All the pervs and crooks you've come to love reading about here on the Blend.
My blogcrush, the brilliant Glenn Greenwald, makes mincemeat of the right wing's tasteless, destructive hypocrisy (that is fully enabled by the MSM) in his new book.
Blend-o-licious endorsements...
The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
This victory nearly slipped under the radar. New York's highest court decided not to review a ruling in February that same-sex marriages performed elsewhere (Massachusetts and Canada, for instance, where Kate and I married), must be recognized by the state.
In a cryptically worded one-sentence order issued on May 6, the New York Court of Appeals, the state's highest, declined, for the time being at least, to review a February 1 appellate court ruling out of Rochester that a lesbian couple, Patricia Martinez and Lisa Ann Golden, who married in Canada in 2004 are entitled to legal recognition of that marriage by Monroe Community College, Martinez's employer.
Since the Rochester ruling is the only New York appellate court ruling - coming from the Appellate Division's 4th Department - on the marriage recognition question issued to date, the decision stands as legal precedent statewide unless contradicted by one of the other appellate departments or reversed by the Court of Appeals.
The Empire State Pride Agenda, New York's statewide LGBT lobby group, taking note of that precedent, was quick to claim victory from the high court demurring on the issue.
"Today's action by New York's highest court means that the state of the law remains the same," said Alan Van Capelle, ESPA's executive director, in a written statement. "Same-sex couples who have gone to places like Canada to get married, or have moved to New York from places like Massachusetts, will continue to be treated as the married couples they are here in New York."
Legislation that would officially legalize marriage equality within the state is still pending, and the key is to ensure there is a pro-marriage majority in the state Senate, and that means turning that body over to Democratic control in the fall.
"Until a law is passed by the New York State Legislature, there will always be the possibility that another court decision could undo Martinez v. County of Monroe and strip away from otherwise legally married same-sex couples all of the 1,324 state-based rights and responsibilities that come with a marriage license in New York," Van Capelle said in his written statement. "Besides, no loving, committed couple should ever have to leave their home state to make sure that their family has the protection and stability of marriage."
Wouldn't you know it, look who was waiting by the phone to give his reaction:
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality says activist judges are now forcing homosexual marriage on New York citizens. "[T]his is a very sad day for New Yorkers, and we hope this doesn't happen in [other] states across this nation," he comments.
"This is precisely what we feared with the whole onset of homosexual 'marriage' - different states being required, through activist judges ... to recognize [gay] marriages of other states [or] a foreign country."
The over-the-top Freepi reaction is below the fold.
I had a wonderful trip up to Delaware to see my nephew (left), who was born on Dec. 31. Mr. E is now babbling up a storm; he was just a tiny little one when I first met him back in February (right). He looks a lot like my brother when he was a baby (Tim's 5 years younger -- he turns the big 4-0 this year).
Kate and I brought the "My Mama's for Obama" T-shirt. We got that over at the Obama HQ in Asheville when we were there a few weeks ago.
The weekend was spent getting a lot of quality face time with E, since I'll likely not see him again until July -- he may be crawling by then at this rate. He is already trying to turn himself over and itching to move around. Of course my brother and sister-in-law haven't baby-proofed the house yet, so that's the next project to take on before E is mobile.
I can't believe all the baby-raising gadgets and safety restraints they have today. When I was a little one (back in the 60s, friends, the dark ages), my mom had none of these handy things. Tim and I learned about stairs by falling down them. We learned about the hot stove by, well, hands got sizzled.
My favorite toddler environmental encounter milestone was when I took a stray bobby pin, pulled it open and inserted each end into an electrical wall socket. ZAAAPPPP! I liked the fry so much, according to my mom, that I actually did it again not too many days thereafter. Hmmmm...that may explain some of my idiosyncrasies.
My brother's infamous childhood incident was crawling into the dryer and almost shutting the door. We were looking all over for him and I found him laughing inside it.
Share time: tell your own self-endangerment toddler story. :)
Anyway, thanks for the great diaries you all shared over the weekend. I still have to unpack and go through a lot of email, but I'll be back online with a good Q of the Day/think tank question I need your feedback on.
The best newspaper in the world, in my opinion, posted this story about an MTV executive who has written a memoir on his life as a gay man in the rap industry. I've long known that at least one enormously important figure in hip-hop was supposed to be queer but I have despaired as father-free mother obsessives like Eminem have used us as scratching posts for their own insecurities. Now, someone is blowing the lid. Story follows.
A decade or so ago a neo-Nazi group decided to hold a parade through a community heavily populated by survivors of Nazi concentration camps. There was a huge uproar. Progressives, veterans, and most sensible Americans came down on the side of "No Nazi March!" The ACLU and some progressives came down on the side of Freedom to Assemble and Free Speech - give 'em a parade permit. In the end a compromise was reached ... they marched in Chicago, I believe, and everyone ignored them.
If you look on the Internet today, you can find lots of "White Power" racism and Anti-Semitic horror writing and preaching. Christianity backs up the hatred on these websites. Yet no mainstream church admits these jerks in their sanctuaries, prayers, dogma, General Sessions, writings, or websites. No city's newspaper grants them stories or will accept their ads. They are "shut up" in the USA.
HARTFORD, Conn. - A 60-year-old New Britain man is accusing city police officers of breaking into his home without a search warrant and assaulting him by tearing out a catheter he was using while recovering from surgery.
WTF? They did what now? And then just left him there??? Oh, put me on the jury...
Andrew Glover filed a notice with the city Thursday that he intends to pursue a federal civil rights lawsuit. He claims the officers inflicted severe injuries to his organs as he was recovering from intestinal surgery in February.
Glover's lawyer, Paul Spinella, said officers illegally entered his client's apartment twice, on Jan. 30 and Feb. 28, during a child pornography investigation that led to the arrest of Glover's neighbors. Spinella says Glover wasn't involved in those crimes, has not been charged and has no criminal record.
So, not once but twice, the New Britain thugs, er, cops broke into this man's home. With no search warrant. And the second time through, decided to assault this man.
All because of the criminal activity of his NEIGHBORS???
The 2 neighbors were charged at the time of the first search on Jan. 30 with sexual assault and other crimes. They are accused of molesting children, including a 3-month-old girl found in their apartment, and making child pornography movies.
They have entered not guilty please and being held in lieu of multi-million dollar bails.
Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears.
But after performing it in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land O' Lakes, Piculas said his job did a disappearing act of its own.
"I get a call the middle of the day from the supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, 'Jim, we have a huge issue. You can't take any more assignments. You need to come in right away,'" he said.
When Piculas went in, he learned his little magic trick cast a spell that went much farther than he'd hoped.
"I said, 'Well Pat, can you explain this to me?' 'You've been accused of wizardry,' [he said]. Wizardry?" he asked.
Tampa Bay's 10 talked to the assistant superintendent with the Pasco County School District who said it wasn't just the wizardry and that Piculas had other performance issues, including "not following lesson plans" and allowing students to play on unapproved computers.
Piculas said he knew nothing about the accusations.
"That... I think was embellished after the fact to try to cover what initially what they were saying to me," he said.
Hat tip to reader Beth, who said "I assume this is the result of some fundies and their anti-harry-potter obsession?"
I didn't imagine they'd quote me while doing so, however. The conservative publication Town Hall just published the article "Librarians Against Censorship," by Brent Bozell III. Bozell says:
Already we can predict how the ALA next year will complain about any objection to a book called "Uncle Bobby's Wedding," the story of a young guinea pig who worries that her Uncle Bobby won't play with her anymore after he "marries" his boyfriend Jamie. The book ends at the "wedding," with Chloe as the enthusiastic flower girl.
In my March 18 review of the book at Bay Windows (and published in a longer form at After Elton), I say:
It tells the sweet story of Chloe, an anthropomorphic young guinea pig who worries that Uncle Bobby won't keep having fun with her after he marries his boyfriend Jamie. Uncle Bobby explains that their special times together will not end; Chloe will not be losing an uncle, but gaining one. The book ends at the wedding, with Chloe as the enthusiastic flower girl.
Hmm. See any resemblance? Well, if Bozell is going to take my words, I'm not going to provide a live link to his article. You can view it at:
if you want to see it. He also rails against And Tango Makes Three and the American Library Association's Rainbow List of LGBT-inclusive children's and young adult books. (For an alternate perspective, see my interview with the chair of the Rainbow List project, Nel Ward.)
(Great post.
ee - promoted by The Educated Eclectic)
(cross posted from Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters)
Reports are slowly coming out that the University of Toledo fired Crystal Dixon.
Dixon had written a column this week calling homosexuality a choice and saying that she takes umbrage with the comparison of being black and being gay. She also said she did not consider gay rights as civil rights.
It was not a simple case of free speech. Dixon was an associate vice president of Human Resources at the university.
(The future...they may talk mostly in text, but they seem to be enlightening themselves.
ee - promoted by The Educated Eclectic)
This is great. If I'd dared to wear a dress to school, I wouldn't have lived to tell the tale. I was harassed enough as it was for my clothes and being a "sissy", grown up to be trans. Now other kids are crossdressing in support. Way cool!
High school students crossdress to support transsexual sophomore
The Associated Press
Thursday, May 8th 2008, 4:00 AM
At least a dozen students at a Putnam County high school are cross-dressing to support a sophomore boy who wants to become a girl.
Boys wore skirts and wigs and girls wore caps and cargo pants to Brewster High School. One senior says the students wanted 17-year-old Michael Loscalzo to feel more comfortable.
To the surprise of probably no one, Sen. Obama has pulled ahead of Sen. Clinton in the number of superdelegates.
Senator Barack Obama has passed his opponent, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, in the count of superdelegates, the first time since the outset of the race that Mrs. Clinton has lost the lead in one of her few remaining trump cards.
Mr. Obama picked up endorsements on Friday from four more superdelegates, the Democratic Party insiders who are granted autonomy to support whomever they wish at the convention in August. One, a New Jersey congressman, switched his allegiance away from Mrs. Clinton, allowing the Illinois senator to pull ahead of his rival, according to the latest New York Times count.
The Times's tally shows Mr. Obama with 264 superdelegates against 263 for Mrs. Clinton, based on telephone polls conducted with CBS News as well as public endorsements. A separate count by The Associated Press shows Mr. Obama still trailing by fewer than four votes. And a measure by ABC News shows the Illinois senator already ahead, 267 to 265.
The tide turns in yet one more election metric -- in Sen. Obama's favor.
The new mayor of Rome promised yesterday to purge the Italian capital of 20,000 illegal immigrants and to raze 85 Roma Gypsy camps.
Gianni Alemanno (50) a firebrand neo-fascist and the first rightwing mayor of the city since the Second World War, vowed to make Rome "secure" as he was sworn into office after his election at the weekend.
In a sign of things to come, after Mr Alemanno's election, newly-elected Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi declared: "We are the new Falange."
The original Falange (or Phalanx) was the Spanish fascist party, founded in the 1930s, whose doctrine was adopted by General Franco.
Mr Alemanno's election was also celebrated by hundreds of supporters chanting "Duce! Duce!" and raising their arms in Mussolini's Fascist salute.
The new mayor said his first action would be to begin "immediate expulsions" of the 20,000 immigrants in the city with criminal records.
Folks, we are replaying the 1930's with America starring as Germany, and Italy reprising its original role.
For the record, the last time this bright idea was implemented, 500,000 "gypsies" were sent to their deaths, along with millions of Jews, gays, communists and other defectives.
Out. Of. Control. Dateline Kamloops, British Columbia - Three Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers apparently couldn't subdue an elderly patient. The sadistic sickness continues. BTW, you can see pics of the man's stun gun burns at the CBC site.
Frank Lasser, 82, appeared fragile Thursday when he showed the stun gun marks on his body and talked about the ordeal he went through Saturday.
"They [police] should have known I had bypass surgery," Lasser told CBC News.
Lasser has had heart surgery and needs to carry an apparatus to supply oxygen at all times. He was in the Royal Inland Hospital Saturday due to pneumonia but has since been released.
RCMP said nurses called police after Lasser became delirious and pulled a knife out of his pocket.
Lasser told CBC News that he sometimes become delusional when he can't breathe properly. He said he couldn't explain why he refused to let go of the knife even after the Mounties arrived.
"I was laying on the bed by then and the corporal came in, or the sergeant, I forget which it was, and said to the guys, 'OK, get him because we got more important work to do on the street tonight,'" Lasser said.
The article also refers to the Taser as "the conducted energy weapon."
I fell down a bit of a rabbit hole yesterday. During a (rare) quiet moment, I took some time to catch up on my news/blog reading. And I finally started reading a collection of news stories that I'd quietly tucked away until I could actually bring myself to read them. I thought that would be a long time, because they were the kind of stories that I usually put out of my mind, because I can't bear to think about them.
What started me was Katharine's comment, which linked to Scott's post about something Felix Fritzl said upon seeing the moon for the first time.
"Is that God up there?" - Felix Fritzl, 5, sees the moon for the first time since leaving the cellar.
Whoops. This NY pol was not only fornicating outside the marital bond, he was procreating with a sex partner other than his wife. He receives bonus points for being charged with driving while intoxicated! (NYT):
Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Staten Island Republican who was arrested on May 1 in Alexandria, Va., and charged with drunken driving, issued a statement on Thursday acknowledging that he had had an extramarital affair with Laura Fay, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, and that the two of them have a 3-year-old daughter together.
The prospect that Mr. Fossella could face a mandatory jail sentence if convicted had already threatened to bring to an end his decade-long career in the House, where Mr. Fossella is the only Republican representing New York City.
...Mr. Fossella, 43, was driving with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit when he was pulled over. He faces a mandatory five days in jail if convicted.
...In the Democratic stronghold of St. George, the neighborhood nearest the ferry to Manhattan, patrons at the Cargo Cafe weighed in on the scandal.
"Vito Fossella's behavior is a disgrace to himself, his family and to Staten Island," said an anesthesiologist, Dr. John Ferguson, 44. "Given the fact that he votes along the Bush-Cheney line 90 percent of the time, which means he sees himself as a moral values candidate, I find his behavior completely, but not surprisingly, hypocritical. He should resign immediately."
Just the other day (as in Wednesday), Congressman Brad Miller (D-13) sounded like he was going to stay on the fence for a while. I wonder what got him off the fence. From a press release that hit my inbox:
"I will cast my vote as a delegate in Denver for Senator Barack Obama. The decision was not easy. Senator Clinton has run an impressive campaign, and has spoken eloquently to the concerns of working and middle class American families. She is one of the great leaders of this generation.
"Senator Obama understands that he has the chance not just to win the election this year, but to be a great president. Americans know that Republican policies have failed because Republican ideas are wrong. Americans know that our government has not acted, to use Franklin Roosevelt's words, as trustees for the whole people, but have taken the side of powerful economic interests on every issue. Americans want a fundamental change in course.
"Senator Obama will seize that opportunity.
"If Senator Obama and Democratic candidates up and down the ticket win this year and then deliver next year, we can build a consensus that will last a generation."
I had a wonderful trip up to Delaware to see my nephew (left), who was born on Dec. 31. Mr. E is now babbling up a storm; he was just a tiny little one when I first met him back in February (right). He looks a lot like my brother when he was a baby (Tim's 5 years younger -- he turns the big 4-0 this year).
Substitute teacher Jim Piculas does a 30-second magic trick where a toothpick disappears then reappears.
conducted with CBS News as well as public endorsements. A separate count by The Associated Press shows Mr. Obama still trailing by fewer than four votes. And a measure by ABC News shows the Illinois senator already ahead, 267 to 265.
