Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 120

DADT - White House unwilling to commit to halting discharges yet

Don't celebrate too quickly (unfortunately):

MetroWeekly: White House Won't Commit to Halting DADT Discharges -- a Move Urged By Reid, Levin

Saying that they had been "focused" on the vote, a senior White House aide intimately familiar with the administration's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repeal efforts was unwilling to say whether President Obama agrees with Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) that DADT-releated investigations and discharges should be halted immediately.

The aide made the comments to Metro Weekly following the 63-33 successful cloture vote on the stand-alone DADT repeal bill was held a little before noon today.

Earlier statement by the WH:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2010

Statement by the President on the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010

Today, the Senate has taken an historic step toward ending a policy that undermines our national security while violating the very ideals that our brave men and women in uniform risk their lives to defend. By ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell, no longer will our nation be denied the service of thousands of patriotic Americans forced to leave the military, despite years of exemplary performance, because they happen to be gay. And no longer will many thousands more be asked to live a lie in order to serve the country they love.

As Commander-in-Chief, I am also absolutely convinced that making this change will only underscore the professionalism of our troops as the best led and best trained fighting force the world has ever known. And I join the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as the overwhelming majority of service members asked by the Pentagon, in knowing that we can responsibly transition to a new policy while ensuring our military strength and readiness.

I want to thank Majority Leader Reid, Senators Lieberman and Collins and the countless others who have worked so hard to get this done. It is time to close this chapter in our history. It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed. It is time to allow gay and lesbian Americans to serve their country openly. I urge the Senate to send this bill to my desk so that I can sign it into law.

An expected (and premature) reaction from the fundies.

"The Few, the Proud, the Sexually Twisted" - Bryan Fischer of the AFA:

We are now stuck with sexual deviants serving openly in the U.S. military because of turncoat Republican senators ... Had the cloture vote failed, we would still have sane moral and sexual standards governing military personnel policy. But sadly those days are gone, perhaps forever.

...They knew they could count on the strength, might, power, and cohesion of the U.S. military to intervene whenever and wherever necessary to pull their fannies out of the fire and squash the forces of tyranny wherever they raised their ugly heads around the world.

Those days are now gone. We will no longer be able to bail out these other emasculated armies because ours will now be feminized and neutered beyond repair, and there is no one left to bail us out. We have been permanently weakened as a military and as a nation by these misguided and treasonous Republican senators, and the world is now a more dangerous place for us all.

***

Here are the yeas and nays on the earlier cloture vote.

   YEAs  63

Akaka (D-HI)

Baucus (D-MT)

Bayh (D-IN)

Begich (D-AK)

Bennet (D-CO)

Bingaman (D-NM)

Boxer (D-CA)

Brown (D-OH)

Brown (R-MA)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Cardin (D-MD)

Carper (D-DE)

Casey (D-PA)

Collins (R-ME)

Conrad (D-ND)

Coons (D-DE)

Dodd (D-CT)

Dorgan (D-ND)

Durbin (D-IL)

Feingold (D-WI)

Feinstein (D-CA)

Franken (D-MN)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Hagan (D-NC)

Harkin (D-IA)

Inouye (D-HI)

Johnson (D-SD)

Kerry (D-MA)

Kirk (R-IL)

Klobuchar (D-MN)

Kohl (D-WI)

Landrieu (D-LA)

Lautenberg (D-NJ)

Leahy (D-VT)

Levin (D-MI)

Lieberman (ID-CT)

Lincoln (D-AR)

McCaskill (D-MO)

Menendez (D-NJ)

Merkley (D-OR)

Mikulski (D-MD)

Murkowski (R-AK)

Murray (D-WA)

Nelson (D-FL)

Nelson (D-NE)

Pryor (D-AR)

Reed (D-RI)

Reid (D-NV)

Rockefeller (D-WV)

Sanders (I-VT)

Schumer (D-NY)

Shaheen (D-NH)

Snowe (R-ME)

Specter (D-PA)

Stabenow (D-MI)

Tester (D-MT)

Udall (D-CO)

Udall (D-NM)

Voinovich (R-OH)

Warner (D-VA)

Webb (D-VA)

Whitehouse (D-RI)

Wyden (D-OR)

   



   NAYs - 33

Alexander (R-TN)

Barrasso (R-WY)

Bennett (R-UT)

Bond (R-MO)

Brownback (R-KS)

Burr (R-NC)

Chambliss (R-GA)

Coburn (R-OK)

Cochran (R-MS)

Corker (R-TN)

Cornyn (R-TX)

Crapo (R-ID)

DeMint (R-SC)

Ensign (R-NV)

Enzi (R-WY)

Graham (R-SC)

Grassley (R-IA)

Hutchison (R-TX)

Inhofe (R-OK)

Isakson (R-GA)

Johanns (R-NE)

Kyl (R-AZ)

LeMieux (R-FL)

Lugar (R-IN)

McCain (R-AZ)

McConnell (R-KY)

Risch (R-ID)

Roberts (R-KS)

Sessions (R-AL)

Shelby (R-AL)

Thune (R-SD)

Vitter (R-LA)

Wicker (R-MS)

Not Voting - 4

Bunning (R-KY)

Gregg (R-NH)

Hatch (R-UT)

Manchin (D-WV)

   

Saturday DADT Open Thread: Senate votes no on DREAM, yes on DADT. Next steps...

NOTE: New Blend content is below this post, which will be on top during proceedings today.

The Senate started the session at 9am this morning; you can watch the live feed here. Currently Jeff Sessions, the first the speak today, is arguing against the DREAM Act.

FINGERS. CROSSED.

NOTE FROM PAM: You can also join the live chat hosted by Joe Sudbay of Americablog that is up top now as well.

11:30 AM ET: Cloture motion on the DREAM Act falls, 55-41. 60 needed. NC's Kay Hagan voted NO on DREAM Act.

11:45: Don't Ask Don't Tell passes major Senate vote. On to the vote for repeal. Then the Prez and Mullen and Gates have to sign off.

A reminder from SLDN:

WHY SERVICE MEMBERS MAY STILL BE DISCHARGED EVEN AFTER A SUCCESSFUL SENATE VOTE AND PRESIDENTIAL BILL SIGNING / SERVICE MEMBERS WILL REMAIN VULNERABLE

PRESIDENTIAL BILL SIGNING:

? Even after a successful U.S. Senate vote and after the President signs the bill, service members will remain at risk for investigation and discharge. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will still be the law until 60 days after the Commander-in-Chief, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs certify repeal can happen. Read SLDN's warnings to service members: www.sldn.org/StillAtRisk.

WHAT IS CERTIFICATION:

? The President would transmit to the congressional Armed Services Committees a written certification, signed by the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stating each of the following:

o (A) That the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have considered the recommendations contained in the report and the report's proposed plan of action.

o (B) That the Department of Defense has prepared the necessary policies and regulations to exercise the discretion provided by the amendments made by subsection (f).

o (C) That the implementation of necessary policies and regulations pursuant to the discretion provided by the amendments made by subsection (f) is consistent with the standards of military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion, and recruiting and retention of the Armed Forces.

? "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" will still be the law at this point. Service members will still be discharged. Read SLDN's warnings: www.sldn.org/StillAtRisk.

REPEAL EFFECTIVE 60 DAYS AFTER CERTIFICATION TRANSMITTAL:

? After the President transmits written certification to the congressional Armed Services Committees, full repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" would be effective 60 days later.

Tron & Tron Legacy

Well, here's another one of those weekend posts where we baristas talk about more personal issues than we usually do on weekdays. But, in keeping with the idea that Pam's House Blend is designed to be a virtual coffee house where we discuss the kind of things we discuss would discuss at a brick-and-mortar coffee house, I'm bringing up something that's kinda interesting to me, and hopefully to you.

Tron Legacy has hit the theaters in the U.S. this weekend. I have an odd connection to the film, and the connection is with the original Tron -- and it's found within the cast and crew of that first film.

My Dad -- Related:

* Thinking About Dad

Friday night DADT news roundup

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) plans to bring up a vote to repeal DADT tomorrow and there has been lots of information floating around the internets today. Here are some headlines...

* First, click here to call your Senators directly. From GetEqual - http://getequal.org/callthesenate. If one of these Senators represents you, we especially need your help - Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Scott Brown (R-MA), George Voinovich (R-OH), Kit Bond (R-MO), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Joe Manchin (D-WV). The Plum Line's Greg Sargent reported that Scott Brown will vote Yes on DADT repeal.

* Servicemembers United: Gay Veterans, Allies Storm Senate Offices for Third Straight Day. It was Day 3 of Operation Renewed Engagement with senators and staff of 71 Senate offices. "These advocates are yet again actually visiting more than seventy Senate offices today, including those who are critical to obtaining and keeping our 60-vote majority on this issue," said Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and the Servicemembers United Action Fund.

* Sen. Corker Threatens Reid: If You Bring DADT Repeal For A Vote, We'll Walk Away From START (The Wonk Room):

CORKER: What's happened is it's poisoning the well on this debate, on something that's very, very important....I'm just hoping that saner minds will prevail and that these issues that have been brought forth that are absolutely partisan, political, issues, brought forth to basically accommodate activist groups around this country. I'm hoping that those will be taken down or else I don't think the future of the START treaty over the next several days is going to be successful, based on what I'm watching.

* Washington Blade: GOP in last ditch effort to block 'Don't Ask' repeal?

According to Congressional Quarterly, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have said they would no longer support the START Treaty if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) proceeds with a vote on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the DREAM Act, an immigration-related bill.

...On the Senate floor, McCain seemed to distance himself from Corker and dispute the reporting that he and Graham were basing their support for the START Treaty on other measures that were coming to the floor.

"There continues to swirl allegations that there is going to be a vote for it or against it because of another piece of legislation or for other reasons - for other political reasons," McCain said. "I reject that allegation."

* Kirsten Talks To Chris Matthews About DADT Repeal & 9/11 Health Bill

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

* Steve Clemons @ The Washington Note: Chatting with Joe Manchin on DADT.

But what the Senator needs to know is that the notion that military families are medieval on this subject and opposed to progress is wrong. To say that the military and DoD families are less advanced, less educated, and out of sync with the rest of America is an insult to them that the Senator needs to avoid.

* Freepers pulling out one last hate fest to intimidate any Republican supporting DADT repeal. Amazing.

* The Advocate's Kerry Eleveld: Gibbs bullish on the prospects of passing a stand-alone DADT repeal bill on Saturday.

"I think it's clear that there are enough votes to withstand a filibuster on repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell,'" Gibbs said, adding he would "not necessarily use the term 'in the bag.'" Gibbs said administration officials were indeed "cautiously optimistic" and that the president would be "working the phones" to help secure final votes.

* SLDN's Aubrey Sarvis at The Hill: Give up on repeal? Not now, not ever.

There are no more places to hide. There are no more excuses for delay. If senators support repeal, this is the time to vote yes on the bill from the House. Its language is identical to S. 4023, introduced last week by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), and, indeed, is welcomed by those two senators, but now all senators need to get behind the House bill. If the Senate passes it without amendment, the repeal measure can go directly to the president for signature. As Defense Secretary Roberts Gates put it, "if not now, when?"

Ken Hutcherson: "thank God for me"

'Tis the season to share your narcissism!  A few days ago Ken Hutcherson set up a text message service "so you can be quickly informed of important information and prayer requests."  

"Dr." Hutcherson, arch-homophobe and pastor of Antioch Bible Church in suburban Seattle is perhaps best known for demonstrating what anti-gay bullying looks like by lifting a bullhorn and disrupting learning at a local high school in order to protest Day of Silence.  Hutcherson was a primary endorser of the referendum effort in 2009 to repeal Washington's domestic partnership law.  He also has a little problem with humility.

Hutch

We have so much to be thankful for. So why don't you gives some thanks right now. If you can't think of anything, then thank God for me.

One week before Christmas Eve, shouldn't the pastor be asking his flock to contemplate the gift of light, Jesus?  Or how about the gift of hospitality as we welcome family and friends into our homes or are welcomed into theirs while remembering that Mary was relegated to giving birth in a livestock barn?  Since medical science has made it possible for Hutcherson to live for years with prostate cancer, maybe the pastor could ask folks to thank God for the scientists who devised the treatments keeping him and their own loved ones alive?  Guess not.

So remember folks, this Christmas the reason for the season is Humble Hutch.  If you believe in God, you might consider thanking her for bringing us so much amusement with the gift that keeps on giving, Ken Hutcherson.  And if you sign up for Hutcherson's text message service, you can re-gift him!  

Demand that Governments of the World Condemn LGBT Executions!

Last month in a United Nations committee, 79 countries endorsed a proposed amendment to remove references to sexual orientation from the UN Resolution on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions.  Only 70 countries supported retention of the term, while 43 countries abstained or didn't vote.

This is the only UN resolution to include an explicit reference to sexual orientation, and it has passed successfully for the past ten years.  We cannot allow this backslide to occur.

The good news is that "we have the opportunity to restore the reference to sexual orientation - and hopefully extend it to also include gender identity - when the resolution comes up before the UN General Assembly on Monday 20 December", according to International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

What can you do?

* Demand that the Member States of the United Nations condemn extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people by signing this petition.

* No matter what country you live in, learn how to contact your government, how they voted last time and what to say here.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's reaction to the proposed removal of "sexual orientation" from the resolution:

When individuals are attacked [or] abused ... because of their sexual orientation, we must speak out. ...It is not called the 'Partial' Declaration of Human Rights. It is not the 'Sometimes' Declaration of Human Rights. It is the Universal Declaration, guaranteeing all human beings their basic human rights, without exception.

United States Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice indicated that the US would "champion the rights of LGBT people at the UN", reported International Service for Human Rights.  Ambassador Rice and Secretary General Ban keynoted "Ending violence and criminal sanctions on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity", a high-level discussion held on Human Rights Day and organized by the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, France, Gabon, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the US and the Delegation of the European Union.  Read Ambassador Rice's speech here.

Related:

* Association of British Muslims criticizes UN for removing sexual orientation protections

* Gays on safari in Kenya are now themselves fair game

Family Research Council plans to go on tour against the Southern Poverty Law Center

crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

Another interview with another "friendly" publication and the Family Research Council puts its foot in its mouth.

The organization and its leader, Tony Perkins is still steaming over the anti-gay hate group designation given to it and several other religious right groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. This week, the organization ran full page ads in Politico and the Washington Examiner calling the designation into question but conveniently not directly addressing the charges that they deliberately spread anti-gay propaganda and junk science to smear the lgbt community.

The ads also had the signatures of over 150 conservative leaders, including over 20 members of Congress.

Yesterday during an interview with Tucker Carlson's Daily Beast, FRC's Perkins made an interesting comment:

“We’re not afraid to debate the issues,” Perkins said in a phone interview. “We are not running from the debate. We are confident on the issues we advocate for based on empirical, peer-reviewed research.”

The comment is highly ironic seeing that the last time Perkins did have a debate on the issue - on the news program Hardball with the SPLC's Mark Potok - he distorted data to make the inaccurate claim that pedophilia and homosexuality is connected. He also cited an organization, the American College of Pediatricians. It was later discovered that the ACP is not a legitimate medical organization but a sham group created to push religious right distortions about the lgbt community.

Hardball's host, Chris Matthews, was forced to give a clarifying statement regarding the ACP on a later broadcast.

 

Since that time, Perkins has pretty much avoided debates, appearing on "friendly" news programs such as  Fox and Friends.  Nor has he been directly addressing SPLC's charges.

That seems to have been left up to the other anti-gay groups listed by SPLC. But unfortunately, their spokespeople haven't been doing such a good job.

This week during an interview with the Concerned Women for America's Martha Kleder, Peter LaBarbera (head of Americans for Truth, another organization cited as a hate group) actually admitted to citing bad studies in order to smear the lgbt community.

Meanwhile, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association (yet another group cited by SPLC's for its spreading of anti-gay propaganda) has made statements during interviews and columns that have, to many, justified SPLC for calling his organization and several others out.

During the same Daily Beast interview, Perkins said the organization plans to go on a nationwide tour to get more signatures for its letter. He also said:

We’re going to full-speed but not in the direction they want us to. The left wants to say these issues are beyond debate. If we, as a country, decide there is no debate, it becomes a totalitarian state.” 

 SPLC didn't respond to the Daily Beast's request for a comment * (see below), but the organization already put out a statement regarding the Family Research Council's campaign:

(FRC's letter) was a remarkable performance, given that it was precisely the maligning of entire groups of people — gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people — that caused the SPLC to list groups like the FRC.

. . .  Despite the claims made in today’s statement, the SPLC’s listings are not in any way intended to suppress these groups’ free speech. We’re not asking that these groups be silenced or punished in any way. What we are doing is calling them out for their lies. There is nothing wrong with labeling an organization a hate group based on what they say. A simple example illustrates the point: If a neo-Nazi group said all Jews are “vermin,” no one would argue with our characterizing it as a hate group.

Neither are we mounting an attack on individuals or “groups that uphold Judeo-Christian moral views,” as today’s statement suggests. In fact, as we say in our article dissecting the views of these groups, “Viewing homosexuality as unbiblical does not qualify organizations for listing as hate groups.” Instead, as we explained there, “the SPLC’s listings of these groups is based on their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling.”

Personally, I am all for FRC taking their letter on tour.  That would give the lgbt community the opportunity to ask them several questions such as:

Please explain how the following statements are an example of upholding "Judeo-Christain" moral views:

•Gays should be exported from the country;

•The federal government must be overthrown if it allows gay marriage;

•"Moral perverts" need to be kept out of the military;

•There is nothing "conservative" about "one man violently cramming his penis into another man’s lower intestine and calling it 'love'";

•Homosexual behavior ought to be outlawed;

•Gay sex ought to carry criminal penalties;

•Gays ought to be prohibited from serving in public office;

•Gay sex is domestic terrorism;

•"Hitler recruited around him homosexuals to make up his Stormtroopers ... [because] homosexual soldiers basically had no limits [to] the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict."

Hat tip to People for the American Way's Right Wing Watch.

* Even though SPLC didn't respond to the Daily Beast's request for a quote, the site had an obligation to at least report the fact that SPLC did address FRC's letter. That's what a credible journalist would have  done. Or have I answered my own question in terms of why the Daily Beast didn't report on SPLC's reponse to FRC?

CNN: DMV Employee Resigns Over Letter Condemning Customer To Hell

Well, this is relatively good news, although the outcome could have been better. CNN is reporting the following in their piece DMV Employee Resigns Over Letter Condemning Customer To Hell:

A California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employee who allegedly wrote a letter to a transgender woman and condemned her to hell has resigned, officials said Thursday.

The employee, who worked for the DMV for two years, resigned Wednesday and will not receive benefits or unemployment, according to department spokesman Mike Marando.

"This in no way diminishes the severity of the situation," Marando said, adding officials believe the DMV employee's behavior was an isolated matter.

The attorney for the transgender woman said the employee should have been fired, instead of being allowed to resign.

Amber Yust has taken out a restraining order on Thomas Demartini, the now former DMV employee. If you read the letter from Thomas Demartini, you get an idea of why Amber took out the restraining order:

Dear _____________,

On Thursday, October 21,2010, I helped you get a driver's license or ID card at the San Francisco DMV. I noticed that you were changing your name and had supporting documents for the change. As I recall one of those documents outlined something to do with a gender change.

I have learned that the reason for the vast majority of gender change operations is the client's homosexual orientation. The homosexual act is an abomination that leads to hell. "If anyone lie with a man as with a woman, both have committed an abomination: let them be put to death." (Leviticus 20:13) "Do not err. Neither ... the effeminate nor Iiers with mankind ... shall posses the Kingdom of God:(l Corinthians 6:9-10). The homosexual act is one of the sins that cries to heaven for vengeance. Supporting those who commit this act and encouraging and justifying those who have the orientation also lead one to hell.

Romans 1:21-32 explains how the homosexual orientation is connected with worshiping visible things in the world rather than the One Who created them. If this orientation is the reason for an operation that has yet to occur (or is in the process), I beg you--DO NOT GO THROUGH WITH IT!

You can see that I do not support gender change operations. Consider Genesis 1:21: "Male and female he [God] created them"; and then Leviticus 19:28": You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh." Jesus clearly prohibits gender change operations. If an operation like this is the reason for changing one's name, then one has made a very evil decision.

Although I helped you with the name change, I have to say I do not support the reason for it if it relates to the above. If it does I must say I do not approve of this name change, and I also do not believe the state's recognition of it through official documents-makes it legitimate or any less evil

Please take a look at www.vaticancatholic.com. This website has critical information for your salvation and much more on many other topics.

In Charity,

Thomas

Someone who engages in the kind of behavior that Demartini is alleged to have engaged in shouldn't be allowed to resign, but instead he should have been be fired. In my opinion, the California DMV should have fired Demartini if their inquiry verified he sent the letter -- that, to me, would have been a more optimal outcome. Specifically culling out a woman who is from a protected class due to her gender identity should be treated in the harshest manner -- especially since Demartini has a history of not treating transgender people with dignity and respect -- he's apparently has previously engaged in antitransgender behavior on the job at the DMV.

Basically, how Amber Yust is alleged to have been mistreated is beyond the pale unacceptable. The perpetrator of any kind of discrimination against someone who belongs to a protected class should be fired, not be allowed to resign.

~~~~~

Related:

* Transphobia As An Apparent Government Function

*California DMV Employee Tells Trans Woman In Letter She's Made A "Very Evil Decision"

Breaking: Reid files cloture on DADT and DREAM Act; votes scheduled for Sat.

Movement on DADT repeal is in the air and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid not long ago filed cloture on the stand-alone DADT repeal bill passed on Wednesday by the House and the DREAM Act. The cloture vote will be held on Saturday.

For those who need a bit of a primer on this, cue this helpful explanation from John @ Americablog:

Filing for cloture is how you cut off a filibuster. Basically, you file a petition for cloture, you wait two days for it to "ripen," then you vote on it. If you get 60 votes, cloture is invoked and the legislation can be considered for no more than 30 additional hours, when you have to have a final vote. Thus when you vote for cloture, you vote against a filibuster.

Let's go to the videotape of Harry Reid (via The Wonk Room and Igor Volsky):

REID: I'm going to file cloture tonight on the DREAM Act, we're going to have a vote on that Saturday morning fairly early. We're going to have a cloture vote tonight on Don't Ask, Don't Tell- oh, not a cloture vote, I'm going to file cloture on it tonight. Those will be sequenced for Saturday, whenever we get to them. Following that, I was told by a number of Republican Senators that they need 6 or 7 days to offer amendment on the START treaty.

Moment of Zen, Indeed! Acrobats "Pose" for Papa Razi

OMG. "The Daily Show" ended with this clip as their "Moment of Zen" and I concur:

Gotta love the nuns, giving these, um, ... flexible... supple... firmly toned... young men the traditional Vatican "WHOOP- WHOOP!"

Note the lone cardinal looking especially uncomfortable with this performance; the others appear to think this was just nifty stuff.

Have at it, Blenders!