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NC: President Clinton speaks out against Amendment 1

The full message, via Coalition to Protect NC Families:

“Hello, this is President Bill Clinton. I’m calling to urge you to vote against Amendment One on Tuesday May 8. If it passes, it won’t change North Carolina’s law on marriage. What it will change is North Carolina’s ability to keep good businesses, attract new jobs, and attract and keep talented entrepreneurs. If it passes, your ability to keep those businesses, get those jobs, and get those talented entrepreneurs will be weakened. And losing even one job to Amendment One is too big of a risk.”

“It’s passage will also take away health insurance from children and could even take away domestic violence protections from women.”

“So the real effect of the law is not to keep the traditional definition of marriage, you’ve already done that. The real effect of the law will be to hurt families and drive away jobs. North Carolina can do better. Again, this is Bill Clinton asking you to please vote against Amendment One. Thanks.”

Crossing my fingers this isn’t coming too late. The polls show an uphill climb for the good guys here. But I’m still thinking good thoughts.

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Mitt Romney wants 4% unemp – Reich tells him how to do it

Speaking in Pittsburgh yesterday, Mitt Romney said that “anything over 4% [unemployment] is not cause for celebration.”

The United States last achieved a sub-4% unemployment rate in December 2000, the end of President Clinton’s term.

On Twitter, Robert Reich, a Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, reminded Romney how America got there:

Romney, however, has a different plan.  As a matter of fact, it’s exactly the opposite. His tax plan would give massive tax cuts to the rich. (The top 0.1% for example, would receive a $264,000 tax cut.)

Meanwhile, in a closed-door fundraiser, Romney revealed he planned to make massive reductions in education spending. He is also proposing cutting funding for infrastructure, including the possible elimination of the Department of Housing and Urban development.

Romney now says he wants to emulate former President Ronald Reagan. However, to follow in the footsteps of Reagan would be to not achieve his “4%” goals today.  The average yearly unemployment rate exceeded 7% for most of his presidency and never dropped below 5.5%.
 (via ThinkProgress)

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New True Blood stills released – Joe Manganiello & Chris Meloni

Chris Meloni in TRUE BLOOD

Getting a little excited about Chris Meloni heading to Bon Temps soon as he joins TRUE BLOOD this season as a member of the (spoiler) vampire authority!. A new batch of True Blood stills show off the show’s newest vampire plus the always favorite werewolf Joe Manganiello.  Click the pics for larger view.

Joe Manganiello in TRUE BLOOD

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Bruno the super dog

And speaking of super powers, household alpha/wonder dog Bruno has his own super power.

No matter how small or insignificant the portion of food may or may not be, although he cannot see it, he knows when food is on the kitchen counter.  The pic above doesn’t do justice to his super power as it’s clearly a large chicken near the edge.  But even if placed in the center of the counter, he would know.

For hours, he will sit at the base of the counter and wait, wait, wait until someone comes to give him a morsel.

Hours I tell you.  And his super power is never wrong.  He knows.

I’ll have to see if there’s a place in the Avengers for him…

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Magic Mike movie to premiere at LA Film Festival June 24

Steven Soderbergh’s male-stripper flick Magic Mike will premiere as The Los Angeles Film Festival’s closing night selection on June 24th, Entertainment Weekly reports. The stud-studded picture opens in the U.S. nationwide the following Friday.
The film — which stars Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganielleo, Matthew, McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, and Alex Rodriguez — is expected to draw a large portion of female and gay male moviegoers this summer.
Check out Magic Mike’s first official trailer and you’ll see why (as if you didn’t already know).
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NC: Woman charged with contributing to delinquency of a minor and stealing signs

A woman in Moore County, North Carolina, has been charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and removing three lawfully placed political signs after she was seen last month removing signs against a Amendment One in North Carolina.

Heidi Thompson, 44, of West End, was arrested Wednesday, after a motorist reported seeing a woman and her daughter pulling up the signs April 18 on Morganton Road in front of the Country Club of North Carolina.

Thompson said Thursday that she was driving home after picking up her 13-year-old daughter from school and removed them after signs supporting the marriage measure had disappeared from her yard at least two dozen times.

“I didn’t feel like I was stealing signs at the time,” she said. “I just looked at it as picking up trash along the side of the road.”

“I know it’s making me look like a bad parent, but we’ve taught that it’s not right for men to be married to men and women to be married to women, so we stopped and picked them up,” Thompson said. “Had I known it would be such a political issue, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Pinehurst Police Chief Earl Phipps said the delinquency of a minor charge was the result of Thompson’s daughter, who was not charged, removing signs at the direction of her mother.
(source)

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KY: Guilty pleas in first federal anti-gay hate crime prosecution

Two Kentucky teenagers entered guilty pleas in the nation’s first-ever federal anti-gay hate crime case:

Alexis Leeann Jenkins and Mable Ashley Jenkins, who goes by Ashley, pleaded guilty to one charge of kidnapping and one charge of aiding others in causing bodily injury to Kevin Pennington of Letcher County because he is gay. The convictions are the first in the nation under provisions of the federal law covering crimes of violence motivated by a person’s actual or perceived sexual orientation, according to U.S. Attorney Kerry B. Harvey. The two face possible life sentences. The circumstances of their pleas, however, could indicate they plan to cooperate with prosecutors in hopes of getting lesser sentences.

The two agreed to be charged by way of a document called an information — as opposed to an indictment, which would require a grand jury to approve the charges — and pleaded guilty the same day the charges were filed. Their attorneys, Robert Michael Murphy of Lexington and James Hibbard of London, declined comment on whether the women, both 19, will cooperate in prosecuting two others charged in the case. Both women are to be sentenced in August.

The two women, who now face life sentences, were accused of luring a gay man to a planned violent beating by their two male accomplices.

The others charged in the attack are cousins David Jason Jenkins, 37, of Cumberland, who goes by Jason, and Anthony Ray Jenkins, 20, of Partridge.

Alexis Jenkins is Anthony Jenkins’ wife, and Ashley Jenkins is his sister.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/04/13/2149661/two-kentucky-teens-plead-guilty.html#disqus_thread#storylink=cpy

The victim escaped into the woods during the attack and survived. The two men have pleaded not guilty and face life in prison.