Rope

And why I am at the end of mine...

Why has O picked Rick Warren, the Evangelist-Intolerant-Extraordinaire to give the invocation at Obama's inauguration? What the fuck?

This is Obama's second choice that inclines me to question his judgment as well as his position on basic human rights for Gay an Lesbian persons. I'm all for inclusion, though my personal preference is a trip to the woodshed, as Obama espouses support for the GLBT. I'm more appalled by this choice than by Ken Salazar for Interior. Where is the civility, the balance, the Left in O's cabinet decisions?

Another nail in the coffin of the democrats spineless response to what is right and fair. The Human Rights Campaign, a LGBT advocacy group has written an open letter to Obama about his choice being not only insensitive, but dangerous.

Let me get right to the point. Your invitation to Reverend Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at your inauguration is a genuine blow to LGBT Americans. Our loss in California over the passage of Proposition 8 which stripped loving, committed same-sex couples of their given legal right to marry is the greatest loss our community has faced in 40 years. And by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.

Death By Chocolate

My sincerest apologies for being away so suddenly and unexplainedly. I find myself engaged in the politics of living full force as the one year anniversary of the break-up of my relationship shows up on my doorstep. It has been a whirlwind these last few weeks, with work, no work, travel, dating , no dating, sex, no sex, you get the idea. Music seems to be, yet again, my only refuge from the doldrums, the pensive, exhausting, roundabout I've been on lately. Sia continues to be my muse and her song styling lulls me into a false sense of security or sumthin'. Let her sing to you. [Production Note: Beck on guitar and Giovanni Ribisi does back-up vocals...who knew??]



And by the way, I'm extremely disappointed with the choice of Ken Salazar for Interior.

Sunday Night at the Movies

Well sorta. I love Thomas Newman and his score for the Sam Mendes film American Beauty. Two clips featuring his music: The opening of the movie, Dead Already and its final scene, Still Dead. If you haven't seen the movie, spoiler alert.

Harmonizing the Gay

Heh heh alert: eHarmony must now provide dating services for same-sex couplings according to a settlement arrived at by the New Jersey State Attorney General's office.

"Until (Wednesday’s) settlement, eHarmony was more like eNeanderthal for its refusal to include the gay community," said Steven Goldstein, director of Garden State Equality, the civil-rights group active on gender issues. "It’s nice to see eHarmony finally go from the Stone Age to the 21st century."

The Boston Herald has the story.
I encourage any Gay or Lesbian folks to get in on the "free to the first 10,000" offer at Compatible Partners, which eHarmony says will be launched by March 31. The tide will turn people. The religious wrong has pissed off the wrong group for the last time.

Long Time Comin'

Seal does a doubleheader, the Sam Cooke classic "A Change Gonna Come" and "Newborn Friend." Also, footage from the 2008 Democratic Convention, "The American Promise," set to music. I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Speaking the Truth

Keith Olbermann brings back his Special Comment to hammer home the inequity and hatefulness of Prop 8. Thanks Keith.

The Prop 8 Debacle

Prop 8 in California passed, but if there was a reason it needed to fail, this should clue you in: Lesbian Speed Dating (spew alert)

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!!!Just for today, I'm glad there is no need for revolutionary Sturm und Drang.

44!!!

Need I say more? I just closed up my precinct here in Northern California (election judge) and it was extraordinary. I'm coming off 16+ hour day, am exhausted but happy. I'm goning to eat, drink be merry and shower. I'll check in tomorrow but WOO HOO!! change is a comin'...

McCreepy Courts the 'Joe Critter Redneck' Vote

McCain pollster Bill-the-Pollster-McInturff talks to MSNBC's Chuck Todd about the 'ideal voter' to pull Senator McAncient over the electoral finish line. "...down-scale, less educated, rural, older, White, voter..."

McMaverick--Not

Robert Greenwald Presents , The Real Mavericks

The Wickedness of the GOP

Again the Grand OLD Partisan republicans are setting it up to steal the election. Poll numbers are all over the place. McCain internal polls are saying the race is "essentially tied." Election fraud and voter suppression stories are popping up even on in the corporate media despite the right-wing drivel about "voter fraud " and ACORN. All a set-up for the fourth election in a row to be stolen by the immoral GOP. My only hope lie in the extraordinary registration and turn-out of new (and old) Democrats and if the darkside seems to pull it off, on November the Fifth, the American people will pull a "V for Vendetta" of some kind. Is this really America? Have we all been asleep this long?

Saturday Night Music

Rickie Lee Jones Live at Montreal Jazz Festival, "Tigers" Love this song.



"Climbing up the brick to your window using the sharp end of what you said...yeah yeah"

The Inconvenience of Posse Comitatus

Enacted after Civil War Reconstruction in 1878, Posse Comitatus (U.S.C. 18-13850) has always been a double-edged sword. The compromise of the North with the South which withdrew Federal troops from former Confederate states and allowed racism and the general disenfranchisement of former slaves to flourish, was also intended to end the federal military from taking part in police actions. Yet once again, the Bush administration stretches law to it breaking point, while pushing our over-burdened military ever closer to the precipice.

News out today from the US Northern Command that the Army's 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team will be the nation's 'new police'. The 3rd ID is the most rotated combat component in Iraq and now they're home to do the same duty as part of the newest permanent part of the Army -- CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force.

The 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team has spent 35 of the last 60 months in Iraq patrolling in full battle rattle, helping restore essential services and escorting supply convoys.

Now they’re training for the same mission — with a twist — at home.

Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks.

What is played down in the articles out of NORCOM, Ft. Stewart and the Dept. of Homeland Security is the element of CCMRF (sea-smurf) being implemented to 'deal with' protesters and civil disturbances.

Posse Comitatus became law for a number of reasons but first and foremost was so American servicepersons would not be put in the position of turning weapons on the American public. It seems we creep ever-closer to martial law as the reins of power slip from the GOP's fascist grip. As the divides in American ideology deepen, the political landscape of the presidential race features McCain mobs yelling, "kill him...terrorist" and worse, while my beloved military is put in the untenable position of having to defend not the Constitution, but the ideologic policies of a rogue government.

This election can not end soon enough for me.

AYFKM Alert:

AIG Executives Go ON A 400K Luxury Retreat After Receiving 85 Billion Dollar Taxpayer Bailout

Today on CSPAN Rep. Cummings (MD-D) of the House Oversight Committee gave AIG exec the business.



Really. This is what they do with bailout money. Welcome to the dark side America. Story at Think Progress with a sidebar from Fucked in California blog.

Either Or

At a McCain 'rally' yesterday during the inflammatory speech grandpa made, in response to what he says you can hear from the crowd what sounds like either, "terrorist," or "kill him." I listened several times and can't be sure which it is, but regardless, McCain heard it as you can tell from his immediate reaction, and yet does or says nothing. Is that leadership? Come on. Really. Ask yourself, is it? Certainly McCain is not responsible for what others say or do but if he knows of it he has the responsibility to say something. Think about it. This is not the way to act "presidential."


Note to regular readers:I have recently joined some milblogs as a reader commenter and am posting regularly a some military message boards. I find myself currently on a mission to change minds and am writing not with the choir in mind.

Motivate Yourself

Lifted from the comments at the Unruly Mob's place, Les Enragés.org


I would also like to point out a new button on the sidebar. A link to Dogtown, at Best Friends Sanctuary, the largest animal sanctuary in the states. Click it an give them a look-see and a donation if you can.

Winky McWinkerson Goes to the Debate

And doggoneit she did just swell. Yikes, nightmare on Wasilla 's Main Street. Yes, but funny.

Creepy McMeltdown

"If I were a dictator, which I always aspire to be..."

Direct quote from John McCain's meeting yesterday with the editorial board of The Des Moines Register. Finally a little truth creeps onto the "Straight Talk Express." Watch the entire interview or short segments on specific topics, but do listen to Gramppy utter the same famous words as Junior. The clip is: Full Editorial Board, dictator statement begins at 56:50. I would like to point out, as John McCain so often does, that he had long military career. The military is not a democracy. No wonder he wants to be a dictator.

"Is this the United States Congress or the board of directors of Goldman Sachs?"

Dennis Kucinich's one minute speech has more substance in it than all the talking heads and msm reports over the last weeks. I really love Dennis.