Bill Orally on gays “co-mingling” with straight families at the San Diego Padres game this week:
Olbermann’s response: Read the rest of this entry »
Baseball, Hot Dog, Apple Pie, and Gays
July 14, 2007 at 1:37 pm (- by Jenn, Bill O'Reilly, Family Values, Homophobia, LGBT)
A Letter from Iraq
July 14, 2007 at 12:42 pm (- by Gina, Iraq War, Politics)
On Wednesday, I had a long, tough day at work. Several months of stress at home and at work were beginning to get to me. I got in the car to drive home, head pounding, neck tense, feeling the physical strain that mental stress brings to the body.
And then on the radio, Daniel Schorr read a letter from a soldier in Iraq about having his tour extended another three months.
In this soldier’s words, I could hear the weariness and numbness brought on by unrelenting and unimaginable stress of his life that made my own stress seem petty and trivial. Yes, sometimes things get tough. I worry a lot about family and clients. I feel pulled in too many directions. But I don’t have to keep my mind and body at 24-hour alert for month after month after month. I don’t have to face the real possibility that I or the person next to me won’t live to see the end of the week. I don’t have to deal with this unimaginable burden while a world away from those I love.
Yes, I have stress, like we all do. I feel like I’m constantly running, constantly worrying. But that’s not true. Even in my most harried times, I have the luxury of stopping for an hour to watch some silly TV, have a drink, or sit quietly and comfortably with my partner.
I can only hope that some day soon this soldier and all the other soldiers like him will have that luxury too.
You must listen to the letter.
A Fine Frenzy
July 14, 2007 at 10:37 am (- by Gina, Music)
Saturday morning music break: “Almost Lover” from A Fine Frenzy:
Thanks for the nudge, Sandy.
Extremist Christians Disrupt Senate Invocation
July 12, 2007 at 5:58 pm (- by Jenn, Politics, Religion)
Hypocrites. They protest the Matthew Shephard Act saying it will stifle religious freedom but they don’t have any trouble trying to stifle other people’s religion.
Holsinger Hearing
July 12, 2007 at 2:29 pm (- by Gina, James Holsinger, LGBT, LGBT rights, Politics)
I wanted to liveblog the hearing this morning, but work kept me from it.
I did catch the second hour live. Holsinger backed away from his 1991 pseudo-scientific ramblings about homosexuality, saying it no longer represented who he was. But when Ted Kennedy pushed on the matter, questioning, for example, his used of a study of patients in a Danish STD clinic to make generalizations about all gay people, Holsinger’s answer was less than satisfactory. He said, in effect, that
a) he wasn’t writing a scientific paper at the time. But he cloaked it in the language of science, he used scientific studies, and he based his authority in the paper on his being a doctor. So even if it was not an article in a medical journal and was a position paper for a church board, he was making claims using (or, more accurately, misusing) science. The fact that he does not admit that makes me wonder how far he has come from that paper.
b) he said we needed to keep in mind the context for the paper and that he selected that Danish study specifically to be able to convince other members of the board on the issue they were debating. What he neglected to add was that the issue he was trying to convince his fellow board members of was that gay people are unnatural and do not deserve equal rights.
I’m going to try to catch the first hour on video somewhere. I’m curious to see what the 3 committee members who are also presidential candidates had to say.
Marriage Myths, Pt. 2: Leave it to the States
July 11, 2007 at 7:15 pm (- by Gina, 2008 Election, Family Values, LGBT, LGBT rights, Marriage Equality, Politics)
I’ve been meaning to get back to this series, looking at the arguments that Democrats use to deny marriage equality. A few weeks ago I talked about the first myth, that marriage is a religious institution.
A second common excuse used by Democrats is captured in this quote from Hillary Clinton:
“I think that this is a matter that historically has been left to the states because that’s where decisions like these are made.”
The justification here is that legal marriages are granted by the state, not the federal government. Furthermore, definitions of marriage vary from state to state, so that age limits or blood tests requirements will be different depending on what state you get married in. So yes, to an extent, marriage laws have historically been left to the states.
The Family Values of David Vitter and Rudy Giuliani
July 11, 2007 at 1:50 pm (- by Gina, 2008 Election, David Vitter, Family Values, LGBT, LGBT rights, Marriage Equality, Politics, Rudy Giuliani)
Sometimes the absurdity writes itself.
So, David Vitter, the holier-than-thou Senator from Louisiana who wants to protect marriage from LGBT couples but not from D.C. hookers, was a Southern campaign chairman for none other than Rudy Giuliani. His job was to sell Southern Christian conservatives on the family values of a candidate who has had almost as many wives as he has mistresses. Good luck with that, Dave.
For more details, see the New York Times article, A Senator’s Moral High Ground Gets Shaky. Vitter’s constituents will be happy to know that just because he used the D.C. brothel to service his needs in Washington doesn’t mean he prefers them to Louisiana prostitutes. According the article, he’s an equal opportunity employer of hookers and has supported the local sex industry as well.
Bush Wants a Puppet General
July 11, 2007 at 12:55 am (- by Gina, Are you fucking kidding me?, George Bush, James Holsinger, LGBT, Politics)
Bush’s first Surgeon General spoke out today.
White House Is Accused of Putting Politics Over Science
WASHINGTON, July 10 — Former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona told a Congressional committee today that top officials in the Bush administration repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations.
Dr. Carmona, who served as surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, said White House officials would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues because of political concerns. Top administration officials delayed for years and attempted to “water down” a landmark report on secondhand tobacco smoke, he said in sworn testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Why am I not more surprised? This is what we expect with George Bush. But it gets even more blatant: Read the rest of this entry »
Rod 007 Update
July 10, 2007 at 1:39 pm (- by Gina, Bill O'Reilly, Homophobia, LGBT, LGBT rights, Politics, Rod Wheeler)
We’ve been getting a lot of hits from people searching for Rod “007″ Wheeler, the crime “expert” who went on Bill O’Reilly to foment fear of lesbians by telling lies about lesbian gangs raping and converting their way across the country, so we should probably give you the latest update on the story.
After being called out on his lies, Rod 007 has apologized. Sort of. On his Rod 007 page, he apologizes for mistakenly insinuating that the Pink Pistols, a perfectly legitimate group of LGBT gun owners, is a dangerous lesbian gang. He apologizes for mistakenly make it sound like there are 150 reported lesbian gangs in D.C., when there are 150 total gangs in D.C., and at most 1 that is made up of lesbians.
He apologized for his misleading statement in the cases where concrete facts proved him wrong, and he had no choice but to admit it.
But, sorry Rod 007. That ain’t enough. Read the rest of this entry »
David Vitter on Marriage “Protection”
July 10, 2007 at 9:52 am (- by Gina, David Vitter, Family Values, Marriage Equality, Politics)
David Vitter one year ago on marriage “protection”:
This week, the U.S. Senate focused much of its attention on the Marriage Protection Amendment, a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage as being between one man and one woman. While more senators voted for it this time than two years ago, we still didn’t meet the threshold for a constitutional amendment to pass. But we are making progress.
Voters in Louisiana and at least 44 other states have shown their support for traditional marriage by voting to protect it. But these laws are being attacked in courts across the country, and activist judges should not be able to suppress the will of the American people. This is why we need a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.
[Hey, David, here's a thought. Instead of a constitutional amendment, how about we protect marriage by you keeping your pants on? A lot simpler, huh?]
Sen. David Vitter (R-La) Redefines Marriage
July 10, 2007 at 9:14 am (- by Gina, David Vitter, Family Values, Marriage Equality, Politics)
Vitter’s New American Dictionary
mar-riage (n.) – The holy union of one man and one woman and one DC madame.
same-sex mar-riage (n.) – Catastrophic natural disasters.
The Sun Finally Comes Out at Wimbledon 2007
July 8, 2007 at 3:03 pm (- by Gina, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Wimbledon)
[Updated: Video added.]
After 2 weeks of rain delays and constant schedule shuffling, a soggy Wimbledon came to a glorious finish today with one of the best matches I’ve seen in a long time. Certainly the best since Agassi’s gutsy goodbye to the U. S. Open last September.
Today, Roger Federer battled an amazing Rafael Nadal through 5 sets to finally take his 5th straight Wimbledon, tying the great Bjorn Borg’s record.
Being a fan of someone like Federer who so dominates their sport can make you feel guilty sometimes, like you should root for the underdog instead of the sure thing. Usually, Federer is the sure thing, especially on grass. 11 grand slam titles; 9 straight grand slam finals. He’s never been forced to a fifth set in any of his grand slam finals.
It all seems too easy for him.
But today was not easy. Read the rest of this entry »
The Police at Live Earth
July 8, 2007 at 10:05 am (- by Gina, Music)
They are still the best. Message in a Bottle was the perfect ending of the day.
I don’t usually like when they update songs adding in new people, but I loved what Kanye West brought to a classic. It worked for me.
Some more Police:
Read the rest of this entry »
Bill O’Reilly lies to make people fear lesbians
July 7, 2007 at 12:27 pm (- by Gina, Are you fucking kidding me?, Bill O'Reilly, LGBT, LGBT rights, Politics, Rod Wheeler)
In my posts on James Holsinger’s nomination as Surgeon General, I’ve taken pains to say that I don’t care what his personal religious beliefs are, as long as they don’t get in the way of him understanding and interpreting science. We have evidence in his case that it does get in the way.
I’m starting to worry that these days that’s the case more often than not. In my better moods, I attribute it to people who can’t see outside their own limited framework. In my more cynical moods, I suspect it’s more intentional, a deliberate twisting of truth to gain power.
Case in point: Rod Wheeler, a former police officer and now a Fox News crime “expert.” Mr. Wheeler, or as he prefers to call himself, Rod 007 (007? Really? How pathetic.) recently appeared on The O’Reilly Factor for a segment called “Violent Lesbian Gangs: A Growing Problem.”
O’Reilly summons Fox’s go-to boy on crime to give the evidence. Rod 007 shares details about this vast underground network of lesbian gangs going around raping children, attacking poor innocent straight men, and recruiting children by force to join them in their perversity. According to Rod 007, there are 150 of these dangerous lesbian gangs in Washington DC alone.
Scary, isn’t it?
Except that it’s not true. Read the rest of this entry »
