I really don’t care what Miss America runner-up Carrie Prejean said about gay marriage, as evidenced by the fact that this is my first post about her.
I do care, however, that she couldn’t express her views in an even remotely articulate fashion (“opposite marriage” ?) in the onlypart of the pageant that requires any modicum of basic intelligence and that this parade of dumbassery is viewed by millions of girls around the world.
All that said, it’s been revealed that Ms. Prejean’s tits were paid for courtesy of the Miss California Organization.
Sooo, that makes them your pimp and you… what? A fancy prostitute!?
- Expand Hate Crimes Statutes - Fight Workplace Discrimination - Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples - Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage - Repeal Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell - Expand Adoption Rights - Promote AIDS Prevention - Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS
(Read the complete contents of the original web page in my Jan. 20 post.)
Nice list, huh? I remember how amazing it was to almost feel like a full and equal citizen.
Well, now that Obama’s been elected it seems like we’re not quite as necessary anymore. The ENTIRE Civil Rights page on the White House website has now been reduced to only:
Strengthen Anti-Discrimination Laws On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act to ensure that all Americans receive equal pay for equal work. The President is committed to expanding funding for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to ensure that voting rights are protected and Americans do not suffer from increased discrimination during a time of economic distress. President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.
Lead Criminal Justice Reform The President will lead the fight to build a more fair and equitable criminal justice system. He will seek to strengthen federal hate crime legislation and will work to ensure that federal law enforcement agencies do not resort to racial profiling. He supports funding for drug courts, giving first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, if appropriate, in drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than prison terms in changing behavior. President Obama will also improve ex-offender employment and job retention strategies, substance abuse treatment, and mental health counseling so ex-offenders can successfully re-join society.
Yeah. That’s the entire page. Um, WHAT THE FUCK ‘BAMA?!
And can we note the semantic difference between the original “expand hate crimes statues,” which implies current laws are inferior and need to be replaced by superior legislation, and the current “strengthen anti-discrimination laws,” which implies the current laws just need a little Band-Aid?!
UPDATE:JMG sent a letter to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and received this response:
Hi Joe,
I wanted to let you know that Rea Carey contacted the White House directly about the issue today after you alerted us to your post. Rea was told that they are changing the White House Web site to turn it into a more governance-focused site to reflect progress, as opposed to a campaign and transition site. They said they have taken out many such points throughout the site (not just on LGBT policy issues) as part of this changeover, and are apparently modifying the site over the next few weeks. We will be keeping an eye on it, but if you see changes before we do (or a lack thereof), please let us know. And thank you for calling this to our attention.
Warm regards,
Inga Sarda-Sorensen
Director of Communications
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Hmm… I don’t think I’m satisfied…
UPDATE #2: The White House’s Civil Rights page has now been updated to include:
He supports changing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security, and also believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation.
Changing? Sigh. What happened to repealing?AmericaBlog is reporting that the White House is assuring them that this language doesn’t reflect a change in policy but I think that’s pretty hard to swallow complete bullshit.
Of note:
A) The ass.
B) His non-anonymous’ized e-mail address, which appears to be a variant of his name.
C) The poster identifies himself as the owner and also “a licensed real estate person.” Does he make all of his sales with this ass?
D) Despite the implication that this roommate relationship is going to become sexual – or at minimum involve a lot of exhibitionism – he’s still charging $700/month to live in buttfuck.
E) The ass.
Update: You have to check out what comes up when you Google that guy’s e-mail address and I also highly recommend visiting his MySpace page (face pic!) (And yes, I have way too much time on my hands…)
The documentary, which examines closeted anti-gay lawmakers and that I posted about here, premiered at the TriBeCa Film Festival last week and has already pissed off former NYC Mayor Ed Koch. The 84-year-old lifelong bachelor has always denied being gay or, of late, refused to address questions about his personal life, but being essentially outed in the film is not what upset him – it’s the distortion of his record: the film apparently claims that Koch’s “record on AIDS and gay rights was virtually nonexistent” and Koch sees it differently.
“It’s a [bleep]ing outrage,” Koch told Page Six yesterday. “Bella Abzug and I, in the early ’70s, introduced in Congress a bill that would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation.”
When he was elected mayor in 1977, one of his first acts was to ban such discrimination by city agencies. “And when we later said the law applied to contractors doing business with the city, the Catholic Church and the Salvation Army sued me,” Koch said.
“In 1984, I was the first mayor to march in the Gay Pride Parade. I was the first mayor to appoint openly gay judges…”
I’m going take Koch on his word for the above but note that those points don’t contradict the criticism that has been leveraged against him. Specifically, Koch’s Wikipedia page notes that Larry Kramer, among others, have criticized Koch for essentially ignoring the NYC AIDS epidemic of ‘82-’83, presumably out of fear that it would lend credence to the rumor of his homosexuality.
While I’ve already expressed that I’m excited for “Outraged,” I’m hoping Koch isn’t too central to the film. I kinda feel bad that people are still hounding this 84-year-old about his sexuality and even if he did ignore the NYC AIDS epidemic of ‘82-’83 – a topic on which I am decidedly ignorant but will acknowledge is an obviously selfish and egregious act of self-preservation at the expense of others – surely there are still bigger fish to fry in the ocean of closeted politicians who screw the LGBT population. (Right?)
It will be interesting to see if and how other subjects of the film respond.
Moderate Republican Senator Olympia Snowe in her NYT op-ed “We Didn’t Have To Lose Arlen Specter”:
It is true that being a Republican moderate sometimes feels like being a cast member of “Survivor” — you are presented with multiple challenges, and you often get the distinct feeling that you’re no longer welcome in the tribe. But it is truly a dangerous signal that a Republican senator of nearly three decades no longer felt able to remain in the party.
[...]
It is for this reason that we should heed the words of President Ronald Reagan, who urged, “We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty.” He continued, “As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.”
Jesus, if that’s the republican party, I’m going to consider switching parties…
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speak together sitting at a picnic table April 9, 2009, on the South Lawn of the White House. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
President Barack Obama runs down the East Colonnade with family dog "Bo." 3/15/09 Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
President Barack Obama addresses U.S. troops during his visit to Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq 4/7/09. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza. (I assume that's one of Saddam's palaces?!)
After family and friends blindly rallied in defense of alleged “Craigslist Killer” Philip Markoff (he’s too All-American to be a killer!) via a Facebook group and elsewhere, Today has learned that the engaged-to-be-married man solicited sex via Craigslist from women, men, and transsexuals. (Boy did not discriminate!).
Sucks to be Ms. Soon-To-Be-Markoff or any of the people who thought they knew him…
After serving as the nation’s interim prime minister since January, Jóhanna Sigurdardóttir has been elected to the position by the people of Iceland.
Sigurdardóttir was chosen for the interim position after Iceland’s economy collapsed and many in the conservative-controlled government resigned. The election further punished the conservative party, which is viewed as responsible for the economic crisis, by voting-out conservative members of congress. (Sound familiar?)
Like our own record-breaking leader, Sigurdardóttir faces a difficult road ahead:
Iceland’s economy is expected to contract by 10% this year and 1/3 of the annual budget must go to the International Monetary Fund to begin repaying the $2.1 billion dollar loan it gave the nation earlier this year to keep the country from collapsing.
The 66-year-old has always kept her private life somewhat private, although her official website does reference the woman with whom she has a civil union. Iceland is considered quite tolerant of gays, even amongst those who are politically conservative.
Sigurdardóttir has two children with her ex-husband.
Trivia: Iceland saw a voter turnout rate more than 85%. (Iceland, smartly, holds elections over the weekend.) It’s female turnout rate is this world’s third highest.
From Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) comes OUTRAGE, a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians with appalling gay rights voting records who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to.
Boldly revealing the hidden lives of some of the United States’ most powerful policymakers, OUTRAGE takes a comprehensive look at the harm they’ve inflicted on millions of Americans, and examines the media’s complicity in keeping their secrets.
With analysis from prominent members of the gay community such as Congressman Barney Frank, former NJ Governor Jim McGreevey, activist Larry Kramer, radio personality Michelangelo Signorile, and openly gay congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (Representative, Wisconsin 2nd district), OUTRAGE probes deeply into the psychology of this double lifestyle, the ethics of outing closeted politicians, the double standards that the media upholds in its coverage of the sex lives of gay public figures, and much more.
If you haven’t seen Kirby Dick’s other documentary, “This Film Is Not Yet Rated,” it is one hundred percent required viewing.
The famous Woolworth Building in its neo-Gothic glory. The structure was the world’s tallest building from its completion in 1913 to 1930. This photo was taken from West Street, showing the western and southern sides of the building.
The National Organization for Marriage says the best argument against gay marriage is that “gays and lesbians have a right to live as they choose; they don’t have the right to redefine marriage for all of us.”
That reasoning has many happily married heterosexuals scratching their heads. How, exactly, would granting gays the right to marry adversely affect heterosexual couples? How would it weaken families?
Arguments against gay marriage tend to be based on religious beliefs that marriage is a sacred rite intended solely for a man and a woman. But the legislation proposed by Gov. David Paterson would legalize gay and lesbian participation in civil marriages, not religious ceremonies. The bill specifically states that “no member of the clergy may be compelled to perform any marriage ceremony.”
[...]
Likewise, the organization declares on its Web site that gay marriage would result in children being taught that “one-half of humanity — either mothers or fathers — are dispensable, unimportant. … Children are confused enough right now with sexual messages. Let’s not confuse them further.”
The argument is a shameless scare tactic. If anything, legalizing same-sex marriage would provide children with a clearer understanding of — and a greater tolerance for — the immutable fact that some people have different sexual orientations than others.
While New York State as a whole votes reliably Democrat in Presidential elections, many of Upstate’s counties lean Republican. Onondaga County, home to Syracuse, went 58.5% Obama and 39.8% McCain in the 2008 election but its more rural neighbor, Madison County, where I’m from, went to McCain by a hair: 49.4% McCain and 48.5% Obama. (Full map.)
In related news, Paterson recently reversed course and said that instead of supporting the bill for an immediate vote – regardless of its chance for passage – he will defer to State Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith to introduce the bill only when its passage can be secured.
While this strategy has obvious advantages, I think I sit in the minority opinion when I say that any action is better than no action. Plus, I’m not sure I want to rely on the “most dysfunctional legislature in the nation” to choose when to provide me my marriage rights.
…and so do I, but I don’t have interviews with its co-founders, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. Dowd asks:
I would rather be tied up to stakes in the Kalahari Desert, have honey poured over me and red ants eat out my eyes than open a Twitter account. Is there anything you can say to change my mind?
Daaamn… how do you really feel!?
Their response to the above and the complete and amusing interview here.
PS: Dowd guest-read a video clue on Jeopardy! last night and she beyond sucked. Just sayin’.
French DJ/producer David Guetta and former Child of Destiny Kelly Rowland have teamed up and the result is a pretty decent dance track. The beginning is slightly reminiscent of Coldplay’s “Clocks” but it’s still a good track and I’m sure it’ll be all over the clubs this summer.
I’m not a huge Prince fan and so I can’t say that I was familiar with this track before I listened to this cover but, if you’re like me, that won’t keep you from enjoying it.
This is a somewhat straight-forward interpretation (unlike Duffy’s) but it’s fun nonetheless thanks to the quality of the source material. *Thanks, Sean!
Stormy Weather is perhaps most famously done by Etta James but Judy Garland also performed it, including during her celebrated one-night-only performance at Carnegie Hall AKA “the greatest night in show business history.” When Rufus Wainwright recreated the night in 2006 (someone’s got cajones!), he had his sister Martha take the stage for one song – and she almost stole the show. As always, Martha’s voice in any given second has more emotion than I experience in an entire year and while I’ll concede that her voice might be an acquired taste, I’d still have to recommend this track.
The Log Cabin Republicans announced Tuesday that the GOP’s New York leadership in both the state senate and assembly are going to allow Republican legislators to make “conscience votes” on Gov. David Paterson’s marriage-equality bill rather than pressuring party members to vote against it, giving the legislation a much stronger likelihood of picking up Republican votes in both chambers.
The development may be particularly important in the senate, where Democrats hold a slim 32-30 majority, four Democrats have already said they will vote against the marriage bill, and equality advocates will need to pick up several GOP votes in order to pass the legislation. Strategists expect the legislation to sail through the assembly, which already passed an identical bill in 2007 by a vote of 85 to 61.
That’s going to be one tight Senate vote.
The Advocate also reported on the first-ever poll to show majority support for gay marriage in New York State:
A Siena poll released yesterday found 53% of the state’s voters want Governor Paterson’s marriage-equality bill passed, while 39% are opposed to it.
No word on when the legislature will address the bill.
Today’s biggest releases are probably the tenth studio album from Pet Shop Boys, “Yes,” and the twelfth album from Depeche Mode, “Sounds of the Universe.” I’ve really liked what I’ve heard so far of the PSB album and you can pick up the entire Depeche Mode album at Amazon for only $3.99!
Playwright/novelist/screenwriter Paul Rudnick penned a piece for this week’s New Yorker and it’s totally hilarious. It’s essentially a letter to Mr. Haggard from fictional character Pastor Stan Belker, who has much in common with Mr. Haggard.
As a teen-ager, I found that I was attracted both to serving Our Lord and to Jimmy Wiggins, the assistant coach of my high-school soccer team. I was in torment, and I would pray for hours on end, asking God why He would command me to love Him so deeply and at the same time just go and create Jimmy’s snug little soccer shorts. I told my clergyman, Father Josiah, about my conflicting urges, and he tried to reconcile them by explaining that from certain angles Jesus looks just like Dennis Quaid. Still, I had agonizing doubts: was I just experiencing a completely normal phase of adolescent uncertainty, or were Jimmy Wiggins’s firm, high buttocks really a calling card from Satan?
(Oh sweet Jesus how familiar I am with that calling card!)
The letter recounts Stan’s life as it follows the expected trajectory: male lover in college, then wife and a male prostitute/drug dealer in adulthood, and finally a public downfall.
It kinda missed the whole Ted Haggard media explosion (all three (?) of them) but it’s good enough to be forgiven.
Post-Modern Barney has a list of uncomfortable plot summaries – movie summaries with a slight Debbie Downer twist for the non-cinephile. Some of my favorites:
300: Gays kill blacks. JURASSIC PARK: Theme park’s grand opening pushed back. STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE: Religious extremist terrorists destroy government installation, killing thousands. STAR WARS: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: Boy is abused by midget, kisses sister, attempts patricide. STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI: Handicapped mass murderer kills septugenarian, is lauded. WAR OF THE WORLDS: Immigrants face difficulty acclimating. USUAL SUSPECTS: Murderer denies guilt, is released.
See the complete list and what readers have contributed here.
Remember President Obama’s “60 Minutes” interview back in March where he mentioned that every day he reads a sampling of 10 letters sent to the White House?! Well, the POTUS also occasionally responds. By hand. That according to an article in today’s Times which follows Mike Kelleher, the man responsible for choosing those 10 letters.
It’s a fascinating read and is coupled with an interactive feature that includes the letters and responses mentioned in the article.
Comments seem to say that the last two are the funniest, although I love the quote one commenter pulled out of the third video: “A storm is gathering, but we have fear and ignorance to shelter us.”
After receiving numerous complaints from neighbors – including one who was partially deaf - an Environmental Health agency set up recording devices to discern the amount of noise reaching neighbors’ homes during the sessions that generally lasted two and a half hours. The couple had already been served with as ASBO (Anti-social behavior order) and because they continued to violate that order, have now been fined USD$290 and USD$430.
I really don’t care what Miss America runner-up Carrie Prejean said about gay marriage, as evidenced by the fact that this is my first post about her.
Posted by Mark 
Posted by Mark 
Remember when WhiteHouse.gov was updated, like, 0.52 seconds after President Obama’s inauguration on January 20?
Posted by Mark 
…but not for the reason you’d expect.
After family and friends blindly rallied in defense of alleged “Craigslist Killer” Philip Markoff (he’s too All-American to be a killer!) via 
The editorial
…and so do I, but I don’t have interviews with its co-founders, Biz Stone and Evan Williams. Dowd asks:
This is kinda huge. From 
Playwright/novelist/screenwriter 
Post-Modern Barney
Remember President Obama’s “60 Minutes” interview back in March where 
