Have any of you read about this?

03-25-2002, 02:53 AM

Taken from http://uspolitics.about.com/library/.../aa031102a.htm

When Mark Bingham boarded the plane home that September morning, he had no idea that within hours he would die a hero.

At 10:03 a.m. on the 11th of September, authorities believe the 6-foot-5 rugby player from San Francisco was one of a handful of passengers who brought United Flight 93 down in a field in Pennsylvania. There were no survivors. Had Bingham and his fellow travelers not acted, it is thought the plane would have been flown into the US Congress.

"It is now believed that the terrorists on Flight 93 intended to crash the airplane into the United States Capitol where I work, the great house of democracy where I was that day. It is very possible that I would have been in the building, with a great many other people, when that fateful, terrible moment occurred, and a beautiful symbol of our freedom was destroyed along with hundreds if not thousands of lives. I may very well owe my life to Mark and the others who summoned the enormous courage and love necessary to deny those depraved, hateful men their terrible triumph. Such a debt you incur for life." - (Senator John McCain's eulogy for Mark Bingham, September 22, 2001.)

But on today's six-month anniversary of his horrible death, and the nation's greatest tragedy in decades, Mark Bingham is now officially being declared a lesser kind of hero because he was gay.

In an appearance on the Sunday, March 10 broadcast of NBC's "Meet the Press," Kenneth Feinberg, the head of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (a fund created by Congress and run by the Department of Justice), said that gay partners of the heroes of September 11th will not necessarily be eligible for the same compensation as heterosexual family members who lost their loved ones.

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According to Feinberg, lots and lots of people will receive compensation under the plan, including children, babies, and even fetuses. And as an indication of how generous the fund will be, even illegal aliens, who aren't American citizens and who are in the US in violation of federal law, will receive benefits. Feinberg even says that the Attorney General has promised that if undocumented aliens come forward, they won't be kicked out of the country, and their employers won't be penalized. "The attorney general, in consultation with Immigration, etc., undocumented aliens who come forward, the families will not suffer any consequences. They are covered by this program. They will get a check. The employer, where we need the economic information about the undocumented alien, will not be penalized," Feinberg told "Meet the Press."

Yep, the Attorney General is himself willing to overlook US law so that every victim of September 11 can be fully compensated. But when it comes to gay Americans who lost a loved one to Mohammad Atta and his band of thieves, that's when Feinberg's and the Department of Justice's well of generosity suddenly dries up:

"[Gays and lesbians are] left out of my program to the extent that their own state doesn't ******* them. I cannot get into a position in this program, which has a one-and-a-half or two-year life start second-guessing what the state of New York or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the state of Virginia or New Jersey, how they treat same-sex partners, domestic live-ins, etc. I simply say this: What does your state law say about who is eligible? If your state law makes you eligible, I will honor state law. If it doesn't, I go with the state. Otherwise, Tim, I would find myself getting sued in every state by people claiming that I'm not following how the state distributes money. I can't get into that local battle. I've got to rely on state law." - Kenneth Feinberg on NBC's "Meet the Press," March 10, 2002.

That's a long-winded way of saying that if state law discriminates against gay people, then so will Feinberg and the 911 Fund. The problem for gay Americans who lost loved ones on September 11 is that most states do not legally recognize gay relationships (according to the Human Rights Campaign's Web site, only California and Hawaii offer domestic partner registries to their citizens, though Vermont and DC likely offer something similar), and others offer benefits for state employees, but not citizens at large. And while 56 or so cities and counties do in fact recognize such relationships, under Feinberg's formula, it's the state's law that counts, not the city's or county's.

So, in the end, pretty much everyone who died - including people who aren't even American citizens and were living in the US illegally - will automatically be honored by the September 11th Fund as deserving of America's special recognition and thanks. The sole exception will be gay and lesbian Americans, because Feinberg and the 911 Fund wouldn't want to do anything contrary to US law. (Unless of course it involves an illegal alien who isn't even American - then apparently it's okay to bend the rules.)

On this six-month anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Kenneth Feinberg and the September 11th Fund are telling the American people that - regardless of whether gay man Mark Bingham was one of the four heroes on United Flight 93 who saved the US Congress and the White House from utter annihilation, regardless of whether gay man David Charlebois died as co-pilot of American Airlines flight 77 when it flew into the Pentagon, and regardless of whether gay man and NY Fire Department Chaplain Father Mychal Judge died while administering last rites to the dead firemen at Ground Zero - the 911 Fund plans to discriminate against a class of American hero because most of the country sanctioned such discrimination prior to September 11.

If September 11 has taught us anything, it's that our patriotism and love of country transcend our differences and unite us all. It would be ironic if the generosity of so many Americans in giving to the September 11th Fund were used to further divide us as a people, and send the message to all that some American heroes are more equal than others.

I leave you with these words of Senator John McCain.

"I never knew Mark Bingham. But I wish I had. I know he was a good son and friend, a good rugby player, a good American, and an extraordinary human being. He supported me, and his support now ranks among the greatest honors of my life. I wish I had known before September 11 just how great an honor his trust in me was. I wish I could have thanked him for it more profusely than time and circumstances allowed. But I know it now. And I thank him with the only means I possess, by being as good an American as he was.

"America will overcome these atrocities. We will prevail over our enemies. We will right this terrible injustice. And when we do, let us claim it as a tribute to our liberty, and to Mark Bingham and all those who died to defend it."
- Senator John McCain, Eulogy for Mark Bingham, September 22, 2001.

------------------
http://newbatteries.homestead.com/files/0321.jpg
oh, say it isn't fucking so.

03-25-2002, 03:00 AM

that's

wow

it hurts

03-25-2002, 03:02 AM

two fish
one swimming upstream
one swimming down, living in a dream

blah blah.

look, louis, gay people are beautiful, too.
this is Exactly how you are discriminating against shakira.

03-25-2002, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
two fish
one swimming upstream
one swimming down, living in a dream

blah blah.

look, louis, gay people are beautiful, too.
this is Exactly how you are discriminating against shakira.

Hey, there's no hate for Shakira here.

03-25-2002, 03:06 AM

louis! even neat vincent is not against shakira!

jeez.

03-25-2002, 03:11 AM

Fine Abigail. FINE! *Sigh* http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/smile.gif You still suger.

03-25-2002, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
louis! even neat vincent is not against shakira!

jeez.

Sounds like you have a personal problem to me.

03-25-2002, 03:18 AM

http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/biggrin.gif

03-25-2002, 03:19 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/biggrin.gif

Mrs. Roan, you always smile. http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/smile.gif So beautiful.

03-25-2002, 03:23 AM

i am not married, bitch.

03-25-2002, 03:24 AM

Not with that last name you're not!

03-25-2002, 03:35 AM

http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/redface.gif

03-25-2002, 03:36 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/redface.gif

http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/tongue.gif

03-25-2002, 03:37 AM

You're a special person, know that?

03-25-2002, 03:43 AM

i thought this was about gay oppression?
http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/frown.gif?

03-25-2002, 03:44 AM

It was. Waaaas.

03-25-2002, 03:47 AM

jerk.

------------------
http://will.envy.nu/quick.jpg

03-25-2002, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
nyotok kartser: i really need a nice pink gown.

03-25-2002, 03:55 AM

http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/redface.gif

03-25-2002, 03:58 AM

http://www.geocities.com/surrealdeath/web/1970.txt

You shouldn't complain. http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/smile.gif

03-25-2002, 04:00 AM

this is possibly the most sidetracked thread ever.

03-25-2002, 04:02 AM

i hate you.
above you, irrelevant.

03-25-2002, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
i hate you.
above you, irrelevant.

so you don't hate me, then? just making sure.

03-25-2002, 04:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Will:
i hate you.
above you, irrelevant.

nyotok kartser: STOP POSTINg
nyotok kartser: THAT PHTOOTOAOTOA

http://www.geocities.com/surrealdeath/web/1970.txt

NO, YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL IN IT!

03-25-2002, 04:04 AM

who's the chick?

03-25-2002, 04:06 AM

http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/smile.gif She WILL not admitt it.

03-25-2002, 04:07 AM

well whoever it is is cute enough.

but then again i don't have standards.

03-25-2002, 04:08 AM

http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/frown.gif

03-25-2002, 04:09 AM

YOU THE BOMB IN PHANTOMS YO!

03-25-2002, 04:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Irrelevant:
YOU THE BOMB IN PHANTOMS YO!

And you have HIGH standards!

03-25-2002, 02:53 AM	#1
The Sacred and Profane Posts: n/a	Have any of you read about this? Taken from http://uspolitics.about.com/library/.../aa031102a.htm When Mark Bingham boarded the plane home that September morning, he had no idea that within hours he would die a hero. At 10:03 a.m. on the 11th of September, authorities believe the 6-foot-5 rugby player from San Francisco was one of a handful of passengers who brought United Flight 93 down in a field in Pennsylvania. There were no survivors. Had Bingham and his fellow travelers not acted, it is thought the plane would have been flown into the US Congress. "It is now believed that the terrorists on Flight 93 intended to crash the airplane into the United States Capitol where I work, the great house of democracy where I was that day. It is very possible that I would have been in the building, with a great many other people, when that fateful, terrible moment occurred, and a beautiful symbol of our freedom was destroyed along with hundreds if not thousands of lives. I may very well owe my life to Mark and the others who summoned the enormous courage and love necessary to deny those depraved, hateful men their terrible triumph. Such a debt you incur for life." - (Senator John McCain's eulogy for Mark Bingham, September 22, 2001.) But on today's six-month anniversary of his horrible death, and the nation's greatest tragedy in decades, Mark Bingham is now officially being declared a lesser kind of hero because he was gay. In an appearance on the Sunday, March 10 broadcast of NBC's "Meet the Press," Kenneth Feinberg, the head of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (a fund created by Congress and run by the Department of Justice), said that gay partners of the heroes of September 11th will not necessarily be eligible for the same compensation as heterosexual family members who lost their loved ones. Subscribe to the U.S. Politics: Current Events Newsletter Name Email According to Feinberg, lots and lots of people will receive compensation under the plan, including children, babies, and even fetuses. And as an indication of how generous the fund will be, even illegal aliens, who aren't American citizens and who are in the US in violation of federal law, will receive benefits. Feinberg even says that the Attorney General has promised that if undocumented aliens come forward, they won't be kicked out of the country, and their employers won't be penalized. "The attorney general, in consultation with Immigration, etc., undocumented aliens who come forward, the families will not suffer any consequences. They are covered by this program. They will get a check. The employer, where we need the economic information about the undocumented alien, will not be penalized," Feinberg told "Meet the Press." Yep, the Attorney General is himself willing to overlook US law so that every victim of September 11 can be fully compensated. But when it comes to gay Americans who lost a loved one to Mohammad Atta and his band of thieves, that's when Feinberg's and the Department of Justice's well of generosity suddenly dries up: "[Gays and lesbians are] left out of my program to the extent that their own state doesn't ******* them. I cannot get into a position in this program, which has a one-and-a-half or two-year life start second-guessing what the state of New York or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the state of Virginia or New Jersey, how they treat same-sex partners, domestic live-ins, etc. I simply say this: What does your state law say about who is eligible? If your state law makes you eligible, I will honor state law. If it doesn't, I go with the state. Otherwise, Tim, I would find myself getting sued in every state by people claiming that I'm not following how the state distributes money. I can't get into that local battle. I've got to rely on state law." - Kenneth Feinberg on NBC's "Meet the Press," March 10, 2002. That's a long-winded way of saying that if state law discriminates against gay people, then so will Feinberg and the 911 Fund. The problem for gay Americans who lost loved ones on September 11 is that most states do not legally recognize gay relationships (according to the Human Rights Campaign's Web site, only California and Hawaii offer domestic partner registries to their citizens, though Vermont and DC likely offer something similar), and others offer benefits for state employees, but not citizens at large. And while 56 or so cities and counties do in fact recognize such relationships, under Feinberg's formula, it's the state's law that counts, not the city's or county's. So, in the end, pretty much everyone who died - including people who aren't even American citizens and were living in the US illegally - will automatically be honored by the September 11th Fund as deserving of America's special recognition and thanks. The sole exception will be gay and lesbian Americans, because Feinberg and the 911 Fund wouldn't want to do anything contrary to US law. (Unless of course it involves an illegal alien who isn't even American - then apparently it's okay to bend the rules.) On this six-month anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Kenneth Feinberg and the September 11th Fund are telling the American people that - regardless of whether gay man Mark Bingham was one of the four heroes on United Flight 93 who saved the US Congress and the White House from utter annihilation, regardless of whether gay man David Charlebois died as co-pilot of American Airlines flight 77 when it flew into the Pentagon, and regardless of whether gay man and NY Fire Department Chaplain Father Mychal Judge died while administering last rites to the dead firemen at Ground Zero - the 911 Fund plans to discriminate against a class of American hero because most of the country sanctioned such discrimination prior to September 11. If September 11 has taught us anything, it's that our patriotism and love of country transcend our differences and unite us all. It would be ironic if the generosity of so many Americans in giving to the September 11th Fund were used to further divide us as a people, and send the message to all that some American heroes are more equal than others. I leave you with these words of Senator John McCain. "I never knew Mark Bingham. But I wish I had. I know he was a good son and friend, a good rugby player, a good American, and an extraordinary human being. He supported me, and his support now ranks among the greatest honors of my life. I wish I had known before September 11 just how great an honor his trust in me was. I wish I could have thanked him for it more profusely than time and circumstances allowed. But I know it now. And I thank him with the only means I possess, by being as good an American as he was. "America will overcome these atrocities. We will prevail over our enemies. We will right this terrible injustice. And when we do, let us claim it as a tribute to our liberty, and to Mark Bingham and all those who died to defend it." - Senator John McCain, Eulogy for Mark Bingham, September 22, 2001. ------------------ http://newbatteries.homestead.com/files/0321.jpg oh, say it isn't fucking so.

03-25-2002, 03:00 AM	#2
bonsor Posts: n/a	that's wow it hurts

03-25-2002, 03:02 AM	#3
Will Posts: n/a	two fish one swimming upstream one swimming down, living in a dream blah blah. look, louis, gay people are beautiful, too. this is Exactly how you are discriminating against shakira.

03-25-2002, 03:06 AM	#5
Will Posts: n/a	louis! even neat vincent is not against shakira! jeez.

03-25-2002, 03:11 AM	#6
surrealist Posts: n/a	Fine Abigail. FINE! Sigh http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/smile.gif You still suger.

03-25-2002, 03:18 AM	#8
Will Posts: n/a	http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/biggrin.gif

03-25-2002, 03:23 AM	#10
Will Posts: n/a	i am not married, bitch.

03-25-2002, 03:24 AM	#11
ocean Posts: n/a	Not with that last name you're not!

03-25-2002, 03:35 AM	#12
Will Posts: n/a	http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/redface.gif

03-25-2002, 03:37 AM	#14
ocean Posts: n/a	You're a special person, know that?

03-25-2002, 03:43 AM	#15
Will Posts: n/a	i thought this was about gay oppression? http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/frown.gif?

03-25-2002, 03:47 AM	#17
Will Posts: n/a	jerk. ------------------ http://will.envy.nu/quick.jpg

03-25-2002, 03:55 AM	#19
Will Posts: n/a	http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/redface.gif

03-25-2002, 03:58 AM	#20
ocean Posts: n/a	http://www.geocities.com/surrealdeath/web/1970.txt You shouldn't complain. http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/smile.gif

03-25-2002, 04:00 AM	#21
Irrelevant Posts: n/a	this is possibly the most sidetracked thread ever.

03-25-2002, 04:02 AM	#22
Will Posts: n/a	i hate you. above you, irrelevant.

03-25-2002, 04:04 AM	#25
Irrelevant Posts: n/a	who's the chick?

03-25-2002, 04:06 AM	#26
ocean Posts: n/a	http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/smile.gif She WILL not admitt it.

03-25-2002, 04:07 AM	#27
Irrelevant Posts: n/a	well whoever it is is cute enough. but then again i don't have standards.

03-25-2002, 04:08 AM	#28
Will Posts: n/a	http://www.netphoria.org/wwwboard/frown.gif

03-25-2002, 04:09 AM	#29
Irrelevant Posts: n/a	YOU THE BOMB IN PHANTOMS YO!