Random Musings

It’s been snowing here in Smallville for two days now, and there are threats of ice storms, sleet, freezing rain — which, I think, are all about the same — before this is over tomorrow.

It’s bad, I guess, but what’s worse is that Carlos and I have been trapped in the house together for two days now and one of us just might kill the other.

And I don’t wanna go to prison.

Not.Again.

I’ve been listening to this whole he-said-she-said, Woody Allen, Dylan Farrow mess, and I just wish they’d both shut up.

I don’t know if Woody molested Dylan; no one knows except Woody and Dylan, but the fact that that family, all of them, both sides, keeps airing their laundry in public makes me ill.

It serves no purpose other than making all of them look bad.

In a show of solidarity with the LGBT community, the towns of Newfoundland and Labrador will begin flying the Rainbow Flag over City Hall during the Sochi AntiGay Games. St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe said council voted unanimously to support the initiative:

"Flying the rainbow flag during the Olympics is really a sign of support for people in other countries, in this case in particular in Russia, the people who have been denied their liberties as individuals, and people who are being persecuted because of their sexual orientation. This is something we're very proud to be a part of, because it reinforces our position that all people in society have a right to realize their potential."

In addition, Rainbow Flags are for sale for half-off for people to display at their own homes during the games.

Thanks Canada.

After being gone from the show for a few years, Hugh Jackman, and his Huge Ackman, will be back this year to host The Tony Awards.

Nothing is hotter than Hugh.

Nothing is gayer than The Tony's.

I'm so there, though I'll miss NPH and his sense of humor, as evidenced by his Tweet though I will refrain from the triangulation of "Hugh Jackman, " "NPH," and "Suck it":

So, Michael Sam is gay?

And lotsa folks have an opinion; a quick glance at Twitter and you read some of the most heinous, offensive, bigoted crap. And there are a few nice ones.

You turn on a TV and they are all kinds of people debating the subject: Should he have said something? Should he have kept quiet? Will the NFL hate him? Will the NFL love him? Can I sit in the locker-room while he showers?

Okay, that last one was mine, but … on Dale Hansen’s Unplugged show, on a local TV station in Texas, of all places, he just splayed it all out, and it’s braziliant.

Last week the Dilbert comic strip outed Asok, the long-running Indian intern character Asok, in a series of cartoons criticizing India's recent recriminaliztion of homosexuality. Not all newspapers, however, were keen on running the comic strip …

The Sandusky Register wrote about the substitution:

Today and Saturday, the syndicate distributing “Dilbert” — in an unusual move — sent the Register two sets of comic strips. The main strip, intended for publication, features topics such as homosexuality, war and politics. The alternative strips exclude any talk of these matters. A two-day series essentially mocks a recent Indian Supreme Court decision to make homosexual behavior illegal. The Register decided to print the strips with controversial themes — the ones [Dilbert creator Scott] Adams and others intended for publication.

Good on them. And Scott Adams wrote about the flap on his blog: 

Today Asok the intern came out. Tomorrow he’ll have some things to say about the so-called government of India. Cue the inevitable cries of “Stop being political! You’re ruining Dilbert!” Allow me to address that right now. It’s only political if there’s someone on the other side of the debate. In this case, no one favors a government deciding which sexual acts among consenting adults in the privacy of their own homes are allowed and which are punishable by jail. If I am wrong, and you favor the government restricting what kind of sex you can have with another consenting adult, please proudly state your case. I’m listening. Cue cricket sounds…

Snap.

And two snaps up to Nevada’s Republican Governor, Brian Sandoval, who now apparently agrees with his Democrat Attorney General, Catherine Cortez Masto, that the impact of the 9th U.S. Circuit's recent decision declaring that sexual orientation requires heightened scrutiny means that the state will almost certainly lose its defense of its law banning same-sex marriage and so he has decided not to proceed with said defense.

Masto issued an order "respectfully requesting the 9th U.S. Circuit allow her to withdraw her previously filed brief" defending Nevada's discriminatory marriage law on Monday and then Governor Sandoval was quoted as agreeing with her:

"Based upon the advice of the attorney general's office and their interpretation of relevant case law, it has become clear that this case is no longer defensible in court."

In other words, he knows he’d lose, because same-sex marriage in Nevada, hell, everywhere, is inevitable.

But thanks Governor, anyway.

And PS He's kinda hot, no?

So, W Magazine created this whole series of People Tweets, with celebrities in bed.

There were a lot of them that were women, which is okay if you swing that way, and just as I was getting bored … Bam … Joe Manganiello.

Oh, he is definitely a person I’d, um, tweet?

Or let him tweet me.

Last week Gary James, the owner of an Oklahoma restaurant called Gary’s Chicaros, declared that he does not serve, ahem, “freaks,” “Faggots,” the disabled, or people on welfare.

Well, as you can imagine, some folks took umbrage to his policies and took to Facebook to complain and then he basically said, “F**k you.”

 So, the stakes were raised and now there is an online campaign to declare Gary’s Chicaro the “Best Gay Club” in Oklahoma City!

One voter declared that Gary’s place was the “[b]est place for hot man sex!”

Another reviewer said “Gary doesn’t serve tube steak. He asks for yours when you walk in the door. But don’t ask to use his backdoor, he saves that for minorities.”

Gays 1, Gary’s 0.

I used to watch Good Morning America anchor Josh Elliott kinda kid and joke with weatherman Sam Champion and I used to ponder the idea that maybe Josh was a kinda lunk-headed adorkable gay.

Turns out Josh wondered the same thing. And it all started back when Josh was thirteen and his father came out as gay to him:

"My first feeling when my father told me was loyalty, thinking, I guess I have to be gay too. Maybe I'm gay. It’s a lot to work through as an eighth-grade boy."

Two years later, his father died from cardiomyopathy and Elliott says:

"The night before he died, I fell asleep on his couch, and he put a blanket over me. I grabbed his hand and for some reason said, 'Dad, I just want you to know I love you.' … For two years, I got to see him complete and out and proud. I got to see him as a man fulfilled and a man in full."

Josh Elliott was the recipient of a 2012 GLAAD Media Award for his ABC World News segment "Battle Against Bullying".

I used to think he was gay, now I just think he’s a kinda lunk-headed and adorkable. 

I Didn't Say It.....

Madonna, on her process of choosing a mate:

“It’s about finding a man you can look up to, and comparing them to archetypes that I obviously adore—John Travolta in ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ Bruce Lee, Abraham Lincoln. I name people who I look up to and admire. I compare the object of my affection to all these people.”

Is it just me, or did anyone else realize that two of her choices are ALLEGEDLY gay men?

Rethink MDNA.

Barack Obama, on the Trayvon Martin case: 

"I think about my own kids. and you know, I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this. And that everybody pulls together, federal, state and local, to figure out exactly how this tragedy happened. so I'm glad that not only is the justice department looking into it, I understand now that the governor of the state of Florida has formed a task force to investigate what is taking place...My main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he would look like Trayvon. and, you know, I think they are right to expect that all of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves and that we're going to get to the bottom of exactly what happened."

I don't understand all the uproar over his comments.

Newt said he was race-baiting, but, um, if you;re a Black man and a young Black teen is murdered, wouldn't you think, 'Hey, that could have been my son.'

I think Newt is the one playing the race card.

Adam Savage, Mythbusters host, on atheism at the Reason Rally:

"I have concluded through careful, empirical analysis and much thought that somebody is looking out for me. Keeping track of what I think about things, forgiving me when I do less then I ought, giving me strength to shoot for more than I think I am capable of. I believe they know everything that I do and think and they still love me and I’ve concluded after careful consideration that this person keeping score is me."

Isn't it funny, in this day and age, that we are still discussing freedom of, and from, religion. Haven't we moved beyond the idea that all people must think alike.

If Savage believes he is repsonsible for his own life, choices, destiny, and someone else thinks that God, or gods, or goddesses, or, whomever, is responsible for their life choices, shouldn't we all just let it be?

Maggie Gallagher, on Starbucks refusal to came to her lumbering, blubbering hate machine, NOM:

"Starbucks has voluntarily decided -- as a corporation -- to associate its brand with a major political issue, the CEO just confirmed. I was in the room. I heard him. Customers across the world have a right to know that contrary to the promises made by the corporation in the Middle East and elsewhere, Starbucks does subsidize political causes. Drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee, sadly, means supporting gay marriage. Speak out, and stop being invisible to powerful men like Schultz. The business of America may or may not be business, but the business of corporations is to make an honest profit by serving all their customers well, both those who favor and those who oppose gay marriage."

Maggie's boycott has drummed up about 20,000 goosesteppers for hate, while nearly half a million have signed a petition thanking Starbucks for their pro-equality stance.

Oh, and their stock is soaring while NOM's is falling [see below].

Samuel Wurzelbacher, AKA Joe the Plumber, playing the Why is everybody always picking on me card like his idol:
"Remember how the leftwing media crucified Sarah Palin in the 2008 election? Well, now they've made Joe the Plumber their new target. Since winning my primary, the media has made it their number one mission to discredit my candidacy and annihilate my character. I've been painted as a bigot, told I'm not qualified to serve in Congress, and lectured on live TV as if I'm a schoolboy in the principal's office. No, I didn't earn a degree at Harvard, I haven't worked on Wall Street, and I don't make a six-figure salary. I'm a normal American, just like you. I served my country in the military and I've worked day and night to provide for my family. If that doesn't qualify a man to run for Congress, I don't know what does."

Poor Joe.
No, being in the military and caring for your family does not qualify you to run for office. At least not by themselves,
You also need a brain and a political stance, not just a few seconds left on your Fifteen Minutes of Fame clock.
Asshat.

Josh Elliott, Good Morning America anchor, on his father's coming out:
"When I was 13 years old, my dad came out and he died when I was 15, but for two years I got to see him as a man fulfilled and a man in full... I just want to say this: I took from him his love of storytelling; I took from him the importance of being an advocate for those who need it; and I took from him what it means to be a man."


Lovely.

Keith Ellison, Democratic Representative from Minnesota, on the recently revealed NOM strategy of pitting the Black community against the Gay community:
"Today, we learned from previously confidential documents that the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is intentionally working to divide Americans across racial lines to advance their political agenda. The exposed documents reveal that NOM’s ‘strategic goal’ is to ‘drive a wedge between gays and blacks – two key Democratic constituencies.’ Our nation was founded on the principle of liberty and justice for all people—regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. NOM is clearly opposed to these basic ideals that so many Americans hold dear. I call on people from all backgrounds to speak out against NOM’s agenda and vote NO on the anti-marriage amendment this November."


First Starbucks poured a Macchiato all over NOM and now they are crumbling beneath their own bigotry and hatred.
The mirror has two faces, Mags. And they're both repulsive.

Julian Bond, Chairman Emeritus of the NAACP, on the latest NOM scandal:

"NOM's underhanded attempts to divide will not succeed if Black Americans remember their own history of discrimination. Pitting bigotry's victims against other victims is reprehensible; the defenders of justice must stand together."


NOM. Using hate to gain some kind of bigoted foothold in their doomed fight to "protect" marriage..
Ain't gonna happen.

Mark Potok, Southern Poverty Law Center spokesman, also on the NOM scandal:
"Black folks, this is a message for you: The National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the country’s preeminent group fighting against same-sex marriage, really, really likes you. They even want to make some of you famous! Have NOM’s principal leaders, former president Maggie Gallagher and current leader Brian S. Brown, stood up for African Americans before? Well, not so much. But it turns out that they’ve decided that you’re actually very important....NOM isn’t the first organization to use such cynical marketing ploys, schemes that seem to have little do with the interests of the people they claim to represent, and it certainly won’t be the last. But the revelation of its bald attempt to exploit black people and Latinos should help end the idea that NOM is an honorable group that would never engage in race-baiting. Because that is precisely what it has done."


It's one thing, NOM, to have an opinion, a political belief, a moral viewpoint. But to try and pit people against each other, hoping to prevail, is disgusting and hateful, and, well, totally you.