What I missed blogging this week

I spent a lot of this week completely buried under email and the day job so, save Tuesday when I covered the Equality NC Town Hall, I've been too beaten down to do blog posts; I've been more present on Facebook and Twitter of late. Also, I will have a post with the responses to the PHB Reader Survey soon. There was quite a bit of news that you may want to discuss on the Blend - have at it: * Good polling news - DOMA Poll Analysis: Opposition to Federal Recognition Ban Crosses All Major Demographics (HRCBackStory): Majorities of every age group oppose DOMA including those over age 65 (52 percent oppose, 31 percent support). Catholics oppose DOMA 51 percent to 37 percent. Southerners oppose DOMA 51 percent to 36 percent. The list goes on and on. Check out our full analysis: Beyond the Top Lines of the DOMA Poll [pdf]. * GOP Clown Car contest entry - CNN: Bachmann to form exploratory committee in June, possibly earlier. Begin popping the popcorn... More fun below the fold... * Fred Karger First to File for President at FEC in Washington, DC . Today is a very significant day for my community and me. I have just submitted my papers to the Federal Election Commission, making me the first candidate to file for the 2012 Republican nomination for President. I am also the first openly gay person, in a major political party, to ever run for President of the United States. I know that I will not be invited to participate in some of the debates and forums that will be held during the next year. Some will not include me because I am an outsider, others because I am gay. I will fight to get into each and every debate, so that my ideas and my voice may be heard. I want to send a loud and clear message to anyone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, that you can do anything you want to do in this country. You can even run for President of the United States. Mother Jones has a good article on Karger's campaign. * This almost defies reality. Would you put even a nickel into this black hole - James O'Keefe Asks Supporters For $50,000 To Pay Off 'Major Credit Card Debt'. For undercover sting savant James O'Keefe, the task of self-funding his missions to bust groups such as ACORN and NPR is apparently causing a strain on his pocketbook. In a recent fundraising email to supporters, O'Keefe, who recently filed to have his group, Project Veritas, listed as a nonprofit, claims he's in deep credit card debt, and that he needs $50,000 to pay it off. * The Oprah Winfrey Network announces premiere of 'Becoming Chaz'. (LAT): It will air at 8 p.m. May 10. The premiere will be followed by a special hosted by Rosie O'Donnell in which she will interview Bono, girlfriend Jennifer Elia, directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and other people who have undergone transgender operations.* Speaking of OWN, Dan Savage sat down to discuss the 'It Gets Better' Campaign on "The Gayle King Show." * 9th Circuit US Court of Appeals has denied a motion filed by opponents of California's Proposition 8 to lift the stay over a District Court ruling that had found Prop. 8 unconstitutional last summer. Via the Courage Campaign: The 9th Circuit Court's ruling means that the stay will remain in effect, and LGBT families will be unable to marry, at least until the California Supreme Court settles a procedural matter in the case. A hearing on that issue is not slated to take place until September. The Courage Campaign has documented the stories of hundreds of families facing permanent harm because of the continuing legal delays in this case. Most notably, the story of Ed Watson and Derence Kernak-a couple that's been together for forty years, but because of Ed's advancing Alzheimer's disease, may never get the chance to marry before the Prop. 8 case is resolved. More than 7,500 people signed the Courage Campaign's Amicus Curiae letter, filed on behalf of Ed and Derence and other impacted families, urging the 9th Circuit to lift the stay. Ed and Derence's StoryThe Courage Campaign's Amicus Curiae LetterIn response to today's developments, Courage Campaign Chairman and Founder Rick Jacobs has issued the following statement: "The Ninth Circuit's decision not to lift the stay is a stunning miscarriage of justice. Judge Walker's District Court decision and the body of evidence in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial have unequivocally shown that marriage and society are only strengthened by allowing loving same sex couples to marry. These facts are further supported by an accelerating shift in American public opinion in support of marriage equality, and President Obama's recent decision to stop defending the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which has also been declared unconstitutional in federal court. By effectively rubber stamping another six or twelve months of state sanctioned discrimination against thousands of loving California families, today's ruling unfairly and irreparably harms parents who may never see their children marry, and couples like Derence and Ed, who are racing the clock against terminal illness. It is appalling that corporate mergers get fast tracked by courts, but human ones are treated with far less urgency. We cannot and will not rest until all families have equal access to the dignity, security, and recognition that only comes with marriage." * Huckabee Would Reinstate DADT: "That's Really What The Military Wants". Well, you figure this aspiring GOP Clown Car occupant would continue pandering to the fringe. "I would -- because that's really what the military wants," says Huckabee. "There's been some talk that the military is fine with having same-sex orientation people. But if you really surveyed the combat troops, that is not at all the case." The Log Cabin Republicans responded. "Mike Huckabee's ill-informed comments fly in the face of overwhelming public opinion and common sense," said R. Clarke Cooper, Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director. "A clear bipartisan majority in Congress voted in December to enact the will of the American people, which demanded that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' be stricken from the books.  The Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and leadership throughout the Pentagon are in full support of the implementation process that is now moving forward throughout each branch of the military. This debate is over.  Today our military is confronting real challenges around the globe, and reopening this debate is an unnecessary distraction. "That Mr. Huckabee continues to fight the end of this failed and unconstitutional policy demonstrates that he is willing to put personal ambition and political pandering ahead of the priorities of the American people." VoteVets slapped Huck: Iraq War Veteran and Interim Chairman of VoteVets.org said, "Governor Huckabee is flatly wrong. There have been multiple surveys of troops and veterans that have shown a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is simply not an issue. Military leaders currently implementing training in preparation for the change say the same thing."... Even among only the combat troops that Huckabee refers to, a very strong majority of 60 percent believe a repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell will have a positive or no impact on the military. * Gay and Lesbian Couples Enters Crate & Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest. The retailer has a contest for engaged couples; they must submit an online entry describing their love story, their ideal wedding, and their dream home. Fianc?s Robbie Cronrod and Allen Artcliff are in the pool as are Megan Younkman and Lauren Campisi of Tampa, Florida, who wrote PHB: Megan and I are a Lesbian couple from Tampa, Florida. Megan is an LPGA professional and I am a teacher and blogger (Mermaiding the Globe). We are currently entered in Crate & Barrel's Ultimate Wedding Contest...It would be wonderful for a gay couple to win a nationally recognized contest on marriage (especially in the current political climate).

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