Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category
Gravel vs. States' Rights
There were two things that Hillary Clinton said in last week's HRC/LOGO presidential forum that have nagged at me a bit. Whether they're show-stoppers for me is moot right now since I much prefer Mike Gravel or Chris Dodd as my candidate of choice. Thing number one was, when discussing the "debate" over marriage equality […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
HRC/LOGO LGBT Presidential Forum
I felt very 21st century tonight and watched the HRC/Logo Presidential Forum ("The Visible Vote '08") on Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-&-Transgender issues at my computer by streaming video. It was an historic first for presidential campaigning and for me, since it's the first time I'd watched a program over our new FiOS connection. I found it quite interesting, […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Tammy Faye's Eyes
I have to admit that mostly I've just been perplexed by people's reactions — and devotion — to the late Tammy Faye for the past couple of decades. I always figured it for a camp motivation, but maybe not. I never thought much of her ridiculous performances for the PTL cameras in the 80s, and […]
Bob Park Speaks
Herewith two items from Bob Park's What's New, issue for Friday, 6 July 2007: 2. SCIENCE ADVICE NOW: GEORGE W. BUSH IS LOOKING FOR ANSWERS. A front-page story by Peter Brown in the Washington Post on Monday says the meetings are never listed on the president’s public schedule, and remain unknown to many on his […]
In: All, Current Events, Laughing Matters
Heat to Sound to Electricity
From a recent Physics News Update comes this half-science, half-technology report about a device that uses heat to make electricity, with sound as an intermediary. The story is interesting enough by itself, but it is also a useful illustration that sometimes there are new ideas in science and technology that are not as inscrutable as […]
In: All, Current Events, It's Only Rocket Science
Reason vs. Faith, Again
This week Bob Park (What's New for 1 June 2007) revisits presidential candidate Sam Brownback's positive response when asked during a debate whether he was one who did not "believe" in evolution: BELIEFS: BROWNBACK DEFENDS SCIENTIFIC ILLITERACY BY EXAMPLE. A month ago at the Republican Presidential debate, there was a show of hands of those […]
In: All, Current Events, It's Only Rocket Science
Carter on DADT
Although I have little compunction about "speaking ill of the dead" when it comes to one of America's leading hate-mongers,* I refuse to waste any more pixels on the subject. Let's instead celebrate the living who correctly distinguish right from wrong and try to make the world a better place. Former President Jimmy Carter, whom […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Don't Need no Science
Is Bob Park's What's New for 11 May 2007, this quick summary of the Republican presidential-candidate field, demonstrating that science is not a conservative, traditional-family value and that Ars Hermeneutica has its work cut out for it: BELIEFS: SCIENTIFIC ILLITERACY REACHES CLEAR TO THE TOP. Last week at the Republican presidential debate, moderator Chris Matthews […]
In: All, Current Events, It's Only Rocket Science
Ifill on Imus
Gwen Ifill on Meet the Press, 15 April 2007 (transcript via Think Progress): A lot of people did know and a lot of people were listening and they just decided it was okay. They decided this culture of meanness was fine — until they got caught. My concern about Mr. Imus and a lot of […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
Symbolic Imus
Oddly enough, I don't know a thing about Don Imus except what I read — which is a lot in the past few days — because I never listened to him. Come to think of it, I never listened to or read (whichever is appropriate) Anne Coulter or Sean Hannity or Rush, either; instead of […]
Dodd on Equality
I lived in Connecticut, going to graduate school at Wesleyan University, when Chris Dodd first ran for Congress. I had a favorable impression of him then, perhaps because of the attitude that leads to the types of things he's saying now. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Democratic presidential hopeful Chris Dodd told Concord High School students […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Deadline for Victory
I hear the soundbite of some Senator arguing against putting any sort of date for withdrawal from the Iraq quagmire. The claim: any sort of deadline would tell the "terrorists" just how long they have to wait us out. To my ear, the implications of that argument are two-fold: If we don't want them to […]
In: All, Current Events, Splenetics
National Republican Resignation Week
Gosh, things are heating up in the resignation industry. Plenty of opportunity over there at Walter Reed still to lose lots of brass, General Pace with his big homophobic foot in his mouth, AG Gonzales — once seriously thought of as a candidate for the Supreme Court, now demonstrating why Congress should never rush to […]
About that Word "Faggot"
There has been brewing brouhaha this weekend about the occasion at a recent meeting of political conservatives, in which Ms. Ann Coulter, in what was apparently a weak attempt at humor, used the word "faggot" in reference to presidential candidate John Edwards. I usually go out of my way to ignore Ms. Coulter, who seems […]
Protecting from Tyranny
How curious. The Times of London reports that “There are four or five generals and admirals we know of who would resign if Bush ordered an attack on Iran,” a source with close ties to British intelligence said. “There is simply no stomach for it in the Pentagon, and a lot of people question whether […]
Ultra-Defense of Marriage
This is making a bit of a stir, as it should: a ballot initiative in Washington State (I-957: "The Defense of Marriage Initiative") that would require married couples — mixed-gender only, please! — to produce children to demonstrate that procreation is a realizable function of their union. The background goes like this. In reviewing a […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
When is Discrimination not Discrimination?
Many people have been raising an eyebrow at how odd-sounding are some of the arguments that The [Catholic] Church has been using in Great Britain to obtain an exemption from a new equality law concerning adoption by gays and lesbians. Now they have moved from arguing that being allowed to discriminate is central to their […]
In: All, Current Events, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
No Special Rights for Catholic Church
I admit to a certain amount of schadenfreude at reading the lead of this article from the Guardian* The Catholic church is almost certain to lose its battle for special treatment over gay adoption rules…. How shocking for me, a gay man, to hear that the Catholic Church is being denied special rights when it […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
RIP Gerald Ford
I think they [same-sex couples] should be treated equally. Period. –President Gerald Ford, in 2001 interview with Deb Price of the Detroit News [quoted in Tom Musbach, "Gerald Ford supports federal gay rights", PlanetOut, 29 October 2001.]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
Avoid False Modesty
Back to back, they were: The Associated Press noted the departure of Donald Rumsfeld with a curious retrospective, quoting a biographer who suggests that he is a "tragic figure" because of his wasted "talent and promise." But Nixon, who called him a "ruthless little bastard," had Rummy's number from the start. His "talent" was as […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events