News Stories

[ganbaru]

Game Over for the Climate
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/10/op...e-climate.html
Harper wouldn't like to read this ...

[Kizoku Keenan]

Originally Posted by Urzu 7

UTV? I thought where you were from it'd be Zoo TV (yes, that is a U2 reference. ).

*facepalms* lol

[Ridwan]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

President Obama Endorses Same-Sex Marriage



The political ramifications of this announcement are profound. Black Americans largely belong to conservative Protestant sects and oppose any acceptance of homosexuality. More significant may be the role the issue might play with Hispanics who are a key voting bloc, but whose Catholicism puts them on the opposite side of this issue from the President as well. White opponents are largely already committed to the Republicans so they wouldn't have been expected to vote for the President anyway. The so-called "battleground" states, ones where the election will be decided because of the workings of the Electoral College, are also more mixed on the issue of same-sex marriage than other parts of the country. This is hardly surprising, of course, since the balance of Democratic and Republican sentiment in these states is, by definition, closer to 50-50.

According to the Times's reporters, the President had already decided to take this step after the recent vote in New York State legalizing same-sex marriage there. When Obama considered what he would have done had he been one of those legislators, he decided he would also have voted in favor. Intriguingly, he took the same position over a decade ago when running for the state Legislature in Illinois, but he became more cautious when he ran for the Senate from Illinois and later for President. While in office, he eliminated the infamous "don't ask, don't tell" policy that allowed homosexuals to serve in the military as long as they didn't publicly express their sexual orientation. He also told his Justice Department not to argue in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act whose constitutionality is under review by the Supreme Court. DOMA forbids the Federal government from recognizing same-sex unions in areas of law where marriage confers benefits like taxes and pensions, even when the couples involved are legally married under the laws of a particular state like here in Massachusetts.

Public support for same-sex marriage has increased substantially over the years since the question was first asked in polls. Today a slim majority now favors same-sex marriage by about five percentage points. Here in Massachusetts where it has been legal for eight years, opinions have reversed entirely from about 50-30 against in 2004 to 55-35 in favor today. One reason for that shift is that people here have discovered that legalizing same-sex marriage just hasn't changed things all that much. In a poll last month, two-thirds of Massachusetts voters said legalization had had no effect on them personally whatsoever, and another 19% said it had affected them positively. Only 14% of Massachusetts voters polled said that legalization had had a negative effect on their lives. And, while Massachusetts has a justified image as a relatively "liberal" state in American terms, it also has a very large Roman Catholic population for whom homosexuality is still problematic.

Generational differences are quite substantial. Americans over 50 are firmly opposed to same-sex marriage, while those under thirty support it by nearly two-to-one. However those older Americans vote at much greater rates than voters under thirty, so younger voters greater support for same-sex marriage may have a muted effect at the polls.

Socialist Nazislamic anti-American Rastarfarian Tranzi !!

[GDB]

Please tell me that's just a tongue-in-cheek mock-up of what Fox would like to say, and not what they actually said?

[Haak]

Nope. They actually went there:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...r=Gay%20Voices

[Mr. DJ]

Okay...Obama has openly supported same sex marriage when he was running for Senate. When he became a Presidential candidate, he had to tone it down because it's a big friggin deal for the old coots that still run this country and don't know how to upgrade their mindset. This is still a huge gamble because America at it's best...is still 50/50 on this subject.

What makes this lulz worthy? The Democratic Convention is in North Carolina.

[flying ^]

the only REAL reason why 0bama pull that stunt yesterday regarding his 'evolving views'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...sl8T_blog.html

[PzIVf3]

5 Chinese Warships steam to stormy seas

China has sent five warships to the disputed Scarborough Shoal off the west coast of the Philippines with the warning that Beijing is ready for "any escalation" of the conflict.

http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_d...113&con_type=3
Who will made the first shot will lose.

Japan and Taiwan monitors Chinese naval moves
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/fron.../10/2003532432

[Roger Rambo]

I'm wondering if China continues this kind of behavior in the future, if Taiwan/Japan/South Korea will all enter into defensive pacts with each other?

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

I'm wondering if China continues this kind of behavior in the future, if Taiwan/Japan/South Korea will all enter into defensive pacts with each other?

Japan and South Korea isn't prepare to take it that far. They just sign a defensive pack but to included Taiwan that would mean recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign country. China would have to respond with a attack on Taiwan at that point. And if the US does uphold it is agreemwnt with Taiwan it would means WWIII.

[SeijiSensei]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I think it also poses some problems for Romney in his efforts to move to the center. He's pretty much tied to the religious conservatives on his right on this issue.

It didn't take long to see how these pressures are working on the Romney campaign. In an interview today, Romney reiterated his view that "marriage is literally by its definition a relationship between a man and a woman." But then the candidate went on to say that, "if two people of the same gender want to live together, want to have a loving relationship and even want to adopt a child, in my state [Massachusetts] individuals of the same sex were able to adopt children. In my view that’s something that people have the right to do," (emphasis mine)

While this statement got lost in the aftermath of Obama's announcement and today's news story about Romney allegedly bullying a gay fellow student in high school, Romney's public support of adoption by gay couples is truly stunning. Adoption by same-sex couples, which is legal in some states, is anathema to influential conservative religious groups like Focus on the Family. It will be interesting to see how this plays out within the Republican party in the days and weeks ahead.

[PzIVf3]

Pentagon chief calls for Senate to ratify law of sea treaty
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stori...200351/1/.html

[andyjay729]

No one noticed this story yet?

The tornado struck in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Pref., but fortunately not in the tsunami-devastated coastal area. Unfortunately, according to Wikipedia a lot of Fukushima refugees settled there.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

It didn't take long to see how these pressures are working on the Romney campaign. In an interview today, Romney reiterated his view that "marriage is literally by its definition a relationship between a man and a woman." But then the candidate went on to say that, "if two people of the same gender want to live together, want to have a loving relationship and even want to adopt a child, in my state [Massachusetts] individuals of the same sex were able to adopt children. In my view that’s something that people have the right to do," (emphasis mine)

While this statement got lost in the aftermath of Obama's announcement and today's news story about Romney allegedly bullying a gay fellow student in high school, Romney's public support of adoption by gay couples is truly stunning. Adoption by same-sex couples, which is legal in some states, is anathema to influential conservative religious groups like Focus on the Family. It will be interesting to see how this plays out within the Republican party in the days and weeks ahead.

Deep down, I'd like both political parties to tell the folks that proclaim themselves as somehow "arbiters of religion and morality" to stuff it up their hypocritical xenophobic shorts.

[SaintessHeart]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Deep down, I'd like both political parties to tell the folks that proclaim themselves as somehow "arbiters of religion and morality" to stuff it up their hypocritical xenophobic shorts.

But.....but that will be infringing on the freedom of speech! The right to use free speech also gives the right fo AB-use it!

[flying ^]

Coming soon to major US cities.



WASHINGTON—The Federal Bureau of Investigation's spy hunters usually shy away from drawing attention. But they're hoping the public takes notice of a new campaign trying to stop foreign spies from stealing trade secrets from U.S. companies.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...137905092.html

[Haak]

Investigation into Hiroshima Tactics being taught for Total War on Islam.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18030105

Oh dear...

[flying ^]

Here comes sexual revolution 4.0

http://www.latimes.com/health/la-na-...,5295464.story

[PzIVf3]

Originally Posted by Roger Rambo

I'm wondering if China continues this kind of behavior in the future, if Taiwan/Japan/South Korea will all enter into defensive pacts with each other?

You forgot to add India.

Now India Is Getting Involved In The China-Philippines Territorial Conflict

http://www.businessinsider.com/india...ina-sea-2012-5

[aohige]

Originally Posted by PzIVf3

You forgot to add India.

Now India Is Getting Involved In The China-Philippines Territorial Conflict

http://www.businessinsider.com/india...ina-sea-2012-5

From reading the article, it's more of "India makes a vanilla statement 'dude chill out' that can't possibly be more generic, and a reporter screams OMG INDIA IS GETTING INVOVED! THEY SAID SOMETHING!".