By E. Ross at Bent Alaska
Gov. Sarah Palin has ignored a Gay Pride Month proclamation submitted by Anchorage PrideFest, but a proposal to add “sexual orientation” to the city’s non-discrimination policies caught the attention of Wasilla fundamentalists, who arrived in busloads to testify at an Anchorage hearing on Tuesday while their children protested outside.
Children opposed to the equal rights ordinance lined the entrances to the parking lot and building during the meeting, wearing red shirts and carrying mass produced signs from the Alaska Family Council. Palin’s hometown of Wasilla is not part of the Anchorage Municipality, but perhaps opponents could not find enough anti-gay Anchorage residents willing to testify against their neighbors and coworkers. Before the hearing, Anchorage PrideFest sent a Pride Month proclamation to Gov. Palin, inviting her to attend the annual Parade & Festival on June 20. Palin has not responded, although she has proclaimed Flag Day, Fishing Week and Auburn Founders Day in honor of Auburn, New York, so far for June.
The proclamation asks Palin to declare June as Gay Pride Month and to “urge all citizens of Alaska to join me in celebrating diversity by attending, supporting, recognizing, and respecting Anchorage PrideFest 2009 activities and events.”
On June 1, President Obama declared June 2009 as LGBT Pride Month, stating support for measures like “outlawing discrimination in the workplace,” a subject covered by the proposed Anchorage equal rights ordinance.
The ordinance, AO 2009-64(S), adds “sexual orientation” to the list of groups protected against discrimination in employment, housing, financing, education, public accommodations and municipal business. The original proposal was revised by the mayor to address concerns by religious opponents, but opponents still object, saying “the term “sexual orientation” is not acceptable in any discrimination ordinance.”write to our Assembly members and ask them to vote YES on the Equal Rights Ordinance. The Assembly has also scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, June 17, from 4-10 p.m.
Wasilla residents do not pay property taxes to Anchorage, nor do they vote for our Assembly members. However, a suggestion to limit testimony to Anchorage residents was turned down by the Assembly Chair.
Please join us at the next hearing on the equal rights ordinance on Tuesday, June 16, at Loussac Library. Doors open at 3, the meeting begins at 5 p.m. and ordinance testimony is likely to run from 7-11. Come early if you want a seat inside. Everyone is invited to share food and music at a Potluck for the People, on the Library lawn. Anchorage residents are encouraged to write to our Assembly members and ask them to vote YES on the Equal Rights Ordinance.
listen up Scarah and meg, get a clue.
quote:
“You pick what you want to talk about. The more your talk about it, the longer it goes on. If you don’t want it – don’t talk about it.” Levi Johnston
This is especially stark when contrasted to the he said/she said family members should be left alone in the political scrum. President Obama is markedly taking the high road in the national converation by recognizing GLBT civil servant partners legally (news to be released soon, as Washington scuttlebutt has it) and our Governor hasn’t given a response. She is a moral coward. The least she could have done is to have given some clear response to outline her standing on the issue. More and more meh with increased =( from this anger bear.
Do you think the reason Levi was banished from the Palin family was because he *is* the voice of reason and as such would never drink the Koolaid?
As for the red, interesting choice. It’s the color of blood, the color of anger. It makes you hungry which is why Italian restaurants use it for tablecloths. It is also the color of sex….red lipstick anyone? Red is also the color of dominance and power. Can also be interpreted as control.
Blue is a color that denotes honesty, truth, trust. It is the color of calm and reason. If you have to testify in court, wear blue, not red.
Just saying.
Sorry. That is 8:00 pm Pacific time
OT, and I really apologize. redwoodmuse’s SIL is having surgery tonight @ 8:00 pm. She really needs our support. She is on the forum. Thank you all…
Levi was with the baby all day today. 3 to 4 times a week. So far resolving without Court.
His comment re Letterman was far more mature than hers.
You pick what you want to talk about. The more your talk about it, the longer it goes on. If you don’t want it – don’t talk about it.
Bravo Levi!!!
@71 Austintx:
There is hope…
I might disappear for a while. The lightning is getting very close
the link is live now. I’ve got supper cooking and thunderstorms rolling in. will start live blogging once the public comment starts.
http://anchorageak.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2
I see a lot of blue shirts in the front.
http://anchorageak.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=2.&event_id=38
Live broadcast of the public hearing event… they have 250 other people to speak….
On CNN Larry King at some point in his show Levi is supposed to be commenting about the apology. Kathy Griffin will also be commenting about it — now there’s someone that could tear a strip!!
#11 EyeOnYou Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 11:48 AM
“She would never *come out* and be supportive in any meaningful
way, much the same as she is with native issues.” (my emphasis added on ‘come out’)
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Interesting turn of phrase, EyeOnYou. Maybe this is the iceberg? You know what “they” say… Think Larry Craig and Jim West, among others…
Well – well……..check this out………Georgia no less….
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/06/16/ga-supreme-court-gay-families/
63 justafarmer Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 4:03 PM
I’m in same time zone, CN.
Coffee, check
beer, check
Scotch (for when it gets REALLY bad), check
DH is gonna hate me, he still remembers last Tuesday; I think I finally got to bed at 4 am
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Do you just make one big cocktail , or what ??
Now this a a rally in NYC that Palin couldn’t match:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4fOIDYX8fI
Un-frick’in belieavable – the assembly won’t stop comments from non-Anchorites. What’s the rationale for that one? They are all running for higher public office and don’t want to piss off potential future consituents? They are all scared of their shadow and don’t want an impromptu lynch mob at their doorsteps (didn’t the Assembly cut back on funding the Anchorage police dept. in the city budget)? Gee, now that I know that I don’t have to be a resident of Anchorage to comment on the assembly’s business does that mean I can vote in the mayorial election next time? After all, Anchorage is “town” for this remote living person.
oooh!!! Aero bars!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sadly I don’t have any of those, but I have plenty of other suitable chocolate sources: truffles, Hershey dark chocolate bars, chocolate chip/macadamia nut cookies.
I’m set!
I live by the 3 Food groups
1. Coffee
2. Cigarettes
3. Chocolate
When energetic, I make my own chocolate. I used to make & sell at craft shows as a parttime/hobby. Still do Christmas, Easter for friends and whenever mood strikes — which isn’t often anymore!!
Gotta go dig up my AERO bars out of the freezer to be ready!!
justafarmer,
My vice is smoking. If I had to quit that, I’d have to learn to drink!!
Testimoney=Prevo’s favorite thing
I’m in same time zone, CN.
Coffee, check
beer, check
Scotch (for when it gets REALLY bad), check
DH is gonna hate me, he still remembers last Tuesday; I think I finally got to bed at 4 am
Testimony = Testimoney = Test I Money
Do I type much!!! (my #61 message!)
If testimoney doesn’t start until 7 AK time, this mudpup will be in her PJ’s watching or listening or posting as I’m EST.
Coffee, and more of the same!!
Mac, Avery labels makes an iron-on t-shirt thingie. You can have a custom-made tee in the time it takes to design, print and iron.
Me – peace to you – deep cleansing breaths…
Too bad it’s not early enough to make up blue t-shirts that say “Sarah Palin wants to promote equality and respect”
55 Me Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 2:10 PM
I am totally sick to my stomach with dread over facing that mob again tonight.
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Hang tuff. We’ll be watching and calliing B.S. when we see it.We got your back.
Truly fine work, AKM.
Me–just know that we’re there with you in spirit, with our love and support wrapped around you to protect you.
I am totally sick to my stomach with dread over facing that mob again tonight.
@deist
But as I watch Palin more, I wonder if we should continue wasting our time worrying about her– she’s her worst enemy and an example of what my mom used to call “Foot In Mouth Disease.”
Let’s relax and enjoy the show– Palin won’t go away any time soon. There will be many forthcoming diseased episodes.
————-
thanks…I know (at least my logical brain tells me) that she will self-destruct, but it’s that “won’t go away anytime soon” factor that gives me an ulcer. She’s got that certain mentality (clinical or otherwise), that confidence, and too many handlers protecting her from what’s real and sane and legal… and too many platforms made available to her. She still has too many crazy, cult followers/admirers, for my comfort level, and stranger things have happened in the political world. I will try to relax more and enjoy the show. I really do hope you’re right. I really really really really really do.
Ok – here’s the revised “Palin Bus” graphic.
http://southbuffaloonline.com/clients/southbuffaloonline/palinbus.jpg
RE: Gay Pride – Did Palin send some sort of “So sorry I can’t attend but all Alaskans can be proud , blah yada something faux blahda – Our thoughts are with you yakkity blather yap ” ? Anything at all or is she simply ignoring it entirely ?
Here’s the link to the ADN article about tonight, and it includes a place to link to the Internet broadcast (up near the top, just to the right of the article under “Related Links”: http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/anchorage/city_election/assembly/story/832195.html
Thank you z 🙂
43 mae lewis Says:
“That’s it! She wants to promote equality and respect! These are fighting words, and should be printed on signs and proudly carried high, quoting Sarah. If you unscramble the unnecessary words, she wants to promote equality and respect! (Too bad she won’t be there to say it in person).”
Oooooon the other hand –
some of the equal rights folks could directly quote her with a proper citation, and use her words in their signs and their presentations.
It would be really fun if awwwwll of them used her words.
Yes! for “equality and respect” SP……big signs tonight!
Just want to encourage anyone with a minute to click on the link to our assembly provided in AKM’s post above, to add your thoughts/reinforcement of this idea and email the Anchorage Assembly.
Just a couple lines would do it……since the “suggestion to limit testimony to Anchorage residents was turned down by the Assembly Chair.”
‘On behalf of all men’, “Sarah enough already.”
Called Hayes Research, they have nothing scheduled for the next couple weeks polling Palin.
to womanwithsardinecan:
“the next time Wasilla has public input about some local issue”
I had to giggle when I read this. I can’t recall ever having public input on an issue with the City of Wasilla. Which should have been a signal about how transparent a former Mayor of Wasilla would be once they became Governor.
We’re governed by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough out here in the Valley. The only thing the City of Wasilla does is put out a few Water & Sewer upgrade projects every once in awhile.
And are we surprised?
Sarah has given you all the ammunition you need for your equal rights cause. This was in her acceptance (finally) of David Letterman’s apology:
“This is all thanks to our U.S.Military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America’s Right to Free Speech- in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect.” (Sarah Palin, direct quote).*
That’s it! She wants to promote equality and respect! These are fighting words, and should be printed on signs and proudly carried high, quoting Sarah. If you unscramble the unnecessary words, she wants to promote equality and respect! (Too bad she won’t be there to say it in person).
*As for the actual mission in Iraq, it wasn’t to secure America’s right to free speech, but I don’t want to get OT here. We can discuss the Revolutionary War and its results some other time.
Just announced Daniel S. Sullivan as AK’s attorney general. He’s accomplished & committed to AK, & I’m confident he’ll serve AKns well.
# 27 Freakout in Kansas
That is Christianist child abuse. When Palinites aren’t throwing someone under a bus, they use church to bus in red shirt Christianist children to carry their signs. An example from Joel’s Army or something.
EyeOnYou
Open Thread – Bear! #110 Says: Z~ What was the excuse given for Palin going on SNL? I don’t really have any desire to register at the AK Standard just to read the article.
I left you a message @ # 114 Open Thread – Bear!
I have so much sympathy for you guys. I live in a small community outside of CO Springs, CO. It is the cradle of intolerance, we had pastor ted, hypocrite of the universe, for many years. James Dobson, focus on your own dam* family, thinks he owns the town. A local peace coalition after getting approval, tried to participate in the St Patrick’s Day parade a few years back, when the people in charge saw that they were peacefully protesting the war they forbade them from participating. When some members tried anyway the CS police proceeded to drag a woman in her seventies out of the parade. Her pants came down & she got pavement burn across her hip & behind (in addition to the humiliation). You can bet your butt I contributed every spare dollar & phone banked for my president. This is probably why I have such a deep dislike of Sarah, I have had a long good luck at intolerance & it’s very ugly.
Those poor children. Protesting when they have no idea what the hell is going on. Parents filling their minds with hate. It just makes me sick.
Palin, CONVENIENTLY had to go to Kenai, today to visit her constituents and sign bills. Ya know cause she was busy all last week.
on a side note:
apparently its “family values” for a mother to let her teenage daughter have sex and get pregnant THEN play a stage prop for mom’s political ambitions. the exploitation of Bristol’s sexuality occurred when her mother didn’t arrange for and demand Bristol’s absolute privacy from the get-go.
in addition: didn’t Sarah hide her pregnancy with Trig? i clearly remember thinking at the time, ‘you know she’s right, why should her pregnancy have been broadcast just because she’s governor?’ (while also thinking how irresponsible it was of her to GET pregnant during her 1st year as the 1st female Governor of Alaska) – but apparently the same standard wasn’t applied to her child’s pregnancy. double standard within their household – isn’t that what Levi accuses them of?
The next time Wasilla has public input about some local issue, people from Anchorage need to flood the event and demand a voice. And don’t forget to wear blue.
Lainey:
Palin bothers me a lot. I made some comments in the previous discussion.
But as I watch Palin more, I wonder if we should continue wasting our time worrying about her– she’s her worst enemy and an example of what my mom used to call “Foot In Mouth Disease.”
Let’s relax and enjoy the show– Palin won’t go away any time soon. There will be many forthcoming diseased episodes.
The one I eagerly anticipate– Palin’s Sadistic Self-Absorbed Demise of The Republican Party.
This would include her paranoia about fellow republicans who aren’t “straight.” I guess Palin assumes she’s “straight.”
Ya’ know, somewhere I’ve heard the reference for Red Shirts affiliated with communism, among others. Seems like a color they should not be aligning themselves with.
Just a thought.
JaneE
OT:
The Alaska Senate Resources and Energy committees will meet June 23 in Anchorage to review the agreement announced last week between Exxon and TransCanada Corp. involving construction of a natural gas pipeline.
____________________________________________
Got popocorn?
As someone from Anchorage who lives in Wasilla (50 ft outside the city limits =-) – there is NO WAY anyone in Wasilla would tolerate having Anchorage-ites testify at a city hearing. Hypocrites.
The chair is allowing non-voting, non-residents to speak?
Okay.
But they better declare their place of residence before they start speaking. So someone can keep a tally of exactly how many Anchorage residents are speaking and what their positions are. Who cares about carpetbaggers?
BTW I’m sure Palin is busy today with her fire David Letterman parade. Did she declare today Fire David Letterman Day?
I would suggest you get all of your blue shirts together at the door at 2:30 and take up as many seats as you can. Take a page out of the Con Edison book and lock them out by taking all of the seats.
27 Freakout in Kansas Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Gotta love all those Christians dressed alike and teaching tolerance to their children…grrrrrrr…I get ticked off just looking at the pictures.
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If you plan on joining us , you best have a stiff cocktail if this guy Stan Roach gets to talk again. Talk about a hater……..BTW – last time Snoskred joined in with some pretty dang funny comments.
Sarah Palin: Christian In Name Only
Suck it up and do unto them before they do unto you… why not start a campaign to have people send her small swaths of red fabric? If she don’t come to you, bring it on to her house.
Gotta love all those Christians dressed alike and teaching tolerance to their children…grrrrrrr…I get ticked off just looking at the pictures.
InJuneau Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 11:24 AM
Oh for crying out loud. Does she have NO ONE who will talk sense to her?
2 InJuneau Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 11:25 AM
Oh, wait, what was I thinking…!
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NO…you AK’s must NOT give up…we depend on you to rid the narrow thinking and corruption of palin…we, the rest of us down here in the lower 48 (I never separated the United States from AK like this ever before I heard this term used by palin). she must NOT be allowed as dictator into any candidacy again! I, for one, do not want some religious nut in my White House…somebody who pulls from the Bible only what they need to control others, ignoring the rest! help us all.
Good vibes to all who are going to the Assembly meeting tonight- may the mudforce be with you!
I’ll be here austin, last time was a real blast!
Thanks pvazwindy & austintx.
I will watch for Lori later. I went to the A site but it being too early, am not sure if I had clicked on the right feed.
Even Dick Cheney would be embarrassed by Palin.
If AKM doesn’t provide the link later , Lori did it last time and plans on benig here again. To watch and blog , you grab the link when you see it and then minimize it , the sound stays on and you just open a tab for the thread and post away. whenever you want to see with the sound , click on the link tab. Just go back and forth. It’s fun with the running comments. Last week , one of my faves was a pre-op gentleman named Piper.
All of this reminds me of the song from South Pacific:
You’ve got to be taught
To hate and fear,
You’ve got to be taught
From year to year,
It’s got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made,
And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade,
You’ve got to be carefully taught.
You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late,
Before you are six or seven or eight,
To hate all the people your relatives hate,
You’ve got to be carefully taught!
Sad, sad, sad. That last stanza might work on a tee shirt to remind the red shirts what they are doing. Maybe some would care.
sry cant copy and paste
link on front page ADN
Anyone aware of the link for livestream??
Oh, and if the testomony is live streamed, it looks like it will prob. be from 7-11 pm Alaska Daylight Time, based on the info AKM linked to from Bent Alaska’s blog up there ^.
GINO never commits early to anything in public but I did run across an article the other day dated in March in a New York publication that Palin was going to particate in the Auburn event in New York. She knew full well she was planning on being in New York then but could not commit to the Washington GOP event. Too many games played.
I hope there will be livestreaming and liveblogging, also, too, although I will sadly have to go to bed just when things are getting going.
8 Canadian Neighbour Says:
June 16th, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Didn’t this meeting livestream or something last week?
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Yes , and some of us blogged it for those that could not get the feed. It was like a roller coaster watching the haters and hearing some of the stories of the people. You can listen and post at the same time. There were some fun parts and sad parts and mad parts.
Canadian Neighbour–I don’t know. Maybe whoever found the livestreaming link from last week will pop back on and post it again. I didn’t catch it, so I’m not sure what it was. Oh, maybe you can still find it on the thread from last week?
Why would anyone be in the least bit surprised by Palin snubbing this? She isn’t known for her compassion,
especially not toward the LGBT community. This must go against everything her religious beliefs have
taught her to accept as okay or “normal”. She would never come out and be supportive in any meaningful
way, much the same as she is with native issues.
Are they livestreaming that you can listen in? Or is there somewhere people are posting what’s going on?
Canadian Neighbour–there were so many people signed up to testify that they’re doing a second night of it.
Didn’t this meeting livestream or something last week?
Oh Paula, let me take care of that for you. When will she sleep – THWACK!!
She’s Sleeping!!!! LOL
I’ll be there just like last time. Lori , justafarmer , and all the rest that I can’t remember , DUTY calls.
You’d think the Governor of New York would take offense to GINO’s infiltration of his Sovereignty.
She is, after all, now the Joke Czar, too. Oh when will she sleep?
Perhaps Sarah is really busy saving America by monitoring the TV and comedians jokes.
Oh, wait, what was I thinking…!
Oh for crying out loud. Does she have NO ONE who will talk sense to her?