Speaking of Big Girls

I just got this in my in-box and had to share it. It's from this jerk who claims he's an "ex"-gay and likes to lecture people about the Bible and how they're bad Christians, blah blah blah. The guy lectured O'Reilly - yes, that O'Reilly - a few years back, telling him he was an embarrassment to millions of Catholics because O'Reilly wasn't anti-gay enough. O'Reilly called him a "religious fanatic," said he wanted to "deny gays rights," and then said the guy wanted to see all gays go to hell. It was fabulous TV.

Well, the jerk was apparently supposed to go on Good Morning America to be a counterpoint to the lesbian couple from Vermont involved in the latest religious right homo-cartoon scandal, Postcards from Buster. Buster is a rabbit who apparently is a bit too tolerant of children who have gay parents. PBS is pulling an episode of Buster's kids' show because he had the audacity to visit in Vermont with lots of kids and their parents and - eh gads - two of the parents were women! The religious right freaked, Bush's education secretary freaked (no word on what the education secretary thinks of Ken Mehlman refusing to speak on the record about his sexual orientation - is Ken okay around kids?). As an aside, Buster also visits with Muslims and Mormons. No freaking out yet on that one, but stay tuned.

Anyway, the "ex"-gay is now ticked because the Vermont couple didn't feel comfortable being in the same studio with him. And can you blame them? I've debated these religious right freaks before, in person, and it's not fun. They're sick. Either they're total freaks, like Peter LaBarbera who went nuts on me in a green room once, or they're so nice to you one-on-one when you're alone in an elevator with them that it's a bit creepy, if you get my drift, like Robert Knight.

Well the "ex"-gay is now screaming "intolerance, intolerance" because the lesbian couple didn't feel comfortable being with an anti-gay Bible thumper after everything else they've been through. And who can blame them. Anyway, I've posted the "ex"-gay's response to all of this below, it's priceless. Just read it. And tell me if this sounds like something a straight guy would write. Not to mention, this religious right "I'm pulling all the strings and I'm a victim" crap has really got to stop.

Good Morning America Appearance Cancelled
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The producers of Good Morning America called me and articulated the two lesbians felt uncomfortable with me being in studio and wanted to set me up in a satellite studio in another state. That seemed to me that they were very "intolerant" and disrespectful toward me.

I assured the producers I would show the lesbians nothing but love and kindness in addressing the issue at hand.

Good Morning America just called minutes ago and said, "We've had a change in plans." They basically said "...logistics" couldn't be worked out (for the three of us to be in the same room together,) nor could they "find an available satellite studio." I have a studio I work with only minutes away that I frequently use that is ALWAYS available.

It seems to me I have just experienced the brunt of "intolerance and bigotry" by two lesbians who couldn't even stand to be in the same room with me, nor respectfully debate me on national television. How shameful, unprofessional, one-sided and immature.

Thus, ABC opted to have the lesbians on to share "their story" -- and "can" me from sharing America's deep concern and objection of our children being force-fed homosexuality via our tax-payer funded, children's programming.

So who are the "intolerant and bigoted" ones here?

Read the rest of this post...

A little torture update

One of you posted some nice links in the comments that I thought deserved more attention.

The Guardian:

While anti-terrorism police were yesterday interviewing the four Britons released from Guantánamo Bay further details emerged of the alleged treatment of the men by their US captors.

The US lawyer, Clive Stafford Smith, who saw his client, Moazzam Begg, in Guantánamo Bay this month, said the captive had alleged persistent beatings, death threats and psychological torture first at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, then at the Cuba base.

Associated Press:

Female interrogators tried to break Muslim detainees at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay by sexual touching, wearing a miniskirt and thong underwear and in one case smearing a Saudi man's face with fake menstrual blood, according to an insider's written account.

A draft manuscript obtained by The Associated Press is classified as secret pending a Pentagon review for a planned book that details ways the U.S. military used women as part of tougher physical and psychological interrogation tactics to get terror suspects to talk.

It's the most revealing account so far of interrogations at the secretive detention camp, where officials say they have halted some controversial techniques.

"I have really struggled with this because the detainees, their families and much of the world will think this is a religious war based on some of the techniques used, even though it is not the case," the author, former Army Sgt. Erik R. Saar, 29, told AP.

Human Rights First:

Human Rights First is deeply troubled by the nomination. In his current position as White House Counsel, Mr. Gonzales was the architect for the legal strategy that set the stage for torture and abuses at Abu Ghraib and other U.S. military prisons around the world.

These positions are outlined in a series of official documents commissioned or written by Mr. Gonzales, or drafted in response to policy recommendations.

Human Rights First has prepared briefing papers and a series of statements and advocacy materials outlining Mr. Gonzales' positions and actions on key issues related to torture and abuse.

Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

More technology problems have kept me busy the past 3 hours. Don't EVEN get me started. Running to Best Buy right now. Chat amongst yourselves, think happy thoughts. Read the rest of this post...

BREAKING: Erect frog on James Dobson's kiddie Web site

Yes, the American Family Association's Web site for kids sports a big ole erect frog on its home page.

I'm outraged, yet oddly titillated.

FROG ERECTION UPDATE:
Once is a coincidence, twice is an erection.

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Best headline award

Title of a recent Republican National Committee press release:

"What They Are Saying About Ken Mehlman"

Funny the phrase "big girl" didn't make it in. Read the rest of this post...

Nice story, then not so nice

First nice:

Pvt. Odell Sharpe, killed during World War II, is finally coming home. The remains of Sharpe — presumed slain on Christmas Day 1944 when he as only 19 — were recently identified from a skeleton found in a foxhole near the Belgian-German border.

Now his family is preparing for something long overdue: a funeral.

Three Belgian civilians working for a non-governmental group that searches for lost World War II casualties discovered the remains in September 2003. They found pieces of an infantry soldier's uniform, a skeleton, upper and lower jawbones and dog tags bearing Sharpe's name.

Now, not so nice:

The military did not notify Sharpe's family until more than a year later, after thoroughly analyzing the bones and teeth to make sure they matched Sharpe's medical records.

I'm not so sure that holding off on telling the family that you found his dogtags is a very nice thing to do. His parents are dead, and his sister is 71. A year is a big deal when you're 71, could be an eternity if you know what I mean. Wouldn't it have been better to tell the family we found his dog tags and trying to figure out if we found his remains, than wait a year and possibly have the sister die not even knowing they found the tags? Not to mention, sending her the tags immediately would have been the right thing to do, I suspect she would have appreciated having them.

I don't mean to quibble, but this is important. It's a sign of the larger problem with this administration and with our military leaders. There's a callousness to humanity in both of them, and a hubris as well. They know what's best, don't you bother your little mind with the facts, we'll tell them to you if and when we deem you're good and ready. Talk about your nanny state. Read the rest of this post...

PR spending doubled under Bush

And Payola-gate widens. Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread

Chat Read the rest of this post...

15 more dead, 14 Iraqis and a Marine

How's that Bush vote looking now?

Think that comment is mean? It's supposed to be. Politics is real, it's not some fluff debate you have over coffee at Starbucks, and it's not considering the merits of flag-burning or gay cartoon characters. It's about real people's lives, and according to Bush America voted to wipe the slate clean in Iraq, saying with their votes that EVERYTHING Bush did in Iraq was a-okay.

So, if you like don't like carnage and watching our troops die in double-digit numbers on a daily basis, then you might want to tell the president that you didn't vote for THIS. Read the rest of this post...

Therapist of "ex"-gay movement expelled from professional association for ethical violations

UPDATE: I checked back with Wayne Besen to see if he had made sure this was the SAME Richard Cohen in both instances, since it is a common name. He already confirmed that it is the same man.
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The "ex"-gays, for those of you not in the know, are a religious right front group that claims you can pray away the gay. Of course, it never works, and their leaders eventually end up being caught in gay bars (John Paulk) or gay barebacking orgies (Michael Johnston).

Richard Cohen is a therapist who is one of the top cheerleaders of the "ex"-gay movement - Dr. Laura cites his work, and the "ex"-gays sell his books, he goes on Larry King, etc. His theories are rather kookie, which isn't new for the "ex"-gay crowd, but what is new is that Cohen was allegedly expelled from the American Counseling Association in 2003 for serious ethical violations involving his therapy practice. Yes, one of the top "docs" the religious right uses to bash gays may be a quack who is so unethical in his therapy that he was thrown out of the therapists' professional association.

No big surprise here. But if you ever hear Cohen's name come up, make sure you wave a copy of this letter.

Kudos to Wayne Besen for digging up all of this. Read the rest of this post...

The Chilean retirement plan-model coming up short

I'm never too sure whether I should laugh or cry when Bush references a distant, foreign government plan as his inspiration for his latest plan for America. The fact that our resident idiot have hardly ever traveled in his life prior to his coronation makes me wonder how much he really knows about those plans. Referencing a "success" in Uganda was cleaver, I suppose, because besides Idi Amin, what do most Americans really know about Uganda. Are people really aware of the corruption, torture, lies, etc. that are the cornerstone of the present "ABC" government? Probably not.

So now we have Bush talking up the new and exciting and profitable private retirement savings accounts that are based on the "success" in Chile. Now I'm not convinced that everything our government bureaucrats do is perfect, but then again connecting my own retirement money to Wall Street, where they completely screwed American families with over-hyping companies and leaving them with the bill, does not sit well with me either. Wall Street just does not do anything because they're nice guys, because they're not.

Check out this story on the Chilean "success" and how the poor saps that trusted the private plan are coming up short...very short, compared to those who stuck with the old system. Big surprise, but a lot of the private investment money seems to go towards fees for maintaining the accounts. Caveat emptor.
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GOP pressing for indecency fines

Glad to see they have so much free time. Then again, if the Dem's could only round up 13 votes against the liar Condi, I guess I'd rub it their noses as well.

So just to get this straight, which one of these is decent and represents American family values? I somehow can't remember if invading, killing, torture, destroying homes and ignoring international law is more or less American than showing a womans breast.



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