Herman Cain has backtracked on his position on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
As early as last week, Cain said that he opposed such an amendment.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, Cain told host David Gregory that if elected president he “wouldn’t seek a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage, but I am pro traditional marriage.”
The former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza also stated his opposition to such an amendment during an earlier New Hampshire GOP debate.
Cain’s stance on the issue has previously infuriated the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation’s most vociferous opponent of gay marriage, whose anti-gay marriage pledge failed to win Cain’s endorsement.
But in a videotaped interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network’s (CBS) David Brody after Cain appeared Saturday at the Iowa Faith and Freedom’s annual banquet, Cain said he had changed his position.
“[In your Faith and Freedom speech] you mentioned marriage as well so you’re also, just so I understand, you’re for a constitutional marriage amendment as well?” Brody asked.
“I think marriage should be protected at the federal level also,” Cain responded. “I used to believe that it could be just handled by the states but there’s a movement going on to basically take the teeth out of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act and that could cause an unraveling, so we do need some protection at the federal level because of that and so yes I would support legislation that would say that it’s between a man and a woman.” (via OnTopMagazine)
Staff Sgt. Mike Byers of the National Guard shares a moment with hero Mark Lindquist
Mark Lindquist is a hero – an underpaid social worker who nearly gave his life trying to save three developmentally disabled adults from the Joplin tornado. Both houses of the Missouri legislature honored Lindquist, the Senate resolution calling him “a true hero and inspiration to others.”
The tornado’s 200 mph winds tossed Lindquist nearly a block, broke every rib, obliterated his shoulder, knocked out most of his teeth and put him in a coma for about two months.
Lindquist’s medical expenses exceed $2.5 million, and the bills keep coming. He requires 11 daily prescriptions and will need more surgery.
He assumed workers’ compensation would cover his bills, but his claim was denied “based on the fact that there was no greater risk than the general public at the time you were involved in the Joplin tornado,” according to a letter to Lindquist from Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, his company’s workers’ comp provider.
“I think they need to take another look at the circumstances and revisit the claim,” state Rep. Bill Lant, R-Joplin, said. “What he did went beyond heroics.”
On the evening of May 22 Lindquist made his way to the group home occupied by Mark Farmer, Rick Fox and Tripp Miller, three middle-aged men with Down syndrome. Soon after he arrived, a tornado siren began to blare.
Because there was no basement or shelter and the residents moved too slowly to relocate, Lindquist placed mattresses over the men for protection, then climbed atop the mattresses for added weight.
The EF-5 tornado was among the nation’s worst ever. It destroyed more than 7,000 homes, including the group home, and killed 162 people.
Among the dead were Farmer, Fox and Miller, a fact that still haunts Lindquist. “I loved them almost as much as I love my own kid,” he said.
After the storm, rescuers found Lindquist buried in rubble, impaled by a piece of metal. Large chunks of flesh were torn off. Bones from his shoulder crumbled as they placed him on a door used as a makeshift stretcher.
Relatives contacted every hospital within 100 miles of Joplin searching for him. None of the unidentified matched Lindquist’s description.
His injuries were so severe that his slender, athletic body had become swollen and unrecognizable. He was in a coma. Finally, after three days, he was identified by tiny brown flecks in his hazel eyes.
Doctors told Baldwin that if Lindquist survived, it likely would be in a vegetative state. Even in a best-case scenario, he likely would be blind in one eye, never regain use of his right arm, and never speak or think normally, she was told.
Lindquist’s recovery amazed doctors. His right arm remains in a sling, but he has use of the hand. The eye that was temporarily blinded has full sight. He moves slowly and has short-term memory loss, but speaks well.
His sister, Linda Linquist Baldwin, said the insurance company’s decision is unfathomable because if her brother hadn’t been at work, he wouldn’t have been hurt. He also could have jumped in his van and driven away from the group home as the tornado approached.
Lindquist said that thought never crossed his mind.
“I could have abandoned them to save myself, but I would never do that,” he said.
Since word of Lindquist’s plight spread, people around Joplin have pitched in, donating a few hundred dollars. Baldwin said her brother is touched by the kindness, even if it barely pays for the prescriptions, much less the medical costs.
I’ve never spent a lot if time at the Flamingo Resort in the past.
Waiting for Michael to finish an appointment I discovered the Flamingo Habitat. And there’s not just flamingos here.
The guy above is the Black-necked swan. They are apparently the fastest flying of all swans. And it seems they are either in the air or water – they only come ashore to nest as they are somewhat clumsy on land.
Of course there are lots of flamingos here though (Chilean Flamingos to be exact). They grow to be about 4 feet high but only 6 pounds in weight. Their knees – pink of course – are backwards which helps them to sleep standing on one leg.
“Rick Santorum is like that Japanese soldier on the island who doesn’t know the war is over, so he’s still fighting against birth control and butt sex. Plus, Republicans are now mostly a Southern party and if there’s one thing Southerners don’t do well its lose a war and get over it.” – Bill Maher October 21, 2011
So Michael comes in from his office yesterday and says we’d been invited to go out with friends last night. Having not slept great the past couple of nights, I wasn’t really up to it since “go out” meant starting the evening at 11:30pm.
So after dinner, Michael took a disco nap, I watched some TV with the dogs. He got up at 11pm to shower and get ready, and I headed to bed.
This morning, while he’s still sleeping from getting in at 5am, I see this tweet from him.
Michael Bublé has a special holiday gift for his naughty and nice fans. The Grammy Award winning crooner presents “Christmas.”
Christmas, produced by David Foster, Bob Rock and Humberto Gatica, was recorded primarily at Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood and The Warehouse Studios in Vancouver. The album includes guest performances by Shania Twain on “White Christmas” and The Puppini Sisters on “Jingle Bells.” Bublé also put his unique take on such classics as “Silent Night,” “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas” and “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.” In addition, a Bublé original “Cold December Night” will be included on Christmas.
I got to meet Bublé a few years ago at an Academy Awards party, and he was very charming, very nice and uber talented. At one point in the party, super-producer David Foster invited him to get on stage and sing, and Michael gave an impromptu performance that was terrific. I had been a fan before, and was even moreso after.
