Topic >> YouTube

Supreme Court rules to keep hate “off camera” in Prop 8 trial

lgbt, politics No Comments »

Supreme Court blocks Prop 8 broadcastBy a slim 5-4 margin the U. S. Supreme Court today blocked cameras from broadcasting the Prop 8 trial.

In an unsigned opinion Wednesday, the court criticized [Judge] Walker for attempting to change the rules “at the eleventh hour to treat this case differently than other trials.”

While the court set no time limit in its ruling, any further proceedings at high court likely would come after the trial was over.

The four justices in dissent were Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and John Paul Stevens.

At this time it is still unclear if the trial proceedings will be posted on YouTube as that was not addressed in today’s decision.

The American Foundation for Equal Rights which is leading the challenge against Proposition 8 released the following statement:

“Proposition 8 attacks the core of what our nation stands for — that all of us are entitled to equal protection under the law and equal treatment from the government. A trial on constitutional rights should be accessible to as many people as possible,” said Chad Griffin, Board President of the American Foundation for Equal Rights. “Given the powerful evidence against Prop. 8 presented in court today, we are not surprised the initiative’s defenders sought to keep this trial as private as possible.”

Not surprisingly the ruling broke cleanly along idealogical lines and fear it doesn’t bode well for when the case ultimately reaches the Supreme Court.


Seldom seen “Stand up for Prop 8” video shown in Prop 8 trial

lgbt, religion 2 Comments »

Prop 8 VideoMany of us missed this particular video in the run up to Prop 8 and is perhaps one of the most offensive, with high production value appealing to young voters. This video among others was presented as evidence in court today. Watch:

More on homophobic pastor Miles McPherson here.


Humans show no mercy for male chicks at Iowa hatchery

activism, video No Comments »

Male chicksThe longest I’ve ever been able to declare myself a vegetarian is around 36 hours. Yes, really. But after watching movies like Food, Inc., The Cove, and the video below, that may soon change.

Warning, the clip is pretty graphic and difficult to watch.

150,000 chicks are ground up into fertilizer and dog food  every day for simply being the wrong gender. WTF is wrong with us?

More at Mercy for Animals.


Children denied access to private swim club… because they weren’t white

news, video No Comments »

Children denied access to poolA private swim club in northeast Philadelphia refused to allow 60 children to swim in their pool, simply because they weren’t white. Apparently the club does not allow minorities in the water, and there was fear they would “change the complexion and the atmosphere of the club.” I’m not kidding.  Watch:

I continue to read online how surprised people are that this happened. I’m not surprised in the slightest. Racism and the hate that drives it is alive and well. Usually people aren’t stupid enough to come out with it publicly. Most of the time it remains behind closed doors, in living rooms or at kitchen tables. The internet is also a fertile breeding ground for those who purvey hate, racism, and homophobia, safely cloaked in the anonymity of the medium. Just check out some of the comments at NBC10 in Philadephia.

Just a thought… I wonder if the Valley Swim Club would have refused to allow Sasha and Malia Obama access to the pool…

Breaking: Fortunately the children may have found a new place to swim… and the incident has caught the attention of Senator Arlen Specter.