If the story about the attack last fall in Trafalgar Square, London was not frightening enough, here comes news from Kentucky. Three teenage girls tried to push a fourth girl over a cliff. They are charged with attempted murder and kidnapping.
Why would they do something so horrible? The victim was perceived as being a lesbian. I guess we shouldn't expect anything more from Flat Lick Falls, Kentucky, but the whole blond high school girls plotting to murder another student reeks of a Hollywood plot. Too bad it's real.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Portrait of a Bigot - Florida Politician Clay Yarborough
Just in general, do you believe Muslims should be able to hold any public office in Florida?Yarborough, city councilperson in Jacksonville, has attempted to block a Muslim and an openly gay woman form the city's Human Rights Commission. Talk about wanting to stack the deck!
“I don’t know.”
Do you think homosexuals should be able to hold a public office in Florida
“I would prefer they did not.”
Jon Stewart - Full Gospel Throwdown
I swear Jon Stewart is getting better and better! Last night he took on Fox News again and with full gospel backup! If he doesn't get an Emmy for this one, I'll be amazed.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Bernie Goldberg Fires Back | ||||
| ||||
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - But I Don't Speak Russian
"Clockwork Orange" Killers On Trial For Murder of Gay Man
It sounds like something of a cross between the ultra-violent movie "A Clockwork Orange" and "Heathers". Ian Baynham, a gay man was in Trafalgar Square when he was attacked by a drunken boy and two blond haired teenage girls. The three began by shouting epithets at him, according to his partner Phillip Brown who witnessed the scene.
One of the girls began shouting "fucking faggot" and Mr. Baynham slapped her. At that point all hell broke loose. The 19 year old boy punched Baynham who fell to the ground hitting his head. Then the two 18 year old girls, Ruby Thomas and Rachel Burke, began kicking him in the face and head and stomping on his stomach.
Baynham who was already in a seizure from the head injury when they began kicking him, never regained consciousness. The brutality of the attack caught spectators by surprise. His partner tried to intervene and was assaulted by the girls as well.
This bloody murder should not fade from the media, dismissed as another example of drunken kids. It is a hate crime pure and simple, and I would expect the UK to prosecute it to the fullest extent.
The fact that these three teenagers felt secure enough to not only shout insults but murder a man in cold blood shows how dangerous the atmosphere is for LGBT people in the UK. Sadly things are not much better here.
One of the girls began shouting "fucking faggot" and Mr. Baynham slapped her. At that point all hell broke loose. The 19 year old boy punched Baynham who fell to the ground hitting his head. Then the two 18 year old girls, Ruby Thomas and Rachel Burke, began kicking him in the face and head and stomping on his stomach.
Baynham who was already in a seizure from the head injury when they began kicking him, never regained consciousness. The brutality of the attack caught spectators by surprise. His partner tried to intervene and was assaulted by the girls as well.
This bloody murder should not fade from the media, dismissed as another example of drunken kids. It is a hate crime pure and simple, and I would expect the UK to prosecute it to the fullest extent.
The fact that these three teenagers felt secure enough to not only shout insults but murder a man in cold blood shows how dangerous the atmosphere is for LGBT people in the UK. Sadly things are not much better here.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Duke College Republicans "Out" Their Own Chairman
This one falls under the "duh" file in my book. Justin Robinette a Junior at Duke University was booted from his position as head of the Duke’s College Republicans because he is gay. That action also served to out him as well and he is upset.
In an interview in the Daily Tar Heel he said, “Comments were made directly to me and my executive board before and after the meeting concerning my sexual orientation, calling me a supporter of the faggot center, calling me ironic, calling me disgusting...."
Well I wouldn't call it ironic, I'd call it expected from a political party who openly states it is against LGBT rights. What was Robinette thinking?
Like the Log Cabin Republicans, this guy is suffering from the delusion that the GOP can be changed. It cannot and if anything it is becoming more and more hard line. Though I feel sorry for this guy who had his position taken away from him, perhaps it will be a wake up call to him and a chance to reexamine his political allegiances.
In an interview in the Daily Tar Heel he said, “Comments were made directly to me and my executive board before and after the meeting concerning my sexual orientation, calling me a supporter of the faggot center, calling me ironic, calling me disgusting...."
Well I wouldn't call it ironic, I'd call it expected from a political party who openly states it is against LGBT rights. What was Robinette thinking?
Like the Log Cabin Republicans, this guy is suffering from the delusion that the GOP can be changed. It cannot and if anything it is becoming more and more hard line. Though I feel sorry for this guy who had his position taken away from him, perhaps it will be a wake up call to him and a chance to reexamine his political allegiances.
Sarah Palin, Even Less Intelligent That I Thought!
Moose killer and ex-half term Governor of Alaska has made some silly statements in the past. It is just too easy to ridicule her or dismiss her as merely today's fad. What I find harder to dismiss is her blatant misstating of fact. That would be a kind way of saying lying!
Ms. Palin has been telling her adoring fans that America was founded on the principal that religion and the state should be one. She conveniently forgets Thomas Jefferson, (that guy who was recently written out of Texas history textbooks), who coined the phrase "separation of church and state". She also forgets the little cornerstone of the Bill of Rights. For those who suffer the ignorance of Ms Palin and believe it to be true, here is that passage verbatum:
For the record, Washington was a diest. There are numerous web sites that dispute this but their source material is flawed. This quote by Reverend Bird Wilson, an Episcopal minister in Albany, New York was published in 1831 and is quoted in The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, (pp. 27).
Ms. Palin has been telling her adoring fans that America was founded on the principal that religion and the state should be one. She conveniently forgets Thomas Jefferson, (that guy who was recently written out of Texas history textbooks), who coined the phrase "separation of church and state". She also forgets the little cornerstone of the Bill of Rights. For those who suffer the ignorance of Ms Palin and believe it to be true, here is that passage verbatum:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."From her remarks at a recent evangelical women's conference she denies this fact categorically. Here are Ms. Palin's words:
"I beg you, Women of Joy, to bring light and be involved, loving America and praying for her. Really, it is our solemn duty. Praying for true spiritual awakening to overcome deterioration. That is where God wants us to be. Lest anyone try to convince you that God should be separated from the state, our Founding Fathers, they were believers. And George Washington, he saw faith in God as basic to life."So where does she get this stuff? She makes it up from thin air with no remorse or conscience, and that is the worst kind of villain, a pathological liar.
For the record, Washington was a diest. There are numerous web sites that dispute this but their source material is flawed. This quote by Reverend Bird Wilson, an Episcopal minister in Albany, New York was published in 1831 and is quoted in The Religious Beliefs of Our Presidents, (pp. 27).
"I have diligently perused every line that Washington ever gave to the public, and I do not find one expression in which he pledges, himself as a believer in Christianity. I think anyone who will candidly do as I have done, will come to the conclusion that he was a Deist and nothing more."Bird was told this fact by Reverend Doctor James Abercrombie, rector of the church Washington had attended with his wife. Though he attended that church he never took communion and many believe he went to please Martha.
Tapping Into America's Dirty Secret
The South has never stopped fighting the Civil War, or as my friend from Mississippi calls it "the War of Northern Aggression". That is seriously how it was taught in his school!
That war rages not just in the South but across the country, but it's just hidden. I firmly believe there is a great percentage of the Tea Baggers who though they would deny it are just tapping into that hidden war. It is not about succession. It is about racism.
Just look at the demographics of that whole manufactured movement, it's 99% white for starters. Heck, that's even whiter than the GOP! And listen to the anger they vent at their events. You will hear more than one racial epithet with quite a few "fags" and "homos" tossed in for variety.
This is the rage that people like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have tapped into. They want to "take our country back". From who? The country elected the government, we are still a Democracy so who are they wanting to take it back from? Well it all boils down to the fact that there is a black man in the White House.
That sticks in their craw worse than any ideological issue. Oh they rant about health care, but when you ask them for specifics, they can only reply with the lies that have been spread. Then their anger turns to their real problem, President Obama. They have been raised in a world of white privilege and that has ended and they don't like it!
Just look at the outrageously racist posters they carry and their inflammatory if misspelled signs. These folks are holding metaphoric torches and pitchforks and they might as well be chanting slogans from the Ku Klux Klan. If you showed them pictures of themselves they would be embarrassed, but in the heat of the moment they have let their inner racist out to rant.
What Fox News and Palin and the others are doing is very dangerous. They are playing with fire, and they have no idea how or if they can control it. It's time to turn down the burner and stop feeding the flames. Some in the Republican Party have already realized this and are distancing themselves from the Tea Baggers, but it may be too little too late. The GOP is cracking at the seams, and their lock-step mentality may have worked when they were the party in power but now it is just making them look obstructionist and worse.
If the GOP get co-opted by the Tea Baggers, the true conservatives will stay away, not wanting to be identified with the radical elements of that bunch. It's good news for Democrats if they can start behaving like a unified party, but hey, they are Democrats!
The whole thing is potential bad news for the rest of us. With luck it will fizzle out and fade into history's dustbin. On the other hand, a small group of racists managed to control a whole continent for a while, and all they had to do was tap into the racial hatred of Jews. Maybe Palin and Fox will start down that road next?
That war rages not just in the South but across the country, but it's just hidden. I firmly believe there is a great percentage of the Tea Baggers who though they would deny it are just tapping into that hidden war. It is not about succession. It is about racism.
Just look at the demographics of that whole manufactured movement, it's 99% white for starters. Heck, that's even whiter than the GOP! And listen to the anger they vent at their events. You will hear more than one racial epithet with quite a few "fags" and "homos" tossed in for variety.
This is the rage that people like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have tapped into. They want to "take our country back". From who? The country elected the government, we are still a Democracy so who are they wanting to take it back from? Well it all boils down to the fact that there is a black man in the White House.
That sticks in their craw worse than any ideological issue. Oh they rant about health care, but when you ask them for specifics, they can only reply with the lies that have been spread. Then their anger turns to their real problem, President Obama. They have been raised in a world of white privilege and that has ended and they don't like it!
Just look at the outrageously racist posters they carry and their inflammatory if misspelled signs. These folks are holding metaphoric torches and pitchforks and they might as well be chanting slogans from the Ku Klux Klan. If you showed them pictures of themselves they would be embarrassed, but in the heat of the moment they have let their inner racist out to rant.
What Fox News and Palin and the others are doing is very dangerous. They are playing with fire, and they have no idea how or if they can control it. It's time to turn down the burner and stop feeding the flames. Some in the Republican Party have already realized this and are distancing themselves from the Tea Baggers, but it may be too little too late. The GOP is cracking at the seams, and their lock-step mentality may have worked when they were the party in power but now it is just making them look obstructionist and worse.
If the GOP get co-opted by the Tea Baggers, the true conservatives will stay away, not wanting to be identified with the radical elements of that bunch. It's good news for Democrats if they can start behaving like a unified party, but hey, they are Democrats!
The whole thing is potential bad news for the rest of us. With luck it will fizzle out and fade into history's dustbin. On the other hand, a small group of racists managed to control a whole continent for a while, and all they had to do was tap into the racial hatred of Jews. Maybe Palin and Fox will start down that road next?
Friday, April 16, 2010
Michele Bachmann is Lying Again
OK, so this is not really big news. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is part of the GOP spin machine and she will parrot whatever is put in front of her apparently. She went on Larry King last night and absolutely lied through her teeth. What's worse, King let her just go on and do it.
Bachmann was trying to sell the line that by reforming health care in this country Obama was nationalizing the system and had a full "51% of the private economy".
Listening to this crap it's no wonder the Tea Baggers are upset. The truth is far from this and nowhere in the health care reform bill that was passed is government takeover of the industry, far from it! Here is a little of her pathological diatribe:
Now I don't expect that the truth can stand up to the Big Lie if it is told long enough, but the news organizations should at least check facts and ask the question of where this lying talking head gets her numbers. Her answer would be telling, and I'll bet it came from the RNC's talking points.
Bachmann was trying to sell the line that by reforming health care in this country Obama was nationalizing the system and had a full "51% of the private economy".
Listening to this crap it's no wonder the Tea Baggers are upset. The truth is far from this and nowhere in the health care reform bill that was passed is government takeover of the industry, far from it! Here is a little of her pathological diatribe:
" The story in our country has been the federal government takeover of private industry. The federal government literally, in 18 months’ time, has taken either direct ownership or control of 51 percent of the private economy. Eighteen months ago, 100 percent of the private economy was private. But today, the federal government literally owns banks., the largest insurance company in the United States. The federal government owns over half of all home mortgages today in the United States — Chrysler, G.M. the student loan industry and now health care."The truth, something the GOP never worries about is that the private economy is still private. The TARP may have bailed out some institutions, but they still belong to the stockholders. Yes, the government ( that is you and me) have become minor stockholders in a few banks, 6 percent of Bank of America and 7.8 percent of Citigroup as of early 2009, but that is a far cry from "literally owning the banks".
Now I don't expect that the truth can stand up to the Big Lie if it is told long enough, but the news organizations should at least check facts and ask the question of where this lying talking head gets her numbers. Her answer would be telling, and I'll bet it came from the RNC's talking points.
Vatican Praised Bishop for Covering Up Pedophile Priest
Say what? Do you mean to tell me that there is a letter from the Vatican actually praising a Bishop for his decision to cover up child abuse rather than expose it to authorities? Well, if you read Latin, you could see for yourself. Here is a translation of the letter by French publication Golias, sent by the Vatican to Cardinal Darío Castrillón Hoyos.
“I rejoice to have a colleague in the episcopate who, in the eyes of history and all the other bishops of the world, preferred prison rather than denouncing one of his sons, a priest....”
A priest who was jailed for three months for not reporting a pedophile priest to the authorities. Funny thing to praise someone for?
Meanwhile the tone of rhetoric from the Pope has become less defensive. In his homily on Vatican Radio yesterday he said, “I have to say that we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word ‘repentance,’ which seems too harsh. Now under the attacks of the world, which speaks to us of our sins, we see that the ability to repent is a grace, and we see how it is necessary to repent, that is, to recognize what is wrong in our life.”
This is a major shift in the statements that have come out about the recent scandals, and perhaps signals a change in Vatican attitude. Who know? Personally, I think the Catholic Church in this Pope is headed for a major schism. Glad I am not Catholic, this must be very tough on the faithful.
“I rejoice to have a colleague in the episcopate who, in the eyes of history and all the other bishops of the world, preferred prison rather than denouncing one of his sons, a priest....”
A priest who was jailed for three months for not reporting a pedophile priest to the authorities. Funny thing to praise someone for?
Meanwhile the tone of rhetoric from the Pope has become less defensive. In his homily on Vatican Radio yesterday he said, “I have to say that we Christians, even in recent times, have often avoided the word ‘repentance,’ which seems too harsh. Now under the attacks of the world, which speaks to us of our sins, we see that the ability to repent is a grace, and we see how it is necessary to repent, that is, to recognize what is wrong in our life.”
This is a major shift in the statements that have come out about the recent scandals, and perhaps signals a change in Vatican attitude. Who know? Personally, I think the Catholic Church in this Pope is headed for a major schism. Glad I am not Catholic, this must be very tough on the faithful.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Traditional Values Coalition Lies Again & Again & Again
This time they are trying to use transgendered folks as their scapegoat. TVC's Andrea Lafferty tells this whopper in an attempt to derail ENDA:
"Every state will be forced to make cross-dressers, drag queens, transsexuals, and she-males* (male-female hybrids) into protected classes. Therefore, every school district in America will be forbidden by law to reassign any she-male teacher because this would be considered "discrimination." Thus, children will be trapped in classes taught by men who dress as women, and students will be indoctrinated to affirm that this is normal behavior."Someday all this pathological lying will come back to bite these people!
Wha' Happen' to WaMu?
Just blocks from my house a brand new building went up back in 2008. It was going to be a Washington Mutual branch and it was nearing completion when the skids were put on at WaMu in September. That building, complete except for removing the covers from the signs and putting in furniture sat empty until a couple of weeks ago. That's when the bulldozers moved in and tore the bright new bank building to the ground.
It is a suitable parallel to the company itself. Flying high in the sub-prime bubble and then bulldozed into the ground as it failed.
In the case of WaMu it was just plain unbridled greed that bulldozed it. Bankers drinking their own Kool-Aid and believing that the artificially inflated housing market couldn't fail were the cause. If you ever needed proof of that greed, how about this story from Politico which details the WaMu lenders on a junket to Hawaii where they gleefully took a turn at karaoke. The song? "I Like Big Bucks" to the tune of rap song "Baby Got Back".
It is a suitable parallel to the company itself. Flying high in the sub-prime bubble and then bulldozed into the ground as it failed.
In the case of WaMu it was just plain unbridled greed that bulldozed it. Bankers drinking their own Kool-Aid and believing that the artificially inflated housing market couldn't fail were the cause. If you ever needed proof of that greed, how about this story from Politico which details the WaMu lenders on a junket to Hawaii where they gleefully took a turn at karaoke. The song? "I Like Big Bucks" to the tune of rap song "Baby Got Back".
“I like big bucks and I cannot lie/You mortgage brothers can't deny,” sang the WaMu rappers.From rapping to rap-sheet kind of makes some kind of karmic sense doesn't it?
The presentation, which included cheerleaders moving in time to the music, and choreographed moves by the singers, continued:
“That when the dough roles in like you're printin’ your own cash/
And you gotta make a splash/You just spends/Like it never ends/
Cuz you gotta have that big new Benz/
All of that bling you're wearin'/ Shining so bright peoples starin'/
It's crazy, I gotta ski Aspen/That's all I'm askin'”
During another skit, the WaMu bankers in Kauai staged a mock funeral for their competition, Countrywide Financial, a mortgage lender that was also deeply involved in the subprime market.
Beware the Ides of April
Happy Tax Day! If you haven't done your taxes yet, either get a copy of Turbo Tax and get cracking or file an extension. As for me? Well I did mine back the first week of February, that is a personal best. In the past I have been known to file one or two extensions before getting them done.
Also, it's Earth Day at Starbucks. Bring in a refillable mug and get a free coffee! On my way now.
Also, it's Earth Day at Starbucks. Bring in a refillable mug and get a free coffee! On my way now.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Senate Passes Resolution Condemning Uganda
The Senate in a rare bipartisan move issued a resolution condemning Uganda's anti-homosexual laws. The resolution was introduced by Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and co-sponsored by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Ok.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
Feingold said in a prepared statement, "Sadly, this legislation is just one example of actions taken around the world to restrict the rights of people just because of their gender or sexual orientation… We need to speak out consistently against all such discrimination. The Senate’s passage of this resolution begins to move us in that direction, and I will continue working with my colleagues and the administration to continue to address this issue.”
The resolution passed unanimously!
Feingold said in a prepared statement, "Sadly, this legislation is just one example of actions taken around the world to restrict the rights of people just because of their gender or sexual orientation… We need to speak out consistently against all such discrimination. The Senate’s passage of this resolution begins to move us in that direction, and I will continue working with my colleagues and the administration to continue to address this issue.”
The resolution passed unanimously!
Cat vs iPad - Enough Cute Video to Last a Week
All I can say is, "Awwww". Oh yea and "I WANT AN IPAD!"
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
GOP Opposes Wall Street Regulation - No Surprise!
Sometimes it's all too easy to see where the allegiances of the Republican Party are. Mitch McConnell , (R-KY) is squaring off in a battle over financial reform. As a "fiscal conservative" you'd think he would be all for ending the excesses of Wall Street that brought the country to the brink of financial disaster. Think again!
Big business and big money are what the GOP is all about!
Big business and big money are what the GOP is all about!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Catholic Bishop Blames Jews for Pope's Troubles
So true to its form, the Catholic Church has decided that with all the controversy swirling around Pope Benedict XVI to take it's usual tactic and ....(drum roll) blame the Jews!
That seems to be a sort of default for the Vatican, deflect criticism and then blame those who had nothing to do with the source of the problem.
Giacomo Babini, the emeritus bishop of Grosseto has determined that the criticism directed at the Pope is coming from "Zionists". Why? Well because it is so "powerful and refined". Well I feel pretty sure that many Jews would be flattered to have Bishop Babini think they were powerful and refined, but most would say, "what is with this Babini?"
Moreover, the Catholic church needs to start looking inward to find the root of its problems with pedophile priests, not casting about for a scapegoat. Of course that is not the Vatican way. So what else is new?
That seems to be a sort of default for the Vatican, deflect criticism and then blame those who had nothing to do with the source of the problem.
Giacomo Babini, the emeritus bishop of Grosseto has determined that the criticism directed at the Pope is coming from "Zionists". Why? Well because it is so "powerful and refined". Well I feel pretty sure that many Jews would be flattered to have Bishop Babini think they were powerful and refined, but most would say, "what is with this Babini?"
Moreover, the Catholic church needs to start looking inward to find the root of its problems with pedophile priests, not casting about for a scapegoat. Of course that is not the Vatican way. So what else is new?
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Dixie Carter Dies
Like most of the gay men I know Dixie Carter held a special place in our hearts. Her acerbic character on Designing Women had just the right mix of charm, savvy and biting wit.
She died Saturday morning at age 70 at her home in Los Angeles. She was married to actor Hal Holbrook.
We will miss her very much.
She died Saturday morning at age 70 at her home in Los Angeles. She was married to actor Hal Holbrook.
We will miss her very much.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Meinhardt Raabe - Munchkin, Little Oscar, Dies
"As Coroner I must aver, I thoroughly examined her. And she's not only merely dead, she's really most sincerely dead!"
That line just about every kid who grew up in America can recite from the 1938 film classic, The Wizard of Oz and just saying it I can picture the little man who played the coroner, but I never knew his name.
Meinhardt Raabe was the actor who delivered that classic line, and he died yesterday at 94. Raabe was uncredited in the film as were most of the little people referred to as "Singer's Midgets" since many came from that performance group. He never mad another film, but went on to become "Little Oscar" for the Oscar Mayer meat company and traveled across the country in the famous "Wienermobile", a giant hot dog shaped car.
I remember meeting him as a child and receiving a Wiener Whistle from him. Unfortunately that s long gone.
Rest in peace Mr. Coroner.
That line just about every kid who grew up in America can recite from the 1938 film classic, The Wizard of Oz and just saying it I can picture the little man who played the coroner, but I never knew his name.
Meinhardt Raabe was the actor who delivered that classic line, and he died yesterday at 94. Raabe was uncredited in the film as were most of the little people referred to as "Singer's Midgets" since many came from that performance group. He never mad another film, but went on to become "Little Oscar" for the Oscar Mayer meat company and traveled across the country in the famous "Wienermobile", a giant hot dog shaped car.
I remember meeting him as a child and receiving a Wiener Whistle from him. Unfortunately that s long gone.
Rest in peace Mr. Coroner.
Mike Huckabee Is Still A Backwoods Bigot
Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas made this statement about why he believes LGBT people shouldn't be able to marry.
OK cheap shot, but isn't it still legal in Arkansas to call your wife "sister" after you marry her?
On the serious side, comparing gay people to drug users is down right offensive and just plain ignorant. Of course as I said he is from Arkansas! Ba da bing!
“You don’t go ahead and accommodate every behavioral pattern that is against the ideal,” he said of same-sex marriage. “That would be like saying, well, there are a lot of people who like to use drugs, so let’s go ahead and accommodate those who want who use drugs. There are some people who believe in incest, so we should accommodate them.”
OK cheap shot, but isn't it still legal in Arkansas to call your wife "sister" after you marry her?
On the serious side, comparing gay people to drug users is down right offensive and just plain ignorant. Of course as I said he is from Arkansas! Ba da bing!
Friday, April 09, 2010
Pope Implicated in Another Sex Abuse Cover-up
The list of these just keeps getting longer and rather than admit that then Cardinal Ratzinger did indeed help to keep child abusers in the priesthood, the Vatican just keeps quibbling.
I had an NPR Driveway Moment his evening listening to the story of a California priest who actually asked to be defrocked and was refused by the Vatican. This started in 1981 and after multiple letters and near pleading with the Vatican's doctrinal unit, run by Ratzinger, he was granted the move in 1987. Several letters show Ratzinger denied the defrocking for the "good of the universal Church".
The Guardian has much much more.
I had an NPR Driveway Moment his evening listening to the story of a California priest who actually asked to be defrocked and was refused by the Vatican. This started in 1981 and after multiple letters and near pleading with the Vatican's doctrinal unit, run by Ratzinger, he was granted the move in 1987. Several letters show Ratzinger denied the defrocking for the "good of the universal Church".
The Guardian has much much more.
Cheerleaders Play "Watersports" Prank - Pee Flavored Drinks
Even the kinkiest among us knows you don't do this without consent. A group of cheerleaders in Saginaw, Texas decided it would be funny to flavor their teammates drinks with pee. So they aquired and/or produced the urine and added it to their fellow cheerleader's soft drinks. When the victims of the prank said the drinks tasted funny, the perpetrators said it was from candy they put in the drinks.
Later they confessed it was piss, and things got ugly from that point on.
As a health and safety disclaimer, though urine from a healthy person is relatively safe, diseases can be carried in it. So far HIV has not been shown to be transmitted through urine, but hepatitis can be. It's the kind of risk you don't want to spring on someone as a joke.
Later they confessed it was piss, and things got ugly from that point on.
As a health and safety disclaimer, though urine from a healthy person is relatively safe, diseases can be carried in it. So far HIV has not been shown to be transmitted through urine, but hepatitis can be. It's the kind of risk you don't want to spring on someone as a joke.
More Pollen Than Ever - No Wonder I am Miserable
A university of Colorado clinician, Dr. William Storms says, "It's the worst I've seen in 10 years."
Sniff. Well by the trash can full of tissues (no snide comments either) I can assure the good doctor he is right.
From Colorado to Texas pollen levels are at record highs and if you are like me you are suffering. I could tell something was up by the thin film of yellow on my normally red car. Thick with visible pollen.
Sniff. Well by the trash can full of tissues (no snide comments either) I can assure the good doctor he is right.
From Colorado to Texas pollen levels are at record highs and if you are like me you are suffering. I could tell something was up by the thin film of yellow on my normally red car. Thick with visible pollen.
Traditional Values Coalition - Lying About ENDA - Is Lying a Traditional Value?
As the prospect of ENDA becomming a real law nears, the far right has kicked its lie machine into overdrive.
The delightful folks over at the Traditional Values Coalition are flat out lying about ENDA and they are doing it using the American Psychiatric Association's DSM 4. For those who don't know, that is a manual that describes in detail all the varieties of behavior and mental disorders as a way of classifying them for accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately, a lot of folks who have no business using this book cherry pick phrases and twist them to their own ends.
Just like the fundamentalists who read only the parts of the Bible that they like, the Traditional Values Coalition has taken parts of the DSM and is using them out of context. Pam's House Blend has the story.
The delightful folks over at the Traditional Values Coalition are flat out lying about ENDA and they are doing it using the American Psychiatric Association's DSM 4. For those who don't know, that is a manual that describes in detail all the varieties of behavior and mental disorders as a way of classifying them for accurate diagnosis. Unfortunately, a lot of folks who have no business using this book cherry pick phrases and twist them to their own ends.
Just like the fundamentalists who read only the parts of the Bible that they like, the Traditional Values Coalition has taken parts of the DSM and is using them out of context. Pam's House Blend has the story.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Qatar Diplomat Causes Bomb Scare And Gets Away With It
Here's a great idea. Take that Qatar Diplomat who joked with Air Marshals about lighting his shoes on fire when he was arrested for trying to smoke in the bathroom on an airplane, and deport his ass via Somalia.
This joker was on his way to visit...wait for it...an Al Qaeda prisoner in the Denver Super Max prison! Where has he been for the past 9 years? Doesn't he remember the shoe bomber, 9/11 or just about anything that has gone on involving terrorists of Middle Eastern extraction? And because he has diplomatic imunity we can't prosecute him! If I had done that, I would be locked up so tight I couldn't sweat without permission from the guards, but this joker goes free! Qatar has some 'splainin to do!
This joker was on his way to visit...wait for it...an Al Qaeda prisoner in the Denver Super Max prison! Where has he been for the past 9 years? Doesn't he remember the shoe bomber, 9/11 or just about anything that has gone on involving terrorists of Middle Eastern extraction? And because he has diplomatic imunity we can't prosecute him! If I had done that, I would be locked up so tight I couldn't sweat without permission from the guards, but this joker goes free! Qatar has some 'splainin to do!
Fox News Poll Shows "Tea Baggers" Viewed Less Favorable Than IRS!
To listen to Fox, and God save you if you have the time or inclination to do that, you'd think the Tea Baggers were a HUGH movement sweeping the country by storm. Well, the latest Fox poll shows that the Tea Baggers are not even as popular as the IRS. Enjoy!
Malcolm McLaren - "Inventor of Punk Rock" - Dies at 64
Malcolm McLaren, impresario, producer and composer died at 64. He was a former manager of the Sex Pistols in his early career and later began a solo career as a recoding artist and composer. He once claimed to have been the inventor of punk rock.
I fondly remember his album Duck Rock with the catchy hit single Buffalo Gals. He also twisted some classical music into thumping disco hots including Madame Butterfly and Carmen.
He was a great creative force and his music and inventiveness will be missed.
I fondly remember his album Duck Rock with the catchy hit single Buffalo Gals. He also twisted some classical music into thumping disco hots including Madame Butterfly and Carmen.
He was a great creative force and his music and inventiveness will be missed.
DA Wants to Arrest Teachers for State Mandated Sex Education
What do you do when you try to follow a state law and then the DA tells you if you comply he will arrest you?
Say what?
Well that is the case in Wisconsin where the new Healthy Youth Act instructs schools that offer age appropriate sex education to include the use of contraceptives in the lessons. In other words how to put on a condom, etc. It's pretty basic sex ed stuff and parents have the option of pulling their kids out of the class if they see fit.
Here is where the DA (DIstrict Attorney, not dumb ass, but you be the judge) comes in. Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth fired off a letter to the county's school districts threatening them with prosecution if they held the classes. Southworth threatened to charge the teachers with "misdemeanor or felony delinquency of a minor".
In his view telling kids how to prevent pregnancy and disease is a crime. "Moreover, the teacher could be charged with this crime even if the child does not actually engage in the criminal behavior," Southworth added.
So this zealot for whatever reason has decided that a teacher informing kids who might be sexually active about contraception would be encouraging delenquency and guilty of a sex crime. Oh Puleeze!
In study after study "abstenence only" sex education has been shown to be ineffetive and downright useless at preventing disease and unwanted pregnancies. Why would a DA do this? My guess is he has strong religious views that are driving him and he is seeking reelection in a fundamentalist district. Or, he is just plain kicked-in-the-head-stupid. My guess is the later.
Say what?
Well that is the case in Wisconsin where the new Healthy Youth Act instructs schools that offer age appropriate sex education to include the use of contraceptives in the lessons. In other words how to put on a condom, etc. It's pretty basic sex ed stuff and parents have the option of pulling their kids out of the class if they see fit.
Here is where the DA (DIstrict Attorney, not dumb ass, but you be the judge) comes in. Juneau County District Attorney Scott Southworth fired off a letter to the county's school districts threatening them with prosecution if they held the classes. Southworth threatened to charge the teachers with "misdemeanor or felony delinquency of a minor".
In his view telling kids how to prevent pregnancy and disease is a crime. "Moreover, the teacher could be charged with this crime even if the child does not actually engage in the criminal behavior," Southworth added.
So this zealot for whatever reason has decided that a teacher informing kids who might be sexually active about contraception would be encouraging delenquency and guilty of a sex crime. Oh Puleeze!
In study after study "abstenence only" sex education has been shown to be ineffetive and downright useless at preventing disease and unwanted pregnancies. Why would a DA do this? My guess is he has strong religious views that are driving him and he is seeking reelection in a fundamentalist district. Or, he is just plain kicked-in-the-head-stupid. My guess is the later.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Newt Gingrich Lying Again!
Apparently if your are a Republican politician, you just can't stop lying. Adulterer and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich decided the Death Panel lie wasn't working any more so now he has started another. This time he warns of "16,000 IRS agents" who will constitute "a health Gestapo". Wow, specific numbers? Must be true?
Hardly! FactCheck.org says any action by the IRS will probably be handing out tax credits made possible by the new bill.
Sometimes the BIG LIE is about all the GOP has left. Watch for this whopper to be repeated over and over again hoping it will stick. What can you do? Tell the truth, over and over again.
Hardly! FactCheck.org says any action by the IRS will probably be handing out tax credits made possible by the new bill.
Sometimes the BIG LIE is about all the GOP has left. Watch for this whopper to be repeated over and over again hoping it will stick. What can you do? Tell the truth, over and over again.
Another Right Wing Wacko Arrested for Making Death Threats
I have to wonder what Charles Allen Wilson expected when he left a profanity laced threat on Senator Patty Murry's voice mail?
When you call someone up leaves the cheery recording, "there's a target on your back now...it only takes one piece of lead. Kill the (expletive) senator!" it's not a joke. That is a direct death threat and no mater how you parse it it's wrong.
What's worse, the guy who left it had a blocked number. Luckily the FBI wasn't deterred and found the caller and confirmed his threat by posing as an anti-health care reformer. Sure enough he repeated the threat and told the caller he had a gun and would use it.
This kind of anger is being stirred up by the Tea Baggers and their media friends at Fox. They sit back like kids on a playground goading others into a fight. Once the actual violence begins they shake their heads and wonder how it got this far.
Well, I know it seems like a pat answer, but in this case it's true, blame the media.
Specifically, Fox and the right wing noise machine have got their minions so scared that they would resort to violence to stop Congress from passing a bill that will bring them better and more affordable medical care. Go figure?
I have read much of the bill and it is far from socialized medicine, in fact it is a boon to insurance companies. Why the vehemence? That comes from the GOP and the right who is really angry that they lost the election, and they have diverted that anger into anything the President wants. It's all about race people, if you don't believe it listen to the "protesters" at the Tea Bagger rallies and their name calling and racial epithets.
The calls of "we want our country back" really mean "we don't like the fact that we lost" and "we don't want a black man in the White House". The level of anger is not over health care reform it's over a bunch of white people who are incensed that things in this country have changed and racial prejudice is dying. The Tea Party is the last gasp of racism, fighting with all its strength to stay alive.
Luckily, the tide of history is sweeping over these folks and they will soon fade away. They won't go quietly, and until they either learn to live with a more egalitarian power structure or they shrink back into the backwoods, they will be noisy. They will also bear watching.
When you call someone up leaves the cheery recording, "there's a target on your back now...it only takes one piece of lead. Kill the (expletive) senator!" it's not a joke. That is a direct death threat and no mater how you parse it it's wrong.
What's worse, the guy who left it had a blocked number. Luckily the FBI wasn't deterred and found the caller and confirmed his threat by posing as an anti-health care reformer. Sure enough he repeated the threat and told the caller he had a gun and would use it.
This kind of anger is being stirred up by the Tea Baggers and their media friends at Fox. They sit back like kids on a playground goading others into a fight. Once the actual violence begins they shake their heads and wonder how it got this far.
Well, I know it seems like a pat answer, but in this case it's true, blame the media.
Specifically, Fox and the right wing noise machine have got their minions so scared that they would resort to violence to stop Congress from passing a bill that will bring them better and more affordable medical care. Go figure?
I have read much of the bill and it is far from socialized medicine, in fact it is a boon to insurance companies. Why the vehemence? That comes from the GOP and the right who is really angry that they lost the election, and they have diverted that anger into anything the President wants. It's all about race people, if you don't believe it listen to the "protesters" at the Tea Bagger rallies and their name calling and racial epithets.
The calls of "we want our country back" really mean "we don't like the fact that we lost" and "we don't want a black man in the White House". The level of anger is not over health care reform it's over a bunch of white people who are incensed that things in this country have changed and racial prejudice is dying. The Tea Party is the last gasp of racism, fighting with all its strength to stay alive.
Luckily, the tide of history is sweeping over these folks and they will soon fade away. They won't go quietly, and until they either learn to live with a more egalitarian power structure or they shrink back into the backwoods, they will be noisy. They will also bear watching.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Censored Moments in Cinema History
The Dallas Voice posted this just a few minutes ago. The clips are wonderful and the idea that these were once considered scandalous amazes me. I am reminded of the reel of film that is shown at the end of Cinema Paradiso of the great kisses that were excised from films in a small Italian town. Thanks to Tammye Nash for finding this clip.
Here is that scene from Cinema Paradiso. Life imitates art or vice versa?
Here is that scene from Cinema Paradiso. Life imitates art or vice versa?
The Real English Patient May Have Been Gay!
So I guess the "chick flick" the English Patient will have to be reshot, but this time with a decidedly non-chick angle. According to letters discovered by the Heinrich Barth Institute for African Studies in Cologne, the hero of the story in real-life, Count Laszlo de Almásy had a male lover. In fact they say he might have had several.
So instead of being a womanizer as in the film, he was a prolific gay lover and his correspondence shows he might have even been involved with royalty. The names of several Egyptian princes pop up in them.
According to a report in OneIndia.com "the correspondences also suggest that Almásy died of amoebic dysentery in 1951 and not of a morphine overdose, as believed until now."
That will be some rewrite!
So instead of being a womanizer as in the film, he was a prolific gay lover and his correspondence shows he might have even been involved with royalty. The names of several Egyptian princes pop up in them.
According to a report in OneIndia.com "the correspondences also suggest that Almásy died of amoebic dysentery in 1951 and not of a morphine overdose, as believed until now."
That will be some rewrite!
Standing Cat - Video
OK, it's silly but cute. This cat standing to see out a window looks like a person, almost!
California Scientist May Have Proof of a Parallel Universe
I love physics, more specifically Quantum Physics. Though I will never be able to "grock" the formulas and complex mathematics, I get the basic premise and really love the whole "spooky action at a distance" that Einstein described.
When you begin to delve into the quanta, the smallest most basic stuff of reality, things get very fuzzy, in fact they look down right fictional. That's why the latest experiment by Andrew Cleland at the University of California, Santa Barbara is so fascinating. In his experiment he was able to show that an object in this universe might be connected or entangled with a similar object in a parallel universe.
Got you attention now, don't I?
What the scientist did was seemingly simple. He took an ultra tiny metal "paddle" and cooled it to very low temperatures and then under a vacuum and very controlled conditions, he "plucked it" causing it to vibrate. What was observed was not just the paddle vibrating, but simultaneously NOT vibrating. Now that is strange and yet it is what one would expect from an object in both universes at the same time.
"When you observe something in one state, one theory is it split the universe into two parts," Cleland told FoxNews.com. That is something physicists have been postulating for a while, but it was only at the subatomic level. Now this may be evidence that back up here in the big world things may be equally as spooky.
This one bears watching.
When you begin to delve into the quanta, the smallest most basic stuff of reality, things get very fuzzy, in fact they look down right fictional. That's why the latest experiment by Andrew Cleland at the University of California, Santa Barbara is so fascinating. In his experiment he was able to show that an object in this universe might be connected or entangled with a similar object in a parallel universe.
Got you attention now, don't I?
What the scientist did was seemingly simple. He took an ultra tiny metal "paddle" and cooled it to very low temperatures and then under a vacuum and very controlled conditions, he "plucked it" causing it to vibrate. What was observed was not just the paddle vibrating, but simultaneously NOT vibrating. Now that is strange and yet it is what one would expect from an object in both universes at the same time.
"When you observe something in one state, one theory is it split the universe into two parts," Cleland told FoxNews.com. That is something physicists have been postulating for a while, but it was only at the subatomic level. Now this may be evidence that back up here in the big world things may be equally as spooky.
This one bears watching.
Monday, April 05, 2010
Phelps Son Speaks Out Against Gay-Hating Father
If you have never been to GodHatesFags.com, don't bother. It will only make you angry or want to puke or both. That notorious website is the home of Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. It is the handiwork of Fred Phelps and his family who regularly show up at funerals of gays, and service members to parade with their inflammatory signs.
To say they are inflammatory is putting it mildly. Their demonstrations often are the source of angry and sometimes violent backlashes by people enraged at the rhetoric used by the Phelps cult.
Now Phleps estranged son comes forward to talk about the "church" and his less than perfect family life. Nate Phelps now lives in British Columbia and drives a cab. He and his family are happy to be away from his radical father and his angry messages.
In an interview for Vision TV, Phelps tells of his father abusing his mother and constantly haranguing his children with threats of hell. Sounds like Nate lived in a hell for quite a while before he left for good in 1980.
More here at the Gazette.
To say they are inflammatory is putting it mildly. Their demonstrations often are the source of angry and sometimes violent backlashes by people enraged at the rhetoric used by the Phelps cult.
Now Phleps estranged son comes forward to talk about the "church" and his less than perfect family life. Nate Phelps now lives in British Columbia and drives a cab. He and his family are happy to be away from his radical father and his angry messages.
In an interview for Vision TV, Phelps tells of his father abusing his mother and constantly haranguing his children with threats of hell. Sounds like Nate lived in a hell for quite a while before he left for good in 1980.
More here at the Gazette.
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Happy Easter
Easter is here, and with it come the thousands of once-a-year Christians. Our church was packed to standing room only at every service this morning which was a good thing, however next week I can guarantee there will be only a few hundred in attendance.
The Sunday after Easter is called "low Sunday" by the clergy in many churches because of the low attendance.So if you were ever wanting to visit a church but were not comfortable in crowds, next Sunday is for you!
Seriously, I don;t have a problem with all the visitors. It gives many of them exposure to our church and I know for a fact some end up coming back.
Meanwhile, go out and find those eggs!
The Sunday after Easter is called "low Sunday" by the clergy in many churches because of the low attendance.So if you were ever wanting to visit a church but were not comfortable in crowds, next Sunday is for you!
Seriously, I don;t have a problem with all the visitors. It gives many of them exposure to our church and I know for a fact some end up coming back.
Meanwhile, go out and find those eggs!
Friday, April 02, 2010
"Some Day in the Future" - Back in 1969
I have been working on a project for several years that will explore the future that was sold to me as a child and the future as it happened. For example, where is my flying car?
Sometimes those future predictions get things right...almost. This video from 1969 shows what the Internet might look like in the future, even before it was called the Internet.
Sometimes those future predictions get things right...almost. This video from 1969 shows what the Internet might look like in the future, even before it was called the Internet.
Census Time
It amazes me how every ten years the nuts come out of the woodwork shouting that the census is illegal. It's in the frigging Constitution! It is not only legal, but without good figures on how many Americans there are the government couldn't serve the people's interests in a HUGE variety of ways. Highway money, education, health care, law enforcement, emergency services, broadcasting, telecommunications, just about every aspect of our lives is affected by this.
The follow up survey which some folks receive that asks more detailed questions is equally important. It gives a better picture of who America is and how we live. Without that information lawmakers would be far less informed as to the makeup of their constituents. (I know some are clueless anyway...but....)
The most common paranoia is that the goverment will be coming to your door to:
The follow up survey which some folks receive that asks more detailed questions is equally important. It gives a better picture of who America is and how we live. Without that information lawmakers would be far less informed as to the makeup of their constituents. (I know some are clueless anyway...but....)
The most common paranoia is that the goverment will be coming to your door to:
A. Take away your hunting rifleHere's the deal, they aren't going to do any of that! So please fill out the census and return it so we can have the representation we deserve in DC, and so we won't have to spend a whole lot more money tracking down the holdouts and wackos, just to count them!
B. Euthanize your grandmother
C. Take away your children
D. Insert crazy idea here!
New to CNN - Right-Wing Wack Jobs!
Yes, buckling to the ratings over at Fox, CNN figures it can get ratings by hiring a new right-wing wack-job named Erick Erickson. Formerly a blogger at RedState, his downright stupid remarks are hardly worthy of a new organization.
Take his response to the Census. Part of the survey is a detailed form called the American Communities Survey. This form asks questions that help give the government and lawmakers a better idea of the living conditions and demographics of the country. Without this kind of information it's only an educated guess about how American's live and work. Valuable info such as commute times and availability of indoor plumbing all fall into this survey's purpose. (and yes there apparently are folks without indoor plumbing in the 21st century.)
Erick's response?
Take his response to the Census. Part of the survey is a detailed form called the American Communities Survey. This form asks questions that help give the government and lawmakers a better idea of the living conditions and demographics of the country. Without this kind of information it's only an educated guess about how American's live and work. Valuable info such as commute times and availability of indoor plumbing all fall into this survey's purpose. (and yes there apparently are folks without indoor plumbing in the 21st century.)
Erick's response?
"I'm not filling out this form. I dare them to try and come throw me in jail. I dare them to. Pull out my wife's shotgun and see how that little ACS twerp likes being scared at the door. They're not going on my property. They can't do that. They don't have the legal right, and yet they're trying."This is news? Oy vey!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
It's Maundy Thursday
It's Maundy Thursday, go wash some feet.
Seriously, it is indeed Maundy Thursday, and for those not familiar with Holy Week activities the services at many churches feature foot washing as part of the service on this day. The act is to commemorate Jesus washing the feet mentioned in the Gospel of John (15-16), "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."
Tomorrow is of course Good Friday, and one of the most somber services of the year as the church is traditionally stripped of all decorations at the end of the service and left in the dark. Serving as a contrast to Easter when churches are traditionally resplendent in flowers symbolizing the Resurrection of Jesus.
OK enough Christianity 101, hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend.
Seriously, it is indeed Maundy Thursday, and for those not familiar with Holy Week activities the services at many churches feature foot washing as part of the service on this day. The act is to commemorate Jesus washing the feet mentioned in the Gospel of John (15-16), "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you."
Tomorrow is of course Good Friday, and one of the most somber services of the year as the church is traditionally stripped of all decorations at the end of the service and left in the dark. Serving as a contrast to Easter when churches are traditionally resplendent in flowers symbolizing the Resurrection of Jesus.
OK enough Christianity 101, hope you all have a wonderful Easter weekend.
Let the Schism Begin! Family Research Council Splits From RNC
The lesbian bondage club scandal, LezBondGate, as I call it, has trickled down to some of the Republicans biggest supporters. Tony Perkins, of the radical Family Research Council is urging his flock to stop supporting the Republican National Committee!
In a CNN report Perkins is quoted as saying in his organizations website, "I've hinted at this before, but now I am saying it -- don't give money to the RNC. If you want to put money into the political process, and I encourage you to do so, give directly to candidates who you know reflect your values."
This may be the latest crack in the monolithic GOP voting block. The fundies are beginning to realize they have "layeth down with dogs" and now they are suffering the fleas! (Quote from Benjamin Franklin, not the Bible by the way!)
In a CNN report Perkins is quoted as saying in his organizations website, "I've hinted at this before, but now I am saying it -- don't give money to the RNC. If you want to put money into the political process, and I encourage you to do so, give directly to candidates who you know reflect your values."
This may be the latest crack in the monolithic GOP voting block. The fundies are beginning to realize they have "layeth down with dogs" and now they are suffering the fleas! (Quote from Benjamin Franklin, not the Bible by the way!)
Republicans Offers Phone Sex Line In Latest Mailer!
First it's the lesbian/bondage strip club and now this! Looks like the RNC has really loosened up on the "family values" thing. Apparently they sent out a fund raising direct mail piece that looks suspiciously like an official census form. If that wasn't bad enough, they had a number to call on it that was misprinted.
And where did the number send callers? Drum roll please!
A phone sex line! No wonder Sarah Palin asked to be removed from the invitation list for the RNC.
Ben Smith has the story here, and as far as I can tell, it's not an April Fool's joke.
And where did the number send callers? Drum roll please!
A phone sex line! No wonder Sarah Palin asked to be removed from the invitation list for the RNC.
Ben Smith has the story here, and as far as I can tell, it's not an April Fool's joke.
Starbucks Introduces Extreme Sizes
In an effort to stay on the cutting edge of beverage sales, Starbucks introduces the new extra-jumbo sized "Plenta" to their line up of "Tall, Grande, Vente". For those who like their caffeine in industrial size portions, the Plenta features 128fl. ounces of deliciousness. For the lesser coffee fans, who just ant a sip or two, the new "Micra" (2fl. ounces) will give drinker just a quick jolt.More here on the Starbucks site. (Note to readers: Remember the date!)
Catholic League Continues to Blame Gays for Pedophilia Crisis
Watch this clip and get smoking mad!
Amazing crap streaming from Catholic League President William Donohue's mouth. What's worse, even though the interviewer called attention to the lie that all gays are pedophiles, Donohue continues to assert it using slightly different language. Outrageous!
Amazing crap streaming from Catholic League President William Donohue's mouth. What's worse, even though the interviewer called attention to the lie that all gays are pedophiles, Donohue continues to assert it using slightly different language. Outrageous!
Gay Animals - Just in Time for Easter
The New York Times magazine has an extensive article on same-sex couplings in the animal; world. Up to now, many scientists have treated same-sex pairs in the animal kingdom as just an interesting side note, but recent studies show it isn't all that rare.
The Laysan albatross is a startling example. The article tells of how a female pair of these birds nested and raised a chick together and display all the behaviors of a mated pair. These albatross mate for life, so it is a committed relationship!
Read more in the New York Times. (And no this isn't an April Fool's joke!)
The Laysan albatross is a startling example. The article tells of how a female pair of these birds nested and raised a chick together and display all the behaviors of a mated pair. These albatross mate for life, so it is a committed relationship!
Read more in the New York Times. (And no this isn't an April Fool's joke!)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Here's Your Sign!
Americablog.com found a treasure trove of signs from Tea Baggers. They call the new language, "Teabonics"! Check this one out and many more.So many signs, so little English!
Catholic League Blames "Homosexuality" For Church's Scandals
The Catholic League took out a full page add in the New York Times to dispute the assertion that the Vatican has been complicit in covering up the pedophile priests recently in the news. Even though there is a paper trail a mile long that directly implicates the Vatican and even Pope Benedict in the cover-up, they try to deflect the issue by calling the crisis one of homosexuality not pedophilia.
Again the Catholic Church is trying to avoid the elephant in the room. Pedophile priests who were enabled by the church through reassignment and cover-ups. Some day this organization will actually take a cold hard look at their problems and take steps to fix them, but apparently not under this Pope.
The twisted logic used in the Catholic League's ad is ridiculous but I have come to expect that from this bunch. They are trotting out the old lie that pedophilia is strictly a homosexual thing and using that to side step the real problem, accountability and honesty. \
Last time I checked, wasn't LYING was a sin?
Again the Catholic Church is trying to avoid the elephant in the room. Pedophile priests who were enabled by the church through reassignment and cover-ups. Some day this organization will actually take a cold hard look at their problems and take steps to fix them, but apparently not under this Pope.
The twisted logic used in the Catholic League's ad is ridiculous but I have come to expect that from this bunch. They are trotting out the old lie that pedophilia is strictly a homosexual thing and using that to side step the real problem, accountability and honesty. \
Last time I checked, wasn't LYING was a sin?
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Some Republicans Defend Steele's Nightclub Bondage Spree
This is not a joke, but the chairman of the Colorado GOP, a man named....(drum roll) Dick Wadhams, actually defends Michael Steele staff expense of almost $2000 at a bondage themed adult club.
Dick Wadhams? Oh Puleeze!
Dick Wadhams? Oh Puleeze!
Mug Shots of Christian Terrorists
Sometimes it is necessary to look into the face of madness to recognize it when you see it again. Above are pictures of the Hutaree Militia that were arrested in raids by the FBI over the weekend.
These folks are accused of planning to use explosives to kill police officers and to assassinate a policeman as a ploy to lure more to his funeral where the bomb would be detonated. These people who claim to be "Christian Militia" members are terrorists plain and simple. Note that none of them wears a turban, is Arabic or a foreign national. Look at them and remember these faces when people begin throwing around the words "terrorist" and "religious extremists". They come in all varieties.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Ricky Martin Comes Out!
In the "it's about time" category, we have singer/heartthrob Ricky Martin who has finally come out as gay on his blog. I understand how tough it can be for a celebrity, but heck people have speculated about Ricky for years and he remained mum. Finally he comes out! Now I only hope he will get a few more records into the charts.
More on the "Christian" Militia
These holy warriors in Michigan I wrote about earlier have been charged with plotting to murder a policeman. The insidious part of their plot was that they planned to attack his funeral and kill more police there. It was part of their holy war on the US Government.
Now as many of you know, I am a convert to Christianity, and us converts are usually the most zealous but I can find no mention of killing police and attacking funerals as part of any mandate given to Jesus' followers. Oh yes there was that part about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, visiting the captive, I got all that and try to follow it as best as I can. For the life of me I just can't find his statement about suckering law enforcement officials into a funeral so you can slaughter them.
What the hell is wrong with these guys? The industrial strength crazy that they espouse has nothing to do with the Bible or Jesus. This is what happens when you get way too bogged down in radical fundamentalism. Trying the parse every word in the Bible and follow it to the letter results in complete wacko-ism.
The right wing in this country is looking more and more like the Taliban. Pray for sanity!
Now as many of you know, I am a convert to Christianity, and us converts are usually the most zealous but I can find no mention of killing police and attacking funerals as part of any mandate given to Jesus' followers. Oh yes there was that part about feeding the hungry, healing the sick, visiting the captive, I got all that and try to follow it as best as I can. For the life of me I just can't find his statement about suckering law enforcement officials into a funeral so you can slaughter them.
What the hell is wrong with these guys? The industrial strength crazy that they espouse has nothing to do with the Bible or Jesus. This is what happens when you get way too bogged down in radical fundamentalism. Trying the parse every word in the Bible and follow it to the letter results in complete wacko-ism.
The right wing in this country is looking more and more like the Taliban. Pray for sanity!
"Christian" Militias Raided in Michigan
This weekend the FBI raided several locations of "Christian Militia" groups. As I have been warning for a while, the right wing is getting increasingly militant and wacko. These latest "Army's of God" were in Michigan. One was a group called Hutaree which quotes several Bible passages on its web site and then states: "We believe that one day, as prophecy says, there will be an Anti-Christ. ... Jesus wanted us to be ready to defend ourselves using the sword and stay alive using equipment."
Funny, I have read the Bible cover to cover and Jesus never says anything about violently defending yourselves. I believe he was the "Prince of Peace" and specifically instructed his followers to "turn the other cheek". I have to really wonder what Bible these guys are reading?
Like the group in Amarillo, these guys have perverted the words of Jesus and wrapped them around their own extreme beliefs. Remind you of some other fundamentalist radicals? Look at what the fundamentalist extremist Muslims have done to Islam.
UPDATE: Indictments were unsealed and the details are astounding. They include conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. These guys were very dangerous and had explosives, guns, and more. From CNN:
Funny, I have read the Bible cover to cover and Jesus never says anything about violently defending yourselves. I believe he was the "Prince of Peace" and specifically instructed his followers to "turn the other cheek". I have to really wonder what Bible these guys are reading?
Like the group in Amarillo, these guys have perverted the words of Jesus and wrapped them around their own extreme beliefs. Remind you of some other fundamentalist radicals? Look at what the fundamentalist extremist Muslims have done to Islam.
UPDATE: Indictments were unsealed and the details are astounding. They include conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction. These guys were very dangerous and had explosives, guns, and more. From CNN:
A federal grand jury in Detroit, Michigan, indicted six Michigan residents, two Ohioans and an Indianan on the conspiracy charges, plus attempted use of weapons of mass destruction, teaching the use of explosive materials and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade and Andrew Arena, FBI special agent in charge, announced.
Friday, March 26, 2010
More Tea Party Thuggery
Apparently having an Obama bumper sticker is cause for road rage. Thus is the level of the thuggery that has been unleashed by the right wing rhetoric surrounding health care reform.
A Nashville, TN man had just picked up his daughter from school when he was rammed by an angry driver who pointed at the Obama bumper sticker on his car and shot him the bird. The criminal who endangered the man and his daughter, Harry Weisiger has been charged with felony reckless endangerment.
Why the rage? Well, when you have right wing pundits trying to scare the hell out of people telling them that Health Care Reform is tantamount to Nazism you can easily see the cause. The level of insanity unleashed by the right to try to stop Obama from succeeding at anything he proposes is way over the top.
Like Sarah Palin in her rallies where the crowds were whipped into a frenzy the GOP is trying to bring the "Tea Baggers" to the brink of violence. It is a dangerous gamble and it is backfiring. The incivility has become real violence and more will ensue unless and until these guys ratchet down the rhetoric and start really addressing the issues, not just pumping out fear.l
A Nashville, TN man had just picked up his daughter from school when he was rammed by an angry driver who pointed at the Obama bumper sticker on his car and shot him the bird. The criminal who endangered the man and his daughter, Harry Weisiger has been charged with felony reckless endangerment.Why the rage? Well, when you have right wing pundits trying to scare the hell out of people telling them that Health Care Reform is tantamount to Nazism you can easily see the cause. The level of insanity unleashed by the right to try to stop Obama from succeeding at anything he proposes is way over the top.
Like Sarah Palin in her rallies where the crowds were whipped into a frenzy the GOP is trying to bring the "Tea Baggers" to the brink of violence. It is a dangerous gamble and it is backfiring. The incivility has become real violence and more will ensue unless and until these guys ratchet down the rhetoric and start really addressing the issues, not just pumping out fear.l
GOP Purge? David Frum Tossed From Right-Wing Think Tank
Only days after his blog post noting that the Republican's entrenched mentality against the Health Care Reform had led to a "crushing defeat" for the GOP, David Frum was turned out of the American Enterprise Institute. The conservative think tank had been Frum's home for seven years.
Frum was the White House speech writer behind such memorable phrases as "axis of evil" that worked so well for the Bush Presidency. He has conservative credentials a mile long and yet he is being purged from the right-wing think tank because he spoke the truth in his blog.
I have to wonder if this signals a move to purify even further the lock step ideologues on the right and toss aside anyone who does not tow the party line verbatim. This kind of move is a signal of how weak the GOP has become. The problem is as they become weaker they will become more virulent and that makes them dangerous. Like a cornered wild animal, they cannot be trusted and must be approached with care.
Frum was the White House speech writer behind such memorable phrases as "axis of evil" that worked so well for the Bush Presidency. He has conservative credentials a mile long and yet he is being purged from the right-wing think tank because he spoke the truth in his blog.
"We were going for all the marbles. This would be Obama's Waterloo -- just as healthcare was Clinton's in 1994. . . . This time, when we went for all the marbles, we ended with none."Now the GOP and their talking heads like the Wall Street Journal are characterizing Frum as making "his living as the media's go-to basher of fellow Republicans" and accusing him of "peddling bad revisionist history."
I have to wonder if this signals a move to purify even further the lock step ideologues on the right and toss aside anyone who does not tow the party line verbatim. This kind of move is a signal of how weak the GOP has become. The problem is as they become weaker they will become more virulent and that makes them dangerous. Like a cornered wild animal, they cannot be trusted and must be approached with care.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tea Baggers Advocating Domestic Terrorism
These people are dangerous and if you don't believe it look at what they are advocating.
And more Tea Bagger Terrorism here.
And more Tea Bagger Terrorism here.
Holy S*#t - Pope Implicated In Sex Abuse Coverup
With a document trail a mile long, it looks like the current Pope was part of a cover-up of sex abuse back in the 1970's and 80's. The New York Times broke the story and has documents here showing the accusations.
The scandal involves Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy. Murphy admitted he sexually abused boys at his boarding school for 22 years. For more than 30 years the victims tried to get justice, but documents show that the Catholic church did nothing. At the center of that controversy was Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) who the case was referred to. His office did not prosecute the matter and it was closed when Father Murphy eventually died.
This is huge. I suspect this might be the case that brings down the Pope and irreparably damages the Catholic Church.
The scandal involves Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy. Murphy admitted he sexually abused boys at his boarding school for 22 years. For more than 30 years the victims tried to get justice, but documents show that the Catholic church did nothing. At the center of that controversy was Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) who the case was referred to. His office did not prosecute the matter and it was closed when Father Murphy eventually died.
This is huge. I suspect this might be the case that brings down the Pope and irreparably damages the Catholic Church.
Bishop Gene Robinson at Cathedral of Hope Last Night
For a Wednesday night service, I suspect last night's was a record in attendance for the Cathedral of Hope. Every seat in the spacious sanctuary was filled and people stood in the back to hear a minister who isn't even a member of the United Church of Christ.
Special guest Bishop Gene Robinson, from the Episcopal church was delivering the sermon, and he certainly delivered to the full sanctuary. An unimposing figure, Bishop Robinson would hardly seem the kind of man to be at the center of a firestorm of controversy. As the first openly gay Bishop in that denomination, his ordination still causes heated discussions among members of the Anglican Communion.
Controversy aside, Robinson delivered a thoughtful yet lively sermon on the liturgy for the evening from the Book of Acts. The story of the lame beggar who was healed by the Apostles and rose to walk, leap and dance into the temple mad an appropriate subject for both Robinson and the congregation.
He compared LGBT people to that cripple, who being deemed unworthy and impure was kept outside the temple and not allowed to worship there. After being called to rise in the name of Jesus, he not only walked but danced into the holy space much like the congregation of the Cathedral had risen and reclaimed the church as our holy space.
I am not doing his sermon justice so to hear the entire service you can go here to the Cathedral of Hope's website and see the streaming video. The music and energy in the sanctuary last night was moving and truly inspiring.
Special guest Bishop Gene Robinson, from the Episcopal church was delivering the sermon, and he certainly delivered to the full sanctuary. An unimposing figure, Bishop Robinson would hardly seem the kind of man to be at the center of a firestorm of controversy. As the first openly gay Bishop in that denomination, his ordination still causes heated discussions among members of the Anglican Communion.
Controversy aside, Robinson delivered a thoughtful yet lively sermon on the liturgy for the evening from the Book of Acts. The story of the lame beggar who was healed by the Apostles and rose to walk, leap and dance into the temple mad an appropriate subject for both Robinson and the congregation.
He compared LGBT people to that cripple, who being deemed unworthy and impure was kept outside the temple and not allowed to worship there. After being called to rise in the name of Jesus, he not only walked but danced into the holy space much like the congregation of the Cathedral had risen and reclaimed the church as our holy space.
I am not doing his sermon justice so to hear the entire service you can go here to the Cathedral of Hope's website and see the streaming video. The music and energy in the sanctuary last night was moving and truly inspiring.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Tea Baggers - In Their Own Words...Vile!
CBS News got this recording from Bart Stupak's voice mail. These are from the pro-lifers and "Tea Baggers" who left really obscene messages for him. Apparently they don't have a clue, since Stupak got his way and had government abortion money removed from the Health Care Reform Bill.
I suspect these folks either can't read or are just plain vile or both. For folks who allegedly value life they sound a lot like folks who don't! Listen at your own peril.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
I suspect these folks either can't read or are just plain vile or both. For folks who allegedly value life they sound a lot like folks who don't! Listen at your own peril.
Watch CBS News Videos Online
High Tech Exodus From China?
As Google moves it's operations from mainland China to Hong Kong, new comes that GoDaddy.com is leaving the country all together. Citing government intrusions that include draconian rules for reporting of names and personal data to the government, the company said it would have a "chilling effect" on its business.
These two large players leaving might well signal a high-tech exodus from China.
These two large players leaving might well signal a high-tech exodus from China.
Tea Baggers or Terrorists?
The whole "Tea Bagger" thing has gotten out of hand. As with the crowds of rowdys Sarah Palin used to whip into a frenzy at her rallies, the GOP is using the same tactics to move these folks to the verge of violence and beyond. This kind of edge play is dangerous and is starting to have repercussions.
The recent spate of vandalism at Democratic Party headquarters across the country is anecdotal evidence of this. The possible life-threatening severing of a gas line at the house of a man a right-wing website mistakenly identified as Rep. Tom Periello's home adds more fuel to the argument.
The GOP and their media lap dog, FOX are trying to incite violence and should be exposed as what they are, hate groups! Enough of this crap. It's time to pull off the gloves and expose these rabble rousers as dangerous and reckless.
Want more proof? To the right is a graphic from Sarah Palin's website. The gun sights being used to "target" Democrats are about as explicit a threat as you can get graphically. It's time Homeland Security stepped into this mess and stops this before it gets really ugly!
The recent spate of vandalism at Democratic Party headquarters across the country is anecdotal evidence of this. The possible life-threatening severing of a gas line at the house of a man a right-wing website mistakenly identified as Rep. Tom Periello's home adds more fuel to the argument.
The GOP and their media lap dog, FOX are trying to incite violence and should be exposed as what they are, hate groups! Enough of this crap. It's time to pull off the gloves and expose these rabble rousers as dangerous and reckless.Want more proof? To the right is a graphic from Sarah Palin's website. The gun sights being used to "target" Democrats are about as explicit a threat as you can get graphically. It's time Homeland Security stepped into this mess and stops this before it gets really ugly!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Math and Mother Nature
If only I had seen this when I was a kid, I would have understood the whole reason mathematics is so elegant. Instead I was just lost in a series of meaningless numbers. To a dyslexic kid having a point of reference would have made all the difference!
Watch this wonderful video by Cristóbal Vila that shows the Fibonacci sequence, golden means and more.
Watch this wonderful video by Cristóbal Vila that shows the Fibonacci sequence, golden means and more.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Flip Top Book? Cigarette Packaging Becomes Novel
Are those cigarettes in your pocket or are you just reading great literature?Well if Tank Publishing (in the UK) has their way, that pack rolled up in your t-shirt sleeve might be Joseph Conrad or Franz Kafka. They just released a new line of classic books packaged in flip top cigarette-styled packages. Pretty cute and a whole lot less tar and nicotine!
Cute idea!
Randy Neugebauer is an "Idjit" - & Other Self-Evident Truths
As further proof that a whole lot of us Texans are dumb as a post, it turns out that the idiot member of the House who yelled "baby killer" at Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) during Sunday night's health care debate was (drum roll) a Texan!
Yup, turns out Texas republican Randy Neugebauer shouted the phrase apparently ignorant of the fact that NONE of the proposed government funding would be used for abortions as per a Presidential decree. That little fact was the reason Bart Stupak finally got on board with the bill, he insisted that no government money be used for abortion. So why was Randy yelling?
In his own pitiful excuse he said, "while I remain heartbroken over the passage of this bill and the tragic consequences it will have for the unborn, I deeply regret that my actions were mistakenly interpreted as a direct reference to Congressman Stupak himself."
So to fellow Texan and certified idiot Mr. Neugebauer I ask this question, how concerned were you about the lives of children who fall ill without health insurance in this country? Let's talk about the born not the unborn for a minute. Just how concerned are you about people who die because their insurance companies decide that they just don't want to cover their treatments anymore?
Until you can give me some answers to those questions, shut your pie hole you ignorant turd kicker! And before anyone goes flaming me for this, I am a Texan and ashamed of the caliber of "idjits" we have been foisting on the country fro this state!
Yup, turns out Texas republican Randy Neugebauer shouted the phrase apparently ignorant of the fact that NONE of the proposed government funding would be used for abortions as per a Presidential decree. That little fact was the reason Bart Stupak finally got on board with the bill, he insisted that no government money be used for abortion. So why was Randy yelling?
In his own pitiful excuse he said, "while I remain heartbroken over the passage of this bill and the tragic consequences it will have for the unborn, I deeply regret that my actions were mistakenly interpreted as a direct reference to Congressman Stupak himself."
So to fellow Texan and certified idiot Mr. Neugebauer I ask this question, how concerned were you about the lives of children who fall ill without health insurance in this country? Let's talk about the born not the unborn for a minute. Just how concerned are you about people who die because their insurance companies decide that they just don't want to cover their treatments anymore?
Until you can give me some answers to those questions, shut your pie hole you ignorant turd kicker! And before anyone goes flaming me for this, I am a Texan and ashamed of the caliber of "idjits" we have been foisting on the country fro this state!
James Randi Comes Out - Amazing!
For someone who is as well known as James "The Amazing" Randi to finally come out of the closet after so many years is truly an astounding feat.
For years I have been a fan of James Randi and loved both his performances as a magician and his debunking of alleged psychics. He picked up the mantle of Houdini in his campaign to defeat the parade of bunco men and women who foist off simple parlor tricks as psychic power. Uri Geller and his silly spoon bending comes to mind!
Though I do not concur with Randi's atheist beliefs, I applaud his work on behalf of critical thinking and the advancement of reason. His coming out s another step towards that goal.
His own words on his blog speak volumes:
For years I have been a fan of James Randi and loved both his performances as a magician and his debunking of alleged psychics. He picked up the mantle of Houdini in his campaign to defeat the parade of bunco men and women who foist off simple parlor tricks as psychic power. Uri Geller and his silly spoon bending comes to mind!
Though I do not concur with Randi's atheist beliefs, I applaud his work on behalf of critical thinking and the advancement of reason. His coming out s another step towards that goal.
His own words on his blog speak volumes:
Written by James RandiHere is a link to the James Randi Educational Foundation Website for more info.
Sunday, 21 March 2010 12:37
Well, here goes. I really resent the term, but I use it because it’s recognized and accepted.
I’m gay.
From some seventy years of personal experience, I can tell you that there’s not much “gay” about being homosexual. For the first twenty years of my life, I had to live in the shadows, in a culture that was — at least outwardly — totally hostile to any hint of that variation of life-style. At no time did I choose to adopt any protective coloration, though; my cultivation of an abundant beard was not at all a deception, but part of my costume as a conjuror.
Gradually, the general attitude that I’d perceived around me began to change, and presently I find that there has emerged a distinctly healthy acceptance of different social styles of living — except, of course, in cultures that live in constant and abject fear of divine retribution for infractions found in the various Holy Books… In another two decades, I’m confident that young people will find themselves in a vastly improved atmosphere of acceptance.
This declaration of mine was prompted just last week by seeing an excellent film — starring Sean Penn — that told the story of politician Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. I’m in excellent company: Barney Frank, Oscar Wilde, Stephen Fry, Ellen DeGeneres, Rachel Maddow, are just a few of those who were in my thoughts as I pressed the key that placed this on Swift and before the whole world….
Historic Health Care Reform Passes!
Amazing! The Democrats grew a pair and actually passed the health care reform bill. It's not as comprehensive as I would have likes, and it dies not include a public option, but it will change the way health care is provided in this country and give coverage to millions of American's who cannot get it now.
Why is this important to me? Well I used to be one of those without health insurance. While I was freelancing I could not afford a policy that would cost over $1500 a month. Most American's couldn't either even if that had good jobs. The results of this bill will be keeping insurance companies from locking out individuals, and providing government assistance when people can't afford coverage. All good things.
The GOP was crushed last night. The passage of the reform bill hurt them worse than Obama's election. They will rave and rant on TV about how it will mean the end of Democracy, but in the end American's will grow to like the idea that they can get health care when they need it and all the Republican talking points won't matter if it gives them real results.
Now, the Democrats need to go out and do a good job selling this reform in the press and giving people the real facts of what it will do.
Meanwhile, when the Tea Baggers don't see any stormtroopers arriving at their doors to take away their insurance, they will find other causes to be angry about. What they are really mad about is that there is a black man in the White House, a fact that became evident in their cat calls and racial slurs at a recent staged rally in DC.
Why is this important to me? Well I used to be one of those without health insurance. While I was freelancing I could not afford a policy that would cost over $1500 a month. Most American's couldn't either even if that had good jobs. The results of this bill will be keeping insurance companies from locking out individuals, and providing government assistance when people can't afford coverage. All good things.
The GOP was crushed last night. The passage of the reform bill hurt them worse than Obama's election. They will rave and rant on TV about how it will mean the end of Democracy, but in the end American's will grow to like the idea that they can get health care when they need it and all the Republican talking points won't matter if it gives them real results.
Now, the Democrats need to go out and do a good job selling this reform in the press and giving people the real facts of what it will do.
Meanwhile, when the Tea Baggers don't see any stormtroopers arriving at their doors to take away their insurance, they will find other causes to be angry about. What they are really mad about is that there is a black man in the White House, a fact that became evident in their cat calls and racial slurs at a recent staged rally in DC.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Last Night at the Eagle
Well I figured something was up since I got four separate invites to Vince Andrew's book signing at the Dallas Eagle last night. Vince is President of NLA-I and a good friend so I went to support him. And if you haven't got it yet his book, The Leatherboy's Handbook is well worth it!The event was early in the evening so the place was not too busy. My partner and I stayed out on the patio and I shared a cigar with several members of Dallas Leather Corps and some NLA-Dallas members. The big even of the evening would be later as the Lone Star Bear run arrived.
Vince spoke for a bit and then he gave a brief history of Sandy "Mama" Reinhardt's Family. That group is mainly title holders in the leather community and they number in the thousands across the country and around the world.
She has been a leader for many years and very active as a fundraiser with events like her annual Breast Cancer Dinners, LeatherWalk (for the AIDS Emergency Fund & the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund) and Toy Drive for Camp Sunburst, a program for children and families affected living with HIV/AIDS.
Then he said that Mama had authorized him to bring a new member into the family, and he looked at me!
I am proud to say I am now officially part of Mama's Family and was given the title of "Mama's Texas Daddy". What a wonderful surprise!
Following the pinning ( and it was not a traditional "Texas" pinning, but still an honor) Vince gave me the honor of shining my boots. Nice treat after such a great surprise!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Happy New Year - Eid Al Adha
For those who didn't know today is Eid Al Adha, Muslim New Year.
Happy Eid!
And the first day of Spring starts tonight at midnight.
Happy Eid!
And the first day of Spring starts tonight at midnight.
General Sheehan Lies To Congress!
Gen. John J. Sheehan, the former Supreme Allied Commander for NATO made a statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday that can only be described as a bald-faced lie.
He laid the blame for the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica on gay service members of the Dutch Army. Here is the exchange with committee chairman Carl Levin (D-MI):
It is amazing that this man can lie to Congress and get away with it. I feel fairly sure that his lie will be used again and again by the right-wing as "proof" that LGBT service members are unfit.
It is time someone disputed his testimony in the press loudly and often, otherwise the watchers of Fox News will believe it.
"in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily," often paraphrased as "The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed." (Adolph Hitler in Mein Kampf)
He laid the blame for the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica on gay service members of the Dutch Army. Here is the exchange with committee chairman Carl Levin (D-MI):
Well, the Dutch are not please with this and have categorically stated that Sheehan is lying. One official called his statements "complete nonsense".SHEEHAN: The case in point that I’m referring to was when the Dutch were required to defend Sbrenecia against the Serbs, the battalion was understrength, poorly led. And the Serbs came into town, handcuffed the soldiers to the telephone polls, marched the Muslims off and executed them. That was the largest massacre in Europe since World War II.
LEVIN: And did the Dutch leaders tell you it was because there were gay soldiers there?
SHEEHAN: It was a combination –
LEVIN: Did they tell you that?
SHEEHAN: Yes.
It is amazing that this man can lie to Congress and get away with it. I feel fairly sure that his lie will be used again and again by the right-wing as "proof" that LGBT service members are unfit.
It is time someone disputed his testimony in the press loudly and often, otherwise the watchers of Fox News will believe it.
"in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily," often paraphrased as "The bigger the lie, the more it will be believed." (Adolph Hitler in Mein Kampf)
Bishop Gene Robinson In Dallas
Wednesday night, my church, the Cathedral of Hope will host Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson at the 7:15pm service. Bishop Robinson was the first openly gay bishop ordained by the Episcopal church and has became a lightening rod for controversy in the Anglican Communion.
Cathedral of Hope is a congregation of the United Church of Christ and is the nation's largest predominately LGBT congregation. Hope to see you all there Wednesday night.
Cathedral of Hope is a congregation of the United Church of Christ and is the nation's largest predominately LGBT congregation. Hope to see you all there Wednesday night.
Jon Stewart Channels Glenn Beck
In a performance worthy of an Emmy, Jon Stewart did the best Glenn Beck imitation I have ever seen. He dragged out the chalk boards and opens the industrial drum of crazy to show just how frigging insane Glenn Beck is.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Conservative Libertarian | ||||
| ||||
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Best Gay Blog 2010 - DFW!
Well, it was a tie really but I am delighted to be a recipient of the Reader's Voice Award for Best Gay Blog for 2010 from the Dallas Voice. Of course I do write for the Voice, so that did give me a bit more exposure but still since it was a reader's vote I am delighted. My co-winners are Rick Vanderslice and R.J. Jackson at http://www.rickandrj.com/. Congratulations to them as well!Rick and me go way back and often share coffee and gossip at Buli's on the Cedar Springs strip in the gayborhood.
Now if only someone would give me a cash award! Like that is going to happen?
Call Nancy Pelosi NOW & Demand Action On ENDA!
It's blogswarm time folks! Bilerico project has started it and it's a good thing. Here is the background:
Background
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, first introduced in 1994, would prohibit job discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. But LGBT people have never been able to achieve the enactment of the bill, known by the acronym of "ENDA".
Last year, the Administration's highest ranking gay official, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry, indicated that ENDA was highest priority on the LGBT civil rights agenda.
"If we can get ENDA enacted and signed into law, it is only a matter of time before all the rest happens," he said. "It is the keystone that holds up the whole bunch, and so we need to focus our energies and attention there."Hearings were held last Fall in the House and in the Senate to demonstrate the need for the bill, and testimony was heard on the severe unemployment, underemployment and harassment experienced by LGBT workers. Witnesses testified to the scientific studies demonstrating this.
But nothing has happened. Click here to find out why and join us in swarming Speaker Pelosi's office.
We demand that LGBT people receive the same job rights as other people: to be able to get and keep a job based only on relevant factors, like job performance, and not on irrelevant criteria, like sexual orientation or gender identity.
There is a majority in both Houses of Congress in favor of ENDA. Now is the time to move it.
In 30 states across America, there is no law against firing someone based on his or her sexual orientation, and the same is true in 38 states for gender identity.
Please call Speaker Nancy Pelosi at 202-225-4965. Ask that the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, HR 3017, move to a vote.
Please be polite, but firm.
After you call, please tell us how the call went by clicking here. If you get a busy signal or hang up, let us know that too. It's important to record your response as we're tallying it up.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Jon Stewart Explains Financial Reform Proposals
Once again the Daily Show does a better job of reporting the real issues of the day than all the other news services combined. Why is it Jon Stewart can explain the real issue so clearly yet CNN & Fox and the networks merely give more "he said-she said" drivel?
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| In Dodd We Trust | ||||
| ||||
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Driving While Comatose? What other Excuse?
Can you say dumb as a box of rocks!
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Monday, March 15, 2010
New Evidence Shows CIA Covertly Dosed NY Subway Riders With LSD
It sounds like something out of a novel, but if the declassified memo from the CIA leads to more evidence, unsuspecting New Yorkers were covertly dosed with LSD in the subway. That was in 1950. The following year in a small town in France citizens suddenly went crazy.
News reports from that time show that over a two-day period some 250 french residents showed up in hospitals with unexplained hallucinations. 32 of those ended up being institutionalized and four died! The explanations given ranged from mercury poisoning to a very rare fungus that grows on rye bread called ergot. A man named Frank Olsen, who later was found to be a CIA scientist was in the area.
The furor died down and life went on until 1975 when the CIA admitted dosing a government scientist with LSD. That man, Frank Olsen committed suicide in 1953. His family was awarded $750,000 by the Ford administration as an apology for the dirty deed.
Additionally, Dr. Henry Eigelsbach, a co-worker with Olsen admitted releasing LSD into the subway in the early 1950's but little evidence could be found to support his claim until now.
The declassified memo from the FBI states the following tidbit which seems to support the claims. From the New York Post.
News reports from that time show that over a two-day period some 250 french residents showed up in hospitals with unexplained hallucinations. 32 of those ended up being institutionalized and four died! The explanations given ranged from mercury poisoning to a very rare fungus that grows on rye bread called ergot. A man named Frank Olsen, who later was found to be a CIA scientist was in the area.
The furor died down and life went on until 1975 when the CIA admitted dosing a government scientist with LSD. That man, Frank Olsen committed suicide in 1953. His family was awarded $750,000 by the Ford administration as an apology for the dirty deed.
Additionally, Dr. Henry Eigelsbach, a co-worker with Olsen admitted releasing LSD into the subway in the early 1950's but little evidence could be found to support his claim until now.
The declassified memo from the FBI states the following tidbit which seems to support the claims. From the New York Post.
"The BW [biological weapon] experiments to be conducted by representatives of the Department of the Army in the New York Subway System in September 1950, have been indefinitely postponed"
Time to open the records and come clean with this story. The CIA has long been suspected of overstepping it's bounds inside the country and this might be the proof needed to reign in their illegal activities. Wonder if they "waterboarded" anyone in connection with this case?
Texas Textbooks Get Dumbed Down Even More
Seems that the far-right folks who are trying to control our great states textbooks are intent on having young Texans become dumber than a box of rocks. I had to wait several days before I could write about this since it infuriated me to no end.
These sanctimonious home-schooled idiots insist that Thomas Frigging Jefferson be removed from Texas textbooks in favor of adding John Calvin? Say what? I am serious.
Board member Cynthia Dunbar, who I can only assume is a self-proclaimed born again flat earth proponent, has put forth the redeculous amendment to the texts.
According to the Texas Freedom Network blog (who attended the meetings):
These sanctimonious home-schooled idiots insist that Thomas Frigging Jefferson be removed from Texas textbooks in favor of adding John Calvin? Say what? I am serious.
Board member Cynthia Dunbar, who I can only assume is a self-proclaimed born again flat earth proponent, has put forth the redeculous amendment to the texts.
According to the Texas Freedom Network blog (who attended the meetings):
Here’s the amendment Dunbar changed: “explain the impact of Enlightenment ideas from John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Thomas Jefferson on political revolutions from 1750 to the present.” Here’s Dunbar’s replacement standard, which passed: “explain the impact of the writings of John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Charles de Montesquieu, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and Sir William Blackstone.” Not only does Dunbar’s amendment completely change the thrust of the standard. It also appalling drops one of the most influential political philosophers in American history — Thomas Jefferson.Leaving out the Enlightenment in American history is like leaving out the Renaissance in art history. This crap has to stop! Only a concerted effort by progressives and liberals can do this and that means running for school boards and education boards. Those are unromantic positions but they shape the future of our state and because Texas textbooks become the national standard, the country.
Friday, March 12, 2010
UCC Church Talks Back To Glen Beck
I really do love the United Church of Christ congregations. Some of them are just durned creative.
Take this one in Wantagh, NY. using their marquee to respond to Glen Beck's rant against social justice when he said "churches that preach about 'social justice' are fronts for communism and Nazism."
Full disclosure, my home church the Cathedral of Hope in Dallas is a United Church of Christ congregation.
Celebrity Hot Tub - Kevin Garn, Utah Hosue Majority Leader
Just in time for the movie with the title "Hot Tub Time Machine" comes word that something that happened 25 years ago might be re-emerging from the bubbling waters of another hot tub.
Seems Utah Republican lawmaker Kevin Garn spent some tie "relaxing" in a hot tub in the nude with a 15 year old girl. Then to cover his tracks he paid her $150,000 hush money when he tried to run for US Congress in 2002.
Today, the woman, Cheryl Maher has come forward and told news outlets she wants to come clean about the incident and clear her conscience. I suspect she will not return the $150,000.
Instead of calling for Garn's resignation, the Utah House gave him a round of applause as he returned as majority leader. Of course both parties claim nothing happened but soaking....yeah and that was worth $150,000 to stay quiet?
Seems Utah Republican lawmaker Kevin Garn spent some tie "relaxing" in a hot tub in the nude with a 15 year old girl. Then to cover his tracks he paid her $150,000 hush money when he tried to run for US Congress in 2002.
Today, the woman, Cheryl Maher has come forward and told news outlets she wants to come clean about the incident and clear her conscience. I suspect she will not return the $150,000.
Instead of calling for Garn's resignation, the Utah House gave him a round of applause as he returned as majority leader. Of course both parties claim nothing happened but soaking....yeah and that was worth $150,000 to stay quiet?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
