Bush, Dems to war over 'values'

USA Today: "President Bush will lead a new Republican effort Friday to shift the debate in the presidential race from the candidates' experience to their votes and values."

Good. I hope that includes a discussion of his family's values. Of that episode of his brother and that prostitute. Of Dick Cheney having a gay kid - I'd love to know what kind of "values" led to that. And Bush's staff - both campaign and White House - any people there who aren't promoting monogamous heterosexual values? Read More......

So is ANYBODY involved in the Republican convention actually a Bush Republican?

New York's Republican Mayor Michael Bloomberg will throw three lavish parties during this summer's Republican National Convention, but two of his soirees are for groups whose positions President Bush opposes. Read More......

Bush devotes entire weekly radio address to bashing gays

Ok, I'm clearly out of my mind. I posted Bush's quote below, but instead of posting the real quote, I posted my parody of it that was I still had in draft form. Doh! No, Bush did not refer to the marriage of white men and white women in his actual address. But it'd have been totally appropriate if he had. Sorry 'bout that, JOHN

He's such a worm.

Guess it's time to make sure that White House staff and senior administration officials are helping promote healthy monogamous heterosexual marriages.

A little sample of our president's wonderful address:

A great deal is at stake in this matter. The union of a man and woman in marriage is the most enduring and important human institution, and the law can teach respect or disrespect for that institution. If our laws teach that marriage is the sacred commitment of a man and a woman, the basis of an orderly society, and the defining promise of a life, that strengthens the institution of marriage. If courts create their own arbitrary definition of marriage as a mere legal contract, and cut marriage off from its cultural, religious and natural roots, then the meaning of marriage is lost, and the institution is weakened. The Massachusetts court, for example, has called marriage "an evolving paradigm." That sends a message to the next generation that marriage has no enduring meaning, and that ages of moral teaching and human experience have nothing to teach us about this institution.

For ages, in every culture, human beings have understood that traditional marriage is critical to the well-being of families. And because families pass along values and shape character, traditional marriage is also critical to the health of society. Our policies should aim to strengthen families, not undermine them. And changing the definition of traditional marriage will undermine the family structure.

And my favorite part:

On an issue of this great significance, opinions are strong and emotions run deep. All of us have a duty to conduct this discussion with civility and decency toward one another.

Yes, God forbid anyone caused a ruckus on the way to the gas chambers. Read More......

Catholic pedophile scandal stretches all the way back to the '60s. The 1660s!

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Florida Republican Senate candidate gay-baiting

Were Martinez to have someone gay working at the highest levels of his campaign, someone who was personally responsible for helping ensure this ad could go on the air, someone who was out out OUT and was to have, oh, say, a boyfriend of over 10 years, would you out this staffer? Or is his sexual orientation irrelevant and a private matter while he personally helps ensure that the current anti-FMA senators from Florida are replaced with a pro-FMA senator?

Just asking.

Actually, now that I think about it, the staffer is openly gay, has never tried to hide his orientation, and in fact is quite open about it in town, has been out at previous jobs, etc. So why the hell am I "in-ing" him? His name is Kirk Fordham, and he's the finance manager for the campaign - meaning, he's the money guy. Were I openly gay and on that campaign, I'd have quit as soon as they decided to run that ad, rather than helping them raise even more money for it.

Miami Herald:

Republican Senate candidate Mel Martinez unveiled a radio campaign ad Friday urging the state's two sitting Democrat senators, Bill Nelson and Bob Graham, to support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriages.

The ad opened on the same day Senate Republicans began debate on the emotionally charged issue.

Martinez, the former Housing and Urban Development secretary, says in the radio spot that 'the very institution of marriage is under attack,' and he's seeking the Senate seat being vacated through Graham's retirement to continue what he called a fight for values.

'If you believe, like I do, that marriage should be between one man and one woman, please join me in calling on Florida's U.S. Senators to support this historic legislation,' Martinez said in the spot, which is running in the Tampa-St. Petersburg, Pensacola, Jacksonville, Naples-Fort-Myers and Orlando markets.

The radio ad is the first mass media spot purchased by the Martinez campaign. The ad is to run into next week, said Martinez campaign spokeswoman Melissa Shuffield.

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Republican Party of Minnesota gay-baits Kerry-Edwards too

This is so funny. Maybe next time the Republican Party of Minnesota can poke fun at the colored people.

From: GOPNewsline@mngop.com
Subject: GOP Newsline -- Thursday, July 8, 2004
To: xxxxxxxx

The GOP Newsline is the official online publication of the Republican Party of Minnesota.

Published by RPM Executive Director Corey Miltimore.

Questions, comments, and reactions can be forwarded to him at csm@mngop.com or to GOP Newsline co-author Jonathan Blake at jeb@mngop.com.

******************************************************************

TODAY’S HEADLINES AT http://www.mngop.com/

******************************************************************

CONTENTS:
1. JOHN KERRY SELECTS AS RUNNING MATE UNDER-PRIVILEGED, MERE MULTI-MILLIONAIRE JOHN EDWARDS
2. MOST LIBERAL TICKET EVER? NUMBER ONE PICKS NUMBER FOUR
3. LET AMERICA BE AMERICA AGAIN?
4. QUICK HITS
5. PARTIES FOR THE PRESIDENT ON JULY 15
6. QUOTE OF THE WEEK

[snip]

From the Drudge Report, a photo gallery showing just how close John and John really are (not that there’s anything wrong with that):
http://www.drudgereport.com/kerryk.htm

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Republicans smearing Kerry-Edwards by calling them gay

I cannot even believe this is happening, and not a bloody word from Bush or Cheney to tell them to stop it (uh, Mr. Cheney, your daughter's a dyke - think you might want to weigh in here?). The Republicans have gone into full gay-bating mode, making all sorts of jokes about Kerry and Edwards liking to touch each other's asses, etc. Really really really amazing. And you thought it couldn't get any worse. We ought to be marching in the streets against these assholes.

Drudgereport - which is downright ridiculous, as Drudge has been 'outed' numerous time:
http://www.drudgereport.com/kerryk.htm

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Rich Lowry of the National Review gives this a plug:
http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/04_07_04_corner-archive.asp#035430

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Jonah Golberg also jumps in mentioning this link at the Borowitz Report:
http://www.borowitzreport.com/
http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/04_07_04_corner-archive.asp#035418

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OLD SCHOOL REPONSE TO TOUCHING [Rich Lowry]
E-mail:

“Rich,

Call me old fashioned, but I can think of only two circumstances in which this kind of `guy-on-guy action’ would be appropriate:

1) a congratulatory pat from the 1st base coach to a player who has just singled; and,

2) when it is necessary to bestow the "kiss of death" on some guy who has been designated for `whacking.’”

-----------------------------

TOUCHING [Rich Lowry]
E-mail:

"I haven't watched the tapes enough to know for sure, but looking at the still on the Drudge Report, there may be some dominance games going on there. In particular, Kerry's touching of Edward's face is a very dominating move. Face caresses among primates are familial -- mates or parent/child interactions. An adult male touching another male's face asserts parental level seniority and dominance. Most of the pics on the Drudge site convey this sort of dominance message (to me, at least).

I saw in the Washington Times an article that claims this is a focus group generated maneuver to make Kerry seem warmer. If my read is correct, it won't work.... and it could have a negative subconscious impact on many male witnesses.

It also says something to me about Kerry's need to make it clear who the boss is. (I noticed, by the way, that Theresa reached across in one photo to full the youngest Edwards child's thumb out of his mouth, so this dynamic may already spread across the families.) My guess would be that all the family warmth they're trotting out right now will wear pretty thin for some of these folks before the campaign is over."

ME: This makes some sense to me. At times Kerry has seemed all but ready to pinch Edwards' cheeks--affectionate, but kind of demeaning.
Posted at http://www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/04_07_04_corner-archive.asp#035436 04:24 PM Read More......

Fundies PISSED at Bush

HRC's brilliant ad that's so ticked off the wackos -
click here to see a large pdf version

From Lloydletta, quoting the anti-gay hate group Family Research Council's latest email missive:

Homosexuals Applaud RNC Convention Line-Up

Yesterday, the Human Rights Campaign ran a full page ad in Roll Call newspaper which features pictures of Schwarzenegger, McCain, Pataki, and Giuliani and asks, 'Want to get a prime time spot at the Republican National Convention?' and answers: 'Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment.' We at FRC couldn't have said it better ourselves. Judging by the current list of invited speakers, the GOP must be planning to carry the HRC and Planned Parenthood vote, all the while ignoring those who support traditional marriage and pro-life views - the very constituency that makes up the heart and soul of the Republican Party.

The party seems poised to keep some of its most articulate spokesmen such as Senators Sam Brownback and Rick Santorum and Representatives Henry Hyde and Mike Pence and other leaders on life and family issues behind the scenes. By keeping them on the sidelines they have missed a chance to emphasize the real heart of the party and the sharp contrast between the Republican Party and Democratic Party. By treating the vast majority of the GOP faithful like 'fly over' country, the convention organizers douse the enthusiasm of pro-family voters - meanwhile they may show up to vote, they may not bring two or three friends along with them to the polls. Note to Republican Party organizers: Find a primetime spot for a speaker who the pro-family community knows and trusts and who will speak to the issues that have driven so many voters to pull the lever for the GOP in the past.

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IAEA: North American firms supplying nuclear black market

Uh oh, somebody forgot to play along with the script that only the evil countries who were against the Bush war of choice were supplying the international nuclear black market. Would Halliburton and their 1990's sales to Saddam Hussein fall into this category or was that purely an oil deal between friends? This makes it a little bit tricky but somehow it must have been the Germans and the French who were responsible. Otherwise, blame it on Clinton since he seems to be responsible for any problems that the US has ever had. We're really running out of scapegoats on this one. Read More......

Interesting review on why Kerry picked Edwards

From Newsweek:

"In his choice of a running mate with no national-security credentials, John Kerry is betting that the November election will turn on the economy, not Iraq.

Edwards’s speech on the “Two Americas” is populism with a smile. He’s the rare Democrat whose class-warfare rhetoric wins the approval of the Democratic Leadership Council, the party’s moderate wing, while still energizing the party’s base of liberals.

In a week when Enron’s Kenneth Lay was brought into a Houston court in handcuffs, Kerry’s choice of Edwards seemed prescient. When you ask people what they’re concerned about, it’s not frivolous lawsuits. It’s health care and jobs and college tuition, issues that don’t take a lot of Washington experience to understand."

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Criticize Bush and you are fired

Some people just don't know how to relax and drink the Kool-Aid.

"The Interior Department yesterday fired Teresa C. Chambers as chief of the U.S. Park Police, acting seven months after suspending her for going public with her concerns about money and staffing."

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