"Gay Bomb"

This is what I want my tax dollas to go for.............not.


Pentagon Confirms It Sought To Build A 'Gay Bomb'

Hank PlanteReporting
(CBS 5) BERKELEY A Berkeley watchdog organization that tracks military spending said it uncovered a strange U.S. military proposal to create a hormone bomb that could purportedly turn enemy soldiers into homosexuals and make them more interested in sex than fighting.Pentagon officials on Friday confirmed to CBS 5 that military leaders had considered, and then subsquently rejected, building the so-called "Gay Bomb."Related Content: Gen. Pace Regrets Gay Remark; Doesn't Apologize Slideshow: Gay Celebrities Visit The CBS 5 Water Cooler: More Talker StoriesEdward Hammond, of Berkeley's Sunshine Project, had used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain a copy of the proposal from the Air Force's Wright Laboratory in Dayton, Ohio.As part of a military effort to develop non-lethal weapons, the proposal suggested, "One distasteful but completely non-lethal example would be strong aphrodisiacs, especially if the chemical also caused homosexual behavior."The documents show the Air Force lab asked for $7.5 million to develop such a chemical weapon."The Ohio Air Force lab proposed that a bomb be developed that contained a chemical that would cause enemy soldiers to become gay, and to have their units break down because all their soldiers became irresistably attractive to one another," Hammond said after reviewing the documents."The notion was that a chemical that would probably be pleasant in the human body in low quantities could be identified, and by virtue of either breathing or having their skin exposed to this chemical, the notion was that soliders would become gay," explained Hammond.The Pentagon told CBS 5 that the proposal was made by the Air Force in 1994."The Department of Defense is committed to identifying, researching and developing non-lethal weapons that will support our men and women in uniform," said a DOD spokesperson, who indicated that the "gay bomb" idea was quickly dismissed.However, Hammond said the government records he obtained suggest the military gave the plan much stronger consideration than it has acknowledged."The truth of the matter is it would have never come to my attention if it was dismissed at the time it was proposed," he said. "In fact, the Pentagon has used it repeatedly and subsequently in an effort to promote non-lethal weapons, and in fact they submitted it to the highest scientific review body in the country for them to consider."Military officials insisted Friday to CBS 5 that they are not currently working on any such idea and that the past plan was abandoned.Gay community leaders in California said Friday that they found the notion of a "gay bomb" both offensive and almost laughable at the same time."Throughout history we have had so many brave men and women who are gay and lesbian serving the military with distinction," said Geoff Kors of Equality California. "So, it's just offensive that they think by turning people gay that the other military would be incapable of doing their job. And its absurd because there's so much medical data that shows that sexual orientation is immutable and cannot be changed."

I am a Live

I just wanted to let everyone know that we all are well now. I hope to post more later.

Quick Note

Just a quick note to let everyone know that 4 out of 5 of us have the flu. Talk to you later.

So Tell Me What You Think

I think Perry should not have made this order and the goverment should not have make this a mandate.


AUSTIN – Bypassing the Legislature altogether, Gov. Rick Perry issued an order Friday making Texas the first state to require that schoolgirls get vaccinated against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.
By employing an executive order, Perry sidestepped opposition in the Legislature from conservatives and parents' rights groups who fear such a requirement would condone premarital sex and interfere with the way Texans raise their children.
Beginning in September 2008, girls entering the sixth grade – meaning, generally, girls ages 11 and 12 – will have to receive Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s new vaccine against strains of the human papillomavirus, or HPV.
Perry also directed state health authorities to make the vaccine available free to girls 9 to 18 who are uninsured, enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program or whose insurance does not cover vaccines. In addition, he ordered that Medicaid offer Gardasil to women ages 19 to 21.
Perry, a conservative Christian who opposes abortion and stem-cell research using embryonic cells, counts on the religious right for his political base. But he has said the cervical cancer vaccine is no different from the one that protects children against polio.
"The HPV vaccine provides us with an incredible opportunity to effectively target and prevent cervical cancer," Perry said.
Merck is bankrolling efforts to pass state laws across the country mandating Gardasil for girls as young as 11 or 12. It doubled its lobbying budget in Texas and has funneled money through Women in Government, an advocacy group made up of female state legislators around the country.
Perry has ties to Merck and Women in Government. One of the drug company's three lobbyists in Texas is Mike Toomey, Perry's former chief of staff. His current chief of staff's mother-in-law, Texas Republican state Rep. Dianne White Delisi, is a state director for Women in Government.
The governor also received $6,000 from Merck's political action committee during his re-election campaign.
The order is effective until Perry or a successor changes it, and the Legislature has no authority to repeal it, said Perry spokeswoman Krista Moody. Moody said the Texas Constitution permits the governor, as head of the executive branch, to order other members of the executive branch to adopt rules like this one.
But opponents said Perry should have let the Legislature decide whether to impose a mandate.
"He's circumventing the will of the people," said Dawn Richardson, president of Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education, a citizens group that fought for the right to opt out of other vaccine requirements. "There are bills filed. There's no emergency except in the boardrooms of Merck, where this is failing to gain the support that they had expected."
Texas allows parents to opt out of inoculations by filing an affidavit objecting to the vaccine on religious or philosophical reasons. Even with such provisions, however, conservative groups say such requirements interfere with parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children.
Legislative aides said they are looking for ways to make it even easier for parents to get around the mandate.
The federal government approved Gardasil in June, and a government advisory panel has recommended that all girls get the shots at 11 and 12, before they are likely to be sexually active.
The New Jersey-based drug company could generate billions in sales if Gardasil – at $360 for the three-shot regimen – were made mandatory across the country. Most insurance companies now cover the vaccine, which has been shown to have no serious side effects.
Merck spokeswoman Janet Skidmore would not say how much the company is spending on lobbyists or how much it has donated to Women in Government. Susan Crosby, the group's president, also declined to specify how much the drug company gave.
A top official from Merck's vaccine division sits on Women in Government's business council, and many of the bills around the country have been introduced by members of Women in Government.

My Little Girl

My little girl is growing up. I guess I should say she has. I am glad to see she has grown up to serve the Lord, and is a very loving, caring person. I miss the days when she would come and sit in my lap but I guess that is all apart of getting old.

Aljazeera Newspaper

I foung the poll on Aljazeera Newspaper and thought you might want to see what these people thought was the most positive event in 2006 was:


Which do you think was 2006 most positive event?
RESULTS:

The Democrats’ victory in the U.S. Congressional elections
( 41 %)
Hamas’ victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections
( 9 %)
Hezbollah’s victory in Lebanon war
( 50 %)
See More Polls

US Border Patrol Agents

Associated Press Writer
MEXICO CITY (AP) - The Mexican government sent a diplomatic note to the United States on Tuesday protesting the fatal shooting of a Mexican immigrant by a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
The note, presented by the Mexican Embassy in Washington, relayed ``the Mexican government's firm condemnation'' of the shooting and its ``serious concern over the recurrence of this type of incident,'' according to a Foreign Relations Department news release.
The diplomatic note underscored Mexico's demand that the U.S. conduct ``an exhaustive investigation'' and punish whoever is responsible, the release said.
Francisco Javier Dominguez-Rivera, 22, of Puebla, Mexico, was killed Friday in a confrontation with the unidentified agent north of the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona between Bisbee and Douglas.
A group of seven people were crossing the desert and the agent took six of them into custody without incident, authorities said.
But the agent and Dominguez-Rivera began fighting, authorities said. The agent, who believed his life was in danger, shot and killed the man, the Border Patrol said previously. An autopsy was scheduled Wednesday.
On Sunday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon expressed his ``most energetic protest'' against the shooting.
The agent is on paid administrative leave while the case is pending. An FBI spokeswoman in Arizona said both county and federal investigations were under way and that there could be a civil rights investigation.
Mexican consular personnel have met with Dominguez Rivera's brothers and the four others who are being held in a detention center in an effort to obtain their version of Friday's events, the Foreign Relations Department said.





Agents to report to prison today
Judge rules they must serve while court considers appeals
By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 01/17/2007 12:00:00 AM PST

Two U.S. Border Patrol agents accused of shooting a Mexican drug smuggler will have to sit in prison as they appeal their case to the 5th Circuit Court in New Orleans.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Judge Kathleen Cardone, of El Paso, Texas, denied Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean's motion to stay out on bond while they appeal their case.
Cardone's response stated that both agents must surrender to the United States Marshal by noon (PST) today.
"Because the defendant has been convicted of a crime of violence, he is eligible for release pending appeal only for `exceptional reasons'," Cardone's response to the motion read. "The court finds that no `exceptional reasons' exist in this case."
Compean and Ramos were sentenced in October to 12 and 11 years, respectively, in federal prison for the non-fatal shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler. Both men said they believed the smuggler was carrying a weapon during a foot chase along the Texas-Mexico border on Feb. 17, 2005.
Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, the smuggler, was given immunity by the U.S. government in exchange for testifying against the agents. He also received medical treatment at a U.S. Army hospital after the shooting. He is suing the Border Patrol for $5 million.
Cardone's ruling hit the Compean family hard Tuesday.
Compean and his wife, Patty, had spent a quiet day at home with their three children, hoping for the best, they said.
"I'm just spending time with my children before tomorrow," Jose Compean said. "No matter what happens, I still have hope. We are not going to give up. We are a strong family, and tonight we're going to stay together as a family."
"How will my children cope with this?" Patty Compean asked. "My husband is a good man and a good father. Sometimes I just don't know how this all happened."
The families had hoped Cardone would allow the agents to remain free after considering the more than 250,000 signatures collected nationwide and delivered to the White House Tuesday, asking for a presidential pardon for the men.
White House officials did not respond Tuesday. Last week during a White House press briefing, spokesman Tony Snow said he couldn't comment about a presidential pardon but noted the agents were convicted by a jury.
"At the time this happened, they did not know if he (Aldrete-Davila) was an illegal," Snow said. "They did not know that there were 700 pounds of marijuana. They didn't know any of those things."
TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, the organization representing more than 11,000 Border Patrol agents, said Compean and Ramos do not pose a flight risk and that the government is sending a bad message to law enforcement officers by putting the men in prison.
"The judge's decision to deny bond pending appeal is devastating in a number of respects," Bonner said. "In addition to tearing apart two young families, it destroys the morale of law enforcement officers across the nation and undermines the public's faith in our system of justice."
Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who along with more than 50 other congressmen has been advocating for the agents since August, said more than a decade in prison for each man is a harsh punishment.
"The government had to choose between supporting a drug dealer or supporting their own border agents," Poe said. "They chose to support a drug dealer. The federal government was on the wrong side of the border that day."
Repeated attempts by numerous members of Congress, grass-roots organizations and supporters to get a presidential pardon for the two agents have fallen on deaf ears at the White House, said Andy Ramirez, chairman of the Chino-based Friends of the Border Patrol.
Last week, more than 100 law enforcement officers and residents of El Paso joined Ramirez and Bonner at a candlelight vigil for the agents near the El Paso Federal Courthouse.
The agents and their families have said the outpouring of support from across the nation has helped them through their ordeal.
"You can never lose hope," Patty Compean said, holding back tears. "Not even in the last minute."


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Agents surrender to police
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Dec 21:
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Justice Department asked to review border agents' case
Oct 11:
Border agents denied delay
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Sep 14:
Congress letter expresses need for review of agents' case
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Leaders push for delay in border agents' case
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Border agent Ramos visits Ontario for radio show
Aug 22:
Border agents get congressional support
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Convicted border agents finding a lot of supporters
Aug 10:
Troubling aspects to case against 2 border agents
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Support for border agents floods in
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Convicted border agent tells his story