More NSFW tomfoolery

Here's some web surfen fun for the whole family to enjoy: how many colours are on the image?



Visit the link for the answer/explanation.

Enjoy!

Why politicians generally don't speak in absolutes

Do you remember when Obama said silly things during the 2008 campaign. Things like he was pro gay rights, anti signing statements, and blah blah blah? You can read the full articles here and also here.

To highlight, the first link covers a signing statement the president issued over recent legislation he signed into office. The signing statement, among other things, announced this president would disregard passages of the law he was signing. The second link demonstrates something we've said here at NB all along: the president is perfectly capable of signing an executive order if he so chooses.

What does this mean? That the president forgot how deplorable he found signing statements during the campaign season and that following the law as written by congress sometimes isn't what he wants. Also, it demonstrates the president is ok with flaunting the law or disregarding it as he sees fit, just like past presidents.

What does this mean to you and me on the Gay Rights Front? That the president isn't the fierce advocate, strong supporter, or true ally he said he was. Let's face it, he's a politician and wouldn't help a gay cause out if he didn't have to and could still get reelected. Now, would he be crazy Homophobic like previous presidents? I dunno. After reading the DOMA brief though, I'm not going to pretend that's an impossibility. The only thing we've seen is that the president is ok with saying yes or no or both if that helps him get what he wants. I'll wait to see if he means yes or no, but early results don't do him any favors.

Stonewalling, across the universe

Pride 2009 has ended for me. It was fun. I saw too many friends, mates, and blokes i know of to really list them all. The highlight, my mates and I are still tight. I even got to meet some new key players to it all. All in all, i think this makes the year a success.

I'll update later the playlist i made for the year. In the meantime, here's a sample of some highs from it all:

Obama outright supports admits gay people are people too.
Tiger is well received by my mates, most of whom get confused on his relationship to me. Naturally, I fail to correct their story.
Ran into the crazy drug boys I tend to avoid these days. Didn't relapse.
Got the numbers of whores, sluts, and a few frat boys. Apparently, i look OK.

Most importantly, I wasn't arrested, harrashed, or punished for being who I am.

That's so HMO

There is a storm brewing on this health care thing. It seems that a lot of people are saying what's on their mind with the whole Health Care issues. There are probably a lot of great ideas in the great world out there that need to be heard and talked about during this time of ours. At the moment, we should talk about the general basics of what sort of health care we want. I'm personally a big fan of the Health Care for all model. In this model, the only profits are the benefits reaped by taking care of everyone. The downside of course is that we don't have to ask the question "are you insured" during admissions. I'm not sure how that's a bad thing, but here's a step towards having that conversation nationally. Big ups to my senator for saying something on the matter.

Where Change I Can Believe In Is In DC

This is something that I have said can be done previously. Clearly, other people are catching on. Props to my rep and the rest for telling the President something you would think a scary lefty liberal would already know: DADT is bad and stopping it takes everyone's effort - the sooner the better. If we could just translate this into something substantive...

Now, make it happen loca!

June 22, 2009

The Honorable Barack H. Obama
President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear President Obama:

The United States of America prides itself on having the finest military in the world because of the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices of our brave servicemen and women. And yet, under 10 U.S.C. § 654 (Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the Armed Forces), better known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the talents and contributions of our openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) service members continue to be ignored simply because of who they are. Every day, we lose approximately two service members to this misguided, unjust, and flat-out discriminatory policy. Don't Ask, Don't Tell is not only an injustice to them, but a disservice to the U.S. military and our country as a whole.

As you know, Don't Ask, Don't Tell was signed into law in 1993 by former President Bill Clinton as a compromise to allow gay and lesbian service members to serve in the military -- so long as they did not disclose their sexual orientations. Fifteen years later, Don't Ask Don't Tell is instead negatively impacting the lives and livelihoods of these military professionals and depriving our Armed Forces of their honorable service. Since you took office on January 20, 2009, more than 250 gay and lesbian service members have been discharged under this law, which continues to undermine and demoralize the more than 65,000 gay and lesbian Americans currently serving on active duty.

Although we are confident that you will remain true to your campaign promise to end Don't Ask, Don't Tell, our LGBT service members and our country's national security will continue to suffer if initial action is delayed until 2010 or 2011. We urge you to exercise the maximum discretion legally possible in administering Don't Ask, Don't Tell until Congress repeals the law. To this end, we ask that you direct the Armed Services not to initiate any investigation of service personnel to determine their sexual orientation, and that you instruct them to disregard third party accusations that do not allege violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. That is, we request that you impose that no one is asked and that you ignore, as the law requires, third parties who tell. Under your leadership, Congress must then repeal and replace Don't Ask, Don't Tell with a policy of inclusion and non-discrimination. This bilateral strategy would allow our openly gay and lesbian service members to continue serving our country and demonstrate our nation's lasting commitment to justice and equality for all.

As the United States continues to work towards responsibly ending the War in Iraq and refocus on the threat from al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, our LGBT service members offer invaluable skills that enhance our country's military competence and readiness. Despite the great strain on our military's human resources, the Armed Forces have discharged almost 800 mission-critical troops and at least 59 Arabic and nine Farsi linguists under Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the last five years. This is indefensible. The financial cost alone of implementing Don't Ask, Don't Tell from Fiscal Year 1994-2003 was more than $363.8 million. Our nation's military has always held itself to the highest standards, and we must recruit and retain the greatest number of our best and brightest. To do anything less only hurts our country's military readiness and our service members.

We also want to bring to your attention the most recent examples of the failed Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy in action. New York National Guard First Lieutenant Dan Choi and Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fehrenbach are two exceptional servicemen who have dedicated their lives to defending our country and protecting the American people. Their bravery and abilities have been tested in combat, and now they face impending discharge under Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

First Lieutenant Choi, a current National Guardsman with the 1st Battalion of the 69th Infantry in Manhattan, is a West Point graduate, Arabic language specialist, and Iraq War veteran who is under investigation for refusing to lie about his identity.

Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach, Assistant Director of Operations for the 366th Operations Support Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, has honorably served his country for 18 years as an F-15E pilot. He has received nine air medals, including a Medal for Heroism during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and was hand-picked to protect the airspace over Washington, D.C. after the Pentagon was attacked on September 11, 2001. Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach, who has flown combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan against the Taliban and al Qaeda, continues to serve while the recommendation for his honorable discharge moves forward to a review board, and eventually to the Secretary of the Air Force. Just two years away from his 20-year retirement, he stands to lose $46,000 a year in retirement and medical benefits for the rest of his life if discharged.

The American people and service members of the Armed Forces overwhelmingly support the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. According to a national Gallup poll conducted in May 2009, 69% of Americans, including 58% of Republicans, favor allowing openly gay men and lesbian women to serve in the military. Furthermore, a 2006 poll of 545 troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan by Zogby International and the Michael D. Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara, revealed that 73% are personally comfortable with gay men and lesbian women. John Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Clinton administration, and more than 100 retired admirals and generals support this repeal, in addition to the Human Rights Campaign, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, and Knights Out, an organization of LGBT West Point alumni cofounded by First Lieutenant Choi.

Mr. President, we cannot afford to lose any more of our dedicated and talented service members to Don't Ask, Don't Tell. On behalf of First Lieutenant Choi, Lieutenant Colonel Fehrenbach, and the more than 12,500 gay and lesbian service members who have been discharged since Don't Ask, Don't Tell was implemented in 1994, we stand ready to assist you in repealing this dishonorable and debilitating law as soon as possible, and in restoring justice and equality in our Armed Forces.

Please know that we will continue to monitor this situation and are hopeful that, together, we can address this urgent issue soon. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

The letter was authored by Rep. Hastings and signed by Representatives Barney Frank (D-MA), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Fortney "Pete" Stark (D-CA), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), José Serrano (D-NY), James Moran (D-VA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), James Clyburn (D-SC), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Bob Filner (D-CA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Robert "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Melvin Watt (D-NC), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Jane Harman (D-CA), Lois Capps (D-CA), Donna M. Christensen (D-VI), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Bill Delahunt (D-MA), Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Barbara Lee (D-CA), James McGovern (D-MA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Robert Wexler (D-FL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Michael Capuano (D-MA), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Rush Holt (D-NJ), John Larson (D-CT), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), David Wu (D-OR), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Mike Honda (D-CA), James Langevin (D-RI), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Diane Watson (D-CA), Tim Bishop (D-NY), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Debbie Wasserman Schulz (D-FL), André Carson (D-IN), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Donna F. Edwards (D-MD), Keith Ellison (D-MN), Marcia L. Fudge (D-OH), Phil Hare (D-IL), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Laura Richardson (D-CA), Joe Sestak (D-PA), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Alan Grayson (D-FL), Jared Polis (D-CO), Mike Quigley (D-IL), and Gregorio Sablan (D-MP).

What a boy wants

Every boy I know wanted when they were little to drive a construction truck, or crane, or bulldozer, or well anything cool like that. Apparently, some boys get to do that for real. Or this is some sort of robo-baby we have yet to see or hear about.

Now I know the economy is bad, but we probably don't need any more people trying to get a job. Don't send your toddler out to make up the income you lost.

Not my kind of religious leader

Having grown up with a fairly healthy dose of religion, I can say elders are relgious leaders. And this elder is not the kind of person I know any church wants as a leader. Boy is that awkward...

Introducing...

So, I opened a new blog where I'll be posting personal Information. I'll be parsing out old posts here in short order. About the same time i bring in some of the older posts i've written and kept hidden (offline) that should be brought here. No words on how soon that will be... stay tuned...

How Cool is This

Ok, be honest. Can you answer the question succinctly: what is a browser?

It Keeps Getting Better. Pt 2

While we are well aware, based on past statements from various administration members including John Berry, that this was going to happen eventually, we can't help but wonder here if this statement was accelerated given the bad press of late. Did the president just offer an ice cream cone (something small but sweet to cheer you up) hoping that pittance would draw back the ire of GLBTetc and their allies? I think so. This is the first thing the president has said or done for GLBTetc people or their rights since taking office. He hasn't denounced the wording of the recent DOMA brief as "extreme" or as anything else.

If Obama truly meant what he said of being the fierce advocate in chief that once elected would use the bully pulpit of the presidency to promote, advocate, and advance the equality of rights for GLBTetc people and their allies then this was not nearly enough, and came a little bit late. Here's the deal: this doesn't go very far (because apparently the president can't do much aside from tie his shoes). When it comes what the president can do, we have two options: memo and executive order. Memos are sort of like the notes for while the president is in office. An executive order is much the same, but is forever (or until further changed). So the president could have written an executive order saying going forward we shall offer nothing. Instead, he gave us this memo that dies with him. He could have been clear in his support of PBOA (the real benefits bill stalled in congress). Instead, he said "i'll sign PBOA if it passes" with the lackluster excitement of a child forced to attend high holy mass. While something is generally better than nothing, perhaps we should keep the change until you have enough for a bill.

NichtsBesonderes reminds the president we don't like ice cream much, so please don't give us an ice cream cone before a real meal. Here's what was offered up.

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE PRESIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM ON FEDERAL BENEFITS AND NON-DISCRIMINATION, AND SUPPORT OF THE LIEBERMAN-BALDWIN BENEFITS LEGISLATION
In 2007, Michael Guest, the first openly gay Ambassador confirmed by the United States Senate, resigned from the Foreign Service. He loved his career, but he had to leave it in the end -- because he believed that the country he served was failing to implement the principles of equality it espoused abroad. His partner was ineligible for training provided to Ambassadorial spouses; he bore the costs of his partner's transportation to his placements abroad; and his partner did not receive the overseas benefits and allowances given to spouses of Ambassadors.

It is too late to prevent Ambassador Guest from having to make the choice he made, but today I am proud to issue a Presidential Memorandum that will go a long way toward achieving equality for many of the hard-working, dedicated, and patriotic LGBT Americans serving in our Federal Government -- Americans like Ambassador Guest. In consultation with Secretary Clinton, who in her role as Secretary of State oversees our foreign service employees, and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry, who oversees human resource management for our civil service employees, my Administration has identified a number of areas in which greater equality can be achieved under existing law by extending to the same-sex partners of Federal employees many of the same benefits already available to the spouses of heterosexual Federal employees. I am therefore requesting the Secretary of State and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management to extend the benefits they have identified to the same-sex partners of Federal employees where doing so can be achieved consistent with Federal law. I am also requesting the heads of all other executive departments and agencies to conduct a review of the benefits they administer to determine which may legally be extended to same-sex partners.

But this Presidential Memorandum is just a start. Unfortunately, my Administration is not authorized by existing Federal law to provide same-sex couples with the full range of benefits enjoyed by heterosexual married couples. That's why I stand by my long-standing commitment to work with Congress to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act. It's discriminatory, it interferes with States' rights, and it's time we overturned it.

I am also proud to announce my support for an important piece of legislation introduced in both Houses of Congress last month -- the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009. This legislation will extend to the same-sex partners of Federal employees the same benefits already enjoyed by the opposite-sex spouses of Federal employees. The legislation has a number of co-sponsors in both Houses of Congress, but among those many sponsors, I want to recognize one in particular -- Representative Tammy Baldwin, who has been a real leader on this issue, and more broadly on the LGBT struggle for equality. Representative Baldwin, I look forward to working with you to achieve the important objectives set out in this bill as it moves through the legislative process. I also look forward to working with the bill's Senate champions, Senators Lieberman and Collins; I know that they will approach this process with the same spirit of cooperation in pursuit of our shared goals that they bring to all of their work in the Senate.

Extending equal benefits to the same-sex partners of Federal employees is the right thing to do. It is also sound economic policy. Many top employers in the private sector already offer benefits to the same-sex partners of their employees; those companies recognize that offering partner benefits helps them compete for and retain the brightest and most talented employees. The Federal Government is at a disadvantage on that score right now, and change is long overdue.

As Americans, we are all affected when our promises of equality go unfulfilled. Through measures like the Presidential Memorandum I am issuing today and the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009, we will advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded and continue to perfect our Union.

It Keeps Getting Better. Pt 1

Here's a little something something from our fair White House:

TAPPER: Does the president stand by the legal brief that the Justice Department filed last week that argued in favor the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act?

GIBBS: Well, as you know, that the Justice Department is charged with upholding the law of the land, even though the president believes that that law should be repealed.

TAPPER: I understand that, but a lot of legal experts say that the brief didn't have to be as comprehensive and make all the arguments that it made, such as comparing same-sex unions to incestuous ones, in one controversial paragraph...

GIBBS: Well...

TAPPER: ...that's upset a lot of the president's supporters. Does the president stand by the content, the arguments made in that brief?

GIBBS: Well, again, it's the president's Justice Department. And, again, we have the role of upholding the law of the land while the president has stated and will work with Congress to change that law.

Next up: More...

Work it Fierce Loca!

If you haven't already heard of this group called NO H8, I like them. And here's a sample of why. Join their cause and I'll love you. Forever. No really. Visit their awesome site too. Work it Fierce Loca!

Don't speak, I know what you're thinking...

(Please recall past statements by our president, including but not limited to this speech: from just before his inauguration)

It's not that I don't want a fierce advocate. If this however is what a fierce advocate does, I think I was much better before hand without one. Before we start, let's get the standard disclosures out of the way: I'm a pinko lefty scary liberal. I voted for Obama. I don't think he's a socialist, blah blah blah. But let's also be clear: I'd rather not be on the agenda, than be run through the mud by my "fierce advocate in chief" and his administration with where I am on the agenda.

There's a difference between upholding the law by going through the motions and upholding the law with overzealous extremism. It is one thing for a legal brief to say in essence "this is the law of the land that we are required to uphold, despite our better judgment." It is quite another to defend it by equating anything but that law as the very bastion upon which all moral depravity will stem should this law not be upheld. Including the justification that hate is still something legal in the constitution is appalling and would suggest that none of us are truly free, just free at the moment from hate and legal intolerance. To suggest that Gay Marriage is on par with incest, bestiality, or other criminal acts runs counter intuitively to previous rulings and common sense.

Provided that the historical effort to push for recognized gay rights and true social equality has blossomed in its own right within the last 45 years, and the criminal underpinnings of our society predate the constitution, it seems impossible to suggest that gay marriage is to blame for all crime. Anyone who has read the sermons of historical record from this nation's founding will recognize moral depravity is a constant theme and not one that has always relied on homosexuality as the root of all things evil. Indeed, during the events leading up to prohibition of alcohol, the fiery sermons claimed alcohol caused it all. I doubt very much gay marriage has caused any evil in its own right. States that recognize gay marriage haven't fallen off the map yet, or had their criminal elements explode since recognition. That should have happened in the states that have allowed Gay Marriage, Employee Non-Discrimination Acts, Hate Crime Legislation, or any of the other equality legislative acts that have occurred in some states.

I can't discredit the people who defend Obama by saying these legal briefs are not his personal opinion. I can't even disprove them by showing Obama agrees with them explicitly. But he is agreeing with them implicitly. Truman, another previous president, somehow was able to by executive order desegregate the military. Apparently the rule of land by fiat ruling has changed so much since then, Obama cannot do the same by even suspending DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell - the federal prohibition of honesty among soldiers in the Military). I'm not sure how we would know since Obama isn't actively trying.

In fact, Obama has actively been doing the opposite. It's a well established fact that Obama doesn't think I should get married. It's also well established that he doesn't think the federal government has any business in this legal discussion, concluding it a "states" issue. I sometimes wonder if he would do the same with DADT. I would like to see a progressive state like IA decide for its National Guard that how you do your job is more important than what happens in your bedroom. Obama hasn't talked about gay issues more than he has had to thus far.

By permitting the legal argument supporting DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) to proceed as written will make it impossible for Obama to be anything better than previous presidents on social justice issues. Provided that his administration (which would include him as well as the writer of the brief) permits such bull puckey as the implication that gays are little more than bestial incestuous child molesters seeking to usurp the rule of law, there is little chance he can also extend equality by changing DOMA or DADT or quite frankly anything else related to social justice. If Obama's left hand wants to repeal the law, his right hand should at least be supportive of this endeavor.

I understand that Obama doesn't want to rock the boat of this nation. I get it that he thinks it's permissible to abridge the rights of a minority (as if that doesn't somehow limit how broad his own rights are). But that makes him a hypocrite, an idiot, and not a fierce advocate. If Obama truly wants to be the change I can believe in, he has to actually change how things have been. I understand that sometimes, things happen by the groundswell of public support driven by fine the people, congressional members, and statesmen (such as real advocates of change like Dianna DeGette and Linda Newell). Sometimes it takes a President to make something happen. If you need an example, you can look at the record of someone like President Johnson (who was from that scary liberal state you and I call Texas). You won't see that with Obama's current social justice platform. Not now at least. And to quote the past: if not now, when? I can't actively support someone who thinks, which he must given his continual silence on any matter gay rights related, that I'm a child molester. This is his administration, and therefore, his tone. He can change it at anytime, but he could have set it from the beginning just as he said he would before and after the election. I expect more from a fierce advocate than a few forced tokens of change and a speech or two. If this makes me a fierce advocate of our president, loca look out.

Lookie loo who?

So...

Since I'm never home, let's try this plan... Stay tuned...