paulcanning's Comments (45)

“Thanks for this article. I wasn't aware of the operations of population reduction NGOs.”

“Your disagreement is with Coretta Scott King and her insight which you evidentially fail to hear.”

“Worth pointing out that the main subject of Kaufman's attack, David Mixner, was one of the prime movers for the recent March on Washington. That event made a real and successful effort to include the diversity of the community, see the speaker and organising committee line-up, and gave a very prominent spot to the head of the NAACP.

There are 'white gays' addressing racism, and I'm sure they'd take your anger on the chin.

Re: Apartheid. Read about Simon Nkoli http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Nkoli a black gay South African I was privileged to know when I was fighting apartheid. I wonder what he would say about Zackie Achmat's statement which Kaufman quotes.”

“I didn't know that. The point made above about calling it a Ghetto is a good one too and West Hollywood is a classic example of somewhere the gay teens 'Frustrated in PA' talks about flee to.

People like Kaufman conflate the most visible LGBT people in gay neighbourhoods with the entire community and think everyone's like that. It's as bad as those who argue that racism is over because a black president has been elected.”

“Er, I said the choice of 'apartheid' was bad. But bad word choices are something people make all the time and Kaufman has cherry-picked. Lots of LGBT leaders - that's why I mentioned Pam Spaulding - aren't to my knowledge using them.

If he really wanted to engage in a supportive way with the LGBT movement anout bad language choices then this isn't in my opinion the way a friend goes about it. This is vitriolic.”

“I agree with people who've said that 'my suffering is worse than yours' is a bad road however I would ask them to just stop and think of the transgender population for example. Do you not think they suffer violence, harassment, discrimination and the rest in tremendous ways?

Yes, 'apartheid' is a bad choice but Kaufman clearly fails to understand why people like Pam Spaulding are angry, what the reality is for many LGBT Americans and why they might slip into using it.

The denial of DNC funding is a tactic proposed by some who are not seeing any significant movement by the White House, infact in some cases the opposite. What do you propose they do? Sit and wait for their rights? Pay lobbyists?

To my mind the reaction of yourself and others actually suggest that the expressed anger and funding denial might well be already working as it might force the issue up agendas and actually get some to say 'now look, we are doing stuff - here's what we're doing'. What was happening before? 'Trust us and wait ...'”

“Fine. Tell people like David Mixner not to use 'apartheid' but look at your own language. 'Homo-hysteria' for example. What that is is the typical sort of misogynist-based language gay men have to put up with.

People also need to know that Mixner has a decades long history of fighting racism, including in the civil rights movement in the 1960s. You don't mention that.

"Gay people [don't] lose their jobs, their homes, their passports -- their very freedom of movement. There are no gay identity cards or impoverished townships, segregated public services or forced relocation­."

All of those things happen - for passport read 'foreign-born partner denied entry'. No, it is not equivalent to South Africa under apartheid but is an example of your rhetorical over reach and playing down of actual LGBT suffering.

"Gay ghettos may exist" WHY do they exist!?

A background theme is that LGBT people are rich, the 'community' is wealthy. This is an enormously damaging myth when job discrimination and job segregation are real and many gay teens suffer educationally because of violence and discrimination. I can't prove that because no-one actually does academic studies! (There are only a couple I'm aware of). But it seems a logical outcome to me.”

“Here was my final tweet:

#hrc dinner brilliant rhetoric, worried by the look on his face”

“Thanks TainoBoy, Matt7.

From my perspective (a Brit) what version of Christianity you support is very important in US politics. This is just fact.

So Obama's stated beliefs and history are important in judging him.

We have always had radicals and insiders in LGBT politics and they need each other to force change. It seems to me that Obama's past statements and knowledge on the history of civil rights recognises this.

Point being, we (LGBT) need to absorb "Don’t tell me to wait for my freedom." And I hope, dear g*d, he says that tonight.”

“Obama himself - explicitly - said during the campaign that change on LGBT issues will come from the ground up not the top down. He practically called - willed - what will be happening tomorrow.

It was Obama, not Clinton, who stood up for LGBT on the stump - his speech on the bully pulpit of MLK's church. At a rally in redneck, small town Texas he said this:

"Now I’m a Christian, and I praise Jesus every Sunday. [But] I hear people saying things that I don’t think are very Christian with respect to people who are gay and lesbian."

Trinity Baptist Church and his relationship with Rev. Wright undoubtedly reinforced this version of Christianity. Wright and Trinity supported gay people.

Here http://bit.ly/aaFhXG) is what he told the Advocate in his campaign BIG GAY INTERVIEW:

Anybody who’s been at an LGBT event with me can testify that my message is very explicit -- I don’t think that the gay and lesbian community, the LGBT community, should take its cues from me or some political leader in terms of what they think is right for them. It’s not my place to tell the LGBT community, "Wait your turn." I’m very mindful of Dr. King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” where he says to the white clergy, "Don’t tell me to wait for my freedom."

Those outside the room tonight will force anything from him in his speech - I think that's both what he wants AND the way it should be.”

“Glad to hear that Ali.

Your note is very important as much comment in these situations usually revolves around 'well he must have done something wrong' - blind acceptance that the asylum bureaucracy proceeds efficiently and effectively.”

“This is the basis on which his claim is being decided.

The Operational Guidance Note on Afghanistan11 advises that due to a lack of information about the treatment of apostates in Afghanistan, owing to converts keeping a low profile when in the country, and the lack of evidence of direct persecution, that applicants are not granted asylum in the UK on these grounds. It does admit that in some circumstances, where there is evidence of the prospect of persecution, asylum may be granted.

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/countryspecificasylumpolicyogns/

Guidance is about finding some way to deport or, as in this case, making assumptions that it is safe based on lack of evidence (glass half-full).

UK asylum policy is pretty scandalous. Thousands of children detained, asylum seekers made homeless and are denied anything but the most basic support. Border agency staff are under investigation for consistently using violence, many detention centres have been condemned. The UK has not even been prepared to offer asylum to those like Iraqi translators under threat of torture and execution.

Rarely is anything negative said about these realities in the UK media so most Brits are uneducated on the subject and believe lies which are frankly borderline if not totally racist.

It would be extremely useful for those of us trying to do something about this for US citizens to make their feelings known to the UK authorities. I have experience of other cases where this has saved people.”

“Of course - I do know about that. But the non-apology to innocent Iranians throws this incident into particularly sharp relief. Or should.

Incidentally, at the time George Bush Snr said:

"I'll never apologize for the United States of America, ever. I don't care what the facts are."”

“Can we have a bit of balance here on HuffPost and see something from a British person supporting the release?

Could make points such as:

1. There are many reasons to think that the appeal would succeed such as ...
2. It is a bit rich of Americans to demand apologies when none have ever been offered to the Iranian victims of the airliner shot down by USS Vincennes six months before Lockerbie
3. Actually yes, Scotland does make its own decisions on such matters. that's what devolution means.”

“Just been telling me English Twitter mates of your comic genius. I mention 'Bill Maher's writer' but the d*ickwads at HBO policing the tubes mean we have to go T*rrent it even though no channel screens Maher here :{{”

“Even though my brother received less than optimal care when he was in hospital for an emergency recently, and I have had friends who have had ill-treatment, I still defend the NHS. You just have to look at the comments on right-wing newspaper websites to see how - near-universally - it is the *principle* which British people support, that care should be 'free at the point of delivery'.

Hannan has been disavowed by his party and his country. Yes, the NHS is not perfect - I certainly know that. But the system you have is patently unfair and knowledge of this is reflected in how strongly British people have come to the NHS's defence.”

“As this idea has 'World' in its title, may I suggest some non-Americans you might care to consider?

The Iranian blog/twit-osphere - it seems a bit churlish to single out one person, although this may make it harder to pick.

MySociety - the UK geeks who, before anyone else in the world (yep!), have been liberating data from government, mashing it up and making it available to the public. Their work has inspired gov geeks around the world, including in the US.

Ushahidi - an amazing African work, set up to monitor Kenyan post-election violence and now monitoring elections around the world (more http://paulcanning.blogspot.com/2009/04/tech-lessons-from-africa.html).

Global Voices - an amazing site which brings together bloggers from every corner of the globe.

Comittee Addiopizzo - young Sicilians using the web to fight the paying of 'pizzo' (extortion) to the mafia (more http://paulcanning.blogspot.com/2008/01/this-is-web-power-challenging-cosa.html)

And some Americans:

Samasource - who team with tekkies in the third world doing socially responsible outsourcing using the rapidly expanding cell phone networks (more on this here http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2009/06/08/socially-responsible-outsourcing/)

TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) - fantastic lectures available online on mind-expanding topics by brilliant people”

“Nothing Chris does is pathetic. He is a god and I worship him.”

“It is seriously irresponsible of HuffPost to publish this. Presumably simply because of the author.

Read Ben Goldacre http://www.badscience.net or just this article http://www.badscience.net/2008/08/the-medias-mmr-hoax/

Here he is on the outcomes of irresponsible media scaremongering
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFAJb6g8uj8”

“For the real on the ground story visit the civic action Zim site http://www.sokwanele.com/thisiszimbabwe/”

“Thank you for this.”

“I looooove Hal Sparks (he was so so good in Queer as folk) but please don't talk over the ladies :{”

“The first thing which springs to my mind reading this is USA=Rome, as in Roman Empire.”

“J-street: What could Israel have done instead?

http://www.jstreet.org/page/what-could-israel-have-done-instead”

“"Seven and a half years without a terrorist attack on American soil. I"

As a Brit, duly noted. Thank you very much Mr. Yankee.

As they say in Yorkshire, think on.”