David B. - 04 May 2008 02:44 PM

So you are saying it really belongs in “Books, Movies, TV Shows”?

Maybe on a separate thread.  But who cares really?  I’m too busy laughing at the lesbian with the frying pan.

Perception Manager - 04 May 2008 06:16 PM

David B. - 04 May 2008 02:44 PM

So you are saying it really belongs in “Books, Movies, TV Shows”?

Maybe on a separate thread.  But who cares really?  I’m too busy laughing at the lesbian with the frying pan.

I know.  It does look rather ridiculous doesn’t it.  Lets see, frying pan, she looks pregnant, I think I’ll stop right there.   

Going for the casual look with the sweater draped over her shoulders.  The choice of accessories however leaves a lot to be desired.  The outfit would have been complete with a bbq fork in the other hand.

Sharruma - 04 May 2008 04:23 PM

Peaceful assembly is the key phrase.
If the site is to be believed the assembly was anything but peaceful.

It’s not ‘peaceful’, it’s ‘peaceable’, meaning free from conflict and quarrel. Picketing comes under this definition, as was confirmed by the Supreme Court in Thornhill v. State of Alabama in 1940.

Wow.  That article isn’t just the slightest biased, is it? 

Unfortunately it seems all of the articles I could find are based on the same report.  Apparently the protesters were very unruly, but the article’s improper use of the word ‘riot’ make it hard to judge what is factual and what is hyperbole.

Well, I can find no indication of any police involvement for rioting, so - as PM will probably jump in any minute and tell us - if there was a riot going on, how come no-one has been arrested or charged for that?

Sorba certainly seems to have a bit of form, though, doesn’t he.

In 2004, Sorba post anti-gay fliers calling for a boycott against the “Perspectives on Gender’ class around the San Bernadino College (of the California State University) campus. Thought this attracted a lot of criticism, not least from members of the College Republicans group, who’s name he unilaterally used on the flyers, which was somewhat ironic given that the founding president of the group was himself gay. In a public forum on the issue, the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Straight Alliance said that the campaign was not hate speech, and the Sorba had the right to post them.

In 2005, Sorba accused the University of discriminating against Christians when it refused to award a charter to his “Christian Student Association”. In fact, the rejection had come about because Sorba’s proposed charter excluded people based on sexual orientation, in contravention of the California Regulatory Code. The university President later confirmed that Sorba had the right to set up his club, but that, constitutionally, it could not receive public funding under the current charter.

Mind you, Sorba seems to be arguing against a strawman anyway. According to the APA page on sexual orientation:

What Causes a Person To Have a Particular Sexual Orientation?

There are numerous theories about the origins of a person’s sexual orientation; most scientists today agree that sexual orientation is most likely the result of a complex interaction of environmental, cognitive and biological factors. In most people, sexual orientation is shaped at an early age. There is also considerable recent evidence to suggest that biology, including genetic or inborn hormonal factors, play a significant role in a person’s sexuality. In summary, it is important to recognize that there are probably many reasons for a person’s sexual orientation and the reasons may be different for different people.

So (a) it’s complicated, and (b) it varies. Clearly, talk of a ‘gay gene’ is over-simplistic, but then that’s a term from journalism rather than science (See “Jurassic Park and the Gay Gene: genetics through the distorting lens of the media.“ by A.S. Wilkins in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, vol. 7 no. 13 (1997)).

Rather more important is the APA’s next answer:

Is Sexual Orientation a Choice?

No, human beings can not choose to be either gay or straight. Sexual orientation emerges for most people in early adolescence without any prior sexual experience. Although we can choose whether to act on our feelings, psychologists do not consider sexual orientation to be a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed.

So surely discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation would be immoral, because it is something over which the individual had no control? If not, in what way is it different to saying sure someone didn’t choose to be black/female/jewish, but we’re not going to give them the job because that’s still what they are?

David B. - 05 May 2008 08:26 AM

So surely discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation would be immoral, because it is something over which the individual had no control? If not, in what way is it different to saying sure someone didn’t choose to be black/female/jewish, but we’re not going to give them the job because that’s still what they are?

Er….I don’t think that particular line of thought is going to hold sway over PM.

I think you find that PM is all in favour of fairness and justice, he’s even said so:

[quote author=“Perception Manager”]Obviously, I want as much fairness and justice in the world as possible.  That’s just my nature.

Clearly, since it is neither fair nor just to discriminate against someone for something they have no control over, he’s no doubt agin it! I mean, it’d be as bad as ridiculing someone for their looks because you don’t like their politics!

That’s what my dad does to Hillary Clinton.

MadCarlotta - 05 May 2008 09:33 AM

That’s what my dad does to Hillary Clinton.

Well tell your dad from me that his haircut is rubbish and that cardigan doesn’t suit him!

Since he just discovered how to chat online and has been annoying me by sending multiple yahoo chat requests all day today, I’ll be sure and relay the message posthaste