Palin breaks with McCain on gay marriage amendment

Just in, in case you wondered Palin will campaign as vigorously against gay rights on a national level as she did in Alaska.


… NEW YORK – Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is. In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, the Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions.

"I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that's where we would go. I don't support gay marriage," Palin said. She said she believed traditional marriage is the foundation for strong families.

McCain, an Arizona senator, is supporting a ballot initiative in his state this year that would ban gay marriage. But he has consistently and forcefully opposed a federal marriage amendment, saying it would usurp states' authority on such matters.

As governor, Palin vetoed a bill that would have denied benefits to the partners of gay state employees. In a debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden, Palin said she was "tolerant" of gays and said she supported certain legal protections for same-sex couples, like hospital visitation rights.

In the CBN interview, Palin also said she would speak out if she heard a supporter at a rally yell violent or threatening comments about Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee.

"What we have heard through some mainstream media is that folks have hollered out some atrocious and unacceptable things like 'kill him,'" Palin said, referring to a Washington Post story two weeks ago about angry supporters at a Palin rally in Florida. "If I ever were to hear that standing up there at the podium with the mike, I would call them out on that, and I would tell these people, no, that's unacceptable."

CBN released excerpts of the interview Monday and planned to broadcast it in its entirety Tuesday.

Palin also claimed religion and God had been "mocked" during the campaign, although she offered no evidence to support that.

"Faith in God in general has been mocked through this campaign, and that breaks my heart and that is unfair for others who share a faith in God and choose to worship our Lord in whatever private manner that they deem fit," she said.

Palin is a conservative Christian who was baptized and grew up attending Pentecostal churches. In September, Obama defended Palin's religious beliefs and said it would be "offensive" to portray her faith as strange or wrong.

Palin also reaffirmed her view that Obama had been "palling around with terrorists" because of his association with Bill Ayers, a 1960s-era radical who helped found the violent Weather Underground group to protest the Vietnam war. The group was responsible for bombings of several government buildings.

"I would say it again," she said.

Ayers and Obama live in the same Chicago neighborhood and have served together on charity boards. Ayers also hosted a house party for Obama when he was first running for the Illinois state Senate.

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On the Net:

Christian Broadcasting Network: http://www.cbn.com

McCain-Palin: http://www.johnmccain.com

Obama: http://www.barackobama.com

Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies in the Episcopal Blaze

The Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies after petitioning the Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, the only openly gay Anglican Bishop, not to attend the Dallas Black Tie has inadvertently found it's self at a confluence of passion, faith and the possible reshaping of the American Anglican landscape.

The original desire of the Advocates was to illuminate the current struggle of transgender people in light of their exclusion from the national human rights movement (ENDA)as a result of efforts by the group "Human Rights Campaign", their political allies and religion.

Bishop Robinson responded by asking for dialogue, and the "Transgender Conversation" with Bishop Robinson was scheduled for November 22, 2008 to correspond with the day that Bishop Robinson is accepting the Elizabeth Birch award from the Human Rights Campaign.

The uproar that the Episcopal Church is experiencing has escalated with the withdrawal of the Pittsburgh Diocese partly in reaction to the instalment of Bishop Robinson and the voting November 4, 2008 by the Fort Worth Diocese which will determine whether they will follow Pittsburgh and join the "Southern Cone"

In respect of Bishop Robinson's request the Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies will hold a moderated conversation in order to maintain the topic's within the agreed boundries.

However the actions of individuals following the conversation may include a vigil, prayer and protest at the site of the fundraiser being conducted by HRC.


Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies(DTAA)

Elizabeth Birch became the Executive Director of the HRC in 1995 was quoted as saying that "trans inclusion in ENDA would take place over her dead body."

Human rights cowards

Lambda Legal Scorch's Barney Frank over ENDA

Religion receives exemption from human rights

Human Rights violence cause and effect
Human Rights First : 2008 report

Petition to end spiritual violence

Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies Press Release
DTAA Press Release

A Faith's Dwindling Following
Pittsburgh Anglican

Southern Cone
Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de las Americas
anglicancommunion.org