Palin Is No friend To Gays

The choice of Palin represents pure pandering. This woman is in no way ready to be president, and she is not gay friendly:

"Some press reports following the McCain campaign announcement have repeated that right-wing rhetorical flourish that has Palin declaring that she has gay friends. That softer image is not what some Alaskans saw. "That's just completely wrong," said Allison E. Mendel, the attorney who brought the 1999 case. "She spoke on radio programs all throughout the campaign saying, 'I want a constitutional amendment, I think these things are only for a man and a woman.' ... I don't think she's ever said a friendly word about gay people, that they ought to have health benefits like other people do or anything along those lines."The full story is here:http://www.gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20098390&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6

Steely Dan live plays "My Old School"

I can't resist - this is just so terriffic!

Jim

EVERY TIME YOU GO AWAY . PAUL YOUNG

A great Hall and Oates song...but I prefer the cover by Paul Young.

Obama Acceptance Speech On Gays

"I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination."

- Barak Obama last night, accepting the Democratic Party nomination for president.

Don't look for such a statement from the Republican nominee.

Is this enough to make me vote for Obama in November? I don't know yet.

Jim

Steely Dan live plays

This is simply great. I've loved this song for over 30 years.

Jim

My So-Called Life 1x01 Pilot scene

"I didn't see it as a teen show, weirdly, even though it was, I admit. I don't admit it ... I didn't see it that way, I have to admit, I wasn't writing a teen show." - Winnie Holtzman, the creator of "My So-Called Life," the 1994 TV series that continues to be regarded as one of the most excellent ever to be shown. The pilot premiered on August 25, 1994.

Matthew Mitcham With Mom and Boyfriend

Openly gay gold medal winner appears with his mother and boyfriend. It's a new world.

Biden Is A Good Choice

...because he shore up the Obama candidacy where it is weak. He has great credentials and has been around for a long time. Plus, he's not afraid to respond forcibly to political attacks, something Obama doesn't do. Lastly, he's just plain preferable to the other possible names, especially anti-gay bigot Sam Nunn.

The VP debate may be more fun to watch than any of the three presidential contests.

Jim

What About Me

where my head is today, even after all these years...

Jim

Woodstock 39 Years Ago This Month

I was working my way through college in the summer of '69. A friend and I planned to drive up to Woodstock in my jalopy, a 1950 Plymouth sedan. I wasn't sure the car would make it, but we never found out because he decided not to go at the last minute and so I went in to work instead (I was working the graveyard shift at an ice house - a cool place to work in the hot summertime.)Well, I've regretted not going to Woodstock ever since, although if given a second chance I would rather have been at Monterey two years earlier. I had long hair in those days, I only did grass and hash, never the hard stuff, but I loved the music and I loved the feeling of the late 60s. Debussy called Wagner's music "a beautiful sunset that has been mistaken for a sunrise." Likewise, the late 60s was, we thought, a lovely sunrise of beauty, optimism, and love...the "dawning of the age of aquarius," that ultimately turned out to be a sunset.

I originally posted this to a thread on a new forum that I recently joined at valvereplacement.com, a site for people who have heart valve disease, like me. I first found out that I had a problem with my aortic valve four years ago. It's the kind of thing that can get progressively worse, and mine is following that path. I will probably need open heart surgery and a valve replacement sometime in the future but I don't know when. The forum is great because there are a lot of knowledgeable people who post there. Questions and discussions are encouraged. Members are very supportive of each other, which helps.

Jim

PHOTO: One of the delicate delights in the garden, the Heavenly Blue morning glory

To Have and To Hold: Faith Leaders for the Freedom to Marry1

Rachel Maddow (Thank God)

At long last, some recognition in the media of a truly brilliant woman, journalist and intellectual, Rachel Maddow. Follow the link as she has landed her own MSNBC show.

What can I say about her that hasn't been said before? She is brilliant, intuitive and has a foresight in politics I have not heard from ANYONE else in the media. She backs her up statements with facts and she is incredibly well spoken. I may buy a tivo just to record her show.

Do I worship her? No. Do I enjoy her show and does her message resonate with me? Absolutely.

Hopefully, the rest of America will feel the same way I do, especially after years of listening to the blathering of Hannity ala Limbaugh for the last couple of years. They actually were quoting Limbaugh last night on ABC (Disney) News!

Turn off Fox News now, there's no reason to keep or leave your minds in the gutter. If nothing else, think of the children!

Marc

New Zogby Poll: McCain Leads Obama

In a new poll just released, McCain is now leading Obama 46 to 41 percent. It looks like all that moving to the right that Obama has done in recent weeks has hurt him rather then helped him.

Jim

The Candidates And The Evangelical Preacher

I'm not thrilled that the first presidential debate had McCain and Obama going before a Christian Right preacher. However, I'm even less thrilled that Obama could defend his pro-choice position before this audience, while throwing gay marriage under the bus once again. Yes, he says he favors "civil unions," but he has to know by now that the jury is in on them (New Jersey, for example) and they don't work. This is because civil unions are a second class imitation of full marriage. Companies don't recognize couples in unions like they would have to if they were married. Again, Obama knows this. Why doesn't he have the courage to admit it and at lease say that marriage should be left up to the states if he can't bring himself to do the right thing and support gay marriage or marriage equality outright?

Jim

The End Of The American Empire?

“This might be the beginning of the end of the American empire,” Economist Nouriel Roubini quoted in an article in the New York Times magazine. Roubini predicted the bust of the housing bubble and the recent failure of a major financial house, which turned out to be Bear-Sterns. He now thinks that our entire financial system is in jeopardy and will have to be bailed out at a cost of trillions. He believes we are in a recession that will be the worst since the great depression. Is he right? We'll know soon.

PHOTO: Nikko in the kitchen

FDR Grandson Slams McCain On Social Security

What a powerful ad!

Borgnine Is Old and Funny, But...

I have read where he has made homophobic remarks in the past. Now, I don't care what he does in the privacy of his bedroom at any age, so why should he be concerned with what I do?

Jim

Ernest Borgnine's Longevity Secret

A Message About Marriage Equality

New Book Explains 40 Years Of Conservative Domination

According to a book review in today's New York Times, a new book, “The Liberal Hour” by G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot, two professors at Colby College, makes the case that the blame for the last 40 years of conservative/Republican domination can be traced to "overreaching by liberals" in the 1960s, in particular, by President Lyndon Johnson:

He never appreciated the limits of good intentions, especially his own.
Like many a tragic hero, Johnson was brought down by hubris. And Democrats, Mr.
Mackenzie and Mr. Weisbrot tell us, are still paying the price.

That is a fascinating theory. I wonder if the overreaching by Bush Junior in Iraq and with his ultra conservative domestic agenda will result in a swing of the political pendulum back in the other direction.

Jim

PHOTO: The Cherry Bowl volleyball game held last week in Cherry Grove

Summer Fun On The Volleyball Court

One of the most enjoyable events in Cherry Grove is the annual "Cherry Bowl," a contest started back in 1984 that pits members of the Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau against players from the Grove. The event was originated as a goodwill type of event meant to improve relations between the police and Grove residents. It has been successful at that, and the spirit of camaraderie is really gratifying. This year, the Grove team won the match by winning two of of three games.

Jim

PHOTO: The Grove team is on the left, the police on the right.

Why do we care again???

I need someone to explain this to me again....

We have this war in Iraq that's costing us billions, a presidential election coming up, a collapsing financial industry, an economy in trouble.

Why do I care again where John Edward's penis goes? So he's a sanctimonious politician that is in denial. Again, who gives a shit? People have been getting laid way before there were Republicans, Democrats and news organizations and it is likely it'll be happening long after they are gone.

I was watching the news the other night when this story broke and the Anchor on ABC could barely contain her excitement.

I just don't care. What kind of revelation am I supposed to come to? Politicians don't care and hump everything and anything? Was the whole country born yesterday? The guy isn't playing any part in our national dialog anyway.

I do have one minor revelation from this; our media is less Republican or Democrat slanted than I had originally thought. In reality, the media is slanted to the most elegant crap they can dredge up and sell to sponsors. Again, the front of the National Inquirer is a great place for Larry Craig or John Edwards.

Maybe we can get back to issues that matter like why my kid's grade school needs a new roof and the local schoolboard is short cash for "capital improvements" (like a new roof).

Please, can we get back to picking a president that isn't a fucking idiot?

Marc

Happy Birthday Bradley!

Bradley is seven this month, so we're celebrating his birthday with a little extra attention and a few more human food handouts. He is a pretty lucky little guy, though, coming from a rescue and ending up spending his summers at the beach romping in the sand and the waves. Winters in the city are pretty good too, with twice daily walks in the park. Of course, he doesn't like the bustle and noise of the city, but everything can't be perfect even for a perfect little doggie.

Jim

The California Gay Marriage Battle

Another right wing religious group, the American Family Association, has made a big cash donation of $500,000. to support the anti-gay initiative in California. The gay community in this country had better get cracking to fight to preserve marriage rights in California. There should be a national campaign led by the major gay rights groups. If we lose this battle it will set back the entire gay rights movement by decades. Now is the time to harness the economic clout of gay people behind the battle to defeat the initiative. Where are the leaders of our gay rights groups? They need to join together and make a major unified effort. The clock is ticking.

PHOTO: I planted Dahlias in our deck pots. They really are thriving with all the care I give them.

Rose Levine Sings Her Signature Song

Wrong: Eating Animals

Today's editorial in the New York Times includes references to the animal cruelty that went on in a U.S. food processing plant recently. I could't read it without cringing, just like I can't look at pictures of animal cruelty. But I also can't ignore the facts and I can't ignore the suffering of animals by averting my eyes.

"The food industry kills more animals than laboratories, fur farmers,
trappers, circuses, and hunters combined. Cutting meat, eggs, and dairy products
from your diet makes an enormous difference—you will save more than 100 animals
every year just by switching to a healthy, vegan diet." - from PETA

Animals are not ours to eat or to wear or to entertain us, claims PETA, and they're right.

Jim

PHOTO courtesy PETA

McCain Plays To The Stupidity Of Many Americans

Paul Krugman in today's New York Times:

"...sheer irresponsibility may be a winning political strategy.
Mr.
McCain’s claim that opponents of offshore drilling are responsible for high gas
prices is ridiculous — and to their credit, major news organizations have
pointed this out. Yet Mr. McCain’s gambit seems nonetheless to be working:
public support for ending restrictions on drilling has risen sharply, with
roughly half of voters saying that increased offshore drilling would reduce gas
prices within a year."

Sure, drill, drill, drill and give them a federal gas tax holiday, that'll solve the oil dependency problem. As Krugman points out without saying it outright, this strategy resonates with many Americans who are too stupid to know better.

Jim