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5.31.2013

Today is the day that House will take up Illinois Marriage Equality bill IL SB10

Today's the big day in the House for the fate of IL SB10, the marriage equality bill. Please pray for its passage!


If it passes, we're the 13th state (14th including DC) to pass marriage equality, making for exciting times for our state.

I personally hope and pray that same-sex marriage is legalized in my home state, and I urge you to call and/or email your Representative to tell that person to vote YES on IL SB10

More on the IL marriage equality fight, see the #IL4M tag on Justin's Political Corner: http://justinspoliticalcorner.tumblr.com/tagged/IL4M


Twitter/Instagram hashtags in support of IL SB10: #IL4M, #ILove, #ILequality, #ILSB10

5.26.2013

Pray that the Illinois House passes Marriage Equality this week, making it the 13th state to do so


In the next few days prior to May 31st-- possibly as soon as today in the Illinois House of Representatives-- a vote on the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (aka IL SB10) will occur, and if it passes, it will make Illinois the 13th state to legalize same-sex marriage.






ICYMI on my past editorials on marriage equality to the BND:
01.30.2013, before the Senate vote:
With the pending legalization of same-sex marriage coming to the Land of Lincoln via the Illinois General Assembly, let’s remember some facts:
  •  Same-sex marriage legalization benefits the economy.
  • Marriage is between two human adults, whether it is between a man and a woman, woman and woman, or man and man.
  • It will not lead to people marrying their cats, dogs, turtles, computers or any other non-human(s).
  • Unlike the current civil unions law, same-sex couples will have full benefits and rights.
  • Despite the fearmongering from the Illinois Family Institute and other religious right conservative interest groups, religious freedoms will not be weakened if this bill passes.
I think it’s long past time to make Illinois the tenth state to legalize same-sex marriage 
.
Justin Gibson
Granite City

03.05.2013, while still in limbo between the House Committee vote and the full House vote:
On Valentine’s Day, The Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act (SB10) passed 34-21-2-2 in the Illinois Senate. And on Tuesday night before 10:30 p.m., the House Executive Committee voted 6-5 to send it to the full House for its vote, which will most likely occur within the next two weeks.

As SB10 gets closer to a full vote in the Illinois House of Representatives, it is important to consider the benefits of allowing same-sex marriage in Illinois (a letter that I wrote to this paper in more detail that was featured in the Jan. 30 edition).

I want to add more points about this issue:
* As a Christian who believes in religious freedom and attends church every Sunday, it is both the right thing and the Christian thing to endorse this bill’s passage because of its religious freedom protections, even if the majority of the attenders of my church (Grace Baptist Church in Granite City) oppose the bill.
* As a resident of Illinois, it is the smart thing to pass the bill in support of giving couples who love each other — irrespective of sexual orientation — the freedom to marry whoever they choose. 
* When same-sex marriage finally becomes the law here in the Land of Lincoln, it will improve the Supreme Court’s chances of ruling in favor of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and/or California’s Proposition 8 that was passed in 2008.
Contact your state representative to vote “yes” on SB10.

Justin Gibson
Granite City
That second letter hit home regarding religious freedom and my support of IL SB10.

The Illinois GOP decided to make Pat Brady resign earlier this month due to his support of marriage equality.

MSNBC:
Embroiled in an intraparty fight over his support for gay marriage, Illinois GOP Chairman Pat Brady stepped down on Tuesday as leader of the state party.
Brady has been facing heat from the more conservative wing of his party for months, ever since he announced his support for same sex marriage legislation before the state legislature earlier this year.
The new head of the ILGOP will very likely be a far-right IFI-type loon running it.


I personally hope and pray that same-sex marriage is legalized in my home state, and I urge you to call and/or email your Representative to tell that person to vote YES on IL SB10

More on the IL marriage equality fight, see the #IL4M tag on Justin's Political Corner: http://justinspoliticalcorner.tumblr.com/tagged/IL4M


Twitter/Instagram hashtags in support of IL SB10: #IL4M, #ILove, #ILequality, #ILSB10


5.16.2013

Why KMOV MUST fire GOP hack Larry Conners


As you may have heard in the news recently, veteran KMOV news anchor (and right-wing hero) Larry Conners (@lconnersnews4) is in really hot water because he claimed (falsely) that he was "harassed by the IRS"  after his infamous interview with President Obama last year in which he asked right-wing gotcha questions (most notably the "Obamas take too much vacations" lie promulgated through the wingnut universe).


From the 05.14.2013 edition of KMOV's News 4 at 6:
                       

Transcript:

“First, I need to state those were my personal views, not those of KMOV-TV,” Conners said (video above). “Second, to be fair, I should disclose that my issues with the IRS preceded that interview by several years. As a journalist I understand the importance of keeping personal matters separate from my professional work — sometimes you have to do that retain your independence as a newsman. Those lines might have been unintentionally crossed yesterday by my [Facebook] post.”
The facts: Conners' tax problems with the IRS go back to several years BEFORE his interview with Obama.


Conners backed off his earlier claim about the IRS on KMOV's 5 p.m. newscast Tuesday. The Post-Dispatch reported his initial IRS suspicions at 11 a.m. Conners declined to comment in the time between the Post-Dispatch report and his televised statement. 
St. Louis County records show that a federal tax lien has been placed on Conners’ property in Clayton. The lien claims that Conners and his wife, Janet L. Conners, owe more than $85,000 in “small business/self employed” taxes. 
The lien, filed Sept. 20 in Chicago and then recorded in St. Louis County on Oct. 4, specifically alleges that the Conners owe the government $7,793 from 2008, $38,482 from 2009 and $39,508 from 2010.

Dear KMOV (or KMOTea), if you want any credibility left, you should do the right thing and fire Mr. Conners ASAP!

5.08.2013

I have converted to Duck Dynasty fandom

I have grown into a fan of the A&E show Duck Dynasty in recent times.

My favorite of the four beards is Uncle Si.


Happy Happy Happy!