Dave'sDailyDump: June 2009

30 June 2009

my gay big toe...

wtf? no, srsly, wtf?

OK state rep, sally kern, poster child for bigotry.

a "bigger threat than islam"?

a "bigger threat than terrorism"?

srsly, ms. kern, if i knew i was wielding that much power i would have already taken over the universe!

and while i'm being "teh gay", may i suggest that liver is not a good lip color for you and you really should consider more than a $9 haircut at sports clips.

now, if you'll excuse me, i have to go cut off my big toe before it takes over my entire body.

i came across this searching for a needle in a haystack...

Labor Chief Deplores Defacing of Gay Pride Posters

it ain't much, but it's all we got folks.

that, and a pretty little speech to go with cocktails and canapes at the whitehouse.

29 June 2009

presented without comment

...and still, we wait.

note to "fierce advocate": if we want a party, we'll throw it when we have equal rights

from the hill:
(emphasis added)

President Obama, under fire from some gay and lesbian groups for what they see as slow movement on two of their most important issues, is taking steps to keep that voting bloc in his column.

This week, the president will host an event at the White House "recognizing and celebrating the accomplishments" of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. The event comes just days after Vice President Biden was dispatched to extend an olive branch to the gay community.

dear fierce advocate,

nobody likes a party more than the glbt community. actually, a large segment of our community makes their living throwing parties...event planners, caterers, florists, designers...you know, all the "stereotype" types.

the dnc party last week and tonight's party are not what we're looking for. what we're looking for is RESPECT and DIGNITY. to be treated equally with our straight tax-paying counterparts.

how many "whits" does it take to make a dollar?

diane feinstein: criticism from left on health care "doesn't move me one whit"

Senator Dianne Feinstein has already taken a hammering from Dems and health care reform advocates for casting doubts on the prospects of President Obama’s health care reform efforts. MoveOn, for instance, aired an ad against her in California, demanding she show some leadership and fight harder to get the president’s reform plan passed.

Now Feinstein has hit back at the criticism from the left in an article about lefty groups targeting Dems for waffling on key components of health care reform:

“I do not think this is helpful. It doesn’t move me one whit,” she said. “They are spending a lot of money on something that is not productive.”

That sharply dismissive tone won’t exactly smooth over tensions.

Feinstein’s claim that criticism from the left is “not productive” also raises an important question: What does the White House think of the lefty criticism? Do White House advisers agree with Feinstein, and want the liberal groups to muzzle themselves, or are they tacitly happy about it?

wow, diane. talk about a kick in the teeth to your constituents. you might wanna rethink your public statement and while you're at it, you might have a little conversation about "constituent dismissal" with the "fierce advocate" while you're at it.

a fitting tribute, posted without comment.

justice is served

hope he rots.

Madoff Sentenced to 150 Years In Prison:

NEW YORK — Convicted Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison Monday for a fraud so extensive that the judge said he needed to send a message to potential imitators and to victims who demanded harsh punishment.

Scattered applause and whoops broke out in the crowded Manhattan courtroom after U.S. District Judge Denny Chin issued the maximum sentence to the 71-year-old defendant, who said he lives "in a tormented state now, knowing all the pain and suffering I've created."

all i can say is that it's too bad that the judge that heard this case wasn't the judge presiding over the enron trials.

28 June 2009

in honor of the stonewall riots

frank rich, NYTimes:

40 years later, still second class citizens

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come here to justify
One man to overthrow
In the name of love!
One man in the name of love
In the name of love!
What more? In the name of love!

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resists
One man washed on an empty beach
One man betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more? In the name of love!

...nobody like you...there's nobody like you...

Mmm...mmm...mmm...
Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love?
In the name of love!
What more in the name of love...

if martin were alive, i know he would be marching with us now.

27 June 2009

...same as it ever was...

ah, yet another day goes by and our current commander-in-chief continues acting like his predecessor, all the while maintaining his "change" mandate.

SIGNING STATEMENT:
from the hill:
(emphasis added)

Obama included a five-paragraph signing statement with the bill, including a final paragraph that outlined his objections to at least four areas of the bill.

President George W. Bush was heavily criticized for his use of signing statements, declaring he'd ignore some elements of legislation by invoking presidential prerogative.

EXECUTIVE ORDER:
via huffpost:
(emphasis added)

The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close Guantanamo, has drafted an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.
Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war. Obama advisers are concerned that bypassing Congress could place the president on weaker footing before the courts and anger key supporters, the officials said.

now, remind me "fierce advocate", why you can't issue an executive order to suspend DADT until it's been fully reviewed and overturned...

/crickets.

Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense:

25 June 2009

why the insurance and pharma lobbies need to have their seat at the table removed...

...in the words of one that used to reside in the belly of the beast:

I know from personal experience that members of Congress and the public have good reason to question the honesty and trustworthiness of the insurance industry. Insurers make promises they have no intention of keeping, they flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and they make it nearly impossible to understand -- or even to obtain -- information we need. As you hold hearings and discuss legislative proposals over the coming weeks, I encourage you to look very closely at the role for-profit insurance companies play in making our health care system both the most expensive and one of the most dysfunctional in the world.

~ Wendell Potter, former CIGNA executive
in testimony to the Senate Commerce Committe re: Health Care Reform

noisettes ~ never forget you...

ok, i usually reserve friday and/or sunday for music but this one just hit my inbox and i'm doing a happy dance!

Noisettes - Never Forget You
Uploaded by UniversalMusicGroup. - Explore more music videos.

24 June 2009

when will "fierce advocate" realize that protections for GLBT federal employees isn't enough?

first, the "new" benefits that weren't really new (and didn't include the most important benefit of all: health care) and now protection for transgender federal employees.

Though transgender men and women are not believed to make up more than a fraction of a percent of the federal work force, their inclusion in the discrimination guidelines is seen as a breakthrough by transgender and gay rights advocates.

i am the LAST person to buy into the meme, "oh, isn't O brilliant!?!? he's extending all these benefits to federal employees so that all those other glbt folks will have viable cases to take to court to get civil rights based on the 'separate but equal' constitutional amendment."

that said, it looks like that's what he is setting himself up for and it WON'T be pretty.

john aravosis is my hero...and howard dean discovers a "scheduling conflict"

awesome. just awesome.

wow. the day before "teh big gay dnc fundraiser", former head of the dnc, howard dean, discovers a "conflict".

was it:
a.) time to have the prius serviced?
b.) laundry day?
c.) mow the lawn day?
d.) clean out the fridge day?
e.) pick up the dry cleaning day?
f.) shampoo day?

whatever the reason (and i think we all know the real reason), good for you dr. dean!!!

pam spaulding of pam's house blend and joe over at joe.my.god are also to be commended for keeping this issue in "prime real estate" on their blogs, as well.

kudos for a job well done.

23 June 2009

too hot and tired to blog...

yes, today was spent rescuing the okra from the weeds...tomorrow, thurs. & fri. will be black-eyed/purple hull pea rescue days. and it's HOT here. if hell's this hot, i know i don't wanna go!

so, enjoy these pix from late may:

these were taken on may 27, the day i REPLANTED the okra and peas (planted too early the first time to germinate). in less than a month, the peas are past knee-high and the black-eyes are contemplating blooming!!!

22 June 2009

EXPAND THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964!

The Power Online:
sign the petition

why we fight, the suicide note:

the heart wrenching response, from a brother named "steve":

an educated mind is an open mind. we've been stagnant for 40 years.

THANK YOU, "fierce advocate" for awaking the militant beasts that refuse to be second class citizens any longer. MY time is NOW.

thanks, chris...now would you please speak to "fierce advocate" for us?

h/t Joe.My.God via Pam's House Blend, where you can read a more substantial piece.
(emphasis added by me)

"Public officials aren’t supposed to change their minds. But I firmly believe that it’s important to keep learning. Last week, while I was in Connecticut meeting with members of the gay and lesbian community from across the state, I had the opportunity to tell them what I’ve learned about marriage, and about equality. While I’ve long been for extending every benefit of marriage to same-sex couples, I have in the past drawn a distinction between a marriage-like status (“civil unions”) and full marriage rights.

"The reason was simple: I was raised to believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. And as many other Americans have realized as they’ve struggled to reconcile the principle of fairness with the lessons they learned early in life, that’s not an easy thing to overcome. But the fact that I was raised a certain way just isn’t a good enough reason to stand in the way of fairness anymore. The Connecticut Supreme Court, of course, has ruled that such a distinction holds no merit under the law. And the Court is right." - Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), posting on his official site that he has reversed his position and now supports full marriage equality for LGBT Americans.

thanks, chuck...

from the AP, via huffpost:
(emphasis added)

Schumer told The Associated Press Sunday night that those efforts have proved frustrating, saying that he and his Democratic colleagues now may have to go it alone.
The co-ops were seen as perhaps the last hope for compromise on the notion of a public health care option, a contentious issue that threatens any remaining prospects of bipartisan support for President Barack Obama's sweeping plan to remake the health care system.

"I don't think I could say with a straight face that this (co-op proposal) is at all close to a nationwide public option," Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday. "Right now, this co-op idea doesn't come close to satisfying anyone who wants a public plan."

"may now have to go it alone". schumer is stating the obvious...unfortunately, "fierce advocate" and the vast majority of dem's on the hill think they're still wandering in the desert. WAKE UP D.C. DEMS. you have a HUGE mandate from the vast majority of americans...it's time to start spending capital! that capital doesn't have an unlimited shelf-life. use it or lose it.

72% in favor of universal health care
70% in favor of repealing DADT

those numbers don't sound anything like a "center right" populous...not even a "center left" populous.

why can't elected democrats get it through their thick skulls! defy the conservative majority. STOP talking about "we must have 60 votes". on that meme, i call BS. if you never force them to filibuster, congressional dems will never have any power.

one failed filibuster and the repoobliCONS would learn their place.

it's about time to replace the dem. donkey with a jellyfish.

texas' state board of education...or...

...why i remain a democrat (as there's no viable choice for real progressives):
(emphasis added)

"The flip side of Obama’s ‘empathy’ is apparent hatred and contempt for white people, traditional families, small business owners, evangelical Christians, conservatives, and everyone else that liberals call the ‘racist, heterosexist, nativist, Christianist, capitalist, homophobic power structure’ in America. In other words, what most of us call normal people. These radical leftists regard folks like you and me and our children as the enemy, and it’s their mission in life to put us in our supposed place, which to them means at the back of the bus. They’re in charge now, and they fully intend to use their power to remake America in their image. If the Senate approves Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, Obama will know that he has carte blanche to escalate his all out war on traditional Americans."

-- Peter Morrison, a member of the Lumberton Independent School District Board of Trustees in Southeast Texas who was appointed to the State Board of Education's social studies curriculum writing teams by board member David Bradley, R-Beaumont, responding to President Obama's appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court.

note to mr. morrison: members of the SBOE like yourself are why i'm actively supporting a voice of reason. that voice is LORENZO SADUN.

20 June 2009

the undelivered speech seen through rose-colored glasses:

the "fierce advocate" in his own words:

"These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

http://citizenchris.typepad.com/citizenchris/2009/06/obamas-major-speech-on-lgbt-rights.html

yeah, when monkeys fly out of my a$$.

Swingin' Saturday w/Michael Buble'

Sway:

Feelin' Good:

Jane Monheit & Michael Buble ~ I won't Dance:

19 June 2009

Roxie the Pitty Princess

...and a brief cameo by "rex teh wonder pit".

sorry about the commercials! rex and i were inside, roxie was outside...

FINALLY, some good news from the house of O:

YES, even as hard as i've been on the "fierce advocate" here at the dump, when i see GOOD news, i'll blog it as such. this is one of those instances...for the most part.

via the wall street journal (full article here)

WASHINGTON -- The White House said Thursday it was seeking ways to include same-sex marriages, unions and partnerships in 2010 Census data, the second time in a week the administration has signaled a policy change of interest to the gay community.

The administration has directed the Census Bureau to determine changes needed in tabulation software to allow for same-sex marriage data to be released early in 2011 with other detailed demographic information from the decennial count. The bureau historically hasn't released same-sex marriage data.

The gay community strongly supported President Barack Obama during the 2008 election. But some gay activists say they have been frustrated by what they see as his slow approach to rolling back discriminatory policies.

snip

An accurate statistical snapshot of legally married same-sex couples may be elusive. Before the White House's plan emerged, Howard Hogan, associate director for demographic programs at the Census Bureau, said data from its 2007 American Community Survey showed more than 340,000 same-sex couples as being in marriages. But according to data from Massachusetts, the only state that permitted gay marriages in 2007, about 11,000 marriage licenses were issued for same-sex couples.

ok, howard, let me state the painfully obvious: just because only 11,000 glbt marriage licenses were issued doesn't mean that there weren't a heckuva lot more gay marriages that took place in houses of worship all across the land, whether they qualified as "civil" marriages or not.

perhaps if O is shown the disparity in glbt couples who self-identify as "married" vs. those who have "state sanctioned" marriages, he'll see the GROSS DISPARITY.

all the more reason to grant full marriage equality, YESTERDAY!

Another Day, Another Addition To the Sidebar Regarding GLBT Equality

h/t to Pam Spaulding @ Pam's House Blend.

pam is one of my favorite glbt-centric bloggers and she's all over this issue like a duck on a june bug!

so, what are "The Dallas Principles"? i thought you would never ask:

The following eight guiding principles underlie our call to action.
In order to achieve full civil rights now, we avow:
1.Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now. Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.
2.We will not leave any part of our community behind.
3.Separate is never equal.
4.Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.
5.The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.
6.Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.
7.Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.
8.Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.

18 June 2009

thanks, keith:

oh, pat. remember the commandment "thou shalt not lie?"

our "fierce advocate's" memo released yesterday DOES NOT GRANT HEALTH BENEFITS AND YOU KNOW IT AND YOU DELIBERATELY ALLOWED YOUR TALKING HEAD TO LIE IN THE INTRO.

please let me know how your organization has denounced:
vitter
craig
ensign
etc.

if you're so concerned about the sanctity of marriage why aren't you pushing for legislation banning divorce?

new dump DOMA banner...

as you can see above this post, i've added the dumpdoma banner from people for the american way. clicking on the banner will take you to dumpdoma.org where you can learn more, get resources and DONATE. spend your money THERE instead of on politicians that don't support the glbt civil rights movement!!!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN PFAW'S PETITION!!!

now SCAT! you've got a petition to sign and civil rights to earn.

UPDATED: oh, miss lindsaygurrrrrrrrrl, shirley you jest!

from a salon.com article on sen. ensigns "indiscretion" (ED: what a "promise keeper")

emphasis added:

“I think he will be welcomed back by his colleagues and go back to being a good senator,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who said Ensign shouldn’t have resigned his leadership spot.

Graham downplayed the political impact this would have on the GOP, saying, “Most Americans look at this as a personal situation.”

Graham let out a laugh and said: “I’ve got plenty of sins that I’m not going to share with anyone else.'

note to lindsaygurrrrrrrrrl: honey, you can put away the kneepads. your "secret sin" is really getting very threadbare.

UPDATE: my fellow activist blogger, john aravosis of americaBLOG weighed in on this article with the closing comment:

Really, Ms. Lindsey? Is that because they wouldn't let you back into the US military if you did share?

to paraphrase the bard, hell hath no fury boyfriends and girlfriends...hell hath no fury...

whether or not it's a "choice" is irrelevant.

i just read a brilliant comment on a piece by former sen. lincoln chaffee (d-rhode island) in support of marriage equality. the whole piece is HERE.

in part, chaffee notes:

To me, the issue of same-sex marriage boils down to a question of basic fairness. Gays and lesbians have contributed to the diverse fabric of Rhode Island and the rest of the country for generations, strengthening our communities in innumerable ways. We all know someone who is openly gay or lesbian, and almost all of us share the same basic aspirations: a safe town and an affordable home to live in; a good job to provide us and our families with economic security; good schools for our children; quality health care; and, perhaps most importantly, someone to love and share our lives with. Once you acknowledge that homosexuality exists not by choice, the next obvious step is to grant gays and lesbians the same liberties and freedoms as every other American.

don't worry fundies, we're not asking your churches to marry us, we want the civil rights you have. we respect your rights, now it's time for you to reciprocate. as chaffee so pointedly reminds you:

I understand that the issue of same-sex marriage can often be difficult to grapple with. For some, their opposition is rooted in their upbringings or the teachings of their religion, with many opponents of same-sex marriage citing fears about their church having to perform those marriages as cause for their opposition. However, those fears are unfounded, as pending legislation in Rhode Island and laws in the six states that currently permit same-sex marriage deal exclusively with civil, not religious, marriage. To further clarify this fact, several states that recognize same-sex marriage, including New Hampshire, added language to their marriage bills expressly protecting the right of churches to choose not to recognize same-sex marriages if they go against their religious teachings, a model that could certainly be followed in Rhode Island to appease any state legislators with lingering concerns about church autonomy.

"LAMike4" responds to the opinion piece as follows (emphasis added):

Thank you for your article, Mr. Chafee. I agree with you.

However, pls consider:

re. "Once you acknowledge that homosexuality exists not by choice, the next obvious step is to grant gays and lesbians the same liberties and freedoms as every other American."

In almost every argument for gay rights both gays and straights alike point to homosexuality as "not by choice" as if it were some kind of birth defect or handicap. After all, we have wheelchair access for handicapped citizens, then gays should be allowed "wheelchair marriage access."

My point is that homosexuality should not be judged on whether or not we "choose" it. In this country where we are supposedly free to choose our path to happiness in legal ways (homosexuality not being a crime) we should be allowed to be homosexual and have equal rights period.

I am not handicapped and do not have a birth defect that must be acknowledged by society. I am gay, whether I was born that way or whether I chose it.

"Choosing" is what the Christians use as their argument, and since our country was founded on separation of church and state, we should be aware that it is not necessary to justify our being gay by qualifying it as something we "did not choose."

Imagine saying that a woman or black person did not "choose" what they were so therefore they should have equal rights!

Lorenzo Sadun for SBOE-District 10

i have known lorenzo for several years. he is a good democrat but even more important, he is a good educator and father. he deserves our support for this position.

good luck, lorenzo, you've got support in "the hinterlands".

to learn more or to DONATE, clicky hyperlinky.

here's the announcement of his candidacy:

AUSTIN, June 18 – Lorenzo Sadun declared his candidacy today for the State Board of Education (SBOE) in District 10, a seat currently held by Cynthia Dunbar. A scientist and award-winning educator with 28 years of teaching experience, Dr. Sadun has closely watched the SBOE and has testified before the Board on several occasions.
Dr. Sadun has been a math professor at the University of Texas since 1991. In that time, he has watched the math and science skills of incoming students steadily decline. “Our kids deserve a first-rate K-12 education, but in too many cases they’re not getting it,” he remarked. “We need real science in the schools, not religious doctrine dressed up in the language of science.”
“Right now, the State Board of Education is dysfunctional,” said Sadun. “Instead of working to improve public education in Texas, the controling bloc of social conservatives is intent on fighting the culture wars. Instead of appointing qualified experts to guide them, they are appointing ideologues. Instead of listening to teachers and scientific experts, they listen to pressure groups. This has to stop.”
The incumbent, Cynthia Dunbar, does not even pretend to support public education. In her book, “One Nation Under God”, she writes that public education is “clearly tyrranical” (page 103) and “a subtly deceptive tool of perversion” (page 100). Her own children are home schooled.
Dr. Sadun is married with three children, all of whom attend public school. He is an active participant in Congregation Kol Halev of Austin, has served two terms as president, and strongly believes in the separation of church and state. “Religion plays an important role in my life, and in the lives of most Americans, but that’s private. We don’t impose our religious views on people who believe differently.”

17 June 2009

5 must reads:

crumbs. that's what we are being offered. mere crumbs.

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/is-obama-giving-federal-agencies-right.html

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/nbc-yet-todays-presidential-memo-is.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lane-hudson/the-gay-guide-to-obamas-r_b_216683.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leah-mcelrath-renna/obama-and-the-gays-part-i_b_216768.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/emma-rubysachs/obama-offers-gays-a-conso_b_216547.html

support our glbt troops

clicky above to learn more and donate.

i received the following e-mail today. i highly encourage you to watch the pbs video. click the links below to find out when it airs in your are:

As the U.S. fights two wars, the military wants more recruits -- unless they are gay. "Ask Not" is a compelling documentary that reveals the human toll of those impacted by the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) law.

Watch this powerful film airing this week on your local PBS station. Check listings here for air times in your area:

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/broadcast.html?edit_st=y

As the documentary illustrates, the human cost of DADT has been profound. Just look at one of the most recent casualties of the law: Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach, the F-15E aviator who has served 18 distinguished years and is about to lose his pension and his career.

Each of us can do our part to change hearts and minds. Get your friends and family to watch this touching story of hope and courage:

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/broadcast.html?edit_st=y

Your support is helping -- especially right now -- in the fight for repeal of DADT.

if neo-nazi, white supremacist skin heads can serve openly, why can't WE, "fierce advocate"?

16 June 2009

congratulations, democratic party leadership...

you're to be commended for losing control of the blue dogs.

from thehill.com:

Members of the centrist GOP “Tuesday Group,” the New Democrat Coalition and the 52-member Blue Dog Coalition have been discussing both the policies and politics of moving their middle-of-the-road ideas in a body of Congress usually dominated by liberal or conservative ideology.

Those centrist factions are wary of the proposals their respective leaders will introduce this month. Blue Dogs are leery of the so-called public option in the healthcare reform bill that is expected to hit the House floor this summer. Meanwhile, GOP centrists opted to release their own healthcare plan a day before House GOP leaders are scheduled to unveil their reform package.

this could actually be a good thing for true progressives. if all political stripes are divided 3-ways, it makes for a viable 3rd party. republicans hang on to their party/ideology, centrist democrats get the democratic party (because they're responsible for the state it is in today) and a 3rd party, the progressive party is born.

think about it. 70% of americans support the repeal of dadt. those aren't republicans and there aren't a lot of blue dogs in there.

jumpin' jeebus in birkenstocks sucking on a bong, we're becoming a progressive nation.

i'm so glad i'll have extra cash during campaign season...not to donate, it'll be the savings of holding on to my hard earned cash.

praise from racial relic pat buchanan...

...it's time to start paying attention to the people that elected you*

Buchanan writes: "Obama, with his outstretched hand, his message to Iran on its national day, his admission that the United States had a hand in the 1953 coup in Tehran, his assurances that we recognize Iran's right to nuclear power, succeeded. He stripped the Ayatollah and Ahmadinejad of their clinching argument -- that America is out to destroy Iran and they are indispensable to Iran's defense."

but wait! it gets better! bill kristol shows fierce advocate some luv (albeit tepid, but it's not the usual scathing cattiness from billy boy)

Bill Kristol urged Republicans to follow a cautious path where criticizing President Obama, saying it would be "a mistake" to hope he fails right now.

*just a little suggestion from an almost-lost-cause-support-fence-sitter, "fierce advocate".

protest outside dnc "teh gay" fundraiser!!!

5pm, Thursday, June 25, 2009
Mandarin Continental Hotel
1330 Maryland Ave SW, in Washington DC

closest METRO stop is Smithsonian Metro Station on blue/orange lines, Exit to USDA/Independence Ave (not to Mall), cross Independence and proceed south 2.5 blocks on 12th St SW to Maryland

if you live in the d.c. metro area, these are marching orders! chopchop!

h/t: judybrown via dKos

15 June 2009

any commentary would be a distraction

neo-nazis? SURE! glbt folks? NO WAY!!!

Photo: Matt Kennard

Iraq veteran Forrest Fogarty sailed through recruitment despite his neo-Nazi tattoos.

oh the insuferable injustice. the military is supposed to ban members of hate groups (like neo-nazi skin heads) but they just can't keep up with their quotas without 'em.

why not fill those skinhead slots with glbt patriots that want to serve, are highly trained to serve and frequently wish to be career service members? well, that would upset "unit cohesion" and lead to loss of morale. (not to mention we would hate to upset the "fierce advocate".)

not that those neo-nazis who kill fellow troops because of their ethnicity or skin color are more deserving or anything.

see this fine upstanding young gentleman? well, via salon (click linky for full article), here's his story of service to our great nation. makes me so proud to be an american.

first a little background on that fine patriot, matt kennard (emphasis added throughout):

On a muggy Florida evening in 2008, I meet Iraq War veteran Forrest Fogarty in the Winghouse, a little bar-restaurant on the outskirts of Tampa, his favorite hangout. He told me on the phone I would recognize him by his skinhead. Sure enough, when I spot a white guy at a table by the door with a shaved head, white tank top and bulging muscles, I know it can only be him.
Over a plate of chicken wings, he tells me about his path into the white-power movement. "I was 14 when I decided I wanted to be a Nazi," he says. At his first high school, near Los Angeles, he was bullied by black and Latino kids. That's when he first heard Skrewdriver, a band he calls "the godfather of the white power movement." "I became obsessed," he says. He had an image from one of Skrewdriver's album covers — a Viking carrying a staff, an icon among white nationalists — tattooed on his left forearm. Soon after he had a Celtic cross, an Irish symbol appropriated by neo-Nazis, emblazoned on his stomach.

snip

But the military ran in Fogarty's family. His grandfather had served during World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and his dad had been a Marine in Vietnam. At 22, Fogarty resolved to follow in their footsteps. "I wanted to serve my country," he says.

"just like those dirty faggots", he did not add. ...but i digress.

Army regulations prohibit soldiers from participating in racist groups, and recruiters are instructed to keep an eye out for suspicious tattoos. Before signing on the dotted line, enlistees are required to explain any tattoos. At a Tampa recruitment office, though, Fogarty sailed right through the signup process. "They just told me to write an explanation of each tattoo, and I made up some stuff, and that was that," he says. Soon he was posted to Fort Stewart in Georgia, where he became part of the 3rd Infantry Division.
Fogarty's ex-girlfriend, intent on destroying his new military career, sent a dossier of photographs to Fort Stewart. The photos showed Fogarty attending white supremacist rallies and performing with his band, Attack. "They hauled me before some sort of committee and showed me the pictures," Fogarty says. "I just denied them and said my girlfriend was a spiteful bitch." He adds: "They knew what I was about. But they let it go because I'm a great soldier."

well, jumpin' jeebus hussein christ in a tatto parlor, thank GOD he didn't have a pink triangle or rainbow flag tatto, because, you know, that would prove he was TEH GAY!

snip.

Because of his tattoos and his racist comments, most of his buddies and his commanding officers were aware of his Nazism. "They all knew in my unit," he says. "They would always kid around and say, 'Hey, you're that skinhead!'" But no one sounded an alarm to higher-ups. "I would volunteer for all the hardest missions, and they were like, 'Let Fogarty go.' They didn't want to get rid of me."

Fogarty left the Army in 2005 with an honorable discharge. He says he was asked to reenlist. He declined. He was sick of the system.

the poor dear was "sick of the system". how patriotic. unlike, say choi, tsao (who got the really sweet letter from "fierce advocate"), or fehrenbach (who didn't ask OR tell, he was the product of a witch hunt...which the military claims they don't do any more).

snip

As the conflicts have dragged on, the military has loosened regulations, issuing "moral waivers" in many cases, allowing even those with criminal records to join up.

what a novel idea! maybe they could just start issuing "moral waivers" for the glbt people that are honest about their orientation.

snip

Many white supremacists join the Army to secure training for, as they see it, a future domestic race war. Others claim to be shooting Iraqis not to pursue the military's strategic goals but because killing "hajjis" is their duty as white militants.
Soldiers' associations with extremist groups, and their racist actions, contravene a host of military statutes instituted in the past three decades. But during the "war on terror," U.S. armed forces have turned a blind eye on their own regulations. A 2005 Department of Defense report states, "Effectively, the military has a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy pertaining to extremism. If individuals can perform satisfactorily, without making their extremist opinions overt … they are likely to be able to complete their contracts."

now, riddle me this batman, how did those tattoos not tip his unit off? kinda hard to "don't ask, don't tell" when your the skinhead-version of the illustrated man.

WTF? extremist dadt?!? "overt extremist positions"? what part of all the neo-nazi tattoos is "COVERT"?

snip

now the story moves away from that precious, courageous patriot fogerty for a little background.

Then, in 1995, a black couple was murdered by two neo-Nazi paratroopers around Fort Bragg in North Carolina. The murder investigation turned up evidence that 22 soldiers at Fort Bragg were known to be extremists. That year, language was added to a Department of Defense directive, explicitly prohibiting participation in "organizations that espouse supremacist causes" or "advocate the use of force or violence."
Today a complete ban on membership in racist organizations appears to have been lifted — though the proliferation of white supremacists in the military is difficult to gauge.

...and, i wonder if sec. gates, joint chief of staff adm. mullen or even our commander-in-chief can tell us just how many glbt service members have murdered their fellow soldiers? CRICKETS.

snip

In white supremacist incidents from 2001 to 2008, the FBI identified 203 veterans. Most of them were associated with the National Alliance and the National Socialist Movement, which promote anti-Semitism and the overthrow of the U.S. government, and assorted skinhead groups.

Because the FBI focused only on reported cases, its numbers don't include the many extremist soldiers who have managed to stay off the radar. But its report does pinpoint why the white supremacist movements seek to recruit veterans — they "may exploit their accesses to restricted areas and intelligence or apply specialized training in weapons, tactics, and organizational skills to benefit the extremist movement.

an "overthrow of the u.s. government"?!? REALLY? sheesh, and at the worst, we gays would just go all ninja redecorating and designing new military uniforms.

...and the religious right thinks there's a radical glbt agenda?!? oh, teh irony, it burnzzzzzzzz.

snip

now for some really batshittery:

What about something as obvious as a swastika? "A swastika would trigger questions," Smith says. "But again, if the gentlemen said, 'I like the way the swastika looked,' and had clean criminal record, it's possible we would allow that person in." "There are First Amendment rights," he adds.

newsflash officer smith: if the "gentleman" uses the "i like the way the swastika looked" explanation...he's probably a skinhead....AND GAY!!!

snip

so where do these fine young bald men with neo-nazi tattoos learn that this behavior is perfectly ok?

Geoffrey Millard, an organizer for Iraq Veterans Against the War, served in Iraq for 13 months, beginning in 2004, as part of the 42nd Infantry Division. He recalls Gen. George Casey, who served as the commander in Iraq from 2004 to 2007, addressing a briefing he attended in the summer of 2005 at Forward Operating Base, outside Tikrit. "As he walked past, he was talking about some incident that had just happened, and he was talking about how 'these stupid fucking hajjis couldn't figure shit out.' And I'm just like, Are you kidding me? This is Gen. Casey, the highest-ranking guy in Iraq, referring to the Iraqi people as 'fucking hajjis.'"

stay classy, gen. casey, stay classy.

finally, the reporter wants to interview someone, anyone (even a staffer) from the senate committee on armed forces. of course, they politely declined. however, a subsequent e-mail was sent:

Instead, a spokesperson responded that white supremacy in the military has never arisen as a concern. In an e-mail, the spokesperson said, "The Committee doesn't have any information that would indicate this is a particular problem."

the committee also doesn't have any information that glbt service members would be a "particular problem", either. what they're relying on are over the hill military homophobes who probably still grouse privately about blacks and jews in the military.

the senate committee on armed forces is led by carl levin and john mccain.

the winds of change aren't blowing in "fierce advocate's" direction

When someone like mixner, a former clinton administration official speaks this way, COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS pay attention:

“I will not attend a fundraiser for the National Democratic Party in Washington next week when the current administration is responsible for these kind of actions. How will they ever take us seriously if we keep forking out money while they harm us. For now on, my money is going to battles within the community such as the fight in Maine or the March on Washington! I am so tired of being told by Democratic operatives to 'suck it up' because so many other profound issues are at stake. It is as if our fight for our freedom is single handedly responsible for the fate of all other issues. Bullshit. Maybe, just maybe, it is time for others to 'suck it up' for us and finally, without conditions, join our fight for our freedom!”

as mixner also notes, the HRC has also issued a statement on the “fierce advocate’s” DOJ defense of DOMA. for those of you not “in the know”, the HRC is THE glbt national organization that has been very chummy with O and advising him on “strategy” for GLBT issues. for THEM to speak out speaks volumes about the growing agitation in the politically involved GLBT movement and our national organizations.

there is a scheduled March On Washington planned in october. I’m strongly considering going, even though we can’t afford it. click the hyperlink above to learn more.

now we're starting to see the real truth

...behind the doj's over zealous defense of doma...and it ain't pretty.

From the actual brief, it's right there in writing.

CIVIL RIGHTS FOR QUEERS WILL COST TOO MUCH MONEY:

DOMA ensures that evolving understandings of the institution of marriage at the State level do not place greater financial and administrative obligations on federal and state benefits programs. Preserving scarce government resources — and deciding to extend benefits incrementally — are well-recognized legitimate interests under rational-basis review.

14 June 2009

ding! ding! ding! we have a winner:

this will be a great ongoing resource!

...as the administration progresses. i'm impressed (shock of all shocks), that O has already delivered on 30 promises...the value/importance of those commitments kept range from no-brainer (give a speech at a major islamic forum in the first 100 days) to marginally-difficult (matthew shepherd act, expanding eligibility for SCHIP)

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

oh my, "fierce advocate", careful what you ask of us...

i'm more than ready, willing and able to give credit where credit is due. with that in mind, let's check the scorecard, shall we?

396

6

check out PolitiFact. it's really very cool and doesn't just track O.

maybe someone forgot to ask "fierce advocate":

"mother, may i?"

soulful sunday...

joss stone ~ son of a preacher man:

p!nk ~ tribute to janis joplin:

usher, feat. alicia keys ~ my boo:

confucious say...

The superior man...does not set his mind either for or against anything, he will pursue whatever is right...The superior man thinks of virtue, the common man of comfort.

13 June 2009

congratulations, "fierce advocate"...

...you're on pace to live up to the last 4 years of the shrub regime's numbers of service members discharged under dadt on your watch.

graph is from Servicemembers Legal Defence Network:

for more appaling information, visit the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network.

let's do some simple math, shall we? "fierce advocate" was inaugurated on 20 january 2009. so, he's been president for 143 days (not counting inauguration day or today).

in those 143 days, "fierce advocate" O has been responsible for the destruction of 247 military careers...that's 1.727273 discharges under dadt PER DAY under O's "command". multiply that number by 365 and you, "fierce advocate", will be responsible for a total of 630.4545 careers destroyed in your first year in office.

congratulations! you're actually on pace to outdo shrub in the last 2 years we have these numbers for (2006/2007).

thank you so much for being our "fierce advocate". we *heart* you, we really, really *heart* you.

the fierce urgency of "whenever".

from the advocate:
(emphasis added)

“As it generally does with existing statute, the Justice Department is defending the law on the books,” said Justice Department spokesperson Tracy Schmaler. “As you know, the president has said he wants to see a legislative repeal of DOMA, but until Congress passes legislation repealing the law, the administration will continue to defend the statute when it’s challenged.”

i had planned to wait until the doj did (or didn't) defend DOMA in the GLAAD case to decide the fate of my precinct chairmanship. thanks, "fierce advocate", for helping me make that decision a little sooner.

way to go, "fierce advocate", put this (along with every other promise you made the glbt community) on congress' shoulders. YOU have no role to play in this whatsoever? meh.

go, adam, go...

there hasn't been this intriguing a "package" in a long time...

"fierce advocate" has turned the corner...

...unfortunately, it's a turn to the right.

first on medical marijuana:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/12/frank-pushing-bill-to-leg_n_215077.html

(emphasis added)

Frank's legislation would also explicitly protect patients from federal arrest in state's where medical marijuana is legal. (Rhode Island's governor vetoed on Friday a state bill that would have allowed medical marijuana sales by state-run dispensaries, despite the fact that Rhode Island already permits possession and use of medical pot.)

Charles C. Lynch could have used that protection. On Wednesday, the Moro Bay, Calif. medical marijuana shop owner was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison despite the fact that medical pot is legal in California and despite President Obama's earlier assurance that he would not interfere with the law. Unfortunately, Lynch was arrested during the Bush administration era.

"Years from now, Mr. Lynch may well be remembered as the last American to go to federal prison for a mistake, the final victim of an already repudiated policy well on its way to the ash heap of history, but whose mean-spirited effects still linger," said Marijuana Policy Project head Rob Kampia.

"This sentence is a cruel and pointless miscarriage of justice," Kampia said.

The sentence handed down by federal District Court Judge George H. Wu could have been worse. The Obama Justice Department wanted the mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years. The Justice Department declined to comment on the sentencing.

The lack of clarity from the Obama administration on medical marijuana prompted Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) to introduce language Tuesday attached to a Commerce, Justice and Science Departments Appropriations bill seeking clarification on the policy.

"It's imperative that the federal government respect states' rights and stay out of the way of patients with debilitating diseases such as cancer who are using medical marijuana in accordance with state law to alleviate their pain," said Hinchey.

...and then on health care reform:

The Obama White House would not commit on Friday to opposing a health care reform proposal that did not include one of the president's favored components: a public option for insurance coverage.

...snip (added emphasis on the hypocritical double-speak)

Noting that Obama had vigorously expressed his support for the plan several times during a town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin the day before, Gibbs added, "This is not about getting any piece of legislation through. Obviously this has to make a difference, this has to cut costs for families and small business ... This is about just getting something through."

see? it's not about "getting any piece of legislation through" until it's about "getting something through". DAYUM...a contradiction and there wasn't even room for a breath between 'em.

more "change" i can't believe.

...and y'all thought i only cared about "teh gay" issues.

12 June 2009

she's about to blow.

http://www.americablog.com/2009/06/late-night-roundup-on-obama-and-anti.html

be careful what you wish for. really. be careful.

love ya'. mean it.

this muthah is getting ready to blow wide open...

...and when it does, we're going to see some crazy stuff in the streets (especially considering that this weekend is "pride weekend" in d.c.)

to wit, the comments from articles being vomited right and left online.

this is but one example. this same sort of animosity is taking place in comment sections of articles throughout the internet (even in such progressive bastions as Daily Kos, where there is a fiercely loyal group of "fierce advocate" supporters that are even more "fierce" in their "advocacy" of O than I AM in my advocacy for glbt rights.)

from the atlantic "Obama Admin Hearts DOMA (For Now):

Now, in a legal brief submitted to a federal judge, Obama's Department of Justice, writing in the name of the United States government, whose CEO is Barack Obama, argues that the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is appropriate, carefully balanced and justified by reason, and not by animus toward gay people. A lot of the same rhetoric used to justify actual discrimination agaisnt gays is cited in the brief as a reason why DOMA is necessary. (Child abuse precedents, all of that.) The brief even resorts to the argument that DOMA doesn't deny gays anything because they're still entitled to all the benefits that heterosexuals get -- if they act heterosexually. The brief also suggest that gays accessing federal benefits will be free riders.

Vanessa June 12, 2009 6:06 PM

It seems the Gay community expects Obama to just sign something and give them the word "marriage" and lose the next election because it's the right thing to do. Obama losing the next election and every Democrat losing their seat would only lead to a Jim Crow situation and then WE ALL LOSE The onus is on the gay community to seek and gain their rights. I mean i don't want to lose the best president we've had in awhile because gay people expect their rights to be handed to them while blacks and women had to fight consistently for like a century. GET A MOVEMENT ALREADY!! Change hearts and minds. Perhaps if the gay community was able to get more public figures to come out of the closet and get folks out of the clubs and onto the streets, the president would be able to stick his neck out. But if the Gay community is not going to organize and have a consistent presence on the television, striking, marching, protesting, then it seems the president is just forcing gay marriage on to people. It's time the gay community grow up and change their image in the public and show America that there is solidarity on this issue because at the moment, it doesn't seem like their is much consensus even amongst gays. Sorry guys but I'm just being honest

Reply

Bridge June 12, 2009 7:38 PM

While I always feel people can be doing more, and yes it can be frustrating to be out in the streets protesting while others are at the gym, or the clubs, or whatever stereotypical place you want to assume we are in .. I find the "work harder" retort offensive on several levels.
a) yes, i do expect obama to do the right thing - im not sure why that is wrong to expect?
b) yes, others have fought their rights, and perhaps you have not seen the protests, canvassing and organizing i have of late, but we are too - nonetheless your argument is kind of offensive - why should someone have to fight for a right? are you saying gays are too lazy to be equal?
c) TV is incredibly expensive and a low converter. A general TV campaign is really not the way to go (election specific ad spots are another story). Door to door canvassing (which EQCA is doing right now) and conversations with our families and colleagues is more effective ..
d) there were several protests throughout california in the past few weeks. perhaps you missed them. and if you want to see how else we are working hard enough to gain approval, go to the web sites for NCLR, EQCA, and HRC - a tremendous amount of effort has gone towards the gains we have had
e) time for us to grow up? where is that coming from? there are millions of adults in the gay community. adults who teach, parent, doctor, fly planes, work for newspapers etc. There always have been. Maybe its time for the people that kill us, beat us up, verbally abuse us, and make jokes about us to grow up. But i suppose we should not be allowed to dance -because then we are not "grown up" - maybe if we just stopped having fun we could have rights too? is that what you are proposing?
f) there are lots of resources for you to look up the difference between civil unions and marriage (immigration rights and social security being two of them) so go ahead and "work harder" to learn the difference ... educating yourself, not making sweeping statements, and not assuming something doesnt exist because you didnt see it, is part of being grown up ...
g) consider this reply an example of gay protes

oh snap, bridge, that's gonna leave a mark!

30 June 2009

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