Forex Ponzi Scheme 38 Million Dollars

Report Issued from Moldava:It was a week of ups and downs -- with hopes raised and hopes dashed -- as the LGBT community and their supporters attempted to hold the first-ever Pride March in the Eastern European country of Moldova.

In the week leading up to the Pride March (Sunday, May 11, 2008) the government repeatedly said it would refuse to provide police protection for the marchers. Then, less than one hour before the march, the police sent word that they would provide crowd control and protection for the marchers.
Fifty Pride marchers filled a local bus, along with their signs, banners and balloons, and begin to make their way toward the march site. 

MCC's Rev. Elder Diane Fisher, who was present on the Pride bus along with Florin Buhuceanu , sent an e-mail that read, "We are 45 minutes from the march and the police just arrived and have said they will offer protection because of all the international pressure...now we see what that means."
But over the next 35 minutes, the tone went from hopeful to ominous. Diane's next e-mail read, "Protestors have surrounded the bus and have opened the engine cover to disable the engine. We are stuck inside with hundreds and hundreds of protestors around us." 

Then two minutes later, this e-mail: "Police have not shown up and we are stuck in the bus. We are not sure what we can do. The driver of the bus cannot return to the bus and the police are refusing to answer the phone. We don't know what we can do."
The Pride group placed nine phone calls to the local police precinct -- not one of which was answered.
The situation quickly escalated. Some in the crowd tried to force the doors of the bus open; others violently pounded on the bus' windows.

Another two minutes passed, and this e-mail arrived from Rev. Fisher: "Nerve-wracking. Very unsafe. We are sitting ducks. No police."

Trapped on the bus, surrounded by 400 anti-gay protestors, and without any police protection, the LGBT group heard people in the mob yelling, "Get them out," and "Let's beat them up," and "Don't let them escape," and "Beat them to death." The attackers who were closest to the bus were young -- members of neo-fascist, New Right, skinhead and extremist religious groups. Behind them, an older group cheered them on.

MCC staff was in communication with Diane throughout the ordeal. As the threats continued to rise, the staff e-mailed Diane, "Is there anything we can do for you?" From half a world away -- but only 60 seconds by e-mail -- came Diane's one word answer: "Pray!"

Moldova's laws promise freedom of peaceful assembly to all persons and obligates the police to protect the freedom and safety of people who assemble in public. Those on the Pride bus could see six police cars within sight -- yet no police responded to the mob attack. Leaders of GenderDoc-M , Moldova 's LGBT rights group, noted of the police, "Their passivity encouraged the escalation of violence and the build-up of the hostile atmosphere."

The mob scene continued for over 45 minutes -- at one point the mob began rocking the bus, as though to overturn it.
Finally the crowd demanded that the Pride marchers turn over all of their banners, flags, signs and balloons as a condition for allowing the the bus to leave. This was agreed upon and the materials given to the crowd. (See Photo 3)
The bus began to leave and the LGBT group felt a sense of relief that they were leaving the scene and that no one had been physically harmed. But that was quickly tempered by the realization that the mob was attempting to follow the bus.
The bus driver returned the group to the offices of GenderDoc-M, refusing to take them any further. MCC's Rev. Diane Fisher and Florin Buhuceanu huddled with members of GenderDoc-M, Human Rights Watch, and ILGA-Europe. They were now in the location most identified with the LGBT community -- they decided as a safety precaution to leave the GenderDoc-M building. Within two minutes of their leaving, another mob of several hundred people arrived and surrounded the offices, blocking all entrances and exits. 

Again, two police cars were parked in sight of the offices, yet the police never intervened. The mob kept the offices blocked for several hours.For the rest of the day, the police followed Rev. Fisher.  At one point they took her to the local police precinct to question her about a traffic matter. They provided no translator, required her to sign documents in a language she could not read, and confiscated her legal documents before releasing her. The same day, police approached Diane's landlady and intimidated her about Diane's presence in her building.

Despite all the events of the day, Diane and Florin held their scheduled Bible study for Chisinau's LGBT community on Sunday evening. On Monday of this week, they safely crossed the border and returned to Romania .
Metropolitan Community Churches salutes the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities of Moldova as they continue to seek justice and equality in the face of threats, harassment and persecution.
Metropolitan Community Churches calls upon Moldovan authorities to guarantee freedom of assembly and expression to all its citizens, as promised in its laws.

And Metropolitan Community Churches echoes the call of GenderDoc-M for the European Union, the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and human rights NGOs everywhere to raise these human rights violations with Moldovan authorities, calling upon the Moldovan government to implement its own laws without discrimination and to honor the human rights commitments it has made to the international community.

MCC'S FOUNDER WINS CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT MARRIAGE CASE!
READ REV. TROY PERRY'S REMARKS BELOW May 15, 2008
 

Dear MCC Friends:
 
MCC Founder Rev. Troy Perry has spent a lifetime changing history and making history -- and today, he did it again.
 
This morning, the Supreme Court of California ruled in favor of the marriage lawsuit jointly brought by Troy and his spouse, Phillip Ray De Blieck, along with MCC friend and LGBT activist Robin Tyler, and her partner, Diane Olson.
 
I am thrilled to share Troy and Phillip's heartfelt statement below.
 
Equality for all people, including marriage equality, has been an integral part of Troy's passion and ministry for almost 40 years. It's worth remembering that in 1969, as the Stonewall Rebellion took place in New York City, Troy was already organizing the LGBT community in Southern California, had already established Metropolitan Community Churches -- and had performed what Time Magazine has credited as the first public same-sex wedding in the United States. All before Stonewall -- amazing!
 
And in January of 1970, Troy made history again when he filed the first-ever lawsuit in the United States seeking legal recognition of same-gender marriages. The court dismissed the case before it ever came to trial, but it accomplished something profound: It birthed the marriage equality movement, and with it, four decades of debate, activism, struggle, prayer and persistence.
 
May a new generation of activists rise up and continue Troy's example of changing our world and working for an end to discrimination and injustice -- until our brothers and sisters in Jamaica no longer are attacked and killed solely for their sexual orientation and gender variance, until LGBT people in Pakistan no longer face the threat of death if found to be lesbian or gay, until LGBT people in Moldova can freely march in the streets without being targets of mob violence, until LGBT people no longer are smeared and ridiculed by the tabloid press in Nigeria, until our brothers and sisters no longer experience rejection from churches and communities of faith, until teens and young adults no longer take their own lives because they believe God hates them.
 
Until that day, ours is an unfinished world.
 
And it's a reminder that for Metropolitan Community Churches, ours is an unfinished calling.
 
Grace and peace,
 + Nancy Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
MCC Moderator

Stockholm To Host Literary Human Rights Congress 4-2-2008

In June 2008, the Swedish Writers' Union will launch WALTIC - the Value of Words, a world congress for writers, translators, scholars and
activists to gather in one common manifestation of the value of words and in support of human rights.

From 29 June to 2 July in Stockholm, Sweden, WALTIC will focus on three global issues: literacy, intercultural dialogue and digitalisation. The programme offers a number of seminars, lectures and best practices around freedom of expression, including censorship and freedom of speech on the Internet, how to use words to mobilise the marginalised and fight
oppression, and the right to freely express yourself in your mother tongue, whomever or wherever you are.

Contemporary Egyptian novelist, sociologist and medical doctor Nawal E Saadawi and one of Africa's most prominent writers, Mia Couto are the keynote speakers. For info, contact: info(@)waltic(.)com or see: http://www.waltic.com

Baltimore City, College Park, Kensington and Takoma Park cities Support Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act 3-18-2008

Baltimore “ With less than a month before the General Assembly adjourns, the Baltimore City Council became the fourth Maryland jurisdiction to pass a resolution supporting The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. Baltimore joins College Park, Kensington and Takoma Park in formally supporting the expansion of civil marriage to include same-sex couples. The Council passed the resolution by a 9-3-3 vote at its Monday meeting.

Recently elected Council Member Bill Henry introduced and shepherded this resolution through the Council. After the vote he observed, "Expanding civil marriage to include same-sex couples is the fair thing to do. I am proud of my colleagues who stood up for all of our families in Baltimore. I hope this resolution will nudge those state legislators from Baltimore who are not yet enthusiastically supporting this historic legislation to rethink their position."

One of the other 8 Council members supporting this resolution was Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The Council President is a strong ally for the freedom of same-sex couples to marry and recently submitted testimony in support of House Bill 351. In it she urged the House Judiciary Committee to pass this legislation. She said, "Marriage is a unique institution on many levels: religious, spiritual, and social. Marriage is also a civil institution that affords many economic and contractual benefits that are not afforded to people as individuals. I do not believe that people should be denied any of these rights just because they do not fall under the legal definition of marriage."

Voting for the resolution were Council President Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Council Members Mary Pat Clarke, William Cole, IV, Belinda Conaway, Robert Curran, Nicolas D'Adamo, Jr., Bill Henry, Sharon Green Middleton and Ed Reisinger.

Voting against the resolution were Warren Branch, Rikki Spector and Bernard "Jack" Young.
Not voting for the resolution were Helen Holton (absent), Jim Kraft (absent) and Agnes Welch (abstained).

"As a Baltimorean it makes me very proud to have my City Council recognize the dignity of LGBT families. The arc continues in its bend toward fairness as elected officials across the state continue to find the personal and political courage to stand up for what they believe is right," commented Equality Maryland's Policy Director Carrie Evans.
Last week the resolution passed the City Council's Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee by a 3-0 vote. Chairman Jim Kraft made an impassioned speech before casting his decisive vote stating that sometimes a local body must act before the state on vital issues.

Of the 24 state legislators from Baltimore City, at least 11 have committed to voting for The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. They include Senators Lisa Gladden, Catherine Pugh and Nathaniel McFadden and Delegates Curt Anderson, Jill Carter, Hattie Harrison, Keith Haynes, Ruth Kirk, Maggie McIntosh, Sandy Rosenberg and Melvin Stukes.

Life is Precious, Yours, Mine and our Polar Bears 2-15-2008

America’s polar bears will likely be extinct in fewer than 50 years, according to U.S. Geological Survey scientists. Yet federal officials have once again delayed action to protect these struggling animals as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.

Instead, officials auctioned off millions of acres of vital habitat in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea to Shell and other Big Oil companies earlier this month -- and yet again, President Bush has included dangerous drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in his budget.

America’s polar bears will likely be extinct in fewer than 50 years, according to U.S. Geological Survey scientists. Yet federal officials have once again delayed action to protect these struggling animals as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.
Instead, officials auctioned off millions of acres of vital habitat in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea to Shell and other Big Oil companies earlier this month -- and yet again, President Bush has included dangerous drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in his budge

Increased drilling in these critical habitats could devastate America’s polar bears. But ExxonMobil, Shell and other Big Oil companies continue to use their billions in profits to press for harmful drilling in the places polar bears need to survive -- and continue our dependence on the fuels that spur rising temperatures that are causing the bears’ demise.

Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund is doing all we can to protect our polar bears -- right now, we're...
• ...working to prevent Arctic Refuge drilling language from entering the federal budget. 
• ...working to pass the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act, a bill to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and continuing to battle efforts to open this special place to Big Oil’s dirty rigs.
• ...working to pass the Global Warming Wildlife Survival Act -- already passed by the House of Representatives, this legislation is a vital first step to ensure that polar bears and other wildlife can cope with a changing climate.
• ...working to pass the Polar Bear Protection Act, legislation to stop wealthy U.S. trophy hunters from killing polar bears in Canada and returning with their quarry.
• ...working with Congressional staff to find sensible energy solutions to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, help combat global warming and protect our wildlife.
• ...holding our elected officials accountable for their actions on global warming and other wildlife-related issues.
Even in their final months in office, officials in the Bush/Cheney Administration have made their intentions crystal clear: they’ll fight for Big Oil’s profit -- and leave our polar bears out in the cold.

A Call To Action
Metropolitan Community Churches
Public Statement by The Rev. Nancy Wilson
Office of the Moderator
 

An earlier version of MCC's "Call to Action" on behalf of LGBT Jamaicans contained an e-mail address that no longer reaches the Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica. Below is an updated version of this announcement containing the current working e-mail address (which is hmfaftja@cwjamaica.com). For the sake of our brothers and sisters in Jamaica, we ask that you take three steps: First, if you have an earlier version dated February 5, 2008, delete it to avoid further confusion. All versions dated February 6 are correct. Second, if you have already written to the Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica, please re-send your message to the new e-mail address -- hmfaftja@cwjamaica.com. This extra step will help bring an end to the long wave of violence and murder against LGBT Jamaicans. Finally, if you have not yet written to the Deputy Prime Minister, please read on to learn the vital importance of this action.

MCC Moderator Calls for Immediate Actions In Response to Jamaican Anti-Gay Mob Violence MCC's "CALL FOR LOVE CAMPAIGN" To Mark Valentine's Day
With International Embassy Actions; E-Mail Appeals, Prayer Vigils

Dear MCC Supporters:
I feel an unusual sense of urgency about the message of this e-mail.
Even though the time frame is short, I am writing to encourage you and your congregation to join me in celebrating love in a powerful and meaningful way on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008, by helping end the unremitting hatred and violence directed against our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender brothers and sisters in Jamaica.

For many years, LGBT people in Jamaica have faced a horrific campaign of harassment, intimidation, violence, ostracism, hate crimes and even death. Time Magazine described Jamaica as "the most homophobic country in the Western Hemisphere.:

Now the situation has taken yet another deadly turn -- and we must band together and bring international pressure to stop the violence.
On Tuesday night, January 29, 2008, an anti-gay mob invaded a private home in Greenvale, Manchester (Jamaica). The mob attacked three gay men inside, beating them and hacking them with machetes. Two of the men have been hospitalized with serious injuries; one had his ear cut off. One man remains unaccounted for and is feared dead.

This is only the latest in a long series of hate-filled crimes against LGBT Jamaicans:
-- During Easter of 2007, another mob surrounded a church in Mandeville during the funeral of a gay man. They trapped the mourners inside, chanting, "We want no battyman {sic} funeral here. Leave or else we are going to kill you."
-- Before that incident, three gay men at Montego Bay's Carnivale were viciously attacked with knives and beaten with a manhole cover.
-- On Valentine's Day of 2007, a mob trapped four gay men inside a pharmacy. They narrowly escaped with their lives, but not before being pelted by the crowd. Even the local police hurled insults at the very men they were charged with protecting.

I am inviting you to use this Valentine's Day, February 14, a day devoted to love, to help end the hatred against LGBT people in Jamaica.
 
THE VIOLENCE MUST END AND IT MUST END NOW!
 
I am calling on political and religious leaders, as well as people of goodwill around the globe, to unite to end the violence against LGBT people in Jamaica. Now is the time for clergy to rise up in their pulpits and put an end to the condemnation of gay people that so often gives rise to and "justifies" these violent and unprovoked outbursts. We are often polite and diplomatic in our calls for study groups to search the Scriptures and explore our traditions. The time for polite exploration is over. LGBT people in Jamaica are in fear for their lives because people of faith are using the Bible to justify violence.
 
ANTI-GAY BASHING IN THE NAME OF
RELIGION  MUST STOP AND IT MUST STOP NOW!
 
If you are a political leader or member of the police force, I am uniting my voice with the voices of the membership of J-FLAG (Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays) in demanding that you take seriously your constitutionally-mandated and sworn duty to protect all Jamaican citizens equally. Gender identity and sexual orientation are not reasons to suffer the perpetuation of unprovoked violence and vigilante-like raids.
 
THE SILENCE OF INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL LEADERSHIP MUST END!
WE MUST ALL SPEAK UP NOW FOR THE UNIVERSAL RIGHT THAT
GUARANTEES THE SAFETY OF ALL CITIZENS IN EVERY LAND!
 
Love, mercy, compassion, mutual respect, generosity and kindness must become for all of us more than the subjects of Sunday sermons or Bible Study classes -- they must become the mandates of our daily lives; the principles by which we live together.
 
"One Love, One Heart
Let's get together and feel all right..."
 
Jamaican songster Bob Marley wrote those lyrics because he wanted the violence and hatred between peoples to end.
 
I want that, too, with all my heart. And I believe the day can come when we can live together as one human family. It is because I believe that so strongly and because of the urgency of this moment in history, that I am asking MCC leaders and churches to join hands with people of goodwill globally and take three steps to end anti-gay violence in Jamaica:
 
ACTION STEP ONE:
+ Mark the upcoming 40 days of Lent as a time of focused and intentional prayer for the LGBT community in Jamaica. Pray for an end to violence and hatred, and that those in political and religious leadership will have the courage needed to speak and act for equality and justice and peace among the people of Jamaica. Commit to daily prayers in your personal life and to public prayers during worship services throughout Lent.

ACTION STEP TWO:
+ Send an e-mail to The Honorable Dr. Kenneth O. Baugh, Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica, at mfatjam@cwjamaica.com. Tell him that you, like he is, are a person of faith. Call him to accountability for the well-being of all Jamaican citizens, both as an elected leader and a person of faith. Let him know the eyes of the world are watching what is happening. Demand an investigation at the highest levels of the Jamaican government into this latest round of violence against gay people, including the delay in police arrival and the failure to yet again hold anyone in the mob accountable.

ACTION STEP THREE:
* Join MCC's international "Call For Love Campaign" on Valentines Day, February 14. For many years, MCCers have observed Valentine's Day with protests, demonstrations and press conferences calling attention to the inequality of marriage laws for LGBT people in countries around the globe.
This year we are dedicating Valentine's Day, February 14 -- a day devoted to love -- to taking a stand against hatred. On Valentine's Day, people of goodwill will demonstrate, protest and hold press conferences at local Jamaican embassies, consulates and high commissions. Events are already scheduled for Toronto, New York City, and Miami -- with still more cities to be announced momentarily.
On February 14, we'll call for love to prevail and an end to the violence and hatred against our bothers and sisters in Jamaica, especially.

Here's how you can participate:
1.  If you are close to one of the Jamaican embassies, high commissions, or consulates listed below, organize a CALL FOR LOVE rally at one of the sites. Make signs. Call on the government of Jamaica to investigate the hate crimes and to protect the rights of LGBT Jamaicans. Offer prayers. Hold a moment of silence to remember LGBT people killed and harmed by hatred. If you are not in range of an embassy, use a central location that will enable many from your area to participate. Write to GlobalJustice@MCCchurch.net and we'll send you "10 Action Steps For Organizing A CALL TO LOVE Public Event."

2.  Invite other churches, synagogues, mosques and temples to join in this CALL FOR LOVE, along with community organizations, LGBT rights groups, and human rights groups.

3.  Invite the media and press to your public action. Give voice and visibility to the plight of LGBT Jamaicans.
 
 
"As it was in the beginning (One Love)
So shall it be in the end (One Heart)"
-- Bob Marley
 
May our actions and our prayers on February 14th make it so.
 
+Nancy
Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches