Final Friday Male Beauty

Friday Male Beauty

Dedicated to all the gay hating Christianists

How Bush's Grandfather Helped Hitler's Rise to Power

In light of the Chimperator's lastest blather - and John McCain's edorsement of the untruths -about unnamed Democrats favoring the appeasement of enemies nations like Iran, it is most telling that a previous story in the Guardian which did not get adequate exposure in the past shows that the Bush family knows all about appeasement, or perhaps more accurately, trading with the enemy. As the Guardian reports, granddaddy Bush was a director and shareholder of companies that profited from their involvement with the financial backers of Nazi Germany. Current Bush family dealings with Middle East despots is merely a continuation of long standing family practices. Once again, the Chimperator has shown himself to be a disingenuous idiot. Here are some story highlights:

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The Guardian has obtained confirmation from newly discovered files in the US National Archives that a firm of which Prescott Bush was a director was involved with the financial architects of Nazism. His business dealings, which continued until his company's assets were seized in 1942 under the Trading with the Enemy Act, has led more than 60 years later to a civil action for damages being brought in Germany against the Bush family by two former slave labourers at Auschwitz and to a hum of pre-election controversy. The evidence has also prompted one former US Nazi war crimes prosecutor to argue that the late senator's action should have been grounds for prosecution for giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

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But the new documents, many of which were only declassified last year, show that even after America had entered the war and when there was already significant information about the Nazis' plans and policies, he worked for and profited from companies closely involved with the very German businesses that financed Hitler's rise to power. It has also been suggested that the money he made from these dealings helped to establish the Bush family fortune and set up its political dynasty.

The Christianist Threat to Liberty

Already, just a day after the precedent setting decision of the California Supreme Court striking down gay marriage bans, the Christianists are going into overdrive whining and lamenting the decision are making untrue – yes, what a huge surprise – statements condemning the ruling. Putting aside the disingenuous argument that the rule is an example of out of control “activist judges" which I will address later in this post, when one examines the basis for their condemnation of the Court’s ruling, the Christianists’ arguments are based on two underlying beliefs:

(1) That CIVIL legal rights should be dispensed to citizens based upon whether or not those citizens conform to the Christianists’ religious beliefs inasmuch as these people believe that religious rights and civil legal rights are one and the same; and

(2) That mob majority rule dictates who receives CIVIL legal and that whatever the majority wants, the majority gets. The rule of law and minority rights have no place in their universe.

The former argument clearly flies against both the California and U. S. Constitutions that (a) grant freedom of religion and (b) bar the establishment of one set of religious beliefs as controlling the rights of those of other beliefs. What is even more frightening is that when one studies the web sites of the leading Christianist organizations, gay marriage is only one of the legal rights they want to bar. Add to that list divorce, birth control and non-sectarian schools.

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The latter argument means that NO minority is safe in its legal rights since the whims of the majority can abrogate such rights at any time. This reality ought to terrify all minority groups, including black ministers who have to date been cynically manipulated by white Christianists to but into the anti-gay agenda. The anti-gay Southern Baptists – think homophobe Richard Land – and fundamentalist evangelicals are the descendants of the same folks who used the Bible to justify slavery and later segregation. Would that more black ministers knew their history and the fact that they have made a pact with the Devil. Ditto for Jews who are being mislead by Christianist support for Israel.
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Illustrative of these Christianist themes are statements found made by Matt Barber, one of the men running Concerned Women for America and Jennifer Monk, legal counsel for Murrieta-based Advocates for Faith and Freedom in the Los Angeles Times, respectively:

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Barber: Concerned Women for America's Matt Barber predicted backlash to the California court's decision--which he termed "the worst kind of judicial activism.""So-called 'same-sex' marriage is counterfeit marriage," Barber said "If people who engage in homosexual behavior want to dress up and play house, that's their prerogative, but we shouldn't destroy the institutions of legitimate marriage and family in order to help facilitate a counterfeit."

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Monk: In declaring a right to same-sex marriage in the California Constitution, the court showed an outrageous lack of respect for the expressed will of a majority of California voters and ignored a long history of legal precedent supporting traditional marriage," said Jennifer Monk, legal counsel for Murrieta-based Advocates for Faith and Freedom, a nonprofit that has represented the Proposition 22 Legal Defense and Education Fund.

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As for the alleged unelected "activist judge" argument, it simply does not wash in California. Andrew Sullivan has some interesting facts on his blog:

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All seven members of the California court have been confirmed by the voters. Kennard -- confirmed 2006 with 74.5% Corrigan -- confirmed 2006 with 74.4% Werdegar -- confirmed 2002 with 74.1% Moreno -- confirmed 2002 with 72.6% Baxter -- confirmed 2002 with 71.5% George -- confirmed 1998 with 75.5% Chin -- confirmed 1998 with 69.3% Six of the seven were originally appointed by Republicans.

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Add to this fact the passage of gay marriage legislation TWICE by the elected members of the California legislature and this argument falls utterly apart. Sadly, do not expect the main stream media to point out these facts. Rather, anchors who are hired based on looks instead of intelligence and analytical skills will merely parrot the Christianist claims. The talking heads will be little better in most instances as well. Thus, it is CRITICAL that members of the LGBT community know their facts and challenge the Christianist lies whenever and wherever possible.

More Thursday Male Beauty

The Christianist Lies and Disinformation Campaign Begins

Not surprisingly, the Christianist organizations are hyperventilating and spewing untruths in the wake of the California Supreme Court's ruling striking down that state's bans on gay marriage. Totally missing from the rants are references to the fact that (1) TWICE the California legislature has passed legislation granting gay marriage which was struck down by the Governator pending a ruling by the Supreme Court, and (2) Arnold Schwarzenegger's announcement that he will support the Court's ruling and oppose any attempt to amend the California constitution. The press release of Family Research Council - headed by David Duke/KKK loving Tony Perkins - is illustrative of the untruthful campaign being launched by religious fanatic Christianists (Note: Under the FRC view of constitutional law, the majority can deprive minorities of legal rights whenever their prejudices so incline them - thus, blacks could be disinfranchised if the majority of voters so chose. Welcome to fascist America):

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"It's outrageous that the court has overturned not only the historic definition of marriage, but the clear will of the people of California, as expressed in Proposition 22." said FRC President Tony Perkins. "The California Supreme Court assumed the powers of a legislative body by imposing same-sex 'marriage.' However, in 2000, the people of California spoke loudly and clearly on the value of marriage when 61 percent of voters approved Proposition 22."

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"The California Supreme Court has taken a jackhammer to the democratic process, and the right of the people to affect change in public policy. Four judges discarded the votes of 4,618,673 Californians who approved the state's 'Defense of Marriage Act.' Voters understand that children should not be deprived of a mother or a father," added Perkins.

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This decision put marriage at risk all across the nation and again highlights the need for a Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Constitution so that this divisive campaign for the oxymoron of 'same-sex marriage' will be ended once and for all."

California Supreme Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban

In a 121 page opinion with three concurring and dissenting opinions which can all be viewed here (I have printed off the opinion, but it will take time to read it in full) the California Supreme Court has struck down the state law bans on gay marriage and allowed equal justice under the law for ALL citizens to prevail. Among the laws struck down was Proposition 22 approved by California voters in March, 2000. No doubt the Christianist wil be going into fits and spasms and claiming that the end of civilization is at hand. God forbid that LGBT citizens have fully EQUAL legal rights since that undercuts the Christianist agenda to malign and denigrate gays whenever and however possible. Here is a highlight from the Court's opinion:

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"Furthermore, in contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual’s capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual’s sexual orientation, and, more generally, that an individual’s sexual orientation — like a person’s race or gender — does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights. We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples."

Thursday Male Beauty

"End-Times" Christian Lunacy Merges with Military Might

While the U. S. Navy seems to have escaped much of the Christianist mentality that is sweeping the U. S. Army and U. S. Air Force, more rational leadership of the Navy cannot counterbalance the frightening trend in the other branches of the military. As this story out of Florida highlights, the Christianist Kool-Aid drinkers are becoming increasingly entrenched and in control of the Army and Air Force. It is extremely dangerous when religious fanatics control powerful weaponry. In my view, some of these folks are every bit as crazy as the Islamic fundamentalists. While they haven't publicly advocated killing non-Christians - at least not yet, behind the scenes - that mind set is festering and does not bode well for the military, the nation, or the world as a whole. Here are some story highlights:

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Maybe the reason the misperception persists that there are no atheists in foxholes is that nonbelievers must either shut up about their views or be hounded out of the military. Just ask Army Spc. Jeremy Hall, who is making a splash in the news because of the way his atheism was attacked by superiors and fellow soldiers while he was risking his life in service to his country.

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Hall, 23, served two combat tours in Iraq, winning the Combat Action Badge. But he's now stationed at Fort Riley, Kan., having been returned stateside early because the Army couldn't ensure his safety. There is something deeply amiss when we send soldiers on a mission to engender peaceful coexistence between Sunni and Shiite Muslims, yet our military doesn't seem able to offer religious tolerance to its own.

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Hall claims that he was denied a promotion in part because he wouldn't be able to "pray with his troops." And of course he was returned from overseas due to physical threats from fellow soldiers and superiors. Things became so bad that he was assigned a full-time bodyguard. This is nothing new to Mikey Weinstein, founder of MRFF and a former Air Force judge advocate general who also served in the Reagan administration. Weinstein says that he has collected nearly 8,000 complaints, mostly from Christian members of the military tired of being force-fed a narrow brand of evangelical fundamentalism.

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Beyond the mincemeat being made of church-state separation and religious liberty, it seems particularly combustible for our armed forces to be combining "end-times" Christian theology with military might. That's no way to placate Muslim populations around the world. But there's no will for change. The military's virulent religious intolerance could be eradicated tomorrow with swift sanctions against transgressors. Instead, it's winked at and those caught proselytizing suffer no consequence. It appears that brave men like Hall, who simply wish to follow the dictates of their own conscience, will be needing bodyguards for a long time to come.

Republicans Face Crisis

I cannot help but laugh at the hand wringing going on amongst the Republicans in the aftermath of a third consecutive Congressional special election loss in what was considered a "safe" district. What is amazing is that these folks refuse to see that they have created their own problem and have driven moderates and anyone believing in the separation of church and state out of the Party. It's not a need to "re-brand" the Party that will change things, but rather a need to remake the party from the top to bottom, starting with the expulsion of the Christianists. Anyone who isn't blind or drinking doctored Kool-Aid ought to be able to figure this out. In fact, Northern Virginia Congressman Tom Davis has figured it out, but he seems to be a lone voice crying in the wilderness but is retiring because he sense the coming disaster.

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Contributing to the GOP's current near radioactive status with voters are (1) blind allegiance - it's a wonder they haven't suffocated with their noses so far up the Chimperator's ass - to a president who (a) took the party to war based on known, deliberate lies, (b) has an approval rating worse than Richard Nixon just before his resignation, and (c) has been rated by historians as the worse president in the nation's history, (2) surrender of control of the Party to those who are basically mentally unstable religious fanatics, (3) the utter abondonment of any kind of responsible fiscal policy, and (4) the incredible erosion of civil liberties under the fascist regime of Bush/Cheney. But this lunatics cannot see these obvious factors. Here are highlights from the Washington Post:

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House Republicans turned on themselves yesterday after a third straight loss of a GOP-held House seat in special elections this year left both parties contemplating widespread Democratic gains in November. In huddles, closed-door meetings and hastily arranged conference calls, some Republicans demanded the head of their political chief, while others decried their leadership as out of touch with the political catastrophe they face.

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Tuesday's loss in northern Mississippi was devastating. The district had given President Bush 62 percent of its vote in 2004. To reverse its losing streak, the NRCC pumped $1.3 million from its depleted coffers into the race. Freedom's Watch, a conservative independent group, pitched in. Vice President Cheney appeared at a last-minute rally. Bush and Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, lent their voices to automated phone calls imploring Republicans to vote for Southaven Mayor Charles G. "Greg" Davis. Davis lost the contest by eight percentage points, a wider margin than in either of the two previous special-election defeats.

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Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, has been badly damaged by scandals besetting his family and his party in Alaska, creating an unexpected opportunity for Democrats. Sen. John E. Sununu (N.H.) is defending a seat in a state where Democratic fortunes are on the rise, and other Republican senators -- including Susan Collins (Maine), Norm Coleman (Minn.) and Gordon Smith (Ore.) -- are seeking reelection in states leaning Democratic in a presidential election year. In total, 23 Republican-held Senate seats will be on the ballot this fall compared with 12 for Democrats.

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Rep. Tom Davis (Va.) fretted in a 20-page memorandum given to House Republican leaders yesterday and provided to The Washington Post. "Members and pundits, waiting for Democrats to fumble the ball so that soft Republicans and Independents will snap back to the GOP, fail to understand the deep seeded antipathy toward the President, the war, gas prices, the economy, foreclosures and, in some areas, the underlying cultural differences that continue to brand our party."

Judge Rules Against Anti-gay Principal who Allows Confederate Flag Wearing

I posted a while back on the case of Heather Gillman, a junior at Ponce de Leon High School, in Florida who with the help of the ACLU had challenged a ban in her high school against wearing LGBT supportive slogans or symbols. Meanwhile, wearing the Confederate flag was totally fine by the school's principal. These family values types only care about straight, white Christians and to Hell with anyone else's rights. I can only wonder about the principal's obsession with visulizing gay sex - a closet case, perhaps? In any event, today, a judge ruled against the high school and vindicated Ms. Gillman. Here are some highlights from the ACLU website:

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PANAMA CITY, FL – After a two-day trial in which a Florida high school principal testified that he believed clothing or stickers featuring rainbows would make students automatically picture gay people having sex, a federal judge today ruled that the school violated students’ First Amendment rights of students. The case was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a junior at the school who had been forbidden by her principal to wear any sort of clothing, stickers, buttons, or symbols to show her support of equal rights for gay people.

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Judge Richard Smoak of the United States District Court, Northern District of Florida, Panama City Division, issued an order that forces the school to stop its unconstitutional censorship of students who want to express their support for the fair and equal treatment of gay people. The judge also warned the district not to retaliate against students over the lawsuit.

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During the trial, which was held in Panama City yesterday and today, Ponce de Leon High School’s principal David Davis admitted under oath that he had banned students from wearing any clothing or symbols supporting equal rights for gay people. Davis also testified that he believed rainbows were “sexually suggestive” and would make students unable to study because they’d be picturing gay sex acts in their mind. The principal went on to admit that while censoring rainbows and gay pride messages he allowed students to wear other symbols many find controversial, such as the Confederate flag.

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Gillman v. Holmes County School District, case no. 5:08-cv-34, was heard in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Florida. A copy of the ACLU’s complaint as well as the earlier letter and the school’s response can be downloaded at: www.aclu.org/lgbt/youth/33859res20080131.html.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

California Supreme Court to Rule on Gay Marriage Tomorrow

While I hope in many ways that the Califronia Supreme Court rules in favor of gay marriage when it releases it opinion tomorrow, I cannot help but wonder what impact it will have on the wingnut Kool-Aid drinkers' effort to pass an anti-gay narriage amendment to the California constitution. It goes without saying that the Christianists seek to do everything possible to make gays less than full citizens under the law, be it DADT, banning gay marriage, or a desire to reinstate the sodomy laws.

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Yet in California, twice now the legislature has passed gay marriage legislation only to have it vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Obviously, a pro-gay marriage ruling by the California Supreme Court will make the Christianists go into convulsions, start foaming at the mouth and redouble their efforts to deprive gays of legal civil rights. But, will a favorable Supreme Court ruling added to this legislative action convince non-Christianist voters that gays should have CIVIL marriage rights and thereby doom the amendment effort? It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. Here are highlights from the Los Angeles Times on the pending decision:

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The California Supreme Court says it plans to issue its long-awaited decision on whether to legalize same-sex marriage Thursday.The high court announced the pending opinion on its Web site Wednesday morning. Justices heard oral arguments in a series of cases brought by gay and lesbian couples, the city of San Francisco and two gay rights advocacy groups in early March.

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The court has been asked to decide whether the state's one man-one woman marriage laws violate the civil rights of same-sex couples.If it rules in favor of the plaintiffs, California could become the second state after Massachusetts where gays and lesbians can legally wed.

John Edwards Endorses Obama As Hillary Appears More Delusional

It's about time John Edwards did his part to stop Akasha, a/k/a Hillary Clinton from continuing her farcical campaign and destroying the Democratic Party in the process. As Dana Millbank pointed out in a Washington Post column this morning, Hillary is increasingly looking like some demented charatcter who cannot and will not grasp reality. Her delusionsal behavior is most definitely NOT what one would want of one seeking to hold a position that could launch World War III. First, here are some highlights from the Washington Post on Edwards' endorsement today:

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- To thunderous applause, former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards endorsed Sen. Barack Obama tonight, calling him a leader who can unite the country, end the Iraq war and restore a sense of fairness to the economy. "The reason I am here tonight," Edwards declared, "is the voters have made their choice and so have I."

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In a spirited speech that sounded in parts like a eulogy for Clinton's candidacy, Edwards praised Clinton's tenacity and said she is "made of steel." But he emphasized that the Democrats must get behind Obama. "When this nomination battle is over, and it will be over soon, brothers and sisters," Edwards said, "we must come together as Democrats and in the fall stand up for what matters in America and make America what it needs to be."
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Friends said Edwards told Obama of his decision on Tuesday night, as Clinton was thumping Obama by 41 points in the West Virginia primary, propelled by the kind of white working class voters at the heart of Edwards's candidacy. Indeed, he received seven percent of the West Virginia vote. The endorsement came on a day when Obama intensified his efforts to connect with such voters. Edwards was the third of Obama's rivals to endorse him, following Sen. Christopher Dodd (Conn.) and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

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As for Millbank's column, entitled "This Is an Ex-Candidate," while somewhat brutal, highlights the fact that Hillary seems hellbent on refusing to accept the fact that she CANNOT win and in the process make herself into a laugh-stock. The longer she refuses to give up, the more ridiculous she will appear. Here are highlights from Millank's column:

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It's Day 7 of the Clinton Campaign Death Watch -- a full week since the official arbiter of the Democratic primary, Tim Russert, declared the campaign over and Barack Obama the nominee. Hillary Clinton's advisers continue to insist that the candidate's prospects are very much alive, but the press isn't buying it. Exhibit A: There are two press buses waiting at the hotel here for Clinton's trip to her victory rally in West Virginia, but the entire press contingent doesn't quite fill one. It isn't until the entourage arrives at Dulles Airport that Clinton aides learn that the second bus is still idling, empty, at the hotel. If there is importance in the results of the primary in West Virginia, the press corps isn't letting on.

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A steep descent brings Clinton's plane to Charleston's hilltop airport. After an appropriate wait, she steps from the plane and pretends to wave to a crowd of supporters; in fact, she is waving to 10 photographers underneath the airplane's wing. She pretends to spot an old friend in the crowd, points and gives another wave; in fact, she is waving at an aide she had been talking with on the plane minutes earlier.

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A week ago, Clinton won the Indiana primary by two percentage points -- and the media decreed that she had lost. Now she's trouncing Obama by double digits in West Virginia -- and nobody seems to care. This, no doubt, has something to do with the fact that she is trailing Obama in the popular vote, states won, pledged delegates and, now, superdelegates. Even Clinton loyalist James Carville calls Obama the likely nominee. . . . And the crowd -- now up to 500, all but about 10 of them white -- is rapturous as Clinton rebukes the "pundits and the naysayers."

Wednesday Male Beauty

What's Wrong With West Virginia

I have had a number of non-US readers ask me WTF is wrong with West Virginia and its embrace of Akasha, Queen of the Damed, a/k/a Hillary Clinton. Some have - God forbid - confused West Virginia with Virginia (Virginia certainly has its problems, but we are down right cosmopolitan and progressive compared to West Virginia). Personally other than visiting the Greenbrier Hotel or a couple of ski resorts, there really is no point to EVER go to West Virginia. The state is backwards and with a mindset like that of the voters who voted for Hillary, it will remain backwards and become an increasingly unattractive location for any progressive business seeking to relocate. Since West Virginia broke away from Virginia in the 1860's, most Virginians do not hold a high opinion of West Virginia as demonstrated by this joke:

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West Virginia State Residency Application
Name: ________________ (last)
(first) (Check appropriate box)

(_) Billy-Bob
(_) Billy-Joe
(_) Billy-Ray
(_) Billy-Sue
(_) Billy-Mae
(_) Billy-Jack
Age: ____
Sex: ____ M _____ F _____ N/A
Shoe Size: ____ Left ____ Right
CB Handle: _____________________
Occupation:
(_)Farmer
(_)Mechanic
(_)Hair Dresser
(_)Un-employed
(_)Coal Miner
Spouse's Name: __________________________
Relationship with spouse:
(_) Sister
(_) Brother
(_) Aunt
(_) Uncle
(_) Cousin
(_) Mother
(_) Father
(_) Son
(_) Daughter
(_) Pet
Number of children living in household: ___
Number that are yours: ___
Mother's Name: _______________________
Father's Name: _______________________
(If not sure, leave blank)
Education: 1 2 3 4 (Circle highest grade completed)
Do you (_)own or (_)rent your mobile home? (Check appropriate box)

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On a serious noteand to set the record straight (and protect Virginia's reputation), here's some data on WEST Virginia: West Virginia has a rich, lush beauty. Tourist sites include the New River Gorge Bridge, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park and many state parks. The Greenbrier Hotel and resort, originally built in 1778 and just across the border from Virginia), has long been considered a premier hotel frequented by numerous world leaders and U.S. Presidents over the years. The population is over 96% white. Other pertinent information via Wikipedia.org is as follows:

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The economy of West Virginia is one of the most fragile of any U.S. state. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, West Virginia is the third lowest in per capita income, ahead of only Arkansas and Mississippi. It also ranks last in median household income. The proportion of West Virginia's adult population with a bachelor's degree is the lowest in the U.S. at 15.3%. West Virginia's GDP was $55.6B in 2006, which was a 0.6% increase from 2005. This makes growth rate for the state the 2nd lowest in the nation, behind only Michigan.Only 1.1% of the state's residents were foreign-born, placing West Virginia last among the 50 states in that statistic. It has the lowest percentage of residents that speak a language other than English in the home (2.7%). The largest city has a population of about 54,000.

More Tuesday

Jail House Confession In Gay Producer Murder?

365gay.com is reporting a supposed new development in the Pennsylvania murder trial of two Virginia Beach men which - if unconfirmed, unofficial comments I have heard locally are true as to the two suspects' personalities - seems the reverse of who some locals view is the more potentially violent of the two suspects. Then, of course there continue to be unconfirmed rumors that high elected GOP officials in Washington and some very senior military officers used the escort service that the two suspects once operated. Having been once personally threatened by a top aid to a closeted member of Congress who knew that I knew his boss' secret, I don't know what to believe and in some ways wonder if the real truth of this murder will ever come out. Here are some highlights:

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(Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) One of two men accused of killing gay porn producer Bryan Kocis in 2006 confessed to fellow inmates in jail according to papers filed by the prosecution. The filing alleges that Joseph Kerekes told one cellmate that he and Harlow Cuadra plotted to kill "a dude" in order to gain the movie rights to a porn star that was under contract to Kocis' Cobra Video.

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The court papers claim that Kerekes told the cellmate and other prisoners that there was so much blood they could not clean it up and decided to set the house on fire. He also allegedly told the inmates who he used his cell phone and computer to try to create an alibi. The court papers list the inmates, in two separate facilities, to whom Kerekes allegedly made the statements. The inmates are expected to be called as witnesses at the trial.

Attorney Wants Pope to Testify on Clergy Sex Abuse

During his disingenuous visit to the USA last month, Pope Benedict XVI gave lip service about sarrow for the sex abuse scandal involing thousands of victims in the USA alone. Now, based upon a Raw Story article, Benedict could have an opportunity to demostrate that he was exhibiting more than mere crocodile tears. Namely, he can testify in a pending lawsuit in Louisville, Kentucky, against the Archdiocese of Louisville aleging that top church officials should have warned parishioners about sexual predator priests. It will be interesting to see what excuse Benedict comes up with to avoid having to come clean about what he (and probably several prior Popes) knew and covered up - my guess is that he will claim to be the head of state of a sovreign nation, i.e., the Vatican City. Here are some highlights:

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Pope Benedict XVI should be questioned soon about clergy sex abuse in the Catholic church because he is the most knowledgeable person on the topic and his advanced age makes future testimony unlikely, an attorney said Monday.
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This request comes as part of a lawsuit by three men claiming top church officials should have warned about sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese of Louisville. A federal judge last year let those claims stand while dismissing other aspects of the lawsuit. It's now pending before the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.

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Attorney William McMurry said Pope Benedict XVI has an unparalleled knowledge of the scope of sex abuse complaints because before becoming pope, he led Vatican offices that were directly involved with the investigation of sexual abuse by clerics. "The pope has certain knowledge relevant to this case," said McMurry, who on Monday filed the motion seeking a court order for the pope's testimony.

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Along with the accusations against the Vatican, the lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act, which generally gives immunity to foreign countries from most lawsuits. McMurry said the law violates the plaintiff's rights to a trial on the merits of the case. McMurry also claims that the law doesn't apply to the Holy See because of its dual role as a religious institution and country.

Tuesday Male Beauty

Ugly Americans - Update

Here's a couple highlights from the Washington Post that shows the posion Hillary's campaign and supporters are sowing. Never mind that the facts recited are all 100% untrue. Perhaps Hillary needs to change parties - she'd fit in perfectly with the disingenuous, deliberately lying Christianists that hold sway in the GOP. These people sicken me. Here's the quotes:

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In a letter to the editor published in a local paper, Tunkhannock Borough Mayor Norm Ball explained his support of Hillary Clinton this way: "Barack Hussein Obama and all of his talk will do nothing for our country. There is so much that people don't know about his upbringing in the Muslim world. His stepfather was a radical Muslim and the ranting of his minister against the white America, you can't convince me that some of that didn't rub off on him.

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Karen Seifert, a volunteer from New York, was outside of the largest polling location in Lackawanna County, Pa., on primary day when she was pressed by a Clinton volunteer to explain her backing of Obama. "I trust him," Seifert replied. According to Seifert, the woman pointed to Obama's face on Seifert's T-shirt and said: "He's a half-breed and he's a Muslim. How can you trust that?"

Ugly Americans

This campaign season is showing America both at its best and its worse. Sadly, Hillary - and no doubt the GOP as things move forward will follow suit - has pandered to the nasty, most bigoted, most selfish and intolerant under currents in American society, beginning with the race baiting that she and Slick Willie started back in South Carolina. Instead of trying to inspire Americans to be the best they can be, pettiness, bigotry and racism have become the stock in trade of Barack Obama's opponents. Some in the media - think Tim Russert and Lou Dobbs - have aided and abetted this low life behavior to varying degrees. What baffles me in part is that these racists overlook (1) that Obama is half white and (2) some of them may not be as "lily white" in their ancestry as they like to pretend. I likewise wonder how many of these racial bigots go to church every Sunday and pat themselves on the back for being "Godly Christians" - the majority of them most likely. MSNBC has a story that focuses upon this ugly side of the American public. Here are some highlights:

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For all the hope and excitement Obama's candidacy is generating, some of his field workers, phone-bank volunteers and campaign surrogates are encountering a raw racism and hostility that have gone largely unnoticed -- and unreported -- this election season. Doors have been slammed in their faces. They've been called racially derogatory names (including the white volunteers). And they've endured malicious rants and ugly stereotyping from people who can't fathom that the senator from Illinois could become the first African American president.

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Victoria Switzer, a retired social studies teacher, was on phone-bank duty one night during the Pennsylvania primary campaign. One night was all she could take: "It wasn't pretty." She made 60 calls to prospective voters in Susquehanna County, her home county, which is 98 percent white. The responses were dispiriting. One caller, Switzer remembers, said he couldn't possibly vote for Obama and concluded: "Hang that darky from a tree!"

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Documentary filmmaker Rory Kennedy, the daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy, said she, too, came across "a lot of racism" when campaigning for Obama in Pennsylvania. One Pittsburgh union organizer told her he would not vote for Obama because he is black, and a white voter, she said, offered this frank reason for not backing Obama: "White people look out for white people, and black people look out for black people." Obama campaign officials say such incidents are isolated, that the experience of most volunteers and staffers has been overwhelmingly positive.

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"Will there be some folks who probably won't vote for me because I am black? Of course," Obama said, "just like there may be somebody who won't vote for Hillary because she's a woman or wouldn't vote for John Edwards because they don't like his accent. But the question is, 'Can we get a majority of the American people to give us a fair hearing?' "

Appalachian Trail - Update 5/13/08

I got an e-mail last night from my son and he reports that he has reached Pearisburg, Virginia, which is a tiny town west of Blacksburg, the home of Virginia Tech. At this point, he has covered some 624 miles on the Trail. He says that now that he is in Virginia he is seeing deer all the time which he finds nice, especially since he did not see many before in the states to the south of Virginia. He expects to reach Rockfish Gap of "The Waltons" fame in a bit over two weeks which is west, southwest of Charlottesville. From the tone of his message, he is continuing to have a wonderful adventure.

More Monday Male Beauty

Can New Voters Change the Political Map

One thing that the talking heads, including Tim Russert, who at times appears to be on Hillary's payroll, keep overlooking in the 2008 election cycle is the vast number of new voters that have registered for the Democratic primaries this year. In virtually every state, the Democcrat turn out was much larger than that for the GOP. I suspect the majority of these newly registered voters are Obama followers as opposed to Hillary's followers who tend to the older end of the age spectrum and, therefore, probably were already registered. It certainly happened here in Virginia and by all reports in many other states. Progress Illinois takes a look at this too often overlooked phenomenon. It's an interesting view and worth a read.

Monday Male Beauty

The Christianists Create a Martyr

As predicted by a number of bloggers, the Christianists are trying to turn former University of Toledo Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Crystal Dixon, into a martyr. Ms. Dixon wrote an anti-gay rant in the Toledo Free Press, which identified Ms. Dixon's position with the University, that among other things said the following:

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"As a Black woman ... I take great umbrage at the notion that those choosing the homosexual lifestyle are civil rights victims. I cannot wake up tomorrow and not be a Black woman. Daily thousands of homosexuals make a life decision to leave the gay lifestyle evidenced by the growing population of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex Gays) and Exodus International just to name a few. Frequently, the individuals report that the impetus to their change of heart and lifestyle was a transformative experience with God; a realization that their choice of same-sex practices wreaked havoc in their psychological and physical lives."

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Economic data is irrefutable: The normative statistics for a homosexual in the USA include a Bachelor's degree: For gay men, the median household income is $83,000/yr. (Gay singles $62,000; gay couples living together $130,000), almost 80% above the median U.S. household income of $46,326, per census data. For lesbians, the median household income is $80,000/yr. (Lesbian singles $52,000; Lesbian couples living together $96,000); 36% of lesbians reported household incomes in excess of $100,000/yr. Compare that to the median income of the non-college educated Black male of $30,539. The data speaks for itself.

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My final and most important point. There is a divine order. God created human kind male and female (Genesis 1:27). God created humans with an inalienable right to choose. There are consequences for each of our choices, including those who violate God's divine order. It is base human nature to revolt and become indignant when the world or even God Himself, disagrees with our choice that violates His divine order.

Meanwhile, in her position as Associate Vice President of Human Resources, Ms. Dixon was supposed to be impartially and objectively enforcing the University's diversity policies and programs which differ sharply with Ms. Dixons editorial comments (which again clearly designated her position with the University). Here is what the University's diversity policy reads:

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The University of Toledo has declared a policy of providing equal opportunity in all policies and procedures affecting employment and education. In conjunction with the objectives of the policy and in accordance with the various local, state, and federal laws, rules and regulations, the university is committed to providing employment and educational opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, veteran status, the presence of a disability, familial status, political affiliation and participation in protected activities.

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Obviously, by her own statements, Ms. Dixon made it clear that she does not support ANY anti-discrimination protecting LGBT individuals, much less the University's policy. She thinks gays are just a bunch of Godless sinners acting on their own hedonistic choices. Never mind that the medical experts take a completely opposing view to that of Ms. Dixon. Thus, it makes perfect sense that the University did not wish to keep her in a position where she obviously doesn't want to follow University policy. Now, she's a martyr for the Chistianists. Here's how professional anti-gay gas bag (and in my opinion, extreme closet case) Robert Knight describes Dixon's firing in Cybercast News:

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"She is being singled out for telling the truth," Knight said, "and that is happening all too often on America's campuses, where speech codes and censures and disciplinary actions are undertaken to enforce a singular point of view on any number of topics. But the homosexual issue seems to be the area where university officials brook the least amount of dissent."

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"The media have played a major role in the success of the gay rights movement by excluding responsible dissent and promoting whatever the gay rights movement wants," Knight told Cybercast News Service . "I don't think it is unfair to say that most media, right down to the community level, are fully owned subsidiaries of the gay rights movement."

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All too typically, Cybercast News also has quotes from an "ex-gay for pay" - the only ones that seem to exist are those being paid to say they are ex-gay - whining the same only "choice" myth and citing their marriage to a woman. I assue you, being married to a woman does not mean you are straight - just in deep denial. I tried that approach for 24 years and guess what? It doesn't work.

Why Not Just Label Yourself an Ignorant, Racist Ass?

The ignorance and bigotry of some Americans is both shocking and embarrassing, as illustrated by the individuals with the sign in the photo above. Why not place a sign on your forehead that states "I'm an idiot," "I'm a moron," or "I'm a bigot"? Apparently such folks are so stupid and uninformed that the whole Rev. Wright affair and Obama's CHRISTIAN CHURCH membership went over their heads. I guess they would also believe the old Nazi propaganda against Jews and believe the Christianist claims that all gays are child molesters too. These voters also show how demagogues Rush Limbaugh - and now Hillary and Bill Clinton - are able to influence these idiots. These folks should do the nation a favor and STAY HOME on election day. For democracy to work, an educated and informed electorate are essential. These folks are apparently neither by any standard. Here are a couple of e-mails Andrew Sullivan reports having received about Obama:

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This guy is a muslim trying to take over religion, rights, gunns, and lastly our country.

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Does anyone remember 911. He's cunning and a racists. He is connected with dirty money and bad connections in the rest of the world.

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The irony, of course is that it is Bill Clinton that is connected with dirty money and who has bad connections in the rest of the world, not Obama.

Final Sunday Male Beauty

Young, Evangelical ... for Obama?

The Seattle Times has an article today that may indicate yet another problem for the GOP come November. Namely, the fact that some of the younger evangelicals may be moving to abandon the GOP and the mean, intolerant form of Christianity peddled by Daddy Dobson, et al. I know based on my own children and many of their friends that the Christianists are driving many of the younger voters to shun the GOP even when their parents remain within the GOP fold. Here are some story highlights:

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Michael Dudley is the son of a preacher man. He's a born-again Christian with two family members in the military. He grew up in the Bible Belt, where almost everyone he knew was Republican. But this fall, he's breaking a handful of stereotypes: He plans to vote for Democrat Barack Obama.

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Dudley's disenchantment with the GOP isn't unique among young, devoutly Christian voters. According to a September 2007 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, 15 percent of white evangelicals between 18 and 29, a group traditionally a shoo-in for the GOP, say they no longer identify with the Republican Party. Older evangelicals are also questioning their traditional allegiance, but not at the same rate.

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But students at a recent bipartisan political union meeting at SPU say there's something more going on with young Christians than disenchantment with McCain. In an informal poll of the political union, the majority supported Obama. "I think it's a new movement starting," said Amy Archibald, 19, a sophomore at the evangelical school. "Most of us would never blindly follow the old Christian Right anymore. James Dobson has nothing to do with us. A lot of us are taking apart the issues, and thinking, 'OK, well, [none of the candidates] fits what I'm looking for exactly.' But if you're going to vote, you've got to take your pros with your cons."

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Young evangelicals are more of a swing constituency than they've been for decades, said Andy Crouch, an editor at Christianity Today, a national evangelical magazine. "This could turn out to be the election where both parties realize that the evangelical vote is so hopelessly split down the middle that it's not worth courting them at all because what parties need are blocs that can be appealed to en masse," Crouch said. "Paradoxically, evangelicals would become less relevant than ever before."

Lost Love

I recently did a post on relationship boundaries. My intent behind the post was to focus upon the need for boundaries for a relationship to work and last over time. Seeing the article on Gaytwogether I referenced prompted the idea for the post, in fact. I did not intend by the post to imply that my ex-partner is a bad person or that all fault for our relationship's end was his - I had a lot of baggage not the least of which was a nasty, scorched earth divorce battle that drove my children away form him as well as me, and I probably was not what he needed.

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Since I know he reads this blog, I wanted to state both to him for the record that despite our ultimate incompatability as a couple, in many ways he is one of the kindest, most generous and caring persons I have ever known. I know he loves me and I wish him only good fortune and happiness - he deserves happiness. He will always have a special place in my heart. Although bad luck, fate or whatever one might want to called it doomed us to not remain together, there were definitely good times between us and I will always treasure those moments. Likewise, I will never forget the way that he loved my children and my family.

"Saturday Night Live's" Message From Hillary Clinton: "I Have No Ethical Standards"

Saturday Night Lives calls it correctly

More Sunday Male Beauty

2008 - An Unusual Election Year

Frank Rich at the New York Times has another great editorial. In addition to utterly trashing Hillary Clinton - and rightfully so - Rich also looks at why this election year is different than any in recent memory. In my view, he also accurately looks at why so many of the talking heads and Beltway insiders just do not seem to get it. The American public is sick of business as usual since that mindset is precisely what got the nation into its current fu*ked up situation. I am hearing this not only from my children's generation, but also former Republicans, black clients and even military personnel that I have represented. Try as Hillary and other might, the public seems to be paying more attention than usual and past stunts and ploys are not working as planned. Hopefully, the public disgust and malaise with business as usual will continue through November and deliver an Obama victory and rout of the GOP at every level. Here are highlights from Rich's column:

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Hillary Clinton’s attempt to impersonate a Nascar-lovin’, gun-totin’, economist-bashin’ populist went bust: Asked which candidate most “shares your values,” voters in both North Carolina and Indiana exit polls opted instead for the elite and condescending arugula-eater. Bill Clinton’s small-town barnstorming tour, hailed as a revival of old-time Bubba bonhomie, proved to be yet another sabotage of his wife, whipping up false expectations for her disastrous showing in North Carolina. Barack Obama’s final, undercaffeinated debate performance, not to mention the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s attempted character assassination, failed to slow his inexorable path to the Democratic nomination.

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While we wait out her [Hillary's] self-immolating exit, it’s a good time to pause the 24/7 roller coaster for a second and get our bearings. The reason that politicians and the press have gotten so much so wrong is that we keep forgetting what year it is. Only if we reboot to 2008 will the long march to November start making sense.

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Almost every wrong prediction about this election cycle has come from those trying to force the round peg of this year’s campaign into the square holes of past political wars. That’s why race keeps being portrayed as dooming Mr. Obama — surely Jeremiah Wright = Willie Horton! — no matter what the voters say to the contrary. It’s why the Beltway took on faith the Clinton machine’s strategic, organization and fund-raising invincibility. It’s why some prognosticators still imagine that John McCain can spin the Iraq fiasco to his political advantage as Richard Nixon miraculously did Vietnam.

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The year 2008 is far more complex — and exhilarating — than the old templates would have us believe. Of course we’re in pain. More voters think the country is on the wrong track (81 percent) than at any time in the history of New York Times/CBS News polling on that question. George W. Bush is the most unpopular president that any living American has known.

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Mr. Obama hardly created this moment, with its potent brew of Bush loathing and sweeping generational change. He simply had the vision to tap into it. Running in 2008 rather than waiting four more years was the single smartest political decision he’s made (and, yes, he’s made dumb ones too). The second smartest was to understand and emphasize that subterranean, nearly universal anticipation of change rather than settle for the narrower band of partisan, dyspeptic Bush-bashing. We don’t know yet if he’s the man who can make the moment — and won’t know unless he gets to the White House — but there’s no question that the moment has helped make the man.

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The demographic reshaping of the electoral map, though more widely noted, still isn’t fully understood. From Rust Belt Ohio through Tuesday’s primaries, cable bloviators have been fixated on the older, white, working-class vote. Their unspoken (and truly condescending) assumption, lately embraced by Mrs. Clinton, is that these voters are Reagan Democrats, cryogenically frozen since 1980, who come in two flavors: rubes who will be duped by a politician backing a gas-tax pander or racists who are out of Mr. Obama’s reach.

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But there are many more white working-class voters, both Clinton and Obama supporters, who prefer Democratic policies after seven years of G.O.P. failure. And there is little evidence to suggest that there are enough racists of any class in America, let alone in swing states, to determine the results come fall.

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But this isn’t 2004, and the fixation on that one demographic in the Clinton-Obama contest has obscured the big picture. The rise in black voters and young voters of all races in Democratic primaries is re-weighting the electorate. . . . Good as this demographic shift is for a Democratic ticket led by Mr. Obama, it’s even better news that so many pundits and Republicans bitterly cling to the delusion that the Karl Rove playbook of Swift-boating and race-baiting can work as it did four and eight years ago. . . . This may help rally the anti-Obama vote. But that contingent will be more than offset in November by mobilized young voters, blacks and women, among them many Clinton-supporting Democrats (and independents and Republicans) unlikely to entertain a G.O.P. candidate with a perfect record of voting against abortion rights.

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A few conservatives do realize the game has changed. George Will wrote last week that Mr. Obama was Reaganesque in the stylistic sense that “his manner lulls his adversaries into underestimating his sheer toughness — the tempered steel beneath the sleek suits.” . . . But as long as the likely Democratic nominee keeps partying like it’s 2008 while everyone else refights the battles of yesteryear, he will continue to be underestimated every step of the way.

Sunday Male Beauty

As Losses Mount, GOP Begins Looking in the Mirror

The above is the headline of a story in today's Washington Post. Despite all the hand wringing, the GOP refuses to look at the real reasons the Party is increasingly radioactive with voters: (1) the Party has blindly rubber stamped everything the Chimperator has done no matter how ill-advised and even when based on outright, deliberate lies, and (2) the Christianists who now control the Party are NOT mainstream and the public has begun to see just how incredibly crazy and hate-filled these folks are. As a one time Republican activist - I resigned from the party because I could not in good conscience belong to a party working to subvert the separation of church and state and specifically said so in my resignation letter - I see more and more moderates fleeing the party because of the Chimperator and just as importantly because they find the likes of James Dobson and Tony Perkins frightening. The latter preach an constant anti-gay, anti-minority, anti-immigrant mantra. While they try to disguse their bigotry (except in the anti-gay context), after a while it becomes obvious. Especially if one checks their websites regularly. Meanwhile, the GOP leadership remains oblivious to what's happening and the Kool-Aid drinkers blame the massive defections on the party not being reactionary enough. Personally, I hope the leadership remains blind to reality so that the Party suffers decimating losses. Only then will Dobson, et al , perhaps be jetisoned. Here are highlights from the Washington Post:

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Since losing 30 seats and their 12-year stranglehold on power in 2006, House Republicans have kept asking themselves the same question: Can it get any worse? On Tuesday, they may get another answer they won't like. With lots of help from Washington -- including more than $1.3 million in campaign cash and a last-minute visit by Vice President Cheney -- Mississippi Republicans are desperately trying to retain a congressional seat in one of the most reliably conservative districts in the nation.

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The stakes in the 1st District special election couldn't be higher, strategically or symbolically. . . . Rank-and-file Republicans say that would force a day of reckoning for their leadership. "When you connect three dots in anything, that's a bad thing. This connects the dots. At that point, everybody's got to come together and have a come-to-Jesus meeting," said Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), a retiring centrist who will help form a new advisory panel at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

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Just when Republicans thought they had seen everything, Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) admitted Thursday that he has a 3-year-old daughter from a long-running extramarital affair with a retired Air Force officer. Fossella, who is married and has three young children at home in Staten Island, is also facing drunken-driving charges in Virginia. GOP strategists are debating whether he should resign or announce that he will not seek reelection in November.

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Tom Davis, who chaired the NRCC for four years, said he doubts the effectiveness of the anti-Obama strategy because of the contrast between the consistently unpopular Bush and the likely Democratic nominee. "When Bush tries to articulate a vision," Davis said, pausing to choose his words carefully, "he will butcher the Gettysburg Address. Obama, he will make an A&P grocery list sing." House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), in a private meeting with Republicans on Tuesday, admitted the limitations of the anti-Obama strategy and tried to sell his troops on an Obama-like message of "change" as their only hope for success.

"Monica" Awards

In recognition of Hillary Clinton's self-centered, delusional quest to continue a failed candidacy, John Aravois at America Blog has started a "Monica" award to be bestowed each time the Clintons make statements and take actions that damage Barack Obama and the Democratic Party's chances for victory in November. The Clinton's truly have no shame and care NOTHING for anyone but themselves. In support of John's endeavor I have posted the parody above. Here are highlights from John's kick off of the "Monica" awards:

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Hillary won't stop, and the Superdelegates won't lift a finger. The powers that be in Washington have made clear that they're okay with Hillary launching Rovian attacks on Obama for another month or more. Why? Because, you see, Hillary's a frail thing. She really wanted to be president, and in her own mind, it was owed to her, and now she's sad. So let's just let her beat the crap out of our nominee with incredibly sleazy right-wing attacks for a good month, or maybe three, as a kind of electoral therapy.

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This election is too important. We have to stop John McCain. We have to restore civil liberties and respect for the rule of law. We have to restore our credibility on the world stage. We have to restore a balance in the Supreme Court. Hillary is jeopardizing all of that.

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So, we're going to start a new metric here at AMERICAblog. Every time a Team Clinton player throws the kitchen sink at Obama - i.e., acts like a sleazy member of the vast right-wing conspiracy, rather than acting like a Democrat-first - we're going to award them a "Monica." For each outrage, we'll award between one to five Monicas, depending on the severity of the Clinton sleaze. (And if any of our more creative readers want to help us out, take a really good picture of Monica and turn it into a kind of award, maybe a seal of approval, a face with gold star points around it or something - you get the idea, just make it look fun - then email it to me.)