We [heart] Barney. Barney [heart] Microsoft.

From the Advocate and Sirius OutQ:

Openly gay U.S. representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts weighed in on the growing Microsoft controversy Tuesday with a letter to heads of the technology giant, saying he doesn't buy the company's explanation for withdrawing its support from a piece of gay rights legislation in Washington State. Frank expressed his disbelief that the company, which has a track record of gay-friendly policies, could not muster enough resources to write a statement of support for the nondiscrimination bill, which failed in the state senate by one vote last week.

In the letter Frank said, "It is generally my experience that when highly intelligent people such as yourself say things which are quite implausible, some other reason must be involved." State representative Ed Murray, the bill's prime sponsor, contended that the company caved in to pressure from Ken Hutcherson, a local conservative Christian pastor. Microsoft denies that claim even after it came to light this week that it is paying former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed $20,000 a month for international trade and competition consulting services.

Even Hutcherson said the company is lying and that his threat of a national boycott forced Microsoft to change its position. Frank's letter reminded Microsoft of his previous support of many of the company's "legitimate" public policy goals. And he informed the company's lawyer, Bradford L. Smith, that because of the demands on his time, dealing with Microsoft officials and representatives will now be of a "much lower priority." "Like everyone else in public life, I have many demands on my time, and I can satisfy only some of them," Frank said.

Isn't it nice that Barney Frank, the congressman from Massachusetts, is doing more for the citizens of Washington state on this issue than their own two Democratic senators who sold them out? Read More......

So what happened during the press conference?

I see a massive amount of comments below, figured it's time for another thread anyway. In a nutshell, did anything new come out? Read More......

Feel free to comment on the prez's press conference

I watched for 15 minutes, it's all I could take. Read More......

Wash State Senators Cantwell and Murray, both Dems, sell out gays, side with Microsoft

Incredible.

More worthless, spineless Democrats in name only. These are your own God damn constituents he sold out, not to mention he's giving fuel to the religious right nationwide, and you couldn't give a damn, could you, Senators? Then again, Gates is rich, and when it comes down to it, what really is the difference between Tom DeLay and you two - money talks, doesn't it.

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said she was disappointed at the way the controversy has emerged — especially given Microsoft's lengthy record in support of gay rights — but was satisfied with the Gates' answers.

"They have a huge portfolio" of issues that are important to the company and cannot be expected to push all of them at the same time, she said.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said she was reassured by Gates' promise that Microsoft was looking at ways to "revisit" its decision to take a neutral stance on the gay-rights bill it had once championed.

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Microsoft's letter STRONGLY supporting the gay rights bill in 2004

Oh what a difference a year makes.

MICROSOFT IN 2004

Excerpts from a February 2004 letter from Microsoft's manager of government affairs in the state, DeLee Shoemaker, to Rep. Ed Murray:

"Our employees know that they will be treated fairly, without being subject to prejudice or discrimination. An essential element of those policies includes the company's anti-discrimination policy that expressly states that it will not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation.

"Unfortunately, not all Americans experience this basic protection in their employment. It remains legal in 38 states to fire someone because of their sexual orientation. This is not only bad for business, it is bad for America. House Bill 1809 would simply and fairly extend to Washingtonians the fundamental right to be judged on one's own merits. And it does so without any undue burden on our business environment.

"Microsoft strongly supports passage of HB 1809 and the additional protections it provides in our state's law against discrimination. The principles it fosters are consistent with our corporate principles in treating all employees with fairness and respect."

Then there's this from Microsoft this year:

MICROSOFT IN 2005

"Never mind."

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This just in from Atrios...

What price, fame? He's not gonna know what hit him. Read More......

[Insert caption here]

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Open Thread

What's the latest? Read More......

Bill Gates lies to National Public Radio

I hate to say "lie" because I wanted to trust Gates on all of this. He really has been great on gay issues, and his foundation has been tremendous on AIDS funding. And he personally supports the state gay rights bill. And all of that is great.

So WTF was Gates talking about with NPR today?

NPR: "Was it a mistake to make the steps on the gay rights bill that you did, changing your support."

Gates: "We didn't change... we chose not to get involved in that."

Ok, that was an outright lie and an attempt to mislead NPR and the American public. Microsoft has for years supported this legislation and this year they changed their mind and are no longer supporting it. How in God's name is that not "changing" your position?

I'd like to think Gates has just been misinformed by his staff, but he's a smart man and appears to know what he's talking about here. He seems to have intentionally lied to NPR, and that hardly bodes well for Microsoft's goodwill in handling this entire affair. Read More......

Bush Speaks!

In a rare foray into reality, Bush will hold a press conference Thursday night at 8:30 p.m....and then take questions from (mostly) real reporters. No reason why Jim Guckert shouldn't be there, right? Bush is so used to fake town meetings and making sure everyone he comes in contact is prescreened for "loyalty" that it should be a shock for him to face genuine questions.

According to the New York Times, he'll weigh in for ten minutes or so on Social Security, his failing plan to gut it and high gas prices. White House official Scott McClellan insists Bush will "talk in more specific ways" about his plan for Social Security. You mean, after a year of insisting its in dire straits he might actually commit to naming a specific idea or two?

Shame on the reporters if their first question doesn't focus on wondering why Bush insists on privitization when he says that solvency is the big problem and he's already admitted that privitization won't help increase solvency by a single penny. (Not to mention create trillions of dollars in debt over the next decade.)

What questions would you ask Bush if you had the chance? Read More......

Exxon Mobil profits even higher than massive profits at BP

So the president is chummy with our friends in Saudi Arabia who just can't do us enough favors and now his other friends are raking in massive profits on the backs of average Americans. In case the idiots in the White House missed it, the economy is hitting a soft patch. It's so nice to see that we have an administration that cares about average Americans. Read More......

And the editorial cartoons begin

About Microsoft and Ralph Reed, from Danziger! Read More......

Blair Lied To UK During Leadup To Invasion Of Iraq

Hey, here's one more thing Bush and Blair have in common: it's become increasingly clear to the British people that Tony Blair lied about the legal advice he was given before the invasion of Iraq. Per UK's The Independent:

The publication of Lord Goldsmith's report last night could prove to be the "smoking gun" that shows Tony Blair misled Parliament and the country over the war.

Last night, Mr Blair - unaware that the report was about to be leaked - was caught out still claiming on Sky News that the advice from the Attorney General "didn't change".

Professor Peter Hennessy, an expert on constitutional affairs, said: "The whole thing reeks." Dominic Grieve, the Tory legal affairs spokesman said: "There has been a gross deception."

Families of some of the British soldiers killed in Iraq said they were preparing a legal case against the Prime Minister, based on the leaked document.

No wonder those two get along so well.

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Ahnold's Tanking

AP reports Governor Arnold's popularity is falling fast in California:

In the latest poll, Schwarzenegger had a approval rating of 45 percent. His disapproval number was 47 percent. Eight percent were undecided.

Sixty percent of the likely voters polled in January approved of the governor's job performance and 33 percent disapproved.

So, he's not invincible. Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

I've had some coffee....what's going on? Read More......

Hey Today Show - Bill Kristol is a right winger, not an objective journalist

I hate getting so pissed off first thing in the morning.

The Today show did one of its first interviews this morning on the subject of John Bolton's flailing nomination. They told about the full scale campaign by the White House to get the nomination passed. Then to get the story, Matt Lauer did an interview with William Kristol from the Weekly Standard. Yes, they did a one-on-one interview with one of the leading commentators from the right wing who is part of the White House campaign to confirm Bolton.

Um, that's not really news. It's a campaign ad.

Right off the bat, Kristol said he had talked to people at the White House who told him the nomination was making progress. He also admitted that Bolton was his friend.

Basically, the Today Show gave Kristol a prime spot to deliver the White House's spin. They treat Kristol as an objective journalist. He's not.

If the Today Show wants the White House spin, put someone on from the White House. Don't pretend you are talking to a reporter who can give you the story. If you want to talk to a reporter, use someone who doesn't advertise their right wing credentials. And, here's an idea: if you are going to put on someone with an agenda, include someone from the other side. That's called a debate. And I bet, you could have found someone who disagreed with Kristol...if you had looked.

Unbelievable.

I had to email the Today Show: today@nbc.com.

Now, I need some coffee. Read More......

What's wrong with this group?

The US is criticizing the re-election of Zimbabwe to the UN Commission on Human Rights and with good reason. Whether or not the US is living in a glass house as Zimbabwe is claiming is well grounded considering Gitmo and the recent Pentagon report on the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib that somehow just happened with amazing similarity to events at Gitmo and in Afghanistan. Looking at the list of countries who are part of the UN commission really just makes me shake my head in disbelief. Serious change is needed at the UN if it wants to join this new century.

The 15 members elected Wednesday to three-year terms, replacing replace nations whose terms had expired, were: Botswana, Cameroon, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, China, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Australia, Austria, Germany and the United States.

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Odessa, TX adds Bible Class

Who needs the seperation of church and state anyway? That's only for lefties up north. Read More......

Benedict and the thin end of the wedge?

Fun times ahead as Pope Benedict is already talking about Europe and the "unrenounceable Christian roots of its culture and civilization". The reactionaries who love the guy feel that way because he focuses on many of the core issues of the supporters of European Catholocism. (I have my suspicions about just how focused he will be on the developing world and the particular issues that impact those areas, but the jury is still out.) OK, he holds on to the core supporters that make up a small minority of Europe but focusing on the Christian roots of Europe doesn't really sound like reaching out to me.

He can evangelise in Europe all he likes but starting from this point, I don't see many people jumping on board. Modern Europe is much too diverse both ethnically and religiously to buy this tired old story. Read More......

Bush on high oil prices - isn't he a little late?

So has anybody actually called him on the silly statements that he's making on the high cost of oil?

"Technology is the ticket," said Bush, calling today's tight energy markets "a problem that has been years in the making" and will take time to resolve.

First off, this is a president who came from the oil business so if this is the reason (and that is an "if") why the hell is he only raising it now that middle class families as well as US businesses are feeling the pain? Shouldn't he have made this an issue back in 2000 if this was such a burning issue? Second, if the industry is such a mess, why are the petroleum companies showing record profits right now if it's all such a mess? They don't really seem to be suffering much now, do they?

I know that Bush doesn't read polls because he's such an independent guy and heavens no, he just does his own thing but why's he being such a wimp on this and blaming someone else (in this instance, it's sort of just "them") for a problem that he's been sitting on for years as well? Sorry, but if you are only now raising the issue, it must not have been much of an issue in the past. Read More......

Ok, THIS is Nazi Germany in America

I dare ANYONE to tell me that we are NOW off-base comparing this kind of Nazi crap to what happened in Germany. This is outrageous and terrifying.

Republican Alabama lawmaker Gerald Allen says homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle. As CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports, under his bill, public school libraries could no longer buy new copies of plays or books by gay authors, or about gay characters.

"I don't look at it as censorship," says State Representative Gerald Allen. "I look at it as protecting the hearts and souls and minds of our children."

I'm sorry, but the south really needs to clean up its act, along with the Republican party. This man should be thrown out of the party and out of the Alabama state house. This is reprehensible.

Gay groups, PLEASE pick this up and make it an issue. This is your chance, grab it, use it, run with it, and force the GOP, the religious right, and the south to grow the hell up once and for all and take some responsibility for themselves.

A SPECIAL ASIDE TO MICROSOFT:
And may I just say to anyone from Microsoft who is reading this that THIS is why we are so upset with you, this is why we are so freaked out, this is why we are so scared that your capitulation to the religious right could start an entire wave of businesses throwing us under the bus, a bus we're already sitting on the back of. Can you understand our fear about what is happening to our country? Can you now understand why it is so important for you to take a stand for what you've always defended until now? Read More......

Late night open thread

Go Read More......