Important News Dump

News Dump # 2

Gay marriage is now legal in four U.S. states

DES MOINES, Iowa - The Iowa Supreme Court legalized gay marriage Friday in a unanimous and emphatic decision that makes Iowa the third state — and first in the nation's heartland — to allow same-sex couples to wed.

I remembered reading about this last November and thinking that late March/early April would never come. However, I forgot all about it until the ruling came.

Then, yesterday, a fourth state legalized gay marriage.

MONTPELIER, Vt.—Vermont has become the fourth state to legalize gay marriage.

The state legislature voted Tuesday to override Gov. Jim Douglas' veto of a bill allowing gays and lesbians to marry. The vote was 23-5 to override in the state Senate and 100-49 to override in the House. Under Vermont law, two-thirds of each chamber had to vote for override.

The vote came nine years after Vermont adopted its first-in-the-nation civil unions law.

It's now the fourth state to permit same-sex marriage. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa are the others.

This has been a very good three weeks for supporters of gay marriage. Whose next?


UPDATE: Surprise! Some conservatives are angry!


Iran reform candidate says open to US negotiations

What better to follow up news about gay marriage with news about Iran, which, according to Ahamdinejad, doesn't have any homosexuals...

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The leading reformist candidate in upcoming Iranian presidential elections says if elected, he would negotiate with the U.S but not over Iran's nuclear activities.

Mir Hossein Mousavi said at a news conference Monday that he would talk with the United States, if Iran is "not required to pay a heavy cost," such as giving up its nuclear program.

Iran says its nuclear program is for civilian use only.

The U.S. and its allies charge Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.

Mousavi also condemned the killing of Jews in the Holocaust, a much different stance than current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who in 2005 called the Holocaust a myth.

Mousavi is seen by many as the candidate with the best chance of defeating Ahmadinejad.

I think Ahmadinejad has a good chance of being defeated, and Mousavi would appear to be an improvement over Ahmadinejad. It is refreshing that he is willing to sit down, although who knows what that will lead to. It is very good, however, that he condemns the Holocaust. I commented once that the shortest class ever would be The History of the Holocaust taught by Ahmadinejad. I don't think Admadinejad actually believes it didn't occur, but instead denies it occurs because he doesn't want to give legitimacy to Israel. I'm scared of an eventual Iran/Israel showdown, so this would be a nice development.

UPDATE: Ahmadinejad cautiously agreed to meet with the U.S., and now the U.S. will join the United Nations security council in talking to Iran about nukes.


Obama: Turkey, US can be model for East-West ties

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — President Barack Obama says the U.S. and Turkey can be a model for bridging the East-West divide.

During a news conference in Ankara with Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Obama said Monday the most promise in building stronger ties between the U.S. and Turkey lies in being able to create a modern, international community that is respectful, secure and prosperous.

He says the Muslim and Christian countries have a strong foundation to build on, because they both believe in religious freedom.

Obama said the U.S. doesn't identify with a single religion, instead considering itself a nation bound by a set of ideals and values. And, he says, Turkey holds similar principals.

And following the strain of the Iraq war, Obama says he hopes to bolster relations with Turkey.

also...

(Obama) Stands by his 2008 claim that Ottoman Turks carried out Armenian killings early in the 20th century, without saying the word "genocide."

Says at Monday presser with Turkish President Gul: "Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed views."

Gul responds by saying historians, not politicians, should decide how to label what happened nearly a century ago.

also...

Obama supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

I feel this trip to Turkey was pretty important. Obama extended a huge olive branch to Turkey, so it will be interesting to see how relations between the two countries develop.


New Mexico Bans Capital Punishment

New Mexico became the newest state to outlaw the death penalty when Richardson signed a bill into law.

"Regardless of my personal opinion about the death penalty, I do not have confidence in the criminal justice system as it currently operates to be the final arbiter when it comes to who lives and who dies for their crime," Richardson said in a statement Wednesday.

He noted that more than 130 death row inmates have been exonerated in the past 10 years, including four in New Mexico.

"Faced with the reality that our system for imposing the death penalty can never be perfect, my conscience compels me to replace the death penalty with a solution that keeps society safe," he said.

The death penalty is a tricky issue. Personally, I don't think I'm against the death penalty for those who commit heinous crimes, but I am scared of putting people to death who don't deserve it. I think New Mexico and Gov. Bill Richardson did the right thing.


I spy a Putin

A picture has emerged apparently showing Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his former days as a KGB officer.

The 20-year old photo depicts two world leaders - US President Ronald Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev - in Moscow.

But, according to the man who took the photo, it also captures Mr Putin disguised as a tourist.

The photo was taken by Pete Souza, who worked for Reagan and is currently Obama's official photographer.

In an interview, Mr Souza recounted being surprised at the "pointed" questions these supposed tourists asked the US leader.

They included searching enquiries on the state of human rights in the US.

Cool story.


North Korea Launches Rockets

North Korea launched rockets into the Pacific Ocean, which violated a good number of agreements. Obama is peeved. Asia is scared. The U.N. doesn't know what to do. And this man is probably going to be even more ronery.



Arggghhhh....Somali Pirates hijack American ship

Remember when Somali Pirates took over the Ukrainian arms ship? Well, they took over an American ship now. They held the crew hostage, but now the crew has been released and the crew has retaken control of the ship. However, the pirates, who left on a lifeboat, apparently have the captain hostage. Maybe I should liveblog it?


Have a good day!