I had a nice weekend -- the world did not

It's been another great weekend for news. I had a good weekend. On the other hand, it seems the world did not.

Let's start here: (this from The New York Times) -- "
Bronx Attacker’s Ultimatum: Be Hit With a Bat, or a Pipe
By SAM DOLNICK and COLIN MOYNIHAN
Published: October 11, 2010

After he had been punched, kicked and stripped of his clothes and jewelry, the 17-year-old man was given a choice: the bat or the pipe.

The police said that on Oct. 3, nine men lured three others, whom they suspected of being gay, into 1910 Osborne Place, above, in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx.

His attackers, part of a gang of nine young men, were in the midst of a night of savage assaults against three men they suspected of being gay, according to a criminal complaint released on Sunday.

Before the night was out, the victims would be tortured with burning cigarettes, box cutter blades, plunger handles and more, prosecutors charged. But first, the 17-year-old had to make his selection.

“I guess the bat,” he said."

"I guess the bat"!! WOW! What a great choice. Shouldn't we give the attackers a similar choice? Or, should we just line them up and ....................?


Meanwhile, back on the Campaign trail, Carl Paladino, republican nominee for N.Y. Governor -- "Paladino Laces Speech With Antigay Remarks" ---- "The Republican candidate for governor, Carl P. Paladino, told a gathering in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Sunday that children should not be “brainwashed” into thinking that homosexuality was acceptable, and criticized his opponent, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo, for marching in a gay pride parade earlier this year."

Homophobia is rampant in the orthodox form of EVERY religion. The Pope is just a hater, various and sundry "Pastors", Ministers, Rabbis, "Bishops", etc. are also. So is just about any organization that has "Family" in its title.

There's more "red sludge" (toxic) in Hungary and -- well, just read: "BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) An EU official said Monday that Serbia's failure to prevent an anti-gay riot could hurt its bid to join the European Union, but the U.S. Embassy praised police for doing all they could to protect the gay pride march from far-right activists.

On Sunday, Serbian police fought running battles with thousands of far-right supporters who tried to disrupt the march in downtown Belgrade by hurling Molotov cocktails and stun grenades. More than 150 people were hurt and nearly 250 were arrested, police said.

Jelko Kacin, in charge of the European Parliament's evaluation reports on Serbia, said in a statement the anti-gay riots "show an elementary lack" of tolerance for minority rights in Serbia and the "inefficiency" of the state in preventing such a trend."

Notice nothing was said about the fact police actually prevented greater violence, and protected a despised minority. In many Slavic countries the police stand by -- then arrest any LGBT person who dares fight back.

Meanwhile we have further activity on the anti-gay front: "Son of anti-gay professor comes out
Updated: October 11, 2010 at 2:51 am | Michael Tabb Contributing Reporter

The son of a Washington University physics professor notorious for publicly condemning homosexuality came out as gay in Sunday’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

In an op-ed submission to the Post-Dispatch, Isaac Katz reflected on his personal struggles, and he criticized his father, Jonathan Katz, for his attacks on homosexuality.

Isaac Katz’s coming out was an unexpected development for Jonathan Katz, a tenured physics professor whose public statements have drawn intense opposition on campus and elsewhere. Jonathan Katz has since removed a controversial essay from his University website in which he attacked homosexuality.

Isaac Katz decided to disclose his sexual orientation publicly after news outlets reported that several gay teens committed suicide in recent weeks. He wrote about his own depression and attempts at suicide and offered reassurance to gay teens in his op-ed submission.

The younger Katz recalled his father’s homophobic views and wrote that when he told his parents over the summer that he was gay, his father said that he should “deny who I am rather than to engage in an act so abhorrent as to love another man.”

Isaac, who graduated this spring from the University of Pennsylvania, referred to his father’s controversial 1999 essay titled “In Defense of Homophobia,” in which the professor declared, “I am a homophobe and proud.” Katz posted the essay to his physics department website, but as of Sunday, the essay had been removed" -- now, will he pull an Alan Keyes and disown his son -- or, will he at least PRETEND to be a human being?

In London: "1 October 2010 Last updated at 13:41 ET

Cousins deny 'honour' strangling of Banaz Mahmod
Banaz Mahmod Ms Mahmod's body was found in a suitcase

Two cousins murdered a member of their family because they did not approve of her boyfriend, a jury has heard.

Banaz Mahmod, 20, from Mitcham, south London, was strangled in January 2006 and her body buried in a suitcase in Handsworth, Birmingham.

Her father Mahmod Mahmod, uncle Ari Mahmod and a third man were jailed for the murder in 2007.

Mohammed Saleh Ali and Omar Hussain are on trial at the Old Bailey. Both men, 28, of no fixed address, deny murder.

They also deny burying Ms Mahmod's body, conspiring to kidnap her boyfriend Rahmat Suleimani and threatening to kill him.

The pair were allegedly among the killers but fled for Iraq.

They have since been extradited and charged with murder.

Victor Temple QC, prosecuting, said the victim had complained to police that she and her boyfriend were in danger in the run-up to her death.

She was also recorded on a phone saying her father tried to make her drink brandy and bring a suitcase with her for a car journey.

Mr Temple told the court she realised what was in store for her and fled.

But by 24 January she had disappeared and was later found dead.

Boyfriend Mr Suleimani narrowly escaped an abduction attempt after friends came to his aid, the court heard.

The case continues"

Isn't religion WONDERFUL? Isn't misogyny WONDERFUL? Isn't The Patriarchy WONDERFUL?

Now, that's just a taste of some of the news out there. Not "the BIG stories" that are promoted to confuse, obfuscate, hide what's really happening to real PEOPLE (not CEO's, celebrities, or "famous" (this week) folks, but real people.

I haven't even touched on the economy, the inability of the administration to say they screwed up, the refusal to really look at the impact of the economy (main street version) on regular people. Nor have I mentioned the entire mortgage fraud issue -- the one that says, "It's O.K. for the banks to forge, lie, misrepresent -- but -- if any of you poor folks do it -- well, we WILL prosecute!! After all, it's all about "The Rule Of Law" (for poor people only).