Congressman Patrick T. McHenry (R-NC), right, purchased a residence in Washington, DC's Capital Hill neighborhood with another man, PageOneQ has learned. While he owned the home, McHenry and co-owner Scott G. Stewart claimed eligibility for the District of Columbia's Homestead Tax Deduction, a tax reduction program to encourage homeownership and residence in DC. At the same time McHenry was registered to vote, and did so, in Gaston County, North Carolina.

According to records obtained from the Washington, DC Recorder of Deeds, left (click to enlarge), McHenry, who was first elected to Congress in 2004, and Stewart owned the three bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home from February 2001 to January 2002. The house is located at 1360 D Street, SE, in a neighborhood near the US Capitol.

The DC Recorder of Deeds told PageOneQ that McHenry and Stewart received a $60,000 deduction off the property's assessed value for tax reduction purposes in the second half of 2001. In order to receive the tax reduction, homeowners are required to certify that the property is "occupied by the owner/applicant." The eligibility guidelines state that the "property must be the principal residence (domicile) of the owner/applicant."

Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) will not abandon his Senate seat until a Minnesota judge determines whether or not the senator's guilty plea in connection to soliciting sex from an undercover police officer should be overturned, according to CNN. Arguments in the case were presented Wednesday afternoon.

Craig had originally announced he would step down by Sept. 30 if the plea was not thrown out, but on Tuesday he said he had no plans to vacate until "legal determinations" were made.

CBSNews.com: As I've talked to a number of social conservative leaders, some of whom are supporters and some not, they keep coming back to the fact that he cross-dressed a lot as mayor of New York. And that when he was going through a divorce, he lived with an openly gay couple, that he supports gay rights. Do you think that will hurt him in Republican primaries?

David Dreier: I really don't. I mean, people know this guy was mayor of New York. The city was five to one, Democrat to Republican. And he has a great sense of humor. And you know, he is, from my perspective, very libertarian in his views, which I believe happens to be the core view that Republicans have.

He's made it clear that he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. That's where he is on this. But he's a supporter of the notion of civil unions. George W. Bush is in that exact same position on this issue.

And I will say that the notion of cross dressing, good heavens. I mean, it was all a skit. I told people to relax a bit and realize that having someone who has a great sense of humor is a healthy good thing for our country.

Since 1995, the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte has paid nearly a half-million dollars to local victims of alleged sexual abuse. The carefully worded disclosure was buried in its 2001-2002 annual report at the end of a description of its policy on protecting young people from sexual abuse.By our deadline on Monday, diocese spokesperson Kevin Murray was still trying to determine how many victims had received the money and the date of the alleged incidents for which they were paid. The report, which was issued in November, states that no payments were made during the last year on behalf of victims of clergy sexual misconduct with children.

The Archdiocese of Boston yesterday contradicted a statement by Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina that it was told nothing about allegations of inappropriate intimate contact against a Boston priest, the Rev. George P. Berthold, before the college hired him in 1997 to head its theology department.

Donna M. Morrissey, the spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said that church officials in Boston had notified the college and the Diocese of Charlotte ''verbally and in writing'' that Berthold had been accused of inappropriate physical behavior with adult seminarians when he was dean of the undergraduate college at St. John's Seminary in 1995.

The head of a Catholic college in North Carolina acknowledged yesterday that the Archdiocese of Boston did inform him of an allegation of inappropriate behavior against a priest seeking a teaching job at the school.

Abbot Placid Solari, of Belmont Abbey College near Charlotte, said yesterday that the Boston Archdiocese had told him that an "allegation of improper conduct" had been lodged against the Rev. George Berthold while he was a dean at St. John's Seminary in Boston.
School officials earlier this week said that the Boston Archdiocese told them nothing about the allegation before the college hired Berthold in 1997 to head its theology department.

Last week, CL requested police report numbers, or other evidence documenting that the diocese had reported the alleged abuse referred to in the report to civil authorities. It was also unclear Monday whether the alleged abusers are still actively working or volunteering for the diocese.

Labels: Patrick McHenry

As Maryland gays mourned Tuesday’s high court ruling upholding a ban on same-sex marriage, some said they were equally stunned and upset by the remarks of Democratic Gov. Martin O’Malley, who in private, had repeatedly assured plaintiffs in the case that he supports gay unions.

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is the new Mitt Romney.

Just when you thought a politician could sink no lower in the duplicitous art of flip-flopping comes the hidden tale of how O'Malley assured gay rights activists and plaintiffs in the Maryland marriage case that he supported same-sex marriage, only to reverse course and ultimately invoke his Catholic religious beliefs to justify his support of discrimination.

It’s an all-too-familiar story of a Democratic candidate promising to stand up for an all-too-loyal gay constituency, then kicking us when we’re down.

I think it would be honorable to point out that the San Diego Mayor, Jerry sanders, recently changed his position on gay marriage. You should applaud him

The Republican mayor of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, announced in a highly emotional speech on Wednesday that he had decided not to veto a council resolution that would have reversed California's ban on same sex unions. "My opinions on this issue have evolved significantly," he stated "as I think the opinions of millions of Americans from all walks of life have."

Sanders, who was police chief before becoming mayor, had originally intended to veto the resolution in order to remain consistent with his campaign promises and with the sentiment of most of his supporters, and he changed his mind only at the last minute.

"The arrival of the resolution to sign or veto in my office late last night," said Sanders, choking up with emotion, "forced me to reflect and search my soul for the right thing to do. I've decided to lead with my heart ... and to take a stand on behalf of equality and social justice."

Here's the video:

My name is Joe Solmonese and I represent the largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender organization in the country. Am I am here -- we are all here from the Human Rights Campaign -- because this injustice cannot stand.

We are here because we know about bigotry. We know about hate. We know the pain in high school of standing apart. Of being taunted. Of standing up, only too often, to be shut down.

I am here -- we are here -- because you have stood with us. Because all of us know that one injustice against any of us is an injustice against all of us.

And I am here because I remember. I remember James Byrd. James was a gentle soul, a special soul. Someone who struggled his whole life with challenges, but was filled with love and was deeply loved in Jasper, Texas.

But James Byrd -- at 49 -- was savagely beaten, then chained to a pickup truck and literally dragged to his death. He was brutally murdered because he was black.

And then something really profound happened. Remember when George Bush was governor of Texas? Well, Governor Bush had a hate crimes bill on his desk. There was a lot of pressure to sign the bill because of what they did to James Byrd. So, George Bush said he'd sign that bill, but they had to take the gays out.

And here's what happened. Stella Byrd, who has just buried her beaten, broken, gentle James said, If some of us are left out, then all of us are. Valuing one life and not valuing another is not right. And the Byrd family said No. They said No. And they walked away.

So, I stand here today with solidarity. I stand here for social justice. I stand here to free those young men. To say this will not stand. It cannot stand. I stand here for the Jena 6. I stand here today for James Byrd.

We will not forget. We will never walk away.

Thank you very much.

(Quick note form Mike: Welcome Leslie . . . just so everyone knows, we're looking at this ongoing story to explore the many connections, stories, sources and more. This post and others are not saying anyone is gay or closeted. That being said, there are people connected to the story who are gay...lots of them...and sources include people connected to the deaths of three gay Republican consultants in Florida. Here's Leslie's first post on the story. -MR)

Mike and I finally had a long overdue sit-down today. For three hours I delineated all the current well-sourced and not-so-well sourced dirt on our youngest Congressman, Pat McHenry of North Carolina's 1oth Congressional district.

(And we didn't even get to his advocacy for ousted College Republican Glenn Murphy, giver of unwanted blowjobs . . . how could we have overlooked that one, Mike?)

Mike tried to chart all of it. He really did. What happened to that chart, Mike? I seem to have misplaced it. It's not on my "action plan." Well, I guess mere words will have to do. (Leslie, that chart was so complicated I need a computer program to decipher it! - MR)

To start with, we've got several financial disclosure reporting irregularities (details to come on that), and nearly $200,000 of improperly reported 527 (Citizens Club for Growth PAC) funding in 2004. Also, Pat takes money from the gay Republican message master Arthur Finkelstein, who is married to a man in Massachusetts, as he foments ill will towards gays in his district and promotes the "sanctity of marriage."

2/21/04 GASTON County, NC
Expired Registration card/ tag, expired/no inspection sticker
C4181647

9/03/04 PITT County, NC
Expired/no inspection sticker, no insurance
3231043

9/03/04 PITT County, NC
Expired Registration card/tag
3231044

3/21/02 MECKLENBERG County, NC
Expired registration tag, no insurance
C2581182

12/15/00 WAKE County, NC
No license, no insurance
C0618098

9/06/00 WAKE County, NC
Expired registration card/tag, no insurance
C0265873

9/06/00 WAKE County, NC
Expired/no inspection sticker, no registration card
C0265874

5/06/00 MECKLENBERG County, NC
Speeding, expired/no inspection sticker
9593445

6/03/99 JOHNSTON County, NC
Simple worthless check
007258, complainant Golden House Restaurant

5/20/99 WAKE County, NC
no registration card
C8855533

6/20/99 WAKE County, NC
Expired Registration
C9500844

4/09/98 WAKE County, NC
Speeding
C8416644

2/21/95 NASH County, NC
Misdemeanor Death by Vehicle

Labels: Patrick McHenry

Craig’s homecoming began in a morning encounter near the members’ dining room, where he crossed paths with a surprised but cordial Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). If Graham was jarred by the arrival of Craig, a onetime ally whom most Republicans have given up for dead politically, he did not show it.

“I like Larry,” Graham told reporters. “It’s not a personal thing.”

1. The Kid Factor
2. Passengers Prefer to Dump at the Station
3. You Will Get Pee on Your Kenneth Coles
4. You Will Hurt
5. The After-Hours Party
6. Everything Changed After 9/11
7. Mike Rogers
7 1/2. Tucker Carlson May Bash Your Head In

Given the power she has -- and the manner she has chosen to excerise it -- she's little more than Roy Cohn in dress.

Thank you. Thank you very much. I am truly honored and delighted to have the opportunity to swear in Mark Dybul as our next Global AIDS Coordinator. I am pleased to do that in the presence of Mark's parents, Claire and Richard; his partner, Jason; and his mother-in-law, Marilyn. You have wonderful family to support you, Mark, and I know that's always important to us. Welcome."

Mike Rogers, the gay blogger who first suggested Foley was gay on his website blogACTIVE, also said the media had failed.

"Once again, the mainstream media has failed in its role in a great democracy," he remarked. "Despite even being given constitutional protection to pursue stories, the papers in Florida not only protected a political career -- most likely so they could have continued access to Congressman Foley -- but they stood in the way of reporting a crime. With the statue of limitations passed, the blame for Mark Foley's escape from the law falls squarely upon the heads of the newspapers that had this evidence."

[I]f a bill making it illegal for men to hit on other men in airport toilets—or anywhere else—had come up for a vote, Senator Craig—with his perfect antigay voting record—would surely have voted in favor of it. So even if Senator Craig is the victim here, as some are insisting, it's hard to feel much sympathy for him.

The word was coined by a major closet case, William Henry III, a critic at Time magazine who is now deceased. He claimed that some gay journalists—yes, including yours truly—were doing this terrible new thing, revealing gay public figures’ homosexuality, and he claimed that some gay activists had dubbed it ‘outing.’ The word stuck, though some of us hated its violent and special connotation—we preferred simply calling it reporting.

Rogers sees his outings -- a word he says he doesn't like, although he uses it more than a dozen times over a single lunch...