERY CHILD has the opportunity to get an education and graduate.
 
Either or both of the Lamda Defense League and the ACLU needs to get involved in this situation. Because there are two things that are against nature. Playing games with children and old people. And the adults at Del City high school and the school district are indeed “messing with babies!”
 
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As most people know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the color pink is being warn to show support for people who have survived Breast Cancer and those who have lost their lives to the disease. Everyone from athletes to actors, to entertainers, to every day people, have worn pink in some form to support the cause. But one act of support is testing the limits of stupidity of people in positions of power!
 
A group of high school football officials decided to show their support for Breast Cancer by sporting pink whistles during a game. They also donated two game checks to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Well the powers that be have decided to fine and suspend these officials for a “uniform violation.” WTF????
 
Todd Stordahl, the chair from the Washington Officials Association, has stated that he has “little choice but to suspend the refs” because it would send the “wrong message to the children” if he doesn’t. What kind of message is he sending by fining and suspending officials who were supporting a cause that affects both women AND men?
 
At some point people need to use their BRAINS and not their POWER when it comes to situations like this. Here you have a group of men who donated money and showed support to Breast Cancer. And you have an IDIOT who thinks kids are going to believe the punishment fits the crime. Did I forget to mention that the suspensions will come with another game check and a forfeiture of officiating any playoff games this season. For officials, making it to the playoffs and the state finals is the same thing as the players. It is a testament to their skills as an official.
 
I could see if the officials came out in all pink attire from head to toe. But that isn’t the case. The officials just had pink whistles. I would think the high school football players would have thought it was a great thing to do. Not as some kind of “rebellion against the establishment.” I personally have found it cool to see NFL players wearing pink shoes and having pink towels hanging from their pants. Or seeing NBA players wearing pink shoes. Or watching WNBA players wearing pink uniforms!
 
One official, Jeff Mattson, stated that many of the officials who used the pink whistles have been personally touched by Breast Cancer. And this was their way of “giving back” to the cause. For Stordahl to take punitive actions against them is just STUPID! And if he thinks he is “setting an example for the kids” he is mistaken. Because if you asked the kids what they think, Stordahl would be looked at as an asshole. Not a person looking out for the” kids best interest.”
 
The Officials Association are contending that the uniform code section doesn’t pertain to them so there isn’t an issue. We will have to wait and see if smarter heads prevail. Because there are times when people need to “stand up and be counted. But this isn’t one of those times. This is a case were the “greater good” needs to considered. Because this has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous!
 

 
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After the passage of Prop 8 in california, it was fashionable to blame “blacks and hispanics” because on the whole, some of them voted for it’s passage. Long discussions were bantered back and forth about “how could ‘they’ vote to legalize discrimination.” Blogs were posting daily after the passage of Prop 8 about how to “reach out to ‘those communities.’ ” But I have yet to hear ONE WORD from ANYONE in the Lesbian or Gay communities about the “white people” who just passed Prop 1 in the state of maine!
 
The state of maine has over 1.3 million people in it according to the 2008 census. Of that 1.3 million people, 97% is white. So the passage of Prop 1 in maine was done by white people! Where are the Lesbian and Gay voices now? Where is the blaming, the gnashing of the teeth, and the name calling now? The silence is deafening!
 
As I had stated when Prop 8 passed, even if every registered black and hispanic voted for Prop 8, that was NOT the deciding factor. The vote was passed by white people! Yet the “minorities” took the brunt of the criticism for the passage. It wasn’t appreciated THEN and it still isn’t appreciated.
 
So hear this white Lesbians and Gays. You BETTER keep blacks and hispanics name OUT OF YOUR MOUTHS when it comes to Same Couple Marriage. Because while there is no excuse for BIGOTRY, DISCRIMINATION, and/or HATE, white people are the ones passing these propositions. So before you start looking into someone else’s backyard, CLEAN UP YOURS FIRST! Because RACISM is still the “biggest ism” there is. And your silence on this issue JUST PROVES IT!
 
Oh, but don’t get this SHIT twisted blacks and hispanics. That doesn’t get you off the hook ONE BIT! Because for a group of people who CONTINUE to experience discrimination, to turn around and do it to someone else is PATHETIC! You, those “minorities” who voted for Prop 8, are still BIGOTS, POOR EXCUSES FOR HUMAN BEINGS and COWARDS! And don’t YOU forget that EITHER!

A justice of the peace in Hammond, Louisiana, has refused to sign a marriage certificate for an interracial couple. Keith Bardwell has said that he is “not a racist” because he has married Black couples “right here in my own home.” When the bride, Beth Humphrey, called to get the certificate signed, Bardwell’s wife stated that her husband “would not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples.” His concern was not about the couple themselves. The judge is concerned about the children, and how they will be treated by society. I was under the impression this issue, interracial marriage, was taken care of with the Loving vs Virginia case decided by the Supreme Court in 1967. But I guess deciding who can and can’t get married has again become a slippery slope and the slope done slipped!
 
Again is looks like someone is sitting in judgment of someone else, using racist stereotypes to justify bigotry. Bardwell has said that he “don’t want to put children in a situation they didn’t bring on themselves.” And since he is now the foremost scholar on interracial children, he doesn’t want them to suffer.” Damn, that’s awful nice of him isn’t it! Those are the same piss poor excuses that are used by people who oppose Same Couple Marriage. But you’re right black folks, the Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights struggle is not the same thing! Dumbasses!
 
Did Bardwell forget that our president is the product of an interracial marriage? Does he not realize that no one is “pure?” And that in 2009, the number of interracial children are growing and those children are no less proud of who they are and who they come from?
 
As a Lesbian who saw the state she lives in, california, and other states, pass propositions that bars Lesbians and Gays the right to get married, I felt this was bound to happen. Because people are failing to realize that once you start considering people to be “thems” or “others“, if shouldn’t be a surprise when someone else does that EXACT same thing to you.
 
This will be an interesting test to see just how trifling Black people really are. Are far to many Black folks just bigots or are they racists too? And we will also see how far we have come as a country. Because we already know that people ARE NOT FREE to marry who they want to marry. We will see if race is “no longer and issue” since Obama was elected!

 
This should be good!

A known rapist who has hidden with the tacit approval of many of the top notch actors, actresses, and directors in Hollywood, was finally arrested on an outstanding warrant that was issued more than 30 years ago. Roman Polanski, whose wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson gang, was arrested in Switzerland after getting off of the plane to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award. That he was able to run from the long arms of the law for 30 years, and do so freely, is appalling. What is even worse, is that some people think he should be set free!
 
In 1978, Roman was arrested and PLEAD GUILTY TO drugging and raping a 13yr old girl. But he fled to Europe, France to be specific, before he could ever spend a night in prison. He was able to travel all over Europe without any problems. He worked with some of the most famous European AND American actors, actresses, and directors, all of whom knew what he had done. But to them, RAPE must not be such a bad thing. Because these poor excuses for human beings didn’t bat an eye about working for or with him. And now that he has been arrested, these same people want him freed.
 
On the View, hostess Whoopi Goldberg, who I HAD much respect for, stated that it “wasn’t rape-rape.” HUH? He was 37 years old, she was 13, he plied he with drugs and alcohol, and then ANALLY and ORALLY PENETRATED HER! And he NEVER spent one day in prison for that crime! I’d like to think that in hindsight, Ms. Goldberg has come to a different decision. But I always go with the first thing that comes out of someone’s mouth. Because that is usually how they really feel!
Continue reading “Polanski: Throw his PUNK ASS in PRISON!” »

When the economy gets bad, and people get desperate, they do things they wouldn’t normally do. Like selling family heirlooms or other possessions. And when you see commercials like the one for “Cash4Gold” that seems to be a dream come true for struggling people, who doesn’t hesitate to do business with them? But should you? From the mouths of a couple of former employees, the answer is a resounding “NO!”
 
Let me say this upfront. Every time I saw the Cash4Gold commercials, something didn’t seem right to me. My suspicious mind always went to the other side of this transaction. Because I always wondered about what would happen if my jewelry never got there? Or THEY said it never got there? Or what happens if they say you sent in a bracelet and you know that you sent in a thick gold necklace? What happens then? What recourse does the consumer have? Well it looks like my suspicious mind was right on the mark!
 
A former employee blew the whistle and listed ten things that the consumer doesn’t know about doing business with Cash4Gold. And a couple of theses things were the issues that concerned me. For doing so, she was hit with a lawsuit, and a summary judgment was placed against her. More on that later. But she states that consumers are low balled on the quality of their jewelry, they are stonewalled about their checks, and if they complain, they are offered more money “just to go away.” Employees are given bonuses if keep as much money as possible.
 
An investigation by the ComplaintsBoard.com showed that Cash4Gold pays the consumer a third of the value of their gold. Meaning a pawn shop would offer you $198.00 and cash for gold offers $60.00. That means you lose $138.00 dollars on the deal. That doesn’t sound like Cahs4Gold cares about it’s customers does it? For their investigation, the Complaintsboard.com has been sued also! Cash4Gold is sounded better and better all of the time! NOT!!!!
Continue reading “Cash4Gold – What a RIPOFF!” »

It has come to light that the state of Texas will now pay exonerated prisoners millions of dollars as payment for having been in jail for, in many cases, decades. These payments will come with lifetime annuities ranging from $40,000.00 to $50,000.00, lump sum payments, free medical and dental, job training, and college tuition for 120 hours at a public college. Some of the men will get upwards of 2 million dollars. The only stipulation is that these innocent people stay out of trouble. Fair enough. But what about the families of the victims who thought the person who did harm to their loved one was firmly behind bars only to find out that wasn’t the case? That the guilty person has been allowed to walk free for ten, fifteen, twenty, or even twenty-five years? And what about the tax payers in the state of Texas? That money has to come from someplace. What services will be taken away from the citizens to pay for these settlements? But what about the people who put them behind bars? What is their punishment for possibly bribing witnesses, withholding evidence, twisting the truth, or just “testi-lying” as the police like to call it? What happens to them?
 
Texas leads the nation in freeing innocent people wrongly convicted of crimes. At last count, the number stood at 38. These men were freed because of the work of the Innocent Project, a New York legal center that specializes in overturning wrongful convictions. Without the Innocent Project, these men, many who proclaimed their innocence loud, long, and hard from the beginning, would still be in prison. I’d hate to say that race played a hand in these convictions. That the victim was white and the alleged perpetrators were Black. But from looking at some of the wrongly convicted men, at least one side of this equation is already known. Black men were sent to prison for long stretches of time for crimes that DNA has proven they didn’t commit.
 
I’d like to see the people who sent these men have to pay some kind of price. Because you can bet some of them used these cases as stepping stones to bigger, higher profile jobs. I wouldn’t doubt that some of these policemen, police chiefs, prosecutors, and judges, and maybe even politicians, used these men to further their own “tough on crime persona’s.” They should be made to tell what happened and make their own amends to these men. Some of the light needs to be dimmed on people who took away something that no amount of money can buy. TIME!

I worked for a Teen Drug and Alcohol abuse center for five years. I have done interventions, enrolled teens into the program, ran groups, and conducted Urine Analysis testing. I have read and interpreted Drug testing results, and Behavioral analysis. I believe, without a PHD, that I was able to be a part of a great Petrie Dish experiment where I learned a lot about human nature from both a clinical and hands on point of view. So when I read that a professional tennis player, Richard Gasquet, tested positive for cocaine, it didn’t shock me. But when I read his excuse, and that the Governing body actually believed it, that did shock me. Gasquet said that he tested positive for cocaine because he “French Kissed” a woman in a nightclub!
 
Gasquet withdrew from a tennis tournament because of an injury. He and some friends decided to go to a nightclub to hear a French DJ spin. Sometime during the night, a woman named “Pamela” French Kissed Richard. And since the club is NOTORIOUS for drug use, that must have been how he got minute traces of cocaine in his system. The fact that “Pamela” was never tested, never came before the board, and whose whereabouts are unknown, seem unimportant. I guess when facing a two year ban, you become very “creative” when coming up with an excuse to save your ASS!
Continue reading “Just a Kiss” »

SCLC, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, has decided that the reason for their very existence, Tolerance and Equality for All, doesn’t extend to Same Couple Relationships. The amnesia of the leaders of that organization as to what they stand for, is being played out by their threats to fire a straight, African American Reverend, Eric Lee, who was public in his opposition to Prop 8. And his very public opposition just might cost him his job!
 
I find it amazing that the one group of people, African Americans, who have and continue to experience hate like no other group, thinks nothing of doing that to Lesbians and Gays. I understand your feelings that the Black Civil Rights movement is being overshadowed by the Gay Rights movement. And I understand that the comparison can be offensive. But the bottom line is this. Because our Black elders have failed to teach the younger generations our collective history, far too many youngsters don’t know anything more about the Civil Rights movement other than what we learned in school. And as we all know, that is minimal at best and a complete JOKE AT WORSE. And whether you like it or not, the comparisons are EXACTLY THE SAME! The same arguments that were used to try and justify not giving African Americans Civil Rights and stopping Interracial Marriage 50 years ago have been dusted off and are being used to discriminate against Same Couple Relationships. In a post I wrote on May 21, 2009, titled “Is Gay the New Black?” I listed eight different reasons why the struggles are the same. And these reasons include: education, religion, employment, housing, violence, health care, government, and marriage. Anyone with an open mind can’t deny the comparisons, PERIOD!
 
Slowly but surely, African Americans are alienated the very people who helped, fought, stood, and died for us to be in the position that we are in now. And our failure to say “thanks” and to return the failure won’t be forgotten nor should it be. So when the next atrocity occurs, like Hurricane Katrina, and we are shown and told EXACTLY where we stand in this country, and we run for help, we should be surprised when the Lesbian and Gay neighbors lock the door, close the curtains, and turn off the lights! Nor should we be surprised when African American Lesbian and Gays who have plenty of discretionary income to spend, stop spending it with you!
 
Time is going to show that opposing Same Couple Marriage was wrong. And when our children and grandchildren as us why we did it, what are you going to say that makes sense? That the bible, the same bible that STILL SAYS WE SHOULD BE SLAVES AND BE CONTENT WITH OUR LOTS IN LIFE, told us to do it? Or that an organization that fought for EQUALITY is now against it. The SCLC should be ashamed of themselves.

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computers, is said to have had a liver transplant recently. That he needed a liver transplant is not news. He has been very ill for quite some time now. What is news is that he was able to either circumvent the Donor Transplant system by purchasing a liver, or he was selected ahead of people who have been on the list longer and possible died while waiting.
 
At the recent Apple convention, Jobs was conspicuous with his absence. His keynote addresses have usually been the highlight of the Apple events. And with every mention of his health, whether good or bad, Apple’s stock has dropped or risen accordingly. And a healthy Jobs is a good for Apple’s bottom line!
 
People are saying that there is no way for Steve to have bought an organ, or cut in front of the line. But with BILLIONS of dollars at his disposal, how can that statement be made with any certainty? The buying and selling of organs is common knowledge in the medical profession. And in countries like India and Egypt, there is a healthy (sorry for the pun) and striving Black Market for organs. With money being the common denominator, and him having “go gobs” of it, that scenario is not as far-fetched as some people might think.
 
What ethicists, transplant surgeons, and “people in the know” are saying is that with his wealth, Jobs was able to travel to the three hospitals in Tennessee, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center in Memphis, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, and cut his waiting time for a viable organ.
 
People have been saying for centuries that money can’t buy you health. But if you have enough of it, looks like it most certainly can. And maybe did!