Only Romney Has Fiscal Discipline

Today Is Bald & Free Day

Hallmark notes the occasion:

Bare witness to your inner baldie! Today is the day to let your head be the star. Lose all the trappings of your former follicley-challenged self and learn to love the bald because it really is beautiful. That's right - lose the hat! Toss the toupee! As for the rest of you, this isn't national shave your head day, so don't get carried away there, Hairy.

Who is your favorite baldie? My votes go to Patrick Stewart and Stanley Tucci.

Quote Of The Day - Uncle Poodle

"Things are changing. My husband and I live in Milledgeville because we want to be out in the country. I’m gay, but I’m as redneck as I can get, and we want to be somewhere we can fish and jump on a four-wheeler, go hog wallowing. There’s probably 40 or 50 of us gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgendered people. Around here, they’re all open about it, everybody knows it. It’s not like there’s a gay bar here. We go to the same bars as everybody else, we’re all part of the same community. If there’s people who have a problem with it, they keep it to themselves, just like if I have a problem with them, I keep it to myself. But if you want people to accept you, you have to show you don’t have a problem with yourself and just be up front about who you are. If you do, you earn people’s respect. If everybody would just go on and do that, ignorant people couldn’t cause so many problems." - Here Comes Honey Boo Boo cast member Uncle Poodle, speaking to the Georgia Voice.

Selena Leffew - I Have Two Fathers

Beyond cute.

OAKLAND: City Leaders To Discipline Cops For Abuses Of Occupy Protesters

Oakland's city leaders have announced punishments for police that abused and violated the civil rights of Occupy Wall Street protesters last fall.

Two police officers should be fired and another 42 officers disciplined or reprimanded for misconduct during the Occupy Oakland protests that turned violent late last year and in January, city leaders said Friday. The early findings come from a police internal affairs investigation triggered by more than 1,100 complaints issued against officers following the three major protests, police Chief Howard Jordan said. An internal affairs investigation has found that 44 officers committed some sort of misconduct, ranging from use of excessive force to failing to turn on their tiny video cameras attached to their uniforms, Jordan said. Jordan recommended that the two officers be fired, another one demoted and 15 others suspended. Another 23 officers were given written reprimands and three others were ordered to undergo counseling and training, Jordan said. "I've taken action to hold them accountable," he said at a briefing for several reporters. "Because in the end, I want our officers to exercise good constitutional policing."

Oakland's disproportionate response to Occupy protesters galvanized the movement nationwide.

HomoconQuotable - Chris Barron

"The Liberty movement is growing every day, and I firmly believe that libertarianism is the greatest single hope for America’s future.  While libertarians will not get the chance to elect a libertarian president in 2012, we can begin to right the ship by electing the candidate who most closely represents our values and our vision of government. The work of transforming America and putting libertarian ideals to work will be a long and hard fight, but one well worth it. A few years ago, not many outside of Washington think tanks knew what libertarianism even was. Now, thanks to the campaigns of people like Ron Paul, we have taken a big step in educating voters and winning converts to our cause. Let’s take another step now by electing Mitt Romney, and ending Barack Obama’s big government reign of terror." - GOProud co-founder Chris Barron, writing for Glenn Beck's The Blaze.

Bill Maher Vs Focus On The Family

(Via JMG reader Kevin)

SAN FRANCISCO: Porn Employee Sues Company Over Erection Injections

A San Francisco employee of a gay porn company is suing his bosses because he was asked to inject the performers with an erection drug.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday, Ronald Baker of San Francisco claims he suffered emotional distress and anxiety-induced health problems when he accidentally pierced his finger in January after injecting a performer in the penis with TriMix, a prescription medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. When he contacted his employer, Adult Entertainment Broadcast Network based in North Carolina, over concerns he may have contracted HIV, his bosses told him they did not know what to do, according to the lawsuit. When Baker discovered the models did not have prescriptions for TriMix, he refused to administer further injections and violate state law. His paychecks and health benefits were then cut off, said Elisa Stewart, his attorney. Baker is suing for wrongful termination, emotional distress and violations of labor and professional business codes.

"Injecting in the penis." Oy. (Tipped by JMG reader Jamie)

DUET: Babs & Jason Gould

Evening View - Halloween Tree

Seen in the Castro, of course.

November 3rd: Million Muppet March

Reuters has the story:

Plans to save Big Bird, the fuzzy yellow character on U.S. public television's "Sesame Street," from possible extinction are taking shape in the form of a puppet-based protest next month dubbed the "Million Muppet March." The demonstration is planned for November 3 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., three days before the general election. Before the presidential debate between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney had concluded on October 3, two men who had never met each floated the Million Muppet March idea on social media. They immediately united to defend public broadcasting.

Afternoon View - Ocean Beach

Grim

Source.

Slideshow: JMG Meetup In The Castro

We had some great fun last night at the JMG meetup at the Edge last night. I only hope I got to properly thank everybody for riding along with us on this here website thingy. Extra thanks go out to Dan Savage for enduring the Edge's apparent transformation into a mini-disco, completely with go-go boys and a DJ. Gawd, that moon is bright.

Liberty Counsel: If Obama Wins It Will Be The End Of Western Civilization

Photo Of The Day

(Via JMG reader Aaron)

Morning View - - Powell Street Cable Car

The Census Wants Advice About Gays

Chris Geidner reports on an unprecedented move by the U.S. Census.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced Friday that it is seeking advice on how to address lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations in implementing the once-a-decade census. The census, which has never counted LGBT people directly, has indirectly referenced gay people through its count of same-sex married couples and "unmarried partner" households in the past. With the formation of the National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations, however, the Census Bureau today stated that it will be seeking advice from the 31-member committee "on topics such as housing, children, youth, poverty, privacy, race and ethnicity, as well as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other populations." Specifically, the Bureau noted, the committee will provide advice on "a wide range of variables that affect the cost, accuracy and implementation of the Census Bureau's programs and surveys, including the once-a-decade census."

Geidner speculates that the Census Bureau may be seeking a method to more accurately count (or at least estimate) the number of LGBT Americans.

Only A Fruitcake Doesn't Like Hate Chikin

(Via Towleroad)

The VP Debate: Songified

Another winner from Brooklyn's Gregory Brothers.

(Via Randy Report)

Concerned Women Are Concernstipated About Joe Biden's Malarkey

"The major sticking point for women in this debate had more to do with style than actual substance. Vice President Biden’s unprecedented strategy called for 82 interruptions, eye-rolling, and laughing during serious discussion of the War Against Terror. Not the type of behavior voters found flattering to America’s second in command. Overall, many believe Ryan could have aggressively tackled Biden’s points with potency, but his restrained attitude showed a humility and respect not normally seen in politicians. Ryan’s strategy was simple. Knowing his off-the-cuff attitude, Ryan let the truth shine through facts and statistics and sit back and allowed Biden to self-destruct. American women and undecided voters needed to see steady, consistent leadership." - Penny Nance, head of the Concerned Women For America.

Pomplamoose - Hey It's Pomplamoose

I can't get enough of these guys. They are live-streaming a concert today beginning at 9PM Eastern time. That's one hour from this writing.

Afterview View - Embarcadero Fountain

The fountain's actual name is Québec libre! and its Canadian creator, Armand Vaillancourt, meant it as a tribute to Quebec's secessionist movement. OK! Just about all the locals I've mentioned the fountain to consider it quite ugly.  U2's Bono once scrawled graffiti on the fountain during a free concert on its plaza, winning the admiration of the artist who was then invited onstage at the band's Oakland show the next day.

Perkins: Biden Was Completely Obnoxious

"If there's one thing this debate didn't lack, it was teeth. Vice President Joe Biden showed his so often that some people joked his dentist was the night's real winner. For 90 straight minutes, the former senator was a one-man laugh track--chuckling his way through the debate's most sobering topics. To most Americans, the prospect of nuclear war isn't exactly side-splitting. Yet Biden snickered his way through foreign policy questions as if Libyan terrorists were the punch line to a hilarious joke. As far as most viewers (including the liberal media) were concerned, Biden's constant amusement was off-putting, if not completely obnoxious." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via press release.

The Gay Kid Has An American Dream

This is from the Liberty Hill Foundation, which was created in 1976 by baking heiress Sarah Pillsbury. More about this campaign is here.

(Tipped by JMG reader Carmen)

BUSTED: WND's Lie About Obama's Ring

Urban Legends has posted a debunking of World Net Daily's claim that the president's wedding ring bears the Arabic inscription, "There is no god but Allah." From their "Hoaxes & Legends" page: "Contrary to what has been claimed in various online sources, President Obama's gold wedding ring does not feature the Muslim saying 'No God but Allah' in Arabic script. It bears no visible inscription at all, only an abstract design."  Today World Net Daily again posted their claim, this time with the complaint that the mainstream media is ignoring this "obvious evidence" that the president is secretly Muslim.

Paul Ryan & His Sippy Cup

NEW YORK: Former Sen. Pedro Espada Pleads Guilty To Tax Fraud

All that rosary-waving and Catholic voodoo failed former New York state Sen. Pedro Espada today when he finally pleaded guilty to multiple felony counts of tax fraud related to the government-funded health clinics his family operated. He faces over seven years in prison and is free until sentencing is finalized.

Espada was at the center of the two most tumultuous years in the history of the state Senate and had described the 2010 indictment by the U.S. attorney's office and then-state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo as a political "witch hunt." The scandal cost him his Senate seat. Espada started Soundview in 1978 in the South Bronx, which is located in one of the poorest counties in the U.S. In the past three decades, the clinic grew to include four centers that provide health care and social services. "Instead of buying an MRI machine, he was going to Puerto Rico and raiding the mini-bar," U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch, Eastern District NY, said Friday.

(Tipped by JMG reader Mick)

RELATED: Espada is the third former New York Senator to be sentenced to prison this year. All three are Democrats. And all three played a role in the 2008 debacle that, for the time, had blocked same-sex marriage for New York state. (The remaining douchebag of that infamous quartet is Ruben Diaz.)  Still awaiting trial is another Democrat from the New York Senate, Shirley Huntley, who was arrested last month on corruption charges.  Huntley also originally voted against same-sex marriage and lost her Democratic primary in September.

Frothy Mix: Same-Sex Marriage Will Totally Destroy The Family And The Church

Yesterday Rick Santorum spoke to Washington state's Family Policy Institute where he blamed Will & Grace for launching a movement that will destroy the family and the church.

"This is a turning point in American history and, yes, the state of Washington,” Santorum argued. “The movement you are fighting is the most important movement to win,” Santorum added. He said it is even more important that the movement to block abortion in America. He warned that marriage will “disintegrate” along with the American family if same-sex marriage becomes legal. “This issue will destroy and undermine the church in American more than any other movement,” said Santorum. Washington, Maryland and Maine are voting on marriage equality in November. No state has ever approved same-sex marriage at the polls, but opinion polls in all three states have shown marriage equality in the lead. Joseph Backholm, head of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, is the chief spokesman against Referendum 74, the measure which would make Washington the seventh state to adopt marriage equality. Opponents are “on the side of truth,” Santorum told his audience, “You folks are in the front line. You folks are in the foxhole.”

Start the clip at 19:00.

(Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)

TheFour: Moneybomb For Equality

TheFour has launched a moneybomb for marriage equality:

It’s 25 days until the election. Give $25 today to support marriage equality in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington. It’s #25out25in. This is crunch time for any campaign. Just a few weeks out, and our opponents are giving it everything they’ve got. Their lies are already showing up on television in Washington State. Every dollar we raise will go directly to fighting their harmful anti-gay message in all four states.

Donate today.

HomoQuotable - George Takei

"Matthew [Shepard's] death brought about calls for stricter hate crime legislation. Under Wyoming and Federal law at the time, LGBT persons were not included within existing hate crime definitions. The battle to bring about this change was not easy. It took nearly 20 years of lobbying, votes, threats of vetoes, and partisan bickering before a Federal law included LGBT persons within the definition. On October 28, 2009, President Obama finally signed the Matthew Shepard Act into law.

"I came out publicly in 2005, though I had been out privately for many decades with friends and family. My decision stemmed from a desire to stand up and be counted, so that I could help people see the human side of how bigotry, hatred and intolerance affects others. Coming out is never easy, and often never ending. If you have gay, lesbian or bisexual friends who have come out to you, take the time to thank them today for their courage, and for helping to make a difference in the lives of others, especially of young people like Matthew Shepard who bear so much of the burden of homophobia, bullying and violence against LGBT people. Thank you. And Matthew, I promise you, we will remember." - George Takei, writing in observance of today's 14th anniversary of the murder of Matthew Shepard.

It's Nat'l Coming Out Day, Charlie Brown

From last night's Jimmy Kimmel Show. Watch as Linus ticks off the many members of the LGBT community.

EU Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

As parts of Europe endure austerity-related riots, the Nobel committee has awarded the European Union its coveted Peace Prize. Reporters in the room "gasped in surprise" when the announcement was made in Oslo. Bill Gates was considered to have been the front runner for this year's award.

Bloomberg Gives $250K To MD Marriage

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated $250,000 to Maryland's marriage equality campaign.

Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire who attended college in Maryland at Johns Hopkins, dipped into his personal fortune to help persuade New York lawmakers to approve same-sex marriage in 2011, and he has supported a similar effort in New Hampshire. His contribution came after discussions with Maryland’s governor, Martin O’Malley, a Democrat who has spearheaded the effort to pass the referendum, known as Question 6. “The fact that someone of Mayor Bloomberg’s national stature and recognition would care about our referendum campaign for civil marriage equality, I think, tells people all over our country that this is a serious and real campaign,” Mr. O’Malley said in an interview on Thursday evening from Kentucky, where he was attending the vice-presidential debate.

Bloomberg's gift is the largest individual donation ever given to the Maryland campaign.

Closeted Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch Reviews How To Survive A Plague

Poz.com blogger and renowned activist Peter Staley tips us that closeted former NYC Mayor Ed Koch has reviewed the AIDS documentary, How To Survive A Plague. Staley notes that Koch fails to mention his own detestable role in thwarting the early response to what would become a global pandemic. From Koch's review:

While demonstrations were necessary to keep the issue on the front burner, Act Up protesters occasionally went too far, e.g., when they entered St. Patrick's Cathedral, took communion hosts from the priest's hands, and threw the wafers to the ground insulting many Catholics. Those wafers are, for Catholics, the Body of Christ.  The person who makes the greatest impact in the film because of his superb speaking ability is Peter Staley. In his New York Times review of this movie, Stephen Holden describes Staley as: "A former closeted Wall Street bond trader with H.I.V. who left his job and helped found the Treatment Action Group, an offshoot of Act Up. Self-taught in the science of AIDS, the group collaborated with pharmaceutical companies like Merck in the development of new drugs."

Others named in the Times' review as major leaders of Act Up, which began its activities in 1987, are Larry Kramer, Robert Rafsky and Ann Northrop, all of whom appear in the film. I don't know if these individuals were ever honored by the White House for what they did in fighting government and powerful corporations. If not, I urge President Obama to do so by presenting them and other leaders recognized by Act Up with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This superb documentary directed by David France should not be missed. Regrettably, when I saw it on a Sunday at 2:00 p.m., there were only about ten other people in the theater. I urge our Chancellor of Education to show the documentary in our public schools. It would teach children a lot of lessons, the chief one being the community can, working together, speak truth to power and win.

Larry Kramer himself has commented on the above-linked review in the manner for which he is best known:

What is this evil man up to as he approaches his death? Is he trying to make up to us? National Medals of Freedom from the White House! Would these provide a big enough enema to clean out his rotten insides? We must never forget that this man was an active participant in helping us to die, in murdering us. Call it what you will, that is what Edward Koch was, a murderer of his very own people. There is no way to avoid knowing that now. The facts have long since been there staring us in the face. If we don't see them, then we are as complicit as he.

Haters React To VP Debate

NEW YORK CITY: Jewish Groups Sue Over New Circumcision Disclaimer Law

Last month the New York City Department of Health issued a new ordinance requiring parents to sign a disclaimer avowing that they are aware of the risks regarding the "snip-n-suck" circumcisions performed by some Orthodox rabbis. Yesterday Jewish groups filed suit to block the new law.

In the procedure, common among ultra-Orthodox Jews, the person performing the circumcision uses his mouth to remove blood from the incision. The oral contact, known in Hebrew as metzitzah b’peh, is considered dangerous by public health officials, because of the possibility of spreading diseases, specifically herpes. Failure to comply with the regulation could result in warnings and fines. From 2000 to 2011, 11 babies contracted herpes, most likely as a result of the practice, and two of them died, according to the city’s health department. This spring, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also declared that the procedure created a risk for transmission of herpes and other pathogens, and was “not safe.” In the lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, several rabbis and Jewish organizations — including Agudath Israel of America and the International Bris Association — argue that the practice has been used safely for thousands of years among Jews and that the regulations are unconstitutional.

The city says the new law is a matter of public safety.

Ricky Wilson Was A Pisces And He Liked Computers And Hot Tamales

HRC Adds $1M To Marriage Push

The Human Rights Campaign has committed another $1 million to the marriage equality campaigns in the four contested states.

There is no doubt 2012 is the year of marriage and HRC is committed to making marriage equality the law of the land in Maine, Maryland, and Washington state, and to defeating the discriminatory anti-marriage amendment in Minnesota. Today we are investing an additional $1 million to state marriage ballot measures. This brings HRC’s total contributions to the four ballot measures to $4.4 million and $7.3 million overall during this election cycle.

GOProud Announces Senate Endorsements

GOProud has named their 2012 Senate endorsements.

Scott Brown (R-MA) (incumbent)
Connie Mack (R-FL)
Tom Smith (R-PA)
Elizabeth Emken (R-CA)
Barry Hinckley (R-RI)
Dean Heller (R-NV) (incumbent)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT) (incumbent)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Linda McMahon (R-CT)
Tommy Thompson (R-WI)

Jimmy LaSalvia: "These 10 candidates represent some of the best and brightest candidates in the country. All of these candidates share GOProud’s core values of limited government, free markets and individual liberty and all 10 of them will make excellent Senators."

Babs Comes Home To Brooklyn

China To Hold First AIDS Walk

Via press release from the LGBT Center in Los Angeles:

The Center is offering on-the-ground support for the pioneering event organizers. A staff member from our AIDS/LifeCycle fundraiser ( seven-day bike ride from SF to L.A.) is in China, helping event organizers navigate dozens of logistical details. And Brian Newkirk, the spouse of one of our board members, has raised thousands of dollars and will participate in the walk" This Saturday, Oct. 13, graduates of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center’s Emerging Leaders Program—an international leadership program that brings some of China’s best and brightest LGBT activists to L.A. for intensive internships—are taking on their most ambitious initiative yet. These activists, who are on the vanguard of the LGBT movement in China, are organizing the country’s first AIDS Walk, which will take place on the iconic Great Wall! About 100 people will come together to take part in the walk, which is the highest-profile in a series of events designed to fight HIV/AIDS. The Center is offering on-the-ground support for the pioneering event organizers. A staff member from our AIDS/LifeCycle fundraiser ( seven-day bike ride from SF to L.A.) is in China, helping event organizers navigate dozens of logistical details. And Brian Newkirk, the spouse of one of our board members, has raised thousands of dollars and will participate in the walk.

More info is here (if you read Chinese.)

Morning View - From My Back Porch

Outside The VP Debate

Chris Matthews tangled briefly with a woman who calls the president a communist. "Just study it out, you'll know!"

God Said: Don't Vote For Obama

Alveda King is behind this. Via On Top Mag:

A group of African-American religious leaders are calling on black voters to turn their backs on President Barack Obama over his endorsement of gay marriage. Obama announced his support in May. The group God Said has pledged $1 million for an ad campaign opposing the president's stance and calling on black voters to vote against politicians who support marriage equality. “The black community is among the most religious in America,” Apostle Claver Kamau-Imani, the group's founder, said in a statement. “ [snip] The executive board of God Said includes former Miss America contestant Day Gardner and Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King.

Man Kills Child: The Bible Said To Beat Him

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

A DeKalb County father says the Bible made him do it. Benjamin Edetanlen was sentenced to 18 years in prison Wednesday for beating his 5-month-old son to death. Edetanlen’s defense is that he adhered to Proverbs: 13, which taught him “Spare the rod. Spoil the child.” But prosecutors said he went too far and his discipline killed his 5-month-old child in his home in 2004. Assistant District Attorney Dalia Racine said Edetanlen beat his 5-month-old, his 2-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, and used the Bible to justify it. “The defendant stated that he disciplined the children, according to the book of Proverbs in the Bible,” Racine argued in court. Prosecutors said the boy died from blunt force trauma. He suffered brain injuries and a broken leg.

(Tipped by JMG reader Todd)

Tonight: JMG Meetup At The Edge

Tonight we'll be holding a JMG readers meetup at the Edge bar in the Castro at 8PM. We had a great crowd last time!

Discovery Channel Runs Reality Show Starring Wackjob Ted Nugent

On Wednesday night the Discovery Channel ran a one-hour special titled Ted Nugent's Gun Country. With the headline Threaten To Kill Obama, Get A Show On Discovery, Josh Glasstetter reacts at Right Wing Watch:

Last night, the Discovery Channel ran a one-hour special on guns that stars a fanatic who threatened to kill President Obama and other officials and was investigated by the Secret Service in April. In 2007, the Discovery Channel’s new star wielded two machine guns while yelling, “Obama, he's a piece of shit. I told him to suck on my machine gun.” Then, raising up one the guns, he said, “Hey Hillary, you might want to ride one of these into the sunset, you worthless bitch.” Discovery’s new star is "Motor City Madman" Ted Nugent, who ominously warned in April that he would “either be dead or in jail by this time next year” if the president wins re-election. He then compared Obama and Clinton to a coyote that needs to be shot and called on his supporters to chop off Democrats’ heads in November. After those remarks were publicized by this blog, he was investigated by the Secret Service and commanders at Fort Knox cancelled his scheduled show there, citing his “public comments about the president of the United States.”

Hit the link to read on as Glasstetter eviscerates the Discovery Channel.

Fischer: There Can Be No Dialog Or Compromise With Homosexuals

CANADA: Go Away, Pastor Terry Jones

Canada yesterday blocked Florida-based Pastor Terry Jones from crossing the border to deliver a planned speech in Toronto.

Jones told CBC News he may appeal. But for the time being, he said he would head back to Florida. The Canada Border Services Agency made Jones go through a secondary inspection when he arrived at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., around noon. Secondary inspection involves a search of a person's vehicle and more extensive questioning. He was held there for several hours before being told he would not be allowed into Canada. Jones said the CBSA cited a previous peace bond infraction in the U.S. as well as an incident relating to a disputed honorary doctorate in Germany to keep him out. "The reasons are pretty bogus in our opinion," he said.

A spokesperson for Canada Border Services would not comment specifically on why Jones was turned back, but said, "Several factors are used in determining admissibility into Canada, including involvement in human rights violations, in organized crime, in criminal activity, security, health or financial reasons." (Tipped by JMG reader David)

Nate Silver's Electoral Update

Source.

New TV Ad From Washington's Haters

Gambia's President: My "Cure" For AIDS Makes Me Like The Prophet Mohammed

"Who am I to expect that everybody would praise me?  Just as the Prophet Mohammed prevailed and established Islam, I also prevailed to cure HIV/AIDS to the point that 68 are being discharged today." - Gambia president Yanya Jammeh, responding to criticism from AIDS activists who say Jammeh's ridiculous "herb cure" is prompting HIV patients to cease taking their medications, leaving them open to infections and death.

RELATED: In April this year Jammeh said Gambia didn't need foreign aid if that money was contingent on him ending the persecution of LGBT Gambians. In 2008 Jammeh announced that he would "cut the head off" any homosexual found in Gambia. He then ordered all gay people to leave the country because his anti-gay laws would be "stricter than in Iran." Jammeh has multiple wives but the exact number is not known.