Thursday, April 30, 2009
Today in GLBT News :: April 30, 2009
| Ring the wedding bells again! Bucolic New Hampshire looks to be State No. 5 in the gay-marriage juggernaut, as the state Senate passed a House bill that will likely go to a Democrat governor. |
| The advent of marriage equality in Iowa has meant more than gay and lesbian families now having the right to enter into legally recognized wedlock; it’s also opened the door to new career opportunities. |
| North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx referred to supporters of comprehensive hate crimes legislation as pulling a "hoax" on the American public in naming the bill after Matthew Shepard. |
| The Maine Senate passed a gay-marriage bill, which now goes to the House and then to the governor. |
| In 2006, the biggest complaint out of an otherwise successful Gay Games in Chicago was that the event lacked the "international" feel of previous Gay Games, caused by the decreased number of European and Australian registrations as a result of the creation of a competing Outgames event in Montreal. The hopes for a return of the international flavor in 2014, when the Gay Games are set to return to the United States, could be in jeopardy -- this time because of a potential schedule conflict with the EuroGames. Some sports activists the resulting "tournament fatigue" as a threat to global LGBT sports unity. |
| Chrysler will file for bankruptcy after talks with a small group of creditors crumbled just a day before a government deadline for the automaker to come up with a restructuring plan. |
| Republicans announced policy programs to challenge Obama’s agenda and to counter perceptions that the GOP is a listless, leaderless "party of no." |
| Mexico is telling citizens to stay home, urging businesses to close for five days and suspending government service in what is effectively a nationwide shutdown because of swine fu. |
| The U.S. House of Representative overwhelmingly passed an expanded hate crimes bill that includes LGBT protections over the objections of religious and right-wing groups. |
| Only 15 years ago, we would have been delighted that most Americans support civil unions. Now, we can be discontented that they don’t want to call it marriage. Call it progress. |
The Task Force’s annual Creating Change will take place in Dallas next February.
Look who baked me a cake...
There will be limited blogging today as I am celebrating my birthday and will not be near a computer as often.
Have a great day and feel free to send tips, photos, videos...blogging to resume tomorrow!
david@wickedgayblog.com
P.S. Click here to visit our newest sponsor! They have everything you need for gay pride, the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, or maybe even a birthday gift for someone special. **wink**
Gotta Get Wed (Done to Boom Boom Pow)
Via Towleroad: ""As two young college students, we feel that the gay rights movement is the biggest civil rights movement of our generation. Sadly, we also feel that many of our peers, in specific, our straight peers, feel that this is an issue that does not affect them. As you know, the fight for same sex marriage is not just a gay issue- it is a human rights issue and something we must all fight for. Incredible strides have been made thus far but we cannot afford to stop pressing the issue."
New 'No Offense' NOM Ad Featuring Carrie Prejean
Via Manhunt Daily Blog: "The National Organization for Marriage's latest ad features recycled clips of Carrie Prejean, Perez Hilton and HRC president Joe Solmonese. They ask, "Is supporting marriage 'bigotry'?"
In related news, her tits are fake!
In related news, her tits are fake!
Wicked Awesome :: Meryl Streep Plays Julia Child
Okay, mad props to Swish Embassy and Tabloid Prodigy for sharing this clip with me. At first I wasn't even going to watch this movie trailor and now after watching I can't wait to see! LOVE Meryl Streep...she makes me smile!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
U.S. House passes "hate crime" bill that Bush & GOP opposed
Conviction of a hate crime carries stepped up punishment, above and beyond that meted out for the attack. The bill would allow the federal government to help state and local authorities investigate hate crimes.
Representative Lamar Smith, ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, helped lead the charge against the bill, arguing it was misdirected and discriminatory.
"All violent crimes must be vigorously prosecuted," Smith said. "Unfortunately, this bill undermines one of the most basic principles of our criminal justice system -- 'equal justice for all.'"
"Justice will now depend on the race, gender, sexual orientation, disability or other protected status of the victim," Smith said. "It will allow different penalties to be imposed for the same crime."
Earlier this year, Congress passed two other major bills derailed during the Bush administration.
New Hampshire Senate Passes Gay Marriage Bill
The New Hampshire state Senate’s vote today to legalize same-sex marriage. The Senate voted 13-11, on a second reading, in favor of an amended version of a bill that had passed the House last month by a 186-179 vote.
Since the Senate voted on an amended version, the bill will return to the House again, where it is expected to pass. (Source)
WGB: Congrats New Hampshire, equality is on it's way!
Obama's 100 Days Of Progress
Today marks 100 days since President Obama took office. Today, we highlight the accomplishments of the Obama administration.
President Barack Obama took the oath of office on Jan. 21, 2009, with two broad mandates bestowed upon him by the American people: repair the mess that President Bush and his administration left behind after eight disastrous years in office, and enact a bold, progressive agenda that includes fixing our nation's health care system and seriously addressing global climate change. Obama went to work right away, pushing the "biggest, boldest countercyclical fiscal stimulus in American history" through Congress -- a $787 billion dollar measure that not only creates jobs but also provides investments in energy, transportation, education and health care. Obama also announced his intention to shift focus and resources away from Bush's misbegotten adventure in Iraq and refocus on Afghanistan, where the security situation is worse than it has been since the start of the U.S.-led war there in October 2001. Now, a series of recent public opinion polls shows that the American public not only overwhelmingly approves of the job Obama is doing as president, but they also believe the nation is heading in the right direction -- "the first time in years the nation has held such an optimistic view of its future." For example, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 50 percent of Americans now say the country is on the right track (48 percent say the wrong track), compared with just 13 percent who had the same feeling last October (85 percent said the U.S. was heading in the wrong direction at that time). Indeed, in his first 100 days in office, Obama has received the support of the American public to implement the progressive agenda he campaigned on.
BREAK FROM BUSH: Shortly after taking office, Obama worked quickly to repair the damage done under Bush and has, in total, issued 29 executive decisions reversing Bush administration policy. On his first day as president, Obama signed an executive order mandating the closure of the Guantanamo Bay terror detainee prison camp within one year. The next day, he ordered military leaders to establish a plan for a responsible withdrawal from Iraq,and he signed executive orders ending CIA secret prisons and ending torture by requiring that all interrogations abide by the Army Field Manual. Obama put these first actions as president in simple terms. "We intend to win this fight" against terrorists, he said. But "we are going to win it on our own terms." On the domestic front, Obama reversed Bush's restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research in March, asserting that his administration would "make scientific decisions based on facts, not ideology." In London at the G20 Summit and in other European capitals earlier this month, Obama reassured America's friends and allies that the United States would reengage the world as an equal partner. "We're starting to see some restoration of America's standing in the world," Obama said in London. " It is "very important for us to be able to forge partnerships as opposed to dictating solutions." As far as "dictating solutions," Obama also ditched Bush's "with us or against us" foreign policy mindset in dealing with America's allies and adversaries. Indicating his sincerity in reaching out to the Muslim world, Obama granted his first television interview as president to Dubai-based Al-Arabiya. "My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy," Obama said, adding, "We are offering a hand of friendship." Most significantly, Obama also opened the door to direct dialogue with Iran last month, sending the government and its people a "groundbreaking" "special message" on Nowruz, the start of the Persian New Year, in which he said the U.S. is seeking "engagement" with Iran "that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."
A PROGRESSIVE AGENDA: On Jan. 29, Obama signed his first major piece of legislation, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, an equal pay law making it easier for workers -- most of whom are women -- to initiate pay discrimination lawsuits. "We are upholding one of this nation's first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness," Obama said at the bill's signing ceremony. Six days later, Obama signed a bill expanding publicly funded health insurance for children, known as SCHIP, legislation Bush had vetoed twice despite strong bipartisan support in Congress. The bill reduces the number of uninsured children by about half over the next four years and will "boost the number covered by the program to 11 million." "In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to trade offs or negotiation -- health care for our children is one of those obligations," Obama said. And just last week, the President signed a $5.7 billion national service bill championed by Sens. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) that "triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college."
THE NEXT 100 DAYS AND BEYOND: Obama and Congress have yet to finalize legislation that would fully accomplish health care reform and solve our climate crisis, but these two major issues remain on the front-burner and have received significant attention in the administration's first 100 days. The economic recovery bill passed earlier this year contained key health care provisions that lead the way toward reform, including $19 billion for health care information technology to implement electronic health records and an agency to "conduct and support research that would assess the benefits of competing treatments," both of which aim to reduce future overall costs. Moreover, Obama's budget creates a "reserve fund" as a down payment to reform the health care system. The stimulus bill also provided a boost to a green economy. In what The New York Times called "the biggest energy bill in history," the Recovery Act provides $91 billion for clean energy investments. In a further indication that addressing climate change is a top priority for the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed this month that greenhouse gas pollution endangers the health and welfare of the American public. The move finally complies with the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling -- ignored by Bush -- that such emissions should be regulated by the federal government under the Clean Air Act. Obama's budget contains key energy provisions that also aim to limit greenhouse gases and build a clean-energy economy, such as a mandatory cap on carbon emissions which is expected to raise hundreds of billions of dollars over the next ten years that will go toward clean energy development and tax credits for working Americans.
Also, in related news...Obama urges congress to pass Hate Crimes Bill
David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland - When Love Takes Over (Official)
WGB: Miss Rowland has a major gay summer hit on her hands with this song! LOVES IT!
Today in GLBT News :: April 29, 2009
| In the UK, advocates of comprehensive sex education stand behind a plan to equip students with information that may help them make choices to avoid diseases, stave off teen pregnancy, and learn respect for all people. |
| Obama: Swine Flu-Infected Schools May Close President Obama said that schools with confirmed cases of swine flu should consider closing. |
| Perez Hilton was hardly a household name before he asked Miss California her views on gay marriage. Now he is--and he wants to become even bigger. |
| U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter has caused a political earthquake with his decision to defect from the GOP in the face of a grueling primary--but the president is glad to welcome him. |
| Long after the Beijing Olympics, officials have caught three more athletes--in track & field, cycling and weightlifting--as having been doping during the events. |
| The GOP is starting to get the message that being anti-gay is increasingly passe. |
| The anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kansas, didn’t make it to Iowa for the first day of marriage equality in that state, though anti-gay protesters there echoed similar sentiments against gay and lesbian families. |
| Founded in 1973, the Stonewall Library and Archives contains 20,000 books and movies. It also successfully fought back former Mayor Jim Naugle’s attempts to re-locate into county-owned building. |
| A salmon bagel sandwich, a bowl of fresh fruit and café con leche for breakfast at Dos Gringos in the nation’s capital, a strawberry smoothie, cheese and tomato spinach pie and a cucumber salad for lunch at Miami’s The Last Carrot, or a cheese plate, chicken breast in a walnut pomegranate sauce at Chicago’s Pars Cove Restaurant for dessert-- whatever your tastes, this Thursday offers a bevy of choices coast to coast to dine like a connoisseur of fine cuisine while benefitting worthy AIDS service organizations. |
| Rapacious reporter Mike Diamond hates male models... but he put all that aside when covering the Jeffrey Fashion Cares event in New York City - a benefit for AIDS organizations that included a fashion show, auctions, and the Manhattan gay community. Check out the video! |
Hundreds to push for gay marriage in Albany today
About 2,000 people are expected at a lunchtime rally outside the Capitol today in support of gay rights legislation.
Wicked Scandalous
The following stories are so shocking they are even too scandalous and NSFW for Wicked Gay Blog. But I thought you may want to see them anyway so I have provided a link for all the dirty birds that read this blog. **wink**
Mr. Panama Stripped of Title For Doing Porn (NSFW)
Brazilian Soccer Player Alexandre Rodrigues da Silva (AKA Pato) Bares All On Webcam (NSFW)
Cheyenne Jackson Nude? (NSFW)
Wicked Touching Story : Former college football captain was openly gay
Brian Sims led his Bloomsburg University team to Division II Championship game
Defensive tackle Brian Sims was the captain of the Bloomsburg University football team. He had grown up an Army brat with two Army colonels for parents.
Sims said he didn't come out to his team: "My team came out to me."
Someone Sims had dated shared a class with the quarterback of the football team, Eric Miller. Sims believes that the jilted lover wanted Sims kicked off the football team, so he told Miller that he had been dating Sims. Soon after, Sims was out on the town with Miller and longtime friend and teammate Fran Gregor. After a couple drinks, Miller asked Sims if he was gay.
It was the question Sims had been fearing for years. He knew many of his teammates probably suspected that he was gay, and he was right.
"He's the captain of the football team, he's a good-looking guy," Gregor, his good friend and teammate through high school and college, said. "In the dorms, there were nights when girls would literally stumble into our room and climb into bed with him. And five minutes later, they would leave." (Continue Reading-Source/OutSports)
WGB: What a great story and worth the read. It gives me hope that even in the inner-jock circles there is some tolerance and acceptance and being gay doesn't change who you are as a person. His teammates were so cool that I have to share a line form the article that I loved:
Sims remembered one night when he was on a date. They were sitting in the back of the room at a candlelit table enjoying a quiet evening. Several of his teammates came in and were sharing some drinks at the bar. Out of Sims' earshot, one of the other patrons apparently made a comment about the two fags on date.
"Three or four guys on my team literally picked him up and threw him out the door," Sims said.
Massive Smoke-Up at 4:20 pm on 4/20
Wow, and I thought Massachusetts was liberal. Check out this video via Swish Embassy where thousands of students and young adults in Colorado join in a massive smoke up. (And if you are a little slow on the 4:20 reference, let me just say they are not smoking cigarettes!)
Are You America's Next Top Drag Queen?
Calling all Drag Queens, RuPaul's Drag Race Season 2 is looking for the fiercest, most fabulous drag queens in the United States!
Gentlemen Start Your Engines... May the Best Woman Win!
Forget what you think you know about the fiercest show on TV... this race is going into overdrive... rev it up!!!
World of Wonder, LOGO and Doron Ofir Casting are seeking fabulous, talented and gorgeous drag queens from across the Nation who are at least 21 years old to compete for the crown of America's Next Drag Superstar.
Drag queens get ready to work, sew, glue gun, plot, style, smash and grab to win the title and prove once and for all you are the next fierce high heel wearing competitor. You better work!
RuPaul, the original Supermodel of the World is back for Season 2, and she is searching for the most outrageous, talented and stunningly gorgeous up-and-coming drag queens to compete in the ultimate battle for the crown.
Start your engines! Pack those pumps, because it's time to strut, kick and stomp your way through the competition. Who will you step on to get to the top? Will you be the last one standing, wig intact?
Will you Shanté and stay or Sashay away?! Prepare to move into a whole new “house!” And remember... DON'T FUCK IT UP! (DETAILS)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
American Idol - Adam Lambert - Feeling Good
WGB: I normally love Adam but this was a tad over the top but I have received several e-mails from people that they loved it. You?
Wicked Funny :: People Love Their Popeyes
Via the Manhunt Daily Blog
WGB: OMG, really? Has anyone ever heard of a kitchen? This is where you can cook some food...
WGB: OMG, really? Has anyone ever heard of a kitchen? This is where you can cook some food...
Wicked Progress: Same-Sex Marriage Support Rises 9% Nationwide in One Month!
Via JMG: "Forty-two percent of Americans now say same sex couples should be allowed to legally marry, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. That's up nine points from last month, when 33 percent supported legalizing same sex marriage. Support for same sex marriage is now at its highest point since CBS News starting asking about it in 2004."WGB: Suck it Miss California! On second thought, please don't.
Congress to Vote on Matthew Shepard Act Tomorrow
The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009 (H.R. 1913) AKA "The Matthew Shepard Act" will be up for a vote tomorrow in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would amend the federal hate crimes law to include to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
The right-wing is contacting congress at an alarming rate, calling the bill a "thought crimes bill" and flat out lying that this bill will somehow impede on their free speech rights.
HRC is asking us to take action by contacting our representatives.
Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell your Member’s office:
* Hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are on the rise. One out of every six hate crimes is because of the victim’s sexual orientation.
* Hate crimes have more than one victim. They are intended to create an atmosphere of fear and terrorize entire communities.
* The Matthew Shepard Act targets only violent acts – not speech. It does not tell any clergy member what he or she can or can’t preach. (Via Queers United)
Stereotype Persists of Gay Affluence Despite New Study
Asian Americans are smart and industrious; African Americans are lazy and poor; Jews are thrifty and rich. And gays and lesbians? We’re bathing in money. Like the cartoon Scrooge McDuck, we wallow in bathtubs of coins as we use our position as wealthy power brokers to further our special protections.
Some like to say that behind every stereotype there’s a ring of truth. But more usually, behind a stereotype is a seriously misinformed or malicious person or group pushing an agenda.
Besides the parade of bizarre sexual stereotypes (promiscuous, preying on hapless youth, drug addicted, homicidal), gays and lesbians have long been perceived as economically advantaged. Single gay men, it’s said, are more moneyed than their heterosexual counterparts. After all, we don’t have to absorb the crushing financial burden of children.
For us, it’s the DINK demographic (double income, no kids)...(Continue Reading-Source/Edge)
GOP chair faces backlash for Bay Windows interview
"It’s not surprising that the fringy anti-gay activists at MassResistance were none too pleased by state GOP chair Jennifer Nassour’s interview with Bay Windows published earlier this month. But her interview also prompted a backlash among some members of the conservative wing of her party. For much of the past week there has been an ongoing debate on the Red Mass Group blog about Nassour’s interview. Nassour herself posted a defense of her comments on Wednesday.
Some of the grumblers on Red Mass Group are outraged that Nassour would even sit down with an LGBT newspaper!!!" (Continue Reading-Source/BayWindows)
Sandra Bernhard to star for Boston Gay Men's Chorus
Comedian Sandra Bernhard will rock the mic for the annual Boston Gay Men's Chorus fundraising gala Crescendo on May 9 at the Roxy. Expect funny, fierce and filthy. The event also includes a silent auction with tasty prizes like a trip to watch a Red Sox-Orioles tilt from home plate seats at Camden Yards, a trip to spend a week in a luxury condo in Buenos Aires, and - you don't get this at other fundraisers - Drag Camp for four with Verna Turbulence. Also: a chance to conduct the BGMC in concert. Tickets are $75, $100 with private reception, and you can get them at www.bgmc.org or 617-542-SING. (Source)
Boston Gang Member Convicted of Murder in Gay Lover's Death
Blood in, blood out. A Boston-area Latin Kings gang member is convicted of first-degree murder for the gruesome stabbing death of his older gay lover.
Judge David Lowy sentenced Christian “King Joker” Almonte, 26, of North Andover, to the mandatory term of life in state prison without the possibility of parole. The jury returned its verdict after eight hours of deliberations following the eight-day trial.
Essex Assistant District Attorney A.J. Camelio proved that on the evening of February 24, 2008, Almonte stabbed Willie Escobar, 41, of Methuen, 20 times in the victim’s apartment. Escobar suffered stab wounds to his heart, stomach, chest and back. Camelio presented evidence that Almonte murdered Escobar out of jealousy because the victim was seeing other men, and because he was afraid that their relationship would be discovered.
Homophobia is entrenched in the inner cities and street culture. For gang members who are closeted, killing the suspected homo or killing someone who knows their secret is par for the course. In May 2008, two Maryland gang members were convicted in the grisly murder of a fellow gang member whom they learned was gay. The teens stabbed their former friend 50 times and dumped his body behind his family's home. No homo. (Source)
Sen. Arlen Spector (R-PA) Switching Parties, Democrats Rejoicing
Via JMG: "Moderate Republican Sen. Arlen Spector is switching to the Democratic Party, offering renewed hope of a filibuster-proof voting block for Senate Democrats. In a statement issued about noon as the Capitol was digesting the stunning turn of events, Mr. Specter said he had concluded that his party had moved too far to the right, a fact demonstrated by the migration of 200,000 Pennsylvania Republicans to the Democratic Party. “I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans..."
Wicked About Time : A Verizon iPhone?
Via Sozo's Blog: "Apple is conducting high-level discussions with Verizon Wireless to sell a version of the iPhone that would work on Verizon’s network, which could be available as soon as next year.
AT&T has exclusive rights to the iPhone until 2010 and is doing all it can to remain the exclusive carrier. You may recall that he iPhone catapulted At&t ahead of it's competitors as the iPhone because insanely popular adding 1.6 million new iPhone customers in the first quarter of sales.
Verizon, meanwhile, has done fine without the iPhone and recently purchased alltel, making it the leader in the cellular market with more than 80 million customers. If Verizon was to begin offering the iPhone — whether exclusively or as a competitor to AT&T — it would be a significant development in the increasingly important battle for smartphone users, said Roger Entner, an industry analyst with Nielsen AIG. It would give Verizon, which sells Samsung, Palm and BlackBerry smartphones, another device to lure subscribers who do not prefer the AT&T network.
“The iPhone turned AT&T into a serious competitor now neck-in-neck with Verizon,” he said. If Verizon gets a contract to sell the iPhone, he said, “it will be another major shift.”
So, all you Verizon lovers out there, hang on your iPhone just might be around the corner."
(To go back to the main page of Wicked Gay Blog for breaking gay news, hot men, and great gossip, click here!)
100 Days Of Opposition
Tomorrow marks the first 100 days of the Obama administration. Today, we're focusing on how the conservatives have chosen to spend their first 100 days.
In the first 100 days of the Obama presidency, the country has been confronted by a myriad of challenges. President Obama has faced an inherited economic recession -- including widespread foreclosures, a banking system plagued by toxic assets, and mounting unemployment -- as well as two wars, international terrorism, global climate change, millions of Americans still without health care, piracy and now, the threat of a flu pandemic. But instead of engaging in a substantive policy debate with the President, conservatives have spent the past three months immersed in a radical transformation, lurching further to the right. Indeed, the brand of conservatism now in ascendancy embraces apocalyptic rhetoric, cheers on reflexive attacks on Obama, and fuels a steady drumbeat of conspiracy theories. With control of neither the White House nor Congress, conservatives have looked to hate radio talkers like Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh for leadership. The new Republican Party chairman, Michael Steele, has also championed the fringe voices of the right wing while threatening to punish members of his party who make any attempts at bipartisanship. The single greatest achievement of the conservative movement thus far has been the staging of anti-Obama, anti-tax "tea party" protests, which were attended by over 100,000 people country-wide and quickly embraced by GOP leaders as the future of the party. The tea party protests, along with the near universal party-line votes opposing Obama's agenda items show how conservatives acting on Limbaugh's pre-Inauguration Day proclamation that he hopes Obama fails.
EMBRACING RADICALIZATION: While the mainstream of America is more and more progressive in its policy solutions, the Republican party appears intent on tapping into a darker undercurrent of right-wing rage that has proliferated since Obama's election. Public servants for the "loyal opposition" started using the rhetoric of armed opposition to Obama, such as Rep. Michele Bachmann's (R-MN) call for people to be "armed and dangerous" over Democratic energy proposals. But as the conservative lobbyist-orchestrated "tea parties" gained momentum, GOP lawmakers issued more brazen calls for violence. Appearing before throngs of anti-Obama protesters, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) called for "revolution," as he declared that the attendees were the patriots who would, quoting Thomas Jefferson, refresh the tree of liberty with the "blood of tyrants." During the tea party fervor, Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) called for assassinating Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) over taxes. Speaking to reporters after a tea party, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) suggested that his state may have to secede from the Union, a call then defended by former Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX). A Department of Homeland Security report on growing threats of right-wing domestic terrorism has become a rallying cry for conservatives, as members like Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) remarked to an audience, "Welcome, right-wing activists, is that what we are? Extremists, yeah, well I'm gonna get me a button." Going forward, House Republican leaders are now routinely stating that Obama's green economy proposals equate to a "declaration of war" on the country.
REFLEXIVE ATTACKS: Although conservatives and Republicans have made a point to tell the press they are focused on simply "putting forward positive alternatives," they have spent most of the first 100 days incessantly searching for ways to smear the president. Whether they are complaining about Obama's suit jacket policy, jabbing him about his use of a teleprompter, or ridiculing his wife for serving soup to the poor, conservatives have found no alleged fault too trivial. Exhibiting a certain form of creativity, they scoured Obama's trips abroad for evidence that he somehow hates America. To conservatives, Obama's brief bow to the Saudi King was proof that he is a "hillbillie," and the fact he shook hands with the Venezuelan President an example of his "shallowness." Obama's personalized gifts to the Queen of England were a sign of his apparent narcissism, according to conservatives, and when Obama spoke to the Turkish people on America's religious tolerance, he was -- in the eyes of Fox News pundits -- betraying the "Judeo-Christian ethic." The compulsive assaults on Obama have not only generated a cottage industry of newly-manufactured insults, but they have policy implications as well. Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) thought he could score political points by mocking spending on volcano monitoring programs, but a federally-funded monitoring system detected an eruption in Alaska a month later. As Republicans reflexively decried almost all spending programs in the Recovery Act as useless "pork," Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) employed the same political rationale to cut pandemic flu preparedness funds from the bill -- just months before the current swine flu pandemic threat.
NOT GROUNDED IN REALITY: In their quest to discredit Obama, conservatives have increasingly left the facts far behind. Playing upon myths forged during the presidential campaign, Republicans like Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) and a chorus of talk radio hosts have spread the lie that Obama will "take away your gun." However, in the age of Obama, conspiracy theories have not been bound to only fringe members of Congress and right-wing radio. A bill aimed a preventing the creation of a "global currency" to replace the dollar -- a non-existent threat hyped by the right-wing echo chamber -- gained at least 30 GOP co-sponsors. The pattern has persisted on every major agenda item Obama has put forward. Republicans have falsely claimed that an MIT study showed that a cap on carbon pollution is a $3,100 light-switch tax. When the author explained the study actually found a $65 cost in 2015, conservatives declared the cost was then $3900. GOP talking points opposing Obama's Recovery Act were laden with accusations similarly made of whole cloth. For instance, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) joined other Republican lawmakers in decrying a made-up high-speed train supposedly designed to run "straight from Disney[land] ... to the doorstep of the Moonlight Bunnyranch in Nevada." And during the first public debates over health reform, the conservative establishment converged to support a "report" by Hudson Fellow Betsy McCaughey that erroneously suggested that investments in comparativeness effectiveness investments would create a "new bureaucracy" to "monitor doctors."
Equality in the Granite State?
New Hampshire set for divisive gay marriage vote
New Hampshire moves to the forefront of America’s debate on gay marriage on Wednesday when the state Senate will decide whether to approve a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and send it to the governor.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wicked Gross :: The No-Wash Underwear
Via Tabloid Prodigy: "Nothing says “instant break up” like finding out that your man wears these. Yuck-o. I imagine the type of person to wear this shit would also need the No-Wash tank top that already comes with blood stains, or the No-Wash T-shirt that comes with yellow sleeves."
Fox rejects Obama's request for airtime
For the first time since Barack Obama took office, a major broadcast network is refusing to grant the president's request for primetime coverage.
Fox has issued a statement saying it will air regular programming (detective drama Lie to Me) Wednesday night instead of Obama's 100-day news conference.
"The Fox Broadcasting Company will not air the Presidential News Conference," Fox said in a statement. "Fox's sister networks, Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network, will air the press conference in its entirety. Fox will be alerting viewers with an onscreen graphic at the top of the 8:00 PM (ET) hour that the press conference is available on Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network."
ABC, CBS and NBC have issued statements saying they will carry the president's telecast.
Though some will assume a political motivation to Fox's decision, the network has plenty of bottom-line reasons for refusing Obama's request. (Source)
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