I Didn't Say It ...Women Speaking Truth To Power

Hillary Clinton, speaking at the DNC, urging Democrats to vote:

“I know something about the slings and arrows [Kamala will] face. And believe me, this former district attorney and attorney general can handle them all. For four years, people have said to me, ‘I didn’t realize how dangerous he was.’ ‘I wish I could go back and do it over.’ Or worse, ‘I should have voted.’ Well, this can’t be another woulda coulda shoulda election. Don’t forget: Joe and Kamala can win by 3 million votes and still lose. Take it from me. We need numbers overwhelming, so _____ can’t sneak or steal his way to victory.”

I don’t care if the day of the election polls say Biden has a 95% chance of winning, I will cast a goddamned vote.

I want no doubt left in the traitor’s mind that America is through with him.

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Gabby Giffords, former Congresswoman who was a victim of an assassination attempt in 2011, speaking at the DNC about her recovery:

“I've known the darkest of days. Days of pain and uncertain recovery. But confronted by despair, I've summoned hope. Confronted by paralysis and aphasia, I responded with grit and determination. I put one foot in front of the other. I've found one word and then I've found another. But I have not lost my voice,. America needs all of us to speak out even when you have to fight to find the words."

The word is Vote. Vote Blue. Vote Biden-Harris.

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Michelle Obama, at the DNC:

“Let me be as honest and clear as I possibly can. Donald _____ is the wrong president for our country. He has had more than enough time to prove he can do the job, but he is clearly in over his head. He simply cannot be who we need him to be. It is what it is.”

He’s asking us to vote for him because he, claims, he fixed the economy once and can do it again. But the numbers of unemployed, the numbers of those evicted, the numbers of businesses closing, are ALL directly related to his bumbling pandemic response.

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Kamala Harris, accepting the Democratic Party's historic nomination of her the first Black and first Indian American woman to be nominated as vice president by a major party:

"We have a chance to change the course of history. We're all in this fight... What an awesome responsibility. What an awesome privilege. We’re at an inflection point. The constant chaos leaves (us) adrift. The incompetence makes us feel afraid. The callousness makes us feel alone. It’s a lot. Here’s the thing. We can do better and deserve so much more. We must elect a president who will bring something different, something better, and do the important work. A president who will bring all of us together—Black, white, Latino, Asian, indigenous—to achieve the future we collectively want. Let’s be clear—there is no vaccine for racism. We’ve gotta do the work. We must elect Joe Biden."

But you can ease the racism, by removing the Racist-In-Chief.

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Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, at the DNC:

“As Speaker of the House, it is my honor to bring you the greetings of the Democrats of the House—the most diverse majority in history: more than 60 percent women, people of color, and LGBTQ. This month, as America marks the centennial of women finally winning the right to vote, we do so with 105 women in the House of Representatives. Proudly, 90 are Democrats. To win the vote, for three quarters of a century, women marched and fought and never gave in. We stand on their shoulders—charged with carrying forward the unfinished work of our nation advanced by heroes from Seneca Falls, to Selma, to Stonewall. … As Speaker, I've seen firsthand Donald _____'s disrespect for facts, for working families, and for women in particular—disrespect written into his policies toward our health and our rights, not just his conduct. But we know what he doesn't: that when women succeed, America succeeds. And so, we are unleashing the full power of women to take their rightful place in every part of our national life. [But] who is standing in the way? Mitch McConnell and Donald _____. So here is our answer: we will see them in November. We will elect President Biden—whose heart is full of love for America—and rid the country of _____'s heartless disregard for America's goodness.”

You may not like Biden’s stance on certain issues, you may not agree with him, but you must acknowledge that he will not demonize people, demean people, name-call people. It’s time for decency in the White House again.

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Kristin Urquiza, speaking at the DNC about her father, who died in June of COVID-19, and blaming _____for his death:

“He had faith in Donald _____. He voted for him, listened to him, believed him and his mouthpieces when they said that coronavirus was under control and going to disappear, that it was okay to end social distancing roles before it was safe. A few weeks later, he was put on a ventilator. And after five agonizing days, he died alone in the ICU, with a nurse holding his hand. My dad was a healthy 65-year-old. His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald _____, and for that he paid with his life. The coronavirus has made clear that there are two Americas: the America that Donald ­­­­_____ lives in and the America that my father died in. One of the last things that my father said to me was that he felt betrayed by the likes of Donald _____. And so, when I cast my vote for Joe Biden. I will do it for my dad.”

So sad that her dad listened to bumbling ineptitude, but he did, and so the fault lies, yes, with the father, but also _____ and his ilk who spread lies and misinformation about the virus, about reopening, about masks.

Donald _____ killed all those people.

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Jill Biden, our next First Lady, giving a personal and emotional speech at the DNC, recalling the personal losses that her husband experienced in 1972, when his wife and daughter were killed in a car crash, and in 2015, when their son Beau died of brain cancer:

"How do you make a broken family whole? The same way you make a nation whole," she said. "With love and understanding—and with small acts of kindness. With bravery. With unwavering faith. You show up for each other, in big ways and small ones, again and again. It's what so many of you are doing right now for your loved ones, for complete strangers, for your communities. There are those that want to tell us that our country is hopelessly divided, that our differences are irreconcilable. But that's not what I've seen over these past few months. The burdens we carried are heavy. And we need someone with strong shoulders. I know that if we entrust this nation to Joe, he will do for your family what he did for ours: Bring us together and make us whole. Carry us forward in our time of need. Keep the promise of America for all of us."

I am so tired of a president who treats people the way he does, who lies the instant his lips part, who despises women who speak up, who has erased the LGBTQ+ community from the White House, who put kids in cages, called Mexicans murderers and Muslims terrorists.

It’s time to end this nightmare and I hope, the day after the election, every single effing newspaper in this country bears the headline:

America to Donald _____: You’re fired!

Let’s do this.

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On This Date In ISBL History: Stop. Just Stop.

As Carlos and I are in sunny Miami for business and pleasure, I thought I’d do something I’ll call “On This Date In ISBL History” and repost some things from back when the blog was new, and newish … this was originally published January 10, 2011:

Stop. Just Stop.

The shooting has been everywhere; it's all over my TV, all over the web, on every front page and everybody's mind. I try to wrap my head around the idea that someone can shoot someone in the head at point blank range, for any reason, least of all different political views, or simple dislike. I try to wrap my mind around the thought that someone can simply open fire and shoot at anyone and everyone in sight.

And I wonder, how many fingers pulled that trigger that sent a bullet through Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ head, how many fingers discharged the bullets that killed US District Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, Gifford’s director of community outreach; Dorwin Stoddard, a pastor at Mountain Ave. Church of Christ; Christina Greene, a student at Mesa Verde Elementary; Dorothy Murray and Phyllis Scheck.

I know there was one gunman, and maybe an accomplice, who will achieve no sense of notoriety by having their names or photographs mentions or shown in this space, ever, but there are more to blame. More people around this country who have been spouting hate, and promoting violence as a means to get their viewpoint heard.

Teabaggers who've said that any means necessary should be used to take back the country. Take it back from whom? People with a different idea? Why is there this need for using such hate-speech against a rival political group? Why is violence the answer they seem to promote so often? I am not a fan of Teabaggers, or of most Republicans or most conservatives, or most religious wingnuts, but I would never suggest violence, never suggest death be the answer to my problem with other people.

And, while we hold the Tea Party even partially responsible, let's also lay some blame squarely at the feet of Sarah Palin. I don't use her name here often, as I refer to call her the Mama Grizzly Bore, but today, her name must be used, because she has blood on her hands.

When you use words and phrases like putting someone in your 'crosshairs' exactly what do you think that means? Crosshairs. Guns. Violence. When you ask that your followers reload, instead of retreat, what are you telling them? Take up arms. Shoot. Take up arms, and take the lives of people with whom you disagree, even if one of them is a nine-year-old girl, and others are grandmothers.

This has to stop. We cannot become a nation where violence is the means to sway the vote, and gain momentum for our cause. This has to stop. It's time for people like the Tea Party, and their minions, and Sarah Palin, and her minions, to accept responsibility for their words.

Words have power; words create violence; words incite. Whether the words are aimed at the LGBT community, or a Muslim community center, a liberal, or a conservative, the words must stop inciting violence.

Different is good. Differing opinions are good because they create dialogue. But putting someone in your crosshairs, and threatening to reload, sends the message that violence is the answer.

It isn't. And it's up to us, all of us, liberal and conservative, Democrat, Republican, Independent, whatever political affiliation, religious affiliation, non-religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, orientation, color, age, education, socio-economic standing, to stop this speech.

Stop it. Or start getting more body bags.

Sadly, the Mama Grizzly Bore™ is still yapping and carrying her guns and acting the fool, while Gabby Giffords resigned from Congress after the shooting to focus on her recovery and has since become an outspoken proponent of gun control.

Huh, who to believe, the gun-toting loon, or the victim of gun violence?

I Didn't Say It ....

David Lammy, UK Labour MP, speaking before the House of Commons debate before they voted to approve marriage equality:
"Let me speak frankly.
Separate but equal” is a fraud. Separate but equal” is the language that tried to push Rosa Parks to the back of the bus. Separate but equal” is the motif that determined that black and white could not possibly drink from the same water fountain, eat at the same table or use the same toilets. “Separate but equal” are the words that justified sending black children to different schools from their white peers – schools that would fail them and condemn them to a life of poverty.
It is an excerpt from the phrasebook of the segregationists and the racists. It is the same statement, the same ideas and the same delusion that we borrowed in this country to say that women could vote – but not until they were 30. It is the same naivety that gave made my dad a citizen in 1956 but refused to condemn the landlords that proclaimed “no blacks, no Irish, no dogs”. It entrenched who we were, who our friends could be and what our lives could become.
This was not “Separate but equal” but “Separate AND discriminated”,
“Separate AND oppressed”.
“Separate AND browbeaten”.
“Separate AND subjugated”.
Separate is NOT equal, so let us be rid of it.
Because as long as there is one rule for us and another for them, we allow the barriers to acceptance to stand unchallenged. As long as our statute books suggest that the love between two men or two women is unworthy of being recognised through marriage, we allow the rot of homophobia to fester."

Not much else to say when someone puts it so succinctly, concisely, and eloquently.


President Obama, on whether or not the Boy Scouts of America should open their organization to gay members: 

"Yes. My attitude is that gays and lesbians should have access and opportunity the same way everybody else does, in every institution and walk of life. The Scouts are a great institution that are promoting young people and exposing them to opportunities and leadership that will serve people for the rest of their lives. And I think nobody should be barred from that."

Plain and simple: Yes.

Michael Musto, on former NYC mayor Ed Koch, who died last week:

"It's a shame the ex-NYC mayor never came out. It's tragic that he hid behind excuses like the fact that he was old and wasn't sexual at all anymore. Old people are still sexual--and if you're gay, you're still gay--and besides, he could have commented on his past. But Ed was so paranoid on the subject that when I interviewed him in the '90s, he propped up a tape recorder to tape me as I recorded him. It was a creepy double game of 'gotcha!' that led nowhere (though he was otherwise gruffly charming) .... The world is now an emptier place, but so is the celebrity closet."

Just another example of the closeted life some folks lead, and how, no matter how successful, how important, they still carry a sense of shame about being gay.

Gabby Giffords, at the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on gun violence:
"Thank you for inviting me here today. This is an important conversation for our children, for our communities, for Democrats and Republicans. Speaking is difficult, but I need to say something important. Violence is a big problem. Too many children are dying. Too many children. We must do something. It will be hard, but the time is now. You must act. Be bold, be courageous. Americans are counting on you. Thank you."

Out of the mouths of victims of gun violence ....

Hopefully we can fix this thing.

Chris Culliver, San Francisco 49er cornerback, on having gay players in the NFL:
"I don't do the gay guys man. I don't do that. No, we don't got no gay people on the team, they gotta get up out of here if they do....Can't be with that sweet stuff. Nah…can't be…in the locker room man. Nah."

Sounds to me like he obsesses a little too much about gay guys in the locker-room, but let me break it down for him like this:

He seems to think that a young gay kid will learn to play football, and become so good at it that he gets chosen to play for a good college. And then, at that college, where he excels in football, he is seen by NFL scouts and then picked to be part of a professional football team. And gay guys go through all of that so they can be in the locker-room with naked athletes?

Howsabout just joining a gym? Seems simpler.

Chris Culliver, apologizing, sort of:

"The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel. It has taken me seeing them in print to realize that they are hurtful and ugly. Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart. Further, I apologize to those who I have hurt and offended, and I pledge to learn and grow from this experience."

Um, the thoughts in your head? They aren't how you feel?

So, it was a voice in your head that made you stupid?

Hopefully, one day, you'll be able to separate the intelligent thoughts in your head from the asinine thoughts in your head.

Brendon Ayanbadejo, Baltimore Raven, on Culliver's anti-gay remarks:
"You know, I think that in San Francisco, and being from the Bay Area myself, that's something that we really try to preach--love and acceptance of everybody. And so I couldn't really even say anything negative to the young man. It's just one of those things where you have to live and you have to learn. And I said earlier on--in the words of Martin Luther King, you can't fight hate with hate. You have to fight hate with love. We've all made our mistakes, we've all been there and done certain things, and we've hurt people regardless if we meant to do it or not. But more than anything it's an opportunity to have a learning experience….I've preached since day one to my teammates that there's certain words you can't say. And when they're around me they know -- if B.A.'s around, you can't say 'gay' in a derogatory manner, you can't say the three-letter 'f' word. And I tell them, I go, you can't say those things. And if people hear you say those things, regardless if you mean them or not, they're going to fry you. And if it's in a public arena your whole reputation's going to be roasted for it. So we've kind of seen it happen this time. So we just have to all learn from what happened, from this mistake. He apologized and hopefully he'll learn. And he's in the Bay Area, and it's really important there, it's pertinent there. So I think he's going to learn and he's going to grow to be a better person for it."

Maybe he needs a good long sit down with Brendon.

Couldn't hurt.

Terrell Suggs, Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker, on the idea of a gay teammate: 
“On this team, with so many different personalities, we just accept people for who they are and we don’t really care too much about a player’s sexuality. To each their own. You know who you are, and we accept you for it.”

As it should be.

Beyoncé, on LipsyncGate:
"I am a perfectionist. I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra for a live television show and a very very important emotional show for me one of my proudest moments. I did not feel comfortable taking a risk. It was about the president and the inauguration and I wanted to make him and our country proud so I decided to sing along with my prerecorded track. I'm very proud of my performance."

She's a perfectionist who doesn't have time to rehearse? It was a very important and emotional performance but she didn’t have time to rehearse?

It was about the president but all she talks about is what the moment meant to her.

Be proud, Beyoncé. Kelly's proud, too, and she sang  live.

Bill Donohoe, Catholic wingnut, on the story of the ‘gay’ dog in Tennessee:

"This week in Tennessee a dog was rescued from being euthanized (one news outlet said he was being spared 'the Gas Chamber') because the condition driving the dog’s death was his alleged homosexuality (the owner was ticked when he saw his Fido hunch another male dog). For reasons that appear entirely reasonable, the gal who rescued the dog named him Elton. The place where Elton was dropped encourages dog adoption, but it also promotes dog euthanasia. Not, however, in Elton’s case: the shelter has no stomach for putting dogs down on the basis of sexual orientation. It must be said, though, that the shelter is not exactly inclusive in its policies. To wit: Had poor Elton not been identified as a homosexual, his heterosexuality would not have been enough to save his hide. The moral of the story is: Being gay is not only a bonus for humans these days, it is a definite plus for dogs as well. As for straights, the lonely and the disabled, that’s another story altogether."

Someone needs a nap if he thinks the dog was saved because he was gay.

The dog was saved because there was no legitimate reason to put him down.

Iain Dale, British columnist, on the marriage equality battle, and hypocrisy of the naysayers, in Great Britain:

"I’ve been looking at the Coalition for Equal Marriage’s website, and their list of MPs who intend to vote against allowing gay people to marry on Tuesday. I note with interest the names of several MPs who most people in the Westminster Village know to be closet case gays. And I note also the names of two supposedly straight MPs who I know to be conducting gay affairs at the moment. I don’t believe in ‘outing’ anyone, but because of the rank hypocrisy there will be others who will take a different view. How is it possible to be married yourself, and yet at the same time vote to deny that privilege to someone whose pants you have just pulled down?"

Ouch.

If I were one of those closeted MPs, I might watch my step in the next few weeks or I might find myself on the front page of a London tabloid with my hand in some cookie's jar.

Rick Santorum, on plans this week by the Boy Scouts to drop its ban on The Gays: 

"Scouting prepares boys and teenagers to be virtuous men in a world that desperately needs men who are brave enough to stand up for those principles, to live by the moral code of the Scout Oath and Law and hold themselves to that standard – whether at the schoolyard or in the boardroom. Scouting may not survive this transformation of American society, but for the sake of the average boy in America, I hope the board of the Scouts doesn’t have its fingerprints on the murder weapon."

Virtuous men cannot be gay, I guess, in Frothy's world.

Good thing even his own party finds him unworthy of recognition so he resorts to conservative blogs to Froth up his bigotry.

Random Musings

Carlos and I watched a TV show a long time ago called Kyle XY and, as he does because he thinks everyone is gay, Carlos would say that lead actor Matt Dallas was a big old homo.

Turns out his Gaydar was pinging correctly as Matt Dallas recently Tweeted of his engagement to Blue Hamilton, an independent musician based in Los Angeles.

Welcome out, Matt, and look for the Homo HQ Toaster Oven as a combined Engagement and Coming Out gift!

So, there was this man who called 911 to say that he was stuck in a pair of handcuffs and needed help before it, um, became a ‘medical emergency.’

If I had a nickel for every time I …. But I digress.

It turns out, however that the man was Father Tom Donovan, the pastor of St. Aloysius church in Springfield, Illinois.

“I’m going to need help getting out before this becomes a medical emergency,” Father Donovan told a dispatcher who asked, “You’re stuck in a pair of handcuffs?”

“(I was) playing with them and I need help getting out.”

 It’s not clear exactly how he ended up in handcuffs or why he feared a medical emergency but his voice appeared muffled on the recording and sources say when police arrived to remove the cuffs, they found the good Father with some sort of gag in his mouth.

Now, I thought that may have been gossip Overkill until I listened to the recording.

You be the judge. [Sidenote: Bishop Thomas Paprocki granted Father Donovan’s request after his 911 escapade.

OMG. Cher is coming back to TV!

More than 40 years after The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour premiered, Logo has announced that the Oscar and Grammy winner has signed a deal for a pilot script set in early 1960s Hollywood. She'll be collaborating with comedian Ron Zimmerman. Zimmerman has been romantically linked to Cher in recent years and counts Shake It Up! and 'Til Death among his most recent TV writing credits.

The Cher scripted development project comes as the network is pushing hard into original scripted efforts. Should the Cher project move to series, it would join a roster of original programming that has included Exes and Ohs, Noah's Arc and Sordid Lives, among others.

It’s a Cher production, bitches, and I’ll be watching.

Note to Azealia Banks:

Knock it off.

If you bite the Gay Hand that feeds you, you just might find yourself in a Bargain Bin at CD World and nowhere at all on iTunes.

Also.....

Note to Fantasia:

Knock it off.

Quit apologizing and re-apologizing. You said what you said, you said it was taken out of context, you made yourself clear.

Move on.

BTW Aren't you already in the Bargain Bin at CD World and nowhere on iTunes?

Justified is back, which means Timothy Olyphant is back, which me I am very, very happy.

I just found a show called The Burn with Jeff Ross which is highly offensive, blatantly politically incorrect and absolutely highlarious. It's on Comedy Central, check your local listings.

Downton Abby. I've missed you so.

Being Human starts next week, and, for me, any time you can do a dramatic version of Three's Company with a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost as roommates, I'm in.

Former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, herself the victim of gun violence, and her husband, Mark Kelly, have launched a new group and website to battle the gun lobby: 

Dear fellow American,  Two years ago, a mentally ill young man shot me in the head, killed six of my constituents, and wounded 12 others. Since that terrible day, America has seen 11 more mass shootings – but no response from Congress to prevent gun violence. After the massacre of 20 children and six of their teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary though, it’s clear: This time must be different. Americans for Responsible Solutions will encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership by communicating directly with the constituents that elect them. Join us today, and tell your elected leaders that Americans are demanding responsible solutions to reduce gun violence.

The Giffords say that they both own guns and support the Second Amendment.

And now to share something humorous from Paul Rudnick, for The New Yorker.

CRUISE CONTROL

When Tom Cruise . . . [was] looking to hire a new estate manager . . . prospective staffers had to undergo rigorous testing at the Scientology Celebrity Center in Los Angeles. . . . “The test took an entire afternoon and included questions such as, ‘if you saw a car stuck on the train tracks with people inside, and a train approaching, what would you do?’ ” —Radar Online.

Sources have revealed additional questions from this grueling exam:

1. If a stranger was standing outside a cineplex and trying to decide whether to see “The Hobbit” or Tom’s new film, “Jack Reacher,” what would you tell that person?

(a) “Tom stars in both movies.”

(b) “If Jack Reacher wanted to slay a dragon and recapture the dwarves’ ancestral city, he wouldn’t need three movies to do it.”

(c) “Would you ever want to see a hobbit with its shirt off?”

2. Tom has been married to three lovely actresses. If you glimpsed another lovely actress wandering past the estate, what would you say to her?

(a) “Come inside—we have a warm fire, porridge, and an ironclad prenup.”

(b) “The master is currently in Europe, slaughtering aliens, but would you like to watch ‘Cocktail’?”

(c) “I must warn you, if you keep walking, you’ll come to a wooden footbridge, where George Clooney will ask you out.”

3. If a friend mocked Scientology as a creepy ersatz religion, how would you reply?

(a) “Kirstie Alley looks just like the Buddha.”

(b) “Someday a Scientologist will be President, in a miniseries.”

(c) “A Scientologist is just a Mormon with an agent.”

4. If Tom asked you to explain how the universe came into being, how would you answer?

(a) “You really should ask Mr. Travolta.”

(b) “For me, life began when I saw you do that walk-on in ‘Endless Love.’ ”

(c) “I don’t know and I don’t care, as long as your toilets are sparkling.”

5. If there was a bus coming right at you, and you could save only Tom or Ryan Gosling, whom would you save?

(a) I would stack them.

(b) I would save Tom, because then he could heal Ryan, with his grin.

(c) I would sacrifice myself, so that Tom and Ryan could make a buddy movie, in which they’d play a pair of C.I.A. operatives and Jennifer Lawrence would be the Secretary of State who loves them both.

6. If you left three monkeys alone in a room with a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses and a leather bomber jacket, would they eventually write a sequel to “Top Gun” or would they just form a Village People tribute band?

7. If you accidentally served Tom and his guests using paper plates, what would you do to show remorse?

(a) Watch “Knight and Day” all the way through.

(b) Watch “Interview with the Vampire” without giggling.

(c) Watch “Days of Thunder” and then tell Tom, “For the first time, I understand cars.”

8. Tom was very funny and demonstrated a terrific singing voice in “Rock of Ages.” Why wasn’t he offered the role of Fantine, the tragic French prostitute, in “Les Misérables”?

(a) Scheduling.

(b) Fantine is a loser.

(c) Instead of “I Dreamed a Dream,” Tom wanted to sing “Call Me Maybe.”

9. In “Valkyrie,” Tom plays a sympathetic Nazi who wears an eye patch and speaks with an American accent. If Tom asked you what you thought of his performance, what would you say?

(a) “You were totally Goebbels!”

(b) “One eye, five stars!”

(c) “Best Nazi ever!!!”

10. If a meteor was hurtling toward Earth, and there was only enough room on the last escaping spaceship for Tom, his adorable six-year-old daughter, Suri, and one other person, what would you tell Tom?

(a) “Put your coat on the extra seat so everyone will think someone’s already sitting there.”

(b) “Maybe Suri has a little friend from school who can grow up and marry you.”

(c) “When that meteor incinerates me, I’ll just remind myself, ‘Well, I did use paper plates.’ ” 

It Shouldn't Matter, But It Does

Okay, this is hard for me, because i so seldom do it. But, yeah, here goes.

I was wr.....
I was wro.....
I was wron......
I.Was.Wrong.

Whoosh. That was hard. But, as usual, there's more. See, I was annoyed by some of the blogs in the 'hood that were complaining about the fact that news organizations weren't mentioning that Daniel Hernandez is gay.

Who, you say, if you've been living under a rock?

Hernandez is Gabrielle Giffords's assistant. He's the one who went to her side, applied pressure to her wound, and kept her calm amidst all that madness. Daniel Hernandez very well may have saved her life. And he's gay.

And some bloggers were pissed that his orientation wasn't being mentioned as though it played some role in what he did. And I was pissed because his orientation shouldn't matter. He saved her life because he's a compassionate human being; he aided her because he was trained as a Certified Nurse's Assistant, and knew what to do. He didn't step up because he was gay, but because he was human, and that's how we all should act, gay or straight.

But, and here's where I was wr.....not right.

Mary Elizabeth Williams, writing on Salon.com., "[Reporting that Hernandez is gay and Latino] matters because guys like Arizona Sen. John McCain, who described the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' as 'a very sad day,' still think that orientation has an effect on whether or not a person can ably serve in the military. It matters because the notion that two people of the same-sex can love each other and build a life together is still considered in many parts of the country, including Arizona, a threat to what is laughably referred to a "traditional marriage" — as if heterosexuals have really mopped up the floor with this whole commitment thing." 

See, I didn't look at it that way because sometimes I want to look at the world through my fabulous rose colored glasses where sexual orientation doesn't matter. it doesn't make you better or worse than anyone else, it just makes you more like everyone else.

And we should all, gay and straight, strive to be more like Daniel Hernandez.

Read Mary William's article HERE.

Stop. Just Stop.

The shooting has been everywhere; it's all over my TV, all over the web, on every front page and everybody's mind. I try to wrap my head around the idea that someone can shoot someone in the head at point blank range, for any reason, least of all different political views, or simple dislike. I try to wrap my mind around the thought that someone can simply open fire and shoot at anyone and everyone in sight.

And I wonder, how many fingers pulled that trigger that sent a bullet through Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ head, that discharged bullets that killed US District Judge John Roll, Gabe Zimmerman, Gifford’s director of community outreach; Dorwin Stoddard, a pastor at Mountain Ave. Church of Christ; Christina Greene, a student at Mesa Verde Elementary; Dorthy Murray and Phyllis Scheck.

I know there was one gunman, and maybe an accomplice, who will achieve no sense of notoriety by having their names or photographs mentions or shown in this space, ever, but there are more to blame. More people around this country who have been spouting hate, and promoting violence as a means to get their viewpoint heard. 

Teabaggers who've said that any means necessary should be used to take back the country. Take it back from whom? People with a different idea? Why is there this need for using such hate-speech against a rival political group? Why is violence the answer they seem to promote so often? I am not a fan of Teabaggers, or of most Republicans or most conservatives, or most religious wingnuts, but I would never suggest violence, never suggest death be the answer to my problem with other people.

And, while we hold the Tea Party even partially responsible, let's also lay some blame squarely at the feet of Sarah Palin. I don't use her name here often, as I refer to call her the Mama Grizzly Bore, but today, her name must be used, because she has blood on her hands.

When you use words and phrases like putting someone in your 'crosshairs' exactly what do you think that means? Crosshairs. Guns. Violence. When you ask that your followers reload, instead of retreat, what are you telling them? Take up arms. Shoot. Take up arms, and take the lives of people with whom you disagree, even if one of them is a nine-year-old girl, and others are grandmothers.

This has to stop. We cannot become a nation where violence is the means to sway the vote, and gain momentum for our cause. This has to stop. It's time for people like the Tea Party, and their minions, and Sarah Palin, and her minions, to accept responsibility for their words. 

Words have power; words create violence; words incite. Whether the words are aimed at the LGBT community, or a Muslim community center, a liberal, or a conservative, the words must stop inciting violence.

Different is good. Differing opinions are good because they create dialogue. But putting someone in your crosshairs, and threatening to reload, sends the message that violence is the answer.

It isn't. And it's up to us, all of us, liberal and conservative, Democrat, Republican, Independent, whatever political affiliation, religious affiliation, non-religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, orientation, color, age, education, socio-economic standing, to stop this speech.

Stop it.
Or start getting more body bags.