Thursday, December 28, 2006

6/27/06-7/29/06


ARMY DISMISSES GAY ARABIC LINGUIST 7/29/06
ARMY DISMISSES GAY ARABIC LINGUIST 7/29/06 magnify

sapphoq says: Those people who choose to serve the Untied States in the armed forces had better make sure they only engage in heterosexual acts, heterosexual activities, and heterosexual conduct; and stay out of community theatre groups. The Don't Ask Don't Tell 'policy' discriminates against all brands of non-hetero life. It matters not about having essential skills or about being a decorated sargeant. Even if someone else tells, you still gotta go. Article below brought to you via the AP wire. Read on:

Army Dismisses Gay Arabic Linguist

By DUNCAN MANSFIELD
The Associated Press
Thursday, July 27, 2006; 11:53 PM
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- A decorated sergeant and Arabic language specialist was dismissed from the U.S. Army under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, though he says he never told his superiors he was gay and his accuser was never identified.
Bleu Copas, 30, told The Associated Press he is gay, but said he was "outed" by a stream of anonymous e-mails to his superiors in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, N.C.
"I knew the policy going in," Copas said in an interview on the campus of East Tennessee State University, where he is pursuing a master's degree in counseling and working as a student adviser. "I knew it was going to be difficult."
An eight-month Army investigation culminated in Copas' honorable discharge on Jan. 30 _ less than four years after he enlisted, he said, out of a post-Sept. 11 sense of duty to his country.
Copas now carries the discharge papers, which mention his awards and citations, so he can document his military service for prospective employers. But the papers also give the reason for his dismissal.
He plans to appeal to the Army Board for Correction of Military Records.
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, established in 1993, prohibits the military from inquiring about the sex lives of service members, but requires discharges of those who openly acknowledge being gay.
The policy is becoming "a very effective weapon of vengeance in the armed forces" said Steve Ralls, a spokesman for the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, a Washington-based watchdog organization that counseled Copas and is working to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
Copas said he was never open about his sexuality in the military and suspects his accuser was someone he mistakenly befriended and apparently slighted.
More than 11,000 service members have been dismissed under the policy, including 726 last year _ an 11 percent jump from 2004 and the first increase since 2001.
That's less than a half-percent of the more than 2 million soldiers, sailors and Marines dismissed for all reasons since 1993, according to the General Accountability Office.
But the GAO also noted that nearly 800 dismissed gay or lesbian service members had critical abilities, including 300 with important language skills. Fifty-five were proficient in Arabic, including Copas, a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in California.
Discharging and replacing them has cost the Pentagon nearly $369 million, according to the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Lt. Col. James Zellmer, Copas' commanding officer in the 313th military intelligence battalion, told the AP that "the evidence clearly indicated that Sgt. Copas had engaged in homosexual acts."
While investigators were never able to determine who the accuser was, "in the end, the nature and the volume of the evidence and Sgt. Copas's own sworn statement led me to discharge him," Zellmer said.
Military investigators wrote that Copas "engaged in at least three homosexual relationships, and is dealing with at least two jealous lovers, either of whom could be the anonymous source providing this information."
Shortly after Copas was appointed to the 82nd Airborne's highly visible All-American Chorus last May, the first e-mail came to the chorus director.
"The director brought everyone into the hallway and told us about this e-mail they had just received and blatantly asked, 'Which one of you are gay?'" Copas said.
Copas later complained to the director and his platoon sergeant, saying the questions violated "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."
"They said they would watch it in the future," Copas said. "And they said, even specifically then, 'Well, you are not gay are you?' And I said, 'no.'"
The accuser, who signed his e-mails "John Smith" or "ftbraggman," pressed Copas' superiors to take action against him or "I will inform your entire battalion of the information that I gave you."
On Dec. 2, investigators formally interviewed Copas and asked if he understood the military's policy on homosexuals, if he had any close acquaintances who were gay, and if he was involved in community theater. He answered affirmatively.
But Copas declined to answer when they asked, "Have you ever engaged in homosexual activity or conduct?" He refused to answer 19 of 47 questions before he asked for a lawyer and the interrogation stopped.
Copas said he accepted the honorable discharge to end the ordeal, to avoid lying about his sexuality and risking a perjury charge, and to keep friends from being targeted.
"It is unfair. It is unjust," he said. "Even with the policy we have, it should never have happened."
___
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network: http://www.sldn.org/
© 2006 The Associated Press

QUESTIONS FOR ENTERTAINMENT 7/19/06

Here is a list of Questions taken from http://www.eff.org . The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a watchdog group working to keep our internet freedoms from eroding more than they have already. They encourage bloggers and others to reproduce the article below:

Frequently Awkward Questions for the Entertainment Industry

Learn More About These Issues

The RIAA and MPAA trot out their spokespeople at conferences and public events all over the country, repeating their misleading talking points. Innovators are pirates, fair use is theft, the sky is falling, up is down, and so on. Their rhetoric shouldn't be given a free pass.

To that end, EFF has prepared a sample list of tough questions for times when you hear entertainment industry representatives speaking and want to challenge their positions. Asking hard questions is a way of "keeping honest people honest" and revealing when they're actually being deceptive. Feel free to republish these and add your own questions, or send additions to us at editor@eff.org.

Music

  1. The RIAA has sued more than 20,000 music fans for file sharing, yet file sharing continues to rapidly increase both online and offline. When will you stop suing music fans?
  2. The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing, who have on average paid a $3,750 settlement. That's over $75,000,000. Has any money collected from your lawsuits gone to pay actual artists? Where's all that money going?
  3. The RIAA has sued over 20,000 music fans for file sharing. Recently, an RIAA representative reportedly suggested that "students drop out of college or go to community college in order to be able to afford [P2P lawsuit] settlements." Do you stand by this advice? Is this really good advice for our children's futures?
  4. The RIAA said that it only went after individual file sharers because you couldn't go after P2P system creators. After the Supreme Court's Grokster decision, shouldn't you stop going after music fans?
  5. Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?
  6. DRM has clearly failed to stop songs from getting on file sharing networks, but it does prevent me from moving lawfully purchased music onto my iPod and other portable devices. Unlike the major record labels, many popular indie labels offer mp3 downloads through sites like eMusic. Why won't you let fans purchase mp3s as well?
  7. The RIAA says that it doesn't mind if I rip CDs to my personal computer and put them on my iPod. Do I need your permission to do this or can I legally do it even if you object?
  8. Recording off the radio is clearly permitted by copyright law and something Americans have done for over 25 years, but the RIAA supports legislation restricting devices that record from digital radio. Why are you against TiVo for radio?
  9. Sony BMG recently implemented a DRM technology that damaged users' computers. But for independent researchers' analyses, this serious flaw may have gone undiscovered. After this scandal, will record labels allow any computer scientist or security expert to examine these products and agree not to sue them under the DMCA?

Video

  1. The major movie studios have been enjoying some of their most profitable years in history over the past five years. Can you cite to any specific studies that prove noncommercial file sharing among fans, as opposed to commercial DVD piracy, has hurt the studios' bottom line in any significant way?
  2. Is it legal for me to bypass CSS DVD encryption in order to skip the "unskippable" previews at the beginning of so many DVDs? Why should I have to be forced to watch these ads when I already bought the DVD?
  3. Is it legal for me to skip the commercials when I play back time-shifted TV recordings on my TiVo or other PVR? How is this different than getting up and going to the bathroom?
  4. Why are there region-code restrictions on DVDs? How does this prevent copyright infringement? Is it illegal for me to buy or and use a region-free DVD player, or to modify a DVD player to be region-free?
  5. In several lawsuits, the MPAA has repeatedly said that it's illegal to make a back-up of a DVD that I purchased. Why is this illegal?
  6. Is it ever legal for me to use software like DVD Shrink or Handbrake to rip a digital copy of a DVD I own onto a video iPod or my laptop? What if I want clips to use for a class report? Or if a teacher wants to include a clip in a PowerPoint slide?
  7. Is there anything illegal about copying TV shows I’ve recorded off the air onto my video iPod?
  8. If the MPAA-backed "broadcast flag" bill passes, I won't be able to move recorded TV content digitally to my current video iPod. Why should TV studios get to take away my ability to lawfully time- and space-shift?
  9. Major entertainment companies have repeatedly brought lawsuits to block new technologies, including the VCR, Digital Audio Tape recorders, the first MP3 player, the ReplayTV PVR, and now P2P software. Why is your industry so hostile to new technologies?
  10. Hollywood is pushing legislation to "plug the analog hole." These restrictions won't keep copyrighted video off of file sharing networks, but they will block me from excerpting a recorded TV show for a school report or using tools like the Slingbox to send recorded TV shows to myself over the Internet. Why are you trying to restrict these legitimate uses?

Get informed and stay informed! spike q
DEAD VET CAN'T GET HIS SACRED SYMBOL ENGRAVED ON HIS TOMBSTONE 7/11/06
DEAD VET CAN'T GET HIS SACRED SYMBOL ENGRAVED ON HIS TOMBSTONE 7/11/06 magnify

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Circle Times <circletimes@circlesanctuary.org>
Date: Sun, 09 Jul 2006 08:25:16 -0700
Subject: [circletimes] Veteran Pentacle Quest in DC & Media Update
To: [omitted]

Roberta Stewart and Rev. Selena Fox of Circle Sanctuary spoke at a
religious freedom rally in Washington, DC on the 4th of July. More
than 300 people, including Pagans from 17 states, attended the rally,
held in Farragut Square Park, located near the White House and the
headquarters of the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The rally
included a variety of speakers and musicians. Some photos of this
rally are now on-line at the newly created rally page and more photos
will be posted this week:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle/dcrally/index.htm

On Wednesday, July 5, Roberta and Selena went to Capitol Hill and met
with a legislative aide in Senator Harry Reid's office. The aide then
accompanied them to VA headquarters where they met with Under
Secretary for Memorial Affairs William Tuerk and two other VA
officials. The Under Secretary, who is head of the National Cemetery
Administration (NCA) which maintains the VA's list of authorized
emblems of belief for memorial markers for veterans, told them that
the VA is not approving any emblem of belief addition requests at this
time because the VA procedures adopted in October 2005 for adding
emblems of belief to the NCA list were not adopted correctly. The
Under Secretary still would give no timeline for the completion of
this latest "revising the rules" process. Both Selena and Roberta
urged him to add the Pentacle to the NCA list under previous protocols
while the VA sorts out its procedural mistakes.

The Pentacle Quest continues to make news.

An article appeared on the top of the second page of the Washington
Post on July 4 and is now being published by other media. Associated
Press and United Press International articles have been and are being
picked up by media sources across the USA and several other countries.

On July 5, Roberta and Selena appeared on the evening news on the ABC
television affiliate in Washington, DC.

The July 7 radio broadcast of Roberta and Selena on Barry Lynn's
Culture Shocks program is now archived on-line (show # 722) -- listen
to it at: http://www.cultureshocks.com

CNN television interviewed Roberta and Selena while they were in
Washington, DC -- the story is presently scheduled to air tomorrow
(Monday, July 10) on the American Morning Show (6 - 10 am EDT)

More media coverage is in the works for this week.

Your continued support for this Veteran Pentacle Quest is needed and
appreciated.

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

(1) SPEAK OUT: Monitor media coverage of the Pentacle Quest. Write
letters to the editor and to blog sites --express your support for the
Pentacle being added to the NCA list, call the VA to uphold religious
freedom, and express appreciation for good media coverage. Write
words of support in comments sections, which accompany news reports
on-line, such as following the article in the Sacramento Bee:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/lifestyle/v-print/story/14275816p-15085367c.html

(2) ALLIES: The Quest needs more Allies ... religious leaders of other
religions, veterans organizations, Senators & Congresspeople,
religious freedom activists, and others. Please contact possible
allies you know -- give them information about this Quest, ask them to
write letters of support to the VA & media, and let us know about your
efforts -- email: liberty@circlesanctuary.org or fax copies of letters
sent to us: (608) 924-5961.

(3) DONATE: Send donations to Circle Sanctuary to help defray travel
costs and other expenses incurred in the Quest. You can donate
on-line:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/donate/
or send to: Veteran Pentacle Quest Fund, Lady Liberty League, Circle
Sanctuary, PO Box 9, Barneveld, WI 53507 USA.
Donations are tax deductible in the USA. Make checks payable to
Circle Sanctuary - Lady Liberty League.

(4) RITUALS: Please send blessings of strength and support to Roberta
and Selena and others working with them on this Quest. Envision
success for the Veteran Pentacle Quest. Join with others in invoking
the Goddess Liberty (Libertas) and other Divine forces for success and
support at this Full Moon time and in the time ahead. More info about
Libertas and how to work with Her is on-line:
http://www.circlesanctuary.org/circle/articles/pantheon/GoddessFreedom.html

(5) NETWORK: Tell others about this Quest and encourage them to help.
Post the URL for our Veteran Pentacle website to lists and websites
(http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/veteranpentacle). Forward
this email on to others.

Thank you!

Circle Times: Sunday, July 9, 2006

.................................................................
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to http://www.circlesanctuary.org/network
and click the appropriate button, or contact
circle@circlesanctuary.org. Please note that in subscribing, it is
necessary to visit a URL to complete the process.

************************************************************

Freedom of religion means freedom of ALL religions and freedom from "your" religion. ~http://radical.sapphoq.com .
sapphoq's ABCs 7/10/06
sapphoq's ABCs 7/10/06 magnify

Here are my ABCs:

Addiction is not freedom.

Banned books and banned blogs have achieved a mark of excellence.

Change begins with me and gains momentum with us.

Distorted thinking yields distorted action.

Energy is recyclable.

Fear and faith can co-exist within the same dynamic space.

Great ideas often go unrecognized.

Healers cause ripples in the time-space continium.

It takes one person and a friend to start a revolution.

Joke 'em if they can't take a 6-23-3-11.

Kindness multiplies.

Life is neither fair nor unfair. Life is sacred.

Many heresies have shaped future realities.

Nature is indifferent to our pleas.

Opportunites are often created by those who seek them.

Parallel plains of existence are non-linear.

Quiet nourishes and restores the spirit.

Restoration may require further breakage.

Salt purifies and preserves.

Things do not bring happiness.

Using unnatural resources leads to unnatural dependencies.

Virginity is highly over-rated.

We are all alone in our own skins. [Thanks Nathaniel Branden].

Xenophobia is a sin.

Zealots of any kind are potentially annoying.

So there you have it, my ABCs inspired by a few blogs of ABCs that I have seen of late.

~spike q still drowning under the flood of 360 mail
ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION NEWS 6/27/06
spike q writes:
Attacks upon freedom of electronic speech and net neutrality are on the rise. Personally, I would rather have the feds concentrate on the on-line predators-- especially pedophiles on blogging sites and in chatrooms-- than on a few people who are downloading songs from a pre-release promotional cd.
The large-scale piracy operations that crack software codes and then post pirated [stolen] copies of the software for the taking are quick to claim that money reportedly lost from people gathering information and material without paying for it is exaggerated. The large corporations retort that their figures are accurate. The truth may very well be somewhere in between.
Some musicians willingly release some of their work to the web to be downloaded by fans and others hate the idea. Two fans of Ryan Adams are facing federal charges. How many of us have tape recorded songs off of the radio when we were younger? or shared music with our friends? or watched videos on YouTube?
More info about these issues can be had at http://www.eff.org and at http://chillingeffects.org .
Also read about S.1932, The ART Act at http://www.publicknowledge.org/news/analysis/1932 .
Below is a news item which appeared in the Electronic Frontier Foundation newsletter lifted verbatim from the newsletter for the purposes of education. The EFF does not plan to sue me for sharing their words with you.
The EFF writes:
* DoJ Reports on Criminal IP Enforcement
This week the Department of Justice issued a 100-page
"progress report" measuring its activities in the
intellectual property arena (copyright, trademark, patents,
trade secrets). This "progress report" is fascinating
reading, describing the DoJ's current enforcement
priorities in the intellectual property realm.
The feds have been staffing up on cybercrime generally,
with more than 230 attorneys working either as CHIP
Coordinators or directly assigned to CHIP Units. The
number of CHIP Units around the country, moreover, has
nearly doubled from 13 to 25 since 2004. (CHIP Units are
specially-trained federal cybercrime prosecutors
concentrated in a particular region.) CCIPS has also
grown, with 35 attorneys, 14 of which are exclusively
devoted to prosecuting IP crimes. (Based in Washington DC,
CCIPS is DoJ's "brain trust" on cybercrime.)
The report mentions several high-profile copyright
enforcement actions, including the colorfully named
Operations Gridlock, Copycat, and Western Pirates. All of
the featured copyright prosecutions involve commercial
piracy or large-scale "release groups." (Notably
overlooked was the federal indictment in Nashville of two
Ryan Adams fans for uploading a few tracks from pre-release
promotional CDs.)
The report details a wide variety of new international
initiatives, including pressuring countries in treaty
negotiations, developing an international "24/7 network" of
law enforcement contacts for computer crime cases, and
adding DoJ "attaches" in Asia and Eastern Europe.
The report endorses the proposed Intellectual Property
Protection Act, which would dramatically expand the scope
of criminal copyright infringement, adding attempt
liability, conspiracy liability, and asset forfeiture. As
we've discussed previously, these proposals are an outrage,
effectively allowing the feds to put people in jail without
having to prove that any actual copyright infringement ever
took place.
All of this suggests that we can expect to see a marked
increase in criminal IP cases being brought by the DoJ.
For the full DoJ "progress report":
For more analysis:
Comments are welcome-- both pro and con! spike q

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posted by sapphoq at 8:44 PM