The proposed law which enraged LGBT activists and just about anyone interested in human rights in Uganda has been amended. The new Anti-Homosexuality Bill still makes it a crime to be LGBT but dropped the death penalty and life in prison portions of the proposed law.
It's not much of a step, but I suppose in Uganda even that is something. Still Uganda is not about to show up in the Bob Damron's Guide any time soon.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Gay Man Injured By Bouncer In Straight Bar
What was he thinking? A gay man walked into a nightclub in Queens New York and began dancing with his partner! The bouncer grabbed him and told him to stop and when he resisted he was beaten and tossed out. What was he thinking?
Maybe, just maybe he was thinking, "hey straight people go into gay bars and dance together all the time, so why not the reverse?"
Considering he is a well known New York gay activist, that is a pretty sure bet. Now the cops might just charge the bouncer with a hate crime and good for them! Equality is a two way street, and as long as an establishment is open to the public, there is absolutely no reason two men or two women can't dance together. Especially in New York City!
I would expect and frankly hope more of this happens, the dancing that is not the beating. We might not be able to get married, but we sure as hell can dance anywhere we please. Does that sound like a "fuck you"? Take it however you wish.
Maybe, just maybe he was thinking, "hey straight people go into gay bars and dance together all the time, so why not the reverse?"
Considering he is a well known New York gay activist, that is a pretty sure bet. Now the cops might just charge the bouncer with a hate crime and good for them! Equality is a two way street, and as long as an establishment is open to the public, there is absolutely no reason two men or two women can't dance together. Especially in New York City!
I would expect and frankly hope more of this happens, the dancing that is not the beating. We might not be able to get married, but we sure as hell can dance anywhere we please. Does that sound like a "fuck you"? Take it however you wish.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Glen Beck - "Abolish Medicare"
Most mornings I stroll through the mall attached to my office building and sit at a coffee shop to read and get my morning dose of caffeine. As with many malls in America, this one has its share of "mall walkers", mostly senior citizens out to get some exercise and indulge in this new social activity.
A group is always gathered at a table nearby where they discuss everything from grand kids to politics. From the conversations I have overheard, they are conservative and must listen to Glen Beck or Limbaugh from the quotes they spout.
I have to wonder how they would react to Glen Beck's latest tirade on Medicare.
In reality, Medicare is actually more efficient at providing health care and costs less than private plans.
Of course that is "reality" and I keep forgetting that conservatives create their own "reality". Go figure!
A group is always gathered at a table nearby where they discuss everything from grand kids to politics. From the conversations I have overheard, they are conservative and must listen to Glen Beck or Limbaugh from the quotes they spout.
I have to wonder how they would react to Glen Beck's latest tirade on Medicare.
"...why don’t you just abolish Medicare, because it’s so wildly corrupt and out of control. It’s so inefficient, it is so bad and there’s $47 billion in suspected wrong payments, okay, in Medicare."I would make a bet that every one of those folks at that table are actually beneficiaries of Medicare and so are many of Becks loyal listeners.
In reality, Medicare is actually more efficient at providing health care and costs less than private plans.
Of course that is "reality" and I keep forgetting that conservatives create their own "reality". Go figure!
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Former GOP Lawmaker In S&M Scandal.
OK, when a politician says he is "leaving office to spend more time with his family", that always means caught with his hand in the cookie jar, either sexually or monetarily. Well the case of former Missouri Speaker of the House Rod Jetton ( is that a porn name or what?) gets even more fun. And did I say this loser was behind anti-gay legislative efforts in his home state?
Jetton was already facing corruption allegations, but the latest news of his sexual escapades is choice.
Seems Jetton was a bit kinky, and he and his girlfriend (not his wife, mind you) were planning an evening of rough sex. They even arranged a safe-word, "green balloon" but forgot the third part of the BDSM mantra, "Safe, Sane & Consensual". You see Rod brought along a couple of bottles of wine and after his gal pal indulged in a glass or two, she began "fading in and out".
After an evening of very rough sex which included choking and face slapping she was upset. He told her as he was leaving, you should have used your safe word. And there is the problem!
If you are drunk, or in this case perhaps drugged (there is a suspicion of that as well) you can't give consent and if your are "fading in and out" remembering "green balloons" is tantamount to calculus.
Of course that is making the assumption that Rod and his friend had any kind of education in basic BDSM safety and protocol. HAH! (Sorry that was unavoidable, fat chance a homophobic Republican would ever be out enough to get any kind of educaton in BDSM safety!)
Read all about it and let this be a lesson to any would be kinksters, you can't give consent if you are drunk!
Jetton was already facing corruption allegations, but the latest news of his sexual escapades is choice.
Seems Jetton was a bit kinky, and he and his girlfriend (not his wife, mind you) were planning an evening of rough sex. They even arranged a safe-word, "green balloon" but forgot the third part of the BDSM mantra, "Safe, Sane & Consensual". You see Rod brought along a couple of bottles of wine and after his gal pal indulged in a glass or two, she began "fading in and out".
After an evening of very rough sex which included choking and face slapping she was upset. He told her as he was leaving, you should have used your safe word. And there is the problem!
If you are drunk, or in this case perhaps drugged (there is a suspicion of that as well) you can't give consent and if your are "fading in and out" remembering "green balloons" is tantamount to calculus.
Of course that is making the assumption that Rod and his friend had any kind of education in basic BDSM safety and protocol. HAH! (Sorry that was unavoidable, fat chance a homophobic Republican would ever be out enough to get any kind of educaton in BDSM safety!)
Read all about it and let this be a lesson to any would be kinksters, you can't give consent if you are drunk!
Is The Senate Selling Out? Dropping Public Option.
Carefully parsing his words, Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader said the Senate had reached a "broad agreement". That is double speak for throwing in the towel. Other Senators leaked the details to the press and the "broad agreement" includes dropping the public option on health care in favor of "non-profit" private insurance option overseen by the federal Office of Personnel Management. That is a similar deal to what federal employees get...similar is the key word.
One bright spot is that Medicare would be extended to people 55 and older.
My suspicion is that this alleged not for profit deal insures that insurers will get at least the cash flow if not the complete profits from this bill. Cash flow can be a profit center, especially if you are skilled at bilking every dime of interest and add-ons as insurance companies are.
What a lot of people forget is that one of the biggest insurance companies in the country started as a "not for profit" alternative to private health insurance. Blue Cross & Blue Shield was started prior to my birth back in the depression. It was a product of Baylor Hospital who wanted to find a way to provide insurance for working class folks like teachers and to make sure they got paid for their hospital services. It was not for profit up until the 1980's (thanks to the Regan-Bush years) when it became the big time money maker it is today.
So don't expect that non profit thing to last. Meanwhile, the another bright spot was the defeat of an anti-abortion amendment that would have denied coverage for abortion to people covered under the bill. That little gem was another attempt by the GOP to take away a woman's rights. I suspect most Republican men would like to see women's sufferage repealed. But that is another story.
One bright spot is that Medicare would be extended to people 55 and older.
My suspicion is that this alleged not for profit deal insures that insurers will get at least the cash flow if not the complete profits from this bill. Cash flow can be a profit center, especially if you are skilled at bilking every dime of interest and add-ons as insurance companies are.
What a lot of people forget is that one of the biggest insurance companies in the country started as a "not for profit" alternative to private health insurance. Blue Cross & Blue Shield was started prior to my birth back in the depression. It was a product of Baylor Hospital who wanted to find a way to provide insurance for working class folks like teachers and to make sure they got paid for their hospital services. It was not for profit up until the 1980's (thanks to the Regan-Bush years) when it became the big time money maker it is today.
So don't expect that non profit thing to last. Meanwhile, the another bright spot was the defeat of an anti-abortion amendment that would have denied coverage for abortion to people covered under the bill. That little gem was another attempt by the GOP to take away a woman's rights. I suspect most Republican men would like to see women's sufferage repealed. But that is another story.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Pepsi Says They Are Appalled By Beenie Man Concert
Apparently enough people wrote Pepsi about their sponsorship of a Beenie Man concert in Uganda that they issued the following statement.
"We are appalled by the performer’s lyrics and find them repugnant. Our bottling partner in Uganda was not aware of the performer's views and never would have sponsored the concert with this knowledge.... Moving forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more vigilant about the events associated with our brands."
Good for Pepsi and good for all those who write and told the soft drink giant how outraged you were. For those who didn't know, Beenie Man is a Jamaican singer whose homophobic lyrics included exhortations to "slit the throats" of gay men.
"We are appalled by the performer’s lyrics and find them repugnant. Our bottling partner in Uganda was not aware of the performer's views and never would have sponsored the concert with this knowledge.... Moving forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more vigilant about the events associated with our brands."
Good for Pepsi and good for all those who write and told the soft drink giant how outraged you were. For those who didn't know, Beenie Man is a Jamaican singer whose homophobic lyrics included exhortations to "slit the throats" of gay men.
Stem Cells To Kill HIV? Hope Or Hype?
This year I have posted at least three stories on dramatic advances in the fight against HIV/AIDS only to be crestfallen by the follow up that either indicated the stories were complete hype or the results when reanalyzed were inconclusive. Now comes an announcement by UCLA that they have a "proof of concept" around using genetically engineered stem cells as a vaccine against HIV.
Until I see a patient walking around completely cured of the virus, I can only say...blah, blah, blah! This sounds like hype to secure either funding or to make a first claim on a patent. Today, medical research seems to be about getting patentable drugs and processes rather than about curing disease. The big winners find a way to make previously deadly diseases "manageable". That is medical double speak for , not a cure, but still big profits.
Skeptical? You betcha! The "Living with HIV" industry is worth billions of dollars a year. A cure though it would be wonderful would only generate income until the disease was wiped out. I suspect if polio were an emerging epidemic today, there would be no vaccine, but lots of drugs to "manage" the disease.
Until I see a patient walking around completely cured of the virus, I can only say...blah, blah, blah! This sounds like hype to secure either funding or to make a first claim on a patent. Today, medical research seems to be about getting patentable drugs and processes rather than about curing disease. The big winners find a way to make previously deadly diseases "manageable". That is medical double speak for , not a cure, but still big profits.
Skeptical? You betcha! The "Living with HIV" industry is worth billions of dollars a year. A cure though it would be wonderful would only generate income until the disease was wiped out. I suspect if polio were an emerging epidemic today, there would be no vaccine, but lots of drugs to "manage" the disease.
Monday, December 07, 2009
McDonald's To Transgender Applicant - "We Don't Hire Faggots!"
Seems like some folks just can't handle transgendered people. The manager of a McDonald's in Florida left a message for a transgendered job applicant on their answering machine. The gist of it was this:
"It doesn't matter how many times you go down there: You will not get hired. We do not hire faggots."Nice sentiment from the house of Ronald McDonald. Pam's House Blend has the recording.
Uganda Make Me Crazy!
After being pounded by emails and comments from Ugandans defending their Middle Ages bill which makes homosexuality a capital offense, now it looks like Pepsi is in the mix. The soft drink sponsored concerts by Beenie Man, the Jamaican singer whose lyrics endorse killing gay people.
At the Pepsi sponsored concert Beenie Man is reported to have song that gay men should have their throats slit. Now that doesn't sound like the "Pepsi Generation" I remember.
Write or call Pepsi and ask them why they are sponsoring a singer who endorses murder? Or you can sign the online petition here.
At the Pepsi sponsored concert Beenie Man is reported to have song that gay men should have their throats slit. Now that doesn't sound like the "Pepsi Generation" I remember.
Write or call Pepsi and ask them why they are sponsoring a singer who endorses murder? Or you can sign the online petition here.
Friday, December 04, 2009
Porn Study Ends - No Porn Virgins Found!
Well that must have been a disappointing moment. Researchers at the University of Montreal failed to find a single male in his 20s who hadn't been exposed to porn. Back to the drawing board on that study!
So next time someone gives you grief for watching porn give them the link to this story. If they calim they have never done it, they most likely have their pants on fire, and not from the porn!
So next time someone gives you grief for watching porn give them the link to this story. If they calim they have never done it, they most likely have their pants on fire, and not from the porn!
Fair Park Esplanade Fountains Dazzle This Weekend!
For those who know me, it's no surprise I am excited about the new fountains going into Fair Park. The installation was inspired by the Bellagio fountains in Las Vegas and will give the park's esplanade a wonderful focal piece. Additionally, the two statues often referred to as the "chorus" are back. These disappeared after the 1936 Centennial and have been lovingly recreated to grace the grand entrance of the park.
Below is a computer simulation of the lighting and fountains as they will look starting this weekend during the Holiday in the Park celebration.
Below is a computer simulation of the lighting and fountains as they will look starting this weekend during the Holiday in the Park celebration.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
New York Senator Monserrate - Convicted Abuser Voted Against Gay Marriage
A nice little tidbit exposed on the Daily Show. Once again Jon Steward is a better reporter that CNN, FOX, and all the other networks combined. He even showed the surveillance footage used to convict him of assault against his girlfriend.
It's here in this segment of The Daily Show:
It's here in this segment of The Daily Show:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Gaywatch - Meredith Baxter & New York State Senate | ||||
| ||||
NY Democrats Who Voted Against Marriage Equality - Traitors!
OK so here are the names of the NY Senators who voted against Marriage Equality:
- Addabbo
- Aubertine
- Diaz
- Huntley
- Kruger
- Monserrate
- Onorato
- Stachowski
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Bishop Says "Gays Won't Go The Heaven" - What About Pedophile Priests & The Church That Protects Them?
Well, the headline says it all. Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan made the statement that homosexuals and transsexuals "will never enter the kingdom of heaven".
Then in a backhanded attempt to sound like a man of God he intoned, "People are not born homosexual, they become homosexual, for different reasons: education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence. It may not be their fault, but acting against nature and the dignity of the human body is an insult to God."
Of course the good Cardinal like every other Catholic official remains mute on the systematic cover up by the church of the dozens of pedophile priests who have molested children in recent history. Ain't is swell that folks like him actually know how God thinks?
Then in a backhanded attempt to sound like a man of God he intoned, "People are not born homosexual, they become homosexual, for different reasons: education issues or because they did not develop their own identity during adolescence. It may not be their fault, but acting against nature and the dignity of the human body is an insult to God."
Of course the good Cardinal like every other Catholic official remains mute on the systematic cover up by the church of the dozens of pedophile priests who have molested children in recent history. Ain't is swell that folks like him actually know how God thinks?
This Christmas, Pass The Red Kettle By
It's hard to miss the Salvation Army red kettles. They are outside most store and malls with a volunteer ringing a bell which I am sure drives retailers crazy.
I used to drop a dollar or two into the pot every time I passed one until I found out that the Salvation Army, actually a worldwide religious organization actively works to obstruct LGBT rights. If you thought all they did was rescue drunks, think again.
In Scotland the Salvation Army actively lobbied to prevent a repeal of anti-gay laws while at home a few years ago they worked in tandem with the Bush administration to remove any barriers to discrimination against LGBT people while still receiving government funds through the "faith biased" initiates program.
John Aravosis over at Americablog pulled this from their website last year regarding their Austrailian barnch:
I used to drop a dollar or two into the pot every time I passed one until I found out that the Salvation Army, actually a worldwide religious organization actively works to obstruct LGBT rights. If you thought all they did was rescue drunks, think again.
In Scotland the Salvation Army actively lobbied to prevent a repeal of anti-gay laws while at home a few years ago they worked in tandem with the Bush administration to remove any barriers to discrimination against LGBT people while still receiving government funds through the "faith biased" initiates program.
John Aravosis over at Americablog pulled this from their website last year regarding their Austrailian barnch:
"[Homosexual activity is] as rebellion against God's plan for the created order.... Homosexual practice, however, is, in the light of Scripture, clearly unacceptable. Such activity is chosen behaviour and is thus a matter of the will. It is therefore able to be directed or restrained in the same way heterosexual urges are controlled. Homosexual practice would render any person ineligible for full membership (soldiership) in the [Salvation] Army." - Salvation Army Australia Web site (emphasis added)This year why not donate to your local Food Bank, Kiva.org or to the Human Rights Campaign Fund?
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Merry Christmas, You're Deported!
Ah, in the spirit of the season the Salvation Army and Houston Fire Department are asking for birth certificates or Social Security cards for the children they are handing out toys to. Yes, St. Nick now works for the IMS in Houston. Something you might want to remember when being asked to donate a toy or other item to these organizations.
Funny, I don't remember Jesus attaching strings to His miracles? Maybe Lou Dobbs is really Santa Clause?
Funny, I don't remember Jesus attaching strings to His miracles? Maybe Lou Dobbs is really Santa Clause?
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Whale Go Boom!
OK this is an old video, but I first saw it almost 40 years ago when it was first shot... of course the it was on 16mm film.
News reporter Paul Linnman of Portland, OR was sent to cover the story of a dead whale that washed up on shore. The parks department or some other rocket scientist figured they could blow the whale carcas up and the shore birds and crabs would take care of the pulverized remains.
The proceeded to pack the whale with a ton of dynamite and pushed the plunger. The story is below. Obviously no one thought this through and from the huge pieces of blubber falling and destroying cars parked 1/4 mile away, it clearly belongs in the "hey watch this" hall of fame.
News reporter Paul Linnman of Portland, OR was sent to cover the story of a dead whale that washed up on shore. The parks department or some other rocket scientist figured they could blow the whale carcas up and the shore birds and crabs would take care of the pulverized remains.
The proceeded to pack the whale with a ton of dynamite and pushed the plunger. The story is below. Obviously no one thought this through and from the huge pieces of blubber falling and destroying cars parked 1/4 mile away, it clearly belongs in the "hey watch this" hall of fame.
Minaret Ban In Switzerland?
I can't imagine this happening here...note the irony in my voice.
Right wing voters in Switzerland look poised to win an election that will prohibit mosques from building minarets. Seems they don't want people thinking that radical Islam is spreading in their country. So they ban minarets?
Seems the right wing Swiss are as crazy as the GOP.
Right wing voters in Switzerland look poised to win an election that will prohibit mosques from building minarets. Seems they don't want people thinking that radical Islam is spreading in their country. So they ban minarets?
Seems the right wing Swiss are as crazy as the GOP.
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