New Species of Lizard Discovered at the Lunch Counter

My what is that interesting dish you are having?  Surprise it is an entirely undiscovered species of lizard!

Scientists having lunch at a restaurant in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam identified a previously undiscovered lizard being served grilled as their lunch.  You can't make this stuff up!

Jump Rope with a Muslim - Video from Rally For Sanity!

Supreme Court Rejects Log Cabin Republicans Request, DADT Still Holds

Here is no surprise.  The Supreme Court voted Friday to keep to the “DADT”  intact, rejecting a request by the Log Cabin Republicans to reinstate an injunction on the policy pending appeal. They took their appeal directly to Justice Kennedy, one of the most conservative judges on the bench.  Frankly, the whole thing is strange.  I understand the lawsuit, but I question their motives.  In the past LCR has supported candidates and platforms that work against LGBT rights, why the change of heart?  Perhaps they are as frustrated as I am with the administration.  Their suit did get a favorable ruling, but a stay was all but certain.

Taking these issues to a Supreme Court as ideologically stacked as the Bush Era court is will make legal redress for LGBT issues next to impossible.  Things might get better if a couple of justices, like Thomas or Kennedy would retire, but don't count on it.

Out Of Controlled Demolition - Ooops!

It's almost impossible to not see at least a dozen videos each year of some kind of controlled demolition.  You know the kind.  The crew meticulously plants charges and calculates the trajectory of the building and on the appointed day, voila!  The building colapses into a nice neat pile for easy clean up.

Here is the kind of scene you don't often see, since I suspect these videos are closely guarded.  A smokestack next to a power substation is demolished.  It first just sits there, and then....well the video tells the story.  Luckily no one was hurt but 4,000 customers lost power.

Pelosi Hints at ENDA During Lame Duck Session

OK, we have some people saying Pelosi is a toxic asset to the House, and others wondering what she can do to assure her the Minority Leader seat. Personally, I don't care, but I might be more interested if she actually does what she is hinting at. She has been toying with the idea of bring up ENDA, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act during the lame duck session of Congress.

Though this makes for interesting speculation, given the past record of the allegedly Democratic controlled Congress, I will cheer once I see it.  In the meantime, I am not holding my breath.  The lame duck session is going to be very full since the GOP has blocked all spending bills this year, so I kind of agree with Barney Frank, LGBT legislation this year is dead.

Prove me wrong Nancy!

Rep. Todd from Tennessee Thinks Illegal Immigrants are Multiplying "Like Rats"

Ah yes, in true Tennessee fashion Representative Todd puts the Stereo in Stereotype!


Note: Full Disclosure, my family comes from Tennessee on my mother's side, so I have an attachment to the state. Not to paint everyone from the Volunteer State as a bigot...just a whole lot of them. Coming from Texas, I know bigots well, we have a state full of them!

Veteran's Day - Hug A Gay Vet Today

As the Obama Administration curiously defends Don't Ask Don't Tell in the Supreme Court, the rest of the country celebrates Veteran's Day.  The irony is not lost on me.

I have several friends who are veterans and I sincerely appreciate their service for our country, what I appreciate even more is that they served despite being gay and served honorably and a few were even decorated.  Funny that as long as men and women in the military lie about their sexual orientation everything is peachy.  It is an outrage that they must do so!

The lame duck Congress has a unique opportunity to do something to right this wrong, but I am not holding my breath.  So far Obama talks a good game, but refuses to let DADT die in the court or to issue an Executive Order to change it.  Sad state of affairs on this Veteran's Day when we remember and honor the men and women who served so valiantly.

Reality TV Gets Way Too Real - SWAT Officers Kill Child On Camera!

Just after midnight and the SWAT team tosses a "flash-bang" grenade into a house.  An informant has told them a murder suspect was inside.  What they found was a sleeping family awakened and disoriented by the explosion, and during the melee an officer shot 7 year-olf Aiyana Mo'nay Stanley-Jones in the head.

The whole story was captured by A&E's film crew shooting a "reality" show.  Insane?  You bet!

The whole thing should never have happened.  I contend that without the TV crew it wouldn't have happened and here's why.  From having done documentaries, I can attest that people in the presence of a camera act differently.  They may put on a false bravado, they may try to seem "intense" , they often adopt the persona of a fictional character in an attempt to look good on camera.  All in all what you get is always to an extent "unreal".

Add to that the whole police macho thing and it's a recipe for disaster and that is exactly what happened.  A bad tip, a trigger happy cop, a botched raid and needless drama most likely done for TV and you get a dead child.  Great TV?  Not on my schedule.

Corpses On Cigarette Packs! A Bit Late for Halloween.

Hey Kids!  Collect them All!

Ever read the warning on a pack of cigarettes?  Pretty scary, but apparently not scary enough.  Now graphic photos will be included to show corpses and diseased lungs.  That should make for interesting smoke breaks, as confirmed nicotine addicts get nervous looking at the carnage and light up even more cigarettes.  Meanwhile anyone who leaves a pack of cigarettes out at, say dinner, will be greeted by the combined nausea of their dining companions.

Should be interesting to see if it works.  I suspect new smokers, (aka teens) will find the gory pictures cool and end up trading them like Baseball Cards.

"LGBT Legislation is Dead" Barney Frank Says

And if there was any doubt that there will be no progress on LGBT rights in he coming congress, Barney Frank said in an interview in the Washington Blade that any LGBT bills are dead.  The best we can hope for is that the Dems can block any hurtful legislation by the GOP.

Meanwhile the lame duck session promises to be pretty much useless for us.  Perhaps the new slogan for the Dems can be "Yes we... we'll get back to you."

T-Mobile Flash Mob Does It Again! A Capella.

This is an example of some of the best advertising ever done. Arresting, joyful, exciting and totally unexpected. Almost makes me want to subscribe to T-Mobile. This happened at Heathrow Airport last month, it was done live and only the singers and airport authorities knew it would happen. Enjoy!

Is Andrew Shirvell a Jilted Gay Lover? What do you think?

OK, I just saw this piece by Anderson Cooper which contains an interview with Andrew Shirvell and I gotta say, he talks more like a jilted lover than a politician.  A politician doesn't show up at your house at 1:30am to protest, but someone carrying a torch sure does.  I'm just saying...

Justice in Michigan - Anti-gay Attorney General Fired!

Andrew Shirvel, the Attorney General from Michigan who used his blog to hound and bully Michigan State Student Assembly President Chris Armstrong for being gay has been fired.  His anti-gay tirade on the blog was not Shirvel's only action.  He actually went to Armstrongs house three times in a further attempt to harass him.

Much of his blogging was done on state time and clearly violated state policy.  Shirvel is unapologetic.

On a personal note, his actions sound much more like a jilted lover than someone out to "get somebody" because he was gay.  I expect a whole lot more information will emerge about not just the incidents but Mr. Shirvel in the future. Those late night visits to Armstrong's house just don't seem like the kind of thing done in protest.  I'm just saying.

And Now a Message From The Kinsey Institute

This place works tirelessly to advance sexual freedoms and sexual research, really!