Erin Havel: History us tuning

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On June 26, 1971, my parents marriage was recognized by the federal Government. It was his wedding day and they are a heterosexual couple, so there was no doubt. Exactly 42 years later, 26 June 2013, my marriage now is recognized by the federal Government. I live in Washington State, which allows the State of marriage equality, and today the Supreme Court overturned a key part of the defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Today is a day of celebration. However, already not I'm fooling myself.

When we look back in history we see that changing a law not immediately changed attitudes. After President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, there is a false belief that all slaves were freed. Legally, that was true, however, it was not until June 19, 1865 when the slaves living in Texas even heard the news that the war had ended. I'm pretty sure there were people in power who knew that you ensure free of workers who work for them. On the other hand, followed with life as usual, for they knew that he could get away with.

It wasn't 1863 or 1865 when Americans suddenly were treated with equality across the United States thanks to the end of slavery. It took one hundred years of inequality only until 1964, when the Civil Rights Act finally went through. Even today, fifty years beyond the Civil Rights Act, there are some who do not hire another individual based on race, religion or speak it. They can not be as vocal, because we have laws against it, but that watching what is happening is pretty clear. The majority of the world, it is unimaginable that in America, there is still a group of people who continue to question the validity of the certificate of birth of the President. I can't imagine if John McCain had gotten into the Office that someone follow questioning his birth in the Republic of Panama. These people know is wrong, but they continue with life as usual, because they know that they can get away with.

If we are learning history is what we have to wait much longer until we, as marriages, will be treated with the same respect as our heterosexual counterparts had married. Don't get me wrong, I am delighted that today is going to help so many people who have been fighting for a long time. The gentlemen I mean that my grandparents gays married in New Mexico during the brief time in which it was legal. In the 1980s and have been fighting for these steps forward, since they were in their twenties. Both are veteran and due to be beaten for DRESSAGE, its military to help care for the other benefits are a little safer today.

Absolutely we should celebrate this momentous step forward, but we ourselves can't blind continuous steps we must take. I am curious to see how each State handles the impending questions will face its courts. I wonder how possibly could deny security at some of its citizens when the federal Government now recognizes citizens as equals, but the laws do not change hearts. DOMA is an easy tool to use in order to perpetuate intolerance, but with him gone there are other tools you will find some to use. They know is wrong, but they will try to escape with him. We have to make sure that I don't let them.

Celebrate, Yes, especially in this month of pride, but also to remain vigilant. There is more work to be done.

Follow Erin Havel on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@Erin_Havel

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Donald James Smith, Charged In Cherish Perrywinkle's Kidnapping, Murder, Has Long Criminal History

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The Florida man accused of kidnapping and murdering an 8-year-old has a criminal history of child abuse that goes back decades.

Donald James Smith, 56, allegedly abducted Cherish Perrywinkle from a Jacksonville Walmart Friday night. The girl's body was found the next day in a wooded area in the same city.

In 2009, Smith was convicted of attempting to take another young girl. On Sunday, Stephanie Thornton told Action News JAX about the incident, in which he tried to kidnap her own daughter.

Smith called the girl's grandmother, pretending to be a Department of Children and Families employee. He claimed that the 9-year-old had been raped and that he needed to meet her at McDonald's "to pick her up to take her to be checked," Thornton told the station.

Suspecting he was a fake, Thornton contacted police and Smith was arrested. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to attempted impersonation of a public employee and attempted child abuse. He was released from jail on May 31, just 21 days before he allegedly kidnapped Perrywinkle.

The morning of the day Perrywinkle vanished, Jacksonville deputies conducted a monthly address check at Smith's home, as is required for registered sex offenders, News 13 reported.

Thornton did not know Smith had been released, and is incensed that he had the opportunity to harm another child.

"He needs to be electrocuted. He should never be able to get back out, never," she told Action News JAX.

The 2009 incident was not the first time Smith broke the law. Smith has been a registered sex offender since 1993, when he tried to lure three young girls into his pornography-filled van, Fox 30 WAWS reported. He spent five years in prison on an attempted kidnapping conviction.

Before that, Smith was convicted in 1977 for lewd and lascivious behavior on a child under 16.

Smith is currently being held without bail for Cherish Perrywinkle's abduction and murder. He allegedly befriended Perrywinkle's mother, Rayne Perrywinkle, Friday evening when she had trouble affording a new dress for Cherish at a Dollar General store.

The mother and her three children, including Cherish, went with Smith to the Jacksonville Walmart, where he said he would buy the family food and clothing. After spending a couple of hours at Walmart, Smith disappeared with Cherish. Her mother called police after realizing her daughter was missing.

Smith pleaded not guilty on Sunday. His next court date is July 16.

Marsupial Fossils Discovered in Australia May Fill Big Gap In Continent's Environmental History

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Paleontologists have uncovered a fossil field in Australia that fills a large gap in the continent's environmental history, and contains several previously unknown ancient species of marsupials and bats.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales discovered the site near the Riversleigh fossil field, an UNESCO World Heritage site, in northwest Queensland last year, and have since collected nearly 4,000 lbs. (1,800 kilograms) of rock for analysis, according to a statement from the university.

Preliminary analyses suggest that the fossils formed about 13 million to 5 million years ago — a period marking Australia's transition from a warm, tropical climate to the arid climate that persists today and an epoch largely missing from the known fossil record.

"This was a critical time during which the widespread, lush, ancient rainforests of Australia rapidly gave way to increasingly drier conditions," paleontologist Mike Archer, a leader of the excavation, said in a statement. "At least some of these new deposits may help to fill out that critical 13-[million]-to-5-million-year-old gap."

The team used a combination of geologic maps and satellite imagery to locate the field. They first examined satellite data and geologic maps of the Riversleigh World Heritage fossil field to identify physical characteristics that distinguish that site from surrounding rocks without fossils. They then searched through satellite imagery of nearby regions, looking for similar features, and found a region containing comparable rocks just 9 miles (15 kilometers) west of the World Heritage site.

The team traveled to that remote site — now named New Riversleigh — to confirm these findings, and found a fossil field densely packed with previously undocumented species of marsupials (pouched mammals like kangaroos and wallabies), as well as new species of bats. [Marsupial Gallery: A Pouchful of Cute]

The researchers have begun treating the samples with acid to wash away hardened silt, but are still in the preliminary stages of piecing the fossils together. Still, some of the samples have already provided a peek into the ancient landscape of Australia. For example, the teeth of plant-eating species appear worn-down, suggesting that the animals lived during a time when vegetation on the continent had begun to transition from lush rainforests to the tougher flora of modern Australia.

"This region is an amazing place at the heart of the story of the origins of the Australian continent and its bizarre biota," Archer said in a statement. "We anticipate that the new finds will soon be followed by many more, adding significantly to our understanding about how Australia transformed from an Amazon-like world to the dry continent we see today."

Follow Laura Poppick on Twitter. Follow LiveScience on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Original article on LiveScience.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ]]> Also on HuffPost:

LGBT History: June 16 – King Gustav, Nureyev, Queer Nation and Mike Signorile

16 June
1858 Rey Gustav V of Sweden was born on this date. Queen of the death of his father Oscar II in 1907 until his own death, 43 years, holds the record of being the oldest monarch of Sweden and Queen any longer the second after Magnus IV. He was a tennis player dedicated, appearing under the pseudonym of g. Mr. King is said to have taken the game to be closer to the slender blonde who specialized in knowing how to respond. Kurt Haijby stated that it was the mistress of the King in the years between 1936 and 1947 that tried to blackmail to Gustav and was thrown in jail for 8 years.

1949. Colombiano-americano author, poet and journalist Jaime Manrique was born on this date. His first volume of poetry won national award for poetry of Colombia.

Read the history in the turn 2 Stonewall

At The Top Of The Washington Monument, Interior Secretary And Philanthropist Take In View Of Damage And History (VIDEO)

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Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, center, speaks at the 491-foot level of the scaffolding surrounding the Washington Monument, after climbing a ladder to the top of the monument's pyramidion, Sunday, June 2, 2013 in Washington. The monument has been closed since the 2011 earthquake and half of the needed repairs have been funded by a $7.5 million donation from philanthropist David Rubenstein. The Associated Press had a look at some of the worst damage and the preparations underway to begin

WASHINGTON — The towering marble symbol of the nation's capital is chipped, cracked and closed, though will soon be pieced back together by engineers working delicately across the Washington Monument's surface.

Some gashes in the 555-foot-tall monument are deep with stones cracked all the way through, while others have hairline cracks or had their corners chipped off in a 2011 earthquake that closed it to the public. Mortar is missing between some pieces, shaken loose by the worst vibrations at the top. And at least one massive stone shifted a thumb's length out of line with the piece below it.

The Associated Press had a look at some of the worst damage 500 feet above the ground and the preparations underway to begin making repairs. On the same day, a group of government officials and philanthropists clipped themselves into harnesses and climbed to the tip of the towering obelisk.

Stone by stone, engineers are reviewing cracks, missing pieces and broken mortar now that huge scaffolding has been built around what was once the world's tallest structure. Once each trouble spot is identified, repairs can begin.

Businessman David Rubenstein, who gave $7.5 million to fund half the monument's repairs, climbed to the top recently and said he prayed the ground wouldn't shake. At times, he held on tight to scaffolding rails. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell joined in reviewing the damage and gave Rubenstein a high-five at the top.

Jewell, in her second month as part of President Barack Obama's cabinet after stepping down as CEO of retailer Recreational Equipment Inc., climbed the scaffolding's stairwell while others rode an elevator. After examining the structure, she said the monument has withstood the test of time.

"You can't help but think, how did they do this?" Jewell said "How did they carve these stones so precisely that many years ago that it's really just sitting on a friction fit one on top of the other all the way to the top? It's extraordinary."

When the obelisk was completed in 1884, some 35 years after construction began, it was the world's tallest structure for five years until the Eiffel Tower was built in Paris. The monument remains the world's tallest freestanding stone structure and stands to honor the nation's first president.

The marble exterior has a distinct line marking the time when builders ran out of money and halted construction for 25 years during the Civil War era, later resuming work in 1876. The monument normally draws about 700,000 visitors a year but has been closed to tourists since the earthquake.

Rubenstein helped jumpstart repairs in a unique arrangement by donating millions early last year to cover half the cost. Congress allocated $7.5 million to cover the other half of the $15 million restoration. Delaying the repairs would have caused the monument to deteriorate and cost more to restore, Rubenstein said.

Jewell said the national parks belong to all Americans and must be maintained with taxpayer support, though private philanthropy makes a difference. Rubenstein said he hopes his gift could be an example for others.

Visiting the top, Rubenstein was amazed by the view and the monument's history.

"You see how beautiful it is, and the majesty of our city is really unrivaled," he said. "The top of the Eiffel Tower is nice, but not quite this beautiful."

The climbing group spent several hours on the monument June 2, walking around and examining the stone at several levels. Engineers explained how repairs will be completed from the top down.

Some stones shaken loose by the 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Aug. 23, 2011, along the East Coast were removed to prevent them from falling to the ground. Other damaged pieces have been cut out with clean lines to allow for a new rectangular block of marble to be sealed into place.

The worst of the damage is from about 470 feet upward, where the monument shook most violently, said James Perry, the chief of resource management for the National Mall.

The most difficult part of the repair was gaining access to the exterior. A month after the quake, engineers rappelled from the top to get a first look at the damage. It took nearly 20 more months to plan and build scaffolding, completed May 15, to allow work to begin.

"The assessment is literally stone by stone," Perry said. "Every stone is catalogued and has a condition assessment."

There are 9,040 exterior-facing stones and 10,746 interior stones altogether, according to the National Park Service.

Engineers are looking to verify damage and develop a process for repairs that must be reviewed and approved before the stonework begins. There are essentially three types of repairs to be made: repointing damaged mortar, replacing stone pieces and sealing cracks. Metal tubing used to absorb lightning strikes also is being replaced.

To prevent water leakage, temporary weather stripping now seals some gaps between stones where mortar cracked loose. In one spot near 500 feet, engineers are testing new mortar to determine the right color to match the stone. They're also testing a process to seal a cracked stone by injecting epoxy, or glue, into the crack with plastic tubes.

Scaffolding also was built inside the monument near the top to help repair stones that cracked all the way through.

Some cracks are deeper than first thought and may require more complex repairs. Other missing pieces could have new stones cut and replaced with about a day's work in each spot.

National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis, who has been tracking repair plans since the quake, got his first close look and said the damage was more extensive than he expected, especially the many corners of stone that chipped off.

"There's nothing massive that has happened to it," he said. "But it's piece by piece by piece. All the little pieces have to be put back together in a way that meets the standards of this extraordinary monument."

The Park Service aims to complete the repairs and reopen the monument by spring of 2014. While it's closed to visitors, officials realize it remains an American icon.

Ahead of the July 4th holiday, the monument will be decorated and lit as it was during a restoration project in 1999 and 2000. The scaffolding will have an architectural scrim lit from behind in a stone-like grid.

"It's an icon in this country, so you don't want it just sort of sitting here with a big scaffolding around it for a year," Jarvis said. "Whether you can get into it or not, it is still incredibly important to the city and to the country."

___

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John Dingell To Become Longest Serving Member In Congressional History

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WASHINGTON -- Fifty seven years ago, Rep. John Dingell, who this week becomes the longest serving member of Congress in history, nearly began his career in tears on the floor of the House.

The Michigan Democrat was a freshly elected 29-year-old on his first day on the job. Members like legendary House Speaker Sam Rayburn – all "the real giants" of the House, Dingell says – were delivering tributes to his father, John Dingell Sr., who had died recently.

The younger Dingell had just won an election to replace him. Now it was his turn to speak.

"I had to go to the well of the House and express my appreciation," Dingell said in an interview. "Quite frankly, it was a highly emotional moment. It was quite hard to keep from crying."

From that unsteady beginning, Dingell assembled a record that epitomized the power of the legislative branch of government and the changes it has undergone over the last century. And his longevity testifies to the formidable willpower of a man nicknamed "Big John" for his 6-foot-3 stature and his sometimes imperious demeanor, as well as the skill of a politician who won elections in a state he had barely lived in since he was a child.

Few members, even House speakers, can claim the influence or breadth of Dingell, who on Friday will eclipse the late Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia as the person who served in Congress the longest.

He has reigned as a powerful committee chairman, putting his imprint on legislation in areas as varied as air quality, consumer protection, health care, energy and the auto industry. He earned a reputation as one of the sharpest government watchdogs in Washington, famous for his lacerating style of interrogation at committee hearings. And the loss of his chairmanship in recent years marked the end of an era in which senior members ruled Congress without challenge.

"It goes by like a blur," said Dingell, of the period in which he has served with 11 presidents. "This job is incredible. You put in so much, but you get so much more out of it."

Dingell says he has survived by taking the long view_trying never to be angry, even when projecting wrath at bureaucrats he considered dilatory or opponents he thought were wrong.

"John Dingell was the mighty chairman of Energy and Commerce – everybody had a little fear and trepidation dealing with him," said former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican from Illinois.

Dingell first saw the House as a 6-year-old boy accompanying his father, a New Deal Democrat who held a seat that represented Detroit's growing auto industry. The younger Dingell joined his father on the floor when President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared war on Japan. After serving in the Army, he supervised elevator operators at the Capitol during college and law school.

After Dingell won election in 1955, one of his most fulfilling, but also politically dangerous, moments came when he supported the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which eliminated unequal voter registration requirements and outlawed racial segregation in schools, workplaces and public areas.

"Damn near lost an election over it," Dingell said, matter of factly. "The Wall Street Journal gave me a one in 15 chance of winning that race."

The black community took note, said Michigan Rep. John Conyers, who served on Dingell's staff before he was elected to Congress in 1964. "He was in the forefront," Conyers said.

As he gradually acquired seniority and clout, Dingell played a key role in the creation of the Medicare program in 1965, and wrote the 1970 National Environmental Policy Act and the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

He has also carefully protected his state's priorities – helping secure bailout funds for the auto industry and angering environmentalists by fending off pressure for tougher emission standards.

"That's what's great about him," said Carl F. Brooks, a retired state employee from Ypsilanti Township, Mich., who had just seen Dingell at an Earth Day concert. "He's the kind of politician who's around if you need him."

Dingell, as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee from 1981 to 1994, made the panel one of the most aggressive and wide-ranging in Congress.

The committee's investigations prompted the resignation of President Ronald Reagan's EPA Administrator, Anne Burford, over problems in the SuperFund program and former Stanford University President Donald Kennedy over questionable research expenses charged to the government. The panel laid the groundwork for the criminal conviction of one of President Ronald Reagan's top advisers, Michael Deaver, for lying under oath.

Dingell became known for sharply worded investigative letters dubbed "Dingell-grams" sent to agencies. And he brusquely dismissed witnesses if he didn't like what he was hearing. Nobel Prize winning scientist David Baltimore, a target of a Dingell investigation into his research, complained he felt "hounded" by his committee.

When former Vice President Al Gore testified in 2009 in support of so-called cap-and-trade legislation, Dingell snapped, "Cap and trade is a tax, and it's a great big one."

Dingell's tough style worked, said Republican Rep. Joe Barton, of Texas, who followed Dingell as chairman of the investigative subcommittee. Dingell "always had the most effective oversight in the House and the Senate," said Barton.

Dingell no longer holds such clout, having been dethroned by Democrats pressing for more environmental legislation. And age has taken a toll. Now 86, he walks with a cane or scoots around the Capitol in a motorized cart with a license plate that reads "the Dean," a reference to his status as the longest serving House member.

If Dingell has a reputation for being hard-nosed, he also maintains the old congressional tradition of cordiality with colleagues, friend and foe. He says he's sad that tradition seems to be dying.

"This place has become excessively partisan," he said, adding "there are so many internal pressures and external pressures that make it this way. They want to see angry people."

Dingell likes to regale visitors with stories about his hunting exploits – his office is covered with big game trophies – and his love of the ballet and classical music. His first date with his wife Debbie – a prominent Democratic activist – was to a ballet performance.

Dingell said he does not know how much longer he'll serve but he's not ready to leave yet.

"I'm not going to stay around here until people say, `I knew him when he was a good man, now he's this doddering old fool," he said.

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Associated Press writer Mike Householder in Ypsilanti, Mich., contributed to this report.

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