Eagles Players Are Already Refusing White House Visit

Eagles player, Chris Long

Resistance to Der Trumpenführer takes many forms and just hours after last night's welcomed triumph over the New England Patriots, several players for the victorious Eagles have announced that they will boycott the traditional visit to the White House which is now occupied by an individual with about as much moral character as Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars franchise. I applaud the boycott and believe that every patriotic American has a duty to do all in their power to minimize the normalization and legitimacy of the Trump/Pence regime which is nothing less than a blight on the nation.  A piece in New York Magazine looks at the boycott which will surely grow: 

For Americans who are not fans of the New England Patriots or their favorite politician, Super Bowl LII was a relief; unlike last year, they did not have to watch Tom Brady claw his way back to a victory, while simultaneously experiencing flashbacks of election night 2016. But politics was still present at the big game, from the outrage over Dodge using a Martin Luther King Jr. speech to sell trucks to Breitbart’s decision to mark the occasion with a racist tweet.

President Trump broke with a decade of tradition, opting not to give NBC a pre-Super Bowl interview (possibly because it’s one of his most hated networks). Of course, he could not resist the urge to reference one of his favorite controversies . . . . Trump did manage to briefly act like a normal president after the game, congratulating the Eagles without lamenting his pal Tom Brady’s loss.

But there’s no offseason for Trump’s feuds. Several Eagles players have already said they intend to boycott the winning team’s traditional trip to the White House.

No one on the Eagles sat or knelt during the national anthem this season, but several players raised their fists in protest, including Malcolm Jenkins, Torrey Smith, and Rodney McLeod. Jenkins led the Players Coalition, which secured a commitment from the NFL to provide $89 million over seven years to groups fighting inequality.

Chris Long, who is white, voiced support for his teammates’ protests throughout the season. “For me, being from Charlottesville, no one wants to see you sit idly by and watch that stuff happen and not say anything,” Long said in the aftermath of the deadly white supremacist demonstration in his hometown. “And I wish there was more categorical denial from some very important people in this country who have had the opportunity to strike it down but didn’t.”

Last week Long became the first Eagles player to announce he would boycott the celebration with Trump. “No, I’m not going to the White House,” he said on the Pardon My Take podcast. “Are you kidding me?”

[P]lenty of players decided to boycott Trump last year, even before he spent half a season accusing NFL players of being unpatriotic for exercising their right to protest. The list of players boycotting this year’s White House event will almost certainly grow.

NFL To Georgia: No Super Bowl If Anti-LGBT RFRA Bill Isn't Vetoed

Georgia Republicans are about to learn that self-prostitution to Christofascists can carry a significant price.  Yesterday, the NFL said that, if the anti-gay "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" (RFRA) bill passed by the legislature isn't vetoed by the governor, Atlanta can kiss its Super Bowl bid goodbye.  The Atlanta Constitution has details:

If Georgia chooses to turn the “religious liberty” bill into law, be prepared: Atlanta may not get a Super Bowl.

That was the suggestion from the NFL on Friday when the league released a statement in response to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s question about whether the league had any position on Georgia House Bill 757.

The statement from league spokesman Brian McCarthy reads, “NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard. Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites.”

Falcons owner Arthur Blank has hoped to land multiple Super Bowls in the team’s new stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2017. The NFL has previously moved a Super Bowl from Arizona to the Rose Bowl near Los Angeles in the 1992 season after that state refused to recognize the Martin Luther King holiday.

Hate and Ignorance Triumph in Houston and Kentucky

The election results in Houston and Kentucky yesterday demonstrate once again that religious based hate and the embrace of ignorance are stronger motivations to vote than equality and concern for one's neighbors.  The same holds true in Loudoun County, Virginia where Bob Marshall, arguably the most hateful and insane member of the Virginia General Assembly won reelection.  Leading the way in these unfortunate outcomes were so-called "conservative" voters who in fact are religious extremists who hold ISIS like contempt for others who do not embrace their Bronze Age beliefs.   First, the New York Times looks at the results in the defeat of Houston's non-discrimination ordinance which ought to send a message to big businesses that Texas is not a place in which to base any major operations.  Here are excerpts:

A yearlong battle over gay and transgender rights that turned into a costly, ugly war of words between this city’s lesbian mayor and social conservatives ended Tuesday as voters repealed an anti-discrimination ordinance that had attracted attention from the White House, sports figures and Hollywood celebrities.

Opponents said the measure would allow men claiming to be women to enter women’s bathrooms and inflict harm, and that simple message — “No Men in Women’s Bathrooms” — was plastered on signs and emphasized in television and radio ads, turning the debate from one about equal rights to one about protecting women and girls from sexual predators.

“It was about protecting our grandmoms, and our mothers and our wives and our sisters and our daughters and our granddaughters,” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican, told cheering opponents who gathered at an election night party at a Houston hotel. “I’m glad Houston led tonight to end this constant political-correctness attack on what we know in our heart and our gut as Americans is not right.”

Opponents of the measure — including Mr. Patrick, pastors of conservative megachurches and the former Houston Astros baseball star Lance Berkman — said the ordinance had nothing to do with discrimination and was about the mayor’s gay agenda being forced on the city. They denied that they had any bias against gay people, and said the ordinance was so vague that it would make anyone who tried to keep any man from entering a women’s bathroom the subject of a city investigation and fine.

Ms. Parker and her supporters said Houston would lose tourism and convention business if the city had to repeal the ordinance and became known for intolerance, just as a backlash in Indiana over a religious-objections law led to convention cancellations and boycotts before that law was changed. Supporters worried that a repeal of the Houston ordinance could also jeopardize its selection as host city for the Super Bowl in 2017.

I hope the NFL decides to boycott Houston - perhaps a petition addressed to the NFL needs be started.  I for one will not be visiting Houston or Texas anytime soon.  

In Kentucky, similar batshitery and misogyny prevailed as Republican Matt Bevin, who backed Kim Davis to rally haters evangelicals, was elected Governor of Kentucky thereby putting health care coverage for several hundred thousand state residents at risk.  Here are excerpts from the New York Times on this disturbing election outcome:

Matt Bevin, a Republican political novice, wealthy Louisville businessman and Tea Party favorite, was elected Kentucky’s next governor on Tuesday and swept fellow Republicans into statewide office with him. The stunning victory heralds a new era in a state where Democrats have held the governor’s mansion for all but four of the last 44 years.

Mr. Obama’s health care law was an especially contentious issue in the race, and some see the Bevin victory as a rebuke to Gov. Steve Beshear, a Democrat, who expanded Medicaid under the measure. An estimated 420,000 Kentuckians, nearly 10 percent of the state’s population, now have coverage as a result. Mr. Bevin, a fierce opponent of the health care law, at first said he would reverse it, but has since softened his position and said he would stop enrolling new people but would not take coverage from those who had it.

He [Bevin] held strong appeal to both fiscal and Christian conservatives; when Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk, who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, was jailed, Mr. Bevin made a show of visiting her. 

Mr. Conway hews mostly to traditional Democratic positions. He favors increasing the minimum wage (Mr. Bevin is opposed); is a strong backer of unions (Mr. Bevin favored “right-to-work” laws that would limit union organizing); and made early childhood education a centerpiece of his election campaign. (Mr. Bevin emphasized school vouchers.) 

I try to be optimistic about the future of America, but in these off year elections - i.e., non-presidential elections - the hatred and greed of the Christofascists and those seeking a new Gilded Age outweigh those who oppose their agenda.  The irony is that many of those who stayed home and failed to vote will be the ones most targeted by the foul policies of today's GOP.

GOP on Arizona Anti-Gay Law: Make It Go Away

For years now the Republican Party at both the national and state level has been gleefully prostituting itself to Christofascists and theocrats and injecting foul and toxic religious belief into the civil laws.  Here in Virginia the Republican Party of Virginia has become little more than the legislative arm of The Family Foundation, a Christofascist hate group.  And for too long these political prostitutes in the GOP have gotten away with pushing religious based laws that make a mockery of the U. S. Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom for all citizens, not just Christofascists and Christian extremist.  In some ways Arizona's "turn the gays away" bill was a logical extension of what has been long occurring with GOP facilitation.  That the Arizona law has ignited a fire storm and an uprising by the business community has been nothing short of delicious to watch.  Indeed, the fall out has caused similar bills in Georgia and Indiana to get pulled or put on possible permanent by GOP sponsors.  Now, many Republicans want the Arizona bill to simply go away and have joined the chorus calling on Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to veto the bill.  Politico looks at the growing GOP stampede to see the bill killed.  Here are highlights:

As Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer weighs whether to sign a bill that would allow businesses to deny services to gay customers, top national Republicans just want the issue to go away.

Proponents of the legislation — which Brewer has until Saturday to sign or veto and is reportedly leaning against — say the bill is designed to protect religious liberty. But many Washington Republicans see it as a political loser, giving the left another cudgel to attack conservatives as intolerant while motivating liberals and younger voters ahead of the midterm elections. It also threatens to widen the chasm between social conservatives and GOP operatives, who have become increasingly public in their support for gay marriage.

“There are lots of economic and fiscal issues that people care pretty deeply about. I think those are good issues for us to focus on,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said Tuesday when asked about the bill, SB 1062. “We’ll stay focused on Obamacare. Those are the issues we want to talk about.”

The state’s Republican senators, Jeff Flake and John McCain, are prodding the governor to veto the bill on financial grounds, warning that boycotts of Arizona could do untold economic damage to the state. They even worried about losing next year’s Super Bowl.

“I know that the entire business community is galvanized, in a way that I’ve never seen, against this legislation,” said McCain.  “I hope she moves quickly,” Flake said. “I just don’t see any reason to wait.”

Still, the legislation puts other elected Republicans in a touchy spot, not wanting to antagonize social conservatives who oppose same-sex marriage or force business owners to go against their conscience.

A Republican strategist active in congressional races said the bill will most likely be a nonfactor in the midterms if Brewer vetoes it. Boycott threats and strong opposition from the business community in Arizona could deter other states from taking up similar legislation.

“If it becomes law, it will be a big issue,” the person said. “All indications are that she’s likely to veto it, and if she does … eight months from now, it’s pretty much ancient history.”

If Brewer signs the legislation, the major concern of party strategists is that opponents would launch an effort to overturn it. A referendum in November would allow the debate about whether denying services to gays is discriminatory to simmer through November, drawing global attention and increasing turnout among younger, liberal voters. This could complicate GOP hopes of holding the open governorship and picking up targeted House seats.

Republican consultant Steve Schmidt, a supporter of gay marriage rights who was McCain’s senior strategist on his 2008 presidential campaign, called the bill a political mess.  “It makes the party of Lincoln and Reagan look small, closed and intolerant and exacerbates our political differences with every single demographic group in America that is growing,” he said.

Mike Murphy, another prominent GOP strategist, said the bill makes holding the party’s 2016 convention in Phoenix “a terrible idea.”

 

Being shameless whores to ignorance embracing hate-filled Christofascists can carry a price - as the GOP is finding out in spades.  The perverse side of me hopes Brewer signs the bill and that the ensuing shit storm causes the GOP nothing but problems until the law is struck down as unconstitutional under the precedent of Romer v. Evans.

 

Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee Denounces Arizon Anti-Gay Bill

The furor over Arizona's "special rights for Christifascist" a/k/a the "turn the gays away" bill continues to grow and both of Arizona's U.S. Senators have called on Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to veto the bill.  Similar bills have been introduced at the demand of Christofascist organizations and their political prostitutes in the Republican Party, but the uproar taking place in Arizona may make some of these states to rethink such legislation.   WTAR News looks at the controversy, including the denunciation of the bill made by the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.  Here are excerpts:

After the weekly media meeting for House Democrats at the capitol Monday, Democratic House Minority Leader Chad Campbell said Senate Bill 1062 could affect the 2015 Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz.

"I think that the sports community is going to start looking at this and take a serious second look at whether or not they actually want to have the biggest sporting event in the world hosted in a state that is openly promoting, bigotry and discrimination," Campbell said, adding that bill really makes the state look bad.

Campbell went further, calling SB 1062 a "horrible bill."

"Both morally and economically it is a horrible bill," he said. "You're talking about really putting a sign on the front door of Arizona saying ‘We don't want a certain group of people here.'"

In a statement, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee said it does not support SB 1062.

We share the NFL's core values which embrace tolerance, diversity, inclusiveness and prohibit discrimination. In addition, a key part of the mission for the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is to promote the economic vitality of Arizona. On that matter we have heard loud and clear from our various stakeholders that adoption of this legislation would not only run contrary to that goal but deal a significant blow to the state's economic growth potential. We do not support this legislation. Instead, we look forward to continuing to promote the NFL's values while focusing on the economic momentum apparent in Arizona and capturing the positive worldwide attention associated with hosting Super Bowl XLIX.

Campbell compared SB 1062 to Arizona not recognizing Martin Luther King, Jr. Day back in the 1990s. 

"We have a history of the legislature passing bills that end up in court and then being tossed," he said. "Senate Bill 1070 is another great example of that."

SB 1062 would make it legal for a business to deny services on the basis of someone's sexual orientation. Gov. Jan Brewer has until the close of business Saturday to sign it into law or veto it.

Will Arizona's "License to Discriminate Bill" Backfire

The far right and the Christofascists in Arizona are gushing with joy over the Arizona legislature's passage of the "license to discriminate bill" that is headed to Gov. Jan Brewer's desk.  Meanwhile, the Chamber of Commerce and business groups are aghast that, if passed into law, the bill would savage Arizona's economy and perhaps even jeopardize the state 's scheduled hosting of the Super Bowl.  In addition, some believe the law which is so blatantly targeted at gays could (i) end up eventual before the U.S. Supreme Court and lead to an expanded version of the ruling in Romer v. Evans, or (ii) influence the result in cases now pending before the Court where Christofascists are demanding special rights.  Should something like this happen, the Christofascists will have shot themselves in the longer term.  Think Progress looks at the possibility.  Here are highlights:

Arizona is likely to give many business sweeping new rights to discriminate against LGBT people. Yet, by calling attention to the link anti-gay groups hope to forge between “religious liberty” and a right to anti-gay discrimination, this bill could unintentionally wind up advancing the cause of women’s health and potentially even rescue LGBT people from similar efforts to protect discrimination in the future. Or, to be more precise, it could have that effect if Justice Anthony Kennedy is paying attention to what’s going on in Arizona.

A bill currently awaiting Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer’s (R-AZ) signature or veto has been labeled a “license to discriminate” and “state-sanctioned discrimination towards the LGBT community.” The Arizona Republic urged Brewer to veto it because it would “allow businesses to refuse service to gays and lesbians on religious grounds.” Yet, what is most striking about the bill is how closely it tracks a pair of cases currently pending in the Supreme Court that, at least on the surface, have little to do with gay rights — and everything to do with whether employers can deny birth control to their employees.

A key issue in this case is whether the Supreme Court will allow for-profit corporations to raise a religious liberty claim — something that no court had ever agreed to until religious employers started objecting to these particular birth control rules.

Current Arizona law closely tracks the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which forms the basis of the plaintiffs’ strongest claims in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood. The bill on Brewer’s desk would amend Arizona’s religious liberty law in several ways, but the most significant change is new language expanding the scope of who is allowed to claim they are immune to complying with state law on religious grounds. Should Brewer sign the bill, “ANY INDIVIDUAL, ASSOCIATION, PARTNERSHIP, CORPORATION, CHURCH, RELIGIOUS ASSEMBLY OR INSTITUTION, ESTATE, TRUST, FOUNDATION OR OTHER LEGAL ENTITY” will be eligible to make religious liberty claims.

What’s significant about the debate over the Arizona bill is that it drives home the fact that allowing corporations to claim religious exemptions to the law is not just about birth control — it’s also about whether businesses with anti-gay owners will have the right to discriminate against LGBT customers or even LGBT workers. Indeed, the bill’s proponents don’t even really try to hide this fact.

[D]espite his largely conservative record on the bench, there are a handful of issues where Kennedy has genuinely moderate views — and on these issues, he quite often votes with the court’s more liberal bloc. Gay rights is one of these issues. Indeed, Kennedy’s written with genuine compassion toward gay men and lesbians in his three major gay rights opinions.

The last time a conflict between gay rights and religious conservatives reached the Supreme Court, Kennedy broke with his fellow conservatives and sided with gay equality.  

[I]f Kennedy views Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood and a broad attack on the idea that religious employers have to comply with the law, and specifically, with laws protecting gay people, then he is much more likely to uphold the birth control rules. 

The plaintiffs’ legal theory in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood would, in the words of a brief filed by attorneys from Lambda Legal, “mark a sea change – not only in allowing business owners’ religious views about family planning to burden decisions employees are entitled to make for themselves, but also in opening the door to similar denials of equal compensation, health care access, and other equitable treatment for LGBT people, persons with HIV, and anyone else whose family life or health need diverges from their employers’ religious convictions.” If birth control loses in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood, it is all but certain that gay rights will be next on the chopping block.

The bill on Brewer’s desk drives this fact home better than any brief or legal argument possibly could. Supporters of both gay rights and women’s health should hope that Kennedy is paying attention to Arizona.

Will GOP Gov. Jan Brewer Veto Arizona Gay Segregation Bill?

The degree to which Republicans will prostitute themselves to the ugliest elements of the Christofascists often knows few limits.  Indeed, I often note that a tawdry whore has more integrity than most GOP legislators.  With both houses of the Arizona legislature having passed a special rights for Christians, gay segregation bill that would allow Jim Crow like treatment of gays in Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer will have to decide if she will join the ranks of the GOP prostitutes or do what is best for Arizona and veto the bill.  Brewer is receiving huge amounts of pressure from the Arizona business community to veto the bill which business interests rightly fear will harm the state economically and prompt a raft of boycotts.  Two stories in the Arizona Republic look at Brewer's dilemma.  Here are highlights from the first piece on the business community blow back:

Economic-development groups and business leaders, perhaps stung by memories of the backlash from a tough anti-immigration law in 2010, expressed concern over the latest controversial bill headed to Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk.

Just as the Arizona economy begins gaining momentum, the new legislation could hurt its recovery — and the state’s reputation as a place to do business — they said. In 2010, boycotts of the state hit the tourism industry especially hard after Senate Bill 1070 was passed.

The Greater Phoenix Economic Council urged a veto of the controversial legislation that would allow discrimination against gays, saying it could affect Super Bowl XLIX in Glendale and have “profound, negative” economic effects for years.

[M]any other business owners — and the Arizonans who buy from them — expressed frustration Friday over a potential law that could make the state and its people appear unwelcoming.

“The state already is known as being discriminatory,” said Howard Fleischmann, majority owner of six Community Tire Pros and Auto Repair outlets in the Valley. “This would muddy the water and give Arizona a more terrible reputation.”

The controversy comes at a time when Arizona’s economy appears to be shifting into higher gear. BMO Capital Markets, in a report this month, said Arizona’s economy is poised to grow faster than the nation both this year and next.  The legislation clouds the economic picture, some business leaders said.

Representatives of Arizona’s tourism industry are especially worried, with hotel occupancy and other measures on an upswing and with the nation’s biggest sporting event scheduled in Glendale on Feb. 1, 2015.   “We’re greatly concerned,” said Kristen Jarnagin, senior vice president of communications for the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association. “We’ve already received countless phone calls and e-mails from people canceling trips or threatening not to return.”

Many of those raising objections Friday cited the impact of the right-to-refuse-service bill on the state’s reputation, the likelihood of the relatively affluent gay community to spend its dollars elsewhere, and the potential challenges in recruiting workers to a state that might feel less than inclusive.

“With major events approaching in the coming year, including Super Bowl XLIX, Arizona will be the center of the world’s stage,” the letter says. “This legislation has the potential of subjecting the Super Bowl, and major events surrounding it, to the threats of boycotts.

“In addition to the concerns with the growing negative attention already being portrayed across both national and social media, we have already been contacted by four companies we are working on with the Arizona Commerce Authority who will look to locate elsewhere if this legislation is signed.”

The second article looks at Brewer's double speak as she is facing sharp attacks from Christofascists if she vetoes the bill and perhaps even more dangerous attacks from the business community if she doesn't veto it.  Here are excerpts:

As usual, Brewer has been tight-lipped about how she will act — she rarely comments before bills reach her desk. But she told a cable news network she planned to closely review the “controversial piece of legislation” that, among other things, would allow individuals to use religious beliefs as a defense against a lawsuit. Gay rights activists say the law would permit outright discrimination.

The Republican governor plans to meet with advisers in and out of her office, members of the business community, lawmakers and others as she weighs whether to sign the bill into law, her advisers said.

“They’ll go over every aspect of the bill — the pros and the cons, the risks — all of it,” said one insider familiar with the inner workings of the Governor’s Office and how Brewer approaches legislation. “In this instance, you have a bill that had a party-line vote. It puts her in a difficult spot.”

Brewer was in Washington, D.C., attending a conference of governors and wasn’t expected to return until Tuesday. But some factions set to work Friday attempting to influence her decision.
Brewer’s Twitter feed blew up, with people from the business community, gay and lesbian activists and others urging her to veto the bill.

Business leaders, including the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, warned SB 1062 could have “profound, negative” effects on the state’s recovering economy by alienating businesses looking to relocate here and hurting tourism even as the state readies to host next year’s Super Bowl.

If the bill is not vetoed, I for one will make a point to NEVER visit the state (where I had relatives for over 60 years) or buy a product from an Arizona based business. 

 

 

Racists - GOP Base ? - Goes Berserk Over Coke "America the Beautiful" Super Bowl Ad

As we watched the Coca-Cola Super Bowl "America the Beautiful" ad (a clip is set out above) last night I said to a friend basically, "OMG, the GOP base and Christofascists are going to go berserk."  And sure enough, these "Real Americans" are apoplectic over the fact that the ad featured any language other than English and, God forbid, non-whites and even a gay couple.  The batshitery has been off the charts and underscores the reality that the GOP base is comprised of raging racists who are enraged that their days of unchallenged white privilege are in their twilight.   America Blog looks at some of the spittle flecked hysterics.  The take away message?  That these people are neither nice or decent.  They would have fit in well with the Nazis in the 1930's.  Here are post excerpts:

In an effort to make up for the company’s disastrous sponsorship of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Coca-Cola decided to run a feel-good, diversity-laden Super Bowl commercial, with lots of real Americans singing “America the Beautiful.”  In Spanish.  And then a number of other not-god-d*mn-English languages.  Oops.

Putting aside for a moment the fact that Olympic security are detaining gay dissidents in Russia, and handing them over to the Russian police, while sporting Coca-Cola’s logo all over their security uniforms, Coke’s ad isn’t bad. It’s actually quite nice (if you can ignore the fact that Coke has decided to sponsor, and then defend, the arrest of human rights activists outside of America the beautiful).

Among conservatives now freaking out is none other than Glenn Beck, who appears to think that Coke designed the ad to make Republicans look bad.  Of course, all of this has made conservatives look bad, but not for the reason they think.

You’ll recall that we had similar racist eruptions over an adorable Mexican-American boy singing the national anthem during the NBA finals, and when American singer Marc Anthony was lambasted for singing “God bless America” while Latino (it seems major league baseball fans were unfamiliar with the fact that Puerto Rico, while brown, is still part of the United States).

The only way things could have gone worse for Coke is if they had the national anthem sung by an inter-racial girl eating Cheerios.

Here’s a smattering of the racist response on – where else? – YouTube, land of the bigoted and home of the bravely intolerant:

Here’s a smattering of the racist response on – where else? – YouTube, land of the bigoted and home of the bravely intolerant (click the images below to enlarge):

 

There's more in the post, but you get the drift.  

What baffles me is that these racist cretins seemingly do not know that Florida was settled by the SPANISH a century before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock and that California and much of the American Southwest was a part of Mexico for well over a century before Texas became a part of the United States or that the first explorers and settlers of of California were SPANISH.  The Hispanics were in these regions of the United States LONG before the English settlers.    

A Gay Guide to Super Bowl XLVIII

 

I will admit that aside from skiing (on snow and water), sailing, and surfing, I did not get the sports gene.  Neither did the boyfriend.  Nonetheless, we will be attending a friend's annual Super Bowl party in Virginia Beach where there will be a plethora of gays some of whom will be actually paying attention to the game.  Since I don't follow pro-sports teams, I will be supporting the Sea Hawks based on the fact that my son (who doesn't follow sports either) and daughter and son-in-law live in Washington State whereas I have no connection at all with Denver.  Given that I will be at a Super Bowl party, a column in Out Sports gives some facts on tonight's game for the non-sports follower.  Here are highlights:

This is my 13th installment of how I see the Super Bowl, along with the important and fun angles.

A friend of mine says it perpetuates stereotypes that gay men only like the Academy Awards, reality TV or fashion, but the conceit has always been that it's a knowledgeable gay football fan hoping readers, gay or straight, will learn something new to toss out at a Super Bowl party.

WHAT: Super Bowl XLVIII (48 for our non-Roman readers) will be held Sunday Feb. 2 and pits the Denver Broncos (15-3) from from the American Football Conference against the Seattle Seahawks (15-3) from the National Football Conference. 

BUD BOWL: The game matches two teams located in states that have legalized marijuana, Colorado and Washington. Super Bowl 420, the Weed Eater Bowl … insert your pot pun here.

WHERE: The game is being played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., though technically the host city is New York. Both teams are staying in Jersey City, so don't expect a lot of late nights in Manhattan for the players. Rest assured, no A-list parties will be held in Jersey City.

WEATHER: The big news about the location is that it's the first time a game is being played in a cold weather climate in a non-covered stadium. The forecast for game time (6:30 p.m. local) is for the temperature in the mid-20s with a chance of snow showers, which would make it the coldest Super Bowl game ever. I think it's a terrible idea to hold the game outdoors in a cold climate, since weather should not be a determining factor once the conference playoffs are over. But hosting a Super Bowl was an inducement the NFL offered the New York Jets and Giants for building MetLife Stadium.

KICKOFF/TV: The kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. EST, shortly after opera soprano Renee Fleming sings the National Anthem. She is the first opera singer to perform the song at the Super Bowl. Friend of Outsports and my source for all things opera, Jim Allen, has this to say about Fleming:  "She's marketed in the opera world as a sophisticated but unpretentious, non-Diva singer who just happens to be one of the most popular opera singers in the world.

FASHION NOTE: Denver is the home team and will wear orange jerseys with white pants. The Seahawks will wear their white away jerseys with navy pants with a neon green stripe. It will be a good contrast on TV.

SHIRTLESS FASHION NOTE: Denver wide receiver Eric Decker and his wife, country singer Jessie James, have a reality show on E! They also did a photo spread for GQ magazine they featured a lot of him shirtless, which garnered zero complaints from our readers:

THE GAY ANGLE: Unlike past recent Super Bowls, there is not much of a gay angle here, with few cases of players saying anything pro or con about gay issues. Seattle punter Jon Ryan was very vocal last Super Bowl when San Franciso 49ers player Chris Culliver made anti-gay remarks; Ryan said Culliver needed to be suspended. In contrast, Seattle lineman Chris Clemons, responding to Jason Collins coming out in the NBA, said a player coming out openly would be a "selfish act."

As for Denver, . . . Broncos defensive back Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said "it would be hard" for some players to accept a gay player.

ENTERTAINMENT: Bruno Mars, backed up by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, will be the halftime entertainment. Since I can't name one song Mars has done and have never liked the Peppers music, I don't have much to say and will use halftime for a food break. The only question will be whether Flea gets shirtless in 20-degree temperatures.

THE COMMERCIALS: You can preview Super Bowl commercials on a zillion sites and they usually bore me, but one I will watch will be David Beckham for H&M underwear:  "In the spot, David is accidentally locked out of a photo shoot on a rooftop wearing only his underwear. With no way down, he goes to great lengths to find a way back inside, performing all his own stunts in the process.  Fans will see Beckham zipline across rooftops, scale buildings and navigate tricky obstacles all in his signature briefs. The commercial culminates in one of two unexpected ways – with David either "#Covered" or "#Uncovered."

THE PICK: Before the season I took Denver over Seattle in the Super Bowl and I see no need to change it. Manning will make enough plays and Welker in the slot catching passes will be the X factor. Denver's defense will do just enough to hold down Wilson and the Seahawks. Broncos 23, Seahawks 20.

Should the NFL Suspend San Francisco 49er Chris Culliver?

I'll be upfront on my view of most aspects of pro-sports, but in particular pro-football.  I see pro-football is little more than a modern day version of gladiator contests where most of the players are brutish, mindless idiots who are grossly over paid.   The Clydesdales at Busch Gardens in nearby Williamsburg seemingly out shine many NFL players in the intelligence department.  Underscoring this reality, in the lead up to this weekend's Super Bowl game, Chris Culliver, a seemingly stereotypical dimwitted San Francisco 49er's player has ignited a fire storm with homophobic remarks about gays and gays in the NFL.  Michelangelo Signorile makes the case as to why the NFL/49er's should suspend Culliver and not allow him to play in Sunday's game.  Here are excerpts:

San Francisco 49er Chris Culliver selfishly shot off his mouth yesterday, igniting a firestorm of controversy and creating a nightmare for his team and the National Football League as they head to the Super Bowl. For that alone the NFL should suspend him, his comments having put his entire team at the center of an unnecessary controversy as they're trying to focus on the game.

But for the horrendously bigoted, anti-gay content of his remarks, there is no question that Culliver must be suspended if the NFL is serious about its claims to be taking on homophobia in its ranks. Thanks to players like Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendan Ayanbadejo and their pro-gay advocacy, we're seeing a shift among NFL players, but the leadership needs to take strong stand against Culliver's kind of bigotry if that shift is to continue. 

"I don't do the gay guys, man," Culliver told radio host Artie Lange. "I don't do that. No."  Asked whether there are any gay players on the 49ers, Culliver said, "Nah. We don't got no gay people on the team. You know, they gotta get up out of here if they do. Can't be with that sweet stuff."

Incredulous, Lange pointed out that gay players might be able to play well, too, but Culliver responded, "Nah. Nah. Can't be... can't... uh... be in the locker room."

Lange then asked whether Culliver thought gay players should stay closeted while playing professionally, and Culliver responded, "Yeah, you gotta, you gotta come out 10 years later after that."

The NFL and many of its officials, as well as many team owners, managers and coaches, have gone to great lengths in condemning homophobia and saying that it would be fine for a player to come out as gay and that he'd be accepted and welcome. But statements like Culliver's, if they go unpunished, make all of that look like window dressing, and no player is going to even think about coming out.

The San Francisco 49ers issued a statement condemning Culliver's remarks and saying that they have "addressed the matter with Chris" and that they "proudly support the LGBT community." But again, without any repercussions, it's all just words. Culliver himself issued a ridiculously weak apology that he didn't even seem to write himself: "The derogatory comments I made yesterday were a reflection of thoughts in my head, but they are not how I feel," he said. "Those discriminating feelings are truly not in my heart."  Really?

[T]he 49ers suspended running back Brandon Jacobs just last month for making derogatory comments about his bosses. Are the team management saying that they take it seriously when they themselves are insulted, but not when closeted gay players and gay fans are subjected to bigoted, offensive remarks? 

If there is no suspension, the message from the NFL to young people, amid continued reports of suicides by LGBT youth who experienced bullying, is that it's OK for sports players and everyone else to attack gays and demand that they stay closeted and live in shame. If Culliver faces no repercussions, then the NFL's words about support and acceptance of gay athletes and fans are completely empty.

Personally, I agree with Michelangelo.  Suspend Culliver's ass.

Always Looking for Offense, Christians Claim Super Bowl Ads with Neil Patrick Harris Mock Them

One has to wonder about those who seemingly are constantly looking for offense and slights in virtually anything and everything.  But when it comes to Christofascists, they take this phenomenon to unbelievable heights.  Perhaps it is because they are not in touch with objective reality to begin with.  That certainly applies to the folks at World Net Daily, a/k/a Wing Nut Daily, who now have their patties in an utter wad over new ads being run by CBS for this year's Super Bowl game.  The source of the shrieks and outrage?  The ads feature Neil Patrick Harris which, in the minds of the unhinged translates to mockery of Christians.   I increasingly believe these "godly Christian" types belong in mental wards rather than loose in society.  Queerty looks at this latest batshitery.  Here are highlights:

“America’s Independent News Network”, WND, claims CBS is mocking Tim Tebow, and in effect Christianity itself, with new Super Bowl ads featuring openly gay actor Neil Patrick Harris.

“CBS, the television network airing the big game this year, is now using an outspoken homosexual actor to mimic Tim Tebow’s style of trumpeting messages in eyeblack on his face,” said the site. “One football fan who watched the CBS promo Sunday made the connection between Harris and Tebow, saying, ‘They’re pushing a gay agenda by using him, and they’re mocking Christians at the same time.’”

Speaking of pushing an agenda, WND also publishes the magazine, Whistleblower, featuring a cover proclaiming Barack Obama “The First Muslim President.”

WND even included an unnecessarily long poll asking if CBS is mocking Tebow and/or Christianity with the majority of voters (all 352 of them) choosing “Yes, and every effort should be made to boycott CBS and its advertisers.”

Of course, for some football fans Tebow represented the second coming. For New York Jets fans, however, NPH would probably make a more desirable quarterback.