Red state of Indiana favors gay and lesbian rights

From The Advocate magazine


People in the deep red state of Indiana are in favor of basic human rights for gays and lesbians, according to a new study released Wednesday.

Nearly three fourths (74%) of respondents to the survey—compiled by the Indiana University Center for Survey Research—indicated they support hospital visitation rights for same-sex couples. A large majority of respondents (79%) also said that gays and lesbians should have the same civil rights protections as others. Seventy-seven percent of respondents favor hate-crimes legislation, and 85% believe that crimes based on sexual orientation should be included in those laws. A smaller number—53%—support inheritance rights for gay couples.

Most supportive of gay rights, especially inheritance rights, were women, young people, and those living in urban and suburban areas of the state.

The gay rights organization Indiana Equality commissioned the Indiana University Center for Survey Research to study Hoosiers' attitudes on gay rights in late 2005.

Copyrighting a smile

They just don't get it. You can't lock your employees in the store and make them work without pay; you can't continually hire undocumented workers and say "oops;" you can't have the majority of your products made by near-slave labor overseas, you can't have your new employee orientations sessions have lectures covering how to sign up for public assistance because you aren't payed enough, and then try to copyright a smiley face. It's like Satan wanting to copyright sunshine.

That's just stupid as hell. It seems Wal-Mart wants to take something in the public domain and make it theirs, yes, indeed they do. As if they don't own or control enough, they want to own the ubiquitous iconic emblem of the 1970s, the smiley face.

According to the BBC "... [S]ince 1996, Wal-Mart has used the image in the US on uniforms and promotional signs, and it wants sole rights to it in the US."

They further report that "Until now the smiley face had been considered in the public domain in the US, and therefore free for anyone to use."

Here's the full story.