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Riedel, while he was advising President Obama on Afghanistan had said
earlier the greatest threats to America's security are the British
terrorists who need no visa to come over to the United States. He is
echoing the voices of U.S. military officers and some others, who are
concerned about the dangers that a war with Iran poses. The Chairman
of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey was in Israel
recently where he sent a clear message: "Don't attack Iran, and let
the tougher sanctions take hold." "This is getting very dangerous,"
said Jon Alterman, a former State Department official who runs the
Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International
Studies, as quoted in NPR radio on Jan. 19. "All the senior people I
know in the U.S. government are starting to lose sleep over where this
all might go."
Riedel cited former head of Israel's Mossad, Meir Dagan, saying, "Iran
will not get the bomb until at least 2015. In contrast, Israel has had
nuclear weapons since the late 1960s and has jealously guarded its
monopoly on them in the region." Moreover, Israel will continue to
enjoy the support of the world's only superpower for the foreseeable
future. Iran, in contrast, has no major power providing it with
financial help. Its arms relationships with Russia and China have been
severed by Security Council Resolution 1929, Riedel said.
Riedel concluded saying: "So, don't let the hot air from Tehran or the
Republican debates confuse the reality on the ground. Iran is a
dangerous country but it is not an existential threat to either Israel
or America."
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Chris Christie Gay Marriage Stance: Would Veto Bill Legalizing
Same-Sex Unions, Supports Ballot Measure
TRENTON, N.J. — Republican Gov. Chris Christie vowed Tuesday to veto a
gay marriage bill under consideration in the Legislature, upending
Democrats' plans to revive a measure that failed two years ago and
attempting to force lawmakers to put the issue on the ballot instead.
Recent polls show a majority of New Jerseyans support the right of
same-sex couples to wed, while voters in 31 states have adopted
constitutional amendments defining marriage as a union between one man
and one woman.
Democrats who control the Legislature say the issue is one of civil
rights; like a woman's right to vote or anti-discrimination measures,
it doesn't belong on the ballot. With Christie seeking a referendum
and Democratic leaders resisting, a protracted political standoff is
likely.
Similar legislation failed in the Senate in 2010. Six states and
Washington, D.C. permit gay marriages.
"Whether or not to redefine hundreds of years of societal and
religious traditions should not be decided by 121 people in the
Statehouse," Christie said. "Let the people of New Jersey decide what
is right for the state."
Christie had said as recently as Monday he would consider the issue if
the bill gained momentum in the Legislature, but then made his first
explicit promise to veto the bill after a town hall event Tuesday in
Bridgewater. The Senate Judiciary Committee, which was holding a
hearing on the bill the same day, forwarded the measure to the full
Senate hours later, on an 8-4 party-line vote.
"We are going to send this to the governor's desk somehow," said
Senate Democratic leader Loretta Weinberg of Teaneck. "That I
guarantee you."
With Christie's position now clear – he staked out similar ground
while campaigning for office in 2009 – Republican lawmakers are
expected to line up behind the governor regardless of how they feel
personally about gay marriage. Democrats do not have veto-proof
majorities in either house, dimming prospects for an override even if
they get the bill through; not all Democrats support it.
Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Democrat who is sponsoring the
bill, said some Republicans support it.
"The governor should allow them to vote their conscience. His
announcement today was to try to put a damper on what we're trying to
do. It's not happening. We're not backing down. We're not giving up."
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver agreed, saying lawmakers would not shy
away from the issue because it is difficult. The Assembly could begin
considering the measure as early as next week.
Sweeney, who didn't always support gay marriage, abstained from voting
on the measure the last time around, but later called his inaction the
biggest mistake of his political career.
"For those who haven't made their minds up, or are leaning toward
voting no, I urge you to take another look," Sweeney testified at the
hearing. "How would you feel if your government told you you couldn't
marry the person you love because of who you chose to love?"
Some of Tuesday's testimony was from same-sex couples who said the
state's civil union law – which conveys the benefits of marriage
without the title – doesn't work as intended.
John Grant and Daniel Weiss, an Asbury Park couple who are in a civil
union, attended the session to support the legislation.
When Grant was in a life-threatening automobile accident and rushed to
a New York hospital in 2010 – before that state legalized gay marriage
– Weiss said he couldn't authorize badly needed surgery or even go
through his partner's wallet to find his health insurance card. He
said their civil union was essentially worthless; Grant's neurosurgeon
even asked, "What is a civil union?"
Also Tuesday, 127 professors from 48 law schools around the country
signed a letter saying New Jersey's civil union law cannot be fixed.
The professors, including former New Jersey Public Advocate Ron Chen,
said the law granting gay couples the benefits of marriage without the
title will never be equal to the right to marry.
The letter was sent to Christie, a Catholic, and the Legislature.
The legislation contains a religious opt-out clause, meaning no church
clergy would be required to perform gay marriages; places of worship
would not have to allow same-sex weddings at their facilities.
Nonetheless, several cited their religious beliefs as the reason to
vote down the proposal.
"A vote for gay marriage is a vote against God," said Pat Necerato, a
Millstone resident who operates an online ministry, though he is not
ordained.
Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, a Monmouth County Republican who is seeking the
GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, said flaws in the civil union law
should be addressed. For example, he encouraged the Health Department
to investigate claims that civil unions are being ignored when one
partner is hospitalized.
Dissatisfied with the civil union law enacted five years ago, New
Jersey's gay rights organization, Garden State Equality, and same-sex
couples have sued to force the state to allow gay couples to marry.
The lawsuit is pending and is likely to be decided by the state
Supreme Court.
Christie on Monday nominated an openly gay black man to the court.
During the news conference that followed, he said he would look at the
gay marriage bill if it gained traction, though he said he was not
inclined to change his opposition.
___
More
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/chris-christie-gay-marriage-bill-ballot_n_1228417.html
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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Thomas --
I'm heading to Capitol Hill soon to deliver my third State of the Union address.
Before I go, I want to say thanks for everything you're doing.
Tonight, we set the tone for the year ahead. I'm going to lay out in
concrete terms the path we need to take as a country if we want an
economy that works for everyone and rewards hard work and
responsibility.
I'm glad to know you'll be standing with me up there.
Barack
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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Together, we can change the world, one mind at a time.
Have a great day,
Tommy
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| How many of your close friends are a different race than you -- all of them, most of them, some of them, hardly any of them, or none of them? | 5%All of them | 5% | 1% | 11% | 3% |
| 19Most of them | 23 | 16 | 25 | 13 | |
| 56Some of them | 48 | 60 | 48 | 62 | |
| 14Hardly any of them | 12 | 17 | 10 | 18 | |
| 5None of them | 12 | 6 | 6 | 3 | |
| 0One of them | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2Don't know/Refuse | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Have you ever dated someone of a different race, or not? | 52%Yes, has | 50% | 40% | 68% | 51% |
| 48No, has not | 50 | 60 | 31 | 49 | |
| 0Don't know/Refuse | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Would you be willing to marry someone of another race, or not? | 75%Yes, willing | 67% | 62% | 80% | 82% |
| 21No, not willing | 27 | 30 | 11 | 16 | |
| 5Don't know/Refuse | 6 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
