The Curmudgeon Emeritus at Eternity Road extrapolates along similar lines as my yesterday's post.
Money quote(s):
"Since the enactment of same-sex marriage legislation by the State of New York, certain questions have been on the minds of those opposed to the idea:
What else will this change?
Will churches, synagogues, etc. be compelled to solemnize same-sex marriages?
What about businesses run by religious proprietors?"
&
"Given that New York, despite the cosmopolitan-secular veneer afforded it by New York City, is as religious as any other part of the country, the bill could not have passed the Senate without such provisions. However, given the activism of American judges, there is no guarantee that an appellate court will swallow either the exemptions or the inseverability provision. A court decision mandating same-sex marriage without any exemptions is quite possible, just as same-sex marriage was foisted upon Massachusetts by a judicial decree.
Finally, given the documented history of homosexuals' pressure upon the churches, particularly the Catholic Church, to accept them and their ways despite longstanding doctrine, it's easy to foresee additional rounds in this battle." (Emphasis in original text. - CAA.)
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
re: "Gay marriage: as New York goes, so goes."
Neo-Neocon (" to tell the tale of my political change and provide a forum for others") seems to approve of New York's gay marriage law.
Money quote(s):
"New York has legalized gay marriage in the best way possible: at the state level, by legislation, and with exemptions for “religious organizations to refuse to perform services or lend space for same-sex weddings.”
This is far better than legislation by court rulings, and far better than a federal law."
&
"I do know that I believe that the religious exemptions in the New York law are important, and that they may indeed be threatened by challenges in the future."
My apologies to both my readers for veering into this issue. I'll enter a plea of "this connects with consular work due to the Defense of Marriage Act."
Neo-Neocon correctly notes perhaps the most critical line-in-the-sand relating to this issue: future potential coercion of religious authorities to require they provide marriage services to same-sex couples.
"They" will say that's just nonsense and alarmism, that "they" just want equal standing in civil law. But this is not just a "slippery slope" issue (as Neo-Neocon describes it), but it is also a moving-the-goal-posts issue. Every time ground is gained on a "gay rights" issue that activests publicly swear is all they really want, it's not more than three-to-five years before the next, previously unthinkable, goalpost is reached for.
As Neo-Neocon also remarks, "this question will be moot in another generation or two in most states, because younger people are far more likely to support the legalization of gay marriage than older people are." This is key.
But what is also key is what in the short term will become a third-rail issue for those who cling bitterly to their religion and guns. They will not much cotton to being told, or having their churches told, that they must now practise as a sacrament what would previously have been considered a mortal sin.
Better writers than I, with better imaginations, can readily flesh-out the details of an alternate future where federal agents force the "integration" of churches as a civil rights issue, or, even worse, act out this century's version of the Waco massacre. All of this could proceed, quite logically and predictably, from the legal and legislative developments of today, plus a few years for the voting public to forget the current administration's failings long enough to elect another one like it.
I don't much fear same-sex marriage personally. I'm a U.S. foreign service officer working for the State Department: it's not like I've never met a same-sex couple.
What I do fear is federal over-reach into those freedoms actually and specifically enumerated, cited, and protected in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. That kind of arrogant stupidity causes civil wars.
Money quote(s):
"New York has legalized gay marriage in the best way possible: at the state level, by legislation, and with exemptions for “religious organizations to refuse to perform services or lend space for same-sex weddings.”
This is far better than legislation by court rulings, and far better than a federal law."
&
"I do know that I believe that the religious exemptions in the New York law are important, and that they may indeed be threatened by challenges in the future."
My apologies to both my readers for veering into this issue. I'll enter a plea of "this connects with consular work due to the Defense of Marriage Act."
Neo-Neocon correctly notes perhaps the most critical line-in-the-sand relating to this issue: future potential coercion of religious authorities to require they provide marriage services to same-sex couples.
"They" will say that's just nonsense and alarmism, that "they" just want equal standing in civil law. But this is not just a "slippery slope" issue (as Neo-Neocon describes it), but it is also a moving-the-goal-posts issue. Every time ground is gained on a "gay rights" issue that activests publicly swear is all they really want, it's not more than three-to-five years before the next, previously unthinkable, goalpost is reached for.
As Neo-Neocon also remarks, "this question will be moot in another generation or two in most states, because younger people are far more likely to support the legalization of gay marriage than older people are." This is key.
But what is also key is what in the short term will become a third-rail issue for those who cling bitterly to their religion and guns. They will not much cotton to being told, or having their churches told, that they must now practise as a sacrament what would previously have been considered a mortal sin.
Better writers than I, with better imaginations, can readily flesh-out the details of an alternate future where federal agents force the "integration" of churches as a civil rights issue, or, even worse, act out this century's version of the Waco massacre. All of this could proceed, quite logically and predictably, from the legal and legislative developments of today, plus a few years for the voting public to forget the current administration's failings long enough to elect another one like it.
I don't much fear same-sex marriage personally. I'm a U.S. foreign service officer working for the State Department: it's not like I've never met a same-sex couple.
What I do fear is federal over-reach into those freedoms actually and specifically enumerated, cited, and protected in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. That kind of arrogant stupidity causes civil wars.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
AFP - US 'enemy's' secret weapon? The US passport, some say.
From my archive of press clippings:
AFP
US 'enemy's' secret weapon? The US passport, some say
Fri, May 07, 2010
AFP
US 'enemy's' secret weapon? The US passport, some say
NEW YORK - Islamist militants attacking the United States have a new secret weapon: the US passport.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Everything from hijacked airliners to handguns have featured in attacks on US soil over the last decade. Maybe the slim, blue booklet labeled PASSPORT, and decorated in gold with an eagle, should be added to that list.
Certainly US passports allow militants to infiltrate the country in a way no foreign jihadist could ever match. And if a militant is caught, he gets the same legal protections as everyone else in the country he was trying to fight."
"Border controls have been severely tightened since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."
"So few disagree that a US passport might be valuable. It's also true that the number of citizens involved in terrorist incidents is steadily growing.
Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the failed Times Square car bomb, entered the United States on a student visa a decade ago and was granted citizenship in 2009.
US Army Major Nidal Hasan, a devout Muslim disturbed by the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, gunned down 13 people and wounded 42 last November at the Fort Hood, Texas army base where he served.
Just a week ago a New York man, Sabirhan Hasanoff, was charged with helping Al-Qaeda.
Tellingly, this US citizen is accused by prosecutors, in part, of urging another citizen "not to use his US passport when traveling because a US passport with fewer immigration stamps would be more valuable to Al-Qaeda." "
"At issue is the question of what it means to be a citizen of one of the most open countries in the world - a country built on welcoming newcomers.
Some are using the fear of terrorism to push for a clampdown on the millions of illegal immigrants working and living productively here, often for years.
Proposals to grant those illegal immigrants amnesty "will legalize more terrorists," writes the right-wing Human Events."
&
"The left-leaning New York Times warns that undermining the inalienable rights of citizenship means entering "dark territory." "
AFP
US 'enemy's' secret weapon? The US passport, some say
Fri, May 07, 2010
AFP
US 'enemy's' secret weapon? The US passport, some say
NEW YORK - Islamist militants attacking the United States have a new secret weapon: the US passport.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Everything from hijacked airliners to handguns have featured in attacks on US soil over the last decade. Maybe the slim, blue booklet labeled PASSPORT, and decorated in gold with an eagle, should be added to that list.
Certainly US passports allow militants to infiltrate the country in a way no foreign jihadist could ever match. And if a militant is caught, he gets the same legal protections as everyone else in the country he was trying to fight."
"Border controls have been severely tightened since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."
"So few disagree that a US passport might be valuable. It's also true that the number of citizens involved in terrorist incidents is steadily growing.
Faisal Shahzad, the suspect in the failed Times Square car bomb, entered the United States on a student visa a decade ago and was granted citizenship in 2009.
US Army Major Nidal Hasan, a devout Muslim disturbed by the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, gunned down 13 people and wounded 42 last November at the Fort Hood, Texas army base where he served.
Just a week ago a New York man, Sabirhan Hasanoff, was charged with helping Al-Qaeda.
Tellingly, this US citizen is accused by prosecutors, in part, of urging another citizen "not to use his US passport when traveling because a US passport with fewer immigration stamps would be more valuable to Al-Qaeda." "
"At issue is the question of what it means to be a citizen of one of the most open countries in the world - a country built on welcoming newcomers.
Some are using the fear of terrorism to push for a clampdown on the millions of illegal immigrants working and living productively here, often for years.
Proposals to grant those illegal immigrants amnesty "will legalize more terrorists," writes the right-wing Human Events."
&
"The left-leaning New York Times warns that undermining the inalienable rights of citizenship means entering "dark territory." "
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
WGRZ - Buffalo to Get U.S. Passport Office
From my archive of press clippings:
WGRZ.Com
Buffalo to Get U.S. Passport Office
Matt Pitts
The process of getting a passport will become a whole lot easier in Western New York.
WGRZ.Com
Buffalo to Get U.S. Passport Office
Matt Pitts
The process of getting a passport will become a whole lot easier in Western New York.
Read the whole article here.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
WSJ - Mrs. Madoff Gets Passport
From my archive of press clippings:
Wall Street Journal
Mrs. Madoff Gets Passport
JULY 8, 2009
NEW YORK -- Ruth Madoff, the wife of convicted Ponzi-scheme operator Bernard Madoff, is getting her passport back.
Read the whole article here.
Wall Street Journal
Mrs. Madoff Gets Passport
JULY 8, 2009
NEW YORK -- Ruth Madoff, the wife of convicted Ponzi-scheme operator Bernard Madoff, is getting her passport back.
Read the whole article here.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
TTN - OUR VIEW: Passport office needed in Western New York
The Tonawanda News
OUR VIEW: Passport office needed in Western New York
Published: April 22, 2009 01:31 am
you’ve been putting it off, the time is now to get a passport.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The next phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is set to go into effect on June 1. That gives you a little over a month to get a passport or enhanced license if you plan to travel to Canada starting in June.
To make for a smoother transition in getting a passport, Congressmen Chris Lee and Brian Higgins are urging Washington lawmakers to open a passport office in Western New York."
OUR VIEW: Passport office needed in Western New York
Published: April 22, 2009 01:31 am
you’ve been putting it off, the time is now to get a passport.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The next phase of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative is set to go into effect on June 1. That gives you a little over a month to get a passport or enhanced license if you plan to travel to Canada starting in June.
To make for a smoother transition in getting a passport, Congressmen Chris Lee and Brian Higgins are urging Washington lawmakers to open a passport office in Western New York."
Sunday, March 8, 2009
PJ - Western Hemisphere visits will soon require a passport
Poughkeepsie Journal
Western Hemisphere visits will soon require a passport
By Brad Kendall • March 3, 2009
In three months, on June 1, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative goes into effect.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service program will affect those Americans entering the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. (Those entering by air are required to use a U.S. Passport now and in the future.)
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Currently, Americans crossing these borders can do so using photo identification and proof of U.S. citizenship such as a birth certificate. After June 1, Americans crossing these borders will be required to use either a U.S. passport, a U.S. passport card, a New York state enhanced driver's license, or an enhanced photo identification card."
&
"The New York state enhan-ced driver's license, the en-hanced non-driver's ID card or an enhanced learner's permit are valid for land and sea crossings from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. These are not valid for international air travel. To upgrade a valid license, permit or non-driver ID, the cost is $40. If you upgrade your document at time of renewal, there is an additional $30 fee on top of the license or ID fee."
Western Hemisphere visits will soon require a passport
By Brad Kendall • March 3, 2009
In three months, on June 1, the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative goes into effect.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service program will affect those Americans entering the United States by land or sea from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. (Those entering by air are required to use a U.S. Passport now and in the future.)
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"Currently, Americans crossing these borders can do so using photo identification and proof of U.S. citizenship such as a birth certificate. After June 1, Americans crossing these borders will be required to use either a U.S. passport, a U.S. passport card, a New York state enhanced driver's license, or an enhanced photo identification card."
&
"The New York state enhan-ced driver's license, the en-hanced non-driver's ID card or an enhanced learner's permit are valid for land and sea crossings from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda. These are not valid for international air travel. To upgrade a valid license, permit or non-driver ID, the cost is $40. If you upgrade your document at time of renewal, there is an additional $30 fee on top of the license or ID fee."
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
NEWSDAY.COM - Enhanced DMV license available after Labor Day
From my archive of press clippings:
NewsDay.Com
Enhanced DMV license available after Labor Day
BY JAMES T. MADORE james.madore@newsday.com
May 28, 2008
ALBANY - After Labor Day, vacationers on cruise ships to the Caribbean and motorists to Canada will be able to apply for a new driver's license that meets tougher federal identification requirements to re-enter the United States, beginning in June 2009. Officials said yesterday that New York would be only the second state in the country, after Washington, to roll out an Enhanced Driver License that doubles as a passport book but costs $20 less. The new license can be obtained only by residents with proof of U.S. citizenship, and it isn't valid for entry to the country by airplane.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The enhanced license was first raised last fall by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer as part of a larger plan to offer regular driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in an attempt to reduce traffic accidents and better track residents.
The illegal-immigrant component sparked a firestorm, forcing Spitzer to drop it in November."
&
"Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, residents will have to show a passport or other valid identification, such as the enhanced license, to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda via land or sea.
The new license, costing $80, will resemble the current one but will include an American flag on the front and have a radio-frequency identification chip allowing border guards to access necessary information. The fee for renewing a driver's license would remain $50."
NewsDay.Com
Enhanced DMV license available after Labor Day
BY JAMES T. MADORE james.madore@newsday.com
May 28, 2008
ALBANY - After Labor Day, vacationers on cruise ships to the Caribbean and motorists to Canada will be able to apply for a new driver's license that meets tougher federal identification requirements to re-enter the United States, beginning in June 2009. Officials said yesterday that New York would be only the second state in the country, after Washington, to roll out an Enhanced Driver License that doubles as a passport book but costs $20 less. The new license can be obtained only by residents with proof of U.S. citizenship, and it isn't valid for entry to the country by airplane.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"The enhanced license was first raised last fall by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer as part of a larger plan to offer regular driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in an attempt to reduce traffic accidents and better track residents.
The illegal-immigrant component sparked a firestorm, forcing Spitzer to drop it in November."
&
"Under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, residents will have to show a passport or other valid identification, such as the enhanced license, to enter the United States from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda via land or sea.
The new license, costing $80, will resemble the current one but will include an American flag on the front and have a radio-frequency identification chip allowing border guards to access necessary information. The fee for renewing a driver's license would remain $50."
Saturday, February 7, 2009
JO - Diaspora and the hometown reality
From my archive of press clippings:
Jamaica Observer
Diaspora and the hometown reality
BARBARA GLOUDON
Friday, June 13, 2008
THE VOICE on the phone from New York at mid-week wanted to know: "Should we come to Jamaica, with all that we hear is going on there? All those people getting killed and so on..."
BARBARA GLOUDON
I gave her the only answer of which I was capable, which is, I can't tell anybody not to come here but I fully understand the anxiety. When you read the daily toll of wasted lives, it is not encouraging, neither for friends afar nor ourselves at home. I could only add, in response to the lady's query, that we're doing the best we can with a very difficult situation.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"In a time past, we would have been worried about what to tell tourists, how to reassure them that we are not all savages waiting to spring out of the jungle and dispatch them with our "ma-shetties"."
gloudonb@yahoo.com
Jamaica Observer
Diaspora and the hometown reality
BARBARA GLOUDON
Friday, June 13, 2008
THE VOICE on the phone from New York at mid-week wanted to know: "Should we come to Jamaica, with all that we hear is going on there? All those people getting killed and so on..."
BARBARA GLOUDON
I gave her the only answer of which I was capable, which is, I can't tell anybody not to come here but I fully understand the anxiety. When you read the daily toll of wasted lives, it is not encouraging, neither for friends afar nor ourselves at home. I could only add, in response to the lady's query, that we're doing the best we can with a very difficult situation.
Read the whole article here.
Snippet(s):
"In a time past, we would have been worried about what to tell tourists, how to reassure them that we are not all savages waiting to spring out of the jungle and dispatch them with our "ma-shetties"."
gloudonb@yahoo.com
Thursday, February 5, 2009
S&S - Career military officer eyed for Afghan post
Stars and Stripes
Career military officer eyed for Afghan post
Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Sunday, February 1, 2009
NEW YORK — A career military officer who is set to retire soon from the Army has been tapped to become the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Friday.
Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry has served in Afghanistan twice, including an 18-month tour that ended in 2007, and knows the issues facing the troubled country and the players well.
Read the whole article here.
Career military officer eyed for Afghan post
Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Sunday, February 1, 2009
NEW YORK — A career military officer who is set to retire soon from the Army has been tapped to become the next U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, The New York Times reported Friday.
Lt. Gen. Karl W. Eikenberry has served in Afghanistan twice, including an 18-month tour that ended in 2007, and knows the issues facing the troubled country and the players well.
Read the whole article here.
Friday, January 30, 2009
AHN - British Rapper Lady Sovereign Cancels U.S. Shows Due To Visa Problems
AllHeadlineNews
British Rapper Lady Sovereign Cancels U.S. Shows Due To Visa Problems
January 27, 2009 7:03 a.m. EST
Nidhi Sharma - Celebrity News Service Reporter
New York, NY (CNS) - Visa complications have forced British rapper Lady Sovereign to push back her quick run of small-venue U.S. shows for a week.
Sovereign was scheduled to perform at Pianos in New York on January 26, but that show has been moved to February 2.
Read the whole article here.
British Rapper Lady Sovereign Cancels U.S. Shows Due To Visa Problems
January 27, 2009 7:03 a.m. EST
Nidhi Sharma - Celebrity News Service Reporter
New York, NY (CNS) - Visa complications have forced British rapper Lady Sovereign to push back her quick run of small-venue U.S. shows for a week.
Sovereign was scheduled to perform at Pianos in New York on January 26, but that show has been moved to February 2.
Read the whole article here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
