S**t Homophobic People Say - The Real Thing!

Lambda Legal has put together this lovely little video that shows the real shit Homophobic people say.  WARNING:  resist the urge to hit your screen!

Tennessee Bathroom Harassment Act - Making Transgender Lives Hell

The sole purpose of this crazy bill is to make transgender people's lives hell.  If you doubt that take a look at what the bills sponsor recently said about a non-existent "threat" he fears from transgender people.  Here are State Rep. Richard Floyd's (R) kind words:

I believe if I was standing at a dressing room and my wife or one of my daughters was in the dressing room and a man tried to go in there — I don’t care if he thinks he’s a woman and tries on clothes with them in there — I’d just try to stomp a mudhole in him and then stomp him dry.


Don’t ask me to adjust to their perverted way of thinking and put my family at risk. We cannot continue to let these people dominate how society acts and reacts. Now if somebody thinks he’s a woman and he’s a man and wants to try on women’s clothes, let him take them into the men’s bathroom or dressing room.

This guy need some serious education about transgender people and specifically about his irrational fears.  I know a lot of transmen and transwomen and the idea of going into a bathroom to try on clothes when the bathroom is of the opposite gender you present is crazy.  But it's the kind of stuff I guess I should expect from a guy who has learned everything he knows about transgender people from dirty jokes.

Already Sen. Bo Watson (R) has withdrawn his version of the bill.  Watson saw the light and realized that there were far more pressing issues for a legislator to concern himself with than harassing transgender folk.  I also suspect the media attention on Mr. Watson came into play.  He looked like a stupid hillbilly introducing such a zany bill and he already has an image problem with his ubiquitous bow ties.

Let's hope Representative Floyd gets a similar message and reconsiders his hateful words and bill.

Latest Newt Attack - "Romney Speaks French!"

This is the silliest political ad I have seen in a long time.  The Newt 2012 group produced this slap dab attempt to smear Romney as a "moderate".  Now apparently that is just as bad as being a "liberal".  Oy vey!

Tennessee Legislature Tries To Encourage Transphobia

As though Tennessee wasn't tied with the backwoods mentality race with Texas and Oklahoma with regard to LGBT rights, now Republican Senator Bo Watson is introducing a Bathroom Bill (SB 2282) which will make it illegal for transgender people to use public restrooms unless they use the ones that match their birth identity.

So if you are a transwoman, you have to use the Men's restroom which will automatically cause a ruckus and most likely lead to either arrest or getting beat up.  Once again institutionalizing violence against LGBT people. 

This also makes it really tough on companies with trans-inclusive policies.  Like retailer, Macy's and others.

For the life of me I don't understand what difference it makes if a transman or transwoman uses the rest room of the gender they present as.  These crazy people need to get over their bigotry and get on with really important legislation like cleaning up mining and toxic waste sites, or maybe finding ways to create jobs?

More here on Think Progress.

Romney Says Complaints About Income Inequality Are About "Envy"

Only a man who is so out of touch with the everyday lives of the 99% of Americans as Mitt Romney would have the hubris to say that concerns about income inequality are about "envy".  In case Mr. Romney hasn't noticed we have an income disparity that matched Uganda and is actually greater than Ivory Coast, two of the worst third world countries when it comes to income disparity.

Our country has the biggest gap between the "haves" and "have-nots" since the Great Depression.  Only a man who is perched on so lofty a pedastal could fail to see where this is a problem, and those at the bottom aren't upset because they are envious, they are just struggling to make ends meet while predatory equity firms gut companies, send jobs overseas and sell the scraps off piecemeal.

By the way, Romney was one of those folks when he worked with Bain Capital, a company he is still making a bundle from in his "retirement" 13 years ago.  He has received a share of the profits ever since as part of his package. 

Envious?  Well, personally I am just furious at these guys who add no value at all to our country while shuffling paper about and pulling out profits.  The destructive practices of Wall Street and the banks put us in the "Great Recession" and yet most of the folks who caused it are still flying high.  I know that my life and the lives of many of my friends would be better off if the whole housing bubble, credit-default-swap bubble and whatever other bubble the "wise guys" at the top caused.   If just wanting to see the people who cause the pain actually experience some of it is envy than I guess I need a new dictionary.

Iranian Nuclear Expert Assassinated - Israel Implicated

The chemistry expert, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan wqs killed by a magnetic bomb that was attached to his car by a man on a bicycle.  Clear evidence of a covert operation and not some random act of violence.  Why?  Because Roshan was working as the director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran.

The Iranian government was quick to blame Zionists and the British government for the attack though both countries denied involvement.   Of course that is the nature of "covert" operations. Still signs point to Israel and specifically because of a statement made by Israeli Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz who told a parliamentary panel that 2012 would be a "critical year" for Iran — in part because of "things that happen to it unnaturally."  More of the story in USA today.

Israel has show a willingness to carry out assassinations in the past and has a well organized secret operations arm of the Mossad.  Iran accused Israel of the cyber attack in 2010 using the Stuxnet virus.  It seems like a likely scenario, even though everyone denies involvement. 

In the Middle-East, Israel has always had to be scrappy and defensive and for good reason, but today they have a lot of power and very well organized intelligence. It remains to be seen if they can slow the Iran nuclear program or whether they will only succeed in strengthening Iran's resolve to have the bomb.

I am reminded that there already is a nuclear power in the Middle-East, and that is Israel.

New Video from Bye June

OK, this is a bit sappy, but I am a sucker for sappy.  Also, this has shadow puppets and with my history of puppetry it struck a nerve. Enjoy the new video from Bye June.