Has the Whole World Gone Mad?

I could have had a field day with the news today if I hadn't been so wrapped up in work. I had some errands to run today as well. I stopped at the liquor store and noticed a sign on the door which read: "No face masks allowed in the store."

When I went to the bank I jokingly asked the manager if she'd had anyone with a face mask entering the bank today. Not terribly funny I'll admit, but I wanted to tell her about the sign at the liquor store. She said "if someone was wearing a mask we would not let them in and the police would be all over it." Apparently there was a bank robbery yesterday.

Anyhow, I should get to the point. This is insane.

A Maine attorney who released information in 2000 about President George W. Bush's drunken driving conviction was arrested on Tuesday after he dressed up as al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and waved a fake gun at traffic.

[...]

Lt. Todd Bernard said the police department received calls about a man wearing Middle Eastern garb and a bin Laden mask and carrying fake dynamite standing along an interstate highway. When police arrived, they saw Connolly holding a gun.

It would be easy enough to assume this was a Halloween costume. Unfortunately not. The man claimed he was protesting planned change in local tax rules. Strange. Is it Halloween fever? Is it pre-election anxiety? I have some of that I'd be willing to share.

British Not Too Keen on Halloween

Like most American celebrations, Halloween has become an excessive marketing gimmick -- the opening gate to a deluge of repugnant consumerism between now and January 1.

I tend to share the attitudes of the Brits on this one.

“Trick or treat? I don’t know about you, but my answer to this question, if I’m honest, would be unprintable in a family newspaper,” the critic A. N. Wilson wrote recently in The Daily Mail. “Let’s say it’s stronger than ‘push off.’ Yet the little beggars will soon be round, banging and ringing at our doors with this irritating refrain.”

[...]

Fifty-eight percent of homeowners in a recent survey by the Norwich Union insurance company said they had hidden in the back of their houses and turned off all the lights on Halloween, pretending that no one was home.

Some are even more openly hostile to the festivities:

“I’ve thought about removing the cover from my doorbell so they electrocute themselves,” one participant wrote.

There's an idea.

Personally I prefer to celebrate the entire fall season with a nice assortment of these oddball squash for a centerpiece.

Happy Halloween.

Massachusetts May Get First Black Governor

Democrat Deval Patrick is leading his Republican challenger, Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, by as much as 25 points. Healey, if elected, would be the state's first woman to hold the office.

A group of 11 prominent local Republicans took the unusual step of endorsing the Democrat on Monday.

"The Republican Party that I grew up with, supported for many years, has changed a good deal," said former Republican state Sen. Bill Saltonstal, 79, one of the group.

Now there's an understatement!

Maybe His Prayer Was Answered

File under "Be careful what you wish for."

A teenager carrying a Bible and shouting "I want Jesus" was shot twice with a police stun gun and later died at a St. Louis hospital, authorities said.

In a statement obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, police in Jerseyville, about 40 miles north of St. Louis, said 17-year-old Roger Holyfield would not acknowledge officers who approached him and he continued yelling, "I want Jesus."

Remembering John Candy

John Candy was born on this day in 1950.

I Feel Like Such a Boob

All I've done since Sunday morning is reset friggin clocks! In a post Saturday night (which, by the way, is still going strong comment-wise, I talked about my 3 atomic clocks. I recall last time the clocks changed that I had a similar problem.

My atomic wall clock reset itself correctly at 2:00 Sunday morning. But at some point in the afternoon (I'm guessing at 2:00 pm) it reset itself back to DST. Meanwhile I was in the kitchen manually resetting the clock radio and the microwave... and set them to the atomic clock which had incorrectly rolled back an hour after displaying the correct time when I woke up.

Honestly, I have no idea what time it is and I really don't give a damn. I just know it's Monday, it's dark and therefore time to start making pizza.

Screw time.

Another Failure for the American Military

Pardon me for asking, but is there anything we're doing right?

I read this piece in the New York Times today and it immediately slipped my mind until someone emailed me the story. I can hardly believe the level of fallibiity in our military operations.

The American military has not properly tracked hundreds of thousands of weapons intended for Iraqi security forces and has failed to provide spare parts, maintenance personnel or even repair manuals for most of the weapons given to the Iraqis, a federal report released Sunday has concluded.

The chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John Warner (R-VA) requested the report which also sought to determine whether Iraqi security forces were capable of sustaining the hundreds of thousands of troops and police officers the American military says it has trained. This next revelation should piss you off...

The answers came Sunday from the inspector general’s office, which found major discrepancies in American military records on where thousands of 9-millimeter pistols and hundreds of assault rifles and other weapons have ended up. The American military did not even take the elementary step of recording the serial numbers of nearly half a million weapons provided to Iraqis, the inspector general found, making it impossible to track or identify any that might be in the wrong hands.

So, how are the American people (those who are paying attention) supposed to interpret this? I'm just curious, because wouldn't it just be too friggin' ironic if our military, through their own unbelievable neglect and incompetence, were allowing weapons to easily fall into the hands of those we call our enemies?

In its assessment of Iraqi weaponry, the inspector general concluded that of the 505,093 weapons that have been given to the Ministries of Interior and Defense over the last several years, serial numbers for only 12,128 were properly recorded. The weapons include rocket-propelled grenade launchers, assault rifles, machine guns, shotguns, semiautomatic pistols and sniper rifles.

Of those weapons, 370,000 were purchased with American taxpayer money under what is called the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, or I.R.R.F., and therefore fell within the inspector general’s mandate.

As if that story isn't embarrassing enough for the mighty American military, here's another interesting tidbit from the same article:

The inspector general’s office, led by Stuart W. Bowen Jr., also a Republican, responded to Mr. Warner’s query about the Iraqi Army’s logistical capabilities with another report released at the same time, concluding that Iraqi security forces still depended heavily on the Americans for the operations that sustain a modern army: deliveries of fuel and ammunition, troop transport, health care and maintenance.

Mr. Bowen found that the American military was not able to say how many Iraqi logistics personnel it had trained — in this case because, the military told the inspector general, a computer network crash erased records. Those problems have occurred even though the United States has spent $133 million on the weapons program and $666 million on Iraqi logistics capabilities.

Jesus!

The Republican Economy is Roaring

Another sign of our sizzling hot economy.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said on Monday that it plans to close a plant in Tyler, Texas, three weeks after workers at the plant and 15 others went on strike in part because of the tire maker's plan to shut down the factory.

The move will eliminate about 1,100 jobs and is part of Goodyear's strategy to end some of its private label tire business.

But wait, there’s more.

Countrywide Financial Corp., the largest U.S. mortgage lender, said Tuesday it will cut its work force by more than 2,500, or about 5 percent, even as growth in its loan servicing portfolio pushed its third-quarter profit up 2 percent.

Grace Slick is 67 today

I love the era between the late 60s and early 70s. I could sit and watch video of bands from that time for hours. Without further ado, happy birthday, Grace!

The Election is About Taxes IRAQ!

More bullshit:

After months of fundraising, President Bush plunged into retail politicking for the first time this campaign season, telling a raucous crowd of several thousand Republican partisans on Saturday that the Democrats would raise taxes and retreat from Iraq if they win control of Congress next week.

The cheers were deafening inside the packed gymnasium at Silver Creek High School here when Bush emerged beaming, with his blue shirt-sleeves rolled up, alongside endangered Rep. Michael E. Sodrel (R-Ind.).

The crowd interrupted the president repeatedly with loud applause and chants of "USA! USA!" as he cast the Nov. 7 midterm elections as a decisive turning point in the affairs of the country.

"The outcome of this election will determine how much money you have in your pocket," Bush shouted...

Since Shrublet doesn't read much, especially not the New York Times, I guess he missed this.

One of President Bush’s be-very-afraid lines this campaign season is that Democrats, if elected, will raise taxes. What he doesn’t say is that if you are one of tens of millions of Americans who make between $75,000 and $500,000 a year, your taxes are already scheduled to rise starting next year — because of laws that Mr. Bush championed and other actions he failed to take.

[...]

Mr. Bush set the trap in 2001 — and in 2003, 2004 and 2006. In each of those years, he flogged for new tax cuts without requiring corresponding long-term changes in the existing rules for the alternative tax. It was well known that failure to update the alternative tax would create perverse interactions with the new tax cuts, causing filers’ tax bills to drop because of the cuts, only to shoot back up again from the alternative levy.

It's That Time Again

This is one of three atomic clocks we have in the house. They reset themselves automatically at 2:00 am which is great. I still have to deal with the clock radio, the clock on the office phone, two car clocks, the microwave clock and one clock in a bedroom. This is also the clock that txrad accidentally knocked off the wall earlier this week, so the hands are unprotected by glass since that all got broken. The clock seems to be functioning though.

Although I do enjoy the long summer daylight hours I've never been too gung-ho about moving clocks ahead and back each year. It just seems silly. For a person who wakes up about the same time every morning based on an internal clock, it's also annoying. I usually need up to a week to make the adjustment.

My grandfather on my mother's side would never play the game. When we'd visit him in the summer we'd constantly be confused because his clocks would not match our watches. Knowing him, he probably thought it was some kind of communist conspiracy.

I've tried on several occasions to do the same but I always cave in and submit after a couple of days. It's just too difficult keeping track of important business hours when I don't participate in the time change. For instance, the liquor store in the summer would be closing at 8:00 "my time" instead of 9:00. That would suck if I got there at 8:05. One of the few times I've ever enjoyed the daylight savings time is when I was a kid growing up. Occasionally on a Sunday morning in the spring we'd miss church. Hallelujah.

It's just one of life's hassles I have to learn to handle. "Spring forward, fall back." Such is life.

Jesus Would Approve This Message

I am thrilled to see a growing movement in the Christian community focused on destructive environmental policies coupled with a belief that it is the duty of Christians to protect the earth and the environment. It is the duty of everyone, but it's very nice to see some Christians directing their attention to real-world values rather than the politically-inspired causes which fall into the "family values" category.


photo: Michael Temchine for The New York Times

The old rounded peaks of the mountains encircled the ridge, dense with trees smudged red and gold. But in the middle of the peaks, several stood stripped bare and chopped up, a result of an increasingly common and controversial coal mining practice called mountaintop removal.

“Doesn’t it say in Scripture, ‘Who can weigh a mountain, measure a basket of earth?’ ” Ms. Chapman-Crane said, recalling descriptions of God’s omnipotence in Isaiah 40:12. “Well, only God can. But now, the coal companies seem to be able to do it, too.”

Ms. Chapman-Crane, her colleagues at the Mennonite Central Committee Appalachia and other Appalachian Christians are trying to halt mountaintop removal, and at the heart of their work, they say, is their faith.

[...]

“People of faith are thinking afresh about human place and purpose in the greater web of life,” Mr. Gorman said. “They are asking, What does it mean to be present in a crisis of God’s creation made by God’s children?”

They are part of an awakening among religious people to environmental issues, said Paul Gorman, executive director of the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, an interreligious alliance. Increasingly, religious people across denominations are organizing around local issues, like preventing a landfill, preserving wetlands and changing mining.

Keep up the good work. Check out the link to the NRPE. This is so refreshing to see.

Related post.

Crossposted at Big Brass Blog.

Ben Harper is 37 today

"Burn One Down"

Simon Le Bon is 48 today

Also, read today that guitarist Andy Taylor has left Duran Duran due to irreconcilable differences.
I'll offer you some essence of the 80s. I still think their first LP was the best but this video was very well done for the era. It's been a busy day but maybe I'll get some real posts up shortly. .. maybe.

Friday Pussy Blog

Tater Tot loves to do his part in the office by holding down the paperwork. We should put him on the payroll.

NJ Gay Marriage: Will it stir up the fundie vote?

Frankly, I don’t give a rat’s ass anymore.

"Hot button social issues have come alive again. ... The
Iraq issue had taken away from the social issues that religious conservatives wanted to focus on," said Scott Keeter, director of survey research at the PEW Research Center.

In the not-too-distant future these people, who have exerted all this energy and wasted so much money fighting against the so-called "gay agenda," are going to wake up in a world of problems so deep and complex, we'll be fortunate if we can pull ourselves out of the mire.

Whether two people of the same sex decide to marry has absolutely nothing to do with the day-to-day lives of those who staunchly oppose anything resembling equality for all Americans. What does impact us all, and what we should be discussing includes:

The National Debt

The War on Drugs

The War in Iraq

Job Growth

Jobs Going Overseas

The Housing Bubble

Election Reform and other voting issues

The Health Care Debacle

"Nothing less than the future of the American family hangs in the balance if we allow one-man, one-woman marriage to be redefined out of existence.
-- Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family

If the fundies want to make the "hot button" issue about who I've chosen to spend my life with while expressing little or no concern for real issues, then pardon me if I don't shed a tear or have a fucking ounce of sympathy when your job is outsourced overseas, you cannot afford health coverage for your family, your sons and daughters are blown into fragments in Iraq because "it's better over there than here," or your president digs us into an economic hole of eternal darkness.

So, go ahead; base your motivation to vote on the NJ decision. Then carry on about your pathetic lives enjoying nonsense crap like this, pop open a piss-weak cold one, and see if I give a shit what you with your ignorant blind faith have allowed to happen.

"I may not feel comfortable with gay marriage but society is not going to implode if gays can marry. I'm not losing any sleep over it," Tom Nutt, a Dallas-based pilot, told Reuters in an interview in a coffee shop.

Society may well implode. It definitely has nothing to do with gays marrying and absolutely everything to do with the preponderance of rampant crassitude.

Fence Bill Signed by Bush

Photo is a representation only; actual fence will likely be less attractive and offer equal security.

In what is likely to be another financial boondoggle with little benefit, the Shrublet signed a bill today authorizing 700 miles of fencing along the Mexican border. Although the cost to construct the fence is unknown, we do know the $1.2 billion "down-payment" was included in a homeland security bill signed earlier this month by Bush. The bill signed today doesn't actually authorize any money for the project.

This may represent the last of the feeble attempts by our stupid and incompetent leader to demonstrate the strength and resolve of the Republican party in the face of global terrorism -- or in the face of brown-skinned people sneaking across the border illegally.

"A fence will slow people down by a minute or two, but if you don't have the agents to stop them it does no good. We're not talking about some impenetrable barrier," T.J. Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing Border Patrol agents, said Wednesday.

It's official. The President of the United States is, quite simply, an ass.

No Racism in Tennessee Senate Race

Yeah, riiight...

From Rook's diary at DailyKos:

A friend of my mother owns a small shop on the main street of her town in Middle Tennessee. Her car has a Harold Ford, Jr., bumper sticker on it. The other day, a young man came into the shop and asked her if the bumper sicker was hers. She said yes.
The young man said, "You better watch out that you don't get your store burned down, because we don't vote for n*****s around here."

As if most of us don't know it for a fact, inbreeding is bad and should be stopped. Is this the "Tennessee life" Corker claims to have lived? It's enough to make you wish the elections were tomorrow... or yesterday.

More tasteless enjoyment...
Corker ad:


Ford ad:

Garden State Victory! (well. sorta)

New Jersey's highest court ruled Wednesday that gay couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexuals, but that lawmakers must determine whether the state will honor gay marriage or some other form of civil union.

[...]

...the Supreme Court stopped short of fully approving gay marriage and gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite marriage laws to either include gay couples or create new civil unions.

"The issue is not about the transformation of the traditional definition of marriage, but about the unequal dispensation of benefits and privileges to one of two similarly situated classes of people," the court said in its 4-3 ruling.

Hopefully the lawmakers will go the marriage route rather than civil onions unions but at this point we'll take it.

Stay The Course & Other Familiar Campaign Themes

Enjoy a bullshit medley:

And big thanks to Paul the Spud for this one:

I'm Not Satisfied Either

The Shrublet has wrapped up his press conference.

"I know many Americans are not satisfied with the situation" there.
"I'm not satisfied either," he said at a speech and question and answer session at the White House 13 days before midterm elections.
[...]
At another point, Bush said that "a fixed timetable for withdrawal in my judgment means defeat."

Sorry to break the news, but defeat is all but inevitable, depending upon what the original intent of our invasion was. I've heard so many differing reasons I'm befuddled. Besides, defeat may come sooner than you think, Mr. Prez... like November 7 for instance.

All hail our glorious victory!

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Those Tranquilizers Sure Kept the Priest Busy

Another former-altar boy has accused the Rev. Anthony Mercieca of sexual abuse in the 1970s.

Another former altar boy says he was sexually abused in the 1970s by the same retired Catholic priest who acknowledged fondling former Rep. Mark Foley when Foley was a teenager, the man's attorney said Wednesday.

In multiple interviews last week, Mercieca denied having sexual intercourse with Foley, but did acknowledge being nude with him when Foley was a boy.

Mercieca also denied having sex with any underage children.

Depends on the definition of "sex" which always seems to get rather nebulous in this situations.

From attorney Jeffrey Herman:

"It was fondling and he performed oral sex on the boy," Herman said. "He attempted on another occasion following altar boy practice, but the boy declined to go on this bike ride and he never went back to the church after that."

Oh, so it wasn't sex. Glad we cleared that up. I guess it depends on the definition of "underage."
The man claiming sexual abuse said he was "about 12" at the time.

This 2nd man has not been identified and is listed as "John Doe" in the lawsuit. I guess we can expect more?

I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar

Helen Reddy is 65 today. Roar on.

Check out Pandagon: "Early, Often (once every election)."
Also, Minnie Pearl was born on this day in 1912.

Remembering Gene Roddenberry

Gene Roddenberry, creator of the Star Trek series, died 25 years ago today of a heart attack at the tender age of 70.

I've been a Star Trek fanatic since I was a child. I wanted to live on the USS Enterprise and proudly serve under Captain James T. Kirk. (not in that way!)

The series was a magnificent escape mechanism for me, promising a future world in which race and gender were irrelevant. I used to joke that I developed 90% of my moral fiber from that series. There were invaluable social lessons lurking just under the surface for those willing to pay attention.

One of my favorite episodes involved Kirk having his consciousness stolen by a woman who was his ex-lover. Trapping his consciousness in her body, she took his in an attempt to take control over the Enterprise. There was quite a bit of gender confusion and some major bending taking place in that one. That episode, "Turnabout Intruder," first aired in 1969.

At 10 years of age, the 1990s seemed so futuristic and far away, and I had the greatest expectations for humanity and technology for that decade and on into the 21st century. (Hey, but how 'bout them 80s?)

Technology certainly hasn't disappointed me. I can walk around with my Motorola RAZR "communicator" and do just about anything except zap someone or beam myself up to the mothership (I still used an old-fashioned medicinal combo for that trick).

As for humanity, I am very disappointed. Debates rage on about same-sex marriages, racial prejudice and inequality are very much alive and well, starvation and poverty are rampant in many areas of the world, and not very many people in power are really doing very much about any of these issues except fanning the flames.

Roddenberry is dead. DeForest "Bones" Kelley died in 1999. James "Scotty" Doohan died last year and his ashes were shot into space per his request last month. I am afraid my expectations for a civilized world in which fairness and equality are the rule rather than the exception are slowly dying with them.

"I had insisted on half women on board [the Enterprise]. The network came to me and said, 'You can't have half women. Our people say it will make it look like a ship with all sorts of mad sexual things going on -- half men and half women.' So we argued about it like a poker game and they finally said, 'Okay. We'll settle for one-third women.' I figured one-third women could take care of the males anyway."

"If man is to survive, he will have learned to take a delight in the essential differences between men and between cultures. He will learn that differences in ideas and attitudes are a delight, part of life's exciting variety, not something to fear."

--Gene Roddenberry

Not Too Early For New Year Resolutions

I'm very good about making resolutions for the New Year. I start thinking about them on the afternoon of December 31 usually. Three perennial favorites are:

1. Stop smoking
2. Start flossing regularly
3. Learn to speak another language -- ideally Spanish so I can communicate with our southern neighbors.

This usually plays out as follows:

About 7:30 on the morning of January 1 I'll be sitting on the patio smoking a cig and will say to myself, "Oh I guess I've screwed that one up already."

Feeling guilty, I'll go floss later in the day. Then around the middle of May it'll occur to me I haven't flossed again. I'll do it and it's not so bad. "I'll do this again tomorrow," I tell myself. Round about mid-September I'll realize "tomorrow" has yet to arrive.

Meanwhile, as close as I've come to reading or speaking Spanish are the words "Hecho en Mexico" on the tequila bottle.

I'm desperately in need of some new bad habits to replace the old ones. Any ideas? Heroin, cocaine, and meth are off the table. I'm looking for "healthier" bad habits.

Just GO There, Damn You...

Stay as long as you like.

Shrublet, on his use of "the Google:"

BUSH: Occasionally. One of the things I’ve used on the Google is to pull up maps. It’s very interesting to see — I’ve forgot the name of the program — but you get the satellite, and you can — like, I kinda like to look at the ranch. It remind me of where I wanna be sometimes.

Come on down, boy!

Racial Separation Prevalent in Masonic Groups

I frequently see debates in other comment threads about racism being a factor in elections these days. I brought it up myself in a piece by Litbrit over at Shakes’ place regarding Barack Obama possibly making a White House run in 2008.

Lest there be any doubt that racial divides still exist, particularly in the deep south, digest this:

Nationwide, Masonic groups operate in a separate-but-supposedly-equal system in which whites typically join one network of Masonic groups, called Grand Lodges, and blacks typically join another, called Prince Hall.

But in the South, it goes further: White-controlled Grand Lodges in 12 Southern states do not even officially recognize black Masons as their brothers — the Masonic term is "mutual recognition" — and in some cases, black lodges have taken similar stands.

[...]

In Alabama, some dissident whites have split from the lodge system, and Republican Gov. Bob Riley's membership in an all-white lodge has drawn fire in his campaign for a second term. In North Carolina, white Masons recently voted down a bid to recognize members of the black group as fellow Masons.

"Only the states of the old Confederacy, minus Virginia and plus West Virginia, don't have mutual recognition," said Paul Bessel, a Maryland Mason who wrote a book on the topic. "There are, I'm sorry to say, some Masons who are racists. But the vast majority don't feel that way."

[...]

The whites' refusal to reciprocate "raises the ugly head of racism, segregation, all over again," said the leader of Prince Hall Masons in North Carolina, Milton G. "Toby" Fitch Jr., a state judge and former majority leader in the North Carolina House.

"The best analogy I can give is Baptist churches: You have black Baptist churches, and you have white Baptist churches. But they both recognize each other as being Baptist. We are talking about accepting the fact that `you practice Masonry and I practice Masonry.'"

I experienced this church segregation while growing up. My church was in "colored town" but never did we have a black family attend. Nor did any of the other white churches. The same could be said of the black churches.

Voting patterns in the deep south are very similar. Blacks overwhelming vote for the Democratic candidates, and whites overwhelmingly support the Republicans -- moreso in the rural areas.

While I have no evidence whatsoever to suggest whether white Masons (and non-Masons) would be willing to support a black presidential candidate, let's just say I'm quite comfortable with my unscientific hunch.

Crossposted at B3 and Pam’s House Blend

The Drag King Conference in Austin

Austin played host to the eighth International Drag King Community Extravaganza this past weekend.


Ricardo B. Brazziell
AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Drag kings — female and transgendered people who dress as men — are performance artists whose routines usually include dancing and singing or lip-syncing. The extravaganza is the community's largest event, with people from all over the United States, Canada and even Germany, said Jesa Weber, the event's hospitality chairwoman.

"This is our first time in the South, and it's been absolutely amazing," Weber said. "There isn't a ton of opportunities for genderqueer people to express themselves down here."

If you're gonna express it in Texas, you can't do much better than Austin.

Bill Maher: Gotta Love Him

Last night we watched the Real Time with Bill Maher episode with Barney Frank, Bill Richardson, Jason Alexander, and that weirdo geek from the Wall Street Journal. Someone has apparently uploaded the entire show --or most of it-- onto youtube.com in segments. Watch it. You won't be disappointed.

Enjoy this interview with David Kuo, author of "Tempting Faith."

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Happy 50th Dwight Yoakam

As long as he keeps his hat on, the dude is kinda hot...

Swedish Muslim Chided as "Islamophobe" for Opposing Veil

Some interesting political news from Sweden via the TimesOnline:

The latest media darling of Scandinavian politics is not only black, beautiful and Muslim; she is also firmly against the wearing of the veil.

Nyamko Sabuni, 37, has caused a storm as Sweden’s new integration and equality minister by arguing that all girls should be checked for evidence of female circumcision; arranged marriages should be criminalised; religious schools should receive no state funding; and immigrants should learn Swedish and find a job.

Supporters of the centre-right government that came to power last month believe that her bold rejection of cultural diversity may make her a force for change across Europe. Her critics are calling her a hardliner and even an Islamophobe.

“I am neither,” she said in an interview. “My aim is to integrate immigrants. One is to ensure they grow up just as any other child in Sweden would.”

Sabuni also clearly has an interest in becoming Sweden's prime minister and may have that opportunity should the current government fall.

Anders Jonsson, a political commentator on the liberal newspaper Expressen, says there is no doubt Sabuni is one to watch. “She is a tough cookie and incredibly ambitious,” he said. “But I think it’s good that a black woman is raising these issues and she has proved that she is prepared to take tough decisions in order to get things done.”

Crossposted at B3

Update on the Christian Music Festival in Austin

Remember this piece about the Power of the Cross music festival? The organizer who cashed out his assets to fund the $100,000 venture was hoping for 40,000 attendees at yesterday's festival. Part of his optimism which I noted in my post was due to an estimated 50,000 people expected to appear at today's Rolling Stones concert.

Sad. 40,000 did not show up. 20,000 didn't show up. Not even 10,000. How many you ask?


credit: Laura Skelding - AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Try several hundred. And the event was FREE.

I wonder if there were enough pink porta-potties to handle the masses.

For Executive Director Jim Butt, the concert is something that "should have happened a long time ago."

Butt, who became a Christian in 2003, said he put everything he had on the line to put the event together.

"I've given everything I own, quit my job and live on my 401(k) to do this," he said. "A year and a half ago, I didn't know anything about music or putting festivals together, but God dragged me into it."

I hope he got his money's worth.

AFA Wants It Both Ways

The American Family Association is overcome with glee after NBC pulled the plug on a segment in an upcoming Madonna concert set to air in November. The AFA seems to be taking credit for the decision after 750,000 email messages were sent in protest to NBC from AFA "supporters."

Backing away from a confrontation with religious groups, NBC says it has decided not to show pictures of Madonna mounting a Crucifix when it airs her concert special next month. During her song "Live to Tell," Madonna sings from a mirrored cross wearing a crown of thorns.

Dr. Don Wildmon, chairman of the AFA, said:

"We appreciate the fact that NBC has seen the power of the pocketbook and decide to cancel [that] scene from the Madonna special," says Wildmon in a press release. "The network should never have even entertained using the scene, but we appreciate their removing it from the special."

Apparently, the AFA is just pleased as punch at their power to stifle free speech in having NBC censor a portion of an artistic performance which they deemed offensive. However, they are not so supportive of an employer in Virginia allegedly firing a human resources employee for having a "vote for marriage" message handwritten on the window of his truck:


Photo by Nikki Fox, Courtesy of Daily News Record)

Luis Padilla was reportedly terminated from his employment at a Cargill Foods plant in Harrisonburg because of a written message on the rear window of his pickup truck that read: "Please, vote for marriage on Nov. 7." That is the day when voters in Virginia will be considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution protecting traditional marriage.

According to the Daily-News Record in Harrisonburg, Padilla -- who worked in Cargill's human resources office -- was dismissed for insubordination when he refused to remove the message, which company officials could be considered harassment. He apparently had removed the sign when first requested, then later posted it again and parked his truck outside the company parking lot.

"This action exposes the hypocrisy of people who claim to stand for 'tolerance' but who instead do all they can to silence all opposing views," says Dean Welty, [a spokesman for the Family Foundation-affiliated Valley Family Forum.]

The AFA is trying to push a one-sided agenda down both lanes of a two-way street. If Padilla should be allowed to display his message so prominently even though Cargill employees who are proponents of gay marriage might feel uncomfortable with it, why strip Madonna of a portion of her message?

Those offended by Madonna's stage props are not required to watch. Employees, on the other hand, are required to show up for work.

I must be honest here though. Armed with the information I have thus far, I'm not comfortable with Padilla being fired for having a political message on his truck. It's not as though he tried to hold a pro-marriage (or anti-same-sex marriage) rally on company property. If I had a bumper sticker on my car encouraging a vote against the marriage proposition, I'd be absolutely livid if asked to remove it in order to keep my employment. Unfortunately, that is the nature of ”at-will” employment and it is legal.

Here's a link to The Daily News-Record piece. (Embeded link not working)
http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=6909&CHID=1

Crossposted at Pam’s House Blend

Best Way to Put a Marriage on the Rocks

Have you wife catch you while pounding it into the family dog.

McPhail's wife told investigators that she found her husband on their back porch Wednesday night having intercourse with their 4-year-old female pit bull terrier, the Pierce County sheriff's office report said. The dog was squealing and crying, according to charging papers.

It's a safe bet he's heterosexual.

Friday Battle of the Pussies

It's been a hell of a day with Blogger spittin' and sputterin' all day. I'm almost too annoyed to enjoy the fact that it's Friday. I should be opening a tequila bottle right about now and I'm still trying to get some posts up.

So, let's shake some things up tonight and have a
BATTLE OF THE PUSSIES... may the cutest feline win.

On the left, we have Sissy, whose daddy is konagod. On the right, Matilda, whose mommie is the incomparable Shakespeare’s Sister.

Which is the most adorable kitty?
	Sissy
	Matilda
	Both are equally adorable
Free polls from Pollhost.com

A(nother) Change in Iraq Strategy

Are we running out of strategies yet? As President Kerry Bush flip-flops sticks his wet finger in his ass the air to determine the prevailing wind direction, he is not yet at a loss for brilliant words of wisdom: ”it’s tough in Iraq.”

The wee little Shrublet speaks:

"One of the reasons you're seeing more casualties is the enemy is active and so are our troops, along with Iraqis," Bush said in a brief interview with The Associated Press.

Dire Warnings from the GOP Ahead of Midterm Elections

As a Republican bloodbath in the November 7 midterm elections becomes increasingly likely, the GOP is preparing to crank up the furnace as we approach the final 2-week stretch of campaigning. From the WaPo:

The mood among most GOP strategists -- with the exception of Rove and a few others -- is decidedly downbeat heading into the final 18 days. They see poll after poll showing a growing number of GOP House incumbents in serious danger, including many who just weeks ago were considered relatively safe for reelection. The list of most-imperiled incumbents now includes Reps. Heather A. Wilson (N.M.) and Curt Weldon (Pa.), a top GOP strategist said.

By this reckoning, roughly a dozen GOP-controlled House seats are "gone, no ifs, ands or buts about it," said the strategist, who discussed internal party deliberations on the condition of anonymity.

A number of GOP operatives said privately yesterday that they now see minimum losses of perhaps 18 seats, with 25 to 30 a more likely outcome. Democrats need 15 to take control of the House.

The first face I want to see on the morning of November 8 is the eternally optimistic Karl Rove. Hell, I might even have to pop open a bottle of bubbly (French, of course!) for breakfast.

Even President Bush seems to have shoved aside the "family values" agenda to assist such destitutes as Rep. Don Sherwood (R) of Pennsylvania.

"I'm pleased to be here with Don Sherwood," a smiling president told the congressman's loyal but dispirited supporters at a luncheon fundraiser Thursday. "He has got a record of accomplishment."

Quite a record. While representing the good people of the 10th District, the married congressman shacked up in Washington with a Peruvian immigrant more than three decades his junior. During one assignation in 2004, the woman, who says Sherwood was striking her and trying to strangle her, locked herself in a bathroom and called 911; Sherwood told police he was giving her a back rub.

As the writers of the article point out, how ironic this is going on during "National Character Counts Week." Is there no driver on this bus?

Crossposted at B3

Governors Report Cards from the Cato Institute

The libertarian-influenced Cato Institute has released their fiscal policy report card for 2006.

This report presents the findings of the Cato Institute's eighth biennial fiscal policy report card on the nation's governors. The report card's grading is based on 23 objective measures of fiscal performance. Governors who have cut taxes and spending the most receive the highest grades. Those who have increased spending and taxes the most receive the lowest grades.

I take this with more than a grain of salt. "Cutting taxes and spending" is a popular mantra, but at the expense of whom?

Nevertheless, there are some eyebrow-raising grades being assigned to some interesting governors who are likely presidential contenders in 2008:

Jeb Bush (R) of Florida received a C. Hmm, just an average ho-hum grade.
Mitt Romney (R) of Massachusetts received a C.
Mike Huckabee (R) of Arkansas received an F.

If you are looking for A grades, only one was given... to Matt Blunt (R) of Missouri.

From Wikipedia:

In early 2005, Governor Matt Blunt proposed eliminating the [First Steps] program in an attempt to cut spending on social services and health care, and balance the state budget. The proposal was widely disliked, by parents and service providers across the state and from all political perspectives.

Later, the governor backtracked on his proposal, instead recommending changes to the operation of the program and higher co-pays for services for parents with relatively high incomes.

Missouri First Steps is a program offered by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that offers coordinated services and assistance to children from birth to age 3 who have delayed development or diagnosed conditions that are associated with developmental disabilities.

Overall, almost 100,000 Missourians lost their Medicaid coverage under Blunt's first budget.

As of August 22, 2006, Blunt has a 40% approval rating, 45th of the 50 governors.

Hmm, for being the only governor in the nation with the Cato Institute's grade of A, he's certainly not a popular bloke.

Crossposted at B3

Let the Games Begin

With citizens like this, who needs terrorists?

Federal authorities Friday charged a Wisconsin man in a hoax threat that warned seven football stadiums across the nation would be targeted by terrorists with radiological "dirty bombs" this weekend.

Just Popped a Cork

On this. I just want to celebrate... another day of blogging.

Does anyone remember that band Rare Earth from the 70s? They had a song "I just want to celebrate.." Couldn't find it but here's the band:

I Love Amy Sedaris.. Truly, Madly, Deeply

Something about her just warms the cockles of my heart.

A Nifty Way to Avoid Execution on Death Row

Just kill yourself.

A death-row inmate slit his own throat with a makeshift knife early Thursday, committing suicide about 15 hours before he was scheduled to be executed, a prison official said.

As an opponent of capital punishment, I say bravo for his success at circumventing the system. Ironically, his appeal was still pending before the US Supreme Court. Knowing the conservative tilt of the court, I'd say he made the correct choice.

MLK Being Cast as a Republican in Ads

Just when you think you've seen every distasteful dirty trick imaginable in an effort to influence voters, here's a real gem.

The National Black Republican Association, a conservative group, has been running ads in DC, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania claiming that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was a Republican.

Frances Rice, chairman of the National Black Republican Association, said "They've called me Aunt Jemima, a sellout, a traitor to my race."

"I absolutely do not regret the ads," said Rice, 62, a native of Atlanta, King's hometown. He "absolutely was a Republican," she insisted. "We were all Republicans in those days. The Democrats were training fire hoses on us, siccing dogs on us."

Obviously, the Republican Party has changed significantly in the past 40-50 years, as has the Democratic Party. Tying King to the present-day Republican Party to influence black voters is sickening.

"To suggest that Martin could identify with a party that affirms preemptive, predatory war, and whose religious partners hint that God affirms war and favors the rich at the expense of the poor, is to revile Martin," said the Rev. Joseph Lowery, the former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which the slain civil rights leader helped establish.

The spot, which ran for a time in the District, Georgia, Maryland, Ohio and Pennsylvania, will soon run again in those areas, as well as in Miami, Orlando and Tampa, according to Rice.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R), who is running for the U.S. Senate, denounced the King ad, and Donald E. Scoggins, president of Republicans for Black Empowerment and a former member of the association, said it was a terrible idea.

Black Republicans railed against the radio ads, with the sharpest criticism coming from former members of the black Republican association.

"The vast majority of black Republicans I know would not have approved of the ad," Scoggins said.

Dissatisfaction within the ranks of the National Republican Association has been brewing for awhile. Several members have resigned since last year after disagreements with Frances Rice, notably her support for President Bush in the Katrina aftermath.

What's with her blind allegiance?

Priest Admits Early "Relationship" with Foley

Here we go. Rev. Anthony Mercieca, now living in Italy, was interviewed by the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, and spoke of his intimate two-year relationship with Mark Foley -- at the time an altar boy at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lake Worth, Florida.

Excerpts from a WaPo article:

Mercieca told the newspaper that he took overnight trips with Foley, skinny-dipped and sat naked in a sauna with him and massaged Foley while the youth was undressed, the article says. Foley was 12 or 13 at the time.

The priest told the newspaper that he believed there was one explicitly sexual encounter with Foley, during an overnight trip when Mercieca was in what he described as a drug-induced stupor.

"I have to confess, I was going through a nervous breakdown," he is quoted as saying. "I was taking pills -- tranquilizers. I used to take them all the time. They affected my mind a little bit."

Good Lord. Just a "little bit?" I thought tranquilizers were meant to calm you down.

There are more juicy tidbits from the Herald-Tribune article:

Mercieca said he taught Foley "some wrong things" related to sex, though he wouldn't specify what he meant. He also said they were naked together in a sauna twice.

Mercieca said that, at the time, he considered his relationship with Foley innocent. But he now says he could see how his actions could be labeled inappropriate.

Aww, come on. "Innocent?" Does he seriously expect anyone to (ahem) swallow that?

hat tip to Paul for the link to the Herald-Tribune article.
Crossposted at Pam’s House Blend

Another Potential Election Debacle Looms

What a surprise.

Aside from some new voting machines in one California county with a faulty audio program for the hearing impared only working in Vietnamese, there are a host of other problems lurking for American voters on November 7.

From the New York Times:

In Maryland, Mississippi and Pennsylvania, a shortage of technicians has vendors for new machines soliciting applications for technical support workers on job Web sites like monster.com.

Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania are among the states considered most likely to experience difficulties, according to voting experts who have been tracking the technology and other election changes.

Election officials in many of the states are struggling with delays in the delivery of machines before the election as old-fashioned lever and punch-card machines are phased out. A chronic shortage of poll workers, many of them retirees uncomfortable with new technology, has worsened matters.

Tova Wang, who studies elections for the Century Foundation, a nonpartisan research group, said: “We also have the greatest potential for problems in more places next month than in any voting season before.”

The article also cites Boone County, Missouri where 600 poll workers have not yet been trained. To compound the problem, the software coding to print training manuals has yet to be provided.

Newly enacted and very questionable voter identification laws in several states pose a potential problem as well.

“We’re expecting arguments at the polls in these states that will slow everything down and probably cause large numbers of legitimate voters to be turned away or to be forced to vote on provisional ballots,” said Barbara Burt, an elections reform director for Common Cause.

Meanwhile, votes in about half of the 45 most competitive Congressional races, including contests in Florida, Georgia and Indiana, will be cast on electronic machines that provide no independent means of verification.

In North Carolina, Wake County, which includes Raleigh, is expecting 350,000 voters on election day, a huge increase from the 30,000 voters in the May primary. Cherie Poucher, elections director for the county expressed concern over the scan machines in use. Twelve new machines had to be replaced during the primary due to a failure to boot up.

Not all officials are pessimistic and let's home they are correct. After the presidential election issues in 2000 and 2004, each being decided by one state, one would hope the public mood will not tolerate widespread snafus again. We shall soon see.

For map and chart geeks such as myself, follow the link to a nifty map showing counties which have had voting equipment changes since 2000.

crossposted at Pam’s House Blend and B3

My Prayer for the Evening

I found out this morning that I'll be doing some guest posting for Pam over at the Blend on Thursday morning. So, without further ado, I have a prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
I know you have a busy schedule -- especially with that Christian music festival coming up on Saturday. That's gotta be draining a lot of your energy. But please, if you can swing it, make it a BIG news day tomorrow. Make President Bush do or say something outrageously stupid. That shouldn't be too hard to pull off, right?

Or allow your Holy Spirit to move through a few more congressional pages and expose another cock-obsessed Republican. But whatever you do, please, no October surprise.

Life is hard. If you can grant me one prayer, make my morning easy.

Amen.

Steve Wynn Has Good Taste

A Picasso from master casino operator extraordinaire, Steve Wynn.

Hat tip to Rebecca for emailing the photo and adding the comment, "I feel like I have been probed every time I look at it."

Wynn had just finalized a $139 million sale to another collector of his painting, called "Le Reve" (The Dream), when he poked a finger-sized hole in the artwork while showing it to friends at his Las Vegas office a couple of weeks ago.

Easy come, easy go.

A Vegetarian With a Taste for Duck... Lame

Shakes is at full throttle today.

Now I'm craving meat.

Most worrisome to the White House is the subpoena power that Democrats would gain with a majority in the House or Senate. For years, Republicans have been mostly deferential in scrutinizing the Bush administration, but Democrats are eager to reexamine an array of issues, such as Vice President Cheney's energy task force, the Jack Abramoff scandal and preparations for the Iraq war.

"It obviously affects things a lot," said Charles Black, a Republican lobbyist with ties to the White House. "History tells you that administrations have a hard time achieving things in their last two years. I think the president wants to be as aggressive as he can with a good menu of ideas.

WHAT menu? And where's it been for the past six years?

A True Haiku

I don't know his name
A homeless casualty
His words I treasure

A good meal he craved
I paid him twenty dollars
and got a prayer

I can sure use it
better than twenty dollars
If only I would

Too Poor to Die

Republic of T has a rather disturbing post up concerning the death of Tyrone Garner, one of the plaintiffs in Lawrence v. Texas, which overturned state laws criminalizing same-sex activity.

Although Garner passed away on September 11, the family still does not have the financial means to have him buried. Terrance makes an interesting point:

"Thus, the state that sought to control his body while he was living may end up controlling it in his death. "

Sad.

Where's the Other Me?

Wow. I had no idea I was so special. Found this over at casa SAP

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 2 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Txrad said, "they have a crappy database." Apparently, he doesn't exist.

Wynton Marsalis is 45 today

Bush Approval Ratings by State

This is cool!

According to SurveyUSA, only four states maintain a 50%+ approval rating for Bush. And they are the usual red-state suspects:


1 Idaho 57%
2 Utah 57%
3 Wyoming 52%
4 Montana 50%

The Decider-in-Chief is below 50% in the remaining 46 states. {sniffle...}

Texas is ranked #8. This is a classic example of where being ranked at the bottom is a good thing. That honor belongs to Rhode Island.

No Pension for Gerry Stubbs' Husband

From 365gay.com:

For the first time the surviving spouse of a member of Congress is being denied death benefits.

Dean Hara, who married former Massachusetts Rep. Gerry Studds shortly after same-sex marriage was legalized in Massachusetts in 2004, has been disqualified for benefits under the so-called federal Defense of Marriage Act.

Surviving spouses of members of Congress collect more than half of the pension for the remainder of their lives.

As if that isn't offensive enough, digest this:

Nevertheless, Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) who pled guilty last week to conspiracy charges and faces up to 10 years in prison for taking bribes will receive about $29,000 a year from his pension for the rest of his life - even while he is in prison.

This country is seriously ill.

An October Surprise?

This is the kind of shit that just makes me seethe.

With Democrats threatening to sweep Republicans out of power in Congress in the November 7 elections, a late-breaking foreign crisis, terrorist attack or another Washington scandal could change the debate and shape the ultimate outcome.

Why? Why the hell would any of these factors change the overall dynamic of the elections just 3 weeks from today? We have plenty of foreign crises right now that are not being adequately addressed; a terrorist attack would blow the Bush Administration out of the water after all the talk about how much safer we are thanks to them; and another scandal isn't going to affect much unless it's something monumental involving Democrats.

I seriously doubt whether much at all could impact the outcome of this election, even the capture Osama bin Laden -- or an announcement of his death. Neither of those two scenarios is going to have an impact on conditions in Iraq (or Afghanistan, for that matter). It might produce a very temporary spike in Bush's dismal approval ratings. I can't see how it would swing voters back to Republicans though.

Nevada Will Have Vote on Legalizing Marijuana

(AFP/File/Robyn Beck)


On November 7, Nevadans will have the opportunity to vote on whether to legalize pot.

If it passes Nov. 7, Nevada will be the first state to allow adults to possess up to an ounce of pot that they could buy at government-regulated marijuana shops.

The "Committee to Keep Nevada Respectable" opposes the measure. What a name for a committee in a state with alcohol pouring 24/7 down the throats of people gambling their asses off -- the ones who aren't visiting one of the legal brothels.

And surprisingly, I find myself somewhat agreeing with a Baptist minister:

"Make no mistake, I don't think using marijuana is a wise choice for anyone," said the Rev. William C. Webb, a Baptist minister who joined dozens of other religious leaders in announcing their backing. But "if there has to be a market in marijuana, I'd rather it be regulated with sensible safeguards than run by violent gangs and dangerous drug dealers."

Voters in Colorado will be voting on a similar measure.

The Picture Meme

Meowkaat has tagged me for the Picture Meme: 8 Things I Find Amazing in Picture Form. Some memes seem easy and turn out to be rather difficult and time consuming. I have a feeling this one falls in that category. But at least it should be fun.

1.

Amazing how peaceful and quiet things can be from this distance.

2.

Amazing that a plant which serves so many purposes can be declared illegal and people serve prison time for cultivating it.

3.

How can something this beautiful choose to come into my life by surprise and be such a perfect match?

4.

How a mushroom can make you think of a penis. These grow in one specific area of our backyard.

5.

I find it truly amazing how so many people can find the top photo more offensive than the war casualty below it.

6.

It's amazing I was ever this young and without a worry in the world.

(April 1965!)

7.

What's truly amazing is how a beautiful tasty heirloom tomato can grow from such tiny little seeds. (txrad grows these tomatoes.)

8.

Lastly, an amazing thing is how I still haven't learned to follow simple instructions written on a tequila bottle.

That was way more difficult than I imagined. I'll tag some people anyway!

Quaker Dave , One Big Jerkoff JackGoff, Waveflux, RedSonja & Karate Monkey, & Miss Cellania.

Sorry folks, it's the price you pay for being visible!

God is a Music Promoter

I'm not one to tell God what to do. But it seems to me, what with all the troubles in the world today, that God might have more important things to promote than music festivals. I could be wrong.

This new genre of Christian music which includes heavy metal, hard rock, soft rock, jazz, hiphop, and whatever else Christian bands feel moved by the hand of God to play, is appearing more often in the press. I caught an article in the Austin American Statesman today about Jim Butt, who is organizing a festival here in Austin called "Power of the Cross Festival" which will be held this coming Saturday.

Jim Butt, a first-time concert promoter, believes that 40,000 people will attend Saturday's [festival.]
The free daylong Christian music event is the day before the Rolling Stones descend on Zilker Park. So, Butt figures, people will be in town looking for something to do. Why not hope for 40,000 to attend?

Um, yeah. I can see 40,000 Rolling Stones fanatics all standing around on Saturday asking themselves "what to do?" in Austin, Texas the day before the big Stones bash. The good news is, the festival is free.

"I just believe that many can come," he said matter-of-factly. "I have faith. It's a number God has given me."

This is a man who claims that God delivered him from a drug and alcohol addiction. A man who quit his job selling medical equipment and drained his savings and retirement accounts to organize what he hopes will be a "Christian South by Southwest." A man who will do anything God asks him to do, no questions asked.

Butt is spending $100,000 of his own savings and retirement money on the festival and expects a miracle or two:

"I wouldn't be surprised to see somebody get out of a wheelchair and walk," he said.
The prospect of glorifying God and sharing his faith with the city motivated Dale Smith to build a 9-foot-tall cross and wooden prayer panels where people will post their prayer intentions.

It would almost be worth attending this event for the visuals... and to read some of the "prayer intentions."

Vance Russell, senior pastor of Arise Christian Fellowship in North Austin, says his members will offer prayer and support to people who accept Christ on Saturday. He says members who have prophetic gifts will share messages from God in a special tent.

That special tent sounds like it's going to be a blast. The festival has a website including a prayer for the success of the festival, including:

Jesus, we pray that your spirit will attract everyone to the festival that you want so that we don’t have to worry about worldly advertising techniques.

Father God, we pray for your presence at this festival. We would rather have less people and more of you, then [sic] more people and less of you.

Father, you know who you want to play at this festival so we pray that you will call forward the musicians with your anointing.

Our prayers are that the Lord of the harvest will release the labors and the provisions for the vision. We know God isn’t broke so we pray for more then [sic] plenty so that we will be able to fund this ministry long term.

Hopefully, God will bless those in the special tent with some proofreading skills.

(file under "a fool and his money are soon parted.")

Crossposted at B3

Mitt Romney's Verbal Littering in Boston

Mitt Romney is spewing intolerant and untruthful rubbish again. Speaking to a group gathered in Boston for the Family Research Council's annual "Liberty Sunday" event, here's what the presidential hopeful had to say:

"Here in Massachusetts, activist judges struck a blow to the foundation of civilization — the family," Republican Gov. Mitt Romney, a likely presidential candidate, told an applauding crowd of about 1,000 people, some of whom responded with "Amen."

What (the judges) ignored is that marriage is not primarily about adults; marriage is about the nurturing and development of children. ... Every child deserves a mother and a father," he said.

A blow to the foundation of civilization? What a waste of time and a load of smelly crap. Trying to blame same-sex marriage for the failings of traditional marriage and family break-ups has gotten tiresome. Calling it a blow to the foundations of civilization is an asinine exaggeration of incomprehensible proportions. Only an idiot could truly believe this.

Tony Perkins, president of the FRC, chimed in with more of the same rhetoric:

"When we look at what has happened with same-sex marriage, as it began in this state and threatens to spread across the country, we've seen in its wake the loss of religious freedoms and the ability to speak out based upon one's moral convictions."

Come again? If that were true, he wouldn't be speaking at the event. If it weren't so friggin' nauseating, it'd almost be comical watching the fundies scrambling to try and salvage right-wing Republican hopes in the November 7 mid-term elections.

I'll be loudly applauding the sinking of that rusting ship. I'm tired of the incessant lies, smear-campaigns, and scandals. I'm tired of being the scapegoat for the problems of a segment of American society of which I'm not even a part.

Crossposted at B3