American Family Association - Re-criminalize Homosexuality

Why the American Family Association, a recognized hate group, is still getting press is beyond me.  Now these bigots are calling for the reinstatement of sodomy laws!  This kind of crap is one of the biggest arguments against "states rights".  That phrase is code for just plain discrimination.  AFA would hae us living in a nation divided by modern day versions of Jim Crow Laws, but this time they would be against LGBT people.  Don't believe me, watch this:

Catholic Priest Calls Homosexuality Evil in Full Page Newspaper Ad

Found this on JoeMyGod.com, a wonderful blog.  Seems a Catholic priest in El Paso has decided to use his parish budget to take out a full page ad in the El Paso Times to condemn homosexuality.  As amazed as I am at the whole hypocrisy of the idea of an institution rife with child molesters and very sick closet cases trying to make moral pronouncements, the tone of the missive is particularly un-Christlike.

"Engaging in depraved and unnatural sexual acts will lead directly to the ruin of both the homosexual's body and soul," [Father Michael] Rodriguez writes. "Our very anatomy cries out against the lie that homosexual acts are 'ok.'" Rodriguez closes his screed by saying we live in a "godless society" that condones homosexuality. "Reflect, first there are (a) individuals committing mortal sins of a homosexual nature; next, evil extends its tentacles to (b) society as a whole accepting homosexual and homosexual activity as 'normal"; and finally, iniquity's victory is all but sealed when (c) laws are enacted which impose the putrid homosexual ideology on everyone, while those who, rightfully resist it, are ridiculed, attacked, and persecuted..."

 Luckily  Joe also included Father Rodriguez contact information.

Bachmann Sees Messages From God in Earthquake & Hurricane

A person's faith is one thing, but when a politician starts making prophetic announcements like the recent earthquake and hurricane are messages from God about Washington policy, I really draw the line.

Michele Bachmann has actually come out and said that the recent natural disasters are "warnings from God" that politicians need to change their policy.

"I don't know how much God has to do to get the attention of the politicians. We've had an earthquake; we've had a hurricane. He said, 'Are you going to start listening to me here?'"

This is the kind of politics that I would be less surprised to see in the Middle-East coming from a fundamentalist Islamic leader than from an American politician.  Once again, this demonstrates how much alike the right-wing in this country and the Islamic radicals in the Middle-East really are.

Crazy eyes indeed.

Jet Ski in the Streets of Newark

Courteous jet skier pulls over to let Truck pass in Newark, NJ after Irene. 

Shipping Something About The Size of a Human Body?

A great video from FedEx. Enjoy.

Jedi Kitties! Too Cute Video of the Day.

Thanks Malcolm for finding this, it made my day a little brighter.  I love kitten puppetry! (humane)

Rabbi Blames Quake on Gays

OK, I admit I got punked by the story about Pat Robertson blaming Metrosexuals for the quake,(thanks Tim for catching this) but this one checks out.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin, an ally of the National Organization for Marriage who last month blamed the murder of an 8-year-old Brooklyn boy on the passage of marriage equality in NY, has posted a new video in which he claims yesterday's earthquake on the east coast was because God is angry about homosexuality.

Says Levin: "We saw today an earthquake. The Jerusalem Talmud tells us that one of the reasons that God brings earthquakes to the world is because of the transgressions of homosexuality. The Talmud states, 'You have shaken your male member in a place where it doesn't belong. I too, will shake the earth.'"

 The YouTube video that accompanied the article was removed from YouTube for hate speech.

Rick Perry Lies - Watch The Video!

Hurricane Irene - Be Prepared! Video From FEMA

Roger Williams Sees Welfare Recipients as Livestock

I am not making this up.  I suspect he was trying to use donkeys as a metaphor for the Democratic party, but his dialogue seems directed specifically at the kind of "welfare queen" myth that Regan started.  Williams sees the poor and those in need of government help as donkeys and he figures his supporters will as well.  This is outrageous class warfare stuff and I thing the GOP knows exactly who they are targeting, the base and in this case the bigots.

Don't Think BDSM is a Sexual Minority? Think Again.

For folks who labor under the illusion that their sexual proclivities toward BDSM do not make them a sexual minority, this is a wake up call.  Sex in almost any form is still a big taboo in this puritan country.  Take the case of the chancellor of the University of Northern Virginia.  David Lee looks pretty good for someone 63 years old, and he is still very sexually active including various BDSM activities in his life.

Unfortunately, being a little indiscreet and posting a picture of yourself flexing on the internet is enough to get you into a brouhaha of epic proportions. David and his partner Regina Biscoe posted pictures of themselves and their home dungeon online where they were discovered by snooping press folks and voila a scandal!

Lee resigned his post over the incident which quite frankly has nothing to do with his performance as chancellor or anything else other than his sexual preferences. It's time we grew up as a nation and took a mature attitude toward people's sexuality.  The continued use of consensual sexual behaviors as leverage by the press or others to cause a scandal is just plain juvenile.

Puritanical attitudes toward sex in this country drive politics and policy that should have nothing to do with what is essentially private behavior.  It's time we began understanding that what happens between consensual adults is not news. 

The only exception I make to this is when the person or persons engaged in these activities is activley working to deny the rights of other sexual minorities.  Now that is a cause for outrage and scandal, not for their sexual behavior but their hypocrisy. 

Orthodox Rabbis Play Lesbian/Gay Matchmakers - Oy Vey!

In an announcement that seems more like something out of a very cruel and twisted sitcom, Orthodox Rabbi Arale Harel has started a matchmaking service.  Unlike Dolly Levi, the Rabbi is pairing up gay men and lesbians so they can procreate, with the caveat that they will seek conversion therapy.  The service is for "religious homosexuals and lesbians"and is thankfully available only in Israel for now.


Oy vey!

The Great Texas Desert?

That is what it seems like here in Dallas this year.  After 56 days of 100+ temperatures and no end in sight it is a valid question, "is Texas becoming a desert?"

I did a little digging and found that the Chihuahuan Desert in South West Texas gets just under 17 inches of rainfall on average and though this is far more than some other spots in Texas, the amount of water that evaporates from the area far exceeds the rainfall (evapotranspiration), thus the desert conditions. This year in Dallas we have had only a little over 20 inches of rain and none in the forecast.  That puts us over 11 inches behind our yearly average.

Though in Dallas this year we had a wet spring, right now the primary color of the landscape is brown.  My grass is a nice crispy tan and most likely will stay that way until the fall.  It makes me wonder if I shouldn't pull out the lawn and out in a rock garden like the folks in Las Vegas do.  No water needed, and the desert plants  used for landscaping do just fine even through a few harsh winters. 

Maybe we could just add a few casinos and become the entertainment capital of the South?

Uganda May Push Forward with Anti-Homosexuality Bill

Despite the rumors that the Uganda "anti-Homosexual" bill was dead, it looks like the Ugandan Parliament is pushing forward with it. This law would be deadly to many Ugandan LGBT people and has been uniformly condemned by most developed countries in the world.  Sadly, a group of right-wing evangelicals in this country have helped move this bill forward.

Pukkelpop Festival Storm Disaster

At the Pukkelpop festival in Belgium last night a very intense storm wreaked havoc on the concert goers and campers.  A stage collapse, reminiscent of the Indiana State Fair disaster last week, and reportedly 5 people were killed.  This video clip shows a band onstage performing to rain soaked crowds, when debris from the storm gust front begins pelting the stage.  As it begins to hail, concert goers and performers flee.  Not a good place to be in a big storm.  Why the concert continued is a mystery to me.  Guess Belgium doesn't get severe storms?  Sad and very scary event. The remainder of the 3-day festival has been cancelled.

The Texas Miracle? Not So Much.

The Texas Miracle, that's the phrase you will be hearing more and more of in coming months as our Governor Rick Perry makes his run for the White House.  The whole "miracle" thing makes for a catchy political phrase, but there is no miracle going on here in Texas. 
You will hear Perry point to how great Texas has fared during the recession, but you will never hear him say we still have higher unemployment than 25 other states including New York, most of New England and  our neighbors to the north, Oklahoma.  Nor will you hear Governor Perry relate how much of the employment in our Miracle State is in low paying jobs.  37% of the jobs created in the past year are at or below minimum wage.  The Texas miracle for jobs?   Well, we lead the nation in minimum wage earners - 550,000 of them to be precise.

And the climate for business in Texas, it's terrific unless you want an educated work force.  Out of all 50 states we rank number 41 for jobs requiring a post-secondary education.  Luckily, Perry and the Texas legislature are cutting an additional $2 billion from the state education budget.  I guess that is being done to attract more low-tech companies or perhaps just to put us on a level playing field with a 3rd world country.

But hey, we have lower taxes than most other states!  So, the rich can keep even more money and the poor, well they will have more to spend on things like health care.  Now in health care we top the list, the list of most people without health insurance.  A whopping 26.9% of Texans have no health coverage.  It's a miracle we don't have more considering Rick Perry's attitude on government spending.
Meanwhile as an LGBT Texan, I would like to relate to you the Miracle Worker's positions on a few points salient to our community.
Take a look at the basics, like our state's Sodomy Law (2106).  Well, Perry says, “I think our law is appropriate that we have on the books," to heck with the Supreme Court, whom he dismisses as “nine oligarchs in robes".  Every time proposals to expunge the law have been put forward, he has declined to support any of them.

He even criticized the federal hate crimes law for including LGBT people saying that President Obama overstepped his authority by “making homosexuality a protected class”.  Tell that to any of the hundreds of Texans who have been victims of gay bashing.  I suspect they would all be delighted to be part of a protected class, considering they were attacked strictly because of their sexual orientation.

He also comes down squarely against same-sex marriage.  "Gay marriage is not fine with me," Perry said in an interview Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council.  If you will remember that group was recently classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Nice folks, and the same ones Governor Perry palled around with during his prayer day extravaganza in Houston.  So if you are gay or lesbian and you want to marry, Perry suggests, “…if there’s a state that has more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that’s a better place for them to live.”

Well, Governor Perry, as one of "them" let me tell you something and since I understand you didn't do very well in college,  I will put this in simple language even you can understand.

I have lived in Texas all my life, and I am not about to move and relinquish my state to a wise-cracking hate-mongering empty suit like you.  I know lots of the people you so flippantly dismissed as "them" and I will let all my gay and lesbian, bisexual and trangender and straight brothers and sisters know just the kind of man you are. In fact I encourage them to let all their friends on Facebook and Twitter know this as well.  I will be damned if I will see your intolerant and ignorant face in Washington as anything but a tourist, and personally I would be just as happy if it was you who left Texas.  Now that would really be a miracle!

America Spreads It's Craziness to Australia

Fundamentalists are not content to spread their brand of crazy here in the US.  Now they are going overseas to let people know just how intolerant and psychotic their faith is.  Sorry Australia, she somehow escaped from the asylum.

The Folks Rick Perry Prays With

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Brand New Hotel to be Imploded in Las Vegas

MGM Resorts has requested permission to demolish the still unopened Harmon Tower in the City Center complex.  Construction defects found altered plans for the 49 story hotel and it was topped out at 27 floors.

The company is in litigation with the construction contractors Perini Building Company who says they can fix the structural problems.  Clarke County is considering the request.  

Of the many hotels that have been imploded in Las Vegas to make way for bigger and newer properties, I would guess this is the first one that was demolished before a paying guest even set foot on the property.  Know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em or in this case implode them!

S&P Downgrade Proves Boon for US Treasuries

As I suspected the S&P downgrade had little to do with real economics and more to do with politics and retaliation for being hauled before Congress.  Though the Ratings agency lowered US Treasury ratings to AA+ from AAA, the market for those bonds is stronger than ever. 

Motivation becomes the real question for their downgrade, and I am still banking on the whole revenge aspect.  What is even stranger is their upgrade of China.  Read more at Bloomberg.

10 Things You Need to Know About Rick Perry

The Twisted Logic of Rick Perry

In a desperate attempt to cover the fact that most of th4e jobs Perry claims to have created in Texas were at or below minimum wage, he made this amazing statement.

"How many times have you heard the story about a minimum-wage worker who made their way up to upper management? The mail room employee who eventually ended up running the company?"

He spouted this tripe at the National Conference of State Legislatures last week. 

By making a statement so grossly over general, he might as well have been saying, "how many times have you heard the story of a child born in the US who ended up running a company?"  He is just plain ridiculous.

The Insanity of Eugenics is Still With Us

As a fan of Star Trek I am familiar with the whole "Eugenics War" concept.  The idea was that mankind began trying to breed a superior race of humans by selective breeding. If the idea sounds familiar, it might be because the Nazis tried it with the whole "Master Race" thing, but what a lot of people don't realize is that Eugenics is not a foreign concept.

Back in 1898 there was a world's exposition held in Omaha, Nebraska of all places.  The Trans-Mississippi Exposition was a grand affair that featured exhibits from around the country and across the globe.  Much of the entertainment was provided by ethnic exhibits of strange peoples from far off lands, however one of the exhibits featured the idea of "better families" for a better future.  The exhibit showed how superior breeding could result in superior human beings.  The term Eugenics had yet to be coined.

Several scientists were working on the idea of selective breeding of human beings around the turn of the 19th century.  The idea caught on and states began enacting Eugenics Laws which prohibited anyone who was "epileptic, imbecile or feeble-minded" from marrying or in some cases undergo forced sterilization.

Sadly these grotesque laws stayed on the books well into the 20th century in some states.  Not surprisingly, much of their implementation was racially motivated.

Case in point, Elaine Riddick of North Carolina who had an unplanned pregnancy at 13 and after delivering the baby was forcibly sterilized on the ruling of the Eugenics Board of the State of North Carolina in 1968.  Today she is fighting for compensation for this inhuman act.  She was deemed "feeble minded" and given no choice in the operation. 

So the next time you hear the word "eugenics" or see some story about the inhumanity of the Nazis and their selective breeding, pause for a moment to remember that they were not acting alone, and that our country participated in that same kind of "human experimentation".  Seeking to create a master race, whether by decree of some megalomaniac dictator or by scientists is equally misguided.  Natural selection as far as human beings are concerned has worked very well for thousands of years, and tinkering with it has been shown to produce some pretty bad results.

Another Anti-Gay Republican Caught in Gay Sex For Money Scandal!

Is this even news? Yes, when it is a man who voted against LGBT rights issues and specifically voted for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. 

Meet Indiana state Representative Phillip Hinkle (R). He responded to a Craigslist ad and offered a young man $80 plus tip to spend "a couple of hours of your time" at the Marriott hotel.  His tip was to be $50-$60 for a "really good time".

Furthermore in an article in the Indy Star, the object of the Representatives affections was offered an iPad, BlackBerry cellphone and $100 cash to keep quiet.

Ah family values at work again.  Family Values = cheat on spouse, pay for gay sex, try to cover it up, deny it in the media.

Colbert Super PAC Strikes a First and Hilarious Blow!

Stephen Colbert is actually producing ads for the Iowa Straw Poll. His choice for GOP candidate...Rick Parry. (With an "A") Write in's that are misspelled are tossed out. Nice work Mr. Colbert! I salute you!

Banning Books Still Booming in US

OK, pardon the alliterative headline, sometimes I just get carried away.  The story is far from amusing, though.

The school district in Republic, Montana has declared that Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Slaughterhouse-Five" was unsuitable for high-school students because, and I quote, "they teach principles contrary to the Bible". 

Let that sink in a while. 

The last time I checked we still have a constitutionally mandated separation of Church and State, so just because a book runs "contrary to the Bible" should make no difference.  Yes, it is violent and brutal and thought provoking, and just the kind of story that will catch a teenagers interest and actually make him or her THINK!

Of course the good folks in Republic don't want their kids thinking, that might lead to actual intelligence and God forbid they develop that! 

It seems to me that God's gift of our wonderful brains should be used and developed, not wasted and allowed to rot.  I seem to remember something in the Bible itself about that.

S&P Downgrade - Retribution for Congressional Scrutiny?

Unless you live under a rock, you know about the credit downgrade by Standard and Poors of the US credit rating.  We dropped from AAA to AA+.  Not surprisingly they gave one reason which specifically blames the GOP.

Compared with previous projections, our revised base case scenario now assumes that the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, due to expire by the end of 2012, remain in place. We have changed our assumption on this because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues, a position we believe Congress reinforced by passing the [debt ceiling] act.

Now if you watch Fox News you will never see this quote, and though I do believe it was brought on mainly because of the insane debates over raising the debt ceiling I also thing it is a little pay-back from S&P.  They were hauled in before a Senate subcommittee a week prior to the downgrade for testimony in the mortgage crises.  During that hearing they were criticized for giving good ratings to the bundled mortgage products that caused the burst of the housing bubble.  I suspect their timing is as much retaliation as anything.  Time will tell.

Fair Park Fountains -Cool Vision on a Hot Day

The new fountains on the esplanade at Fair Park are spectacular by any measure.  This footage was from 2009 and the water choreography is wonderful.  Enjoy and imagine sitting in the midst of the cool spray!

Water Flowing on Mars - Video from NASA

This is very exciting to see what is very likely flowing water evidence on Mars from the orbiting observatory.

Last Pink Triangle Passes Away - Rudolph Brazda RIP

Rudolph Brazda, the last known gay survivor of the Nazi concentration camps has died.  His story is important and luckily he was interviewed for a French documentary recently.  The following clip is a wonderful legacy from this survivor of the Nazi persecution of gays and lesbians during World War II.

American Family Association Tries Rewriting History Again - Hitler & Nazis & Homos Oh My!

In the magical land of Oz that Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association live in Hitler and the Nazis were all gay.  Never mind the facts that Hitler had gays purged from his ranks, or that he sent gays to concentration camps to be exterminated, the AFA wants you to believe that WWII was because of those nasty homosexuals.  No wonder this is considered a hate group.  Enjoy this 4 minutes of hate if you can keep from throwing up.  It's good to know our enemies.

Mayor of Vilnius Fights Illegally Parked Cars

Interesting way to make a point, don't park in the bike lane, no matter how much money you have!

Evolve Already - Video to President Obama

Hug The Gay Away? More Ex-Gay Tripe.

NPR has been doing a delightful expose of the whole bogus ex-gay therapy industry.  Much of the attention to this discredited "therapy" comes from the fact that Michele Bachmann's husband runs one such practice.  Now Salon.com has expanded the look into one of the fringe treatments offered by these hucksters, "cuddle therapy".

I have previously blogged about the bizarre practices of the group called JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality) and it's founder Allan Downing. He has been accused of having clients stand naked in front of him and masturbate.  This would somehow desensitize them or some such clap-trap.  What it most likely did was give Downing a nice thrill.

Meanwhile, the Journey into Manhood, a weekend retreat where men hug, wrestle and then beat pillows with baseball bats.  All part of some sort of connecting with their absent fathers crap.  For the record, my father and I were close, he hugged me and we spent lots of time together, and I am still gay.

It's a good thing that these bunco artists are being reexamined, because apparently exposing them in the news and on the Daily Show didn't take.  These therapists are most likely, in my opinion, troubled gay men who can't reconcile their attractions with their rigid fundamentalist beliefs, so they act out by trying to project their "cure" on other unhappy gay men.  The problem is not because they are gay, the problem is because they cannot accept their sexuality and that is a sad truth for a lot of people both straight and gay.

Electro-Pimping - New Trend, Sugar Daddy Sites

Imagine a site filled with beautiful young girls all seeking help paying off their college loans, student debt, etc. No need to imagine, a site called SeekingArrangement.com is just that.  A web site full of young women seeking sugar daddies to help them pay off their college loans.  In earlier times we would just call these people prostitutes and more recently the term I use would be sex worker.  It's an honest profession and I have no problem with it as long as those who engage are doing it of their own volition.

Truth be told I have friends who are sex workers and I love and respect them.  My problem with this new version of the oldest profession is it's wink-wink, nudge-nudge pretending that what is going on here is not just plain old sex work.  The bigger problem is many of these women are doing this because they can find no other way to pay off their gigantic student loans.  Seriously, I am not making this up!

The site operates in the grey area of the law since it doesn't explicitly detail sex for money services.  Perhaps this will be a growing trend, who knows.  It is a pity that the burden of student loans is so great that graduates feel forced into these kinds of arrangements.  Like I said, sex work is a valid career choice, but my problem is the coercive aspect of the transaction and the illusion that it is anything but what it is.

Oh well, you say "ba-nah-na," I say "ba-nan-uh." We live in interesting times.

Sean Hayes Returns to TV Sitcoms

One of my favorite actors, Sean Hayes will be returning to television in a new sitcom on NBC.  Details have not been announced, but I will be delighted to see him back.  His most memorable role was that of "Jack" on the ground-breaking sitcom, Will & Grace.

Can't wait!

Huffington Post/AOL Uses Photo from Folsom Street Fair to Illustrate Singapore Caning

OK, this is just bad journalism and a slap in the face to human rights advocates and the BDSM community. Huffington Post/AOL ran a story today about a tourist in Singapore who groped a woman in a nightclub and was sentences to a caning.  As anyone who understands the brutal system of justice in Singapore knows caning as practiced by the police there is not consensual and leaved permanent scars and often broken bones. 

To use a photo from a celebration of consensual BDSM/Leather as an illustration is either just ignorant or intentionally misleading. 

I would expect better from Huffington Post, but I guess truth is not an issue anymore since they sold to AOL.

News Corp Still Under Scrutiny - This Time FBI

Attorney General Eric Holder will meet with families of 9/11 victims to discuss the possible hacking of their deceased loved one's phones voice messages.  According to a story in the Guardian:

"The allegation that News of the World reporters attempted to gain unauthorized access to victims' voice mails was made in an article in the Mirror earlier this month. The paper said the journalists had approached a former New York police officer working as a private detective and asked him to do the hacking, which he declined to do....

Title 18 USC section 1030, barring unauthorized access to protected computers, could also be invoked in relation to the mainframe computers on which the phone companies store voice mails."

 Should any of these allegations hold true, the whole of News Corps business in the US may be affected.  Advertisers will be loathe to associate their products with Fox News or any other News Corp entity. 

Rick "Frothy Mix" Santorum Goes to New York - Wants to Overturn Same-Sex Marriage

Rick Santorum thinks he can march into New York and overturn same-sex marriage.  He is staking his campaign on this one so I certainly hope there are a few LGBT New Yorkers who will greet Mr. Frothy Mix when he arrives.

Gender Neutral Bathrooms at UT

Very good news.  University of Texas in Austin is adding gender neutral bathrooms to all new building projects.  Dallas Voice as more.

Oslo Tragedy May Be Work Of Radical Christian Fundamentalist

From an eyewitness account or the shooting at the children's camp:

"I heard screams. I heard people begging for their lives and I heard shots, Erik Kursetgjerde said. "He just blew them away. I was certain I was going to die ... People ran everywhere. They panicked and climbed into trees. People got trampled ... [He] would tell people to come over, 'It's OK, you're safe, we're coming to help you.' And then I saw about 20 people come towards him and he shot them at close range." 

With that image in my head I was very saddened to see that the shooter who may also be directly related to the bombing attack on Oslo was a far-right Christian Fundamentalist. He is said to have very conservative political views and was vehemently anti-Muslim. Anders Behring Breivik is in custody and charged with the shootings on Utoya island where the camp was built.  He came into the camp wearing a police uniform.

Very tragic situation.

Most Annoying Video Clip Ever - Nyan Cat. Enjoy!

OK this one just amazes me.  It's gone viral and for the life of me I cannot understand why.  More annoying than the Hamster Dance web page from many years ago if that is even possible.  Warning, it isn't pretty even with the rainbows.

DADT Repeal Certified by Military

From Stars and Stripes:

The Department of Defense will certify Friday that the military is ready for the repeal of the controversial "don't ask, don't tell" law, setting the stage for openly gay troops to begin serving in the military in late September, U.S. officials confirmed.

The certification comes after months of training for military personnel to prepare them for the presence of openly gay uniformed colleagues for the first time in history, and starts the 60-day waiting period before the law is completely removed.

Under rules outlined by Congress in December, the president, defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were required to certify that the services are ready for the dramatic personnel change before the law could be repealed.

Stephen Colbert - "It Gets Better"

Colbert tells a very real and encouraging story.

Al Franken Exposes Focus on the Family's False Testimony in DOMA Hearings

BREAKING: Murdoch May Resign from News Corp

From a report just posted on Think Progress:

According to reports by CNBC, Rupert Murdoch is considering stepping down as CEO of News Corporation amid the hacking scandal in the United Kingdom and potential investigations in the United States. British police yesterday arrested Rebekah Brooks, the former CEO of News Corp.’s News International group who resigned amid controversy just days ago. Britain’s two top police officials also resigned under a cloud over the past two days amid growing allegations of improper relationships between Scotland Yard officials and News International employees.

Whistle Blower at News of the World Found Dead

The man who first blew the whistle on the News of the World hacking scandal has been found dead in his home.
More from Sky News.

Alleged "Gay Conservatives" Offer Help to Michele Bachmann

The group calling itself GOProud consisting of allegedly LGBT conservatives now says it will reach out to Michele Bachmann to help her improve her image with LGBT voters.  The group says they want to discuss issues important to LGBT voters with the candidate.

This is the Michele Bachmann whose husband runs an ex-gay treatment program, who says:

• “It’s part of Satan I think to say that this is “gay.” It’s anything but gay.”
•  “If you’re involved in the gay and lesbian lifestyle, it’s bondage. It is personal bondage, personal despair and personal enslavement.”
• “Don’t misunderstand. I am not here bashing people who are homosexuals, who are lesbians, who are bisexual, who are transgender. We need to have profound compassion for people who are dealing with the very real issue of sexual dysfunction in their life and sexual identity disorders.”

These guys would be like Jews wanting to help Hitler understand the problems of the German Jewish population in the 1930's.  They are either a fake organization or the most pitifully self-loathing group of closet cases I can imagine. But I am not opinionated or anything.

Phone Hacking Scandal Leads to Fox News!

I hate to be a "I told you so" kind of guy, but hey, I told you so.

The whole phone hacking scandal that is rocking Rupert Murdoch's media empire may have begun with...(wait for it)...Fox News. 

According to the blog Raw Story:

A former producer with Fox News claimed in a lengthy essay gaining new traction this week that the conservative television station has a "Brain Room" in its New York headquarters which enables employees to view private telephone records with ease.

If this pans out it will mean one of the cornerstones of the News Corp cabal will be very vulnerable and perhaps guilty of criminal activities. Might mean buh bye Fox!  Before dancing the Schadenfreude Polka, there is more to learn.  Keep your ears open.

Blood Bank Bans Man for Looking Gay

First off, the whole banning gay men from donating blood is so 1980's.  We have excellent screening tests now for blood and I seriously doubt that simply banning gay men from donating blood makes the supply any safer.  When drunks and homeless people regularly sell plasma for their survival, you have to question how that is safer.

Meanwhile, in Gary, Indiana a man was donating blood when he was informed he did not qualify because he "looked gay" and therefore was ineligible because homosexuals are not allowed to donate blood. The man, twenty-two-year-old Aaron Pace, is not gay.  Go figure?

Rebekah Brooks Arrested, Can Rupert Murdoch be Far Behind?

Rebekah Brooks, the stubborn executive at New International who refused to resign was arrested as she arrived at a police station to assist in the investigation of the New of the World hacking scandal.

She is the latest executive of the Murdoch medial empire to be cuffed by police as the scandal threatens to spread to the US. Already the FBI is investigating allegations that News Corp operatives tapped cell phones of 9/11 victims. The trail may lead to Fox News and perhaps Rupert Murdoch himself.

Whatever happens the story is getting bigger and bigger and I predict it will topple the Murdoch media empire or at least change it drastically.

"Iron Man" Style Hand Cannon - For Real

A clever inventor, Patrick Priebe, has created a palm sized laser cannon that looks like something out of Iron Man.  Small but very powerful it can pop balloons and make fabric smolder.  Not much...yet!

Dow Jones CEO Latest Casualty of Murdoch Scandals

New Corp is teetering.  First News of the World goes down, then the Rebekah Brooks, head of News International resigns and now Les Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal resigns.  All due to the hacking crimes of NOTW and other Murdoch papers.

This adds fuel to the rumor that the scandal may spread to the US and the extensive media holdings of Rupert Murdoch here.  Additionally, the FBI has launched an investigation of News Corp to determine the extent of any illegal activities that might have taken place in this country. There are allegations of phone hacking of 9/11 victims and bribes to former NYC police officers.

I would imagine the folks over at Fox News are quaking a bit, considering rumors of their own shady practices this could be ugly for them as well.

Debt Talks - Why the GOP Won't Budge and Why We are in Trouble

It is understandable why President Obama is frustrated with the debt ceiling talks.  He is dealing with a modern version of the Roman god Janus.  Janus had two faces one looking to the future and one to the past.  The GOP has two faces as well, one the more rational conservative like Mitch McConnell (R, KY) and the other the far less rational Tea Party face of Eric Cantor (R, VA). 

The whole thing boils down to politics, but the most risky kind imaginable.  Right now Moody's, the credit rating service, has said it may downgrade US securities.  That would be a real blow to a slow recovery.  It would mean higher interest rates and a loss of confidence from our lenders, like China who has already warned against defaulting on our debts. Yet apparently that means nothing to the Tea Party. 

The problem is the Tea Party folks have little grasp of the realities and complexities of how our economy works.  To them it's just a simple balance sheet of income and debt.  Well as any company accountant will tell you, that might work fine for a check book, but things are far more complicated in the world of big money.

The more rational conservatives know we have to raise the debt ceiling in order to keep growing and to eventually grow our way out of our recession. They raised the debt ceiling several times without a whimper during the Bush administrations and never gave it a second thought.  Now that they are out of power things have changed?  Not really, only the players names and parties. 

The GOP sees a chance to make political hay out of this and the Tea Party has caught on to it and rather than seeing it as a tactic, they see it as a line in the sand.  They have been watching way too much Fox News, and have lost their grip on reality.  That is evident when complete whack-jobs like Michele Bachmann can be considered presidential material.  The unfortunate thing is the GOP embraced the Tea Party folks figuring they could be reigned in and join the fold.  They can't.

It all reminds me of the point when the GOP decided to play to the evangelical crowd.  The fundamentalists had been quietly practicinig their brand of religion for a while and no one gave them a second thought. The GOP saw them as an opportunity and courted their leaders forming the inappropriately titled "moral majority".  That dance with the devil brought a radical edge to the Republicans that still exists, only now it takes the face of Tea Baggers. 

Obama has his work cut out to negotiate with this modern day Janus.  Once face looking to conservative principals and the other glued to Fox News.  God help us all!

Meet Rick Perry's Freinds on Prayer Day - Mostly Hate Mongers

Take a look at who Rick Perry is aligning himself with.  People who believe Oprah is the devil and gays are plotting to take over the world. They also believe the Holocaust was God's doing to punish the Jews.  In other words, wackos and hate mongers. Hope you don't vomit.

Conservative Marriage Vow Pledge - Slavery = Better off Black Children

The Family Leader, a notorious anti-gay group has backtracked on their "Marriage Vow".  Apparently they are taking too much flack for their bumbled wording about African American families.

“...sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President.”

Even conservatives were wary of signing a document this wacky.  Now the Family Leader has tried to cover their tracks with this statement:

“After careful deliberation and wise insight and input from valued colleagues we deeply respect, we agree that the statement referencing children born into slavery can be misconstrued, and such misconstruction can detract from the core message of the Marriage Vow: that ALL of us must work to strengthen and support families and marriages between one woman and one man. We sincerely apologize for any negative feelings this has caused, and have removed the language from the vow.”

 Strengthen marriage?  Well the rest of the pledge includes condemning Sharia law, downsizing government, keeping gays out of the military,  and stopping illegal immigration.  Sounds a whole lot more like a GOP platform than a vow to protect marriage.  More from the SPLC on this bunch, who aligns themselves with the hate-group, the AFA.(American Family Association)

Ron Paul - Buh Bye!

So Ron Paul, the perennial Libertarian/Republican/Whatever candidate for President is giving it another whirl. He announced today he is not seeking reelection so he can gird his loins for the 2012 Presidential run.

The 75-year old doctor has been known for his obstinacy in the House and gained the nick name, "Dr. No".

He is running somewhere around 6th in the polls for Republican candidate, behind unannounced candidate Rick Perry.  Though he may have been one of the founding forces in the Tea Party, I seriously doubt he will get the GOP nod for president. 

My guess is he might run as an Independent or Libertarian or even better just not run at all. I think this will be pretty much the last we hear from Mr. Paul, though his offspring may still be a factor in the future.

Amazing Magnetic Boy? Amazing What People Believe - Video Bunco

This actually made a news story. Supposedly, it's a Brazilian boy who is a natural magnet. The video purports to demonstrate this.

Any young magician knows this parlor trick. A little moisture on the skin can make smooth objects stick, But apparently reporters are easily fooled. Watch:

Hugh Grant on The News of the World Hacking Scandal

Surprisingly, actor Hugh Grant was one of the first to expose the News of the World hacking of celebrities phones.  This interview on British TV is very interesting and the confrontation between one of the reporters who did this is revealing of the motives of the News Corp organization.

Murdock Editor Will Be Arrested!

Former-News of the World Editor Andy Coulson will be arrested on Friday morning, according to The Guardian, over suspicions that he played a direct role in the phone hacking scandal that has brought down the paper. Phone hacking by the paper included a cell phone of a murdered girl and deleting messages left for her and her parents.  Amazing!

This scandal is growing by the moment and Murdock's closing the paper is a shabby attempt to distance himself and his media empire from the crimes.

Murdock's "News of the World" Folds!

Plagued with scandal and pending legal actions for hacking into the cell phones of celebrities and crime victims, Rupert Murdock's tabloid, News of the World is closing.  The best selling London daily will cease publication this Sunday.

From the LA Times:

Earlier this week, Britain was rocked by reports that a private investigator hired by the tabloid had illegally accessed – and deleted – voice mail messages on the phone of a 13-year-old girl who was kidnapped and later found murdered.

That incident and many others including alleged hacking into military and government phones has brought a boycott of Murdock's papers in the UK. 

Murdock also owns Fox News as part of his News Corporation empire.

Political Fundraising. Obama Raking It In - GOP Trickling Down.

From the number of fundraising calls I get, I can tell you that President  Obama has his reelection campaign in full swing. Hardly a week goes by that I don't receive a letter or call from the campaign. Add to that the regular fundraising for the DNC and it's pretty easy to tell that the Democrats are cranking the cash machine at full speed.

Meanwhile, over at the GOP/Tea Party things are not so smooth. With a field of a dozen or so candidates it's hard for any one person to raise the massive amounts of cash needed to mount a campaign against an incumbent. The Republican front runner, Mitt Romney pulled in a cool $18 million in the first quarter, but the GOP itself is bogged down in $18.5 million in debt.

Add to that a recent poll that showed 60% of probable voters said they were entirely or somewhat comfortable with a Mormon candidate.  And that kind of information can only be disheartening to both Romney and Huntsman (the other Mormon presidential candidate).

I know it will be a tough election cycle and I am somewhat confident that President Obama will win reelection but I have to wonder what the GOP will pull from its bag of tricks to level the playing field?  One thing is certain, it won't be Sarah Palin!

Connecticut Adds Transgender Protections

From Raw Story:

Democratic Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy signed legislation Wednesday that is designed to prevent discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

The new law adds the phrase "gender identity or expression" to all existing state sex discrimination laws, making Connecticut the 15th state to specifically protect transgender people.

Video - Massive Haboob Engulfs Phoenix, AZ

Haboob is Arabic for Dust Storm. Amazing video.

More Crap from the Christian Right? Dangerous Gays!

This was too good to miss.  Found this on Joe.My.God.  Enjoy or fume.  Me, I did the latter.

Fireworks at Fair Park - July 4, 2011

Had a great time last night except for the heat, but that comes with living in Texas.

Tried out my new iPhone and shot fireworks, enjoy!

Have a Bang Up 4th!

Fred Astaire with some 4th of July Fireworks as only he could do it!


<div class="yt-alert yt-alert-error yt-alert-player yt-rounded "><img src="//s.ytimg.com/yt/img/pixel-vfl3z5WfW.gif" class="icon master-sprite" alt="Alert icon"><div class="yt-alert-content">You need Adobe Flash Player to watch this video. <br> <a href="http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/">Download it from Adobe.</a><br /> </div></div>

The Fabulous Step Brothers with Foot Fireworks

ON sorry about the alliterate headline, but on July 4 back in 2001 the last surviving member of the tap dance sensation known as the Step Brothers passed away.  Luckily for us their magic has remained on film and now on the web.  OK the images are stereotypical,but get beynd that and enjoy their artistry and amazing energy.

Why Fireworks on 4th of July?

OK burn bans aside, which I understand very well since it is dry as a tinderbox here in Texas this summer, fireworks on Independence Day  are as American as Apple Pie.  Mentioned by our founding fathers, specifically John Adams in a letter to his wife (got the date wrong):

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

So there City of Dallas!  Time to follow our founding father's advice and legalize fireworks in Dallas.  I used them as a child, and was taught how to fire them safely and with care.  Kids nowadays have no such instruction and because they are illegal most often shoot them covertly and in most cases, dangerously.

With common sense and care, fireworks can be fun and reasonably safe and should once again be part of the 4th of July!

Pro Sports RIP? Season of Discontent in Pro Sports

The NBA may lock out players making next season in doubt.  Now from my perspective this isn't a big deal.  I pretty much don't give a rats ass about pro sports except baseball, and that only applies to going to the games.  On TV baseball is as exciting as watching paint dry, pitcher/batter is not the game, the real game is in the outfield and can only be seen from the stands.

But I digress.  The NBA is embroiled in a labor dispute that is simply put, a bunch of billionaires trying to negotiate with a bunch of millionaires how much to pay them.  For all it's street popularity, basketball at the pro level is all about being rich.  Season tickets are well beyond the price range of the common man and much of the game is about sky-boxes and sponsorship bucks.  Not very interesting to me.

Meanwhile the NFL is doing the same thing.  Owners (billionaires) vs Players (millionaires) in a game of brinksmanship.  All so the fans can pay big bucks to watch in air-conditioned comfort from new domed stadiums.  Doak Walker would spin in his grave!

So will there be a season this fall?  Frankly I don't care, I'd much rather watch minor league baseball or college football anyway and that would be on rare occasions when I had absolutely nothing better to do.

Scientists use Diamond to Create Quantum Memory - Quantum Physics Friday!

Remember in the movie Superman, when Christopher Reevesuses a crystal shard to retrieve images and data from Krypton?  Well that may not be that for from some future computing tool. 

Scientists working with nitrogen electrons and diamond have managed to store information at the subatomic level and perhaps open the door to quantum computing.

A story in Science News gives details:

The physicists were able to coax the fragile quantum information contained within a single electron in diamond to move into an adjacent single nitrogen nucleus, and then back again using on-chip wiring.

 More here for you science geeks!

Paris Street Dancer - Amazing Video

Found this while looking for something entirely different but had to share.  The clip shows a wonderful street performer in Paris.  Not the full dance, but enough to brighten your day.

Exploring the Bible's Various Authors - Computer Finds Clues to Writers

For years, biblical scholars have looked at the bible as being written by a variety of authors.  The Pentateuch, or five books of Moses have long been attributed to "priestly" and "non-priestly" writers.  The teasing out of the difference has been through analysis of the word choices and writing styles which vary in come cases widely and other cases in more subtle ways.

For example the names used for God in the Pentateuch change sometimes from passage to passage.  This would indicate that the work had at least two authors.  The research has taken many years and a lot of very devoted scholarship, until now. 

A new computer program has been used to examine the scriptures and it reached similar conclusions to those of scholars, except that it took only a few minutes.  The new tool may shed some light on details of the origins of the scriptures that make up the Bible and give us a better understanding of the authors and their styles.

For Biblical literalists, this will sound like heresy, so to you I say, never mind.  Personally, I have always believed the Bible was a collection of works that expressed our struggle to understand the divine.  It is a collected work that contains many truths if they are taken in the right context.  For those interested I suggest reading Marcus Borg's "Reading the Bible Again for the First Time".   There is a lot more truth in the Bible than just a collection of children's stories.

Independent Review of Atlanta Eagle Raid Finds Widespread Wrongdoing

Police in Atlanta tried to cover up their actions the night of the raid on the Atlanta Eagle. Cell phone records and testimonies recorded by an independent review show the department gave misleading information to the public when they answered reporters' questions about the controversial raid at the Atlanta Eagle bar on Sept. 10, 2009.

The federal lawsuit against Atlanta police was settled for $1 million and the findings of the new review confirm the charges in that lawsuit.

All this is very interesting as the NYPD is possibly involved in the same kind of harassment of the Eagle in New York City on the same night as the same-sex marriage vote, in  fact only minutes after the vote was confirmed.

Watch for more on this soon.

Rick Santorum - "Same-Sex Unions "Cheapen" Marriage

As though Rick Santorum hasn't said enough offensive things about LGBT people, now he attacks the idea of Same-Sex unions saying it somehow cheapens marriage.  In a recent speach he said, "When you redefine marriage, you cheapen marriage. You make it into something less valuable, less special ... [and] it is a sure bet that will undermine faith."

Mr. Santorum seems to miss the fact that heterosexuals have been doing a really good job of cheapening marriage all by themselves.  Take Newt Gingrich, who now on his third marriage, having had affairs that ended the previous two marriages.  Sounds pretty cheap to me! 

Or Ronald Reagan whose first wife Jane Wyman divorced him because his political ambitions took precedence over their marriage. Sounds equally cheap to me, to value your political career over your marriage?

So Mr. Santorum, when I look at these figures:

According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America:
The divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%
The divorce rate in America for second marriage is 60%
The divorce rate in America for third marriage is 73%

 I would say you heterosexuals are screwing marriage up pretty well on your own.  Perhaps you might consider the possibility that LGBT people who actually are having to fight to get married, might do a better job of it.  For LGBT people marriage isn't cheap, it has cost us millions of dollars and thousands of hours of activism, and we haven't got it yet.

More Dangerous Heterosexuals - 51-Year Old Actor Marries 16-Year Old With Parents Permission

Apparently one again straight people have proven to be really bad parents.  A couple has allowed their daughter, Courtney Alexis Stodden who is 16 to marry a 51-year old actor in a Las Vegas ceremony. Las Vegas law will not allow 16-year-olds to marry without a parent's consent.  The parents gleefully consented.

The new bride, who dresses and looks like she is much older is a model and aspiring country singer and former Miss Washington USA contestant.  Her new husband, Doug Hutchinson has appeared in the television show, "Lost" and the movie "The Green Mile". 

Once again proving how dangerous heterosexuals are a parents, letting their children marry men 35 years older than them shows questionable judgement and generally makes them to be unfit as parents.

OK, once again for those who are irony impaired, I include this story because it shows that heterosexuality is no measure of suitability as parents.

Dangerous Heterosexuals - Why Straights Should Not Be Allowed To Raise Children

Add this tragic story to the list of why straight people should not be allowed to conceive or raise children.

The case of Christian Choate. The 13 year old boy who spent the last year of his life locked in a dog cage by his straight parents and was beaten repeatedly and starved before being buried in a shallow grave under concrete in 2009.

His body was only discovered 2 years later. The parents, Riley Choate and Kimberly Kubina are charged with murder, battery, neglect of a dependent, confinement, obstruction of justice, moving a body from a death scene and failure to notify authorities of a dead body. Nice parenting huh?

I say all this ironically, just in case anyone cannot figure out the intent. This tragedy is not funny and it was caused by a couple of very mean sick parents. Their unsuitability for parenting had nothing to do with their sexual orientation.  Likewise the suitability of a gay or lesbian couple as parents has nothing to do with their sexual orientation either.  Why is this lesson so hard to learn.

Sometimes tragedies can be teaching moments even if the lesson is only tangential to the story.

Let The Hate Begin - Family Research Council Puts Out Scare Video

Hope you haven't had any food lately, you might loose it watching this gut wrenching hateful video.  So why publish it?  We need to understand what kind of lies these folks are spreading.  This video contains lots of stuff that is presented as fact that is from discredited "research" yet it is shown as true.  Video is a powerful tool, and FRC knows how to use it well.  Where is our think tank doing this kind of stuff to sway public opinion? 

Watch and hold your stomach.

Echos of the Rainbow Lounge - NY Police Harass Gay Bars During Pride

Even as New Yorkers were celebrating the new freedom to marry, regardless of sexual orientation, the NY Police Departmet were conducting "inspections" of local gay bars.  At the NY Eagle, patrons reported police enterig the bar and shining flashlights in patrons eyes and ended up charging the bar with 6 counts of violations, all of which seem very tenuous.

Charges of "unnecessary noise" as well as charging the bar with not having a "public assembly " permit because of the crowd seem really lame to me.  The timing could not have been accidental and just like the harassment at the Rainbow Lounge in Fort Worth, I suspect the police knew it was the start of Gay Pride week and thought they would just go out and "harass some queers".

More here from the New York Times.

Inside the Stonewall Inn 42 Years After

This is a video inside the Stonewall Inn while the vote was taking place. What a difference 42 years makes!  Great video clip from Riley Kilo.

Gay Marriage in NY!

The party at the Stonewall Inn after the vote was announced.

Sally Kern - Cashing in on Ignorance

Sally Kern, the Oklahoma lawmaker who seems incapable of saying anything that doesn't offend a minority has decided to cash in on her notoriety  She has a new book, "The Stoning of Sally Kern" which apparently explains her martyrdom in detail.  Morover, the book contains lots of nice examples of Kern's ignorance and bigotry. 

From an interview in the Tulsa Beacon she reiterates:

“I am always being accused of hating homosexuals. I don’t hate anyone. This isn’t a matter of hating someone or trying to deny them their equal rights. All American citizens have equal rights under our Constitution. This is trying to get acceptance for a behavior that is specifically mentioned in God’s Word that is wrong.”

If the homosexuals get special status for same-sex marriage, what would stop them from seeking approval for group marriage or marriage to animals or children, Kern said.
“It just opens Pandora’s Box,” Kern said.

Perhaps she should join Rick (man on dog sex) Santorum on a GOP presidential ticket? 

New "It Gets Better" Video by Target Employees

And this is one reason I haven't boycotted Target. 

Gay History Moment, Fire at the Everhard Baths 1977

As part of a little research for Pride Week, I ran across this footage of the fire at the "Everhard Baths" (the nickname for the Everard Baths) back in May 1977.  The Everard Baths were a popular gathering lace for gay men since the 1920's.  The fire resulted in several deaths and many injuries.  ironically a fire sprinkler system was about to be installed in the aging structure. The date on the video is incorrect.

Rethinking Nuclear Power - A Really Bad Idea

I have never been a fan of nuclear power except when I was a child and the government was boasting the the Atomic Power Plant would make electricity so cheap it wouldn't pay to meter it.  Sounded too good to be true then, and it was.

Nuclear has proven to be expensive and very dangerous.  Three Mile Island and Chernobyl were the tips of the nuclear iceberg.  The massive amounts of radioactive waste and the continuing safety problems make this kind of power generation a fools bargain.  Want proof?

Look at Fukushima in Japan.  After the massive tsunami the plant was damaged we were told, but now the extent of that damage looks much worse than anyone was lead to believe.  Three reactors went into full melt down, their nuclear cores melting through the bottom of the containment vessel and into the ground.  The are still hot, reacting and not under control.

This interview with theoretical physicist Michio Kaku should send shivers up your spine because what he says is all too true.

Meanwhile the US Senate has decided to at long last investigate the aging US power plants that should have been decommissioned long ago.  According to an article in Huffington Post: "Of the plants were licensed for 40 years, 66 of 104 reactors have been re-licensed for another two decades. Safety regulators at the NRC have never denied a request."

Our Friend the Atom?

And Then There Were Eight. More Resignations at GLAAD

GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation serves an important role.  I am somewhat attached to this organization since I served on the board of the local chapter here in Dallas many years ago during the organizations formative years.  Back then, the local chapters were really a grass roots effort to monitor the media and attempt to change the way LGBT people were portrayed.

Today GLAAD seems to be more about Hollywood celebrities and media money.  Just look at the current scandal that has decimated the Board of Directors of the organization.  So far eight members have resigned over the AT&T letter campaign to the FCC in which GLAAD directors sent letters that seemed to be against "net neutrality".  Is this an LGBT issue?  Maybe.

More startling was the letter to support the merger of AT&T and T-Mobile. Other than AT&T being a corporate sponsor of GLAAD this one seems a real stretch and it is what brought the board down. 

For me the most important resignation was that or Troup Coronado. He resigned voluntarily, stating that he wanted "to do what was in the best interest of GLAAD."  Troup must feel awful about it, but I have serious questions about his loyalties since he previously served with the Heritage Foundation, a far right organization that has a well known anti-gay stance.  He also worked for Orin Hatch of Utah and his work helped put several judges backed by George W. Bush on the bench.  I would pretty much classify Mr. Coronado as a "mole" who has infiltrated the LGBT  political scene with questionable motives or perhaps he is working deep cover in the GOP, however that seems pretty remote.  This is all speculation of course, and I seriously doubt if we will ever know the whole story.

Welcome to LGBT politics!

Say Hello to My Little Green Friend

OK, now this movie I will not miss!

Al Gore Asks, "How Many Disasters Will It Take?"

Apparently people are not listening. Climate change is happening and faster than I would like.  Listen to this clip of Al Gore in a recent appearance.


What can you do? Buy a more efficient car when you consider a new car. We have a hybrid and a very fuel efficient small SUV.

Switch to a renewable energy supplier. We use Green Mountain. Only a slight bit more expensive and all renewable sources.

Recycle, reduce and reuse.

This list could go on, but I guess nobody is listening.

GLAAD Resignation Exposes a Mole?

As GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios resigned under pressure Saturday, the organization discovered another tie to ATT.  Barrios released statements supporting AT&T and it proposed merger with T-Mobile.  Clearly issues outside the scope of the organization.  As the story broke and more scrutiny was directed at GLAAD and its board, another member was caught in the spotlight.

Troup Coronado,  former AT&T executive and current GLAAD board member has some suspicious ties to the virulently anti-gay Heritage Foundation.  Coronado also sat on as many as four other LGBT rights organization boards including the Equality California Institute, and the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.

Not surprisingly each of these organizations sent letters to the FCC in the recent "net-neutrality" hearings supporting AT&T's position.  The letters have since been retracted.

Coronado would seem to be what in the world of espionage called a "mole".  Someone who burrows deep into an organization and uses their position to gather information and to steer the organization surreptitiously.

The idea of someone from the Heritage Foundation deep in the hearts of several LGBT groups is disturbing.  The incident calls into question the vetting of board members for LGBT groups and in general makes the right-wing look a heck of a lot more nefarious than before.

Make no mistake, groups like Heritage Foundation are not just folks with differing opinions, they are outright enemies and cannot be trusted or ignored. Additionally, donations from big businesses can be just as corrupting an influence on LGBT groups as they are on politicians.


UPDATE: Latest news is that at least 6 board members of GLAAD have resigned as the scandal grows.

Couple Together 61 Years Await Marriage in NY

I only hope I can live with my partner this long and someday even be married legally.

Clarence Thomas Must Resign! Caught Taking Corporate Bribes!

Say it how you will, taking money from corporations who bring cases before the court is called bribery in most places. Why has Clarence Thomas gotten a pass in this?

From Think Progress:

Harlan Crow, whose company often litigates in federal court, donated $500,000 to allow Thomas’s wife to start a Tea Party group and he once gave Thomas a $19,000 Bible that belonged to Frederick Douglass. The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank which frequently files briefs in Thomas’ Court, also gave Thomas a $15,000 gift.

We are talking about a sitting Supreme Court justice!   This is outrageous and he needs to be forced to step down.

Lady Gaga New Video - The Edge of Glory

OK, I admit I am a big Lady Gaga fan and her latest video adds more fuel to that fire!  How can you not like this?

Faux Lesbians and the Blogosphere

As thought it wasn't bad enough that the lesbian blogger Amina Arraf on the blog “A Gay Girl in Damascus” turned out to not only be not Syrian, but a man, now the popular lesbian blogger “Paula Brooks,” editor of Lez Get Real" turns out to be a dude as well! 

As the blog world reels from the shock, I frankly am not surprised.  Consider how many people you may have chatted with online.  Have you ever met any of them in person?  Most likely not many.  Just because you have a Facebook page and an avatar of a hot guy or hot girl doesn't mean a thing.  The world of online communication is most text based.  As a writer, I understand very well how easy it is to write in a different persona.  It's what writers of fiction do all the time, so why can't peoiple get through their heads that their online friends may not be at all who they claim.

The story of Paula Brooks is only now beginning to play out, I expect several more well known bloggers may be exposed as not being who they say they are. For my readers, I assure you that the picture on my blog is me, and I am who I say I am.  Just Google me....after all if it's on the internet it must be true!

NY State Assembly Passes Gay Marriage Bill

New York will soon become the next state where same-sex marriage will be recognized.  After hours of deliberation the bill was passed by a vote of 80-63. Next the state Senate will vote tomorrow and preliminary numbers show only 1 more vote needed to pass the measure.

Broadway Bares All, Sunday June 19

If I could only be in New York City this weekend!  The 21st annual Broadway Bares AIDS benefit looks really fun.  If you are nearby, don't miss it!

Naya Marie Does Lady Gaga - Acapella - Video

This girl, Naya Marie, is wonderful! It's great to see You Tube unleashing so much creativity and talent.

Killer Queen Cover by Fredde Gredde - Video

Wonderful cover of the Queen song. Thanks to Towleroad for the clip! Made my morning so much brighter.

Half-Shares - New Comedy Series Pilot

I am a big Alec Mapa fan, so this was perfect for me. Looks like a pilot in search of a network. I hope it finds one. because it looks very funny. Think Fire Island meets Ab-Fab.

Surfing Geese - Silly Video

Yes this is silly, but I needed a laugh today.  According to the source, no geese were injured and some even did it again.

Rick Santorum - New Definition: "Sorry Sack of Santroum."

So Rick Santorum in an interview with CNN's Don Lemon says that "he has gay friends."  Furthermore, Santorum states that he "loves his gay friends".  What he forgets is that he wants his gay friends to be second class citizens.  This sorry sack of shit actually expects us to by the same crap bigots used during the 1960 saying, "I have black friends" and then expects the listener to figure he isn't such a bad guy.

Sorry Rick, I don't believe you for a minute.  A friend wouldn't treat a friend like you do LGBT people.  So that makes you not only a "Frothy mix of lube and fecal matter" but a lying sack of Santorum.