From Eric Dondero:

Well, Rep. Tim Scott and State AG Henry McMasters turn in a less-than-stellar performance. It comes out being more like a Karoake gig; not a great deal of preparation.

But GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman does a decent enough job on the keyboards.

The pick-up gig was at a recent Huntsman Q&A in South Carolina, hosted by Scott. (He has not made any endorsements and is planning to host similar events for all GOP contenders.)

Now if we can just get Huckabee on bass, Thad McCotter on lead guitar and Huntsman on the keyboards???

"Don't blame white folks [who don't hire you] with your hair uncombed, your shoes untied, or your pants half down..."

From Eric Dondero:

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter joins the rational, usually 2 to 3% of Democrats in the world who really aren't half bad.

Last Sunday, he went on a rant against black hoodlums flash mobbing in downtown Philly. He told parishioners at a local black church to roars and applause:

If you want us to respect you, take those doggone hoodies down, especially in summer. Pull your pants up and buy a belt. Comb your hair. Learn some manners. Keep your butt in school, and extend your English vocabulary beyond the few curse words that you know.

If you go to look for a job, don’t go and blame it on the white folks or anyone else if you walk in to somebody’s office with your hair uncombed and your shoes untied or your pants half down, tattoos up and down your arms, on your face, on your neck. And you wonder why somebody won’t hire you? They don’t hire you because you look like you’re crazy!

Photo credit - SodaHead

From Eric Dondero:

Andrew Breitbart's BigHollywood.com ran my article yesterday, on Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman maybe having second thoughts about Obama. The piece was titled "Sarah Silverman: Does She Still Heart Obama?"

Here's an excerpt:

Remember the monster hit video “The Great Schlep,” from late in 2008 by Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman.

If Barack Obama doesn’t become the next president of the United States I’m gonna blame the Jews. I am.

Florida can make or break an election. I’m making this video to urge all of you to schlep over to Florida and convince your grandparents [Nana, Papa, Zadi, Boobie, et.al.] to vote Obama.

It was oh, so hip and cool in a Comedy Central/MTV sort of way. Nearly 2 million views. And as we all know, Obama did squeek by in Florida.

Read the full article at Big Hollywood. And as always thank you to Andrew and the staff at Breitbart.com.

From Eric Dondero:

Luther Olson was one of the four winners last week in the Wisconsin recalls. Interestingly, he's a Republican for Marijuana reform.

We reported here at LR in December of 2010, "Birthplace of the Republican Party represented by a Pro-Marijuana Reform GOP State Senator":

Wisconsin State Senator Luther Olsen will be speaking to the Wisconsin chapter of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws today, at the public library in Berlin.

Senator Olsen comes from nearby Ripon, which happens to be the official birthplace of the Republican Party.

From the blog of Jay Selthhofner, Executive Dir. of Wisconsin NORML:

Senator Olsen is expected to speak sharply at 11:30am in the Kay Swan Room (upstairs of the Berlin Public Library). The Senator will be speaking about top ways activists and citizens can make a difference in the legislative process.

Senator Olsen (R-Ripon) has indicated support for hemp, cannabis and medical marijuana reform in the past

Editor's comment - Did his more libertarian stance help him win crossover appeal?

by Clifford F. Thies

With a snap election called for November 20th, I thought I should construct a composite tracking poll for Spain. The tracking poll demonstrates a remarkable rebound for the center-right People's Party. Only three years ago, the party finished behind the Socialist Workers Party by 4 points. It now enjoys a double-digit lead over the Socialist Workers Party, and appears poised for an absolute majority in the next Congress of Deputies.

The correlation between the popular vote and the award of seats in the Congress is complicated by the large number of electoral districts, the award of a minimum of two Deputies to each of the fifty provinces, the stated threshold of 3 percent for representation in the Congress, and the number of regional parties. In practice, the two largest parties are awarded more seats than their proportion of the nationwide popular vote. Of the smaller parties, only the left-wing United Left Party of the nationwide parties seems certain to meet the threshold. As a result, the composite tracking poll compares support for the People's Party to support for the Socialist Workers Party (mano a mano, as it were) and to combined support for the Socialist Workers and United Left parties.

From Eric Dondero:

An unlikely supporter of gay rights and woman's rights indeed. Diehard social conservative former Senator Rick Santorum made an impassioned plea for human rights at last night's debate. He was responding to foreign policy statements of Cong. Ron Paul.

The Advocate, a gay publication, called Santorum's remarks, "the most surprising twist of the debate."

[I don't take the position] that we have to go around and apologize for the fact that we've exerted our influence to create freedom in the world. I don't apologize for that. I don't apologize for the fact that the Iranian people were free at one time, and now are under a Mullah-ocracy that tramples the rights of women, tramples the rights of gays, tramples the rights of people all throughout their society. And is the greatest supporter of terrorism in the Middle East and around the World.

Just last week it was reported out of Iraq, that the Iranian government is actively supporting Anti-Gay Death Squads in aligned Shi'ite controlled areas of the country.

From Digital Journal "Clerics urge crack-down" Aug. 12:

Two gay men were killed in Sadr City, a local official said Saturday. Baghdad Police found the bodies of four more, after clerics urged a crackdown on a perceived spread of homosexuality. As in Iran, the targeted killing of gays is Shiite extremist SOP.

Coupled with the Iranian leadership's exporting of their anti-gay pogrom to Iraq now in the form of Shiite extremist death squads, it appears homosexuals will have just as tortured and limited an existence in Iraq as in Iran now.

Ironically, Paul often called a "libertarian," made no mention of human rights or of repressive Islamist regions, in his remarks.

Photos of two gay men executed in Iran in 2007.

Parade to feature Straight Couples

From Eric Dondero:

Brazil's capitol city of São Paulo has taken an unusual step. The city council passed what's called "Straight Pride Day" to celebrate marriage between a man and a woman. It is set each year on the 3rd Sunday of December. The accompanying parade will take place in central São Paulo.

The measure was passed by the city council earlier this year, and according to various media, Mayor Gilberto Kassab is expected to add his signature this week.

From Globo.com (translated by LR Editor) "House approves SP Straight Pride Day":

The Municipality of São Paulo approved on Tuesday (2) the bill 294/2005, Alderman Carlos Apolinario (DEM), establishing in the town, the Straight Pride Day. The project depends only sanction of the mayor of São Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, to become law.

Some of the 39 councilors present spoke out against the project, but as there was no request for roll call vote, [it] not considered.

Not Anti-Gay, Just Pro-Male/Female Marriage says proponent

The sponsor of the bill, said it's not an anit-gay thing. Rather, it's against special rights for one community over another.

Author of the project, Councilman Carlos Apolinario said the bill is not against the gay community. "I appeal for respect for all humans including gays," he said. Apolinario said the project was only one way to speak out against "excesses and privileges" for the gay community. He said one of the privileges is the realization of LGBT Parade at Avenida Paulista while the March for Jesus was moved to the area north of the city.

Polls have consistently shown Brazilians to be overwhelmingly opposed to gay marriage and even civil unions. But liberal courts have overturned citizen-backed measures to stop gay marriage.

Ironically, Apolinario is affiliated with the Democrat Labor Party, a leftist populist party with strong ties to labor unions.

Photo - Brazilian soccer superstar Kaka and his wife Caroline are Christians and strong advocates of straight marriage. Photo credit - Padom.com.br

From Eric Dondero:

Yet another New York town clerk is refusing to sign marriage certificates for gay couples based upon her religious beliefs. Rose Marie Belforti has submitted a letter to her local town council expressing her ojections. She suggests they allow a deputy clerk to sign the certificates instead. Three or four clerks in other NY towns have similarly refused thus far.

Gay rights groups are demanding the clerks sign the papers, or resign. But advocates for religious liberty are suggesting that the legislature consider an exception clause, similar to conscientious objector status for military recruits opposed to war.

From AuburnPub.com "Ledyard clerk won’t sign gay marriage licenses" Aug. 12:

Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms, said about a dozen clerks have reached out to him to see what their options are now that same-sex marriage is legal.

“The governor and the Legislature should include some of this language in this same-sex marriage bill,” McGuire said of the exemption. “I’m still opposed to same-sex marriage, but at the very least, they could have made this accommodation and their putting some people in some very awkward positions now including clerks like this. Most of the small towns aren’t going to have an issue with a clerk that does not want to violate her religious convictions on this and they can very simply assign a deputy clerk or some other person to act as the marriage officer.”

Belforti and her husband (Facebook page) are dairy farmers, operating a "heritage breed" cattle farm in Kings Ferry. She is a graduate of Cornell Univ.