Miscellaneous: July 2005 Archives

Gay bloggers’ dangerous liaisons
By Jeff Gannon

DURING THE 2004 election, the Internet became a potent force in political activism. Fund-raising, grassroots organizing, advertising and communication could all be done with a mouse click at a small fraction of the cost of television spots, direct mail and phone banks.

One of the greatest technological advances in the history of civilization enabled anyone with a laptop and a DSL connection to become part of the process to decide the future of America.

But some gay activists have been exploiting this new medium to advance a political agenda that doesn’t reflect gay people in general. Instead of focusing on the key issues that affect the lives of men and women throughout the U.S., they appear bent on tearing down the Bush administration no matter the damage to the country as a result. (source)

And this from an gay porn star (pardon me, EX porn star) who lied about his motives to gain access to the White House (how did he pull that off anyway and do I really want to know?), was an acknowledged plant to ask “soft questions” in press core meetings with the President, and to do everything in his power further an administration that took this nation into a war, all built on lies.

As far as this gay blogger is concerned, my only real agenda is advancing truth - truth about gay people and our lives - truth about Bush’s real motivations, and the truth about a nation that is on a very dangerous path.

Mr. Gannon, what is your truth? You say that gay bloggers have a “political agenda that doesn’t reflect gay people in general.” How the hell would you know? You probably don’t realize that the Federal Government still has not approved an anti-discrimination clause prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. You probably don’t realize that gays are still kicked out of the military left and right - WHEN WE ARE NOT AT WAR. Does any of that matter to you because, that is what matters to “gay people in general”.

You know, I don’t really care that you made your living in the porn industry. I don’t really care how many people you did and in what positions. I do care about some self-loathing hypocrite who will turn around and bash gay people who are just trying to make life easier for ourselves and our community by wanting, of all things, equality and equal protection under the law!

For all the time you spent with the President, did you ever once ask him about that?

As far as “tearing down the Bush administration no matter the damage to the country as a result”, I think that the Bush Administration needs no help what so ever in damaging this country and damaging our reputation to the international community.

And I’m curious... why write this column now? Trying to get your old job back?

I thought this article was well written and thought out. A lot of my life, especially childhood, dealt with the pain of being told that I was an abomination to God. In my heart, I knew that I wasn’t. I knew that I was being the best person I could be. I just wish the rest of America would really stop to think about us a bit more. They read their selected passages from the Bible and try to make us into monsters. Yet, all around them, they know gay people, but they just don’t make the connection.

As the writer said, “...there are 362 admonishments towards heterosexuals but only six towards homosexuals. With that said, the admonishments surrounding homosexuals are mere interpretations of biblical text.”

Still, most people will gloss right over that and stick with what they have been told - that gays are an abomination and should be treated as such. As an uncle told my brother in reference to me, “He is worthy of death.” My uncle knows me. I frequently saw him and was at his house with his wife and his children as I grew up. I am roughly the same age as his children. Yet, when he found out that I am a homosexual, all of that went right out the window. A judgement was made.

It’s sad - not so much for all the grief we are put through because of it, but more because so much time and energy is spent trying to lead happy, productive lives, despite the hostility we face day in and day out. We do pretty well, considering what we are up against.

The Bible is filled with verses condemning “sin” in general. And I agree that many of these “sins” are wrong and punishable. But to say as Leviticus 20:13 states “If a man lie with another man as he lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they should surely be put to death”-ridiculous. Yes I do believe I just called something out of the Bible ridiculous, let me explain.

This passage was taken from the part of the Bible that contains the Jewish Holiness Code, which were laws enforcing and protecting holiness. However this holiness code also permits polygamy, prohibits sexual intercourse when a woman has her period, bans tattoos and bans wearing clothes that are made from a blend of textiles (cotton/polyester blend). Why is it that the only part of the holiness code that we still choose to follow today is the part on homosexuality?

Sodomy is another word that often comes up when discussing homosexuals and their sexual acts. The funny thing is sodomy has nothing to do with homosexuals. [...]

Not once is homosexuality mentioned anywhere near the story of Sodom. Yet the sexual relationships that homosexuals have are still surrounded by that one word, “sodomy.”

In all actuality, there are 362 admonishments towards heterosexuals but only six towards homosexuals. With that said, the admonishments surrounding homosexuals are mere interpretations of biblical text. (source)

The Church of England is to allow gay clergy to enter into civil partnerships but only if they promise to abstain from sex, according to guidance issued yesterday. [...]

In a “pastoral statement”, the House of Bishops said that clergy would be able to take advantage of the Act, but only if they reassure their bishops that they will uphold Church teaching. Clergy were also told that they should not offer formal services of blessing for couples who had been through a civil partnership ceremony, but they could pray with the couple. (source)

Oh yeah. That makes a lot of sense.

My Replay TV just recorded this documentary of a German historian who believed Hitler was a homosexual.

Who the hell cares? He was a murderer and a psychopath. Who cares about his sexuality (yes I know, some scholars probably do - I suppose it makes for interesting philosophical arguments)? It doesn’t matter. There are always going to be bad, good, and evil people in the world. Their sexuality is irrelevant. What they do with their life is all that matters.

Hitler chose to exterminate six million Jews and two million homosexuals for his Aryan race. The worst part of it is that he himself was a black haired mongrel. The fact that, sixty years after his suicide, we are sitting here talking about if he was gay or not, is ridiculous.

I thought this was interesting. It’s the campaign contributions given by the next Supreme Court nominee, Judge John Roberts.

I was going to post this awhile ago, before the bombing in London, but thought it was not appropriate.

This is from London. Apparently, this is a public urinal (for males I’m assuming), right out there in the open. I think we are just a bit more up-tight in this country about such things.

While members of an anti-American and anti-homosexual group from Kansas protested outside six Dover houses of worship on Sunday, church leaders emphasized tolerance to their congregations.

Members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church protested outside Christ Episcopal Church, Holy Cross Catholic Church, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Whatcoat Methodist Church, First Southern Baptist Church, and the Presbyterian Church of Dover.

The group targeted the churches for being tolerant of homosexuals.

Inside the churches, however, the messages were ones of love and acceptance for all people on Earth.

The Rev. David Brumbaugh, pastor at Presbyterian Church of Dover, preached tolerance throughout the Sunday morning service. He called statements made by the protesters, who were in front of his church from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., “nasty” and “offensive.” (source)

You guessed it. The demonstrators are part of the Topeka, Kansas based Westboro Baptist Church. I never really take these people seriously anymore. I believe they do more for our community than anything else. Let people see the hatred that is out there. I wonder though, do they really understand how they are viewed to the public. Honestly, it’s hard for me to get upset with them because I believe that they are half way to being mentally unstable.

I work with Kodak a fair amount for photo processing on line. I always loved their service, and I really like that fact that they value diversity. In fact, they devoted a site just for their gay and lesbian workers and the gay community, called “Pride @ Kodak”. Pretty cool.

The Iraqi Defense Ministry has squandered more than $300 million buying faulty and outdated military equipment in what appears to be a massive web of corruption that flourished under American-appointed supervisors for a year or longer, U.S. and Iraqi military officials said this week.

Vendors are suspected of vastly overcharging for substandard equipment, including helicopters, machine guns and armored vehicles, and kicking back money to Iraqi Defense Ministry buyers. [...]

Investigators are looking at purchases dating back to the June 28, 2004, transfer of sovereignty from American administrator L. Paul Bremer III to the caretaker government of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Many Iraqi administrators hired under Bremer’s Coalition Provisional Authority kept their jobs after the handover of the ministry, but after that the U.S. military no longer had the final say in awarding contracts.

However, Americans still ran the show behind the scenes, said several Iraqi bureaucrats involved with the ministry at the time. It’s implausible to them that U.S. officials, who held daily briefings with Iraqi defense chiefs, didn’t catch wind of the alleged wrongdoing.

“It seems hard to understand to an outsider that this stuff could go on under our noses and Americans wouldn’t know anything about it. But, clearly, we didn’t know everything,” said a U.S. military official familiar with the events. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss an open investigation. (source)

Just keep in mind that aside from all the coverage we hear in the news from day to day on how well (or bad) the situation is in Iraq, the fact remains, war is big business. Entities behind the scenes, whether they be people or companies, stand to make huge profits from selling equipment and services to “restore” Iraq.

Of course, this may take time to reap the rewards of war, regardless of the cost of human life to bring Iraq back to stability.

I also don’t buy for one minute the argument that the U.S. knew nothing about this corruption. We have crooks in our government left and right folks going all the way up to very very high levels Vice President in our government. Of course, since they control the flow of “intelligence”, you will never be able to prove it.

War is good business. You didn’t really think all this time that we were there to “liberate Iraq” did you? Iraq is only a means to and end. There will always be an Iraq out there for us. We will make sure of that. Terrorism will be used as the excuse of whatever we want to do to further our agenda, no matter what the cost to other people in this world.

I think it’s important to be honest about these things. I’m all for patriotism and the “American way of life”. But if we achieve that by raping other countries of their dignity just for a damn profit to bureaucrats and secret companies, the price is too damn high.

I was watching a reenactment of the hate crime of Matthew Shepard on the new (new for me) gay-themed channel LOGO. It’s called Anatomy of a Hate Crime. It was hard to watch. It brings back too many horrible memories for me.

But what I thought was really strange were the commercials inserted here and there from the Christian’s Children Fund. I have nothing against the Christian’s Children Fund. I have a lot of issues with religion in general. Basically, in one statement...

Religion is the single cause for most of the wars in this world, 99% of the reason people are killed, and any message of hope that the Bible had has been lost in a message of hate and intolerance.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem I have with religion. As far as LOGO, the gay themed channel goes, I want to ask them, “What the hell man?!? What are you thinking? Religion has been used time and time and time again against the people who are your target audience.” It was just strange. It’s probably just me.

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman apologized to one of the nation’s largest black civil rights groups Thursday, saying Republicans had not done enough to court blacks in the past and had exploited racial strife to court white voters, particularly in the South.

“Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization,” Mehlman said at the annual convention of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. “I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong.” (source)

How long to you think be before they say “we were wrong” for demonizing gay and lesbian citizens for political gain?

I couldn’t believe this story. It’s very sad. I suppose some people, like the legislator in Kansas, would rather something like this happen than have the child adopted by a gay family. It’s just amazing some things people will do.

Ronnie Paris would shake, wet himself and vomit as his father forced him into a box and repeatedly slapped him on the head in an effort to prevent him from being gay, the child’s mother, Nysheerah Paris, testified Monday. The boy was 3 years old when he died from swelling on both sides of the brain on January 28.

Others backed up the mother’s testimony on the first day of the capital murder trial of Ronnie Paris Jr., 21, of Tampa, Florida. Paris is accused of physically abusing the toddler until the boy slipped into a coma.

“He was trying to teach him how to fight,” the boy’s aunt, Shanita Powell, told the court. “He was concerned that the child might be gay.”

“He didn’t want him to be a sissy,” Shelton Bostic, the defendant’s Bible-study friend, testified.

Ronnie’s death followed a history of physical abuse, according to Prosecutor Jalal Harb. (source)

And this from the New York Blade:

Preachers can raise a lot of money in their direct mailings by bashing gays from the pulpit. And politicians can get lots of votes by urging discrimination against gay Americans.

But there is a price to be paid.

As the testimony unfolding in a Tampa murder trial this week demonstrates, playing to people’s homophobic fears can have deadly consequences.

Ronnie Paris Jr. thought his 3-year-old son, Ronnie Paris, was “soft” and told a a friend that he “didn’t want him to be a sissy.” The boy’s aunt testified that his father “was concerned that the child might be gay.” Ronnie Paris Jr. was determined to change that. So he regularly boxed with the child in an effort to toughen him up, slapping him in the head until he cried.

He was going to beat the gay out of him, even if it killed the boy. And in this case, the prosecutor maintains that it did.

IF YOU spend hours downloading songs to your iPod, the days of fiddling around with wires are coming to an end. A Japanese company has discovered that the best cables may be your arms and legs.

According to NTT Laboratories, your whole body is the perfect conductor for electronic data, meaning that information such as music and films could be downloaded in seconds via your elbow. (source)

Uh huh..... I don’t think I would let my elbow do that.

Personally, I hope that the Bush Administration keeps the likes of Karl who will do anything to achieve an end Rove and Scott I wouldn’t know a lie if it bit me in the ass McClellan, on the White House Staff.

Both serve to further distract a failed administration that just can’t seem to do anything right. Any distraction that will keep us from screwing something else up (which seems to be all we can do these days), should be welcomed.

When one is busy putting out a fire, you have little time to start a new fire.

WARNING! Every time I access your blog, a virus is downloaded to my IE temp folder.

sploit.anr

Downloader.Trojan

Norton AntiVirus gives me an alert each time I refresh your blog's homepage.

This problem has been fixed.

Apparently, a hacker changed a template on my site that generates the index.htm file that gets read every time someone goes to my site.

The html template has been repaired, and taken offline for security. They will not have access to the file in the future. All files on the site have been rebuilt and checked myself. There should be no further problems.

Thank you for letting me know of this problem, and I apologize for the inconvenience. Everyone who goes out on the Internet must have an antivirus package. If you don't, I'm quite sure you have computer viruses of some sort.

I take every precaution to ensure that my site is clean. Even given this, there are very clever people out there with nothing else better to do than to try to hack into sites.

How to check for computer viruses
You should have comprehensive (updates virus signatures at least once a week - preferably daily) virus protection software installed on your computer. Here are a couple:

Norton Antivirus (I prefer this one)
McAfee Virus Scan

Protection against Spyware
Another great threat to computers is what is called spyware. These are programs that get installed to your computer and can do many things that are harmful; anywhere from saving cookies on your computer for tracking purposes, sending back information on your Internet surfing habits, and sending out credit card information on purchases you have made.

Here are a few programs that I use to prevent this from happening:
Ad-Aware, by Lavasoft
Spybot Search and Destroy

Those programs search for spyware after-the-fact, after it has been installed, and it gets rid of it.

I also use a program that monitors in real time to stop spyware from ever making it to your PC in the first place.
Spy Sweeper

I saw this article and couldn’t stop laughing. In this day and age, it’s good to laugh at the realities of life, and sometimes at ourselves a bit. Some key items from having a gay airline (from the article)...

The changes would be noticeable right away, starting with on-time departures. There wouldn’t be any, for starters. All that rushing around to get to the gate on time? Gone.

The seat selection process would change, too. It wouldn’t be about window or aisle as much as hot or not. Air Head’s Web site would show photos of booked passengers so you can make seat selections based on their looks. That way you’d up your chances for a lay-over.

The estimated time of departure would refer to the approximate time the pilots would be getting out of the shower. Air Head, like its customers, would be fashionably late.

SECURITY GUARDS WOULD be renamed “social security guards” to reflect the gregarious nature of the airline’s passengers. They’d frisk us, then put their hands against the wall and say, “Your turn.” No reason to ask if there’s a pistol in their pocket or if they’re just happy to see you. The answer is yes.

We’d spice up the in-flight magazines, too. Aisle after aisle, you’d hear flight attendants ask, “Excuse me sir, would you like to read Time, Newsweek or Inches?”

Well, you get the idea. I can just imagine Shirley Phelps, daughter of Fred Phelps (from the godhatesfags.com group that’s always demonstrating outside the funerals of gay men...) taking a flight on the airline and proclaiming, “You are abominations!” Only to be scolded by the flight attendant, “Oh pullllease honey!! You are calling us abominations with THAT hair!! I don’t think so!!!”

Enjoy the article!

I spotted this interesting little tidbit, and thought I’d share it.

“With supreme guts and righteousness, President Bush went into Iraq,” Gov. Pataki told the Republican National Convention last August. The place erupted with applause. It was all very stirring.

Almost one year later, Pataki’s son Teddy is, with supreme guts and righteousness, seeking a three-year law school deferment from the Marines, which last week commissioned the recent Yale grad as a second lieutenant.

The governor, who himself received a medical deferment during the Vietnam War because of poor eyesight, has said he hopes his son is granted the deferment. Of course he does. No doubt all the parents of New York’s nearly 100 war dead also wish their children could have gotten deferments. But they couldn’t. They got killed instead. (source)

This prompted a response from Sheryl McCarthy, a columnist for Newsday to write a piece called “Ship young Pataki straight to Iraq”.

The governor, who proudly announced last week that his son has been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marines, also noted that Teddy Pataki hopes to defer his military service for three years until he finishes law school.

Coming only days after 20-year-old Marine Cpl. Ramona Valdez of the Bronx was killed by a suicide bomber in Fallujah, to suggest that Lt. Pataki be allowed to pass the next three years studying torts and contracts seemed positively obscene.

It was another example of how politicians wage war but expect other people’s children to fight them.

She’s right. It’s not fair to the other men and women fighting in Iraq. Actually, that’s not strong enough. Fair isn’t the right word. What he’s trying to do is despicable. I could see a deferment if we weren’t at war and if we didn’t have a President shoving this war in Iraq down our throats. And to top that off, Governor George Pataki was right there with the President and other Republicans telling all of us that the war in Iraq was a just war and for the good of America, to “fight terrorism”.

Well fine. I will accept that argument. I don’t personally believe that, but I can accept that someone else would believe it. But, when someone turns around and says, (paraphrasing) “Yes, I believe in sending other people’s sons and daughters off to war to die in a foreign land, but when it comes to my child, I hope he gets a deferment for three years. Hopefully, the war will be over by then.”

Yes indeed, it is apparently true that the job of politicians is to wage war - war that other people’s children should fight.

I read this a week or so ago. I was surprised that a main stream church would do this, but was happy to see it. In some circles, what we are asking for is respected and accepted. Maybe more will follow.

On the flip side of this, the committee approved the resolution, but the church can still decide if it will formally become policy. Also, United Church of Christ churches are autonomous. This decision does not create policy for its more than 5,700 congregations.

In my own life, I’ve given up on religion. I’ve come to a decision that most people in religion don’t understand our community or have any desire to understand our community. I think what did it for me was when the local Presbyterian Church in Coventry told us that, as a couple, we would not be welcome. That was a tough one for me to deal with.

A committee of United Church of Christ representatives approved a resolution Sunday that moves the church one step closer to becoming the largest Christian denomination to endorse same-sex marriage.

The resolution supported by the UCC’s president, John H. Thomas, drew overwhelming support and was recommended for approval when the General Synod votes on it Monday.

It would specify that bisexual and transgender persons merit the same support and protections as gays and lesbians. The wording was revised Sunday, however, to included the “recognition that this resolution may not reflect the views or current understanding of all bodies within the gathered church.”

UCC churches are autonomous, meaning the leadership does not create policy for its more than 5,700 congregations. (source)

Then this came out yesterday...

Church Gives Gay Marriage the Go-Ahead - Some say it's a landmark week for civil rights.

A major church passed a resolution Monday blessing gay marriage--- but what's it mean for our area? (source)

Statement from Tony Blair
I am just going to make a short statement to you on the terrible events that have happened in London earlier today, and I hope you understand that at the present time we are still trying to establish exactly what has happened, and there is a limit to what information I can give you, and I will simply try and tell you the information as best I can at the moment.

It is reasonably clear that there have been a series of terrorist attacks in London. There are obviously casualties, both people that have died and people seriously injured, and our thoughts and prayers of course are with the victims and their families.

It is my intention to leave the G8 within the next couple of hours and go down to London and get a report, face-to-face, with the police, and the emergency services and the Ministers that have been dealing with this, and then to return later this evening.

It is the will of all the leaders at the G8 however that the meeting should continue in my absence, that we should continue to discuss the issues that we were going to discuss, and reach the conclusions which we were going to reach. Each of the countries round that table have some experience of the effects of terrorism and all the leaders, as they will indicate a little bit later, share our complete resolution to defeat this terrorism.

It is particularly barbaric that this has happened on a day when people are meeting to try to help the problems of poverty in Africa, and the long term problems of climate change and the environment. Just as it is reasonably clear that this is a terrorist attack, or a series of terrorist attacks, it is also reasonably clear that it is designed and aimed to coincide with the opening of the G8. There will be time to talk later about this.

It is important however that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world. Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilised nations throughout the world. (source)

A previously unknown group claimed responsibility on an Islamist web site in the name of al-Qaeda for this attack on London. They call themselves the “Secret Group of al-Qaeda’s Jihad in Europe”. Below is the statement they issued:

The time has come for the revenge from crusading Zionist nation of Britain a response to the massacres carried out by Britain in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The heroic Mujahedeen carried out a blessed raid in London. Britain is now burning with fear, terror and fright from the north to the south, east and west.

We warned the British government and the British people again and again.

We have fulfilled our promise and carried out a blessed military raid in Britain after hard efforts carried out by heroic Mujahedeen. The efforts went on for a long time, guaranteeing success.

We still warn the governments of Denmark, Italy and all the Crusader governments that they will meet the same fate if they don’t pull their forces out of Iraq and Afghanistan. (source)

These people are stupid. These attacks will only serve to further galvanize the resolve of free nations to fight these terror groups, where ever we are. If they were smart, they would wait it out. The war in Iraq has not gone as planned. It has not gone well, and many have have over time heavily criticized the Bush Administration for continuing in a war many believe we cannot win. In fact, it was only a few weeks ago that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld told us that we may be there for at least ten more years. Prime Minister Blair has suffered the same criticism in England.

So, it’s easy for reasonable people to become fatigued by all this fighting and loss of life. Then, this morning, London was attacked. This only adds fuel to our will to defeat these fanatics. I have to assume that they are crazy. No rational person would do such a thing.

There are just some people that I will never understand. Bush, Blair, Rumsfeld, Cheney; I understand them. I don’t agree with anything they say, for the most part, but I do understand them. The people who would do such a cowardly act of killing innocent people, and hiding behind a website, in my opinion, deserve just about anything they get. I’m sure it’s coming.

Minute-by-minute account of the events

President George W. Bush said he wouldn’t use a “litmus test” on issues such as abortion and gay marriage to fill a U.S. Supreme Court vacancy and called on special-interest “money-raising groups” to stop attacking Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, a potential nominee.

“I will pick” someone “who will strictly interpret the Constitution and not use the bench to legislate,” Bush said at a press conference after meeting with Danish Prime Minster Anders Fogh Rasmussen. (source)

The President won’t use a “litmus test” huh? It’s a good thing he has so much credibility. Otherwise, I may just wonder if he’s being totally honest about that. I’m glad he will be fair.

I was also very relieved to hear that he will pick someone who “will strictly interpret the Constitution and not use the bench to legislate”. Of course, you can read “legislate” to mean the court ruling in favor of anything he or the Christian Right doesn’t approve of.

It’s a no win situation for the court. If they do rule that denying gay couples access to marriage is unconstitutional, or that Roe v. Wade is constitutional, they will be legislating from the bench. In terms of gay marriage in the United States, we may know sooner than later. The Attorney General of California has asked the Supreme Court to rule on the issue of keeping marriage out of the reach of gay couples.

We live in interesting times.

We had a great weekend! It was restful and it was nice to not have to do anything or go anywhere, until Monday afternoon.

We went to a friends house for a Fourth of July party. There were probably fifty people there in all. Many were students, since the host of the party is a university professor.

For our part, we took baked beans, a pasta salad, and the extremely rich semi-sweet chocolate torte. This torte has 16 ounces of Verona chocolate, six eggs, two sticks of butter, and ONLY one tablespoon of flour! It’s very rich.

When we got to the party, I was not prepared for the reception I would receive. Several people looked at me and said, “Bill!! Oh my God, look at you!!!” I’m thinking, “ummmm ok??”... all the while checking to see that my zipper was up. Then, they said, “You look great! You’ve lose so much weight!” That made me feel really good, although I don’t really think about it anymore. I actually lost the weight some time ago. I just hadn’t seen them since. In all, I’ve lost 30 pounds (and counting). I have about 10 or so more to go before I’ll be happy.

Then, I had to have a piece of that chocolate torte. Tonight, I will be working it off in the gym.

I hope everyone had a great Fourth of July weekend!

I think the times that came before us have only served to prepare us for the amount of sacrafice and fighting we’re going to have to do to survive.

Not just these next four years, because George Bush will go away in four years. But the infrastructure that created George Bush, that sustains George Bush, that keeps this ignorance ignited in hatred, is prepared to go on.

Virginia Apuzzo, former assistant to President Clinton, and former Director of the National Lesbian and Gay Task Force

A bill to eliminate an extra tax burden on thousands of same-sex couples has been re-filed in Congress after dying last year.

The Domestic Partner Health Benefits Equity Act would treat gay and lesbian couples in the same way as opposite sex married couples for the purposes of partner benefits.

The number of companies offering domestic partner benefits is growing rapidly but those taking advantage of it are hit with higher taxes.

This bill, filed by Sen. Gordon H. Smith (R-Ore.) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), would amend the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) to treat those companies and their employees fairly.

Under current law if a gay man makes $40,000 a year and his partner’s insurance is valued at $200 a month, he actually will be taxed on $42,400 at the end of the year.

By comparison, a married person covering his or her spouse in the same situation would be taxed on only the $40,000. (source)

I give the chances of this bill being passed into law about the same as a snowball surviving in Hell. At least it’s being introduced, and that is something I suppose.

It’s been a nice and quiet weekend so far. Last weekend, in contract, was hectic, hot, humid, and exhausting. We were in Washington, D.C. This weekend, we are at home, and I had forgotten just how peaceful and serene our home is. When you live here, you take it for granted.

We live out in the country in a neighborhood where the houses are far apart. It’s more like the country than having a bunch of neighbors around you. And most of the time, no one is around.

Yesterday, we went to Monet’s Table for brunch, then off to Comp USA to get some gadget that Kent just couldn’t live without. Well, they didn’t have Kent’s gadget, but we did drive away with was an Epson professional-quality printer. It actually allows me to print onto professional photo quality paper my digital photos. It’s the same paper the professional service uses on line and it looks every bit as good.

This is why I hate going to places like Comp USA or Best Buy. We usually end up buying something that we just can’t live without, which, for us, always seems to be quite expensive.

So now, I’m sure I will be able to fill my walls with photos from different places and different trips, and process them right here in my home. The only problem is the cost of the frames. I’ll have to do more research on some place to buy quality but less expensive frames.

After we got home, Kent had to go to campus. I spent the afternoon reading out on the deck. I closed my eyes to just listen. I could hear a gentle breeze through the trees, with the sounds of birds singing all around. I opened my eyes and look at the bank surrounding my back yard and see all the wildflowers growing. The only thing missing is a nice glass of very chilled Chardonnay, which I quickly remedy by visiting the kitchen.

I return to the deck, sipping on my wine, reading, listening, and before I know it, I’m waking up with the book in my lap from a nap. I fell asleep while reading apparently.

I got up and it was mid afternoon. I put some bread in to cook for dinner. I was making Kent a nice dinner and was going to surprise him. I made polenta with fresh basil, rosemary, garlic, and other herbs, then baked it for 20 minutes until firm. After it cooled, I cut it into triangle-shaped pieces, and put it aside.

So last night, we grilled fillet mignon, and we had the polenta, which we also grilled (it was awesome). After dinner, Kent had to go back to the office to finish something. I cleaned up dinner, and spent my evening watching The Marriage of Figaro (opera). It was nice, although I’m sure some reading this will think, “My God, he’s boring.” Well, maybe I am, but as I grow older, the finer things in life are more important to me.

We just finished breakfast an hour or so ago. I’m about to leave for the gym. It’s sad but true, but I’m one of those people who have to really work at staying thin(ner). So, off to the gym it is.

Tomorrow, we are going to a Fourth of July party at a friends house. We go most every year. It’s usually quite a bit of fun. We see old friends there, and it’s the kind of party where we can be ourselves and not worry about judgment. They are mostly people from the university who know us, and are educated and enlightened people. Should be fun.

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court and a key swing vote on issues such as abortion and the death penalty, said Friday she is retiring.

O’Connor, 75, said she expects to leave before the start of the court’s next term in October, or whenever the Senate confirms her successor. There was no immediate word from the White House on who might be nominated to replace O’Connor. [...]

O’Connor’s appointment came amid speculation that the aging court would soon have a vacancy. But speculation has most recently focused on Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, 80, and suffering from thyroid cancer. Rehnquist has offered no public clue as to his plans. [...]

Possible replacements include Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales... [...]

As a “swing voter,” however, O’Connor sometimes votes with more liberal colleagues. (source)

This is bad news indeed. I was hoping that one of the more conservative judges would retire, such as Justice Rehnquist. His replacement would mean a status quo for the court. With O’Connor gone, and undoubtedly replaced with someone much more conservative, the court will soon be a very right-leaning court.

This from Matt Foreman, Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

This is a sad day for the Supreme Court and for America. Justice O’Connor has frequently been an essential vote and voice of reason in crucial decisions involving basic constitutional rights. We call upon President Bush not to capitulate to the demands of extremists, and nominate a successor who will -- like Justice O’Connor -- be driven by the law, not reactionary ideology.

We also call upon the president to honor the advice and consent role the Constitution gives the Senate in the nomination and confirmation of Supreme Court nominees, including meaningful consultation with both parties and supporting a thoughtful, deliberate and thorough review of the nominee’s record.