Bill 274 Passed House, Senate and the President Signed Off Too!

Today was a busy day as well. Perhaps most importantly, Bill 274, which was previously approved by the Senate, today passed in the House. The vote was extremely close and at one point a tie seemed possible. Those in favor of the sexual orientation civil rights bill were as follows: Representatives Simon, Zarkasian, Unger, Hilton, Jackson, Zahn, Yarmolinski and Gomez. I should note that Rep. Nedwick was absent from House chambers today.
The vote happily electrified the Senate, who first passed the Bill before sending it on to the House Rules Committee. Within minutes, President Millworth signed the Bill.
For many who sided with the pro-Bill movement, today was an historic day of victory. However, those opposing the Bill are extremely upset with the Bill's passage. Rep. Kilpatrick was visibly shaken after the vote, having to leave chambers for a short period of time.
I asked Speaker Villary about the her vote and the outcome. She stated she had voted against the Bill because she was worried about it protecting gay marriage. Yet in the end, she said, "it came down to protecting our citizens." She was satisfied with the overall vote.
I would like to think that having Senator Meyers on today's program might have allayed some fears surrounding the Bill. The Bill is not about gay marriage or whether it is morally correct to be a homosexual. It simply defines sexual orientation as a part of civil rights legislation.
And on the topic of gay marriage, I showed a clip from this weekend's Miss USA pageant in which a contestant answered a controversial question in an un-politically correct manner in the eyes of the judges. Now, having been in a number of beauty pageants in my much younger days, I can assure you that your love of Jesus is throughly beat in your brain as a southern belle. So I don't really see the fuss about the religion part. All girls are supposed to talk about how moral they are and their desire for world peace. Her question might have been written in a different manner or she could have answered it in a different way. Her stance for her beliefs are admirable, but seems to have cost her the crown. You decide - here's the clip:

In other news, the Senate has been discussing Bill 208 regarding the Lottery. I spoke to Senator Dixon(D) regarding the talks. She felt some members believe the Bill will be a good idea "because it will help the economy and taxes." Dixon stated the Lottery will help with taxes and it is "on a voluntary basis." She noted that there were issues involved in gambling that she would like to investigate further with other members. If possible, she would like to have some sort of program, specifically social programs for gambling addicts, be paid for with the proceeds from the Lottery. Dixon said that both sides of the issue made their points clear. Some were caught in the middle, "(they) were torn between the moral and fiscal issues." She also added that she tried to look at the issues as if she were not a United States Senator, but back home as an "average citizen." It was clear that the issues have not been completely resolved; yet a vote is definitely close. Stay tuned to find out more on the Lottery Bill (previously the Casino Bill).

Tomorrow I'll fill you in on the Cuban recovery efforts, Nigerian situation and much more. Please send in any comments so that we might share your questions on the next broadcast.

Good night -
E.E.

Hate Crimes, Bill 274 and the House

What appeared to be a copy-cat killer is now looking more like an organized hate group. Last week a bomb went off in a homosexual community in Portland, Oregon. Three men were killed in the blast and 22 people were injured.

A few days prior, in New York’s East Side, two gay men were killed execution-style in a remote alleyway near a gay neighborhood. The two men were evidently returning to an apartment after a movie. Police say the perpetrators tied their hands behind each victim, made them kneel down and shot each of them in the back of the head with a .38 caliber pistol.

In both cases, a note was left near the crime scene with words written from scripture: “The wages of sin are death.” The FBI and CIA were testing the notes to look for any connection.

These actions seem to stem from the Senate’s approval of Bill 274 (Sexual Orientation and Discrimination). It was also recently passed in the House Rules Committee and is expected to be open for a vote of the full House as early as this next week. The Bill protects homosexuals as a class, similar to the way race and gender are handled in civil rights legislation. If passed in the House, the Bill will take effect one year after passage.

As expected, there are very strong opinions on both sides of this issue. A website called StopSexualPerversion.org informs visitors that homosexuality is unnatural and should be removed from American society. The home page of this site contends that “homosexuality is a cancer that must be treated through moral reform or other drastic measures.” The site quotes scripture, reports confessions of reformed homosexuals and provides a chat room for those who want to end homosexuality in America. The website is the work of Wendel Lemly, a retired dentist, and his wife. The Lemlys are “dedicating the rest of our lives to the task of saving those homosexuals who can be saved, and exposing the evil in those who defy the laws of nature.”

And in an odd turn of events, leaders of a group called Fight Back have expressed frustration with a Cleveland, Ohio U.S. District Court decision by appealing the decision regarding “freedom of speech” for anti-homosexual websites. Traditionally, homosexual groups have used freedom of speech for their rallies and promotional literature. Now Fight Back, an organization designed to protect the rights of homosexuals, intends to turn the tables and contest the constitutionality of the site, citing their frustration and anticipating a long appeal. The leader of Fight Back, Brian Jefferies, stated the Lemlys’ anti-homosexual site “provides a gathering place for hate groups, and subtly encourages violence against homosexuals.”

The sides are not drawn as simply as pro-homosexuality and anti-homosexuality. According to recent polls, many Americans are in favor of civil unions for homosexuals. The idea of the class as a whole being protected as a civil rights group may bring more controversy. In some cases, hiring individuals based not based on sexual orientation might prove morally challenging to religious work environments. However, the same ideal holds true for persons of color or minorities. The religious right and far right conservatives are not moving their position. The far-lefters feel they have been silent for too long and will push the issue until the Bill is adopted. We are set for a volatile situation unless Congress comes up with a plan quickly. Even then (and either way), I would expect riots and some Congresspersons to lose their seat come next election.

To add a punch for the pro-Bill 274 side, just this weekend a press release from the Human Rights Campaign (an interest group supporting gay rights), publicly stated their appreciation to Senator Meyers (D) for his years of hard work on behalf of the gay and lesbian community for passing 274. The group also implored to the House to pass Bill 274, noting the public is generally in favor of protecting homosexuals from discrimination (and similar issues), and that Republicans should be reaching out to new demographics and younger voters.

I was granted a short interview with Senator Meyers last week (prior to the Human Rights Campaign announcement). He was very pleased that 274 passed the Rules Committee, stating that is was even more significant for him as he is an openly gay Senator from Michigan. He stated, “It is a great time to be an American. Ending bigotry based on sexual orientation – This is the last frontier of civil rights.” He noted Senate success would not have been possible without the bipartisan effort. He added that he has spoken with the House Speaker (Villary) and they expect to receive similar support within the House.

In the works for next week’s show – I hope to have an interview lined up with an expert on Bill 274 to discuss the current hate crime situations and discuss the possibility of the Bill’s passage. Please leave comments and questions and we may be able to have them on the air. Until then –

E.E.

Interviews with Dr. Davis and Senator Litz on Bills 180 & 274

WOW! What a busy day. During my morning show, I interviewed Dr. Nathaniel Davis, Acting Chair of the Political Science Department at Georgetown University. We discussed Bill 180, regarding the President’s plan to, in effect, legalize drugs, taxing them and making them fall under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This will certainly pose a problem for several agencies, least of which the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). Dr. Davis felt people will continue to recreate with the type of drugs that cause a feeling of euphoria, such as the new dangerous drug, Frenzy. As I discussed in my morning show, Frenzy is a synthetic and cheap drug in tablet form that is said to be “better than cocaine." By legalizing such drugs through the FDA, the President expects to increase the federal revenue by $5 billion annually. It does not appear he took into account the number of field agents who would be required to test substances to see if the drugs in question are legal or not. He also didn't take into account the millions of poor people dependent on medications for diabetes, heart conditions, etc. which they will now have to pay taxes on as a result of this Bill. While the President’s plan might reduce the number of new inmates due to drug infractions, I suspect there will be a renewed entrepreneurial spirit among drug dealers – illegal manufacture and bribery, possibly even copyright fraud with manufacturers' symbols. BREAKING NEWS: 3 violent deaths have been attributed to the use of Frenzy recently. In the first case, a 20-year old New Jersey woman jumped from her dorm room to her death around 30 minutes after taking the drug. An 18-year old man drove his car into the wall of an expressway underpass at reckless speed in Chicago. He had taken Frenzy at a suburban party less than an hour before the accident. And another man, a 19-year old was electrocuted after jumping into electrical wires by climbing up an electrical pole. None of the cases were ruled as a suicide. It appears that in each case, the victims developed a false and unrealistic sense of self-confidence after taking the drug Frenzy.

Dr. Davis also took my questions about Bill 274 as it related to the increased violence against the homosexual community lately. Dr. Davis did not necessarily see a direct connection between the proposal of the bill and the series of crimes. Rather, he felt the media might be paying more attention to these crimes due to the timing of the bills. I asked Dr. Davis about the Litz factor – since she is a Republican from Alaska and was the bipartisan vote that allowed the Senate to pass the Bill. He stated Litz represents an eclectic group of people and this vote was not all that radical. As far as any backlash against Litz in Congress, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds. I was given an exclusive interview with Senator Litz about the controversy surrounding this topic. She said that she was persuaded to vote in favor of the Bill after listening to what other Senate members had to say. She said she, “voted what she thought was best.” When asked about any connection to the crimes against homosexuals we’ve heard about in various news agencies recently, she responded: “I can’t connect the crimes to the Bill. And if we stop discrimination, maybe these types of crimes won’t happen again.” She iterated that she tries to see the views of her constituency and society in general when she casts her votes.
As I was listening in on the House’s discussion of bills today, it seems there is strong support to pass Bill 274 there as well. Possibly the news of the bombing of a gay nightclub in Oregon last night increased the attention of the House. Three 3 men were killed and 22 injured. There was a note close by the scene with the biblical verse, “The wages of sin are death.” This same phrase was used in the recent murder of two homosexual men in New York City. In a statement from the White House, analyses are currently being done on the messages in both attacks. Federal agents are looking into the Oregon incident as a copycat crime, believing there is no relationship between the two crimes.

I’d also like to mention two important topics I’ll be discussing tomorrow: The Shell Oil crisis in Nigeria and the INS sick-out situation. I enjoy your comments so please keep them coming.

E.E.

P.S. I heard that President Millworth has been under the weather. And rumor has it Representative Kilpatrick broke her foot in a skiing accident. We at National Cable Television News wish them both a speedy recovery.