Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category
Lifestyle Warning
Humor–particularly mockery–can be very effective. WARNING: This area may contain homosexuals, which are known by the State of California to be harmful to the sanctity of heterosexual marriage. — A sign seen on the door of Kim Light/Lightbox Gallery in Culver City, California [Christopher Knight, "Prop. 8 push-back in Culver City", Los Angeles Times, 11 […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity, Laughing Matters
What Could They Have Been Thinking?
Gosh, this story about the LDS (i.e., Mormon Church) and their opposition to California's proposition 8 — you remember, the one to strip same-sex couples of their already established right to marry — just keeps getting more interesting. I'm not sure I need to fill you in on the details since protests have been breaking […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Has One Life Been Made Better?
I can say with certainty that my attitude about members – and especially leaders – of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has changed dramatically in the past six months. And not for the better. I’ve not seen one individual – within or without the church – whose life has been made […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Election Day-After
I am exceedingly pleased that Barack Obama is our president-elect, that so many people voted for him, and that the strident and hysterical appeals to racism, violence, and nationalism fell only on the ears of the most hysterical of the electorate who are now free to crawl back under the rotting compost heaps whence they […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
Election Day 2008
I so wanted to say that I late voted, but I guess I pretty much on-time voted, even though I feel so twentieth century voting on election day. One of our ballot questions here in Maryland did, however, address the possibility of early voting in our state, so one day soon we, too, might be […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
Which Votes Decide?
Yes, I am getting a little impatient during this campaign, but not with the campaign itself, which seems to have been rather well paced. No, I've long ago lost patience with all the bellyaching from people who are so tired of this campaign and just want it to be over. It started (at least) near […]
In: All, Current Events, Feeling Peevish
Something Inside of Them
One Stephen Baldwin (a person not really known to me) is quoted (by Andy at Towleroad) as saying: It doesn’t mean that I think personally that making that [gay] lifestyle choice is wrong. The Bible says it's wrong and I believe in the Bible and I stand for that. Misdirection + indirection. Cool! This is […]
In: All, Current Events, Feeling Peevish
"Yes on 8" Adopts Palin-Zombie Tactics
We've talked a time or two about California's Proposition 8, the proposed state constitutional amendment referendum that wants to deny same-sex couples the established right to marry in that state. There is, of course, an organization advocating in favor of the amendment (largely with money contributed by mormons) with the inspiring name "Yes on 8". […]
In: All, Current Events, Laughing Matters
Greenspan's World Model "Flawed", he admits
For future reference, I wanted to note that Alan Greenspan has detected a flaw in his model of how the world works. Ayn Rand will be spinning in her grave! Accused of contributing to the meltdown, but denying that it was his fault, [former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan] Greenspan told a House panel the crisis […]
In: All, Briefly Noted, Current Events
Californians to Vote on Ellen's Divorce…
…not to mention George Takai's, not also to mention that of several tens of thousands of same-sex couples now married. You may recall that on the next voting day in California, residents of that state get to vote on "Proposition 8", a proposed constitutional amendment intended to remove the established right of same-sex couples to […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Another Little Palin Song
Thanks to Alex Ross, who writes about music at The New Yorker and in his blog, my attention was drawn to this quirky little "number", a collaboration between Sarah Palin and pianist/composer Henry Hey. I love quirky, as you know by now. Ross described it as "Sarah Palin's magisterial explication of the Wall Street bailout, […]
In: All, Current Events, Music & Art
David Sedaris on Undecided Voters
I look at these people [undecided voters interviewed on TV] and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention? To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
School-Bus Driver Assaults 10-Year-Old Passenger
I've been hearing bits about this story for a couple of days. Some things simply defy understanding. Here is a summary from the hometown newspaper: A Bourbonnais [Illinois] Elementary School District No. 53 bus driver was arrested Thursday [9 October 2008] for mob action after he allegedly taunted a 10-year-old student and encouraged others on […]
In: All, Current Events, Plus Ca Change...
Marriage Equality Arrives in Connecticut
Congratulations to Connecticut, one of the few states in the US I've lived in. I feel equality coming closer. Same-sex couples won the right to marry in Connecticut in an historic ruling by the Supreme Court today. Citing the equal protection clause of the state constitution, the justices ruled that civil unions were discriminatory. In […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
That McCain-Palin Mob
Via virtually everyone comes links to these worthy videos at Blogger Interrupted that Tim Russo following a Sarah Palin rally: The McCain-Palin mob in Strongsville, Ohio; and McCain-Palin Mob Part 2 – Woman’s child says of Barack “you need gloves to touch him” (I link to his page so that you can see his commentary […]
In: All, Current Events, Raised Eyebrows Dept., Splenetics
McCain Pals with Felons
While [McCain's] telling the American people that he tried to protect them from the current financial crisis before it happened, the only person he's documented as ever trying to protect is convicted felon Charles Keating. He desperately tried to protect him from public accountability after Keating was responsible for the collapse of Lincoln Savings and […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
Marriage Equality Diminishes No One
As you may be aware, at the next election Californians will be voting on "Proposition 8": "ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME–SEX COUPLES TO MARRY. INITIATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT" (from California's Official Voter Information Guide). I liked the beginning of this editorial opposing the proposition. In one of the most famous American defenses of religious freedom, Thomas Jefferson […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Solvency Through Good Health
Two big birds, one big stone. Here is my plan to solve the current economic crisis and crisis in health care costs. It's called "The Economic Bailout through Healthy Living Plan of 2008" (aka "Good Health Plan"). Beginning, say, on 4 November, all health care in America is free to everyone; costs are guaranteed by […]
McCain Paling Around with Criminals
In the last day this video has had nearly 900,000 views, which means all five of you have probably seen it, but just in case you haven't, here is "KEATING ECONOMICS: John McCain & The Making of a Financial Crisis". Yep, it was produced by the Obama/Biden campaign but — alas — it relies on […]
Biden on Same-Sex Equality
There was, in last night's Biden / Palin debate, a brief exchange on the topic of same-sex equality. As it has been ritualized and hones in several year's worth of national elections, most of it passed in coded language that most normal people will find totally inscrutable but mostly innocuous. Palin's responses I found unsurprising […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity