We seem to have a high number of UU's posting on Daily KOS, so I have decided to post an open thread to discuss happenings at General Assembly.  If you are not in Portland, some of the sessions are streamed at the URL for live streaming video

American Family Association has targeted Ford Motor Company for a boycott because Ford "promotes the homosexual agenda".  The details are available at the Boycott Ford website.  I must say, before I read that site, I had no idea how gay-friendly Ford was.  We need to support Ford on this.

I have started a counter-petition, which is available at PetitionOnline.  Please sign the petition.  Please note, I have a required field "ford products owned".  Check the "Boycott Ford Website" to see if you own a Ford product first.  I want them to know there are customers who support them.  Other action items below the fold.

Ok, time for a rant.  

I'm sick and tired of hearing things
From uptight, short-sighted, narrow-minded hypocritics

From the mailbag:

Focus on the Family, 04/13/05

(more below the fold)

Unfortunately, a prominent "values" group has today demonstrated that their sense of morality has definite limitations.  

People for the American Way has set up a toll-free number that connects directly to the Senate switchboard for its email list members to use to call their Senators and ask their Senators to reject the nuclear option.  They sent the email out this morning.  

This afternoon, Focus on the Family sent an alert to its email list asking its members to use PFAW's toll-free number to call their Senators and ask them to support the nuclear option.  Isn't that special?  

(text of FoF's email below the fold)

There was a comment on one of the threads about BSA's former program director and alleged purveyor of child porn Douglas S. Smith that stated: If the BSA discriminates, it should not get public funds.  I originally composed this as a response to the comment, then decided to diary this instead.

here is a site that documents several cases of BSA discrimination.  

(more below the fold)

Jack Germond addressed the Atheist Convention in Philidelphia this past weekend.  I was interested to find that his address was covered in the religious press.  I was also interested to see that the coverage was more or less straight coverage of his remarks with no editorializing (this is unusual for CNS News).  Without further ado, here is the link to the story:

Schiavo Case 'Grotesque' Exercise, Jack Germond Says (more below the fold)

Two articles on food supply in urban areas highlight some issues of interest to me.  

The first appears in the Houston Chronicle, "Grocery Options Tied to Obesity, Tuesday December 7, 2004, Page B2.  The second from the Boston Globe, appears in a Marin County paper "Why the Poor Can't Afford to Eat Better"

(more below the fold)