The Raging Moderate:

um, ok, and what's the plan exactly in Iraq??

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 07:17:59 GMT

Okay, someone explain to me why CNN was offering breathless coverage of the latest Bush "strategy" which is nothing more than a bump up in the troop levels to make a last-ditch effort to save Bush's political hide. And now he's going to bestow upon us his wisdom not only in his speech but a nationwide speaking tour to convince us of how right he is.

Riiiight....

Just like he was right on those WMD's, or how we would be greeted as liberators, or how this would hardly cost us anything, or how the capture, trial, and hanging of Saddam would free Iraq, or how this isn't really a civil war.

Bullshit.

This is utter bullshit.

And, four years into this abysmal catastrophe, this man still doesn't know what he's doing, still has no problem lying (or just totally ignorantly speaking) to the American people day in and day out. And all the media gives us is cool graphics which show where all those brand spanking new troops are going to go.

I got news for you folks - these aren't "new" troops. It's the same guys and gals, going out on their third redeployments, and they're tired, and their lives are totally disrupted, and a few more of them isn't, at this point, going to be able to accomplish anything in a country which has already devolved into all-out civil war.

I'm just so over this crap.

On forgiveness

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 20:54:18 GMT

The articles in today's papers on Ted Haggard and his church's response to his shifting acknowledgement of various "improprieties" is just one more example of what exactly forgiveness is NOT.

Ted Haggard is, for the moment, the shining example on the hill of "love the sinner, hate the sin." The only problem with this is, well, there are a few problems...

1) Ted's initial response was to deny even knowing the guy, then to admit only to buying meth, then to admit to some "repulsive life." Meanwhile, the only person who seems to actually have a modicum of honesty in all this, the escort, Mike Jones, is talking. And, from the sounds of it, Ted can't admit publicly to the "sins" that his congregation hates.

2) Ted is withdrawing from public life for the moment - Mark Foley anyone? - so that he can work on his relationship with his wife. But, of course, this only works if he believes he can stop being gay. It's one thing to believe Earth is 6,000 years old. It's quite another to believe you can stop wanting guys.

3) We'll see what happens over time, but my guess is that Ted Haggard's disappearance is more permanent and, at some point, his wife smartly decides that she can't be married to a gay man and moves on with her kids, likely finding another suitor at some point down the road, while Ted either (a) sinks into an unfortunate depression or (b) finally comes out and lives his life as a full human being, and an honest one too, and realizes that God's love isn't conditioned on his being comprised of some pre-set characteristics.

As for the congregation, I'm a little tired of all this crap about how he is repenting and they're forgiving him. Sorry, folks, but this "forgiveness" is crap, because it's conditional. True forgiveness would rejoice in Ted's finally being the person he is, rather than covering up to make everything appear hunky dory, much less railing so publicly against the very demons that possess him. Instead, this "forgiveness" comes with the caveat that Ted will "overcome" his "tendencies" and come back to Jesus, as if Jesus wants him to be a gay man in a straight marriage who continues to deny himself as the person he is.

I'm so sad for all of this, because this very public figure has exploited his own inner fears for power and control, and now he finds himself standing at the edge between a freefall into an unknown, but honest, life and a return to his life of denial. It's a sad commentary on our society, and on what we will accept and what we won't.

We'll accept a man who admits to cheating on his wife, taking meth, and all the while lying to the entire nation about it before we'll accept the loving relationship of two people of the same gender.

Not sure I understand.

just come out already

Fri, 03 Nov 2006 23:02:41 GMT

What up with all the homophobic, gay-bashing, wrapped-in-the-flag, evangelical Republicans? First Mark Foley, then (perhaps?) Charlie Crist (candidate for governor in Florida), and now Ted Haggard. And Ted is seen as one of the most influential evangelical leaders at the moment.

Why do we gotta live in a society that makes it so scary for folks like these to just be themselves? And where do they get off exacerbating the problem by making us all have to deal with their insecurities?

It's high time they just came out already. All the gays. Yes, all of 'em! Just come out! They say that people who know a gay person are more accepting of gays generally. So, not only will these self-loathing jerks be happier for it, but they'll be doing the rest of society a favor.

Catch my drift?

just love that...

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 15:16:07 GMT

...during Bush's presser right now MSNBC put up a split screen of bombed out streets and cars and buildings in Iraq while Bush was talking about how "our job" is to prevent sectarian war from breaking out.

Nice to see MSNBC pointing out the tragic failure of our President to see what's so painfully obvious.

Blogging from Seattle: American Idol auditions

Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:55:53 GMT

So, I'm writing this from my Sidekick, from Tully's coffee shop at the corner of Pike and Broadway in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. I think our rental car is about to get a parking ticket, but Kris is working on something that's keeping us from going. Ah well....

Yesterday was the day to get registered for the Seattle American Idol auditions, and tomorrow we actually audition. I'm so excited! Going to sing Edwin McCain's "I'll Be" and Five for Fighting's "100 Years." No idea if I'll make it to the celebrity judges, judging by yesterday's line that's a LONG shot.

Yeah, we got into line @ 5:45am yesterday and were greeted by a line that was already 4,000-5,000 strong, altho many were family and not auditioners. We were herded along thru the line slowly but surely only to find out that we don't sing on Sunday, just get a wristband, which I cannot remove and must not let get wet. American Idol's recommendation to shower and keep the wristband dry? Plastic wrap. Hot.

We met some fun people in line, and just so happened that the woman and her daughter behind us were also from San Francisco! Small world. They'd driven up to Seattle to arrive in line at precisely the same time as we did.

About the folks in line, I would say it divides into a few groups. There were the obvious entertainers.... One woman was playing her guitar and singing the whole time. There were the copycats... One kid was shouting "sexy back!" and looked like a cheap knock-off of Justin Timberlake. There were those who probably were just doing it for television... A number of women had tans and hair dyed to look like Mariah or some other odd television vixen. There were some genuinely talented folks who might not sing well in the genre (I may fall into that category). And then there were folks who probably got everything the producer's want.

It'll be fun to see what happens tomorrow.

As for today, Kris and I are just exploring the City, and tomorrow we're back in line at 5am, and not guaranteed an audition, even w the producers.... argh.

I'm just having a good time!

Anyone catch Bush today?

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 22:10:35 GMT

Here was the question posed to him by David Gregory:

Mr. President, three years ago you argued that an invasion of Iraq would create a new stage of Arab, Israeli peace. And today there is an Iraqi Prime Minister who has been sharply critical of Israel. Arab governments, despite your arguments, who first criticized Hezbollah have now changed their tune. Now they are sharply critical of Israel. And despite from both of you, warnings to Syria and Iran to back off support from Hezbollah, effectively Mr. President, your words are being ignored. So, what has happened to America's clout in this region that you've commited yourself to transforming?

And here was his answer (10 points to anyone who can summarize in five words or fewer!):

Uh, David...it's an interesting period, ummm, because, ummmm, instead of having foreign policies based upon trying to create a sense of stability, we have a foreign policy that addresses the root causes of violence and instability. Ummm, (shrug) for awhile, American foreign policy was just, "let's hope everything is calm." A managed calm. But beneath the surface brewed a lot resentment and anger that was manifested in its, uh, on September the eleventh. And so, we have taken a foreign policy that says, on the one hand we will protect ourselves from further attack in the short run by being aggressive and chasing down the killers and bringing 'em to justice. Make no mistake, they're still out there. And they would like to harm our respective peoples because of what we stand for. The longterm to defeat this ideology, and they're bound by an ideology, you defeat it with a more hopeful ideology called freedom.

Look, I fully understand that some people don't believe it's possible for freedom and democracy to overcome this ideology of hatred. I understand that. I just happen to believe it is possible and I believe it will happen. And so what you're seeing is, a clash of governing styles for example, you know, the, the, the, notion of democracy beginning to emerge scares the ideo, ideologues, the totalitarians, those that who want to impose their vision. It just frightens them and so they respond. They've always been violent. Now I hear this amazing kind of, uh, editorial thought that says all of a sudden, Hezbollah's become violent because we're promoting democracy? They have been violent for a long period of time. Or Hamas? One reason why the Palestinians suffer is because there are militants who refuse to accept a Palestinian state based upon democratic principles. And so what the world is seeing is a desire by this country and our allies to defeat the ideology of hate with an ideology that has worked. And that brings hope. And one of the challenges of course is to convince people that you know, that Muslims would like to be free.

You know, that there's other people other than people in Britain and America that would like to be free in the world. There's this, kind of, almost, a weird kind of elitism that says maybe, maybe certain people in certain parts of the world shouldn't be free. Maybe it's best just to let them sit in these tyranical societies and our foreign policy rejects that concept. We don't accept it. And so we're working and uh, this is, I said the other day after these attacks took place. I said this should be a moment of clarity for people to see the stakes in the twenty-first century. I mean, now there's an unprovoked attack on a democracy. Why? I happen to believe because progress is being made toward democracies. And I believe that, I also believe that Iran would like to exert additional influence in the region. A theocracy would like to spread its influence. Using surrogates. And so I am as determined as ever to continue fostering a foreign policy based upon liberty. And I think it's going to work. Unless we lose our nerve. And this government isn't going to quit.

Any takers?

Lance Bass: Gay

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:59:48 GMT

Lots to talk about today. Lance Bass is gay:

Lance Bass, band member of ’N Sync, says he’s gay and in a “very stable” relationship with a reality show star.

Bass, who formed ’N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine that he didn’t earlier disclose his sexuality because he didn’t want to affect the group’s popularity. “I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys’ careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything,” he tells the magazine.

And his boyfriend? Reichen Lehmkuhl, formerly of "Chip and Reichen" from the 2003 season of The Amazing Race.

Go figure.

S.F. makes Olympics bid "semi" finals!

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 20:48:12 GMT

San Francisco is one of three finalists for the United States Olympic Committee's potential bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

SF is joined by Chicago and Los Angeles. Houston and Philadelphia have been eliminated from contention.

Personally, I'd love to see a 2016 games in SF. I think it'd be an excellent opportunity for us to encourage new economic and residential development, and I think it'd get folks excited about SF at a time when there seems to be a lot bogged down in the intra-politics of things lately. But I don't know that that's necessarily possible here.

Anyone have other thoughts on this?

Washington Courts: Gays not ok

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 16:28:02 GMT

Another in a litany of setbacks to gay marriage today....

The Washington Supreme Court today upheld the state's 1998 ban on same-sex marriage — a ruling decried by gay activists but heralded by supporters of traditional marriage.

The 5-to-4 decision came as a sobering defeat for gays and their advocates, who'd hoped the court would strike down the so-named Defense of Marriage Act — DOMA — which restricts marriage to one man and one woman.

Had the court struck down the law, Washington would have become only the second state in the nation, after Massachussets, to allow same-sex couples to marry.

Okay, so I get that the gays are not a really will-liked class of people. But the courts' rationale was that opposite-sex marriage should be "preserved" (whatever that means) to encourage procreation. I suppose I should rail on my straight friends to start making babies. Giddy up!

Sorry, I just don't get how this argument flies. There are other reasons for people to want to be together - aren't there? Anyone? Anyone?

taking the bait

Tue, 16 May 2006 17:14:34 GMT

when did illegal immigration become a such a pressing issue that it required a primetime speech by the President, flush with "specials" on all the major "news" networks for hours on end?

it reminds me of the pressing stem cell crisis - only this time Bush isn't being portrayed as the great compromiser. instead he's looking like the great capitulator - capitulating to the demands of his base while trying to appease what he realizes is the growing strength of the latino populace in our country. plus he feels a lot of pressure from big business to let them continue to exploit the illegal immigration "loophole."

this is ri-dick-ulous. it's all a ruse. i remember when bush was discussing immigration with homeland security chief michael chertoff during the hurricane katrina crisis, and we all thought, what is wrong with this guy? can't he see there is something more pressing? well, now we know what he's been planning all this time. and he must feel it's the great distraction he's been needing all this time, or else i can't figure why he's done it.

Bush at 31% approval

Mon, 08 May 2006 18:09:52 GMT

And at 65% disapproval:

Only four presidents have scored lower approval ratings since the Gallup Poll began regularly measuring it in the mid-1940s: Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter and the first George Bush. When Nixon, Carter and the elder Bush sank below 35%, they never again registered above 40%.

Truman twice sank into the low 30s and then rose into the 60s, but the third time his rating fell, it stayed below 40% as well.

"Historically it's been pretty devastating to presidents at this level," Franklin says. Even Republican members of Congress are "now so worried about their electoral fortunes in November that he has less leverage with them than he normally would with his own party controlling Congress."

It's been quite a ride, hasn't it? Time for a change in Congress.

A good read.

Wed, 03 May 2006 22:49:34 GMT

So, I just finished reading a book that I cannot recommend highly enough. It's called The Velvet Rage and it came recommended to me by my friend John. He recommended it to me on Monday. It's now Wednesday.

Yes, I finished it in two days. It was that good.

Talking about adolescence...

We made ourselves more acceptable to others in a variety of ways. Perhaps you learned that you could win approval by becoming more sensitive than the other boys. Maybe you learned that you could win approval by displaying a creativity that the other boys refused to show, or you learned to win approval by excelling at everything you did. You may have even tried to earn affection by withdrawing and becoming helpless, hoping to arouse the sympathies of others.

The essence of all these experiences was the same. No matter how we expressed it, we needed love and we feared that there was something about us that made us unlovable. It was an experience that became an integral part of our psychology that has stayed with us most of our lives. We became utterly convinced that there was something about us that is essentially unlovable.

The author, Alan Downs, is a gay psychologist who talks openly about his experiences as well as the experiences of many of his clients. He talks about how gay men learn coping techniques at an early age to deal with our shame, techniques that we use later on, like "splitting," which is having your public face and a separate internal person/voice. There's also an unwillingness later on in life to admit when we're wrong because doing so might bring up a whole pool of shame that we don't want to deal with.

He also talks about how we compensate for our shame- by hitting the gym every day, finding the "perfect" boyfriend, finding that perfectly lovely home, pushing to be the best at everything we do, and generally being as "fabulous" as we can. It's not to say that some of that isn't quite normal and okay, it's to say that it consumes us and we relinquish our ability to be authentic.

I'm always nervous to recommend a book, because I know that any book is an experience for that person which may or may not resemble anything like mine. But I can say without hesitation that this book is well worth the read.

I'll say more on the book later, but if you would, please check out this book.

Living in Transient Town

Fri, 21 Apr 2006 20:13:46 GMT

Why is it that when you first start to make friends that’s when your friends move away? I don’t get it. Is that some Murphy’s Law or something?

My mom told me that the average time that a gay man comes to live in San Francisco is 2 years. I believe it. I can’t claim that some overwhelming majority of my friends have come and gone, but, in the six years I’ve lived here, I now have friends I met here who have since moved to Los Angeles, Houston, Madison, Seattle, New York, London, and Sydney. Is that average? Below average? Above?

Somehow, even as I write it, I feel like it marks me as someone who doesn’t get out a lot. ‘Cause if I did, then I’d know people on every corner of the planet who I met when they were living in San Francisco. What? I don’t get it.

Even right here in this little city, people are always moving. I was living closer to some friends, and then we were on opposite ends of town, and now they want to be in the same neighborhood that I just moved to. Same with another friend, only we’ve gone from being on opposite sides of town to opposite sides of the same block.

I’m actually kinda sad about it all. I feel like this City is my home, but I can’t tell what that means. It’s not some base of friends that I consider unshakeable. But, then, we’re not always in each other’s hair, if for no other reason than 500 miles between you makes it hard to be in each other’s hair.

I feel like this little city is an odd conglomeration of people who are fifth generation San Franciscans, transient gay people, transient up-and-coming straight people, and recent immigrants looking to get by and settle somewhere. All those who don’t fit those categories, and there are a few, seem to be getting squeezed out. It’s not a place that makes sense to buy a home unless you’re bizarrely wealthy or woefully poor. It’s not a place to raise a family unless you don’t mind dealing with a screwed up school system, insufficient parks, cramped quarters, and all manner of things that happen in a City versus, say, bland suburbia. It’s especially weird with the queers, half of whom come and go with ease, and the rest of us scratch our heads wondering how to form a circle of friends that doesn’t wash away each rainy season.

So, yeah, I’m a bit flummoxed. Sad to see yet another friend move in a month. Knowing yet another moves a month after that. But it’s okay, I guess.

BAM!

Thu, 20 Apr 2006 05:05:51 GMT

I can't do it justice:

The fact is that President Bush has as much credibility on immigration as he does on Iraq. If President Bush were actually committed to comprehensive immigration reform, he would have stopped his own party from filibustering it twice last week.

If Republicans are serious about moving forward, then they should join me in calling on Senator Frist to bring immigration reform back to the Senate floor as soon as possible. Hopefully by then, President Bush and his Majority Leader will have found the backbone to stop the extreme elements of the Republican Party.

That seems unlikely since Bush Republicans in Washington are no longer interested in making policy that helps the American people. They know their extreme right wing policies have been a failure in Iraq and a failure here at home. So instead of an honest debate, they lie, smear and attempt to divide our nation. As long as I’m around that won’t work.

I know how to deal with people who tell lies about me. In the 1970’s, when I was Nevada Gaming Commissioner, some mobsters spread stories about me. They ended up in jail – and Republicans will end up out of office come November.

The Republicans should not pick this fight. I’ve been in more boxing rings then all of them combined. And when you throw a punch at me, you end up on the mat.

Wham bam thank you ma'am. Wow. Thank you Harry Reid.

Miss... Iraq??

Thu, 13 Apr 2006 21:11:46 GMT

She's in hiding:

The sad tale of the recently crowned Miss Iraq is getting a lot of attention here and abroad.

For those who haven't heard, 23-year-old Tamar Goregian, who's been described as a blond student with a photogenic pout, has been in hiding since being named Miss Iraq earlier this month. She renounced her crown after receiving death threats from Islamic extremists.

Goregian, an Armenian Christian, was apparently afraid of being killed after fundamentalists denounced her as "the Queen of Infidels."

Apparently one of the joys of "being free" in today's Iraq is taking your life into your own hands to be the next beauty queen. Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the Texas cheerleader mom story from a few years back.

Miss Iraq would not be the first woman targeted for behavior considered offensive here.

It was reported in a Basra newspaper that a dancer named Hanadi who performed with one of Iraq's most well-known singers, Alaa Saad, was killed in October of 2004 while visiting her family.

She was one of a group of "gypsy" dancers who performed in a hit song, "The Orange." While wildly popular, "gypsy" style dancing has also been viewed as crude and vulgar. It was also associated with the regime of Saddam Hussein, whose son Udai would feature it on a TV program. Some considered the dancing downright sinful.

This reminds me of how some of the more fundamentalist members of the New York State Legislator tried to ban suggestive cheerleader moves. Remember that one? Good lord.

I guess we're not that different from our Iraqi counterparts after all. I mean, they have the same religious extremists to deal with there that we do here. Only our religious extremists don't *actually* kill their targets. They're just permissive of that environment.

On a sidenote, I think it's bizarre that Udai featured this "gypsy" dancing on his TV show. I mean, who were these guys? I'm trying to picture what Iraq was like before we invaded, and that just makes the picture bizarre.

how to humanize the white house

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 21:55:58 GMT

You have got to read THIS. You know it'll be good when it begins...

I was going to post this in the "Expose the big lie" thread but after I wrote it I thought it was interesting enough to merit a thread of its own. This is all good information, personally verified or witnessed by none other than me, but I will not answer any questions about it or go into any detail other than what I've already typed out. I may reply with more information or anecdotes if I see fit, but I've pretty much already scraped the barrel of my experiences.

These are some facts I have witnessed and learned through my employment. Take it at face value, believe it or don't believe it, because I'm not providing corroborating pictures, details, or evidence beyond my own testimony.

And the author continues...

Donald Rumsfeld needs to wear iced underwear because of some medical condition, and he has his secret service detail hold his spares. He was recently getting uncontrollable long-term erections and had to change up his medical treatments. The underwear and the erections is why he uses a standing desk, not because he is some super-man. He also wears nylon stockings, not because he's gay, but to control some vascular problem with his legs which causes him intense pain.

President Bush uses anti-depressant medication, a lot of it, at a stupendous dosage, and he is hiding it from the American public. This is the real reason he stopped drinking. Because of the dosage, he is also impotent.

Tom Ridge carries 20 credit cards with him at all times, each one with a very low limit. I have never heard of him using one, ever, but he has them. He also wears his socks inside-out, and will flip the fuck out and walk strangely if he is forced to wear them properly, because it drives him crazy. All of his socks must be laundered right side in and then turned inside out before they are returned to him.

Even though he said he might not be able to reply, he actually does, and it's worth taking a little time to go through the thread.

I love this stuff! Go there and see if you can get a question answered! hahahaha... I'm ROFLMAO

brilliant

Wed, 12 Apr 2006 16:58:29 GMT

Meanwhile, the folks back here in San Francisco are doing their part to keep housing in limited supply and therefore continued exorbitant prices:

When the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted last month to temporarily halt a Mission District condominium project, it was unwelcome news for more than just one developer.

The decision ended up putting on hold thousands of units scheduled to be built in the city's eastern neighborhoods, while the Planning Department analyzes how the developments will affect existing housing and the job situation in the area. Developers call it a de facto moratorium on building, while affordable housing advocates say it will give the city a chance to complete a comprehensive building plan for the area.

In all, construction at as many as 52 housing projects comprising 4,600 units in SoMa, Showplace Square, Potrero Hill, the Mission and the central waterfront could be delayed by as much as a year, though planning officials insist the majority of those projects will not be affected.

Look, I get that there are some serious housing issues in this City. I mean, this city is utterly unaffordable. Somehow I make the choice every day that it's worth it for me, but there are lots of folks who I know who just won't live here because housing costs are out of control.

So our solution is to put yet another roadblock to new housing development? This is the solution?? Gimme a break. As the article says, this decision adds potentially another year to the time to develop new housing, which means adding 15-20% to the total time. I'm not thrilled about having thousands of new lofts and over-priced condos, but I believe that the greater the supply, the more affordable housing will be overall in a city where we currently have a dearth of housing, and a glut of realtors.

I dunno, color me dumb, but this seems like a way to just study an issue to death. It's like George Bush saying we need to study global warming more rather than just do something about it. Here we're going to study even more impacts of housing, rather than just building it. And who benefits? Well, maybe I'll just have to stay in my overpriced rental unit a little longer before I realize that I just can't afford this City anymore. I can join the many folks who figured that out long ago.

all a matter of perspective...

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 23:50:14 GMT

Did you hear how our VP Cheney was booed at the first pitch of the Washington Nationals? Perhaps the Washington Post headline of "Cheney Booed After His Errant First Pitch" would leave you to believe the boobirds only came out after he threw the ball to home.

Well, then you'd be wrong:

Greeted with loud boos and some cheers, Vice President Dick Cheney threw out the ceremonial first pitch Tuesday at the Washington Nationals’ home opener.

Contrast that with the Washington Post:

The first pitch of the Washington Nationals' second season at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium was low and away, bouncing in the dirt before being scooped up by catcher Brian Schneider. For that, Vice President Cheney received a round of boos from the home crowd this afternoon.

So, what was it? Was he "greeted" with boos, much the way he predicted we'd be greeted as liberators in Iraq with flowers? Or was he only booed after his errant pitch, much the way our soldiers are getting blown up in Iraq three years after Bush declared victory?

How about you just see for yourself.

What struck me was not only how he was booed from the moment the video started with him stepping onto the field, but how it continued and continued and continued...

And why does this even matter? I guess it's just one more way the media fails to report that, in fact, when a person's popularity is only 18%, that means he's not liked. And when it comes to Bush and Cheney, it seems like the media are so utterly fearful of reporting how unliked they and their policies are, that they just gloss over or change the truth to fit some picture of the ever-popular Dear Leader and his Trusty Sidekick.

Confusing Pacifism with Passivity

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 17:47:44 GMT

Just posted a blog I hope you'll take a moment to read:

The lessons of Martin Luther King, Jr., are lost on the leadership of the Democratic Party.

Pacifism (n.): the doctrine that all violence in unjustifiable
Passivity (n.): submission to others or to outside influences

The leadership of the Democratic Party has confused pacifism with passivity. These two ideas are nowhere the same thing, but the leadership of the Democratic Party has confused them by deciding that we will win by resigning to our fates and waiting for our moment to win, which seems mostly that it must be precipitated by the downfall of the GOP and not by an equivalent or greater uprising of the Left.

Give it a read and let me know what you think...

on the lighter side

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 23:23:40 GMT

Apparently our Dear Leader isn't praying enough:

President Bush, already facing the lowest approval ratings in history, is coming under fire from former supporters over what they call his "ineffectual and incompetent" use of prayer for national guidance and assistance.

"Every time the president is criticized, he insists that the nation is in his prayers," said the Family Research Council's Bob Jensen. "That may be, but it's becoming more and more clear that these prayers are either too infrequent, too brief, or not strongly worded enough to be effective."

It's worth the read - I love The Onion.

you got your second home yet?

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 23:20:03 GMT

Now we know why the housing boom continues relatively unabated:

Americans snapped up 3.34 million second homes in 2005 -- 27.7 percent for investment and 12.2 percent for vacation. That was up 16.0 percent from 2.88 million in 2004.

Second home purchases also made up a larger chunk of the total, rising to 39.9 percent of total residential real estate transactions from 36 percent the prior year.

Having a little bit of economic background, I know that these purchases are contributing mightily to the continued rising costs of housing. And, also knowing that the middle class and lower class in America continue to see stagnating or falling incomes, I would hazard a "guess" that the folks making these second- and investment-home purchases are not folks like you or me, but, rather, people with lots of disposable income.

So, it's like we get to take it up both ends. Our incomes stagnate AND home prices rise. Lovely.

Yay for Russ Feingold!

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 05:57:12 GMT

It's about time:

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.), a prospective 2008 presidential candidate, said yesterday that he thinks bans on same-sex marriages have no place in the nation's laws.

I've been watching Russ Feingold for a few years. While I don't always agree with him (whoever would I always agree with?), this to me is (obviously?) a no-brainer. And it's not that I want him to agree with me that same-sex marriage (or marriage equality, depending on your perspective) should be legal. It's that I want my preferred choice for President in '08 to speak with conviction and not be afraid.

And Russ has had the book thrown at him by the GOP for his resolution to censure President Bush. Honestly, I don't care if Bush gets censured - I just want some goddamn accountability, and if this is the first step to making that happen, then so be it. And Senator Feingold is standing out there, literally on his own, and saying it's time for accountability.

This guy has guts.

bye bye delay

Tue, 04 Apr 2006 18:04:54 GMT

I absolutely (heart) this:

Succumbing to scandal, former Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday he will resign from Congress in the face of a tough re-election race, closing out a career that blended unflinching conservatism with a bare-knuckled political style.

“I think I could have won this seat but it would have been nasty. It would have cost a fortune to do it,” DeLay said in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday.

So... DeLay decided not to run because it would have cost money?? hahahahaha. Oh my god I'm laughing my ass off.

But wait! It gets better!

At the same time, he said, “I refuse to allow liberal Democrats an opportunity to steal this seat with a negative, personal campaign.”

I guess "stealing" the seat through a campaign would be far worse than stealing the seat through an illegal redistricting plan pushed through a Republican State House? Hmm...

The irony is just oh so sweet.

even more

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 21:25:27 GMT

Antarctica is warming much faster than the rest of the planet:

The air over Antarctica is warming even faster than in other parts of the world, according to an analysis of 30 years of weather balloon data.

The weather balloon data show a warming of 0.9 degree to 1.3 degree Fahrenheit per decade over the last 30 years. By contrast, the average worldwide temperature has risen 0.2 degree per decade in that time, according to the paper.

Folks, it's one thing for the ice in Greenland to melt away, which is estimated would raise global sea levels by 20 feet, inundating New York City, London, Boston, Sydney, and half of florida. It's entirely another for the ice on Antarctica to melt away (much less likely, but this new research makes it seems more possible), which is estimated would raise global sea levels by 210 feet. This (hopefully) isn't something you or I will see in our lifetimes, but at the rate we're going, it wouldn't surprise me either.

What is going on?

Caribbean coral reef vanishing

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 21:12:11 GMT

For those of you who wonder what other effects there are from global warming, here you go:

A one-two punch of bleaching from record hot water followed by disease has killed ancient and delicate coral in the biggest loss of reefs scientists have ever seen in Caribbean waters.

Researchers from around the globe are scrambling to figure out the extent of the loss. Early conservative estimates from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands find that about one-third of the coral in official monitoring sites has recently died.

And later in the article, we learn that the global problem is even worse than these first couple paragraphs would indicate:

The Caribbean is actually better off than areas of the Indian and Pacific ocean where mortality rates — mostly from warming waters — have been in the 90 percent range in past years, said Tom Goreau of the Global Coral Reef Alliance. Goreau called what's happening worldwide "an underwater holocaust."

...

"The 2005 event is bigger than all the previous 20 years combined," he said.

...

A February NOAA report calculates 96 percent of lettuce coral, 93 percent of the star coral and nearly 61 percent of the iconic brain coral in St. Croix had bleached. Much of the coral had started to recover from the bleaching last fall, but then the weakened colonies were struck by disease, finishing them off.

Now, I know coral reefs aren't exactly the most exciting topic for some folks, but they are some of the most fragile and crucial components to our environment. They produce tons of oxygen that you and I breathe. They provide habitats for hundreds of ocean species. And they are a vital link in the food chain.

Sorry I didn't have anything more positive to say, but I saw this and thought y'all should know.