Daily Archives: 06/13/2009

(Community Matters) Again from Steven – still in Edinburg. They are tackling the countryside tomorrow

(Community Matters) Reports of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s conditions for Palestinian statehood

• Any Palestinian state must be demilitarized, without an air force, full-fledged army or heavy weapons.

• Palestinians may not sign treaties with powers hostile to Israel.

• A Palestinian state must allow Israeli civilian and military aircraft unfettered access to Palestinian airspace, allow Israel to retain control of the airwaves and to station Israeli troops on a future state’s eastern and southern borders.

• Palestinians must accept Israel as a Jewish state, a nod to the hawkish side of Mr. Netanyahu’s governing coalition that has raised concerns that the Palestinian Authority, which nominally governs the West Bank, does not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

I don’t have ample perspective of how much progress this represents. Certainly understand the conditions from security & negotiating perspectives, imagining the other side would be looking for a phase out of the conditions that limit autonomy and self defense.

(Community Matters) As a follow up to my earlier, quick posting, gay lawyers and DOJ respond in the Washington Blade.

Earlier Huffington Post perspective and Chris Geidner’s explanation.

(Community Matters) I met Michael Naymik of Oceans of Austin a couple of weeks ago. He mostly sets up and maintains fresh & salt water aquariums and he knows alot about ponds.

We’ve worked it out so he’ll maintain our ponds, the fish and the water plants regularly – already great ideas to add some new fish, leopard bullfrogs and a couple of baby turtles

(Community Matters) I’m baffled by the language in the DOJ brief (read John Aravosis starting here) defending DOMA. Reading Andrew Sullivan, there seems to be an explanation that a Bush holdover in DOJ wrote and filed the brief. There is still, however, a huge question about how the hell such incindiary language was filed. Explanations are in order.