Free Republic

A Michigan pro-family group has joined a nationwide boycott of a major greeting card company as a result of its promotion of the homosexual lifestyle. The American Family Association of Michigan has joined forces with several other pro-family groups around the country to boycott Hallmark over the company's new line of "same-sex couple" cards. AFA-Michigan's President Gay Glenn said, “Hallmark’s corporate position helps culturally legitimize and promote so-called homosexual ‘marriage,’ using its customers’ money to do so.” He added, “Each of us should ensure as a matter of conscience that Hallmark isn’t able to use any of our families’ money.”...

Formal approval has been granted for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual personnel in HM Armed Forces to march in No.1 uniform (RN/RAF) No. 2 uniform (Army)through Central London on 5th July 2008, as part of the annual Gay Pride event. Whilst the Royal Navy has marched in uniform in previous years, Army and RAF personnel will also be marching in uniform for the first time this year. A large number of personnel have already committed to attend. Personnel will be considered to be on-duty for the uniformed element of the event. RAF personnel who wish to attend in uniform are...

London, March 30: Puffing kills. But a new study, led by an Indian-origin researcher, claims that mobiles phones are more dangerous than fags. "Though mobiles can save lives in emergencies, there is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumours (which can lead to cancer). "It is anticipated that this danger has far broader public health ramifications than asbestos and smoking," the study`s lead author Dr Vini Khurana was quoted by `the independent` newspaper as saying. Smoking kills some five million worldwide each year, according to the world health organisation....

MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- President Daniel Ortega, who led the 1979 revolution in Nicaragua, says Barack Obama's presidential bid is a "revolutionary" phenomenon in the United States. "It's not to say that there is already a revolution under way in the U.S. ... but yes, they are laying the foundations for a revolutionary change," the Sandinista leader said Wednesday night as he accepted an honorary doctorate from an engineering university. Ortega led a Soviet-backed government that battled U.S.-supported Contra rebels before he lost power in a 1990 election. He returned to office last year via the ballot box. In statements broadcast...

It has emerged that Barcelona customs officers seized a container from Chiwan in China on the 11th December that contained 370,000 packs of counterfeit Lambert & Butler cigarettes with a street value in Spain of more than one million euros, rising to nearly three times that amount had they reached the UK. The consignment consisted of 627 unprinted outer cases each containing 600 packs of 20, and was bound for an import-export company based in Arganda del Rey (Madrid).

LONDON, July 30, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In conflicts over same-sex couples staying in hotels run by religious believers, it is up to the owners to accommodate or close, the government says. In April, the Labour government passed the Sexual Orientation Regulations of the Equality Act 2006, drafted under the supervision of homosexual lobbyists, that make it illegal for Christian and other religious objectors to homosexual behaviour to refuse business to gay clientele.In the case of family owned bed and breakfast establishments, this requirement means that proprietors must allow homosexual partners to stay in the same room or be forced...

The top U.S. military officer, Marine Gen. Peter Pace, doesn't plan to apologize for telling a newspaper that homosexuality is immoral. Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Chicago Tribune on Monday that he supports the "don't ask, don't tell" policy banning openly gay people from serving in the U.S. armed forces. The general also compared homosexuality to adultery -- behavior that is prosecuted in the military, he said. "My upbringing is such that I believe that there are certain things, certain types of conduct that are immoral," Pace told the Tribune. "I believe that military members...

John Edwards showed us he is not a Christian and has no idea what Jesus "would" think. The main tenant of Christianity is that Jesus, the only Son or God, came to Earth to die for the sins of man and that he was raised from the dead and rose to sit at the right hand of God. So what does Edwards comment that "I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs," mean? It means that if he was a...

Ann Coulter fired back at critics who demanded the conservative columnist apologize for comments she made during a speech in which she referred to Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards as a "faggot." "'Faggot isn't offensive to gays; it has nothing to do with gays," Coulter said on "Hannity and Colmes" Monday night. "It's a schoolyard taunt meaning 'wuss,' and unless you're telling me that John Edwards is gay, it was not applied to a gay person."

Bill Maher has stirred outrage once again, this time saying it would be better if Vice President Dick Cheney was dead. On his HBO show "Real Time," Maher and his guests were discussing the assassination attempt on Cheney last week, and the fact that the Huffington Post web site removed comments regarding readers' disappointment that Cheney had not been killed. According to NewsBusters.org, the conversation went like this: Maher: What about the people who got onto the Huffington Post – and these weren’t even the bloggers, these were just the comments section – who said they, they expressed regret that...

WASHINGTON, March 3 — Three of the leading Republican presidential candidates on Saturday denounced one of their party’s best-known conservative commentators for using an antigay epithet when discussing a Democratic presidential contender at a gathering of conservatives here. The remarks by Ann Coulter, an author who regularly speaks at conservative events, were sharply denounced by the candidates, Senator John McCain of Arizona, Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts. Their statements came after Democrats, gay rights groups and bloggers raised a storm of protest over the remarks. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference before an...

Self explanatory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AE847UXu3Q

Conservative author Jennifer Rubin wondered this morning whether any Republican candidates would have the decency to do a little Sistah Souljah-ing here: It is not “caving” into political correctness to distance and indeed condemn such remarks as unworthy of a political event like CPAC… Excommunication is not being suggested, just a public rebuke. By clearly stating her comments are beyond the bounds of civil discourse and her presence not a welcome addition to a mature political party, the Republicans could do themselves a world of good. How often does a party have the opportunity to display some measure of dignity,...

After four years of legal wrangling in the clergy-abuse scandal, attorneys for Bishop Robert Brom filed for Chapter 11 protection last night, making San Diego the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the nation to declare bankruptcy. In a brief electronic filing just before midnight, the diocese said it had assets of more than $100 million and estimated debts of more than $100 million. Brom's action halts the first trial, set to start today, of about 150 lawsuits alleging sexual abuse of children by 60 priests in incidents dating back decades. Brom said in a statement: “We put money on the...

WRENTHAM, Mass.— A state senator and father of a former American Idol finalist read profanity-laced criticism posted online about him and his family in a talk to high school students in his district about his opposition to gay marriage. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, defended his use of foul language during an assembly at King Philip Regional High School on Thursday by saying he was only repeating what had been written about him. The comments were posted on a Facebook.com page dedicated to a pro-gay rights history teacher at the school. "I hate scott brown" and "scott brown ascends from the...

"We are conducting a peaceful action. We want to show that we have the same rights as other citizens," Alexeyev told a news conference a few hours before events turned violent. The crowd opposed to gay rights and the rally included women who held up religious icons. They were joined by men in Cossack traditional dress — white sheepskin hats and black-and-red tunics. Police quickly moved in as the first half-dozen rally participants arrived carrying flowers. They were joined by about 100 religious and nationalist extremists who kicked and punched some of the activists. As Volker Beck, a Green member...

DELAND -- County Councilman Bill Long was arrested early this afternoon on a domestic violence charge after he was accused of striking former domestic partner Patrick Fulton and then damaging Fulton's DeBary home, a Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesman said. An aggravated stalking complaint also has been referred to the State Attorney's Office by deputies. Long, 43, was arrested at about 2:20 p.m. and taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach for processing, the spokesman said. Bill Long Patrick Fulton The arrest grew out an incident the night before that began when Long is accused of striking...

Berkeley -- A company that was sued by a pair of gay skaters who alleged they were harassed for holding hands has agreed to hold monthly gay-straight skate nights, to sign an anti-discrimination pledge and to contribute $5,000 to two gay groups as part of a legal settlement. As part of the settlement announced late Wednesday, the skaters, John Manzon-Santos and Alan Lessik, also will get free admission for one year to the weekly "pairs preferred" skating sessions Berkeley Iceland plans to offer. East Bay Iceland, which owns the Berkeley rink and two others, also agreed to post placards advertising...

Syphilis rates in blacks, women and babies declined significantly between 1999 and 2004 but continued to rise overall, driven by a dramatic jump in infections among gay and bisexual men, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. About 64% of all the new syphilis cases in 2004 were in men who had engaged in homosexual activity, according to the CDC. That group made up 5% of the syphilis cases in 1999. "Increases in gay and bisexual men are overshadowing the decreases," Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, Sexually Transmitted Disease and Tuberculosis Prevention,...

Corporate America backs gay rights Plugged In: Gay rights are good business, no matter the politics. NEW YORK (FORTUNE) - This spring, shareholders at such big companies as ExxonMobil , Ford and American Express are voting on whether gay and lesbian people deserve protection against discrimination in the workplace. But even as battles over gay rights flare up in the corporate world, there's no doubt about who's winning the war. More than 80 percent of companies in the Fortune 500 now ban discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Some 249 of the Fortune 500 offer health and other benefits...

WASHINGTON: Seven soldiers from the US Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division have been charged with engaging in sex for money on an Internet website, the army said Friday. Three of the soldiers were charged with pandering, sodomy and “wrongfully engaging in sexual acts with another person while being filmed, with the purpose of broadcasting over the Internet for money”, the army said in a statement. The army gave no further details but the division had previously been reported to be investigating soldiers for engaging in sex on a gay website. The three face possible court-martial while four other soldiers received...

For the politically correct Bay Area parent, the "Curious George" children's books are a minefield of cultural horrors through which to tiptoe. Imperialism. Animal abuse. Bad parenting. Puh-leeeeze, George's defenders say. They're children's books, whose charm has not dimmed -- 25 million books and countless swag sold -- even if ideas about political correctness have evolved since the first George adventure was published in 1941. Sometimes a speechless, mischievous monkey is just that -- a monkey, not a metaphor. Besides, George's tales are no more un-PC than those of that royalist warmonger, Babar. Both camps are wondering how "Curious...

WASHINGTON - Republican Sen. Sam Brownback, a potential presidential candidate, said Monday he meant no offense to homosexuals when he used the word "fruits" in a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine. In a lengthy profile titled "God's Senator," the magazine quotes the Kansas Republican as criticizing countries like Sweden that allow civil unions between same-sex couples. "You'll know them by their fruits," Brownback said, quoting a biblical passage from Matthew 7:19. Rolling Stone writer Jeff Sharlet said in the story, appearing in the magazine's current issue, that Brownback appeared to be calling gay Swedes "fruits," a derogatory term for...

LILLE, France, January 26, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A court in Lille handed down its sentence on a French Parliamentarian Tuesday, fining him 3000 Euros and forcing him to pay an additional 6000 Euros to be split between three homosexual activist groups who brought the charges against the MP. Christian Vanneste, a member of the UMP representing the Lille region was found guilty in December on charges of violating a French law barring "hate speech" against homosexuals. However, Vanneste in the remarks upon which the charges were based and in his defence, was clear that he was not speaking against homosexual...

Five teachers at San Leandro High School have refused to comply with a school district order to display a rainbow-flag poster in their classrooms that reads, "This is a safe place to be who you are," because they say homosexuality violates their religious beliefs, ...The high school's Gay-Straight Alliance designed the poster, which includes pink triangles and other symbols of gay pride. In December the school board approved a policy requiring all district teachers to hang the posters in their classrooms. District officials said the poster is an effort to comply with state laws requiring schools to ensure students' safety...

Maryland Democrats concerned about the political fallout from last week's court ruling on same-sex marriage are considering a plan to block any final court ruling from taking effect until after the November elections. The proposal would be offered in legislation by Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Montgomery) that would freeze any decision from the state's highest court until the General Assembly has time to evaluate it. "What we're trying to do is see if we can craft a bill allowing the legislature to seek an injunction, at least until 2007, when we'll have the opportunity to consider a constitutional amendment" banning...

There is something manifestly, monolithically humourless about Roman Catholicism, even among other awesomely po-faced organised religions. Something stern and fearsome and unbending. You don't trifle with Roman Catholics. They've been around longer than you have, chum, and they've got the Pope on their side. South Park on the other hand, has been around for nearly eight years, so roughly 1992 years less than Roman Catholicism. It is an adult animated series which from its first episode gleefully set about upsetting people in the name of satire. And in the name of just being incredibly offensive. But the intelligent, philanthropic, sober...

BOSTON (Reuters) - Gay rights activists and liberal Catholics girded on Wednesday for a long battle over the Vatican's tougher stance on homosexuality, predicting the Church would lose thousands of followers in the United States.

Texas voters Tuesday overwhelming approved a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, making their state the 19th to take that step. In Maine, however, a proposal to repeal a new gay-rights law was trailing in early returns. The contest in Texas was decided quickly _ the ban was receiving more than 74 percent of the votes in early returns. Like every other state except Massachusetts, Texas didn't permit same-sex marriages previously, but the constitutional amendment was touted as an extra guard against future court rulings. The campaign had been enlivened over the past week because of a controversial tactic by the...

Three Stillwater ministers discussed homosexuality from a positive, biblical standpoint Thursday. “It is important for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered persons to know that God is love,” said Lucy Wilke, president of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The Sexual Orientation Diversity Association and the Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays organized the spirituality and sexuality panel. The Rev. Gordon Edwards of the First Presbyterian Church, the Rev. Stan Warfield of the First United Methodist Church and Anne Collins of the Quakers spoke on the panel Thursday and in the panel in 2003. About 60 percent of the...

This is for all the marbles. Game 5. Winner goes on to treat the White Sox harshly... Mussina vs. Colon Does the Moose have one more good start in him? Will Colon be unhittable, or will the Yankees break through? Will the massive payroll win out over the scrappy role players? Will A-Rod look like a fairy when crossing home plate again? All these questions and more will be answered in a few short hours... First Pitch 8:15 EST

17,000 blinded by fags By EMMA MORTON MORE than 17,000 Britons have gone blind because they SMOKE, it was revealed yesterday.  The shock statistic shows the link between fags and sight loss is as strong as that between cigs and lung cancer.The cigarettes cause a form of blindness called Age-Related Macular Degeneration, known as AMD.Smoke destroys cells in an area at the back of the eye named the macular. And smokers do not absorb nutrients from food essential for good eyesight.Cigarette puffers are four times more likely to develop AMD or lung cancer than those who shun the weed. And...

This is what the homosexual movement (and the sign company, ClearChannel) thinks of the American Flag. This advertises a pornographic homosexual website for "hooking up." But it's more than that. We warned you: Legally sanctioned gay "marriage" is the green light to push this in your face -- in the schools, government, businesses, and the public square. This is also about desensitizing you and your family to homosexuality. When will you and your children drive by this in your neighborhood? This is just the beginning. The sign company (making money thru social decay): Clear Channel Communications Stoneham, Massachusetts (Regional Office)...

The Episcopal Church Self-Destructs over Homosexuality Episcopalians Defend the Consecration of a "Gay" Bishop By Allan Dobras The Episcopal Church has been flirting with a disastrous schism for the last thirty-five years, and now a formal breakup seems inevitable following an unapologetic June 17–22, 2005, appearance before the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) in Nottingham, England. The purpose of the meeting was to hear the church's defense of its consecration of "gay" Bishop V. Gene Robinson. Over the years, the denomination continued to hang together as it blundered through several divisive issues while causing its rolls to plummet by about 1.3...

'Infinitely gay' celebration of same-sex marriage erupts in Spain's capital MADRID, Spain (AP) - Jubilant over a new law legalizing gay marriage, hundreds of thousands of people packed the torrid streets of Madrid on Saturday, banging drums, dancing to booming techno music and crying victory over discrimination. "This is infinitely gay," Ivan Sanchez, a 26-year-old pharmacist, said in the din of a throng snaking its way through Spain's capital. "There are no words to express it. We are all equal." "The constitution itself says so. Both men and women are equal," he said on the day the law cleared its...

Parliament legalized gay marriage Thursday, defying conservatives and clergy who opposed making traditionally Roman Catholic Spain the third nation to allow same-sex unions. Gay activists cheered the vote and blew kisses to lawmakers. The measure passed the 350-seat Congress of Deputies by a vote of 187-147 with four abstentions. The bill also lets gay couples adopt children and inherit each others' property. The bill is now law. The Senate, where conservatives hold the largest number of seats, rejected the bill last week. But it is an advisory body and final say on legislation rests with the Congress of Deputies. After...

Marriage now just a sexual relationship Father Raymond J. de Souza National Post Wednesday, June 29, 2005 All in all, it is an impressive bit of work for a mere 38 years. The same-sex marriage bill that passed the House of Commons yesterday was the final chapter in a story that began in 1967, when then-justice minister Pierre Trudeau introduced his Omnibus Bill. Famous for its decriminalizing of homosexual acts (" ... the state has no place in the bedrooms of the nation"), it was the liberalization of divorce laws that led more directly to where we are today....

ATLANTA -- With a possible historic vote looming on a measure supporting same-sex marriage, the head of the United Church of Christ on Tuesday publicly endorsed the resolution for the first time. The Rev. John H. Thomas said Tuesday that the church's General Synod "should affirm the rights of gay, lesbian and transgender persons" to have marriages "equal in name, privileges and responsibilities to married heterosexual couples." "I believe our local churches, as they are able, should move toward the development of marriage equality policies," Thomas added during a speech at Emory University. That remark drew a lengthy standing ovation...

TORONTO (AP) - Canada is set to become the third country to legalize gay marriage, with Parliament likely to pass landmark legislation Tuesday despite strong opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders. Although gay marriage already is legal in seven provinces, the bill would grant all same-sex couples in Canada the same legal rights as those in traditional heterosexual unions. The Netherlands and Belgium already allow gay marriage. The legislation, drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin's minority government, needs at least 155 members of the House of Commons to gain a majority of the 308-seat House. While some of his Liberal...

Same-sex marriage bill passes in Commons CTV.ca News Staff Canada will become the third country in the world to officially sanction same-sex marriage. In a 158 to 133 vote, the House of Commons adopted Bill C-38 -- the controversial legislation legalizing same-sex marriage from coast to coast -- on its third and final reading Tuesday night. The Liberals had the support of almost all New Democrat and Bloc Quebecois MPs for the vote. The bill will become official once it receives approval in the Senate. An earlier Conservative motion to send the bill back to committee was voted down 158...

NASHVILLE - Most Southern Baptists send their children to public schools, but some leaders in the faith are urging members to yank children out of schools deemed too tolerant of homosexuality. The issue is expected to be prominent at the annual Southern Baptist Convention next week in Nashville, where Houston lawyer Bruce Shortt and popular Christian speaker and writer Voddie Baucham Jr. are co-sponsoring a resolution that says churches should look into whether schools are teaching acceptance of homosexuality. Advertisement If they find that's the case, the resolution says, churches then need to inform parents and encourage them to remove...

Cross-dressing teen snatches man's wallet on 'date' ISESAKI, Gunma -- A teen who dressed up in a miniskirt, posing as a woman so he could get close to a company worker and steal his wallet was arrested Wednesday, police said. Gunma Prefectural Police arrested the 16-year-old youth on suspicion of theft, along with an accomplice who helped him carry out the crime. Investigators said the teen conspired with a 24-year-old man, and on an evening in February, he dressed up in a miniskirt and put on makeup to go on a "date" with a 46-year-old company worker. When the youth...

HONG KONG: Some 350 people from Hong Kong's gay community gathered on Monday in the city's first parade to raise public awareness about homophobia and promote gay rights and sexual diversity. Waving flags of rainbow colours, 16 gay and gay-friendly organisations rallied through one of the busiest streets in Hong Kong to mark the first International Day Against Homophobia. Some people wore coloured masks during the rally, symbolising sexual minorities which live under the shadow of homophobia. One group was waving a banner saying: "Make Love, Not War", another asked "Should the Law Protect Everyone Equally?", while a third simply...

SASKATOON, SK, May 18, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Saskatchewan man has been charged and ordered to pay $17,500 in damages to several homosexuals as a result of a flyer he distributed in Regina, containing warnings against the dangers of a homosexual lifestyle that a human rights tribunal ruled was “hate speech.” On May 2, the Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal ordered William Whatcott to pay homosexual Guy Taylor $2,500 and $5,000 each to homosexuals Brenden Wallace, James Komar and Kathy Hamre for damages. The four had sued Whatcott for a flyer he had distributed in mailboxes between September 2001 and April...

I am very sad to report --- the story IS true. The pornographic books were distributed to youth. Below are Official Statements, more will be added as they come in. Fenway Community Health expressed regret for accidentally making available HIV prevention materials designed for people over 18 years of age at an April 30 conference attended by middle school and high school-age students, educators, public health workers, college students and others. "Fenway Community Health regrets accidentally making available a small number of copies of the Little Black Book, an HIV prevention publication for gay and bisexual men over the age...

THE screen's first official gay bar," as it was labeled by the film historian Vito Russo, appeared in the 1962 political potboiler "Advise and Consent." Its most prominent visitor was a conservative United States senator. As sheer coincidence would have it, Otto Preminger's adaptation of Allen Drury's best seller about a brutal confirmation fight was released on a sparkling new DVD last week just as the John Bolton nomination was coming to its committee vote. Like Hollywood's other riveting political movie of 1962, "The Manchurian Candidate," "Advise and Consent" is fallout from the McCarthy era: the controversial nominee for secretary...

“Man and Woman”, “Wife”, “Husband”, “Widow”, “Widower” Banished From all Ontario Law Terms, when referring to spouses, are banned from all government programs, services, documentsToronto, February 25, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – With the obscenely rapid, three-day introduction and passage of its same-sex “marriage” Bill 171, the Ontario government has advanced a revolutionary change in the way all laws and government programs and institutions refer to marriage and married persons. Everything referring to spouses must now be gender neutral. No longer can a married couple be referred to as “husband and wife” or “man and woman”. The terms “Widow” and “widower” are...

Cops are probing if a Brooklyn teenager whose severed arm and legs were dumped inside a subway tunnel last week was killed by a man he met over the Internet, law enforcement sources said yesterday. Rashawn Brazell, 19, was hacked to pieces after he vanished from his Bushwick apartment on Gates Ave. on Feb. 17 where he lived with his parents, cops and friends said. ...Cops believe Brazell, an aspiring fashion designer, may have gone to meet a man he met on the Internet for a romantic liaison, the sources said. ...

Homosexual men share the same relatively poor map reading skills as heterosexual women, according to a new study.Earlier research found men better than women at finding their way around in a 'virtual reality' maze, relying on geometric cues while women rely more on landmarks.Yesterday, the University of East London's Dr. Qazi Rahman reported in Behavioural Neuroscience Magazine that homosexual men used more landmarks during map reading than heterosexual men, adopting a blend of male and female navigational strategies.They investigated map reading by 20 homoesexual men, 20 heterosexual men, and 20 lesbains.The group memorized routes and was then asked to provide...

Valentine's Day Rally in Annapolis Featuring Maya Marcel-Keyes, daughter of Alan Keyes and a self-described young queer anarchist who grew up in Darnestown, MD. Maya is speaking publicly for the first time about LGBT issues. Don’t miss this important rally at 5 p.m. in front of the state house on February 14, also featuring Judy Shepard and other community leaders.