As Blog Ally The Malcontent reports over yonder, there is a considerable amount of buzz going on about the new movie Brokeback Mountain, in which two rangehands played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal get to know each other in the Biblical sense despite having hundreds of available sheep around (which will no doubt enrage the Rick Santorum set).
Because North Dallas Thirty knows people (no, not THAT way) -- or more precisely, has a roommate who's much better connected than he is -- he was able to get a short review of a pre-screening of the film personally. Visually stunning, emotionally wrenching -- yeah, yeah, we KNEW that.
However, the surprise....according to my source, it seems that the faithful NDT Mascot is moonlighting as Ledger and Gyllenhaal's furry herding costar in the film. In the words of my insider, "It looks just like him!"
You know, this WOULD explain the Ferrari in the driveway.......
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Monday, November 28, 2005
ANOTHER Gay Conservablogger?
Just added Average Gay Joe to the list of Blog Allies....wander on over and check him out.
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Happy Belated Thanksgiving
My apologies to all for the lateness of the holiday wishes. As I mentioned previously, I was spending Thanksgiving with the husbear in San Francisco, safe in the assurance that all we would have to do for the grand holiday feast would be to make pies (a matter quickly solved by $12 at Costco). There would be plenty of time to blog and cuddle (although not in that order).
As it turned out, though, we ended up a) hosting, b) cooking, and c) cleaning up -- which meant I am just now getting around to blogging. Make your own assumptions about the cuddling. (grin)
Thanksgiving has never been very high on my holiday list, for several reasons. First, where I grew up, the weather on Thanksgiving was always one of two things -- too hot or too cold -- and either way, too windy. Second, for someone who loathes leftover turkey in any form, it's hard to celebrate what will be your last decent meal for a week. Finally, it was always the day in which at least one family bombshell was dropped. Any guesses as to when I had to come out?
However, LabKat, in her usual wise fashion, did a wonderfully-whimsical and provocative post describing Thanksgiving as "the holiday that was" -- and in the process, explaining why this is truly a special, yea necessary, holiday for we Americans to celebrate. Bimble over and share in her wit and witticism, and I daresay you will come out feeling much better, as I did.
Now, to return you to the holiday madness......
As it turned out, though, we ended up a) hosting, b) cooking, and c) cleaning up -- which meant I am just now getting around to blogging. Make your own assumptions about the cuddling. (grin)
Thanksgiving has never been very high on my holiday list, for several reasons. First, where I grew up, the weather on Thanksgiving was always one of two things -- too hot or too cold -- and either way, too windy. Second, for someone who loathes leftover turkey in any form, it's hard to celebrate what will be your last decent meal for a week. Finally, it was always the day in which at least one family bombshell was dropped. Any guesses as to when I had to come out?
However, LabKat, in her usual wise fashion, did a wonderfully-whimsical and provocative post describing Thanksgiving as "the holiday that was" -- and in the process, explaining why this is truly a special, yea necessary, holiday for we Americans to celebrate. Bimble over and share in her wit and witticism, and I daresay you will come out feeling much better, as I did.
Now, to return you to the holiday madness......
Media Bias? What Media Bias?
The fascinating story of the day, as reported by CNN, appears to be that Ramsey Clark, former US Attorney General under Lyndon B. Johnson, is being added to Saddam Hussein's defense team.
Of course, this is rather old news; Clark himself announced this with much fanfare in February of this year, publicly complaining in April about how his innocent" client was being "demonized", before being canned in August.
At any rate, it shouldn't be surprising; this is the same man who is still in complete and total denial about Slobodan Milosevic and Fidel Castro. Ramsey Clark's record of supporting every nasty regime under the sun as long as it's anti-American is well-known to the world and can be obtained faster than you can Google "World Worker's Party".
However, the amusing thing is that, when you look at those articles I cited above about Clark's choice, one of the things for which Ramsey Clark is noted -- the founding and ongoing guidance of the antiwar organization International ANSWER following 9/11, when it opposed the invasion of Afghanistan, and to today -- is NOWHERE to be found.
Simple answer why: International ANSWER is something widely known and recognized by the American public as the core of the antiwar movement and is associated with Democratic politicians.
A prime example of this is liberal columnist and gadfly Eric Alterman. In his work published in the November 21 issue of The Nation, he calls International ANSWER "Stalinist androids" who support "Saddamite dictatorships" and ostensibly calls on liberals to reject them and their views. However, Alterman had previously admitted in September that he supported ANSWER's presence at antiwar activities because it would make for larger rallies and that liberals should just stomach ANSWER's antics and extremism.
The irony, of course, is that Alterman argues that "most of the media and most people have the good sense to understand that people who oppose the war are not these Stalinist androids". However, he and his fellow media members are apparently doing their best to make certain that those "Stalinist androids" that he flatters, cultivates, and tells liberals to stomach for the good of the cause to get more people out to his rallies elsewhere don't have THEIR name smeared by association with Saddam denialists, even when it's their own leader.
What makes this even funnier is that Alterman is demonstrating the convolutions required to make his irrational hatred of Bush publicly acceptable. He can't be truthful about Saddam's crimes because it would push public opinion in the opposite direction of where he wants it, but he can't be truthful about the fact that the backbone of the antiwar movement is antiwar because it denies Saddam Hussein's human rights abuses. The only solution is to hide information and manipulate the truth to mislead -- exactly what he and his fellow antiwar activists accuse the Bush administration of doing, only with far less evidence on their part.
Of course, this is rather old news; Clark himself announced this with much fanfare in February of this year, publicly complaining in April about how his innocent" client was being "demonized", before being canned in August.
At any rate, it shouldn't be surprising; this is the same man who is still in complete and total denial about Slobodan Milosevic and Fidel Castro. Ramsey Clark's record of supporting every nasty regime under the sun as long as it's anti-American is well-known to the world and can be obtained faster than you can Google "World Worker's Party".
However, the amusing thing is that, when you look at those articles I cited above about Clark's choice, one of the things for which Ramsey Clark is noted -- the founding and ongoing guidance of the antiwar organization International ANSWER following 9/11, when it opposed the invasion of Afghanistan, and to today -- is NOWHERE to be found.
Simple answer why: International ANSWER is something widely known and recognized by the American public as the core of the antiwar movement and is associated with Democratic politicians.
A prime example of this is liberal columnist and gadfly Eric Alterman. In his work published in the November 21 issue of The Nation, he calls International ANSWER "Stalinist androids" who support "Saddamite dictatorships" and ostensibly calls on liberals to reject them and their views. However, Alterman had previously admitted in September that he supported ANSWER's presence at antiwar activities because it would make for larger rallies and that liberals should just stomach ANSWER's antics and extremism.
The irony, of course, is that Alterman argues that "most of the media and most people have the good sense to understand that people who oppose the war are not these Stalinist androids". However, he and his fellow media members are apparently doing their best to make certain that those "Stalinist androids" that he flatters, cultivates, and tells liberals to stomach for the good of the cause to get more people out to his rallies elsewhere don't have THEIR name smeared by association with Saddam denialists, even when it's their own leader.
What makes this even funnier is that Alterman is demonstrating the convolutions required to make his irrational hatred of Bush publicly acceptable. He can't be truthful about Saddam's crimes because it would push public opinion in the opposite direction of where he wants it, but he can't be truthful about the fact that the backbone of the antiwar movement is antiwar because it denies Saddam Hussein's human rights abuses. The only solution is to hide information and manipulate the truth to mislead -- exactly what he and his fellow antiwar activists accuse the Bush administration of doing, only with far less evidence on their part.
Saturday, November 19, 2005
Where Have You Been?
My apologies to all.....as part of being released to move to San Francisco, I have to complete my last two major projects at work, and this week's required the following:
-- No sleep
-- Less food
-- Being in South Carolina
As a reward, I have all next week off, which means I will be winging my way to the Bay Area this afternoon and catching up on quality time with the husbear.
There are several backlogged topics I've been turning over in my head.....stay tuned.
-- No sleep
-- Less food
-- Being in South Carolina
As a reward, I have all next week off, which means I will be winging my way to the Bay Area this afternoon and catching up on quality time with the husbear.
There are several backlogged topics I've been turning over in my head.....stay tuned.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Veteran's Day....Always Remember
As part of our observance of Veterans' Day, several other gay bloggers and myself are doing posts of thanks and remembrance for those who sacrificed their time, their blood, and their lives as part of armed forces around the world.....and especially those in our own American armed forces.
Always remember.....
That if it weren't for a veteran, you and I might still know the lash of an onerous government that saw our beautiful country and those who inhabited it as nothing but inferior, rebellious colonials whose rights as human beings or Englishmen could be ignored and often disregarded.
That if it weren't for a veteran, you and I might still be staring across lines of hatred and distrust, holding people in utter wretched bondage for no reason other than their skin color.
That if it weren't for a veteran, you and I might still be picking up the morning's paper, reading in horror about the latest crime against humanity committed by the European Reich.
GayPatriot has posted the lyrics to what I feel is a very touching and appropriate song for this occasion. I now present to you the video -- Toby Keith, American Soldier
And as a special point, to those of my gay brothers and sisters who have served in the military despite discrimination, the threat of discrimination, of harassment, and even death.....thank you. You, more than anyone else, demonstrate that the fact that one loves those of the same gender does not preclude one loving one's country. You have shown this country and the world that patriotism is stronger than hate, that duty conquers personal pain, and that glbts do believe in something greater than themselves -- the United States of America and the history of freedom that we represent.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Please visit the other sites I am joining in today's blog cavalcade:
Another Gay Republican
Cake or Death
Charging Rhino
GayOrbit -- Michael, Ace, and Mary
GayPatriot
Gay and Right
Gryphmon's Grumbles
Robbie of The Malcontent
UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers! We appreciate your stopping by and comments.
Always remember.....
That if it weren't for a veteran, you and I might still know the lash of an onerous government that saw our beautiful country and those who inhabited it as nothing but inferior, rebellious colonials whose rights as human beings or Englishmen could be ignored and often disregarded.
That if it weren't for a veteran, you and I might still be staring across lines of hatred and distrust, holding people in utter wretched bondage for no reason other than their skin color.
That if it weren't for a veteran, you and I might still be picking up the morning's paper, reading in horror about the latest crime against humanity committed by the European Reich.
GayPatriot has posted the lyrics to what I feel is a very touching and appropriate song for this occasion. I now present to you the video -- Toby Keith, American Soldier
And as a special point, to those of my gay brothers and sisters who have served in the military despite discrimination, the threat of discrimination, of harassment, and even death.....thank you. You, more than anyone else, demonstrate that the fact that one loves those of the same gender does not preclude one loving one's country. You have shown this country and the world that patriotism is stronger than hate, that duty conquers personal pain, and that glbts do believe in something greater than themselves -- the United States of America and the history of freedom that we represent.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Please visit the other sites I am joining in today's blog cavalcade:
Another Gay Republican
Cake or Death
Charging Rhino
GayOrbit -- Michael, Ace, and Mary
GayPatriot
Gay and Right
Gryphmon's Grumbles
Robbie of The Malcontent
UPDATE: Welcome, Instapundit readers! We appreciate your stopping by and comments.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
One Cheap and Easy Special Election
Well, it's happened.....the house is sold, my things are packed, and my notice has been given.....so, by January 1, North Dallas Thirty (the blogger) will be an official resident of San "Check Your Guns and Recruiters At the Door" Francisco.
Being as you all did such a marvelous job with the last time I asked your opinion on something, I shall throw you the thorny question with which I've been wrestling of late; now that I'm no longer to be in Dallas, what should we do with the esteemed "North Dallas Thirty" blog name? Please vote on the lovely poll provided off to the side by our friends at Pollhost.com.
In addition, if those of you who vote "Change" would be so kind, I'm looking for suggestions as to what....please, no scatological or other references that would make me look like more of a pervert than I may or may not be. (evil grin) You know who you are.
Vote early.....but just TRY to vote often. And no, there will be NO paper record!
Being as you all did such a marvelous job with the last time I asked your opinion on something, I shall throw you the thorny question with which I've been wrestling of late; now that I'm no longer to be in Dallas, what should we do with the esteemed "North Dallas Thirty" blog name? Please vote on the lovely poll provided off to the side by our friends at Pollhost.com.
In addition, if those of you who vote "Change" would be so kind, I'm looking for suggestions as to what....please, no scatological or other references that would make me look like more of a pervert than I may or may not be. (evil grin) You know who you are.
Vote early.....but just TRY to vote often. And no, there will be NO paper record!
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Lysenko Would Be Proud
One of the more interesting things that came out of yesterday's election is the sweep of school board seats in Dover, Pennsylvania, which is currently in the midst of a controversy and lawsuit over its school board supposedly mandating the teaching of intelligent design in the classroom.
Upon doing a bit of digging, I came upon the statement that precipitated this whole issue.
“The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part.
Because Darwin’s Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.
Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, "Of Pandas and People", is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves.
With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the Origins of Life to individual students and their families. As a Standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on Standards-based assessments.
Now, keep in mind that this statement was to be read to ninth-graders at the beginning of their biology class. Indeed, as the article I cited mentioned, teachers did not even have to read it themselves; school administrators would do it if the teacher did not wish to do so. The reading of this statement was all that was required; no other curriculum modifications were made or mandated.
Now, notice a few other things in those paragraphs:
1) The statement made it clear that the school was going to teach evolution because that is what was on the standards test.
2) It does not mandate that students read the book Of Pandas and People, which is about intelligent design; it merely says that it is available if students are interested.
3) It does not say that intelligent design is a theory, or that it meets the scientific criterion to be one; it says it is an alternate explanation for the origin of life.
However, scientists and educators demanded, as cited in the article, that this statement be removed because it "mandated the teaching of intelligent design creationism".
That is the weakest "mandate" I've ever seen. You're not telling students what it's about, you're not talking about it in class, and you're not requiring them to read the book on it. I only wish MY high school assignments had been that "mandatory".
What this is more than anything else is hysterics on the part of the antireligious bigots for whom evolution is a cornerstone of their attempts to deny the existence of God or prove that religion is irrational superstition. Ironically, these same bigots argue that they must exclude alternatives or kids won't get the education they need; in my cynical view, what they're excluding is the chance that they won't have to answer, "I don't know" when pressed.
UPDATE: Pat Robertson, as is his wont, decided to make things worse -- although for whom, I am not sure.
Upon doing a bit of digging, I came upon the statement that precipitated this whole issue.
“The Pennsylvania Academic Standards require students to learn about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and eventually to take a standardized test of which evolution is a part.
Because Darwin’s Theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The Theory is not a fact. Gaps in the Theory exist for which there is no evidence. A theory is defined as a well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.
Intelligent Design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin’s view. The reference book, "Of Pandas and People", is available for students who might be interested in gaining an understanding of what Intelligent Design actually involves.
With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind. The school leaves the discussion of the Origins of Life to individual students and their families. As a Standards-driven district, class instruction focuses upon preparing students to achieve proficiency on Standards-based assessments.
Now, keep in mind that this statement was to be read to ninth-graders at the beginning of their biology class. Indeed, as the article I cited mentioned, teachers did not even have to read it themselves; school administrators would do it if the teacher did not wish to do so. The reading of this statement was all that was required; no other curriculum modifications were made or mandated.
Now, notice a few other things in those paragraphs:
1) The statement made it clear that the school was going to teach evolution because that is what was on the standards test.
2) It does not mandate that students read the book Of Pandas and People, which is about intelligent design; it merely says that it is available if students are interested.
3) It does not say that intelligent design is a theory, or that it meets the scientific criterion to be one; it says it is an alternate explanation for the origin of life.
However, scientists and educators demanded, as cited in the article, that this statement be removed because it "mandated the teaching of intelligent design creationism".
That is the weakest "mandate" I've ever seen. You're not telling students what it's about, you're not talking about it in class, and you're not requiring them to read the book on it. I only wish MY high school assignments had been that "mandatory".
What this is more than anything else is hysterics on the part of the antireligious bigots for whom evolution is a cornerstone of their attempts to deny the existence of God or prove that religion is irrational superstition. Ironically, these same bigots argue that they must exclude alternatives or kids won't get the education they need; in my cynical view, what they're excluding is the chance that they won't have to answer, "I don't know" when pressed.
UPDATE: Pat Robertson, as is his wont, decided to make things worse -- although for whom, I am not sure.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Hi Straight Friends....
It's good to talk to you again. Yes, I know it's been a while....what with the pressures of work, church, volunteering, and so on, it seems like we hardly can find the time to see each other. Is your mom doing OK? How did your daughter's recital go? Yep, my partner's doing fine....he said to say hello and that he was working on getting that T-shirt you loved so much when you saw our picture.
Look, it's really good to catch up....but there was another reason I stopped by today. Have you been reading in the papers and seeing on the news about the vote tomorrow? Yeah, I know....another election. Seems we can't get anything done in Texas without amending the constitution, thank you very much, Santa Anna! Oh yeah, it's the usual...can the state do this, should they do that, little stuff.
But there's one big question on there.....Proposition 2....that really hits close to home for me. This one amends the Texas Constitution to permanently ban the state from recognizing any form of legal relationship except between a man and a woman. Yeah, that one -- the one about protecting families.
Look, you and I have been friends for a long time. Think back to when you first found out I was gay. I know it was a shock to you, just like it was to my mom and dad....I seem to remember you saying, "But you played football! You chew tobacco! You listen to country music! How can you be gay -- are you SURE?" Oh, don't blush....no need to apologize...heck, I barely knew what being gay was about then.
You and I have learned a lot about each other. Do you know how scared I was to tell you? After all, you're a pillar of the community -- Bible study leader, soccer coach, happily married, gorgeous kids -- it's like an advertisement for "family values". I'd heard you before clucking your disapproval about how it just wasn't right for these gays to be parading around in public. I'd even heard you and your family say, "That's so gay," or taunt each other with "Bend over and take it, ya faggot!"
Oh, that....well, yeah, I noticed too. The time we met up in the grocery store and I asked when your son's birthday party would be...I saw that little look, that little, "um..." in your speech. I know your significant other wasn't comfortable with me being around -- remember that first dinner you held where I came after they found out about my little secret? Talk about icy cold conversation (laughs).
But you know, that's not what I remember at all. I remember coming into work down about the hot guy who had just dumped me and you grabbing me and saying, "Come on, let's do lunch. My treat." I remember the look of joy on your son's face when he got to ride in my Jeep with the top down, you and your spouse sitting there watching, beaming as he laughed, the wind blowing in his hair. I remember sitting there holding you in the waiting room as they rolled your dad into the back, both of us crying, praying, hoping for the best.
So I know you're comfortable with me, at least. But I also know this whole gay marriage thing...well....that....you're not sure. There's so much displacement and destruction in today's society, so many kids without parents, so many families breaking apart, so much abortion.....I mean, I know you're not like that, but those other gays you see on the TV parading around half naked, that sort of thing....screaming about how gay rights are abortion rights, how religious people or conservatives are nothing but superstitious, ignorant idiots...I...I just can't get my head around marriage like that.
Hey, it's OK....I understand. But you gotta believe me when I tell you....what you see of gays on the TV isn't reality. Sure, the loudest of us out there never saw a Democrat they didn't like, never saw a Republican they didn't hate, and never saw a moonbat cause they wouldn't support. But most of us aren't like that. Most of us want nothing more than our slice of the American Dream -- to have a good job, a nice place to live, the chance to go out every now and again, to be involved in our community, to have good friends like you -- and to have someone special with whom to share your life.
Now the big thing about this amendment is that it's not going to stop those things. It's not going to take away my house, or my job, or my volunteer work, or you; it won't even really change what I have now with my partner. Despite what the moonbats are saying, it's not going to abolish marriage in the state, nor is it going to cause a plague of locusts. It in the vast majority of cases won't even affect the domestic partner benefits gays get from our employers, or existing legal contracts that gays have to give us a semblance of spousal rights. But what it will do....and what is most scary to me....is that it freezes things like they are forever.
Think about that -- and just how much your attitudes have changed since you found out I was gay. Before, you might not have thought it was important that someone's partner be allowed to visit them in the hospital -- but remember that ass-chewing you gave the nurse who tried to keep me out? (laughs) You, the classes I teach, several other people have all told me -- you know, it's just not fair that you can't do this or that, you and your partner are more committed than some straight couples, yada yada yada. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that you'd say, "You know, why CAN'T these guys have some kind of civil contract or something that at least acknowledges they're a couple with some rights?"
Because Amendment 2 says so.
Zero, zip, zilch, nada in the way of contracts, civil unions, domestic partnerships, or things that even LOOK like marriage. Absolutely forbidden, can't be done, get out.
Right now, you're not ready for gay marriage. Heck, I'm still reluctant on several levels to support it myself. I do think it's ultimately where we'll end up, but only in the future.....and as an overhaul of how we view BOTH gay and straight relationships. We can't continue with 24-hour Britney Spears marriages being the norm and with over half of all first marriages ending in divorce. It affects all of us, gay and straight, and most of all, it affects kids -- our futures. Radical, I know, but there's no choice -- we have to do something.
But voting against Amendment 2 isn't voting for gay marriage, or to redesign the world of marriage as we know it -- it's simply leaving our options open. We're going to keep growing as friends and as a society in how we view each other, straights and gays. To tie our hands now and to lock us down is to just perpetuate the "it's not fair" and the avoidance of the real problems that bedevil marriage and commitment in our society. It's letting the "religious" right make scapegoats of people like me that value and honor commitment between couples because they don't want to confront or challenge their beliefs and way of thinking. It's taking away the dialogue between us and our ability to be creative in fixing a lack of commitment and family life that is very threatening to our country and our way of life as a whole.
So if there's one thing I can ask you as a friend...it's to vote. Let your voice be heard on Amendment 2. All I ask is that you think through the issue....that you seriously consider the ramifications....and that you do what you think is best.
And no matter what you decide.....we're still friends.
Love,
NDT
Look, it's really good to catch up....but there was another reason I stopped by today. Have you been reading in the papers and seeing on the news about the vote tomorrow? Yeah, I know....another election. Seems we can't get anything done in Texas without amending the constitution, thank you very much, Santa Anna! Oh yeah, it's the usual...can the state do this, should they do that, little stuff.
But there's one big question on there.....Proposition 2....that really hits close to home for me. This one amends the Texas Constitution to permanently ban the state from recognizing any form of legal relationship except between a man and a woman. Yeah, that one -- the one about protecting families.
Look, you and I have been friends for a long time. Think back to when you first found out I was gay. I know it was a shock to you, just like it was to my mom and dad....I seem to remember you saying, "But you played football! You chew tobacco! You listen to country music! How can you be gay -- are you SURE?" Oh, don't blush....no need to apologize...heck, I barely knew what being gay was about then.
You and I have learned a lot about each other. Do you know how scared I was to tell you? After all, you're a pillar of the community -- Bible study leader, soccer coach, happily married, gorgeous kids -- it's like an advertisement for "family values". I'd heard you before clucking your disapproval about how it just wasn't right for these gays to be parading around in public. I'd even heard you and your family say, "That's so gay," or taunt each other with "Bend over and take it, ya faggot!"
Oh, that....well, yeah, I noticed too. The time we met up in the grocery store and I asked when your son's birthday party would be...I saw that little look, that little, "um..." in your speech. I know your significant other wasn't comfortable with me being around -- remember that first dinner you held where I came after they found out about my little secret? Talk about icy cold conversation (laughs).
But you know, that's not what I remember at all. I remember coming into work down about the hot guy who had just dumped me and you grabbing me and saying, "Come on, let's do lunch. My treat." I remember the look of joy on your son's face when he got to ride in my Jeep with the top down, you and your spouse sitting there watching, beaming as he laughed, the wind blowing in his hair. I remember sitting there holding you in the waiting room as they rolled your dad into the back, both of us crying, praying, hoping for the best.
So I know you're comfortable with me, at least. But I also know this whole gay marriage thing...well....that....you're not sure. There's so much displacement and destruction in today's society, so many kids without parents, so many families breaking apart, so much abortion.....I mean, I know you're not like that, but those other gays you see on the TV parading around half naked, that sort of thing....screaming about how gay rights are abortion rights, how religious people or conservatives are nothing but superstitious, ignorant idiots...I...I just can't get my head around marriage like that.
Hey, it's OK....I understand. But you gotta believe me when I tell you....what you see of gays on the TV isn't reality. Sure, the loudest of us out there never saw a Democrat they didn't like, never saw a Republican they didn't hate, and never saw a moonbat cause they wouldn't support. But most of us aren't like that. Most of us want nothing more than our slice of the American Dream -- to have a good job, a nice place to live, the chance to go out every now and again, to be involved in our community, to have good friends like you -- and to have someone special with whom to share your life.
Now the big thing about this amendment is that it's not going to stop those things. It's not going to take away my house, or my job, or my volunteer work, or you; it won't even really change what I have now with my partner. Despite what the moonbats are saying, it's not going to abolish marriage in the state, nor is it going to cause a plague of locusts. It in the vast majority of cases won't even affect the domestic partner benefits gays get from our employers, or existing legal contracts that gays have to give us a semblance of spousal rights. But what it will do....and what is most scary to me....is that it freezes things like they are forever.
Think about that -- and just how much your attitudes have changed since you found out I was gay. Before, you might not have thought it was important that someone's partner be allowed to visit them in the hospital -- but remember that ass-chewing you gave the nurse who tried to keep me out? (laughs) You, the classes I teach, several other people have all told me -- you know, it's just not fair that you can't do this or that, you and your partner are more committed than some straight couples, yada yada yada. I don't think it's outside the realm of possibility that you'd say, "You know, why CAN'T these guys have some kind of civil contract or something that at least acknowledges they're a couple with some rights?"
Because Amendment 2 says so.
Zero, zip, zilch, nada in the way of contracts, civil unions, domestic partnerships, or things that even LOOK like marriage. Absolutely forbidden, can't be done, get out.
Right now, you're not ready for gay marriage. Heck, I'm still reluctant on several levels to support it myself. I do think it's ultimately where we'll end up, but only in the future.....and as an overhaul of how we view BOTH gay and straight relationships. We can't continue with 24-hour Britney Spears marriages being the norm and with over half of all first marriages ending in divorce. It affects all of us, gay and straight, and most of all, it affects kids -- our futures. Radical, I know, but there's no choice -- we have to do something.
But voting against Amendment 2 isn't voting for gay marriage, or to redesign the world of marriage as we know it -- it's simply leaving our options open. We're going to keep growing as friends and as a society in how we view each other, straights and gays. To tie our hands now and to lock us down is to just perpetuate the "it's not fair" and the avoidance of the real problems that bedevil marriage and commitment in our society. It's letting the "religious" right make scapegoats of people like me that value and honor commitment between couples because they don't want to confront or challenge their beliefs and way of thinking. It's taking away the dialogue between us and our ability to be creative in fixing a lack of commitment and family life that is very threatening to our country and our way of life as a whole.
So if there's one thing I can ask you as a friend...it's to vote. Let your voice be heard on Amendment 2. All I ask is that you think through the issue....that you seriously consider the ramifications....and that you do what you think is best.
And no matter what you decide.....we're still friends.
Love,
NDT
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Can You Live Another Day Without This Product?
One of the neater features that Blog Ally Malcontent offers on his estimable cyberhome is video capture -- which of course, he only uses for informational purposes. (grin)
Yesterday, he posted a hilarious capture of a feature Comedy Central's The Daily Show did this week concerning the effects of gay marriage in Massachusetts -- and featuring (drum roll)..... The Homometer!
Being the clever and innovative (and greedy) fellow that I am, I saw this and thought....hey, what a marketing opportunity! This is truly a product that has widespread commercial appeal. Imagine the advertisements.......
Take one, Market #1, "The 700 Club" commercial
Motherly woman sitting on couch, looking into camera....melancholy piano music playing in background
I remember it as if it happened yesterday.
(camera cuts to scene of house, dark, bedroom)
I woke up knowing something wasn't right.....and then I saw it. My husband.....watching Late Night with Conan O' Brian and licking the screen....moaning and squealing like he hadn't done since our first night in the Buick after youth Bible study.
I ran down the hallway....and saw terrifying scenes....my daughter combing the hair of her Dyke on Bike Barbie, getting her all ready for her date with Strap-On Skipper....my son struggling into his new off-the-shoulder number and Jimmy Choos for his midnight performance....it was horrible. I looked down.....saw my flannel shirt....the wrench in my right hand....and before I knew it, I was heading for the phone to call the Subaru dealer.
(back to couch, woman with family)
We could have been banished to hell that night. Thank Jesus the All-Night Missionary Madness was going on down the street at Mount Holy Olive Second Zion Macadamia Jubilation Reformed Underwater Stock Option Baptist Church....they saw our disco ball and stopped to help. It turned out that lavender from a gay couple who had stopped at our neighbors' to ask directions had leaked into our house....and nearly taken our family's souls. (she shudders)
Since that night, we've never gone anywhere without The Homometer. Its high sensitivity to homosexual fumes and radiation help keep my family safe from random or long-term exposure. It's so easy to use -- just turn it on and read the Homeland Security GLBT Threat Warning color code on the right. In just seconds you'll know whether you're living in Zion....or in Sodom and Gomorrah. And now, it even comes in a monogrammed version, with everyone's favorite verses from Leviticus engraved on its durable Lucite case, made with only the finest blessed virgin plastic.
Don't let your family go another day without protection. Call now and get the peace of mind that only The Homometer can bring!
Cut! That's a wrap!
And that's just ONE market, folks. Think of the others....swingers looking for a foolproof "best party" finder.....single women wanting to check whether that new guy who sobs over old movies is just sensitive or not trying.....people concerned about the quality of their hairdresser/fashion designer/interior decorator....even the gaydar-impaired who are forever wondering if he's inviting them in -- or just scratching his butt. I'm telling you, this is the next iPod!
Venture capitalists.....I know you're out there......
Yesterday, he posted a hilarious capture of a feature Comedy Central's The Daily Show did this week concerning the effects of gay marriage in Massachusetts -- and featuring (drum roll)..... The Homometer!
Being the clever and innovative (and greedy) fellow that I am, I saw this and thought....hey, what a marketing opportunity! This is truly a product that has widespread commercial appeal. Imagine the advertisements.......
Take one, Market #1, "The 700 Club" commercial
Motherly woman sitting on couch, looking into camera....melancholy piano music playing in background
I remember it as if it happened yesterday.
(camera cuts to scene of house, dark, bedroom)
I woke up knowing something wasn't right.....and then I saw it. My husband.....watching Late Night with Conan O' Brian and licking the screen....moaning and squealing like he hadn't done since our first night in the Buick after youth Bible study.
I ran down the hallway....and saw terrifying scenes....my daughter combing the hair of her Dyke on Bike Barbie, getting her all ready for her date with Strap-On Skipper....my son struggling into his new off-the-shoulder number and Jimmy Choos for his midnight performance....it was horrible. I looked down.....saw my flannel shirt....the wrench in my right hand....and before I knew it, I was heading for the phone to call the Subaru dealer.
(back to couch, woman with family)
We could have been banished to hell that night. Thank Jesus the All-Night Missionary Madness was going on down the street at Mount Holy Olive Second Zion Macadamia Jubilation Reformed Underwater Stock Option Baptist Church....they saw our disco ball and stopped to help. It turned out that lavender from a gay couple who had stopped at our neighbors' to ask directions had leaked into our house....and nearly taken our family's souls. (she shudders)
Since that night, we've never gone anywhere without The Homometer. Its high sensitivity to homosexual fumes and radiation help keep my family safe from random or long-term exposure. It's so easy to use -- just turn it on and read the Homeland Security GLBT Threat Warning color code on the right. In just seconds you'll know whether you're living in Zion....or in Sodom and Gomorrah. And now, it even comes in a monogrammed version, with everyone's favorite verses from Leviticus engraved on its durable Lucite case, made with only the finest blessed virgin plastic.
Don't let your family go another day without protection. Call now and get the peace of mind that only The Homometer can bring!
Cut! That's a wrap!
And that's just ONE market, folks. Think of the others....swingers looking for a foolproof "best party" finder.....single women wanting to check whether that new guy who sobs over old movies is just sensitive or not trying.....people concerned about the quality of their hairdresser/fashion designer/interior decorator....even the gaydar-impaired who are forever wondering if he's inviting them in -- or just scratching his butt. I'm telling you, this is the next iPod!
Venture capitalists.....I know you're out there......
Friday, November 04, 2005
Prepare the Rite of Exorcism.....
another Democrat has been possessed by the pro-life demons!
Former President Jimmy Carter yesterday condemned all abortions and chastised his party for its intolerance of candidates and nominees who oppose abortion.
"I never have felt that any abortion should be committed -- I think each abortion is the result of a series of errors," he told reporters over breakfast at the Ritz-CarltonHotel, while across town Senate Democrats deliberated whether to filibuster the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. because he may share President Bush and Mr. Carter's abhorrence of abortion.
"These things impact other issues on which [Mr. Bush] and I basically agree," the Georgia Democrat said. "I've never been convinced, if you let me inject my Christianity into it, that Jesus Christ would approve abortion."
Mr. Carter said his party's congressional leadership only hurts Democrats by making a rigid pro-abortion rights stand the criterion for assessing judicial nominees.
"I have always thought it was not in the mainstream of the American public to be extremely liberal on many issues," Mr. Carter said. "I think our party's leaders -- some of them -- are overemphasizing the abortion issue."
Such foul obscenities and heathen shrieks coming from the mouth of one who is of the Chosen can be only the work of the Evil One!
Quickly, oh great Father Dean, summon Sisters Feldt and Keenan and bid them bring the Forceps of Freedom and the Vacuum of the Vagina; surely these mighty instruments can purge poor Brother Carter of such evil urges, as they did Sister Clinton when she fell off the straight and narrow earlier this year.
Former President Jimmy Carter yesterday condemned all abortions and chastised his party for its intolerance of candidates and nominees who oppose abortion.
"I never have felt that any abortion should be committed -- I think each abortion is the result of a series of errors," he told reporters over breakfast at the Ritz-CarltonHotel, while across town Senate Democrats deliberated whether to filibuster the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. because he may share President Bush and Mr. Carter's abhorrence of abortion.
"These things impact other issues on which [Mr. Bush] and I basically agree," the Georgia Democrat said. "I've never been convinced, if you let me inject my Christianity into it, that Jesus Christ would approve abortion."
Mr. Carter said his party's congressional leadership only hurts Democrats by making a rigid pro-abortion rights stand the criterion for assessing judicial nominees.
"I have always thought it was not in the mainstream of the American public to be extremely liberal on many issues," Mr. Carter said. "I think our party's leaders -- some of them -- are overemphasizing the abortion issue."
Such foul obscenities and heathen shrieks coming from the mouth of one who is of the Chosen can be only the work of the Evil One!
Quickly, oh great Father Dean, summon Sisters Feldt and Keenan and bid them bring the Forceps of Freedom and the Vacuum of the Vagina; surely these mighty instruments can purge poor Brother Carter of such evil urges, as they did Sister Clinton when she fell off the straight and narrow earlier this year.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Contrary to Popular Demand......
The gay politico blogosphere is all aflutter today with the news of the US House of Representatives vote on whether blogs and other forms of online political expression should be exempt from regulation by the Federal Election Commission -- an action made in response to a Federal court decision requiring the FEC to do so. A majority voted to exempt, but because of the rules in process on the bill, a two-thirds majority was required, and at 225 - 182, it fell short.
As one can imagine, boy wonder Robbie over at The Malcontent had plenty to say on the issue. Both GayPatriot and GayPatriotWest of (natch) GayPatriot weigh in as well.
As for my take.....I reluctantly support FEC regulation of blogs and online content.
The reason is simple; the blogosphere is completely out of control. I've done enough sleuthing and heard enough information to put together a very scary picture, which is that politicians are using blogs and bloggers, from John Aravosis to Jeff Gannon, as paid shills to do their dirty work. I'd had my suspicions for quite a while that people, particularly Democratic people, were shuffling money around the blogosphere....but Mike Rogers's snit fit over his exclusion from the cool kids' table really opened the floodgates of information, so to speak.
If the FEC calls and asks me for advice, which I rather hope they do, my answer will be simple; blogs and other forms of Internets media may accept any contribution from anyone provided they make the amount and the name of the person contributing public. I don't particularly care about the fact that Mike Rogers and John Aravosis were getting money to run their outing campaigns, but I do care about the fact that the people, politicians, and organizations who were giving it to them are allowed to remain anonymous.
As I said, I support this reluctantly, because it will be a hardship for fellow conserva-bloggers like Mal, GP, and Boi From Troy, as well as Worthy Adversaries like Pam of Pam's House Blend, to track and report their donations and ad revenue sources. However, the current system that we have, where politicians, politicos, and political groups can give money to prurient sites without a lick of reporting or cross-referencing, is untenable and must change. The American people deserve the right to know who is paying for their political media, regardless of what form in which it comes, and must realize that the same people who deplore the "politics of personal destruction" are quietly funding their own online hit squads.
As one can imagine, boy wonder Robbie over at The Malcontent had plenty to say on the issue. Both GayPatriot and GayPatriotWest of (natch) GayPatriot weigh in as well.
As for my take.....I reluctantly support FEC regulation of blogs and online content.
The reason is simple; the blogosphere is completely out of control. I've done enough sleuthing and heard enough information to put together a very scary picture, which is that politicians are using blogs and bloggers, from John Aravosis to Jeff Gannon, as paid shills to do their dirty work. I'd had my suspicions for quite a while that people, particularly Democratic people, were shuffling money around the blogosphere....but Mike Rogers's snit fit over his exclusion from the cool kids' table really opened the floodgates of information, so to speak.
If the FEC calls and asks me for advice, which I rather hope they do, my answer will be simple; blogs and other forms of Internets media may accept any contribution from anyone provided they make the amount and the name of the person contributing public. I don't particularly care about the fact that Mike Rogers and John Aravosis were getting money to run their outing campaigns, but I do care about the fact that the people, politicians, and organizations who were giving it to them are allowed to remain anonymous.
As I said, I support this reluctantly, because it will be a hardship for fellow conserva-bloggers like Mal, GP, and Boi From Troy, as well as Worthy Adversaries like Pam of Pam's House Blend, to track and report their donations and ad revenue sources. However, the current system that we have, where politicians, politicos, and political groups can give money to prurient sites without a lick of reporting or cross-referencing, is untenable and must change. The American people deserve the right to know who is paying for their political media, regardless of what form in which it comes, and must realize that the same people who deplore the "politics of personal destruction" are quietly funding their own online hit squads.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
A Historical Convergence, a Timeless Lesson
While in the process of updating one of my online profiles, I came across an interesting tidbit about which I had completely forgotten.... on this day in 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill declaring the third Monday of January to be the Federal holiday designated as Dr. Martin Luther King Day.
In an interesting quirk of history, on this day in 2005, we celebrate the life of Ms. Rosa Parks, the courageous woman whose refusing of an order to give up her bus seat because of her skin color sparked the civil rights movement that ultimately brought Dr. King to prominence and forever changed the world as we know it. Rosa Parks taught us one important lesson....that even the lowliest of us have the power to do the impossible if we are willing to act.
Oftentimes the gay rights movement is compared to the civil rights movement. In my opinion, such a comparison is both justified and unjustified....justified in that we too are fighting against unfairness and discrimination, unjustified because we have forgotten the main lesson that Dr. King was teaching, as exemplified in his words from his sermon, The Birth of a New Nation:
The aftermath of non-violence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of non-violence is redemption. The aftermath of non-violence is reconciliation. The aftermath of violence however, are emptiness and bitterness. This is the thing I’m concerned about. Let us fight passionately and unrelentingly for the goals of justice and peace, but let’s be sure that our hands are clean in this struggle. Let us never fight with falsehood and violence and hate and malice, but always fight with love, so that, when the day comes that the walls of segregation have completely crumbled in Montgomery. that we will be able to live with people as their brothers and sisters.
Oh, my friends, our aim must be not to defeat Mr. Engelhardt, not to defeat Mr. Sellers and Mr. Gayle and Mr. Parks. Our aim must be to defeat the evil that’s in them. But our aim must be to win the friendship of Mr. Gayle and Mr. Sellers and Mr. Engelhardt. We must come to the point of seeing that our ultimate aim is to live with all men as brothers and sisters under God and not be their enemies or anything that goes with that type of relationship. And this is one thing that Ghana teaches us: that you can break loose from evil through non-violence, through a lack of bitterness. Nkrumah says in his book: "When I came out of prison, I was not bitter toward Britain. I came out merely with the determination to free my people from the colonialism and imperialism that had been inflicted upon them by the British. But I came out with no bitterness." And, because of that, this world will be a better place in which to live.
In a nutshell, folks.....love your enemies, and do good unto those who would harm you. Dr. King understood that if there were winners and losers in the battle against segregation, there was no victory.
Let those of us who are gay never forget that lesson.
In an interesting quirk of history, on this day in 2005, we celebrate the life of Ms. Rosa Parks, the courageous woman whose refusing of an order to give up her bus seat because of her skin color sparked the civil rights movement that ultimately brought Dr. King to prominence and forever changed the world as we know it. Rosa Parks taught us one important lesson....that even the lowliest of us have the power to do the impossible if we are willing to act.
Oftentimes the gay rights movement is compared to the civil rights movement. In my opinion, such a comparison is both justified and unjustified....justified in that we too are fighting against unfairness and discrimination, unjustified because we have forgotten the main lesson that Dr. King was teaching, as exemplified in his words from his sermon, The Birth of a New Nation:
The aftermath of non-violence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of non-violence is redemption. The aftermath of non-violence is reconciliation. The aftermath of violence however, are emptiness and bitterness. This is the thing I’m concerned about. Let us fight passionately and unrelentingly for the goals of justice and peace, but let’s be sure that our hands are clean in this struggle. Let us never fight with falsehood and violence and hate and malice, but always fight with love, so that, when the day comes that the walls of segregation have completely crumbled in Montgomery. that we will be able to live with people as their brothers and sisters.
Oh, my friends, our aim must be not to defeat Mr. Engelhardt, not to defeat Mr. Sellers and Mr. Gayle and Mr. Parks. Our aim must be to defeat the evil that’s in them. But our aim must be to win the friendship of Mr. Gayle and Mr. Sellers and Mr. Engelhardt. We must come to the point of seeing that our ultimate aim is to live with all men as brothers and sisters under God and not be their enemies or anything that goes with that type of relationship. And this is one thing that Ghana teaches us: that you can break loose from evil through non-violence, through a lack of bitterness. Nkrumah says in his book: "When I came out of prison, I was not bitter toward Britain. I came out merely with the determination to free my people from the colonialism and imperialism that had been inflicted upon them by the British. But I came out with no bitterness." And, because of that, this world will be a better place in which to live.
In a nutshell, folks.....love your enemies, and do good unto those who would harm you. Dr. King understood that if there were winners and losers in the battle against segregation, there was no victory.
Let those of us who are gay never forget that lesson.
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