I Didn't Say It

President Biden, on the first anniversary of the January 6 insurrection:

"For the first time in our history, a President had not just lost an election. He tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power as a violent mob reached the Capitol. His bruised ego matters more to him than our democracy or our Constitution, he can't accept he lost. A former President of the United States of America has created and spread a web of lies about the 2020 election. He's done so because he values power over principle, because he sees his own interest as more important than his country's interest and America's interest. But they failed. They failed. And on this day of remembrance, we must make sure that such an attack never, never happens again. We are in a battle for the soul of America. Now let's step up, write the next chapter in American history, for January 6 marks not the end of democracy, but the beginning of a renaissance of liberty and fair play."

Vote.

Vote Blue.

Vote out every traitorous Republican who tried to overturn an election because a con man told them to; vote out every Republican who incited the riots, abetted the riots, and then ran from the rioters like the pussy little bitches they are; vote out every Big Lie spreading, conspiracy theory spouting,, QAnon following loon.

CAST.A.GODDAMNED.VOTE.

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Kevin McCarthy, GOP House Leader, saying Democrats are exploiting Capitol riot to divide the country:

“As we have said from the start, the actions of that day were lawless and as wrong as wrong can be. Our Capitol should never be compromised and those who broke the law deserve to face legal repercussions and full accountability. Unfortunately, one year later, the majority party seems no closer to answering the central question of how the Capitol was left so unprepared and what must be done to ensure it never happens again,” he added. “Instead, they are using it as a partisan political weapon to further divide our country.”

The Democrats want those who pushed this attack punished, and you want those who pushed this attack elected to office. See the difference asshat?

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Liz Cheney, on the need to keep Thing 45 out of office forever:

“I think that that we’re in a situation where people have got to understand the danger of [Thing 45] and the danger that he posed on that day. This is a man who has demonstrated that he is at war with the rule of law. He’s demonstrated that he’s willing to blow through every guardrail of democracy, and he can never be anywhere near the Oval Office again.”

Unless it’s an office in a prison and he’s being denied parole.

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Michael Elizabeth Pence, speaking with the Christian Broadcasting Network, again downplaying the riot that could have ended with his body being hung outside the Capitol:

"I'm not going to allow the Democrats or the national media to use one tragic day in January to demean the intentions of 74 million people who stood with us in our cause. And I'm not going to allow the Democrats to use one tragic day in January to distract attention from their failed agenda and the failed policies of the Biden administration. We're going to focus on the future."

People raged on the Capitol looking for Pence, who was rushed from the building by security and he doesn’t think it’s much of a thing to be concerned about?

Michael Elizabeth Pence can fuck all the way off.

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Aquilino Gonell, Capitol Police Sergeant, responding to Pence's ignorant comments, and of the coconspirators in Congress:

 "That ‘one day in January’ almost cost my life, and we did everything possible to prevent him from being hanged and killed in front of his daughter and his wife. And now he's telling us that that one day in January doesn't mean anything. It's pathetic. It's a disgrace. He swore an oath to the country, not to [Thing 45]. Donald Trump. We risked our lives to give [members of Congress] enough time to get to safety. And allegedly, some of them were in communication with some of the rioters and with some of the coordinators or in the know of what would happen. And it makes you question their motives and their loyalty for the country, as we were battling the mob in a brutal battle where I could have lost my life and my dear fellow officers, as well. They're telling us, 'Oh, it wasn't that bad.' It was that bad when they were running for their lives. It was that bad when we were struggling to hold them off so they could have a chance to escape to safety."

Yes, once again the party of law and order is celebrating a lack of law and order as ‘just another day,’ when police officers risked their lives to protect them.

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Vice President Kamala Harris, on the anniversary of the attack on our Capitol:

"Certain dates echo throughout history, including dates that instantly remind all who have lived through them where they were, and what they were doing, when our democracy came under assault. Dates that occupy not only a place on our calendars, but a place in our collective memory: December 7th, 1941, September 11th, 2001, and January 6th, 2021. The fragility of our democracy is this: if we are not vigilant, if we do not defend it, democracy simply will not stand, it will falter, and it will fail. Yet, the resolve I saw in our elected leaders when I returned to the Senate chamber that night—their resolve not to yield, but to certify the election, their loyalty, not to party or person, but to the Constitution of the United States—that reflects its strength."

Every single politician should stand for this country, for We The People—remember, they work for us—not for their leader, especially a leader who is a racist rapist terrorist traitor.

Vote them all out if they acted any differently.

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Bobservations

A couple of quickies …Carlos is still feeding, twice daily, Not Our Cat Comet, who has now also been coming into the back yard when Ozzo is out there, and the two of them wander around together. I think Carlos and Ozzo are tag-teaming to get Comet into the house but, again, she is not our cat.

Secondly … whenever Carlos tells me he had a bad dream I almost always say:

“Your father and Saby [Carlos’ old boss] having sex on a horse?”

And he says, No! And I make up other dreams, and this goes on for several minutes. Well, he said that this morning and then said he’d planned on having an egg for breakfast and now he wasn’t, so I asked:

“Was the dream your father and Saby having sex in an egg?”

“Nooooo.”

“You were having egg sex?”

“NOOOOOO!”

“You were trapped inside an egg?”

“I’m not Lady Gaga.”

And there’s the fun; Carlos’ knowledge of pop culture runs at about a zero, so for him to not only recall Gaga in the egg, but then to say it aloud, was a milestone in my trying to educate him about pop culture.

By George, I think he’s got it.

Now, Tuxedo isn’t really advocating cannibalism, but, you know, it is food for thought.

Please take note of those politicians that did not make an appearance at the one-year anniversary of the insurrection today, and also note the ones who do appear but voted not to certify the election last year because they are all complicit.

Special sidenote: Thing 45 was going to have his own rally at Mar-A-Lago today but cancelled when it began to look like heaps of bad taste. I was hoping he’d do it and incriminate himself in the process.

Y’all know that I used to be a drug mule right? Hiding balloons of coke up my bum for a six-hour flight from South America to the US? Well, I wish I’d had the nerve of one Patrick Florence of Florida—that’s his cute mug shot up there—when I got arrested.

After the police pulled Florence over for a traffic stop, they found cocaine and methamphetamine wrapped around his penis but he swore the drugs weren’t his. Clearly, someone hid the drugs on his dick while he, um, wasn’t looking?

An unnamed man suffered serious injuries last week when he tried to feed or pet a tiger after hours at the Naples Zoo in Florida.

Good, but … the tiger was shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies in an effort to free the man.

The tiger was being a tiger and the man was being a complete fuckmonkey, and yet it’s the tiger that died.

Close all zoos.

I've been on that new margarita diet for a week now and the only thing I lost was my drivers' license.

Orange County Deputy District Attorney Kelly Ernby, who ran for state Assembly in 2020 and had become a leader with the Republican Party of Orange County, has died suddenly, a week after telling friends she was very sick with COVID-19.

She used Twitter to rail about her opposition to vaccine mandates, calling them socialist attacks on our freedoms. for COVID-19 vaccines.

She was 46 years old. Sorry, not sorry.

We watched a little Randy Andy Cooper and Andy Cohen on New Year’s Eve, but it will probably be the last time. Anderson is cute and funny, while Andy is that old bitter angry stupid drunk gay guy no one wants around. Except CNN, who say he’ll be back again next year.

I won’t be.

Martin Ivanov began modeling after being crowned Mister Bulgaria in 2012, so if you’d like to hit a pageant winner … here’s your chance: Would You Hit It?

Architecture Wednesday: 10 Usonia Road

About an hour north of New York City sits the Usonia Historic District, a planned community of homes that were built in the late 1940s on a 100-acre rural tract in Westchester County. While the neighborhood’s layout was planned by Frank Lloyd Wright, the homes were designed by a handful of his peers and apprentices, including Paul Schweikher, Aaron Resnick, and David Henken—a Wright apprentice—who served as the primary coordinator of the project and designed more than a quarter of the district’s houses, including this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 10 Usonia Road.

Meticulously preserved over the last several decades, the single-story home, which sits tucked away on a one-acre lot, has had just two owners—it last sold in 2009—and maintains most of its original design and charm. The current owners have only modernized the kitchen and bathrooms, and preserved the original details, including the sleek, vaulted wood ceilings, skylights, windows, and cypress walls. To prioritize the lush lot, Henken designed the rear of the single-family home to feature expansive glazing while the front façade was mainly concrete, and the owners made sure that did not change.

The 1,904-square-foot residence features an oversized fireplace which anchors the quintessential Usonian circular flow; on one side, the open kitchen, fully modernized, features custom walnut cabinets, state of the art appliances and heated floors while on the other, dining and living areas have walls of glass that open to the gardens. The architectural vaulted wood ceilings, skylights, cypress walls and windows invite nature and light into the space while a bluestone patio expands the living area into the yard. The primary suite is a sanctuary with a bathroom that rivals a spa: white travertine walls, heated floors and a freestanding tub. There are two other bedrooms that also open to the outdoors, and a full bath.

This Usonian home is listed for $1,395,000.

Dwell

This Bitch: Greg Abbott

Texas Asshat Governor Greg Abbott is asking the federal government for help adding COVID-19 testing sites in some of the state’s largest counties, including Dallas and Tarrant. Abbott who has consistently downplayed COVID, masks, social distancing, testing and vaccinations, made his request as the highly contagious Omicron variant spread throughout the state:

“Detecting COVID-19 and preventing COVID-related hospitalizations are critical to our fight against this virus.”

I wonder what happened to all that 'Secessionist/Leave Us Alone/Civil War' bull shiz?

Good News: MTG Banned

Our first gift from 2022? Twitter has reportedly permanently suspended Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal account for spreading COVID-19 misinformation in a rabid seventeen Tweet rant.

“We permanently suspended Marjorie Taylor Greene for repeated violations of our COVID-19 misinformation policy. We’ve been clear that, per our strike system for this policy, we will permanently suspend accounts for repeated violations of the policy.”

Cue Greene’s rant about Nazi Twitter in  5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 …

PS She was also banned from Facebook for 24 hours for spreading lies and has now blasted the two websites she uses almost constantly as "enemies of the state."

Bitch has no idea what she's talking about.

Betty White ... Thank You For Being A Friend

Gosh, I loved Betty White … sweet and perky and naughty and sassy. I cannot see a picture of her or watch a video without smiling. But here’s one reason I loved Betty …

In 1954, she had her own variety show, The Betty White Show, and one week she featured tap dancer Arthur Duncan, a Black ,man. Betty received all kinds of hate mail for doing that and her response was:

"I'm sorry. Live with it."

And then she proceeded to have Arthur Duncan on regularly before her show was canceled. That was Betty White. In the 1950s she had zero fucks to give. And here’s how she’s remembered …

“I don’t drink vodka … but I will tonight, on ice, with a slice of lemon with a hot dog on the other side and just be ok being sad. I’ll have to buy some rose colored glasses because Betty was that for all of us.”—Sandra Bullock

"The world looks different now. She was great at defying expectation. She managed to grow very old and somehow, not old enough. We'll miss you, Betty."—Ryan Reynolds

"I loved Betty very, very much. The world has lost one in a million."—Carol Burnett

"RIP Betty White, the only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party. A party at which she ordered a vodka and a hotdog and stayed til the bitter end."—Seth Meyers

“I hosted one of the many attempted reboots of the Pyramid game show in 2010 and Betty was a celebrity guest. The only thing she asked for all day was two bean and cheese burritos from Taco Bell.”—Andy Richter

"I had the honor of working with Betty on the series Bob and the finale of Hot In Cleveland. Betty was a regular on Jack Paar’s late night show and in 1960 she was there when I did my first stand-up on national television. Betty practically invented television and was a total pro. We lost a giant one today."—Bob Newhart

“I grew up watching and being delighted by her. She was playful and daring and smart. We all knew this day would come but it doesn’t take away the feeling of loss. A national treasure, indeed. Fly with the Angels.”—Debra Messing

“Our national treasure, Betty White, has passed just before her 100th birthday. Our Sue Ann Nivens, our beloved Rose Nylund, has joined the heavens to delight the stars with her inimitable style, humor, and charm. A great loss to us all. We shall miss her dearly.”—George Takei

“Betty White dying three weeks before she turned 100 is the final act of performer whose timing was always sharp, always unexpected, and even with the warmest of characters, always a little dangerous. No one else could live to 99 and so perfectly leave us wanting more.”—Guy Branum

“Betty White brought a smile to the lips of generations of Americans. She’s a cultural icon who will be sorely missed. Jill and I are thinking of her family and all those who loved her this New Year’s Eve.”—President Biden

“A spirit of goodness and hope. Betty White was much beloved because of who she was, and how she embraced a life well lived. Her smile. Her sense of humor. Her basic decency. Our world would be better if more followed her example. It is diminished with her passing.”—Dan Rather

“Rest in peace, sweet Betty. My God, how bright heaven must be right now.”—Valerie Bertinelli

“Betty White was an icon in the entertainment industry and a true ‘friend’ to the LGBTQ community. Her character Rose on The Golden Girls was instrumental in drawing mainstream attention to LGBTQ issues on television, namely an episode that raised awareness about HIV in 1990. Throughout the rest of her career, White used her platform to advocate for many issues affecting the LGBTQ community, including marriage equality and supporting at-risk queer youth.”—Anthony Allen Ramos, GLAAD

“In 1974, I was an obscure opening act for Linda Ronstadt at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Passing through the lobby before the show, I saw Betty White and her husband Allen Ludden waiting in line. I loved Betty White, so I went up to them: ‘I’m so honored to meet you both.’ And then I said, ‘Isn’t Linda great?’ She said, ‘We came to see you … because we heard you were funny.’ I was elated.”—Steve Martin

Lastly, here’s Betty White, in her own words, on dying:

“My mother had the most wonderful outlook on death. She would always say, ‘Nobody knows. People think they do—you can believe whatever you want to believe what happens at that last moment—but nobody ever knows until it happens.' Growing up, whenever we’d lose somebody, she’d always say, ‘Now, they know the secret.'”

And now Betty knows it, too.

RIP Golden Girl

The Funny Papers

Ed Hall, Mike Smith, Mike Luckovich, Clay Bennett, Nick Anderson, Bruce Plante, Michael de Adder, Adam Zyglis, Darrin Bell, JD Crowe,

Happy New Year

I love a New Year.

The freshness of what may be; the thought of infinite possibility; the hope that we are coming out of the dark, even though, to be fair, we came out of it once and then went back in, and then came out a little again, only to go back.

I like the idea of being another year wiser, another year older … okay, that last one not so much. But, as I once told sister who thought I never looked any older, The Gays aren't allowed to age, I don't mind the extra year under the belt … as long as it doesn’t puddle over.

And I do look forward to doing more, and learning more, thinking more, reading more, loving more, laughing more. These aren't resolutions, as I don't make resolutions because when I do, they last about as long as it takes me to say ‘resolution.’ These are promises and wishes, hopes and dreams, positive thoughts that 2022 will be a far better year for all of us, around the world, than 2021.

So, I'll leave you all to have a good day, with a repost of some New Year’s Day thoughts:

The more things change :::blibbety blah blay bloo touch me::: the more they remain the same:  I am a believer in happiness. I believe that happiness is all we really get in life, and that everything else follows. 

Things don't make us happy, at least not for long. And you can't expect people to make you happy either; you either have it to begin with, and others add to it, or you don't. If you don't believe that, just look around at all the sad, angry, lonely faces you pass on the street. Happiness is something you possess, that you give out, and get back. But we are each responsible for our own happiness; responsible to find it, to hold on to it; to nurture it and share it.

Without happiness in ourselves, for being ourselves, how can we expect to live fully and completely. We suffer loss every day; I've had my share and, sad to say, I know there's more to come, but I feel happy in the memories I have of those who've gone on ahead.

And, yes, I know it's hard to be happy when times are hard … 2021 anyone? Sure, we had a new, better, smarter, kinder, more compassionate president, but he has a lot on his plate so it makes one wonder if things will ever get better. I like to think it will, though it might not be the better I was thinking it would be, but I have seen tough times and I have seen it get better, so I will remain hopeful, because of the things I have learned.

I learned, from my Father the Teacher, never to stop learning and reading and speaking and, well, ranting; the more you learn, the more you grow, and understand, the more happiness you can accept. 

I learned, from my Mother the Nurturer, to care for things, for people, for animals, for life; to make each day better for those around us, and to make it better for ourselves in the end. I have learned to hold family close; never let them go; whether it's the family you were born into, or the family you created out of necessity; hold on to them, and protect them, and love them. 

I learned, from my Sister the Temper, to speak up; why sit quietly and let things happen to you? Stand up and demand the things you want, the happiness you want. Don't settle. 

I learned, from my Brother the Father … well, let’s just say he taught me that people change dramatically … ignore science, even after contracting COVID; that people who never voted will support a traitorous rapist racist. He taught me that people change, and not always for the better.

I learned, from my Husband the Optimist, how to actually let go and be in love and damn the torpedoes; how to be open and honest and know that it won't hurt; how to love yourself, and everyone around you; how to take what you’re given, the good and the bad, and live with it, and adapt to it. 

So, I once again realize that I have learned to be happy; I've earned happiness. And I am responsible for it. It is, after all, all you really get in life.

Happy. New Year.

xoxo

Bob, Carlos, Tuxedo, MaxGoldberg, Ozzo, Consuelo and, perhaps, a little Comet.