Gay Couple Detained After Kissing On Plaza Owned By Mormon Church

SALT LAKE CITY — A gay couple say they were detained by security guards on a plaza owned by the Mormon church and later cited by police, claiming it stemmed from a kiss on the cheek.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said that the men became argumentative and refused to leave after being asked to stop their "inappropriate behavior." The men say they were targeted because they are gay.

Matt Aune said he and his partner, Derek Jones, were walking home from a concert nearby on Thursday night, cutting through the plaza near the Salt Lake City Mormon temple.

Aune, 28, said he gave Jones, 25, a hug and kiss and that the two were then approached by a security guard, who asked them to leave, telling them they were being inappropriate and that public displays of affection aren't allowed on the property. He said other guards arrived and the men were handcuffed.

"We asked what we were doing wrong," Aune told The Associated Press.

Church spokeswoman Kim Farah said in a statement Friday that the men were "politely asked to stop engaging in inappropriate behavior _ just as any other couple would have been."

"They became argumentative and used profanity and refused to leave the property," she said. The church did not immediately respond to a request for more comment.

Police later arrived and both men were cited with misdemeanor trespassing, Salt Lake City Police Sgt. Robin Snyder said.

"It doesn't matter what they were asked to leave for," Snyder said. "If they are asked to leave and don't they are ... trespassing."

The church has been the target of protests over its support of a ban on gay marriage in California.

HuffPo

I gotta agree with Snyder, Trespassing is trespassing not to mention the matter of respect (or lack thereof). Would you have a pig pickin' on the lawn of a synagogue?? Ummm, no. In all reality it's pretty widely known that faithful members of the Mormon church abide by the Word of Wisdom but I often see people on the lawn of my church building having a smoke. I wouldn't do that. That's just me, I s'pose.

Michael Jackson's children

My oldest daughter and I was talking about adoption and the legal hoops that people have to jump through to adopt. The fear that you will be attached and in love with your new child and one of the parents change their minds. Placing a child in a loving stable home is the ultimate act of love and unselfishness.
The death of Michael Jackson has brought out the ugliness and greed in people that should be mourning. It happens a lot, when people die. All too often, in fact and it's never a pretty site.
I mentioned my earlier disgust of Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael's 2 oldest children, when she said she didn't want them and that Michael wasn't really the father. Now she wants them and will even "take the youngest one too". What a giver. Just what these children need to hear when they've just lost their father. Michael has been very cautious with them. Covering their faces and sometimes making them more of a spectacle than necessary. I haven't watched the entire memorial, but I saw his daughter, Paris, speak at the end (heartbreaking) and pictures of them from the memorial. They seem genuinely devastated at the loss of their father. They are beautiful children. What may seem like freaky existence on the outside looking in, he loved them. They are about to be thrust into the real world which is completely sick and twisted in comparison. They will watch everything he ever did to himself and what he was accused of doing by others. They will see the physical transformation he underwent for reasons we'll never know or understand. They will hear all about the drug abuse that was intended to kill a pain that no doctor can explain. They will learn that in an effort to escape his own personal demons he went too far. They will watch people fight like animals for a piece of him and they will never understand it. They will never know if the person who is raising them is doing it out of love or for the compensation. They look sad and terrified, just like any child that lost the parent they love. In a perfect world everyone would make this an easy, peaceful transition, for their sake. Our world is far from perfect...

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -Hunter S. Thompson

I wish Hunter S. Thompson had lived to see this.

As Hunter said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." Sarah Palin makes Mark Foley, the congressman who sent filthy emails to pages look almost normal. She makes David Vitter, the senator who was hanging out with hookers, look almost boring. She makes Larry Craig, caught hitting on a cop in a men's room, look almost stable. She makes John Ensign, the senator who was having an affair with a staffer, look almost humdrum (and compared to the rest of the GOP whack-jobs, he is). And she makes Mark Sanford, the governor with the Latin lover, look positively predictable.

It was an almost impossible mission, but in resigning from office with 17 months to go in her first term, Sarah Palin has made herself the bull goose loony of the GOP.

Let's stipulate that if there is some heretofore unknown personal, medical or family crisis, this was the right move. But Gov. Palin didn't say anything like that. Her statement was incoherent, bizarre and juvenile. The text, as posted on Gov. Palin's official website (here), uses 2,549 words and 18 exclamation points. Lincoln freed the slaves with 719 words and nary an exclamation; Mr. Jefferson declared our independence in 1,322 words and, again, no exclamation points. Nixon resigned the presidency in 1,796 words -- still no exclamation points. Gov. Palin capitalized words at random - whole words, like "TO," "HELP," and "AND," and the first letter of "Troops."

Gov. Palin's official announcement that she is resigning as chief executive of the great state of Alaska had all the depth and gravitas of a 13-year-old's review of the Jonas Brothers' album on Facebook. She even quoted her parents' refrigerator magnet. (Note to self: if one of my kids becomes governor, throw away the refrigerator magnet that says: "Murray's Oyster Bar: We Shuck Em, You Suck Em!") She put her son's name in quotations marks. Why? Who knows. She writes, "I promised efficiencies and effectiveness!?" Was she exclaiming or questioning? I get it: both! And I don't even know what to make of a sentence that reads:

*((Gotta put First Things First))*

Ponder the fact that Rupert Murdoch's Harper Collins publishing house is paying this, umm, writer $11 million for a book. Ponder that and say a prayer for Ms. Palin's editor.

I'm no latter-day Strunk & White, just a guy who was struck by Palin's spectacularly rambling and infantile prose. It bespeaks a rambling and infantile mind. But perhaps not. Perhaps this is all a ruse. Perhaps Gov. Palin wants us to believe she's an intellectual featherweight who is slightly shallower than an actor on High School Musical. Maybe she's trying to throw us off the trail.

Naah. A lot of people thought that about George W. Bush. He couldn't be so block-headed, they said. He couldn't be as childish and churlish as he came off. Oh yes he could. And so, too, might Ms. Palin be as vapid and puerile as her inane statement suggests.

We will know. In the fullness of time (and I predict, not much time) we will know. Again and again in her statement, Gov. Palin returned to the nettlesome ethics inquiries that have been visited upon her since she signed on to be John McCain's running mate. No doubt they are annoying. But does anyone believe that's why she's resigning? No, there's more to this story. And Ms. Palin's resignation only increases the chances that we will all know the rest of the story soon. Or, as she might put it:

We will all KNOW the "rest of the Story" *((SOON!))*

Paul Begala

CNN political commentator
Posted: July 3, 2009 10:35 PM

Link

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sarah Palin stepped down as Governor??? Maybe she DOES care about Alaska's people. Listen up Sanford. Think of the people you've betrayed.

Oooooo I found a new project for one of my fans!!!

I was watching Jon Stewart and found something of interest. It starts at the 4:30 mark:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
The Rippy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Obitutainment
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

A MAP!!!!!!!!! They need a map!!!!

Oh Sarah... Seriously??

When is this crackpot going to just go away???
I may not be a political genius and have admitted that I'm not extraordinary in much of anything. One thing I DO know is yoga. I took my first class 10 years ago and worked so hard on the perfecting of the poses, I can tell you the name of every pose in English AND Sanskrit. My strength and flexibility was outstanding, but I had to practice very hard to improve my weakness and that was balance. I taught for a few years and substitute taught advanced Ashtanga for the local yoga studio a few times. My teacher is well known for her workshops all over the world and has studied with the foremost yoga masters in the world. This is NOT yoga:



I'm not going to list everything that screams "poser", but she's a poser in most areas of her life. I'm pretty certain that our President would so leave her in the dust she'd think that the butt whoopin' she took as a VP candidate was a walk in the park. Maybe when he has nothing better to do like being President she can fly out at tax payers expense, ignoring the needs of her state, to have another pointless "look at me" moment. I betcha McCain would take you on, Sarah. But as big of a pain in the butt his is, even HE has better things to do. Now get over yourself and try to NOT destroy your state.


See Sarah run. Run, Sarah, run.

WOOHOO!!! NEW OBAMA SHIRT!!!

$3.00 at the mall! It says "Im a Barack Star"

I dearly hope karma is NOT kind...

Michael Jackson had serious issues. I think the fact that Michael Jackson wasn't a basket case by the 70's is pure miracle. I don't know what he was absolutely guilty of and what was the work of gold digging liars. But that is in God's hands now. He had problems but he gave us nothing??? Seriously??? He made an impact for good and his insecurities and shyness was a product of HIS history of abuse. So first the nanny who so LOVED his children is singing like a bird. No one who cares for children do that. They loved him and she's trashing him. Now the stupid chick that gave birth to them is saying that they aren't his?? What a complete and selfish 8!tc#. Comparing it to impregnating her horses. She sold him her womb. His long time nanny who "loved" those kids is selling him out before he's even been buried. You people love yourself. You could careless about those children.

Pond scum.
Let this family grieve. He has problems and we all new that. We feel so bad that those children who loved him have lost him. Quit making it all about you

Filipino Prisoners Michael Jackson tribute..

I LOVE the Filipino prisoners and I think their first online hit was Thriller but I could be wrong. Here's their tribute.

Okay I have to Sarah Palin credit...

THIS is pretty funny:

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took a shot at John Kerry when speaking to troops in Kosovo.

The Massachusetts Democrat had joked that he wished Palin had gone missing instead of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford.

"He looked quite frustrated and he looked so sad," Palin responded. "I just wanted to reach out to the TV and say, 'John Kerry, why the long face?'"

Wishing Palin had gone missing isn't funny.

Link with video