Star Trek Pizza Cutter - ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST - Hint, Hint!

Ken Mehlman Urges GOP to Support Gay Marriage - Say What?

Ken Mehlman who earlier this shocked no one in the LGBT community, came out.  The former chairperson of the Republican Party does a lot of talking about the Party of Lincoln in this clip, but I think that party long ago dissipated in the waves of ultra-conservative religious right folks who have hijacked the GOP.  Interesting clip, watch it.

DADT Repeal Goes Down In Flames

So all this talk about bi-partisanship and compromise is a load of crap.  The GOP will not compromise and it's time the Democrats realized it.  I am proud of the House for scuttling the lame duck tax boondoggle.  Now let's see some real reform and stop trying to kill the middle-class and subsidize millionaires.

I still have hope the Senate might try the Armed Forces Appropriations bill again. We only need 3 measly votes!

Republicans Hate American Heroes - Block Medical Aid for 9/11 Workers

The GOP has long used 9/11 as a banner issue that has brought them both political and monetary riches. It would seem logical that these "patriotic" American public servants would naturally be interested in the health problems of the brave folks who worked around the clock on the site of the World Trade Centers to rescue the living and retrieve the dead.

Well, think again!  The Republicans have successfully blocked a bill in the Senate that would give medical care to rescue workers and residents of New York City who became ill as a result of breathing in toxic debris and dust from ground zero.  The "James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act", is named after a New York Police Department detective died as a result of his participation in the rescue efforts at ground zero.

Nice work GOP!  Why do you hate American Heroes?

DADT Vote Might Happen Today?

The buzz around Washington is that the Defense Authorization Bill might come up for a vote today.  The news is it still includes the repeal of DADT (Don't Ask Don't Tell).  The other big news is that Joe Sudbay of Americablog one of the hold-out Democratic Senators has been won over. Senator Mark Pryor of Arizona now says he can sign the bill with DADT repeal intact. 

If only a couple of Republicans go along it will pass.  That is a big "if" but apparently there is hope.  I had long ago counted this out, and if it does go through attached to the Defense Authorization Bill I will be amazed and will make all the appropriate apologies. So not wanting to count my chickens, I am still watching the eggs closely!

Glee Meets The Grinch

It is pretty funny that my partner and I were discussing how Jane Lynch's character, Sue is patterned on Dr. Seuss' Grinch.  Apparently the writers also came to that conclusion in the Christmas episode.  Enjoy!

Pearl Harbor Day

Though there are only a hand full of survivors left to observe the "day that will live in infamy" they still gathered in Honolulu for the observance.  It is still one of the most amazing events in history for me.  In this day of radar and GPS and satellites it seems inconceivable that the Japanese fleet could sneak up on Pearl Harbor and almost succeed in wiping out the US Navy in the Pacific.

I have been to that historic location and the USS Arizona memorial is sobering.  Though it has been 69 years, an oil slick still seeps from the wreckage of that battleship.  The memorial is a wonderful historic site and a gathering place for generations who come to try to understand what happened.  Surprisingly, a good number of Japanese tourists visit as well.  The souvenir books are printed in English and Japanese, a somewhat surrealistic touch.

The reality of the present would seem surrealistic to people who fought and died that day.  Both Americans and Japanese would marvel at the thriving trade and enduring friendship that have been established between our two countries. 

I hope someday people will visit the 9/11 memorial and wonder how such a tragedy happened and how countries who are now such good allies could have ever been so cruel.  That remains a dream, but perhaps it can come true if we have really learned the lessons of the past.

GOP Backed Subsidy for Millionaires Disguised as Tax Cuts

So even as the Republicans are spouting blather about deficits, they are behind the extension of the immensely expensive subsidy for millionaires that has come to be called the Bush Tax Cuts.  The Democrats have relented in opposing these because the GOP held unemployment benefits hostage until the subsidies were extended.

Meanwhile they will rail about spending and deficits while creating an even bigger hole to dig out of.  I sincerely expect they are planning to get the nation so deeply in debt that the only way out will be to cut all Social Security and Medicare to make ends meet.  The GOP is relentless and they will do anything to get their way, and they hate both programs, even though the American people love and need them.

The GOP is a party of the rich, by the rich and for the rich and don't believe them when they say anything different.  They will talk about class warfare and how bad it is, but they have already won the class war.  All of us are working and paying taxes to support the wealthy of this country and it's getting worse.

Meanwhile the Democrats try to reason and negotiate with the Republicans.  It hasn't worked in the past decade why should it work now? 

Texas Tea Party Starts Anti-Semitic Push

The Texas branch of the Tea Bagger movement is really starting to look like a bunch of brown shirts.  The recently elected tea party candidates to the Texas House are now trying to oust fellow Republican, Joe Straus.  Why?  Because he is a Jew!

In an email between two members of the Texas State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) — Rebecca Williamson and John Cook. “We elected a house with Christian, conservative values. We now want a true Christian, conservative running it."

Cook who was interviewed by phone concerning the emails said, "I got into politics to put Christian conservatives into office. They’re the people that do the best jobs over all.”

When asked if he was being anti-Semitic he responded, "They’re some of my best friends...."

Yeah, right!

Bernanke: "America is...creating two societies." Ultra Rich and The Rest of Us

This is a quote from a 60 Minutes interview with Ben Bernanke.  It's very important and really doesn't mince words.

Pelley: The gap between rich and poor in this country has never been greater. In fact we have the biggest income disparity gap of any industrialized country in the world. And I wonder where you think that's taking America.

Bernanke: It's a very bad development. It's creating two societies. And it's based very much, I think, on educational differences. The unemployment rate we've been talking about. If you're a college graduate, unemployment is 5 percent. If you're a high school graduate, it's 10 percent or more. It's a very big difference. It leads to an unequal society, and a society which doesn't have the cohesion that we'd like to see."

TSA Musical Tribute - Kinsey Sicks Video!

DADT Repeal Officially Dead?

I hate "I told you so" moments, but as I said in my column last week in the Dallas Voice, I sincerely believe DADT repeal is dead, and so does Harry Reid.  In his floor schedule for the week of Dec. 6 there is no mention of debate on the Armed Services Bill to which it is attached.

The Senate will busy itself with the myriad of other important work they neglected to take care of during the past session, like Strategic Arms Reductions, the Dream Act and funding government so it doesn't shut down.

They have successfully kicked the can down the road so many times they only have one week left to do all the work and something gets sacrificed...namely LGBT rights.

So, what can we do?  Well for me calling or writing my Senator is hopeless.  My representatives in the Senate are the most dogmatically ideological Republicans in the bunch, Kay Bailey Hutchinson and Pete Sessions.  I have called and written many times and get nice polite form letters explaining how important "family values" are and how essentially I can go jump off a cliff.

My answer for now is this, put my money where my heart is.  I am spending at as many LGBT merchants for Christmas this year as I can, and have suspended all political contributions until I see some movement on LGBT  rights.  Of course I still get requests for funds from every Democrat in Congress and to them I say, "show me the rights and I'll show you the money"!

McCain Refuses To Help 9/11 Responders

Yet another reason to thank God that McCain didn't win the election for president.

Yesterday a 9/11 first responder approached McCain in the capitol and told he who he was and asked Senator McCain to support the Zadroga bill that provides $7.4 billion in aid to workers who were sickened or injured in the response to 9/11.  McCain thanked him for his service and then said, "I can't help you."

Nice from a man who used 9/11 as a rallying cry for his reelection and for a variety of political goals and now a veteran who benefited from government aid refuses to help these guys.  Once again McCain proves his "dickishness".  It's time for this old codger to retire and maybe he could take Anton Scalia along with him.

The New York Daily News had it right, McWeasel!