More Saturday Male Beauty

Doctors May Have Found a Way to Destroy HIV

I am a couple days late in writing this post but as I often do, I bookmarked the story when I first saw it so that I could come back an write something about it. Having lived in Houston some years back, I am familiar with the incredible health care facility often simply referred to as "the medical complex". Thus, while surprised at the wonder of this possible discovery, I wasn't too surprised to see that the discovery came out of the Houston medical complex and related University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Despite the state's many faults, Texans think big and routinely set out to do the impossible without thinking twice.

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Like many people, before I came out and got to know members of the LGBT community, I had a very inaccurate understanding of HIV and all the nightmare that goes with it. I now have a number of friends who are positive and always have to live in fear that what has been managed to date might slip out of control and end their lives. I cannot imagine living with that burden and I hope and pray that the new discoveries lead to a cure and ultimately a vaccine. Besides improving and saving countless lives, an added side effect of a cure would be to deprive our enemies of a weapon to use to depict gays as diseased and plague ridden (all too typically they conveniently ignore all the heterosexuals around the world suffering from HIV and AIDS) . Having realized better the common humanity that we all share (coming out has exposed me to much that I'd never have seen in my safe artificial former neighborhood), I am increasing working to help HIV and AIDS related charities - in, fact, I am going to a fund raiser shortly. In any event, here are some story highlights from KVUE-TV:

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HOUSTON -- There is real hope that what’s happening in a Houston lab might lead to a cure for HIV. “We have found an innovative way to kill the virus by finding this small region of HIV that is unchangeable,” Dr. Sudhir Paul of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston said. Dr. Paul and Dr. Miguel Escobar aren’t talking about just suppressing HIV – they’re talking about destroying it permanently by arming the immune system with a new weapon lab tests have shown to be effective.

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That Achilles heel is the doctors’ way in. They take advantage of it with something called an abzyme. It’s naturally produced by people, like lupus patients. When they applied that abzyme to the HIV virus, it permanently disarmed it. “What we already have in our hand are the abzymes that we could be infusing into the human subjects with HIV infection, essentially to move the virus,” Paul said.

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Basically, their idea could be used to control the disease for people who already have it and prevent infection for those at risk. The theory has held up in lab and animal testing. The next step is human trials.

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“This is the holy grail of HIV research, to develop a preventative vaccine,” Paul said. “If we can get the viral loads down to a manageable level, that will preclude the need for these conventional drugs,” Escobar said. Still, even if everything goes well, it’s at least five years before the research could help people with HIV.

Incorrigible Angel

A true friend and soul mate is someone who supports you no matter what, even if that means at times that they have to bring you down to earth and make you see what you have overlooked. Moreover, they see things in you - including worth, compassion, value and goodness - that you often overlook in the chaos of life or discount due to passed struggles and/or perceived defeats. They never let go. Never ever.

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Over the better part of the last five months, I have come to have such an person in my life. This sweet, gentle person whom I have never even met in person has not only been supportive in my times of trials but has also done much to encourage me to keep writing this blog and to more fully express my inner self. He sees in me things that I can only hope that I can live up to. I in turn think he is wonderful and when he jokes at times that he's my guardian angel, I think that perhaps he is. A naughty but wonderful angel.

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My angel can be incorrigible at times but in a most sweet and disarming way. He is going through some terrible times right now, yet nonetheless he worries about me and seeks to watch over me from afar. I truly want to be for him a reflection of what he has been for me. I want to give back the faith, love and support that I have received and have vowed to not fail him. I want him to know that I will not let go either. I love you my incorrigible angel.

Saturday Male Beauty

Another Case of Majority Mob Rule Mentality

The Christianist agenda has consistently been to deprive others of constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of religion - including the right to have NO religion - and to instead have government based on majority mob rule since at this point in time Christianity is the majority religion in the USA. The fact that all Christians are not hate-filled, mean spirited wretches has not filter through to the wingnuts. This view that minority groups have no rights other than whatever crumbs the majority throws to them isn't limited to evangelical Christians since their allies within the Catholic Church and many Mormons are equally willing to trample the rights of minority groups. One recent example of the Mormon version of this mindset - and which shows these folks are perhaps just as crazy as some of the Islamic extremists - is an op-ed in the Mormon Times where the writer, Orson Scott Card (pictured at left) endorses the overthrow of the civil government. Once again, in my view, these folks are a clear and present danger to secular civil government. The question is when will the main stream media start doing its job and exposing these lunatics? Here are some highlights:

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The first and greatest threat from court decisions in California and Massachusetts, giving legal recognition to "gay marriage," is that it marks the end of democracy in America. These judges are making new law without any democratic process; in fact, their decisions are striking down laws enacted by majority vote.

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Do not suppose for a moment that the "gay marriage" diktats will not be supported by methods just as undemocratic, unconstitutional and intolerant.Already in several states, there are textbooks for children in the earliest grades that show "gay marriages" as normal. How long do you think it will be before such textbooks become mandatory -- and parents have no way to opt out of having their children taught from them?

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How dangerous is this, politically? Please remember that for the mildest of comments critical of the political agenda of homosexual activists, I have been called a "homophobe" for years. This is a term that was invented to describe people with a pathological fear of homosexuals -- the kind of people who engage in acts of violence against gays. But the term was immediately extended to apply to anyone who opposed the homosexual activist agenda in any way.

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That many individuals suffer from sex-role dysfunctions does not change the fact that only heterosexual mating can result in families where a father and a mother collaborate in rearing children that share a genetic contribution from both parents.

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Because when government is the enemy of marriage, then the people who are actually creating successful marriages have no choice but to change governments, by whatever means is made possible or necessary.

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Why should married people feel the slightest loyalty to a government or society that are conspiring to encourage reproductive and/or marital dysfunction in their children? Why should married people tolerate the interference of such a government or society in their family life?

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Regardless of law, marriage has only one definition, and any government that attempts to change it is my mortal enemy. I will act to destroy that government and bring it down, so it can be replaced with a government that will respect and support marriage, and help me raise my children in a society where they will expect to marry in their turn.

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If the Constitution is defined in such a way as to destroy the privileged position of marriage, it is that insane Constitution, not marriage, that will die.

International Olympic Committee Under Fire for Internet Restrictions

Personally, I never thought Beijing should have been awarded the 2008 Summer games. By selecting Beijing the International Olympic Committee ("IOC") repeated the mistake made when Hitler's Germany hosted the games in the 1930's. Why give a totalitarian regime a showcase for presenting a totally false image of what their govenment is really all about. If China - and any other country for that matter, including the USA - wants to host the Olympics, then it should be mandatory that ALL press and media be free and unobstructed. This is something that should be non-negotiable and if the IOC had any balls, it'd tell China their restrictions either stop or the Games will be cancel. Period, end of story. To be candid, that's the only way to treat leaders like those in China. Make it clear that they either play by international rules or be utterly shut down. Yes, it'd be terrible for the atheletes, but a statement needs to be ade. Here are some highlights from the Guardian on the current disgraceful situation where China is endeavoring to censor news and media access:
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BEIJING, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Saturday faced mounting questions over Internet censorship, days before the Beijing Games, despite earlier pledges that its use would be unfettered. While China has allowed access to some websites that were blocked earlier in the week, many sites still remain inaccessible to reporters covering the Beijing Olympics that start on Aug. 8. On Friday the IOC had said the issue had been resolved.

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Although Internet access will be relatively free for reporters for the period of the Games, it is still tightly controlled for the rest of the country. Sites related to spiritual movement Falun Gong, and other issues that are frowned on, are regularly blocked. Some U.S. newspaper blogs were also blocked.

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BOCOG is responsible for directly running the Beijing Games under the auspices of the IOC, which sets general policy. Amnesty International has condemned Internet restrictions during the Games as "betraying the Olympic values".

A Father's Love and Pride

I had dinner this evening with my youngest daughter (pictured at right) who I find to be such a wonderful treasure. She has been so supportive of me throughout the divorce and in some ways has become a vocal advocate for gay rights in her own right. During our rambling conversation over dinner, she confided that in classes where the issue of gay rights or gay marriage has come up, she always takes the pro-gay argument. Given that she's been one to debate anything and everything since she was a small child, I suspect she gives better than she gets. I'd love to see her tear into some Christianist nutcase in a debate. :) As we were saying goodnight before she headed out to meet a friend, I gave her five HRC bumper stickers - one for her car and some for some of her straight friends who wanted them (some live in in our old neighborhood, which I find most amusing and encouraging at the same time).

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She also said something interesting: that she thinks in the long run, my coming out and the associated upheaval it set in motion, including her move with her mother to a less "perfect" neighborhood, may have been a good thing. She feels that it saved her from "the alternate universe" that her friends in our former upscale, conservative, Republican dominated neighborhood inhabit. She feels she is much more in tune with the "real world" than would otherwise have been the case had she remained living in that neighborhood. Her comment made me realize that perhaps I have unduly flagellated myself (we former Catholics excel at that) for the turmoil and change my coming out triggered. I do feel confident that had I not come out, I'd be dead now from suicide which would have left my children with something far worse to live with.

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My children definitely make all the years of being in the closet have some meaning and value. They are my best legacy and are wonderful individuals. I love them more than they will probably ever realize.

More Friday Male Beauty

And the Christianists Say Gays Are Unfit to Be Parents?

One of the reasons espoused by the Christianists for pushing for passage of Proposition 8 in California is to "protect children. The ever disingenuous Randy Thomasson says it is vital for Californians to approve the constitutional amendment in order to protect "[c]hildren's innocence" and he argues that adult choices should not be pushed upon small children. Of course the Christianist like Thomasson oppose gay adoption and claim that gays are not fit to raise children, saying only straight couples should raise children. They conveniently ignore the fact that countless numbers of children remain warehoused in foster homes where they are often shuffled from one home to another. Worse yet, they ignore just how unfit some heterosexuals are when in comes to child rearing. Nonetheless, they STILL would prefer, apparently, that children be raised by unfit heterosexuals.

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Two recent cases underscore the reality that being straight does not make one automatically a fit parent and demonstrate that child WOULD be far better off with loving and responsible gay parents. The first example is a couple in California who were charged Thursday with 62 felony counts for child abuse and could spend the rest of their lives in prison. Here are highlights from KNBC-TV 4 in Los Angeles:

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A mother and father accused of binding their children's hands and ankles for hours were charged Thursday with 62 felony counts and could spend the rest of their lives in prison, prosecutors said.

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The charges include 21 counts of false imprisonment by violence, 21 counts of child abuse, 18 counts of corporal injury on a child with great bodily injury and two counts of torture, Simmons said. If convicted, the maximum sentence for the torture charges is life in prison, Simmons said.

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The parents did not allow contact between the children and their grandparents, and they were seldom allowed outside the home and apparently had never been to school, Simmons said. "They were always basically with mom or dad," she said. The mother maintained that she home-schooled them, but there is no proof she complied with home-schooling requirements, and the children are not at grade level, Simmons said.

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As if that case isn't horrible enough, a story from Alabama in a small town just north of Mobile involving an evangelical preacher is even more shocking. This "Godly Christian" molested his daughter and when caught in the act by his wife, murdered her and placed her body in a freezer. But I guess since the guy was heterosexual, somehow he automatically was a more fit parent than say a nice gay couple. Note how just as in the California case, the whack jobs were home schooling their children. Here are highlights on this case of heterosexual parenting from CNN:

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(CNN) -- An evangelical preacher killed his wife several years ago and stuffed her body in a freezer after she caught him abusing their daughter, according to police and court documents. Anthony Hopkins, 37, was arrested Monday night at the Inspirational Tabernacle Church of God in Christ in Jackson, Alabama, just after he had delivered a sermon to a congregation that included his seven other children, officials said. He faces charges including murder, rape, sodomy, sexual abuse and incest.

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The affidavit related the daughter's story as follows:
Her mother, Arletha Hopkins, 36, caught her father abusing her in a bathroom in November 2004. Afterward, her parents argued, and her mother locked her father out of the house. The father came to the daughter's window and asked her to let him in, and she did so. The next morning, her father asked her to help him hide her mother's body in the freezer in the laundry room of the home.

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The girl said she moved out of the home about two weeks ago and was living with a neighbor. She told police that her mother's body was still in the freezer. When authorities went to the home, no one was there, as Hopkins and the other children were at the church. A body was found in the freezer, the affidavit says.

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He said Anthony Hopkins did not have a regular church but apparently preached in various areas around the South. "Part of the mystery here is that, apparently, none of these children were in school" but were being home-schooled, Mobile County District Attorney John Tyson said. "Home schooling, under this situation, removes almost any chances of us catching up with these kinds of things until there is a catastrophe."

Love and Living in the Moment

As I have mentioned on other occasions, one of the things I have learned during my coming out process and the related therapy that I underwent is to enjoy the "now" and to try to enjoy every moment for whatever it may bring to you. That's not to say that I'm irresponsible and do not try to work towards a successful future. Rather, it involves putting behind me the sense that I have to have everything planned out months and years in advance and be "in control" of everything. The reality is that one's best laid plans can be turned upside down in a moment by some random, unexpected event and all those moments of drying myself crazy were for naught. Too often, I spent so much time and energy worrying about tomorrow that I missed the wonders of the present moment. This is something I was talking about with my friend Justin by telephone last night and about which we reached concurrence: in relationships and new love, one must savor the now and not over think matters and/or try to over control tomorrow. Thus, it is ironic that my friend Euphoric has a post today that utilizes something from another friend's writing that looks at this concept. Here's a portion of what Euphoric's friend Jarad wrote:

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Relationships end all the time; they become friendships, they suffer betrayals, love dies and wilts like a rose, but sometimes it’s so strong it lives forever…If it does die, if it never even begins then I will still be happy that I took that chance…that I gave you the power to break my heart…it doesn’t matter what happens, and why…what matters is we’re here now, pouring our hearts out to each other…trying to make the other understand…and, right now, this very second, I like you…I look forward to chatting to you every night…I think about you during the day…whatever happens at least we have this moment, this time. We shall see what happens, and whatever does happen, it happens. No regrets.”

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Do I care about tomorrow? Most definitely. Am I going to drive myself to distraction worrying about things I cannot control? Not any more. I've done that far too much in the past. As far as love goes, I see myself as a good person, kind and loving, romantic, worthy of love, and generally compassionate. When the right guy comes along he will recognize these qualities in me. I will in turn be seeking the same things in him.

Friday Male Beauty

Is John McCain Stupid? Or Just Going Senile?

After nearly eight years of the cretinous Chimperator, does the USA really need another president who cannot get facts right and seems to be living in a bubble? Personnaly, I say NO!! We have had one idiot-in-chief and do not need another one. Plus, in addition to resorting to sleazy low life tactics ala Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove's minions, McCain increasingly is looking like he's either an idiot or going seriously senile and suffering from memory lapses. And if he's this bad now, WTF will he be like in say two or three years from now if he is elected? The prospect should make voters shudder. Even the Wall Street Journal - hardly an ultra-liberal publication - seems to be noting the problem as in a column today. Here are some highlights:

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Is John McCain losing it? On Sunday, he said on national television that to solve Social Security "everything's on the table," which of course means raising payroll taxes. On July 7 in Denver he said: "Senator Obama will raise your taxes. I won't." This isn't a flip-flop. It's a sex-change operation.
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The one thing -- arguably the only thing -- the McCain candidacy has going for it is a sense mong voters that they don't know what Barack Obama stands for or believes. Why then would Mr. McCain give voters reason to wonder the same thing about himself? You're supposed to sow doubt about the other guy, not do it to yourself.

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The one thing -- arguably the only thing -- the McCain candidacy has going for it is a sense among voters that they don't know what Barack Obama stands for or believes. Why then would Mr. McCain give voters reason to wonder the same thing about himself? You're supposed to sow doubt about the other guy, not do it to yourself.

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Yes, Sen. McCain must somehow appeal to independents and blue-collar Hillary Democrats. A degree of pandering to the center is inevitable. But this stuff isn't pandering; it's simply stupid. Al Gore's own climate allies separated themselves from his preposterous free-of-oil-in-10-years whopper. Sen. McCain saying off-handedly that it's "doable" is, in a word, thoughtless.

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The forces arrayed against Sen. McCain's candidacy are formidable: an unpopular president, the near impossibility of extending Republican White House rule for three terms, the GOP trailing in races at every level, a listless fundraising base, doubtful sentiments about the war, a flailing economy. The generic Democratic presidential candidate should win handily. Barack Obama, though vulnerable at the margin, is a very strong candidate. This will be a turnout election. To win, Mr. McCain needs every Republican vote he can hold.

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Why make it harder than it has to be? Given such statements on Social Security taxes, Al Gore and the "inspirational" Speaker Pelosi, is there a reason why Rush Limbaugh should not spend August teeing off on Mr. McCain? Why as well shouldn't the Obama camp exploit all of this? If Sen. Obama's "inexperience" is Mr. McCain's ace in the hole, why not trump that by asking, "Does Sen. McCain know his own mind?"

Final Thursday Male Beauty

Memoirs of Hadrian

I'm a lover of history and have studied a great deal of classical Greek and Roman history in college and through reading on my own in the subsequent years. Thus, I was excited to read that a new movie based on French writer Marguerite Yourcenar's novel, Memoirs of Hadrian (Mémoires d'Hadrien) is apparently about to begin production. From a gay perspective the movie should be quite interesting in asmuch as Hadrian's great love was for the beautiful Antinous, another male. The movie, describing the life and death of Roman Emperor Hadrian will be directed by John Boorman. Hadrian is expected to be played by Antonio Banderas while Charlie Hunnam (pictured at left) has been cast as his lover Antinous. Yes, indeed, the eye candy will be great. Needless to say, the knuckle draggers will be in a vapor if the movies correctly depicts the gay love affair between Hadrain and his Antinous. Heaven forbid that the REAL history of gays throughout history be told. Here are some highlights from The Guardian:

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Later this summer filming will start in Morocco on a version of the emperor's story by British director John Boorman. Based on Marguérite Yourcenar's 1951 novel, Memoirs of Hadrian, Boorman's film casts Antonio Banderas in the lead role and Charlie Hunnam as Antinous, the Greek boy who became his lover and then drowned mysteriously in the Nile.

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'Hadrian was a real visionary. We will be telling an intimate story and a broad, epic story,' said Boorman this weekend. 'He managed to consolidate the empire, but in doing so he sowed the seeds of its ruin. His armies began to soften.'

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This organised dictator had many guises. He was homosexual and loved architecture and art, but he was also portrayed as a warrior, a beacon of learning and even a god. On top of all this, he was also a poet and writer, penning his own lost memoir . . . Edward Gibbon, the 18th-century historian, began his account of Rome's decline and fall: 'Under Hadrian's reign, the empire flourished in peace and prosperity. He encouraged the arts, reformed the laws, asserted military discipline, and visited all his provinces in person. His vast and active genius was equally suited to the most enlarged views, and the minute details of civil policy.'

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The physical remains of his energy are visible even today. Aside from the British wall, two other vast building projects - the restoration of the Pantheon and his tomb, the Castel Sant'Angelo, still add gravitas to the Roman skyline 1,900 years later.

AFA Makes Cash Infusion for 'Protect Marriage' Group

CNSNews - a Christianist news site - is reporting that the disingenuous wingnut, gay-haters at the American Family Association have announced that the organization has donated $500,000 to the forces of intolerance in California who are seeking to take away the marriage rights of same-sex couples. Obviously the fact that AFA has that kind of money lying around shows that blowhard-in-chief, Don Wildmon has best extremely successful in shaking money lose from widows and the elderly by disseminating a message of hate towards gays, Muslims, Hispanic immigrants and others. Here are highlights from CNSNews' slanted coverage:

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A conservative advocacy group is giving half-a-million dollars to the organization that is leading the fight to protect marriage in California. The American Family Association said the $500,000 donation comes from "years of savings."

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In a message to supporters, AFA acknowledged its "obligation to be good stewards of the gifts given to this ministry. We don’t buy anything on credit. We have no debt. We are careful to make sure your gifts are used wisely. We are very frugal with your gifts." AFA said it has put aside money over the years so it would have the funds to meet whatever need might arise. The $500,000 for ProtectMarriage.com came from those savings, it said.

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"The battle for marriage in California is very important," the American Family Association said in its email message. "If California defeats Proposition 8, it will open the floodgates for same-sex marriage in all the other states. The battle in California isn’t simply about California. It will affect every state, yours included. The homosexual groups have already raised millions, and are expected to spend nearly $20 million to destroy marriage as it has existed for thousands of years." . . . . The email also included a fund-raising pitch.

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My question is, when doesn't AFA and similar groups ask for money to further their intolerant agenda and afford their leaders a nice, comfortable lifestyle without working a legitimate job?

More Thursday Male Beauty

Vatican to Anglicans: Condemn Homosexuality

To say that I hold the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church in contempt is an understatement. For an institution rife with corruption, sexual predators and any number of other scandals, one would think that the Vatican would mind its own business and do some horrifically need housecleaning of its own. But no. Now the Vatican is interferring with the Anglican Communion and pushing its anti-gay and anti-woman message to the participants at the Lambeth Conference. Why any Anglicans would give a twit about the Vatican's views is unclear given the Vatican's history of excommunicating, bad mouthing and ordering the execution of Anglicans in prior centuries. Here are some highlights from the Guardian (Note how gays are described as disordered even though medical and mental health experts do not support that view):

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Homosexuality is a disordered behaviour that must be condemned, a Vatican official said yesterday. Walter Cardinal Kasper made the remarks during an address at the Lambeth conference, the once-a-decade gathering of the world's Anglican bishops in Canterbury.

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Quoting from a key document on Anglican and Catholic relations he said: "Homosexuality is a disordered behaviour. The activity must be condemned; the traditional approach to homosexuality is comprehensive ... A clear declaration about this theme must come from the Anglican Communion."

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Kasper was saddened that dialogue between the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church had been seriously compromised over the issues of women's ordination and homosexuality. These developments had also caused the Communion to enter into a period of dispute, he observed.

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The decision to allow the ordination of women in 28 Anglican provinces implied a turning away from the common position of all churches of the first millennium, he said. . . . Kasper's comments are one in a series of Catholic carefully worded expressions of dismay to have been aired at the conference. Yesterday's address was well attended, with more than 150 bishops squeezing into a room designed to hold 50 people.

Strong Economy Propels Brazil to World Stage

I have long found Brazil fascinating - and not just because it seems to produce some of the most beautiful guys in the world, although that's not a bad thing either. Now, the country seems poised to come into an age of prosperity and international influence that has heretofore escaped it as reported by the New York Times today. It is interesting to note that some of the trends and economic measures that are being implemented in Brazil run counter to what the Chimperator is foisting on the USA, where income disparities are sharply increasing and spending on infrastructure and social programs that strengthen citizens are being cut or subjected to veto threats. Here are some story highlights:

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Brazil, South America’s largest economy, is finally poised to realize its long-anticipated potential as a global player, economists say, as the country rides its biggest economic expansion in three decades. That growth is being felt in nearly all parts of the economy, creating a new class of super rich even as people like Ms. Sousa lift themselves into an expanding middle class.

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It has also given Brazil new swagger, providing it, for instance, with greater leverage to push for a tougher bargain with the United States and Europe in global trade talks. After seven years, those negotiations finally broke down this week over demands by India and China for safeguards for their farmers, a clear sign of the rising clout of these emerging economies.

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Despite investor fears about the leftist bent of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva when he was elected to lead Brazil in 2002, he has demonstrated a light touch when it comes to economic stewardship, avoiding the populist impulses of leaders in Venezuela and Bolivia. Instead, he has fueled Brazil’s growth through a deft combination of respect for financial markets and targeted social programs, which are lifting millions out of poverty, said David Fleischer, a political analyst and emeritus professor at the University of Brasília.

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Long famous for its unequal distribution of wealth, Brazil has shrunk its income gap by six percentage points since 2001, more than any other country in South America this decade, said Francisco Ferreira, a lead economist at the World Bank. While the top 10 percent of Brazil’s earners saw their cumulative income rise by 7 percent from 2001 to 2006, the bottom 10 percent shot up by 58 percent, according to Marcelo Côrtes Neri, the director of the Center for Social Policies at the Getulio Vargas Foundation in Rio de Janeiro.

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The momentum of its economic expansion is expected to last. As the United States and parts of Europe struggle with recession and the fallout from housing crises, Brazil’s economy shows few of the vulnerabilities of other emerging powers. It has greatly diversified its industrial base, has huge potential to expand a booming agricultural sector into virgin fields and holds a tremendous pool of untapped natural resources. New oil discoveries will thrust Brazil into the ranks of the global oil powers within the next decade.

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President da Silva has deepened many of the social programs begun 10 years ago under Fernando Henrique Cardoso, who as president ushered in many of the structural reforms that laid the foundations of Brazil’s stable growth today.

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Should John McCain somehow - in my worse nightmare - win the election in November, Brazil may be a country to add to the list as possible emigration destinations for those fleeing the economically declining and increasing fascist USA.

Thursday Male Beauty

Christianists vs.Patient Rights

One would think that if an individual had religious beliefs - no matter how whacked out and self-absorbed - that they would simply change jobs if their legitimate, legal work duties required them to undertake actions that went counter to their alleged Medieval religious beliefs. But no, not the Christianists. They are attempting to have the Chimperator's anti-science, anti-rights of others cretin regime promulgate new rules that would punish health care providers that do not allow the religious fanatic set to disregard work requirements. These folks act more like the Taliban every day even as they lie, cheat, and shake down the unwary for money. As I had said many times before, with the Christianists, it's ALL about them. F*ck everyone else's rights. Their rights take priority over all others. They are, in my view, a shamelessly self-centered and disingenuous group who give Christianity an ever increasingly bad name. I continue to believe that unrestrained Christian fundamentalism is a clear and present danger to the nation and the individual rights of other citizens. Not surprisingly CWA and FRC support the regulations. Here are highlights from the Washington Post about the latest delusional Chimperator backed efforts to subvert the rights of most Americans and their doctors to make health care decisions:

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A Bush administration proposal aimed at protecting health-care workers who object to abortion, and to birth-control methods they consider tantamount to abortion, has escalated a bitter debate over the balance between religious freedom and patients' rights.

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The Department of Health and Human Services is reviewing a draft regulation that would deny federal funding to any hospital, clinic, health plan or other entity that does not accommodate employees who want to opt out of participating in care that runs counter to their personal convictions, including providing birth-control pills, IUDs and the Plan B emergency contraceptive.

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There is also deep concern that the rule could have far-reaching, but less obvious, implications. Because of its wide scope and because it would -- apparently for the first time -- define abortion in a federal regulation as anything that affects a fertilized egg, the regulation could raise questions about a broad spectrum of scientific research and care, critics say.

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"This is causing a lot of distress," said one NIH researcher who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions. "It's a redefinition of abortion that does not match any of the current medical definitions. It's ideologically based and not based on science and could interfere with the development of many new therapies to treat diseases." Since a copy of the document leaked earlier this month, outside advocates and scientists have voiced growing alarm that the regulation could inhibit research in areas including stem cells, infertility and even such unrelated fields as cancer.

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The most controversial section defines abortion as "any of the various procedures -- including the prescription, dispensing and administration of any drug or the performance of any procedure or any other action -- that results in the termination of life of a human being in utero between conception and natural birth, whether before or after implantation." That definition would include most forms of hormonal birth control and the IUD, which most major medical groups believe do not constitute abortion because they primarily affect ovulation or fertilization and not an embryo once it has implanted in the womb.

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Cecile Richards of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America said, "At a time when access to health care is at an all-time low, the idea that the Bush administration would be creating more barriers is frankly incredible." The regulation could trump dozens of state laws that require health plans to cover birth control, pharmacists to fill prescriptions for contraceptives, and hospitals to offer emergency contraception to women who have been raped, critics said.

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Others said the rule could have additional implications, including justifying discrimination against gays, single women or others seeking health care.

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Can't we round these nutcases up and ship them to Afghanistan and Iran instead? They certainly share the same Taliban-like mindset and perhaps the two groups would exterminate each other.

Final Wednesday Male Beauty

LGBT Buying Power is Expected to Total $712 Billion in 2008

Perhaps it is inspired in part by the money being spent by gays going to California to get married or by the new coverage of gay marriage in Massachusetts as the antiquated 1913 which has until now been an obstacle to out of state couples gets repealed, but in any event the latest issue of Newsweek has a story on LGBT buying power and the growing efforts to market to LGBT consumers. Not that this progressive mindset has taken too much of a foothold in backwards markets like the Hampton Roads area of Virginia where knuckle draggers and Pat Robertson still weld too much influence. Nonetheless, HRBOR and Equality Virginia are working to educate straight owned businesses that advertising to the LGBT market makes good business sense. As I have stated numerous times, I believe the LGBT community (in the USA and worldwide) needs to flex its financial muscle and support gay and gay friendly businesses while at the same time shunning those businesses that are not supportive of LGBT rights and the LGBT community. Here are some story highlights:

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There's a new gold rush in California, but the rush is to the altar. Gay and lesbian couples from any state can come to California to tie the knot. As a result, a growing number of businesses are saying "I do" to the same-sex marriage market, helping thousands of couples realize their dream weddings.

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LGBT buying power is expected to total $712 billion in 2008, according to a recent study by Witeck-Combs Communications, a Washington, DC-based firm that specializes in the LGBT consumer market. By comparison, the U.S. wedding industry as a whole will ring up an estimated $62.8 billion this year.

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According to a recent study by UCLA's Williams Institute, same-sex marriages in California would bring in $683.6 million and generate almost 2,200 new jobs during the next three years, both from 51,000 in-state couples and the projected 68,000 couples traveling to the state to get married.

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Building a loyal clientele in the LGBT community requires more than just gay niche marketing, Rudolph says, in which advertisements appear in strictly gay-audience magazines and websites.

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"Just slapping a rainbow logo on something isn't enough--there isn't anything wrong with that, but you have to do more," Rudolph says. LGBT consumers see through guarded or insincere marketing, she says. When choosing a business, they often look for references, a track record of supporting the LGBT community and a non-discrimination policy.

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Relaying a personal anecdote on a business website about why that business supports the LGBT community is a good idea."But even if you don't have a gay relative or story to tell, it behooves small businesses to do something within the community. Make a connection to the LGBT community," Rudolph says, either through participating in activities, making a donation to the local branch of a national LGBT organization or sponsoring the local high school's gay-straight alliance.

Relationships - Seeing Better

To "See Better" as Michael at Gaytwogether terms it, is important in all relationships, gay and straight. And part of seeing better is to understand yourself. The big challenge is to see better at the time it counts as opposed to years later long after one should have moved on and left a dysfunctional or manipulative relation. With hindsight, I believe my former wife manipulated me and, sadly, my self-hate and inner turmoil from being deeply in denial and closeted set the stage so perfectly that manipulation was made all the easier. Once I did finally come out, my goal was to find "Mr. Right" as quickly as possible and enter into a committed monogamous relationship, hopefully for the rest of my life. The problem, of course was that I had not even had time to truly figure out who I was as a gay man. Nor had I shed all the emotional baggage of a long marriage followed by separation and divorce. My vision was thus clouded in many ways. As Michael aptly puts it:

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The trick is to find out before it’s too late and not to close your eyes because you are blinded by how much you love him. Don’t let him use you, take advantage of you, or isolate you. Don't let him manipulate you into staying. Don't let him wear you down so that your self-worth becomes so low you feel like you have no choices. And don’t remain silent because you’re afraid.

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To that list, I would also added that it's important not to let your own personal demons trap you in something that is not working, perhaps through neither party's direct fault. In my case, I failed to follow the foregoing advise in both my straight marriage and my only real committed same-sex relationship to date.

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As it turned out, it was nearly two years before I entered into a committed gay relationship and during that interim period and during the first part of my relationship, I struggled to get over the "its all your fault" trap that I myself and others piled upon me. Thus, when my partner and I became a couple, he got someone who was still searching to find out who I really was. That relationship lasted over three years and ended roughly a year ago. In retrospect, it should have ended sooner than it did. The fault no doubt lies with both of us to varying degrees. Part of my rush to relationship was motivated by a terrible need to fill the void in my life that had been created when I exited a straight relationship which, including dating, had spanned over twenty five years. Compounding matters, I found that most of my "friends" from my straight life were, in fact mere acquaintances who quickly wrote me off. Coming out later in life - or so I believe - greatly increases the likelihood that those who you perceived as friends will desert you and the sense of emptiness will be magnified. With 20/20 hindsight, this phenomenon on top of potentially extreme feelings of loss are a prescription for a disaster. The other motivating factor for my haste was that I believe I am (i) relationship oriented and (ii) not one who likes the dating scene be it a gay or straight dating scene.

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Where do I go from here? I still hope to find "Mr. Right" and to achieve that committed relationship that I believe will make me fully complete. Until then, I have fortunately build up an ever growing network of new friends and acquaintances with whom I can socialize and interact until "Mr. Right" finds me. I have had some dates with a few nice guys lately and time will tell where things may lead. I see myself as kind, compassionate, intelligent and reasonably decent looking, so whoever grabs on to me could do far worse. For now, however, the key is patience and refining who I am and solidifying my total comfort with who that person is. I'm a work in progress, but far more finished than when I was in the closet or met my former partner.

More Tuesday Male Beauty

Family Acceptance - Do Your Relatives Care About You or Themselves?

A very good friend of mine is going through some rough times during which a supportive family would be a Godsend. Even though my friend is comfortable with being gay and has achieved self acceptance, as he relates his experiences to me, it sounds like family members are more concerned about "what will people think" and/or their own embarrassment of having "one of those people" in the family as opposed to loving and supporting their family member. I was fortunate in my own coming out process that other than my father freaking out for a couple of days, I never had to bear the burden of - in my opinion at least - superficial family members who cared more about appearances than about loving me and supporting me. As a parent, I cannot understand parents who reject their children due to their sexuality. They, not their child, are the ones who are disgusting and need to change.

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One web site that I have found helpful and recommended to many people in the past is called "Family Acceptance" and is the work of Patti and Jeff Ellis (pictured above) who themselves found themselves having to come to terms with having a gay son. Would that more parents and other relatives were as thoughtful and loving as Patti and Jeff. In terms of the issue of "Am I ashamed of My Child or of Myself" Patti states the following in relevant part:

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I am a prideful mother and that was why shame was so overwhelming. . . . I did not want to be ashamed of my child. It was painful to think that I was having those feelings. I knew that I was ashamed of how he would be looked at and talked about. That he would be considered, at the very least, socially unacceptable. I was ashamed at how my family would be perceived. That hurt my pride and made me angry. Why should we have to go through this? Why should I feel such shame? Why did I care so much about what others thought?

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I was so obsessed at how other people would see me or think of me, I forgot about Adam. I realized that I was not taking his feelings into consideration. That was a turning point. I knew then I had placed my pride over the love of my child. I knew I had to stop thinking about how this affected me and begin trying to understand what Adam had gone through.

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I believe it is our responsibility as parents to stand by our children no matter what. In order to do that, I had to put aside my pride and shame. I had to come to a point where it was no longer important how other people saw me. What was important was for Adam to know he was loved. No matter what.
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Would that there were more parents of gays who would undertake such self-analysis. Again, I was lucky in that my parents after a brief initial shock never treated me or viewed me as anything less than their son who was just as much a full accepted member of the family. I feel sorrow for gays who do not have such parents. In the final analysis, I have two words to describe such unaccepting parents and relatives: selfish and self-centered. We don't choose our sexual orientation no matter what lies the Christianists perpetuate.

Appalachian Trail Update - 7/30/08 - Living Authentically

For those of you following my son's adventure (Mt. Washington which he scaled is in the photo above), I received an e-mail updating me on his location. He's in Andover, Maine, and estimates he has about 256 miles to go to the end of the trail. His latest comment on the journey and scenery: *

NH and Maine have some very strenuous terrain but the views definitely make it worthwhile: beautiful mountains and valleys and the occasional moose (I've seen 4 but haven't been quick enough to get a photo of any). There's around 256 miles left of trail I think. It will probably take three weeks or so, and then I'll see you again whenever I end up back in VB.

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He is having such a wonderful adventure and it is something he will remember the rest of his life. I am so happy that he bucked his mom and dad's misgivings and went forward with what he felt called to do. It's one example of why it is so important to live your life for you. If you live your life to please others - be it family, church or society - you are throwing away the most precious gift - your life. I did it for far too many years. I don't regret my children (and would do it all again to have them in my life), but there is so much that might have been in terms of ealier self-accepatance and an end to daily self-hate.

A Common Thread in Bush's Failings

Today's Washington Post has a good op-ed by Ruth Marcus that looks at the underlying causes for the disastrous presidency of the Chimperator. Back early on in his first term I had described in an e-mail to some former GOP compatriots what I thought would be Bush's downfall (unfortunately, little did I realize how much he'd drag the rest of the nation down with him). One word catches all of the causes in one: hubris. In addition to thinking he has a direct line to God, the Chimperator is far too self-enamored and apparently never asks himself the question of "what if I'm wrong?" Hubris leads to so many other failings, including contempt for others and a feeling that no consultation is needed with those who might just have another perspective. Unfortunately, this mindset in my experience is all too common among the "I've been saved" Christianist set. Closed mindedness and a refusal to believe in objective facts often leads to terrible consequences. Here are some column highlights:

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The improbable topic of today's column is Monica Goodling and the federal budget deficit. You might think that the two of these have nothing in common save the happenstance that both are the subject of devastating new reports. . . But the linkage goes beyond the adjective. The ousted Goodling and the lingering deficit are twin manifestations of the Bush administration's overarching contempt for government and blind adherence to ideology.

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This administration will leave office having trashed the place -- and I'm not talking about a few "W's" pried loose from White House computer keyboards by the exiting Clinton crew. I'm referring to the myriad ways in which this administration, dismissive of the role of government, abused the enterprise it was entrusted with overseeing. My favorite sentence in the Goodling report sums up the hiring practices in the department's supposedly nonpartisan career ranks: "Tell Brad he can hire one more good American."

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Most administrations find ways to keep the Goodlings under control and the grown-ups in charge. The trouble with this one is that it is riddled with Goodlings Gone Wild, incapable of or unwilling to distinguish between the proper pursuit of political aims and the responsible administration of government.

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So what's the deficit got to do with it? The deterioration of the nation's budgetary picture under the reckless stewardship of this administration is the fiscal equivalent of the Goodlingization of the executive branch. President Bush put adherence to Republican theology -- taxes must be cut -- over prudent governing.

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The difference is that President Ronald Reagan, facing such daunting deficits, changed course and undid about one-third of his earlier tax cuts. Bush, by contrast, is determined to insist, on his way out the door, that the tax cuts he once said were required by the surplus he inherited are now required by the deficit he is creating. . . . Monica Goodling was not the problem. She was the symptom of an administration so certain of the correctness of its worldview that it never pauses to reconsider.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Home Prices Drop by Record 15.8 Percent in May

Mark my words - until housing pulls out of its nose dive, don't expect any real improvements in the larger economy. The downward ripple effect will continue to drag more segments of the economy down as employment relating to housing continues to decline and then spread out into other market segments. Along with the drop in home prices expect average consumers to cut back even further on spending. It truly is a downward spiral situation at the moment. While banks and lenders have received huge bailouts, they are not passing it along in the form of continued rational lending- something that in my view should have been part of a quid pro quo in the bailouts. Obviously, as this trend continues, more and more new home buyers who bought within the last few years will be finding themselves owing far more on their mortgages than their homes are now worth. This in turn will only further increase the number of foreclosures which will create added downward pressure on prices. Here are some highlights from Yahoo News:

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NEW YORK - Home prices tumbled by the steepest rate ever in May, according to a closely watched housing index released Tuesday, as the housing slump deepened nationwide. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city index dropped by 15.8 percent in May compared with a year ago, a record decline since its inception in 2000. The 10-city index plunged 16.9 percent, its biggest decline in its 21-year history.

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Home values have fallen 18.4 percent since the 20-city index's peak in July 2006. Nine metropolitan cities — Las Vegas, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Wash., Portland, Ore., and Washington, D.C. — posted record declines in May. And the value of housing in Detroit is now lower than it was in 2000. But a possible bright spot in an otherwise dismal report, seven metros — Tampa, Fla., Boston, Detroit, Minneapolis, New York, Dallas and Atlanta — showed smaller annual declines.

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Las Vegas recorded the worst drop, with prices plunging 28.4 percent in the month. Miami came in a close second, with prices down 28.3 percent. Charlotte, N.C., posted the smallest drop at 0.2 percent. Until April, the North Carolina city had been the last metro still showing price gains.

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A good analysis of how we got to be in the current mess can be found here.

Final Tuesday Male Beauty

The Daily Show Does Elaine Donnelly

I previously posted about Elaine Donnelly's deranged and vociferous rant last week while testifying in opposition to the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." To anyone who has followed the fanatically sexually repressed/obsessed Donnelly's anti-gay statements over the years, it became readily apparent ages ago that she's not dealing with a full deck. In fact, one cannot help but wonder who in the GOP arranged for her to be a witness. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely happy that she testified. She probably provided the best demonstration as to why DADT needs to go and put an image of indelible lunacy on the face of its supporters. Thus, it is not surprising that the Daily Show did a piece on Ms. Donnelly's performance at the hearings. Needless to say, a number of far right wingnuts are whining about the debacle Elaine Donnelly created, but the bottom line is that if the truth hurts and the anti-gay spokesmen show themselves to be crazy, just maybe the policy DOES need to end.