Saturday, December 04, 2010

Vote in Facebook Poll - Is John McCain a Bigot?

From Facebook page:
 I bet we can find 1,000,000 people who think John McCain is a bigot We've found over a thousand people who think John McCain is a bigot. But I know there's more. Tell all your friends to go to http://www.facebook.com/JohnMcCainIsABigot (that's this facebook page by the way). It's time to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell and stand up to bigots like McCain.

Chappy Chanukkah - Chow About Some Cham?

I found this on the Joe My God blog.  Apparently it's an image from Balducci's in New York.  Amazing!

Friday, December 03, 2010

Pravda Calls Sarah Palin a Traitor and an Oaf - Refreshing!

It is rare that I have ever agreed with Pravda, the former Soviet Era wire service from Russia, but this commentary by Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey is something the US press should read and consider.  See the quote below:

“By attacking the democratically elected President of the United States of America at a sensitive time in her country’s history, she shows the tact of a boorish drunkard bawling obscenities at a funeral….


And now she turns not only against the fiber and backbone of her country, but against its democratically elected President, accusing him of being incompetent for not stopping Wikileaks. Where was she and where was her GOP before and during the 9/11 attacks? She accuses President Obama of not taking “steps” to assure the leaks were not published. What “steps”?……

If anything is a threat to the national security of the United States of America, it is this screaming, unrefined oaf with as much class as a searing release of flatulence followed by hysterical giggling at a state banquet. Is this what the people of the USA deserve?

To attack the President of the country at a time when the USA needs to close ranks and stand together to consolidate the enormous strides his (President Obama’s) intelligent and respectful approach has achieved in building bridges, when her party’s period in government bombed them, Spankin’ Sarah Palin comes across as a pitifully inadequate anachronism from the times of the Far West.”
 Way to go Pravda!

Bush Era "Millionaire Subsidies" to Continue?

Once again the Democrats fail to frame the debate and the Republicans will win on the issue of the Bush Era Tax Cuts.  If Democratic Senators would start calling these things what they are, instead of tax cuts they would wini the day.  These are "Millionaire Subsidies", plain and simple.  Yes there are minuscule tax benefits for the middle class, but whopping subsidies for folks who don't need it. 

The myth that these subsidies stimulate business is silly.  It might add a few more dollars to the coffers of Tiffany and Company, but on the whole the money just sits there. 

Meanwhile the GOP is holding hostage the much needed extension of unemployment benefits that actually do stimulate the economy.  Those unemployment checks get spent and that helps move this sluggish recovery forward and keeps the large number of unemployed from going hungry. 

Come on Dems!  Start calling things what they are and stop letting the GOP frame the debate!

Thursday, December 02, 2010

McCain Thinks Military Should Be Governed by Internal Consensus - Again, Dickish!

Listening to the DADT hearings still...

Senator McCain would have the military conduct it's business by referendum.  He has repeatedly insisted that the military should ask service members whether DADT should be repealed.  He forgets that Truman integrated the Armed Forces during the Korean War and didn't take a poll of the service members to do it.  He forgets that the military is not asked if they are comfortable going to war.  He forgets that the military is directed by civilian authority and the Commander in Chief.  He forgets that he apparently was a soldier himself and I seriously doubt if there was an opinion poll prior to going into Vietnam.

That word "forget" keeps coming up.  Considering he has pretty much reversed his position on DADT I have to wonder if he has a memory problem.

In response to McCain's ludicrous suggestion that the military troops make decisions by some kind of consensus Gates said:
I can't think of a single precedent in America history of doing a referendum of the American Armed Forces on a policy issue. Are you going to ask them if they want 15-month tours? Are you going to ask them if they want to be part of the surge in Iraq? That's not the way our civilian-led military has ever worked in our entire history . . . I think in effect doing a referendum of the members of the Armed Forces on a policy matter is a very dangerous path.

McCain Proves He is a Dick Again!

Watching the hearings before the Senate today where the Secretary of Defense is giving his report on the repeal of DADT.  As I watch, it becomes clear that John McCain is a certified dick and a crotchety old fart. 

He asks the opinions of the generals and then contradicts them with his trying to spin the report as negative when it was positive.  Thank God he wasn't elected president!  He would have made a disastrous Commander in Chief.  Not that President Obama is doing that sterling a job, but I can take some comfort fomr knowing that McCain would have been far worse.

Sad state of affairs.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

I Am Tired of World AIDS Day!

I am tired of World AIDS Day.  I am tired of watching friends get sick and die.  I am tired of listening to small talk about meds and side effects and t-cell counts.  I am tired of hearing about the latest "not quite cure".  I am tired of watching drug companies spin AIDS as the new Diabetes.  I am tired of seeing more and more bareback videos pop up online. I am tired of seeing the AIDS Quilt and having to bring extra tissues because of the flood of tears it causes for me and my friends.

I am tired!  When are we going to find a cure?  When are gay men and the ephemeral "MSMs" going to listen to the message that unsafe sex is UNSAFE!  When is World AIDS Day going to stop being a big trade show for drug companies and start being a time to look back and be grateful that the disease is no longer around.

Can you hear the frustration in my voice? 

I still wear my red ribbon in honor the memory of my brothers and sisters who have fallen to this pandemic, but I would like to retire it.  I would like to see it gather dust on a shelf.  Maybe some day that dream can come true.

Until then, I will continue to support the many organizations that desperately need funds and volunteers to fight the epidemic.  I will continue to emphasize the importance of safer-sex and I will continue to remind the next generation that AIDS/HIV is not just a disease of the Baby Boomers, it is alive and spreading through Gen-X and Y and beyond.

Until then I will continue to pray that an end is in sight.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Lame Ducks Probably Won't Repeal DADT

I hate to be an "I told you so" kind of guy, but , I told you so.  The Lame Duck Congress is nowhere near agreement on the repeal of DADT,at least according to Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Senator.

So why should I believe the Republican Senator?  Well, even though Democrats have a majority in the Senate and House for the next few weeks, apparently the GOP is calling the shots already. Only a few Democrats are willing to stand up and say DADT will go during the lame duck. After this session, I seriously doubt that any LGBT legislation will be brought up.  Kiss ENDA and marriage goodbye at least for now. 

For some reason the Democrats never acted like they had a majority even when they did.  Their 'ball-less" showing over the past two years speaks volumes about the problems we face.  LGBT issues get attention only when candidates are running for office and need our help and money.  After that, we hear "we might have to wait until the time is right".  Well if now is not the time then when?  Perhaps we need some other kind of action to gain equal rights.  Apparently politics isn't getting us very far.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Brewery Releases 41% ABV "Beer"

As if it isn't there aren't enough drunks during the holiday season, Brew Dog, a Scottish brewer has rolled out a new concoction with 41% alcohol by volume.   The "instant drunk" stuff is marketed under the name "Sink the Bismarck".

That means for most folks  one bottle will have you on the floor in no time!  Luckily the price tag is a hefty $100 per bottle in most stores.  I don't expect to see your average convenience store carrying this killer brew, but apparently there is a small market for it.  The company's last publicity stunt beverage was titled, "The End of History" and had a ridiculous 51% alcohol by volume.  That drink would set you back $777 per bottle, the high price presumably because of the unique bottle.  It was packed inside a taxidermied stoat (squirrel in the US).

Only 12 bottles were produced.  That is at least something to be thankful for this time of year.

Glee Gets Wet

The Singin' in the Rain/ Umbrella mash up is too good to be missed.  Glee's plot might be surrealistic, but their dance numbers are bringing the big Hollywood musical back to life!  Enjoy.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Leslie Nielsen - Dead at 84

Though most people will remember Leslie Nielsen as a comic actor in classics such as Airplane and the Naked Gun, he was an actor who cut his teeth in drama as a romantic leading man.  I personally will always remember Nielsen in Forbidden Planet, the big budget sci-fi hit from the early 1950's.


Nielsen passed away Sunday afternoon at age 84.  He had been hospitalized for pneumonia for a couple of weeks prior to his death.