Bobservations

The other night Tuxedo and I were watching television when Carlos came into the room and joined us. We watched for a while and then it was time to go to bed. I do what I always do, pick Tuxedo up from my lap, give him smooches and ask if he’s ready for … well, it goes like this:

“Are you ready for sleeps? Do you want some sleeps? Let’s go sleeps.”

Carlos says:

“Are you talking to me?”

Yes, he thought for a hot minute that I, a grown-assed man—albeit a cat loving grown-assed man—would say to another grown-assed man:

“Are you ready for some sleeps? Do you want some sleeps? Let’s go sleeps.”

Oy. He kills me.

The other morning Lara Spencer and the Good Morning America team ridiculed news that Prince George was interested in pursuing ballet: Spencer said:

“Prince William says ‘Prince George absolutely loves ballet.’ I’ve got news for you, Prince William. We’ll see how long that lasts.”

And they all laughed because grown-ups, parents of children of their own mind you, find it high-larious in 20-effing-19 that a boy might like ballet, or maybe he’d grow up to be a little light in his loafers if allowed to dance.

Spencer was rightly dragged all over social media by male dancers who asked why in the world she would say such things and on Monday morning, she apologized and then had a sit down with three male dancers to sort of explain why she shouldn’t have said what she said.

Um, Lara? Because it’s 2019 and if boys want to dance, let ‘em. And if girls wanna play football, let ‘em. Save your gender bias for your own family.

Asshat. And as for the rest of you on GMA who laughed? Fuck you, too.

Pope Francis wants us all to pray for the fires in the Amazon to get under control … like politicians who send their prayers after mass shootings.

Forget the prayers. Howsabout asking for the world to take this fire, these fires, as seriously as they all took the fire at Notre Dame, because last I checked, the burning of that cathedral wasn’t affecting the entire planet.

I pray for world leaders to do something rather than pray. Okay, Frankie?

Marysville, Michigan  political newcomer and city council candidate,  Jean Cramer stunned an election forum last week by answering a question about the diversity of Marysville with this:

“Keep Marysville a white community as much as possible.”

Yes, she did. And, after others in the forum denigrated Cramer for her blatant racism, a reporter asked if she wanted to clarify her response:

“As long as, how can I put this? What Kathy Hayman [someone who spoke about having a biracial family] doesn’t know is that her family is in the wrong. (A) husband and wife need to be the same race. Same thing with kids. That’s how it’s been from the beginning of, how can I say, when God created the heaven and the earth. He created Adam and Eve at the same time. But as far as me being against blacks, no I’m not.”

She’s against anyone who isn’t white having anything to do with white people.

If you can see how this doesn’t make her a racist, point it out to men, please.

UPDATE: Cramer has dropped out of the race, proving that if you wanna get rid of a racist, shine a light on them and they'll scurry back under the dryer like a cockroach.

The Kansas City Health Department is facing backlash for pouring bleach on meals meant for the homeless earlier this month while citing issues related to how the food was prepared. 

Apparently, Free Hot Soup KC had intended to distribute food—home-cooked chili, foil-wrapped sandwiches and soup—to the homeless, but the city's health department confiscated the items at separate parks where the food was meant to be distributed. Officials claim the volunteer group did not have a permit and that the food was not prepared in approved kitchens, therefore deeming it a public safety risk. 

Okay, but wasn’t there any way to check the food, or check the kitchen where it was prepared before deciding to dump bleach on it?

Oh, and Free Hot Soup KC returned to that same park with meals on hand on Sunday and no health officials intervened in that gathering.

I guess they were all at church?

Vaping.

How does anyone with a brain firing on more than two cylinders truly think that sucking hot air into your lungs is a healthy alternative to smoking?

How stupid are we?

You ever wonder why _____ is always ranting about Chicago …. maybe it’s because Chicago will not let up on him.

Oh, too bad, so sad.

See, _____ billboards get vandalized as soon as they go up, the University of Illinois is in an uproar over his speaking engagement and now the Wiener's Circle, one of Chicago's best hot dog stands, is offering _____ his very own special menu item:

A 3-inch hot dog called the "_____ footlong." Wiener's Circle employees are also wearing hats that say "Make Wiener's great again."

I love you, Chicago.

Liars gonna lie … a viral clip from the G7 hit social media this week proving that not only does Melanie not speak French, but that she forgot she told everyone she could.

During a joint press conference between French President Emmanuel Macron and her husband, Macron spoke French for many long-form answers and Melanie, who we’ve been told speaks fluent French, needed the translation headset to understand Macron.

Or, maybe she was using it when her husband spoke to translate gibberish into nonsense?

And then, also at the G7, _____ claimed that Melanie has “gotten to know” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un even though everyone, even his own White House, admits the two have never met.

And then … CNN accused _____ of lying after reviewing photos from the G7 summit and determining that the White House ran cover for him not attending a climate change meeting.

Cuz his chair was empty during the meeting.

Truth be told, however, an empty chair was probably more useful in a climate change summit than _____.

Pretty soon it’ll be an empty house … Jerri Ann Henry, the executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, has resigned over the group’s endorsement of _____ for reelection.

Henry, who was the first woman to lead the LCR, submitted her resignation last Friday and left on Monday citing her discontent with _____ and dissatisfaction with LCR’s endorsement of him.

She joins Jennifer Horn, Robert Turner II, who once led LCR’s D.C. chapter, and Rachel Hoff, who gained notoriety during the 2016 Republican National Convention for arguing for LGBT inclusion in the Republican Party during the platform drafting process.

It looks like soon the LCR will be just delusional Log Cabin spokesman Charles Moran.

Sorry, not sorry.

Now for a palate cleanser … Hot Man, model and fitness instructor,  Trevor Michael Opalewski.

Sexy. Fit. Hot. Nekkid.

Okurrrrrr …

Random Musings

Overheard at Home: 
Bob: "Maya Angelou died today."
Carlos: "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."
Bob: "Yeah, she had a pretty incredible life."
Carlos: "Now, which aunt is that — ?"
Bob: "What?"
Carlos: "Is that your aunt from Virginia?"
Goddess love him, eh?

I like a good beer, but I especially like one that tastes like equality.

Out in Idaho Crooked Fence Brewing has released a new brew taking aim at their anti-marriage equality governor, C.L. 'Butch' Otter. Their new India brown ale is being called "Little Bitch Otter."

Crooked Fence Brewing co-owner and marketing director Kelly Knopp:

"Anyone that is going to try to take away freedoms or not let someone be equal, Crooked Fence is against."

Knopp also says a portion of opening day sales will go directly to Add the Words Idaho, and the Pride Foundation.

Good brew!

I didn't watch Lifetime's Flowers in the Attic or the sequel Petals on the Wind because they sounded kinda stupid and kinda soft-core lady porn.

But then I saw actor Wyatt Nash, who co-stars in Petals, and, while I still won't watch it, i may be on the lookout for him.

Well, well, well, count me in.

The U.S. Census Bureau will start categorizing gay married couples as families. Gay married couples are families? Who knew?

The 2013 American Community Survey results, which will be reported in September, will, for the first time, integrate the estimated 180,000 same-sex married couples into the nation’s 56 million families.

We count! We really count!

Okay, so y’all know I’ve taken shots at Justin Bieber in this here bloggy thing because he’s kind of a spoiled little douche, a Sizzurp-slurping, weed-smoking, drag-racing, law-breaking, egg-tossing, fan-hating, misogynist, but, you know, every once in a while even a puissant like The Biebs does something right.

At a recent event for amfAR [American Foundation for AIDS Research] Bieber was listening as one man stepped up with a donation of $545,000 to the charity and he decided, quietly, to match the offer with his own 545K.

His act of generosity apparently stunned the crowd, and also stunned organizers who asked him if he was serious; he was.

I’ll give him props for that.

After cutting Jessica Urbina’s picture from the yearbook because she was wearing a tuxedo, the Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep school in San Francisco has apologized for their asshatted move.

School president John Scudder Jr. and Principal Gary Cannon applauded the students who stood up for, and stood by, Jessica:

“Given the nature of this specific case, we believe that decision, while conforming with our policy, was wrong.”

School officials now say the dress code will be updated to no longer require female students to wear dresses in an effort to be more sensitive every student’s gender identity.

Too bad, though, that Jessica won’t appear in this year’s yearbook.

I was surfing this here Interwebz and I came across this headline over at Towleroad:

‘CLUELESS' ACTRESS STACEY DASH JOINS FOX NEWS

Clueless, indeed. Sometimes these things just write themselves!

Florida … of course … Republican … naturally … Representative  Charles Van Zant has said that the American Institute for Research, a testing company administering new statewide tests for students, has a pro-homosexual agenda because it has done research on LGBT issues. 

Speaking at an education conference, Van Zant said the testing program would "attract every one of your children to become as homosexual as they possibly can."

Yeah, that old indoctrination lie. But it’s a Republican from Florida so did anyone really expect common sense, or even the truth?

Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t posted about 22-year-old Elliot Rodger’s murder spree in Santa Barbara last week.

Well, it’s because I’m tired. I’m tired of everyone getting all riled up about these things when they happen and demanding that gun laws change and then doing nothing about it. I am tired of our elected officials using these murders as a chance to speak about gun control and then go back to their cushy jobs and do nothing about it.

We don’t want gun control, as a nation, because if we did we would demand it, and we would vote out of office every single Republican, Democrat, Independent, and Teabagger who is in the pocket of the NRA. But we don’t, so we don’t care about gun control.

Until it hits close to home, as happened to Richard Martinez, whose son Christopher was murdered by Elliot Rodger. Martinez wants members of Congress and others to stop calling him to offer condolences for his son's death, and he wants them to do something:

"I don’t care about your sympathy. I don’t give a s— that you feel sorry for me. Get to work and do something. I’ll tell the president the same thing if he calls me. Getting a call from a politician doesn’t impress me. … They talk about gun rights. What about Chris' right to live?! When will this insanity stop? When will enough people say, 'Stop this madness?' We don't have to live like this! Too many have died. We should say to ourselves, 'Not. One. More.' … I’m angry with the leadership of the NRA who always want to characterize this as if it’s a lone madman. That it’s an act of nature we have to tolerate. I am angered by how they have worked to normalize this. … I will go anywhere and do anything to support political candidates who are running for office who are in favor of reasonable gun control. … You don’t need three handguns with 400 rounds (of ammunition). That’s crazy. It’s a matter of proportion.”

Hopefully Martinez, who is meeting with Elliot Rodger’s father to create a plan to have stricter gun laws enacted, will be the one to do something.

So we won’t have to hear about these stories again.

Now, onto some better news …

St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, has shut down its dedicated AIDS ward, saying they no longer have enough patients — and the end of AIDS is in sight.

Ward 10C opened in February 1997 during the peak of the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Vancouver, when approximately one person was dying of AIDS every day. Earlier diagnosis of HIV, along with advances in treatment and care, has resulted in a significant decrease of AIDS. Patients living with HIV will continue to receive world-leading treatment and care. The focus of the ward will include treatment related to addictions such as various bacterial and viral infections like chronic hepatitis.

British Columbia's number of AIDS cases has dropped by 90% since 1995.

Perhaps an end is in sight?

And more good news …

Orange is the New Black actress and trans activist Laverne Cox will be the cover-girl on the June 9th issue of TIME Magazine and took to Facebook to spread the word:

“What a wonderful bday present! Yes today is my birthday and I am on the cover of @TIME magazine. I realize this is way bigger than me and about a tipping point in our nation's history where it is no longer acceptable for trans lives to be stigmatized, ridiculed, criminalized and disregarded. This is for my trans siblings out there and for anyone who has ever been told that who you know yourself to be at your core is not legitimate. You are who you know yourselves to be. #girlslikeus #whereislavernecox #lavernehive”

The times continue to change, eh?

"Christian" School Kicks Out Sunnie Kahle For Not Being Girly Enough

Sunnie Kahle is eight-years-old and loves to collect coins and hunting knives and baseballs. She also likes teddy bears and bracelets, but even she admits most of the things she likes are “boy hobbies.”

And, apparently, that’s the issue, because, as a girl, she should be wearing dresses and playing with dolls and learning how to cook and sew and take care of her man because this is the 1950s, at least in her little corner of Virginia.

"Sunnie realizes she's a female, but she wants to do boy things. She wants to play rough and tough." — Doris Thompson, Kahle's great-grandmother and legal guardian

Thompson has raised Kahle since she was an infant and remembers when Sunnie was five, and had hair down to her waist and asked her great-grandmother to cut it short because she wanted to give it to a child with cancer.

It was after that hair cut that Sunnie started wearing only jeans and t-shirts; no more dresses for her. And that’s also when the questions, and the troubles at school, started.

Sunnie says her classmates would ask if she was a boy or a girl, though it never bothered her. But it did bother the administrators at Timberlake Christian School [TCS], where Sunnie was a student and, last month, TCS principal Becky Bowman sent home a letter reminding Doris Thompson of the school's religious affiliation and its right to refuse students who contradict a "biblical lifestyle" … like girls who have short hair and wearing jeans:

"We believe that unless Sunnie and her family clearly understand that God has made her female and her dress and behavior need to follow suit with her God-ordained identity, that TCS is not the best place for her future education.”

Doris Thompson was offended by the letter and its references to biblical passages about sexual immorality. She says she’s raised Sunnie as a Christian and that Sunnie is just a tomboy, too young to understand sexual orientation or gender identity issues, but …

"If my child grows up to be homosexual or transgendered, I will love her that much more."—Doris Thompson said.

Sunnie no longer attends TCS; she is now enrolled in public school, but she wishes things had been different.

"I should just be able to be me and not let them worry about it."—Sunnie Kahle

Jeff Abbett, administrator of Timberlake Christian Schools, released this statement when the story broke:

"We are heart-broken that Sunnie’s grandparents have made her the subject of a public discussion. We regret that they made the decision to withdraw Sunnie immediately from Timberlake Christian Schools.

For confidentiality reasons related to a minor, it is not possible for us to explain in full detail the volume of documentation we have concerning the situation that the grandparents have made public. There is much more to this story than has been revealed related to Sunnie and the classroom environment. Our documentation shows a significantly different narrative than the one portrayed in the original news report.

You can be assured that we have cared for Sunnie and worked with her grandparents for several years to assist them. Our TCS teachers and administrators love Sunnie and we can assure everyone that this has never been an issue of hair length or boots as it has been portrayed. It has been our constant desire over the last several years to work with this family and to shepherd this precious little girl in a way consistent with traditional values.

As a private Christian school, we have the responsibility to all our students to assist parents to instill the Christian values upon which our school is founded.

We reiterate that the decision to remove Sunnie was entirely that of the grandparents."

Doris Thompson says Sunnie has never had any behavioral issues at TCS and that she has a 4.0 GPA; she does say that one time, there was an issue because Sunnie wanted to wear boy's pants as part of her school uniform. When asked if that was correct, if Sunnie was a good student who never caused problems, Jeff Abbett simply said, "Yes."

So who does that hurt? She’s a child being a child. She might be gay; she might be transgendered; what difference does it make when the school’s only job is to educate her? Who does she harm by wearing jeans, or having short hair, or collecting hunting knives?

I find it hilarious that the voice of reason is an eight-year-old girl who just wants to be herself, and yet she was surrounded by teachers and administrators who thought it more important that she wear a dress.

And we worry about kids bullying kids when we have schools like this one that try to set children against each other by saying that one child who does not conform to outdated gender stereotypes is a problem.

Turn the mirror back on yourselves.

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