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| Add the NAACP to the list of groups who have come out against Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle for his anti-gay remarks. Local leaders with the civil rights organization said Wednesday the mayor's comments against the city's gay community are a form of hate and discrimination. |
If they are having sex with men, they are not straight.
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| It's all so depressingly familiar. First comes the news of an arrest for lewd behavior in some public park or bathroom. Next follow the tortured explanations and emphatic rebuttals, often with a tremulous wife in tow. Finally, more often than not, comes the fall from grace and departure from public life. On Tuesday, Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig insisted, "I am not gay and never have been" and apologized for not telling his family and friends about his arrest and guilty plea to disorderly conduct in a men's bathroom at the Minneapolis airport. Earlier, he explained the incident as "a misunderstanding" by an undercover cop in an adjacent stall who mistook Craig's gestures for a sexual invitation. Whatever happened in that bathroom, Craig is feeling the intense combustion of perceived dissonance between his publicly stated values and private behavior that might have violated those values. He certainly isn't the first. Republican and Democratic politicians alike have faced charges of sexual misconduct; some have survived, others have foundered. But the sting is never quite so potent, the irony not nearly so keen as when a self-proclaimed bearer of "traditional family values" finds himself (and it's almost always a "him") accused of engaging in behavior that he has condemned, particularly that of same-sex liaisons. Lying to themselves These high-profile political scandals raise an inevitable question: What is it with conservative male politicians who publicly espouse "traditional family values" while seeking same-sex relationships in the shadows? Do more of them live double lives than the population at large, or does the shock value of their actions simply make it seem like more? Stephanie Coontz, a professor of history and family studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., sees two issues at play. "One is a very general problem, and that is of people who preach absolutist values," she said. But the other particularly affects evangelicals and other conservatives who base their politics on the Bible. "For people who take an Old Testament approach," she said, "homosexuality is so dissonant from their notion of morality that you have to lie to yourself 98 percent of the time." In 1996, Coontz helped found the nonprofit Council on Contemporary Families, a coalition of moderate-to-liberal mental health researchers and practitioners, to offer an alternative to messages about family disseminated by conservative groups such as the Heritage Foundation and the Family Research Council. "I don't think many of us can embrace it when we behave in ways we oppose. But they have to deny it ... and then they hate themselves, and I think there may be a certain 'Now I need to be caught'" phenomenon, she said. Self-destructive choices Warren Throckmorton, an associate professor of psychology at Grove City College in Pennsylvania, has a radically different view on how to handle homosexuality. But he agreed with Coontz about why these politicians sometimes "act out" their same-sex attractions in ways that leave the public scratching its collective head. "It is a double-life scenario," said Throckmorton, who has developed a "sexual identity therapy framework" with a professor at Pat Robertson's Regent University to help people who are in conflict between their religious values and sexual desires. "Quite often, these are men with sexual thoughts and feelings that are at odds with the other beliefs and values that they hold. They spend a lot of energy trying to contain those [feelings]…yet the more you try to resist something, the more it tends to be an internal bully." That's when people make self-destructive choices, Throckmorton said. "There's just a lot of secrecy. They don't have anyone they can confide in," he said. "And without this ability to have a confidant, or someone to work out these struggles with, the judgment can become impaired." Double lives Still, the repercussions differ, depending on a politician's political affiliation. It's one thing for socially liberal politicians to come out of the closet; hardly anyone blinks an eye. Consider former Rep. Gerry Studds and current Rep. Barney Frank, both from Massachusetts, and former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey. The first two faced no cost at the ballot box: Studds went on to be reelected for six terms after being censured in 1983 for a gay affair with a congressional page, and Frank remains in Congress today, long after he came out and even after he was reprimanded for his association with a male prostitute. Only McGreevey left office, and he did so by proclaiming, "I am a gay American" -- hardly a repudiation of his sexuality. It was quite another matter, though, when former Rep. Bob Bauman, a conservative Republican from Maryland who routinely criticized the state of American morality, was arrested in 1980 for trying to solicit sex from a teenaged male prostitute. His memoir revealed that he'd led a double life for years, and he only came out after his defeat in Congress following his arrest. But his public antipathy toward gays made his fall all the more spectacular. The list of conservative Republicans who have tripped over family values includes not only elected officeholders -- Bauman and former Rep. Jon Hinson of Mississippi, another firebrand conservative who resigned from Congress after being charged with sodomy in a public restroom at the House -- but religious leaders who embrace a fervent anti-gay theology. The most recent and high-profile example was that of Ted Haggard, the evangelical pastor who left his Colorado Springs pulpit (and the presidency of the National Association of Evangelicals) after news broke of his sexual relationship with a male prostitute. "We used to call this hypocrisy," said Robert-Jay Green, executive director of the nonpartisan Rockway Institute in San Francisco, which works to counter "anti-gay prejudice" in public policy. Reputations at risk Patrick Sammon, president of the Log Cabin Republicans, a group that supports gay rights, agreed. "I think voters don't have much patience for hypocrisy," he said, regardless of one's party affiliation. "I think voters are tired of people who don't live honest lives." Hypocrisy is not a sin associated with only closeted homosexuals, Sammon said. He pointed out that Sen. David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, in July acknowledged having telephoned the alleged D.C. Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey. Like Vitter, Sammon said, "Sen. Craig has tried to legislate morality at the same time he's having serious character and integrity problems himself." But Green believes the issue is more complicated, particularly for politicians who hail from parts of the country "that still harbor discrimination." And he doesn't underestimate the personal toll that even the mere suggestion of homosexual behavior can take. "They risk losing their careers, their reputations, their family relationships, and the cost is so high for them to accept their underlying same-sex attractions that many of them still remain closeted," he said. "And being closeted is like being in prison." Their experiences, he added, "are no different from what many teachers, lawyers, pediatricians, etc., go through." But the consequences are, Green said: "The difference is that those other folks are not called upon to take public stands on issues of equal rights for lesbian and gay people, so the consequences are heightened for politicians, because they're literally called out to vote. "They feel they have to go extra lengths to appear anti-gay." |
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| What is the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law? | ||
Currently, all Florida motor vehicle owners and operators are required to purchase Personal Injury Protection (PIP) in the amount of $10,000 for losses sustained by the insured or covered person as a result of bodily injury, sickness, disease, or death arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of a motor vehicle. By law, PIP coverage pays the following benefits, up to the $10,000 limit:
 Is No-Fault going away? If the Legislature does not make any changes, the Florida Motor Vehicle No-Fault Law will expire on October 1, 2007. The requirement to purchase PIP coverage will also expire on October 1. Beginning October 1, whether you are at fault or not in an accident could make all the difference as to which driver is liable to pay for damages from an automobile accident. How do I protect myself as a driver in a fault-based system?To make sure that you have coverage in case you sustain any injuries, you should consider purchasing optional medical payments coverage from your auto insurance company. Optional medical payments coverage will pay for medical bills incurred by you, your family, and passengers in your car who are injured in an auto accident. You may also wish to increase your bodily injury liability coverage (in case you injure another person and are at fault) and uninsured motorist coverage. I bought an auto insurance policy that doesn't expire until January. What happens to my auto insurance policy on October 1, 2007?Regardless of when your auto insurance policy is up for renewal, any accident occurring on or after October 1, 2007, will be handled under a fault-based system. Your insurance company may continue to provide your PIP benefits or may consider your PIP coverage to be a form of optional medical payments coverage for the remainder of your 6-month policy. It is important to note, however, that all damages from accidents on or after October 1 will be paid by the at-fault driver. If your insurer initially pays your damages and you are not at fault, you may be expected to recover these damages from the at-fault driver. What happens if I am at fault in an accident, and my medical expenses exceed the limits of my medical payments coverage?Under an at-fault-based system, the negligent party is responsible for damages. Either you or your health insurance will pay for your medical expenses that exceed the limits on any medical payments coverage under your auto insurance policy. What happens if I am injured by a negligent driver? Do I have to go to court to get my claims paid?Possibly. Many times, auto insurance companies will settle based on an acknowledgement of the at-fault driver in a particular accident, and benefits are paid accordingly. In some cases, there is a dispute about who is at-fault or to the extent of the damages, and court action may be necessary. What happens if I am injured by an at-fault driver who does not have auto insurance?Hopefully, you have purchased optional medical payments coverage or uninsured motorist coverage from your auto insurance company. If you have, your insurance company will cover your medical expenses. If you have not purchased any auto insurance, however, you or your health insurance will likely pay for your medical bills. You may of course sue the at-fault driver, but uninsured motorists may not have sufficient assets from which to recover damages. If I have health insurance coverage, do I really need auto insurance coverage as well?Yes. Purchasing auto insurance coverage will help you protect yourself if you are at fault and liable for an accident. Keep in mind that your health insurance may pay for your medical treatments after an automobile accident, but co-pays, deductibles and coverage limits may apply. Additionally, your health insurance will not cover medical claims of other persons injured in an accident if you are at fault. What will happen to my auto insurance rates?You may see a decrease in your auto insurance premiums, due to the expiration of No-Fault on October 1, 2007. However, please note that if you choose to purchase optional medical payments coverage, there will be an additional cost to your policy. In addition, as demand increases for additional bodily injury and uninsured motorist coverage, premium costs may increase as well. What's the bottom line?You should purchase sufficient auto insurance coverage to ensure that you and your family receive proper medical treatment. Purchasing auto insurance coverage will also help protect your assets in the event you are at fault in an accident. If I am in an accident, will my lost wages be covered?You may seek to recover lost wages if you are in an accident from the at-fault driver. Some of your lost wages may be covered if you are not at fault in an accident and the at-fault driver has Bodily Injury Liability coverage. If the at-fault driver does not have Bodily Injury Liability coverage, and you have Uninsured Motorist coverage, some of your lost wages may be covered. If none of the above circumstances apply, you may not be able to recover your lost wages outside of a courtroom; a lawsuit brought against the at-fault party may be your only recourse. What does Property Damage Liability cover and under what conditions?Property Damage Liability coverage pays for certain damage (up to the limit of the policy) that you or anyone covered under your policy cause to another person's property through the use of an automobile. It only covers damage for which you or anyone insured under your policy are legally liable. The damage may involve a parked, running or rolling automobile. "Property" isn't limited to another vehicle; it may include a fence, telephone pole, building or animal. This coverage may apply even if you drive someone else's automobile. The terms and conditions of your policy determine whether or not coverage applies to anyone using your vehicle. | ||
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 Broward County commissioners have launched a blistering attack on Fort Lauderdale mayor Jim Naugle over a series of homophobic comments made by Naugle but stopped just short of passing a motion to censure him. Commissioners called the outspoken Mayor bigoted and said his remarks were despicable, but even had they officially censured him it would have no effect. |
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| South Carolina officially moved up its primary presidential election to Jan. 19 on Thursday. New Hampshire and Iowa may soon move their primaries even earlier to preserve their first-in-the-nation status. Political analysts discuss how these changes may affect the election. |
