Catholic University in Ohio Has Anti-Gay Pseudo-Science Course, Threatens LGBT Alumni Who Exposed It

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Thursday August 30, 2012 · 12:25 PM PDT

2012/08/30 · 12:25

I earned my bachelor's degree from a conservative Catholic university in the region where I grew up. A few months ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find out there is an unofficial Facebook group of fellow LGBT and allied alumni. As you can imagine, the university would never be affiliated with an official group of this nature. But that's what a lawyer for the university claimed people might think in his cease and desist email to leaders of the alumni group this week. Guess what happened right before that threat? (more after the jump)

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday September 21, 2010 · 4:13 PM PDT

2010/09/21 · 16:13

Today we were presented with one more reason why the un-democratic filibuster has to go. 56 senators out of 100 voted to move ahead with the annual defense authorization bill, including allowing the repeal of the wasteful, discriminatory Don't Ask Don't Tell policy that endangers our national security by kicking out qualified troops. But 56 out of 100 wasn't enough, under Senate rules. That's just crazy.

If you want a more detailed writeup on why the filibuster has to go when the Senate rules window is open briefly in January, I can't do better than this 2009 piece by Thomas Geoghegan. Now what do we do about it? More after the jump.

Poll

69 votes Show Results

Which bill blocked by Republican filibusters would you most like to see passed?

69 votes Vote Now!

Which bill blocked by Republican filibusters would you most like to see passed?

Allowing Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal

12 votes

Employee Free Choice Act (make it easier to join a union)

10 votes

Employment Non-Discrimination Act (stop firiing civilian gays for being gay)

6 votes

Immigration reform

3 votes

More infrastructure stimulus - rebuilding roads, bridges, sewer/water systems, etc.

18 votes

Clean energy jobs/climate change legislation

17 votes

Other (please include in comments! :-)

3 votes

O'Donnell Raises $1 Million; DE, AK, HI 3 "Bang for Your Buck" Races

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Friday September 17, 2010 · 5:27 AM PDT

2010/09/17 · 05:27

Unfortunately the power of the online moneybomb can cut both ways, as extremist Christine O'Donnell has apparently raised $1 million this week, a big amount for any state but especially for a state like Delaware that has a population low enough that it only has one representative in the U.S. House.

That's another reason we can't take the Delaware race for granted (along with Sen. Reid's less-than-helpful "my pet" comment about Chris Coons). And it's another reason why we need to donate now to three "Bang for Your Buck" Senate candidates who can help us reform, maybe even end, the filibuster.

Poll

32 votes Show Results

Who's your favorite of these 3 Bang for Your Buck Senate candidates?

32 votes Vote Now!

Who's your favorite of these 3 Bang for Your Buck Senate candidates?

Scott McAdams, Alaska

9 votes

Chris Coons, Delaware

13 votes

Paul Hodes, New Hampshire

8 votes

Other

2 votes

(UPDATED) Delaware, NH - Now What? Help 3 to Smash Filibuster

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday September 15, 2010 · 6:14 PM PDT

2010/09/15 · 18:14

After Tuesday's Delaware primary shocker, I think there are two important questions:

Where will progressive dollars go furthest in Senate races?

Will spending in those races help end or reform the filibuster, the one thing above all else that has blocked the progressive change America voted for in 2008? (No more of that "we need 60 votes" stuff. Thomas Geoghegan had an excellent summary in 2009 of why the filibuster has to go.)

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday May 05, 2010 · 3:24 PM PDT

2010/05/05 · 15:24

Pennsylvania is one of the places where some state legislators are introducing a version of Arizona's "show me your papers" law. (The lead sponsor here is a Republican rep who is running for lieutenant governor - Daryl Metcalfe, the guy who called veterans for energy independence "traitors".)

One of his cosponsors let some inconvenient truth slip out during the press conference yesterday. And for more unintentional hilarity, today a newspaper reported on contradictory comments from a PA state Senate Republican. More below the fold..

Poll

34 votes Show Results

Which of these is funnier?

34 votes Vote Now!

Which of these is funnier?

Rep. Creighton on immigration

6 votes

Sen. Piccola on education funding

6 votes

Neither

10 votes

Both are equally amusing

12 votes

Cautious Dem for Joe Hoeffel for PA GOV: Why Settle?

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday February 22, 2010 · 6:40 PM PST

2010/02/22 · 18:40

(Written in response to someone who asked on Facebook what I think of Hoeffel for governor) I'm generally cautious by nature. I've often gone with the "most electable" and "more moderate" Dem candidate in primaries because I don't want to risk losing a key district or statewide office. But I'm planning to vote for Joe Hoeffel for governor in the primary. I expect to support the Democratic nominee even if it's not Hoeffel, but Joe Hoeffel is my first choice. My reasons go beyond him being the only Democrat running who supports full marriage equality. I think Hoeffel has the best position on several major issues and is showing more leadership on those issues.

I don't really buy the "Joe can't win" talk. I remember thinking in 2002 there was no way "liberal Philadelphian" Ed Rendell could win the Democratic nomination, let alone beat a Republican for governor. I'm glad I was wrong about that. :-) Yes, Joe's behind in fundraising right now, but if he does win the primary, I think the party would unite to help him raise enough to be competitive with the Republican nominee.

Poll

119 votes Show Results

If you live in PA, who do you support for governor?

119 votes Vote Now!

If you live in PA, who do you support for governor?

Joe Hoeffel (D)

93 votes

Dan Onorato (D)

8 votes

Jack Wagner (D)

10 votes

Anthony Williams (D)

0 votes

Tom Corbett (R)

6 votes

Sam Rohrer (R)

1 vote

Someone else (please explain in comments :-)

1 vote

Specter Changes Name to "Pat Toomey"

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Saturday February 13, 2010 · 11:30 AM PST

2010/02/13 · 11:30

In a shock to many political observers, Republican-turned-Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania announced he will change his name to Pat Toomey.

"The name polls well, several points ahead of 'Arlen Specter'for some reason, and I already support some of the same policies as Toomey, like the flat tax. I believe this is consistent with my statement when I switched thatI would not be a loyal Democrat. No one should be surprised. I'm just going back to my maverick ways," Specter said.

Poll

73 votes Show Results

Who do you want to win the PA Senate primary?

73 votes Vote Now!

Who do you want to win the PA Senate primary?

Sestak

54 votes

Specter

17 votes

Other - please explain in comments :-)

2 votes

Vote By Vote: Calling BS on Specter's "Sestak Missed Votes" Argument

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday February 11, 2010 · 3:12 PM PST

2010/02/11 · 15:12

It's become clear that one of Sen. Specter's main arguments against his primary challenger, Congressman Joe Sestak, will be "Sestak missed a bunch of votes in the House." His campaign has even put up a "No Show Joe" website, and Specter recently "compared Rep. Joe Sestak’s missed votes in Congress to going AWOL while serving in the Navy." (Seriously, he said that.)

I fully expect that Specter will spend a big portion of his nearly $8.7 million* trying to define Sestak as a congressman who missed a bunch of votes. So I was curious to find out just what these missed Sestak votes were about, and if any of them were even close. I went through a handy Washington Post database that shows all of Congressman Sestak's missed votes. Many of them were things like commemorative resolutions or renaming post offices. I found a total of 68 potentially significant votes on things such as appropriations (spending) bills, other bills, amendments, and procedural votes.

Poll

46 votes Show Results

Do you care about these missed Sestak votes?

46 votes Vote Now!

Do you care about these missed Sestak votes?

Yes

11 votes

32 votes

Other answer (please explain in comment section :-)

3 votes

'Innovation' a Reason Why the Medicare Option is Needed

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday September 03, 2009 · 4:29 PM PDT

2009/09/03 · 16:29

(I haven't heard much about this in the health care debate, so if others have been addressing it, by all means please post links to those articles or diaries. The more the merrier!)

Remember how Wall Street and the banks and their allies like Phil Gramm got deregulation through Congress in part by saying the financial casino gamblers needed freedom for "innovation"?

Poll

27 votes Show Results

Do you trust the health insurance industry to do the right thing without facing competition from the public option?

27 votes Vote Now!

Do you trust the health insurance industry to do the right thing without facing competition from the public option?

Yes

3 votes

5 votes

Hell no

11 votes

Thanks for the laugh

8 votes

PA Online Poll on New Marriage Equality Bill

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday May 28, 2009 · 5:21 AM PDT

2009/05/28 · 05:21

As you may have read, a Pennsylvania state senator announced yesterday that he plans to introduce a civil marriage equality bill.

Today, one of the state's largest newspapers, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, is running an online poll and at this writing, marriage equality is losing 36%-61%. Please go vote for civil marriage equality!

Poll

67 votes Show Results

Which pro-LGBT bill would you rather see the PA legislature act on first?

67 votes Vote Now!

Which pro-LGBT bill would you rather see the PA legislature act on first?

HB 300 to ban anti-LGBT discrimination in the workplace, housing and public accommodations

41 votes

Civil marriage equality bill

24 votes

Other (please explain in comments)

2 votes

PA-Sen: Comedy from Pat Toomey; 4 Dems Eyeing or In Race Besides Specter

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Sunday May 03, 2009 · 10:41 AM PDT

2009/05/03 · 10:41

Since (as covered elsewhere on DKos today) Sen. Specter continues to give Democrats more reasons to say "We should give this guy our nomination WHY exactly?" -- I thought you all might enjoy this:

Pat Toomey: "Reagan carried this state twice. I don't think this state has changed."

More -- including info on what I have as a total of 4 non-Specter Dems either in or eyeing the race -- after the jump..

Poll

232 votes Show Results

Who's your choice for the PA 2010 Democratic Senate nomination?

232 votes Vote Now!

Who's your choice for the PA 2010 Democratic Senate nomination?

Arlen Specter

18 votes

Joe Torsella

12 votes

Joe Sestak

146 votes

Michael Lamb

1 vote

Bill Kortz

1 vote

Someone else

20 votes

Don't know

34 votes

(UPDATED) 'Specter Watch' Expands Beyond Facebook

BenPA

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Thursday April 30, 2009 · 3:55 PM PDT

2009/04/30 · 15:55

Thanks to all those who have encouraged this effort. ("Now that Sen. Arlen Specter's switching to be a Democrat, let's keep the pressure on him so he votes like a PENNSYLVANIA Democrat and not a 'conservadem' (conservative Democrat) from Nebraska or the South.")

Realizing that plenty of people aren't on Facebook and don't necessarily want to be either, I've created a blog: Specter Watch. (The related Facebook group is here.)

Poll

103 votes Show Results

On a scale of 1 ot 10 (10 being the highest), what is your current opinion of Sen. Specter?

103 votes Vote Now!

On a scale of 1 ot 10 (10 being the highest), what is your current opinion of Sen. Specter?

2 votes

1 vote

3 votes

6 votes

7 votes

9 votes

16 votes

20 votes

16 votes

15 votes

Who?

8 votes

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RSS

Catholic University in Ohio Has Anti-Gay Pseudo-Science Course, Threatens LGBT Alumni Who Exposed It

DADT: Don't Get Mad, Get Even: Stop Filibusters with 3 Bang for the Buck Candidates

O'Donnell Raises $1 Million; DE, AK, HI 3 "Bang for Your Buck" Races

(UPDATED) Delaware, NH - Now What? Help 3 to Smash Filibuster

Unintended Comedy from PA GOP State Legislators

Cautious Dem for Joe Hoeffel for PA GOV: Why Settle?

Specter Changes Name to "Pat Toomey"

Vote By Vote: Calling BS on Specter's "Sestak Missed Votes" Argument

'Innovation' a Reason Why the Medicare Option is Needed

PA Online Poll on New Marriage Equality Bill

PA-Sen: Comedy from Pat Toomey; 4 Dems Eyeing or In Race Besides Specter

(UPDATED) 'Specter Watch' Expands Beyond Facebook