October 2009 Archives

What a whack job!!! Has anyone done the math about how many of us Pagans there are and how much candy is produced in the US. (And duh, if we are going to curse candy, it would make far more sense to get those chocolate bunnies at Easter which are more likely to be consumed by Christians.)

Standing around a bonfire is occult/demonic?? Really? Wow, how odd that people might stand around a source of warmth when they are outside and the weather is starting to get chilly. I guess the only reason that folks might want to do something like that must be Satanic.

And, how exactly do we do a time-released curse? Is it timed from when the spell is cast? From when the object is handled? Do we have to print an expiration date? (“Yes, the candy is good for 1 calendar year, but the curse wears off after 6 months.”) Apparently, demons are able to travel along with the cursed candy, but they can’t tell the source. Maybe they should use an RFID tracking? If Satan is so powerful, one would think that he had better methods of tracking inventory.

I love how CBN realizes that Kimberly Daniels article is “controversial.” Is that the politically correct way of saying “paranoid delusional nut case?”

Sex with demons? Orgies with humans and animals? The coven that I belong to is celebrating Samhain next week. I am fairly sure that if I make a move towards the host’s cat that she would smack me down pretty hard. (And excuse me, but I think that it is quite well established that I don’t do pussy!)

She can’t even get her facts straight. She refers to the Corn King and the Harvest Lord, Dear, it’s the Oak King and the Holly King, and they are usually observed at Litha (Summer Solstice) and Yule (Winter Solstice), not Samhain.

Someone seriously needs to adjust her meds!

The Danger of Celebrating Halloween

Editor's Note: We realize that the article by Kimberly Daniels is controversial. It reflects her own personal views—based on her many years of ministering to people involved in the occult. We have chosen to post another column by Ken Eastburn which offers a different view of Halloween. We welcome our readers to post comments on that article as well. Click here to read Eastburn's article.

Halloween—October 31—is considered a holiday in the United States. In fact, it rivals Christmas with regard to how widely celebrated it is. Stores that sell only Halloween-related paraphernalia open up a few months before the day and close shortly after it ends. But is Halloween a holiday that Christians should be observing?

The word "holiday" means "holy day." But there is nothing holy about Halloween. The root word of Halloween is "hallow," which means "holy, consecrated and set apart for service." If this holiday is hallowed, whose service is it set apart for? The answer to that question is very easy—Lucifer's!

Lucifer is a part of the demonic godhead. Remember, everything God has, the devil has a counterfeit. Halloween is a counterfeit holy day that is dedicated to celebrating the demonic trinity of : the Luciferian Spirit (the false father); the Antichrist Spirit (the false holy spirit); and the Spirit of Belial (the false son).

The key word in discussing Halloween is "dedicated." It is dedicated to darkness and is an accursed season. During Halloween, time-released curses are always loosed. A time-released curse is a period that has been set aside to release demonic activity and to ensnare souls in great measure.

You may ask, "Doesn't God have more power than the devil?" Yes, but He has given that power to us. If we do not walk in it, we will become the devil's prey. Witchcraft works through dirty hearts and wrong spirits.

During this period demons are assigned against those who participate in the rituals and festivities. These demons are automatically drawn to the fetishes that open doors for them to come into the lives of human beings. For example, most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches.

I do not buy candy during the Halloween season. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.

Even the colors of Halloween (orange, brown and dark red) are dedicated. These colors are connected to the fall equinox, which is around the 20th or 21st of September each year and is sometimes called "Mabon." During this season witches are celebrating the changing of the seasons from summer to fall. They give praise to the gods for the demonic harvest. They pray to the gods of the elements (air, fire, water and earth).

Mother earth is highly celebrated during the fall demonic harvest. Witches praise mother earth by bringing her fruits, nuts and herbs. Demons are loosed during these acts of worship. When nice church folk lay out their pumpkins on the church lawn, fill their baskets with nuts and herbs, and fire up their bonfires, the demons get busy. They have no respect for the church grounds. They respect only the sacrifice and do not care if it comes from believers or non-believers.

Gathering around bonfires is a common practice in pagan worship. As I remember, the bonfires that I attended during homecoming week when I was in high school were always in the fall. I am amazed at how we ignorantly participate in pagan, occult rituals.

The gods of harvest that the witches worship during their fall festivals are the Corn King and the Harvest Lord. The devil is too stupid to understand that Jesus is the Lord of the Harvest 365 days a year. But we cannot be ignorant of the devices of the enemy. When we pray, we bind the powers of the strong men that people involved in the occult worship.

Halloween is much more than a holiday filled with fun and tricks or treats. It is a time for the gathering of evil that masquerades behind the fictitious characters of Dracula, werewolves, mummies and witches on brooms. The truth is that these demons that have been presented as scary cartoons actually exist. I have prayed for witches who are addicted to drinking blood and howling at the moon.

While the lukewarm and ignorant think of these customs as "just harmless fun," the vortexes of hell are releasing new assignments against souls. Witches take pride in laughing at the ignorance of natural men (those who ignore the spirit realm).

Decorating buildings with Halloween scenes, dressing up for parties, going door-to-door for candy, standing around bonfires and highlighting pumpkin patches are all acts rooted in entertaining familiar spirits. All these activities are demonic and have occult roots.

The word "occult" means "secret." The danger of Halloween is not in the scary things we see but in the secret, wicked, cruel activities that go on behind the scenes. These activities include:

• Sex with demons
• Orgies between animals and humans
• Animal and human sacrifices
• Sacrificing babies to shed innocent blood
• Rape and molestation of adults, children and babies
• Revel nights
• Conjuring of demons and casting of spells
• Release of "time-released" curses against the innocent and the ignorant.

Another abomination that goes on behind the scenes of Halloween is necromancy, or communication with the dead. Séances and contacting spirit guides are very popular on Halloween, so there is a lot of darkness lurking in the air.

However, Ephesians 1:19-21 speaks of the authority of the believer and the exceeding greatness of God's power in us (the same power that raised Christ from the dead). It goes on to say that that Jesus is seated in heavenly places far above all principalities, power, might, dominions and every name that is named. The good news is that because we are seated in heavenly places with Jesus, the same demonic activity that is under His feet is under our feet, too!

People who worship the devil continue to attempt to lift him up. But he has already been cast out and down! Many are blinded to this fact, but the day will come when all will know he has been defeated once and for all.

When we accept Jesus but refuse to renounce Satan and his practices, we are neither hot nor cold but lukewarm—and the Word says that God will spit us out of His mouth. The problem with lukewarm is that it attempts to mix the things of the devil with the things of God. It is God's desire that we serve Him alone.

Second Corinthians 6:15 asks the question, "And what agreement has Christ with Belial?" As believers, we need to answer that question in our hearts. We must avoid the very appearance of evil. I would not want a demon spirit to mistake me for an occult worshiper.

There is no doubt in my heart that God is not calling us to replace fall festivals and Halloween activities; rather, He wants us to utterly destroy the deeds of this season. If you or your family members have opened the door to any curses that are released during the demonic fall festivals, renounce them and repent. I already have. Then declare with me: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"

About the author: Kimberly Daniels is a sought-after conference speaker and preacher. She is the founder of Kimberly Daniels Ministries International (kimberlydaniels.com), Spoken Word Ministries—the church she pastors in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband, Ardell—A Child of the King Learning Center and Word Bible College. Kim is a recognized prophetic voice as well as the author of several books, including her most recent, Prayers that Bring Change (Charisma House).

Editor's Note: We realize that the article by Kimberly Daniels is controversial. It reflects her own personal views—based on her many years of ministering to people involved in the occult. We have chosen to post another column by Ken Eastburn which offers a different view of Halloween. We welcome our readers to post comments on that article as well. Click here to read Eastburn's article.

My friend Paula had a link to this story on Facebook. Here is the reply that I came up with.

So, who pays for the witches to pray over/curse the candy? Is it done at the factory? Do you have to wear plastic gloves? Does the goat's blood (or whatever we might have to use for the curse) have to be inspected by the health department How much of a quantity can we work with at a time? Because if I have to curse every last Tootsie Roll or individual Sweet Tart, that is going to get awfully tedious VERY quickly. Is there quality control? ("Johnson, the Demon Meter found insufficient Satanic readings for lot #43498 of the Beelzebubble Gum. Get Hagatha back from her cauldron break now! The trucks for Wal-Mart will be here in 15 minutes, and we are not going to have inventory left sitting on the dock because it wasn't up to code.")

Technorati Tags: Halloween,Samhain,Candy

Oddly enough, this is NOT a computer-related post. One of the women in the coven I belong to just went through back surgery. They first thought it might be 6 hours worth of surgery, but the procedure ran to 10 hours. Afterwarrds, the surgeon was explaining that one of the disks in her spine was sort of flopping around, but he had put in some hardware to firm it up. Her daughter law then observed that he had just upgraded her from a floppy drive to a hard disk. It got a laugh!

The recovery is expected to take 6 months to a year. We just had a lovely chat, and she is glad that things are going better.

I found this online and it brought back many fond memories of when this was first performed at a Society for Creative Anachronism  (SCA). I think it was the very late 80’s.) Alfredo and his lady did this for the 2nd princess of Aethelmearc.

Around 1990, the local Shire of Stormsport put on a demo at the South Erie Turners. I seem to recall that Cerise did Abbot and my friend Paula did the Costello lines. It went over okay. (Memo to self: comedy schtick with half the lines in Latin may not have as wide appeal as one might hope.) I seem to recall that Alexander Caithnes and Tristan demonstrated fighting, and then we did English Country Dance, which had some audience participation. Good times!

The sketch is pure geekiness, nerdy fun and incredibly clever.

I got this from someone on the Atlantian list that he and his wife wrote/performed and thought y'all (yes, Maryland is below the Mason-Dixon line, why do you ask?) might be amused. Btw, Meadhbh, if you use it, you might check and make sure with:

                        Alfredo il Buffon  (I think that's spelt write)
                        edh@ascc01.ascc.lucent.com



                              -Virgil



==============================================================================

"Ignoro" is Latin for "I don't know". The dialog went on something like this:

1. When I first heard her Excellency's name, "Hodierna," I thought, "Isn't that the Latin word for 'today'?" Of course, I was wrong. The Latin word for "today" is "hodie." "Hodierna" is the feminine form of "hodiernus," which means "today's," as in "today's paper." But her name piqued my curiosity, so I ransacked the library until I found what I think is the earliest mention of the name "Hodierna" in the Period.
2. Since it was written down in the form of a dialogue, we've decided to perform it.
3. Now the entire dialogue is in Latin --
4. -- but we've translated it into English.
5. -- so you'll just have to bear wi-- What do you mean, "we've translated it into English?"
6. What word didn't you understand? You found this dialogue of a man and a woman talking in Latin, and we decided that I would translate the Lady's part, and you -- You did remember to translate the abbot's lines didn't you?
7. Well, maybe "remember" is too strong a word.
8. Now what are we gonna do?
9. How about if you perform your part in English, and I'll perform my part in Latin. This is an intelligent crowd; they'll figure it out.
10. All right, but don't blame me if this doesn't work.
11. So, imagine, if you will, that I am an Italian abbot, walking down an equally Italian street, in a small principality in the north of Italy.
12. And imagine that I am a Norman noblewoman visiting from England.
13. And imagine that we are both speaking in Latin. We begin ...

      HEUS ABBAS M: Hey, Abbot!

1. Salve, o mea domina. Possumne esse auxilio tibi?
2. Yes, you can be of some assistance to me. Please tell me the names of the nobility in your principality so when I go see them in court I'll be able to know those fellows.
3. Ita, te docebo. Tamen, incredible auditu, ridiculissima nomina nobiles hodie habent.
4. You say the nobles have funny names nowadays?
5. Ita, ridicula nomina. In nostro principalitate, Quis est princeps, Quid est dux, Ignoro est vicecomes, --
6. Do you know the fellows' names?
7. Ita.
8. Well then, who is the prince?
9. Ita.
10. I mean, the name of the prince.
11. Quis.
12. The prince.
13. Quis est princeps.
14. Well, what are you asking me for?
15. Non te quaero, immo, te dico. QUIS EST PRINCEPS.
16. I'm asking you. Who's the prince?
17. Illud est viri nomen.
18. That's who's name?
19. Ita.
20. Well, go ahead and tell me his name.
21. Quis.
22. The prince.
23. Quis.
24. The principal man in the principality.
25. Quis est princeps.
26. Does this principality have a prince?
27. Certe.
28. And who is the prince?
29. Absolute.
30. Who wears the princely coronet?
31. Ita. Dignus eo vir est.
32. Who is entitled to it?
33. Ita.
34. Well, all I'm trying to find out is, what's the prince's name?
35. Oh, non, non. Quid est nomen ducis.
36. I'm not asking you who's the duke.
37. Quis est princeps.
38. That's what I'm trying to find out.
39. Ergo, noli nomina mutare.
40. I'm not changing their names!
41. Defervesce.
42. All right, I'll calm down. Now, what is the prince's name?
43. Quid est nomen ducis.
44. I'm not asking you who's the duke.
45. Quis est princeps.
46. I don't know.
47. Ille est vicecomes. De illo non dicimus.
48. I know we're not talking about the viscount.
49. Mentionem vicecomites fecisti.
50. If I just mentioned the viscount, who did I say was the viscount?
51. Non. Quis est princeps.
52. That's what I want to know: What is the prince's name?
53. Quid est nomen ducis.
54. I'm not asking you who's the duke.
55. Quis est princeps.
56. I don't know.
57. Ille est vicecomes.
58. There we go with the viscount again.
59. Non possum mutare nomina.
60. I don't want you to change their names, just tell me their names. Since we're on the subject of the viscount, how about telling me his name.
61. Ignoro.
62. I thought you knew the names of all of the noblemen.
63. Ita. Omnium nobilium.
64. But when I asked you the name of the viscount just now, you said, "I don't know."
65. Ita. Ignoro.
66. Is the viscount a nobleman?
67. Ita.
68. Do you know the names of all the noblemen?
69. Ita.
70. Then, what is the viscount's name?
71. Quid est nomen ducis.
72. I'm not asking you who's the duke!
73. Quis est princeps.
74. I don't know.

A&M: The viscount.

M: Does the viscount have a wife?

1. Ita.
2. She's the viscountess, right?
3. Correcte mundo.
4. Please tell me her name.
5. Cur.
6. Well, I just thought I'd ask.
7. Ergo, ego statuo te dicere.
8. Then go ahead and tell me, who is the viscountess.
9. Ausculta, mea domina. Quis non est vicecomitessa. Quis est --
10. I'll break your arm if you say, "Who's the prince?"
11. Mea domina!
12. Forgive me, your Eminence.
13. Tibi veniam do.
14. Thank you. Now, what's the viscountess's name?
15. Quid est ducis nomen.
16. I'm not asking you who's the duke!
17. Quis est princeps.
18. I don't know.

A&M: The viscount!

1. Defervesce, defervesce, mea domina.
2. All right, I'll calm down. I'm calm. Now tell me the viscountess's name.
3. Cur.
4. Because.
5. Est episcopus.
6. The bishop!
7. Noli vexari, mea domina.
8. All right, all right. Will there be any knights in court?
9. Certe.
10. Tell me the name of the first knight of the realm. The most experienced knight. The one with the strongest --
11. Cras.
12. Pardon me? Did you just say "tomorrow"?
13. Ita, Cras.
14. You don't want to tell me now?
15. Etiam nunc te dico.
16. Then go ahead.
17. Cras.
18. What time tomorrow are you gonna tell me?
19. Nune te dico.
20. Then what is the knight's name?
21. Quid est nomen ducis.
22. I'm not asking you who's the duke!
23. Quis est princeps.
24. I don't know.

A&M: The viscount.

M: Is there a princess?

1. Ita.
2. And her name?
3. Hodierna Principessa.
4. Today's princess! And tomorrow, knight!
5. Nunc vera dicis.
6. Now, I'm right, huh? You have a couple of days in your court, that's all.
7. Fieri non potest aliter.
8. Does this court have a herald?
9. Certe. Praeco habendus est.
10. All right. Don't try to tell me his name. I don't want to know. Now, I have pretty loud voice, right?
11. Oh, certe magnam vocam habes. Summam vocam. De tua magna voce non est disputandum.
12. A simple "yes" would suffice. Let's say I use my voice as herald at your principality's court.
13. Plerumque praeco est indigena.
14. Yes, I'm sure the herald usually is a native but let's just suppose, okay? I'm in a subjunctive mood now.
15. Ut libet.
16. Okay, so I'm the herald, and court is about to begin, so I say, "All rise for --" who?
17. Nune vera dicis.
18. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
19. Est usitata formula.
20. That's the standard formula around here? "All rise for who"?
21. Ita.
22. So I say that, and who comes in?
23. Certe.
24. And who sits on the throne?
25. Certe.
26. Certainly.
27. Certe.
28. Okay.
29. Nunc comprendis.
30. So Certainly comes in ...
31. Non, non. Princeps introit.
32. Then who sits on the throne?
33. Certe.
34. Okay. So Certainly comes in ...
35. Non. Quis introit.
36. Certainly.
37. Ita.
38. So, I announce the prince, and Certainly sits down on the throne, --
39. Non. Tu pronuntias principem, --
40. And who sits on the throne?
41. Certe.
42. That's what I'm saying.
43. Non sic dicis tu.
44. Certainly sits on the throne.
45. In solio sedet Quis.
46. Certainly.
47. Certe. Ergo, dic sic.
48. That's what I'm saying!
49. Defervesce, defervesce.
50. I announce the prince.
51. Et Quis in solio sedet.
52. He better sit there!
53. Defervesce.
54. So I announce the prince, and whoever he is comes in with today's princess. They want to see the chivalry, so I call for what and tomorrow and I don't know -- a triple play.
55. Fieri potest.
56. Then the prince asks me to summon the viscount and his wife. Why? I don't know. And I don't give a damn.
57. Visne illud iterare?
58. I said, "I don't give a damn!"
59. Oh, that's our king!

Ermine Spot (July 1996): [Ermine] Latin anyone?

Okay, I never really drank Jolt Cola, but way back in 1992 or so, I went on a lobbying trip with some other folks that involved leaving Erie, driving to Harrisburg, and then back to Erie. Within a 24 hour period. I was concerned about nodding off, so I got some Jolt Cola.

Truth to tell, I don’t think I notice much of a change when I have something caffeinated. Of course, since I usually come across to most people like a rabid Yorkshire Terrier on speed, how much of a change could there possibly be? If caffeine did affect me very much, it is quite possible that I would break the sound barrier or hit warp speed.

The Death Of Jolt Cola

Jolt Cola, the 24 year-old product credited/blamed for creating the multi-billion dollar energy drink market, is going out of business.

Pittsford-based Jolt Co. Inc. now seems likely to close, according to an attorney for the company, after a contentious attempt at reorganizing fell apart earlier this week. "The name will show up someplace else, but just that," said William I. Kohn, with the Cleveland firm of Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff. "I don't see anybody buying the entire package." Jolt filed for bankruptcy in late September in Rochester. In the Chapter 11 filing, CEO Robert Clamp indicated that the company's woes revolved around a decline in the energy drink market coupled with a fight with Rexam Beverage Can Co. of Chicago over an agreement to buy 90 million high-end resealable cans.

I find all energy drinks foul tasting, but will admit buying quite a lot of Jolt the first summer it came out.

Joe. My. God.: The Death Of Jolt Cola

I must admit to guffawing quite loudly when I saw this. Ken frequently comes off as Barbie’s gay male buddy. This doll goes for over $80, and I am guessing that some designer at Mattel figured that probably the collectors are most likely to be queens, so what the heck and amp up the queer.

By the way, this doll should be sold with Enrique, the hot cabana boy. Barbie might have fun shopping during the day, but I would lay odds that this Ken ends up at some swanky gay bar. Or a bathhouse.

Wow.

Barbie Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken Doll

(description)

Barbie Palm Beach Sugar Daddy Ken Doll - MATTEL - Barbie - Dolls at Entertainment Earth

Freaking amazing! Bishop Spong has written one of the bravest and most thoroughly decent opinions that I have seen in a long time.

I have long believed that the real message that all religions (including Christianity) have at their base is one of love and inclusiveness. Sure, some of the hierarchy get it wrong, but that is the failings of human beings, not the divine.

So, for those small-minded and undeveloped souls who insist that their interpretations of the God and Jesus compels them to hate other human beings, listen to the words of a REAL follower of Christ!

A Manifesto! The Time Has Come!

I have made a decision. I will no longer debate the issue of homosexuality in the church with anyone. I will no longer engage the biblical ignorance that emanates from so many right-wing Christians about how the Bible condemns homosexuality, as if that point of view still has any credibility. I will no longer discuss with them or listen to them tell me how homosexuality is "an abomination to God," about how homosexuality is a "chosen lifestyle," or about how through prayer and "spiritual counseling" homosexual persons can be "cured." Those arguments are no longer worthy of my time or energy. I will no longer dignify by listening to the thoughts of those who advocate "reparative therapy," as if homosexual persons are somehow broken and need to be repaired. I will no longer talk to those who believe that the unity of the church can or should be achieved by rejecting the presence of, or at least at the expense of, gay and lesbian people. I will no longer take the time to refute the unlearned and undocumentable claims of certain world religious leaders who call homosexuality "deviant." I will no longer listen to that pious sentimentality that certain Christian leaders continue to employ, which suggests some version of that strange and overtly dishonest phrase that "we love the sinner but hate the sin." That statement is, I have concluded, nothing more than a self-serving lie designed to cover the fact that these people hate homosexual persons and fear homosexuality itself, but somehow know that hatred is incompatible with the Christ they claim to profess, so they adopt this face-saving and absolutely false statement. I will no longer temper my understanding of truth in order to pretend that I have even a tiny smidgen of respect for the appalling negativity that continues to emanate from religious circles where the church has for centuries conveniently perfumed its ongoing prejudices against blacks, Jews, women and homosexual persons with what it assumes is "high-sounding, pious rhetoric." The day for that mentality has quite simply come to an end for me. I will personally neither tolerate it nor listen to it any longer. The world has moved on, leaving these elements of the Christian Church that cannot adjust to new knowledge or a new consciousness lost in a sea of their own irrelevance. They no longer talk to anyone but themselves. I will no longer seek to slow down the witness to inclusiveness by pretending that there is some middle ground between prejudice and oppression. There isn't. Justice postponed is justice denied. That can be a resting place no longer for anyone. An old civil rights song proclaimed that the only choice awaiting those who cannot adjust to a new understanding was to "Roll on over or we'll roll on over you!" Time waits for no one.

I will particularly ignore those members of my own Episcopal Church who seek to break away from this body to form a "new church," claiming that this new and bigoted instrument alone now represents the Anglican Communion. Such a new ecclesiastical body is designed to allow these pathetic human beings, who are so deeply locked into a world that no longer exists, to form a community in which they can continue to hate gay people, distort gay people with their hopeless rhetoric and to be part of a religious fellowship in which they can continue to feel justified in their homophobic prejudices for the rest of their tortured lives. Church unity can never be a virtue that is preserved by allowing injustice, oppression and psychological tyranny to go unchallenged.

In my personal life, I will no longer listen to televised debates conducted by "fair-minded" channels that seek to give "both sides" of this issue "equal time." I am aware that these stations no longer give equal time to the advocates of treating women as if they are the property of men or to the advocates of reinstating either segregation or slavery, despite the fact that when these evil institutions were coming to an end the Bible was still being quoted frequently on each of these subjects. It is time for the media to announce that there are no longer two sides to the issue of full humanity for gay and lesbian people. There is no way that justice for homosexual people can be compromised any longer.

I will no longer act as if the Papal office is to be respected if the present occupant of that office is either not willing or not able to inform and educate himself on public issues on which he dares to speak with embarrassing ineptitude. I will no longer be respectful of the leadership of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who seems to believe that rude behavior, intolerance and even killing prejudice is somehow acceptable, so long as it comes from third-world religious leaders, who more than anything else reveal in themselves the price that colonial oppression has required of the minds and hearts of so many of our world's population. I see no way that ignorance and truth can be placed side by side, nor do I believe that evil is somehow less evil if the Bible is quoted to justify it. I will dismiss as unworthy of any more of my attention the wild, false and uninformed opinions of such would-be religious leaders as Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, Albert Mohler, and Robert Duncan. My country and my church have both already spent too much time, energy and money trying to accommodate these backward points of view when they are no longer even tolerable.

I make these statements because it is time to move on. The battle is over. The victory has been won. There is no reasonable doubt as to what the final outcome of this struggle will be. Homosexual people will be accepted as equal, full human beings, who have a legitimate claim on every right that both church and society have to offer any of us. Homosexual marriages will become legal, recognized by the state and pronounced holy by the church. "Don't ask, don't tell" will be dismantled as the policy of our armed forces. We will and we must learn that equality of citizenship is not something that should ever be submitted to a referendum. Equality under and before the law is a solemn promise conveyed to all our citizens in the Constitution itself. Can any of us imagine having a public referendum on whether slavery should continue, whether segregation should be dismantled, whether voting privileges should be offered to women? The time has come for politicians to stop hiding behind unjust laws that they themselves helped to enact, and to abandon that convenient shield of demanding a vote on the rights of full citizenship because they do not understand the difference between a constitutional democracy, which this nation has, and a "mobocracy," which this nation rejected when it adopted its constitution. We do not put the civil rights of a minority to the vote of a plebiscite.

I will also no longer act as if I need a majority vote of some ecclesiastical body in order to bless, ordain, recognize and celebrate the lives and gifts of gay and lesbian people in the life of the church. No one should ever again be forced to submit the privilege of citizenship in this nation or membership in the Christian Church to the will of a majority vote.

The battle in both our culture and our church to rid our souls of this dying prejudice is finished. A new consciousness has arisen. A decision has quite clearly been made. Inequality for gay and lesbian people is no longer a debatable issue in either church or state. Therefore, I will from this moment on refuse to dignify the continued public expression of ignorant prejudice by engaging it. I do not tolerate racism or sexism any longer. From this moment on, I will no longer tolerate our culture's various forms of homophobia. I do not care who it is who articulates these attitudes or who tries to make them sound holy with religious jargon.

I have been part of this debate for years, but things do get settled and this issue is now settled for me. I do not debate any longer with members of the "Flat Earth Society" either. I do not debate with people who think we should treat epilepsy by casting demons out of the epileptic person; I do not waste time engaging those medical opinions that suggest that bleeding the patient might release the infection. I do not converse with people who think that Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans as punishment for the sin of being the birthplace of Ellen DeGeneres or that the terrorists hit the United Sates on 9/11 because we tolerated homosexual people, abortions, feminism or the American Civil Liberties Union. I am tired of being embarrassed by so much of my church's participation in causes that are quite unworthy of the Christ I serve or the God whose mystery and wonder I appreciate more each day. Indeed I feel the Christian Church should not only apologize, but do public penance for the way we have treated people of color, women, adherents of other religions and those we designated heretics, as well as gay and lesbian people.

Life moves on. As the poet James Russell Lowell once put it more than a century ago: "New occasions teach new duties, Time makes ancient good uncouth." I am ready now to claim the victory. I will from now on assume it and live into it. I am unwilling to argue about it or to discuss it as if there are two equally valid, competing positions any longer. The day for that mentality has simply gone forever.

This is my manifesto and my creed. I proclaim it today. I invite others to join me in this public declaration. I believe that such a public outpouring will help cleanse both the church and this nation of its own distorting past. It will restore integrity and honor to both church and state. It will signal that a new day has dawned and we are ready not just to embrace it, but also to rejoice in it and to celebrate it.

– John Shelby Spong
(Episcopal Bishop)

John Shelby Spong: A Manifesto! The Time Has Come!

This past Friday, I went to the Erie County Democratic Party’s Beef and Ballots Dinner. We had a great turnout, and I am excited about the candidates! I thought that Barry Grossman gave a particularly good speech. I did a fair amount of visiting with folks. I ended up at a table with some folks who had been at the GLBT lobbying meeting we had had the night before, and also some friends who work at the Health Department.

After dinner, there was the usual presenting of the candidates. Cathi Zelazny, the party chair had a DVD that was running through a player to a projection unit. It was hooked up correctly, but there were a couple of controls. Fortunately, I was able to figure it out and since I was sitting up front, I didn’t even have to get out of my chair! I was worried about being too close to the candidates. (When you stand a real possibility of being able to count their nose hair, it is probable that one is too close.) There wasn’t a good place for me retreat while at the table, but I happened to get a call on my cell phone, so I had an excuse to duck out of the room. When I came back, I just sat at a different table.

This past Wednesday, there was a screen of the documentary Out in the Silence here in Erie at the Hirt Auditorium at Blasco Public Library.  It was a pretty good turnout and several of the same people who were on the discussion panel when we were in Titusville were back. The audience seemed moved, and I got the chance to chat afterward with several people. The only sort of rough spot is that one of the other panelists and myself realized that we should probably have used the restroom before the panel discussion started. However, there were no problems and things went well.

Freaking COOL! It is long past time that this becomes the law of the land. It looks like President Obama will be signing this and this is the first time that there has been a federal law that including protection on the basis of sexual orientation.

I first came out publicly when commenting on a second degree murder conviction of 2 men in the killing of a local gay man. Protecting on the basis of sexual orientation is just as important as protecting on the basis of religion, race or gender.

We become a more just society when everyone is protected!

Good job by everyone! Looking forward to the happy news of President Obama signing this into law.

Hate crimes passes Senate: Goes to President's desk

Filed by: Bil Browning

October 22, 2009 5:30 PM

As expected, the Senate passed the defense authorization bill this afternoon on a bipartisan vote of 68-29. Hate crimes legislation has already passed both houses of Congress, but the entire bill had to be voted on again after differences in the two versions of the defense bill were worked out.

The House version of the consolidated bill passed October 6 - just in time for the National Equality March and Obama's speech to the Human Rights Campaign's national dinner. The bill goes to the President's desk for his signature next. President Obama is expected to sign the legislation soon.

This legislation is vitally important for states like Indiana which doesn't have a hate crimes law thanks to our state legislators lack of support for our community our an ineffective state-wide LGBT organization. The message of the National Equality March rings true for me today. Our lack of progress in our state has been salvaged by federal action. The only way we're going to gain our rights is via federal law.

Hate crimes passes Senate: Goes to President's desk | The Bilerico Project

This morning, I had to go pick up a card with some photos on it that my friend Richard took of the National Equality March last week. He is in the Renaissance Center at 10th and State, and I ended up taking 6th Street home.

At 6th and Chestnut, I saw my friend Erin’s car, and realized that the Young Lesbian Bisexual and Transgender Women (YLBT Women) were going to tour the Watson Curtze Mansion Museum right then. I figured that it was way too much of a coincidence to pass up, so I wandered in (even though I am neither young now a lesbian. ;) )

It was a small/intimate turnout, but it was great fun. I recalled that I used to go to art classes at the museum when I was a kid. I also used to live down the street at 6th and Myrtle. There was a statue (Greek or Romanm, not sure which) in the entrance hall of a woman with a winged cupid covering her eyes. In my rather macabre frame of mind, all I could think was of her screaming that it was gouging her eyes out - “Get it off! Get it off!!! The pain!!!”

We went through the entire museum. It was interesting what I recalled from 35-40 years ago and what might have been new/not remembered.

After the museum, we had a very nice lunch at Molly Brannigan’s. All in all, a very pleasant afternoon!

Typical cowardly reactionary guy; I am denying this couple the right to marry “for the sake of the children.” Most importantly, it is the Justice of the Peace’s job to officiate the weddings for couples that meet the legal requirements for entering a valid marriage. That’s it. It is not his job to pass judgment. And if he finds that there is prejudice against multiracial children, isn’t THAT the thing that needs to be stopped. If a city didn’t want Jews or the disabled to move in, the problem is with those exhibiting the unfair, illegal and perfectly vile bigotry, NOT with the folks who are just trying to live their lives.

I know interracial couples with children. They have the same range of experiences and devotion that other couples have.

If this asshat Justice of the Peace can’t adequately perform the duties of his job because of his own bias, then he needs to resign.

When I have talked about marriage equality for same-sex couples, I have pointed out that within the span of my lifetime, it was illegal in some states for interracial couples to marry. The reasons given then are quite frequently the same lame arguments made now. Obviously, some folks haven’t learned anything in the past 40-50 years.

Later in the article, the Justice of the Peace claims that he is not racist. Dude, if you have to tell people that you aren’t racist while denying a couple the right to marry, then the only person that you are fooling is yourself.

Interracial couple in Louisiana denied marriage license

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Civil rights advocates in eastern Louisiana are calling for a justice of the peace of Tangipahoa Parish to resign after he refused to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple.

Terence McKay claims a justice of the peace refused to give him and his white girlfriend a marriage license.

"He's an elected public official and one of his duties is to marry people. He doesn't have the right to say he doesn't believe in it," Patricia Morris, president of the NAACP branch of Tangipahoa Parish, located near the Mississippi line, said Thursday.

"If he doesn't do what his position calls for him to do, he should resign from that position."

The demands for Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish's 8th Ward, to step down came after he wouldn't issue a marriage license to Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend, Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond.

"I was just really shocked, because he's an elected official," Humphrey said. Watch Terence McKay react to the denial of a marriage license »

Bardwell didn't immediately return calls from CNN on Thursday.

(Rest of the story is at the site)

Interracial couple in Louisiana denied marriage license - CNN.com

The Second Harvest Food Bank of NW PA had their 21st Annual Bread Box Awards this afternoon. Erie Gay News had collected at the Pride Picnic this past year, like we have done for the past several years, and the Erie Bloggers had a small food drive this past December. (Alas, I have been busy, and the group seems to pretty much be defunct. I miss it, and hope that it gets going again.) Additionally, Join the Impact had suggested a National Food Drive for Equality, so we gathered in the name of the Erie LGBT Community. So, three different invitations showed up at my house. I was supposed to go with my friend Diana, but she had to participate in a rally/protest at the last minute, so it was just me going.

The food bank is also a customer of the place where I work. I was a little late in heading over there, as I was handling a tech support call for another food bank. When I got over there, the tables were sort of filled up, so I just grabbed at a seat at a table at the back of the hall.

First, they gave out the certificates for those groups that had donated for 4 or more years, so I headed up when they called out Erie Gay News. Then they gave out the certificates for groups that had just started donating. When they called out the Erie Bloggers, I headed up, got the certificate and walked about 3-5 steps when they called out for Erie LGBT Commmunity, so I made a quick small U-turn. I had forgotten that we had also collected at Pagan Pride Day for the United NeoPagan Council of Lake Erie, so I made trip #3 for certificate #4. From the back of the hall. Which made me feel ostentatious or like I might be coming off as a glory hound. However, I believe very firmly that one of the best ways to make progress for a group is to participate in things that reflect an understanding that we are all in this world together.

Very cool! It was sounding like Gov. Schwarzenegger might have been set to veto it, like he did the last time, but given that the film Milk did so well at the box office and at the Academy Awards, it seems unlikely that he could have ducked out of that.

Harvey Milk was an important civil rights figure and this is just and appropriate.

Schwarzenegger Signs Harvey Milk Bill

By Julie Bolcer

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Sunday night to recognize May 22, the birthday of slain gay rights activist Harvey Milk, as an annual day of significance in California.
The governor signed the legislation as a deadline loomed, and as it appeared that he might reject the bill once again, according to GayPolitics.com, a site maintained by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.
“The first attempt to establish the day of significance was vetoed by Schwarzenegger, who at the time said it was more appropriate to honor Milk locally where he had the most impact,” GayPolitics.com reported. “Since then the Oscar-winning movie Milk, a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom, and his induction into the California Hall of Fame has elevated Harvey Milk’s status as a civil rights icon.”
According to Equality California, the bill “would require the governor proclaim May 22 each year as Harvey Milk Day. It would encourage public schools and educational institutions to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date.”

Schwarzenegger Signs Harvey Milk Bill | News | Advocate.com

It’s been a busy week! On Monday, we met about lobbying Kathy Dahlkemper’s office about some LGBT-related legislation. Then on Tuesday, I went down to the screening of Out in the Silence at the University of Pittsburgh at Henne Auditorium. (The screening was after being part of the Billionaires for Wealthcare rally that afternoon.)

I was worried abut running out of gas, but I made it there, and on time (pretty much.) I had not been able to see the full film before, but I did see the earlier incarnation We Belong. My friend Tim Dahl, one of the people in the documentary, was sitting in front of me with his boyfriend/fiance, Rex. I also got to meet Nicole, the terrific young woman who had started a GSA at her high school. it was great putting a face to the name, and her parents were there as well. Her parents were incredibly gracious and nice. My friend Steve Glassman was also on the panel. Steve is the Chair of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

The audience was great! there was a very nice turnout, and it was diverse in a number of ways. I was on the panel speaking after the film. One audience member looked familiar to the Mary Ann Caton, the ACLU member who had done much of the coordinator. He got up and spoke afterwards and told about how important this was to him as a gay man. She later figured out that he was a postal worker that she knew.

I used my GPS to get down there. Afterwards, I wanted to find  gas station and then something to eat. For some reason, it seemed like I was getting sent along streets that didn’t connect. Weird, as that had never happened before.

I pulled into a Kwik Fill to get gas and a very pleasant woman (who also looked like she might be a lesbian) noted that I had pulled in on the wrong side. She then asked me how much to fill. I was taking aback, since I couldn’t recall the last time that someone at a gas station filled the tank. Then she mentioned something about turning off the light so that no one else would pull in. Me (internally): “Dummy! She is about to close and wants to get home.” I felt bad for keeping her, but she was very quick, friendly and polite. She also told me that there was a nearby McDonald’s that was still home.

When I got over there, the GPS had the right location, but said that it was on the right hand side of the street, when it was on the left. I went in and the clerk took my order. She asked who was next, and there was a young straight couple being affectionate with each other. They didn’t respond, so I thought that they might be too busy canoodling to notice. Then I noticed that they were using sign language, so I realized that they just hadn’t heard the clerk. So I moved over to where I was in the young woman’s line of vision and got their attention.

Amusingly enough, Kathy Springer, the mother of the main subject of the documentary came up to the counter. She had apparently gotten dinner first and was looking to find a gas station, since she was pretty much running on fumes. I smiled and said, “Well, Kwik Fill just closed.” Fortunately, the clerk directed her to a Country Fair, so everything was cool.

Out in the Silence will be showing here in Erie on October 21 at 7 PM at the Hirt Auditorium at Blasco Public Library. Highly recommended and hoping that they get a good turn out.

I took this afternoon off from work for going to a screening. Some of us met yesterday about a lobbying trip. One of the folks in the meeting was organizing a demonstration for health care reform, and he needed additional folks for the Billionaires for Wealthcare, so I said that I would help out. I explained that I was NOT a fashion plate. Truth to tell, I wasn’t sure whether I still owned a tie or a jacket. (I am not sure whether I should refer to myself as sartorially challenged or just cut to the chase and admit that I am a slob.

However, the important part is that it was for a good cause. I did notice that when we were riding in the Cadillac convertible and waving to passers-by en route, I tended to slip into the Queen Elizabeth light bulb screw sort of wave.

Hopefully, we raised some consciousness about the bill. Many of the real protestors approached the issue from a spiritual perspective. (I think that there was at least 1 nun.)

My friend Doris didn’t recognize me. I was wearing fake glasses (with rose-colored lenses – which eventually sort of gave me small headache.)

Oddly enough, one of the other protesters had written an impassioned email the previous night about marriage equality. I think that it’s important to support our straight allies by supporting other progressive causes.