PENNSYLVANIA: Constitutional Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Introduced In House

Pennsylvania state GOP Rep. Daryl Metcalfe today introduced a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. Pennsylvania already bans gay marriage by state statute.

“The institution of traditional marriage has never been under greater attack,” said Metcalfe. “This not only includes the special interests who want to permanently redefine marriage, but unfortunately the executive branch and the federal Department of Justice who have blatantly and recklessly refused to uphold and defend its Constitutionality. Once again, it falls to the responsibility of state lawmakers to restore the rule of law and carry out the will of the people.”

Metcalfe's bill would have to be approved by two consecutive sessions of the state legislature before being placed on the ballot.

KILLER CONFESSES: I Stoned That Homo To Death Just Like The Bible Says I Should

A Pennsylvania man is under arrest after confessing to beating an elderly man to death with a stone, just like the Bible instructs should be done with homosexuals.

A 28-year-old Upper Darby man has been charged with murder after telling police that he stoned a 70-year-old man to death when the man made homosexual advances toward him, authorities say. John Joe Thomas, 28, of Sunshine Road in Upper Darby, spent almost every day with 70-year-old Murray Seidman at Seidman’s Lansdowne home, police say. Days before Seidman’s body was found on Jan. 12, Thomas allegedly beat Seidman to death with a sock full of rocks. Thomas told authorities that he read in the Old Testament that homosexuals should be stoned to death. When Seidman allegedly made homosexual advances toward him over a period of time, Thomas said he received a message in his prayers that he must end Seidman’s life, according to court documents. Police say that Thomas struck Seidman in the head about 10 times with the sock of rocks. Thomas left Seidman dead in his apartment, and then threw his bloody clothing and the bloody sock in a dumpster, according to authorities.

The killer was the sole executor of the victim's will and returned to the scene of the murder several days later claiming to have discovered the body.

PHILADELPHIA: 21 Catholic Priests Suspended Over Abuse Accusations

In a move that is being described as the most sweeping in the history of the American Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has suspended 21 priests accused of sexual abuse or "inappropriate behavior with minors." The Archdiocese is refusing to identify the the suspended priests and most parishioners will learn of their priest's involvement when he fails to appear for Ash Wednesday services today.

The announcement was a major embarrassment for Cardinal Justin Rigali, who, in response to the grand jury report, had initially said there were no priests in active ministry “who have an admitted or established allegation of sexual abuse of a minor against them.’’ A few days later, Rigali placed three priests on administrative leave. His statement yesterday did not explain why he had made his initial assurances nor did it say why the priests had not been suspended earlier. “We may have to be asking, what did the cardinal know and when did he know it?’’ said Leonard Norman Primiano, a Roman Catholic and chairman of the religious studies department at Cabrini College, in suburban Radnor, Pa. He described the mass suspensions as “astonishing.’’

If the charges stick, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia faces potential lawsuits in the many millions of dollars. The already financially beleaguered Archdiocese has closed almost 50 Philadelphia-area schools since 2006.

Teabaggers Go Nuts In PA House

Former Sen. Rick Santorum: Same-Sex Marriage Is A Violation Of Natural Law

Chick-Fil-A's President Responds

Dan Cathy, president and COO of Chick-Fil-A, has just posted this video to the company's Facebook page in which he responds to the recent publicity surrounding his company's years-long history of supporting anti-gay groups. Cathy says that while "marriage has always been a priority for Chick-Fil-A," just because his company provides sandwiches to an anti-gay hate group, that doesn't mean they don't respect all their customers. A sample comment from the company's FB page, where pro-gay messages are being scrubbed: "Sodomy isn't love. Calling sin sin is not hypocrisy. Supporting what is right and good is not evil."

Chick-Fil-A Vanishes From Anti-Gay Event

Sharp-eyed JMG reader Steven notes that Chick-Fil-A has mysteriously vanished from the site that only hours ago trumpeted their sponsorship of next month's event by the anti-gay Pennsylvania Family Institute. This change comes less than 24 hours after Good As You alerted the gay blogosphere that the famously "traditional values" oriented company was aligning with another hate group. The company, whose mission statement says they "exist to glorify God," has been a major contributor to Focus On The Family for many years.

UPDATE: The company has issued the below tweet.

How To Buy Wine In Pennsylvania

Engadget explains how one now buys wine in Pennsylvania's grocery stores:

It's illegal to sell alcohol in grocery stores in Pennsylvania, but it's not illegal to install a vending machine that dispenses wine: as long as the user is asked to take a breathalyzer test, swipe their state issued ID or Driver License, and then show their mug to a state official sitting somewhere in Harrisburg, who is keeping an eye on the proceedings via CCTV. Simple, right? Maybe not, but it does protect the state's monopoly on liquor sales. The Pronto wine vending machine is currently only available in select grocery stores in the state, but it's just been announced that the PA Liquor Control Board has given Walmart preliminary approval to put the things in some of their locations outside of Pittsburgh.

Sarah Palin's Cookie Stunt Crumbles

Yesterday Sarah Palin delivered sugar cookies to students at a Pennsylvania private school to mock the "nanny state" that had banned sweets at school parties. Uh, only that never happened.

PENNSYLVANIA: Anti-Gay Former Rep. Pat Toomey Wins Senate Race Over Joe Sestak

Former Rep. Pat Toomey narrowly defeated Rep. Joe Sestak to take Arlen Specter's Senate seat. As a Congressman, Toomey voted to ban gay adoptions in Washington DC, voted against the Matthew Shepard Act, and voted for a federal ban on same-sex marriage. He is also James Dobson's bitch and is frequently trotted out at Focus On The Family hate rallies. Sestak was one was the original sponsors of ENDA and supported the repeal of DOMA and DADT. This is bad, this is very bad.

PENNSYLVANIA: Rep. Patrick Murphy Loses, Sponsored DADT Repeal Bill

Rep. Patrick Murphy, the House sponsor of its successful DADT repeal bill, lost tonight to Tea Party candidate Mike Fitzpatrick. Another champion of LGBT rights bites the dust.

Pennsylvania School District Settles Webcams Spying Lawsuit For $610K

Remember the Pennsylvania school district that issued its students laptops and then remotely activated the machines' webcams to spy on its students in their homes? They've agreed to settle one student's lawsuit for $610,000.

The tracking software came to light when Robbins, a student at the high school, was allegedly called into the assistant principal's office and accused of taking drugs. The evidence was reportedly screen shots of Robbins from the school-issued laptop that appeared to show him taking pills. Robbins said he was actually eating candy. His parents filed suit against the school district in February. Several months later, Hassan was informed that the software on his computer had also been activated, capturing 469 pictures from the webcam and 543 screen shots over the course of several months. Since he was 18, Hassan then filed his own lawsuit. The $610,000 deal includes $10,000 for Hassan and a $175,000 payout that will be placed in a trust for Robbins. The district will also pay $425,000 in legal fees.

No charges were filed against the school district after prosecutors concluded there had been no "criminal intent."

(Tipped by JMG reader Paul)

PENNSYLVANIA: Israeli Intelligence Outfit Spying On LGBT Groups For The State

Saying he is "appalled" at the revelation, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has ordered his state's Homeland Security agency to stop spying on LGBT groups and other activism movements.

Information about an anti-BP candlelight vigil, a gay and lesbian festival and other peaceful gatherings became the subject of anti-terrorism bulletins being distributed by Pennsylvania's homeland security office, an apologetic Gov. Ed Rendell admitted. Rendell, who claimed he'd just learned about the practice, said Tuesday that the information was useless to law enforcement agencies and that distributing it was tantamount to trampling on constitutional rights. [snip] "I am deeply embarrassed and I apologize to any of the groups who had this information disseminated on their right to peacefully protest," Rendell said at an evening Capitol news conference.

The spying was committed courtesy of a $125,000 state contract with an Israeli intelligence firm called the Institute of Terrorism Research and Response. According to the ITRR's website:

All of the information ITRR's staff creates is sent to its monitoring center in Jerusalem, where it is analyzed and verified with other local sources. "We never have just one member of the ground truth network in a country," Perelman said. Right now, the institute has more than 15 people in the field. "We are constantly cross checking with ground truth sources and communications that we receive through other means." ITRR's network is global but not all countries are currently monitored. "If a client feels the need for coverage in a particular area we will obtain the information and coverage," Perelman said.

More on this as it develops...

(Tipped by JMG reader Ian)

Today In 9/11 Exploitation

JMG reader Rich tips us to this billboard near the crash site of Flight 93. Apparently Jeebus hates terrorism, abortion, spelling, and punctuation.

Afternoon View - Hillside Neighbors

Although we can hear Cher's greatest hits booming from somewhere up the mountain, things are otherwise quiet at the moment as folks get ready for this afternoon's Mad Hatter's Party. As usual, we are unprepared for a Hillside theme, so Aaron has fashioned a hat for himself out of newspaper. It's also Uniform Weekend or something and we've seen roaming groups of identically dressed cops and firemen go past our site. Next year I'm totally bringing a Burger King uniform. What?

Afternoon View - Hillside Check-In Cabin

I've just arrived with my loyal companions Aaron and Chris for three days under the trees at Hillside Campground in the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania. The guys in this photo have had the site next to ours for the last three summers and we always seem to get here at the same time. It's 75 and completely clear, which bodes for a quite chilly evening, as summer nights so often are up on the mountain. Do they make electric sleeping bags?

UPDATE: I've added a photo of our new tent, which much to Chris' everlasting frustration has more ropes and material than we know what to do with. Experience tells us that this will vex him mightily all weekend.

Red-Caped Catholic Nutters Support NOM At Hate Rally In Pennsylvania

At the second-to-last stop on NOM's Hate Tour, the red-caped nutjobs from the Catholic American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property showed up to spew their usual bile. Listen as their baby-faced rep connects same-sex marriage to bestiality and declares that single-parent families are not actual families at all.

At The NOM Rally In Harrisburg

PENNSYLVANIA: Catholic Church Uses Obama Target In Carnival Game

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and a local Pennsylvania amusement company are being investigated by the Secret Service after they created a likeness of the president to use as a shooting target in a carnival midway game.

The game's target is a painting of a black man in a suit who is holding a scroll labeled "Health Bill." He sports a belt buckle fashioned after the presidential seal, antennae and a troll doll on his shoulder. Players paid $1 per shot, or $5 for six shots, to fire foam darts at targets on his head and heart. Those who hit their mark won a stuffed animal. Cindy Wofford, special agent in charge of the Philadelphia office of the Secret Service, said her agents are looking into the game and will determine if there were any direct or indirect threats to the president. They will share their findings with the U.S. attorney's office. "We take these kinds of things very seriously," Wofford said. [snip]

The Rev. Jim Prior of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, a parish of the Catholic Diocese of Allentown, was not available for comment, according to a woman who answered the phone Wednesday at the church. Matt Kerr, spokesman for the diocese, said Prior would have pulled the game if he'd known it was there. But Kathryn Chapman of Medford, Mass., said her family told the church about the game. She visited the fair July 24 as part of her family's reunion, which has been held in Roseto for decades to celebrate the family's roots in the borough, named after Roseto Valfortore of Italy. She said her brother, Bob, noticed the game the night before and told her she had to see it. When she visited the next day with her 14-year-old son, she said, she was flabbergasted. "I couldn't believe they would have a game where you could shoot any president, George W. Bush or President Obama, and that there were targets on his forehead and heart, and that you would win a prize for shooting the target," Chapman said. "You got a stuffed animal for becoming a sniper," she said.

The stunned fair-goer quoted above says she complained to the carnival's operators and was told, "We don't care what you think." The game has since been taken down now that the Secret Service is involved.

Afternoon View - Tranquility Base

We had a relatively quick exit from Manhattan this morning on our way to Hillside Campground in the Poconos Mountains of eastern Pennsylvania, where today I begin my tenth consecutive summer of Hillside weekends. After our traditional lunch at the fab Jefferson Diner in northern New Jersey, we arrived more than an hour earlier than usual. No traffic, no thunderstorms, for once! Aaron and Chris are fussing with the tent and shortly after set-up we'll be down at the rec hall for the nightly bonfire party. Ah...Hillside.