Bobservations

Years ago shortly after moving into Casa Bob y Carlos, we went to a plant sale at the State Farmer’s Market site. We saw many plants we liked, though we weren’t looking for anything in particular, and Carlos spied the Popcorn Bush AKA Popcorn Viburnum. It was described as having flowers that looked like popcorn balls and Carlos wanted it.

It stood about a foot-and-a-half tall and Carlos told me the guy wanted $17 for it so he got one and headed to the checkout. Carlos misunderstand the price and it was actually $70 and he was too embarrassed to say ‘No,’ so we drove home with it.

Carlos planted it near the shed and didn’t like it there so he dug it up and replanted it along the fence so we could see it from the kitchen; he didn’t like it there either and was going to move it when I told him this was the last move so he’d better pick a good spot.

That’s the Popcorn bush today in its final spot in the yard just off the deck. I’d say we got our seventy bucks worth!

This Tale of Tuxedo is from March 2009:

I was on yard patrol today, raking leaves, bagging leaves, hauling bags across lawn to be put in the car and taken away. Tuxedo likes to sit in the window and watch. But then he gave me that Pouty Cat face when I came in because he isn't allowed to go outside. Then he decided to punish me for leaving him in the house while I was outside having "fun."

Note to self: Don't piss off the cat!

We had a great time at Columbia’s No Kings protest with more people in attendance than the last one—over 1500—and more Republicans out protesting too.

Keep it up, The Resistance is real! 

After his second drunk driving crash, this time a rollover accident in which he flipped his car on a suburban street Tiger Woods has said the reason he has never used a private driver over the years is due to concerns over his privacy, never mind the people he might kill.

A source says Tiger “doesn’t want anyone to watch over him or know what he is doing” which may explain all the pills ALLEGEDLY found in the car and his new statement about going to rehab.

Well, rehab is to keep him out of jail, they say.

Dear Pam Bondi: Do you want a great new thing to investigate besides Epstein? I recommend Pete Hegseth’s insider trading. You’re welcome.

By now you’ve all heard that cosplay actor Kristi DogKiller Noem’s husband also like to play dress up … as a woman.

Now a rumor is circulating that the person who informed on Bryon Noem was an immigrant sex worker, possibly in the country illegally, who wanted to go public about Noem’s husband using her services online.

Noem has asked for privacy during this difficult time so I will give her as much privacy as she planned on giving trans Americans when she wanted them followed into bathrooms and arrested.

Payback is a bitch, eh?

Simon Lööf is a thirty-two-year-old Swedish actor, model and former ice hockey player … if you’re into Heated Rivalry then the question is, Would You Hit It?

Architecture Wednesday: Chingaza Lodge

This is described as a lodge, but it’s a modern lodge, a small lodge, sitting roughly 10,000 feet above sea level in the Chingaza Moor about an hour from Bogotá.

You can’t get much further away, I think; and you can’t get more simple, more modern, more green and closer to nature.  In order to foster interactions between nature and the inhabitants of the lodge, the house is comprised of two modules connected by a glass tunnel which, at first glance is designed to give you gorgeous views of the hummingbirds garden in the east and an open view to the San Rafael reservoir to the west, but is also used  to collect heat energy from the sun to warm the spaces … perfect for a lodge sitting in an area that can get down to zero degrees at night.

With an eye toward creating a space of reflection and honest materiality, pine wood slats wrap the entire area from floor, walls and ceiling, making the interior cozy and minimalist. A large-scale window in each module complements the wooden-based interior, that not only captures daily sunsets, but also welcomes the thermal energy produced by the sun to bring warmth and comfort to those very often cold nights at this altitude.

By contrast to the wooden interior, the exterior aims to be an austere body, clad in black metal, that blends in with the gray tones of the moor sky; better still, is night, when the lodge seems to disappear because of the black façade leaving only the large windows, wood and artificial lights creating the illusion of two floating lights on the side of the mountain.

Finally, the value of the project not only in the design and an understanding of the natural habitat in which is built, but also to foster diverse encounters between its human and non-human inhabitants; the garden of hummingbirds in in the center of the two spaces, a window that offers a sunset in the moorland landscape, a west window that frames the mountains of Chingaza.

It's all about the experience. The simple lines of the space and the beauty of the mountains and the sky all through the day. I don’t think I’d ever leave.

As always, click to emBIGGERate …

Arch Daily

March

I’m with her.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas student survivor Emma González spoke at the March for Our Lives protest in Washington, D.C. (and while every speech was moving, thoughtful, thought provoking and from the heart, Emma delivered. It was powerful speech made even more powerful when she stopped speaking.

After more than a minute of silence from the podium, with Emma standing still and quiet, someone came on stage, touched her shoulder, and seemed to ask if she was all right.

Emma González didn't move or speak. As she stayed silent, people in the crowd began chanting:

"Never again! Never again!"

Emma stood silent, in tears, and soon the crowd fell quiet. Still, nothing, but a tear running down her face. Finally, someone in the crowd, perhaps thinking Emma couldn’t go on shouted:

"We love you Emma!" 

Emma said nothing … for four solid minutes; then a timer went off., and Emma reached in her pocket, turned it off, and said:

"Since the time that I came out here, it has been six minutes and 20 seconds. The shooter has ceased shooting and will soon abandon his rifle, blend in with the students and walk free for an hour before arrest. Fight for your lives before it's someone else's job."

And then Emma González walked off the stage, silently becoming one of the most powerful speakers ever.

The March for our Lives event in Columbia, organized by Building Better Communities, an organization that works with law enforcement to create better community relations, as well as local chapters of Moms Demand Action, Faith Coalition On Gun Violence and Moms Against Gun Violence, brought several thousand people to the streets of the capitol city.

The march, led by high school students walked up toward the South Carolina State House, growing larger and louder; signs waved; people chanted; some cried. Many held signs:

 “Guns are the death of U.S.”

“Protect kids not guns.”

“No more silence. End Gun violence.”

And a play on ____’s campaign slogan:

“Make America safe again.”

Hundreds of orange flowers were laid out on the State House steps, spelling out Never Again, the motto of the growing gun control movement and Columbia Mayor Stephen Benjamin, praised the students, but chastised those older folks:

“Old folks need to act. This is a moment in the history of our nation that if we stand behind our young people and follow them, we can fundamentally change our nation. Listen to what the youth are saying about gun control measures."

Sarah Hinnant was one of those young people leading the marchers; she is 18 and is quite clear about what she wants:

Universal background checks.

An assault weapons ban.

No more high-capacity magazines.

The closing of loopholes that allow people to buy guns without the proper protocol.

That loophole is known as the “Charleston loophole” because it allowed a racist white supremacist lunatic—I won’t say his name—to murder nine black parishioners in Charleston, by outlasting a waiting period for a background check to come back.

Sadly, even after Charleston, South Carolina allows the purchase of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines and does not require background checks for private sales, such as at gun shows.

This was a loophole that state Representative James Smith, a Democrat and candidate for governor, called for state and national lawmakers to close.:

“It’s been the youth of America that have been a catalyst for positive change. Like the Freedom Riders of the ’60s demanding civil rights and racial equality, it’s you here today who can bring about the positive change for safer schools, a stronger community and let us leave this place for the next generation a better place than we found it.”

Better than we found it; safer than before.

But not all politicians feel that way, and mots of those are Republicans and most of those are sucking at the teat of the NRA.

Marco Rubio.

On the day of the March, Rubio released a statement to tell those students that he does not support their cause:

“I commend those who today are peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights to march in favor of a gun ban. While I do not agree with all of the solutions they propose, I respect their views and recognize that many Americans support certain gun bans. However, many other Americans do not support a gun ban. They too want to prevent mass shootings, but view banning guns as an infringement on the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens that ultimately will not prevent these tragedies.

“While protests are a legitimate way of making a point, in our system of government, making a change requires finding common ground with those who hold opposing views. Common ground is how we were able to achieve the STOP School Violence Act, improvements to our background check system, propelling CDC studies on gun violence and now, a ban on bump stocks. And finding common ground is what it will take to pass our red flag law so we can take guns away from dangerous people.”

Marco Rubio receives more campaign donations form the NRA—more than $3 million—than any other politician, left or right. Remember that; he has a vested interest in keeping gun control legislation from passing.

Marjorie Stoneman Douglas students have repeatedly attacked Marco Rubio for his ties to the NRA and at the March this past weekend they continued;  at the D.C. rally, Parkland students wore orange price tags listed at $1.05, which is what they say they were worth to Marco Rubio; the $1.05 price tag represents the number of students in Florida divided by the amount of money the NRA has donated to Rubio’s campaign.

I guess high school students aren't even worth a buck to Marco Rubio.

And, lastly, where was _____ during the march? Playing golf, of course; having another vacation weekend and saying nothing about the march. Of course, being in the pocket of the NRA, what could he say? This:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the horrible attack in France yesterday, and we grieve the nation’s loss. We also condemn the violent actions of the attacker and anyone who would provide him support. We are with you @EmmanuelMacron!”

Yes, he stood in support of victims of terrorism in France, but not with the victims and survivors of gun violence, and home-grown terrorism right in his own backyard.

He said nothing about the more than one million Americans in over 800 cities in all 50 states protesting gun violence and demanding stronger gun control laws.

I’m with Emma … and the students of Parkland … and Sarah Hinnant and James Smith and the thousands of people who took to the streets of Columbia and around the country to simply say …

#Enough

The Monday After Pride

Carlos and I attended SC Pride in Columbia this week. We’ve attended Prides before, everywhere from Key West to Ft. Lauderdale to West Palm Beach, and even here in Columbia twice. I’ve attended Pride in Sacramento and San Francisco while living in California.

But this time we attended Pride as part of a group with an agenda; The Will of the People Fund had a tent along Main Street to promote our cause: to help defray the non-attorney costs of the lawsuit filed by Katie Bradacs and her wife, Tracie Goodwin-Bradacs, to have the state of South Carolina recognize their marriage.

And Katie and Tracie were the Grand Marshalls in the parade, and spoke at Pride, as did Carrie Warner, one of the attorneys — along with John Nichols — who have taken their case pro bono because, well, it’s the right thing to do.

People, straight people, the not-so-gay-friendly straight people, always ask why “Pride”? What’s there to be proud of? If being gay is normal and y’all want the same rights as everyone else, why Pride? My usual answer is this:

We’re not proud to be gay, because if we’re born that way, then it’s just part of who we are, like eye color, hair color, and since we don’t have Tall White Guy with Blue Eyes Pride, then what have I got to be proud of? Well, it’s this: I am proud to be living my life as an openly gay man, saying quite clearly and loudly, and yes, proudly, that I won’t hide any more, that I won’t be closeted any more, that I won’t be told that my life, the man I love, our relationship, is somehow less than yours.

I am proud to stand up, be counted, be equal; that’s Pride.

And what a Pride it was; a huge crowd overflowing the streets of Columbia — Main Street was closed so there were all kinds of vendors and LGBT-friendly businesses and causes along the way; Some Dudes Marry Dudes, Get Over It t-shirts; petitions asking Hillary to run booths; Carlos bought a kilt at the Out of Bounds tent — his paternal grandfather was an Englishman and since England is just a hop, skip and a jump from England, well, kilt.

Lesbian couples each wearing matching I’m With Her shirts; gay men in Whore t’s; some guys in underwear, some women in leather, some folks looking like they’re just out for an afternoon stroll.

That was Pride, too; all the different kinds of people we saw, and spoke to, and cajoled into coming to The Will of the People Fund tent to donate to the cause, to sign our mailing list, to hear the story of who we are and why we fight, to just say Hello. We raised a nice chunk of change, and really spread the word. The Facebook page boomed with new ‘Likes’ and, as of yesterday, we were able to add a ‘Donate’ button to the page; that’s tight, head over to Facebook, look for The Will of the People Fund page … like us … and if you can, click the Donate Social button to send a little financial support to the family for whom we are fighting for and working for and supporting.

And speaking of the family, of Katie and Tracie and their three children, this is one of the best pictures from SC Pride … 

... the family, along with Tracie's niece, and Carrie Warner, standing in front of the anti-LGBT protesters, saying We’re a family, and we want to be treated as such, and seen as such. I find it funny, you know, seeing the Bradacs family, all smiles, surrounded by people using their faith as a weapon. It won’t work because Love always wins.

And that makes me proud, too.

photo credits:Abby Beckley Cobb [Pride flag], Allen Wallace [Pride photos] and Sheryl McAlister [Bradacs family photo]

Columbia, South Carolina Wants To ‘Exile The Homeless’

I’ve told this story before on this bloggy thing, but I’m reminded of it once again in light of this disgusting story out of Columbia, South Carolina.

When we first moved to Smallville seven years ago, we met some very nice people; we also met some of those religious types who smiled at the gay couple but then rarely spoke to us—thankfully those folks are in the minority.

I remember being asked by several people the usual questions when you meet someone: Where are you from? But I was ill-prepared for the ones that asked: Where do you worship?

Sarcastic me almost said, Satan? But then I realized they were serious. I explained my religious or spiritual beliefs and that I didn’t need to be a part of an organized religion to, for lack of better phrasing, ‘talk to God.’ I said I could talk to God, or Goddess, or whatever, anywhere and everywhere and any time.

And people would say that the church provides a way to help your neighbors in times of need, and help those less fortunate, to which I also replied that I didn’t need a church membership to do that. If you wanna help, and you can, you help; but then think about this story, about the less fortunate, and how the city of Columbia is “helping.”

See, last August, the city of Columbia approved a new plan to give its homeless population a choice: they could either leave the downtown area or be arrested, because, you know, the good people of Columbia don’t wanna see all them homeless people around. It makes them feel uncomfortable.

But, as if that wasn’t bad enough, Columbia has decided to go further. This month the city began to strictly enforce an old and rarely-used ordinance that would require groups of 25 or more to obtain a special permit and pay a hefty fee before congregating in a public park.

You know, where the homeless gather because they’re, you know, homeless.

One charity organization, Food Not Bombs, has already been impacted by the new laws. While they have been serving food to the homeless community in Columbia’s Finlay Park every Sunday for 12 years, they are now subjected to a payment of $120 each week to continue doing so.

Think of how many people they can feed on $120. Also know that Food Not Bombs organizes the meals, serves the meals, and fully cleans up the area where the meals are served, a tall order for a group that’s not even an official 501(c)(3) organization but just serves out of the goodness of its heart.

The goodness of its heart.

But it seems that Columbia’s newly enforced antiquated law was re-enacted just to stop groups like Food Not Bombs from serving the homeless. Since the Columbia City Council approved its exile plan in August, the city has been trying to herd its homeless people to a shelter on the outskirts of town and keep them away from downtown, and if charities continue to provide food in downtown parks, the thinking goes, it will allow homeless people to continue to live downtown, rather than being forced to leave.

Well, if that’s the idea, why not round up all the homeless folks and put ‘em in a camp. Maybe we can give them cool uniforms and tattooed ID numbers and then weed out the ones who seem especially weak or feeble or sick.

I mean, that’s kind of the next step. Right Columbia?

source

To March Or Not To March ... In An SC Pride Parade

Every so often a story arises in South Carolina that gives me hope for what could someday happen here, even though we’re not quite there yet.

Columbia, South Carolina, held their LGBT Pride event last month — as the summer time temperatures and offensive heat would make the event intolerable in June or July — and Columbia’s interim police chief Ruben Santiago asked that eight of his officers march in the parade as a signal of the city’s commitment to inclusiveness.

Again. South Carolina. LGBT. Good news.

However, two of the officers said they didn't want to march, and cited religious beliefs as their reasons for asking to be excused; Santiago wasn’t having it and denied their request. The objections continued and one of the officers started copying emails to City Manager Teresa Wilson's office, going over Santiago's head.

Top to bottom:
Santiago, Wilson, Lott

On the morning of the Pride Parade, Wilson had a discussion with Santiago, and what was to have been a mandatory march was suddenly voluntary ALLEGEDLY because there were enough officers to march.  The agreement between Wilson and Santiago also stated that there would be no disciplinary action for the officers, whose names were not released. 

Still Santiago, while agreeing to the “compromise” said it was not an ideal precedent to set; he says the idea of having his officers march in the parade was about sending a message:

"People see firsthand, 'hey the department is about equality, they are about acceptance.' We want to make sure we instill that so that if they do require our services, they won't hesitate one bit to count on us."

An important message to send. If the LGBT community feels the Columbia police department isn’t out to protect them equally, then why would they bother to even report a crime?

Santiago also added that an “officer cannot choose their assignments based on their religious beliefs. Mind you, we want to make accommodations where we can, but in this case, we went through the process of trying to get volunteers, and ultimately it came down to meeting the needs of that event and that's why the directive was given."

Santiago said the situation is not an ideal precedent to set:

"When you have a police department that really values strict discipline and adherence and obedience to directives, the Chief of Police is the person they look toward for that direction. Any department that expects to instill public trust, must demonstrate that by being visible to the public."

Where does this religious exemption begin and end? Marching in a Pride Parade doesn’t make you gay, or gay-friendly, and doesn’t affect your religious beliefs one iota; it’s part of your job, to protect and serve the entire community. Would it be all right, then, if an officer cited his religious beliefs to not work on Sunday? Or maybe he could use his religious beliefs as an excuse not to break up a domestic dispute in a Muslim home, or investigate a burglary at a gay couple’s house.

You protect and serve, serve, the entire community, not just those with whom you share like-minded faiths.

In addition to the police department, the Richland County Sheriff's Department marched in the SC Pride Parade, and County Sheriff Leon Lott wouldn’t have had it any other way. He agreed with Santiago that an officer's oath precludes them from ignoring lawful orders, and that the city's involvement, doesn't help.

"I would respect their wishes and their position, but I'm also going to say this is something you have to do. A chief or sheriff has to be able to make the decisions, a person that works underneath him are not going to respect them if they don't have the ability to make decisions, and I think that's a problem with the Columbia Police Department, not just now but for many many years."

It’s a parade; it’s not an endorsement of the LGBT community. It’s not an attack on anyone’s faith. It’s a parade, and it’s your job.

Protect. And serve.

Decision to order officers to participate in SC Pride Parade overridden