Quest

As of now Florida does not legally protect its gay citizens. For those of you that might regularly check in with my blog from time to time, this is nothing new. For those of you who might have stumbled across this posting here, it's important for you to know why gay rights and protections are of ultimate importance. Please follow this link to a short video of Eric Breidenbaugh, of Florida, and try to put yourself in his shoes as he tried to get information on his partner's whereabouts after an aircraft "incident". Just try to imagine if your loved one was missing.

Please spread the word to those who live and vote in Florida: vote "No" this November on a Florida State constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and unions. Take this fight a step further by clicking on the following link and joining HRC, Human Rights Campaign. You can donate money or volunteer your time. Most importantly, just vote "No" in November.

Fox News and the right-wing have been hard at work spreading their vile messages of hate about Barack Obama, none of which have anything to do with reality or the real issues America now faces. Remember what is at stake in the General election. Don't get distracted with sophomoric venom.

If you haven't heard about the homophobic and ridicules comments from Oklahoma State Representative, Sally Kern, watch this clip from Ellen. Usually nonpolitical, Ellen couldn't help but discuss this on her show last week.

If you'd like to give Representative Kern a call to discuss her views, she can be reached at (405) 557-7348, or she can be emailed at sallykern@okhouse.gov.

Please stand by as I regroup. I am adjusting and readjusting as I hold down the fort in Miami and deal single-handedly with some minor renovations on the house. Thanks for your patience.

Have you ever noticed that Tim Russert from NBC and Candy Crowley of CNN are never in the same room at the same time? I'm very suspicious of this. If I'm not mistaken, Candy Crowley could be Tim Russert in drag. Am I off base here? What do you think?

Have you gotten wind of this yet? A radio station, in of all places West Virginia, gave away a free legitimate divorce for a Valentine's Day promotion.

Social conservatives are often outraged by the thought of gay marriage and blame gay-rights as a threat to the sanctity of this institution. The true threat to traditional marriage is the straight community and their nonchalant attitude; marriage isn't taken seriously anymore by many people. It is evident in all aspects of our culture from reality TV shows, to Vegas style nuptials and even to radio stations promoting divorce.

It seems that you can't escape reality TV these days, especially during the peak of the writers' strike. You don't have to be a fan to have noticed that there are television programs that actually promote the union of two strangers, in the short time period between the first episode and the season finale -- literally only a couple of months.

Then there are those that run off to Vegas and sign on the dotted line while in a drunken stupor. Even celebrities are in on the fun. Remember when Britney Spears married a long-time friend on a whim? I think it was for only a matter of hours.

Well, now here is the next insult to the sacred institution of marriage. I'll even give you a hint. It has nothing to do with two loving committed people of the same gender wanting to make a spiritual and legal commitment to each other. The threat once again comes from the straight community itself.

In the conservative southern state of West Virginia, a radio station gave away a free divorce for a situation "where maybe you despise your spouse and resent the entire day." This is according to Jay Nunley, the Program Director of WKLC-FM, referring to Valentine's Day. He spoke of giving away concert tickets in place of the divorce. "That's going to make you happy for a little while. This is the chance to make someone happy for the rest of their life."

The threat to marriage doesn't come from anyone in the gay community wanting to legalize or legitimize their unions. It comes directly from those who have the legal right to marry; the institution of marriage has turned into a trivial game, easily entered and easily escaped. One thing is for sure, those of us fighting for equal treatment under the law wouldn't take this American right for granted.

Yesterday a six member Senate Ethics Committee, including three Democrats and three Republicans, concluded that Senator Craig was guilty as charged and acted improperly during his arrest in an airport sex-sting operation. The panel also admonished him for using $213,000 in campaign funds to pay for his legal bills.

In a letter, the panel told Senator Craig that they believe he, "committed the offense to which you pled guilty" and that "you entered your plea knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently." They also said that the Senator only tried to withdraw his guilty plea to avoid public disclosure.

This Senate Ethics Panel conclusion only solidifies Senator Craig's status as the first inductee into my Halls of Hypocrisy. Not that one needs to be reminded, but this is the married Senator who has fought tirelessly for decades against gay-rights legislation. In all of his arrogance, he continues to serve the state of Idaho and has the continued support of his poor gullible wife.

Warning: This video may be disturbing. If the video is not available, please check back. Youtube.com is temporarily down.

This video has been running on much of the national news over the last couple of days. It shows a partially paralyzed man, with some type of spinal cord injury, being dumped out of his wheelchair and on to the floor by a Hillsborough County, Florida deputy.

The man had been involved in an incident in October 2007 which resulted with him being charged with fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement officers. At the time, he was also charged with blocking an intersection.

This video captured the abuse as the man was being booked into the county jail on January 29. The deputy, Charlotte Marshall Jones, has been suspended without pay. The supervisors, present at the time, have also been suspended but with pay.

This is a grossly disgusting act on the deputy's part. It turns my stomach to think that such abusive, uncaring, unsympathetic people exist in this world. Charlotte Marshall Jones should be fired and criminal charges should be filed against her.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said it will do whatever it can to make the situation right with the victim. Yeah, you think? If I were him, I'd be in touch with my attorney.

It almost seems as if the stars aligned last night to give Senator Obama a three contest victory. He won the Primary races in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Senator Obama not only won these elections, but he won by large margins. His stump speech in Wisconsin was inspirational and the other candidates paled in comparison. Senator Obama is proving to be the uniter of the Democratic party, attracting some Republican voters in those cross-over states with open Primaries; this has his opponents from the other party already preparing their negative attacks.

Last night's Democratic Primary results:
DC
Obama - 75%
Clinton - 24%

Maryland
Obama - 60%
Clinton - 37%

Virginia
Obama - 64%
Clinton - 35%

Senator Obama has won 8 consecutive contests and is in the lead with 1,059 pledged delegates to Senator Clinton's 956. According to CNN, Senator Obama won across most demographic groups. In Virginia and Maryland, Senator Obama won 60% of the female vote. This group had been supporting Senator Clinton in other Primary contests. It could be that there is a general shift toward Senator Obama or it could be just one of those phenomenon unique to this area. Either way, Senator Obama is proving to be a formidable candidate.

One thing is for sure, Senator Obama is successfully reaching a small group of Republicans. Some states allow for voters to cast votes in the other party's Primary election. This is proving beneficial to Senator Obama as he attracts unlikely supporters with his inclusive message to all Americans. There is much anecdotal evidence of Republicans crossing-over to support Senator Obama in open Primary contests.

Last night Senator Obama was in Wisconsin to begin campaigning there before next week's election. He gave one of his awe-inspiring speeches, again speaking of one America. He offered hope to those feeling disenfranchised. He took on the old Republican establishment, and challenged their justification of the Iraq war. Just after Senator Obama concluded his address, the cable networks cut to Senator McCain's speech.

While Senator Obama delivered hope to thousands of energized supporters, McCain took his stale message to mere hundreds. McCain was uninspired and looked old and tired. He had Senator John Warner standing behind him along with other elderly white men. The contrasts between the two images of Senator Obama and Senator McCain were very noticeable. McCain's flat speech and tiresome fear-mongering clearly represented what America is ready to leave behind -- the "old" establishment (pun intended). It appeared as if McCain was hardly moved by his own words. It sounded like the usual rhetoric, nothing new, only emptiness.

Although McCain hardly appeared capable of taking on a fall challenge, don't be fooled; Obama supporters should beware. If Senator Obama wins the Democratic Party nomination, attacks from the other side will begin. There was already a hint of that last night in Senator McCain's speech. His opponents are ready to call him weak and inexperienced in an effort to win the General election. They will use fear to their advantage just like President Bush did to win his second term. They are ready to suggest that with Senator Obama in The White House, America will not be safe.

The only way the Republican Party will win against Obama in November, is if they can be successful in getting enough voters to buy into their false attacks. President Bush just said, the other day, that Senator Obama spoke of embracing Ahmadinejad of Iran. Of course, Senator Obama never said that, but the Republican spin machine is already twisting his words. Don't buy it -- not one word of it. If you support Senator Obama now, stick with him if he gets to the General election. If you are not yet convinced, consider joining the movement. He will bring positive change to America. Yes we can!

Broward County, home of Fort Lauderdale, a large gay tourist destination, passed an amendment this afternoon to include gender identity in its human rights ordinance. Broward County is now one of only a dozen municipalities in the state of Florida to have banned discrimination based on gender identity.

The amendment provides for workplace and housing protections, as well as public accommodations for transgendered people. It also makes harassment illegal, against gay or straight people that do not fit traditional stereotypes.

Just as Florida begins to grapple with a November ballot initiative against gay marriage or unions, Broward County proves to be a progressive pocket in the state. Congratulations to the fair-minded commissioners who were part of this movement and also to the citizens of Broward County.