Reflections on Paris and London 2018

Two weeks ago the husband and I along with two friends flew out of Washington Dulles to start our 2018 visit to Paris and London.  For me, it was likely the 7th - or more - visit to Paris and like the 5th or sixth visit to London.  My first visits to both cities were back in the 1981-1983 time frame when I was in-house counsel working for an oil company handling various international matters.  Our travel companions, a straight couple, but gay friendly, had never been to either city and were paying our airfare and accommodations in exchange for us planning the trio and serving as tour guides, if you will.  The goal was to show them an amazing time and to also indulge our love for both cities, each of which is a world capital yet so very different in so many ways (both are very LGBT friendly and when we went by London City Hall today, a rainbow flag was flying)

If pushed to choose which city I love more, my vote would go to Paris.  I love the architecture and the way in which the central city has been spared from modern monstrosities or soaring towers which are a total disconnect with the beautiful historic buildings.  London, in contrast is often modern next door to 18th century buildings in part because sections of London were destroyed during the blitz in World War II.  Paris escaped destruction due to the commanding German general's refusal to destroy parts of the city notwithstanding Hitler's orders to do so.

Both cities offer wonderful dining opportunities with London perhaps having more diverse offerings.  But for the nearly 100 miles we walked over the last two weeks - the husband and our travel companions all had apps that measured the amount of their walking - I hate to think how much weight we would have gained.  

In terms of getting around, both cities have amazing mass transits systems that make most American cities look very pathetic at best.  In both cities we bought unlimited 7-day travel cards and we made extensive use of the Metro/Underground systems which make New York City's system look very poorly maintained in comparison.   The train systems for travel outside the cities make Amtrak look positively horrible and the speed at which the trains travel - not counting the Eurostar which is in a class by itself - are amazing.  America could learn a great deal from both the UK and France on how to build remarkable and cost efficient mass transit systems (they could do the same on the issue of healthcare, especially France).

Since this is an LGBT blog, I'd be remiss if I did not mention the local men in each city.  Both being world capitals and deeply involved in the fashion industry, both cities have LOTS of handsome men (and women for female LGBT readers), but the men of Paris, in my opinion are the "hottest" - to quote the husband - and most style conscious.  

If you have never visited either city, I recommend that you do so.  There are economic ways to do so, including looking for discount flights, sharing an apartment with friends, using travel cards as we have to get around freely, and getting a "London Pass" or the "Museum Pass" for Paris which saves a considerable amount of money - the London Pass even got us free rail travel to Windsor Castle.

I'm not sure when I will return to either city, but I suspect I will see both again, especially Paris.  As for blogging tomorrow, we head to the airport in the morning and then need to drive back to Hampton after we arrive in Washington Dulles International.  Post will be sparse at best.

London: Dinner and "Tina" the Musical

With Hurricane Florence seemingly no longer a major threat to Hampton Roads our mood in London has been a bit more cheery.  This evening we met friends who reside in London part of the year who joined us and our travel companions for dinner at The Delauney - a beautiful old style restaurant and then saw the musical "Tina" based on the life of Tina Turner at the Aldwych Theater.  Dinner was wonderful and it was nice catching up with our London friends.  As for the show Tina, we thought it was wonderful. It will be headed to Broadway shortly.  We highly recommend both the restaurant and the show.

PS. Of added intrest, the lead actress in the show, Adrienne Warren, is from Hampton Roads and attended the Governor's School for the Performing Arts. 

Florence - A Dark Cloud Over Our European Vacation

Our first full day in London was fun and blessed with gorgeous weather.  We visited Harrod's and then toured Kensington Palace and Gardens and then did a bit of shopping.  Last evening we had an amazing dinner at a nearby Spanish restaurant called El Pirata which I highly recommend Today, we are headed to Windsor Castle for much of the day traveling by train from Paddington Station.  Through it all, we have been checking NOAA updates on hurricane Florence's projected path.  Our friend, Governor Ralph Northam has order mandatory evacuations for areas in Flood Zone A in Hampton Roads - this includes our home and more than a third of our neighborhood.  The salon building we own is in Flood Zone C and the house in Norfolk is borderline Zone B/C.  

In terms of preparing our home for the possible onslaught of Florence, Friends have moved our cars to the second floor of the downtown Hampton parking garage, taken up all of the oriental rugs on the first floor and moved the outdoor wicker furniture and hanging plants, etc. into the garage - it may flood, but it won't be able to blow around. Hopefully the generator powered sump pumps can keep up with any water that seeps into the house (the garage pump will be the biggest question - fortunately the spare refrigerator is up on cinder blocks).  It is maddening being so far away and not being able to do anything.

In terms of what to expect, one local weather report for a local TV channel Facebook posted the following:

A Hurricane Florence update: Once again, no good news...only bad. The storm is rapidly strengthening and is now a category four hurricane. ALL models paint this getting bigger in the next 24 hours. It will approach the coast Thursday evening and slow down to a crawl. Nobody knows if it will be a category three, four, or five storm when it makes landfall. There are three possibilities with this storm.

1. It comes ashore near Myrtle Beach and goes inland very slowly. Utter destruction around where the eye comes ashore. Outer Banks spared and Hampton Roads spared. Inland SC and NC devastated with days of torrential rains.

2. It comes ashore near Wilmington or Jacksonville NC. Horrible destruction from high winds and 15-20 foot storm surge near the eye landfall location. Outer Banks hit with 5-8 foot storm surge and winds strong enough to knock down trees but not destroy or damage too many buildings. Hampton Roads would experience similar conditions to Isabel a decade ago with flooding and many power outages and lots of rainfall flooding but otherwise spared the worst. Inland NC and VA including the mountains would experience massive flooding that could kill dozens or hundreds depending on where the worst rainfall sets up. It could last for three or four days in these inland areas because the storm stalls out.

3. It hovers off the Cape Hatteras seashore of NC for 24-48 hours before slowly moving west. If the eye grazes the coast and sits for a prolonged period of time as a category four or five, it would completely destroy the southern part of the Outer Banks including Rodanthe and Hatteras. Anybody staying would most likely lose their lives. Nags Head and points north would have destruction that has not been seen in over 100 years. The big cities in Hampton Roads would experience the worst hurricane in 150 years leading to many fatalities and weeks or months with no power. Once the storm moves inland, the catastrophic flooding would then occur in the mountainous areas.

There is still a glimmer of hope that the storm stalls just far enough off the coast to not reek destruction and then several days later, slowly moves out to sea. The chance of this is under 5%.

For obvious reasons, we are hoping for option 1 which would harm the smallest number of people and spare Hampton Roads and its 1.7 million residents. Here are two photos from yesterday.

Hurricane Florence Threatens East Coast

One of the worries of traveling in September when one lives on the Southeast coast of the USA is that a hurricane could pop up and threaten your home while you are away and unable to prepare for the storm.  That possible nightmare is becoming a reality as Florence menaces the East Coast with little chance of swerving out to sea.   The husband and I are left hoping the disaster strikes somewhere else and spares Hampton Roads form serious damage.  Our number on concern is storm surge since we live on a tidal creek just across the street from Hampton Roads harbor.  Friends have already moved our cars to higher ground and, if the prognosis is bad, roll up the oriental rugs on the first floor and move them to the second floor and also remove the covers for the industrial grade sump pumps we installed in 2012 in strategic locations in the house.   With a natural gas fueled whole house generator also installed in 2012, the hope is that the pumps can avoid standing water in the first floor which has been made water resistant up to three feet from the marble floors.  The first floor water resistance work was done in 2009 after the Nor'Ida storm slammed Hampton Roads.  Below is the September 9, 2018, 11:00 pm update from the hurricane center at NOAA.

As we begin our visit to London in earnest, the shadow of Florence will hang over us. On today's agenda is Kensington Place and an exhibition of Princess Dianna's clothing. 

Reduced Posting - Paris Here We Come

The husband and I are headed to Paris with friends.  We drive to Dulles International and then will fly to London on Virgin Atlantic and connect on Air France to Paris.  We will spend a week in Paris followed by a week in London.  Posting will be reduced for the next day or so while we travel, but I will post about our experiences as is my normal habit.  On the home front, the house sitter/dog sitter is all arranged.  This will be our friends' first trip to either city so the husband and I have served as trip planners and will be the tour guides, if you will. We kick of Paris with lunch at the Plaza Athenee where I staid many times in my days as in-house counsel.  Bon voyage! 

Plaza Athenee courtyard restaurant.

Terrorism Makes Foreign Travel an Imperative not a Luxury

Paris - 2015.

While more and more Americans are traveling abroad and per a relatively recent BBC article indicates that roughly 50% of Americans now have passports, the percentage is far lower than for many Europeans.  In the UK, for example, only 17% of British citizens do not have passports. The consequence, in my view, is that far too many Americans have less empathy for others than their European counterparts.  Indeed, in the age of Trump, his base doesn't even have empathy for broad segments of other Americans, which poisons both the social and political reality in America.  A piece in Salon  argues that today it is more important than ever for Americans and others to travel abroad.  It lessens the "us v. them" mindset so favored by the far right and, in my view, makes one understand that there are equally legitimate other perspectives.  In September, the husband and I will be in Paris - perhaps my favorite city in the world - for a week, followed by a week in London traveling with friends. Both are cities that have suffered terrorist attacks. We will be staying in apartments rather than hotels and will immerse ourselves in experiencing the people as well as the sights. Here are excerpts from Salon: 

As attacks destroy lives around the world in an endless loop it's easy to grow numb. Watching the aftermath of yet another bombing unfold on a little screen, maybe we'll change our Facebook profile photo or join a hashtag movement. But do we feel anything? Maybe sympathy, or, if it's particularly awful by the new and ever steeper scale of such things, we feel a little horror. It's surreal, far away, not related to us. Unless, that is, we've been there.

This probably isn't unusual, but I've been to multiple places that were later attacked by terrorists. First was a restaurant overlooking Marrakech's Djemaa El Fna square. . . . Two years later I saw the news: A bomb attack destroyed the restaurant and killed 15 people, most of them tourists.

Bookending that trip we strolled Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Three years later, men with guns and bombs killed dozens and injured hundreds at the airport. Four years later (nearly to the day), terrorists plowed through crowds in the busy Barcelona promenade, killing more than a dozen people and injuring at least a hundred.

And in the fall of 2015 I sat down to a solo dinner at Le Petit Cambodge in Paris. Paris is the home of my heart, and days after my meal there the news broke: as part of their concerted attacks across the city, terrorists had transformed the bright and happy place into a bloodbath.

Unlike when I hear a news report of a faraway tragedy, these instances — but most especially the one in Paris — struck hard. . . . I could imagine — in vivid color — the men with assault rifles, and the people laughing and eating and loving life one moment and in a waking nightmare the next. Not only because it could have  been me, but because these were people I knew, no matter how fleetingly.

What did I learn? In short: Absolutely, those connections matter. And maybe far less interaction is needed  than we'd ever think. “About all you need is that minute where you're waiting for a bus,” Professor Goodman said.

He offered a brief primer. The foundations of a successful relationship according to social science, he explained, boil down to honesty, acceptance and empathy. And in some situations, those things can happen in moments.

When we travel, Goodman noted, the usual process of forming relationships is often sped up. (Think of the things you may have overshared with a stranger on a plane!) And when you're a “foreigner,” he pointed out, you give yourself permission to ask questions. So at a bus stop or in a restaurant far from home you can form what we could call a micro-relationship.

Why would that little bit of connection that has some of the elements of a long important relationship, why did that stick in your mind? Because it begins to touch on these basic human elements that we need to survive,” Goodman said. Where we don't have answers, he said, is why. “Science doesn't quite know why it's so important to us to have the experience to be understood.”

But the fact remains that it is crucial to us as humans. And while some may urge that we stay home where we're safe (as if that were true), I want to travel more than ever. For every micro-relationship two people from different parts of the globe can form, that's an added dimension to the bond holding all of us together. Maybe a bond as ephemeral as a spiderweb, but maybe as strong, as well. And the more that hate tears us apart, the more of those bonds we need if we're to keep surviving.

As for my horror-overlaid memories of Le Petit Cambodge, I had to rewrite them. In the aftermath of the attacks I vowed I wouldn't travel anywhere else until I could revisit the restaurant. And I didn't. A year and a half later an assignment took me to France, beginning with a night in Paris. . . . . I arrived at  Le Petit Cambodge first. Now, this trip, it was spring and daylight, not fall and dark. Every seat along the sidewalk was taken, every diner as unattainably chic as ever.

The horror didn't disappear, exactly. But it faded to something like the ghost of an imprint left on tracing paper as Agnès and I ate and talked of normal things — well, as normal as buying a castle, as she'd just done, can be. She asked for a to-go container, something I'd never have the nerve to do in Paris, but she wanted leftovers for the chickens at her new place in the country. Her exchange with the waitress was in French, and I don't remember it. I hope she doesn't have to.

It saddens me that so many Americans lack a shred of empathy for others and cannot see beyond the color of one's skin, one's country of origin, one's native language or one's sexual orientation.  In the age of Trump and his pandering to Christofascists, all of us must strive to oppose this toxicity. 

London 2017 - Day 4

The husband at the Tower of London

After the utterly horrid rainy weather on Wednesday, yesterday was warmer and mostly sunny.  As a result, the husband and I were up and out the door early  to see sights that we had put off due to the rain.  We started the day by visiting the Tower of London,. with a highlight being the Crown Jewels exhibit which has totally been redone and greatly expanded from what it was 35 years ago, the last time I had seen it.  We then proceeded to the Churchill War Rooms back at Whitehall from which Churchill and his war cabinet directed the war effort from underground offices, sleeping accommodations - the works.  The site also has an amazing museum on Churchill himself.  We had lunch at the nearby Westminster Arms Pub situated in a 1913 vintage building.  The food was good and the waitstaff very cute. 

The highlight of the day came when we toured the state rooms at Buckingham Palace.   Highclere Castle was very nice (I'd live there in a heartbeat), but Buckingham Palace is in a league of its own.  Like the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace underscores that Britain was once the world's dominant superpower with all the wealth that entailed.  The Palace's "gardens" that one never sees in photos are likewise gorgeous.  What was striking was how many public functions are held at the Palace and the number of non-tourists visit it each year.

We then rushed back to the hotel and headed to the home of one of the husband's friends and sometimes client who is originally from Newport News, Virginia.  After cocktails we dined at Bradley's and had an amazing meal.  On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Compton's of Soho for a drink and then another one at the Admiral Duncan where we met a very nice young man with whom we had a great conversation.  As always., the issue of Donald Trump came up and the man is universally hated (one shop we walked past was selling tee shirts with Trump as Hitler on the front side).

The husband walking up to our friend's home

Based on our busy day, no posts were published yesterday! 

London 2017 - Day 3

Big Ben in the distance at center

It would be hard to describe the weather as anything other than wretched with heavy rain all day. Thankfully, tomorrow is supposed to clear and be mostly sunny.  As for today, only indoor activities were in order and when traversing the city, maximum use of the Underground was a must (we purchased 6 day unlimited passes).  Despite the rain, we did some shopping and I found two spot coats for work that had sleeves that were the correct length "off the rack" - something that never happens in American stores. 

The other main attractions visited were Westminster Abbey and the National Portrait Gallery - where the photo above was taken from the cafe.  We had hoped to see the Churchill War Offices, but the prospect of standing in line in the blowing rain ended that effort.

Several things I have noticed about London: no litter, few overweight people other than tourists, and many, many handsome men.  All contrasts from Hampton Roads, Virginia.

London 2017 - Day 2

Yours truly

Today was a wonderful but long and busy day.  The highlight was our visit to Highclere Castle located about an hour and a half west southwest of London (even though the show, Downton Abbey place the estate in Yorkshire to the north of London).  The estate is spectacular and the grounds are amazing.  Due to the early hour involved in heading to the estate, not posts were feasible after I had dealt with my usual office emails and preparing a few document.  Once we got off the tour coach, we visited Harrod's - which is amazingly opulent, albeit very expensive. 

We then took the underground back to the Soho area.  After a visit to Compton's of Soho for a cocktail, we ended up at a wonderful restaurant called The Ivy of Soho.

One thing that has been noticeable is the extreme dislike of Donald Trump literally everywhere we go.  We constantly have to stress to Brits as well as other Europeans we have met that we did NOT vote for him and that we find the man to be just as foul as they view him.  Indeed, perhaps even more negatively than the non-Americans do. Polls have shown that the good opinion of the United States has plummeted since November 8, 2016, and the drive factor is Donald Trump.   Believe me, the polls are 100% accurate.  Those planning to travel abroad had best get ready for statements that "you people elected him"

The husband

London 2017 - Day 1

Yesterday was exhausting with the drive to Washington Dulles airport taking over 5 hours due the growing gridlock on I-64 and I-95.  The trip was a reminder of why we rarely visit Washington, DC. Thankfully, our flight on Virgin Atlantic left on time- the service was very good - and we actually arrived early.  The downside of the early arrival was an even lengthier wait to get through passport control.  We took the Heathrow Express into Central London and then made our way to Soho and our hotel on Firth Street.  Our room wasn't ready so we got breakfast and walked a great deal, including going to Saville Row.  The clothing was gorgeous, but the prices were generally astronomical.  I would one pair of dress pants for 75% off and the husband and I both score with a sale on jeans.

The husband is taking an afternoon nap after little sleep on the flight - I will do the same shortly - then we''\ll shower, get dinner and then check out some of the plentiful gay clubs in the neighborhood.   More posting tomorrow morning.

Reduced Posting - London Bound

The husband and I are hitting the road to Washington Dulles shortly to catch our flight to London on Virgin Atlantic.  We booked this trip six moths ago and cannot wait to arrive.  I have not been to London since my in-house counsel days and it will be the husband's first trip to London.  We have our "London Passes," tickets to Buckingham Palace and on Wednesday will spend the day at Highclere Castle  - one of the husband's bucket list items.  As in the past, I will post as our schedule allows and post photos of our travel adventure.  Our Ralph Northam campaign staffer who is living with us through November will be house sitting and taking care of our dogs.  Since he's been with us for a month already, even our high maintenance, six pound Chihuahua, Sassy, has warmed up to him.  We are staying in the theater district and looking forward to all of the clubs and menswear shopping. :)

Recommendations Wanted- London Gay Pride 2016

The husband and I are looking to book a trip to London the week of London Gay Pride.  We'd love recommendations on what parts of the city to stay in and nay recommended hotels that are reasonably priced.  I am leaning towards the Kennsington and Chelsea area, but am open to suggestions.  Please drop me your thoughts and comments.  Thank you!!

Why Was London Murderer On the Loose?

Just as the American authorities had to answer why one of the Boston Marathon bombers had slipped through their scrutiny, now MI5 and other British authorities are having to answer why one of the terrorists who literally butchered a British soldier (the victim is shown above on his wedding day) was not in custody.  Apparently, just as is the case with the City of Norfolk with the thugs terrorizing the neighborhood where my residence in Norfolk is located, UK security forces were more solicitous of the rights of the trouble maker/terrorist than they were of the rights and safety of law abiding citizens.  I'm not in favor of throwing away constitutional rights, but at some point there needs to be a balance that protects the law abiding from those who act little better than vicious, rabid animals.  Something is seriously wrong both here in America and in the UK.  The Telegraph looks at the questions swirling in the UK.  Here are excerpts:

Michael Adebolajo, 28, was the man videoed by witnesses with his hands red with blood following the killing of the soldier, who was named as Drummer Lee Rigby, 25, the father of a two-year-old son.

David Cameron said there would be a full investigation by the Security and Intelligence Committee after it emerged that both of the attackers were known to the police and MI5, but neither was assessed as a major security risk. 

The Telegraph has learnt that six years ago Adebolajo was arrested after being involved in violent protests by extremists outside the Old Bailey. He was a regular member of a small group of hardcore fanatics who regularly protested alongside some of Britain’s most notorious hate clerics. He was seen preaching anti-Western rhetoric in Woolwich as recently as last week. At one stage he is believed to have tried to travel to Somalia to join the terrorist network Al-Shabaab, but was forced to return to Britain.

The disclosure of his close association with some of Britain’s most notorious Islamic extremists is likely to raise further questions about why he was not deemed a serious threat by the security services. 

The second attacker has not been identified but investigators are examining whether he had a criminal past.

Drummer Rigby, of 2nd Bn The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, was run over and attacked with knives and cleavers as he walked back to barracks in Woolwich, south-east London on Wednesday afternoon. Known as “Riggers”, he was praised by his colleagues as a “true warrior” who had served in Afghanistan, Cyprus and Germany, and by his family as a loving father to his son, Jack.  

Of course, the bigger question is when the Hell is religion - be it Christianity or Islam - going to stop being afforded special deference, privileges and exceptions to hate speech?   Religion simply deserves no respect or deference.  Religion through the centuries has been a pernicious evil.  When will the larger public say "enough" and start treating extremists be they ones like the killers in London or GOP nominees Ken Cuccinelli and E. W. Jackson like the potentially dangerous purveyors of hate that they are?

The True Ugly Face of Religion

Yesterday we saw Islamic barbarism in London.  Last weekend we saw what was likely the result of Christofascist barbarism when a gay man was shot to death in New York City's West Village.   Clerics of both religions preach hate and violence.  Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom are thankfully speaking out against yesterday's barbaric murder in London.  But here in America hate merchants like E.W. Jackson, Republican nominee for Lt. Governor refuses to apologize for his extremist rhetoric.  Sadly, few Christian leaders have denounced Jackson.  The bigger question for adherents of both religions is what will they do beside talk?  Will they confront jihadists and extremists like Jackson?  Will they go on an offensive against their foul co-coreligionists?  Or will they act like the "good Germans"  and after perhaps a few words yield the field to the hate merchants?  My money is unfortunately on the latter.  It's a cynical view, but realistic when one looks at the fruits of both Christianity and Islam over the centuries: wars of religin, endless bloodshed, hatred and persecution of others.  Yesterday's murder victim is just the latest death in the countless millions who have died because of hate based religious belief.    Andrew Sullivan summarizes yesterday's horror in London:

The monster who paraded around on the street after hacking a soldier to pieces is chilling in many ways. But everything points to a religious act of terror, motivated by the same Jihadist rage that captured the Tsarnaev brothers. For these men, “our land” is not Britain; it is the land of Islam in their minds.  .  .  .  .   this was a religious sacrificial murder, authorized by God in the eyes of the killers.

Sadly, Andrew fails to acknowledge that hatred is not unique to Islam.  Here in Virginia the GOP has just nominated a trio of hate merchants motivated by religious fervor.  The face of E. W. Jackson below is different from the London murderers only by degree.  In both instances, the poison of religion is what powers the hatred and language that fuels violence.  Huffington Post looks at Jackson's refusal to rescind and of his awful statements:

The Virginia Republican Party took a post-convention victory lap on Tuesday in a parking lot outside gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli's headquarters. While the gatherers had come to propel the top of the ticket to a November victory, it was Cuccinelli's newly minted sidekick who stole the show. 

Jackson made no attempt to soften the edges on Tuesday, despite whispers from Virginia Republicans that his selection may doom Cuccinelli's chances. Instead, Jackson charged forward with gusto.

"I don't have anything to rephrase or to apologize for," Jackson told reporters. 

For those new to the blog, here are a few of the statements that Jackson feels no need to apologize for:

E.W. Jackson: Gay People Are "Perverted" And "Very Sick." In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said about gays and lesbians: "Their minds are perverted, they're frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally and they see everything through the lens of homosexuality. When they talk about love they're not talking about love, they're talking about homosexual sex. So they can't see clearly." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

 E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality "Destroys Families, It Destroys Societies; It Brings The Judgment Of God." In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said: "Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12] E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality Tries To "Poison" And "Sexualize" Children. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: "Look, it also attempts to poison our children, divide them from their parents and the teaching of the church and basically turn them into pawns for that movement so that they can sexualize them at the earliest possible age. It really is insidious and I agree with you, it is a super sin." [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

E.W. Jackson: Gays And Lesbians "Want To Destroy" Culture; Said They Were Forcing Christians To Change Their Beliefs. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson's appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: "They've got to transform the culture in order to make their lifestyles fully acceptable to everyone. I used two words to describe what they're trying to do: authoritarian and totalitarian, and I believe that. I believe that they are of a mindset that says we want to destroy in any way we need to anyone who dares oppose this agenda, that's a very, very dangerous approach.

Will there be some that take this rhetoric to heart and act?  Words can and do have consequences.

 

London Attack: The New Face of Terror - Where Are the Good Muslims?

I will admit that I am hard on those I call the "good Christians" - those Christians who silently stand by and never speak a word of condemnation against far right Christians who spew nothing but hatred towards others.  They are akin to the "good Germans" who stayed silent as the Nazi regime rose to power and who later denied any knowledge of the horrors done by Hitler, et al, including the wholesale murder of Jews.   In London today a horrible murder occurred and now, I am waiting for Muslims around the globe to rise up out of silence and condemn the horrible deed and also condemn clerics who preach such hate and violence.  Bad things happen when good people remain silent.  And silence ultimately translates into complicity.  I am an equal time critic of fundamentalist  religion and the evils which seem to be its principal fruits.   I expect nothing less from "good Muslims" than I do of "good Christians."   The Daily Beast looks at events today in London when a soldier was attacked and beheaded by apparent Jihadists.  Here are highlights:

A blood-splattered jihadist with a meat cleaver in one hand declaring to a bystander’s smartphone camera “Allahu Akbar” and “we will always beat you” in a pronounced south London accent?  While waiting twenty minutes for the police to arrive after he’s taken part in what seemed like a ritual assassination of a British soldier?  Exactly what terrorist profile does this conform to?  None.

And that’s what concerns British terrorism officials. Is this bizarre episode the beginning of a new, unpredictable pattern of loners operating without any organized backing behind them, or a one-off?

The two assailants could, indeed, just be a couple of deranged freelancers. But the guidance British ministers have been giving reporters assumes something much graver, a form of terrorism so unsophisticated and amateur that it can’t be detected by existing surveillance methods.

The fact that the wild, bloodied harangue to camera was delivered by a black man with no trace of a foreign accent – indeed, in an accent that seemed to originate in south London in particular – suggests homegrown militants, perhaps men radicalized via the Internet, through a form of widely dispersed propaganda rather than targeted brainwashing.

Many witnesses saw two men in a car deliberately run down the off-duty soldier, then hack away at him with a meat cleaver, apparently attempting to decapitate him.

The BBC has been reporting that one of the attackers was a Nigerian known to have had connections with the Somalia-based terrorist group Al-Shabaab, from as far back as 2003.

Fundamentalist religious belief to me is a form of sickness or, better yet, a form of mental illness.  How else to explain the hate and savagery that seems to go with it?  But, this judgment doesn't apply to all members of faith groups. That said, I have a number of Muslim clients who are decent, respectful individuals.   Unfortunately, they and others will be painted with a broad brush if Muslim leaders do not immediately condemn this atrocity in the strongest means possible.   Fundamentalist religion of all faiths is a dangerous evil that needs to be eradicated from the face of the earth.  Once again I find myself believing that a world entirely without religion would be a far better place.

Ann Romney's Horse Fails to Win But Avoids Offending British

One has to love the British sense of humor - especially when the British press is castigating Mitt Romney.  The Guardian ran a story today under the headline "Ann Romney's horse fails to win dressage but avoids offending British" - would that Mitt had the political skills of Rafalca.  And I suspect that Rafalca is for less snooty and full of herself than her owners.  One can only how many tax write offs the Romneys have taken relating to Rafalca.  Here's a sampling of the Guardian story:

Short of mocking Shetland ponies over their lack of stature or laying into zebras for their failure to make a significant contribution to the world of equine culture, Ann Romney's horse Rafalca was always going to struggle to match the sheer incredulity that her husband managed to provoke on his recent overseas trip.

And in the event – the event in question being the individual dressage – the 15-year-old bay Oldenburg mare acquitted herself rather well. True, she and her rider, Jan Ebeling, may have been left well behind by Britain's Carl Hester, Germany's Dorothee Schneider and Denmark's Anna Kasprzak but, by Romney standards, her performance was a positive triumph.

 

Never for a second during her seven-minute performance did a hoof stray dangerously mouthwards, nor did she do anything at all to offend or upset the host nation. From the moment she entered the Greenwich Park equestrian arena at 12.15 on Thursday afternoon, the most famous political horse since Caligula toyed with making a consul of Incitatus seemed in her element.

She bowed her neatly plaited head on cue, trotted diagonally across the sand, did the jogging-on-the-spot thing, the skipping thing, the rhythmic boogying thing, the controlled trotting thing: in short, Rafalca did everything that the occasion and the peculiar rules of the dressage demanded of her.

While he chose not to impart any information about Rafalca's voting intentions, the 53-year-old US rider did confirm that Ann Romney had given him "many words of encouragement" before the Olympics.

She had not been in touch on Thursday morning, he added, but her last message had been full of good counsel: "Do what you know to do and do what you do best. Just ride like it's a normal day." Fine advice indeed. If only her husband had heeded it.

Mitt Romney is an arrogant ass.  I suspect that Rafalca has far more personality and is probably far less self-absorbed. 

Mitt Romney's Disastrous Charm Offensive in the United Kingdom

Karma can truly be a bitch as Mitt Romney found out in the United Kingdom today.  For those living under rocks, Romney is visiting the UK and other nations in an effort to build his foreign policy bona fides after mocking and deriding Barack Obama for supposedly alienating America's traditional allies.   As it turns out, it is Romney who has offended and alienated the British and as The Daily Telegraph (the UK's leading conservative newspaper) reported proved himself to be anything but charming.   Here are some highlights:

His [Romney's] derisory comments questioning Britain’s preparedness for the Olympics in an interview with NBC were a strange way to build bridges with a country that he says should be restored as the umbilical ally of the United States, and a strange way to demonstrate the persuasive qualities needed as leader of the free world. 

Not once have I heard him praise Britain or extol the special relationship he now belatedly trumpets. He even reprised his dislike of the NHS shortly before leaving for these shores of benighted, yellow-toothed natives who spend half their lives waiting in hospital, having tried as governor of Massachusetts to ensure that everyone in his state, as in Britain, had access to health care.

His current pledge to “revive” ties between the US and Britain sounds suspiciously like a talking point drummed up in a policy meeting and designed to differentiate himself from President Barack Obama for domestic purposes.

Yet there isn’t much currently wrong with the transatlantic alliance, as last summer’s exultant state visit by Obama showed.

But the disaster for Romney didn't end with the Telegraph editorial.   Romney (and Utah) also got dished by the mayor of London  as he addressed a huge crowd of Britons:

There are some people who are coming from around the world who don't yet know about all the preparations we've done to get London ready in the last seven years. There's a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know whether we are ready. Are we ready?"

Here's a video clip where Romney's Olympic games are described as having occurred in the middle of nowhere:

And then there's the issue of Romney's timing" right after British Prime Minister spoke out forcefully on the need for marriage equality for same sex couples.  Among other things, Cameron has stated that he supports same sex marriage because he's a conservative - a sharp contrast with Romney's profound anti-gay bigotry.  Here are some quotes from CNN:

On Wednesday the prime minister hosted a reception for members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community at 10 Downing in which he renewed his commitment to legal same sex civil marriage.

“I think marriage is a great institution – I think it helps people to commit, it helps people to say that they’re going to care and love for another person,” Cameron said, according to text of his remarks on his official website. “It helps people to put aside their selfish interests and think of the union that they’re forming. It’s something I feel passionately about and I think if it’s good enough for straight people like me, it’s good enough for everybody and that’s why we should have gay marriage and we will legislate for it.”

One can only wonder what other disasters Romney's foreign trip will cause as he visits other nations.  His trip to the UK confirms that Romney's not only out of touch with average Americans.  He's out of touch with everyone normal who wasn't raised as a rich spoiled brat with an overweening sense of entitlement. 

British Teen Driven To Suicide Over Gay Taunts

The Christian Right in the USA and in the UK where their poison is being imported actively work to foster homophobia and this sad event reported by 365gay.com shows that homophobia kills. Whether or not Belinda Allen was actually gay, the clear message is that the hate and bullying directed towards gays lead her to kill herself at only 14. Since this is the second bullying induced suicide at this school, something is terribly wrong with the teachers and school administration for letting such an atmosphere exist. No child or youth should have to live with such abuse. Having been bullied for not being butch enough or enough of a jock in school myself, I have some inkling of what this poor girl felt. Here are some story highlights (http://www.365gay.com/Newscon08/01/011008teen.htm):

(London) British police are investigating the suicide of a 14-year girl who had been subjected to constant bullying by classmates who called her a lesbian. The body of Belinda Allen was discovered by a man walking his dog in Southwater. Police said the teen had tied a scarf around her neck and hanged herself from a tree. It is not known if the girl identified as being gay but she had suffered taunting and bullying for more than a year friends said on Thursday. Students called her "a dyke" and chided her for her clothes.

It is the second time that a student at the same school has committed suicide as a result of bullying. Last year an 11-year old boy hanged himself from his bunk bed at home using shoelaces. Following that death the West Sussex County Council set up an anti-bullying task force. But students say it has done little to curb schoolyard bullying.

In December the British government told schools beef up their protections for LGBT students. In an advisory sent to all schools across the UK the government warned principals that turning a blind eye to homophobia will not be tolerated. The advisory said that students who taunt gays need to be disciplined and that if detentions and suspensions do not work police should be called in to deal with the problem. It also reminded schools that homophobia is a crime.

The European Parliament also issued a declaration last year urging member states to enact laws preventing homophobic bullying in schools.