Random Musings

So, there were some elections this week and some rather nice wins, and some rather meh wins, too.

First up, Virginia told Ken “Let Me Regulate Your Vagina and Your Sex Life” Cuccinelli to step off in his bid for governor, and instead elected Democrat Terry McAuliffe.

Nice; but better? Well,  McAuliffe reiterated a campaign pledge to sign two executive orders on the day he takes office in January:

• One: He would limit the value of any gifts to himself or immediate family to $100. That pledge is a reaction to the gifts scandal that consumed outgoing Governor Robert McDonnell, whose family accepted more than $160,000 in gifts and money.
• Two: The other executive order, which McAuliffe said he would sign first, will protect LGBT state employees  from discrimination on the job.

Snap.

In New Jersey, Chris Christie was re-elected by a landslide.

And his “acceptance” speech reeked of a campaign stump speech for a 2016 run at the White House. He spent less time talking about the future of New Jersey than he did talking about how to fix politics in Washington.

Something he cannot do as governor but …. that said, I’d never vote Christie for anything given his rock hard stance against same-sex marriage.

PS That's the next cover of Time ... so many meanings.

Last Sunday Carlos and I had a lazy, lazy, day. Some grocery shopping, a little SNL on the DVR. He took a nap while I made dinner, and then we settled in to watch some TV.

As I was flipping through channels one movie caught his eye:

“’The Foreskin’? What’s that? It might be good.”

It’s ‘The Foresaken,” I said, “Keep it in your pants.”

Oy. And get some new glasses!

After Guido Barilla, the big parmesan at Barilla pasta conglomerate, came out and said, basically, that he hates The Gays, lotsa folks decided to try other brands of pasta and now Guido and his company are trying to make it better.’

Last week the company announced a new Diversity & Inclusion Board, a Global Diversity Officer, and participation in the HRC Corporate Equality Index.

Chief Executive Officer Claudio Colzani said:

“Diversity, inclusion and equality have long been grounded in Barilla’s culture, values and code of conduct. They are reflected in our policies and the benefits we provide to all employees, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation. At the same time, we are committed to promoting diversity further because we firmly believe that it’s the right thing to do.”

That first line cracked me up. Diversity and inclusion have “long been” a part of Barilla?

Someone forgot to tell Guido.

I’ll stick to the Kroger brand of pasta. They’re less expensive, gluten- and hate-free.

So again last Sunday, lazy, lazy, Sunday, Carlos and I couch-potatoed and settled in to watch Revenge. I had made a delicious Apple Cobbler for dessert and, well, I was ready to serve it so I paused the TV and waited for Carlos to ask about dessert. He did not and our game of Who’s The Biggest Baby? began.

I began tapping a box on the table, hoping to drive him crazy enough to ask for dessert, while he looked around the room as if it was his first time in there, trying to ignore.

I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced. I tapped; he glanced.

For thirty-five minutes until Carlos finally cracked and snarled, ‘All right! I’ll have some cobbler!’

Never.A.Dull.Moment.

Or maybe I should say Never.Adult.Moment?

I loathe Senator, and nasty Grampa, John McCain. I loathed his picking of Mama Grizzly Bore™ back in ’08 and his constant nitpicking at the president because he, McCain, didn’t get to take his turn in the Oval Office.

But this week, as the Senate debated Employment Non-Discrimination Act  [ENDA] and prepared to vote on it, where was John McCain? Doing the Jimmy Fallon Show. McCain was considered a possible backer of ENDA, but he decided to skip the vote so he could guest on a TV program.

And that man said he wanted to be president? I imagine that, on the night the Navy Seals captured and killed bin Laden, a “President” McCain might have been doing Letterman.

Dodged a bullet in ’08.

Now, there were nine senators who missed the ENDA vote, including Senator Claire McCaskill, the only Democrat who didn’t vote. She couldn’t be there because she was attending a funeral, not yucking it up with Jimmy.

And, to make McCain seem even more like a delusional; dick, he told reporters on Tuesday that if he hadn't been taping Fallon's show, he would have voted with the majority to advance ENDA.

Too late, asshat.

Lady Gaga has come up with another publicity stunt: the media hound pop star will sing in outer space in early 2015.

Zero G Colony, a three-day hi-tech music festival, is set to take place at Spaceport America, New Mexico, and the climax of the event will feature Gaga performing the first ever gig in outer space.  She will take off from the Spaceport on board a Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two spacecraft and, upon reaching space, she will become the first ever-recording artist to perform outside the atmosphere, in zero gravity.

I am reminded of the tagline of the first Alien movie: In space, no one can hear you scream.

Hopefully that  goes for singing, too.

Hostages is rapidly becoming the most ridiculous show on TV. Now, Scandal plays some wild stuff out, but they don’t take themselves so seriously, while Hostages seems to Jump The Shark every week.

Sean Saves The World is a trite little comedy that, if given the chance to evolve, might actually become irreverent and funny. But it’s on NBC so I think the finger is on the cancellation button. Too bad, because Megan Hilty and Linda Lavin are a hoot on that show.

Betrayal? A couple of hot guys and a bunch of twisted subplots.

American Horror Story: Coven? Best.Season.Ever.

And, speaking of AHS:Coven, howsabout a little man candy in the form of Alexander Dreymon. He plays the son of Bible-thumping, tightly wound, Patti LuPone, but he might be a little more fun that he lets on.

Hopefully, though,::::SPOILER ALERT:::: getting sliced down the back by zombies this week won’t end his run on the show, though we’ve seen a couple of times that dying on Coven isn’t necessarily permanent.

"Barilla" .... Italian For "Uh Oh"

So, the LGBT community and its allies boycotted Target when we learned that they were donating to anti-LGBT politicians and political groups. And we boycotted Chick-fil-A when we learned that buying a sandwich comes with its own anti-LGBT donation. And some folks — though, not me — boycotted anything Russian in light of Russia’s new anti-LGBT laws and the upcoming Winter Olympics in Russia.

Those are sometimes hard fights to explain because of the rhetoric of those we’re trying to boycott; Gregg Steinhafel, the CEO of Target tried to explain his company’s rationale behind their donations, and Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A, basically gave us the Big Foam Finger when asked about his anti-LGBT activities. But rarely do we get smacked in the face so handily, easily, blatantly and unapologetically, as when Guido Barilla, who own the Barilla pasta brand that owns nearly half the Italian pasta market and a quarter of the US market, told an Italian radio host:

“I would never do an advert with a homosexual family…if the gays don’t like it they can go and eat another brand.”

Oh, Guido, honey, we will. Of course then he added:

“For us the concept of the sacred family remains one of the fundamental values of the company. … Everyone has the right to do what they want without disturbing those around them [but] I have no respect for adoption by gay families because this concerns a person who is not able to choose."

And it was on. Barilla became the target of a boycott by the LGBT community and its allies, and other pasta companies began stepping up and announcing that they are pleased as punch to have The Gays eat their noodle, er, noodles. And folks began suggesting that The Gays boycott Barilla — and as I said, we are, we are here in Smallville — and that we also boycott the twenty other brands owned by Guido, including Voiello pasta and Filiz and Misko products.

And then as happens when a CEO steps in it, and the company seems like it’s going to take a rather harsh financial hit, that CEO, steps up and apologizes for what he said:

“I’m sorry if my comments on La Zanzara have created misunderstanding or polemic, or if I’ve offended anyone. In the interview I only wanted to underline the central role of the woman in the family."

If.The.Gays.Don’t.Like.It.They.Can.Go.And.Eat.Another.Brand. That’s what he said. And we didn’t accept his apology, so Guido went on Facebook and began apologizing a second time:

“With reference to my statements yesterday to the press, I apologize if my words have offended some people. For clarity I would like to point out that I have the deepest respect for all people, without distinction of any kind. I have the utmost respect for homosexuals and freedom of expression. I also said, and repeat, that I have respect for marriages between people of the same sex.”

He gave that non-apology-apology, about being sorry if he offended anyone. When will these people, all people, learn that an apology doesn’t ever include and ‘if’ or a ‘but’ and should basically be limited to the words “I’m sorry.” And maybe an “I was wrong” and perhaps an “I’ll shut up now.”

And still The Gays weren’t placated and still more pasts accompanies came out as LGBT-0friendly, and so Guido went all a’Twitter on Twitter, apologizing again:

“At Barilla, we consider it our mission to treat our consumers and partners as our neighbors – with love and respect – and to deliver the very best products possible. We take this responsibility seriously and consider it a core part of who we are as a family-owned company. While we can’t undo recent remarks, we can apologize. To all of our friends, family, employees, and partners that we have hurt or offended, we are deeply sorry.”

That’s a wee bit better but it might have had more impact if that was the first apology and not the third apology.

Now, there is the idea that since Guido Barilla was speaking to Italian radio, in Italian, and In Italy, maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to judge, because in Italy, The Gays are decidedly the underdog, the second-class citizen. But, Barilla said it, and it went out all over the world, and the apologies, while numerous, were often less apologetic and more, Oh sorry that bothered you that you heard what I said but oh well.

Here’s the deal: Guido Barilla, living in a very anti-LGBT country, said some very anti-LGBT things, and then apologized because suddenly he knew his wallet would take a hit. Can we forgive him? Should we forgive him?

I, personally, say No. I mean he doesn’t care for our community, in Italy, or anywhere, and he very succinctly told us that if we don’t like his point-of-view, we can eat some other pasta.

And we are; and we will. Like maybe these ...