Obamacons and a Karl Rove Slap Down

I am often asked how I could ever have been a Republican. Given the current face of the demented and hate-filled base of today's GOP, it is an understandable question. However, the Party was not always dominated by people like James Dobson, John Hagee, et al. Rather Virginia's senior U.S. Senator, John Warner, former Senator John Danforth and many like them used to be the norm as opposed to the exceptions they have become in a Party that basically sold its soul to Christianists and amoral jerks like Karl Rove (who is further discussed below) who will say and do anything to win. Responsible positions, fiscal responsibility, recognition of the separation of church and state, and moderate social views once were wide spread. Unfortunately, such has not been the case for easily a decade which is why I and many moderates abandoned the party that had abandoned us.

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The trend has intensified under the noxious regime of the Chimperator and his shameful effort to undermine the U. S. Constitution. The Party's current domination by the fraudulent, hate-filled, divisive Christianists has made the decision to defect all the easier. Hence the rise of the Obamacons - conservatives who cannot stomach the Republican Party in its present form. Robert Novak - not one of my favorite people, but sometimes a good observer - has a column in today's Washington Post that looks at the Obamacons and what they may mean for the GOP. Here are some highlights:

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What is an "Obamacon?" The phrase surfaced in January to describe British conservatives entranced by Barack Obama. On March 13 the American Spectator broadened the term to cover all "conservative supporters" of the Democratic presidential candidate. Their ranks, though growing, feature few famous people. But looming on the horizon are two big potential Obamacons: Colin Powell and Chuck Hagel.
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The Obamacon syndrome is based on hostility to Bush and his administration and on revulsion over today's Republican Party. The danger for McCain is that desire for a therapeutic electoral bloodbath could get out of control.

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The prototypal Obamacon may be Larry Hunter, recognized inside the Beltway as an ardent supply-sider. . . . Explaining his support for the uncompromisingly liberal Obama, Hunter blogged on June 6: "The Republican Party is a dead rotting carcass with a few decrepit old leaders stumbling around like zombies in a horror version of 'Weekend With Bernie,' handcuffed to a corpse."

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Obamacons -- little and big -- are reason for concern by McCain. They also should cause soul-searching at the Bush White House about who made the Republican Party so difficult a place for Republicans to stay.

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In terms of Karl Rove, a/k/a "Turd Blossom" per the nitwit Chimperator (I can see the turd part but find no blossom discernible), Maureen Dowd has a great piece in the New York Times that rightly labes Mr. Rove. As always, MoDo takes him apart with wit and style. Here are some highlights:

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Karl Rove was impressed with Barack Obama when he first met him. But now he sees him as a “coolly arrogant” elitist. This was Rove’s take on Obama to Republicans at the Capitol Hill Club Monday, according to Christianne Klein of ABC News: “Even if you never met him, you know this guy. He’s the guy at the country club with the beautiful date, holding a martini and a cigarette that stands against the wall and makes snide comments about everyone who passes by.” Actually, that sounds more like W.

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Rove is trying to spin his myths, as he used to do with such devastating effect, but it won’t work this time. The absurd spectacle of rich white conservatives trying to paint Obama as a watercress sandwich with the crust cut off seems ugly and fake.

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Unlike W., Obama doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder and he doesn’t make a lot of snarky remarks. He tries to stay on a positive keel and see things from the other person’s point of view. He’s not Richie Rich, saved time and again by Daddy’s influence and Daddy’s friends, the one who got waved into Yale and Harvard and cushy business deals, who drank too much and snickered at the intellectuals and gave them snide nicknames.

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Haven’t we had enough of this hypocritical comedy of people in the elite disowning their social status for political purposes? The Bushes had to move all the way to Texas from Greenwich to make their blue blood appear more red. Rove’s mythmaking about Obama won’t fly. If he means that Obama has brains, what’s wrong with that? If he means that Obama is successful, what’s wrong with that? If he means that Obama has education and intellectual sophistication, what’s wrong with that?

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Many of Obama’s traits are the traits that people in the population aspire to. It looks as if Rove is on the verge of realizing his dream of creating a permanent position for the Republicans. Unfortunately for him, it’s in the minority.

Thursday Male Beauty

Deb, this one's for you!

Ted Haggard - The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Good old Ted Haggard, former pastor of New Life Church in Colorado Springs right in Daddy Dobson's backyard, keeps of making news which, hopefully, will continue to make some people look at the hypocrisy of so many of the demagogues of the Christian Right (which is neither Christian nor right). In my opinion, Haggard is not unique among the Christo-fascists who seem to have an undue obsession with sex and all things sexual. Cases in point: Robert Knight and Peter LaBarbera who are absolutely obsessed with homosexuality and gay sex. In my opinion, their obsession derives from their own suppressed desires to engage in precisely what they condemn due to their religious fanaticism. Here are some highlights from KRDO News 13 (in my opinion, Knight and LaBarbera will get all hot and bothered reading the e-mail quotes):

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COLORADO SPRINGS - In an e-mail obtained by NEWSCHANNEL 13, former New Life Church Pastor Ted Haggard admits to sexual contact with a gay escort and using drugs. . . . Haggard sent the e-mail to close family friend Kurt Serpe back in October. In it, he writes: "I was referred to Mike Jones from the concierge at a Marriott hotel when I asked for a masseur." The e-mail then becomes more detailed and sexual in nature. "It was during the massage that it started to become sensual, and that led to him masturbating me," writes Haggard. He continues with "That was and is our only sexual contact." Haggard adds because it was immoral it was this experience that caused him to confess immorality.

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Jones went public about his alleged three-year paid relationship with Haggard in November 2006. Haggard was forced to quit as leader of New Life Church and head of The National Association of Evangelicals. The e-mail also talks about drugs Haggard bought from Jones. "During the conversation with Mike during and after the time he masturbated me, he told me about some drugs that he could get for me that would enhance my masturbation experience."

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"He craved sex, he was a sexaholic," says Serpe. He believes it had nothing to do with homosexuality, but more about masturbation and gratification. "This is something that he has been struggling with all of his life," says Serpe. He says Haggard told him the relationship lasted only three-months, not three years.

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Jones stands behind his claim that the relationship involved numerous encounters during three-years and denies selling Haggard drugs. We tried several times to contact Haggard, but he never responded to our requests.

More Christianist Misconduct at Military Academies

The New York Times has another disturbing story concerning Christianist members of the U. S. military trying to impose their religious views on cadets at the nations military academies. Unfortunately, some of the offenders are senior officers who, in my view, should be removed from commands - and ideally forced out of the military - if their cannot separate their apparent desires to be preachers from being military officers. They do NOT get to do both. All too typically, the religious nutcases cannot fathom the concept that their private religious views need to remain just that - private. They do not get to trample over the religious freedom of others in uniform, including their right to subscribe to no religion if they so choose. They whine about people restricting their freedom of religion but do not give a rat's ass about anyone else's rights. In the final analysis, they are obnoxious, self-centered, self-fish people who have no place in uniform. Obviously, having the delusional Chimperator, a definite religious lunatic, as commander-in-chief has not helped the situation. Here are highlights from the NYT story:

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Three years after a scandal at the Air Force Academy over the evangelizing of cadets by Christian staff and faculty members, students and staff at West Point and the Naval Academy are complaining that their schools, too, have pushed religion on cadets and midshipmen. . . . critics say the new complaints raise questions about the military’s commitment to policies against imposing religion on its members.

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At the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., nine midshipmen recently asked the American Civil Liberties Union to petition the school to abolish daily prayer at weekday lunch, where attendance is mandatory. The midshipmen and the A.C.L.U. assert that the practice is unconstitutional, based in large part on a 2004 appellate court ruling against a similar prayer at the Virginia Military Institute. The civil liberties group has threatened legal action if the policy is not changed. But the academy is not persuaded.

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In interviews at West Point, seven cadets, two officers and a former chaplain said that religion, especially evangelical Christianity, was a constant at the academy. . . . But most of their complaints center on Maj. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, until recently the academy’s top military leader and, since early May, the commander of the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. The cadets and staff said General Caslen, as commandant of cadets at West Point, routinely brought up God in speeches at events cadets were required to attend.

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"Nowhere does it say that you have to be a good Christian officer or Jewish officer or Muslim officer: You need to be an officer dedicated to the Constitution of the United States,” said Steven Warner, who graduated from West Point last month. “They tell us as an officer you have to put everything aside, all your personal stuff. But religion is the one thing they encourage you to wear on your sleeve.”

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“There is this massive sense of two things: that you are not wanted and you are made to feel like last-class citizens,” said Mr. Weinstein, a former Air Force officer. He added that he had been contacted by 31 cadets and staff members from West Point, including those who raised concerns about General Caslen, and 56 people from the Naval Academy, including 39 midshipmen. Almost all are afraid to go public.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

Is Life In Suburbia Becoming Untenable?

Most of life in the USA outside of central metropolitan areas is based on the automobile and what has heretofore been relatively cheap transportation costs for commuters living in the suburbs and traveling into central cities for employment. As a result, cities like Virginia Beach, Virginia - the most populous city in Virginia - have in essence virtually no public mass transit whatsoever. Other than in limited pockets of the city, an automobile is required to do just about anything whether it be commuting to work, grocery shopping, etc. Moreover, many suburbanites have shifted to massive SUV's - not that they ever use them off road - for the perceived status and other non-utilitarian reasons. Suddenly, $4.00+ gasoline is making this underlying basis for life go to Hell in a hand basket and commuting costs are wreaking havoc on many.

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Will gasoline and energy prices result in a rethinking of the suburban dream? The hand writing has been on the wall for some time - Americans have just refused to see the reality of a changing world and that artificially low US gas prices could not last forever. As a former suburbanite, I love living in an older central city and find little motivation to travel to restaurants or other venues outside of a 3-5 mile radius of home most of the time. My office is less than a 15 minute walk from home. It saves tons of money in terms of gas and wear and tear on my Jeep. This International Herald Tribune story looks at what is beginning to perhaps happen and it suggests that living patterns might not remain the same. Here are some highlights:

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ELIZABETH, Colorado: Suddenly, the economics of American suburban life are under assault as skyrocketing energy prices inflate the costs of reaching, heating and cooling homes on the outer edges of metropolitan areas.

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But life on the distant fringes of suburbia is beginning to feel untenable. Boyle and his wife must drive nearly an hour to their jobs in the high-tech corridor of southern Denver. With gasoline at more than $4 a gallon, Boyle recently paid $121 to fill his pickup truck with diesel. The price of propane to heat their spacious house has more than doubled in recent years. Though Boyle finds city life unappealing, it's now up for reconsideration.

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As the realization takes hold that rising energy prices are less a momentary blip than a restructuring with lasting consequences, the high cost of fuel is threatening to slow the decades-old migration away from cities, while exacerbating the housing downturn by diminishing the appeal of larger homes set far from urban jobs. In Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Minneapolis, homes beyond the urban core have been falling in value faster than those within, according to analysis by Moody's Economy.com.

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More than three-fourths of prospective homebuyers are more inclined to live in an urban area because of fuel prices, according to a recent survey of 903 real estate agents with Coldwell Banker, a national brokerage. Some proclaim the unfolding demise of suburbia.

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"It's like an ebbing of this suburban tide," said Joe Cortright, an economist at the consulting group Impresa in Portland, Oregon. "There's going to be this kind of reversal of desirability. Typically, Americans have felt the periphery was most desirable, and now there's going to be a reversion to the center." In a recent study, Cortright found that house prices in the urban centers of Chicago, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Portland and Tampa have fared significantly better than those in the suburbs. So-called exurbs - communities sprouting on the distant edges of metropolitan areas - have suffered worst of all, Cortright found.

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Long before the recent spike in the price of energy, environmentalists decried suburban sprawl as a waste of land, energy, and tax dollars: Governments from Virginia to California have in recent decades lavished resources on building roads and schools for new subdivisions in the outer rings of development while skimping on maintaining facilities closer in. Many governments now focus on reviving their downtowns.

Catholic Church Denounces Cuba's Move To Support LGBT Rights

Not surprisingly, the Vatican - which refuses to set its own house in order and fire bishops and cardinals who enabled or covered up the sexual abuse of minors - is now trying to interfer in civil legal affairs in Cuba. I love how granting legal rights which should belong to ALL citizens is the "promotion of homosexuality" in the minds of the sex obsessed Catholic hierarchy. Why anyone takes these dottering, disingenuous dinosaurs seriously is baffling. Just like the Christianist bigots such as James Dobson, the Catholic Church's real goal is to keep gays regarded as inferior and unworthy sinners in the minds of the public. How that equates to "respect for the homosexual person" is beyond any kind of logic. Here are highlights from 365gay.com:

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(Havana) Cuba's Roman Catholic Church is protesting the communist government's growing support of gay rights, including a daylong event raising awareness against homophobia and a law allowing sex-change operations. "Respect for the homosexual person, yes," said an editorial Tuesday in Palabra Nueva, the monthly magazine of the Archdiocese of Havana. "Promotion of homosexuality, no." The editorial signed by magazine director Orlando Marquez referred to activities held May 17 by Cuba's Sex Education Center, which is directed by Mariela Castro, daughter of President Raul Castro.

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Prejudice against gays remains deeply rooted in Cuban society, as in much of Latin America. But the government has steadily moved away from the intolerance of the 1960s and 1970s, when homosexuals hid their sexuality for fear of being fired from work or even imprisoned. Cuba's parliament also is studying proposals to give gay couples the same benefits as married couples.

Orange County Register Endorses Gay Marriage

Orange County, California, is not often assosiated with anything liberal and is the home of many California Republicans. Hence, the wonder of the Orange County Register coming out and supporting civil marriage for all. The newspaper's position is (1) in keeping with equality under the law, and (2) the quasi-libertarian mindset that once was a hallmrk of the GOP before it was taken over by the Christianist nutcase element. Equally of note is that the paper clearly understands that church and state are sepoarate under the U. S. Constitution - something that utterly escapes the feeble minds of the Christianists. Here are highlights from the paper's editorial:

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Our preference would be for the government not to be involved in marriage, the most fundamental of institutions in a civil society. Why two people who want to be married should be required to get a license from the state is something of a mystery. Marriage existed long before the California or U.S. governments came into being and will continue long after they have been consigned to history. Whether a marriage is valid should be up to the people involved and the churches, synagogues, mosques or other religious institutions that choose to perform them or not.

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As a practical matter, however, the government has so entwined itself into our daily lives that state recognition is important. Filing taxes as a married couple or as individuals makes a difference, as does the ability to own real estate, make end-of-life decisions or adopt children. Considering all this and the importance of equality before the law, the high court's decision was justified.

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It is argued that allowing same-sex marriage will infringe on the religious freedom of people who have a religiously based objection to it. It is hard to see the validity. Church and state are correctly separate in this country, and the fact that the state recognizes a union as a marriage doesn't mean that a religious person or institution has to recognize it or approve of it. It's hard to imagine a minister, rabbi or imam who objects to same-sex marriages being forced to perform one, and we would be the first to object if anybody tried it.

Wednesday Male Beauty

Two GOP Legislators Buck Latent Racism on a Local Level - Updated

Since this post at 7:00AM this morning the Virginian Pilot has reported the following:

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RICHMOND - The House Transportation Committee unanimously approved today a proposal to extend the light rail system now under construction in Norfolk to within blocks of the Oceanfront. The measure now goes before the full House of Delegates. The legislation was introduced by Del. Robert Tata and state Sen. Frank Wagner with little apparent discussion with local elected city leaders.

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Barack Obama's position as the Democratic Part nominee has brought issues of racism to the fore in national politics, but it's an issue locally as well and shows itself in many ways. In the Norfolk area, it has long played a subtle factor in why the area has been so slow to build a light rail system. Ultimately, Norfolk has decided to forge ahead alone since Virginia Beach has in the past opposed any light rail system that ran from Norfolk out towards the Virginia Beach oceanfront. While many reasons have been floated - even though the commute into downtown Norfolk or the Norfolk Naval base from Virginia Beach is often a nightmare- the real reason has never been widely stated: the Virginia Beach hotel owners and other heavy hitters in Virginia Beach feared blacks from Norfolk riding the light rail to the oceanfront. Now, amazingly two Republican state legislators (both of whom I know personally) are pushing to force the extension of light rail service into Virginia Beach, I commend them on their common sense and courage to defy the racists in their city. Finally, someone who wants to see Virginia Beach run for the benefit of other citizens besides the hotel owner group. Here are highlights from the Virginian Pilot:

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Two Republican legislators from Virginia Beach have introduced a bill that would extend the light rail system now under construction in Norfolk to within blocks of the Oceanfront. The legislation was put in by Del. Robert Tata and state Sen. Frank Wagner with little apparent discussion with local elected city leaders. “It’s time for this to happen, whether they favor it or not,” Tata said Tuesday.

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Tata and Wagner are calling for a major expansion of a $232.1 million rail system already under construction that will run 7.4 miles from downtown Norfolk to Newtown Road. The Tide is expected to begin operating in early 2010. Tata said he envisions the rail running all the way to the Virginia Beach Convention Center. He said it would offer a hassle-free commute to those who live in Virginia Beach and work in downtown Norfolk. “You’d be foolish to drive in,” he said. “I-264 right now is sort of like a race track , it’s so dangerous. Why fight that kind of battle? You could train in and save on parking fees.”

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Under the bill, HB6028, the extension would be built with public and private money . The legislation calls on the state to solicit a private partner. The company would theoretically recoup its investment and a profit by being given a contract to run the rail and charge riders a fare.

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Michael Townes, HRT president, said he was surprised but encouraged by the bill. “We’re excited that Del. Tata understands that extending The Tide into Virginia Beach is important to Virginia Beach and the region of Hampton Roads,” he said. “Whether this bill passes or not, the indication is that our General Assembly members are understanding of light rail and are trying to find ways to be supportive.” Townes said he has no position yet on whether a public-private partnership is the best approach.