Sen. Marco Rubio, is homosexuality a sin? 'Well, I can tell you what faith teaches and faith teaches that it is'

Think Progress has posted a video clip of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., being interviewed by Mike Allen of Politico.

"Is homosexuality a sin?" Allen asked Rubio. Here's his answer:

"Well, I can tell you what faith teaches and faith teaches that it is. And that’s what the Bible teaches and that’s what faith teaches. But it also teaches that there area bunch of other sins that are no less. For example, it teaches that lying is a sin. It teaches that disrespecting your parents is a sin. It teaches that stealing is a sin. It teaches that coveting your neighbor and what your neighbor has is a sin. So there isn’t a person in this room that isn’t guilty of sin. So, I don’t go around pointing fingers in that regard. I’m responsible for my salvation and I’m responsible for my family’s, and for inculcating in my family what our faith teaches, and they’ll become adults and decide how they want to apply that in life. As a policy maker, I could just tell you that I’m informed by my faith. And my faith informs me in who I am as a person — but not as a way to pass judgment on people."

SAVE Dade Chairman Joseph Falk elected board secretary of national Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund

Joseph Falk, chairman of SAVE Dade and a consultant at the law firm Akerman Senterfitt, has been elected board secretary of Victory Fund.

From SAVE Dade's website:

Joseph Falk, Chairman, is Past President and Legislative Chairman of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers. He was President of NAMB in 2001-2002 and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. In 2007, Mr. Falk was named a member of the Consumer Advisory Council to the Federal Reserve Board. Mr. Falk is a graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and received his MBA from the Harvard Business School in 1978. Joe is a licensed mortgage broker. He is President of his own mortgage firm, a consultant with the law firm of Akerman Senterfitt, and is the Vice-Chairman of the Miami Science Museum's Board of Trustees.

Mr. Falk resides in Miami, Florida.

Victory Fund also announced that Washington, D.C., political strategist Steve Elmendorf was elected board chair at the group’s board meeting in Long Beach, Calif., last weekend.

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Miami Beach cop Eliut Hazzi fired in Harold Strickland gay bashing case to get his job back

• Arbitrator's report ordering reinstatement of Miami Beach Officer Eliut Hazzi

• Hear Harold Strickland’s emergency phone call to Miami Beach 911

• Miami Beach settlement with Harold Strickland

BY DAVID SMILEY, DSMILEY@MIAMIHERALD.COM

A Miami Beach police officer fired last year for his role in an alleged gay bashing case is getting his job back.

Eliut Hazzi was one of two officers accused of beating a handcuffed gay man in South Beach’s Flamingo Park in 2009 and then arresting a witness. He was fired last year during a tumultuous summer for the department, but fought to get his badge back and won a case Tuesday before an independent arbitrator.

“He’s very eager to get back to work and put this all behind him,” said police union president Sgt. Alejandro Bello, who spoke to Hazzi last night.

Hazzi and Officer Frankly Forte came under scrutiny after the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the officers and the city in 2010 on behalf of a California tourist who said the plain-clothes officers wrongly arrested him almost a year earlier.

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Miami Marlins trade Yunel Escobar, the player suspended in September for 'MARICON' eye black

New Miami Marlins shortstop Yunel Escobar, the former Toronto Blue Jays player suspended in September for wearing eye black that read, "TUE ERE MARICON," has already been traded.

From The Miami Herald's Clark Spencer:

Tuesday’s trade, which is pending physicals, comes as no surprise. The Marlins have been actively shopping Escobar from the time they obtained him.

Several teams expressed interest in Escobar, but Miami deemed the Rays’ offer the best. Baseball America ranked Dietrich, 23, as the Rays’ ninth-best prospect.

Dietrich, who swings left-handed, plays second and shortstop and is a .278 hitter in three minor-league seasons. The former second-round draft pick out of Georgia Tech split last season at Single A and Double A.

Although the Marlins had met with Escobar and told him they intended to use him at third base, they were never keen on keeping him. For one thing, they had settled on Adeiny Hechavarria — who also joined the Marlins in the Toronto trade — as their shortstop. For another, they had concerns with Escobar’s character issues.

Escobar was eager to put the Marlins behind him.

In a story published Tuesday by El Nuevo Herald, the native of Cuba said: “I came here with a lot of excitement to play in front of Miami’s Latin fans, especially the Cuban ones. But in these moments, I think the best for my career is to go somewhere else where I’m appreciated more. I think I have a lot to offer as a ballplayer, but you need to be wanted. I’m not feeling that here.”