Final Saturday Male Beauty

Pet Crematoriums Used for U.S. Troops?

The Chimperator and his Pentagon minions talk adnauseum about "supporting the troops" even though their actions are not consistent with such lip service. After all, under Chimpy and Emperor Cheney the troops (i) have not received adequate equipment and body armor, (ii) have received substandard medical care for long term recovery from horrific wounds - thinkk moldy rooms at Walter Reed - (iii) receive little or no mental health care for recovery from the horrors they have seen, hence the out of control suicide rate, and (iv) are subjected to repeated re-deplyments that places almost unbearable stress on them and their familiees. But it seems that the Chimperator's regime has reached a new low: pet crematoriums may have been used for fallen U.S. troops. So reports the Huffington Post. WTF is wrong with the voters who continue to support this incompetent, criminal regime? They worry about flag lapel pins, yet this disgrace is OK? Here are highlights from HP:

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The Pentagon is recommending changes in the handling of troops' remains, after it was revealed that a crematorium contracted by the military handles both human and animal cremations. A military official said there have been no instances or charges that human and pet remains were mixed. [My Comment: does anyone seriously trust anything these folks say? After all, they sold us lies about WMD's in Iraq]

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Defense Secretary Robert Gates believed the earlier situation was "insensitive and entirely inappropriate for the dignified treatment of our fallen," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell. "Our heroes deserve to be better treated than that," Morrell said

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Morrell said there is "absolutely no evidence whatsoever at this point that any human remains were at all ever mistreated, or ever not cremated where they were supposed to be cremated. That said, the secretary believes that is it inappropriate, even if permissible under the rules and regulations, to cremate our fallen, our heroes, in a facility that also cremates pets."

More Saturday Male Beauty

The Few, the Proud, the Convicted Felons

Sara Whitman has a good editorial at Gaywired that looks at the Pentagon's pitiful and insulting policy of rejecting qualified and honorable LGBT citizens from military service yet now accepting increasing numbers of convicted felons. One can be a criminal thug or gang member and that's fine, but be gay and you're unacceptable and/or out the door. What makes matters worse is that the whole DADT policy foisted on us by Billary actually only serves the Christianist agenda of stigmatizing and doing everything possible to publicly brand gays as less than full, equal citizens. The whole policy is wrong and disgusting. Here are some highlights from the column:

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The military doesn’t want gay men or lesbians serving in the armed forces but they are actively recruiting convicted felons. Rape, manslaughter, arson, kidnapping on your record? No problem. Just don’t be queer.

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On April 21st, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee shows that in 2006 and 2007 Americans who were convicted of serious crimes including sexual offences, manslaughter, "terrorist threats including bomb threats", burglary, kidnapping or abduction, aggravated assault and sexual assault were allowed into the military under moral waivers granted by the services. same in Iraq.

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If morals are at stake when a gay man is next to a straight man in the fox hole, as is so often described, how will that straight man feel sitting next to a child rapist? The military has gone to a new extreme to find soldiers and yet they continue to dismiss honorably serving gays and lesbians every day. People with no criminal records and, in fact, people who tend to be highly sought after linguists. More than one in ten new Army recruits have criminal and violent records.

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And we’re not talking about some teenage kid caught with a joint in his pocket. It is beyond me, as a lesbian, to think that an arsonist is more welcome to serve our country than I am. A kidnapper is more highly regarded by General Petraeus than my wife. A rapist gets a paycheck and a gun from the government.

Pastors To Break IRS Ban On Partisan Politics

In a typical disingenuous Christianist argument, the nutcases at The Alliance Defense Fund are recruiting pastors nationwide to defy an IRS ban on preaching about politicians. Their specious claim is that the ban on tax-exempt organizations being involved in partisan politics is an "unconstitutional limit on free speech and government intrusion into religion. " This claim is - pardon my French - utter bullshit. These pastors and churches are free to do and say whatever they want unless and except if they want special tax breaks and tax exemptions. Like most things in life, nothing comes without a price and tax-exempt status and being treated as a non-profit charity for taxation purposes involves a trade off, namely, staying out of partisan politics. Like everything else they do, the Christianists want to have their cake and eat it too and benefit from special rights not available to the general citizenry. Here are some highlights on the issue from 365gay.com:

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(New York City) Conservative legal advocates are recruiting pastors nationwide to defy an IRS ban on preaching about politicians, in a challenge they hope will abolish the restriction. The Alliance Defense Fund, based in Scottsdale, Ariz., will ask the clergy to deliver a sermon about specific candidates Sept. 28. If the action triggers an IRS investigation, the legal group will sue to overturn the federal rules, which were enacted in 1954. The ADF has been involved in a number of lawsuits against LGBT issues in various states.

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The IRS has stepped up monitoring of nonprofit political activity during the 2008 election. Punishments can range from a financial penalty to loss of tax-exempt status.

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Americans United for Separation of Church and State, an advocacy group in Washington, monitors church political activity and consistently files complaints with the IRS. They said Friday that they will notify the agency of any pastor who participates in the ADF campaign. Some religious groups support keeping politics out of the pulpit. J. Brent Walker, executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty in Washington, which advocates for religious freedom, said churches should be involved in public issues, but partisan activity can "compromise the essential calling to spread the Gospel."

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I hate to say it, but in my view, intolerant religious fundamentalists of all stripes are one of the biggest evils and dangers in the world today. What would Jesus say?

Saturday Male Beauty

Catholic Church Protects Bishops

Today's Washington Post has an article dear to my heart - the Catholic Church's utter failure to discipline and remove bishops (and Cardinals and Popes) that covered up sexual abuse and/or enabled sexual predatory priests to continue to prey on minors. Despite his crocodile tears during his recent visit to the USA, Pope Benedict XVI - and his less than saintly (in my view) predecessor, John Paul II - have done NOTHING to clean house in terms of the bishops and cardinals who would have been removed form office were they in any other type of institution or organization. Unless and until such action is taken, then perhaps John Hagee's accusation of the Catholic Church being "the great whore" is not totally off the mark. Here are highlights from the Post's article:

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It's getting a little uncomfortable for Catholic Bishop Carlos Sevilla these days. Several times in recent months, the Yakima, Wash., clergyman has had to defend himself against accusations that he concealed sexual misconduct by priests and employees. In one case, a priest who had worked in the diocese was convicted of felony abuse for fondling a 14-year-old girl. In another case, Sevilla hired a former seminarian after the man was charged with viewing child pornography.

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Doing more, a lot more, is just what Catholic activists want the church hierarchy to do about bishops who have covered up cases of sexual abuse. . . . "What is the pope going to do now? If it's nothing, then that is a terrible thing," said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountablity.org, based in the Boston area. "There has been no public action by the Vatican since the pope's visit." . . . "Action has been taken against some priests, but action hasn't been taken against U.S. bishops," McKiernan said. "Nobody loses a day's pay," added David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests.

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"Until the pope takes action as regards to those folks . . . we can't really believe that anything is going to change," McKiernan said. "It's quite intolerable that bishops who are responsible [for cover-ups] are still in positions of honor, positions of responsibility, in dioceses."

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"Our diocese has repeatedly erred on the part of protecting offending clerics," said Robert Fontana, a former Yakima Diocese employee who now works with an activist group, Voice of the Faithful. "There is no mechanism in place to challenge the bishop's behavior except media exposure and lawsuits. We still haven't gotten beyond that. That's amazing to me."

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An interesting article that looks at Benedict's role in the cover ups can be found here.

Relationship Boundaries

As many readers know, I am still recovering from a committed relationship that went very bad. In retrospect, one of the biggest signals that the relationship was doomed (probably from the very beginning) was the utter lack of respect for boundaries on the part of my ex-partner. Wanting a relationship to be forever and trying one's best to accommodate one's partner will be an exercise in futility if boundaries are not established and respected by the other member to the relationship. Boundaries can be simple things: respecting your partner's business demands and confidentiality requirements; not calling in the middle of the night when asked repeatedly not to do so; allowing your partner some personal space; and not suffocating your partner and trying to completely control and manipulate them to the point of isolating them from former friends and acquaintances.

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Of course, mutual trust is likewise an indispensible requirement. Without MUTUAL trust, there will be no lasting relationship. Constant jealously and unfounded accusations in time will kill a relationship no matter how hard the accused partner tries to be understanding and accommodate the other's needs and fears. In this regard, Michael at Gaytwogether has an interesting post that looks ate the issue of relationship boundaries. Here are a few highlights:

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Boundaries help protect the partners of a couple from abuse or outside influences of others. They help create a sense of security in the partnership, allowing safe communication of needs and feelings between the partners that helps to solidify a positive connection and intimacy. Boundaries help cement what is deemed appropriate and inappropriate conduct both within and outside the context of being a couple and help to define who you are and what you stand for as life partners.

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Difficulties with boundaries can come from many sources, including: being raised in a dysfunctional family where unhealthy boundaries were modeled, low self-esteem, lack of individual identity and codependency, poor assertiveness and social skills, being in an abusive or toxic relationship, being easily guilt-prone, having addictions of any kind, having power/control issues, getting a sense of validation for catering to a relationship partner, etc. Try to identify where your struggles with boundaries originate and keep track of what triggers your self-sabotaging behavior. Work aggressively at overcoming these personal hurdles to promote a more solid and confident sense of self.

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So whether you’re single and looking for Mr. Right or you’ve already found him, recognize the profound importance boundaries have on your well-being and quality of life. Without them, you’re left in a vulnerable position and can make poor choices that could adversely affect the course of your life.

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Currently, I think I know more of what I do not want in a relationship than I do as to what I want in the relationship from a positive perspective. One thing I do know is that any future relationship will have set boundaries and any potential Mr. Right will be someone who can/will repsect them.

Final Friday Male Beauty

The Race Card

Eugene Robinson's column in today's Washington Post takes looks headon at the fairly blatant race baiting that has become an increasingly significant tactic of team Hillary Clinton. While anyone not suffering from significant delusions has more or less figured out that Hillary's gig is up, the Democratic Party as a whole should be raising Hell with this racist nastiness that started with Bill Clinton down in South Carolina. As a recent article in the Newport News Daily Press quoted from below indicates, the GOP in Virginia is salivating at the opening the anti-black rhetoric coming from team Clinton may give to the Repubicans if Obama's nomination is hijacked somehow.

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Yes, it is true that some white Americans are racists and will not vote for a black man - or in Obama's case a half black man. But no major candidate or political party at this late date should be engaged in these gutter tactics. I truly believe that until this country puts racial bias behind it, we are never going to achieve a just society or reach are full potential as a nation. A successful Obama presidency would cut race baiters - both black and white - off at the knees. Moreover, it would help set the stage where never again could one's skin color be used as an excuse by non-achievers or a penalty against those with merit. I believe of in that kind of America. Hopefully, the coming campaign through to November will not sicken me by the baseness of what Hillary and the GOP may attempt to use to divide the citizenry. Here are highlights from Robinson's column:

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From the beginning, Hillary Clinton has campaigned as if the Democratic nomination were hers by divine right. That's why she is falling short -- and that's why she should be persuaded to quit now, rather than later, before her majestic sense of entitlement splits the party along racial lines.
If that sounds harsh, look at the argument she made Wednesday, in an interview with USA Today, as to why she should be the nominee instead of Barack Obama. She cited an Associated Press article "that found how Senator Obama's support . . . among working, hardworking Americans, white Americans, is weakening again. I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on."

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As a statement of fact, that's debatable at best. As a rationale for why Democratic Party superdelegates should pick her over Obama, it's a slap in the face to the party's most loyal constituency -- African Americans -- and a repudiation of principles the party claims to stand for. Here's what she's really saying to party leaders: There's no way that white people are going to vote for the black guy. Come November, you'll be sorry. How silly of me. I thought the Democratic Party believed in a colorblind America.

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Let's examine those premises. These are white Democrats we're talking about, voters who generally share the party's philosophy. So why would these Democrats refuse to vote for a nominee running on Democratic principles against a self-described conservative Republican? The answer, which Clinton implies but doesn't quite come out and say, is that Obama is black -- and that white people who are not wealthy are irredeemably racist.

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The other notion -- that Clinton could position herself as some kind of Great White Hope and still expect African American voters to give her their enthusiastic support in the fall -- is just nuts. . . Only in Camp Clinton does anyone believe that his supporters will be happy if party leaders tell him, in effect, "Nice job, kid, but we can't give you the nomination because, well, you're black. White people might not like that." At some level, she seems to believe the nomination is hers. Somebody had better tell her the truth before she burns the house down.

Here's what Virginia balcks are saying (and Virginia is a state I believe Obama will carry if he's the nominee) per the Daily Press:

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The 2008 presidential campaign is turning out to be a pivotal moment for black Republicans in Hampton Roads. On the one hand, a number of black political leaders previously aligned with the GOP say they will support Democrat Barack Obama should he win the nomination. His candidacy, they say, represents a "chance of a lifetime" for a black to compete for the nation's highest office. On the other hand, should Hillary Clinton win the Democratic nomination, many say it would be a rare opportunity to recruit disillusioned black voters who have been Democratic loyalists since the 1960s, when lifelong Republican Martin Luther King Sr. pushed nationwide black support toward John F. Kennedy.

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"If Barack Obama is not the nominee, the good thing is that black folks will finally realize that the Democrats don't love them," says Quash, of Suffolk. "I have always told black folks that the Democrats are far more racist, far more elitist, far more sexist and far more anti-Christian than the Republicans ever were."

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Don Scoggins, president of the Washington-based Republicans for Black Empowerment, agrees that if Obama loses the nomination, "that will be the best opportunity" to recruit blacks. Scoggins concedes, however, that as long as Obama is in the race, he will get lots of support from black Republicans. . . . At least two local black leaders usually associated with the Republican Party have shed the label; others are re-examining their party affiliation.Newport News Sheriff Gabriel Morgan formally resigned from the party about a month ago.

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Of course, none of this means anything to Hillary since it's all about her and her sense of entitlement.

What Homosexual Agenda?

From Mostly Sunny with a Chance of Gay

More Friday Male Beauty

Speaking of Christianist Lies

One of the favorite fund raising ploys of Christianist organizations is to wail and cry false tears over the big, bad well funded militant gay lobby which they claim has ever so much more money to spend that the poor little Christianists. Like pretty much everything else these "Godly Christians" put out, it's all a lie. A very big lie, in fact. Looking at the funding of just one of the major Christianist organizations - Focus on the Family, Daddy Dobson's pro theocracy organization - demonstrates just how big and deliberate this propaganda lie is in reality. According to Guidestar which tracks funds of non=profit organizations, Focus on the Family has three (3) times the money that the Human Rights Campaign takes in. Add to FOF's funds all the moneys of other large Christianist groups like Concerned Women [Bitches] for America, Family Reseacrch Council, American family Association, etc., the disparity in funding becomes enormous. These charts from Box Turtle Bulletin illsutrate the FOF v. HRC funding differential:

One has to wonder when these sanctimonious, lying "Christians" will apply ALL of the Ten Commandments to themselves.

A Gay Commitment Ceremony on ABC's 'Brothers & Sisters'

I can already hear the rantings and imagine the flying spittle as the Christianist mouthpieces go into absolute convulsions when this episode of Brothers and Sisters airs. God forbid that gays be shown as loving, commited individuals entitled to stable relationships like everyone else and - oh the vapors -perhaps adopting children. I applaud ABC for having the guts to do this show which will no doubt get homophobe bigot Don Wildmon wetting himself as he treatens a boycott against the shows advertisers. Here are some highlights from USA Today:

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BURBANK, Calif. — After much anticipation on the set of ABC's Brothers & Sisters, a wedding cake has arrived. The four-tier creation — adorned with flowers and blackberries — is locked in a freezer, out of sight from the curious cast members, who are wondering what the cake topper looks like. Spotting a prop woman with the topper in her hands, Matthew Rhys — whose character, Kevin, weds Sunday (10 p.m. ET/PT) in the show's Season 2 finale — calls her over. "Is it a man and a woman?" he asks. Getting a closer look, Rhys smiles and says, "Oh, it's two men. Fantastic. There were jokes made that they wouldn't be able to find two men, so they'd have to doctor the woman by adding a moustache."

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This is no typical TV wedding. It's a gay commitment ceremony — the first same-sex union on American network TV between series regulars. "It's all very progressive, evolved and about time," says Rhys. . . . The Walker family and guests have gathered in the living room to watch Kevin exchange vows with longtime beau Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane). Flockhart's character will officiate at the ceremony while her husband (Rob Lowe) ends up playing a key role — significant because he's a Republican senator opposed to gay marriage. During a break, Lowe waltzes off set. "It's pretty romantic in there," he notes, greeting his visiting kid brother, actor Chad Lowe, who explains, "I'm here to witness history."

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Conspicuously absent from the gathering is Sarah's (Rachel Griffiths) love interest (Steven Weber), who will not return for Season 3. But her character's two young kids are there, and Griffiths wonders if some viewers will "have a problem with that." She hopes not, but the liberal-leaning show does attempt to recognize those who oppose gay marriage by introducing Scotty's disapproving parents, who skip the ceremony. That volatile relationship is expected to be explored in Season 3. Another possibility: children.

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Executive producer Monica Breen assures, "They will be a family. Kevin deserves a stable relationship in the same way that Kitty, Sarah and all the others deserve it. He will be facing many questions in his life — but now he has someone to share that with."

Friday Male Beauty

Obama Now Takes The Lead in Superdelegates Too

While the methods of counting superdelegate support vary, ABC News for the first time is stating that Obama has moved ahead of Hillary Clinton in this key area. As the momentum picks up, I suspect he will move into a much more substantial lead. Once again, in my view, Hillary needs to withdraw now and go out garciously and with class - something the Clintons are not know for. A gracious exit would benefit the Deocratic Party and which would potentially position HRC for leading roles in the U.S. Senante or perhaps even a nomination to the Supreme Court down the road. The question is, will she face reality and do the right thing? Here are highlights from ABC News:

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ABC News' Karen Travers Reports: For the first time this campaign season, Barack Obama has surpassed Hillary Clinton's support among superdelegates, according to the ABC News delegate estimate. Sen. Obama, D-Ill., picked up two superdelegates this morning giving him a new metric to tout in addition to his current commanding leads in pledged delegates, popular votes, states won, and money raised.

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Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., switched his endorsement from Clinton to Obama and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., endorsed Obama. DeFazio was previously uncommitted. With these endorsements, Obama has the support of 267 superdelegates and Clinton has 265 superdelegates.

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Despite several rough weeks on the campaign trail, Obama has maintained momentum in picking up superdelegates. Obama has outpaced Clinton at every marker of this campaign since Super Tuesday -- after the controversial comments of Rev. Wright came out, after Clinton’s big win in Pennsylvania and after the Indiana and North Carolina primaries.

McCain's Preacher, John Hagee Again Blames Gays for Katrina

After momentarily retracting his anti-gay comments wherein he had blamed gays for Hurricane Katrina's destruction of New Orleans - probably because he is causing John McCain to have to defend him - Boss Hogge look alike, John Hagee, is once again running his mouth and back to gay baiting and what some might construe as race baiting. To demonstrate that they are not closet case racists, I hope Tim Russert and cohorts report on Hagee's latest case of diarrhea of the mouth and McCain's embrace of Hagee's endorsement. Here are highlights from the Dallas Morning News:

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In a conference call with religious supporters, Hagee denounced Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for pressing a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. He called it "a cheap political ploy" aimed at "making Condoleezza Rice a vice presidential candidate and building a midnight legacy for George Bush."

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Hagee also defended himself against charges he's anti-Catholic. . . . Critics say Hagee called the Catholic Church "the great whore" and said Katrina hit New Orleans because of a planned gay-rights parade. Hagee blamed the flap over his "great whore" comments on a "man trying to raise money for the Catholic League." That would be Catholic League President Bill Donahue. Hagee says he was denouncing the apostate church, both Catholic and Protestant.

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When a woman on the call asked why he seemed to have backed away from his Katrina comments in face of criticism, Hagee said he hadn't. As for the Katrina, he said he said, God controls hurricanes and "God always punishes unconfessed sin." You do the math.

More Thursday Male Beauty

Another "Family Values" GOP Sex Scandal

While the GOP claims to be the party of "family values," it sure seems to have an excess of elected officials that just cannot keep their pants zipped up or otherwise stay out of trouble. The latest scandal ivolves New York Congressman Vito Fossella who not only has confessed to fathering a "love child" with a woman who is not his wife, but also just was arrested on a DUI charge in Northern Virginia. How do you say HYPOCRITE? The GOP/Christianists want to meddle in everyone else's sex life, yet they sure as Hell cannot even manage their own. Here are highlights from the Huffington Post:

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Disgraced New York Congressman Vito Fossella broke down in tears on the floor of the House of Representatives today, apparently under the emotional weight of his recent behavior. Fossella acknowledged on Thursday that he had fathered a daughter, now three years old, with a woman who wasn't his wife. News of his adultery came just a week after the Staten Island Republican was arrested for drunk driving in suburban Virginia.

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He is expected to appear in court next week and could face jail time if convicted for his drunk driving charge. According to the New York Times: "A police report in Alexandria, Va., a suburb of Washington, said that Mr. Fossella ran a red light on Thursday just after midnight and had a "strong smell of alcoholic beverage" when he was pulled over. According to the report, Mr. Fossella told the officer that he was on his way to pick up his daughter, who needed to go to the hospital, although on Friday he said that he had been on his way to visit friends.

Hillary's Downfall

I came across this video on YouTube and while it is a bit harsh, it does in my view highlight the insanity of Hillary Clinton's refusal to drop out a race she simply cannot win except perhaps by destroying the Democratic Party in the process.

Like Hitler, her ego and delusion that she can still somehow win will bring harm to many. It is time for her to bow out graciously.

Thursday Male Beauty

No Right to Privacy, Including Birth Control

I am at a loss at times as to why Virginia seems to be the home base for so many wingnut Christianist and allied far right organizations. In addition to Pat Robertson's CBN and Regent University and the late Jerry Fallwell's Liberty University, parts of Northern Virginia - which in general is trending liberal politically - seem to be a cluster fu*k in terms of wingnut organizations ranging from Mike Farris's very scary Patrick Henry College with a mission of preparing "Christian men and women who will lead our nation and shape our culture with timeless biblical values and fidelity to the spirit of the American founding" to the American Life League or "ALL" based in Stafford, Virginia. ALL opposes among other things all forms of abortion, birth control, and embryonic stem cell research. A further example of ALL's lunacy is the fact that ALL charged that Disney had concealed subliminal sexual messages in a number of its animated films, including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin.

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Now, ALL is sponsoring an anti-birth control event on June 7, 2008, called "The Pill Kills." Worse yet, ALL is again bemoaning the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut which struck down laws barring MARRIED couples from using birth control. While ALL is a Catholic based organization, it shares the same agenda as fundamentalist Christianist organizations: having all U.S. Supreme Court decisions based on "the right to privacy" theory struck down. This would include Griswold, Roe v. Wade, Larence v. Texas and many other decisions - decisions that Justices Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Thomsa would overturn if a conservative majority is achieved on the Supreme Court. These wingnuts do NOT want individuals to chart their own sexuality and lives. Sadly, the MSM never portrays the full extent of this extremist agenda or the potential consequences of a McCain presidency with conservative judicial appointments to the U. S. Supreme Court. Here is what ALL is saying about birth control:

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June 7 marks the 43rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision Griswold v. Connecticut. This was the first of many decisions that led to the culture of death we live in today.

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On that day in 1965, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the Griswold v. Connecticut case, it set a legal precedent for claiming that the Constitution grants women the right to privacy in matters of sexual practice. This meant that Connecticut and the rest of the United States could not stop a married woman from obtaining birth control pills. However, as Judge Andrew Napolitano has pointed out, the constitutional right to privacy has nothing to do with birth control.

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Everyone should know the deadly consequences of the pill and similar contraceptive products- they cause chemical abortions. . . . Protest the Pill Day '08: The Pill Kills Babies, scheduled for the Griswold anniversary of Saturday, June 7. We encourage you to gather with your friends for peaceful protests in front of facilities that distribute birth control products. American Life League computed the following estimates for chemical abortions alone, from 1973 to 2003:

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**During this period, approximately 6,605,000 to 11,725,000 chemical abortions occured in the United States annually.

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**During this period, a total of 196,325,000 to 324,325,000 chemical abortions wiped out the equivalent of the entire United States population!

Shameless Pandering

New York Magazine has an interesting story that conjectures that Hillary's shameless pandering to voters on the gasoline tax holiday may have been part of her undoing in Indiana. Hillary has consistently demonstrated that she will say and do anything to further her megalomaniac quest for power. It is one reason I cannot stand her - one needs to have some basic level of principle in my view besides "it's all about me" and "I want this, so I should have it." Perhaps even less sophisticated voters who are not daily news and political junkies saw through Hillary this time. I again have to wonder what precisely Hillary has gotten from her vastly expensive consultants - other than bad advice. Here are some story highlights:

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It’s easy to see why Clinton was tempted to hop aboard the Pander Express, once John McCain floated the idea of suspending the federal gas tax of 18.4 cents a gallon for the summer. Giving some badly needed relief to truckers, farmers, and vacationers fit right in with the hash-slinger-in-a–Wal Mart–pantsuit image Hillary honed in Ohio, perfected in Pennsylvania, and was deploying all over Indiana. And when Obama derided the idea by saying it would only save consumers “pennies,” he seemed to be handing the Clintons one more opportunity to portray him as an out-of-touch elitist.

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But as things turned out, when Hillary called for suspending the gas tax, she threw Obama the kind of rope he desperately had been seeking to pull himself out of the Wright train wreck. Wright screwed Obama as hard as any noncandidate has ever screwed an American presidential contender. And even after counterattacking and distancing himself from his former pastor, Obama was noticeably off his game. But the gas tax became a rare instance where Clinton and Obama directly and diametrically opposed each other on a policy issue, automatically generating headlines and coverage that helped push Wright out of the local news in Indiana.

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Further, the gas tax turned the national media against Hillary over the weekend, because the Clinton campaign hadn’t bothered to line up (or just couldn’t find) a single expert to support suspending the tax. That left Clinton herself and surrogates like Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) insulting economists on national television, which looked ridiculous. It also left the media free to report the story without trying to be evenhanded and essentially to tell viewers that suspending the tax is a stupid idea.

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Most importantly, the new debate let Obama rediscover his voice. . . . And he took full advantage. Six days ago, Obama introduced the single most brilliant ad of the Indiana campaign, called “Truth.” And, palpably relieved at the partial change of subject, he incorporated a detailed denunciation of the gas-tax suspension into his stump speech, in which he hit full stride again on Monday night.

Final Wednesday Male Beauty

Top New York Court Refuses Gay Marriage Case - Allows Recognition of Foreign Marriages to Stand

By refusing to take this case, the New Yourk Court of Appeals (i.e., the supreme court equivalent in New York) has allowed the ruling by an intermediate appellate court to stand, thereby allowing marriages of same-sex couples married in jurisdictions where they are legal to be recognized in New York. The Christianists will no doubt run around saying the sky is falling and alleging that "activist judges" are undermining marriage. However, hopefully, rational voters will quickly see that having gay marriages recognized has not lead to an end of civilization nothwithstanding the mindsets of those like Sally Kern. Here are some story highlights:

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(New York City) The Court of Appeals, the highest court in New York State, Tuesday declined to hear a case challenging an appeals court ruling that found the marriages of same-sex couples married in jurisdictions where they are legal must be recognized in New York. The decision not to accept the case means the lower court ruling will stand.

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On February 1 the Appellate Division of state Supreme Court reversed a judge's ruling in 2006 that Monroe Community College did not have to extend health benefits to an employee's lesbian partner. (story) Patricia Martinez, a word processing supervisor, sued the school in 2005, arguing that it granted benefits to heterosexual married couples but denied them to Martinez and her partner, Lisa Ann Golden. The couple formalized their relationship in a civil union ceremony in Vermont in 2001 and were married in Canada in 2004.

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The college refused to add Golden to the health care benefits because its contract with the Civil Service Employees Association did not address benefits for same-sex partners. Since then, the contract has been enhanced to extend benefits to an employee's domestic partner. State Supreme Court Justice Harold Galloway dismissed Martinez's lawsuit in August 2006, saying that the state does not recognize same-sex marriages. The state legislature ``currently defines marriage as limited to the union of one man and one woman,'' he wrote. The appellate judges disagreed, determining that there is no legal impediment in New York to the recognition of a same-sex marriage.

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"Until a law is passed by the New York State Legislature, there will always be the possibility that another court decision could undo Martinez v. County of Monroe and strip away from otherwise legally married same-sex couples all of the 1324 state-based rights and responsibilities that come with a marriage license in New York."

Pennsylvania Anti-Gay Amendment Dropped

Thankfully, the Christianist/GOP effort to use anti-gay bigotry as a ploy to work up conservative voters has died in Pennsylvania. Even though the issue would not have been on the ballot in November, the fewer of these hate based constitutional amendment initiatives, the better. One can only hope that the effort to move forward such an initiative in Arizon for the November election will likewise die. When they cannot win on the real issues, the Christianists/GOP seek to use hate and bigotry as their favored election tactic. Here are highlights from 365gay.com:

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(Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) In a surprise move just hours before the Pennsylvania Senate was expected to approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would bar same-sex marriage and civil unions in the state the measure's backer pulled the bill. Sen. Michael Brubaker (R) in asking to have the bill indefinitely tabled said that even though there was broad support in the Senate it would likely fail in the House.

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Rep. Babette Josephs (D) the powerful chair of the House State Government Committee vowed she would not allow the bill to come to a committee vote, ensuring it would not make to a full vote of that chamber. To put a proposed amendment on the ballot it would need to be approved by both houses in two consecutive sessions of the legislature.

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A recent poll found that although most Pennsylvanians oppose same-sex marriage there was widespread support civil unions. The poll, conducted by Susquehanna Polling and Research, found 65 percent of those questioned support civil unions while only 27 percent were opposed. (story)

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Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D) who opposes the amendment told a news conference at the Capitol that Brubaker was only making excuses by saying he was pulling the bill because of opposition in the House. Fumo said there was support in the Senate for stripping out the civil union prohibition, something that Brubaker opposes.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

If It Tastes Good, It's in Charlottesville

As regular readers know, I have a long affiliation with Charlottesville, the home of the University of Virginia and now my mother and two of my siblings. In terms of sophistication, Charlottesville has come a long way from what it was like when I first arrived at college more than 35 years ago (there was only one "night club" at the time and restaurants were limited). Now, the city and surrounding Albemarle County have as much going on in terms of arts and culture as far larger cities. True, the area has a lot of New York City, Hollywood and European money - my brother and his wife regularly fox hunt with a German baroness - since it has become fashionable to have a country home in Virginia, but in large measure I believe the liberal and tolerant atmosphere set by the University and non-Virginia natives has fueled much of the transformation. Unfortunately, much of the rest of Virginia has yet to wake up to the fact that diversity and tolerance are key ingrediants for economic and social flowering. As these highlights from today's Washington Post describe, even the restaurant scene is increasingly sophisticated and high quality:

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Revolutionary Soup looks like your average student joint. A bit grungy but cheerful, with a menu of comforting and, more important, cheap soups and sandwiches. Besides the prices, there's nothing cheap about the food at Rev Soup, as the locals affectionately call it. The tofu in the signature spicy Senegalese peanut soup is organic and local, made just 30 miles away in Louisa. The wheat for the homemade biscuits is grown in Virginia and ground at Byrd Mill in Ashland. And diners can pick from an impressive selection of wine bottles for sale at retail prices -- and then open and drink the wine at one of the cafeteria-style tables at no extra cost. "It hurts my margins," admits chef-owner Will Richey, who worked for five years as a sommelier around town. "But I love the idea of people drinking a nice Burgundy with a paper cup of really good soup."

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That way of thinking is typical in Charlottesville. And that's why the food here is far better than it should be in a place with about 40,000 year-round residents and 20,000 broke college kids. True, college towns tend to have a disproportionate number of educated, affluent residents, but even by that standard Charlottesville's food scene stands out. In a city best known for Thomas Jefferson's architecture, there's sushi worthy of Nobu in New York (the chef, Bryan Emperor, trained there), rustic but transcendent tapas, plus all the other things a great food town requires: standout bread, real espresso, artisan chocolate and locally brewed beer. The vibrant city farmers market supplies ambitious local chefs and the community, which, thanks to restaurateurs like Richey, is used to food that's a cut above.

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Not everything in Charlottesville is upscale, and that's part of the charm. There are authentically retro diners, the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar (a hippie-esque tea salon) and, my favorite, Timberlake's Drug Store, whose lunch counter seems to have been frozen in time circa 1940. Besides Revolutionary Soup, the best casual food I tried was a few minutes' drive from downtown, in the Barracks Road Shopping Center. Aromas is a bright Moroccan-inspired cafe that opened here in February after eight years in an old cafeteria close to the university. The space, with its warm red walls and bright watercolors of Marrakech, is much improved, by all accounts, but the food remains as always: fast, fresh and undeniably good.

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Those eateries are just the beginning. Across the board, Charlottesville's food scene is inventive, diverse and brimming with talent. It's enough to give Monticello a run for its money.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Washington Blade Un-endorses Hillary Clinton

Personally, I thought that the Blade was foolish to endorse Hillary Clinton over Barack Obama in the first place. Now the Blade is basically un-endorsing Hillary and telling her to get out of the race in an editorial titled "Hillary, the time has come." Would that the Blade had given her that counsel some time back. In any event, the editorial holds no punches and says what very much needs to be said. Hopefully, the chorus of calls for Hillary to withdaw will continue to swell and she will bow out graciously. Here are highlights of the Blade's call on Hillary to quit the race:

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Last night's results in the North Carolina and Indiana primaries have left Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton out of options. She ran a tough and spirited campaign that will be talked about for a generation. But it’s over. The time has come for Clinton to adopt a gracious and conciliatory tone, end her campaign and endorse Sen. Barack Obama for president.

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Tuesday night was, indeed, a game changer. Clinton suffered a drubbing in North Carolina — a “big” state, in her terminology — and barely squeaked out a win in Indiana. She needed a convincing win there and a strong finish in the Tar Heel state to convince voters and, more importantly, donors that she still had a chance to win over the dwindling number of uncommitted superdelegates.

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Unfortunately, all the talk of experience and competence was belied by a campaign rife with incompetence. From Bill Clinton’s ruinous (and arguably racist) campaign swing through South Carolina, to an obvious failure to craft a strategy past Super Tuesday, her campaign staff made so many miscalculations that Hillary went from a coronation to a shocking defeat.

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And her behavior during the recent and infamous ABC News debate was over the line. . . . . In sharp contrast to Clinton’s transparent, over-the-top pandering (downing shots with the locals and touting a phony love of guns), Obama has managed to stay above the fray, even during the darkest moments of the Wright saga. He could have gone sharply negative in the run-up to North Carolina and Indiana, as some advised him to do. Instead, he stuck to his own metaphorical guns and rose above the faux controversies and petty attacks. Even in victory Tuesday night, Obama praised Clinton and promised that his supporters would back her if she emerged as the party nominee.

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But she didn’t emerge victorious and the time has come for her supporters, gay and straight, to embrace Obama’s campaign for the White House. The stakes are too high to allow primary race disappointments to demoralize Democratic voters. And the stakes for gay voters are higher. . . . A McCain presidency would set back the cause of gay rights by a generation. A 50-year-old justice could serve 30 years or more on the high court. With same-sex marriage continuing to roil legislatures and courts across the country, it’s only a matter of time before the Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on recognition of same-sex relationships.

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But with the Supreme Court in the balance, no gay voter should pull the lever for McCain in November. . . . . Hillary Clinton’s gay supporters should take a day to mourn her defeat and then join Obama’s cause. She’s resilient and will bounce back, probably as Senate majority leader, a job much more in line with her skills than that of president. And Obama should continue to reach out to Hillary’s disaffected supporters and work to unite the party. It’s time for Hillary’s gay donors and volunteers to look past short-term disappointments and consider the long-term impact of a McCain administration. It’s a scary thought that renders all other considerations moot.

The Day After

Pretty much anyone who is not on drugs or delusional is finally figuring it out that its over for Hillary's campaign. True, out of meanness, an ego and sense of entitlement that knows no limits, and a refusal to accept the hand writing on the wall, she will likely persist a while longer, spreading nastiness wherever she goes. But hopefully, the superdelegates will find some balls and tell her point blank that it's over and she needs to hang it up. The American citizenry is suffering from Clinton fatigue and wants both Hillary and Bill to fade away. Change is afoot and they are not the agents of change wanted and needed. Bob Felton at Civil Commotion has a good analysis of this reality, although I do not agree with some of his views on where Obama will lead us. Here are some of Bob's comments I agree with:

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Between Barack Obama’s shellacking of Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, and her razor-thin margin in Indiana, there is now all but universal agreement to the prediction I made months ago: Barack Obama will be the Democrats’ nominee. We don’t know when or how evil-tempered will be Hillary’s withdrawal, but there can no longer be any serious question that she is finished. That’s the good news — but it’s not an unmixed blessing.

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The pathologically nasty politics perfected by James Carville and exemplified by the Clintons’ has been rejected, and rejected decisively. Good. Our public life has been fouled for too long by their cynical, Goebbels-like, shout-loudest dishonesties. Invariably, however, propagandists come to believe their own lies — and that is, just as invariably, the thing which undoes them. They fail to recognize that propaganda does not persuade anybody, that what it does is serve as a lens that focuses already-latent discontents.

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The malcontents exploited by the Clintons, and their doppelgangers on the right, will remain discontented and susceptible — but the meaning of Hillary’s defeat is that the discontents of the majority are now focused on the propagandists and noisemakers themselves. Obama was first to recognize that, and has exploited it with extraordinary skill, with the result that the efforts to slime him according to the now-standard Carville play book have done him no injury while furthering irritation at the Clintons et. al.

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The noisemakers understand clearly that there is something afoot in the public mood, and they understand clearly that the locus of the threat to their cynical manipulations is Barack Obama, and that is why the noisemakers of the left and the noisemakers of the right have so easily joined hands to trash him. Their business — Sharpton, Jackson, Limbaugh, Hannity, on and on — is keeping simpletons unbalanced with rage, and Obama threatens the good times. So they will ramp-up their already-cynical, noisy, and dishonest attacks on Obama and, probably … elect him, because they just can’t ‘get,’ or accept, that disgust with them is Obama’s secret, right-out-in-plain-sight weapon.

Final Tuesday Male Beauty

North Carolina Primary Results

I am watching the primary returns with my friends Martin and Christopher in the offices of Equal Spaces, P. C., their architecture firm, on CNN, which is not my favorite channel. Lanny Davis from the Clinton campaign, who in my opinion is little better than a lying whore, just finished talking in an effort to spin for Hillary. Get me my barf bag!! The more I hear from the Clinton campaign, the more disingenuous they appear. The returns so far show that Hillary is continuing to lag behind, yet she is such a self-centered egomaniac that she will likely never willingly concede defeat. It is ALL about her and Slick Willie's egos and sense of entitlement no matter how much harm they do to the Democratic Party or the country. I truly hope the final returns will force the superdelegates to declare for Obama and drive a much needed stake through Hillary's heart to kill the monster. A few silver bullets and some wolfbane and garlic might not be a bad idea either. Here are some highlights from America Blog and Andrew Sullivan, repectively, that echo my thoughts:

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First, John's comments: "Her only way to win is to bring it to the convention."- Rachel Maddow, May 6, 2008. Oh but don't tell Hillary that. She's on TV right now saying that she's staying in race. She's claiming that she won Indiana - and that's not at all clear. She's begging for donations so that she can stay in the race and continue to maim Obama. Her plan is obvious. She wants to so hurt Obama that he loses in the fall, that way she can run again in 2012 against President McCain, the man she's about to put into office.Enough already. I can't think of a better way to tell Hillary that it's over, that she has lost, that she is now simply doing harm to our nominee and our party, than to make a big fat donation to Barack Obama for President. Click the blue box to the left and make your donation to Senator Obama.Remember how after Pennsylvania Hillary claimed to have raised millions, and she and the media used that to "prove" that somehow Pennsylvania "changed everything"? Well, nothing changed. And tonight, Hillary is reeling after having lost North Carolina in a rout (that's ABC's word), and all the pundits are saying that she is in big trouble after not being able to win Indiana by a landslide.

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Next, Andrew's thoughts:

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No Democrat can win the White House without black votes - and a lot of them. And yet, Clinton has gone backwards fast in this segment for the past three months. . . . And while Obama has done solidly - and increasingly well - among white voters, Clinton's black support has cratered. Judging from my email in-tray, black voters are actually incensed and deeply disillusioned by the tactics of both Clintons. Bill has gone from being viewed as the first black president to being persona non grata and playing up his white Bubba act in rural counties. This is a fatal weakness in a Democratic candidate. And Hillary Clinton is now a fatally wounded politician.

Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Would Support Repeal of "'Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Frigid ice queen and gay-hater Elaine Donnelly will be writhing on the floor and foaming at the mouth at this news being reported by the Washington Blade. Never mind that Donnelly has no military experience and is basically a self-styled Christianist "expert" who pretends to be a credible source as opposed to someone with a real military background like Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Her entire agenda and that of her anti-gay allies is to keep gays denigrated and treated as less than equal citizens. Goodness knows, if gays are treated as equals under the law, the Christianists might just have a more difficult time selling their agenda of hate and discrimination. Here are highlights from the Blade:

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Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told cadets graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Sunday that should Congress repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the military would respect it, according to a press release from the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "['Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell'] is a law, and we follow it. Should the law change, the military will carry that out too," Mullen said. Mullen told the graduates that Congress and not the military is responsible for the policy.

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“Admiral Mullen is to be applauded for his willingness to take part in an open national conversation about this issue, and for his open-minded approach to working with Congress as they consider the future of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’” said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director for SLDN.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

The Obama Revolution

Andrew Sullivan has a great analysis of what Barack Obama has done in terms of turning the old political donor system upside down and in the process creating a new sense of participation and empowerment on the part of everyday citizens. Naturally, the old powers that be - including Bill and Hillary Clinton - do not like this new reality. It makes backroom deals and inflated influence on the part of party insiders and large donors far more difficult. In my view, this is a good thing and, like Andrew, I agree that thinking Democrats should embrace the change and push aside Hillary's posioned Kool-Aid. Here are Andrew's comments:

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$1.5 Million. That's how many people have now donated to Obama. No one has ever come close to this in history. And it was done by the Internet, destroying the power of major donors to control a candidate, empowering so many to make a difference and altering the face of campaign finance for ever. And yet the Democrats are seriously considering rebuking this astonishing achievement in favor of an old nepotistic pol whose campaign, when it hasn't been incompetent and complacent, has been straight from the Rove playbook.

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Any Democrat who spurns this achievement is destroying their own party, and its future. This has been a revolutionary campaign already. Because it has been built as much from below as from above. And because it has brought so many to believe in their country and its politics again. I don't care if I am thereby tarred as an Obama kool-aid drinker. The facts remain, and one day, the MSM will absorb them.

Tuesday Male Beauty

Roman Catholic Church - Actions Speak Louder than Words

During the recent Papal visit to the USA, Benedict XVI made statements of sorrow and apology for the Catholic Church sex abuse scadal and cover ups. Pretty words, yet the Church's actions show that they were hollow - something many of us knew even as they were came out of Benedict's mouth. The Church hierarchy's only concern is about loss of money and bad publicity. They don't gaive a rat's ass about victims, past or future, as evidenced by the Church's conduct in connection with a known child molester thought to be residing in Northern Virginia. As the Washington Post is reporting, Bishop Paul S. Loverde - an arch conservative and anti-gay bigot who wrote a letter urging Virginia Catholics to support Virginia's anti-gay Marriage Amendment - is failing to take appropriate action to warn residents about a Connecticut priest thought to be living in Northern Virginia. The Bishop's attitude is basically, who cares if more unsuspecting children are molested. Here are some story highlights:

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A small group of clergy sexual abuse survivors met outside the Catholic Diocese of Arlington yesterday to push church officials for more information about a Connecticut priest thought to be living in Northern Virginia. Representatives of the regional offices of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) say they are upset that diocesan officials didn't tell the public when they learned in March that the Rev. Stephen Foley, 66, was living in Chantilly.

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The Archdiocese of Hartford has made payments to 12 men who said they were victims of Foley's, including a single $599,000 settlement in March. A former state police chaplain, Foley drove a Ford Crown Victoria -- a common police vehicle -- until last year, when the Hartford archbishop reportedly ordered him to sell it. Alleged victims said he used the car to lure children.

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But Becky Ianni, a Burke woman who was sexually abused by a priest as a child and is the leader of the Northern Virginia SNAP chapter, said parishioners should have been told. "This is the history of the church; they keep it among themselves," she said. In a letter delivered to the Arlington diocese yesterday, SNAP said Bishop Paul S. Loverde "has a moral duty to warn unsuspecting families and neighbors, Catholic and non-Catholic, about Foley's presence here."

Final Monday Male Beauty

Suicides May Exceed Combat Deaths

The Chimperator is always claiming that he "supports the troops." In reality, that claims is just as false as just about anything else that comes out of the Chimperator's mouth. But if supporting the troops includes adequate body armor, equipment, limits to re-deployments, or mental health care for troops returning from the Hell in Iraq that Chimpy has created, then he's missing in action. The Chimperator is good for sound bites and slogans, but he is otherwise worthless. He continues to make me feel shame at being an American. A new story from Bloomberg.com suggests that the number of Iraq veteran suicides may exceed the number of troops killed in action. Here are some story highlights:

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May 5 (Bloomberg) -- The number of suicides among veterans of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan may exceed the combat death toll because of inadequate mental health care, the U.S. Gvernment's top psychiatric researcher said. Community mental health centers, hobbled by financial limits, haven't provided enough scientifically sound care, especially in rural areas, said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland. . . . Based on those figures and established suicide rates for similar patients who commonly develop substance abuse and other complications of post-traumatic stress disorder, ``it's quite possible that the suicides and psychiatric mortality of this war could trump the combat deaths,'' Insel said. The Pentagon didn't dispute Insel's remark.

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The psychiatric association reported last week that a survey of 191 military members and their spouses found 32 percent said their duty hurt their mental health, and six in 10 believed seeking treatment would damage their careers.

More Monday Male Beauty

The End of Pax Americana?

The typical American citizen is in a funk - partly because of the bad economy where foreclosures and job losses are rampant, but also perhaps due to another phenomenon. Namely, the changing nature of the world and the USA's declining ability to dictate policy and mindsets to other countries. While the Cold War is history, perhaps the new circumstances are in some ways more unsettling than the days where it was the USA on one side and the Soviet Union on the other. Now, as discussed in Fareed Zakaria's new book, The Post-American World, the rules of the global game are changing and the USA finds itself in a situation perhaps analogous to that of the British Empire early in the last century as it's power and influence were declining yet not fully challenged by the two World Wars.

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Far too many American's have the misconception that just because the USA has a view or a position on an issue that all other countires - many of which the average American knows little or nothing about - should be in immediate agreement and tow the line. These folks have no clue as to the rapid industrialization of China, India, Brazil to name a few or what is occurring within the European Union. Worse yet, they feel no need to try to understand other cultures and perspectives, clinging to a "my way or the highway" mentality. The Chimperator clearly falls within this category and his disastrous foreign policy is one clear result. This changing world is one of the reasons the USA needs a new mindset in its leadership. Doing things the way they have always been done and fearing those who are different ethnically, socially and/or religiously will not serve the nation - or the world - well. Middle America needs to wake up to the changing world and embrace it rather than try to re-achieve a version of the 1950's that never in fact existed. Here are highlights from Newsweek on Zakaria's new book:

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Americans are glum at the moment. No, I mean really glum. In April, a new poll revealed that 81 percent of the American people believe that the country is on the "wrong track." In the 25 years that pollsters have asked this question, last month's response was by far the most negative. Other polls, asking similar questions, found levels of gloom that were even more alarming, often at 30- and 40-year highs.

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American anxiety springs from something much deeper, a sense that large and disruptive forces are coursing through the world. In almost every industry, in every aspect of life, it feels like the patterns of the past are being scrambled. "Whirl is king, having driven out Zeus," wrote Aristophanes 2,400 years ago. And—for the first time in living memory—the United States does not seem to be leading the charge. Americans see that a new world is coming into being, but fear it is one being shaped in distant lands and by foreign people.

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In America, we are still debating the nature and extent of anti-Americanism. One side says that the problem is real and worrying and that we must woo the world back. The other says this is the inevitable price of power and that many of these countries are envious—and vaguely French—so we can safely ignore their griping. But while we argue over why they hate us, "they" have moved on, and are now far more interested in other, more dynamic parts of the globe. The world has shifted from anti-Americanism to post-Americanism.

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Over the last two decades, lands outside the industrialized West have been growing at rates that were once unthinkable. While there have been booms and busts, the overall trend has been unambiguously upward. Antoine van Agtmael, the fund manager who coined the term "emerging markets," has identified the 25 companies most likely to be the world's next great multinationals. His list includes four companies each from Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Taiwan; three from India, two from China, and one each from Argentina, Chile, Malaysia, and South Africa. This is something much broader than the much-ballyhooed rise of China or even Asia. It is the rise of the rest—the rest of the world.

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At the military and political level, we still live in a unipolar world. But along every other dimension—industrial, financial, social, cultural—the distribution of power is shifting, moving away from American dominance. In terms of war and peace, economics and business, ideas and art, this will produce a landscape that is quite different from the one we have lived in until now—one defined and directed from many places and by many peoples.

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Today's rising great powers are relatively benign by historical measure. In the past, when countries grew rich they've wanted to become great military powers, overturn the existing order, and create their own empires or spheres of influence. But since the rise of Japan and Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, none have done this, choosing instead to get rich within the existing international order. China and India are clearly moving in this direction. Even Russia, the most aggressive and revanchist great power today, has done little that compares with past aggressors.

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The fact that newly rising nations are more strongly asserting their ideas and interests is inevitable in a post-American world. This raises a conundrum—how to get a world of many actors to work together. The traditional mechanisms of international cooperation are fraying. The U.N. Security Council has as its permanent members the victors of a war that ended more than 60 years ago. The G8 does not include China, India or Brazil—the three fastest-growing large economies in the world—and yet claims to represent the movers and shakers of the world economy.

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American society can adapt to this new world. But can the American government? Washington has gotten used to a world in which all roads led to its doorstep. America has rarely had to worry about benchmarking to the rest of the world—it was always so far ahead. But the natives have gotten good at capitalism and the gap is narrowing. . . . This necessarily means that America's unimpeded influence will decline. But if the world that's being created has more power centers, nearly all are invested in order, stability and progress. Rather than narrowly obsessing about our own short-term interests and interest groups, our chief priority should be to bring these rising forces into the global system, to integrate them so that they in turn broaden and deepen global economic, political, and cultural ties.

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We have become suspicious of trade, openness, immigration, and investment because now it's not Americans going abroad but foreigners coming to America. Just as the world is opening up, we are closing down. Generations from now, when historians write about these times, they might note that by the turn of the 21st century, the United States had succeeded in its great, historical mission—globalizing the world. We don't want them to write that along the way, we forgot to globalize ourselves.