Health care is coming

Health care is coming

Health care is coming and perhaps just in time for Senator Kennedy. The Senator was not at the committee meeting today when they passed legislation (See AP below) supporting President Obama's Health care plan. Kennedy was receiving treatment for brain cancer at the time. One of his last efforts as a senator will be to get this legislation to the President, the culmination of a long career dedicated to bringing affordable health insurance to every American.

Kennedy's medical treatment is likely something many Americans could not readily afford without going into crippling debt. The Senate as a whole will have an opportunity now to discuss, modify and pass the legislation.

From AP: The Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 13-10 along party lines to pass a $600-billion measure that would expand coverage to nearly all Americans by requiring individuals get insurance and employers to contribute to the cost.

Clinton says "I do to gay marriage."

Clinton says "I do to gay marriage."

One more nail in the DoMA (Defence of Marriage Act) Legislation. Bill Clinton, found himself in the awkward position as President, signed the bill into law. Now Clinton says yes to gay marriage. Can it be that congress will act on this soon? Let's hope so.

America needs this now. Time to join the rest of the western world USA!

United Airlines breaks Guitars

United Airlines breaks Guitars

This is just awesome. United airlines broke his guitar and the guy writes a song and produces a video and its an instant hit on youtube. Take that big uncaring airlines. See Sons of Maxwell here.

It looks like he has won. United issued this statement according to CBC...

On Tuesday, United Airlines spokeswoman Robin Urbanski issued a statement about the incident.

"This has struck has a chord with us. We are in conversations with one another to make what happened right, and while we mutually agree that this should have been fixed much sooner, Dave Carroll’s excellent video provides United with a unique learning opportunity that we would like to use for training purposes to ensure all customers receive better service from us," the statement said.

From YouTube: Full Story: http://www.davecarrollmusic.com/story... - In the spring of 2008, Sons of Maxwell were traveling to Nebraska for a one-week tour and my Taylor guitar was witnessed being thrown by United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago. I discovered later that the $3500 guitar was severely damaged. They didnt deny the experience occurred but for nine months the various people I communicated with put the responsibility for dealing with the damage on everyone other than themselves and finally said they would do nothing to compensate me for my loss. So I promised the last person to finally say no to compensation (Ms. Irlweg) that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world. United: Song 1 is the first of those songs. United: Song 2 has been written and video production is underway. United: Song 3 is coming. I promise. Follow me at http://twitter.com/DaveCarroll. Video Produced by Curve Productions of Halifax, http://www.curveproductionsinc.com.

Queer - Gay funding turns Conservative Red

Queer - Gay funding turns Conservative Red

The Conservative government in Canada gave stimulus money to Toronto's Gay Pride festival. An awesome $400,000. That was bad according to Conservative MP Brad Trost. Trost told Lifesite News that most Conservative MP's were caught by surprise and did not support this kind of funding.

Lifesite quoted Trost, "The pro-life and the pro-family community should know and understand that the tourism funding money that went to the gay pride parade in Toronto was not government policy, was not supported by - I think it's safe to say by a large majority - of the MPs. This was a very isolated decision."

Trost went on to tell Lifesite that Minister Diane Ablonczy, who was responsible for the funding, lost the file as a consequence of the embarrassment to the Party.

The pride festival in Toronto is the biggest in Toronto, a city that is one festival after another from May to September every year. Minister Ablonczy made a good decision based on the Conservative Government's stimulus criteria. It supported tourism, was spent now and created many jobs.

Ablonczy lost the program after this grant was made. One can only speculate as to why, my guess is Mr. Harper didn't like to be seen funding a queer festival even if it is likely not only Toronto's biggest festival, but Canada's as well.

Queer, gay tourists not wanted in this country as long as Mr. Harper and MP Trost are on watch.


The Time of My Life blog commented on this as well and don't miss Slap upside the head

For some political satire check out Trost OPolis




more on this social conservative MP's view on Human Rights at BigcityLib blog

Allegheny County lets gays in

Allegheny County lets gays in

The Allegheny County Council passed a bill 8-6 on Wednesday night to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community against discrimination in housing and the workplace.

Amazing as it may seem, until today gays in Allegheny County could be refused housing or work solely on the basis of sexual orientation. Though heartening this local bylaw was passed, it could be reversed if another vote were to be called when the likelihood of success presented itself, after an election.

Subjecting Human rights to the will of simple majorities suggests a lack of understanding and an unwillingness to live in a 'Just Society'.

I am happy to see this small part of Pennsylvania recognize the wrongs of discrimination. Only a few thousand more communities across the USA to go.

A promise that is growing fainter

A promise that is growing fainter

I have been watching President Obama, was expecting and hoping he would deliver on Gay issues and yet here we are many months in and discrimination by police and the armed forces continues unabated.

I read that in Texas today a gay man was brutally assaulted by police in what was called a routine liquor board bar inspection. The Texas Liquor inspectors make many inspections of bars to ensure there is no one underage or any overtly drunk patrons. From reports out of Texas this is usually a quiet affair and after a short talk with the bar tender they proceed to check some patrons id's. Its an orderly affair.

It appears not to be the case when they inspected a new gay bar. Police handcuffed many patrons and brutally assaulted one of them. The man is now in hospital with a blood clot to his brain.

Further a bright young man, a member of the National Guard out of New York, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan faced a hearing of the guard today, where a decision was made to discharge him because he said he was gay. He has violated the Don't Ask, Don't Tell rule.

Obama says trust me, I will get Don't Ask, Don't Tell repealed. He will work to get the Defense of Marriage Act repealed. Obama is running up against a rough stretch. Congressmen are elected every two years. If he does not act now, he will likely wait until after the 2010 congressional elections. I can see it now, after the 2010 elections Obama will be campaigning for his on re-election in 2011. I am sure he won't want to hand a gay issue over to the Republicans then.

Gays will be on the back burner again, sacrificed for political expediency. I hope I am wrong. Obama has a lot on his plate, surely there is room at the table for gays!