Just In Case!

Somebody completed the project survey midday on Monday, the 18th. The person indicated that s/he was interested in being interviewed, but then provided no contact info. In the event that you, the reader, are the this person - please send me a note at us2canada@gmail.com letting me know how to contact you. Thanks! We now return to our regularly scheduled programming...

Sunday Evening

This is just a quick note of thanks to those of you have have responded to my call for participants. Much as I'd rather put this on the front burner, I don't anticipate doing anything further until well into the new year. I've got to finish grading and then try to wrap up the other manuscript... But, rest assured, you will be hearing from me!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch - okay, the early 20th century four-square. This will be a busy week. P's last final is Tuesday. Yea! 5YO can't believe that after Friday he has two weeks off from school! But, before that it's lunches and parties and baking, oh, my.

In other news... One of my cyber-pals, C, and his family, landed this weekend. Although already living in Canada, they took a little day trip to land. Congratulations! And, as anyone in our little world of US2CA blogs knows, Emilio was granted asylum. A really huge congratulations to Tom and Emilio!

Well, it's off to bed for me. Still trying to beat this cold before vacation arrives. Have a great week!

Research Assistance

As regular readers might recall, I'm a sociologist by trade. I'm also close to finishing my current book and have been thinking about my next endeavor. I've been wanting to do something "personally meaningful," but that still offers something to the discipline. After seriously weighing the pros and cons, I've decided to do some exploratory work on a project aimed at learning more about US citizens who have decided to move to Canada. If I can garner enough interest, I will do in-depth interviews aimed at learning more about their decisions, what "made the difference," etc.

If you are interested in helping out, please go here. I've also started a separate blog as a means to maintain various resources, comments, etc. I don't know how much it will be used initially, but I want to keep my own comments about my experience separate from the more "project-oriented" writing. Although there's not much there now, it's called Magnetic North.

I would be very appreciative if you would be willing to participate and if you would forward the info to your immigrant or immigrant-to-be friends far and wide.

Thanks!

Oh, noooooo!

So, P is in the midst of final exams. First semester of law school. She gets up this morning, fires up the computer - the one with all her notes, course outlines, practice exams - and... nothing. Well, not exactly nothing, but a screen full of pretty colored vertical lines. No wallpaper, no icons, no screensaver, just lines. Talk about a student's nightmare. And, not only did she need the data, but they take exams on their laptops. Well, one call to Apple Care, one trip to the Apple Store, one trip to CompUSA, and twelve hours later we have one new PC notebook - with the data that we were able to transfer from her PowerBook to mine - and one PowerBook with a questionable future. You see, the estimate to fix it is $350. Given the original cost of the thing or the cost to replace it with a new MacBook, that wouldn't be so bad. But, that only gets her a 90 day warranty on the repair. So, with computers becoming obsolete within days of walking out of the store, we figured she'd get a low-end PC notebook, buy the extended coverage, and have a computer good for the rest of school. By then we'll be several more generations down the road and she can get the one she really wants.

Now, this may sound completely unrelated to immigration and, yeah, it pretty much is. But, here's the connection. As I understand it, when we land, with our Goods to Follow list in our hot little hands, we will list all our property, with serial numbers where applicable. But, if we're then in the US for another couple of years and, say, buy a new computer, we won't have owned that at landing. Technically, as I understand it, we'd have to pay import duty - or whatever they call it - on anything we acquired after landing. Is that correct?

I also hear tell that they don't really check your stuff. That if we have a laptop packed inside, e.g., the boxes and boxes of books, who would ever know? Now, let's be clear - am I paranoid or what? - I'm not saying we'd do this. But, hypothetically speaking...?

Books and Movies for $100, Alex

What I've been doing since deciding not to make myself crazy over work...

Why We Fight
"WHY WE FIGHT, the new film by Eugene Jarecki which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, is an unflinching look at the anatomy of the American war machine, weaving unforgettable personal stories with commentary by a “who’s who” of military and beltway insiders. Featuring John McCain, William Kristol, Chalmers Johnson, Gore Vidal, Richard Perle and others, WHY WE FIGHT launches a bipartisan inquiry into the workings of the military industrial complex and the rise of the American Empire.

Inspired by Dwight Eisenhower’s legendary farewell speech (in which he coined the phrase “military industrial complex”), filmmaker Jarecki (THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER) surveys the scorched landscape of a half-century’s military adventures, asking how – and telling why – a nation of, by, and for the people has become the savings-and-loan of a system whose survival depends on a state of constant war."

Sir, No Sir!
"In the 1960’s an anti-war movement emerged that altered the course of history. This movement didn’t take place on college campuses, but in barracks and on aircraft carriers. It flourished in army stockades, navy brigs and in the dingy towns that surround military bases. It penetrated elite military colleges like West Point. And it spread throughout the battlefields of Vietnam. It was a movement no one expected, least of all those in it. Hundreds went to prison and thousands into exile. And by 1971 it had, in the words of one colonel, infested the entire armed services. Yet today few people know about the GI movement against the war in Vietnam . . . . The film does four things: 1) Brings to life the history of the GI movement through the stories of those who were part of it; 2) Reveals the explosion of defiance that the movement gave birth to with never-before-seen archival material; 3) Explores the profound impact that movement had on the military and the war itself; and 4) The feature, 90 minute version, also tells the story of how and why the GI Movement has been erased from the public memory."

North to Canada: Men and Women Against the Vietnam War
"While we may never know the exact number of Americans who chose Canada over Vietnam, an estimated half-million men and women went north as a result of their opposition to the war. Despite President Ford's amnesty and President Carter's pardon, some of these exiles never returned. This book, which focuses upon those who remained in Canada, offers a resister's eye view of the most traumatic war in American history. Dickerson blends resister interviews with an account of the historical events that served as watersheds for these young Americans.

Dickerson answers the question: Whatever happened to the men and women who went to Canada? With contextual information regarding the policies of both the U.S. and Canadian governments towards the war and its resisters, Dickerson offers evidence that a generation of America's "best and brightest" was lost to Canada. His inclusion of female resisters contributes a new perspective to the debate that continues to rage more than 25 years after the withdrawal of the last American troops in Vietnam."

I highly recommend all three of the above. They are all compelling for a variety of reasons.

And again...

December 12, 2006
Pastor Quits After Revealing Same-Sex Relations
By Neela Banerjee

The senior pastor of a suburban Denver evangelical church resigned Sunday after admitting to having had sexual relations with men. The move apparently came after the pastor was confronted by another minister in his church who had been alerted by an anonymous caller, The Denver Post reported.

The resignation of the pastor, the Rev. Paul Barnes, from the pulpit of the 2,100-member Grace Chapel megachurch in Englewood came by way of a tearful, 32-minute videotaped address to his congregation.

His departure occurred a month after the Rev. Ted Haggard quit as president of the National Association of Evangelicals and senior pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs when a former male prostitute disclosed that Mr. Haggard had had a sexual relationship with him.

Dave Palmer, the associate pastor of Grace Chapel, told The Post that the church received a call last week from a person who had overheard someone speak of “blowing the whistle” on other evangelical ministers in clandestine homosexual relationships, among them Mr. Barnes. Mr. Palmer then spoke with Mr. Barnes.

For the entire article visit The New York Times.

Those Wonderful Exceptions!

This semester I've been teaching a course for students who spent last Spring semester abroad. Most of them whine about the reflective work, don't see why it's required, etc. But, as with most classes, every now and again a bright light, an exceptional student, appears. One of the assignments is a project - the parameters are very, very broad - in which the students must share something of their travels with others. They can present to another class on campus, visit an elementary school, write an article for publication, etc.. This year one student did a terrific slide show, one gave a talk to a Philosophy class, another did some mixed-media paintings. But one really impressed me. AEB spent last Spring in Sevilla, Spain and has created a short, 6-8 minute, audio piece from her experience. It is available here. Check it out!

BTW, I hesitated to post this because I would hate for my students to be able to work their way back to this blog, but I just can't resist sharing this. That being said, if you listen and comment, just don't mention who sent you. Thanks!

26 Years Ago

John Lennon
9 Oct 1940 - 8 Dec 1980

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Rock My World

"The Dixie Chicks' 'Taking the Long Way' was nominated for album of the year while their single 'Not Ready to Make Nice' is up for both song and record of the year."

They have got to be so pumped! Talk about validation!

More on Marriage

See what the group, Canadians for Equal Marriage, says about the vote here. Thanks, Jo, for the heads-up!

Vote in Parliament

Government motion on same-sex marriage is defeated
December 7, 2006 - 3:31 PM ET

A motion to reopen the same-sex marriage debate was easily defeated in Parliament on Thursday, as expected.

MPs voted 175-123 against the controversial motion tabled by the ruling Conservatives.
The motion had asked the government to introduce legislation to restore the traditional definition of marriage without affecting civil unions and while respecting existing same-sex marriages.

The motion never had much hope of passing, as the Bloc Québécois and the NDP were forcing their members to vote against it.

Liberals were allowed to vote freely on the matter, but most members were expected to oppose the motion.

The vote should put an end to parliamentary wrangling about same-sex marriage, at least for now. Prime Minister Stephen Harper had said a vote to defeat the motion would settle the matter.

See the complete article here.

Love Story

I hesitate to contaminate my blog with these images, but I got a chuckle out of this. The original e-mail was titled, "A Love Story in Four Pictures." Enjoy.

Well, I thought it was funny!

Make-You-Gay Warfare

In the course of doing some research today, I came across this tidbit. Seriously. The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network posted it to their site in January 2005, but this was the first I'd heard of it. It's funny, pathetic, and scary, all wrapped into one.

Pentagon Confirms Report of Planned Gay Conversion Chemical Weapon
WASHINGTON, DC – A spokesperson for the Department of Defense has confirmed a report that Air Force officials proposed developing a gay conversion chemical weapon in 1994. The proposal, part of a plan from Wright Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was to develop “chemicals that effect (sic) human behavior so that discipline and morale in enemy units is adversely effected (sic). One distasteful but completely non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behavior.”

“The Air Force’s proposal is delusional, homophobic and offensive,” said C. Dixon Osburn, Executive Director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN). “Gays and lesbians serve in the United States armed forces and in the militaries of our closest allies. They do so as part of a formidable fighting force. The assertion that a gay opponent would be somehow less effective in combat is outrageous. No one questioned the battle prowess of Alexander the Great because of his sexual orientation.”

The Pentagon has said the proposal was never implemented. Details of the classified proposal were revealed by Project Sunshine, a watchdog group which monitors chemical and biological warfare agent development.

"Brief remorse over move to Canada"

Brief remorse over move to Canada
One can head north as a political protest, but political climates can change.
David Drucker

My wife and I awoke, as usual, to NPR. Before political correspondent Mara Liasson got to the end of her first sentence, I knew the news was disastrous. George W. Bush had been reelected.

"Honey," I said, "remember when we talked about moving to Canada?"

I'm sure a lot of other dyed-in-the-organic-wool liberals muttered something similar that dark morning in 2004, but unlike most of them, we meant it. Plan A: John Kerry wins, we build that dream ski house in Vermont. Plan B: Move to Vancouver.

So, Plan B it was. We'd had enough of Bush, the direction the United States was going, and this was the last straw. Never mind that we lived in Cambridge, Mass., arguably the most liberal city in the bluest of the blue states. We were packing our bulk granola into our diesel Beetle and heading out.

Eight months later, we were settling into a new home and jobs in British Columbia when Canada had its own election. For those unfamiliar with the Canadian system of government, the prime minister is elected by parliament -- not every four years but after losing a no-confidence vote. After a few of those, there was a parliamentary election in January, which led to the election of a new prime minister, Stephen Harper, of Canada's Conservative Party.

Harper ran on cutting taxes and turning a federal child-care program into a monthly payment per child. The opposition's negative campaign ads sounded eerily familiar: He supported Bush's war in Iraq, was against signing the Kyoto environmental accord and wanted to "reexamine" gay marriage (which is legal in Canada). A shiver rippled down from our berets to our Birkenstocks.

Then, a few weeks ago, we awoke, as usual, to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Before CBC morning-show host Tom Allen got to the end of his first sentence, I knew: Back in the United States, the Democratic Party had won control of the House and the Senate.

"Honey, did we make a big mistake?"

By "big mistake" I mean not the kind in which you switch lines at Whole Foods and the line you'd been in suddenly starts to move. We're talking big mistake like selling all of your stock in Ben & Jerry's the day before Unilever buys the company.

But it turns out that Canadian conservatism can look awfully liberal. So far, Harper -- derided as "Bush lite" -- has, for instance, introduced a partial tax credit for monthly transit passes. The Conservatives have proposed a Clean Air Act for Canada, and although it's not ideal, it's still something. Harper said that these new laws would "institute a holistic approach that doesn't treat the related issues of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in isolation." When was the last time you heard any U.S. politician utter the word "holistic"?

Did I mention universal health care? Even Harper seems committed to keeping that.

We've come to the conclusion that the United States has drifted so far to the right that any self-respecting Canadian Conservative would be considered a raving liberal in Washington. Stephen Harper is no George W. Bush. We may not agree with him, but we don't feel ashamed every time he opens his mouth. We might yawn, though.

So we're staying in Canada. But good luck with that new Congress, eh?

David Drucker is an information architect in Vancouver, British Columbia. He wrote this article for the Los Angeles Times.

Star Tribune

South Africa

First to make it legal: Gays wed in South Africa
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP)

Vernon Gibbs and Tony Halls got hitched Friday in South Africa's first same-sex wedding, a day after the government made the marriages legal.

The couple, who run a guest lodge and animal rehabilitation center on the southwestern coast, donned their game-ranger outfits and went down to the local home affairs office in the town of George.

In front of marriage officer Petro Kruger, they exchanged rings and were pronounced a married couple.

"It was so amazing. So quick and easy. I can't believe it. I am so happy," said Gibbs.

South Africa on Thursday became the first country in Africa, and only the fifth in the world, to legalize same-sex marriages, despite opposition from political parties and religious groups.

The Civil Union Act went into effect a day ahead of the December 1 deadline set by the country's Constitutional Court, which required the marriage law be changed to ensure equality for gays and lesbians.

Go here for more.

FBI/Police Certificates

Daniel wrote: "If I may, a question about the police clearance from Germany -- I have lived outside the U.S. as well. You said that you have it already; did you submit this with your application and this another one with a later date or is this the first time? The reason I ask is that it was hell getting this document for me and I have submitted it with our application. Will I have to go through that again because the first one 'expired'?" In response, I thought I'd post about that and clearances in general.

Unlike some of you, upon the advice of our attorney, we did not submit FBI, state, or foreign clearances/police certs with out original application. In April, 2006 - eleven months after applying - we were advised, in anticipation of the IA, to make application for FBI clearances. We did so and received them, date stamped 24 July 2006. As such, they will probably be sufficient for our visas because - barring some unknown disaster - they will be less than one year old when we submit remaining materials.

As I've probably mentioned, I was really, really, really hoping that we would not be asked to obtain state police certificates. The "official word" is that you will need them from each state in which you've lived for six months or more since the age of 18. For me that would have been six certificates. Ugh! But, again, we were advised to hold off because of the timeline. It also appeared - judging by those who have gone before, but gone recently - that they might not ask for them at all. That was, in fact, the case - and I hope it doesn't change or that will really throw a wrench into things!

Finally, I knew that having lived in Germany (then, West Germany) for over three years obligated me to get a police certificate from the Germans. Again, we were advised to wait a bit. Fortunately, the Germans were - no surprise - amazingly efficient. Clear info was available on-line and I received my certificate within two weeks of sending the application! It's amazing to me that I received the German cert from Germany in two weeks while the FBI cards took 13!

Funny side story - it cost 13 euros. It would have cost me $50 to get a wire for 13 euros so I took a 20 euro note that I had in my drawer and sent it in. I know it's risky to send cash through the mail, but I figured it beat paying my bank a small fortune. Not only was it no problem, but the Germans asked for the information they would need to wire 7 euros to my account. I've probably thrown the entire bureaucracy into a tizzy, but I took the "I'm so glad to have the cert, you can keep the 7 euros" approach. My German friend swears that some clerk is probably going buggy at not having received the exact amount or been able to post a credit.

I haven't seen info about expiration of foreign certificates, but here's my thought. What the other country is saying (you hope) is that you have no police record there. The request is based not on your travel to the country, but on having lived there. Thus, using my case as an example, although I have traveled to Germany since 1981, I've not lived there since 1981. So, if you can follow this logic, since they've already "reported" on my record, or lack thereof, for the period during which I lived there, it shouldn't "expire." Now, if I were living there now, I can see where that would be different. But, doing it again next year wouldn't produce a different result because the time period being addressed remains the same. This, of course, is not the case when it comes to living in the States and the FBI clearance. I feel like I should have written that better; hope you get the idea! All that being said, I don't know that logic prevails...

That's it for now! If you haven't visited in a while, be sure to scroll down as there's been a flurry of posting lately. Cheers!

Gay marriage debate set...

From globeandmail.com

Gay marriage debate set for next week
Tenille Bonoguore
Globe and Mail Update and Canadian Press

Having just waded through the matter of Québécois nationality, the Conservative government is preparing to reopen the same-sex marriage debate.

Same-sex marriage will be back on the parliamentary agenda on Wednesday as Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivers on his promise to revisit the issue.

The House of Commons will debate whether to reconsider the current law permitting gay and lesbian couples to marry which was passed last year on the back of court rulings deeming it unconstitutional to deny same-sex couples that right.

The debate on Bill C-38 will be followed by a vote before the House breaks for the Christmas holidays.

The motion is not expected to directly challenge existing legislation but may ask if parliamentarians are willing to repeal or amend the law.

During the election campaign, Harper promised to hold a free vote in the Commons on whether Parliament should revisit the issue. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has said he is willing to abide by a decision by the Commons to let the current law stand.

Peace Wreath

The guys over at Life Wthout Borders had posted a story about the peace wreath. Here's a welcome follow-up:

November 29, 2006
Pro-Peace Symbol Forces Win Battle in Colorado Town
By Kirk Johnson

DENVER, Nov. 28 — Peace is fighting back in Pagosa Springs.

Last week, a couple were threatened with fines of $25 a day by their homeowners’ association unless they removed a four-foot wreath shaped like a peace symbol from the front of their house.

The fines have been dropped, and the three-member board of the association has resigned, according to an e-mail message sent to residents on Monday.

Two board members have disconnected their telephones, apparently to escape the waves of callers asking what the board could have been thinking, residents said. The third board member, with a working phone, did not return a call for comment.

In its original letter to the couple, Lisa Jensen and Bill Trimarco, the association said some neighbors had found the peace symbol politically “divisive.”

A board member later told a newspaper that he thought the familiar circle with angled lines was also, perhaps, a sign of the devil.

The peace symbol came to prominence in the late 1950s as the logo for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, a British antiwar group, according to the group’s Web site. It incorporates the semaphore flag images for the letters in the group’s name, a “D” atop an “N.”

Other people have said the upright line with arms angled down, commonplace in the United States in the Vietnam War, especially, has roots in the early Christian era, representing a twisted or broken cross.

Mr. Trimarco said he put up the wreath as a general symbol of peace on earth, not as a commentary on the Iraq war or another political statement.

In any case, there are now more peace symbols in Pagosa Springs, a town of 1,700 people 200 miles southwest of Denver, than probably ever in its history.

On Tuesday morning, 20 people marched through the center carrying peace signs and then stomped a giant peace sign in the snow perhaps 300 feet across on a soccer field, where it could be easily seen.

“There’s quite a few now in our subdivision in a show of support,” Mr. Trimarco said.

A former president of the Loma Linda community, where Mr. Trimarco lives, said Tuesday that he had stepped in to help form an interim homeowners’ association.

The former president, Farrell C. Trask, described himself in a telephone interview as a military veteran who would fight for anyone’s right to free speech, peace symbols included.

Town Manager Mark Garcia said Pagosa Springs was building its own peace wreath, too. Mr. Garcia said it would be finished by late Tuesday and installed on a bell tower in the center of town.

The Details

Thought that some of you might find this of interest:

The following documents have been requested for submission to the Canadian Consulate General in Detroit, by February 17, 2007:

1. Payment of the Right of Permanent Residence Fee. This is the landing fee, which must be paid before your visas can be issued. It is applicable only for you and P, and the total amount is USD$890.00 ($445 + $445), and should be paid by bank draft or money order, in favour of "The Canadian Consulate General".

2. Copies of your medical examination receipts.

3. Proof of Settlement Funds. You must be able to show that you possess a minimum of CAD$15,563.00 in funds that are unencumbered and easily transferable to Canada. The funds should be in your name, or joint bank accounts with your partner. Original and up to date bank statements and/or letters from your bank confirming the exact amount should be sufficient.

4. Original FBI Clearances for you and P. The clearances issued in July 2006 should be acceptable, as they are less than one year old.

5. Original Police Certificate from Germany for you. Please be reminded that if the document is not in English or in French it must be accompanied by a certified translation.

State police certificates have not been requested, and are therefore not necessary for submission.

********

Ask me how glad I am that they cut the RPR fee! And, before your heart stops, remember that the CAD$15,563 in settlement funds are for a family of three, not just two.

I'm glad that it looks like we won't have to get FBI clearances again and I'm really glad about the state police certs as I would have had to get six of 'em! I already have the cert from Germany.

We've made appointments for physicals for Monday, 8 January. I know that most folks want to rush out and get them right away, but I'd rather have a month to get through exams, etc. and relax - see early posts re BP! We'll still be within the time range and then we can go while 5YO is back in school. Make a day of it in the 'burbs!

I think that's it for now. Woo-hoo!!!!

Okay...

We're waiting for the materials that will tell us how much time we have for medicals, what we need to get now (e.g., proof of funds), whether we need new FBI cards (they're not four months old yet). The letter should be sent via FedEx in the morning so... soon!

I thought I'd post a note about the medicals here rather than as a comment. As folks suggest, there is a bizarre array of prices for the exam. There are only two places here that do them so shopping around isn't really an option. One place gets about $400 and I've heard good things about them. The other guy charges about $300 and seems creepy. I called one of the two people in Thunder Bay and he charges CAD120 plus CAD42 for the x-ray. But, it's 8 hours away. By the time we figure gas, hotel, etc. it's a wash and we only get to visit to beautiful downtown Thunder Bay. Now, if it were summer, or Toronto...

I checked nearby states and there is nothing in Wisconsin, one person in Des Moines, IA and one in Rapid City, SD. That's about 7 and 9 hours respectively. So, given that it's winter and the possibility that we get called back... I think we're just going to suck it up and go with the local for $400. You can't help but think that it's all about supply and demand when places with more providers are charging so much less. Grrrrr...

I'll just be glad to get it over with. I have BP issues (can ya' tell?) and here it is the end of the semester and the holidays. Oy! I'm hoping to be able to schedule them for the first week of January after a weekend in the country snowshoeing. Then, since the office is about 45 minutes away, I'm going to have P drive and listen to relaxation music - not the Dixie Chicks! - on the way down. Seriously. I have a plan. Keep your fingers crossed. I'm sure the follow-up would be fine, but I'd love to walk in there, get 80/120, and be done with it.

Well, off to class where tonight's activity is for the students who have returned from semester abroad programs talk with those getting ready to leave about the stereotypes about Americans that they encountered. Should be interesting to hear what they have to say!

Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!

Hot in via e-mail from the attorney's office:

"Your early Christmas present has arrived! I am very pleased to inform you that we have received a communication from the Canadian Consulate General in Detroit, advising us that your interview has been waived! You and are now asked to undergo your medical examinations, and submit additional documentation to the Consulate. Attached please find a scan of the first page of the original waiver notice..."

Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh. More soon, but just had to post that!

Molasses, er, Detroit

From our attorney's office:

Thank you for your patience.

To date we have received only one assessment from Detroit for an application with a May AOR. I can assure you that your application has not been lost, your application is still in process, and we should hopefully receive your assessment in the next month or so. I will keep you updated.

Happy Thanksgiving!

*******

Not the Thanksgiving e-mail I would have preferred...

Hope those of you in the States are having a nice day. Perhaps I'll post again later.

The Pentagon is Watching

The New York Times

November 21, 2006
Military Documents Hold Tips on Antiwar Activities
By Eric Lichtblau and Mark Mazzetti

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 — An antiterrorist database used by the Defense Department in an effort to prevent attacks against military installations included intelligence tips about antiwar planning meetings held at churches, libraries, college campuses and other locations, newly disclosed documents show.

One tip in the database in February 2005, for instance, noted that “a church service for peace” would be held in the New York City area the next month. Another entry noted that antiwar protesters would be holding “nonviolence training” sessions at unidentified churches in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The Defense Department tightened its procedures earlier this year to ensure that only material related to actual terrorist threats — and not peaceable First Amendment activity — was included in the database.

The head of the office that runs the military database, which is known as Talon, said Monday that material on antiwar protests should not have been collected in the first place.

“I don’t want it, we shouldn’t have had it, not interested in it,” said Daniel J. Baur, the acting director of the counterintelligence field activity unit, which runs the Talon program at the Defense Department. “I don’t want to deal with it.”

Mr. Baur said that those operating the database had misinterpreted their mandate and that what was intended as an antiterrorist database became, in some respects, a catch-all for leads on possible disruptions and threats against military installations in the United States, including protests against the military presence in Iraq.

“I don’t think the policy was as clear as it could have been,” he said. Once the problem was discovered, he said, “we fixed it,” and more than 180 entries in the database related to war protests were deleted from the system last year. Out of 13,000 entries in the database, many of them uncorroborated leads on possible terrorist threats, several thousand others were also purged because he said they had “no continuing relevance.”

Amid public controversy over the database, leads from so-called neighborhood watch programs and other tips about possible threats are down significantly this year, Mr. Baur said. While the system had been tightened, he said he was concerned that the public scrutiny had created “a huge chilling effect” that could lead the military to miss legitimate terrorist threats.

Mr. Baur was responding to the latest batch of documents produced by the military under a Freedom of Information Act request brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups. The A.C.L.U. planned to release the documents publicly on Tuesday, and officials with the group said they would push for Democrats, newly empowered in Congress, to hold formal hearings about the Talon database.

Ben Wizner, a lawyer for the A.C.L.U. in New York, said the new documents suggested that the military’s efforts to glean intelligence on protesters went beyond what was previously known. If intelligence officials “are going to be doing investigations or monitoring in a place where people gather to worship or to study, they should have a pretty clear indication that a crime has occurred,” Mr. Wizner added.

The leader of one antiwar group mentioned repeatedly in the latest military documents provided to the A.C.L.U. said he was skeptical that the military had ended its collection of material on war protests.

“I don’t believe it,” said the leader, Michael T. McPhearson, a former Army captain who is the executive director of Veterans for Peace, a group in St. Louis.

Mr. McPhearson said he found the references to his group in the Talon database disappointing but not altogether surprising, and he said the group continued to use public settings and the Internet to plan its protests.

“We don’t have anything to hide,” he said. “We’re not doing anything illegal.”

The latest Talon documents showed that the military used a variety of sources to collect intelligence leads on antiwar protests, including an agent in the Department of Homeland Security, Google searches on the Internet and e-mail messages forwarded by apparent informants with ties to protest groups.

In most cases, entries in the Talon database acknowledged that there was no specific evidence indicating the possibility of terrorism or disruptions at the antiwar events, but they warned of the potential for violence.

One entry on Mr. McPhearson’s group from April 2005, for instance, described a protest at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces at which members handed out antimilitary literature and set up hundreds of white crosses to symbolize soldiers killed in Iraq.

“Veterans for Peace is a peaceful organization,” the entry said, but added there was potential that future protests “could become violent.”

Short Rant

Thursday afternoon. Wrapping up some things at my desk. Pick up message. Return call. It's an acquaintance who, with her husband, has also applied for PR. I call back. Nice to hear from her. She has a few questions. She's a bit panicked because... they have received the request for their medicals and they had hoped things wouldn't move this quickly. Oh, did I say that they applied in January 2006? We applied in June 2005. We have a nice chat. I answer her questions. Good to hear from her. But, I've pretty much stopped looking at things like Trackitt because it's just so annoying. Now I hear it in real time. Grrrr... I fired an e-mail off to the attorney to see what the latest is that they're seeing. On 17 October they were seeing Detroit process AORs from April 2005. If they stay on track we'll hear something next month. I'm sure I'll get some formal "Yes, they are slow" response as has happened before. Detroit sucks. Then I go home. I'll spare you the details, but let's just say we have a sick dog. I got home at 4 to meet 5YO's bus and was still cleaning up at 6:30. He made it through the night without event. I hope today is better on all counts! ;-)

Jeanne "Linda" Michel - Casualty of War

This is a really long post, but it's an article I'm posting here in case the link disappears. People really don't understand the thousands and thousands of lives being hurt by this folly in Iraq. We hear about deaths in Iraq and every now and then theres a "human interest" story about someone overcoming very serious injuries to "survive." In my opinion, we're not hearing enough about those who are coming "home" with serious mental health issues and less "glorious" but debilitating physical injuries. BTW, the woman profiled in this story was originally from Canada.

A casualty far from the battlefield
For veterans, coming home from war can be harder than being deployed
By Kate Gurnett, Staff writer

Clifton Park-- Last month, Jeanne "Linda" Michel came home from Iraq. Back in the suburbs, she tried to feel normal.

She'd been homesick for months. She couldn't wait to see her kids, ages 11, 5 and 4. Between her husband's deployment and her own, the children had been with just one parent for nearly three years.

She was 33, with a bright smile and stubborn determination. Reuniting should be easy. In another month, she'd be discharged from the Navy after five years of service.

"She had come through a lot and she had always risen to challenges," her husband, Frantz Michel, said last week.

What her family didn't see, and what she herself may not have realized, was the enormity of what she faced.

Like thousands of others returning from Iraq, her mental state was fractured. And it went untreated. Within two weeks, Linda Michel would become a private casualty of war.

Re-entry into the world of peace can be harder than deployment, experts say. Picking up where you left off doesn't just happen.

Husbands and wives report feeling like strangers to each other at first, according to Military OneSource, a support Web site for military families.

"Family roles, rituals, dynamics have changed," said Helena Davis, deputy director of the Mental Health Association in New York State. "And the vet has changed. Bonds have been fractured and need to be re-established."

Linda Michel was no exception. A self-sufficient medic known to help others, she was uncomfortable asking for that help for herself.

But treatment and self-care are critical for returnees, Davis said. Without it, "the anxiety keeps them spiraling down." Some turn to alcohol, drugs or domestic violence. Or, Davis said, "they hurt themselves." August, three veterans in New York's Adirondack region committed suicide within three weeks, Davis told a recent gathering of mental health professionals.

And the third American female to die in Iraq, Army interpreter Spc. Alyssa Peterson, 27, of Flagstaff, Ariz., shot herself with her service weapon. A devout Mormon and Arabic interpreter, Peterson had objected to U.S. techniques after just two days of participating in interrogations.

Women experience stronger forms of post-traumatic stress disorder and have higher PTSD rates, experts say. In response, the Veterans Affairs Department launched a $6 million study of female veterans.

Seeking treatment -- seen by some as a weakness -- may be even tougher for women, who still feel the need to prove themselves to men in military service.

In Iraq, female troops experience attacks, mortar fire and critical injuries such as amputation. And, women soldiers also are more at risk for sexual assaults, up 40 percent in combat zones from last year, Davis said.

Camp Bucca, the U.S.-run military prison where Michel was stationed, was investigated after a female mud-wrestling match was staged there.

Two weeks after she got home to Clifton Park, Linda Michel shot herself to death, stunning her colleagues and family.

Like many women who are assigned to Iraq, Linda Michel wanted to serve.

She grew up in Montreal, with her parents and five sisters. In the states, she married Frantz Michel, a native of Haiti who grew up in Rockland County and became a State Police investigator. They had three children, two boys and a girl, and lived in a quiet Clifton Park development dotted with kids' bicycles and basketball hoops.

By 2004, Frantz, a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army National Guard, was serving in Iraq with the 42nd Infantry Division.

Linda had joined the Navy in 2001.

"It was the best fit for her," Frantz said. It meant they likely wouldn't be deployed together. And her chances of being assigned to a combat zone were slim.

When Linda was called up in 2005, she didn't want a deferment.

"She felt she needed to do it," Frantz said. "So I couldn't stop her."

What she hadn't expected was a shortage of Army personnel that forced Navy and Air Force members into land-based and combat areas.

Linda went to Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, the largest U.S. military prison there and the site of a 2005 riot that saw four prisoners killed by guards.

Inevitably dubbed "Doc" by her patients, she worked hard "doing her part to accomplish a mission many people said the Navy could not do," Rob Hallmark of Virginia Beach, Va., wrote in her on-line memorial guest book. "She was always a bright shining light in such a dark, dark place."

"She was more than 'Just in the Navy' or just a 'Corpsman' or 'Sailor,' she was there for us," added Linda's Camp Bucca roommate, Tammy Cartwright, of Anchorage, Alaska. "She was the one that helped me get out of bed every morning when all I wanted to do was give up and go home."

But in private, Michel faced demons. She saw a Navy doctor and was diagnosed with depression. The doctor prescribed Paxil.

Frantz Michel knew his wife's days were long and grueling. But he didn't know about the Paxil.

Studies have linked Paxil to adverse effects, including suicide, sparking an FDA warning in May.

When Linda came home, the Navy discontinued her medication. Again, Frantz Michel wasn't told.

"I just wish the Navy would have done some more follow-up, instead of just letting her come home," said Frantz, who is on the division staff of the Army National Guard. "If somebody needs Paxil in a combat zone, then that's not the place for them to be. You either send them to a hospital or you send them home and then make sure that the family members know and that they get follow-up care."

Talking his way up the Navy's chain of command, Frantz sought answers. "Why wasn't she sent to a facility to resolve the issues? Not keep her in Iraq and give her some antidepressant medication and then just send her home. So those are the answers that I don't have. Which makes me a little angry because I know what is supposed to occur."

Duty Officer Chris Pratt of the Navy Operational Support Center in Albany could not be reached for comment Friday, a holiday.

Linda Michel's suicide drew pages of on-line condolences, from California to Iraq.

Her death came amid rising demands for counseling from veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. A 2005 Government Accountability Office study called services inadequate.

Lots of resources for vets aren't utilized, Davis said. Often, veterans don't retain what they hear during two-day stateside demobilization sessions. "They don't have the focus. All they want to do is get home."

Health care visits every four to six weeks aren't enough, she said.

Frantz Michel wishes the Navy hadn't cleared his wife for re-entry, or left her alone to withdraw from Paxil.

"You look (back) at things," he said last week. "I just wish that I had more information."

Linda Michel was given a full military funeral Oct. 23 and buried in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery. Friends donated to a fund for the Michels' three children.

Shortly before she died, Linda attended a Navy weekend drill. Fellow reservist Robert Stanziano saw her there, and waved, but never got a chance to talk.

When she was mobilized "we were extremely proud ... and sent them care packages from time to time," he wrote in her memorial guest book. "We couldn't wait for them to return. Now she is gone and I'll never get the chance to ask her how it was over there.

"She was a great sailor, soldier, hospital corpsman, mom and a great woman of war for our country," he wrote in her memorial guest book. "Shipmate, I never had a chance to say this to you. Well done! Goodbye and farewell shipmate, you will be dearly missed."

********

I've deleted the info about PTSD, etc. To see more, as long as the link is live, go here.

Window on the World

Today's New York Times has a a piece, "Designs on America." The caption to this one is: "Apart from indicating love for one’s country, this window also provides an undeniably American view of the world." I thought it was funny.

But, on this Veteran's/Remembrance Day, an article that I missed last April begins: "Prime Minister Stephen Harper faced a storm of criticism on Tuesday for his decision to halt the flying of the flag at half-staff for Canadian troops killed in Afghanistan, and for refusing to allow news coverage of the return of the bodies of four soldiers recently killed there."

The beat goes on...

"We choose not to work for homosexuals"

I know you couldn't have made it through the day without this little tidbit... But, seriously, what do you think?

November 11, 2006
Landscapers Cause Furor by Shunning Gay Clients
By Ralph Blumenthal

HOUSTON, Nov. 10 — Last month, a local landscaping firm prompted a furor here by telling a gay couple in an e-mail message, “We choose not to work for homosexuals.”

The message quickly made its way around the Internet, and the company, Garden Guy Inc., was bombarded with threats and hate mail. But since then, the company’s owners say they have gained far more business than they have lost.

In an interview Friday, Sabrina Farber, 34, co-owner of the company with her husband, Todd, 37, said the company had picked up $40,000 in new business in the past two weeks, while losing only two clients worth about $500 each a year.

“I’m not saying that to gloat,” said Mrs. Farber, who described the frenzy as ugly and emotionally draining. But she said they would not do it differently and deserved credit for not masking their refusal with excuses.

“Why can’t people handle it when you say the truth?” she said.

One of the two gay clients, Gary Lackey, said, “We’re hoping things would die down” and declined to comment further in a telephone interview. The other member of the couple, Michael Lord, did not return a call.

The law appears to be on the Farbers’ side, said Lisa Graybill, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas.

“The federal law of public accommodations says if you hang out a shingle or open your door you don’t get to say, ‘Only to whites,’ ” Ms. Graybill said. But sexual orientation is not protected. And while some localities, like Seattle, have adopted ordinances extending antidiscrimination protection to gay men and lesbians, she said, Houston has not.

The uproar began after Mr. Lord contacted Garden Guy, whose Web site contains this slogan: “Treating you with respect and honesty are the cornerstones of our reputation.”

It also carries citations from the New Testament — Mrs. Farber volunteered that her husband was Jewish and now practices Christianity — and a message against same-sex marriage that the gay couple evidently overlooked: “The God-ordained institution of marriage is under attack in courts across the nation and your help is needed.”

Mrs. Farber and Mr. Lord talked business on the phone, but after Mr. Lord’s references to his “partner,” Mrs. Farber e-mailed Mr. Lord to cancel their appointment.

“I am appreciative of your time on the phone today and glad you contacted us,” she wrote. “I need to tell you that we cannot meet with you because we choose not to work for homosexuals.”

In the ensuing uproar, the family had to change its private phone numbers, Mrs. Farber said, and turned over to the police copies of threatening messages like “I will sodomize their children.”

Mrs. Farber said her husband, who holds a degree in horticulture from Texas A&M University, had done landscaping for gay clients before but had become increasingly “grieved” over visiting their homes to discuss design and plantings.

Dumbfounded by the e-mail message, Mr. Lord and Mr. Lackey forwarded it to friends, and it circulated widely on gay Web sites. A copy reached The Houston Chronicle, where a columnist, Rick Casey, broke the story on Oct. 20, suggesting that the Farbers “should refuse to do business with all sinners.”

With the affair spreading to the radio airwaves, Houstonians have piled on.

“It seems to me the Farbers must be a little naïve,” a letter writer, Joseph Carroll, wrote The Chronicle. “Don’t they realize they are probably doing business with homosexuals every day? They should check out their pharmacist, hair dresser, bank teller, the nurse at their doctor’s office, the waiter at their favorite restaurant and the church secretary.”

The Association of Professional Landscape Designers condemned the action of the Farbers, whose membership has lapsed, and instituted a requirement for members to abide by an antidiscrimination clause.

In addition to the criticism of the Farbers, there was also widespread support. Mrs. Farber cited one e-mail message from “Eric in St. Louis,” who wrote: “Life to the Farbers who have planted themselves like solid oak trees against these strong winds of perversion.”

Mrs. Farber said she and her husband never claimed to be perfect.

“We’re sinners, Todd and I,” Mrs. Farber said. But she added: “My husband made a personal choice, according to something he felt in his heart. It was never a judgmental choice or a hating choice or even a choice that said, ‘Well, we’re better than them.’ ”

Mixed Bag

It looks as though Webb will be declared the victor in VA giving the Democrats control of the Senate as well as the House. Lots of good wins. And, I am particularly astounded that my former state of Arizona became the first state to defeat an anti-same-sex marriage ballot measure. I am glad that South Dakota, although they passed such a measure, defeated the attempt to prohibit virtually all abortions. Then, there's Rummy's departure. It's almost too much to process. But, as suggested by my friends at Canadian Hope and Life Without Borders, it's hard to celebrate the good news when our families are getting slapped in the face by thousands upon thousands of US voters who feel the need to amend their state constitutions to protect marriage. Fuck them. And don't even get me started on the complete nutcase that the MN 6th has put in the House. Check this out if you want to know more. She's a complete wack-job. I'm glad that the DFLers (Democratic-Farmer-Labor party) in Minnesota have control of both chambers in our legislature. I'm glad that it appears that the Democrats will have complete control of the US Congress. I'm glad that Bush got his ass kicked. I'm glad some really decent people will be in Washington. But, I still can't wait to get out of here.

The Sanctity of Marriage

You may recall Britney Spears' first venture into marital bliss.

From CNN, more on the sanctity of marriage...
"Britney Spears files for divorce from her husband Kevin Federline, citing irreconcilable differences."

A Death in Iraq

I'm on a listserv that focuses on issues concerning women in/and the military. A link to this story arrived this morning. I thought that some of you might find it of interest; sad, but of interest.

Soldier opposed interrogations
Ariz. specialist killed herself in Iraq weeks after objection
FLAGSTAFF - A Flagstaff soldier who in 2003 became the third woman to die in Iraq killed herself two weeks after objecting to the interrogation techniques being used on Iraqi prisoners, according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Spc. Alyssa Peterson, 27, an Arabic-speaking interrogator who trained at Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona, was assigned to a unit at Tal Afar Air Base in northwestern Iraq. According to a criminal investigation report recently released by the military under the Freedom of Information Act, Peterson had been in Iraq for two weeks and participated in two interrogations in late August 2003.

She objected to interrogation techniques after the first session, the documents show, and after the second session she told her supervisor that she "could not carry out" the interrogation methods that were being used and asked to be reassigned.
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Her objections came seven months before the prisoner abuse allegations at Abu Ghraib prison in central Iraq became public.

The investigative report states that a sergeant and team leader both "detailed the aversion she had towards applying the interrogation methods to detainees."

Peterson's first sergeant, identified as James D. Hamilton, told investigators, "It was hard for her to be aggressive to prisoners/detainees, as she felt that we were cruel to them," the report states.

Army representatives declined to comment on Peterson's death or describe the interrogation techniques she objected to. Valerie Florez, Freedom of Information and Privacy Act officer at Fort Campbell, Ky., said all records of those techniques have been destroyed.

She attended a routine suicide-prevention training Aug. 29 and shortly afterward was reassigned to a base gate where she was directed to monitor Iraqi guards for duplicitous behavior. She also used her language skills to interpret for Iraqi civilians in liaison work.

However, her fellow soldiers reported that she kept to herself and did not make attempts to integrate herself into her team environment.

She avoided eating with her interrogation team and spent time reading at her desk when she did not have other assignments. No one in the unit reported signs of impending suicide.

On the evening of Sept. 15, 2003, she got off work at about 9 p.m. and was not seen again that night. According to the documents, the company executive officer heard two gunshots at about 9:30 p.m. but did not investigate.

At 9 the next morning, an aircraft passing over the nearby landing zone reported seeing Peterson's body in a grassy field next to her service rifle.

Documents disclosed that she had two gunshot wounds - her weapon apparently had been set on burst - beneath her chin.

Although the criminal investigations report concluded Peterson killed herself with her M-4 service rifle, the autopsy report has not been released. The military investigation offers no explanation of why Peterson would commit suicide.

Family members did not want to comment. A family spokesman, who asked not to be named, said family members did not want to know the details of her death.

In an interview a year after her death, Peterson's family told The Arizona Republic how their daughter was born in a leap year, on Feb. 29, 1976, in Greeley, Colo.

Because her "real" birthday came only every four years, her father would threaten to wake her up at midnight between Feb. 28 and March 1 to celebrate. But he never did.

In elementary school, she played the clarinet, was a standout soccer player and excelled in academics.

Her family moved to Flagstaff when Peterson was in fifth grade. She quickly joined soccer and ran cross country in junior high. In high school, she was a peer counselor.

She worked at McDonald's, saved her money and went to Northern Arizona University on a full academic scholarship, eventually graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in psychology.

At 21, she served a mission in the Netherlands for the Mormon Church.

When she was told where she would be going, she bought books and tapes to learn Dutch and showed a remarkable aptitude for foreign languages that would serve her later in the military.

While in school, Peterson also attended classes at the Flagstaff Institute of Religion for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

David C. Jay, director of the institute, remembered her as very unassuming. "

She was reserved to the point of being what some people would perceive as shy," Jay said in 2004. "But she was such a wonderfully gifted young lady. "

Initially you would never have suspected that here this little girl would go off and learn to speak these difficult languages in parts of the world we know so little about," Jay said.

Peterson enlisted in the Army in July 2001, telling her parents afterward, "It's already done."

"We were resigned to it," her mother said in the 2004 interview. "We feel strongly that evil exists. That you cannot escape from it, but have to stand up to it."

Peterson got the best score on a language skills test that the local recruiter had ever seen, and she was chosen for military intelligence training at Fort Huachuca after basic training in Fort Sill, Okla.

After Fort Huachuca, she was sent to the Presidio of Monterey in California for a 15-month course in Arabic so she could help with interrogations and translation.

In August 2003, she shipped out to Iraq with the 311th Military Intelligence Battalion of the 101st Airborne Division.

Her parents did not know she was in Iraq at the time of her death, thinking she was still stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.

After she died, her company commander called her family and said she had been a great asset to the unit.

He said she was well-liked and had never been happier than when she was talking with the local residents, helping to make their lives happier. He said she exemplified compassionate service.

Her death has been difficult for the Petersons, who went to Phoenix to meet their daughter's coffin.

"When the door of the cargo hangar opened, and that casket was there with a flag on it ... that was hard," her mother said.

Alyssa Peterson was buried with full military honors in Citizens Cemetery in Flagstaff.

Kevin Elston is a reporter for National Public Radio station KNAU in Flagstaff, which originally aired this report.

Source

Republicans Today

I have no idea who gets credit for this - probably a consortium of folks around the globe - but I thought that if it hasn't already appeared in your mailbox, you'd find it entertaining.

Things You Have to Believe to be a Republican Today
1) Jesus loves you - and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary.

2) Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

3) Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

4) The United States should get out of the United Nations - and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

5) A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all humankind without regulation.

6) The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

7) If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

8) A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

9) Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing health care to all Americans is socialism. HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

10) Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

11) A president lying about an extra-marital affair is an impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

12) Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

13) The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

14) Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

15) What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

No news...

I hadn't posted in a bit so thought I'd write something. I've been enjoying the posts in our little ex-pat cyberworld, but with no movement on our end, alas, there simply hasn't been much to say. It's really frustrating to see other US citizens who applied through Buffalo later than we did, and didn't get transferred, receive their visas and land. I keep reminding myself that, given our plans, it's actually not a problem for us to be delayed, but you do hit the point where you think that, surely, they've simply lost your file.

Anyway - what's new? I just submitted almost the 50% of the book manuscript that was due by today. That's a relief. I've been working on chapter four today, but decided to take a break. Perhaps it was writing about Australia, Canada, and Great Britain having lifted their bans on gays and lesbians in the military that has me restless.

I've been busy the last few days dealing with bureaucracy of the public schools. For quite a while we debated, agonized, etc. over where to enroll our son for kindergarten. Although, with open enrollment there are, quite simply, too many choices, we had narrowed it down to a "traditional" neighborhood school, a French immersion program, and a year round school that focuses on "environmental science and community cultures." We opted for the latter, but, for a variety of reasons, decided that we should have gone with French immersion. I visited the school last week and now we're jumping through hoops to get him transferred. It's tough because we just love his current teacher, but thinking longer term we're really excited about the immersion program. Stay tuned.

I'm also starting to work on my courses for the next two terms. I juggled things so that, with these manuscript deadlines, I had a light load this term - one and a half courses. That means that next term I'm teaching three and a half. But, mostly they are things about which I'm jazzed. Namely - Social Problems with a new text, Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace, and Sustainability. In our Social Justice program I'm teaching Sexuality and the Law, also with a new casebook. And, I'll again do Crossing Borders II. It's a reflection-based course required of those students returning from a semester abroad. And, in the "not so jazzed but it can be fun" category is another round of Senior Seminar.

Then, I have to - yes, sometimes the lead time time kills me - start prepping for a fall course. But, I'm really looking forward to this one! It's a course for first year students where the content is really just the vehicle for getting them up to speed on "college" (i.e., skill development in critical thinking, oral presentation, etc.). We can create a course around any topic we wish because the goal is skill building, not the acquisition of a set body of knowledge. The tentative title for my course is - a take-off on part of our mission statement and clearly influenced by the Social Problems text - "Making the World a Better Place: Paths Toward Peace, Justice, and Sustainability." I want to introduce them to a potpourri of things like restorative justice, global volunteerism, co-housing, etc. We'll see... If you have an idea about something you think I should include, do tell! Really!

So, that's the latest. Not exactly immigration-related, but it's what's happening in my world. Hopefully I'll have something to report by the new year, but I'm not holding my breath.

Breaking News!

From The New York Times

N.J. Court Backs Rights for Gay Unions

By Laura Mansnerus
Published: October 25, 2006
"The State Supreme Court in New Jersey said today that under equal protection guarantees of the state constitution, same-sex couples 'must be afforded on equal terms the same rights and benefits enjoyed by opposite-sex couples under the civil marriage statutes.' But it said that whether that status is called marriage or something else 'is a matter left to the democratic process.'"

Lockdown Drills

I'm not sure what I think about this... I just learned that it is now Minnesota law that schools have five "lockdown drills" each year. Today my five year old will learn the "safe zones" in his classroom and that he must be absolutely quiet if asked to go there. They will, apparently, be told in an "age appropriate" way, that this is what they will do if there is an intruder in the school.

On the one hand, given recent events, this seems like a good thing. On the other hand, I'm not sure what I think of a five year old having to think about the possibility of an intruder coming into his school and how to protect himself. I tried to analogize to the nuke drills I remember as a kid, but I can't help but think he has a much better idea - and, thus, greater potential for fear - of an intruder than I had of a nuclear bomb.

This world...

Sanity Prevails - An Update!

Metro Transit changes mind on driver, gay-themed ads

"Metro Transit said Friday that it inadvertently sent the wrong message about tolerance in trying to accommodate a bus driver's religious objections to driving buses that carried gay-themed ads.

Metro Transit spokesman Bob Gibbons said the company made a temporary accommodation to the driver on Oct. 12, allowing her not drive buses that carried an ad for Lavender, a local magazine aimed at the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community.

The ad showed the face of a young man with the slogan, "Unleash Your Inner Gay." Fifty buses carried it periodically.

The ad contract ran only through Oct. 18, Gibbons said, and buses no longer are carrying the ads.However, in reviewing the issue, Gibbons said the company likely would not make the same decision again."We are not persuaded that advertising, per se, infringes on religious practices and would be reluctant to make similar accommodations in the future," Gibbons said."

For the entire article, go here.

Senator Brownback is a Wing Nut

It just keeps getting better and better - see the previous two posts as well as this one!

Courtesy of The Washington Post
Sen. Brownback's Litmus Test
May a federal judge have lesbian friends?
Tuesday, October 17, 2006

IF YOU THOUGHT that fights over judicial nominations couldn't get any worse, consider the case of Janet T. Neff, whom President Bush has nominated to a federal district judgeship in Michigan. Judge Neff, who serves on the Michigan Court of Appeals, is part of a multi-judge deal between the White House and Michigan's two Democratic senators resolving a long-standing fight over federal court nominees from that state. Yet in reaching an accommodation with the home-state senators, Mr. Bush finds himself with another problem. For Judge Neff, it turns out, once attended a commitment ceremony for a lesbian couple -- and that has Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (R) reaching for the smelling salts and blocking the nomination.

Mr. Brownback has said he wants to satisfy himself that the judge was not presiding over an "illegal marriage ceremony" in Pittsfield, Mass., in 2002 -- before the state legalized same-sex marriage. He has written to Judge Neff asking for an explanation, his spokesman says, and will hold up her nomination until he learns the nature of the ceremony and its legality. "It seems to speak about her view of judicial activism," the senator told the Associated Press.

In fact it does nothing of the kind. A commitment ceremony is not a marriage; it has no legal force whatsoever but is a private expression of the love and devotion of two people. The idea that such a ceremony could be "illegal" is deeply offensive; Americans are entitled to gather, speak, celebrate and worship as they see fit. An administration official says Judge Neff has told Mr. Brownback that she didn't preside. But even if she did, that would say nothing about her jurisprudential views -- merely that she wished to help a couple recognize their relationship informally in the absence of state sanction for it. Keeping Judge Neff off the federal bench over such a matter is perilously close to declaring her unfit to serve because she has lesbian friends.

It also does a disservice to Mr. Bush. We have criticized Democrats for obstructing qualified judicial nominees; it is no more acceptable when Republicans do it. In this case, Mr. Bush has finally reached a compromise with Michigan senators to ease one of the more intractable irritants in the wars over lower court nominations. Judge Neff is a piece of that deal, all of which could get derailed if Mr. Brownback does not back off.

I Hate the USA

There. I said it. I hate this fucking country. I am so tired of the oppression I experience every fucking day just by picking up the paper. First the moron of a bus driver, now this reminder of my status as a second class citizen...

Spouse of gay congressman ineligible for pension
BOSTON. Massachusetts (AP) -- When same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts, among those who tied the knot were former Rep. Gerry Studds and Dean Hara.

But getting married didn't protect them under federal law: Hara has learned he is not eligible for any portion of Studds' estimated annual $114,337 pension following his partner's death last week.

The 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act blocks the federal government from recognizing the 2004 marriage between Studds and Hara or other same-sex couples.

Studds voted against the act, which was passed July 12, 1996, by a vote of 342-67, according to the House Clerk's office.

Go here for the rest of the bloody insult.

BTW, it's not that we don't know this is the case - it's just so frickin' tiring to keep being reminded how little respect our families warrant.

Gays, Religion, and the Bus Driver

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune -

Bus driver gets OK to avoid gay-themed ads
"The Metro Transit dispute raises questions about the point at which accommodating one group's beliefs infringes on the rights of others. A city bus driver who complained about a gay-themed ad got official permission not to drive any bus that carries that ad, according to an internal memo confirmed Tuesday by Metro Transit. Transit authorities call it a reasonable accommodation to the driver's religious beliefs."

Go here to read the entire article. What do you think?

Same-Sex Marriage

From The New York Times -

October 14, 2006
Gay Marriage Losing Punch as Ballot Issue
By Kirk Johnson

DENVER, Oct. 13 — The debate over same-sex marriage was a black-or-white proposition two years ago when voters in 11 states barred gay couples from marrying.

But this year shades of gray are everywhere, as eight more states consider similar ballot measures. Some of the proposed bans are struggling in the polls, and the issue of same-sex marriage itself has largely failed to rouse conservative voters.

In some cases, other issues, like the war in Iraq and ethics in Washington, have seized voters’ attention. But the biggest change, people on both sides of the issue say, is that supporters of same-sex marriage this year are likely to be as mobilized as the opponents.

It's worth reading - Go here for the entire article, though you do have to have a free subscription to the Times.

Gerry Studds, 1937-2006

The New York Times' article begins, "Gerry E. Studds, the first openly gay member of Congress and a demanding advocate for New England fishermen and for gay rights, died early Saturday at Boston University Medical Center, his husband said."

Read that again. The bright light in the otherwise dark news of Studds' death is that The New York Times referred to Dean Hara as Studds' husband. Yes, they married in May, 2004, shortly after same-sex marriage became legal in the Commonwealth. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the Times tried to avoid gay issues altogether and writers were forbidden to use the term "gay." That changed in the very early 1990s and under new leadership they paper took a very different stance on the coverage of GLBT issues, even including same-sex marriage announcements. Nonetheless, it's very cool, imho, to see the first sentence of the article refer to his husband.

It's unfortunate that in what turned out to be the last couple of weeks of his life, Studds name resurfaced only in the context of the Foley scandal. He did good work.

Students in the Gulf

I just wanted to post this and encourage you to pay a visit - Two of the students who went to the Gulf with me in January '06 graduated in May and have accepted Americorps assignments with the American Red Cross. They are now in New Orleans and plan to post about their adventures at Blog on the Bayou. Check it out!

Matthew Shepard, 1976-1998

Just wanted to take a moment to remember Matthew Shepard. It was eight years ago today that he died, five days after being beaten and left to die in the cold Wyoming night.

The morning of 12 October 1998, I was sitting at my desk, preparing for class, when I heard the news. Having been in my position here only three years, I had never pro-actively come out in class. That is, people figured it out, I didn't "hide," my office decor certainly "outed" me, etc. But I had never - even though I taught gender and sexuality - explicitly put it on the table in the classroom.

That morning I went to my class of 18 first year students - I'd known them just over a month - and came out. I explained that studies show that the single most important thing in changing people's attitudes is for them to realize that they know someone who is GLB. Then I went to my next class and then my next. Over the next couple of days I received notes and e-mails thanking me for my comments. I was so glad that I had summoned the courage to take that step. I like to think I made a difference.

Each year we have National Coming Out Day and then we have the day that Matthew died. Although he died in a way that nobody should experience and he died too young, I think it's fair to say that, at 21, he made - and continues to make - a difference, too.

US2CA Blogs

Are you reading this as a U.S. expat in Canada? Or, are you in the process of waiting for your permanent residency visa so that you can go to Canada? If so and you have a blog we should know about, please say so via comment. Maybe you're neither, but you've got a great blog going? If so and you would like me to link to yours, just holler.

In other news - today is 11 October 2006 and it snowed in Saint Paul, Minnesota. As I look out my office window, there is actually white stuff on the leaves of the trees. I am not kidding.

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Nope, that's not me. That's P!nk, participating in HRC's Snapshot Project. Wanna know more about NCOD? Go here!

Today, 11 October, is the 20th National Coming Out Day. That means that, 19 years ago, in 1987, I was marching on Washington, DC. It was the best of the marches, IMO. Going home was such a downer that I immediately went to Provincetown for the weekend.

Noo-klee-er

I confess, one of the worst things about North Korea's escapade is that we are now subject to more of Shrub's mispronounciation (metathesis, I've learned it's called) of the word nuclear. Take note, big guy, noo-klee-er. Grrrrr...

Published

I went ahead and sent an abbreviated version of my Foley post to the local paper and, lo' and behold, it appeared in print and on-line - scroll down to "Adolescents in the U.S." Hopefully I won't get any yucky phone calls from someone who disagrees.

Mark Foley - Moron, yes. But, pedophile?

I just had to address this somewhere...

Sixteen year old boys may be "boys." They are minors. But, they also tend to be sexual beings who act with agency. Was Foley incredibly stupid? Absolutely. Did he take advantage of a position of power? No question. But, is he a pedophile? Who knows? I do think that to refer to him as a pedophile based on the "evidence" the public currently possesses misses the mark. For one thing I believe it makes it more difficult to address dangerous pedophiles who prey on children. For another, it's one more example of how we just can't decide where adolescents fit in our world.

One minute the sixteen year old who commits a violent crime is thought to be "old enough to know better" and thrown in the slammer for decades. The next minute he's an innocent, taken in by an older man who wanted to get his jollies IMing about masturbation. It doesn't get any better at eighteen. One minute we throw you an M-16 and send you off to Iraq. But don't get any ideas about having a cold beer the night before you leave.

I'm not saying there's an easy fix here. Some sixteen year olds are more mature than some eighteen year olds. And, some sixteen year olds probably shouldn't be trusted with mom's car and $5. It's not that we can truly fix an "age of majority" and that's that. Hell, I happen to think - based on what I see every day at work - that a sixteen year old today is not what a sixteen year old was in 1974. But, I also don't think a sixteen year old in 1974 was identical to the sixteen year old in 1944. And, we could also speculate on variety based on urban/rural, birth order, etc.

My point is that while Mark Foley may have been a complete fool who was thinking with something besides his brain, to call him a pedophile and accuse him of molesting boys does a disservice both to the young men involved in this situation and to those who work to prevent the sexual abuse of children by adults.

Call him stupid. Call him arrogant. The evidence, in my opinion, supports those conclusions. But, a pedophile? Save that for the other guys.

Really, he has no clothes!

And from today's New York Times:

"Speaking to reporters on Thursday after returning from a trip that included a one-day stop in Baghdad, Mr. [John] Warner [R-VA] said the United States should consider 'a change of course' if the violence there did not diminish soon. He did not specify what shift might be necessary, but said that the American military had done what it could to stabilize Iraq and that no policy options should be taken 'off the table.'"

I have a feeling that things are going to be getting very interesting around here...

In other news - Keith Ellison (D) is running for Congress to replace Martin Olav Sabo (well, this is Minnesota) in my former district. If he wins, which everyone is expecting, he'll be the first Muslim in Congress and the first black representative from Minnesota. He's been a wonderful advocate for GLBT rights. Read about it here! You'll have to have a free New York Times account, but it's worth it.

What an interesting election it's shaping up to be in Minnesota. We may see the election of a Muslim who's great on GLBT issues in the 5th Congressional district and an evil Republican witch from hell in the 6th.

The Emperor Has No Clothes

Apparently a guy in Seattle wrote and paid out of his own pocket for this ad in the Seattle Times and Post-Intelligencer. It may take a minute to load, but it will. Pretty cool, I'd say.

Nothing in particular...

Not surprisingly, there's not much to report from here in the Upper Midwest. I've enjoyed following the guys at Life Without Borders and Wondrous Canadian Renewal. Today I heard from a local "e-pal" who received his PPR on Saturday and sent them off this morning. They've planned a trip to Toronto for mid-October and, though they'll be moving to BC later, are hoping to have it serve as their landing. Another guy I've "met" on-line was transferred from Buffalo to Detroit back in February, received a request for proof of funds in early September, and hasn't heard another thing since. Not much other immigration news. On the various boards there's the same level of frustration over the Detroit stall. No surprise there.

In other news, I'm hoping to watch the GOP completely implode over the Foley debacle. IMO it's unfortunate that people don't understand that if people were free to be themselves situations like this would be far fewer. I have a cousin who left his wife the week their second child was due. Great time to decide to come out. He said that he had thought he was gay since he was 5 years old, but that he figured that getting married would "cure him," that having a child would "cure him," and - not having had any success with that approach - that having a second child would definitely do it. He finally decided that, yes, he was gay and walked out with a small child in the home and another due any moment. Then there's McGreevey... Seriously, if these guys hadn't felt they had to run and hide, would they make such foolish choices? Did I mention that my former rep in the U.S. Congress was Jim Kolbe?

BTW, do any of you from outside Minnesota know the name Michele Bachmann? She's an evil witch from hell and she may well end up in the U.S. Congress. She's running against DFLer Patty Wetterling for the seat about to be vacated by Mark Kennedy and she's maintained a steady lead in the polls. BTW, you may remember Kennedy from his brief doltish appearance in Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11.

Back to Bachmann. From her website, "My record of supporting traditional marriage, family life and children, including those yet born, is unambiguous. This will not change if elected to Congress. I was the chief author of a constitutional amendment in the Minnesota Senate defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I will continue to support traditional marriage as a union between a man and woman." Be afraid, be very afraid.

Tomorrow James Dobson comes to town with "Stand for The Family," an "event designed to educate and motivate pro-family conservative Christians." That's motivate as in motivate to vote. "In addition to Dr. Dobson, the list of speakers includes Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; Gary Bauer, president of American Values; Dr. Ken Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Wash., and Dr. Richard Land of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention."

Yeah, we're havin' some fun tonight!

Oh, my goddess!

I was clued into this one by Matt over at This Nurse. Hard to believe... or not.

"American Airlines Flight 45—departing Charles de Gaulle at 10:40 A.M., arriving J.F.K. at one each afternoon—is a tourist’s delight: timed just right to avoid late checkout, leaving time for one last Kir Royale at Les Deux Magots. On August 22nd, the coach cabin was packed with vacationing New Yorkers. Ralph Jackson (21A) and David Leisner (21B) were returning from two weeks in France, while Huffa Frobes-Cross (21F) had stopped over in Paris on his way back from South Africa. Assigned to seats 20A and 20B were George Tsikhiseli, a television journalist, and his writer boyfriend, Stephan Varnier. “We’ve been together only four months,” Tsikhiseli said last week. “So it felt like a honeymoon.”

Twelve days earlier, British police had foiled a terrorist plot to blow up airliners. Heightened security had delayed the flight by about two hours, and passengers, by the time they boarded, were ready to relax. “I had a José Saramago book I was looking forward to reading,” Leisner said. “And then I was going to take some melatonin and have a little nap.”

Shortly after takeoff, Varnier nodded off, leaning his head on Tsikhiseli. A stewardess came over to their row. “The purser wants you to stop that,” she said.

“I opened my eyes and was, like, ‘Stop what?’ ” Varnier recalled the other day.

“The touching and the kissing,” the stewardess said, before walking away.

To read the rest go here!

You have GOT to be kidding me! But, apparently not.

Live, from New York!

"Under New York’s well-established marriage recognition rule, courts historically have respected marriages performed in foreign jurisdictions unless the marriage is 'repugnant to New York public policy.' But Lambda Legal client Duke Funderburke, a retired teacher who married his partner of 43 years, Bradley Davis, in Canada, was denied spousal health benefits from the state for his partner, despite their legal marriage in Canada.

Lambda Legal argued that because all three branches of state government recognize several rights of same-sex couples, New York State has clearly demonstrated that it does not find such relationships to be 'repugnant' to public policy. During the Funderburke oral argument, the trial judge even acknowledged that the contention that marriages between same-sex couples are repugnant to public policy 'itself is repugnant.' In contradiction to all of this, though, the trial judge issued a hasty, two-page opinion stating that the recent Hernandez v. Robles (the New York State high court decision restricting marriage to different-sex couples) restricted the trial court from recognizing the valid out-of-state marriage license for the purposes of spousal health insurance benefits. Lambda Legal has filed a notice to appeal the trial court’s decision."

Lambda Legal

Yellowknife, red Canadian?

A post over at Moving to Vancouver made me remember this moment from Montreal...

So, I'm sitting patiently, waiting for Martina (yes, THAT Martina) to arrive. She was the speaker at the closing session. The woman sitting behind me, kind of just talking to anyone within earshot, says something about wanting to move to the States. Huh? I, of course, turned around and said something like, "What?" I mean here I am at an international conference on LGBT human rights and this other attendee - Canadian attendee - wants to move to the States? As I find myself wanting to say so often these days, WTF?

Well, she starts telling me how she had moved from Ontario to the Yukon to live with her girlfriend whom she had met on-line, that she makes better money in the Yukon, but that she'd make more money in the States. Oh, and, the Yukon is pretty nice, they even have a Wal-Mart. Had I just walked into some kind of Jon Stewart set-up? Yeah, she said, some people don't like Wal-Mart, but she does. After all, when they opened it gave her clients - turns out she's a social worker! - all kinds of job opportunities. Nice. Anyway, it went from weird to worse and eventually Martina showed up.

Reading WEB's post about deep integration made me think of that one. Again I say - how about she gets to come south and I get to go north? Not that far north, but north!

The GOP is comin' to town!

From the Star-Tribune -

"The Twin Cities will host the Republican National Convention in 2008, a state Republican source said this afternoon. Republicans and DFLers both have been angling to host their parties' next national conventions, but Republicans locked up their commitment today and are expected to make the formal announcement later today at the Xcel Energy Centre in St. Paul."

One of my pals plans to schedule her out-of-town vacation during their visit. I say, "Hell, no!" If things are a dismal as they are today I'm all about the protests.

Go here for more.

Leap of Faith

Well, this morning I took somewhat of a leap of faith and purchased tickets for our vacation in Nova Scotia next summer. The "leap of faith" is that the airline is still in business and that it can serve as our landing trip. If not, vacation is good enough, but, hey, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Then, I get home, flip through the mail, including the latest issue of Transitions Abroad, and lo' and behold if there isn't an article titled, "Nova Scotia: The Enchanted Land." I'm taking that as a sign!

Those wacky Christian Conservatives

In case you missed it:

Christian Conservatives Look to Re-energize Base
By David D. Kirkpatrick

WASHINGTON, Sept. 24 — Openly anxious about grass-roots disaffection from the Republican Party, conservative Christian organizers are reaching for ways to turn out voters this November, including arguing that recognizing same-sex marriage could also limit religious freedom.

Just two years after many conservative Christians exulted that their voter turnout efforts had pushed President Bush to re-election, organizers say their constituents are disengaged.

“There is disillusionment out there with Republicans,” said James C. Dobson, founder of the conservative Christian broadcaster Focus on the Family and the most influential voice in the movement. “That worries me greatly.”

At an election-season Values Voters Summit held here by the allied Family Research Council, some conservatives debated whether “maybe losing the Republican majority would teach us a lesson and get our movement back on track,” in the words of Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana.

Mr. Pence argued that in the end, Republicans were still preferable to Democrats. Like many arguments, though, his was about picking the lesser of two evils.

“My first inclination was to sit this one out,” Dr. Dobson said in an interview, adding that he had changed his mind when he looked at who would become the leaders of Congressional committees if the Democrats took over.

Some were candidly gloomy.

“At the grass roots, among ordinary people, the enthusiasm is not there, and unless that changes in the next five or six weeks, the Republicans aren’t going to make it” to retain control of Congress, said Paul Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Foundation and a founder of the modern conservative movement.

In addition to voicing more general complaints, Christian conservatives say President Bush and Republicans in Congress have not lived up to their expectations about advancing new abortion restrictions or a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Even in this crowd of nearly 2,000 Christian conservative activists, some balked at one tactic recommended to turn out church voters. In a workshop, Connie Marshner, a veteran organizer, distributed a step-by-step guide that recommended obtaining church directories and posing as a nonpartisan pollster to ask people how they planned to vote.

“Hello, I am with ABC polls,” a suggested script began.

Some attendees complained that the script seemed deceptive, Ms. Marshner said in an interview afterward. She said that such disguised calls were a common campaign tactic, that it was just a suggested script and that she never recommended answering a direct question with a lie.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, who played host to the conference, said he was “upset” to learn of her instructions and condemned any deception.

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of the liberal group Americans United for Separation of Church and State, called the tactic “disgraceful” and “a desecration of the church.”

Several organizers at the event lamented that opposition to same-sex marriage, a major catalyst for Christian conservative turnout two years ago, had lost some of its emotional resonance. Massachusetts remains the only state to recognize same-sex marriage. Sixteen states have passed constitutional amendments banning such unions, and eight courts have ruled against the idea.

“Sometimes success brings complacency,” Mr. Perkins said.

To revive some of the emotions around the issue, several organizers said they were taking up the argument that legal recognition of same-sex marriages would cramp the free expression of religious groups who consider such unions a sin — an idea much discussed at the conference.

“That is an issue that wasn’t around two years ago and one that is absolutely moving to the very forefront,” said the Rev. Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, a conservative Christian broadcaster and advocacy group.

Although that idea may seem far-fetched to many liberal or secular-minded voters, legal scholars across the political spectrum agree that authorizing same-sex marriages could present legal questions for some religious groups. A Roman Catholic group in Massachusetts, for example, recently stopped offering children for adoption rather than provide them to gay couples.

At the Values Voters conference, Mr. Perkins played a preview for an October telecast to Christian broadcasters that dramatized the conflicts in stark terms. He interviewed parents who are suing the town of Lexington, Mass., because its public school assigned their 7-year-old son a book called “King and King,” about two princes who marry.

“Get involved as the Lord leads before religious liberty is lost forever,” Mr. Perkins warned in the trailer.

Others looked abroad. In a pre-election letter to 2.5 million supporters, Dr. Dobson is breaking away from his traditional field of child psychology to argue that foreign terrorists are a threat to families.

The Rev. Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority, looked ahead to 2008 and the possibility that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton might be the Democratic presidential candidate. Ms. Clinton’s nomination, Mr. Falwell said to laughs, would arouse even more evangelical opposition than Lucifer’s.

[END]