Comment

Comment by Lisa Cox on January 15, 2012 at 1:10pm

That is a direct violation of the separation of church and state. That church should remove the political endorsement from their property or get their tax exempt status revoked.

Comment by Jason Fleming on January 15, 2012 at 1:02pm

If the sign is on the church's land, then they need to be reported. They are in direct violation and stand to lose their tax-exempt status. 

Comment by ParrotPirate on January 15, 2012 at 12:45pm

Just joined Atheist Nexus and this group. I did this for a specific purpose. Is there a group member near Greenfield? I was there for work yesterday, and I am almost positive I saw a sign stating the availability of "Stand With Walker" yard signs in front of the Seventh Day Adventist church on Loomis Road. This seems illegal, and was wondering if anybody in the area could check it out, as I won't be back tht way until next Friday at the earliest. Thanks!

Comment by James M. Martin on January 14, 2012 at 8:57am

@John Burtonclay: In Texas we called this the "homosexual panic defense" and the defense lawyers shamefully hire junk science "experts" (expert at picking lint out of their navels) to testify that the miscreat was victim to the dead queer, not the other way around.  Typical of these was a county coroner who could not have qualified in civil trial practice on any field unrelated to his own (forensic pathology) but stated: "These homosexuals do not have stable relationships and go out looking for what they call 'rough trade,' and then the guy they pick up experiences temporary insanity because of the simultaneous feelings of attraction and repulsion."  Then they go into a litany of the usual stereotypes and conclude that "homosexuality is abnormal, a mental illness," &.  The jury might question some of it but for a cold blooded murder they almost always come back voting for a lesser included offense, usually manslaughter.  Thus, for a crime that would get the average murderer life at best, the murderer of a homosexual gets 30 years max.  If the parole board is similarly homophobic, the con gets out after serving many years less than sentenced.  Hey, it's either let 'en out or build more prisons.

Comment by Secular Forces 2013 on January 14, 2012 at 8:01am

Keep it free from cults folks! Kids don't need anymore division-influence-bigotry phobia... streets are hard enough:
http://www.aclufl.org/news_events/?action=viewRelease&emailAler...

Comment by John Burtonclay on January 14, 2012 at 12:18am

 A fair go for everyone in Queensland, Australia. A man was charged and tried for murder. I can't find the details just now, but his defence was that the victim was a homosexual, who had tapped him on the shoulder, so he killed him. It was stated that the advances of a homosexual is much worse than murder.  It turns out that Queensland law provides for this defence, so I think the murderer got off light. Just a token sentence. Of course the gay lobby and human rights people are up in arms over this, but they'll have a tough time getting anything done about it. Queensland is a redneck state, run largely by good christians. The Premier, Anna Bligh is ok, and agrees with gay marriage, which is on the agenda at the moment. I've read some of what the christian politicians have said. (The usual bible quotes, christian values etc.) It looks like the the proposed legislation has about the same chance as a fart in a thunderstorm.

Comment by James M. Martin on January 13, 2012 at 6:45pm

sk8eycat, seniors here pay almost no property taxes on their homestead (legal term), however, I do have to pay one of the county taxes: the hospital district.  When I went before the board of adjusters a few years ago and applied for my exemption I was told, "You'll have to pay the hospital district tax."  I turned back and replied: "I will be more than happy to."  I have leukemia and it is in my best interest to help them out.  It's only about $30 a year.

Comment by sk8eycat on January 13, 2012 at 1:10pm

James, I agree with you wholeheartedly on every point.  I don't know all the details of my friends' partnership set-up, but I do know that it spells out property settlements if they should split up (not bloody likely at their age), and "family" rights, such as hospital visits and medical decisions...end of life stuff.

They wouldn't opt for legal marriage now, even if it were possible where they live. They live in a state where gays are barely recognized as citizens...or human beings.  But it's very hospitable to "seniors," tax-wise.  (My last remaining aunt lives there, and she hasn't had to pay property taxes on her rather large house since her husband died more than 20 years ago.  I don't know if the state will take the back taxes out of her estate when she dies, or if the house is totally exempt until it's sold.  Oh, I need to go visit her...she'll be 90 this year.)

Comment by James M. Martin on January 13, 2012 at 7:15am

sk8eycat, the question arises, why should gays settle for a half-assed version of marriage, everything but the legalized form of it?  When a gay couple breaks up, there is no protection from the divorce court.  I represent a woman who broke up with her partner of 30 years.  The only thing that may save her in the long run is the fact that both gave the other a power of attorney, which in my state creates a fiduciary relationship.  This will allow her to enforce the partner's continual assurance that if anything happened to her, my client would get the house.  (We have a deed in any case.) Since we are a community property state, upon the breakup of married couples, each gets 50% of everything bought during the marriage.  It should be easy to see how this prejudices gay couples.  I used to say, civil unions will do. Now, I say no they won't.  Marriage is as much or more a civil institution as a relogiious one.  The only possible objection the anti-gay marriage people could have is religious.  Again, as Hitch wrote, religion poisons everything.

Comment by sk8eycat on January 13, 2012 at 1:45am

Re: the bumper sticker; I still have some gay friends who managed to escape AIDS mainly because they were in permanent, stable relationships.  (One couple celebrated their 40th anniversary this New Year's Eve.  That's better than I can say for a lot of my str8 friends. They formed a legal partnership 20+ years ago, long before civil unions and legal marriages.  It's exactly like a business partnership. )

They send me funny, and angry, stuff.

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