More Double-Speak From Sharron Angle

In this ad Angle claims to want to save Social Security (from Harry Reid, of course), but that's certainly not what she's said in the past: "We need to phase Medicare and Social Security out in favor of something privatized. I'm saying it can't be fixed. It's broken."

Nate Silver On Marriage Polls

Nate Silver:

Something to bear in mind is that it's only been fairly recently that gay rights groups -- and other liberals and libertarians -- shifted toward a strategy of explicitly calling for full equity in marriage rights, rather than finding civil unions to be an acceptable compromise. While there is not necessarily zero risk of backlash resulting from things like court decisions -- support for gay marriage slid backward by a couple of points, albeit temporarily, after a Massachusetts' court's ruling in 2003 that same-sex marriage was required by that state's constitution -- it seems that, in general, "having the debate" is helpful to the gay marriage cause, probably because the secular justifications against it are generally quite weak.

I know you freaks are dying to comment on the shape of the graph.

(Via - Towleroad)

Restless People - Days Of Our Lives

Underworld meets Chicane.

Has Glenn Beck Changed His Tune On Same-Sex Marriage?

Last night Glenn Beck dismissed gay marriage as an unimportant issue.

Why doesn't Glenn Beck cover gay marriage? Because he doesn't believe it's a threat to the nation. In a conversation with Bill O'Reilly on why he avoids culture war issues, Beck admitted that he doesn't think marriage should be a political issue. "Honestly, I think we have bigger fish to fry," Beck said. "You can argue about abortion or gay marriage or whatever all you want. The country is burning down...I don't think marriage, that the government actually has anything to do with...that is a religious right." "Do you believe gay marriage is a threat to the country in any way?" O'Reilly asked. "A threat to the country? No, I don't," Beck said, laughing, adding mockingly, "Will the gays come and get us?" Beck quoted Thomas Jefferson: "If it neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket, what difference is it to me?"

That's certainly not what Glenn Beck has said in the past.

R-71 Petition Names Remain Sealed

Even though the Supreme Court ruled in June that forcing Protect Marriage Washington to disclose the names on their petitions was not unconstitutional, yesterday a federal judge blocked the release of the names as the bigots continues their bid to show that violent homofascists will rain down retribution if R-71's signers become known.

U.S. District Judge Benjamin Settle ruled Wednesday to extend a restraining order that bars public release of the signatures while the case moves forward. He said that if the names were disclosed before a hearing on the case, it would essentially make the case moot. "The release of the names and addresses could not be undone," he said. Stickney's attorney said that the case centered on how the public records act is balanced against First Amendment issues when people want to voice their opinion on a volatile issue. "If you're talking about a nonvolatile issue, like adjusting the sales tax, in most cases that's not going to rise to a constitutional challenge," said Steven Pidgeon, an attorney for Protect Marriage. "But when you have a situation where people are saying 'I'm not going to sign a petition because if I do, my car is going to get keyed, my windows will get broken,' it becomes a different issue."

Rep. Alan Grayson Calls On President Obama To Fire Robert Gibbs

Out-Doing Greg Gutfeld

Found on Tumblr by Dr. Jeff:

Continuing the chain of imaginary offensiveness to stereotypes, I plan to open a Babies R Us next to the gay bar next to the mosque next to Ground Zero. Next to the Babies R Us I will open a pornographic bookstore, and next to that I will open a police station. Next to the police station I will open a hip-hop recording studio, and next to that I will open an Applebees. Next to the Applebees I will open a TGI Fridays (those guys HATE each other) and next to the TGI Fridays I will open a methadone clinic. Next to the methadone clinic I will open a crack house, and finally, next to that, I will open a Catholic church adjoining a daycare center for attractive boys, adjacent to which I will just blow up whatever’s there so I can erect a memorial, and next to that memorial I will open a community center dedicated to a locally inconvenient ethnicity that I hired to blow up the original structure on the memorial site. Next to that I’m just going to put up some condos.

New From Denny's

The fried cheese melt. Not as gross looking as the Double Down or the Donut Burger.

Barney Frank On NOM Violence

“People have a constitutional right to express themselves as they wish, and that right obviously applies even to people who for some reason have dedicated much of their lives to trying to diminish the lives of others. I do not understand what it is that drives people to spend so much time trying to take away the rights of those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, but they should understand that the freedom to do so in no way insulates them from those who disagree with their agenda from making their presence clear.

"For someone engaging in that right of peaceful counter-demonstration to be assaulted by a NOM attendee is wholly unacceptable and the leaders of this organization should be taking steps not simply to prevent any such behavior in the future, but to exclude from their ranks anyone who was engaged in it in the past.” - Rep. Barney Frank, responding to the news that a young lesbian was punched in the stomach by a NOM supporter at their Indianapolis rally.

Sam Seder On Net Neutrality

What do we have to fear from Google and Verizon?

Open Thread Thursday

Is legal marriage for you? Why or why not?

BREAKING: Prop 8 Stay Ruling Tomorrow

The announcement will come between noon and 3pm EST.

U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker will issue a Thursday morning ruling on whether to stay a decision in the Proposition 8 federal case pending appeal, according to a late Wednesday e-mail from the court. The ruling will be issued between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. Pacific Time. If Walker rules against the stay, the state of California will presumably allow same-sex couples to wed once again. Such unions have been illegal since voters in the state passed Prop. 8 in November 2008.

Here we go again!

California County Appeals Prop 8 Ruling With Backing Of Christianist Group

Imperial County, in far southern California, has filed an appeal of Judge Vaughn Walker's overturn of Proposition 8, thanks the help of an anti-gay Christianist legal group. But do they have standing to do so?

The County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 earlier in the day to approve the appeal, according to the Imperial Valley Press. Close to 70% of Imperial County voters approved Prop. 8, which enshrined a definition of marriage as between one man and one woman in the state Constitution. Attorneys for official backers of Prop. 8, ProtectMarriage, have appealed the ruling. Walker last week denied Imperial County's effort to intervene in the case, saying the county lacked sufficient interests in the matter to do so. The county, represented by the Christian legal group Advocates for Faith and Freedom, pledged to appeal that denial. Separately on Tuesday, the county filed an appeal challenging Walker's core ruling on Prop. 8's constitutionality. "The personal opinion of a single judge in San Francisco should not be substituted for the opinion of over 7 million voters," Advocates for Faith and Freedom General Counsel Robert Tyler said in a statement. The appellate court will determine whether Imperial County has a right to move forward with its appeal.

Imperial County is mostly desert and has only 140K residents.[Photo credit: Rex Wockner]

Elton John & Mrs. Limbaugh IV

Wingnut site World Net Daily has posted the just-released wedding photos of Rush Limbaugh and his wife du jour. Caption what Elton is thinking here.

Best Facebook Page (So Far)

Team Slater

On sale now. His Facebook fan page has 137,000 members already.

M.I.A. - XXXO

STOP! Mecca Time!

In Mecca, Saudi Arabia is building the world's largest clock atop what will be the world's second-tallest building. The structure is meant to help further Saudi Arabia's goal to establish Mecca as the replacement for the global standard of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Bearing a striking resemblance to both St Stephen’s Tower, which houses the bell of Big Ben, and the Empire State Building, the Saudi upstart aims to outdo its revered British rival in every way. The clock’s four faces are 151ft in diameter and will be illuminated by 2million LED lights along with huge Arabic script reading: “In the name of Allah”. The clock will run on Arabia Standard Time which is three hours ahead of GMT. When a glittering spire is added, topped with a crescent to symbolise Islam, the edifice will stand at nearly 2,000 ft, making it the world's second tallest building. The clock of Big Ben, by comparison, is just 23ft in diameter, while its tower stands at a mere 316ft.

Residents of Mecca will also be reminded that it is time to pray when 21,000 green and white lights, visible at a distance of 18 miles, flash five times a day. But Islamic scholars hope the clock’s influence will stretch far further than the sands of Saudi Arabia, as part of a plan for Mecca to eclipse the Greenwich Observatory as the “true centre of the earth”. For the past 125 years, the international community has accepted that the start of each day should be measured from the prime meridian, representing 0 degrees longitude, which passes through the Greenwich Observatory. A standard time by which other clocks were set was needed to organise global travel and communications, but in the Islamic world the idea that it should be centred on a part of London is seen as a colonial anachronism.

Saudi Arabia's leading cleric contends that Mecca is the correct choice because "it's in perfect alignment with magnetic north." The world's scientists disagree.

HomoQuotable - Jonathan Rauch

"Walker was right to say that separate isn't equal. Civil unions are hardly ideal. But his decision treats civil unions as if they were trivial or worthless. By refusing to give them any weight and declaring them not just inadequate as a matter of policy but prohibited as a matter of law, Walker uses the Constitution to put compromise out of bounds. [snip]

"So I think the decision is a radical one, but not, ironically, as it pertains to homosexuality or to marriage. No, Walker's radicalism lies elsewhere: In his use of the Constitution to batter the principles of its two greatest exponents - Madison and Abraham Lincoln, a Burkean who was steadfast in his belief that ideals must be leavened with pragmatism.

"History will, I believe, vindicate Walker's view of marriage. Whether it will see him as having done gay rights a favor is less clear. For all its morally admirable qualities, his decision sets the cause of marriage equality crosswise with moderation, gradualism and popular sovereignty. Which, in America, is a dangerous place to be." - Jonathan Rauch, writing for the New York Daily News. Rauch, who gay-married in Washington DC in June, is the co-founder of the homocon site, Independent Gay Forum.

Designing Women In The Park

One of the more unusual fundraisers to hit my inbox this week:

Men in dresses, drinks in hands... it's summer in Brooklyn as we take to the stage for our second summer production "Designing Women in the Park." Join us on August 15 for an evening of truly classic theater as we *drag* ourselves through an episode of Designing Women. The party starts at 7pm and runs to 10:30, with three shows. Your suggested donation of $10 gets you into the party, a seat (or a stand) to see the show, and a WHOLE LOT OF BEER, lovingly provided by Brooklyn Brewery. Our efforts this evening all benefit RightRides, an organization dedicated to building safer communities by ending gender-based harassment and sexual assault. We'll see you in Red Hook on the 15th!

About RightRides:

RightRides offers women, LGBTQ and gender queer individuals a free, safe, late night ride home on Friday and Saturday nights from 11:59 PM - 3 AM, (early Saturday or Sunday morning) in up to 45 NYC neighborhoods across four NYC boroughs. To call for a ride, the dispatch number is (888) 215-SAFE (7233).

West Hollywood: We Are Ready To Resume Gay Marriages If We Get The Word

As we all wait on Judge Vaughn Walker's ruling about a stay, West Hollywood City Hall is putting the word out that they are ready to resume officiating same-sex marriages at a moment's notice. Via Karen Ocamb:

West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John Duran says he is ready to start officiating again. “As soon as the federal judge lifts the stay, Weho is ready for the sequel ‘Summer of Love II.’ We will marry as many happy couples as we can until another judge tells us we can’t. Like drops of water becoming a mighty torrent…..” West Hollywood City Clerk Tom West says the five city councilmembers have been deputized but because of work schedules, it is imperative that couples call his office to schedule an appointment: 323-848-6409. Dean Logan, the Registrar-Recorder/ County Clerk for Los Angeles County, is prepared to “take immediate action to implement the court’s orders if the stay is lifted and judgment is entered.” That means county offices will issue marriage licenses to same sex couples as soon as they as the judge’s ruling is clear.

Walker's ruling could come at any time. Lambda Legal cautions that there may only be a very short window of legalized same-sex marriages before the Ninth Circuit Court issues a stay of its own.

Email Of The Day

"Hey, Joe. My name is Morgan Tepsic, I'm 20 years old and my dream is to jump around the world naked. Here's 2,600 shots in motion showing what I've done so far...it's not very long, and the music is really great. Thanks and have a good day, Morgan."

OK, then. NSFW, y'all.

The Potatoe Doesn't Fall Far...

(Via - Andrew Sullivan)

Afternoon View - Flyover Necessities

American Family Association Calls For Ban On Building ANY Mosques In America

"Permits should not be granted to build even one more mosque in the United States of America, let alone the monstrosity planned for Ground Zero. This is for one simple reason: each Islamic mosque is dedicated to the overthrow of the American government. Each one is a potential jihadist recruitment and training center, and determined to implement the 'Grand Jihad' of which Andy McCarthy has written.

"Because of this subversive ideology, Muslims cannot claim religious freedom protections under the First Amendment. They are currently using First Amendment freedoms to make plans to destroy the First Amendment altogether. There is no such thing as freedom of religion in Islam, and it is sheer and utter folly for Americans to delude themselves into thinking otherwise." - AFA radio host Bryan Fischer.

Please remember to quote the American Family Association every single time they scream about homofascists infringing upon freedom of religion.

Inside Porno Pete's Hate Academy

Last week Friendly Atheist Hemant Mehta sent two undercover spies to Porno Pete's Hate Academy. Today Mehta posts the first in a three-part series exposing what went on. Here's a haters quote recap from "Perry and Maria":

Matt Barber: We should not be politically correct. It’s natural for gays to be reviled. It’s important to focus on the health risks of homosexuality, but we need to be aggressive and unapologetically loving.
Greg Quinlan: If you Bible-thump or talk about sex, it turns pro-gays off. If you give them the science, you sound like somebody in authority and they don’t know how to respond to that.
Arthur Goldberg: We need to use the term “homosexual” instead of “gay” because it has a more negative connotation. No one is gay; they’re only “gay identified.”
Cliff Kincaid: This issue of homosexuality affects you because gays are demanding to give blood. The hemophiliacs are outraged by the homosexual lobby saying they have a right to give blood. They want to force themselves into the blood supply in a callous and arrogant manner. Mothers need to speak up. Mothers, your children are at risk!
Laurie Higgins: Parents need to remove their children from public schools. Even after doing that, they need to make law changes because our taxes go to the public schools. When we are silent on this issue, we teach our children through role-modeling to be cowardly conformists. We bequeath a legacy of much greater oppression to our children and our grandchildren. At least I can say to my children that I did everything I could.
Rena Lindevaldsen: We need to work to completely eliminate public schools — government schools — and push a Christian/Biblical model of educating our children.
Ryan Sorba: We need to unify behind common winning talking points. Boycott the term “gay.” They are in no way attached to any kind of identity because it’s not an identity. They’re not functioning in accord with their design. We need to repeat over and over and over again that there is no scientific evidence that people are born gay. There is no study that proves causation. Psychiatrists need to reclassify homosexuality as a mental disorder.
Matt Barber: At gay pride parades, they have sex in the street in front of children.

Read Hemant Mehta's entire expose. With these two spies, the spies from Truth Wins Out, and the other spy that outed herself to Hemant's people, how many actual students were even there?

NOM's Hate Tour Draws Tens In Raleigh

JMG reader Rob sends us a great photo gallery of yesterday's NOM Fail™ in Raleigh, where ace blogger Pam Spaulding took on some of her local wingnuts. Read Pam's hilarious account of her run-in with the mentally ill woman below.

Pastor Olden Thornton: Jeebus Is Coming Back To Fuck A Woman, Not A Man!

North Carolina televangelist Olden Thornton wants you to know that when Zombie Jeebus returns from the dead, he's coming for a bride. Just in case you were wondering. Thornton is a part of a new anti-gay group pushing for a voter referendum on marriage equality in North Carolina.

(Via - Good As You)

American Family Association: Allowing Gays To Adopt Is Inhumane To Children

But it's perfectly OK to allow those kids to wallow their entire lives in the substandard and inattentive state care that they've been placed in, NOT INCIDENTALLY, because their heterosexual parents abandoned, abused, and/or molested them.

Did Dinner With A Male Porn Star Bring Down Minnesota's Gay State Senator?

Openly gay Minnesota state Sen. Paul Koering lost his GOP primary reelection bid yesterday in a campaign that got ugly and personal after Koering was seen dining with a young male porn star.

The race between Gazelka, a former state representative, and Koering, R-Fort Ripley, was notable for its focus on Koering’s personal life, and for efforts by state Republicans — who endorsed Gazelka — to investigate Koering’s past. Koering, Minnesota’s only openly gay Republican senator, made headlines in June by dining with a gay adult-film actor. Reports of the date surfaced on Twitter and made national news. Social issues were a factor in the race, as Gazelka made his opposition to same-sex marriage and benefits a leading issue. Koering blasted the Minnesota Republican Party last month for what he called its effort to “dig up dirt.” A party researcher wrote sheriffs in Morrison and Crow Wing counties, asking if they had law-enforcement records on Koering. Gazelka distanced himself from those tactics, saying he didn’t endorse the state party’s investigation of Koering.

RELATED: Koering angered many in January 2009 when he announced that he would not only not work for marriage equality in Minnesota, he wouldn't even vote for it if it was presented to his chamber. Koering's top aide said at the time that if anybody complained about his boss's stance on marriage equality, their letter would just go in the trash "where it belongs." Koering's 2010 campaign page is blank under the "issues" button, so it's unclear whether he changed his tune. However even Koering's opponent denounced NOM for their "mean-spirited" flier campaign earlier this year, so it's possible he did.

Tweet Of The Day - Roger Ebert

Today In Crazy Teabaggers

Washed up wingnut '70s racist pop star Ray Stevens wants Jeebus to save Arizona "from our own federal government."

Rush Limbaugh On Steven Slater: America Would Like Its Own Escape Chute From Barack Obama

HomoQuotable - David Mixner

"First of all, lets be extremely clear. Public Option was not a fringe issue. The desire for human rights and freedom for the American LGBT community is clearly rooted in the Constitution of the United States. Wanting our young not to die in useless foreign wars doesn't appear to me to be radical. Not wanting 14% of America's children to go to bed hungry at night seems like a reasonable expectation. And yes, waking up in the morning and knowing you have the dignity of a job is essential for the soul of America.

"These issues are not fringe, not left and not unreasonable. President Obama promised us if we believed again he would take us there. Maybe it is time in the White House and in the Obama administration to seriously examine their behavior, let some people go and try and start anew." - Former Clinton White House adviser David Mixner, responding to Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' denouncement of the "professional left" to The Hill.

Gibbs says of America's progressives: "These people ought to be drug tested. They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality. They wouldn’t be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president."

Morning View - The Corner Deli

It has a secret/mysterious underground dining room.

Christianists Versus Science

COSTA RICA: Supreme Court Rules Marriage Referendum Unconstitutional

Andres Duque translates the good news.

The Supreme Court in Costa Rica ruled (today) that a referendum scheduled for December 1st which would have banned marriage rights for same-sex couples was unconstitutional. The article does not give the vote total but says that the majority determined that the issue of marriage rights was a judicial issue and not an electoral issue and that the rights of minorities should never be subjected to a referendum process where they might be subjected to the wishes of a majority.

Emphasis motherfucking mine, Maggie.

Greg Gutfeld Explains His Ground Zero Gay Bar Plan To Glenn Beck

The Ballad Of Steven Slater

The chorus is pretty catchy!

MEXICO: Supreme Court Rules That All States Must Recognize Same-Sex Marriage

The wins keep pouring in! Late this afternoon Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that all 31 states must recognize same-sex marriages performed in the nation's capital, which at the moment is the only place they are legal. Mexico City is a separate federal entity, much like Washington, DC.

In a 9-2 decision, the tribunal cited an article of the constitution requiring states to recognize legal contracts drawn up elsewhere. It did not specify what degree of recognition must be granted to same-sex couples. Mexico City's same-sex marriage law, enacted in March, extends to wedded gay couples the right to adopt children, to jointly apply for bank loans, to inherit wealth and to be covered by their spouses' insurance policies. Some of those may end up applying only in the capital. The Supreme Court ruled last week that same-sex weddings are constitutional — though it is holding separate discussions this week on the adoption clause. One of the justices, Sergio Aguirre, argued against adoptions by same-sex couples Tuesday, saying children might suffer discrimination as a result.

The ruling does not force any of the states to allow gay marriage, but surely helps clears the way for the more liberal parts of the country to move forward.

The Animated Steven Slater

Taiwan's Apple Action News' specialty is computer animations of breaking events. Here's their take on JetBlue folk hero Steven Slater, complete with that "sexual embrace" with his boyfriend.

Rep. Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann Signs Resolution Condemning Judge Walker

(Via - Good As You)

American Bar Association Announces Support For Marriage Equality

The 410,000 member 132-year old American Bar Association, arguably the most influential legal group in the world, has announced its firm support for same-sex marriage. The Advocate reports:

In a resolution adopted less than one week after a federal judge in San Francisco struck down California's Proposition 8 as unconstitutional, the group acknowledges that same-sex couples "are only seeking to participate in an equal basis in a foundational institution of our civil life," former ABA president Tommy Wells told the organization's house of delegates. "They simply want to share in the legal blessings that we give to married couples. It can only strengthen marriage.”

The ABA's statement: "RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges state, territorial, and tribal governments to eliminate all of their legal barriers to civil marriage between two persons of the same sex who are otherwise eligible to marry."

Snake Eggs & Saddam Hussein

Pastor Chuck Pierce, head wacko of the Glory of Zion International Ministries, says that his prayers to God allowed U.S. troops to capture Saddam Hussein. Right Wing Watch has posted this excerpt from Pierce's book, which recounts a prayer meeting between Rev. Cuckoo and other pastors:

The Lord then showed me a nest of snake eggs. He said "There are four snake eggs that are lying in wait, and from this state I am giving you the power tonight to crush those snake eggs. In this state tonight, you will be able to decree to Babylon that the strongman that has not been found will now be found in the next seven days." Then Pastor Dutch said "Expose him. We declare exposure. We declare the eggs are being crushed under our feet in Jesus' name. Under our feet, under our feet, under our feet. Break it! We say witchcraft is broken that hides him in Jesus' name."

Members of the local pastoral leadership and the national military agreed with the prophetic decree. Pastor Darrell Feemster declared that the Fourth Infantry Division from San Antonino would be blessed to bring down the spirit of Babylon and to raise up a Christian nation in Iraq. Greg Jackson, a representative of the military, proclaimed "As a witness to this prophetic word in this house, as a representative of the Armed Forces in the state of Texas, I declare in the name of the Lord, it shall be!" A roar went up from the crowd. That roar entered the atmosphere and, I believe, traveled by the Spirit of God all the way to Iraq ... Troops from the Fourth Infantry went in and found Saddam Hussein three days later! Even though many were praying around the world, I believe it takes corporate gatherings at times to express God's purpose in the earth. I could see why God had wanted this revelation decreed in San Antonino, Texas.

Pierce's book, The Future War of the Church: How We Can Defeat Lawlessness and Bring God's Order to the Earth, is now available in paperback.

ALASKA: Sarah Palin Denies Rolling Her Eyes At That Teacher

The tape says otherwise, Mama Grizzly.

If The Hate Fits...

Angered by NOM's cries of victimization during the national Hate Tour, JMG commenter AdBo sends us his comparison of the signs recently seen at marriage rallies around the nation.

UPDATE: SEN. TED STEVENS DEAD Former Sen. Ted Stevens Missing And Feared Dead In Alaska Plane Crash

UPDATE: CNN confirms that Sen. Ted Stevens was killed.

Former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens is feared to be among eight missing persons aboard a plane that went down near Dillingham, Alaska last night. Severe weather is restricting the search for survivors.

The Alaska Air National Guard was called to the area about 20 miles north of Dillingham at about 7 p.m. after a passing aircraft saw the wreckage, spokesman Maj. Guy Hayes said. Eight people were reported to be on board the aircraft, though their status wasn't immediately known, he said. There were possible fatalities, he said. National Transportation Safety Board reported that it will send a "Go Team" from Washington, D.C., to Dillingham to investigate the crash. The teams can consist of up to a dozen or more specialists from the board's headquarters staff and are responsible for investigating major cases -- they are the arm that responds to "catastrophic airline crash sites" -- for the board, according to the NTSB.

Steven lost his seat in 2008 days after being convicted for failing to report gifts from supporters.

FreeStevenSlater.com

Already. And Facebook too. Slater was arraigned on charges of criminal mischief and reckless endangerment in the Queens Supreme Court. The judge set bail at $2500. Letterman and The View are doubtlessly next.

UPDATE: There's also a legal defense fund.

Send In ALL The Clowns

Since I dissed Send In The Clowns as my most hated Sondheim number last week, it's only fair that I post this amusing send-up by impressionist Carly Sakolove in which she channels Bernadette, Patti, Carol, Liza, Judy and others. Elaine Stritch made me LOL, literally. I'll leave it to our true show queens here to assess which impressions are best.

Afternoon View - 46th & Seventh

Embiggen for the madness.

Darth Cheney Leaves Hospital

Former Vice President Dick Cheney was released from the hospital yesterday one month after being fitted fitted with a heart pump called a ventricular assist device.

The battery-powered pump is mainly used for short periods by a heart transplant candidate awaiting a donor organ. Such devices are being studied for use by people with severe heart failure who aren't candidates for transplants. The pump relieves pressure on the heart by rerouting blood. Cheney said last month that he chose the surgical procedure after testing and consultation with doctors.

The machine leaves patients with no discernible pulse or heartbeat. Have all the "undead" jokes already been made?

Messiah Cat Haz Arisen

(Via - Copyranter)

Serial Adulterer Newt Gingrich Inches Closer To Announcing 2012 Prez Bid

Karl Rove thinks Newt is a "visionary and an idea factory."

Thank You For Your Call

Watch this gay man's story about being denied his late partner's Social Security benefits, funds that are automatically transferred to any straight spouse that has been married for ten minutes.

(Tipped by JMG reader Bradley)

Janelle Monae - Cold War

A Hat, A Brooch, A Pterodactyl

Over at Boy Culture, Matthew Rettenmund thinks JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater could play Johnny in a remake of Airplane! Below is Young Turks host Cent Uygur's take on the incident.

Fox Host Greg Gutfeld: I Plan To Open A Muslim Gay Bar Near Ground Zero Mosque

Homophobic Fox News host (redundancy redundancy) Greg Gutfeld says he's put together a team of investors to open a Muslim gay bar next door to the planned mosque near Ground Zero. He claims that he's totally serious about his plan.

I'm announcing tonight, that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also Islamic gay men. To best express my sincere desire for dialogue, the bar will be situated next to the mosque Park51, in an available commercial space. This is not a joke. I've already spoken to a number of investors, who have pledged their support in this bipartisan bid for understanding and tolerance.

As you know, the Muslim faith doesn't look kindly upon homosexuality, which is why I'm building this bar. It is an effort to break down barriers and reduce deadly homophobia in the Islamic world. The goal, however, is not simply to open a typical gay bar, but one friendly to men of Islamic faith. An entire floor, for example, will feature non-alcoholic drinks, since booze is forbidden by the faith. The bar will be open all day and night, to accommodate men who would rather keep their sexuality under wraps - but still want to dance. Bottom line: I hope that the mosque owners will be as open to the bar, as I am to the new mosque. After all, the belief driving them to open up their center near Ground Zero, is no different than mine. My place, however, will have better music.

In 2008 Gutfeld was rated by GLAAD as one of the "worst anti-gay voices" of the year.

MTA Caves On Anti-Mosque Ad Campaign

Wingnut Atlas Shrugged blogger Pamela Geller has forced NYC's public transit authority to accept her bus ad campaign against the mosque near Ground Zero. The MTA initially forced Geller through several revisions of her image, asking her to remove the smoke, flames, and plane from the photo, saying that "images of 9/11 are too controversial" for city buses. Geller responded: "I was floored. I said, 'It is American history. How can it be banned? What about Pearl Harbor? Is that censored too? On what grounds are 9/11 images banned?' It is unconscionable." Geller sued and today announced that her original image will run as submitted.

(Via - Gothamist)

Costa Rica Considers Marriage Vote

Costa Rican LGBT activists are fighting an effort by the Catholic Church to force a public vote on legal recognition for same-sex relationships.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) approved a proposal made by four lawyers, backed by 150,000 signatures -- 20,000 more than are legally required -- calling for the referendum, rather than the legislature, to determine whether to allow gay and lesbian civil unions. It set Dec. 5 as the date for the vote. The fate of the referendum is now in the hands of the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court, which must rule on a legal challenge to the ballot, based on the principle that human rights cannot be subject to a vote. Since 2006, the single-chamber Costa Rican parliament has been discussing a civil union bill that would recognise same-sex couples. The referendum is being openly promoted by Observatorio Ciudadano, an organisation backed by the Catholic Church, in this overwhelmingly Catholic country. Human rights organisations accuse the Church leadership of religious interference in political affairs.

In recent years Costa Rica has become an increasingly popular travel destination for gay men. That is likely to end should the referendum succeed.

Porno Pete Begs Ann Coulter Not To Headline Self-Hating Homo Convention

"As a fan of Ann Coulter, it pains me to see her cave in to political correctness and lend credibility to the phony homosexual “conservatives” over at GOProud. Worse, Coulter is sending a dangerous message to young Americans that homosexuality is OK. (It’s actually a sin.)

"Homosexual practice may be hip in New York City, but objectively it is always wrong and unnatural, and often unhealthy. Thankfully it’s also changeable, as proved by thousands of ex-gay men and ex-lesbians. Ann: why don’t you speak instead at a conference for former homosexuals? It’s not PC, but it would be far more consistent with your conservative principles than celebrating GOProud – which works directly against the Republican Party’s pro-family and pro-marriage platform." - Porno Pete LaBarbera, speaking from the dildo-strewn basement dungeon headquarters of his failed Young Bigots Hate Academy.

NY Post Writer Quits For Priesthood

New York Post editorial writer and columnist John Wilson has quit the newspaper business to become a Catholic priest.

Wilson spent three years on the Post's editorial board, landing there immediately after graduating from Claremont McKenna College in California. "I definitely grew fond of tabloid journalism as such," he says. "I had a great time and I think I was able to do some meaningful work there." He added that the Post's reputation for racy headlines and occasionally bawdy humor had little to do with his decision to seek a life of celibacy and the spirit, and said he was able to infuse a little bit of the sacred into his work there. "The phrase you hear a lot of in priestly circles is 'Comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable,'" he said. "At the very least I hope I've managed to afflict some powerful and comfortable people at the Post."

From the right-wing homophobic NY Post to the Catholic Church. That's a short walk, innit?

PhoboQuotable- Bill McCollom

"I really do not think that we should have homosexuals guiding our children. I think that it’s a lifestyle that I don’t agree with. I realize a lot of people do. It’s my personal faith, religious faith, that I don’t believe that the people who do this should be raising our children. It’s not a natural thing. You need a mother and a father. You need a man and a woman. That’s what God intended." - Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum, saying that he'd like to see his state's ban on gay adoption extended to gay foster parenting.

In the above-linked interview with the Florida Baptist Press, McCollum again defends his hiring of Dr. George "Rentboy" Rekers. He further states his opposition to same-sex marriage and adds: "I don’t believe in involving the government in enforcing or encouraging the lifestyle of gays and homosexuals. I just don’t believe that."

Sorry, No McNuggets Until 11AM

And somebody really doesn't like that bit of news. CNN ran this every five minutes last night. No audio.

(Clip via Towleroad)

GOP Rep. Tom Price (GA) To Introduce Bill To Prohibit Lame-Duck House Session

Today Rep. Tom Price (R-GA) plans to introduce a resolution demanding that the House of Representatives suspend all business in between election day and the day in January 2011 when Congress is rightfully returned to the God-fearing hands of the Republican Party. Because the Marxist/Socialist/Communist Democrats plan to go crazy during the lame-duck session.

Leftists do not think ObamaCare’s unconstitutional mandate to buy insurance went far enough. They do not think the failed $862 billion stimulus created a large enough deficit. They do not think Democrats have done enough to “change” America into an economically and militarily weak cradle-to-grave welfare state. They want more – and Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi are planning to give it to them in a lame duck session of Congress. Of course, most Americans have had enough. And more Democrats are beginning to realize that their agenda is incredibly unpopular. They know the American people’s dissatisfaction could cost them control of one or both chambers of Congress next year. And they know if that were to happen, a lame duck session would be their last chance to defy the will of the public and enact the remaining items on the liberal wish list.

HuffPo blogger Sam Stein calls Price's plan "mere Kabuki theater" because Pelosi will, of course, rule his resolution to be out of order. But hey, it'll play well in Teabagistan.

Maddow On Minnesota's Anti-Gay GOP Candidate For Governor, Tom Emmer

And how he's tied to the Christian rock band that calls for the execution of homosexuals.

Olbermann On Crazy Teabaggers

Levi Johnston, Mayor Of Wasilla?

One-time Playgirl model Levi Johnston has announced his candidacy for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska, the job once held by his baby mama's mama. Johnston's campaign will be documented for a reality show to be titled Loving Levi: The Road To The Mayor's Office. From the show's press release:

"The docu-soap will follow the ever controversial, headline making, matinee idol, handsome father of one as he embarks on a run for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska... [the] series will chronicle a 'no-holds-barred' period in Levi’s tumultuous life; co-raising his son Tripp, looking for love, and taking care of business for his fellow Wasillians. He will give us a real inside look into who he is as a father, a skilled hunter, an avid dirt biker, and of course his journey down the road of small town politics -- right after he gets his high school diploma."

Production on the pilot episode has already begun in Beverly Hills. Of course. Levi promises that if elected, HE will serve his full term. Ooh, suh-NAP!

Gay Flight Attendant Lives The Dream

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, 39, lived out the dream of every trolley-dolly today after a passenger refused to remain in his seat upon arrival at JFK. When the disobedient passenger (possibly accidentally) smashed Slater in the head while pulling down his suitcase, Slater launched an obscene tirade over the PA system, pulled the handle for the emergency slide and abandoned the plane.

The contretemps unfolded as JetBlue flight 1052 from Pittsburgh landed at Kennedy around noon — on time — with a full load of 100 passengers and pulled up to the gate, said the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing but offered the following account: One passenger got out of his seat to fetch his belongings from the overhead compartment before the crew had given permission. Mr. Slater instructed the man to remain seated. The passenger defied him. Mr. Slater approached and reached the passenger just as he pulled down his luggage, which struck Mr. Slater in the head. Mr. Slater asked for an apology. The passenger instead cursed at him. Mr. Slater got on the plane’s public address system and cursed out all aboard. Then he activated the inflatable evacuation slide at service exit R1, launched himself off the plane, an Embraer 190, ran to the employee parking lot and left the airport in a car he had parked there. In a statement, JetBlue said it was working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to investigate the incident.

Commenters at the above-linked New York Times story are nearly universally in awe of Slater's action, even though he faces a possible seven year sentence for his action. Many are calling for JetBlue to reinstate or promote him. NBC reports that Slater was arrested shortly after the incident at his Queens home, where they curiously note that he "was found in a sexual embrace with his partner." Huh? Anyway, cheers today to Steven Slater, one sky queen who'd finally had enough.

Christianists Call For Shatner Boycott

The Parents Television Council is calling for a boycott of William Shatner's new show, $#*! My Dad Says, because the title implies a naughty word. Last week the group sent letters to hundreds of advertisers demanding that they not support the show.

"Parents really do care about profanity when their kids are watching TV," said PTC President Tim Winter. "All parents? No, but something like 80 or 90 percent of parents. Putting an expletive in the title of a show is crossing new territory, and we can't allow that to happen on our watch." Winter's letter to companies asks bluntly: "When you advertise on television, do you want your customers to associate your product with (bleep)?" His letter uses the expletive, not the word "bleep." Winter uses the real word 10 times in two pages. But how much do parents care? Parental concern about profane language on TV is clearly waning, according to the Rasmussen Reports pollsters. Rasmussen's survey of 1,000 American adults taken July 27-28 found that 57 percent said there was too much inappropriate content on television and radio. Sex and violence is the main concern; only 9 percent of those polled pointed to profanity as the biggest problem area.

The title of the show, of course, derives from the best-selling book Shit My Dad Says. If the show is a fraction as funny as the book is, we've got a winner.

Signorile Talks To Koran Burning Pastor

Michelangelo Signorile has interviewed Pastor Terry Jones, the Gainesville, Florida head of the Dove World Outreach Church, which plans to hold a Koran burning ceremony on September 11th. Jones' church was also behind last year's unsuccessful "No Homo Mayor" campaign in Gainesville. Listen as Mike ties Jones up in logical knots.

THURSDAY: Queer Rising To Protest Fundraiser For Sen. Ruben Diaz

Via press release:

Queer Rising is outraged by New York State Senate Majority Leader John Sampson's decision to hold a fundraiser for anti-LGBTQ Senator Ruben Diaz of the Bronx on Thursday, August 12th. Senator Diaz led the Democratic revolt against Marriage Equality in the Senate last December, and he is a key target of a unified LGBTQ effort. In response, Queer Rising invites all to join us at "The Sampson & Diaz Bigot Gala" paparazzi protest. “Queer Rising is in the business of holding people accountable for their anti-LGBTQ actions, attendees of this function are supporting a bigot and need to be exposed.” Natasha Dillon, a founding member of Queer Rising.

Date: Thursday, August 12th
Time: 6 pm
Location: Maestro's Caterers: 1703 Bronxdale Avenue

TENNESSEE: Basil Marceaux Loses

Internet idol Basil Marceaux lost his bid for governor of Tennessee on Thurday when he scored less than 1% of the vote in the state GOP primary (an event overlooked here due to the Prop 8 hubbub). Today the Washington Post analyzes Marceaux's web popularity.

Basil Marceaux was one step further. For a public exhausted by politics-as-usual, he offered not only an outlandish ad but an outlandish persona, so beyond reason that he demanded attention. His popularity happened at lightning speed, taking just days rather than the years most political candidates require -- and those are the fortunate ones who rise from obscurity at all. Like "Napoleon Dynamite's" Vote for Pedro campaign, like every high school that has jokingly nominated the band geek for prom king, Marceaux's Internet success was based on the principle of ironic support. How hilarious would it be to pretend to love him? How hilarious would it be to actually love him? Brandishing Marceaux as an ideal candidate -- for realz or no -- was a one-fingered salute to mainstream politicians everywhere. We would rather fake-support this guy than real-support you.

Jonsi - Animal Arithmetic

This screams for a Morel remix.

Will Sharron Angle Return Her Dirty Money From Gay-Friendly Companies?

Days after Sharron Angle declared that she would not accept donations from companies that support LGBT rights, the Daily Beast's Steve Friess wonders what Angle will do about the filthy gay-friendly money she's already received.

The Tea Party favorite, facing off against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, checked “yes” on a questionnaire from the Government is NOT God PAC on a question asking: “Intel Corporation supports ‘equal rights for gays’ and offers benefits to ‘partners’ of homosexual employees. Would you refuse funds from this corporate PAC?” Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston, who first noticed and reported the response after it was overlooked in an Associated Press exclusive on the questionnaire itself, also noted on Friday that Angle had already received $5,000 from the Senate Majority Fund PAC that included funds from Intel. In addition to that, however, Angle has accepted $5,000 from the Alamo PAC, Bluegrass Committee, Free & Strong America PAC, Rock City PAC, Tenn PAC and Senate Victory Fund PAC as well as $2,000 from the Hawkeye PAC. All of these, according to the Federal Election Commission’s website, received money from companies that include 3M, Abbott Laboratories, Amazon.Com, UPS and others. Some companies that gave to those PACs, such as Anheuser Busch and Pepsico, have created gay-specific advertising that has been placed in gay-targeted media as well.

According to Friess, Angle has taken at least $37,000 from gay-friendly companies and PACs. Angle's spokeman refused to answer a question about the issue.

PhoboQuotable - David Frum

"Bristol Palin is exactly the type of girl who would have been pushed into a shotgun marriage in 1964: Her parents were leading citizens first of their town, then their state, now the nation. Their position and reputation would have absolutely precluded an unwed mother in the family. Their friends and neighbors (and maybe more important, their daughter's friends and neighbors) would have enforced the expectation: marriage first, children second.

"Not any more. Today, nobody expects it -- quite the contrary, when Levi reveals himself to be a jerk again, every People magazine reader in the country fully sympathizes with Bristol chucking him out, again. Get married for the sake of the children? Unwed motherhood as a disgrace? What is this, the Middle Ages?

"[Judge Vaughn] Walker's decision was a twist in a complex legal story that stretches back to the 1990s. Many more twists lie ahead. The judge's decision will almost certainly be reversed on appeal. (Walker seems to know it, too: He suspended his own decision from going into effect until after the appellate court had its say.) But we don't have to wait for the courts to finish their work to know the answer to the big question. The harm feared from same-sex marriage has already arrived: Whether same-sex marriage is accepted or not, opposite-sex marriage as a norm and expectation has already collapsed." - Conservative columnist David Frum, writing for CNN.

Worst Governor Ever: Sarah Palin Confronts Woman With Banner

An unscripted scene from Sarah Palin's Alaska, her unreal reality show, probably won't make it onto the air after Palin confronted a woman wielding a "Worst Governor Ever" banner. The clip at the bottom of this post was taken with a cell phone.

Kathleen Gustafson is a teacher married to a local commercial fisherman. She felt like Sarah Palin had let the state down by becoming a dollar-chasing celebrity and ignoring the oath of office she'd sworn on a Bible. Kathleen was motivated by the fact Palin was using the very place where her family makes a living to fortify the Palin personality cult -- pretending to do the very thing they worked so hard to sustain. Initially, Kathleen just wanted to waste a little of the camera crew's time, since Palin wasted so much of her time purporting to represent Alaska's interests. She didn't imagine Palin would be so easy to draw out. Saturday morning, Billy Sullivan helped Kathleen tape the banner up on his place of business at the top of the boat ramp. Then here she came. Sarah. She couldn't just walk by. Only a few fishermen and tourists would have seen the banner, but Sarah had to stop and protest. I spoke with Kathleen. She said she wanted Palin to know how she felt, but never dreamed she'd get the chance to say to her face, "You're not a leader, you're a climber!" Early in the conversation, Sarah actually winked at Kathleen in what seemed to be a case of eyelid Tourette's Syndrome. At one point, a Palin daughter chanted, "You're just jealous".

Watch Palin's eyeroll when she learns the protester is a teacher. Reportedly Palin's crew ripped down the banner shortly after this clip ends.

The End Of Kodachrome

The photographer granted the final roll of Kodachrome has turned in his film.

What should a photographer shoot when he's entrusted with the very last roll of Kodachrome? Steve McCurry took aim at the Brooklyn Bridge, Grand Central Terminal and a few human icons, too. Paul Simon, the crooner synonymous with the fabled film's richly saturated colors, shied away. But Robert De Niro stood in for the world of filmmaking. Then McCurry headed from his base in New York City to southern Asia, where in 1984 he shot a famous portrait of a green-eyed Afghan refugee girl that made the cover of National Geographic. In India, he snapped a tribe whose nomadic way of life is disappearing -- just as Kodachrome is. The world's first commercially successful color film, extolled since the Great Depression for its sharpness, archival durability and vibrant yet realistic hues, "makes you think," as Simon sings, "all the world's a sunny day."

Back in 1973, Kodachrome was the very first 45 I ever bought.

Sen. James Inhofe: Gays Have No Constitutional Right To Join Military

Freep This Poll

Somebody at the American Family Association has slipped up, because today's poll actually includes opposing choices.

UPDATE: They caught on to us FAST this time and have already replaced the poll with this one.

Cartoon Of The Day

NOM's Assault On The Family

Another winner from JMG reader Rob Tisinai.

Oscar Winner Patricia Neal Dies At 84

Pop-Tarts In Times Square

Pop-Tarts has joined M&Ms and Hersheys with its own storefront in Times Square, where brand marketing is more important than actual sales.

The focal point of the store, which opens Tuesday, is the cafe. It will serve about 30 snacks and desserts. The menu includes the Fluffer Butter, marshmallow spread sandwiched between two Pop-Tarts frosted fudge pastries; the Sticky Cinna Munchies, cinnamon rolls topped with cream-cheese icing and chunks of Pop-Tarts cinnamon-roll variety; and Ants on a Log?, which is celery, peanut butter and chunks of the Wild Grape version. And then there’s the Pop-Tarts Sushi, three kinds of Pop-Tarts minced and then wrapped in a fruit roll-up. “We did an internal tasting here at the building, and it was the winner,” said Etienne Patout, senior director at the Pop-Tarts brand, part of the Kellogg Company. Visitors can also build their own Pop-Tarts, starting with a basic pastry and asking servers to add frosting, toppings (coconut, sprinkles) and drizzle (caramel, raspberry). They can take their pastries frozen, toasted, microwaved or uncooked, but there will be no self-serve.

The store will feature a six-story billboard above the entrance. Times Square billboards often rent for more than the actual stores beneath them.