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img class=face src=http://planet.ubuntu.com/heads/emmajane.png alt= pAhh glorious mailing list
reminder day... it's the first of the month again! And it's also high time everyone took a deep
breath heading into the holiday season and read through the a
href=http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conductCode of Conduct/a./p pHere it is in shortest form for
your reading pleasure:/p ul liBe considerate. /li liBe respectful. /li liBe collaborative. /li
liWhen you disagree, consult others. /li liWhen you are unsure, ask for help. /li liStep down
considerately. /li /ul pAnd as a special treat this month I'm also throwing in the a
href=http://flickr.com/guidelines.gneFlickr community guidelines/a./p pbWhat to do/b /p ul liDo
play nice./li liDo upload content that you have created./li liDo moderate your content./li liDo
link back to Flickr when you post your Flickr content elsewhere./li liDo enjoy Flickr!/li /ul
pbWhat inot/i to do/b/p ul liDon’t upload anything that isn't yours./li liDon’t forget
the children./li liDon’t show nudity in your buddy icon./li liDon’t upload content that
is illegal or prohibited./li liDon’t vent your frustrations, rant, or bore the brains out of
other members./li liDon’t be creepy. You know the guy. Don't be that guy./li liDon’t
use your account to host web graphics like logos and banners./li liDon’t use Flickr for
commercial purposes./li /ul pAnd there we have it kids. Please remember to click through and read
the full a href=http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conductCode of Conduct/a. It takes less than a few
minutes. I think you'll find it applies to a lot of things in life beyond the world of Ubuntu.
 /p
The
Suncoast News reports: "The group Impact-Florida has called on its members to gather
in pink T-shirts outside First United Methodist Church of St. Petersburg on Dec.12 to
"congratulate" Crist and Rome while their wedding takes place inside. The demonstration will
continue outside the wedding reception at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort in downtown St.
Petersburg. 'After the positive congratulatory observance, there will be a candlelight vigil
close to the [Vinoy] in downtown St. Pete to mourn the loss of gays right to get married,' the
group's Web site states, referring to a gay marriage ban that passed by ballot initiative in
November. Crist endorsed Amendment 2 prior to its passage by 61.9 percent of state voters; it
needed 60 percent to become part of the state Constitution."
Said Impact Florida spokesperson Lorna Bracewell to GaySoFla:
“Our objective will be to celebrate the Governor’s fundamental right to marry. The
demonstration will be peaceful and respectful. Governor Crist, an outspoken proponent of
Amendment 2, is getting married. He is exercising the same fundamental right millions of
Floridians are now denied because of the passage of Amendment 2. Perhaps it will inspire him and
the many Floridians that voted for Amendment 2 to rethink their positions on the question of what
constitutes a marriage."
Some bit of not so bad news: Thailand’s tourism authorities have issued a list of hotels offering accommodation
for stranded passengers. A special flight was arranged for Thai Muslim pilgrims to their annual
Haj pilgrimage to Mecca. Foreign governments
are making extra efforts to help their citizens.
As of this writing, the airport crisis is still not over. Dozens of empty planes were allowed to
leave Bangkok, but protesters still control the two major airports in Thailand.
There are three protest centers in Thailand: The two airports and the Government House. The
People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), the organizer of the protests, has decided to leave
the Government House after a
grenade blast inside the complex injured scores of protesters last Saturday. PAD will now
focus in maintaining its control of the airports. Will police allow
PAD members to join their comrades in the two airports?
What is the solution to the crisis? A human rights group asks Parliament to convene an emergency session. There
are rumors that a court will
issue a decision which would not be favorable to the ruling party.
“Rumors abound that tomorrow (Tuesday) the court will dissolve the current majority
political party and therefore sack the PM. Then a coup will follow to mop up the mess, disperse
the airport crowd. Then an interim governement. Then election. The Red Shirts aren’t going
to like it but that’s the only way to solve the stand off, in my opinion.”
Tourists are able to leave the country through U-tapao airport. This is very far from Bangkok.
The situation there is chaotic:
“U-tapao is packed. Traffic is backed up. Tourists are spilled all over the parking lot,
lugging their luggage in from the streets. This 1960-built former U.S. airforce base during
Vietnam War has only one luggage scanner. A Thai-blog reader contacted me to said that he tried
to “drop in” on U-tapao and it was a total nightmare. Anyone heading out should allow
themselves a LOT of time to get there and to go through the maze of lines and put up with lots of
characters.”
Portable toilet in U-Tapao airport. See the crowded room inside the airport. Photos from
Falling Into
You
What is the situation inside the airport blockade? Apparently, passports
are no longer needed to enter the airport. Individuals only need to bring a yellow scarf (the
color of protest) or a PAD clapper (see video below this article). There was an American
tourist who spoke in the PAD program.
Protesters are preparing for a final showdown with the police. They claim they will use human shields to block
the police. Bangkok Pundit reports:
“I should note that there is a large number of children at the rallies. What responsible
parent would bring their children to a rally knowing there is a possibility of violence? Money is
certainly one reason.”
Pro-government rallies are also being held in central Bangkok. Red is the chosen color of
government supporters. ~Meaw & More~ visited the pro-government rally and
observes:
1. Music, was not as good as PAD
2. I have not seen anyone offered anyone’s money in return. We have been offered a meal in
plastic bag, which was not bad, some red banner.
Note
1. The crowd as we saw today are, according to external appearance and some chat, mainly
Bangkokians middle class. Some even bother to dress as Santa.
2. Foreign photographers and journalists did not wear bullet proof vests like at PAD.
“I can say that in all my visits to the PAD rallies, they are not a mob but a predominantly
peaceful and respectful group that wants to see a new dimension in Thai politics. While visiting
red shirt rallies, while most were genuine, I was approached twice by thugs carrying machetes and
steel pipes threatening to beat me if I take pictures.”
“Just don’t be too hasty to pass judgement on the PAD when the Western media states
they are against democracy, because, Thailand's democracy works differently to ours.”
The Prime Minister is trapped in northeast Thailand. Frogblog Thaidingswitnessed
a government rally in that part of the country”
“Spend a few hours in their presence and you soon end up with a completely different
impression. These are people that are genuinely worried about the possibility of their democratic
right to vote being taken away.
“They are disgusted by PAD's antics in Bangkok, and the occupation of the airports there in
particular. They appreciate the damage being done both to Thailand's reputation and to its
economy. Many of them live in borderline poverty, so the slightest set-back can leave them
struggling to survive on a day-to-day basis. They feel insulted and degraded by the suggestion
that they are simply too stupid and lacking in education to vote for the right reasons.”
He was referring to the proposal of PAD to modify the method of choosing the country’s
leaders since they think the poor do not vote wisely during elections.
The airport crisis in Thailand is affecting other countries too. A tourist decided to enter
Thailand by traveling from
Singapore by land. Bangkok Dazed adds:
“Obviously the Bangkok Airport situation is affecting
other countries in the region as well. If any tourists want to travel to Myanmar, for
example, the Bangkok airport is the main gateway. Over in Siem Reap, Cambodia, several of my
friends have sent e-mails this week; concerned about my safety in Bangkok, and also worried about
a dropoff in tourism over there. My friend Rong works at the airport in Siem Reap and tells me
there hasn’t been much to do all week.”
The conflict within the state senate's Democrats and a push for re-election of Governor David
Paterson has some lawmakers wary of attempting to pass a marriage equality bill in New York this
session, perhaps not until 2011, the NYT reports:
"Internally, the debate has created two camps among lawmakers who back the bill
— with one group saying a vote should happen as early as possible in 2009, and
another camp arguing for an indefinite delay. But delaying it could upset some advocates of
same-sex marriage, who poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into State Senate races this year.
'Since when are fixing the economy and civil rights mutually exclusive?' said Daniel J.
O’Donnell, an assemblyman from the Upper West Side who led the push for the bill in the
Assembly. Mr. O’Donnell added that expectations are high in the gay community that New York
will be able to deliver the movement’s next victory. 'The leadership of the Senate and
others in our community collected a lot of money from a lot of people with the promise
— spoken and unspoken — that if the Democrats won the
Senate, they would take a vote,' he said. Mr. O’Donnell plans to introduce a bill
relatively early in the 2009 session, setting up a possible confrontation with the Senate."
It’s time to flex your political muscles again. Program the following contact into your
cell phone:
Senator Carl Kruger
Democrat, Brooklyn
Phone: (718) 743-8610
Email: kruger@senate.state.ny.us
And just as you did two weeks ago with Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., email that contact information to
everyone you know in New York, everyone you now in the country, and everyone you know on
Facebook, MySpace, or Friendster. Post it in every Facebook group. If you have a blog, post it.
Post it in your status on Facebook and on Twitter. If you’re part of a wiki, post it there.
And while you’re at it, make sure nobody forgets Senator Diaz’s number
– (718) 991-3161.
Then, starting today, start calling Senator Carl Kruger, and make sure everyone you know starts
calling. And just as you did with Senator Diaz, in the most polite, respectful, non-argumentative
way, I want you to tell whoever answers the phone that you are counting on Senator Kruger to be
true to his party, the Democratic Party, and to support Malcolm Smith as Senate Majority Leader.
Do not call to ask him to support marriage equality. Just remind him, he is Democrat, and
it’s his duty to support the Democratic Majority Leader.
Why? BECAUSE YOU ARE EFFECTIVE.
For two weeks you and thousands upon thousands of marriage equality supporters have called
Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. to tell him the same thing. It appears you’re beginning to have an
impact. Read this note for the evolving story of Diaz and Smith:
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=37752848556.
Now, without taking the heat off of Senator Diaz, it’s time to focus that attention on
Senator Carl Kruger as well and to show him how effective we can be.
Kruger, a Democrat from Brooklyn, another member of the so-called “Gang of Three” is
also using his opposition to marriage equality to defend his stance against supporting Malcolm
Smith.
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"Internally, the debate has created two camps among lawmakers who back the bill
— with one group saying a vote should happen as early as possible in 2009, and
another camp arguing for an indefinite delay. But delaying it could upset some advocates of
same-sex marriage, who poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into State Senate races this year.
'Since when are fixing the economy and civil rights mutually exclusive?' said Daniel J.
O’Donnell, an assemblyman from the Upper West Side who led the push for the bill in the
Assembly. Mr. O’Donnell added that expectations are high in the gay community that New York
will be able to deliver the movement’s next victory. 'The leadership of the Senate and
others in our community collected a lot of money from a lot of people with the promise
— spoken and unspoken — that if the Democrats won the
Senate, they would take a vote,' he said. Mr. O’Donnell plans to introduce a bill
relatively early in the 2009 session, setting up a possible confrontation with the Senate."
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