Steve’s Weblog

I’m certainly not what anyone would refer to as religious, but I was raised Catholic by my parents. I’ve heard this Gospel before, it’s a common choice to be read at Catholic funerals, and as I was watching the funeral mass for Ted Kennedy yesterday, I thought this reading was really appropriate considering what Kennedy did for those in need throughout his political career, and especially in light of his push for health care for everyone.

To the least of my brothers
By Jesus Christ

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

(Matthew 25:31-46)

Hey Representative Carter, didja see this? Autumn over at Pam’s House Blend calls your attention to this New York Times article:

New Impetus for Bill Banning Anti-Gay Bias at Work

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: August 27, 2009

Filed at 2:59 p.m. ET

Momentum is building for Congress to pass the first major civil rights act protecting gays and transsexuals, supporters say, and one of the stars in the debate is a barrier-breaking transgender staffer on Capitol Hill.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, would prohibit workplace discrimination — including decisions about hiring, firing and wages — based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It would exempt religious organizations, the military and businesses with less than 15 workers.

The driving force behind the bill has been Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the longest-serving of the three openly gay members of Congress. He expects hearings on the measure to be held this fall.

More at NY Times

In 29 states, it’s still legal to fire someone because they’re gay; in 38 states it is legal to fire someone for being transgender.

Thousands of hardworking lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans have lost their livelihoods simply because of who they are. HRC is working to end this bitter injustice by passing a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal bill that would make it illegal to fire, refuse to hire, or refuse to promote employees simply based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

The Senate has, for the first time, introduced a fully-inclusive ENDA. Send your Senators a message today and encourage them to co-sponsor this critical legislation. Click over to Change.org to sign the petition, and send your Senators a message!

Representative John Carter (R-TX) came to a town hall meeting at IBM in Austin yesterday, and I had the opportunity to ask him about why he voted NO on ENDA (employee non discrimination act). His answer was along the lines of he believed that being gay wasn’t an attribute that deserved protection from discrimination. So, as I often do, I wrote a letter to his office…

Wrong Answer John

I asked you about your NO vote on ENDA yesterday at IBM, a place that has had a non-discrimination policy for GLBT people since 1984. In your world, apparently, there are forms of discrimination that are OK, because that’s how I understand your answer. You’ll notice the room was flat silent after your answer. You disrespected all of us in the room, and IBM, who, as a company, has come out in support of a fully inclusive ENDA.”

Senator Edward Kennedy said: “The promise of America will never be fulfilled as long as justice is denied to even one among us,” when speaking about ENDA. “The Employment Non-Discrimination Act brings us closer to fulfilling that promise for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens.

Obama: Innovation key to improving the economy
As recession winds down, ‘spirit of innovation’ essential to future prosperity

By Darlene Superville, Associated Press Writer
On Saturday August 1, 2009, 10:34 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Future economic prosperity depends on building a new, stronger foundation and recapturing the “spirit of innovation,” President Barack Obama says.

“Innovation has been essential to our prosperity in the past, and it will be essential to our prosperity in the future,” Obama said Saturday in his weekly radio and Internet address.

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