Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Iowa high court to hear marriage case
Oral arguments were scheduled to be heard today at the Iowa Supreme Court in a case that could make the state the first in the middle of the country to grant equal marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. "This is the heartland of America -- a place where family values are revered. It would be an incredibly strong signal for the Iowa Supreme Court to find that same-sex marriages are legal," said Angela Onwuachi-Willig, a University of Iowa law professor who has signed a court brief backing marriage rights. The Des Moines Register (Iowa) (12/7)
'Nanny' state: Fran Drescher seeks Clinton's Senate seat
December 9, 2008
Posted: 11:44 AM ET
Fran Drescher is a women's health advocate and a public diplomacy envoy for the State Department.
NEW YORK (CNN) — Actress Fran Drescher has expressed interest in being appointed to the U.S. Senate seat that New York's Hillary Clinton is giving up to become secretary of state, a spokesman for the actress said.
No, seriously.
"Fran Drescher, actress, women's health advocate and public diplomacy envoy for the U.S. State Department, announced that she is throwing her hat into the ring of contenders for the senate seat being vacated by Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton," Drescher spokesman Jordan Brown told CNN in a written statement late Monday.
Watch: CNN's Alina Cho break down Drescher's interest
Drescher, 51, is best known for her starring role in the 1990s television comedy "The Nanny" and an adenoidal voice that could strip the rust off an engine block — a talent that might come in handy during a Senate filibuster.
But since a bout with uterine cancer, she has become an activist for better health care for women and was named a State Department public envoy on the issue in September. Drescher recently toured Eastern European countries to raise awareness of the issue on behalf of the State Department.
New York Gov. David Paterson will appoint a successor for Clinton, who still must be confirmed by her Senate colleagues for the Cabinet post. That successor would face voters in a special election in 2010.
A spokesman for Patterson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning.
Speculation over Paterson's choice reached a frenzy over the weekend after reports that Caroline Kennedy, daughter of assassinated President John F. Kennedy, had phoned to discuss the position.
Paterson said Monday that Kennedy had called him and "asked a few questions," but dismissed other reports as "gossip."
"And frankly, this is a serious issue which I think is starting to be
treated as some sort of reality TV show," he added.
A senior adviser to Clinton, Philippe Reines, said she would not comment on her possible successors.
"This is entirely Governor Patterson's decision and we're respecting the privacy of his process," Reines said.
Our Mutual Joy: Newsweek Cover Story
Opponents of gay marriage often cite Scripture. But what the Bible teaches about love argues for the other side.
From the magazine issue dated Dec 15, 2008
Let's try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does. Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his beloved wife Sarah was infertile? Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel—all these fathers and heroes were polygamists. The New Testament model of marriage is hardly better. Jesus himself was single and preached an indifference to earthly attachments—especially family. The apostle Paul (also single) regarded marriage as an act of last resort for those unable to contain their animal lust. "It is better to marry than to burn with passion," says the apostle, in one of the most lukewarm endorsements of a treasured institution ever uttered. Would any contemporary heterosexual married couple—who likely woke up on their wedding day harboring some optimistic and newfangled ideas about gender equality and romantic love—turn to the Bible as a how-to script?
Of course not, yet the religious opponents of gay marriage would have it be so. (READ)
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