I Should Be Laughing

Indiana Wants To Teach Creationsim

2012-01-30T18:00:00.000-05:00

Up there around Nutwood Junction way, the Indiana legislature is moving ahead with a bill that would allow creationism to be taught alongside other theories in the state's public school system.
Creationism, a theory with origins in the Bible's Book of Genesis, suggests that divine power created man, animal, and all earthly matters. The idea is an opposing view to the science-based theory of evolution. If the bill passes, Indiana school districts will have the option to include creationism as part of science courses.
Oops, they almost had me.
See, I'm not a big believer in Creationism, but, hey, if that's your bag, then, well, good for you. And, i don't really mind the idea of teaching the theory of Creationism in school.
As a theory. But don't call it a science, and teach it alongside science.
Creationism is not science. Evolution is science. There is fact to back up evolution. We can actually see evolution. Now, some folks say you can see Creationism, too, though it isn't based in fact, but rather, it's based in belief. In faith.
Belief is not science. Faith is not science.
Creationism is not science.
You wanna teach Creationism to those who wish to learn about it, then go ahead. Just don't called it science.
Unless you call it science fiction.

source

Just For Giggles: The Wicked Witch Of The West

2012-01-30T15:00:00.000-05:00

The Gay Marriage Question

2012-01-30T12:00:00.001-05:00

Carolann McLoughlin, a writer and editor from New Jersey and New York, decided to pose a question for which she, and I, for that matter,m have never received an adequate answer:

"What does marriage equality for all citizens of this country/state say about your marriage?"

She still doesn't have an answer because, most of the people who responded were already in favor of equality, and those who are against it, spoke of everything but the question asked. Here are some of the answers she received along with a little response from me:

"The act of homosexuality is an abomination and sin many times over."

Doesn't answer the question at all. Naturally.

"Why do you feel entitled to enjoy the benefits of marriage when you have proclaimed the basis for this marriage is based on being a homosexual? Why should everyone be forced to confer legitimacy on that which is historically against human nature? You are completely free to live your life as you see fit; but don't try and proclaim that everyone must accept your definition of what normal is. Have a really great day, unless you have made other plans!"

Again, that's an opinion about gay folks, but not an answer to the question at hand.

"May you know no peace in this life."

Ouch. For asking a question?

"At the end of every speech that an American president makes he says, ‘God Bless the United States of America’. The law of this land is that God rules here and not the deviants who support homosexuality."

Actually, the country is not run by God's law, so this non-answer is moot.

"A pox on you and your house!"

And she apparently also heard from a time traveler who flew in from the 1600s. Who says 'pox' any more?

"You and all like you will burn in hell for eternity."

Ah, a lovely Christian sentiment, from someone who missed that part of the Bible about judging folks.
Carolann McLoughlin noted that aside "from nasty comments and quotes from the Bible, no one ever answered the question" though supporters of separation of church and state and/or marriage equality were able to form a coherent thought and respond to the actual question at hand:

"As far as I can determine, no one has ever come up with a valid reason to oppose same sex marriage. First, all religious arguments are invalid. We have separation of church & state, so what the bible or any other religious document says must not be considered. Religious institutions can make any rules they want for their members, but they cannot affect others, so no one should even bring them up.Second, whatever anyone else, gay or straight, does in their marriage has no affect whatever on my marriage. Third, the institution of marriage is under attack by many factors, such as divorce, cohabitation etc. Gay marriage is not one of them."

For the record, Carolann McLoughlin is a Christian, and a gay woman, which is why she posed the question in the first place. But, she was a bit taken aback, I assume, as one might be, to hear some of the views expressed by those who call themselves 'Christian':

I heard a Catholic bishop say, “Heaven help us if gay marriage is approved.”
I watched the evening news in horror as Christians lined the streets in protest bearing signs and posters that said horrible un-Christian-like things at the funeral of an American soldier who gave his life for his country. The chants include rants that state that this death is God’s punishment for homosexuality. This act has been repeated on several occasions.
Christian people show up in Trenton to protest the passing of a marriage equality law and many of the accusations shouted at those in favor are cruel and repulsive. Not really ‘Christian behavior’.
I have witnessed or been the recipient of dubious behavior on the part of many Christians who condemn me because of who I am.

It looks like Carolann McLoughlin never got an answer. At least not from those who don't support marriage equality. And why do you think that is? I mean, if you firmly believe something is wrong, bad for society, ruinous to your own matrimonial union, you'd be able to come up with one coherent reason.
One that doesn't involve telling gay folks to burn in hell.

Carolann McLoughlin 's full article HERE.

Outstanding Guest Comment Of The Week: The Mistress and My, Um, Boner

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Quite the week here at ISBL, with a plethora of posts, good, bad, indifferent, and snarky. So, let's get right to awarding this week's coveted....coveted?....ISBL Outstanding Guest Comment of the Week:

One more week, and another young soul lost forever because, in one brief moment, they decided they couldn't take it. So, we're left with Another One: Phillip Parker:

Frank said...
We need a memorial, something akin to the AIDS Quilt for these children and young men and women who die with the taunts of bullies ringing in their ears. But the sad thing is we shouldn't need one.

Do you really have to go to school to become a doctor? And, if you do, its it at all ethical to sell your soul to a right-wing-nut conservative "news" channel? it must be, because "Doctor" Keith Ablow Goosesteps For FauxNews:

Beth [Missus Bucko] said...

As I commented when another friend posted this on Facebook, this guy blows. (Get it?) :D

Bucko (a.k.a., Ken) [Mister Beth] said...

After reading this, I had to drain my beer and go get another. I despise sanctimonious bastards like this!

S'A said...
During my drinking days, I drank because it was fun! And I went to Church regularly. (sometimes with a hangover). Now I don't drink, and I don't go to Church. Wonder what he would make of that?!

I missed saying this in the post, but I have a kinda crush on this governor, so I was pleased to hear that Maryland Governor O'Malley Pushes For Equality Again:

Wonder Man said...
hoping for the best

I sent out some Just For Giggles fun with a post about the ability to read backwards and what talent it is....not:

truthspew said...
bɹo˙ʇxǝʇdıןɟ ʇnoqɐ ʍouʞ sn ɟo ǝɯos 'ǝǝs ˙ʇuǝןɐʇ ssǝןǝsn ʎןqıpǝɹɔuı ɹǝɥʇouɐ ǝʌɐɥ noʎ sıɥʇ pɐǝɹ uɐɔ noʎ ɟı puɐ
And I do wish Blogger would fix the OpenID thing and capchas

Imagine my surprise when I learned that "Doctor" Keith Ablow Goosesteps For Newt:

froggy said...
I'm speechless! I don't know where to start?! What about a woman who decides to have an affair with a married man? Is she really qualified to judge this man as worthy? They see something to admire in his lack of morals, compassion and general meanness? That's it - those are great qualities for a leader!

Living in South Carolina, I know we're kinda sitting at the back of the bus, under that big seat, behind a box, tucked into a corner, when it comes to LGBT rights. But I was thrilled to find out that you can get a specialty pro-LGBT license plate in only three US states, and we're one of them, so BRB: I'm Headed To The DMV:

tamayn said...
I have to say I'm pretty proud of SC and Indiana on this announcement. Equality can use all the support it gets.

I was feeling kind of Sally Field-ish, thinking about Governor Romney and how much we have in common. I took to my rooftop and shouted Oh Mittsy! You're Just Like Me!!:

Mitch Block said...
Yep. And Mitt worries about getting a pink slip. Just like me. And Mitt likes to make random $10,000 bets. Just like me. I had no idea how much "one of us" he really is. Thanks for making it abundantly clear.

I just loves me some architecture; and I really get, um, hot for some innovative stuff, which was why I was pleased with Architecture Wednesday: Split Personality:

Bill Dameron said...
Wrap it up, I'll take it! The house, not the architectural boner. Get your minds out of the gutter, you dirty Internet people....

It's funny, in a sad pathetic way, that some religious folks didn't get the God Is Love memo, especially up north, where Minnesota "Christians" Lobby For The Right To Bully LGBTQ Students:

Rainbow said...
Jesus disowns these heartless, uncharitable people. the y have no right to spew out their heathen lies! They should be brought to jail for inducing suicide!

Then, after that last post, we moved a little further east to discover that New Hampshire Wants To Legalize Hate:

Stan in NH said...
There's more and more ridiculousness and hate legislation coming out of our Republican, tea-bagging,free-stater moronic legislators daily. Hell, we have 400 people in the House, and 24 int he Senate. Both have super majorities. Right now, we're kind of f@#ked, but there's always November! We're planning on getting rid of these @$$holes and replacing them with people of common sense.
if you want to meet our crazy legislators in person, check them out:
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/

Every so often, someone other than Carlos puts a tingle in my nether regions and I just gotta say Wow:

Tivo Mom said...
He was on Ellen a few days ago and I swear he is hot. I loved him in this random movie "Go" a while ago (he was a drug dealer) but he has gotten better with age.

I adore having fun at the expense of Mister and Missus Swingrich and their utterly normal relationship. I mean, she's a robot, right, and he's a bag of hot air, and if these two kids can find a way to come together, well, Just For Giggles: The Swingrich's:

Princess said...
It is a clever bit of poster making but have you seen this Bob?
PS CLICK THAT LINK

I had everyone from Newt to Mittsy to CBS to Mariela Castro to Anonymous in my sights this week in my Random Musings:

Wonder Man said...
love that Newt/Chucky!

And, just a note, all of the comments in Today's Birthdays were outstanding in their own right. Thanks all!

I try really hard to mix things up when reporting what folks are saying each week--sometimes it harder than others--but this week there were all sorts of things and I Didn't Say It....:

Cubby said...
Re: Cynthia Nixon, well said Bob. Bisexuals have the ability to choose. The rest of us, gay and straight, do not. I'm happy for her that she is bisexual and I'm happy that she can choose which gender to have sex with, but it is wrong for her to imply that just because she can choose that the rest of us can choose too.

Tivo Mom said...
I adore NPH and the photos of he and David from Out magazine (I think that was where they were) were beautifully done.
As for Cynthia Nixon...well here is my thing. Ya'll know that as a conservative I am very cut and dry about things. I understand gay, this is how you were made, like any other characteristic and I accept and love you for who you are. Its no different than me having blue eyes or red hair in my mind. I have a harder time with bisexual, and I don't know why. I think because I never thought of being gay as a choice. Sorry rambling I know. I try to accept everyone for who they are, I guess sometimes I have a harder time with this.

I never thought I'd see gelato-inspired fashion, but then I also never thought I'd be so lucky as to see Rami in a tank-top and both came true on PR All-Stars: Ice, Ice Baby:

Sean said...
Who the hell was doing the editing for this episode? If you blinked you missed Rami and even the DVR had a hard time catching a glimpse of Rami but Austin got so much screen time I thought we were having a white out.

I like some good news to end the week, and ready myself for the weekend, and sometimes the good news can make you a little teary-eyed. But good tears, as in Good News Friday: Zac and His Two Dads:

mrs.missalaineus said...
amazing. having first hand experience with the foster care system i can honestly say that holding sexual orientation as a qualification is the stupidest reason to deny a child a loving, stable home, esp when the 'normal' parents couldn't get it right in the first place.
it's just love and wanting to be with someone and have a family with them and it's the most natural basic need in the world and asshole politicians and religious nutjobs make it seem horrible just to try to make themselves look better. it makes me vomit to think of all the kids who will never know a loving family because of petty prejudice.

Bill Dameron said...
Amazing kid, amazing parents. This is love as it was meant to be.

Bad parents, big mouths, pots calling kettles black, dumping the pregnant girlfriend, and seizures from Whip-its. Now, I Ain't One To Gossip, But.....:

Peter said...
Exhaustion, stresses in her life... normal people

I have a little--as yet unpublished--book I wrote, which is also called "I Should Be Laughing." I've posted parts of it here before, but it's been a while, and since my birthday hit, I was thinking about I Should Be Laughing: Harry and Jimmy:

designing wally said...
Wow,
Heavy....
I'll be back later to comment after I have studied.
Thanks for sharing.
xoxox
w

Princess said...
It's the story of my life!

But my favorite comment this week was, ahem, in regards to my architectural boner, I think, in Architecture Wednesday: Split Personality:

mistress maddie said...
When you said it was modern, clean lines and minimal, I didn't know if you meant the house or your architectural boner!?! But it is a stunner, I love the size of it. The house not your...well......

Yeah, well, thanks for the comments, once again. I do appreciate them all.

Sunday Funnies: Extra! Extra!

2012-01-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

Sunday Funnies

2012-01-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

I Should Be Laughing: Harry and Jimmy

2012-01-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

“How come you don’t play baseball, Harry?”

“I dunno. I guess I don’t like it much.”

Jimmy nodded to himself even though he didn’t understand how any boy could not like baseball. Throwing the ball high into the air, he forgot Harry for the moment and raced across the yard just as the ball came down; he caught it smoothly, the supple leather glove folded around the battered baseball like a second skin.

Harry sat on the porch, reading like he always did when he watched Jimmy after school. He would sit outside, reading, until Mother woke up and then he would disappear upstairs, lock his bedroom door and be alone. Free from the looks his mother gave him; far away from questions like ‘Why don’t you play ball?’

“They have a team at your school.” Jimmy was saying. He had no idea how annoying it was talking to someone who was reading. Jimmy thought books were dumb; why read when you could be outside playing ball or down at the beach throwing rocks at the seagulls. “My friend Danny’s brother is on it. Why dontcha play on that team?”

“I said I don’t know, Jimmy!” Harry snapped. “Why don’t you leave me alone until Mother gets up.”

“Danny’s brother says it’s cuz you’re a sissy.”

Harry’s face reddened, though he kept his eyes in his book.

“Are you Harry? Are you a sissy?”

“Shut your mouth Jimmy….”

“Or what?” He said snidely, knowing he’d struck a nerve; even at six-years-old, he could tell. His lower lip shot out in an artificial pout. “What’re you gonna do Harry? Slap me? Ooh, I’m so scared of the sissy.”

Harry slammed the book shut and dropped it off the porch. Trying so hard not to let Jimmy get the best of him, he ran his hands down his thighs, grabbing the thick denim of his jeans and bunching the fabric between his fingers. It was bad enough that school was torture, a dirty look or a shove when he least expected it, but now his own brother was calling him names. Sissy. Why can’t I be like everyone else? Harry thought. Why can’t I play baseball or climb the rope in gym? Another torture. ‘What’s the matter, Seaton? Too hard for you, faggot?’ Why can’t everyone just leave me alone?

“Come on sissy,” Jimmy taunted. “Play ball, sissy.”

That was enough. Harry scooped up a handful of pebbles from alongside the porch and threw them at his little brother. His aim was off and the stones scattered all over the front yard, landing everywhere but near Jimmy. Perfect fag throw. He heard the kids from school in his head, although he tried convincing himself that he deliberately missed Jimmy, that he didn’t want to hurt his brother; but that wasn’t the truth. He wanted to hurt Jimmy; he wanted them all to hurt like he hurt. Every last one.

“Aw, man!” Jimmy laughed viciously and ran around the yard like a rabid dog, howling. “You even throw like a girl. Danny was right! You are a sissy! SISSY!”

Squirming, Harry wanted to tell Jimmy to fuck off. Shove it up your ass, you little fucker! But Jimmy would tell Mother as soon as she awoke and Harry felt his skin burn from the slap she would give him for cursing. So, rather than call Jimmy names—which might make him feel better, for a moment—Harry grabbed his book and stood up; he raced through the front door, pushing it so hard it crashed into the oak coat tree. Even from the front yard, Jimmy heard Harry’s bedroom door slam; it was so loud it might have disturbed the neighbors, had there been any neighbors that far down Skeleton Road. Jimmy stayed outside, throwing the ball and shouting,

“Sissy. Sissy. Sissy. Sissy….”

At the window, the big one facing the sea, Harry pressed his forehead to the cool glass and listened to his brother’s hissing. He felt like a foreigner in that house.

I Ain't One To Gossip, But.....

2012-01-28T09:00:00.058-05:00

So, Halle Berry and her baby daddy, Gabriel Aubry, split up a while back and all sorts of accusations were tossed back and forth. Aubry was verbally abusive. Halle's a cold fish. Aubrey screamed racial epithets at Halle. Halle's a cold fish. Aubrey neglects their daughter Nahla. Halle's a cold fish.
A lot of folks think Halle was making stuff up to publicly malign Aubry in order to bolster her custody case, but now, well, maybe Aubrey does have a temper.
And Halle's a cold fish.
It seems Gabriel Aubry is being investigated for criminal child endangerment and battery because he ALLEGEDLY pushed his nanny into a door while she held his daughter Nahla in her arms. Aubrey maintains the nanny tripped.
Aubrey was supposed to take Nahla to school, but decided to keep her home. When the nanny--who works for both Aubrey and Berry--went to pick the girl up, she was told Nahla hadn't come to school that day.
The nanny then went to Aubrey’s home, picked Nahla up and began to question Aubrey about why Nahla wasn't in school. That's when Aubrey's temper exploded, ALLEGEDLY, and he shrieked: "You're the f**king nanny. Who do you think you are? You are a nobody. You don’t need to f**king know anything.”
Then he ALLEGEDLY pushed her into a door.
Police report. investigation, Court dates, Custody hearing. Halle is seeking a no contact ruling so that Aubry can’t see his daughter at all until the investigation is completed.
And they say that gay folks don't make good parents; that every child needs a mother and a father. Just like Gabriel and Halle.

Okay, so y'all remember Mark Wahlberg’s interview with Men's Journal where he said, "If I was on that plane with my kids, it wouldn't have went down like it did. There would have been a lot of blood in that first-class cabin and then me saying, 'OK, we're going to land somewhere safely, don't worry.'"
Naturally, it was seconds later that Wahlberg apologized for his douche-y comments.
Story over. Or, is it?
His non-apology: "To suggest I would have done anything differently than the passengers on that plane was irresponsible. I deeply apologize to the families of the victims that my answer came off as insensitive. It was certainly not my intention."
In other words, it's not my fault you took my words as douche-y. But then Wahlberg kept talking about it, and became even more douche-y.

In a radio interview, after the non-apology, he said: “I would never disrespect the victims of 9/11 or their families. It was completely misunderstood. My only intention was to explain the fact that I would do anything to protect my family – I would put myself in harms way to protect my family or innocent people. That was it.”
Okay. I buy it, kinda, but then....“First and foremost, I am not an actor. I am a real guy from the streets and I’ve been in a lot of situations, so I was probably speaking out of line and I wasn’t thinking about the real heroes and the guys, women, children, fathers, sons, daughters who were on those flights.”
And then: “And it’s important to me because you know what, people don’t have a tendency, especially the media, don’t want to talk to me about going to Afghanistan at Christmas or raising $2 million a year for inner city kids and at risk youth. And all of a sudden this thing became this thing — I didn’t know where it came from....But it wasn’t a Q&A where it was the exact question and my exact response. It was somebody’s interpretation of it and you know… that’s not OK because I don’t want people to be offended. I would never do that.”
Cheese'n'rice, how many explanations does he need? Marky? Mark? Try this next time: "I was wrong. I spoke without thinking. I apologize." Then, shut up.

Remember how a few weeks back Marc Anthony said JLo needs to see a shrink because she jumps from one relationship to the next. I mean, it's kinda true, right? But it's also a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Right after we began seeing JLo with her back-up, wind-up, toy, the twenty-four-year-old Casper Smart, Marc stared posting pictures on Twitter and Facebook of his twenty-four-year-old girlfriend Shannon De Lima.
And then, because he's a gown-ass man, to show De Lima and the world how much he loves her, he got some new ink. He ALLEGEDLY calls her his Statue of Liberty--the symbol of his freedom from all things JLo except for those two kids--he had a Statue of Liberty tattoo inked inside his right wrist, right over the top of the tattoo he'd had done for JLo.
Seriously, two grown-ass people trotting the globe with lovers young enough to be their children, and then calling each other out on it.
Straight people are funny.

And kinda mean.
As in Tom Hooper, the Oscar winning director of The King's Speech.
Tom had been dating designer Tara Subkoff since January 2011, and became engaged last May. Now, it's over.Tara is pregnant, and, in her version of events, she said to Tom Hooper, 'Honey, I'm pregnant.' And he replied, 'Yeah, we're breaking up.'
His version, of course, is different but equally odd.
A source close to Hooper--and since he's not really well-known, by source, I mean Tom Hopper--says: "He broke up with her on Friday, and the last time they spoke was Saturday. He did not know she was pregnant--there was no discussion of her being pregnant. Then he got this voice mail from Tara saying she’s pregnant. He doesn’t know what to do.”
Um, step up? Daddy?
But Hooper isn't ready for marriage--even though he got himself engaged a year ago--because he's got a movie to make and diapers and 2AM feedings will be a bother.
Seriously.
She says he dumped her when she told him, he says he dumped her and then she told him.
Again, a child needs a mother and a father, according to the GOP, so maybe Tom and Tara could hang out with Halle and Gabriel and they could all take a parenting class?

There have long been rumors about Demi Moore and substance abuse issues. When her people played up Ashton's wandering schlong as a reason for the couple's troubles, stories began to emerge that Ashton was sick and tired of stoned Demi.
Of course, then her weight plummeted, and the drug rumors surged. I mean, at one point she actually weighed less than the amount of grease he put in his hair.
But now comes word that Demi, who became the party girl after the split, and was seen out and about with a bevy of boy-toys younger than her last baby husband, has been hospitalized for substance abuse problems. Or something.
Earlier this week a 911 call sent paramedics responding to Demi’s L.A. home where, after assessing her, they transported her to a hospital. Sources says she was placed in a facility to “seek further professional assistance.”
Her publicist says she's being treated for "exhaustion."
Both stories are Hollywood euphemisms for drugs. It's the Lohan Excuse.
Still, Demi’s people say, “Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health. She looks forward to getting well and is grateful for the support of her family and friends.”
Exhaustion. Drugs. Facility. Rehab. Hopefully she'll get better soon, because her next boyfriend graduates high school this June.

Good News Friday: Zac and His Two Dads

2012-01-27T18:00:00.001-05:00

Zac didn't have that Norman Rockwell childhood so many of us picture in our heads while reminiscing. On his eighth birthday, Zac was surrounded by police, watching his birth mother being arrested because, as Zac remembers, she had "many boyfriends and she did a lot of drugs and partying."

After that Zac moved from foster home to foster home.....to foster home--twelve in all--until, finally, a couple in Berkeley wanted to adopt him. Arturo and Dave wanted to be his dads. Zac's first thought? "I never had a dad, now I get to have two!"

This past Christmas, Zac wrote a letter to his fathers--whom he calls Dad and Dadio--and to his adopted brothers, Nick and Derrick. It was his Christmas gift to them:

To my Family, This is the first Christmas letter that I have ever written. I feel like since I am getting older, I should start writing a letter to the family or just talk about how I thought the family's year has gone until Christmas.

Ever since I ended up in this family people have told me that I was lucky. I have always known that I am lucky, especially when I have two dads that love me so much as Dad and Dadio. My family is very special to me. Even when we fight and even when we argue, I know they will always love me. Yes I am a lucky boy to have ended up here after spending so many years in foster care and not knowing if I would ever have a family.

I didn't grow with a dad. My birthmom had many boyfriends and she did a lot of drugs and partying. My sisters and me were taken from her on my eighth birthday. It was not fun to have police in my room on that day. It made me sad and this sadness I carried for many years and it got me in a lot of trouble. Then I landed in a great foster home after having lived in 12 different homes in three years. It was when I lived there that both my foster mom and social worker told me there was a family that wanted me. There was a catch: it was two dads!

Honestly, it didn't matter to me. I told them, "well, I never had a dad, now I get to have two!"

The start was tough and rough, and I put them through hell and back. I did awful and nasty things to them both. I stole their credit card and spent thousands of dollars online. When we went on my first vacation out of the country, I stole stuff from a souvenir stand - they found out and made me go back to the shop to return the souvenirs and made me pay the lady who owned the shop for the stolen property which then I had to give to a local kid. I didn't get it and thought they were being mean.

When I stole their American Express and maxed it buying stuff online I was only 12 years old. They were very upset, but Dad made sure I got the message of how serious this was. He took me to our local police station and reported me to the police captain for having stolen again. I was taken to an interrogation room and talked to by three police officers. All the time there I only wanted my Dad to come in and bring me home. I wanted to turn time back to before my stealing so I would not be there and I would not have hurt my parents so much. I learned my lesson and NEVER stole again!

But Dad and Dadio brought not just me into this family. They also added my brother Derrick. What I can say about Derrick is that he is really cool, he is funny, he is an awesome gay guy, he is a one of a kind guy, he is my bro. Next they added Nick. Nick can get on my nerves sometimes, but in the end he is pretty cool. He is a fast learner when it comes to math and multiplying numbers. And with that said, I will go to the roots of the family.

Dad and Dadio. They are my parents and they are always here when I need them.

When it is dark they are the light, When I feel frightened and chill's, They are the warmth I feel. When I am hungry they cook my meals.

I did not put a lot of time into the poem, but in the poem you see my parents. The people that show me the light. The people that warm my heart when it gets dark. The people that cook my meals. If I could only ask for anything for Christmas I would only ask for my family.

By Zac

Well. Whenever i hear a Rick Santorum, or a Michele Bachmann, or Newt or Sarah or Mitt, say that a child needs a mother and a father, I'm gonna think of Zac, and Dad and Dadio.

Family isn't always what you're born into, quite a lot of times family is what you make of things.

source

PR: All-Stars: Ice, Ice Baby

2012-01-27T15:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, the designtestants had six hours to design, create, sew, style, and shove the model down the runway in an outfit inspired by gelato. I'm gonna try to do this in less than six hours myself.
Let's rip.....

RAMI
Kiwi
First and foremost: O.M.G. Rami in a muscle shirt. Luckily I DVR'd the show because I had to keep backing up to hear what was said because I got lost in his guns and pecs--sidenote: Carlos presented me with a handmade birthday card this morning with a picture of Rami on it. Yum!
Different fabrics in the shades of Kiwi, over a wrap skirt--and homage to guest judge Diane von Furstenberg, or a suck-up, or just done because they had six freaking hours.
Mila called his taste questionable, and dubbed the outfit garish. Mila. look in a mirror for garish; severe hair, blood red lips?
I liked his dress. I wasn't so fond of the polka dot fabric below the belt--it looked like an afterthought--but I loved the polka dot back
Very Kiwi. And safe.

JERELL
Fruits of the Forest
WTF Fruits of the Forest? And why does Jerell again go schizo on the top and bottom detail.
He also gets extra snarky with all the other designers, without failing to realize that he has yet to win a challenge, and, is rarely, if ever, in the top. Less snark, more design, Jer.
His dress, like Kenley's, is the same one he makes every week. The top doesn't match the bottom, and he likes the bling.
But he did get all giggle when DVF gave him the thumbs up, but I think the thumb meant, Yay! Another of the same dress.
And another pass. But with fewer designers each week, his lack of creativity may not keep him around.

AUSTIN
Vanilla Madagascar
He's shaken off last week's matador look, and traded it in for the very gay version of a West Side Story Jet. Note to Austin: if you wanna wear a tank top, get a body like Rami. But I digress.
He thinks vanilla Madagascar means going all white wedding with some tribal bling on it, because, you know, Madagascar, tribal, rhinestones. Yeah....I don't get it either.
And Austin gives in to the Goddess of Time and begins a hot relationship with a glue gun. And, I'm thinking he ran out of glue because he sewed his model into the dress. I hear she's still wearing it.
His dress is pretty. Tribal Glam, I'm guessing. But it's too safe.
Still, he pats himself on the pat with a "beautiful, elegant dresses are my signature."
But it won't get you to the tents.

KENLEY
Passion Fruit
She sticks to what she knows: one dress, A-line, flirty skirt, in pink tones.
What is it with these All Stars and their one-note designs?
Mila calls Kenley's dress too, simple and it doesn't say 'passion fruit' but, then, Mila's a bitch. so, there's that. And Kenley is happy as a 1940s clam when the dress fits her model, because it means she's good at knowing her model's measurements, and she's good at making the same dress week after week.
Her dress is young--like always--flirty--like always--and pink--like always. The only thing missing is a butt-load of tulle beneath the skirt.
She calls it "hip....fresh...vibrant". I call it "been there."
The judges call it safe.

ANTHONY
Green Tea
Once more, we're going to get a structured, origami dress in some version of a neon color.
It's deja vu all over again.
But then he tells us that he has to get very creative, given the time, and still keep to his aesthetic of style and elegance. So, he makes a Kenley skirt instead of his tight pencil skirt, for which he's thinks he's known.
"Wow, she looks like a dream realized," Anthony swoons on the catwalk. Then he notes that DVF gives a wink to the designer when she likes their work, and watches as DVF brings a barf bag up to her mouth following his dress.
Angela says it's too conceptual--melting ice cream--and messy, while DVF, wiping spittle from her chin, loves the concept, but not the dress. Georgina says the back panels ruin the dress--has she seen the front?--and supermodel Miranda Kerr says simplicity would have been better. Isaac didn't say much, other than "I don't like it."
Anthony finishes 4th,

KARA
Chocolate with Cayenne
She gets bogged down with a story of tasting the flavors and ending with a hot cayenne finish, and picks her fabrics like that. Beige and white, with a bit of chocolate and red.
Ruffles. Badly sewn ruffles. Worn too high on the body, badly sewn ruffles.
She dubs it chic and sophisticated. I think she was looking at someone else's dress when she said that, yet she thinks she has it nailed.
Cue ominous drumming.
The dress makes the model look like a ruffled pregnant woman, and the colors don't say much, except, Bleeech! Kara says the "movement great, the colors are gorgeous, and Isaac and Diane are reacting." I think they're breaking out in hives.
On the runway she tells a great story, but no one buys that the story has anything to do with the dress. Georgina calls the story passionate, the dress....not. Unless it's passion because the model looks like she had a good schtupping and is now six months pregnant. Isaac mutters that as soon as someone mentions the word pregnant, it's over. Miranda Kerr simply said, 'Ruffles?' DVF called it cute, but not flattering.
Kara goes 5th.

APRIL
Blueberry
purple, which is like black, only not. Jerell thinks she needs to be more versatile, and I think, Pot? Kettle? Mirror?
She says it'll be kind like Violet in Willy Wonka, I say it'll be like a girl named Violet has a full body bruise.
When asked by Joanna Coles how she's faring, April says she'll stick to what she knows. JC wonders if that'll Wow the judges and April points out her brilliant use of color as opposed to her normal black. Someone shake April, please.
Her dress doesn't fit the model, and she needs to add fabric to the back, which means she can't add fabric to the hem, which is short in the front, and near pornographic in the back. But, she liked the silhouette.
April? Dear? No one buys a silhouette, they buy a dress that fits.
Georgina likes the two purples, but thinks April took on too much as the corset is a mess, and the belt and earrings don't work. Isaac said it had a big impact, and good length, until the model turned around. DVF called it "Halloween Spider." I think she was channeling Kors. Angela doesn't think April translates her ideas to reality very well.
April is Auf'd.

MILA
Milk and Sour Cherry
She's happy with her selection because she loves red and white, and wants to prove to all of us that she does more than design in black. Trouble is, she tells us this while wearing black; and she shows us this while designing her outfit while wearing grey and white. Yeah, she's all about color.
She also wants to prove she can go softer in her design, so she picks two sheer fabrics, and then doubles them up so they aren't see-thru.
Anthony dubbed her dress a "colorblocked Christmas ornament disaster." Word.
And her dress does have color, though seeing the red beneath the sheer white looks like flesh to me, and that's never good. But then she styles this flowy, soft dress with a wide black belt and heavy black wedges, and kills it.
Isaac sees the gelato in the dress, and I wonder if he means the gelato the model ate at lunch since the dress is so sheer. Angela likes it, and loves the layering. Georgina likes that it has a summery feel too, while DVF says it looks rushed. Miranda called it easy to wear.
Well, if that isn't a compliment. I mean, sweatpants are easy to wear.
Still, someone--and by someone I mean the producers--wanted Milka to stay so she goes into 3rd Place.

MONDO
Cantaloupe
Mondo strays from his mix of patterns, and structured pieces and goes all loosey goosey flowy caftan, in a literal interpretation of cantaloupe, including the rind.
Mondo gets the Cute Moment Award for realizing that he didn't buy enough fabric and saying, Shucks. The last time I heard someone say Shucks, it was a cartoon dog. Too cute.
His design is very unexpected, and Anthony says, "It's a caftan. I designed one in college." And then he continues to work on his Origami project.
But Mondo's dress is different, and fun. My only complaint was that I wish it had been sexier, more lower cut, in the front. It seemed like an awful lot of fabric, for someone who said he didn't have enough. DVF called it great--what woman doesn't love a caftan. Miranda loved the back, and would have probably worn it that way. Georgina said it was fabulous, and shouldn't have worked--the mix of fabrics--but it did. Angela was a'scurred of the orange, but liked how the belt made it figure flattering. Isaac also wanted a deep V in the front--what is it with us gays and wanted to see deeper v-necks on the womens?
Still, Mondo missed it by that much.

MICHAEL
Grapefruit
Michael was all agape this entire episode. The idea of Dian von Furstenberg sent his upper lip to his eyebrows and his lower lip to his chin, while his eyes bug out like, well, Bugs Bunny when a hot girl bunny hops by.
And Michael says he has a lock on this because he can create a dress in 45 minutes, and he's been sewing since he was ten and he never glues the dress together. Austin.
Jerell, snark queen, says Michael's look is so easy "a chimpanzee can do it." Um, Jerell, honey, at least Michael made it to.the.tents. on his season. Word.
His dress is a draped, oversized, flowy, pinky, fleshy concoction. He calls it liquid gelato as it strolls the runway.
And its pretty, though it doesn't pack a Wow. But it does have the sexiness missing from Mondo's piece. Isaac loves it, but not the color; he feels it's missing the tartness of a grapefruit. DVF loves it, and tells Michale to call her after the show, and his chin literally hit the floor. No, seriously. it was on the floor. Georgina agrees about the color and says something in a language I don't understand, Satin-faced Georgette. Is that some sort of gay slur about Michael and his gaping maw?
Fabric? Oh. Never mind.
Michael gets another win; two in a row.

So........let's see.
Michael makes it to the tents. Mondo makes it to the tents. Rami makes it to the tents. At least that's how it seems the producers want it. See, let's face it, with all these judges, this is a producer-judged show. Why else would they keep Kara and her lackluster dresses over April, who may be a little too Gothic one-note but at least her designs have flair.
Oh, yeah, Kara, with all her running and shrieking is better TV than April who is more sullen.
Ratings people. Ratings.
And I'll be all aflutter if it isn't a Michael-Mondo-Rami tent show.

I Didn't Say It........

2012-01-27T12:00:00.002-05:00

Neil Patrick Harris, on falling in love with David Burtka:
"I remember being in my mid-twenties, lying in bed thinking, I’ve never taken a shower with anyone before; I’ve never had any kind of long-term relationship. I remember thinking that the rest of my life would be solo. I wasn’t weepy when I thought that--it was just a realization that I had gone this long being self-sufficient."

I know exactly what he's talking about.
i was single for quite a while before Carlos and i thought that was just how it would be; and I was feeling okay with that.
You just never know what's waiting out there for you, around a corner or across the country.

"Pastor" Ken Hutcherson, on Washington Governor Christine Gregoire:
"She might as well change her name to John Wilkes Booth because what she’s doing now is trying to put a bullet in the head of one of the greatest traditions that has ever existed and has built our society, and that is marriage between one man and one woman."

Wow.
Kenny, you sure can over-reach. Makes me wonder how, as a Black man, you felt when Blacks and Whites couldn't marry, and then marriage was redefined to make that union legal.
Did you spit and fire and brimstone then, or is it just because this is Civil Rights for gay folks that has your granny panties in a bunch?

Jim Bob Duggar, on transgender Girl Scouts:
"Our family loves Girl Scout cookies and I don't think allowing a boy in the Girl Scouts is a good thing...If they're wanting to create a new scout program where girls and boys would join together, that might be an option. But whether somebody declares they're a boy or girl and can join either one -- it isn't even logical and it goes against the core principles the group was founded on."

Let's just make anyone who doesn't fit the mold of what society deems normal live in their own separate world, eh, Jim Bob?
But, what then might you do if society says a man and woman who have nineteen children, and counting, is different?

Hudson Taylor, on LGBT athletic coaches coming out:

"If college athletics is ever to be free of the obstacles keeping coaches closeted, we must first acknowledge the presence of LGBT coaches among college teams. Currently, the college athletic community devotes little time and few resources to identifying this population and assessing the challenges they face."

And wouldn't it be much easier for gay players to come out of the coaches came out. And easier for the coaches if gay players came out.
It's just easier. No lying or hiding or shame.

Michael Fassbender, on his habit of being nude on screen:
“From the start of my career, I’ve been naked. My first job was a commercial for SAS airlines. In the spot, I wake up in a pink room next to a beautiful blonde girl and get out of bed naked. From that point forward, it’s been in all of my contracts: He must be naked in this film.”

And this is a problem because.......?
I mean, it's true; the man good play nude golf and not need a club.
Just sayin'.

Tricia Erickson, speaking on the Voice Of Christian America radio show about Mormons:
"The political machinery of the priesthood of the Mormon Church is named the Kingdom of God and/or the Government of God, and the goal of the Mormon Church, through the Mormon Kingdom of God, is to bring the United States government, this is true, under the rule of the priesthood, the Mormon priesthood. Mormons believe that they are the only true church, all other religions are false, and their main objective is to be ready when the time comes for the millennial reign by having their leaders ready to rule or already in key places of authority and power. Their ultimate goal is better serve their agenda by being able to rule and govern before the millennium actually takes place and the Mormon Church and its corporate empire, assets and resources will be the chief element in the millennial overthrow of the United States government."

I love when people who call themselves Christians denigrate other religions, and then cry fowl when someone does the same to theirs.
Judge not, Erica.....you moronic tool.

Kate Kendell, head of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, speaking to Karen "Missus Frothy Mix" Santorum:
"Karen, we need to talk. And by that, I mean that I need to talk and you need to listen. You love your husband--I get that. You love your faith--fine by me. But when you pretend that hate is love, that lies are truth, and that victims are oppressors, you have become insane. Your husband believes that LGBT people cannot be trusted to serve in the military, raise children, form stable relationships or be fully respected under the law. According to you, Rick may love us, but honey, his love is killing us, and we want nothing to do with this abusive relationship. Our community has endured expulsion from family, mass firings, daily epithets, assaults, harassment, humiliation, death, and suicides. We know that if your husband becomes president of our country our long suffering will only deepen and magnify. [snip] You and Rick are the haters. My community is the victim, and anyone paying attention knows the truth."

Thanks Kate for making it very clear when religious folks trot out the 'Love the sinner, hate the sin' rhetoric, they actually mean, Hate the sin, hate the sinner.'
So, effing-Christlike.

Dan Savage, on Newt and The Open Marriage:

Calista never wavered from the path of deceit and betrayal. Newt Gingrich was making an implicit promise to socially conservative voters: He did not ask his most recent ex-wife for an open marriage, and he will not ask any of his future ex-wives for an open marriage."

It was kind of sadly sick and twisted that Newt stated emphatically that he never asked for an open marriage while he was fucking the help, er, aide.
This just means that he wanted to fuck the help, and keep the wife, until she got sick, and then he divorced her and married the help.

Chris Christie, on Newt The Cheater:
"We all know the record. He was run out of the speakership of his own party, he was fined $300,000 for ethics violations. This is a guy who’s had a very difficult political career at times and has been an embarrassment to the party. The fact of the matter is I don’t need to regale the country with that entire list again except to say this. I’m not saying he will do it again in the future, but sometimes past is prologue."

Newt can atone for his marital sins, and pronounce himself forgiven. Good for him, he buys it. I don't. Once a lying hypocrite, always a lying hypocrite.
But he can never explain away his political past, and, well, history does repeat.

Cynthia Nixon, on choosing to be gay:
“I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice. And for me, it is a choice. I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me. A certain section of our community is very concerned that it not be seen as a choice, because if it’s a choice, then we could opt out. I say it doesn’t matter if we flew here or we swam here, it matters that we are here and we are one group and let us stop trying to make a litmus test for who is considered gay and who is not. As you can tell, I am very annoyed about this issue. Why can’t it be a choice? Why is that any less legitimate? It seems we’re just ceding this point to bigots who are demanding it, and I don’t think that they should define the terms of the debate. I also feel like people think I was walking around in a cloud and didn’t realize I was gay, which I find really offensive. I find it offensive to me, but I also find it offensive to all the men I’ve been out with.”

Let me set you queer, Cyn.
A woman who was attracted to men and had sexual relations with men, and then finds herself attracted to women and having sexual relations with women, is, in fact, gay. And, narrowed down, bisexual.
I know you said you don't like the word bisexual, but you are. There's a 'B' in LGBT for a reason. And you do a great disservice to those of us who know being gay is not a choice, when you say you chose it. You were born bisexual, you didn't choose bisexual, but, beaing bisexual, you can choose which sex to whom you are attracted; I, as a gay man, cannot.

Mittsy Romney, on Newt:

“Speaker Gingrich has also been a leader,. He was a leader for four years as speaker of the House. And at the end of four years, it was proven that he was a failed leader and he had to resign in disgrace. I don’t know whether you knew that, he actually resigned after four years, in disgrace. He was investigated over an ethics panel and had to make a payment associated with that and then his fellow Republicans, 88 percent of his Republicans voted to reprimand Speaker Gingrich. He has not had a record of successful leadership.”

Which makes him only a hair bit worse as a GOP candidate for president than the flip-flopping out of touch, dog abuser, that you are, Mittsy.
But thanks for sharing.

Martin O'Malley, on his Maryland marriage equality bill:

"We have done our very best in the drafting of this bill to make very, very, very explicit the protections of religious liberty as well as the protection of rights equally under the law, and it’s my hope that that will not only allow more support in the House of Delegates but, as importantly, I hope it will allow more people throughout our state to be able to support this bill,. One does not have to be an advocate for same-sex marriage in order to support equal rights under the law.”

It's equality.
It's law.
It does not, and should not, affect churches.
Separation of church and state, people. The church can't tell the government what to do--or they shouldn't--and the government cannot do the same to churches.
Can't have it any other way.

Today's Birthdays

2012-01-27T09:00:00.042-05:00

Alan Cumming; actor, director, author, out gay man

Keith Olbermann; journalist

Mikhail Baryshnikov; ballet dancer

Troy Donahue; actor, out gay man

Bobby Bland; musician

Donna Reed; actress

Jerome Kern; Broadway composer

Lewis Carroll; author

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; composer

Bob; blogger, snark expert, out gay man.
Such illustrious company in which I find myself.

Random Musings

2012-01-26T18:00:00.006-05:00

Newt Gingrich crushed Mitt Romney in South Carolina because, well, we likes our bigots. In his pandering,m er, acceptance speech, he explained how:

"It's not that I'm a good debater. It's that I articulate the deepest-felt values of the American people."

...and...
Black people are poor because they deserve it.,
Poor people should be janitors.
Gays can't marry but I can fuck whomever I want and then ask for forgiveness; at least once the request for open marriage is denied.

Turned on the TV one morning this week and was stunned.
Since when is Oprah's husband Gayle a host of The CBS Morning Show?
Seriously, CBS, how far can you fall?
First Julie "Big Brother" Chen calls herself a journalist, and now this?

Teabagging wingnut Rand Paul was stopped from boarding a flight at the Nashville airport this week after he triggered an alarm and then refused a TSA pat-down, setting off a mini-firestorm over a pet issue for the Tea Partying wacknut.
But that's not the story Rand Paul is telling. he says he was taken to a cubicle and told to "stay there." The TSA say he was told he could not proceed to the gate but was never detained.
Then Rand said that he was told by TSA officials that the screeners randomly select people and sound the alarm. The TSA says this is not the case. Rand says he was told this but, you know, he can't say who told him.
Sounds like Rand Paul is using his experience for his own personal agenda, and that of his daddy, GOP not-gonna-be-presidential candidate, Ron Paul, who seized on the kerfuffle, issuing a statement that touted his own budget proposal, which eliminates the TSA.
Because it stopped his little boy? Oh you Pauls, twice as crazy as your average Republicans.

Mariela Castro, Cuba’s first daughter, says island lawmakers will consider legalizing same-sex civil unions this year.
In Cuba!??! The outspoken daughter of President Raul Castro is a prominent gay rights activist, and says a preliminary proposal to modify the country’s Family Code is undergoing legal study and is on the legislative schedule for 2012.
In Cuba!! The LGBT community suffered persecution during the early years of the Castro regime, but attitudes have now changed. Once-banned gay pride parades are now annual events, while the government has led anti-homophobia campaigns and even begun paying for sex change operations.
In Cuba.

Newt Gingrich did not lobby for Freddie Mac.
Foot stomp. Head snap. Grimace. Pout.
But, what he did do, was hire legislative experts to study the regulations and advise him of what he could and couldn't do in order to legally avoid registering as a lobbyist.
He backdoored the policy like it was Callista on a Saturday night.
And, his non-lobbying earned him a $1.6 million dollar payday, which he said, at first, was for his expertise as an historian. Then he said he advised; then he said he not-lobbied.
I think Newt wanted an open marriage with Freddie Mac.

That's our Nikki.
First, she panders to the Tea Party in order to get elected. Then she says she'll be the most transparent governor South Carolina has ever had, and proceeds to lie and cover up earnings, taxes paid, and even going so far as to hide government emails from the press.
But, what cracks me up most about her transparency, is when this Teabagging Cutie announced that she would be endorsing the most un-Tea Party candidate of all, Mittsy Romney. The 'Baggers were a'fuming.
But then Mittsy doesn't get the win here in the SC, and what does Transparent Nikki do next? She avoids Mittsy like the plague, even staying far away from his campaign headquarters on election night.
So, so transparent. That's our Nikki.

Up in Jersey, Senate President Steve Sweeney, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, and Senator Raymond Lesniak, are furious about Governor Chris Christie's call yesterday for a voter referendum on marriage equality.
Putting it simply, a la Loretta Weinberg: "We do not put civil rights questions on the ballot."
And Steve Sweeney, responding to a reporter who questioned "going through the exercise" of passing marriage equality which the governor threatens a veto, said: "The point of going through a fight for civil rights, are you kidding me? I'm offended by that...If the governor wants to stifle and silence his colleagues that's one thing. But he is not going to silence or stifle us...It's offensive for anyone to think 'why bother' if the governor doesn't want to do it. Well, guess what? He's wrong on this one."
Word.
Oh, and Christie is also fat. I mean, really fat. I mean step-away-from-the-donuts-Oprah-before-the-red wagon fat.

And lastly....
Normally I would create a special Letters!! We Get Letters!! post when I get a response like this but, well, you'll soon understand.
Back in July 2008, I wrote a post about Hawaii's then-Governor Linda Lingle who vetoed a measure that would have given same-sex and unwed heterosexual couples the same protections under the law as married couples. See, Lingle is against same-sex marriage and is one of those one-man/one-woman folks who have been married more than once themselves.
I wasn't especially rude to Ms. Lingle in my post, though I did dub her an asshat, but Anonymous still took issue with my post, and in his or her most eloquent way, responded thus:
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post Linda Lingle Is An Asshat:

You dick sucking ass hole leave out Gov out of your suck ass world, it cock sucker like you that should not be talk to anyone take your ass fuck dick and put it in your mouth.

Three things strike me about Anonymous.
#1] He or she is a very slow reader, because they are nearly three years behind in reading ISBL; or, the person who reads to them is extraordinarily slow, while.....
#B] Spelling is not a practice anonymous follows, and neither is punctuation, and.....
#3] They're a little into the gay sex thing, I mean, they focus on the gay sex in their entire response.
Wait, Anon? Are you Rick Santorum?

Just For Giggles: The Swingrich's

2012-01-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

Wow

2012-01-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

That's all.....carry on.

New Hampshire Wants To Legalize Hate

2012-01-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

I may have to go up to New Hampshire, grab the legislature by their overalls and shake some sense into them.
See, a new bill has come before the Legislature that would allow people to refuse services to the LGBT community for religious or conscience reasons by putting an exemption in state marriage law. The proposed text says no person, including a business owner or employee, should be required to provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods or privileges for wedding services in "violation of the person's conscience or religious faith." The bill also would protect against lawsuits arising from refusal to provide those services.
Representative Frank Sapareto, a Republican of course, says, "We are concerned about clergy having to provide ceremonies against their belief."
Oh. It's just for clergymen. Well, then that's another.....what? Opponents say clergy already are protected under the law? They say that this bill would open the door for individuals, businesses--even government officials--to discriminate not only against gay couples, but those who are of different faiths?
Well, then, that's a dumbass of a different color.
New Hampshire? Seriously? You are going to pass a law to allow discrimination?
If this bullshiz passes in new Hampshire, a gas station could refuse to allow you to buy gas because you're gay, or Jewish, or, heck, just different. Flower shops could say no to The Gays. Town clerks or a judges could refuse to marry a gay couple, just because they disagree even though it's their job to do so.
Sapareto has drawn personal criticism because of the bill and actually complains that people are calling him a bigot: "They're completely intolerant."
They're intolerant? Pot. Kettle. Shut the fuck up.

source

Minnesota "Christians" Lobby For The Right To Bully LGBTQ Students

2012-01-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

A slew of conservative Christian parents have demanded that schools in the Anoka-Hennepin School District--where there has been a slew of teen suicides--stop mentioning homosexuality and, in fact, have demanded that teachers teach about the “ex-homosexual” movement and “gay-related immune deficiency.”
Oh, yeah, this is happening in Michele Bachmann's congressional district. Just sayin'.
One district member even called Dan Savage’s It Gets Better campaign " vulgar" and accused Savage--who, with his partner have an adopted son--of teaching children about “three-ways.” Seriously, a campaign that seeks to remind LGBTQ youth that life can get better, that suicide is never an option, to stay strong and stand tall, is vulgar.
That's the Anoka-Hennepin School District, where suicide is on the rise. But the "Christians" don't care because it's gay kids doing the dying.
All this started because some students--six to be exact--sued the district over its “neutrality policy” which says that LGBT issues are not to be discussed in the district’s schools. Those students say that 'neutrailty' makes for a hostile school environment; the district announced last month that they are considering scrapping the policy and replacing it with one that deals with “controversial topics”.

Well, the Parents Action League [PAL], a group of conservative "Christians" who missed the memo that God is love, want the policy to remain. And two such "Christians," Brian Lindquist and Mike Skaalerud presented a PAL resolution, along with a list of demands that include incorporating "ex-gay" therapy into the school resources. see, you can't mention 'gay' but you can brainwash kids into believing there's such a thing as "ex-gay."
In addition, they'd like:

A new division within the student support services and a special section on the District 11 website devoted to faith, moral conviction, ex-homosexuals and ex-transgenders.
That District 11 administrators and staff work closely with pro-family and ex-homosexual and ex-transgender organizations to provide ongoing training to school counselors, school nurses, social workers, school psychologists, prevention specialists, student learning advocates and a number of secondary principals and principals.
Provide professional development opportunities in which philosophical, pedagogical, and political assumptions of GLBT advocacy are critically examined.
Provide webinars, seminars for all staff on over-coming sexual disorders
Provide the history of Gay Related Immune Deficiency or GRID--the initial name given to AIDS when it was still only a cluster of gay men though it hasn’t been used since 1984--and acquired immune deficiencies and the medical consequences of homosexual acts.
That all health classes that address homosexuality be required to provide up-to-date information from the CDC on sexually transmitted diseases and HIV among the groups the CDC designates as men who have sex with men.

Barb Anderson, a PAL spokesbigot, is also a researcher for the Minnesota Family Council has accused LGBT advocacy groups of being responsible for bullying and suicides in the district.
She actually blames LGBT advocacy groups for the rash of LGBT suicides in the district. And then, at the meeting this week, she also accused the LGBT community of indoctrinating students.
Babs "Delusional Asshat" Anderson: “On Dec. 25th, on the front page of the Star Tribune, the pro-homosexual media once again held up the St. Paul school district as an example of how the districts should deal with GLBT issues. In St. Paul, the fear of the gay agenda coming into the schools is now a thing of the past. Well, that’s exactly right. There’s no reason to fear it coming in because its so entrenched in their schools that parents have given up all hope of getting it out.”
She then said that the “gay agenda”--and seriously, any bigots out there reading this, tell me exactly what the 'gay agenda' is--was trying to force Christians into the closet, by quoting Steve Warren--whom she described wrongly as a leader in ACT-UP--claiming that his “gay manifesto” was the rallying cry for the community. She failed to mention that the Warren’s article,written under the pseudonym Michael Swift, was satire.
This is what these so-called "Christians" do.
They say the LGBT is out to indoctrinate kids into homosexuality. Well, if we could actually do that, and since gay folks have been around since the beginning of time, wouldn't everyone on the planet have been indoctrinated by now?
They use words like GRID to make HIV/AIDS a gay disease, thereby making young straight men and women susceptible to the virus because they're taught they cannot get it because they're straight.
They use satire, written by us, against us.
So very "Christian".
Here's the deal, Babs, and all you other mind-fucking-ly dumb bigots in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. We, and by we I mean the LGBT community don't give a rats behind about your so-called "Christianity." Some of us are Christians. You can be a Christian. You can preach that homosexuality is wrong--it's called Free Speech. You can say what you want and believe what you want.
But you cannot torture someone who does not fit into your limited worldview. You cannot tell us, daily, that we are gonna die, that God hates us. You cannot push us, shove us, hit us,or put your hands on us, in the name of God.
Because that, Babs, will surely piss her off.

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Architecture Wednesday: Split Personality

2012-01-25T18:00:00.001-05:00

So, I was trolling the interwebz looking for something to post, something that tickles my architectural boner, if you will, and I stumbled upon this interesting home.
Modern. Clean lines. Minimal. Yes, we have a winner.
And then as I perused the pictures of the backyard, and the pool area, and bits and pieces of the house, they finally revealed the facade of this beauty, which I will save for the end of this post. But, let's just say, this house, which I dub The Sybil, is really quite remarkable.
This project was done for a couple and their children, and included alterations to the front and a new, separate studio to the rear of the site. It was designed so that the spaces are adaptable to the changing needs of a family over time. The studio space can become an office, if need be; the entertainment room in the basement could become a home gym or playroom.
And there's a central courtyard with a pool and access to the rear parking areas. The garden has also been carefully crafted to create its own secret garden, complete with designer cubby house.
Plus, and this is the wave of the future, the house sits atop a 25,000 liter underground rain water harvesting tank. There are double glazed windows throughout, highly insulated walls floors and roof, and all of the wood used in the addition are locally resourced, sustainable, plantation timber cladding.
The addition appears to have been carved from a solid block, chiseled away to draw light into the home. Deep reveals form the windows to the upper floor to protect the gaze from the surrounding residences. An interior lightwell and water feature extend the garden space into the living spaces.
There is an overwhelming sense of seclusion in both the house and garden that creates a type of space that is the family’s own, a retreat from busy lives and the surrounding urban chaos.

And now for the street facade, and why I call this house The Sybil.

Thank you Mood

Just For Giggles: This Explains Everything

2012-01-25T15:00:00.001-05:00

Funny Link

Oh Mittsy! You're Just Like Me!!

2012-01-25T12:00:00.004-05:00

Let's make this perfectly queer: I don't begrudge Mitt Romney, or anyone for that matter, being a millionaire or a billionaire or even a kajillionaire. But, what pisses me off about Mittsy is his constant "I'm just like you" attitude.
It ain't workin', Mittsy. Especially now that your tax returns have been released and we can all see just how unlike us you are:

Mitt Romney earned $21.7 million in 2010....just like me.
Mitt Romney earned $20.9 million in 2011.....just like me.
Mitt Romney paid a lower tax rate [13.9%...less than the 15% he originally claimed] than many middle-class Americans....just like me.
Mitt Romney's tax rate was also well below what other wealthy people pay, which is 25%...just like me.
Mitt Romney makes more in a day [more than $33,000 in a day] than the average American makes in a year, and becomes a 1 percenter every week...just like me.
Mitt Romney paid almost nothing [0.1%] in payroll taxes because the tax is only assessed on earned wages; most working Americans pay 7.65 percent....just like me.
Mitt Romney has accounts in the Cayman Islands, Switzerland, and Luxembourg, countries notorious for tax dodging....just like me. [Aides said he closed his Swiss account in 2010 because it might have been “politically embarrassing.”]
Mitt Romney's [and Newt's] tax plans would slash Romney’s taxes to less than half what he pays now....just like me.

Now, let me say again, I don't begrudge Romney being a millionaire. I do, however, take issue with his lies that he's "just like me" and that he was also "unemployed" last year. I also take issue with the fact that if Mittsy Romney, or Newt Gingrich, get elected in November, they'll be looking out for their own.
But hey, that's just like me.

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BRB: I'm Headed To The DMV

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

What's this? In Indiana? The state's first specialty license plate that benefits LGBT causes is now available for purchase.
Oh, but it is. Bureau of Motor Vehicles [BMV] spokesman Graig Lubsen said the Indiana Youth Group plate has been available since last month; the plate bears a logo with hands in rainbow colors reaching up.Twenty-five dollars from the sale of each $40 plate goes to the group serving LGBTQ youth. The Indiana Youth Group operates an activity center, helps develop Gay Straight Alliances in high schools and assists communities in forming youth services; the group serves some 1,400 youths and young adults ages 12 to 21.
Youth Group director Mary Byrne says every nickel raised by the sale of these specialty plates "will go directly for services to these young people."
Indiana is only the second state in the nation with a specialty plate benefiting gay youths. Maryland was the first.
But it took a lawsuit to have the plate made available.
The Youth Group sued the state in 2010 after the BMV turned down its request for a specialty plate in 2008 and 2009, alleging the BMV used arbitrary and unconstitutional standards in deciding whether to approve plates for nonprofit groups. Both sides later reached an agreement and the lawsuit was dismissed. The Youth Group applied again and the plate was approved.
Makes me wanna pack up my bags and move to, of all places, Indiana, except........

Down here in South Carolina, we can now purchase an SC Equality license plate.Now, the license plate doesn't have a rainbow flag, or rainbow colors, or pink triangles, or RuPaul, on it, but it's an LGBT supportive plate.
It was created as a way of allowing residents of South Carolina to publicly display their support of community, culture and policy that encourages and advocates for equal treatment for all South Carolinians, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
And the license plates comes in 2012, which is the tenth anniversary of the founding of SC Equality. In effing South Carolina.
After hanging my head that a serial adulterer and racist wingnut won the GOP Primary, hearing this news allowed me to hold my head up again.
Way to go, SC! Way to go!

Indiana
South Carolina

"Doctor" Keith Ablow Goosesteps For Newt

2012-01-24T18:00:00.001-05:00

As many of you know, I have a low tolerance for stupid people. But, every so often, along comes a stupid person, so deluded by their own lack of brain activity, that they almost become comical.
Like, say, "Doctor" Keith Ablow.
Just yesterday, I posted the "Dr.'s" theory about Americans drinking so much. It was kinda funny all the things he blames, being that not one of them is a right-wing thing, or a Christian thing, or a FauxNews thing. Now we have "Doctor" Ablow talking about all things Newt, and, of course, seeing that they pay his bills, doing it for FauxNews.
Ablow was tasked with analyzing Newt Gingrich’s infidelity issues and he arrived at some pretty amazing [read: high-larious] conclusions. Now, the be fair, and balanced, I must say that "Doctor" Ablow believes Newt's fidelity, or lack thereof, doesn’t dictate how he’ll be as a President, but it's his other "theories" that tickle my funny bone."Dr." Ablow writes,

1) Three women have met Mr. Gingrich and been so moved by his emotional energy and intellect that they decided they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with him.

Really? These women wanted to be with Newt The Sex God because of his “emotional energy and intellect”? Not, maybe, because he was their superior and they might be a hint, all right an ALLEGED hint, of sexual harassment at the most, but an inappropriate relationship at least. And, of course, "Dr." Ablow's theory rests of the shaky foundation that Newt has great emotional energy and intellect.

2) Two of these women felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married.

3) One of them felt this way even though Mr. Gingrich was already married for the second time, was not exactly her equal in the looks department and had a wife (Marianne) who wanted to make his life without her as painful as possible.

Conclusion: When three women want to sign on for life with a man who is now running for president, I worry more about whether we’ll be clamoring for a third Gingrich term, not whether we’ll want to let him go after one.

So, two of these women, including Marianne and the robotic Calista, began an inappropriate affair with a marriage man--and keep in mind, Calista portrays herself as a devout Catholic, though probably not while she flat on her back in the arms of a married Newt--and "Dr." Ablow apparently seriously believes that because they found Newt so utterly captivating and desirable that it means the American people are gonna find him just as delightful.
At least until we find out he's fucking around on us.
I mean, old habits and all.
See what i mean, though? Stupid people, like "Doctor" Ablow are sometimes so stupid, and so delusional, and so willing to sell themselves to a news channel--and that makes me giggle because it's Fox--that it actually becomes funny.
And then sad.
Then funny again, because, seriously, President "Newt".
Ain't gonna happen.
For more of "Doctor" Ablow's Theories That Blow, go HERE.

Just For Giggles

2012-01-24T15:00:00.000-05:00

O'Malley Pushes For Equality Again

2012-01-24T12:00:00.002-05:00

You gotta give him credit for perseverance.
Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley hosted a breakfast this morning with gay activists and members of the religious community to discuss his bill granting marriage equality to all Marylanders. O'Malley is expected to introduce his marriage equality bill this evening.
His task at this meeting is to ensure religious leaders that they will never be forced to perform a same-sex marriage if they choose not to do so: "If there’s a difference [this year] it will probably be in regard to the respect for religious freedom and making that a little clearer in this bill."
That's how it should be. We argue that marriage is a civil union of two people, not a religious union, so we cannot, should not, will not force any church to participate in a same-sex wedding if they choose to stay out of it. If a gay couple wants to have a religious service, then seek out a church that is willing to perform that ceremony, don't force it on anyone.
Separation of church and state, y'all.
O'Malley's bill passed the Senate last year--and is expected to do so again--but it stalled in the House falling short of the 71 votes needed for passage.
Let's hope that in the past year, those people who chose not to support equality have realized the error of their ways.
Go Maryland!

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Big Pro-LGBT Business

2012-01-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Out there in Washington, where marriage equality inches closer to reality, a letter, signed by Microsoft, Vulcan, NIKE, RealNetworks, Group Health Cooperative, and Concur was sent to legislative leaders stating their support for marriage equality.

"We write you today to show the support of our respective companies for SB 6239 and HB 2516 recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples."

It was back in 2005 that Microsoft started a bit of a kerfuffle in Washington when the company stated that it was "neutral" on LGBT-rights legislation. After much criticism, though, Microsoft changed its position and endorsed LGBT-rights bills, including domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. But it was only a week or so ago that Microsoft said it was reviewing the marriage equality bill and had not yet decided to take a position.
Now, they have:

"Microsoft is joining other Northwest employers Concur, Group Health Cooperative, Nike, RealNetworks and Vulcan Inc. in support of Washington State legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. This position builds on our history of supporting corporate and public policies that promote inclusion and equality.Microsoft's greatest asset is a talented workforce as diverse as our customers. As other states recognize marriage equality, Washington's employers are at a disadvantage if we cannot offer a similar, equitable and inclusive environment to our talented employees, our top recruits and their families. This legislation would put Washington employers on equal footing with employers in the six other states that already recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples. Passing the bill would be good for our business and for the state's economy."

How can you, as a business, expect o move ahead, expect to be able to hire the best employees, expect to at the forefront of business, when you denigrate one group by, either denying them rights, or staying neutral?
You can't.
Thanks for the support, Microsoft, Vulcan, NIKE, RealNetworks, Group Health Cooperative, and Concur.

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"Doctor" Keith Ablow Goosesteps For FauxNews

2012-01-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

"Dr." Keith Ablow, goosestepping asshatted psychiatrist to FauxNews has a new mission on his hands. He wants to stop America from drinking, and he wants to tell us why Americans drink.

In a piece "Dr" Ablow wrote for FauxNews, he states that "one in every six Americans downs eight mixed drinks within a few hours, four times a month. Twenty-eight percent of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 binge-drink five times a month, putting away seven drinks in one sitting. And 13 percent of those between the ages of 45 and 65 binge drink five times a month, too."

Okay, that's not good. I'm mean, anyone with half a brain, and by half a brain I mean people like "Dr." Keith Ablow, know that binge-drinking is a bad, bad thing. And, while I can somewhat compliment "Dr." Ablow for his interest in stopping some Americans from drinking themselves to death, let's take a look at whom the "Dr." blames for our increased intoxication.

He believes "Americans are on a flight from reality." We're a'scurred for the economy, so we drink. We're afraid of Muslims so we have a shot of whiskey, or ten. And. then he pulls out that old chestnut: Americans are drinking themselves to death because, oh lawdy lawdy lawdy, help me, gay folks wanna get married.

But then he also tosses in immigration, and health care--though he is staunchly anti-Obamacare--as other reasons for our over-imbibing in the liquored beverages, saying, "[W]e as a nation are drinking, drugging, gambling, smoking, Facebooking, YouTubing, Marijuaning, Kardashianing, Adderalling, Bono-ing (as in thinking of Chaz’s sad flight from reality as good), Prozacking, Twittering, and Sexting ourselves into oblivion."

Note how "Dr." Keith Ablow blames the alcoholism of America on everything but FauxNews, and the GOP and Christians. Um, ya think it's because he's paid by FauxNews?

Perhaps. I mean, the Kardashians and Chaz Bono? Really? But Rick Santorum equating gay sex with bestiality isn't an issue. Michele Bachmann saying gay people are of Satan doesn't raise his dander. Newt Gingrich marrying THREE times and fucking around on two of those marriages--though I suspect we'll learn one day that he screwed around on the robotic Calista, too--doesn't bother him in the least.

What a sanctimonious fuck, blaming everything but Republican agenda and the Christians and Rupert Murdoch for people over-drinking.

Of course, at the end, "Dr." Ablow offers up his remedy for our National Alcoholism: God. Yes, indeed, take God into your life, become a good Christan and the urge to drink yourself blind because Chaz Bonbo is transgendered, or Kim Kardashian is a famewhore, or because someone defriended you on Facebook, will go away.

That's how the good "Dr." sees it, or at least how FauxNews pays the the good "Dr." to see it.

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Just For Giggles: Newt Logic

2012-01-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

Another One: Phillip Parker

2012-01-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

Phillip Parker was just fourteen when he'd decided enough was enough. He took his own life rather than endure another moment of being bullied.
Gena Parker, Phillip's mother:

"He was fun, he was energetic, he was happy."

And, to many of his friends, Phillip was known as the boy who told everyone they're beautiful, though maybe he didn't quite believe that for himself.
Ruby Harris, Phillip's grandmother:

"He kept telling me he had a rock on his chest. He just wanted to take the rock off where he could breathe."

Phillip's family reported their concerns over his being the target of bullies to officials at Gordonsville High School on multiple occasions, but the bullying just got worse.Phillip Parker, Phillip's father:

"That's my son. I love him. I miss him."

An official with Smith County Schools said they are planning how to handle a crisis situation with students Monday. It's a shame they couldn't handle a bullying situation, for then there would be no need for crisis counseling for Phillip's fellow students.
Some folks say that these are hard posts to read, and I can tell you that they are hard posts to write. But if we don't put their names out there, we don't shine a light on the issue that children are bullying children; to death.
This needs to stop. The schools need to step up. The districts need to step up. Parents need to demand that the schools their children attend keep those children safe.
I'm sick of seeing 'Another One....' on my blog, but these young men and women, gay and straight, are not going to die in vain.

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Outstanding Guest Comment Of The Week: It's Froggy Again!

2012-01-23T09:00:00.026-05:00

Yes, time does fly, because we are once again announcing the nominees and the winner of the coveted....coveted?....ISBL Outstanding Guest Comment of the Week.
And heeeeeeere that are:

It seems as though scarcely a week goes by and we have yet another young person who decides that suicide is their only option to relive themselves from the pain of a lifetime of bullying. That's why we have Another One: Eric James Borges:
Kyle Leach said...
Bob, that is the saddest part for me; all of that love, passion, creativity, and potential erased and for no good reason at all. He just felt alone and didn't feel he could go on. i don't even want to say what I think of his so called parents.

We get good news on the LGBT front quite often these days, but there are still hot spots of bigotry and intolerance in America. One such place is Tennessee: More Phobic Every Day:
Rainbow said...
I officially have a new "stompin a mudhole in" target!! First I need to google and find out exactly how one goes about "stompin a mudhole" and exactly what type of shoes are appropriate for such a thing...I'm guessing slingbacks are out. Also, exactly how much stompin does it take to "stomp him dry"? I have a mani/pedi scheduled for 2pm...just sayin!

Of course I spoke to soon when talking about LGBT suicides, once this week was bad enough, and then there was Another One: Jeff Fehr:
Theaterdog said...
As much as I hate seeing that title "another one" I thank you for keeping the faces we are losing in your blog. It is the same as David Mixner showing the faces of fallen soldiers on his blog.
Am I alone in this, but should we stop using the word "bully" and call this practice what it is, assault.
I was bullied back in the 60s, what is happening to these kids has got to be something I can not imagine.
thank you

I've often said it doesn't matter when or how one comes out, but that everyone must come out. It's awfully hard to denigrate us, when we're open and out and everywhere, so this week was a good week as Todd Glass Comes Out:
www.DiatribesAndOvations.com said...
Welcome out, Todd. There truly is power in numbers. I encourage everyone that's in the closet to be honest about who they are.

The march toward marriage equality is on, people. Washington stepped up, then New Jersey followed suit, and now Illinois Gears Up For The Fight:
Ron said...
Same sex marriages will be Federal law in my lifetime. It is just a matter of time. These troglodytes are just wasting our time opposing what is inevitable.

I'm not a fan of government censorship, as I can censor myself, and censor things from myself quite nicely, thank you. So, on Wednesday, ISBL went dark in the face of SOPA and PIPA and reminded readers that You Could Be Seeing This:
Princess said...
Is this the transcript of the last Republican debate? It clearly explains everything...

I tend to squeal somewhat gleefully when a self-entitled politician says something off the cuff and reveals far more about themselves then they ever intended. This week it was Little Mittsy Romney who got got in the Open Mouth, Insert Very Expensive Shoe kerfuffle....again:
Mitch Block said...
I sure hope all these gaffs are used and used well during the actual presidential election (since I expect he'll be the GOP candidate). It would be wonderful to see all this bite him very seriously in the ass.

Going dark caused a delay in one of my favorites features here at ISBL, so this week we had Architecture Wednesday Thursday: To Downsize, Or Not To Downsize:
twunty mcslore said...
I'm speechless. My mind keeps telling me that it's impossible that all that space is inside that tiny exterior. I'm a little freaked out. Hold me.

Moronic politicians, moronic politician's wives, hot guys, Meryl Streep and movie stars with half a brain, all spurred on my Random Musings:

tamayn said...
There is nothing better than following the GOP debate tweets Dan Savage puts out. Then again my feed never disappoints. I don't know why I didn't get into it sooner.

Man oh man, people were talking this week. Some said fun stuff, some said hateful stuff, some were just douchenozzles. But I won't take the blame because I Didn't Say It...., y'all did...mostly about Ethan Sabo:

Miss Ginger Grant said...
Ethan Sabo: you fucking piece of shit: if you don't want to see me in my bootie shorts, don't come to the gay pride parade. You don't belong their anyway! I'll make a deal with you- if you don't come to my gay pride parade and make fun of my bootie shorts, I won't come to you church and taunt you when you lie to Jeebus about how you love mankind and want peace on earth!

R.J. said...
Ethan Sabo puts the con in HomoCon. His rant makes him sound just like a sick, nasty gay basher.

Wonder Man said...
Ethan Sabo needs to have a seat

Y'all know I'm a whore for the PR, but every so often--well, more often than not--they jump the shark in their challenges. Like when they ask the designers to create a dress for a puppet and then everyone acts like the puppet is a real person. PR: All-Stars: Porcine Prêt-à-Porter, seriously?:

Tiger Chanter said...
I was disappointed that we didn't see the "muppet-sized" version on Miss Piggy at the end! :(

Miss Ginger Grant said...
Project Runway All "Stars" is a misnomer- Joanna Coles, Schmeidi, and whoever-the-fuck-that-other- bitch-is are decidedly NOT stars!
Bring back Mrs. Seal, Korange, and the receptionist from Mode- the PR franchise is sinking faster than an Italian ocean liner!

Once again I scoured the web for a feel-good story to start the weekend, and after a week of the stories of Marines urinating on corpses, I was glad this one was also about military men, and women. Those who do the right thing, like Good News Friday: Vets Stand Tall Against Hate:

Beth said...
THAT is a good story. Thank you. I needed that.

Each week I am astounded by the antics of people we call 'celebrities' and the kerfuffles in which they often find themselves...boy-toys, outrageous spending habits, jealous husbands, spats between divas, and ginormous egos. It's just like life, except, I Ain't One To Gossip, But....:

David said...
Gwyneth Paltrow's success is based on her mom and dad. She's a twit, and nowhere near as talented as a box of hair. I dream one day of kicking her in her lady parts.

But the Outstanding Guest Comment of the Week the OGCOTW, if you will, was posted almost the instant I posted the winners for last week. It was a comment that stuck with me all week long, partially because it was posted on Another One: Eric James Borges and partially because of the fact that I thank the goddess every day for the parents I have:

froggy said...
I don't think his *parents* deserve that title. They were given the gift of a child and they destroyed it.

Still gives me chills just reading it.
Thanks Froggy, and thanks to everyone who stops by for a little rant and chat during the week.

Sunday Funnies: Extra! Extra!

2012-01-22T14:30:00.003-05:00

I just came across this one and it's too good not to share!

Sunday Funnies

2012-01-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

I Ain't One To Gossip, But.....

2012-01-21T09:00:00.001-05:00

I blame it on Gwyneth.
Chris Martin has always been a bit touchy where his wife, the supremely perfect in her own head, Gwyneth Paltrow is concerned. But he gets positively twitchy when the subject of Brad Pitt comes up, which I imagine it does, being Pitt was one of Paltrow's old flames.
In fact, in 2008, Chris said, about Pitt, in a Rolling Stone interview, saying, “You’ve got to be hungry… If your wife went out with Brad Pitt, you’d want to prove yourself, you know what I mean?”
Um, no, but you go ahead.
Later that same year, Chris punched an interviewer--and called him a c*nt--for mentioning Gwyneth’s engagement to Brad, so for the past few years, Chris avoids the subject altogether.
Until the bauble appeared. It seems that Mister Gwyneth Paltrow’s eyes popped when he spotted an obviously pricey diamond bracelet on the wrist of the Missus. He asked her about it, and Gwyneth, being dumb as a box of rocks, or loving the drama, told him the jewels were a gift from Brad during their engagement.....15 years ago.
Chris blew his stackand there was the promise of donating the bauble to charity. Still, it begs the question, why would she wear an expensive piece of jewelry given to her by an old flame in front of her very jealous-of-the-former-fiance husband? Well, it all goes back to dumb as a box of rocks, or loving the drama. That's Gwynnie.

Haven't heard too much of Miley Pothead Cyrus lately, so, naturally, she used the Paris Hilton method of getting some press.
She began showing up anywhere and everywhere looking much thinner than she had just a month back.
Drugs? Drink? Bulimia?
See, Miley looked less bulky, and the boobs were smaller and she seemed so tiny. All of it ALLEGEDLY due to a chef, nutritionist, and personal trainer who helped Miley shed 15 pounds for the incredibly low price of $50,000.
Uh, huh. She apparently still has a fat head.
According to a pal--and by pal, I mean her media savvy daddy--Miley used those experts to help her shed some weed fat before a Hawaiian getaway with boyfriend Liam Hemsworth: “Miley probably spent $50,000 to lose 15 pounds in a few weeks. She didn’t care what it cost as long as she looked good!”
I'm thinking if she'd spent 50k less on weed, and lost the munchies, she probably would have lost the weight just as easily and quickly, and saved herself $100,000.
But that's just me.

Oh JLo, ¿como se dice 'midlife crisis'?
First she dumps her husband, and then goes all Britney and hooks up with a backup dancer, and then pays said dancing boy 10k a week just to be her boy. But now Lopez has seen to it that Casper the Horny Backup Dancer was offered a job--without description--at American Idol. Supposedly, JLo wants to keep him busy while Mama's workin'.
An insider--and by insider I mean Miss Ryan Seacrest--says, “Casper has some title but no one knows what he’s supposed to be doing.”
But JLo is so desperate to keep her toy, she’s even hired her attorneys to clear him of charges stemming from recklessly drag-racing a friend down an LA freeway last winter, and Ryan adds: “She doesn’t mind paying thousands of dollars if it means he’ll stick around.”
Stick around and take care of Mama's needs. I'm guessing.

The story that won't die is the one about Elton, his husband, and Madonna.
We all know that Elton John lost the Golden Globe for “Best Song” to Madonna, and was visibly livid at the idea. But he didn't seem as enraged as his husband, David Furnish, who was all over Facebook, and Twitter, and anyone with a microphone who came his way, saying, “Did Madonna get the Golden Globe because she attended the awards and agreed be a presenter? The award should have gone to Mary J. Blige or Elton. I like Madonna’s music, but not her movies. She should stick to what she is good at.”
This came after his Facebook blast: “Madonna. Best song???? F**k off!!! Madonna winning Best Original Song truly shows how these awards have nothing to do with merit. Her acceptance speech was embarrassing in its narcissism…”
Yeah, it was ugly. Two queens and a dude gettin' into it always is, and yet Madonna stayed classy about the whole thing, saying she only hoped that she and Elton weren’t fighting, again. But now, David has settled, and he's apologizing, sort of.
On Facebook--seriously?--he said: “Wow! What a tempest in a teapot. My comments regarding the Golden Globes have been blown way out of proportion. My passion for our film ‘Gnomeo & Juliet’ and belief in Elton’s song really got my emotional juices going. But I must say for the record that I do believe Madonna is a great artist, and that Elton and I wish her all the best for next week’s premiere of the film ‘W.E.’”
His comments, taken verbatim from his own posts were taken out of context? Oh, honey, no, no. And why the sudden switch to polite politics? Well, some say that maybe David's unbridled fury at the GG loss would hurt Elton's chances of getting the Oscar nod, so Mister John muzzled Mister John.
Queens fighting is fun.

Overkill much.
There was ALLEGEDLY a magazine in the works solely dedicated to all things Kardashian. It seemed like a false story, and a really stupid idea, but now comes news that there really was a Kardashian magazine being prepped to hit the stands until Kris "For the love of god learn to keep your mouth shut" Jenner mucked it up.
Rumor has it--I love that Adele song, but I digress--that Jenner botched the deal with parent company American Media International by demanding that all stories in AMI tabloids about the Kash Kow and her ilk be in a positive vein. The magazine folks told Kris that there was no way they were going censor any stories about the Kardashians, and she blew a gasket, a vein in her head, and the deal.
Can you imagine that she actually thinks there is anything remotely positive to write about her entire money-grubbing brood, their ALLEGEDLY cross-dressing father, and their adulterous mother?
Too, too funny.

Just For Giggles: Serial Adulterer

2012-01-20T21:00:00.000-05:00

Good News Friday: Vets Stand Tall Against Hate

2012-01-20T18:00:00.004-05:00

Okay, so there's this Iraqi restaurant called Babylon in Lowell, Massachusetts, and one day last week, apparently because it's an Iraqi restaurant, a man threw a twenty-pound rock through the window. The owners, naturally, feared that hate was the motivating factor behind the attack and thought about closing up shop and moving away before someone got hurt.
Lowell police have identified the man who threw the stone--he eventually confessed--but believe his motive wasn't hate: "Unless this gentleman is lying to us--and I don't believe that he is--he didn't even know this restaurant was affiliated with people from Iraq," said Lowell police Superintendent Kenneth Lavallee.
So, the police don't think it's a Hate Crime, and yet they offer no other explanation. But a group of local citizens are taking a stand, for the restaurant. A group of veterans, many from the Iraq war.
One such skeptical veteran is Patrick Scanlon, a Vietnam veteran and coordinator of Veterans for Peace. Scanlon organized the show of support for the Babylon restaurant, and was joined for lunch...and dinner....by Iraq war veterans like former Army Sgt. Rachel McNeill and Chris Borden. Also sitting down in protest of hate, was a ninety-six-year-old veteran, Paul Brailsford, a former captain in the Merchant Marines who served in World War II. The veterans held flags and signs in front of the restaurant as they took turns sitting down inside to eat meals.
Twice. See, they had so many veterans come out in support of Babylon, that they filled the restaurant twice over.
Babylon owner Leyla Al-Zubaidi and her father Ahmed Al-Zubaidi said their family was terrified the vandalism was fueled by hate, but the show of support from veterans and the community has changed their minds.
Ahmed Al-Zubaidi: "This solidarity gives us the courage to stand. There is no more fear in my heart because there are such nice people behind us."
There has been some negative press this week about the American military--based on the actions of a few Marines--but these men truly represent the United States, standing up, standing tall, making all of us proud, and safe, to be Americans.
It's a good Friday.

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2012-01-20T15:00:00.000-05:00