Sticks and Stones

When you're a gay conservative type, being called "self-loathing" and "homophobic" is a bit like rain in Seattle; the question is not if, but how often and how many times per day.

Thus, it was no surprise to receive yet another diatribe to that effect, in which my blog is described as a "circle jerk" of "racism, misogyny, classism, xenophobia, and most of all, homophobia".

With age comes wisdom, and with experience comes battle-hardening. Having fought this kind of war on numerous occasions, I am well-equipped on both counts and more than ready to defend myself.

However, when thinking through it today, I found myself merely shrugging, thinking that bothering to refute it would give it a legitimacy that it sorely lacked.

That, and considering the post that triggered this rant, namely one in which this individual beats himself for even daring to think negatively of and insist on restraint by gay people carrying out these sort of acts, it would seem that he is visiting upon his own head a far greater curse than I could ever imagine.

The ultimate irony is that he rails against the imaginary threats to his life, liberty, and property -- while encouraging the clear and present dangers to both.

As long as individuals like these define "gay rights" to allow teenagers to be out after hours committing public sex acts, damaging property, and terrorizing others without repercussions or responsibility because they're gay, there will be no progress in the gay community.

If I am racist, misogynistic, classist, xenophobic, and homophobic for pointing that out.....so be it.

Today's Better Living Through Socialism

1. Guess what? Being outside and in the open is no longer good enough.

2. If they only put as half as much effort into working.......

3. If you at first, second, third, fourth, and fifth fail, get an injunction.

Please Excuse Our Dust

As many of you may (or may not) know, I have just completed a major move in my life -- from Dallas, Texas, to San Francisco, California.

That's right.

Horses everywhere traded for homeless folk everywhere.

Bumper-to-bumper commutes for BART.

Socialists as evil to socialists as city government.

But, most importantly.....single life to partnered life. (grin)

Way back when, I solicited input from you, my dear readers, as to whether it made sense to change my blog name, geographically-limited as it was; the answer was a rather overwhelming "No".

However, with North Dallas Thirty's long tradition of both local and national activism, it just didn't seem right to come to such a beautiful locale and not do SOMETHING to reflect what's happened.

Hence, the new format. A tip of the hat to my adopted hometown, which I am rapidly growing to love, while keeping the memory of "where it all began".

I am still experimenting, so please feel free to make comments and suggestions, keeping in mind that if it's anything too complex, you'll have to explain to HTML-impaired me how to do it. Also, don't be surprised by any clangs, bumps, and small explosions; my Blogger account at this point no doubt looks like if a semitruck had run at full speed into a Home Depot.

But with that, welcome!

To You Lucky New Yorkers

Do not miss your opportunity to take advantage of what we in California know and love.

NDT's personal favorite is the store-brand cinnamon raisin bread.

Didn't Think THAT Through, Now Didja?

Over on the Independent Gay Forum, several commentors are shocked -- SHOCKED! -- that the Bush administration recently rewrote the language concerning sexual orientation relative to obtaining security clearances in this fashion:


Several million civilian and military personnel who work for the U.S. government and its contractors must go through extensive reviews to determine if they've exhibited behavior that could compromise national security or make them susceptible to blackmail.

Areas of concern include drug and alcohol use, criminal activity, financial debt, foreign contacts and sexual behavior. Officials at several national security agencies were not immediately aware of the new rules or any impact.

Rules approved by President Clinton in 1997 said that sexual behavior may be a security concern if it involves a criminal offense, suggests an emotional disorder, could subject someone to coercion or shows a lack of judgment.


Now, where would people get the idea that people would try to use sexual orientation in such a fashion? It's certainly not as if media outlets are telling them to do it, right?

Again, the irony strikes -- the main reason that people think gays are so vulnerable to coercion and blackmail based on sexual behavior is because gays are the ones practicing it and encouraging people to do it.

Go Away Kid, You Bother Us

The latest bit of amusing news to wash its way down to my soggy San Francisco storm drain comes from Boi From Troy, who reports on Mike Rogers's sudden burning desire to get a press pass to the visit the 2006 Log Cabin Republicans national convention.

Apparently Mike thinks they're going to deny him one.

To which I reply......"DUHHHHHHH!"

Let's review Mike's curriculum vitae, shall we?

-- Harassment via wild diatribes against a state Log Cabin organization AND the national organization

-- Harassment of gay Republicans, including numerous attempts to have them fired

-- Harassment of gay Democrats, including misrepresentation of himself and his motives, when said Democrats speak out against his activities

-- Harassment of other bloggers who disagree with him, even to the point of shutting down their blogs.

-- Harassment of media sources who publish stories critical of him, including misrepresenting himself in phone calls to obtain private information concerning reporters.

-- Publicly asserting that Republicans are building and operating concentration camps for gays in the Pacific Northwest.

Of course, all of this is done in the name of "gay rights" and as swift and terrible vengeance against people who would vote for, or work for, people who vote for antigay actions like the Federal Marriage Amendment, Marriage Protection Act, and state constitutional amendments.

Except when said people are Democrats, in which case Mike suddenly goes deaf, dumb, blind, and silent. Witness his lack of commentary on the Kerry campaign and its support of homophobic legislation, or on Joe Solmonese and Emily Malcom's endorsement of FMA supporting politicians.


In short, Log Cabin is an organization of Republicans, gay and straight, working for gay rights. Mike has nicely demonstrated that he supports none of those points.

Unless pity is acceptable grounds for issuing him a press pass, I see no compelling reason for him to get one.

Why, Too Often, Gay Activism Backfires

Thanks to a side comment on GayPatriot, I was put on to the story of Brandon Flyte, a seventeen-year-old who supposedly was expelled from his high school for showing a takeoff of Brokeback Mountain that he had created, including a scene of two teens "cuddling" in bed.

As one might expect, over on Towleroad, that set off the "all hands" warning, with people literally streaming out of the woodwork to explain how this is an affront to gay rights and how these people need to be bombarded as "bigots".


Of course, when you dig a little deeper, particularly by going to Mr. Flyte's website, a few difficulties emerge.

One, Mr. Flyte was asked to eliminate just the sexually-oriented "cuddling" scene; he was not censored from showing the remainder of the movie.

Two, Mr. Flyte not only refused to remove the scene, he then showed it in his unrelated Marine Biology class.


Thus, in short, we have gays arguing that underage teenagers should be allowed to make materials with inappropriate content, defy their teachers and school administrators when asked to remove such content, and then show said content in unrelated classes.


No thanks, Messrs Falwell and Robertson; let us shoot ourselves in the foot FOR you.

The Enemy of My Enemy Is a Pain In the A....

As much as I quote from them, I am tempted to rename this blog "Malcontent West Coast".

At any rate, Robbie, secure in his Midwestern fortress of Chicago, has been tracking of late the ongoing meltdown of the Illinois State antidiscrimination panel.

This problem was touched off by the refusal by one of its members, Sister Claudette Marie Muhammad, to condemn or distance herself from lovely remarks made by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan:


These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength. … It’s the wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic.


Given that he included gays and lesbians in the definition of "filth", then threw in anti-Semitism as a nice topper, one would think the reaction from gay groups would have been swift and violent. Instead, the controversy has continued to seethe, pushed along by the further finger-in-eye behavior of the protagonists, who are apparently quite sure in the knowledge that Illinois Democratic governor Rod Blagojevich, who appointed Sister Muhammad to the position, needs their votes more than he does Jews or gays, and are equally certain of the knee-jerk "racist" support that black Illinois legislators are giving them.


Meanwhile, the sound from the gay-rights groups?


Of course, given that Blagojevich is a Democrat, HRC, NLGTF, and even Equality Illinois would not be inclined to raise a peep over this in the first place; the Democratic Party pays their bills and sends them cocktail-party invitations, and it would not be amused over a controversy that could a) cause political problems for an unpopular Democratic governor, b) antagonize the Democrats' most reliable voting bloc, and c) put the Democrats' new media face Barack Obama in an even more-embarrassing position. Matt Foreman, Joe Solmonese, and the bevy of Democratic leeches lobbyists that make up their boards know full well their continued plush existence is conditional upon their obesiance and obedience, and they act accordingly.

However, the one that is really amusing is GLAAD. You'd think that an organzation calling itself the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation might have something to say about someone calling gays and lesbians "filthy", especially someone with Farrakhan's long and storied history of doing so, but it seems that they're just too busy crying over Brokeback Mountain not winning Best Picture to mention it.

Then again, it was the "Hollywood Jews" that Farrakhan was bashing who didn't vote in sufficient quantity for Brokeback, and it was that Jewish critic Gene Shalit who called their beloved Jack a "sexual predator", and......

Today's Philosophical Bon-Bon

Ponder the following bit of mental gymnastics, provided courtesy of the Democratic Party this past week:

It is wrong to wiretap phone calls or other forms of electronic communication made from Dubai and the United Arab Emirates to the United States or other countries because it is unreasonable to assume that, because a person or business is based in the UAE, that they support and/or have links to terrorism.

However, it is wrong for a person or business based in the UAE to manage ports secured by the US military because it is reasonable to assume that, because they are based in the UAE, they support and/or have links to terrorism.

Creating a Scene vs. Creating Change

Via Boi From Troy, I'd like to bring forward today's nominee for the Wasted Effort award: the anonymous gay activists who littered downtown Boise, Idaho, with approximately 150 "Heterosexuals Only" stickers, in protest of the Idaho Legislature's passage of an amendment, to be submitted to voters in November, banning same-sex marriage in Idaho.


The group says it used the "Heterosexuals Only" stickers to symbolize "Whites Only" and "Colored Only" stickers from past discrimination in the history of the American civil rights movement.

"In the struggle for human rights, an iconic image of that struggle has been signs that exclude classes of people," an activist said. "You know, 'Whites Only' on drinking fountains, or blacks to the back of the bus."


Two problems with that, kids:

-- Equating not being able to get married with being barred from homes, jobs, and public areas, as blacks actually were, requires a lack of proportion on a par with Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

-- Screaming "discrimination" usually works better when people OTHER than you are the ones putting up the signs and barring you from park benches and fountains.


You had a choice between taking the issue to Idaho voters and making a coherent argument.....or carrying out a publicity stunt, littering public property, that has little to no relevance to the situation and is insulting to blacks who actually DID suffer through segregation.

Why is it always a foregone conclusion that they choose the latter?

I'm Not Gay...Or Am I?

One of the interesting things about being a gay conservative type in cyberspace who blogs under a pseudonym is how apparently malleable and changeable my sexual orientation is.

Just in the past week alone, I've discovered that the following activities, according to other commentors, indelibly purge you of any impulse of homosexualism, damning you forever to the ninth circle of non-fabulousity:


-- Voting for Bush

-- Leaning conservative and/or Republican

-- Criticizing Lawrence v. Texas as a poor decision

-- Arguing against abortion

-- Defending Christianity

-- Agreeing with Dr. James Dobson on one or two points

-- Not particularly caring whether Brokeback won one, three, or eight Oscars (this being a particularly heinous crime)


By any definition, then, I should be on my first wife, second minivan, and third kid. Instead, I'm missing the 7:48 AM Bay Point Flyer because of the 6:46 Sodomy Express. What gives?

Well, to most of our so-called "gay activists", being homosexual is not a matter of being attracted to your same gender; instead, it's a matter of genetics determining your political affiliation, religious beliefs, taste in movies, fashion sense, and ideology. Break the rule, and you lose your gayhood. It's just that simple.

Were this just a matter of internecine fighting and insults, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. However, the reason why it is a problem is outlined in another provocative post by Robbie (indeed, does he ever write any other kind?) over on The Malcontent, where the Chicago Chaucer details in stunning prose how the addictive association of homosexuality to unrelated political causes not only causes gay groups to get too close to the lunatic edge, but go running off it screaming with arms flailing at every opportunity, much to the detriment of the advancement of gay rights as a whole.

I particularly like the comment from Aatom of Aatom Bomb about the issue and solution:

Which is why it is critical to whittle down our agenda to the most efficient gay friendly platform possible, if we are to maintain any relevence in the political process. marriage, adoption, overturning anti-gay legislation, providing safety nets for the AIDS community. these are things that we should be united in fighting for. If you don't believe in gay marriage, fine, but please don't stand in the way of those of us who wish to have the right. But we can certainly weed out unnecessary dead political weight by avoiding hotbutton issues like abortion and foreign policy for god's sake. a simple recognition from our "own" that we all don't speak with one monolithic voice on every political issue would prove to me that our advocates in the non-profit community recognize the true diversity of our community, instead of simply giving lip service to a diversity that suits their purposes alone.


Truer words were never spoken.

Newsy Bits

-- As much as I oppose violence, there are certain things that fall close to justifiable attempted homicide -- and this is one of them.


-- People support Proposition 82, California's initiative to provide universal free preschool, by nearly a two to one margin -- unless they actually know something about it.


-- Listen as the Bay Area, the baseball-watching public, and quite possibly Buddhist monks on mountaintops in Tibet let out a collective, "DUHHHHHH!".

And wonder what Bonds, as part of his comeback, may be packing this season.


-- "Inadvertently posted", my foot. I've dropped my calling card in front of too many good-looking men to fall for THAT one.

It's My Party, And I'll Cry If I Want To (Even Though It Makes No Sense)

This sort of thing is why I worry about the gay community.

The frenzy among gays over Brokeback Mountain reminded me of the last time I saw people freak this much over a movie and the Oscars.

In that case folks organized entire gatherings and get-togethers around the movie, many of them seeing it multiple times. They insisted others go with them to see it, insinuating that, if you didn't, you were somehow prejudiced. If others criticized the movie, to say they didn't take it well would be a gross understatement; the critical person would receive numerous messages, letters, and calls from outraged supporters. Almost a cult grew up around the movie, with numerous individuals saying it "changed their lives" or made them feel "accepted and loved".


However, in the end, this mad activity didn't make a bit of difference.


Why?

Well, as it turned out, these people were using the movie as a means of pushing and validating their unpopular worldview, and, if you will, converting the heathen masses to their way of thinking. When they didn't get the desired result, they lashed out, insisting said movie was the best of the year and that the Oscars "discriminated" and were "against them".


The movie? The Passion of the Christ.


Once again, it amazes me how "religious" activists and "gay" activists can act so similarly -- and without a trace of irony in mimicking the actions they despise and mock in the other.

UPDATE: if you want a morning's laugh, take a trip over to Towleroad and read through the comments. Be careful not to be trampled in the rush to victimhood.

No Free Lunch

Best news of the morning:

The Supreme Court ruled Monday that colleges that accept federal money must allow military recruiters on campus, despite university objections to the Pentagon’s policy on gays.

Justices rejected a free-speech challenge from law school professors who claimed they should not be forced to associate with military recruiters or promote their campus appearances as now required by federal law.

And my favorite part:

Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the decision, which was unanimous.


In other words, no one but the moonbat left native to college and university campuses thinks that they should be able to dine freely at the Federal trough but pick and choose which rules they want to follow.


DADT is a lousy policy. But the last thing gays need is for people who are also demanding a "million Mogadishus" for US troops to pretend that they care about gay rights in any way; they simply hate the military, and we're a convenient smokescreen.

One Question I Never Thought I'd Ask

For the love of humanity, put down whatever beverage you are drinking.

Then, and only then, read this.

Salient point (emphasis mine):

Bostic had filled a fake penis with his urine that Creighton, a friend, planned to use to pass a drug test she was taking to get a job, Police Chief Joseph Pero said.

Creighton asked a store clerk to microwave the device so the urine inside would be body-temperature and fool those giving the drug test, Pero said.


Assuming, of course, that no one noticed that the applicant was now endowed both down below AND up above.


Now, the question.

Who was dumber.....the woman using the fake penis to pass a drug test, or the store clerk who stuck it in the microwave for her?

Get Out The Tiny Violin

And start playing:

Former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham was sentenced Friday to eight years and four months in federal prison for collecting $2.4 million in homes, yachts, antique furnishings and other bribes on a scale unparalleled in the history of Congress....

Federal prosecutors sought the maximum and his attorneys asked for mercy....

Cunningham's attorneys asked for six years for the former Navy "Top Gun" flight instructor and Vietnam War flying ace. Given Cunningham's age and history of prostate cancer, a 10-year sentence "would likely be a death sentence," Cunningham's lawyers wrote in a sentencing memorandum.

"His own misconduct has already left him penniless, homeless, estranged from those he loves and disgraced in the eyes of his countrymen," they wrote.


Good. You can add "and imprisoned" to that, and he still hasn't come CLOSE to covering what his actions did to our system of government.

It Depends On What You Ask

An interesting thing, marriage.

One the one hand, we are told that not having it causes health and psychological problems.


However, on the other, we are told that having it causes myriad health and psychological problems.

Albany resident Renita Pitts, who has five kids and was married for close to 20 years, told us that having a husband can often feel like "having another child — another grown child. At least the little ones mind."

Pitts says that, except for a few years when she was working, she and her ex-husband spent most of their marriage on welfare and using drugs. On occasion, he also beat her.

"The minute my husband left, I was able to get off drugs," she said. "My whole life just opened up. I started going to school full time; I became a citizen in my community. It seemed like my life improved financially, emotionally, and physically."


The problem? The same people who are saying the one are also saying the other.


It reminds me of this sardonic nugget of humor about the message parents often send their kids; "Sex is filthy and disgusting, so you ought to save it for the person you'll marry."

A Primer On Bayside Politics

For those new to San Francisco, the city's political operation can be, to say the least, confusing.

It can be easily sorted out, though, based on the application of these two simple rules:

1) Make decisions based on who will respond, not who or what will benefit.

2) There is no group that cannot be bought with a meaningless and empty gesture.


For example:

Falun Gong members are raising protest and lawsuits against their exclusion from the San Francisco Chinese New Year parade last year.

To counter this, Supervisor Chris Daly introduced a resolution to the Board of Supervisors in support of Falun Gong.

However, this outraged San Francisco gays, who consider Falun Gong to be a homophobic cult.

The solution? Introduce a resolution calling for Bush's impeachment shortly thereafter (which passed yesterday).

See? Piss off one group with one meaningless gesture, throw them a bone the week later.


Now, for your homework problem:

You are Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco, a city in which glbts, according to estimates, comprise nearly 25% of the population and wield enormous political and economic power. You have been cavorting of late with gorgeous actress Sofia Milos of CSI: Miami.

However, Milos, besides being beautiful, is also an avowed and confirmed Scientologist -- that is, a follower of a religion whose founder clearly states that homosexuality is a form of sexual deviance and that society will not survive unless gays are removed from it. In addition, you have accompanied her to public events that are specifically meant to promote Scientology's viewpoint.

Do you:

A) State publicly that Milos's beliefs and your romance have no relevance to your job?

B) Dump Milos, plead for public forgiveness, and demand that the city spend $20 million or so to build a statue of a giant penis and vagina for the intersection of Castro and Market?

C) Use the fact that a few thousand worthless marriage licenses purchased you the right to commit anything short of (and possibly including) mass murder in San Francisco without outrage from the gay community?

Feel free to add additional answers in comment.

Hat tips to V the K and Rick Ross!

It's Official; Bill And Hillary Are In Bed, But Not With Each Other

How else do you explain this latest nugget concerning the Dubai ports deal?

And I particularly like the potential for tit-for-tat. One wonders if one of the underlying motives of the Dems in this case is to make the Arab oil-producing states mad enough that, not only will they pull investment and block US companies, they will take steps to drive up the price of petroleum, thus capsizing the US economy and creating the "recession" that they've been insisting exists throughout the past few years of continually-improving economic signs.

To quote Big Daddy from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", this has one "powerful odor of mendacity".

Hat tip to SonicFrog!