Governor Gary Herbert’s office has sent a letter to all state agencies. An excerpt: Based on counsel from the Attorney General’s Office regarding the Supreme Court decision, state recognition of same-sex marital status is ON HOLD until further notice. Please understand this position is not intended to comment on the legal status of those same-sex marriages – that is for …

Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin, who made international headlines last month when he declared that gays should be burned alive in furnaces, is calling upon Vladimir Putin to criminalize homosexuality. Via Russia’s official news agency RIA Novosti: A controversial sitcom star-cum-priest asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring back a Soviet law criminalizing “sodomy.” Not doing so would give “sodomites a …

In its first session of 2014, yesterday the Chilean Senate advanced its civil unions bill. The Santiago Times reports: Senators voted in favor of the Life Partner Agreement (AVP) late Tuesday evening with 28 votes in favor, six against and two abstentions. The bill will now pass to a constitutional assembly before returning to Congress on Jan. 20. The country’s …

Taken in Oakland by JMG reader Blake.

More than one hundred former New York City police officers and firefighters have been indicted for falsely claiming to have been disabled in the aftermath of 9/11. Though the former New York City police officers and firefighters were supposed to be fully disabled — some suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the 9/11 terrorist attacks — images in court documents …

“What is the moral case for capitalism? It lies in recognition that socialism isn’t a great idea gone wrong — it’s an evil philosophy in action. It isn’t driven by altruism; it’s driven by greed and jealousy. Socialism states that you owe me something simply because I exist. Capitalism, by contrast, results in a sort of reality-forced altruism: I may …

A super-gay version of Mean Girls. (Tipped by JMG reader Kyriell)

“We are encouraged by the Supreme Court’s putting the brakes on the lawlessness in Utah this week. By its unanimous decision to grant a stay, the Supreme Court shows that the Justices recognize when the rule of law is being flouted and when judicial activism has run amok — even those liberal Justices who voted for the flawed majority decision …

From the Dunkirk Observer: A unique style of headwear was present during newly-seated Pomfret Town Council member Christopher Schaeffer’s oath of office Thursday afternoon, but it wasn’t intended to keep his head warm. Schaeffer wore a colander (a strainer typically used to drain water from spaghetti) while Town Clerk Allison Dispense administered the oath of office to him before the …

Yesterday Dennis Rodman sang “Happy Birthday” to North Korea’s brutal dictator before leading a team of former NBA stars in a match against local players. Rodman dedicated the game to his “best friend” Kim who, along with his wife and other senior officials and their wives, watched from a special seating area. The capacity crowd of about 14,000 at the …

NBC Sports anchor Bob Costas yesterday vowed that his network will not ignore Russia’s anti-gay laws during their coverage of the Sochi Olympics. “If Putin doesn’t drag his butt into the studio, then we’ll talk about it without him,” Costas said during an Olympics press preview. “But if he shows up, we’d rather talk to him. Wouldn’t you rather hear …

Via Right Wing Watch: Jim Garrow brought his tall tale about President Obama trying to murder him to The Pete Santilli Show on Friday, where he also plugged the anti-Obama Operation American Spring. Santilli, the radio host who called for the murder of Obama and for Hillary Clinton to be “shot in the vagina” and has advocated for violence against …

Via BBC Sports: Former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger has revealed he is gay. The 31-year-old, who won 52 caps for Germany and also played for West Ham and Everton, made the announcement in newspaper Die Zeit. He is the most prominent footballer to publicly reveal his homosexuality and said it was “a good time” to do so. “I’m coming …

From the International Business Times: Lots of people believe in extraterrestrial life forms, but not many can give specific details about what they look like and where they’re living. But that’s just what Paul Hellyer, the now-90-year-old former defense minister of Canada, did in his recent interview with Russia Today, claiming there are 80 different species of alien life, from …

Utah’s newly-appointed Attorney General will today issue an opinion on the status of the more than 1300 same-sex marriages that have already taken place. The opinion, which is expected to be presented to Governor Gary Herbert on Wednesday, will determine if the state provides services to legally wed same-sex couples pending the appeal. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to stay …

Via Alan Colmes: “[Iran has] to open [nuclear facilities] up to the IAEA and to US inspectors and we’ve got to make sure you’ve gotten rid of everything. Otherwise, let’s blow them all up, all the sites up, until we’re satisfied we’ve eliminated them as a threat,” Gohmert said in an interview with Fox News on Monday.”

From Steven Petrow’s Civil Behavior column in the New York Times comes this question: Q. Dear Civil Behavior: I am a gay woman who tends to dress and identify on the masculine side. I’ll soon be attending a religious service at my extended family’s Orthodox synagogue, requiring modest attire, which means that women are not allowed to wear pants and …

New Mexico GOP Gov. Susana Martinez says that her state’s Supreme Court has spoken and she won’t back the campaign to overturn same-sex marriage. Martinez said several times last summer — when several county clerks across the state began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples — that she believed state voters should decide the issue by way of a ballot …