Unwed but proud
Mark Dayton will be the first Minnesota governor ever to attend the Twin Cities’ annual Pride parade tomorrow. Part of the festivities will include lighting up the new I-35 bridge in rainbow colors. [picture]
This in a state where gays can’t marry. Government by some people, for some people and of some people, some of whom get to decide who’s “real” and who’s not. Wouldn’t treating everyone the same be a lot easier?
This is not the party of Barry Goldwater. Today’s Republicans worship at the altar of Jim Crow and Strom Thurmond.
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The evil that men do:
Rick Scott Walkerism [more] [more] [UPDATE: more]
Hitler and Stalin, together again
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Hugo Chavez is confined to a hospital with a mystery illness.
If it’s ever proven that this was some kind of CIA douchebag assassination attempt, I think I will have to finally consider giving up my citizenship. It’s just too hard to see the overlap between what I believe and this country does.
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Scott Rosenberg on links, revisions and error buttons:
A piece without links is like a story without the names of its sources. Every link tells a reader, “I did my research. And you can double-check me.”
There are countless ways the internet can improve the news, but improving the news isn’t really part of anyone’s agenda, at least not in newsrooms.
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Etc.:
The more invincible we get, the less it seems to make a difference
Masnick on how copyright law cost Waxy $32.5k
Not only do we not have single payer, we still don’t have sane laws regulating resident abuse
How labels make life hell for their artists
And some sports trivia:
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A wonderful actor. I’m sorry I “outgrew” Columbo as I can recall few TV shows I loved more as a kid.
I know it’s rhetorical but I’ll answer it anyway: “Yes, it would be easier to treat everyone equally.” Just even on the level of psycological relief as you go about your day. It takes a toll on the nerves, blood vessels and spirit to go through life with one foot on the back of somebody else’s neck.
btw, the Rahmeister is marching in our Pride parade tomorrow (Daley had not marched for years and years … although plenty of other local and state officials do … no word whether Blagojevich has a float … I’m kidding I think).
I’ll be marching for the first time ever, part of a mixed-organization contingent united under the banner of “Free Bradley Manning”. Not that it should make any difference, but Bradley’s a gay man. Speculation that some of the specifics of his humiliating treatment in captivity amounts to gay bashing. Who knows, but ya have to wonder.
I cannot stand gay-bashing. Too many gays have made my life more beautiful and meaningful to tolerate such horse shit.
But having said this, can we all agree to give sex questions a rest in the public sphere now that gays can join in marriage, the most ridiculous cultural ritual ever? We are facing calamities like Peak Oil and catastrophic climate change, our economy in producing desperate economic refugees by the millions, etc. Isn’t it time to talk about something more interesting than how folks have sex? Are we doomed to be giggling 14-year-olds for freaking EVER.
One other thing. Will you gay guys try to understand how little we straight guys care about your identity issues? EVERY gay basher I have ever met has been a closet case. Every damn one. I mean, can’t you gays go somewhere and straighten this out between yourselves and leave the rest of us alone?
(a) how many states legally sanction same-sex marriages? #s, please
(b) where is the federal law legalizing same-sex marriage?
(c) Marriage is about more than sex, and it is certainly more than what 14-year-olds giggle about. Have you ever had to make life-or-death medical decisions for a partner? And been prevented from doing that because you’re not “legal”?
(d) Every gay basher is actually gay. So you’re saying Michelle Bachman and Dan Savage are both gay? Dude, are you serious?
Y’know, I wonder how deeply you’ve really engaged with the seriousness of full legal recognitions for gay people.
A couple of quick points FYI.
1) Michele Bachmann’s husband is widely thought to be gay and might easily be the homophobe pushing her rhetoric.
2) I think you mean Michael Savage and yes, I’d have no trouble believing he’s a twisted up closet queen. I’m pretty sure Dan Savage is as gay as they get.
I’ve never met a homophobe who didn’t strike me as being insecure about their own sexuality. I know it’s an overgeneralization to say homophobes are all gay and unaware of it, but I honestly think it’s true more often than not. Homosexuality in no way threatens heterosexuals, and many societies find a place for GLBTs with no problem (while the ones with issues seem to be closeted nations, imho).
Fyi
I meant Dan … and Michelle’s a big girl, she can speak for herself. She’s the one running for potus.I
Marriage is a ridiculous cultural event, but it is a very important economic event. No one is forced to participate in the cultural part. Some people aren’t allowed to participate in the economic part.
CR – Yes Dan Savage is gay. I’m not sure why you brought him up.
Yeah, fuck human dignity … let’s talk about solar panels.
No let’s keep talking about cocks, cunts, and the utter lack of cultural creativity that ensues when folks just can not reconcile their own let alone others lower sharkras.
For perspective go way, way back to 1795 and check out Philosophy in the Boudoir, by this man.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marquis_de_Sade
I want a Hagelian leap and I want it now!
And for some lunchtime reading
Bob Altemeyer’s the Authoritarians
http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~altemey/
Both books will hopefully get you laid or at least expand the conversations.
Fuck the fucking fuckers:
Good article on “The Age of Greed.” I have my own theory which may not be entirely my own and which figures into the framework of the article. Nixon repudiated the Bretton Woods Treaty by refusing to honor its international commitments to pay $35/oz for gold for foreign held dollars. Many of these dollars at the time were “petrodollars” held by middle eastern potentates and governments which were unable to redeem their debts in gold bullion valued at the $35/oz rate. So they simply jacked up the price of oil through OPEC. Hence the first “shock” or energy crisis when suddenly the price of oil at the floating rate on international currency exchanges went up and people had their first taste of globalized markets.
It just happened that these potentates and middle eastern governments also maintained large reserve deposits in New York banks. the banks sudenly found themselves flush with overvalued deposits and too much money to lend. The public experienced this as the inflation which sent the financial system into the tailspin described in the “Greed” article.
I remember in the late 1970′s when there were these newfangled deposits called “money market accounts” which everyone was moving their money into and out of the savings and loans and banks. The money market funds which paid high interest on your damn checking account were the death of S&L’s. The S&L’ls lobbied for “deregulation” which Reagan gave them. The rest is history. Now you know why a right wing reactionary Republican like Bill Cooper owns TCF formerly known as Twin City Financial Savings and Loan.