This was originally intended as a reply to a Moveon.org letter sent to me asking me what concerns I had of what was in the news right now and what news I was interested in. I thought I would reply my biggest concerns, some concerns I have had for awhile, and address my views on a few things.

I am really disgusted with this oil disaster right now. I think we need to put more of the tax focus on energy and more taxes on gasoline at the pump. We have got to get away from our oil dependency. I would even go with nuclear before buying more oil from terrorists and to cargo oil all over the ocean. Of course, the world would be a much better place if we would have made Exxon pay for their damage years ago because this created an environment where anyone can get away with an Oil Spill and not pay the consequences.

I am also concerned that our spending is out of control we do need to keep taxes reasonable so that companies and people do not move to other countries. The Tea baggers have lots of good points and it makes me want to join them if they weren’t racist hypocrites. Then they make statements about microchips in people but want less government. But some of the sain people such as Ron Paul make good points in the unfair taxes for some while others get by without paying taxes at all when some should (they are probably getting more use out of Federal facilities than the people paying for them for free).

I also think that gays should get every federal right such as marriage. GLBT are paying taxes and deserve to be treated like every other tax paying citizen. While I agree that the Arizona law went to far at discrimination I do feel we have got to do something when it comes to illegals mooching off our system. If someone is living off our healthcare and driving uninsured cars down the highway these people need to be addressed.

We need to focus on incentives for companies more to build stronger internet backbones, faster rails, and curing diseases and viruses such as HIV and cancer. Private companies need greater support doing these things and much larger tax or cash incentives. We want to be the first here in America and want to make sure our bio-techs are focused on science that can save lives and not things like Ambien and Restless Leg Syndrome just to make a quick profit.

We have to make sure the FDA does not stop any more natural supplements such as Almonds or something like Vitamin D. We have to protect natural ways to keep healthy and make sure there are no toxins in these products at the same time. That will be hard but we have to do it. We should also make it where natural pain killers or a natural inflammatory such as THC/Pot are available and we should be able to grow anything in our own yard. This is a freedom we must have to be a real America and get away with having to buy things like this from the drug lords in Mexico.

Finally, I feel that Churches that do not do a certain amount of community service SHOULD pay taxes. If the church is not doing say 50% community service besides preaching and activism why are they getting by without paying taxes just like any other business? They are a business they need to be taxed.

I feel that the news is not really worth watching lately. I get more quality stuff out of the Daily Show than anything and still fast forward through Keith Olbermann or Rachel Maddow. Most of my factual news comes from the Yahoo.com homepage and if I want opinions I turn over to MSNBC.

No this is no April Fool’s Joke or anything this really is a painting of Jesus Christ dated back to 12th Century art where his genitals wee exposed during the crucifix. This painting is displayed in a Catholic Church near Oklahoma City, OK. The church is not taking the painting down and surprisingly most of the visitors to a news website in the city agree that it is ok to leave up.

Keep in mind this is a 10-foot-tall crucifix hanging above the alter at a Catholic church. One Facebook comment makes the point “The image is quite obvious; but, I find it interesting that many people don’t… seem to notice (on a 10-foot-tall crucifix), and that 62% of people polled don’t find it offensive (whereas people sure were “outraged” when Erykah Badu exposed herself at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas on March 17). According to the Church, there are no plans to remove it.”

I agree that our bodes are art and so are the clothes we wear for that matter. We may be disgusted by seeing one person walk around nude but someone else we may get turned on by but when we came out of our mommies we certainly were not dressed and we bared all. We were in our birthday suits. I am surprised there is not more art that depicts nudity in our true form and the beauty of our different bodies.

Jesus in this painting definitely had something sticking out of his skirt or dress that looked mighty powerful and that was not your ordinary sized penis. I am not sure if I was in shock it was so big or because the balls were so big. In some of the same paintings dating back to this time it seemed to show more abs and images of the genitals. The crucifix hanging at this Catholic Church resembles other San Damiano crucifixes except for Jesus’ abdominal area, which is noticeably more pronounced than on similar crucifixes. Very hung if you ask me.

Could this be a sexual depiction of Jesus? Could this be a bondage type depiction? I do not think so I think it is just the way the artists captured this moment. I do find it strange that some captured abs in that area that look similar and this painting has a full out private part sticking out for the world to see.

The Catholic Church certainly has their problems with some Priests who are pedophiles (people who molest children) which has been confused with gays serving in the church. There is a big difference there because gays are not pedophiles they are attracted to the same sex of someone who is consenting adult. But this Vatican problem is something that has been crippling the church and as for the artwork it is certainly not going to be a problem because it has been around for thousands of years and no one has bothered to remove the genitalia from the paintings as they should not.

Well everyone is talking about the new “Obama Care” this week as they should. It was shocking news to many that the Healthcare legislation passed late Sunday night then went on to President Barrack Obama’s desk for signature this week to become the law of the land.

What this will do for gays and lesbians is really not much too soon unless you have kids in college or children in the home. The healthcare legislation was certainly not perfect because it will take too long for the pre-existing part to kick in. It will also not put enough restrictions on the health insurance companies that are known for their heartless greed.

We also should have done something more for research in medicine in terms of vaccines and cures. It scares me to think less money could go into these areas at a time we need them the most with MRSA infections which antibiotics cannot help immediately and HIV and Cancer still out there putting people in pain and suffering.

This was an amazing Victory for the Democrats such as Pelosi and Obama. They have really worked hard on this and I am pleased it passed in some ways. It defeated all the namecalling and hate speeches that went on during this debate. The republicans went to extremes and lied to try to get this to not pass and if they would have not acted like ignorant mules and used some intellect in their discussion it may have been stopped.

Where will all of this new healthcare money come from?
There is talk of new taxes for those who make over $250,000 a year who could end up paying 2.5% instead of 1% in Medicaid taxes. There is also talk of taxes for those who drink soft drinks and a 10% tanning salon tax.

I do my tanning now and then but I think its a brilliant idea to tax tanning and high fructose corn syrup and things such as diet coke chemicals. All of the chemicals but at the same time think its a bad idea to be able to make judgments on what to tax. TAXING SHOULD BE FAIR AND ACROSS THE BOARD. The sales tax should be increased for any goods we buy that way it would hit all these families who have kids who are mooching off the system. You can sit around and have all these kids but not pay more in taxes and get more deductions?? These kids are the reason my property taxes are so high thanks to the school district I live in. Without kids it is just unfair and unwarranted to have to pay these taxes. That would be like me paying taxes for someone else to enjoy drinking or smoking. You always hear about Children benefiting from most any legislation passing.

Most of us will not benefit from this until 4 years from now unless you are on your parents health ins until age 26.

Also, we need to Tax churches!! Churches are supposed to be separated but they damn well do their indirect grubbiness into politics!

While the gay rights movement in the United States is typically focused on gay marriage, gays in the military and similar civil rights issues, elsewhere in the world the situation is much more dire. Homosexuality is, in some areas, treated as a criminal offense. Recently, Uganda has been in the news with steps taken toward laws that would condemn gays and lesbians not only as criminals, but even impose the death sentence in some circumstances. Other African countries, including Kenya and Tanzania, have anti-gay laws on the books, but there is fear that these may be expanded.

Unfortunately, the Ugandan law, The Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009, is expected to pass, regardless of international condemnation. In its current form, the law will condemn HIV positive individuals, those convicted of same-sex rape or sex with a minor, and serial offenders to death. If found guilty of homosexuality, life imprisonment is the penalty in other situations. Family, friends, and even landlords can face imprisonment if they fail to report someone for homosexuality.

While the international community has condemned this law and is treating it as a foreign policy issue, there are much more concerning ties to America. The initial law came to be after visits to Uganda by conservative fundamentalist American clergy; Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge, and Don Schmeirer, supporting treatment for homosexuality and religious cures and promoting intensely negative views of homosexuality. During the course of their visit, gays were accused of sodomizing teenage boys and attempting to defeat a marriage based culture. It should be noted that the three have criticized the new legislation, even though Lively met with lawmakers to discuss it.

What is being done and what can you do about gay rights so far away? President Barack Obama has publicly criticized the bill at a morning prayer breakfast on February 4, 2010 and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has phoned the Ugandan president to express very strong concerns. Take a few minutes out of your day and call your senators and representatives to encourage them to voice their condemnations of this human rights violation. If you wish to give money, options are limited to get funds directly into Uganda and Ugandan gay rights activists are largely silenced. You can opt to give to Amnesty International or the Human Rights Campaign to support international attempts to prevent this legislation.

I could think of a few worse things that could happen in life. Maybe a tax on jeans or shoes that would really hurt us. You have to admit that the gays will get hit hard by any kind of tanning or cosmetic tax because we like to stay beautiful.

In a way to make funds to pave the way for the new Healthcare bill our Congress has came up with a creative gesture with a 10% tax on tanning services. This could help create over 2.5 Billion in tax revenues that our government would not normally see but in a span of ten years.

Tanning is something that is similar to our sins that we do not really need. Although some doctors argue that we need it for Vitamin D, but that would only be in certain tanning beds and only for a few minutes a week versus spending every other day in the tanning bed. The light from outside is much more beneficial but only in certain parts of the US and certain times of the day.

Ten percent is really not too bad of a tax on tanning and you have to say that lots of teens spend too much money freely on things such as tanning that they could be spending on better things. Well if they are not spending it on tanning I guess they could spend it on clothes or a new iPhone or music. But we know they will probably trade sin for sin and spend it on cigarettes or beer. Tanning could be made more sexy the more it is regulated.

The indoor tanning industry is already consolidating at a rapid pace as the belts are tightening up with the recession. With companies such as Planet Tan and Palm Beach Tan with many more soon to follow they are worried about the impact of even higher costs in their salons.

Botox treatments were another cosmetic treatment that was being thrown around to be taxed or not. This was going to be called the BoTax which has the potential to generate over $5.5 billion over ten years. This supposedly could generate more than tanning taxes but the American Academy of Dermatology Association and the AMA both opposed the 5% tax on cosmetic procedures. Although, Botox and most cosmetic procedures do not have the skin cancer risk of tanning beds.

They certainly want to tax something related to this industry so we are not sure what it will be yet but what do you think? Do you think tanning salons deserve this new tax or people trying to look younger?

Now that we’ve all recovered from the joys (or horrors) of the holiday season, thoughts turn once again to politics. What is on the gay agenda for 2010? Elections, court cases and international issues all loom in the forefront of the gay rights movement this year.

2009 saw the passage of the Matthew Shepard Act on a federal level, creating an inclusive federal hate crime law. While we can’t particularly expect a lot of growth or change on the federal side of things, there is hope for the passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act or ENDA in 2010 according to Barney Frank (D-Mass). Opinions are mixed on the possibilities of a repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) in 2010.

The New Jersey Senate has defeated a gay marriage bill in that state, but supporters are already planning to head to the Supreme Court. New Jersey offers civil unions for gay couples; however, marriage remains out of reach.

Supporters of gay marriage in California may have another chance to be heard at the ballot box. Speculation suggests that the issue may see the ballot this November rather than in 2012. All three possible Democratic candidates for California’s gubernatorial race support full gay marriage rights, making 2010 seem the year to try and try again in California. Gay marriage may also be on the ballots in Colorado and Maine this year.

Internationally, news of anti-gay laws in Uganda have worried many in the gay community worldwide. These laws show the clear influence of fundamentalist Americans, of the type to support the “pray away the gay” theory. In their original form, Ugandan law would have put gays at risk of execution; however, as the law stands now, the penalty for homosexuality is life in prison. International pressure reduced the penalty, but this news provides a harsh glimpse of reality for many of us. Take the time to phone and write your senators and representatives to express the clear need for the US to condemn this and similar laws worldwide.

In a recent blow to the gay community, Window Media has closed down the operation of a number of gay and lesbian publications nationwide. Among the gay and lesbian newspapers closed are the Houston Voice, the Southern Voice, the Washington Blade, David Atlanta, the South Florida Voice and 411 Magazine. Window Media had been put into federal receivership earlier this year; however, the staff and employees of the various publications had no knowledge of the closure until it occurred. These publications have all served an important role in spreading news and providing information to gay and lesbian communities around the country.

Print media across the board, not just in the gay and lesbian community, is struggling in today’s economy. More and more people opt to get their news and community information online, rather than purchasing magazines and newspapers. Advertising revenues have dropped for both mainstream and queer publications. Even long standing and well known magazines like the Advocate are struggling, and many mainstream publications have gone under in this economy.

Several of the newspapers and magazines in question are expected to resurface under new names and ownership in the relatively near future. Mark’s List has expressed an interest in 411 Magazine and the South Florida Blade, with 411 Magazine set to publish as Mark’s List Magazine starting with the next issue. No significant changes to the magazine are expected. The Washington Blade will return as DC Agenda on December 4, 2009.

What is the impact of this on gay media? Given that several of the publications will be reborn from the ashes of the fall of Window Media, it does seem that leaner operations are likely. They will, however, be able to operate without corporate control, gaining more independence and a greater ability to serve their individual markets. While many of former Window Media websites are offline, as the publications themselves resume, expected web activity should as well.

This is just months after Planet Out’s stock went to nothing (at least I see none in my E*Trade account) and turned into Regent Media or Here! Media. I assume Logo will end up eating up all of that at some point because I see no changes so far. Mainstream media is buying up the badly managed gay media and bleaching it out pretty well.

With the end of Esquire magazine it was a sign of things to come. Employees seem to blame it on bad management not the bad economy. It could be a bit of both and the fact that sometimes companies have to merge to save on expenses and survive in trying times.

In other news today we noticed that Blu Media, Inc bought over Just Us Boys. Justusboys.com is a highly popular gay destination and community with over 1.5 million unique users per month and enjoys almost 1 million page views per day. It is not just big corporations and banks that are merging but the gay media is coming together and forming bigger alliances than ever.

In today’s harsh economy, fewer people can afford to give to charity and more people are coming to charities for assistance. If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford to make charitable donations, think carefully about what you do with your money to make the most significant impact within your community. Giving locally can make a big difference to your friends and neighbors.

One of the best places to give in these hard times is your local food pantry. If you are able, make a cash donation. You can also consider using coupons and shopping sales to accumulate toiletries and other items at a very low cost. If you do give food, make smart choices. Shelf stable protein sources are an excellent choice, as are easily prepared dry goods. Choose foods that can be combined to make healthy meals without many additional ingredients. You may want to give some items that do not require cooking, as these foods can be used by those without access to cooking facilities. Even small donations can be a significant help to those in need.

Local children’s charities are also in need in this economy. Look for organizations that provide children with clothing, shoes and school supplies. These items are critically needed and families that could once get by without assistance may not be able to do so right now. Many schools do coat swaps and school supply drives on their own, making it convenient to give within your own neighborhood.

If you do not have the financial resources to give money to help others, consider what you can offer. Mow an elderly neighbor’s yard or offer to fix a car for a friend. See if volunteer groups in your community need help in hospitals, crisis nurseries or soup kitchens. Offer up your skills through your church or community center. If you want to help, but aren’t sure where to start, call a local food pantry or other organization and ask what you can do to help. Charities themselves can often use support services behind the scenes, ranging from a handyman to computer repair. Hard work, a caring ear or a helping hand can be just as appreciated as money in hard times.

Top 5 Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender charities include the following:
1. Human Rights Campaign, HRC.org – most popular and they do great work to ensure we have equal rights
2. Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center
3. SAGE, sageusa.org – advocacy for elders
4. Soulforce, soulforce.org, freedom for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people from religious and political oppression through the practice of relentless nonviolent resistance
5. GLSEN, glsen.org – ensuring safer schools for LGBT

I would also research the top HIV/AIDS related charities to make sure they are going to the proper places such as research and care instead of all marketing.

One charity that you should not donate to is the Salvation Army due to its intolerance of gays and lesbians.

This story is so painful to type that I am literally in tears just thinking about it but I want to get the word out there. This boy only 19 years old in Puerto Rico was decapitated, dismembered, and burned over the weekend and his body found at the side of the road. George Steven Lopez Mercado was left for dead ina town called Caguas, Puerto Rico. The police investigator suggested that he deserved what he got because of the type of lifestyle he was living.

This teen was dismembered by both his arms, legs, head, and torso. This is so heartbreaking. A hate crime so disgusting that it deserves major media attention. Hate like this needs to be stopped and we better damn sure pay attention to this.

The investigator needs to be punished by being forced to resign. The Superintendente’s name is Figueroa Sancha who seems to be biased and too prejudice to be investigating this hate crime. Please take action and send emails to Attorney General Holder asking him to have the FBI investigate this possible hate crime. The local police investigator, assigned to the crime, said because the kid was gay he should have expected this to happen.

Hate crimes seem to be up this last year in some cities in the US. A report released Friday from the California Attorney General’s office says more gay and Jewish people were victims of hate crimes last year. The incidents targeting gays and lesbians rose by 28 percent in 2008. A sharp increase to hate crimes to LGBT.

Read about bullying in schools and how to respond.

This is a major milestone for HIV research in my book. My hero, President Barack Obama said today that on Monday he plans to lift the 20-year-old ban on HIV positive people entering the United States. The ban should be lifted in 2010 after a 60 day waiting period.

No major international AIDS conference has been held in the U.S. since 1993, because HIV-positive activists and researchers cannot enter the country.

The ignorance and fear about HIV led to ban of people from entering the US who was considered positive. This kept out students, tourists, refugees, and children who could have been adopted. HIV was the only medical condition explicitly listed under immigration law as grounds for not entering the US.

The turning around of this ignorance will help other countries and people realize HIV should not be quarantined or discriminated against. These are humans who have HIV/AIDS and we really need to stop the harsh discrimination.

Obama also signed a bill today to extend the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program which started in 1990. Ryan White was a 13 year old teenager who caught the virus from a blood transfusion who turned into an AIDS activist but died at the age of 18. The Ryan White HIV/AIDS program will help provide medical care, meds, as well as support to half a million people who normally would not be able to afford or survive without it.

These steps today mark major milestones along with the Hate Crimes bill he signed this week. We are finally moving along in a positive way after years of hate and discrimination and hope we continue down this path of success for our health and future.