Archerr

Forget that it's Sarah Palin, look at what's going on in the background. Too funny...and sad.

If a church or religious organization participates in trying to change public policy shouldn't they lose their tax exempt status? Shouldn't the IRS crack down on the religious groups that opening campaigned against Prop 8?


Photo by David McNew-Getty Images

Now that we have elected the first African-American President, where do we go from here? We now have a leader who will get our country back on track and rebuild our relationships with the world.

But while we have achieved one goal, parts of the country continue to spew hate. In three states they have banned gay marriage. Now that the big picture can be scene, what about the details? What do we do as gay people now? How do we address equality when so much of the country is still against us? Will we see gains for gay people during Obama's first term? Will it be possible? What do we do?

I've got tears in my eyes. I can't even begin to express how I'm feeling right now. I'm so proud. I'm so excited. I'm so hopeful. Change is coming and it starts today.

I have made my predictions as to which states will go for Obama. Some of the polls have closed but the rest of the nation has yet to close. I am making this prediction at 6:30 PM. We'll see how I do. Here's the map:

From the Huffington Post:

"The most cringe-worthy political moment of the day, so far, came when Sen. John McCain called out for his new buddy Joe the Plumber to stand up at a rally in Ohio, only to be greeted with confused silence. Joe the Plumber wasn't there.

But that rally featured another embarrassing moment, one that illustrates a far more troubling dynamic for the Republican ticket. The McCain campaign actually had to bus in school kids from the surrounding area in order to fill the event. As reported by MSNBC:

A local school district official confirmed after the event that of the 6,000 people estimated by the fire marshal to be in attendance this morning, more than 4,000 were bused in from schools in the area. The entire 2,500-student Defiance School District was in attendance, the official said, in addition to at least three other schools from neighboring districts, one of which sent 14 buses.

This happened -- as if a reminder were needed -- less than a week out from the election, when the heat of the campaign should be drawing record crowds."

That's very sad. But a good indication that people are not excited about seeing McCain.

As much as I admire Obama and really want him to win the election, I'm not sure how I feel about him having a 30 minute infomercial on several stations tonight. Does anyone feel weird about it?

Update: Okay, I just watched it and it was pretty good. I know it was the images, the music, and the stories, but the video gave me chills to think he just might be our next President. I'm feeling really good about it now.

It never ends....which is a good thing.

Obama gathered more than 100,000 in Denver. How many were at the latest McCain rally?

I'm encouraged today by all the good news Obama has gotten this weekend. He had 100,000 supporters show up in the "show me" state. His campaign reported they raised $150 million in September. And then today he got the endorsement from Colin Powell. I'd say he's in a good place right now. But I don't want to be overly optimistic. I know that all races get tight right at the end so I know McCan't will get a few more points in the polls. McCan't actually talked about losing today, which I loved. I'm going to keep hoping things continue to go well for the Obama campaign and I'm going to keep on talking to those who haven't seen the light or realized their stupidity yet.

I'm watching the debate and I already don't like McCain's answers. He says he'll hire more corporate people for positions like the Treasury secretary. Ugh. He doesn't get it.

Thanks to the house republicans (well, 133 of them and 95 Democrats), the bailout bill didn't pass. Because of that the market dropped the most it has in history. What is wrong with this country? We are so fucked. Obama is up in the polls. Things may calm down and get back on track once he gets in office.

On another note, my mom is doing much better today and got her rental car. They still haven't decided if her car will be totaled or not. I think she'll know more tomorrow.

Before the debate has even started and after McCain decided maybe he should attend, his campaign started projecting he'd be the winner. Does it ever end with these people?

McCain said today he wants to take a time out from the campaign and the debate on Friday night to deal with credit crisis. Could it be that he is feeling pressure from a failing campaign, going down in the polls and the media pressure to talk to Palin? I think so. Does he really think this is a good move? I think not.

And on another note, the Enquirer is reporting the name of Palin's alleged lover. Can this get any worse for the failing campaign? I sure hope so!

McCain doesn't even know who he's talking about. He confused Spain with a Latin American country. Is this the man you want dealing with our foreign policy?

I like the tougher Obama. He really called McCain on the old boys network comment.

Yesterday John McCain was against regulation of the financial institutions. Today he's for regulation. That was the quickest flip flop in history. Does he not think we are keeping track of where he stands day to day?

On this Constitution Day we need to remember we have to put someone (Obama) in office who will restore the Constitution and work for the common man.

The market took a dive today. It was down just over 500 points. The last time I remember this happening was 1987. It may have happened since then but I don't remember. Maybe it was bad on 9/11 but my memory escapes me. Of course this means my retirement is in the tank. I guess I could just work a few more years.

The sad part is John McCain said this morning "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." I don't see anything indicating our economy is strong. His buddy Bushie says we can deal with these adjustments.

This is yet another reason we should make sure Obama is elected in November.

This is just one clip of the appearance.

All I can say is we have to get rid of the republicans and their fear mongering and their warmongering.

And I saw Palin on ABC News and it was joke. She doesn't even know what the Bush Doctrine is. And Charlie didn't really ask any hard hitting questions. Maybe he will tomorrow. We'll see. I doubt it.

This picture says it all. Republicans are stupid.



Great write up of McSame's speech last night by Tom Shales of the Washington Post. I didn't watch all of the speech but it was simply more of the same. Just because you put a dress on a pig, doesn't make it any prettier.

I tuned in last night to listen to the trainwreck give her speech and was totally pissed off by having to listen to Rudy for 30 minutes before she came on.

Once she came on and I listened to the majority (I went to bed before the end) of what she had to say, my opinion of her hasn't changed. And I'm more convinced the mainstream press needs to look deeper into some of the issues that have come out about her recently. I also think the mainstream media needs to look into the claims that she had an affair with her husband's friend. I know they won't but I think they should. I don't think she said anything to appeal to Hillary supporters or to sway anyone else their way. If anything, she shored up the base and rallied the people in the room. That's it. Yes, almost as many people tuned in to see her speech as did Obama but for different reasons.

So nothing has changed. I still don't like her and don't think McCain has a chance.

What did we find out about Sarah today?

1. She was a member of the Alaskan Independence Party that wanted to secede from the United States.

2. She was nearly recalled as Mayor of Wasilla because she fired the Police Cheif and Library Director for not supporting her in her 1996 race for Mayor.

3. She received millions in earmarks for the tiny town of Wasilla. McCain has campaigned against such earmarks.

What else could possibly come out about this woman? As others have suggested, how long before McCain drops her from the ticket? Has that ever happened before? Is that possible in this case? Or is it just too late?

This gets better every day!

Okay, I've been at the boyfriend's all weekend and haven't been able to post anything about McCain's latest mistake. I almost don't know what to say. There's so much.

On Friday when it was announced that Sarah Palin was the VP candidate, I was shocked. What was he thinking? And then all the news stories start appearing on the internet. You can find out all kinds of things about where she stands on the issues and what her experience is. Let's look at what we do know about her.

1. She was the mayor of a town of less than 9000 people.
2. She's the governor of a state with about 683,000 people.
3. She's under investigation for having a state trooper fired.
4. She's a creationist. She thinks the world is less than 10,000 years old.
5. She's against abortion, even if her daughter was raped.
6. She doesn't believe global warming is man-made.
7. She is for drilling for oil in Alaska.
8. She has NO foreign policy experience.
9. She's opposes gay marriage.

The list could go on and on. I would have to question McCain's judgement on this choice. Surely he doesn't think she could actually take over and be the president should he die. It's sounds as thought she may not have been vetted properly.

Over the weekend the blogs were flying with rumors that Sarah Palin's youngest child was actually her daughter's child. It was finally released today that her youngest daughter Bristol is 5 months pregnant. As much as the republicans shout about family values, what does this say about them? The daughter of the VP candidate has a daughter having sex outside of marriage and is prenant? What credibility do they have shouting family values now? They can't be serious. McCain couldn't have known this or he would never have picked her.

And do they really think that picking a woman is going to bring all the Hillary women to McCain's side? How stupid do they think women are? Why would a woman for for another woman who would agree to take away her rights to an abortion?

These people can't be serious. What were they thinking? All of this only makes Obama's chances even better. Republicans are such hypocrites!

Happy Birthday John McCain, you old, stupid, discriminating, memory losing, wife leaving, elitist fuck. With your backwards thinking, warmongering, big business benefiting, Bush loving, house collecting ways, there isn't a chance in hell the American people will put your ass in office.

How appropriate that three years to the day your best friend Bush fucked up New Orleans, another hurricane is on it's way to mess up your group grope in Minneapolis. Surely all your religious wing nut friends will see this as a sign that you shouldn't be allowed to fuck up the country like your buddy Bush did in the last eight years.

Have a great birthday, you douche.

I know there are some of you gays out there who think John McCain should be our next president but I can't even imagine how you could possibly come to this conclusion. It is well known that he is not a friend of the gays. You may say that it's not about gay issues for you. You say it might be about taxes. Well, you should really look at the economic plans that both candidates have and which plan would benefit MOST Americans. Of course if you are a gay man who couldn't care less about civil rights, you make more than $226,982 a year, and think we should be at war with the world, then go ahead and vote for the old man. At some point you might realize how wrong you were to vote for him.

Clearly you can see from this graphic from The Washington Post (conservative and McCain friendly), that the richest people in the country get the biggest change in their taxes and the poorest people get the least amount of tax relief. I would bet the majority of you fall in the 60% who will see less than a 1% change in your taxes. Isn't that enough reason alone not to vote for McCain? Forget about the civil rights issues. Just look at what he'll do to your taxes and the taxes of all his rich friends. Think people, think.


I've decided I have no time for any gays who would vote for McCain. We simply have nothing in common if you think McCain should be our president. Or any republican for that matter. If you support McCain, you are simply showing your ignorance and lack of education on the issues. McCain is no friend of the gays.

Oh, and check out these videos.

Why does he consistently rely on the war, the surge, and victory when he talks? It seems that is all he has talked about this week.

This AP photo should say it all. 200,000 people heard Obama speak in Germany today. He said some amazing things and inspired many people. I think it's amazing that that many people showed up to hear him speak. Did Europe feel this way about Bush in 2000? When Reagan spoke, only 40,000 showed up, and when Kennedy spoke, only 120,000 showed up. I think 200,000 people is a good sign for Obama.

Just watch it.

If the Supreme Court decision today striking down the ban on hand guns in DC isn't indication enough that democrats HAVE to win in November, I don't know what is. I think the Supreme Court is the biggest reason we have to get rid of right wing conservatives in the White House. The next President will possibly replace three seats on the Supreme Court. McCain was in favor of the court's decision today. Knowing that means he'd continue the packing of the court with conservative, backward thinking judges. The only way to change this is to vote democratic in November.

The Robert's court has been split on many decisions lately. Most of the rulings have been 5 to 4. We need to have at least one more reasonable, responsible judge on the court to stop this backward movement. Do people realize the court is making decisions that will effect us for the next 30 to 40 years? We can't lose this one.

I am well aware that the mainstream media manipulates the public with their headlines and their opinions but I'm getting so sick of seeing this stuff everyday. Why can't they just report the facts and keep their opinions to themselves?

The next time you read the paper, look at the headlines and think about what they are saying. Are they reporting the facts or do they slide their opinion in there with the words they choose when writing the headline. I know the Washington Post is conservative and all but I can't help but think that I can't believe anything I see in their paper....actually I read it online. Everyday I see the headlines and cringe thinking they could have said it a different way to only report the facts and not include their opinions.

Is it just me or does anyone agree with this? I know, I'm late to the game because TV and print media have been doing this forever but I'm noticing it more now that I'm concerned about the election. Clearly the post is slanted towards McSame and away from Obama. I'm just sayin.

People can simply not vote for this man. We don't need another Bush term.

The boyfriend and I heard Hillary speak this afternoon and thought she did a good job of leaving the race and endorsing Obama. I thought she spoke today like a presidential candidate. In the last four months or so she hasn't been doing a very good job with what she's had to say. But today was a completely different. I have a very good feeling about the future after hearing her speak today.

I know I'm behind but I saw this yesterday and got a chill. I think even more history will be made in November.

With the announcement today that the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on same sex marriage, might it happen in my life time that we can legally get married and have the same benefits and responsibilities that straight America has? I sure hope so.

Another nail in the coffin for Hillary. When will she realize it's over? I'm sure we'll have to wait until June 3rd but I think she needs to start to get out now.

Yikes! I haven't posted anything here in a week. I guess I'm just too busy with other things. I need to get back to posting to the blog.

Anyway, I saw this picture on Digg and thought it was great. We need more people like this....straight men for gay rights.

I know there are some who really like Nader and think he'll be a good president, but it won't happen. The man doesn't have a chance. The only thing he'll do is screw it up again for the Democrats. I certainly hope those who voted for him in 2000 will not make the same mistake again. The last 7 years would have been totally different had Nader not been in the race in 2000. I know, I know, some people think it didn't make a difference but I don't agree. People, don't vote for this man. He doesn't have a chance and we NEED to get a Democrat in the White House. Don't make the same mistake!

I'm not religious but I know it's Fat Tuesday. I'm fat too. It's time to get back to watching my weight and doing something about it. So I've put my pedometer on and I'm going to try to walk 5 miles a day. I used to do it so easily but as I get older it's harder and harder to reach that 5 mile mark. Yesterday I only walked 3.16 miles. I would love to lose 20 pounds but I'd be happy with 10 for the time being. I'm not going to put any pressure on myself though. And I'll do it slowly.

Oh, and it's Super Tuesday! If your state is participating in the almost national primary, get out and vote. Our primary isn't until February 12th. It will probably all be over by that time but I'm still planning on voting. Who will I vote for? I'm still not sure. Now that John Edwards is out, I need to think seriously between Obama and Clinton. I'll keep thinking.

“It did take a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush.” -Senator Hillary Clinton

Thank goodness it's the last time we have to hear this idiot tell us how bad things are. Don't believe anything he said tonight about the state of our Union. It's all hype. He's on his way out and wants a legacy. Well, he's got his legacy alright. I don't think anyone will forget how he screwed up the country.

As of this writing, it looks like Hillary will take New Hampshire. That means it's a new race. I hate to say it but my man Edwards isn't doing well in New Hampshire. If all the states keep giving us a different win then the polls are showing, this is going to be a wild election season. I'm ready for it. I love watching it!

Back in 2004 I selected John Edwards as my candidate. After hearing him in the debate on Saturday night on ABC, I've decided that he'll get my support this time around, too. I like what he has to say, I think he's good looking and I think he'll do a good job of changing our country. Having said all that, I'm not saying that Barack or Hillary won't be able to do a good job. I just happen to like Edwards. The thing is, no matter who gets the nomination, I'll vote democratic in the next election. I do think that Hillary or Barack will get the nomination but maybe Edwards can be the VP like he was last time. Either way I think I know change is needed and I hope Edwards makes a good run for the nomination. So who are you backing? Do you have one selected? Do you think we have a chance this time? Will we be as disappointed as we were in 2004?



On another political note, there was an excellent piece in the Washington Post on Sunday written by George McGovern, the 1972 Democratic Presidential nominee. He makes a great case for impeeching Bush and Cheney. Check it out. You will need to be registered to read it but it's free so do it.

Today Mitt Romney tried to convince us all today that his religion would not be part of any presidential decisions. I'm not so sure I believe that. I bet his religion would play a part in any decision about gays in the military or gay rights. I don't believe him at all. Mormon's a crazy. Anyone who believes that crazy religion has to be crazy themselves. The religion just doesn't make sense and discriminating, homophobic bigots. I think there's no chance in hell he'll get the republican nomination. At least I hope not! Actually, maybe I do want him to get the nomination. That way we'll be guaranteed to get someone like Hillary or even Hillary in office. Just my opinion of course.

Today Al Gore, Nobel Prize winner, met with Bushie for 40 minutes. Bush was meeting and congratulating the Nobel Prize winners. I wonder what the two of them talked about during their time together. I hope Al said, "Nah, Nah, I won a Nobel Prize!"


AP Photo

He has an Emmy.
He has an Oscar.
He has a Nobel Prize.
What's next? The Presidency?
Yes!

Do you think if Al Gore wins the Nobel Prize for peace tomorrow he'll reconsider a run? I sure hope so.

I hope everyone had a wonderful three day weekend and took advantage of Labor Day to relax and enjoy your time off. I spent a lovely weekend with the boyfriend and prepared myself to return to school tomorrow.

Over the weekend I found four articles through DIGG.com that suggest that the Bush administration has plans and is planning to totally destroy the Iranian military. This scares me. I can't imagine that he would take us into another war. What is wrong with him? Has anyone noticed that his man is mentally ill? What is he thinking? I guess a question could be, is this coming from him or from those who stand behind him pulling the strings and telling him what to say. Either way, this is disturbing and I'm worried. What will congress do if he does this? I don't think there are any rational thinking Americans who think we need to bomb Iran. What we need to do is get our of Iraq and let them run their own country, no matter what happens or how they decide to do it. I guess I'm just scare about the near future. Will it happen in the next 7 days? We'll see.

Here are the articles I found online: Article One, Article Two, Article Three, and Article Four.

This is the six year anniversary of the Presidential Daily Briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US." Just think how things might be different if he had acted on the memo. Would we be in Iraq today? Would he be as hated as he is now? If we could only go back in time and change things.

Click on play to see the future of the republican party. Surprisingly, it will be much like it is today...full of narrow minded hypocrites. Thanks to the boyfriend for finding this for me. Love ya, honey!

"Federal Court Rules in Favor of Enemy Combatant"

It's about time federal courts started ruling against the Bush administration. According to the Washington Post article*: "A federal appeals court today ruled that President Bush cannot indefinitely imprison a U.S. resident on suspicion alone, and ordered the government to either charge Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri with his alleged terrorist crimes in a civilian court or release him." Hopefully this is just the first of many rulings against the Bush administration. He needs to stop stepping on the constitution and thinking he's all that and a bag of chips.

*Free registration required to read the article online.

I can not tell you how sick I am of hearing about Paris Hilton and her being in and out of jail. Why do people focus so much on topics like this? What about how congress has let us down with the war issues? What about how Bush is killing this country? It is time for people to change their focus and concentrate on what is really important in this country. Are people even aware of what's going on? Or are they just lemmings?

Luckily I had lunch today at the same time John Edwards was holding his press conference with his wife. They announced today that her cancer is back. They thought she was cancer free earlier this week but then she felt a pain, had a check up, and as you know, has more cancer but this time it's in her ribs. This means that it is incurable but treatable. They did not say how long she has.

When John Edwards began explaining this during the press conference I was listening intently. My eyes welled up when I heard that it was incurable. I felt so bad for her. She's dealt with this for so long. I know she's a strong woman and isn't giving up but knowing that she will eventually die from this really made me tear up. John Edwards says his campaign will continue. I think this is a great thing but I wonder how his wife's illness will effect the campaign. I'm worried that this isn't a good thing in the long run for either of them. It's really sad. I feel bad for them both.

What was this guy thinking? Obviously he wasn't. Surely you know he said that homosexuality is immoral and gays shouldn't serve in the military. He has since said that he shouldn't have spoken about his personal feelings and only talked about the policy. Whatever...it's already out there. We know you are against the gays. When people like this speak publicly against others, it makes me wonder what they are hiding. They must have something they are hiding and use topics like this to take attention away from what they are hiding. Just a hunch.

I found this YouTube video via Towleroad. I think it's a pretty cool political statement wrapped up in a parody of an Apple commercial.

Virginia's House of Delegates unanimously approved a resolution on Friday expressing "profound regret" for Virginia's role in the slave trade. Read about it here.

"The General Assembly hereby expresses its profound regret for the Commonwealth's role in sanctioning the immoral institution of human slavery, in the historic wrongs visited upon native peoples, and in all other forms of discrimination and injustice that have been rooted in racial and cultural bias and misunderstanding."

Will it be 150 years before they realize and apologize for what they are doing to gays and lesbians in the state of Virginia? It just might. It's still politically correct to discriminate against gays and lesbians. How sad.

The only thing good about this picture from the State of the Union is that there is a woman speaker of the house. Not much else.

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day but did you know that just a few years ago people in Virginia celebrated Lee-Jackson Day on the same day? I wasn't even aware of Lee-Jackson Day. On Saturday the boyfriend and I went to one of the wineries we visit often. It's located in a more southern county then were I live. We were chatting with one of the tasting associates about this and that and I asked her what she was doing for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and she said, "You mean Lee-Jackson Day?" I couldn't believe my ears. I quickly asked her what that was. She informed me that Lee-Jackson Day is the day that Virginians celebrate the birthdays of Robert E. Lee (January 19th is Lee's 200th birthday) and Stonewall Jackson and for years and years they had celebrated Lee-Jackson Day instead of King Day AND they got a day off work for it. This only ended a few years ago when our governor at the time moved Lee-Jackson Day to the Friday before King Day. That means many of Virginia's State offices are closed on Friday and Monday. And from what I can find on the web, it's still celebrated on the Friday before and they still get the day off. You can find out more about it here and here.

I'm from Northern Virginia and we've NEVER celebrated Lee-Jackson Day. I had never heard of it before. I had to do some more web searches to find it. It looks like Virginia is the only state that still celebrates it. The boyfriend and I were driving back from our Charlottesville weekend and we drove through several small towns in the central part of the state and I was amazed at seeing confederate flags still being flown on people's houses and as stickers on cars and trucks. Damn, this state is so split. We have Northern Virginia which is liberal, educated, and in the 21st century and then we have the rest of the state that is still so backwards. We need to split off and create a new state and forget about the rest. I know, that won't happen but the rest of the state needs to get it together and come into the 21st century.

I did not watch the deciders speech last night. He is too much of a idiot for me to care what he has to say. Plus, every news organization has had the speech and highlighted the important points. All I know is that he is making a big mistake by sending more troops to Iraq. Instead of escalating this war, he needs to be scaling back.

And what’s next? A military issue with Iran? I’m scared.

I know it's very early in this whole thing but I was very pleased to hear yesterday that John Edwards has entered the race for the Democratic nomination for president. The last time he ran I was a big fan of his when Howard Dean dropped out. I don't think Obama or Hillary have a chance even though I do like them.

I do think John Edwards might have a chance. However, he has been out of the spotlight for awhile and he was a senator and we know that senators haven't won the whitehouse since the 60's I think. Anyway, I was pleased to hear he has decided to run. This time I don't want him to settle for vp.

So right now I'm considering him my first choice. But others might join the race that I like more. It's just way too early to think of these things. I'm just glad he's back in the race and getting his name out ther again. I hope Obama and Hillary don't suck up all the air in the process.

According the AP, George Allan is about to concede the Senate race to Jim Webb. The Associated Press reported at 4:47 AM that Jim Webb has won the Senate Race in Virginia, my home state. Jim Webb has a 7236 vote lead. According to election officials, most recounts don't reveal more than a few hundred votes going the other way, so Allan won't be able to make up the difference. In this case, every vote counted! Let's hope George does the right thing and concede today!



I'm so glad the election went the way it did. This change should have taken place 2 years ago. I think the tide is turning and people are beginning to see how bad the republicans are for our country.

Homophily is the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others.

This is the reason why liberals and conservatives don't get along. And it's the reason why we have such extremes in beliefs in our country right now.

Step outside your circle and introduce others to your way of thinking. The others might learn something from you and you might learn something from them. We also might reduce the extremes we currently have between liberals and conservatives. What do you think?

Before the 2008 Presidential election has really begun, one of my favorites is already out. Today Mark Warner, former governor of Virginia, announced he won't be running in the '08 election. Too bad. I thought he might be one who would have a chance. It's still early though. We have plenty of time to find another strong candidate.

Here's the article in the Washington Post. (You have to register but it's free.)

I know it's really early and there are several names already being kicked around but you have to wonder who might jump in. Who do you think might run in '08?

Five years later I don't feel any safer under the Bush administration than I did before 911. But at the same time I don't think about it everyday either. At some point you need to move on and work on changing things, like getting rid of Bush and all the assholes running the country.

Today was Bushie's birthday. Big deal. A bigger deal is that Big Brother 7 starts tonight. Yeah! I can't wait.

Today the boyfriend and went to hear Al Gore speak at Constitution Hall in Washington DC. The boyfriend heard about the speech from MoveOn.org and asked if I wanted to go. He got the tickets online and we went. It was the first time (besides seeing Howard Dean speak) that I had seen a major political figure speak. I was going to bring my camera and my iRiver to record some audio but then we read about the event and it said you couldn't bring anything with you. When we got there plenty of people had cameras and cell phones. We hadn't taken anything with us but when we got there I wished I had taken something to record the moment.

The speech focused on the unchecked growth of executive power in the federal government, with a spotlight on the NSA domestic spying scandal. It was a powerful speech and made me wish he spoke like this during the 2000 election. Gore sited many examples of Bush's abuse of power and how the legislative branch is losing power because of Bush's law breaking programs like the wire tapping of American citizens in the name of terrorism. I can't begin to describe the contents of his speech but you can see the full text here. What I can say is that I was totally blown away by his ability to rally a crowd. I really wished he had demonstrated this kind of enthusiasm during the 2000 election. I think if he had, he would be our President now and we wouldn't be where we are. I doubt that Gore will run in 08 but if he did, he'd be a candidate that I could get behind like I did in 2000.

Declaring that the "courts have gone too far" in interpreting this amendment, Congressman Ernest Istook (R- OK) has proposed the Religious Freedom Amendment to repair "the damage of 36 years of court rulings." If passed, the amendment will reverse decades of Supreme Court rulings on the separation of church and state.

RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AMENDMENT:

To secure the people's right to acknowledge God according to the dictates of conscience: Neither the United States nor any State shall establish any official religion, but the people's right to pray and to recognize their religious beliefs, heritage, or traditions on public property, including schools, shall not be infringed.

Neither the United States nor any State shall require any person to join in prayer or other religious activity, prescribe school prayers, discriminate against religion, or deny equal access to a benefit on account of religion.
This asshole is fucked up. Surely, this amendment won’t get the two-thirds majority it needs to pass. We live in scary times.

There are 3 political items that are giving me the slightest hope that the tide is changing.

Congress voted to revise the Patriot Act to block the Justice Department and the FBI from using the Patriot Act to snoop into library records and bookstore sales slips. I think this is a good start but the Patriot Act needs more revision. It’s a first step though. This could just be the beginning. Let’s just hope that Bush doesn’t veto the changes. I’m glad to see some of the republicans are beginning to see what this act does for our freedoms.

A small group of congressmen met today to begin talking about an exit strategy for Iraq. I was so glad to hear that. It’s about time to think about getting out and letting that country stand on their own. We’ve spent way too much money, and time there, not to mention the 1700 people killed. I hope what they discussed today will be heard and will be the starting point of more higher level discussions about getting out of Iraq. It’s time.

MoveOn.org started a petition to stop congress from taking away the funding from PBS. I signed the petition and in 24 hours they got something like 300,000 signatures. I know petitions don’t always work but I hope it sends a message to congress that PBS is important and we need to keep it. I also hope they realize that PBS’ programming shouldn’t be directed by the religious right. PBS currently shows all sides of issues and produces programs for everyone.

Poor Howard Dean might be speaking to loud again. It seems that some of the possible democratic contenders for the next election are distancing themselves from him because of some of the things he’s been saying lately. I think what they are scared of is that he’s saying things that they’d like to say but are too afraid of the backlash to say it. They don’t want to ruin their chances for nomination for the next election.

Dean has been saying some great things about the republicans lately. I cheer him for what he’s saying and encourage him to continue his rants. These are the things we need the country to hear. Of course the republicans are using his talks to divert the attention away from the current state of the nation and onto him. They suck.

I was behind Howard Dean from the beginning and was sorry to see him bow out of the race. I’m glad he’s the chairman of the DNC and hope his views are able to change the democratic party into a stronger, more successful party. Go Howard!

Today the house voted to expand the stem cell research funding. I was very pleased to hear this. This is the first bill where the republicans went against the president. Bush says he will veto this bill if it reaches his desk. I think it’s a good sign that the republicans will not back the president 100%. The bill is expected to get through the house without any problems. I think Bush should think twice about vetoing this bill. But maybe he should go ahead and veto the bill. It would put another nail in his coffin.

The medical advantages of using stem cells out ways the loss of embryos. There are some 400,000 embryos sitting around in freezers waiting to either become children or be used for research. We just need the okay to let people donate them to science. I was talking to Homer on the phone and he was telling me that his republican mother has diabetes and would love a new pancreas but she doesn’t realize that won’t happen until further research with stem cells is allowed. That’s why Homer agrees with me that this bill is a good idea. Now watch Bush fuck it up by vetoing it.

If the democrats were trying to vote on a democratic President's judicial nominees would the republicans want to do away with the filibuster? I think not. Republican assholes piss me off.

I did NOT watch one minute of the propaganda last night. I made sure I was in bed reading by 9:00 so that I wouldn't be tempted to watch the asshole talk about the state of the union. I just knew that if I started watching it, I'd end up watching all of it and get mad while watching it. Instead I read some of the book I am currently reading, rolled over, and went to sleep by 9:30.

This morning all of my liberal friends at work were talking about it and asked if I had seen it. I told them no. But they filled me in on all the nonsense he spoke. One colleague suggested I read The Washington Post for a re-cap....Tom Shales specifically. I went to look for our copy of the paper but couldn't find it anywhere. So I had to read it online. Tom Shales wrote what I would consider a mixed review of the drivel. I'm sure if I had seen the speech I would have agreed with Tom on several points. One point:

"Bush soon divided the hall again when he said he supported a constitutional amendment "to protect the institution of marriage," which was a euphemism for banning same-sex marriages, though Bush didn't mention them. The man who likes to speak, as he did in this speech, of America's great "compassion" and who has been holding forth loudly of late on the sanctity of freedom apparently believes both compassion and freedom should have their limits."

This man won't stop until he gets what he wants. Last week I had a great conversation with W about how all this rhetoric from Bush and christian conservatives sounds much like pre-war Berlin in 1932. Except this time it's not the Jews, it's the gays. Bush may use different words but it's clear he is out to redefine gays in America as second class citizens. I truly dislike this man and his discriminatory policies.

I would say socially, the union is in a sad state.

Most people view Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as just another day off. A time to get things done you can't get done during the work week or just do anything you want. I hope at least once today everyone took a moment to reflect upon the reasons we celebrate this man's life. He did so much for civil rights. I was the typical American today. I ran errands, had lunch with my mother, laid on the couch and watched TV, and did laundry. Believe it or not though, I actually did think about Martin Luther King, Jr. today and what he did for our country and for me as a gay man. He led the way for civil rights for everyone. Thinking about what MLK did for the African American community made me realize the gay community has a long way to go. At a time when the country is going backwards and the lack of basic civil rights for gays, we need a man like MLK. We need someone who can bring people together, speak articulately of our concerns, work with the people in power to make change occur. Who will be our leader?

Last night I watched "In The Life" on PBS. The show was about changing portrayals of gays and lesbians on TV. It was interesting but it was the last part of the show where Harvey Firestein gives his opinion on things that got me a little pissed off. He talked about the election and the state of gay rights and what we can. In so many words he said gay people need to come out and be openly gay. While this is fine for your personal life, some of us have jobs that we'd like to keep. We aren't wealthy enough to come out and lose our jobs and still survive. What would be the point of coming out at work and having rights if you're living on the streets. I think rich gay people or gay celebrities can easily tell others to come out because they are in the financial position to sustain not working. Unfortunately I can't do that. I'm sure if I tried to be out at work I'd lose my job so fast it would make your head spin. Or at least go through hell trying to keep it. I'm sure some of my colleagues already suspect I'm gay and I'm sure there are some parents who suspect I'm gay. But I'm not out. I don't have a rainbow bumper sticker, nor am I seen protesting or anything like that. I'm sure if I did those things I could kiss 18 years of retirement goodbye. I guess it just makes me mad when I hear gays say "you have to come out". I understand how being out will help our cause but being a teacher of young children, I can't be out and keep my job. It's that simple.

I also must say that I am very thankful and grateful for all those who are able to come out and openly support our causes. I appreciate all those who have come before me and paved the way for the few rights we have now. I think everyone has to do something of course. The way I can help right now is to support and vote for the men and women who can bring about change. We should be angry right now, we should be shouting, and protesting and voicing our disgust for the state this country in but we all have to do it in our own way.

Congress certified the election results today. Bush won. I was glad to hear though, that Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a democrat from Ohio, Sen. Barbara Boxer, a democrat from California, lodged a formal protest against the Ohio vote count. I know it was basically symbolic but I was glad to hear they did it. You can read all about it in a Washington Post article. Of course I'm not happy about it and haven't been since the election but I have to live with it.

I heard that the Bush Presidential library burned down. It was tragic. Both books were burned and the President had only finished coloring one of them.

1. Open a new file in your PC.

2. Name it "George W Bush."

3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.

4. Empty the Recycle Bin.

5. Your PC will ask you, "do you really want to get rid of George W Bush?"

6. Answer calmly, "yes," and press the mouse button firmly.

7. Feel better?

Of course this doesn't work on a Mac.

The only highlight from yesterday was getting a call from Homer. He always brightens my day.

I stayed up until 1:00 AM watching the returns. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I had to go to sleep. It was a restless 4 hours. I woke up at 5:00 AM to see nothing had changed. All the networks were saying how Kerry would have to concede. That there was no way he could get Ohio. I knew the end was near. I felt sick. I felt beat up.

All day today I avoided my republican colleagues. One tried to talk to me and I simply told her I could not speak to her. I feel at this point I can't be friends with someone who would put that man in the White House for another four years. I can't talk to, relate to someone who feels the exact opposite I do on so many issues. I fear I will alienate many republican colleagues. So be it. I will be professional when I need to be but there will be no social contact with these people. I simply can't do it.

I'm disgusted with the American people. They have made it clear that bigotry and hate are the norms and they have backed a man who will change the rest of my life. Not only will I have to put up with it for the next four years but for the rest of my life. He will be the man who changes the Supreme Court. He will make it virtually impossible for a man to love another man and enjoy the freedoms he reserves for himself. He is the one who made it possible for 10 states to completely ban gay marriage or civil unions. I fear he will also make it possible to overturn Roe V. Wade.

Our country is going backwards. The uneducated, religious right is taking over. Exit polls show that 78% of voters admitted they voted for moral issues. We are doomed. Discrimination and hate will rule.

When this election season began with the primaries I was dating HIM. He and I spoke then about moving to Canada when we retire. I am convinced that is what I will do. Maybe he'll be there. I have to survive 12 more years and then I can retire. If nothing changes, and I fear it won't, I'll be packing up and immigrating to Canada. I'll be old and I'll probably be single, but I won't have to fear loving another man and having the entire country hate me for doing so.

Today I found myself trying to figure out how so many people in our country can be so ignorant. This was THE most important election of our lifetime. We lost. Our lives are changed forever. Those stupid, religious right, mid westerners from the heartland fucked us over good.

We will be attacked again. We will have a deficit so large, we'll never get out from under it. We will continue to be hated by the world. Laws will be changed to allow and accept hate and discrimination. It is sad. I'm embarrassed to be an American.

The day is here. The time is now. If you are reading this and haven't voted yet, get your ass out to your local polling place and cast your vote! I'm not saying just vote, I'm saying vote for John Kerry and help produce the change that this country so desperately needs. It is time to get rid of George Bush. When I get home from work I plan to take a nap so that I can stay up late watching all the coverage and watching John Kerry accept his new job and George Bush concede and walk away with his ass between his legs. I haven't been political on my blog in a long time. I want John Kerry to win more then ever. I keep hearing it and I believe it. This is the most important election in our lifetime. History will be made today and everyone should be part of it. So VOTE!

1. Open a new file in your PC.

2. Name it "George W Bush."

3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.

4. Empty the Recycle Bin.

5. Your PC will ask you, "do you really want to get rid of George W. Bush?"

6. Answer calmly, "yes," and press the mouse button firmly.

7. Feel better?

According to the Washington Post:

"The Republican-controlled Senate yesterday blocked a proposed constitutional amendment to bar same-sex marriage, effectively killing the White House-backed measure for the rest of this year and handing President Bush a big election-year defeat. The vote was 48 to 50 against bringing the initiative to a vote, 12 short of the 60 needed to limit debate and move toward final action on the amendment. It would have taken a two-thirds majority -- 19 votes more than the GOP had yesterday -- to pass the amendment itself."

I guess it's dead for this year. I'm glad. Now we can move on to more important issues like getting Bush out of office.

Ronald Reagan died today at age 93. I don't know if I should be happy or sad. I'd say happy. Mostly because of how much he fucked up the country in the 1980's. I don't have anything else to say except that it's about time.

I am so NOT going to watch Bushie on TV tonight. I am so sick of that man. I can't bare to listen to him speak about his failure. According to ABC News Bushie's approval rating is the lowest in his presidency.

For the first time in ABCNEWS/Washington Post polls, fewer than half of Americans, 47 percent, approve of Bush's overall job performance, while more, 50 percent, disapprove. The president's approval rating matches Gerald Ford's in the spring before his narrow loss in the 1976 presidential election.

If that doesn't send a signal I don't know what does. I hope this disapproval translates to his ousting in November.

Yet another thing I found on someone's blog. Damn, I've really got to keep track of where I find these things! But it's funny!

Bush Fans
There's a teacher in a small Texas town. She asks her class how many of them are Bush fans. Not really knowing what a Bush fan is, but wanting to be liked by the teacher, all the kids raise their hands except one boy, Johnny. The teacher asks Johnny why he has decided to be different. Johnny says, "I'm not a bush fan."

The teacher says, "Why aren't you a bush fan?"

Johnny says, "I'm an Al Gore fan."

The teacher asks why he's an Al Gore fan. The boy says, "Well, my mom's an Al Gore fan and my dad's an Al Gore fan, so I'm an Al Gore fan!" The teacher is kind of angry, because this is Texas, so she says, "What if you're mom was a moron and you're dad was an idiot, what would that make you?"

Johnny says, "That would make me a Bush fan."

Again I did a search on Google and found this great joke on this site. I love it.

I'm concerned about the Virginia General Assembly. They have not passed a budget yet. School systems in Virginia are holding their breath to see what state funds will be transfered to their local budgets. Plans are being made to deal with the possibility the state will not pass a budget in time for the next school year. Major school programs are in jeopardy of being cut to make up the difference. Summer school is first on the chopping block. Then comes extracurricular programs. And finally they might start school one week later with a furlough for teachers. This also means teachers will not see a cost of living increase in next year's contract with the possibility of no step increases. What in the world are they thinking? The fucking republican controlled house and senate of Virginia are so fucked up. They don't want to raise taxes to make up for their former boss screwing up the state budget by doing away with the car tax. Everyone would like to see the car tax die but let's be realistic. For the state to provide the benefits we've become accustomed to, we must create revenue from some source. The car tax is the logical answer. Other taxes are proposed but none of them will make up the funds needed to run the state. I know I don't know all the ins and outs of the state government but I do know the part that effects me. I am also a citizen and know that we must pay taxes to provide certain services. It just makes me sick and embarrassed to be a citizen of this state with such a screwed up state government.

The state government hasn't passed a budget but they did create time to write discrimination into our state constitution. Yesterday they ratified "Marriage Affirmation Act." This act denies many legal rights to same-sex couples. Equality Virginia has a very informative article on their web site. (Thanks to Dan for the link.)

HB 751 not only prohibits the state from recognizing civil unions (which it already didn't do), but strips private contractual rights between same-sex couples by outlawing any "partnership contract or other arrangements that purport to provide the benefits of marriage."

Once this bill is enacted, it will likely deprive gay and lesbian Virginians of some of the few choices that they currently have to protect their families including:
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