CNSNews.com) – President Barack H. Obama is poised to be the most pro-homosexual chief executive in history.
Unveiling his agenda Tuesday on the newly refurbished version of the White House Web site, Obama called for the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), as well as the extension of more than 1,000 federal marriage benefits and of adoption rights to homosexual couples.
The new administration laid out its plans on the Web site--whitehouse.gov--at 12:01 p.m. EST, during Obama’s swearing-in ceremony.
The site’s “Civil Rights” section lists a number of items long on the homosexual agenda, including expanding federal hate-crimes laws, repealing the ban on homosexuals in the military and extending the definition of workplace discrimination to include sexual orientation.
In the section entitled “Support for the LGBT (Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgendered) Community,” the Web site says Obama wants full inclusion of homosexual couples under federal law.
“President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples,” the Web site says.
“Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100-plus federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples.” the Web site says.
Among those federal legal rights are the ability to file joint tax returns, own property, and buy health insurance together.
Obama also favors granting adoption rights to homosexual couples, saying that children benefit from a healthy home, regardless of whether the “parents” are homosexual or not. “President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation,” the site said. “He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not,” the website reads.
Obama further promises to distribute contraceptives through the nation’s public health system, saying the move is vital to combating HIV and AIDS – and the new president wants contraceptives to be distributed in federal prisons.
“The president will support common-sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system.”
Obama renewed his pledge to expand federal hate-crimes laws to include sexual orientation – an effort he spearheaded as a freshman U.S. senator. The bill that Obama introduced in the Senate, the Matthew Shepard Act, would make it a federal hate-crime to commit violence against someone because of their sexual orientation.
President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, (and) expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act,” the site says.
Read it all here.
Thinking about ethics and current events (Began 1 April 2008)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Egyptian Court Upholds Freedom of Expression
ANHRI/IFEX) - On 31 December 2008, the Arabic Network for Human RightsInformation (ANHRI) and the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre welcomed a historic decision by the Dokki Court of Misdemeanors.
The court announced its decision to dismiss the charges against two young bloggers, Manal Bahi and Alaa Abdel Fatah, as well as ANHRI director and human rights lawyer Gamal Eid, who had been implicated in a fabricated case of libel and defamation.
Abdel Fatah Murad, a judge who originally brought the charges against the defendants, confessed that he had copied a report from ANHRI's website, published and sold it - a form of plagiarism. The judge fabricated the libel and defamation case against the three men in April 2007 after the first session of a case which he had brought demanding the blocking of 49 websites. Two Hisbah lawyers who wanted to punish the bloggers and ANHRI for their support of blogger Karim Amer advocated on Murad's behalf. The trial lasted for several sessions and ended on 31 December with a full acquittal of all the defendants.
The acquittal was a gift from the Egyptian judicial system to all defenders of freedom of expression in Egypt, similar to the one granted at the end of 2007 when the courts rejected Murad's request to block 49 websites that had published the news of his plagiarism. As a result of that decision, the judge fabricated the spurious defamation cases. The Egyptian judiciary's rejection of these fabrications and acquittal of the defendants is a triumph of justice.
Reacting to the news, Fatah stated: "Despite our happiness with a verdict which restores the order of things, we are still worried about numerous other cases which target defenders of freedom of expression and the right to the free circulation of information. The enemies of freedom of expression are still chasing activists, bloggers and journalists and persecuting them in the courts in an effort to intimidate them.
"Updates the Bahi, Fatah and Eid case:http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/89371
The court announced its decision to dismiss the charges against two young bloggers, Manal Bahi and Alaa Abdel Fatah, as well as ANHRI director and human rights lawyer Gamal Eid, who had been implicated in a fabricated case of libel and defamation.
Abdel Fatah Murad, a judge who originally brought the charges against the defendants, confessed that he had copied a report from ANHRI's website, published and sold it - a form of plagiarism. The judge fabricated the libel and defamation case against the three men in April 2007 after the first session of a case which he had brought demanding the blocking of 49 websites. Two Hisbah lawyers who wanted to punish the bloggers and ANHRI for their support of blogger Karim Amer advocated on Murad's behalf. The trial lasted for several sessions and ended on 31 December with a full acquittal of all the defendants.
The acquittal was a gift from the Egyptian judicial system to all defenders of freedom of expression in Egypt, similar to the one granted at the end of 2007 when the courts rejected Murad's request to block 49 websites that had published the news of his plagiarism. As a result of that decision, the judge fabricated the spurious defamation cases. The Egyptian judiciary's rejection of these fabrications and acquittal of the defendants is a triumph of justice.
Reacting to the news, Fatah stated: "Despite our happiness with a verdict which restores the order of things, we are still worried about numerous other cases which target defenders of freedom of expression and the right to the free circulation of information. The enemies of freedom of expression are still chasing activists, bloggers and journalists and persecuting them in the courts in an effort to intimidate them.
"Updates the Bahi, Fatah and Eid case:http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/89371
Mexican Journalist Arrested
(CEPET/IFEX) - Miguel Badillo Cruz, the editor of "Contralínea" and"Fortuna" magazines, was arrested by police near his home in Mexico City onthe morning of 16 January 2009. The editor has been charged with "insult to authorities" (desacato) by a judge in Jalisco state.
He is currently under "administrative arrest", having apparently been detained on a warrant issued by a civil court at the request of the Multigas company, which is owned by the Grupo Zeta Gas, a consortium headed by Jesús Alonso Zaragoza López. However, according to Badillo Cruz's lawyer, Horacio Gómez Mendieta, the arrest warrant and associated documents could not be located at the court.
Ana Lilia Pérez Mendoza, a "Contralínea" reporter against whom an arrest warrant has also been issued, said that the actions against Badillo Cruzare linked to a series of lawsuits that Grupo Zeta Gas launched against both the editor and herself. The lawsuits were launched after Pérez Mendoza and Badillo Cruz wrote several reports about allegations of corruption in contracts between Pemex, Mexico's state-owned petroleum company, and GrupoZeta Gas.
"They had already on previous occasions threatened us because of the corruption allegations published in 'Contralínea'. They, accompanied bypolice officers, raided our offices in attempt to take our files andequipment. We were told that they would 'do away with us'. Zaragoza's lawyers warned us that the 80 companies that form their consortium were going to file lawsuits against us," Pérez Mendoza said.
Gómez Mendieta said that a complaint has been filed with the Federal District Human Rights Commission regarding Badillo Cruz's arrest since he believes that the editor was illegally detained. It has been said that Badillo Cruz refused to receive the court summonses that were sent to him, but he has said that he was never notified of any orders to appear in court.
A judge recently ordered an investigation into the personal bank accounts of both Badillo Cruz and Pérez Mendoza in order to determine the quantity of the fine that the journalists would have to pay in one of the lawsuits. CEPET condemns the manner in which Badillo Cruz was detained and the judicial harassment of both "Contralínea" magazine and its staff.
Source: Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), Mexico City
He is currently under "administrative arrest", having apparently been detained on a warrant issued by a civil court at the request of the Multigas company, which is owned by the Grupo Zeta Gas, a consortium headed by Jesús Alonso Zaragoza López. However, according to Badillo Cruz's lawyer, Horacio Gómez Mendieta, the arrest warrant and associated documents could not be located at the court.
Ana Lilia Pérez Mendoza, a "Contralínea" reporter against whom an arrest warrant has also been issued, said that the actions against Badillo Cruzare linked to a series of lawsuits that Grupo Zeta Gas launched against both the editor and herself. The lawsuits were launched after Pérez Mendoza and Badillo Cruz wrote several reports about allegations of corruption in contracts between Pemex, Mexico's state-owned petroleum company, and GrupoZeta Gas.
"They had already on previous occasions threatened us because of the corruption allegations published in 'Contralínea'. They, accompanied bypolice officers, raided our offices in attempt to take our files andequipment. We were told that they would 'do away with us'. Zaragoza's lawyers warned us that the 80 companies that form their consortium were going to file lawsuits against us," Pérez Mendoza said.
Gómez Mendieta said that a complaint has been filed with the Federal District Human Rights Commission regarding Badillo Cruz's arrest since he believes that the editor was illegally detained. It has been said that Badillo Cruz refused to receive the court summonses that were sent to him, but he has said that he was never notified of any orders to appear in court.
A judge recently ordered an investigation into the personal bank accounts of both Badillo Cruz and Pérez Mendoza in order to determine the quantity of the fine that the journalists would have to pay in one of the lawsuits. CEPET condemns the manner in which Badillo Cruz was detained and the judicial harassment of both "Contralínea" magazine and its staff.
Source: Center for Journalism and Public Ethics (CEPET), Mexico City
Kenyans Expect Jobs, Food from Obama
Before you laugh at them, keep in mind that we had our own citizens talking about how he’d pay their mortgage and gas bills. Their expectations of being totally taken care of isn’t an oddity amongst his support base. Which should make his fall all the more spectacular.
“This man is Jesus,” shouted one man, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama began his inaugural address. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?” If Barack Obama’s spin doctors have been trying to lower expectations since his election victory, the message clearly has not reached the land of his father…
“Now he is president we will get food and jobs,” said Ben Ochieng, as he danced to the traditional music that replaced the planned show…
The Kenya National Theatre even revived its hit show Obama The Musical, which wowed sell-out audiences during the US election last year. It uses parallels with the Bible Story and Mr Obama’s own struggles with racism and drugs — documented in his memoir Dreams From My Father - to portray the incoming President as a saviour for downtrodden peoples of the world…
“It is right that when people get power they look after their family, so we know that Obama will build lots of good things for us, like schools and roads and clinics,” said George Opiyo as he left the theatre.
How many other countries are under the same belief that Obama will start building them schools, employing them, and paying for their food?
Read it here.
“This man is Jesus,” shouted one man, spilling his Guinness as Barack Obama began his inaugural address. “When will he come to Kenya to save us?” If Barack Obama’s spin doctors have been trying to lower expectations since his election victory, the message clearly has not reached the land of his father…
“Now he is president we will get food and jobs,” said Ben Ochieng, as he danced to the traditional music that replaced the planned show…
The Kenya National Theatre even revived its hit show Obama The Musical, which wowed sell-out audiences during the US election last year. It uses parallels with the Bible Story and Mr Obama’s own struggles with racism and drugs — documented in his memoir Dreams From My Father - to portray the incoming President as a saviour for downtrodden peoples of the world…
“It is right that when people get power they look after their family, so we know that Obama will build lots of good things for us, like schools and roads and clinics,” said George Opiyo as he left the theatre.
How many other countries are under the same belief that Obama will start building them schools, employing them, and paying for their food?
Read it here.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A New White House
Welcome to the new WhiteHouse.gov.
I'm Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House and one of the people who will be contributing to the blog.
A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world.
Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement.
Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration's online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities:
Communication -- Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions.
Transparency -- President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities.
Participation -- President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it.
We'd also like to hear from you -- what sort of things would you find valuable from WhiteHouse.gov? If you have an idea, use this form to let us know. Like the transition website and the campaign's before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you. So thanks in advance for your patience and for your feedback.
Later today, we’ll put up the video and the full text of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. There will also be slideshows of the Inaugural events, the Obamas’ move into the White House, and President Obama’s first days in office.
I'm Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media for the White House and one of the people who will be contributing to the blog.
A short time ago, Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States and his new administration officially came to life. One of the first changes is the White House's new website, which will serve as a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world.
Millions of Americans have powered President Obama's journey to the White House, many taking advantage of the internet to play a role in shaping our country's future. WhiteHouse.gov is just the beginning of the new administration's efforts to expand and deepen this online engagement.
Just like your new government, WhiteHouse.gov and the rest of the Administration's online programs will put citizens first. Our initial new media efforts will center around three priorities:
Communication -- Americans are eager for information about the state of the economy, national security and a host of other issues. This site will feature timely and in-depth content meant to keep everyone up-to-date and educated. Check out the briefing room, keep tabs on the blog (RSS feed) and take a moment to sign up for e-mail updates from the President and his administration so you can be sure to know about major announcements and decisions.
Transparency -- President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise. The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. You can also learn about some of the senior leadership in the new administration and about the President’s policy priorities.
Participation -- President Obama started his career as a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where he saw firsthand what people can do when they come together for a common cause. Citizen participation will be a priority for the Administration, and the internet will play an important role in that. One significant addition to WhiteHouse.gov reflects a campaign promise from the President: we will publish all non-emergency legislation to the website for five days, and allow the public to review and comment before the President signs it.
We'd also like to hear from you -- what sort of things would you find valuable from WhiteHouse.gov? If you have an idea, use this form to let us know. Like the transition website and the campaign's before that, this online community will continue to be a work in progress as we develop new features and content for you. So thanks in advance for your patience and for your feedback.
Later today, we’ll put up the video and the full text of President Obama’s Inaugural Address. There will also be slideshows of the Inaugural events, the Obamas’ move into the White House, and President Obama’s first days in office.
Journalists Suspended for Not Supporting Mugabe
Zimbabwe's Retrenchment Board has ruled against the state-owned Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings' (ZBH) bid to retrench six of its journalists who were suspended in June 2008 on allegations of "acting in a manner inconsistent with the fulfillment of the implied conditions" oftheir contracts.
Monica Gavela, Patrice Makova, Garikai Chaunza, Bright Paradza, Robert Tapfumaneyi and Sibonginkosi Mlilo were suspended following allegations that the state broadcaster had failed to adequately campaign for President Robert Mugabe in the run-up to the 29 March 2008 elections.
The board ruled that ZBH failed to follow proper retrenchment procedures and should have met with the Works Council before coming up with thedecision to retrench them. ZBH was then advised to start the process afreshif they still wished to retrench the journalists.
Their suspensions came barely a month after the dismissal of the then-chiefexecutive officer Henry Muradzikwa on 14 May for refusing ministerial orders to deny the opposition Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) favourable coverage in the run-up to the elections. MISA-Zimbabwe's investigations indicated that the journalists were being victimised for not showing enough enthusiasm in supporting the government of President Robert Mugabe. The ZBH is run under directives of the Ministry of Information andPublicity.
Updates the case of suspended journalists at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/96018
Monica Gavela, Patrice Makova, Garikai Chaunza, Bright Paradza, Robert Tapfumaneyi and Sibonginkosi Mlilo were suspended following allegations that the state broadcaster had failed to adequately campaign for President Robert Mugabe in the run-up to the 29 March 2008 elections.
The board ruled that ZBH failed to follow proper retrenchment procedures and should have met with the Works Council before coming up with thedecision to retrench them. ZBH was then advised to start the process afreshif they still wished to retrench the journalists.
Their suspensions came barely a month after the dismissal of the then-chiefexecutive officer Henry Muradzikwa on 14 May for refusing ministerial orders to deny the opposition Movement of Democratic Change (MDC) favourable coverage in the run-up to the elections. MISA-Zimbabwe's investigations indicated that the journalists were being victimised for not showing enough enthusiasm in supporting the government of President Robert Mugabe. The ZBH is run under directives of the Ministry of Information andPublicity.
Updates the case of suspended journalists at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/96018
Widespread Anti-Christian Media Bias
BBC presenter Jeremy Vine believes that Christ is who he says he is, but doesn’t think he could say so on his show.
The Radio 2 host, who also fronts TV shows Panorama and Points of View, says society is becoming increasingly intolerant of Christian views.
He told Reform Magazine that it has become “almost socially unacceptable to say you believe in God”.
“You can’t express views that were common currency 30 or 40 years ago,” he said.
“Arguably, the parameters of what you might call ‘right thinking’ are probably closing.”
Mr Vine is a practising Anglican, but he says he is unable to discuss his faith on air.
“One of the things that I think, which may sound bizarre, is that Christ is who he said he was,” he said.
“I don’t think I’d put that out on my show; I suppose there’s a bit of a firewall between thinking that and doing the job I do.”
Mr Vine is the latest public figure to highlight the increasing hostility facing Christians, particularly from the media.
In October last year the Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, said he thought broadcasters should treat Islam more sensitively than Christianity because Muslims are less integrated and more of a minority group.
Just days earlier the BBC had been criticized for its treatment of ‘Christian’ characters after EastEnders’ Dot Cotton was ridiculed during an episode where she objected to a gay kiss.
Also in October, the conductor of the BBC Philharmonic orchestra spoke of an ‘ignorant’ secular liberal minority in the media seeking to drive religion from the public sphere. He urged religious people to resist “increasingly aggressive attempts to still their voices”.
The previous month the Christian best-selling author G P Taylor told how he was blacklisted by the BBC. He said a producer had told him the broadcaster could not be “seen to be promoting Jesus”.
And a Sky News journalist highlighted the widespread anti-Christian bias in the media that means groups like The Christian Institute face an “uphill struggle” for fair coverage.
According to David Blevins, former Washington correspondent for Sky News: “It’s important to remember that what appears in the newspapers is not an objective summary of the significant things that happened yesterday but an ideological selection based on the prejudices, agendas and assumptions of a relatively small group of people.
Read it all here.
The Radio 2 host, who also fronts TV shows Panorama and Points of View, says society is becoming increasingly intolerant of Christian views.
He told Reform Magazine that it has become “almost socially unacceptable to say you believe in God”.
“You can’t express views that were common currency 30 or 40 years ago,” he said.
“Arguably, the parameters of what you might call ‘right thinking’ are probably closing.”
Mr Vine is a practising Anglican, but he says he is unable to discuss his faith on air.
“One of the things that I think, which may sound bizarre, is that Christ is who he said he was,” he said.
“I don’t think I’d put that out on my show; I suppose there’s a bit of a firewall between thinking that and doing the job I do.”
Mr Vine is the latest public figure to highlight the increasing hostility facing Christians, particularly from the media.
In October last year the Director General of the BBC, Mark Thompson, said he thought broadcasters should treat Islam more sensitively than Christianity because Muslims are less integrated and more of a minority group.
Just days earlier the BBC had been criticized for its treatment of ‘Christian’ characters after EastEnders’ Dot Cotton was ridiculed during an episode where she objected to a gay kiss.
Also in October, the conductor of the BBC Philharmonic orchestra spoke of an ‘ignorant’ secular liberal minority in the media seeking to drive religion from the public sphere. He urged religious people to resist “increasingly aggressive attempts to still their voices”.
The previous month the Christian best-selling author G P Taylor told how he was blacklisted by the BBC. He said a producer had told him the broadcaster could not be “seen to be promoting Jesus”.
And a Sky News journalist highlighted the widespread anti-Christian bias in the media that means groups like The Christian Institute face an “uphill struggle” for fair coverage.
According to David Blevins, former Washington correspondent for Sky News: “It’s important to remember that what appears in the newspapers is not an objective summary of the significant things that happened yesterday but an ideological selection based on the prejudices, agendas and assumptions of a relatively small group of people.
Read it all here.
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