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Tuesday watercooler: Is Phelps freakier than furries?
03.09.2010 12:17pm EST
( I truly believe at least two blogster bloggers, if not more,
either belong to this church or would join in a minute--and isn't that
a sad commentary?! GM)
What does the Supreme Court think of the “God hates fags”
spewing Westboro Baptist Church? We will find out this fall.
The high court will decide whether protesting military funerals with signs
like “Thank God for dead soldiers” is protected by the First Amendment. The
father of a fallen Marine is pursuing the case and is seeking to reinstate a $5
million fine against the hate-mongering group.
And apparently the group is looking forward to the court proceedings.
“We get to preach to the conscience of doomed America,” Shirley Phelps-Roper,
Fred Phelps daughter, said Monday, reported NPR .
“I am so excited that I can’t I tell you how good it is.”
If justice is served, that would be good. Although a
$5 million fine hardly seems like the right punishment.
***
Self-preservation does not seem high on Sen.
Roy Ashburn’s list of priorities. The California Republican, who sports a solid anti-gay voting record, came out
on a Sacramento talk show yesterday, a week after he received a DUI after
leaving a gay bar. We are talking about a guy who voted against honoring slain
gay rights leader Harvey Milk and who did not want to recognize same-sex
marriages performed legally outside California.
So, Ashburn comes out. And does this mean it will change his voting record? Of course not. He plans
to continue voting anti-gay, because that’s what the people who voted him into
office want him to do.
“I believe firmly that my responsibility is to my
constituents. I will take a careful look at each measure and apply that
standard. How would they vote on this? How would they want me to vote on
this?” he said in his interview on KERN.
On the one hand, I feel a slight – very slight – bit
of pity for a guy who is clearly conflicted. On the other hand, stop acting like
a jerk.
***
Another blog in the marriage equality
fight hit my radar this week: Project 1138. The figure is a
reference to all of the
federal rights that same-sex couples do not have access to because national
marriage rights. The project is essentially a public awareness campaign and the
blog shares the personal stories of same-sex couples across the United States
and it welcomes more stories. If you want to share yours, e-mail
chip@equalityforum.com.
***
Another interesting read from BoingBoing.net this week is a myth-busting interview with a furry
– yes, the folks who dress up in animal-based costumes. The subculture of
furries is not all sex-crazed freakishness, as it is frequently portrayed.
I can certainly relate to the idea of taking on an
anthropomorphic character – I used to pretend I was a cat as a child, although
for the life of me I cannot recall the name I gave myself. “The furry fandom is
just like any other group of like-minded individuals,” a man who takes on
fox-like characters in his furry life said. “It’s like a tech nerd going to
MacWorld.”
Ah, furry geeks.
***
One last bit of faux news from The
Onion, which looks at the discovery of the gay gene. Of course, in their
broadcast, the gay gene, once it is outed, gets beat up in the locker room.
Figures.