Cappuccino For Chicago Public Schools?

Boy, things sure have changed since I was in High School, especially in Chicago!

Turns out the Chicago School Board bought 30 cappuccino/espresso machines for $67,000. The purchase was a "no bid contract" no less.

According to a story in the Sun-Times:

In the case of the cappuccino machines, central office administrators split the order among 21 vocational schools to avoid competitive bidding required for purchases over $10,000. As a result CPS paid about $12,000 too much, according to Inspector General James Sullivan. "We were able to find the same machines cheaper online," he said.

"We also look at it as a waste of money because the schools didn't even know they were getting the equipment, schools didn't know how to use the machines and weren't prepared to implement them into the curriculum," Sullivan said.

Apparently, someone had the idea of educating a new crop of barristas for local coffee shops. Perhaps not such a great use of school funds?

Nuclear Waste and Somali Pirates - More Than A FIshy Tale

Why is it that I have never heard about the mysterious dumping of nuclear waste off the coast of Somalia? Most likely, neither have you. In a recent column on Huffington Post Johann Hari explains the intricacies of the whole "Somali pirate problem" and brings to light some amazing details that our news media has never mentioned.

Since Somalia's government has essentially collapsed, there are no officials to take care of things like patrolling the coastlines of the country. Without that protection, unscrupulous shippers discovered that they could dump nuclear waste with impunity and have done so with vigor.

Barrels of radioactive waste regularly wash up on shore and the local population is dying from radiation sickness. Why haven't we heard this? Probably because few if any journalists visit the unstable African country.

Additionally, foreign fisherman have been working in Somali waters illegally. This deprives the locals of their livelihood and so many turned to pirating. The majority of the Somali pirates were fisherman who no longer can support their families and have turned to crime.

Isn't it time someone did a little investigative reporting and brought this part of the story to light? Pirates are not heroes, at least not today, but knowing why they have turned to extortion instead of fishing is important. Stopping the dumping of radioactive waste on the coastline of Somalia is also a priority, and without a government to speak officially for these people, who is left to protest?

Levi Johnston Quits North Slope Oil Field Job

It would be unfair to say Alaska is one of the backwaters of America, but the governor of that state, Sarah Palin, is acting like it is. She has been practicing the kind of nepotism that is common in small town and obscure county politics. The problem? Well she is the governor of Alaska for crying out loud!

Take the issue of her soon to be son-in-law, Levi Johnston. As everyone knows, he is the father of Palin's daughter's illegitimate child and was working in the oil fields as an apprentice. The problem is, to apprentice you have to have a high school diploma, which Johnston does not. So how did he get into the sought after job? Well, sources in Alaska think it was Palin's influence.

She has a record of awarding spoils to friends and contributors. As many as 1 in 4 appointments went to her family , friends and contributors. Why should Johnston be any different?

Now, Levi has quit his job to calm the waters. Meanwhile his mother, who was arrested on drug charges is fighting her own battle through the courts. Sounds like a lot of waves that need calming up in the Great White North.

Gay Man Named To Obama's White House Staff

Finally, an openly gay man has been named as one of President Elect Obama's top staff positions.

Brad Kiley has been named as the director of the Office of Management and Administration. According to the Obama team:

Kiley served as deputy assistant to the president for management and administration at the White House under President William J. Clinton. There he was responsible for all aspects of White House operations, including the travel office, the visitors office, and White House administration, which included finance, human resources and facilities. Among his many earlier roles with the Democratic National Committee, Kiley served as director of finance and administration for the 1996 Democratic National Convention. He has also held in leadership positions at NARAL and the International AIDS Trust. Kiley is a graduate of Texas Christian University.

Now if we can only get ENDA signed....

Franken Wins In Minnesota!

The Minnesota canvasing board has declared Al Franken as the winner of the Senate seat for Minnesota. There is a 7 day waiting period to allow for any legal challenges before Franken can be seated. Both he and Coleman have their legal teams ready to fight it out in court.

He held a 225 vote lead after the long and tedious recount. Coleman is expected to continue his battle to overturn the vote.

Laura Bush Signs Book Deal

It was announced over the weekend that Laura Bush the outgoing First Lady has signed a deal with Scribner to write a memoir of her years in the White House. This is a bit surprising since President Bush has not had any takers for his memoirs yet, but that may happen soon.

My guess is that Laura's story is more interesting to publishers because of its "tell-all" potential. In the past few months Bush has been polishing his legacy to such an extent any memoir by him would be dubious in content. However, if the rumors of marital unrest are true, a book by Laura could be a blockbuster.

Again, the stories of Laura and George separating have surfaced and it remains to be seen who really occupies their new house in Dallas and who stays on the ranch.

Franken Ahead By 225 Votes

Al Franken is ahead by 225 votes after the absentee ballots were counted in Minnesota. Now it is up to the State Supreme Court to make a final ruling about Coleman's request to alter the process and add more absentee ballots to be reconsidered. According to state law there can be no certificate of election until all legal challenges have been settled.

Meanwhile John Cornyn. Chairman of the Republican Senatorial Committee has said he would filibusterer any attempt to seat Franken by the Democrats until an oficial winner is announced.

Man Charged With Assault For Farting At Police

I remember a particularly funny passage in Monty Python and The Holy Grail when the French soldier who stands atop a fortress taunts the Python crusaders by saying "I fart in your general direction!" Well apparently that is a crime in West Virginia.

A man arrested for intoxication while driving was taken into custody. At the police station he lifted his leg and farted, then fanned the odor toward the police officers. He has been charged with assault.

“The gas was very odorous and created contact of an insulting or provoking nature with Patrolman Parsons,” the details of the complaint alleged.

Ann Coulter Still Spewing Venom

The anorexic looking Ms Coulter has written a new missive. This time it slams everything liberal, big surprise! One particularly bitter passage referrs to Michelle Obama and calls her a Jackie O imitator. In the same sentence she refers to the new First Lady as "Mother Teresa".

The substance of her attacks is basicly that Ms. Obama is pretty and she has done good huminitarian work, I guess both of these are sins in the Republican book. Seaking of which, please do not buy this piece of venemous crap!

Surviving the Great Digression

From the day of the Supreme Court ruling that put George W. Bush in office until today, I had the distinct impression that somehow the universe’s time line was interrupted. It seemed as if suddenly we were living in the “Bizarro World” where everything I had taken for granted suddenly changed. That got even stranger after September 11, 2001 and I have lived with that feeling of disorientation until the latest election.

So what does this mean for today and the past year for me and my friends? Well, the past year has brought some interesting asides but little major change. Oh yes, you can get married in Massachusetts and Connecticut and for a short time in California, but other than that, no major strides forward have been made in fundamental LGBT rights. It’s almost as if we were still where we were at the end of the Clinton Presidency in 2000.

The Bush years have been one long digression for LGBT Americans and it’s time that came to an end. Now with the new Obama administration poised to take office I have higher hopes, but I know nothing is set in stone and I suspect nothing will be handed to us on a plate.

LGBT people still lack some of the fundamental rights of being an American citizen, and now that we have exited the Bizarro World, perhaps we can get a few things done. First would be getting rid of the weird double-speak rule of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military. It was intended as a compromise for LGBT service people, but instead it has become a Catch-22 that makes it even more difficult to serve the country in the Armed Forces. My hope for the New Year is that DADT will be more closely examined and tossed into the dust bin of history as a “really bad idea” and one that was instituted by a previous Democratic President. (Bush has no lock on Bizarro!)

Next, eliminating the whole “State’s Rights” canard and making our country a more homogeneous place when it comes to having a relationship recognized and having legal rights. The DOMA, Defense of Marriage Act, must go. Ooops! Another Clinton ear hold over!

More fundamentally, we need a Civil Rights act for LGBT people. The struggle for ENDA, the Employment Non-discrimination Act was a start, but ultimately it failed to produce results. It’s time we started getting back to the real “gay agenda”, full citizenship with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. Now that we have a more sympathetic administration coming to Washington, perhaps it’s time for another mass civil action, like the previous Marches on Washington. This time, there will be a Democratically controlled Congress and a Democratic President and just maybe someone will take us seriously.

Whether by design or by accident, LGBT issues have been thrust into the news this year, and the stunning win for Proposition 8 in California might just have finally awakened the spirit that was embodied by the “Girls of Stonewall” and Harvey Milk. I find it inspiring that the wonderful movie about Harvey Milk’s life opened just after the election. Perhaps his life can inspire another generation of LGBT activists to get some changes made.

It’s time we got back to the real time-line and out of the Great Regression of the Bush years. Economically, we have been thrust back to almost the same point we were at when Bush took office. Spiritually, we have been distracted by divisive policies and manipulated by religious bigots using fear and outright lies to divert our journey. Diplomatically, we have squandered the once good name of our country in a profit motivated series of unjust wars. Politically, we have been diverted from our march toward democracy and justice for all that American ideal of “building a more perfect union.”

Perhaps, just perhaps, with continued work and the occasional gentle nudging, LGBT people can realize the full benefits of American Citizenship we were marching closer to prior to the Bush years. I harbor no illusions that the Obama administration will wave a magic wand and magically make everything better. I do believe things will change, but only if we help guide them.

Now, let’s put the Great Digression behind us and get out there and let our voices be heard. It may be time to once again carry the message to our lawmakers in person. Millions of LGBT voices all speaking for the same goal, all insisting on equality and justice. With luck, maybe someone in Washington will take us seriously for a change.

Happy New Year

Looking forward to the new year, I have to believe it can only be better than the past one. At least after January 20 the White House will be home to someone with intelligence and real leadership abilities.

As California moves in to the new year, Proposition 8 will be challenged in the courts and perhaps overturned before it can deny rights to LGBT citizens who have already married legally in that state.

As Texas moves into the new year, we have mixed blessings. On the down side, George Bush is moving to Dallas, or at least Laura is. His "library" will be built at SMU and most likely will become a white elephant, as most of his papers will remained locked away. On the positive side, at least he won't be president.

For me, I look forward to more writing and steady income! I will be lecturing and traveling less, since I only will be attending events that pay for my transportation. I have funded my own travel to these events in the past and it is way too expensive now.

Less travel mean I will be spending more time with my family and friends and sincerely hope they don't get tired of my company.