Phoebe on Gay Marriage

First let’s start with the history of the marriage license.  The marriage license didn’t come about until after the civil war, it was instituted to keep whites from marrying outside their race.  Marriage licenses are controlled by the States, although, Federal Govt has some control over it under the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the US Constitution.  Heterosexual marriages are recognized throughout the States regardless of the State that you were married in but since the State controls the license then it’s up to the States to decided who can marry.  Government decided they had the authority to issue marriage licenses and in doing so have the authority to regulate.

Phoebe’s take on this is, there should be no license requirement, that all marriages are sanctioned by God, not the State.  The only reason people get married are for the Government benefits.  Now you will hear people say, “oh, I love he/she and I want to spend the rest of my life with he/she so therefore I must get married”.  Wait a doggone minute, don’t you love he/she without the license?  Can’t you spend the rest of your life with he/she without government permission?  The answer to both of those questions is obviously yes but you won’t be able to take advantage of government benefits if you don’t abide by their rules.  No social security benefit from the disabled, deceased partner, no income tax deductions etc, there are actually about 1400 benefits to being “legally” married, most of which are financially based.

When you talk to gay people on why they want to get married, the top reason is “I love this person”, like I said before, you can love this person without a license.  The second reason always being, government benefits, provide your own benefits and you wont’ have to worry about getting married.  And the third reason is, “I can’t make decisions for my partner”, get a power of attorney and you can, without a license.

Whether you’re gay or straight you can have a long lasting loving relationship with someone without government permission, you just have to be creative and take responsibility for yourself instead of wanting to rely on government benefits.   You pay the government to get married and you pay the lawyers to get out of it, some system we have.  Power of Attorney, wills and legal agreements are all you need, you don’t need no stinkin’ license.

I firmly believe that God intended for marriage to be between a consenting adult male and female.  I don’t really care that gays want to be married, it’s not my business, just keep it out of my face.

Bullet that killed Trayvon Martin was shot close up 2″ – 4″

I guess this answers the burning question of where Zimmerman was in relationship to Martin when he fired the shot, it doesn’t answer whether they were standing up or on the ground though.  Envision how close 2″-4″ is, if they were on the ground, how could Zimmerman put the gun between them unless he shot at an angle which could explain how the bullet went thru both lungs, if they were standing up and Zimmerman facing Martin straight on, doesn’t seem likely that the bullet would have penetrated “both” lungs.  – Phoebe

Trayvon Martin family lawyer: Stop the leaks–release all the records in Zimmerman case

The attorney for Trayvon Martin’s parents is calling for the release of all of the documents related to the death of their son, rather than continue what he says are strategic leaks of records intended to benefit the defense of George Zimmerman, who is charged with killing Martin.

Attorney Benjamin Crump said on Wednesday he wants “full transparency” in the case, after several news outlets–including ABC, NBC and CNN–were given access to a sealed medical examiner’s report on Martin.

“It was leaked for a beneficial purpose, certainly to help George Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense,” Crump said. “This report needs to be vetted with a keen eye.”

“You have to look at this in the full context,” he continued. “George Zimmerman made the decision to get out of his car, profile Trayvon Martin, pursue Trayvon Martin and confront him.”

According to NBC News, the multipage autopsy says that Martin was “killed by a penetrating gunshot wound to the chest,” with the entrance wound “located on his left chest 17 inches below the head. The single bullet passed directly from the front to the back, through his lungs, creating perforations.” The only injuries to Martin are from the gunshot and to one knuckle, “a quarter-inch to one-eighth inch abrasion on the fourth finger in the ring area.”

The gunshot wound entrance was from a bullet fired from “intermediate range,” or two to four inches, “a soot ring abrasion and a two-inch by two-inch area of stippling” on his body.

Earlier this week, medical records leaked to ABC News showed Zimmerman likely suffered a broken nose, black eyes and an abrasion on the back of head.

Zimmerman’s lawyer, Mark O’Mara, said he may seek a dismissal of the second degree murder charges against his client under Florida’s “stand your ground” law.

Disco queen Donna Summer dead at 63

May 17, 2012

Legendary disco singer Donna Summer died Thursday after a battle with cancer, sources close to the singer confirmed to FoxNews.com.

Summer, 63, was a 5-time Grammy winner whose hits dominated the charts in the 1970s. Her songs like “Last Dance,” “Bad Girls” and “Hot Stuff” were among the decade’s most successful.

She continued topping charts into the 1980s, with hits like “She Works Hard for the Money” and“This Time I Know It’s for Real.”

She is survived by her husband, singer and producer Bruce Sudano, their daughters, Brooklyn and Amanda and Summer’s daughter, Mimi, from a previous marriage.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2012/05/17/disco-queen-donna-summer-dead-at-63-report-says/#ixzz1v986fevS

NASA estimates 4,700 ‘potentially hazardous’ asteroids

May 16, 2012

About 4,700 asteroids are close enough and big enough to pose a risk to Earth, NASA estimated Wednesday after studying data beamed back from an orbiting telescope.

The figure — give or take 1,500 — is how many space rocks bigger than 100 meters (330 feet) across are believed to come within 5 million miles (8 million km) of Earth, or about 20 times farther away than the moon.

“It’s not something that people should panic about,” said Amy Mainzer, an astronomer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. “However, we are paying attention to the issue.”

NASA defines a potentially hazardous asteroid as one large enough to survive the intense heat generated by entry into the atmosphere and cause damage on a regional scale or worse. The figure released Wednesday is lower than a previous rough estimate had projected, but more are now thought to be in orbits inclined like Earth’s, making them more likely to cross its path.

Mainzer said asteroids in orbits pitched at a similar angle offer not only a hazard, but also an opportunity. They would be easier for spacecraft to reach.

“They’re a population of interest, and we want to keep an eye on them,” she said.

NASA says a 40-meter asteroid would strike the Earth with an impact comparable to a 3-megaton nuclear bomb. A 2-km asteroid striking Earth “would produce severe environmental damage on a global scale,” the space agency estimates, but an impact of that magnitude isn’t likely to occur more than twice per million years.

The estimate comes from infrared scans of the cosmos by the 16-inch WISE telescope, which was launched in December 2009. The instruments aboard the satellite allowed scientists to spot close-in asteroids by picking up the heat they emit, Mainzer said.

“It allows us to find the very dark asteroids, the ones that are more like a piece of coal and than shiny pavement,” she said. “We can also tell the difference between an asteroid that’s very large and very dark and a small one that’s very shiny.”

Mainzer said between 20% and 30% of the estimated 4,700 potentially hazardous objects have been discovered so far.

http://www.wyff4.com/news/national/NASA-estimates-4-700-potentially-hazardous-asteroids/-/9324256/13423820/-/7vvumr/-/index.html

The dumbing down of America just got worse

What a shame this is, God help the next generation.  -  Phoebe

Florida lowers passing grade for state writing exam after over 70 percent of fourth-graders fail

Published May 16, 2012

The Florida Department of Education lowered the performance level standard on a state writing exam after only 27 percent of fourth graders passed, MyFoxOrlando reports.

The decision to lower the standard from a four to a three was made in an emergency conference call Tuesday. The test scores range from zero to six.

Fourth grade teachers say the test inadequately reflected their pupils’ writing abilities. They say the main reason the students did poorly was the test question was too hard.

According to the Florida Department of Education, the prompt, or essay topic, for fourth graders in the state of Florida this year was, “Suppose you or someone else had a chance to ride a camel. Imagine what happens on this camel ride. Write a story about what happens on this camel ride.”

Some teachers say the question was unfair, arguing it may be unrealistic to expect fourth-graders to know what a camel is.

“It was just a very poor prompt, when do we see camels in Central Florida,” said Ann Egitto, a language arts teacher at Rock Lake Middle School according to MyFoxOrlando.

Lisa Wright, a teacher at Idyllwilde Elementary School, agrees. “A lot fourth graders in my school probably don’t even know what a camel really is,” she said according to MyFoxOrlando.

However, the Department of Education told MyFoxOrlando the question was extensively reviewed and well-received by about 1,500 students who were selected to take it during a field-testing period.

They admitted they could have done a better job communicating student expectations to teachers after lowering the passing grade.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/05/16/florida-lowers-passing-grade-for-state-writing-exam-after-over-70-percent/?test=latestnews#ixzz1v6BFEOJm