Saturday, January 10, 2009

Friday, January 09, 2009

Log Cabin Republicans Deep In Debt!

This one falls under the "My Heart Bleeds for You" category, and I mean that with all the irony I can muster.

Seems the Log Cabin Republicans are facing a financial crisis. They ended the year at least $100,000 in debt according to a report in the Washington Blade. The group faced a lackluster 2008 as far as fund raising goes.

Patrick Sammon, President of the group was quoted in the Blade:
“Really what we anticipated was that 2008 would be a better year fundraising-wise based on what we’ve seen in other presidential election years,” he said. “We just didn’t see the fundraising materialize the way that we expected.”
I really gotta hand it to the LCR's, they can do "denial" as well as their straight counterparts. Of course they came up short in fundraising. The GOP candidates were about as homophobic as they come. When will these Bozos quit living in their fantasy world where the GOP suddenly realizes that it has been dead wrong in its policies towards LGBT people? It ain't gonna happen!

If anything the Republicans are circling the wagons and becoming more rigid in their social idology than ever. It's all they have left.

So I will get out my little violin and play a sad song for the Log Closet Republicans and wish them well as they continue to beat their heads against the stone wall that is the GOP.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Electrial Votes Now Official - Obama Wins! VIDEO

It's official now that the Electoral College has voted. Watch the video as Cheney is interrupted numerous times by standing ovations from the entire Congress in joint session. Awkward, but stirring!

AIG Takes Another Luxury Junket - In Secret!

AIG, those fine fellows who got billions in bail out money from you and me, have done it again. Even as they are pleading the case for additional funds from the government, they sent their top executives on another junket. This time to a luxury resort and spa in Phoenix, AZ.

The tried to keep their meeting a secret, avoiding any logos or signs and even forbidding the hotel staff to mention their presence. Luckily, enterprising reporters for ABC15.com (KNXV) caught the AIG executives on hidden cameras poolside and leaving the spa at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort.

So why are these jerks getting away with this crap? I think it's high time we took an equity stake in AIG and a place in the board room. These crooks need to be fired without their golden parachutes. I am not one for nationalization but in this case, we have put $150 billion into this company and they still can't reign in these free-spending idiots who got the company into hot water in the first place.

Larry Craig Still Guilty - Still!

And so today we find that Larry Craig is still guilty! Big surprise. His lawyer announced he is dropping his appeal to the state Supreme Court and throwing in the towel.

So what does this mean? Not much for most folks, but for former Minnesota Senator Craig it means he will have to live with the conviction and some day come to terms with his sexuality. Or maybe he can just live in that land of make believe most Republicans inhabit?

Craig was seeking "public bathroom sex" which is a pretty good indicator in my book that he has a real sexuality struggle going on. I know a lot of people whose first homosexual encounters were in public bathrooms. Not a very good spot for developing a healthy attitude toward sexuality.

Now I also know guys who like this kind of sex because its kinky and risky. The big problem with this is, a lot of folks just go to the bathroom to "go to the bathroom"! This means they could stumble upon a couple of guys going at it and that puts it squarely in the category of non-consensual space. I have a real problem with that.

If Larry Craig is one of those guys, more power to him, but he needs to get his kicks in a consensual space not the airport bathroom. I suspect that is not the case. Craig is just a self hating gay man trapped in a straight life. Sad but it could be remedied by one simple step. COME OUT!

End of rant.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

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?

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

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.

Monday, January 05, 2009

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.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

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.