Observations and Opinions

Brave Newt World

2012-01-22T06:47:00.000-05:00

In addition to buying lots of expensive jewelry and leasing private jets, Newt's efforts to single-handedly revive the US economy include teaching children the value of work, particularly poor children.

The mainstream media, as is typical for elite followers of Saul Alinsky, have ridiculed Newt's brilliant plan. In response, Newt has put his words into action and has established several entrepreneurial companies to kick-start this economy into high gear.

Newt's Janitorial Services Company:

Newt's Demolition and Construction Company:

Newt's Private Security Guard Company:

Newt's Textile Mill (based in South Carolina!):

Yelling "Fire!" in a Crowded Primary

2012-01-10T05:52:00.000-05:00

You can take the boy out of prep school, but you can't take the prep school out of the boy. Try as he might, Mitt Romney simply can't connect with average Americans. He has claimed that, despite his privileged upbringing as the child of a millionaire, he often worried about getting a pink slip. He also claims that he is currently unemployed despite his annual income of perhaps $26 million. Those absurd lies are his attempts to "relate" to the unemployed and middle class voters.

His latest awkward moment came during his attempted explanation as to why he believes forcing insurance companies to compete for your health care dollars is a good thing. Yet instead of simply saying that, Romney declared that “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me.” Double ouch!

More on Mitt

2012-01-08T20:06:00.000-05:00

What is Mitt Romney's problem with the truth? All politicians shade the truth but Romney puts it into total eclipse. He lies about his positions and his beliefs. He lies about his past and his future. He lies about his lies.

Yet this prissy egomaniac is the frontrunner and likely Republican nominee for president.

In a year like this all the Republicans need is a competent individual willing to tell people the truth every once in a while. Obama wouldn't stand a chance against a sane alternative who could break with Republican orthodoxy and at least appear to actually mean it.

That alternative is decidedly not Willard M. Romney.

Truth in Acronyms

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney is the president of

Corporations Really Are People (CRAP)

Ron Paul is closely associated with

Libertarians for Individual American Rights (LIAR)

Rick Santorum is the spokesman for

Leadership On Ways to Inhibit Queers (LOW IQ)

Newt Gingrich is the head of his one-man fan club

People Into Gingrich (PIG)

Michelle Bachmann is a proud member of

Faith And Godliness Herald American Greatness (FAG HAG)

Sarah Palin dedicates all of her time to

Getting Republicans Elected Every Day (GREED)

Ringing In The New Year

2012-01-06T05:18:00.000-05:00

President Gingrich

2011-12-04T05:32:00.000-05:00

If Newt Gingrich is our next president, Americans will need to learn how to spell schizophrenia.

Hurricane Hits Pat Robertson's Home

2011-08-28T06:57:00.000-04:00

Virginia Beach -- An angry God declared He was fed up with millionaire self-promoter Pat Robertson and hurled a hurricane directly at Robertson's valuable properties in Virginia Beach, Virginia. "I tried to warn him with an earthquake earlier in the week but the son-of-a-bitch just won't take a hint" said the Creator of the Universe. "But Let's face it, My aim just ain't what it used to be with natural disasters so I figured I couldn't miss with a hurricane, right? I even had it pass over Robertson's house on Saturday, which is usually My day off."

Despite these obvious signs of God's wrath at fake christians, Robertson has continued to blame such Divinely inspired disasters on gays, liberals, and poor people who won't send him money. When informed of God's personal displeasure with Robertson's unholy hucksterism, Robertson fired back with a warning, yelling "Who the Hell does He think He is, messing with me like that? If He keeps this up I will buy heaven and kick His ass out!"

Robertson has a message for God

The Ghost of Cheney's Past

2011-08-25T20:35:00.000-04:00

Since I couldn't say it any better, I will just quote from (and link to) Glenn Greenwald's comments on Dick Cheney's new book.

Less than three years ago, Dick Cheney was presiding over policies that left hundreds of thousands of innocent people dead from a war of aggression, constructed a worldwide torture regime, and spied on thousands of Americans without the warrants required by law, all of which resulted in his leaving office as one of the most reviled political figures in decades. But thanks to the [Obama Administration's] decision to block all legal investigations into his chronic criminality, those matters have been relegated to mere pedestrian partisan disputes, and Cheney is thus now preparing to be feted -- and further enriched -- as a Wise and Serious Statesman with the release of his memoirs this week: one in which he proudly boasts (yet again) of the very crimes for which he was immunized.

Mitt Romney, Inc.

2011-08-13T19:46:00.001-04:00

Up With Corporations! Uh, I mean People!

And murder is just a premature exit from living so we really shouldn't discriminate among the mechanisms -- it all comes out the same in the end.

Hey, at least he didn't call the heckler "macaca."

New York Approves Marriage Equality

2011-06-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Equality!

2011-06-11T15:27:00.000-04:00

Shrub Shrugged

2011-04-13T06:15:00.000-04:00

OK, now that's funny...

Via driftglass.

Happy Birthday, Mr. President

2011-02-21T09:48:00.001-05:00

It's Presidents' Day. Hip, Hip, whatever.

A good question is why, exactly, do we celebrate presidential birthdays? An honest review of the past dozen or so Presidents would teach us that very few merit anything other than jail time for the crimes they committed while in office.

Here's a quick test: How many of our US Presidents in the past 70 years never committed a war crime? This is not a trick question. During World War II America fire-bombed civilian populations (Roosevelt); dropped atomic bombs on civilians (Truman); bombed anything that moved in Korea (mostly during Truman's administration, but Eisenhower was also Supreme Commander in Europe during WWII); dropped "regular" bombs in Southeast Asia along with cluster bombs, napalm and Agent Orange -- including dropping more explosive tonnage on neutral Laos than was dropped on Nazi Germany during WWII (Johnson, Nixon); and thousands of civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan have been killed by a decade of American air strikes and ground warfare, to say nothing of the illegal kidnappings and torture of civilians (GWBush, Obama).

Those are just the obvious highlights. Kennedy covertly ordered the illegal invasion of Cuba. Reagan illegally sold weapons to our sworn enemies in Iran and used the money to support his proxy army slaughtering civilians in Nicaragua. Reagan also helped Iraq's Saddam Hussein develop and use chemical weapons (aka, "weapons of mass destruction") to kill at least 50,000 Iranian troops during the war that Iraq had started. Reagan continued his support for Hussein even after it was revealed Iraq had used these chemical weapons against its own Kurdish citizens. George HW Bush was comparatively careful during the first Gulf War, as was Clinton during the NATO air war in the Balkans. I didn't say they were worthy of a national holiday, let alone acted like angels while in office. It's just that the bar is set so low for American presidents that merely acknowledging the existence of the Geneva Conventions puts you near the top.

So by all means, let's enjoy the day off. But try not to think about who, exactly, our Presidents have been and what, exactly, they have done with the trust and power placed in their hands. Because nobody likes a party-pooper.

South Still Celebrates Treason

2011-02-20T08:38:00.000-05:00

You just have to marvel at the ability of supposedly patriotic Americans to simultaneously worship the "Lost Cause" of the slave-holding South. A recent reminder of this treasonous trait was the celebration by the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Montgomery, Alabama of the swearing-in of Jefferson Davis as president of the Confederacy. Dunces.

All It Takes Is Faith

2011-01-23T12:30:00.000-05:00

Via Pharyngula

Obama's Opportunistic Bigotry

2011-01-14T07:50:00.000-05:00

The Obama Administration has filed an appeals court brief defending the odious "Defense of Marriage Act" [sic]. This was in response to a lower court's finding that DOMA unconstitutionally discriminated against gays and lesbians.

President Obama, through his Department of Justice [sic] lawyers, makes three basic arguments to defend this law that expressly creates two separate but unequal classes of citizens in America. First, he argues that Congress has a right to hide behind historical bigotry (preserve the national status quo), regardless of the consequences on individual citizens. Second, he argues that Congress has a right to be lazy when presented with more than one option and, therefore, doesn't need to even try to respect advances in individual civil rights that arise in some, but not all, states. And, third, he argues that Congress has the right to apply a lowest common denominator analysis when it comes to protecting the constitutional rights and liberties of individual citizens whenever the states disagree -- that is, Congress can arbitrarily waive the federal constitutional protections of specific individuals and follow the lead of the most bigoted state laws.

There are two kinds of bigotry. The first kind (we will call it "Type A") is based upon the ignorance -- often willful -- of the bigot. This individual believes what s/he believes and no amount of contrary evidence or argument will change this individual's mind. The second kind of bigotry (we will call it "Type O") is displayed by President Obama and most other national politicians. These individuals actually are aware that their stated position is bigoted. They typically admit that their position is wrong in private and they rarely display this bigotry in personal relationships. They only profess their bigotry in public order to gain the support (or ameliorate the opposition) of the Type A bigots.

President Obama, who formerly advocated in favor of gay marriage, has taken the side of the bigots in banning recognition of gay marriage because he wants to be re-elected in 2012. No doubt, his personal "struggle" with this issue will resolve itself in favor of marriage equality once he can no longer run for office.

President Obama's defense of the Defense of Marriage Act reminds me of the old joke: "Q: What's the difference between being black and being gay? A: If you tell your mother that you are black, she will still love you." As everyone knows, President Obama's mother was white, his father was black. This background gave him an incredibly sensitive and nuanced understanding of racial bigotry. Obama also taught constitutional law at one of the best law schools in the country. So we can assume he is aware of the Fourteenth Amendment ( "no state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"). Unfortunately, Obama grew up to be a politician.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a bigot. But being a politician is a life-style choice with serious consequences. They shouldn't be allowed to teach. We should pass laws to protect our children from exposure to these people. And for god's sake don't let them get married.

Fly The Friendly Skies

2011-01-08T11:42:00.002-05:00

Much has been written about the tragicomic state of airport security in America. Less outrage, surprisingly, has been directed toward the utter indifference of federal officials to perhaps the biggest terrorist risk in the country: private planes and corporate jets.

In May, 2009 the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security issued a report that reassuringly stated: "We determined that general aviation presents only limited and mostly hypothetical threats to security." Unlike, say, the 4 ounce shampoo bottle you tried to carry through airport security last week. Of course, on the very next page, the report admits that most security measures at the thousands of small, private airports are completely voluntary and "The extent to which [General Aviation] operators employ TSA’s voluntary guidance is not easily determined." So the geniuses at DHS were satisfied that the risks are "hypothetical" and "limited" despite the lack of proof that even voluntary standards are being followed. Don't you feel safer now?

The 2009 report was triggered by a television exposé in Houston, Texas about the lax security at regional airports. Reporters were able to enter the premises without identifying themselves and also were able to walk up to planes on the ground without interference. The next time you are being groped by a TSA guard and having your water bottle confiscated, contemplate the subtle contrast with the "security" at private airports. Among the security measures highlighted by the Inspector General as sufficient to protect the nation from flying bombs were little things like partial fencing around private airports. You don't need fences since they are "ineffective because anyone who wanted to sneak onto the field could scale a fence." The largest private airport examined "has two full-time security staff, an FAA tower operator who provides visual surveillance, and 24-hour video surveillance." Let's hope the terrorists can't read: The largest airport has only 2 guards. And no fence. So it would be impossible to figure out a way to take over the airport, right? Oh, wait.

And hijacking a plane is also impossible, right? Oh, wait.

Of course, Die Hard 2 (1990) and Air Force One (1997) were both released before 9/11 -- and everything changed after that. Or something like that.

Besides, the only terrorists who ever took flying lessons were the ones who died on 9/11, right? Oh, wait. Zacarias Moussaoui was arrested 4 weeks before 9/11. Often rumored to be the "20th hijacker,"

... Moussaoui attended flight training courses at Airman Flight School in Norman, Oklahoma. Despite 57 hours of flying lessons, he failed and left without ever having flown solo. This school was visited by Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi, who piloted planes into the north and south towers of the World Trade Center respectively.

During his time in Norman, Moussaoui had a roommate named Hussein al-Attas. On August 11, 2001, Hussein al-Attas drove Moussaoui to Minnesota from Oklahoma. Hussein al-Attas said that he and Moussaoui planned to take a trip to New York City in late August/early September 2001. In 2002, al-Attas admitted that he lied to the FBI to conceal Moussaoui's name, lied to the FBI to conceal Moussaoui's jihadi and anti-American beliefs, lied to conceal his own jihadi tendencies, lied to conceal that Moussaoui had been trying to convince him to become more active in the jihad, and lied to conceal the names of other Middle Easterners who were taking flight lessons in Oklahoma.

Moussaoui allegedly received $14,000 in wire transfers from Binalshibh, originating from Düsseldorf and Hamburg, Germany, in early August. This money could have helped him pay for flight training about two weeks later at Pan-Am International Flight Academy in Eagan, Minnesota. On August 13, Moussaoui paid $6,800 with $100 bills to receive training in a 747-400 simulator.

So maybe, just maybe, terrorists can take flight lessons in the United States or overseas. And maybe, just maybe, they know how pitiful the security is at private airports. And maybe, just maybe, they have figured out that a Gulfstream G650 has a 7000 nautical mile non-stop range with a top speed of Mach 0.925 and a "maximum payload" (how appropriate) of 6,500 pounds. This "gold standard" of corporate jets allows you to "Enjoy wider seats, more aisle room and a large stateroom option for resting up between world capitals." A 6,500 pound payload traveling near the speed of sound between world capitals? Nothing to see here. Move along.

But there is an even better reason that we don't need to impose mandatory security standards on the operators of private airports and the owners of private jets. They're not like you and me. They're rich.

UPDATE: The latest Atlantic magazine has an article on the same topic.

You're Still The Best In Show

2010-12-30T09:32:00.000-05:00

Reminiscing about how we met on New Year's Eve ...

The Year In Review

2010-12-25T11:19:00.000-05:00

The Radical Homosexual Agenda

2010-12-22T09:52:00.002-05:00

Why Can't All Moms Be Like That?

2010-11-06T11:36:00.001-04:00

You really need to read this mother's explanation as to why she allowed her son to dress as a girl for Halloween at preschool.
UPDATE: It turns out her church got involved and tried to pressure her into apologizing to the bigots & idiots for the audacity of loving her son and standing up for him.

The new Official Mascot of OplusO

Attack In A Box

2010-11-01T11:50:00.000-04:00

The most recent bombing plot from the Middle East appears to have been thwarted NOT because of high-tech detection devices but the lowest-tech detection method of them all -- a tip provided by an informant.

In other words, after spending billions of dollars on technology and imposing countless dollars worth of delay, inconvenience and fear on the American public, our only real defense against the terrorist threat seems to be remorse or incompetence on the part of the bad guys.

The "shoe bomber," the "Times Square bomber" and the "Underwear Bomber" all failed because they goofed up. Not because we spent billions on equipment and training to catch them before they could deploy their weapons. And now the Ink Cartridge Bomber has been stopped by an insider's tip.

Cargo and shipped packages have long been the "soft underbelly" of anti-terrorist security and it is truly remarkable that there have not been far more similar attacks. The Lockerbie bombing occurred way back in 1988. For years following that disaster airlines were required to ask each passenger whether anyone had given them a package to bring on board the plane. Anti-terrorism on the honor system.

"Mail bombs" have been a threat for decades, possibly for centuries. Yet tons of cargo are still shipped around America each day with only the paper equivalent of an honor system to protect us. Hopefully, every package airmailed in America is subjected to at least as much screening as an airport passenger's baggage, but because that information is considered "sensitive" the full extent of such security measures is unknown.

There seems to be no amount of inconvenience and delay too great for the "security theater" performed at airports by passengers. Yet the nation's water, land and air ports remain far too vulnerable to attack-in-a-box terrorists because of corporate concerns that it might reduce profits if we required more extensive security procedures for packages than for people.

The two packages intercepted in this latest incident were, apparently, only the tip of an iceberg. Some reports suggest another two dozen suspicious packages were simultaneously identified. All of these facts certainly don't bode well for the annual increase in online holiday shopping. "Free Shipping" may not be so free after all.

Sign Language

2010-10-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

From the Rally 4 Sanity and/or Fear:

Via Buzzfeed

Bible Lesson of the Week

2010-10-30T18:54:00.000-04:00

The Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 11:
¹² And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
¹³ And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not [yet].
¹⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto it, "No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever." And his disciples heard [it].

Via BoingBoing

Cats That Look Like Hitler

2010-10-24T07:13:00.001-04:00

Cat lovers should just admit it -- even when they shave off their little Hitler mustaches, they're still plotting to take over the world.

Rhymes With Bitch

2010-09-24T19:16:00.001-04:00

They left out "Dabbles in Witchcraft"...

OK DOGS

2010-09-20T20:09:00.000-04:00

These dogs made a video and generously agreed to let OK GO sing backup:

Religion

2010-09-07T20:20:00.000-04:00

Another Gay Republican (yawn)

2010-08-25T20:20:00.001-04:00

Former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman, now admits that he is gay.

He says it took him a long time to come to grips with his orientation. Apparently, he was the last to know -- his homosexuality has been an open secret in Washington since he first worked for the worst president in history, George W. Bush.

Mehlman spent years raising millions of dollars for hate-mongering Republicans. He now raises millions of dollars for himself at the KKR equity fund in New York. Having set himself up in life, he now feels secure enough to come out.

"...over the past few months, I've told my family, friends, former colleagues, and current colleagues, and they've been wonderful and supportive. The process has been something that's made me a happier and better person. It's something I wish I had done years ago."

Too bad his past support for anti-gay politicians has made life less secure and even dangerous for a few million gays and lesbians across the country. Perhaps Mehlman will send each of them a few dollars out of his next bonus check.

UPDATE: My headline is not nearly as good as the one at Joe. My. God.

Repulsive Anti-Gay Quisling Homophobic Scumbag Asshat Closeted Former RNC Chair Ken Mehlman Has Come Out

Hate Comes Up Short

2010-08-05T06:02:00.000-04:00

The federal District Court in California has ruled Prop 8 -- which bans gay marriage -- unconstitutional.

How To Go Down Stairs

2010-07-23T06:59:00.000-04:00

Meanwhile, Back In Reality

2010-07-09T00:10:00.000-04:00

In a calmly reasoned opinion, a Massachusetts District Court has declared the key element of the federal "Defense of Marriage Act" -- or DOMA -- unconstitutional. DOMA's denial of all federal marriage benefits to gay couples violates the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment. The Court explained that:

"it is only sexual orientation that differentiates a married couple entitled to federal marriage-based benefits from one not so entitled. And this court can conceive of no way in which such a difference might be relevant to the provision of the benefits at issue. By premising eligibility for these benefits on marital status in the first instance, the federal government signals to this court that the relevant distinction to be drawn is between married individuals and unmarried individuals. To further divide the class of married individuals into those with spouses of the same sex and those with spouses of the opposite sex is to create a distinction without meaning."

The Court concluded that "it is only irrational prejudice that motivates the challenged classification."

Much of the Court's reasoning was based on the fact that marriage laws are entirely the domain of the individual state governments. This argument may be an obstacle to future efforts to use the federal constitution to strike down anti-gay marriage laws in the states, although that remains to be seen. Prior to passage of DOMA, the federal role had simply been to recognize whatever arrangement the various states decided should constitute a valid marriage. After DOMA, however, the federal government declared that same sex marriages would be treated differently, even if a state treated them the same. This revealed the unconstitutional bigotry motivating supporters of DOMA and led the Court to strike it down insofar as it denies equal treatment to gay and lesbian citizens.

No doubt conservative bigots and political opportunists will wail that "activist courts" should not make such decisions. Yet this is precisely the role played by the Courts in America -- applying the law equally to all.

Republicans Hate Marriage

2010-07-07T22:14:00.000-04:00

The twice divorced Republican Governor of Hawaii has vetoed a gay civil unions bill because, she said, it is too close to marriage.

Obviously, marriage needs to be protected ... From lying, dishonest Republicans.

For those who are truly desperate, Lingle is currently single and available for a quickie marriage and divorce in the state of your choice since her term in office ends in December. Unless she finally comes out as a lesbian, in which case you cannot marry her in Hawaii.

Another Canine Escape Artist

2010-06-08T20:53:00.001-04:00

Blanche Deveraux, RIP

2010-06-03T19:39:00.000-04:00

Golden Girl Rue McClanahan -- the delightfully slutty one -- has passed away. She was 76.

A Memorial Day To Remember

2010-05-29T10:41:00.001-04:00

So the full House of Representatives voted this week to repeal the anti-gay "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law that bans openly gay and lesbian individuals from military service. The Senate Armed Services Committee also voted in favor of repeal which will set up a vote by the full Senate after the Memorial Day recess. Yes, Memorial Day -- when we honor those who served in in the military.

Actually, what they endorsed with the vote was a potential repeal if the President, Chair of the Joint Chiefs and the Secretary of Defense agree to do so. And then only if a Department of Defense study says it should be repealed. And then they have to wait another 60 days. And then they have to say "pretty please with a cherry on top."

Actually, I made up that last part. Cherries are always bottoms.

No doubt, some will argue this proves that President Obama was sincere and serious when he said he would work with Congress to repeal DADT this year. However, it appears that the White House had its hand forced by the proponents of repeal. The White House did not want any action taken until after the Pentagon's "study" was completed -- and that was intentionally postponed until after the November elections.

Repeal is not yet a "done deal" and Obama was a reluctant supporter of even this watered-down compromise. And Obama threatens to veto the Defense appropriations bill, which contains the semi-repeal amendment, because of billions of dollars in unnecessary spending for unwanted weaponry. Considering that the United States spends as much on its military as all other countries in the world combined, Obama may have a point. And, of course, most of the military spending in the rest of the world is done by our allies.

But the real threat is them gays.

Too Rich To Fail?

2010-05-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

If Acorn can be shut down because of the bad behavior of some of its employees and officers, why can't BP be shut down because of the bad behavior of some of its employees and officers?

The People's Court

2010-05-06T06:34:00.000-04:00

The Onion writes another classic. Here's the accompanying photo:

The Soft Bigotry of Lowered Expectations

2010-04-26T06:35:00.000-04:00

President Obama was recently heckled at a political fundraiser in California. A new group, Get Equal, sent a handful of supporters to the event to demand that Obama keep his oft-repeated promise to repeal the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" anti-gay policy in the military. After all, the President is, on paper at least, Commander in Chief so one would expect him to have a little influence in such matters. Nonetheless, the White House has confirmed that Obama will not try to repeal DADT this year.

So should we give Obama a break? After all, fighting over a "controversial" issue can weaken a politician, right?

Of course, that raises the question of why a politician would fight over any issues. And in the military, unlike, say, private sector employment, the all-volunteer force swears to obey orders up to, and including, orders that are likely to result in death -- whether yours, the enemy or an innocent civilian. Now it seems a bit strained to suggest that soldiers willing to follow an order to kill-or-be-killed are such sissies that they couldn't follow orders allowing gays to serve openly.

As a thought experiment, imagine that the armed forces in America still discriminated on the basis of race. I know, it seems so long ago that it is hard to even imagine such a thing, but try it anyway.

Now imagine how long it would have taken President Obama to force a change in that discriminatory policy. And then, following the inevitable outburst of racial bigotry hidden behind false concern for military "discipline" and "readiness" imagine Obama turning the political tide with an eloquent speech that brilliantly defends equality and freedom. In other words, the very principles that justify a standing army in the first place.

Unfortunately, that ain't gonna happen any time soon. So we are left with a President who fully comprehends the injustice of anti-gay bigotry, who claims to be a "fierce advocate" for gay and lesbian rights yet who avoids direct confrontation with the bigots. Even his recent effort to address the incomprehensible prohibitions against hospital visitation rights by non-married partners was nothing more than a request to federal agencies to, pretty-please, write new regulations that allow gays and lesbians to make hospital visits. Even assuming the new rules are well-written they can be undone by the stroke of the next Republican president's pen.

Like all politicians, President Obama wants credit for his stated intentions, even when he doesn't put much effort into fulfilling them. During his State of the Union speech in January, Obama promised, "This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are."

After a full year of avoiding the issue, that could be seen as some sort of improvement. Yet it is also likely to push repeal of DADT past the next election, when Republicans are expected to make gains in both chambers of Congress. Obama's political strategy -- to secure gay support by making bold promises -- appears to have been betrayed by his timid tactics -- wait until your opponent agrees with you before you act. And that's no way to run an army.

Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat. -- Sun Tzu

Optical Illusion

2010-04-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

Her Voice Crack-ed

2010-04-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

Whitney. Poor, poor Whitney.

I think this is how it's supposed to be done:

Musical Interlude

2010-03-06T15:39:00.001-05:00

Rube Goldberg video by OK Go.

I Need A Nap

2010-02-22T23:10:00.001-05:00

Taking a nap in the afternoon can make you smarter.

In the recent UC Berkeley sleep study, 39 healthy young adults were divided into two groups – nap and no-nap. At noon, all the participants were subjected to a rigorous learning task intended to tax the hippocampus, a region of the brain that helps store fact-based memories. Both groups performed at comparable levels.
At 2 p.m., the nap group took a 90-minute siesta while the no-nap group stayed awake. Later that day, at 6 p.m., participants performed a new round of learning exercises. Those who remained awake throughout the day became worse at learning. In contrast, those who napped did markedly better and actually improved in their capacity to learn.

R.I.P. Daddy

2010-02-21T14:43:00.000-05:00

After 16 years -- people years, not dog years -- Cesar Millan's beloved Daddy has passed away. The Dog Whisperer's star student was sweet, playful and about as ferocious looking as a dog can get.

Art Interlude

2010-02-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

A recent acquisition.

"Emerging Sunlight" by Hilda Neily of Provincetown, Mass.

The Rhinestone Gavel Gave Him Away

2010-02-10T09:54:00.001-05:00

There's been an unsurprising reaction to the recent "outing" of the trial judge presiding over the legal challenge to California's Prop 8 anti-gay marriage amendment. As it turns out, Judge Walker is gay.

This has been used by the unbiased, fair-minded folks who oppose gay marriage to justify a call for Judge Walker to recuse himself and turn the trial over to, presumably, a heterosexual jurist.

Right.

It is revealing that they would argue that only a straight judge could be fair and impartial in a trial of the attempt to deny equality to gays and lesbians. That argument actually confirms a key component of the case presented by opponents of Prop 8 -- that it was motivated to a large extent by bigotry and unfounded fears common among heterosexuals. If you argue that, by definition, a gay judge cannot be trusted then you have admitted that you discriminate against all gays.

Musical Interlude

2010-02-08T16:57:00.000-05:00

It's always disheartening when an inflatable roadside advertisement dances with more rhythm and emotion than I do...

Who Dat?

2010-02-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

If Hollywood Filmmakers directed the Super Bowl:

Snow Dog

2009-12-20T14:04:00.001-05:00

Very Merry Blah Blah Blah

2009-12-17T14:48:00.001-05:00

Last year we used leftover Mountain Dew cans to make our tree. This year's economy forced us to economize on the decorations.

More Optical Illusions

2009-12-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

Too Cute For Words

2009-12-11T09:32:00.000-05:00

Nerd Alert: Paper Batteries

2009-12-08T20:36:00.004-05:00

Stanford University researchers have announced that they can turn ordinary paper into a battery simply by adding special ink and drying it in an oven. Not only is this WAY cool but it has enormous practical applications -- assuming it can be developed as a low cost, low weight alternative to ordinary batteries.

The special ink contains carbon nanotubes and the paper provides a substrate on which the tubes can link up. One caveat is the apparent use of lithium solutions and electrolytes as a second step. Lithium is still a potentially limited resource -- unlike carbon and paper.

DC Marriage Debate

2009-12-05T09:06:00.002-05:00

Even as New York's State Senate voted down gay marriage, and as New Jersey waivers, the DC City Council -- equivalent to a state legislature -- voted 11-2 in favor of full marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples. Under the DC Charter -- essentially the state constitution -- a second vote is required within 30 days. If Congress fails to intervene within 30 legislative days, it becomes law.

As we've blogged before, the hypocritical and dishonest Catholic hierarchy has attempted to blackmail the DC Council by threatening to cut back on charitable work in the District if gay marriage becomes law. Thus far, the Council has refused to back down. More threatening, perhaps, are Republicans in Congress who are looking for a way to score politic points nationally even if they can't block DC's actions locally.

In the House, oversight is granted to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia (that should tell you little Congress respects DC sovereignty -- just toss it in with the bureaucracy). Unfortunately, right-wing bigot Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is the highest ranking Republican on the subcommittee, despite only being a freshman. Chaffetz declared his opposition to gay marriage almost as soon as he arrived in Washington. As an ambitious Mormon politician, what else would you expect him to do?

Of course, gay marriage is the only thing Catholics and Mormons hate more than each other. So it's really nice that we could bring them together to form an anti-gay tag team.

In an added twist, a DC "internet strategist" set up a website for outing gay Catholic priests who speak out against gays and gay marriage. Regardless of your feelings toward outing, you have to laugh at the response from the Catholic Archdiocese's spokeswoman. "If anyone has a concern about whether a priest is violating their ministry in any way, we would encourage them to let the archdiocese know rather than some Web site...." Right. And they can handle that information like they did for the pedophile priests over the past 50 years.

Less Is Mormon

2009-11-28T10:27:00.002-05:00

Betty Bowers, America's Best Christian, wants to vote on your rights.

Catholic Cowardice

2009-11-24T05:54:00.002-05:00

Chris Matthews -- yes, the rude, obnoxious host of Hardball -- actually conducted a good interview yesterday. Matthews debated Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin of Rhode Island about his stance on abortion. While the Bishop admitted he wanted to "ban abortion" as the "taking" of human life Matthews, to his credit, would not let the Bishop get away with drive-by legislating. Matthews pressed the issue of whether the Catholic Church wants to criminalize abortion procedures and put women and their doctors in prison.

This is precisely the kind of television debate that this nation needs. Instead of letting the Church declare a "moral" position against abortion -- or gay marriage -- and then hide behind "religious freedom" the mainstream media needs to force the obvious conclusions of these religiously motivated laws into the open.

Bishop Tobin, as is typical of morally superior tongue-waggers, eventually declared that it was not the place of "the Church" to determine how to enforce a ban on abortion. In other words, the catastrophic consequences of implementing his "moral vision" is not his concern.

Watch the video here:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

KKKatholic Church

2009-11-15T13:51:00.002-05:00

There are a lot of wonderful, charitable people who call themselves Catholics. Unfortunately, none of them are in charge of the government-subsidized multi-billion dollar enterprise that is "the Church."

The most recent outrage is the blackmail threat against the DC City Council.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn't change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care.

These bigots are using human shields as they storm the walls of equality. I guess they're upset they can't use the techniques of the Spanish Inquisition.

As Easy As Riding A Bike

2009-11-15T07:03:00.001-05:00

Training wheels not included.

How Sad Is That?

2009-11-04T19:21:00.000-05:00

I just want the President that Fox News thinks we already have.

Best Political Reporting Ever

2009-11-04T19:14:00.001-05:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Indecision 2009 - Reindecision 2008 And Beyond

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Crisis

The Rain in Maine

2009-11-04T06:26:00.003-05:00

Just a few quick thoughts on the outcome of the vote against gay equality in Maine:

First, it is hard to fight lies in a political campaign -- just consider the successes Karl Rove was able to rack up by lying about opponents.

Second, even confronted with the "works every time" lies of gays-want-your-children, the best the Old Testamentarians of the christian Right can do is just over 50 percent of the vote (see California) in any state that has indoor plumbing.

Third, the default position for guilt-ridden bigots is now domestic partnerships (see Washington State).

And finally, the trends are all in favor of eventual equality for gays and lesbians. That is cold comfort for those of us in the back of the civil rights bus, but at least it's something.

HRC Diatribe #237

2009-10-11T18:38:00.002-04:00

The Human Rights Campaign continues to vacuum up dollars like the mass marketing operation it truly is. Unfortunately, it markets itself to gays and lesbians in order to raise more money, rather than present a desperately needed civil rights campaign to straight folks.

Latest case in point: the fabulous HRC dinner with President Obama where the president repeated his campaign promises without any actual deadlines or specific commitments. Why is this always "good enough" for gays?

As usual for Obama, it was a moving, beautiful speech. But the president's words seemed to echo HRC's timidity. "Judge me by my noble intentions, not by my actions or my success."

HRC will finally deserve our support when it convinces President Obama to give this same speech to Congress and the nation, rather than a room full of upper class gays, lesbians, and various B-list stars.

The Good Old Days

2009-09-14T19:41:00.002-04:00

I can still remember when nutcase conservatives feared black helicopters instead of black presidents.

Musical Interlude

2009-09-12T13:09:00.001-04:00

Via Boing Boing

Some Things Are Sweeter Than Candy

2009-05-03T07:09:00.004-04:00

How much sugar is in that snack? This site compares stacks of sugar cubes (representing the grams of sugar on the "nutritional" label) with various foods, beverages and snacks. (via Neatorama).

This Day In History

2009-04-30T05:16:00.002-04:00

On this day in 1789, George Washington was inaugurated as the first president of the United States.

And it's been going downhill ever since....

Why We Tortured

2009-04-26T13:55:00.005-04:00

Frank Rich does a nice job of explaining America's descent into the totalitarian tactic of torture. It all boils down to a frantic effort to find evidence linking the 9/11 attacks to Saddam Hussein in Iraq:

"...Maj. Paul Burney, a United States Army psychiatrist assigned to interrogations in Guantánamo Bay that summer of 2002, told Army investigators of another White House imperative: “A large part of the time we were focused on trying to establish a link between Al Qaeda and Iraq and we were not being successful.” As higher-ups got more “frustrated” at the inability to prove this connection, the major said, “there was more and more pressure to resort to measures” that might produce that intelligence.

In other words, the ticking time bomb was not another potential Qaeda attack on America but the Bush administration’s ticking timetable for selling a war in Iraq; it wanted to pressure Congress to pass a war resolution before the 2002 midterm elections."

The Republican politicians and conservative pundits who defend America's torture tactics are indistinguishable from the Germans who acquiesced in the Nazi machinations that led to war and holocaust. Fortunately, our system of government was stronger than Germany's and we were able to dislodge the criminals from their high government offices and bring an end to their malfeasance -- if not (yet) its aftermath. But to allow them to slip into the shadows of history without appropriate punishment -- yes, punishment -- is to ignore the behavior that very nearly destroyed American democracy. And closing our eyes to the truth would encourage the next band of criminals that seeks to seize the reins of power in America.

We, the people, need another Nuremberg trial. Perhaps it could be held at Constitution Hall in Philadelphia.

Bea Arthur -- R.I.P.

2009-04-26T08:16:00.002-04:00

Bea Arthur (1922-2009)

The Mad Hatter's Tea Party

2009-04-16T13:13:00.002-04:00

As the wingnuts lose their influence over policy, let alone their control of the government, they devolve into a bizarre, babbling rabble. This photo from Talking Points Memo pretty much sums up the paranoid lunacy that is anti-government conservatism.

The whole teabaggers' party scene had an Alice in Wonderland feel to it. These people are as mad as hatters.

At any rate I'll never go there again!' said Alice as she picked her way through the wood. 'It's the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life!

Republican Party of Three

2009-04-15T09:17:00.000-04:00

Do you kinda miss the antics of the Bush Administration as self-parody in action? Fear not, the best and brightest of the conservative world continue their campaign to brighten your day.

The Hand of God

2009-04-15T08:36:00.008-04:00

A recently released "photo" of the debris cloud surrounding a pulsar 1,700 light-years from earth has stimulated some interesting responses. For example, the NY Daily News ran a poll and 40 percent of respondents said the image was obviously the hand of god. Here is the image:

Despite this convincing display of biblical truth, it turns out that the image had to be heavily processed and filtered for the human eye to be able to see this particular image. The actual "hand" is only visible in the x-ray spectrum but even that filtering process leaves a messy image that looks like this:

Fortunately, OplusO has the latest in astronomical data-crunching devices and has been able to produce the actual image of what Pulsar B1509-58 truly looks like:

And finally, for all you heathens out there calling this obvious miracle the "missing finger of god", here is a link to a sequence of images representing various wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum showing what the scientists had to work with.

The Wrong Black Man Is President

2009-04-05T09:49:00.002-04:00

Chris Rock is too honest to be president.

Wall Street's Mole

2009-03-22T09:47:00.002-04:00

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is either conveniently incompetent (from the perspective of Wall Street) or a double-agent sent by financial firms to steal whatever remains of wealth in America.

His latest plot -- um, "rescue plan" -- calls for the American taxpayer to put up as much as 97 percent of the money to buy bad debts ("toxic assets") from banks. The remaining fraction is to be provided by investment firms which will, no doubt, use this to justify incredibly large bonuses for the lucky few at the top.

Warnings seem to fall on deaf ears. Perhaps that's because those ears belong to the bad guys. Obama should think about what the bankrupt firms would have done had they been able to design their own bailout plan without government interference. Would it have differed in ANY significant respect from Geithner's?

This Is Why You're Fat

2009-03-20T21:38:00.004-04:00

This is why you're fat . And this is why I gave up meat.

Hard boiled egg on-a-stick wrapped in sausage, rolled in breadcrumbs, and then deep fried.

But that's just an appetizer for the main course -- the Porkgasm.

The chef bragged that:

My guests were all total gluttons. I even had two vegetarians and one person with a failing gall bladder try it out (they had half slices). I was disappointed that no observant Jews or Muslims showed up, because I think they would have had to eat some too. Most of us ended up with nightmares and stomachaches. They were well-earned. At the end of the night, there was only enough left for one little sandwich the next day. I ate it for breakfast, on white bread, with barbecue sauce and ketchup.

Make your own Porkgasm by following this recipe.

Corporate Theft

2009-03-15T10:25:00.003-04:00

Among the many odd claims being presented by the thieves that run many American corporations today is the assertion that it would be a violation of employment contracts to reduce (or better yet, eliminate) bonuses paid to the incompetent managers who allowed their companies to go bankrupt. Make no mistake, these companies (AIG, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, etc.) are technically bankrupt. Only federal bailout funds kept them from admitting it and thereby triggering a wipeout of employment contracts (just look at airline bankruptcies that were specifically designed to void union contracts for an idea of how this works).

In the financial world, only the top brass are given actual employment contracts. The average employee may be fired at will and without recourse -- perhaps receiving two weeks severance and a cash out on unused vacation. But the millionaires at the top, in collusion with the so-called "trustees" on the Board of Directors, have made sure that they are well insulated against anything like failure, stupidity or global economic collapse.

In recent years the "compensation packages" of these captains of capitalism have increased astronomically (even as the average wage earner's pay stagnated) often under the claim that the increased productivity of the lowest paid workers somehow justified multi-million bonuses to folks who get to fly in the corporate jet.

There is word for this type of behavior -- conversion. As a legal term, conversion refers to the illegitimate taking of assets (in this case, corporate funds). Theft is the criminal term for essentially the same thing.

Corporate managers are hired to run the company that is owned by the shareholders. Yet too often the managers collude to transfer massive amounts of corporate funds to themselves -- regardless of the performance of the stock or the corporation itself. The moral hazard is too tempting and they succumb. The very individuals who make hiring, firing and compensation decisions vote themselves a pay increase. And co-sign contracts with each other to make it all legally binding come hell, highwater or technical bankruptcy.

It is easier to identify corporate theft when you have a transparent crook like Bernie Madoff lying his way through billions of dollars. But the principle is the same when employees of the shareholders (i.e., CEO, president, etc.) skim corporate income into their own pockets with a "heads I win, tails you lose" contract.

What a Difference a D Makes

2009-03-07T08:08:00.002-05:00

When George W. Bush was President, Republicants assure us, an event (aka 9-11) that took place 9 months into his first term was actually the fault of his predecessor, Bill Clinton.

Yet even with the economy in free-fall since October of last year, Republicants now assert that Obama is to blame for stock market and job losses, despite being on the job only since January 20th.

Tax Argument Dodgers

2009-03-07T06:49:00.002-05:00

There's an interesting debate going on over President Obama's outline for new tax rates and deductions. Interesting in that so little of it seems to be based on fact.

For example, Chuck Grassley, the top-ranking Republican on the Senate's tax writing committee, opposes Obama's plan to raise tax rates on the top 2 percent of incomes in America. Obama argues that these are the very individuals who most benefited from the Bush tax cuts of recent years, reaping enormous untaxed profits during the real estate fueled bubble. Grassley argues that Obama's proposed tax changes would discourage the small business owners who create most of the jobs in America and thereby harm the economy.

But taxes are only paid on "profits," not business expenses. So if an entrepreneur hires a new worker, that salary is a business expense and would be deducted from gross revenues. The same is true for investments in equipment, buildings, inventory, training, etc., etc. The only thing that is taxed is the amount left over AFTER all of that job creating, salary paying, America building effort by the employer.

In other words, there may be a lower after-tax profit for the employer but there is no tax increase on any aspect of actual job creation.

There is no argument over whether or not taxes can influence behavior. And the federal tax code has been used to promote public policies since it was first imposed. The real question should be which approach best delivers on the public policy goals such as job creation, deficit reduction, etc.

Marginal tax rates do matter, but when it comes to job creation and deficit reduction Bill Clinton's marginal rate tax increases were followed by far stronger job creation -- and the first balanced budget in a generation -- than Bush's tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans. It would be helpful if the mainstream media reported the facts behind the arguments of both sides of the debate.

Doing The Dog Paddle

2009-02-22T21:36:00.000-05:00

via videosift.com

Joy In The Balance

2009-01-31T16:05:00.001-05:00

Maggie could do this if she wanted to but she has far too much dignity to perform silly tricks:

A Little Respect

2009-01-10T16:55:00.004-05:00

Musical Interlude -- Circa 1982

2009-01-10T16:49:00.002-05:00

I bet no one ever named a hairstyle after you:

Farewell To All Hat

2009-01-01T11:22:00.011-05:00

It's been said that George W. Bush, as the Texas insult has it, is "all hat, no cattle." Well, it's almost time to say good riddance to the Worst President Ever and as we ring in the New Year, OplusO looks back on its Top Ten blogs about Dubya's mis-Administration.

10. Codependent-in-Chief

9. Pet Names

8. Reality Check

7. Hurricane Dubya

6. The Divine Right of Kings

5. Blood for Oil

4. Executive Über Alles

3. Freedom's Just Another Word

2. The Dubya Principle

And the Number 1 Bush Blog -- Bush is Beyond Evil

Said Conrad Cornelius O'Donald O'Dell,
"My very own country is going to hell.
This Bush team is vile, it's corrupt and unclean!
Nixonian misdeeds -- and worse! -- have I seen.
From war that's unneeded; from A out to Z
It's an Axis of Evil and Dishonesty!"

Yet twenty-six letters will not spell it out.
New letters are needed that practically shout:
"They're On Beyond Evil! They're ruthless! They're wicked!"
Like con men and cow paths they're simply too crooked!
To write out their crimes it will take me all day
New letters are needed to convey my dismay!

"Calm down," I suggested, "O'Donald O'Dell."
"New letters I'll give you, your story to tell."

Thus, Sku is for Scooter who'll soon be in stripes
And Kräv is for Karl R and untruthful types.
The Cheetz is for Cheney who once said "fuck you"
Then proceeded to show he could screw all that's true.

"Yet that's not enough," said O'Donald O'Dell
"The stench from this crew it is starting to smell."
Yet holding your nose will not fill the need
To drain this black cauldron of malice and greed.

Then he almost fell flat on his face on the floor
When I started this blog and drew one letter more!

The Dumb is for Dubya; the worst of them all.
His brain, it would seem, is three sizes too small.
His polls, like Titanic, they're sinking real fast
This Bush Number Two will be Bush Number Last.

This alphabet soup, why it's just the beginning,
Not finished, you see, 'til the good guys are winning.
When On Beyond Evil the lesson is this:
To Bush and his minions, my tush they can kiss.

Lying Eyes

2008-12-28T11:29:00.002-05:00

Which red line is longer?

See more optical Illusions here.

Prop 8 -- A Legal Perspective

2008-12-27T09:20:00.003-05:00

The key element for the challenge to Proposition 8 in California is an obscure distinction between an “amendment” and a “revision” of the state constitution. To be valid, Prop 8 must be a limited amendment rather than a broader revision. Much of the legal debate will focus on this aspect of California law.

What follows is a brief discourse on California precedent and is likely of interest only to lawyers. Gay lawyers.

Thus far, the writs presented to the California Supreme Court have appropriately distinguished People v. Frierson, 25 Cal.3d 142 (1979)
on the basis that it applies (potentially) to all Californians. Therefore, it is argued, the proposition at issue in Frierson acted as an amendment, rather than a revision, because it did not alter the Court’s procedures in a radical manner. In at least one writ, Frierson has been additionally distinguished by arguing that the language of the constitution itself compels the Court to take “public opinion” into account when weighing state action (the death penalty) against the standard of “cruel and unusual punishment.”

However, given the likelihood that the proponents of Proposition 8 will counter-argue that Prop 8 also applies to all Californians equally (that is, all men and all women are equally prohibited from marrying same-gender partners and therefore Proposition 8 does not target the sexual behavior or preferences of a suspect class) I believe that an additional distinction should be raised against Frierson.

Under Frierson, it was held that individuals who have been convicted of a capital crime in a court of law could have a specific, pre-existing constitutional right removed by amending the state constitution. In other words, although Frierson dealt generally with all Californians (who potentially could find themselves in this situation) it specifically dealt with a class of Californians who had forfeited a portion of their pre-existing rights by their own actions.

“Both Lance W. and Frierson concluded that no constitutional revision was involved because the isolated provisions at issue therein achieved no far reaching, fundamental changes in our governmental plan. But neither case involved a broad attack on state court authority to exercise independent judgment in construing a wide spectrum of important rights under the state Constitution....” Raven v. Deukmejian, 52 Cal. 3d 336 (1990)

Many state and federal laws restrict the pre-existing civil rights and privileges of individuals who are convicted of various crimes. These restrictions and revocations arise after the individual (not the class of individuals) has committed an action sufficient to void the pre-existing right. These include an individual’s voting rights, driver's license privileges, and eligibility for public housing, food stamps, or educational assistance. In contrast, Proposition 8 purports to strip a fundamental right from a narrowly defined class – one declared to be a protected, suspect class under the equal protection clause of the California constitution – despite the lack of any action by members of that class that could support the forfeiture.

Thus, while proponents of Prop 8 may assert that Frierson and Prop 8 both apply “equally” to all Californians, they cannot successfully assert that gay and lesbian citizens have committed any act that would trigger a similar forfeiture of their pre-existing civil rights. Therefore, Proposition 8 goes far beyond the boundaries set by Frierson as to when the Court must decide that a proposition amounts to an impermissible revision of the state constitution rather than a permissible amendment.

Ironically, were the Court to accept Proposition 8 as a “mere” amendment, the individuals who were the subject of Frierson’s proposition (i.e., death row inmates) would still retain the right of marriage – unless they happen to be homosexual. Under Proposition 8, a foundational right that has not been denied even to murderers and terrorists would be denied to a heretofore protected, “suspect class” of innocent, law-abiding citizens.

Proposition 8 also strips a suspect class of a fundamental right to contract. Again, no action on the part of the individuals who are members of the identified suspect class results in a forfeiture of this fundamental right – it is imposed by majority rule over the minority. This is such a profound alteration in the underlying principles of the state constitution that it also amounts to a revision.

“Marriage is thus something more than a civil contract subject to regulation by the state; it is a fundamental right of free men. There can be no prohibition of marriage except for an important social objective and by reasonable means.” Perez v Sharp, 32 Cal. 2d 711 (1948) Because “…the right to marry is the right to join in marriage with the person of one’s choice,…” (ibid.) arbitrary and capricious restrictions on the choices available to an individual amounts to an unconstitutional interference with the right of contract, a denial of equal protection to a suspect class and the introduction of express, irrational discrimination into the fabric of the constitution. As such, Proposition 8 crosses the line drawn to define a mere amendment and exposes itself as an attempted revision.

In Raven, the Court found that "such far reaching changes in the nature of our basic governmental plan … amount to a revision," that "involved a broad attack on state court authority to exercise independent judgment in construing a wide spectrum of important rights under the state Constitution." As in Perez, the intent and effect of Proposition 8 is far broader than its words imply. If allowed to take effect, Proposition 8 would not merely change the state definition of marriage but would strike down Supreme Court precedent, expand the limits of majority rule, strip an entire class of a its fundamental rights, eliminate rights of contract, and revise the very nature of constitutional equality.

Proposition 8 is an unconstitutional revision and must be struck down by the Court.

A Sober Thought From Hitchens

2008-12-26T10:27:00.002-05:00

Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, is perhaps the leading atheist-pundit on the planet today. He is also a chain-smoking, heavy-drinking, disdainful, arrogant prick. What's not to like?

In his latest broadside, Hitchens lays out the truth about the odious Rick Warren:

"As Barack Obama is gradually learning, his job is to be the president of all Americans at all times. If he likes, he can oppose the idea of marriage for Americans who are homosexual. That's a policy question on which people may and will disagree. However, the man he has chosen to deliver his inaugural invocation is a relentless clerical businessman who raises money on the proposition that certain Americans—non-Christians, the wrong kind of Christians, homosexuals, nonbelievers—are of less worth and littler virtue than his own lovely flock of redeemed and salvaged and paid-up donors.

This quite simply cannot stand."

Amen

Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Care

2008-12-26T10:00:00.002-05:00

Try not to be too shocked but the word is that the newly enlarged Democratic majority in Congress is still too scared to try to repeal the bigoted and onerous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy for the US military.

According to an article in Roll Call:

"But key Democrats — even openly gay lawmakers — are quietly conceding to letting another two years go by before trying to overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the controversial 1993 law banning openly gay people from serving in the military. Most fear that moving too quickly on such a divisive issue could backfire, and most would rather tread lightly, at least in the early months of President-elect Barack Obama’s administration."

It's disappointing to learn that fighting for civil rights is something Democrats only do when it takes no effort and poses no risk of an anti-rights backlash.

Crayon Physics

2008-12-24T15:19:00.003-05:00

The name alone makes this computer game desirable.

Crayon Physics Deluxe from Petri Purho on Vimeo.

Order it here.

Rick Warren -- In His Own Words

2008-12-22T22:29:00.004-05:00

Back in October 2004 Obama's favorite right-wing preacher sent an email to his church membership (which, of course, does not include gays because they are banned) stating his non-negotiable political stances:

"As church leaders, we know our congregations are not allowed to endorse specific candidates, and it's important for us to recognize that there can be multiple opinions among Bible-believing Christians when it comes to debatable issues such as the economy, social programs, social security, and the war in Iraq.

But for those of us who accept the Bible as God's Word and know that God has a unique, sovereign purpose for every life, I believe there are 5 issues that are non-negotiable. To me, they're not even debatable because God's Word is clear on these issues. In order to live a purpose-driven life - to affirm what God has clearly stated about his purpose for every person he creates - we must take a stand by finding out what the candidates believe about these five issues, and then vote accordingly.

Here are five questions to ask when considering who to vote for in this election:

1. What does each candidate believe about abortion and protecting the lives of unborn children?

2. What does each candidate believe about using unborn babies for stem-cell harvesting?

3. What does each candidate believe about homosexual marriage?

4. What does each candidate believe about human cloning?

5. What does each candidate believe about euthanasia - the killing of elderly and invalids?

Please, please do not forfeit your responsibility on these crucial issues! This election REALLY counts more than most others have.

Be sure to vote, and be sure to encourage every Christian you know to vote on Tuesday. If you are able to vote early, do so. Then ask all your Christian friends on Tuesday "Have you voted yet?" and pray for godly leaders to be elected.

Pastor Rick Warren"

It's interesting to see that four of Warren's absolutist positions essentially derive from his interpretation of "Thou Shall Not Kill" (yet without opposing war or the death penalty). The anti-gay obsession is just Southern Baptist boilerplate.

Warren was careful to avoid stepping over the line of violating his non-profit status by overtly endorsing a candidate. It's Obama who steps over the line by asking Warren to speak the first official words of the Obama administration.

Obama on Gay Marriage

2008-12-21T20:40:00.002-05:00

The president-elect feels our pain...

Not opposed to civil unions, but...

Defense of Marriage Act was an "unnecessary imposition":

Gettin' his Christian on with Rick Warren:

Involuntary Divorce

2008-12-20T10:09:00.002-05:00

Having lied their way to a narrow majority in the vote on Proposition 8, the anti-gay Prop H8 supporters drop all pretenses and now demand that the state supreme court impose divorces on the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who were legally married in California prior to the November election.

And the oleaginous Ken Starr has signed up to argue the bigots' case before the supreme court.

On the other hand, former governor and current state Attorney General Jerry Brown has entered the case on the side of those who want to defend these marriages and return the constitution to a neutral, non-discriminatory document.

And over 300,000 people have signed a pledge to work to repeal Prop 8. You can add your name here.

Redneckmas Tree

2008-12-19T15:04:00.003-05:00

If you want to build your own christmas tree out of Mountain Dew cans, here is the how-to site.

Is Obama An Advocate For Equality?

2008-12-19T13:40:00.007-05:00

As you must know by now, president-elect Obama has extended an invitation to an anti-gay bigot (megachurch preacher Rick Warren) to present the invocation at Obama's inaugural in January. A lot of folks are upset about this turn of events. This outrage, although fully justified, could be better directed toward getting Obama to do something positive in response.

The perfect opportunity exists at the United Nations. Recently, the Bush administration joined the Muslim world in refusing to sign on to even a non-binding declaration calling on the nations of the world to decriminalize homosexuality. Over 70 countries in the world still follow the medieval practice of imprisoning gays and lesbians -- some even apply the death penalty. Yet the Bush-led US delegation refused to join 60 civilized nations (led by France and the Netherlands) in calling upon the others to enter the 21st Century.

Leading the opposition to this resolution was the murderous tyranny of Syria, which argued that

domestic laws should be respected, and claiming the declaration could legitimise deplorable acts including paedophilia.

Bush's UN appointees jumped on the Syrian bandwagon when they incorrectly claimed that this non-binding resolution would somehow interfere with US states' rights. And in what must be a form of cosmic symmetry, AmericaBlog is reporting that Rick Warren has praised Syria because, he claims, this dictatorship treats Christians and Jews well.

We should demand that Obama immediately add the United States to the list of supporters of this non-controversial proposition. Admittedly, Obama should do this without any prodding from us. But given the truly pitiful ineffectiveness of the current leadership of the gay equality movement, they should position themselves to claim credit for it in advance. Sometimes the appearance of power is accepted in Washington as if it were the real thing.

Maui Photo Blog

2008-12-15T12:59:00.005-05:00

Black Sand Beach in Maui (Wai'anapanapa)

Literally above the clouds at Haleakala Crater on Maui

Hiking along Sliding Sands Trail into the Crater

Prop 8 -- The Musical

2008-12-05T18:50:00.001-05:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Morality Monitor

2008-11-29T10:24:00.001-05:00

Just in time for Christmas -- the MoralMaster version 2.0.

40 Best TV Theme Songs of All Time

2008-11-26T20:27:00.002-05:00

Paste Magazine dares to try to list the 40 greatest TV theme songs of all time. Don't blame me -- I didn't pick Cheers.

Best Two Out of Three?

2008-11-21T18:01:00.003-05:00

The California Supreme Court will review the constitutionality of the Proposition 8 ban on same gender marriage. The same Court decided that the state constitution protects the rights of gays and lesbians to get married in May of this year.

The first legal briefs are due December 19, with a reply from opponents of Prop 8 due in early January. Oral arguments are expected to be heard in March 2009.

Unfortunately, the Court did not suspend the ban so it remains in effect throughout the Court proceedings.

Seen At The Protests

2008-11-21T17:55:00.003-05:00

Other protest signs:

Britney Spears, 55 Hours! Me, Never?

My gay friends deserve to be unhappy too!

So... when can I vote on your marriage?

You have 2 wives, I want 1 husband

Oh well, I wasn't using my civil rights anyways

Would you rather I married your daughter?

Not Seen On Fox

2008-11-21T17:51:00.001-05:00

Keith Olbermann on the passage of Proposition 8:

Better Late Than Never?

2008-11-15T11:40:00.002-05:00

One of the last ads to come out against Proposition Hate ... I mean 8, in California was this hard-hitting critique of the religious denial of civil rights.