Hunter Parish in "Spring Awakening"

I love this show-- this was my 3rd time seeing it. I was eager to see
Hunter (from "Weeds" on Showtime) in the lead. He was INCREDIBLY GRACIOUS at the stage door (always a plus in my book). He was amused when we asked him to sign this pic from the Internet using the 'Scribble' App on my iPhone.

Another AMAZING movie!

I absolutely loved The Reader. It is erotic, moving, disturbing, touching. I appreciate movies that make me literally feel the emotion welling up inside me.

Kate Winslet is one of my top-5 favorite actresses. It's her turn!

Merry Christmas

I received this link and thought it was quite cute... I couldn't help but smile, even in my "bah-humbug" state of mind this year. I definitely have not been in my "happy place," but I have a nice relaxing vacation coming up, and I plan to take myself away and give myself a good attitude adjustment.

B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T Movie!

"Slumdog Millionaire"

Please go see this movie!

Such a creative and compelling story about destiny and overcoming the odds to build a life for yourself when the world seems to be stacking the cards against you!

Happy Holidays

This is the Christmas card I got from my friend RonDeena. Best card ever!

This is the free sticker I got from MoveOn.org.

Liza's at the Palace

What a treat to see a living legend! Everything I have ever heard about Liza (and her mother) and her ability to absolutely give herself to an audience was so true! I was mezmerized from the first entrance, and through MULTIPLE standing ovations throughout the show! Brilliant!

Candace Bergen, Lea Delaria, and John McDaniel were the celebrities I saw up close in the audience. I'm sure there were more.

Life Soundtrack

I'm compiling a list of songs that would be on my "Life Soundtrack." Here's what I have so far.

I Know Your So Well (Harry Connick Jr.)
And You Tell Me (a-ha)
Cherish (Madonna)
Power Of Two (Indigo Girls)
Vogue (Madonna)
Billie Jean (Michael Jackson)
True Colors (Cyndi Lauper)
Be Good Johnny (Men at Work)
Who Can It Be Now? (Men at Work)
Down Under (Men at Work)
Don't Worry, Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin)
Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)
The Lion Sleeps Tonight (The Nylons)
West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys)
Triad (Jefferson Airplane)
Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkle)
Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order)
The Voice Of Enigma (Enigma)
Sadeness / Find Love / Sadeness (Enigma)
I'm The Only One (Melissa Etheridge)
Scarecrow (Melissa Etheridge)
Come To My Window (Melissa Etheridge)
People Are People (Depeche Mode)
Keep It Precious (Melissa Etheridge)
Luck be a Lady (Frank Sinatra)
I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston)
Angel (Sarah McLachlan)
Here You Come Again (Dolly Parton)
Me and Little Andy (Dolly Parton)
Calling All Angels (k.d. lang)
Why? (Bronski Beat)
Star (Erasure)
Little Shop Of Horrors (Prologue) (LSOH Soundtrack)
Suddenly, Seymour (LSOH Soundtrack)
Kiss From A Rose (Seal)
Finally (CeCe Peniston)
Gonna Make You Sweat/Everybody Dance Now (C + C Music Factory)
Supermodel/You Better Work (RuPaul)
Don't Cry For Me, Argentina- Disco Version (Madonna)
Make Your Own Kind of Music (Mama Cass)
Love Shack (The B-52's)
Tainted Love (Soft Cell)
The Colors of My Life Barnum Soudtrack)
Where Is Love? (Oliver Soundtrack)
Consider Yourself (Oliver Soundtrack)
Here Comes The Rain Again (Eurythmics)
Sweet Dreams (Eurythmics)
Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler)
Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers)
If You Leave (OMD)
Pandora's Box (OMD)
Don't You Forget About Me (Simple Minds)
Things Can Only Get Better (Howard Jones)
Careless Whisper (Wham!)
One Night in Bangkok (Chess Soundtrack)
Suddenly (Billy Ocean)
Forever (Kenny Loggins)
Danny's Song (Loggins and Mecina)
Open Arms Journey)
Walking On Broken Glass (Annie Lennox)
Hallelujah (k.d. lang)
Constant Craving (k.d. lang)
Careless Whisper (Wham!)

Snuggle time

My Little Buddy

Paw Prints on the Punkin Pie

As I was cutting into a pumpkin pie today, I flashed back to a long-
ago Thanksgiving when mom made the pies to take to a family friend's
house for dinner. We woke up to find a kitty paw print in the one and
only pumpkin pie.

It's amazing what you can hide with well-placed whipped cream. We
were sworn to secrecy, and no one was the wiser.

Sent from my iPhone

I am downright GIDDY about this!

Purple Heart

Honk if you want to stop the H8

DEMONSTRATION AGAINST PROPOSITION 8 IN CALIFORNIA, HELD ON THE HIGHWAY IN FRONT OF HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY.

Lots of honking with scattered "Drop dead you fucking faggots!"

Fleeing Heart

When I tried to take this photo, the wind blew and it started to fly
away like it was running from me, almost like it was teasing me. It
gave me a good chuckle.

Keith Olberman on Prop 8

THANK YOU, MR. OLBERMAN!

We have NOT reached the end of racism

Airport Heart, New Orleans

Willie Mae's Scotch House

I heard a radio piece about this place on All Things Considered on NPR over the summer and decided to check it out while I was in New Orleans this past week on business.

Let me tell you, the hype is worth it! You would never believe it from the outside (see below-- yes, that is a current picture, taken just after I ate inside, NOT after the hurricane as one would think). It was the best fried chicken EVER! It's worth seeking out when you're in the area.

Here's the link to the print version of the story.

The French Quarter at Night

"You Can Forget My Taxes" by Melissa Etheridge

Singer Melissa Etheridge rails against the passage of the gay-marriage ban in California—and she won't be paying the state a dime.

from the The Daily Beast

Okay. So Prop 8 passed. Alright, I get it. 51% of you think that I am a second class citizen. Alright then. So my wife, uh I mean, roommate? Girlfriend? Special lady friend? You are gonna have to help me here because I am not sure what to call her now. Anyways, she and I are not allowed the same right under the state constitution as any other citizen. Okay, so I am taking that to mean I do not have to pay my state taxes because I am not a full citizen. I mean that would just be wrong, to make someone pay taxes and not give them the same rights, sounds sort of like that taxation without representation thing from the history books.

Okay, cool I don't mean to get too personal here but there is a lot I can do with the extra half a million dollars that I will be keeping instead of handing it over to the state of California. Oh, and I am sure Ellen will be a little excited to keep her bazillion bucks that she pays in taxes too. Wow, come to think of it, there are quite a few of us fortunate gay folks that will be having some extra cash this year. What recession? We're gay! I am sure there will be a little box on the tax forms now single, married, divorced, gay, check here if you are gay, yeah, that's not so bad. Of course all of the waiters and hairdressers and UPS workers and gym teachers and such, they won't have to pay their taxes either.
Oh and too bad California, I know you were looking forward to the revenue from all of those extra marriages. I guess you will have to find some other way to get out of the budget trouble you are in.

…Really?

When did it become okay to legislate morality? I try to envision someone reading that legislation "eliminates the right" and then clicking yes. What goes through their mind? Was it the frightening commercial where the little girl comes home and says, "Hi mom, we learned about gays in class today" and then the mother gets that awful worried look and the scary music plays? Do they not know anyone who is gay? If they do, can they look them in the face and say "I believe you do not deserve the same rights as me"? Do they think that their children will never encounter a gay person? Do they think they will never have to explain the 20% of us who are gay and living and working side by side with all the citizens of California?

I got news for them, someday your child is going to come home and ask you what a gay person is. Gay people are born everyday. You will never legislate that away.
I know when I grew up gay was a bad word. Homo, lezzie, faggot, dyke. Ignorance and fear ruled the day. There were so many "thems" back then. The blacks, the poor ... you know, "them". Then there was the immigrants. "Them.” Now the them is me.

I tell myself to take a breath, okay take another one, one of the thems made it to the top. Obama has been elected president. This crazy fearful insanity will end soon. This great state and this great country of ours will finally come to the understanding that there is no "them". We are one. We are united. What you do to someone else you do to yourself. That "judge not, lest ye yourself be judged" are truthful words and not Christian rhetoric.
Today the gay citizenry of this state will pick themselves up and dust themselves off and do what we have been doing for years. We will get back into it. We love this state, we love this country and we are not going to leave it. Even though we could be married in Mass. or Conn, Canada, Holland, Spain and a handful of other countries, this is our home. This is where we work and play and raise our families. We will not rest until we have the full rights of any other citizen. It is that simple, no fearful vote will ever stop us, that is not the American way.

Come to think of it, I should get a federal tax break too...

Melissa Etheridge is an Academy Award-winning and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter.

Pulse Park

Watch the video and then click on this link to learn more about Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Pulse Park installation at Madison Square Park in NYC. AMAZING!

Keeping Watch

Doesn't this look like Eyore is watching Cootie while she sleeps?!

(I swear this wasn't posed! Eyore sometimes sits on the back of my couch-- I guess one of the cats knocked him off and onto the edge of the kitty bed. SO SWEET!)

The Big Apple at Night

Little Red Heart

Politics, Palin, and Project Runway!

My new friend Brooke turned me on to this PERFECT analysis from the Huffington Post. Check it out:

WHY HEIDI KLUM SHOULD MODERATE THE DEBATE

Perfect!

Dear Red States

Source: Unknown (received by email)

Dear Red States,

We’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we’re taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren’t aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood. We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom. We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss. We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition’s, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms. Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their children’s caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we’re not willing to spend our resources in Bush’s Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent of the country’s fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95 percent of America’s quality wines, 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT. With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia. We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38 percent of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
Finally, we’re taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,
Blue States

Los Vivancos Flamenco Dancers

"Rent" Final Performance and After-party

RENT star reminds students there's no day but today - News

RENT star reminds students there's no day but today - News (click for article)

Constitutional Ammendment

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO VIEW LARGER

And another

As I was telling someone the story of the hearts, I looked down and
this one was laying on the corner at our feet! We both got a chill!

"Color Me Blue" Heart

The Heaviest Element Known to Science

Lawrence Livermore Laboratories has discovered the heaviest element yet known to science.

The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact. A tiny amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second, to take from 4 days to 4 years to complete.

Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2- 6 years. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.

In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes.

This characteristic of morons promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.

When catalysed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

Source: Unknown (but they are brilliant)

Palin is an International Embarrassment

Friday October 3 2008

From:
Michelle Goldberg
guardian.co.uk <http://guardian.co.uk/>

Flirting her way to victory?

Sarah Palin's Farcical Debate Performance Lowered the Standards for both Female Candidates and US Political Discourse.

At least three times last night, Sarah Palin, the adorable, preposterous vice-presidential candidate, winked at the audience. Had a male candidate with a similar reputation for attractive vapidity made such a brazen attempt to flirt his way into the good graces of the voting public, it would have been universally noted, discussed and mocked. Palin, however, has single handedly so lowered the standards both for female candidates and American political discourse that, with her newfound ability to speak in more-or-less full sentences, she is now deemed to have performed acceptably last night.

By any normal standard, including the ones applied to male presidential candidates of either party, she did not. Early on, she made the astonishing announcement that she had no intentions of actually answering the queries put to her. 'I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also,' she said. And so she preceded, with an almost surreal disregard for the subjects she was supposed to be discussing, to unleash fusillades of scripted attack lines, platitudes, lies, gibberish and grating references to her own pseudo-folksy authenticity.

It was an appalling display. The only reason it was not widely described as such is that too many American pundits don't even try to judge the truth, wisdom or reasonableness of the political rhetoric they are paid to pronounce upon. Instead, they imagine themselves as interpreters of a mythical mass of 'average Americans' who they both venerate and despise.

In pronouncing upon a debate, they don't try and determine whether a candidate's responses correspond to existing reality, or whether he or she is capable of talking about subjects such as the deregulation of the financial markets or the devolution of the war in Afghanistan. The criteria are far more vaporous. In this case, it was whether Palin could avoid utterly humiliating herself for 90 minutes, and whether urbane commentators would believe that she had connected to a public that they see as ignorant and sentimental. For the Alaska governor, mission accomplished.

There is indeed something mesmerising about Palin, with her manic beaming and fulsome confidence in her own charm. The force of her personality managed to slightly obscure the insulting emptiness of her answers last night. It's worth reading the transcript of the encounter, where it becomes clearer how bizarre much of what she said was. Here, for example,is how she responded to Biden's comments about how the middle class has been short-changed during the Bush administration, and how McCain will continue Bush's policies:

“Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced [sic] your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future. You mentioned education, and I'm glad you did. I know education you are passionate about with your wife being a teacher for 30 years, and god bless her. Her reward is in heaven, right? My brother, who I think is the best schoolteacher in the year, and here's a shout-out to all those third graders at Gladys Wood Elementary School, you get extra credit for watching the debate.”

Evidently, Palin's pre-debate handlers judged her incapable of speaking on a fairly wide range of subjects, and so instructed to her to simply disregard questions that did not invite memorised talking points or cutesy filibustering. They probably told her to play up her spunky average-ness, which she did to the point of shtick - and dishonesty.

Asked what her achilles heel is - a question she either didn't understand or chose to ignore - she started in on how McCain chose her because of her 'connection to the heartland of America. Being a mom, one very concerned about a son in the war, about a special needs child, about kids heading off to college, how are we going to pay those tuition bills?'

None of Palin's children, it should be noted, is heading off to college. Her son is on the way to Iraq, and her pregnant 17-year-old daughter is engaged to be married to a high-school dropout and self-described 'fuckin' redneck'.

Palin is a woman who can't even tell the truth about the most quotidian and public details of her own life, never mind about matters of major public import. In her only vice-presidential debate, she was shallow, mendacious and phoney. What kind of maverick, after all, keeps harping on what a maverick she is? That her performance was considered anything but a farce doesn't show how high Palin has risen, but how low we all have sunk.
Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008

A Link from the The American Prospect

- A Link for you from The American Prospect -

Dear Jma blog,

Jonathan (jmartin@marfan.org) wants you to see this page, http://www.prospect.org:80//cs/articles;jsessionid=aOj0pY-DgD0-Sqie6Y?article=palins_record_on_violence_against_women on The American Prospect.

The sender also included the following message for you:

(Note: the sender's e-mail address above has not been verified.)

Heart on a Boat

Found this one volunteering for an event on a boat called the "Queen of Hearts."

Equus on Broadway

Snapped this shot from my iPhone before the show started.

Having audience members seated above the up-stage side was brilliant. It was as if they were sitting in judgment of the characters in the play.

Amazing show! Great staging, powerful performances by Richard Griffiths and Daniel Radcliffe!

Tragedy in Tanzania

From my dear friend and colleague Rick Guidotti, currently in Tanzania speaking out about a despicable assault on human rights:

Here is the information about the trip to Tanzania and why we are going with the link to the petition. We need lots of signatures. Thank you so much for your support.
Love, Rick

We write to advise you of disturbing human rights violations against people with albinism in Tanzania that call out for action by the genetic community and ask for a few minutes of your time to make a difference.

Recent reports from Tanzania published by BBC News, New York Times and the Washington Post tell of the murders of persons with albinism, including children, on the orders of witchdoctors peddling the belief that potions made from the legs, hair, hands, and blood of people with albinism can make a person rich.

In mid-October, Positive Exposure's Rick Guidotti (http://www.blogger.com/www.positiveexposure.org) will be traveling to Tanzania in partnership with Under the Same Sun
(http://www.blogger.com/www.underthesamesun.com) to collaborate with national and local government officials, authorities and interests groups to develop effective strategies to end these crimes against humanity.

Please sign the online petition which the team will present to the government of Tanzania. We need 10,000 signatures for this to be effective.
http://www.underthesamesun.com/petitions.php

This petition will also let the albinism community in Tanzania know that they are NOT ALONE and that many throughout the world are standing with them in defense of their fundamental human right to safety, security and freedom.

Positive Exposure is a non-profit organization that challenges stigma associated with difference by celebrating the richness and beauty of human diversity.

Here is a link to the NY Times Story...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/world/africa/08albino.html

Ty Tag

McCain Women's Clinic

Be afraid, be VERY afraid!

Across Cliques and Clubs and Classes

Adrienne Hurley, and old friend from high school, and I reconnected a while back after 20ish years. We pretty much stay in touch now through each other's blogs. Hers is much more oriented on political activism than mine, which focuses more on pop-culture observations and what's happening in my own life. Adrienne was always the one to stir things up in high-school, marching to the beat of her own drum, to the admiration of people across cliques and clubs and classes. She's a good person to know--- she forces thought, and respects action. There should be more people like her. Fierce and unwavering in her convictions, refusing to conform to the expected.

Anyway, I got a kick out one of her recent posts about Sarah Palin and wanted to share it here... (scroll down to the bottom of her post for the photos.)

ABC News Coverage of Palin Book Banning Inquiry

"RENT Live" Movie Trailer

Fantastic book. Oprah did an interview with McCarthy that was pretty interesting. You can find it, and info about the book on her Book Club page for The Road.

McCarthy's writing style took a little getting used to, but there is something about it that lingers in your mind after you put it down.

It requires the reader to stay focused on the words or you'll miss profound passages before you realize it, so make sure you commit when you sit down to read. It's not something you want to read when you may find your mind wandering.

It's what I want a book to be, but my next read will be something a little more light.

I'm eager to see what they do with the movie.

1988 Paul Hunt Gymnastics Comedy Beam Routine

Very funny! Thanks for sending me the link, Steve!

Lipstick On A Pig

Ok, ok. Barack Obama has crossed the line with the "Lipstick on a Pig" comment. I don't think I can vote for him any more. Watch the above video to see my new candidate... It comes abotu 35 seconds in.

GIVE IT A REST PEOPLE! Is McCain really so senile that he will get all outraged about Barack's "lipstick" comment when he said the same thing about Hillary last year? REALLY?!?!

Obama 2008!!!

RENT Podcast from Playbill.com

Heart in the John

Cindy McCain on Palin's Internatioinal Experience

Really?!??!

It's Not her Lack of Experience...

I think that it could be argued that NOBODY is "ready" for the job of POTUS. It's about leadership and motivation and being able to surround yourself with trustworthy and intelligent advisors.

What I hate about her is her demonstrated ultra conservative social platform. I despise almost everything she stands for.

Dad said that if the liberal media continues all the unjust and irrelevant coverage of Sarah Palin, it will only serve to mobilize the republican base. Ummm... I think that was the point in McCain's choosing her as a running mate. It is a direct move to pander to the extreme right. And I am pretty sure that it will also serve to moblize liberals AND pull moderate voters away from the republican ticket. (Cross your fingers!) I can't believe that a year ago I could be overheard (apparently in a moment of weakness) whispering that I could almost consider looking at McCain as a reasonable choice, although I was still pretty firmly planted in the hope for a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket.

From MoveOn.org:

Did you watch Sarah Palin's speech last night? The speech told us a lot
about her.

It told us that she can distort the facts and deliver mean-spirited zingers
with the best of them.

It told us that if Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter ever need a stand-in, she'd
be a great pick.

It told us that she can be condescending and dismissive of the real work
Barack Obama did helping real people on the South Side of Chicago. It told us
that she can uphold the long Republican tradition of lying about Democratic tax
cuts—even though Obama's plan would give Americans a bigger break than
McCain's.

But the speech—written by one of President Bush's speechwriters—didn't tell
us the truth about Sarah Palin's extremist positions. And the more that people
know her far-right views, the less they support her. (There's a partial list
below.)

Palin's speech and the reaction to it also made clear why McCain picked
her. It wasn't a decision about who's most qualified to serve a heart-beat away
from the presidency—it was a political decision about pleasing the far-right
base of the Republican party.

Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even
admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted
saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much
on the war in Iraq." 1, 2

Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence
Party. Six months ago,
Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from
the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she
called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3

Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear
whether she thinks evolution is a fact. 4

Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking
about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to
being manmade." 5

Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6

Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the
case of rape or incest. 7

Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will
only support abstinence-only approaches. 8

As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the
library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate
language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time,
"news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not
giving "full support" to the mayor." 9

She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin
claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere.
But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should
take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong
position to assist." 10

The plain fact of the matter is that Sarah Palin did a bang-up job
delivering a Karl Rove-style political attack speech last night. That makes her
a skilled politician but it doesn't make her views any more palatable for
voters. Americans don't really want another far-right, anti-science ideologue in
the White House.

P.S. If you haven't seen it, check out the Daily Show clip on Palin. It's
worth a watch http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24753&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=5
(I've also embedded it in my earlier Jon Stewart post).

Sources
1. "Palin: Iraq war 'a task that is from God'," Associated
Press, September 3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24701&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=6
2. "Palin wasn't 'really focused much' on the Iraq war,"
ThinkProgress, August 30, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24702&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=7
3. "The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
4. "McCain and Palin differ on issues," Associated Press, September
3, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24703&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=8
5. Ibid
6. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4,
2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/
7. Ibid
8. Ibid.
9. "Mayor Palin: A Rough Record," Time,
September 2, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=24704&id=13701-6654264-slYE0Qx&t=9
10. The Sarah Palin Digest," ThinkProgress, September 4, 2008 http://thinkprogress.org/palin-digest/

Jon Stewart Lets Their Own Words Demonstrate the Hypocrisy

Jon Stewart is FU%*ING B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T

Campbell Brown Interviews Tucker Bounds on Sarah Palin

Dad said in an email:
"By the way, did you see Campbell Brown's near meltdown on CNN? She was so livid that she was not getting the answer she wanted that she was practically spitting. (she was hissing!)."

Really? I kinda think he made a fool of himself and McCain by not answering the question. I have posted a poll about this above. Share your opinion.

New Pics of My Kids

Cootie

Scutter

Sarah Palin: War in Iraq is God's Plan

It's all "God's Plan....".
Whew! I feel so much better now!

Let's be very clear...

Sarah and her husband, Todd Palin, issued a statement saying they are "proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents."

"Decision?!" Doesn't "decision" imply that there was choice involved? Sarah Palin is adamantly anti-abortion. Even more estreme in her stance that McCain. This poor girl never had a choice. I resent the fact that Sarah Palin is even suggesting that her 17 yo daughter had any options. You don't get to be an extreme opponent of abortion rights and then insist that you support your pregnant unwed 17yo daughter's "choice."

Addendum: 9/4/08-- last night Jon Stewart pretty much made the same case point by point on his show (almost as if he read my blog first--- lol, doubt it). He said it's unreasonable of her to state that her daughter's pregnancy is a private family matter and then go to work on policy that takes away that same right to privacy from the rest of Americans. BAM! That's it in a nutshell! Go Jon, GO! I posted the link to the video clip above.


And looking back now, the "deer in the headlights" look on this poor girl's face standing on the stage masking her pregnancy by holding her "little brother" as her mother stood before America being introduced for the first time as McCain's running mate makes perfect sense. She was terrified about what she knew was coming.


And what about the boy? I saw this interesting tidbit about him on the NBC news last night, and found the quotes they used on the Huffington Post, among other places. "On his MySpace page, Levi Johnston boasts, 'I'm a f - - -in' redneck' who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes. But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some s- - - and just f - - -in' chillin' I guess. Ya f - - - with me I'll kick [your] ass," he added. He also claims to be "in a relationship," but states, "I don't want kids." Interestingly, the MySpace page is no longer available.

He sounds like a typical teen, lookin to hang with his buds and get a little tail when he can. Now he finds himself being dragged off to Minneapolis to be trotted out in front of the RNC as the noble unexpected soon-to-be father who is doing the "right thing" and marrying his knocked-up girlfriend. Yeah, SURE they were already planning on getting married! The awkward images of them "posing" for the distant cameras holding hands and waiting to get on the plane to head to the convention say it all. This kid is STUCK!


But let's get back to the original issue. I am anti-abortion as well. I think it's fair to say that most "pro-choice" people are anti-abortion. But I am not arrogant and foolish enough to say that there aren't times when terminating an unplanned pregnancy is a better option. And the self-righteous, indignant SOBs who oppose abortion AND birth control AND comprehensive sexuality education have NO BUSINESS making this choice for others!


If we would spend a little more time addressing the issue of PREVENTING UNWANTED PREGNANCY IN THE FIRST PLACE, this would be a NON-issue! So for this reason, the story of this pregnancy (and believe me when I say that I think there is much more to the story than we will ever know, or even have a right to know...) is NOT off limits.

Fromcaglepost.com:

"Of-course, the cartoon isn't about the daughter, it is about the Palin's opposition to birth control and sex education in schools, and her "abstinence only" stance. Social conservatives like to make the point that 'abstinence' as birth control "always works," but realists can see that 'abstinence-only' sex education works only as well as it did with Palin's daughter."

I am hearing a lot of people criticize Palin as a mother for "missing the abstinance talk" that she promotes. I don't thin kthat's the case at all. I don't question that she is a good mother. I don't question her ability to juggle the career and the job. NOT AN ISSUE as far as I am concerned. However, the point to be made is that her "abstinance only" stance to birth control is misguided. Parents are in a total state of denial. Telling your child you don't want them to have sex does NOT MAKE IT SO!!!!!! Doe we need any more proof?!?!??

Out of Nowhere...

This appeared on my mousepad. It wasn't there. I left my office and came back and there it was...

PITA

PITA enjoying the 100 degree heat (a cool day in Phoenix).

WTF?!

Ummm... I replaced my flip-flops with sneakers before getting out of the car to pee at this rest stop between Phoenix and Tucson...

That Special Touch

I 've been spending time at Solo Cafe Coffe and Tea House in Tempe, next door to Altered Ego Salon where my brother works. I've never seen a barrista make pretty designs in the foam of a latte before, but apparently it's a sign a well made gourmet coffee! As Coop would say, "Now that's a damn fine cuppa joe." (10 points if you can name the reference...)

I'm being treated well in tempe. :)

Beyond Handicapped Spots

Wow...

Matt's Buns

NOT what it looks like!
Matthew is making garlic buns.

RENT contest #2

Woo HOO!!! I didn't win this contest, but I'm very happy with their choice. I made a Flip video of my computer playing the announcement video (posted below), or Click here to go to the actual link at Broadway.com of Anthony Rapp, Daphne Ruben Vega, and Adam Pascal talking about their choice. I got a pretty awesome mention about 3:30 minutes in! :)