"If you're gay, lesbian, or bisexual, would you sacrifice for your trans neighbors and siblings? If you're trans, would you sacrifice for your gay, lesbian, or bisexual neighbors and siblings? It's something worth knowing about yourself and those around you." --Autumn Sandeen, 4/19/2010, the night before GetEQUAL's DADT repeal protest at the White House
Public Calendar
Press/media, organizations, and individuals send your time-based event info to: calendar@phblend.net
The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
Note: Louise wrote this diary. I am posting it for her for technical reasons. -Lurleen
We would ask that everyone notice the wee PayPal "Donate" widget in the upper lefthand corner of the front page.
If you can, please pop a lil something in there for Pam and Kate. Between boarding for Casey and Chloe, deductibles and other unforeseen expenses coming up, this could come in handy right now.
Thanks!
~Louise, Lurleen, Autumn, Alvin, Keori and Clarknt67
As you all know, Pam's surgery is this morning- so the rest of us thought it an appropriate time to post just WHY Pam means so much to us all personally.
I mean, think about it- there are thousands and thousands of us Blenders! That's pretty amazing, when you think about it- one person's frustration almost exactly 4 years ago with the world as she saw it culminated into her sitting down, tickety-typing her thoughts and views. Hitting "Enter"- and setting up this online coffee shop we know and love so much...
And for anyone who has met Pam and Kate in person, as I was fortunate to do this summer at the 50th birthday party of Americablog's Joe Sudbay, we can all agree that one would be hard-pressed to find a more loving, fun, down-to-earth and genuinely sweet couple than them.
Pam herself is astounding; I can't express how much her generosity in inviting me to come aboard as a barista in 2009 meant and continues to mean to me- and that the email came on April Fool's Day just adds that extra cosmic dash of silly appeal for me. ;)
Because of Pam, I found a voice I never knew that I had, and while Maine isn't where we want it to be regarding marriage equality or even politically right now, we will be. Give me time...
(Sidenote: I spoke with Governor Baldacci at one of the President Clinton rallies this fall; it was very pleasant to get a big hug and talk about our previous conversation. He said that at the time he spoke with me and Snooky he was "just starting to come around" to the idea of marriage equality- and that he is now a strong supporter and advocate. I like to think that our talk helped John "get there"! So, one more thing to thank Pam and indeed the entire Blend family for- you have all helped me find my voice.)
The numerous accolades that Pam and her blog have received over the years are just a tangible testimony to how so many others, including her peers in the blogosphere, view her- her integrity, her honesty, her personal standards of fairness and true family values are benchmarks that many strive for and few attain.
Yeah, I am kinda fond of the gal... ;) Because of the Blend, I have a family I never imagined. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
Thank you, Pam!
So gonna throw this open to all of you Blenders, to express your thoughts, link a video for Pam, send her YOUR love!
How do you expect South Carolina to move forward when you have people who want to go backwards - literally? There's no positive answer. GOP control in the state allows such talk, rhetoric and hysteria to grow.
A group named Third Palmetto Republic is pushing the "independence movement" throughout the state, announcing an inaugural Charleston chapter meeting tonight. The group insists S.C. has been a full-fledged nation since 1776.
Politics USA quotes the blog's author:
I was born and raised in Bluffton, SC and my family history runs back to before the Revolution. I'm a student of the Austrian school of economics, I hold a BS degree in Computer Engineering and an MBA, and I read any book I can find about free markets, anti-federalists, liberty, and Aristotelian philosophy (among other things.) I want to see the people of South Carolina regain control of their government through the process of peaceful secession.
Well as soon as SC gets off of the federal teat, it can show the other 49 states how it's done when it becomes an economic powerhouse.
The last secessionist group that made the news in that state was the failed Christian Exodus movement. That laff-fest set a goal of moving in evangelicals, taking over all aspects of government through running for elected office, and creating a Christian Nation with no homos, no booze, and probably no dancing either.
My retirement plan was to open a t*tty bar right on the NC/SC border and watch the cash flow in on Friday and Saturday nights, and watch the clientele drive back over the border to pray away the sin in church on Sunday.
Ah yes. Slice and dice day is only a few hours away. Some tidbits on my prep, for those who have been following things...
Photos: We had a great early Thanksgiving with my brother and his family -- my sister-in-law Miranda and Mr. E, our nephew. And Mr. E is expecting a new brother in a few months -- Mr. C! Anyway, we celebrated with non-traditional food -- BBQ beef brisket, mac and cheese, caesar salad and scones from Foster's Market, something here in Durham that Tim and Miranda miss dearly up in Delaware. I couldn't eat much, but I had a taste of everything.
We took a nice long walk around the lake near my house with the doggies, and spent the evening playing Scattegories and making fools out of ourselves singing answers to 80s music trivia before turning in last night. My singing is godawful. It's a wonder Casey and Chloe didn't howl when I sang "Take My Breath Away."
They left early this AM and we miss them already. Along with the constant pain from the fibroids, my fibromyalgia has been acting up a lot today, and the diabetic neuropathy in my feet (permanent nerve damage; the good BG control hasn't helped that at all) kicked my posterior after the walk yesterday. But it was worth it to have fun with family in the beautiful fall weather here. The trees are losing their leaves, but there is still plenty of color to enjoy.
The fun begins early
Kate and I have to get up early tomorrow (Monday) -- we have to be over to Durham Regional Hospital at 5:45 AM for the 7:15 AM surgery. Of course I don't expect they'll have me out cold on the table and operating then; none of the surgeries I've had ever started on time. The fact I'm the first one in the queue is good though.
So since I have insulin-dependent diabetes and have spent the last month on a crash course of frequent blood glucose testing, 8-9 needles a day, a new injectable meds and juggling a very carb-restricted diet to get to a stable 8.0 A1C (average almost non-diabetic control), I'm quite ready to get this whole shebang on.
Watching my numbers
My major issue, given the above, is how I handle my oral and injectable meds tonight so that if there are delays, I do not have a hypoglycemic crash during surgery. As many of you know, during the last month this has been my major issue during this stiff regimen. Tight control almost always comes with higher risks of low blood sugar attacks that come out of the blue. And I've had them at night and at work (testing as low as 52; people pass out at 40), but I have been able to stave off passing out by keeping sugar-based stuff (Starbursts/Sweetarts) on me all the time.
So the deal is I can take all of my oral non-diabetes meds tonight; no Glucophage, only 15 units of long-acting insulin (Lantus), and no short-acting insulin (Humalog) tomorrow AM.
All of the painful, irritating run up to this -- the increased number of needles, the low-blood sugar crashes, will all be worth it if I come through this healthy and no infections occur, the increased risk of infection is the biggest risk for anyone with diabetes when it comes to surgery. I'll have to remain on this horrid regimen for several weeks post surgery until I am in the clear re: infection.
The state of health care today (in my case, anyway)
I am fortunate to have health insurance through my employer, but of course these days that doesn't mean people are scot-free when it comes to the vagaries of the health care industrial complex. Some notable amusements:
* the 24-hour turnaround: I am having a total laproscopic hysterectomy, which means I actually get to stay in the hospital overnight, kicked out early on Tuesday (barring complications). If for some reason the surgeon has to switch to an abdominal incision, then I would probably be in another day or so.
* the pre-pay call for $: I received a call last week from the hospital; Kate took the message so I called them back, thinking it was about my pre-op appointment the next day. I call and it's the financial accounting department for the hospital, asking me how I wanted to pay my deductible in advance. I could choose from installment payments or taking the whole hit on my credit or debit card, but it didn't sound like billing you after the fact was an option. When I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago, I don't recall that occurring.
Anyway, I chose to take the full hit now, figuring that if I kick it during surgery, Kate won't be left with that bill.
Medical power of attorney/patient visitation - no prob
One think we don't have to worry about the matter of patient visitation in hospitals; while the WH announced publication of rules prohibiting Medicare and Medicaid hospitals from denying visitation privileges on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, North Carolina has had this in place for some time now.
Both Kate and I have been hospitalized in this state a few times prior to NC enacting legislation allowing patients to designate their medical proxy and visitors without restriction and have never even had our relationship questioned to prove whether we have medical power of attorney for one another. I do have to bring in my own medical directive information/living will with me tomorrow, but that's standard procedure in any case.
Thank you to all the pre-surgery well-wishes
I've received many emails, Tweets, Facebook messages/comments and healing thoughts from Blenders in the PHB comments. Trust me, I do mean it when I say that all are appreciated - Kate thanks you as well. For those of you who do know me and have sent wishes of support, you know I'll be in touch as soon as I can; much love and virtual hugs.
What's up on the Blend while I'm gone...
I'm officially out of work for a month, but I'll be back online to say I'm alive and kicking without my uterus as soon as I can. I'm not sure if there is cell reception in my hospital room, but Kate will bring my phone so I can Tweet, FB and text if I'm conscious and of sound mind (I know, that's questionable) if there is service.
Well, all of the Baristas will be posting as usual; I've not asked them to do anything more than they normally would, after all, they have lives outside of the Blend, lol. You may see a few guest posts from folks who have asked if they can pitch in;
Most of you don't know me personally, and to take the time to write something should always be acknowledged as important.
I've embedded tonight's vlogging entry here for your entertainment.
This is the speech that my friend Kelly Moyer gave at San Diego's Transgender Day Of Remembrance memoriam at the San Diego Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center. It's not the usual message of sad memoriam, or a message of hope for the future -- she instead focused on how trans people treat each other.
There's a lesson in here too for broader lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community on how to treat our siblings in community.
~~Autumn~~
San Diego Transgender Day Of Remembrance Keynote Address
By Kelly Moyer November 20, 2010
When I was asked to speak at this year's Day of Remembrance, I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. Some previous speeches have shared messages of hope and change and progress. This will not be one of those speeches. Other speeches called us to action and encouraged us to be out, to educate the people around us and show them our humanity. This will not be one of those speeches either. We do have reasons to be hopeful, and we do need to keep educating people, but there are other issues we need to discuss tonight.
Every year, we read the names and stories of people who were murdered for being - or appearing to be - trans. At the end, we recognize all the victims whose stories were not told, and whose names we will never know. But we never talk about what may be the largest group of victims. Violence does not always involve blows from a fist or bullets from a gun. People who take their own lives - overwhelmed by pain and driven to despair by the hatred, cruelty and intolerance around them - are just as much victims as the people whose names we hear tonight.
News reports talk about a recent epidemic of suicides amongst youth who were bullied for being - or seeming to be - trans, bisexual, lesbian or gay. It is an epidemic, but it is hardly recent. Countless studies have shown that suicide rates in the LGBT community - especially amongst youth and trans people - are many times greater than the overall population, and have been for some time now. A recent survey found that 41% of trans participants had attempted suicide at some point in their lives, which is 25 times higher than the general population... and that only counts the survivors. If you know three trans people, it is likely that at least one of them has attempted suicide at some point. I am one of those survivors.
Sen McCain had it clarified for him that marching in a "homosexual parade" wouldn't be proof that a servicemember was a "homosexual." Then, Sen. McCain asked a follow up question about crossdressing in a "homosexual parade":
Well, how about, General Powell, if they went in transvestite clothing?
SEN. MCCAIN: Well, how about, General Powell, if they went in transvestite clothing?
GEN. POWELL: I think that would be something that I as a commander would find troubling and I would begin to wonder about that situation, but just the attendance solely at the parade -
SEN. MCCAIN: This policy says marching in a gay rights rally in civilian clothes will not in and of themselves constitute credible evidence that would provide a basis for initiating an investigation.
GEN. POWELL: I would still take a hard look at it to see whether the costuming that was used started to slop over the good browns of ordered discipline.
SEN. MCCAIN: According to this regulation, you can't.
GEN. POWELL: But Senator, this is the problem we've had with the regulations that exist now. We are in court now, and as the Attorney General says -
SEN. MCCAIN: I'm not -- (inaudible word ) -- the present regulations; we're examining the proposed regulations.
"Transvestite clothing"? I don't know if the term transvestite was an pejorative in the United States then, but it certainly would be considered a pejorative by many trans people in the United States now.
But more on point, repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell won't allow transsexual people to serve openly; repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell won't allow crossdressers to serve openly; repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell won't allow those who perform drag frequently to serve openly. I didn't take to the White House fence on April 20th and November 15th this year because the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) will allow trans people to serve openly -- the National Center For Transgender Equality, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, and I am very aware that it won't. But, let's not let that get in the way of hyperbole and outright lies from many voices on the religious right regarding transsexual people, crossdressing people, and drag performers being able to sensationally and flamboyantly serve openly in the five military services should DADT be repealed.
The MASH television spectacle of Corporal Klinger wearing women's dresses to get out of the military may now give way to the Pentagon actually permitting transgendered male soldiers to openly wear women's military uniforms. This is what repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," could mean.
While some might scoff at the idea of transgendered soldiers ever serving in the Armed Forces, the transgendered are an essential component of the so-called LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) community pushing repeal of the military's homosexual exclusion policy.
Don't forget that the Obama Administration has already claimed credit for the first openly transgendered appointee to the federal bureaucracy-a man/woman at the Commerce Department named...Amanda Simpson...
If [Don't Ask, Don't Tell] is repealed and the military cannot exercise "discrimination" based on sexual orientation in accepting applicants, gender-confused people will join in significant numbers, and have access to the military and veterans' medical systems for their transgender operations. (The Palm Center recently posted a study on the transgender cause titled Summary and Analysis of the 2008 Transgender American Veterans Association Survey.) Defense and Veterans Affairs Department-funded medical coverage is a big deal for the TAVA.
A number of practical questions come to mind-where should "transitioning" individuals be housed-in the men's quarters or the women's? Who gets to decide what a person's gender is-and when? And what about women who don't want pre-surgical men sharing their private quarters, or families who are not comfortable with transgender people teaching their kids in DoD schools and child care centers-the largest institutions of their kind in the world? The opposition's policy seems to be "don't ask, don't tell.
Now it's 2010, and President Obama, a man steeped in radical left-wing politics and a kind of Students-for-a-Democratic-Society commander in chief, wants to allow "open" homosexuals in the United States military. Open homosexuality would have to include the GLBTQ gamut - gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer. Lambda Legal and the ACLU will insist on it. And Sen. Lieberman already proposed on March 8 a bill "legalizing bisexual behavior in the U.S. Military."
Allowing "gays in the military," therefore, is misleading. Once gays are openly recruited and accepted in the military, their "cousins" will follow suit (lesbian, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, intersexual, queer, etc.)...
...The United States is currently involved in two wars. Is the president out to destroy our military? Can any thinking American wish to see an "open" cross-dressing homosexual Army general trying to gain the trust of his troops (or for that matter, the nation)? Have we as a nation fallen so far that we need to apologize to Sodom?
Forcing open homosexuality on the armed forces would destroy the volunteer military and bring back the compulsory draft. Since women are now deployed close to combat, and the only legal reason they are not eligible is their combat exemption, a new draft could include our daughters. And some would face pressure to have on-base abortions in order to complete their tours of duty.
Chaplains would be the first victims of Mr. Obama's homosexualization of the military, followed by anyone who violated "zero tolerance" policies for homosexual acceptance. Bible-believing Christians would quickly find themselves unwelcome in Barney Frank's new pansexual, cross-dressing military.
Other fallout includes family housing, reduction in retention, recruitment and unit cohesion, an increase in homosexual sexual assaults and a boost to overturning the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
Representative Alcee Hastings (D-Florida) has introduced what he calls the "Honest and Open Testimony Act," which would allow homosexual and transgender members of the military to openly testify in congressional hearings without fear of retribution. Under the 1993 law passed by Congress, such individuals are not eligible for military service in the first place -- but due to Bill Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell" directive, they are able to serve as long as they do not reveal their sexual orientation.
Pam's House Blend quoted Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr. {from an NPR interview (emphasis added)}:
Interviewer: Today we turn to California Congressman Duncan Hunter. He's a Republican, and a former U.S. Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Congressman Hunter, welcome to the program.
Rep. Duncan Hunter: Great to be with you.
Interviewer: You are not in favor of repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Why not?
Rep. Duncan Hunter: No, because I think that it's bad for the cohesiveness and the unity of the military units. And, especially for those in close combat -- in close quarters -- in country right now. It's not the time to do it. I think the military is not civilian life. I think the folks who have been in the military, that have been in those very close situations with each other -- there has to be a special bond there. I think that bond is broken if you open up the military to transgenders; to hermaphrodites; to gays and lesbians.
Interviewer: Transgenders and hermaphrodites.
Rep. Duncan Hunter: That's going to be part of this whole thing. It's not just gays and lesbians, it's the whole gay, lesbian, transgender, bisexual community. If you're going to let anybody in, no matter what preference -- what sexual preference -- they have, that means the military is going to probably let everybody in. It's going to be like civilian life. And, I think that would be detrimental for the military.
There are some on the religious right who know that repeal of DADT won't result in transgender people being able to serve openly in the five military services. From the Traditional Values Coalition (note how Lafferty stoops to using the extreme pejorative "she-male" to make her point, however):
What was conspicuously absent in the discussion of DADT, was any mention of transgendered individuals serving openly in the military. This omission is significant because the LGBTQ movement has fully embraced the gaggle of cross-dressers, drag queens, transsexuals and she-males (males with female breasts and male genitals).
These transgendered individuals have a mental disorder known as a Gender Identity Disorder and/or Transvestic Fetishism.
Transgenders are lobbying to serve openly in the military, but they face the obstacle of the military still considering sex change operations and transsexualism to be evidence of disordered thinking.
The LGBTQ movement has deliberately left transgendered persons out of any military discussion because they know this is a "bridge too far" for them to accomplish right now. They will first get their gay, lesbian and bisexual goals done and then come back later to demand that she-males and other mentally disordered persons be permitted to "serve" in the military.
Peter LaBarbera of Americans For Truth About Homosexuality has something to say about this too:
Ultimately, homosexual activists hope to make the military "transgender-friendly," but to crusade for that now would complicate their plans to push the Armed Forces to accept people openly practicing homosexuality.
When Andrea Lafferty and Peter LaBarbera are the ones who publicly state that repeal DADT won't allow transgender people (and non-transgender crossdressing people) to serve openly -- while others on the religious right stoop to hyperbole and lies -- well, that says something about the moral character of most of the public voices on the religious right.
This is hilarious, because Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen deftly delivered a kick to the posterior of obstinant Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos today on CNN's State of the Union.
Amos, who has publicly decried that repeal of DADT would apparently jeopardize the mental stability of male service members ("young men - laying out, sleeping alongside of one another) was put into place by Mullen asserting that Amos, of all people, would be more than up to the task of implemtenting repeal. Watch it (via The Wonk Room):
MULLEN: I don't think there is any question he can. In fact, I've spoken to him as recently as last week and he recounted a town hall that he had on the east coast recently and he was very clear and very public to his Marines and he basically said that if this law changes we are going to implement it and we are going to implement it better than anybody else. So I have great confidence in him that if it gets to the change in the law, that the Marine Corps will implement it as he's described.
On November 16, 2010, just days after the 72nd anniversary of the Nazi's opening salvo against the Jews, Kristallnacht, the United Nations voted to remove sexual orientation from the UN resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
"This is a shameful day in United Nations history. It gives a de facto green light to the on-going murder of LGBT people by homophobic regimes, death squads and vigilantes. They will take comfort from the fact that the UN does not endorse the protection of LGBT people against hate-motivated murder," said U.K. gay rights and human rights leader Peter Tatchell.
Very timely then that Queer Rising and Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST), New York City's synagogue for LGBTQ Jews, had just released this video. The video draws parallels between Kristallnacht and the increasing, largely unchallenged violence faced by LGBTQ people around the world, and announces the upcoming action In God's Name: Hate is the Abomination.
On December 16th, the eve of the 10th of Tevet, the National Remembrance Day of those who have died in violence whose names might not otherwise be remembered, the group will march to Prospect Park in Brooklyn and recite together the Mourner's Kaddish so that Jews and non-Jews may remember of all those whose lives have been destroyed due to anti-LGBTQ violence. Event details below the fold.
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Senior Rabbi of CBST:
Seventy-two years ago, a lifetime away, state-sponsored terrorism chose to attack our people, the Jewish people in the lands then governed by Germany, but soon to be spread to counties all over eastern, western and southern Europe.
The significance of Kristallnacht is not only that 91 people were killed that night, or that close to 2,000 synagogues were destroyed forever - buildings, houses of worship which had been sacred in our community for hundreds of years. Nor that 30,000 men were arrested and taken to concentrations camps, a thousand of whom died there. Most were returned.
But the significance of Kristallnacht was not the just individual experience of Jews in those cities that night. It wasn't just that the Nazis levied a tax on the Jewish people to actually clean up from the damage done that night by the hate-filled pogroms. But it was that moment, that night on November 9 and November 10th that the words of hatred which had been fueling the fire since the rise of National Socialism in 1933 turned from language to violence.
From 1933 to 1938 there was a series of laws enacted which slowly and inexorably separated out the Jews from the rest of the German population. The Nuremberg Laws made it impossible to Jews to own businesses, to hire non-Jews, to be hired, to go to certain theaters, to be in public spheres of life.
But what really changed on this night 72 years ago was that all that language that started to isolate Jews made it possible for neighbors who had been neighbors for hundreds of years to take up the machete, to take up the gun and to shatter these houses of worship and kill Jews.
After that there was no going back and in some ways we know that Hitler was using these moments in history to see precisely how the world would react. Would there be silence, or would there be condemnation? Would there be an uprising, an outrage from Jews and non-Jews from countries all over the world saying this kind of treatment of citizens would not be tolerated? There was silence, and we all know the outcome of that story.
Hitler only gained more and more power in attacking the Jews, and it was not far from this night of November 9th and 10th, 1938 to the unrolling of the Final Solution itself in the 1940s.
What we are doing here today is to first of all say words matter. How words are used and how words target and isolate individuals and groups matter. And as Jews we reject the idea that any language is OK in order to describe someone differently or in ways that are painful. We reject that.
And most importantly, we will put our bodies on the line to protect those whose physical beings are at risk, not only their spiritual and their emotional beings.
So I'm proud to join together with Jake Goodman and with Queer Rising to make sure that 72 years from today, we can say we were among those who heard the glass shattering in our own cities, in our own states, understood it was our own kind of Kristallnacht happening, but we did whatever we could do to make sure the silence was shattered not just the glass. To make sure that this would not go any further and that there would be those of us who would stand up with full voice and with full body to prevent anything from going inexorably on.
Join us in December and join us on this path. Join us through the Queer Rising website or the CBST website. Join in community as we fight these forces that depend on us to be silent.
Why are you denying our gay and lesbian service members the same dignity, respect, and honor that you were afforded while in the military serving this country and in which you have been basking ever since getting out of the military? Why are you blocking repeal of DADT? Why?
Do you not see how this appears to the sane people watching this farce play out? You don't look honorable or dignified or respectable right now Senator. You look more like an angry, bitter, homophobic old man who hates everyone right now, but especially that guy in the White House who didn't wait his turn to be President like you did.
As an Arizona resident (born and raised), I am one of your constituents. But you have moved so far over to the right that I don't even recognize you anymore. So far rightward, you absolutely do NOT represent me or anything I believe in anymore. In fact I don't even think you represent most Arizonans anymore either. Your political stands have moved so radically rightward, I actually believe your positions on many things are the antithesis of everything I thought you fought for when you served this country with honor and dignity.
How could you deny any man or woman willing to risk their life to serve this country the same things you took for granted in the military. In your quiet moments when you are not steeping in your own self-pity and seething anger over what-could-have-been, do you not find what you are doing loathsome, hateful, and unAmerican? Do you like who you have become? Do you like telling people like Marine Staff Sgt. Eric Alva, the first American wounded in the Iraq war breaking an arm and losing his leg to a landmine, that his sacrifices weren't as good as yours or that he is not as worthy of honor and dignity as you because he is gay? Is his sacrifice somehow less than yours? Can you look his mother and father in the eyes and tell them why his service and sacrifices don't afford him the same dignity and respect yours have afforded you?
For the sane among us, and on this issue sir, that would include most Americans, you are so tragically wrong, so insanely wrong, that I find myself questioning why you are still my Senator. And for me, a mother with a gay son who was one of your sons' (Jack) classmates I am horrified by this ugly, mean, illogical stand that you are taking. You are not protecting troop cohesion sir, you are not protecting troop morale sir, you are not protecting troop readiness sir. No Senator, sadly the only thing you are protecting is the right of the homophobes and the bigots to continue to be homophobes and bigots. Is that what you want your legacy to be? Because that will be what you will be remembered for.
History will not be kind to you on this issue Senator. And that is a shame. I do not like you anymore, I do not respect you anymore, and I do not admire you anymore, but I will not forget the good man you used to be. Sadly though, even that memory is fading fast and being replaced with the image of a bully who is taking his ball and going home - simply because he can.
Healing vibes to fellow hysterhood blogmistress Shark-Fu
The Angry Black Bitch has plenty to talk about. She's going to have the same surgery I'm having -- on the very same day. On Monday we both go under the knife (or laproscopy) for a hysterectomy due to fibroid tumors.
This has been quite a week!
First, let me send well wishes to my soon-to-be hystersister Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend, who will also be having her surgery Monday!
And no, we are not the same person.
Wink.
A bitch has been frantically trying to wrap shit up because today is my last day at work before Monday's surgery and the 4 to 6 weeks of recovery that will follow.
I'm tired as hell because I haven't been sleeping well...stressed out because I'm a control freak and there ain't no controlling this situation...and freakishly relieved that surgery day is finally almost here.
I can identify with that big time. At some point you realize none of this is really under your control. You can only prepare so much and ask all of the necessary questions. On Monday we'll both get knocked out and (hopefully) wake up with the dastardly alien-invaded plumbing removed.
I've been quite fortunate to receive many, many messages of support since I've been blogging about all of this, so share the love and send some good vibes to Shark-Fu for what will hopefully be a speedy recovery on her end.
Unfortunately, according to Catholic doctrine, he just stepped into a steaming pile of hypocrisy. How, for instance, does this square with the fact that sex is only for procreation? No matter the reason, this is a shift that acknowledges the church has failed to hold a reality-based view of the use of condoms to stem the spread of HIV.
This new stance by the head of the pedophile priest protection racket is problematic -- how does he determine what those certain cases are? Look at this and tell me what part of this makes sense:
In a series of interviews published in his native German, the 83-year-old Benedict is asked whether "the Catholic Church is not fundamentally against the use of condoms."
"It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution," the pope replies.
"In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality," said the head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics
To illustrate his apparent shift in position, Benedict offered the example of a male prostitute using a condom.
"There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be ... a first bit of responsibility, to re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes," Benedict was quoted as saying.
"Becoming simply fixated on the issue of condoms makes sexuality more banal and exactly this is the reason why so many people no longer find sexuality to be an expression of their love, but a type of self-administered drug."
Washington State's Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna likes to portray himself as a moderate, as noted recently. That false image was shattered when he endorsed numerous virulently anti-gay candidates in the 2010 elections.
As if to reinforce the point that he is ardently anti-gay, on Friday Mr. McKenna posted an email (pictured right) asking supporters to do ballot rehab for two outspokenly anti-gay candidates Vincent Buys and Hans Zeiger. Full email text is below the fold.
According to the radical-right 2010 Washington Voter Guide survey, Vincent Buys opposes domestic partnerships, opposes marriage equality and opposes a woman's right to choose.
Hans Zeiger is even more extreme than Buys. Besides opposing domestic partnerships, marriage equality and a woman's right to choose, Zeiger called the National Education Association and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network "terrorist organizations" and claimed that a Girl Scouts USA national convention "will be a gathering of radical feminists, lesbians, and cookie peddlers" and is "allied with the abortion industry and Planned Parenthood". In addition, Zeiger reportedly works for a radical right Christian organization dedicated in part to preventing lesbian and gay couples from marrying.
As of Friday, Vince Buys was only 150 votes ahead of pro-equality incumbent Rep. Kelli Linville, and Hans Zeiger was only 40 votes ahead of pro-equality incumbent Rep. Dawn Morrell. With a recount imminent, campaigns are doing "ballot rehab" described as taking "the list of ballots that have been rejected by...County Elections due to signature issues and identify friendly voters and then collect signed affidavits to ensure that each of those votes count".
Pulling out all the stops to get anti-gay candidates like Buys and Zeiger elected is not something a moderate would do. Once again Mr. McKenna's actions speak volumes.
After some optimism that there could be 60 votes scraped up in the Senate, here's a more dim view of the political situation going on up on the Hill regarding DADT repeal, referring to the ability of Republican amendments to the Def Auth bill that could kill the whole thing even if that filibuster is overcome.
The window for action on reversing the ban on gays in the military is quickly closing, and the path to undoing the 17-year-old law is riddled with roadblocks: a crowded lame-duck calendar, Democratic defectors, and emboldened Republican senators who have no desire to hand a legislative victory to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
...a handful of those 60 votes come with a condition: that both Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) agree to allow senators to offer amendments to and have an extensive debate on the bill.
While he fully backs the repeal, Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), the Armed Services Committee chairman tasked with shepherding the defense bill through the Senate, sought to tamp down Lieberman's exuberance. Levin doesn't want to be the first Armed Services chairman in 48 years to fail to pass a defense authorization bill, so he's concerned about "don't ask" bringing down his big bill.
...And if they're given the chance to offer amendments to the defense bill, Republicans could try to insert measures unpalatable to Democrats, including a ban on sending any Guantanamo Bay prisoners to the U.S or tougher limits on the countries prisoners can be transferred to. Both proposals could win majority support in an up-or-down vote to attach them to the Senate bill, but they'd be sure to draw the ire of the Obama administration.
Among the wavering Senators mentioned in the piece regarding the vote on the overall bill -- who were against it before or want an open amendments process that can still tank the whole thing -- Jim Webb (D-VA), Scott Brown (R-MA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Dick Lugar (IN), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), George Voinovich (R-Ohio), Mark Pryor (D-AR) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR).
NOTE FROM PAM: Now this is a nice project for our Blenders here in the coffeehouse! We gab all the time about the fundies, so I know we can help out our friends in the Philippines who are about to rake on the bible-beaters in some fun direct action. Post your ideas (and photos if you have some) in the comments.
Hello Everybody!
Antonio Yang III here from the Filipino Freethinkers, a community of skeptics, atheists, godless heathens, and baby eaters in the Philippines.
I was hoping to ask for advice regarding an upcoming event we are planning to support this December 4, 2010: The 2010 LGBT Pride March.
Getting into the details, our task is to serve as counter-protesters against the religious groups that normally troll these events, mostly of the Evangelical Chritsian and Catholic variety.
Their rhetoic is familiar - placards and signboards that dictate that homosexuality is a sin, that God hates sinner, and all the other usual rubbish about gays going to hell. It's nowhere near as vicious as the messages that the Wetboro Baptist Church vomits, but it's still bigoted.
I've already emailed Pam, and she's suggested that we keep our counter-protest signs peaceful and friendly. She's also suggested that I ask you guys directly if you may have suggestions for countersigns we can come up with.
I've been following how the LGBT community in the US has been handling the fundies, and I have to say you guys do good work.
We're looking for something witty and intelligent - something like the signs some of our members used when the local Catholic Church tried to justify their opposition to a Reproductive Health bill:
We're also busy preparing an Excommunication Party for this November 26, as a show of support for the RH Bil.
In any case, I look forward to any suggestions for signs you guys might have - Pam's already sent me a couple of links to her previous activities too. You may want to visit the 2010 LGBT Pride March's Facebook page for further details regarding the event, and the discussion thread we've set up at the FF Forums.
Note: That skinny dude in a black shirt holding the "Citation Needed sign is Ryan "Red" Tani, the Supreme Leader/Overlord of the Filipino Freethinkers.
Some of these stories about "enhanced patdowns" are just unbelievable. It doesn't matter who seems to be in charge, Dem or GOP, our civil liberties in the name of safety are shrinking by the day as our government has licensed what amounts to sexual assault to go on in our nation's airports. Read this horror story -- a TSA agent apparently didn't see the need to inform one passenger about the way-too-intimate feel-up she was about to receive.
She patted my left arm, my right arm, my upper back and my lower back. She then said, "I need to reach in and feel along the inside of your waistband."
She felt along my waistline, moved behind me, then proceeded to feel both of my buttocks. She reached from behind in the middle of my buttocks towards my vagina area.
She did not tell me that she was going to touch my buttocks, or reach forward to my vagina area.
She then moved in front of my and touched the top and underneath portions of both of my breasts.
She did not tell me that she was going to touch my breasts.
She then felt around my waist. She then moved to the bottoms of my legs.
She then felt my inner thighs and my vagina area, touching both of my labia.
She did not tell me that she was going to touch my vagina area or my labia.
She then told me that I could put my shoes on and I asked if I could pick up the baby, she replied Yes.
You have to read the whole thing (and try to keep from getting even more enraged). Of course pilots and other members of the flight crew had been subject to the same indignities -- until Friday.
U.S. airline pilots learned today that they'll be exempt from the invasive x-ray screening and pat-downs that have sparked a revolt across the country.
...Pilots in uniform on airline business will be allowed to pass through airport security by showing two photo IDs. The identification will be cross-checked against a flight crew database.
The decision comes after pilots' unions had called on members to avoid going through the advanced x-ray screeners that produce full-body images, and they had also expressed concerns about enhanced pat-downs. A handful of pilots have said they were so traumatized by the searches that they couldn't perform their duties, though critics have accused them of making such claims to push a political agenda.
I have no problem with well-trained TSA agents who explain what techniques they are about to use, and give passengers any and all options/alternatives. After all, they aren't making the rules, just enforcing them. I happen to think these techniques are too invasive, but am I going to stop flying? Probably not. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't complain about the casual invasion of our privacy for what amounts to a security pantomime. I don't think it is going to make flying any safer, only more contentious for all involved.
On November 16, 2010, just days after the 72nd anniversary of the Nazi's opening salvo against the Jews, 
Washington State's Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna likes to portray himself as a moderate, as noted 
