Andypendence Haul

LGBTQIAA... Progress

2011-12-31T19:23:00.000-08:00

Step back and take a good look: LGBTQIA folks made historic gains in 2011. Now, let's build on that momentum and accomplish even more. If we do the work, we'll reap the rewards.

Key Question of 2012

2011-12-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

Will the kids who showed up last time (and helped make the difference) show up again this time? Andrew Sullivan offers some links to folks with some thoughts.

Message To The Frustrati

2011-12-29T00:47:00.000-08:00

A must-read to anyone who considers him- or herself a "progressive," as we get ready for the War of 2012.

SMDH

2011-12-29T00:28:00.000-08:00

Lt. Dan Choi is banging the drum yet again for Ice-Cube's-Chance-in-Hell, Gary Johnson.

It's not the first time. Or the second.

(Are you on the Steve Nelson's speed-dial, or what, Dan?)

Perhaps you should read this, Dan.

2011-12-27T02:50:00.000-08:00

You've probably been hearing/reading a lot of scuttlebutt about the controversial Ron Paul Newsletters. TNR offers a helpful breakdown of the controversial bits.

If you want to see actual scans, check here.

2011-12-27T02:41:00.001-08:00

Will Ron Paul win? Place? Spoil? The reliable Nate Silver considers...

2011-12-27T02:26:00.000-08:00

RON PAUL--BEWARE!

GAY TOILETS!

AAAARRRGH!

Race Problems

2011-12-26T03:58:00.000-08:00

Some end-of-year (visual) perspective on the boomlets of the ABRs--while the Mittless Protection Program just keeps consolidating GOP-Establishment support... and keeps taking in the campaign contributions.

Bible Verse of the Week

2011-12-26T00:27:00.001-08:00

"Hear ye the word which the LORD speaketh unto you, O house of Israel:
Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.
For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.
They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.
They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good."

Jeremiah 10:1-5 (KJV)

(via The Slog)

Quote of the Decade (1980s, that is)

2011-12-22T03:34:00.001-08:00

Reminds Mother Jones magazine: "We must expect the Soviet system to survive in its present brutish form for a very long time. There will be Soviet labor camps and Soviet torture chambers well into our great grandchildren's lives: great centers of political and economic power have enormous staying power; Czarist Russia lasted through 3 1/2 years of the most agonizing kind of war; the Nazi state did not collapse even when battlefield defeats reduced its control to only a tiny sliver of Germany. We must therefore assume the Soviet Union will survive as a dangerous totalitarian state." --Newt Gingrich, in his book, "Window of Opportunity" (1984)

The U.S.S.R. collapsed seven years later.

Quote of the Week

2011-12-21T03:09:00.000-08:00

“Bill Clinton, who's beloved by the Democratic Party, at this point -- and I consider to be an extraordinarily successful president -- you look at his old press clippings, he was getting beat up with some of the same stuff I was getting beat up with. Harry Truman, now lionized, you know? ‘Give ’em hell, Harry.’ At the time, everybody was calling him a complete and utter disaster. F.D.R., people, for the first couple of years of his presidency, were saying, ‘What he's doing's not working.’ You know? He was being called a radical by the business community. He was being called a sellout by the left. So this all comes with the territory, but this isn't about me. This isn't about me.” ~President Obama

Some Savage Love

2011-12-21T02:21:00.000-08:00

Dan Savage (pleasantly) surprises me with some political pragmatism about marriage equality and the 2012 election.

He also seems to be back on board with Obama.

Or at least he's stopped yelling "F*ck You!" at the White House.

Context

2011-12-21T01:47:00.000-08:00

The cliche goes "every picture tells a story." In reality, one picture can tell many stories, depending on the context, or the viewer, or the subject.

Audio Wednesday

2011-12-21T00:20:00.000-08:00

I listen to several different podcasts every week, and my job allows me to "multi-task and listen to them while I work.

Studio360 is one of my favorites, and this week's show about Computers Being Creative is one of the better of examples why I enjoy it so much.

Zombie PUMAs Return from the Dead?

2011-12-21T00:15:00.000-08:00

Someone out there is robocalling to suggest drafting Hillary in 2012...

Why the GOP wants to deal with Ron Paul now rather than later...

2011-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

Can you say "Perot-Redux"?

The Fading of Newt-stalgia

2011-12-20T02:25:00.000-08:00

Palin, Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich...Paul? By April, they'll be flocking to Fred Karger...

Everything Newt Is Old Again

2011-12-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

There were those pundits who said Newt's boomlet would last longer than Bachmann's, Perry's, or Cain's. Turns out they were wrong. Ron Paul's turn next?

HIPSTERS: A Primer

2011-12-19T02:55:00.000-08:00

Sociological Images has some thoughts.

From Dissident to President

2011-12-19T02:34:00.000-08:00

Vaclav Havel: A great example of how a strong leader of a movement for freedom changed the government by becoming a leader of government. We will remember your great example.

Newt Tips His Hand Again...

2011-12-19T02:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, Newt. You get 5 points for honesty, 3 points for chutzpah, but we must deduct 10 points for what you're actually advocating.

Then again, no wonder you are wary of the Judicial Branch.

But here's a refresher for you, Mr. Gingrich.

Saw the photospread and I couldn't resist...

2011-12-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

Design by me, photos by Melina Mara (Washington Post).

The Awful Truth

2011-12-16T04:50:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it helps to use the sharp, snarky, snappy style of Cracked.com to make palatable the bad news about what kind of world we're leaving Generation Z.

(Good) Question of the Day

2011-12-16T04:20:00.000-08:00

The Iraq War is officially, finally over.
Slate.com's Fred Kaplan asks (and answers): "Did we win?"

No, Virginia, America Does Not Have A Monopoly on Racism.

2011-12-16T04:04:00.000-08:00

In Holland, Santa doesn't have elves. He has slaves.

David Sedaris reads his humorous expose here.

I remember green footballs....

2011-12-16T03:44:00.000-08:00

...but when did NERF become a kiddie arms dealer?

Friday Funnies

2011-12-16T03:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, yes--I know it's sexist to focus on what women politicians wear, but in all honesty, it's the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw this photo. If Ron Paul had shown up in a similarly odd outfit, I would have made the same (cheap) shot.

An Ending

2011-12-15T03:02:00.000-08:00

The Iraq War ends.
No "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" banner or silly aircraft-carrier-landing political theater.
Just a quiet ceremony.

Another Reply to the Question: Why Aren't More People of Color Joining The Occupy Movement?

2011-12-15T02:14:00.001-08:00

"As tempted as many white Occupy protesters are to proclaim “we are all one and the same!”, you cannot expect minorities, whose communities have been subjected to intimidation and abuse, to suddenly throw away the race card and jump on the bandwagon. These are critical times, and as such, it is important for Occupy to get it right. We are all part of the 99% – and the concerns of some should fast transform into the concern for all."

More here.

Testing the Laws of Politics...

2011-12-15T01:59:00.000-08:00

The Republican establishment hates Newt Gingrich. Will it fall in line if he wins Iowa, South Carolina, and New Hampshire? Harold Myerson considers...

(Unless they nominate Rubio for Vice President?)

2011-12-15T01:51:00.000-08:00

GOP faces uphill battle for getting the Latino vote?

A Look Back...

2011-12-14T22:35:00.000-08:00

Journalist/blogger Rod McCullom looks back at the top-ten HIV/AIDS-related news stories of 2011.

Occupy (and Win) The Future

2011-12-14T15:43:00.000-08:00

Ten Things We Can Do To Sustain the Occupy Movement, from The Nation magazine.

Reich Stuff

2011-12-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

A new video from Robert Reich is right on target.

A Good Question...

2011-12-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

Is Facebook making us miserable? The Harvard Business Review suggests three specific ways that is is...

Well, are you?

2011-10-07T03:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Harvey Milk Day

2011-05-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

Watch The Times of Harvey Milk here. Buy the new Criterion Collection edition of that film here.

My graphic design contribution to Rapture Fever (for Facebook folks)

2011-05-21T03:53:00.000-07:00

Contribution to a Meme

2011-05-19T02:35:00.001-07:00

My contributions to this meme.

"Socialized" Medicine... from the Founding Fathers

2011-01-21T03:41:00.000-08:00

Congress manates health care coverage... in 1798.

And the report is on Forbes blog, no less.

Okay, so even if you have to vote your pocketbook...

2011-01-21T03:31:00.000-08:00

...still vote Democrat.

2010 in Review

2010-12-31T01:53:00.000-08:00

I've been far too quiet on this blog, since I got distracted by the blue/white glare of Facebook. I plan to remedy that in the coming year, posting more links and essays here. So before we look ahead, I am taking a look back at the past year's people, events, and popcultural phenomena that impressed me:

Best Book I read this year:

The Immortal Cells of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

Possibly the best book I read this decade

NYT review here

Most Interesting Film I saw this year:

Agora, directed and co-written by Alejandro Amenabar

based on the life of Hypatia of Alexandria, 4th Century A.D. philosopher/astronomer/atheist

NYT review here

Most Entertaining Film I saw this year:

The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, script by Aaron Sorkin.

Riveting writing by Sorkin, unusually understated direction by Fincher, and terrific performance by Jesse Eisenberg

Best Independent Film I saw this year:Winter's Bone, writen and directed by Debra Granik

Best Impersonation I saw this year:

James Franco as Allen Ginsberg in Howl

I wanted to love the film more (it's still quite strong) but Franco does give a stand-out performance.

Best Performance of the Year (male or female) in a film unfortunately almost nobody saw this year:

Patricia Clarkson in Cairo Time

Clarkson is the most reliable actor working in any medium. She must contain the stem-cells of subtext. She doesn't peform, she inhabits.

Best TV show I caught up with:

Nurse Jackie

Yes, Edie, we agree, it's probably not a comedy, or a dramedy; it's just unclassifiably good. And we disagree with you, You are funny.

Best magazine I read this year:

The New Yorker

Consistently the best in-depth coverage of different ideas, issues, and people. I swear it keeps me sane.

Loveliest book of poetry

A Strain of Laughter by Robert Patrick

(Disclosure: I designed the cover)

Most unusual photography book of the year:

Naked Truth: Exposing Men’s Souls, by Jim Wilkinson

(Disclosure: I helped produce and posed for this book)

Most Undeservedly Venerated Person:

Julian Assange

Overhyped/disappointment of the year, movie: Tron: Legacy

Overhyped/disappointment of the year, television: (tie)

Betty White on SNL

The LOST Finale

Best song use in a movie trailer

“Creep” by Scala & Kolacny Brothers

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4152690201/

Most chilling online animation:

“1945 – 1998” by Isao Hashimoto

http://www.ctbto.org/specials/1945-1998-by-isao-hashimoto/

Surprising Revelation of the year:

Jimi Hendrix supported the war in Viet Nam

Least Surprising Revelation of the year:

In the text of his final speech as President, Eisenhower originally referred to the “Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex.”

Favorite Outcomes:

Washington Senator Patty Murray’s re-election, and keeping the WA state legislature fully blue.

Least Favorite Outcome:

Vermont Senator Russ Feingold’s loss.

Biggest Canard of the year: “Gay Inc”

If you want change, be specific about who and what needs to change; don’t bandy about an amorphous pejorative. Enough of this cannibalistic Lavender McCarthyism; do your homework, propose specifc actions about specific people and organizations; be positive and constructive.

Dumbest Idea of the year:

“Close the gAy-TM”

Do we really need any more bullets to fire into our feet? If you liked the 2010 Lame-Duck session, remember it well, because starving the Congress of Democrats isn’t going to give you those kind of results again.

Silliest Facebook Phenom: changing profile pics to cartoon characters to “cause awareness” about child abuse. Slacktivism as its most obvious.

Cultural Phenomenon I still have yet to see a minute of:

Glee

Saddest Shock of the year:

The sudden death of good friend and great culture-warrior, Cary Toland

Important Concepts of the Year:

Victim privilege, failure fetishists, Obama-Derrangement-Syndrome (ODS) and Obamessiah Syndrome.

Status Update

2010-08-24T00:17:00.000-07:00

An interesting blog post at Change.com inspired the following response, which was too long to fit in their comments field, so I'll post it here:

Great blog post, Todd, and thanks for posting it. A very important subject that's getting lost in all the hubbub over ENDA, DOMA, UAFA, DADT, and the other alphabetical legislative battles.

I'm 44 years old and HIV negative. I've been openly gay since the early 1980s, so my entire adult life has been lived dealing with the disease, with friends and lovers who have it, and with other negative men like me trying to stay negative. Ive dated both poz and neg guys, and I was okay with dating sero-discordantly. I did have two boyfriends break-up with me specifically because I wasn't HIV-positive, because they didn't want to deal with the stress over HIV differences, who "preferred not to be reminded of the disease during sex" and wanted to date other poz men instead (so they could have unprotected sex). I understood and respected their choice. (For the record, yes, I also have heard of plenty of rejection stories from Poz friends being treated less-than-sensitively by Neg guys--so there's pain on both sides of the viral divide.) But do know, Todd, that--believe it or not--some of us Neg guys are also feeling stigmatized--especially those of us who have been negative for decades and who dare advocate staying that way.

Todd says he wants more Neg boys talking about HIV? I'll make him a deal: we Neg boys will... if more Poz boys talk about, advocate--and practice--effective methods of prevention of infection, in addition to much-needed talk about sensitivity about stigmatizing people--all people--regardless of status.

And, yes, that means taking responsiblity for not spreading the virus.

That's not meant to blame anyone--it is proudly proclaiming, if not demonstrating by example, It's a Good Thing To Be Responsible Members of Your Own Community. (For a few years recently, my own city of Seattle participated in the admirable campaign "HIV Stops With Me.") When I even try to have honest and open conversations about HIV prevention, I often get shouted-down by Poz folks for being "insensitive" because I "don't know what it's like." (Okay, point taken: unless one is infected in-utero, every HIV-positive person knew what it was like at some point to be negative; but no negative person knows what it's like to be positive.) When I cite numerous examples of the current incentivization of risky behavior (the prevalence of "barebacking" in porn now, the glorification of "raw" or "natural" sex over safer-sex, and the sense of social pressure that it's more important for negative guys to self-censor any conversation for fear of offending positive folks than it is to talk effectively and openly about how to keep folks negative), I get called all manner of things. Yes, Todd, let's discuss stigmatization.

I know we're not supposed to say this, but an HIV-negative person only has direct control over infecting him/herself. Sure, we can volunteer for all the community groups or walk miles in AIDS walks, but when it comes to directly stopping actual infections, each Neg person can only protect his/her own body. On the other hand, an HIV-positive person has the power (dare anyone say responsibility) to prevent infecting every other person he or she has sexual contact with.

I realize to say this is not Politically Correct--some would say it's downright Sexually Incendiary--but it also happens to be true. Both Neg and Poz groups have to stand up and say they are going to be Reponsible Citizens, both to themselves and their own health, to their own viral-status communities, and most importantly to the health of others, both physically and in terms of the "health" and well-being of our Community at large. If we all did, the rate of infections would drop dramatically. And that goal is at least as important as making sure we consider everyone else's feelings, right? At least?

Sign of the Times

2010-08-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Handy LGBTQI Checklist

2010-07-20T13:46:00.000-07:00

Before We Plan an Action--or Act—We should ask ourselves:

Self-Question 1: Does the Proposed Action have a Clearly-Defined Goal? Does it have a Clear Message? Does it have a Clear Plan so we look like Politically-savvy Activists (and not Disorganized Idiots)?

Self-Question 2: Does the Proposed Action Help Achieve our particular Political Goal? Does it work against our ultimate interests, either now or in the future? (Passing a bill or stopping anti-gay legislation, expanding equality or access, confirming a judge, etc.)

Self-Question 3: Does this Action Help or Harm the Image of Our Movement? Does it Help or Harm efforts to grow that movement and/or appeal to progressive allies to help us in the future?

Self-Question 4: Does the Action Unify Our Movement or Sow Discontent and Inflame Turf Battles? Does it compete with or reflect poorly on (or worse, disparage) other members or groups in our movement?

Self-Question 5: Is the Action happening simply to Articulate/Vent Our Frustration or Hatred of Our Enemies (or Impatience with our Allies), regardless of ultimate harm to our goals or to the movement as a whole?

Self-Question 6: What constitutes a Success or a Failure? How can we measure whether what we are about to do was effective or not?

Self-Question 7: How will we Use the Proposed Action to Grow an Active Membership, to Motivate the new (and existing) Members for Future Actions?

To be clear: the answers to these questions need not necessarily deter or prevent a particular action. But it is wise to enter any political action situation fully prepared and fully self-aware, with a good handle on the situations Three M's: Mission, Message, Motivation: What is the mission to accomplish? How clear is our message? What, honestly, is our motivation??

Please note the above graphic says "our" not "your"--I'm not pointing fingers or mocking GetEqual, a group that I myself am a member of. I'm asking us all to look inward as well as outward, call a truce to the turf war, focus our ire on the real enemies of LGBTQI equality, and unify to work hard to win those very real battles to come.

Remember the Past, Build the Future

2010-07-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

Can we please call a truce in the GetEqual/HRC turf war and get back to work fighting the real enemies of LGBT equality?

And The Beat Go On

2010-07-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

LGBTQI Movements For Dummies:

An Historical Primer

Stage 1: A diverse group of LGBT folks and allies comes together with the shared goal of acceptance, tolerance, diversity, and inclusion. They preach acceptance, tolerance, diversity, inclusion.

Stage 2: Once goals are established, mission and focus must be defined and actions planned. Camps form due to tactical disagreements, differences over messaging, focus, strategy. As the victims of oppression, their personal baggage begins to poison the clarity of mission. We are, after all, only human.

Stage 3: One camp urges a conservative approach, another urges bold blunt action, another camp tries to reconcile and re-unify. Fissures in the movement begin, and--ironically--acceptance gets tested by turf battles, tolerance replaced with ideological purity tests, diversity ideals invert into internal argument or unintended offenses caused by white privilege drives away people of color, and exclusion starts to supplant inclusiveness.

Stage 4: Cooler heads try to conduct civil discussion, but because this is identity politics--and thus the issues are very personal--feelings are as involved as brains. Disagreements fester until turf battles become public attempts for one "side" to destroy and supplant the other, sapping energy and focus, squandering political capital as the movement looks less and less reliable to political leaders and groups outside the movement. Panic causes some members to recommend purging anyone who isn't perfectly ideologically aligned with said group or groups, and constructive criticism or dissent is met with emotional rancor or accusations of being "as bad as the homophobes."

Stage 5: The negativity not only harms recruitment, but folks of varying levels of commitment to the cause start to peel off, discouraged by the experience or the emotional gridlock interfering with effective action, until only the Die-Hard activists remain, people who have not only poured their life into not only the cause, but also entrenched a personal stake in their activism. Again, feelings start to trump thinking, tempers flare, tantrums errupt. Internal name-calling is but one tell-tale sign of this period of political friendly-fire.

Stage 5: With a crucial bill up for a vote or candidate up for election, the fractured movement is unable muster enough unified effort for effective action. The bill or candidate fails. The finger-pointing begins, as each camp blames another for the loss. The public turf war often eventually abates, possibly with the destruction of part of the movement infrastructure, and a lot of demoralized and discouraged folks go back to their lives.

And we wonder why the Mainstream Political Community rarely gives the LGBTQI movement respect we insist we've earned.

Stage 6: The movement goes into a sort of coma, until the next crisis or political weather-change demands mobilization for response and action, and folks come together to work for Acceptance, Tolerance, Diversity, and Inclusion and... we return to Stage 1.

See: 1970s--Gay Liberation Front versus Gay Activists Alliance; 1980s--NGLTF, ACT-Up; 1990s--Queer Nation, the DADT/DOMA debacles; 2000-present-- NGLTF, HRC, GetEqual...

Graphic Art of Activism

2010-07-18T16:01:00.001-07:00

Getting Busy Getting Equal

2010-07-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

After getting sucked up into the echo-chamber of Facebook, I've been far too quiet on this blog. Much is happening in the blogosphere, especially among the LGBT activists and community. It's time I start weighing in outside my circle of FB friends. I'll be posting more in-depth essays in the days to come, as well as crosslinking stuff I find online. More to come, soon...

Juxtaposition/Web-Ad of the Day

2009-04-22T09:40:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter, Continued

2009-04-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

The Future of Marriage Equality, Mapped Out

2009-04-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Nate Silver's numbers mapped out. (via Sullivan)

Quote of the Day

2009-04-06T18:04:00.001-07:00

"One of the great strengths of the United States," President Obama said, "is ... we have a very large Christian population — we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

Victory (for now) in the Heartland

2009-04-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Unfortunate Juxtaposition of the Day

2009-04-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

(Found at the HuffPost)

Stranger at the Gates

2009-03-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

The people who end up under the bus are those who don't act. Let's not overreact, but let's ACT.

Don't like what Gates said? Say so:

Capitol Hill Switchboard number (202) 224-3121

White House Switchboard number (202) 456-1111

or http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Anyone can just sit around and complain, or worse, throw up his or her hands and give up. How does that get us anything? We elected Obama and gave the Democrats larger majorities in both houses of Congress. Give them some feedback, now.

Time to step up, folks; flex your muscle, or you'll lose it. Consider it a test, a trial balloon. If Congress and the WH are flooded with responses, you might not end up under the bus after all.

Blast from the Past

2009-03-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

"'I think we will look back in 10 years' time and say we should not have done this but we did because we forgot the lessons of the past, and that that which is true in the 1930's is true in 2010. I wasn't around during the 1930's or the debate over Glass-Steagall. But I was here in the early 1980's when it was decided to allow the expansion of savings and loans. We have now decided in the name of modernization to forget the lessons of the past, of safety and of soundness," - Senator Byron L. Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, November 5, 1999.
(via Sullivan)

How Quickly They Forget (or Hope We Do)...

2009-03-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently the GOP should change their symbol, as they don't have the memory of an elephant.

Bond, Julian Bond

2009-03-17T09:18:00.001-07:00

Photojournalism of the Day

2009-03-14T10:37:00.000-07:00

(Warning, very graphic.)

Chart of the Day (Decade? Century?)

2009-03-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

"Is It Fun Being a Billionaire?"

2009-03-05T13:38:00.001-08:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

To quote Jon, "Fuck You."

Queers Unite: Take Back The Night

2009-02-28T23:43:00.000-08:00

I took part in the Queers Unite: Take Back the Night march on Capitol Hill in Seattle. For more photos from this event, go here.

Quote of the Day

2009-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

"For too long, we have accepted this failed strategy of allowing our rights to be debated state by state, county by county, city by city. We‘ve settled for compromises for far too long. We‘ve settled for fractions of equality. And I think that that is going to end. And we‘re now going to insist on full equality, equal protection under the law in all areas governed by civil law in all 50 states. And I hope people see this film and are inspired by what we did in San Francisco in 1978. But for strategy, I think people need to look back to 1964 when it became clear to the great leaders of the civil rights movement that many of the southern states and many others probably would never willingly extend equal protection under the law to the African-Americans. It was then that President Johnson and the Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, extending equal protection under the law in all areas of the country. That‘s what we need today. That‘s what we‘re calling upon the leaders of Congress and Barack Obama to do."

- Cleve Jones

Stimulus: The Angel in the Details

2009-02-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

"Tucked away in the massive stimulus package signed by President Obama last week is the largest budget increase in the NIH's history. Thanks to Senator Arlen Specter, the budget of the National Institutes of Health will go from $29 billion to $39 billion."

(Peter Staley, via Sullivan)

Perspective

2009-02-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

(via Sullivan)

Relax....

2009-02-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

Change gonna come. By 2022.

Bobby The Page

2009-02-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

Response Response Quote of the Night

2009-02-24T21:18:00.000-08:00

"If it sounds like Jindal is targeting his speech to a room full of fourth graders, that's because he is. They might be the next people to actually vote for Republicans again."

--Nate Silver

The Other Comparison

2009-02-24T21:16:00.001-08:00

My Response to the Republican Response to the Obama Speech

2009-02-24T20:38:00.001-08:00

ReligioUS

2009-02-16T19:52:00.001-08:00

Speaks volumes. Polling here.

He Can Always Claims It Was The Drugs Talking...

2009-02-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

"I want everything he’s doing to fail ... I want the stimulus package to fail ... I do not want this to succeed,” - Rush Limbaugh.

On the other hand, you don't want to go overboard:

"The real internal terrorists are the Republicans, I mean, isn't that clear? Rush Limbaugh is a bigger threat to this country than Osama bin Laden. He's a bigger threat than anybody that the CIA can invent. He's a bigger threat than any terrorist that ever leveled its sights against the United States, Limbaugh is, so why isn't he arrested and sentenced for treason?" - Mike Malloy.

Happy Birthday, Abe

2009-02-12T10:48:00.001-08:00

"The World Is A Business"

2009-02-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Rush

2009-02-07T10:41:00.001-08:00

It's easy to say "what's the rush" when you have a job and health care, guys.

(via Rod)

More Political Capital than Reagan?

2009-01-26T19:40:00.000-08:00

Just maybe.

On The Grid, My Position

2009-01-23T09:21:00.000-08:00

My Political Views
I am a far-left social libertarian
Left: 8.33, Libertarian: 5.32

Political Spectrum Quiz

Views
Score: -5.04

Political Spectrum Quiz

My Culture War Stance
Score: -8.75

Political Spectrum Quiz

O-bit of Good News

2009-01-22T20:05:00.001-08:00

Get To Know Us First

2009-01-22T08:24:00.001-08:00

Shame on KABC-TV for refusing to show one of these commercials during the Inauguration.

(Smile)

2009-01-21T21:37:00.001-08:00

A First Time For Everything

2009-01-20T21:37:00.001-08:00

Inaugural Quote of the Day

2009-01-20T16:05:00.000-08:00

"Never in our national history has there been so dramatic a coincidence as this simultaneous transfer of power and the complete collapse of a system and of a philosophy."

--FDR, 1933

Two Million Plus...

2009-01-20T15:26:00.000-08:00

A big crowd, and a very diverse one. In other words, America.
(photo by RF)

Photos of celebrations from around the world--click here.

10 Reasons Gay Marriage is "Wrong"

2009-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

(found here)

The Pledge

2009-01-19T22:33:00.000-08:00

MySpace Celebrity and Katalyst present The Presidential Pledge

Bye, George (NSFW)

2009-01-19T18:58:00.001-08:00

Gene Robinson's Prayer

2009-01-19T18:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God's blessing upon our nation and our next president.

"O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will bless us with tears - tears for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women in many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless this nation with anger - anger at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort at the easy, simplistic answers we've preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth about ourselves and our world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.

Bless us with patience and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be fixed anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility, open to understanding that our own needs as a nation must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance, replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences.

Bless us with compassion and generosity, remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable.

And God, we give you thanks for your child, Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, inspire him with President Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for all people.Give him a quiet heart, for our ship of state needs a steady, calm captain.

Give him stirring words; We will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.

Give him strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters' childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking far too much of this one. We implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand, that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity, and peace. Amen."

8 Years In 8 Minutes

2009-01-18T09:54:00.001-08:00

Agenda for a New Administration

2009-01-13T21:05:00.001-08:00

Pres. Gallant vs. Pres. Goofus

2009-01-13T19:11:00.001-08:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

President Goofus and President Gallant - Peer Pressers

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

Find Andy in the B-roll

2009-01-12T21:31:00.001-08:00

Inaugural Address Quote of the Day

2009-01-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

"My friends, we are not the sum of our possessions. They are not the measure of our lives. In our hearts we know what matters. We cannot hope only to leave our children a bigger car, a bigger bank account. We must hope to give them a sense of what it means to be a loyal friend, a loving parent, a citizen who leaves his home, his neighborhood and town better than he found it. What do we want the men and women who work with us to say when we are no longer there? That we were more driven to succeed than anyone around us? Or that we stopped to ask if a sick child had gotten better, and stayed a moment there to trade a word of friendship?"

Guess who said it?

Bye Bush, By The Numbers

2009-01-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

62, president's age.

2, number of children, twin daughters Jenna and Barbara.

2, the number of Supreme Court justices appointed by Bush.

2, number of wars started during the Bush presidency, in Iraq and Afghanistan.

$1.47, the price of a gallon of regular gas in the week of Jan 22, 2001.

$4.11, the highest price for a gallon of regular gas during Bush's presidency, in the week of July 7, 2008.

$230 billion, the approximate size of the federal budget surplus for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2000.

$4.11, the highest price for a gallon of regular gas during Bush's presidency, in the week of July 7, 2008.

$230 billion, the approximate size of the federal budget surplus for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2000.

$454.8 billion, the size of the federal budget deficit for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2008.

10,581.90, the Dow Jones industrial average at market opening on Jan. 22, 2001.

9,034.69, the Dow Jones industrial average at market closing on Jan. 2, 2009.

2,759.10, the opening of the NASDAQ composite index on Jan. 22, 2001.

1,632.21, the closing of the NASDAQ composite index on on Jan. 2, 2009.

via The Slog

Quote of the Year

2008-12-31T21:38:00.000-08:00

"You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it's almost embarrassing to listen to you."

--former U.S. National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski to Joe Scarborough

For Richer or Poorer

2008-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

"Since the beginning of the year, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen to roughly the same level it was 10 years ago. In other words, Americans are no richer now than they were in 1998."

more at The Daily Beast

Forget 2012, Worry about 2010

2008-12-28T20:45:00.001-08:00

So says a Russian.

Shepard Speaks

2008-12-19T21:33:00.000-08:00

"Tomorrow my illustration for Time Magazine’s “Person of The Year” hits the newsstands. While I’m very honored to be validated by a periodical that is nothing short of an American institution, the moment is bittersweet because I’m very disappointed by Obama’s appointment of Rick Warren to deliver his invocation during Obama’s inaugural address. Rick Warren is against gay marriage and reproductive rights, and he does not believe in evolution (maybe he offers himself as proof of lack of evolution). I understand that Obama is trying to appeal to conservatives and evangelicals, but this move is symbolically a slap in the face to many people. Warren is not a uniter, but a divider… he is intolerant in many of his views. I still think Obama is the best choice for president, but I can’t condone Warren’s involvement in Obama’s inauguration, no matter how insignificant it is. While I’m on the subject of gay marriage, I will be donating a chunk of the proceeds from an inauguration poster of Obama I was asked to create to the movement to overturn Prop 8. At first I was considering pulling my inauguration poster, but I think re-directing funds from it to put into a cause I care about is actually more constructive. Plus, I wouldn’t want withdrawing the image to come across as a blanket boycott of Obama. I’m sure I will ultimately disagree with Obama about many things, but I think I will agree with him on more. I think it is important to speak one’s mind, but also to not let the narcissism of petty differences sabotage our unity and progress."

--Shepard Fairey (emphasis mine)

Before You See FROST/NIXON...

2008-12-15T15:50:00.000-08:00

Read this.