The voice of reason does not shout. That is why it is so rarely heard.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Speaker Training & Lobby Day Story Sneak Peek
No sleep in more than 24. This is a quick update prior to some serious slumber.
The Green Bay Action Network put on a killer speaker's training this morning at the University of Wisconsin Student Union. Talk about turning the interested into the invested. 20% of the attendees immediately volunteered to do public talks about the pending ban on civil unions and marriage. Additionally, several volunteered to help out GBAN and Action Wisconsin, including the now critical data entry. Anti-discrimination supporters on board now approach 50,000 statewide. Kudos to Dennis Krenn, Susan Allen, Aaron Hulse and Laurie Ferguson for a job well done!
Real Christian response to the amendment is percolating a lobby day of their own to boot. Check it out or yourself online or in the next edition of Quest.
Speaking of Quest, here is a sneak peek of the opening of my lobby day story due out midweek, one of two in the paper:
"They came from every one of the Wisconsin's thirty three senate districts. Many from the far north and west got in Wednesday and stayed overnight. Thirty-five from Milwaukee boarded the Center Advocates bus as dawn broke, just about an hour after an Auburndale dairy farmer/activist delivered a calf prior to his leaving for the capitol. They came, young and old, straight and gay, Christian and nonbeliever, singles, couples and families - over four hundred strong - for Action Wisconsin's Lobby Day to Stop the Constitutional Ban on Civil Unions and Marriage here January 27.
For all it was a "take your breath away" kind of day. Massing at the Best Western Inn on the Park the citizen lobbyists first charged through the controlled chaos of registration and sign-in. Unlike AW's 2003 lobby effort, cobbled together in a matter of days, the overwhelming majority of attendees had pre-registered. The entire process thus proceeded with near-military precision, right down to the "hurry up and wait" lines to receive training packets."
I'm going to pop a few pics up in the blog as well. Look below:
The Green Bay Action Network put on a killer speaker's training this morning at the University of Wisconsin Student Union. Talk about turning the interested into the invested. 20% of the attendees immediately volunteered to do public talks about the pending ban on civil unions and marriage. Additionally, several volunteered to help out GBAN and Action Wisconsin, including the now critical data entry. Anti-discrimination supporters on board now approach 50,000 statewide. Kudos to Dennis Krenn, Susan Allen, Aaron Hulse and Laurie Ferguson for a job well done!
Real Christian response to the amendment is percolating a lobby day of their own to boot. Check it out or yourself online or in the next edition of Quest.
Speaking of Quest, here is a sneak peek of the opening of my lobby day story due out midweek, one of two in the paper:
"They came from every one of the Wisconsin's thirty three senate districts. Many from the far north and west got in Wednesday and stayed overnight. Thirty-five from Milwaukee boarded the Center Advocates bus as dawn broke, just about an hour after an Auburndale dairy farmer/activist delivered a calf prior to his leaving for the capitol. They came, young and old, straight and gay, Christian and nonbeliever, singles, couples and families - over four hundred strong - for Action Wisconsin's Lobby Day to Stop the Constitutional Ban on Civil Unions and Marriage here January 27.
For all it was a "take your breath away" kind of day. Massing at the Best Western Inn on the Park the citizen lobbyists first charged through the controlled chaos of registration and sign-in. Unlike AW's 2003 lobby effort, cobbled together in a matter of days, the overwhelming majority of attendees had pre-registered. The entire process thus proceeded with near-military precision, right down to the "hurry up and wait" lines to receive training packets."
I'm going to pop a few pics up in the blog as well. Look below:
Friday, January 28, 2005
A Perfectly Awful End To A Perfectly Wonderful Day
It's a subzero night in Madison around 10 PM. I'm atop the Capitol Square - North ramp in my car ready to head home after a life spirit charging day of activism and celebration. I attempt to put the car into reverse. The shift selector won't move. A litle extra oomph and the selector moves with ease but no gears engage. I'm stomach-sinkingly aware this car isn't going to be heading anywhere.
The tow truck guy tells me its a broken transmission cable. The dealer tells me its under warranty. I wait. I wait some more. I'm in hetero gearhead land without a phrase book. "We'll get to it as soon as possible, Mr. Fitzpatrick," my service advisor tells me. I hope he's more efficient that my high school career advisor was.
"How long will it be until you can get a look at the vehicle, three hours?" The advisor remains mum. "Two hours?" I press. He scribbles "ASAP" across the top of the service order and hands it to the service manager.
I grab a ride back to my friends Dan & Charlie who were kind enough to put me up last night. I call my office to let them know I'm still breathing but won't be in. I down a bowl of Dan's Kashi GoLean and some warmed over coffee. I have Donald Trump hair, a rumpled suit, toxic breath and beard stubble savage enough to scar dry skin. I look like one of the half-dozen or so Bible baboons who tried to rain on the parade more than 400 grannies, gays and other moral giants who trekked up the hill to the State Capitol Janaury 27 to oppose the proposed constitutional amendment banning legal recognition of all non-marital unions.
I click on Bill Attewell's Wisconsin Gay News to see what coverage our state's openly-gay Drudge has dredged from the mainstream media. There isn't much, considering there were 5 TV stations, three radio networks and a half-dozen print reporters present at the press conference. The only gay media present was Quest, with four staffers. My writers stuff is due tonight. I have the 300+ pics in my camera and on disc. Look for some soon on this blog site and on Attewell's.
Also look for lots in-depth coverage in the next issue of Quest, due on the street February 2. Some of it will be funny, some of it will be surprising and some of it will make you want to grind your teeth.
But none of it will be published until I can get back to Green Bay, which I hope willl be sometime later today. I'm on Dan's Mac and I have neither SpellCheck nor formatting. IE and Safari don't support those blogger functions in Mac land. And I have no access to the PC only world of my ISP's ftp protocols. Trying to blog today is almost as difficult as explaining the complcated reality of same-sex committed relationships to the staff RepubliNazis, most of whom live exclusively in a black and white, sound-bite Bizarro world. Their logic is slogans. Their arguments fit on bumper stickers. And most of the uninformed Wisconsin citizenry supports them. Perhaps its more like my car problem. I can select different shifts of logic, I just can't get their brains to engage.
The tow truck guy tells me its a broken transmission cable. The dealer tells me its under warranty. I wait. I wait some more. I'm in hetero gearhead land without a phrase book. "We'll get to it as soon as possible, Mr. Fitzpatrick," my service advisor tells me. I hope he's more efficient that my high school career advisor was.
"How long will it be until you can get a look at the vehicle, three hours?" The advisor remains mum. "Two hours?" I press. He scribbles "ASAP" across the top of the service order and hands it to the service manager.
I grab a ride back to my friends Dan & Charlie who were kind enough to put me up last night. I call my office to let them know I'm still breathing but won't be in. I down a bowl of Dan's Kashi GoLean and some warmed over coffee. I have Donald Trump hair, a rumpled suit, toxic breath and beard stubble savage enough to scar dry skin. I look like one of the half-dozen or so Bible baboons who tried to rain on the parade more than 400 grannies, gays and other moral giants who trekked up the hill to the State Capitol Janaury 27 to oppose the proposed constitutional amendment banning legal recognition of all non-marital unions.
I click on Bill Attewell's Wisconsin Gay News to see what coverage our state's openly-gay Drudge has dredged from the mainstream media. There isn't much, considering there were 5 TV stations, three radio networks and a half-dozen print reporters present at the press conference. The only gay media present was Quest, with four staffers. My writers stuff is due tonight. I have the 300+ pics in my camera and on disc. Look for some soon on this blog site and on Attewell's.
Also look for lots in-depth coverage in the next issue of Quest, due on the street February 2. Some of it will be funny, some of it will be surprising and some of it will make you want to grind your teeth.
But none of it will be published until I can get back to Green Bay, which I hope willl be sometime later today. I'm on Dan's Mac and I have neither SpellCheck nor formatting. IE and Safari don't support those blogger functions in Mac land. And I have no access to the PC only world of my ISP's ftp protocols. Trying to blog today is almost as difficult as explaining the complcated reality of same-sex committed relationships to the staff RepubliNazis, most of whom live exclusively in a black and white, sound-bite Bizarro world. Their logic is slogans. Their arguments fit on bumper stickers. And most of the uninformed Wisconsin citizenry supports them. Perhaps its more like my car problem. I can select different shifts of logic, I just can't get their brains to engage.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Now Here's A Civil Union That SHOULD Be Unconstitutional!
Strange bedfellows certainly comes to mind when you read how the American Religious Right is in league with radical Islamic factions to promote their mutually twisted version of "family values" as Brian Whittaker writes in his perceptive Fundamental Union piece in today's edition of Great Britain's Guardian Unlimited.
The Arlington Group Strikes Again
They're back! And now they're gonna threaten your retirement! The nefarious Arlington Group (see my January 19 post below) has told Karl Rove to kiss off Social Security reform if they don't get their anti-gay Federal Marriage Amendment. Here's the scoop from today's New York Times (my comments are interspersed):
January 25, 2005
Backers of Gay Marriage Ban Use Social Security as Cudgel
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 - A coalition of major conservative Christian groups is threatening to withhold support for President Bush's plans to remake Social Security unless Mr. Bush vigorously champions a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Let's make this perfectly clear: "conservative Christian" is an oxymoron on the same scale as "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence." Any real Christian gets the liberating message of the Sermon on The Mount and the Second Great Commandment on which true Christianity is based: "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself" aka the Golden Rule that is found in every great world spiritual tradition.)
The move came as Senate Republicans vowed on Monday to reintroduce the proposed amendment, which failed in the Senate last year by a substantial margin. Party leaders, who left it off their list of priorities for the legislative year, said they had no immediate plans to bring it to the floor because they still lacked the votes for passage.
But the coalition that wrote the letter, known as the Arlington Group, is increasingly impatient. In a confidential letter to Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's top political adviser, the group said it was disappointed with the White House's decision to put Social Security and other economic issues ahead of its paramount interest: opposition to same-sex marriage.
The letter, dated Jan. 18, pointed out that many social conservatives who voted for Mr. Bush because of his stance on social issues lack equivalent enthusiasm for changing the retirement system or other tax issues. And to pass to pass any sweeping changes, members of the group argue, Mr. Bush will need the support of every element of his coalition.
"We couldn't help but notice the contrast between how the president is approaching the difficult issue of Social Security privatization where the public is deeply divided and the marriage issue where public opinion is overwhelmingly on his side," the letter said. (Really? Overwhelmingly mixed might be a better way to express it - as the results duly tabulated at Polling Report clearly show. Caveat: You will have to scroll down through a variety of topic questions listed by date of most recent poll, not by topic.)
"Is he prepared to spend significant political capital on privatization but reluctant to devote the same energy to preserving traditional marriage? If so it would create outrage with countless voters who stood with him just a few weeks ago, including an unprecedented number of African-Americans, Latinos and Catholics who broke with tradition and supported the president solely because of this issue." (And your proof? Not the "moral values" spin that later was shown to be inaccurate by the folks at the Pew Research Center.)
The letter continued, "When the administration adopts a defeatist attitude on an issue that is at the top of our agenda, it becomes impossible for us to unite our movement on an issue such as Social Security privatization where there are already deep misgivings." (Defeatist attitude? Or knowing how to pick your battles? Bush never has to be re-elected again. Like many second-termers before him, he has his eye on the history books yet to be written.)
The letter also expressed alarm at recent comments President Bush made to The Washington Post, including his statement that "nothing will happen" on the marriage amendment for now because many senators did not see the need for it.
"We trust that you can imagine our deep disappointment at the defeatist position President Bush demonstrated" in the interview, the group wrote. "He even declined to answer a simple question about whether he would use his bully pulpit to overcome this Senate foot-dragging."
The letter also noted that in an interview before the election Mr. Bush "appeared to endorse civil unions" for same-sex couples. (See January 18 blog entry "Presidential Brain Atrophy")
The group asked Mr. Rove to designate "a top level" official to coordinate opposition to same-sex marriage, as a show of commitment.
Trent Duffy, a spokesman for the White House, said on Monday that "the president was simply talking about a situation that exists in the Senate, not about his personal commitment or his willingness to continue to push this issue." Mr. Duffy said the "president remains very committed to a marriage amendment" and added, "We always welcome suggestions from our friends."
Some Senate Republican leaders were not optimistic on Monday about the amendment's prospects this year.
"I think if we had the vote right now we'd come up short," said Senator Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvania Republican who is a member of the leadership and one of the amendment's most vocal backers in Congress. "We'd like to bring it up when we have the best possible chance of getting it passed." (That will be after the Supreme Court rules on the conflicting decisions on the same-sex marriage issue now working their way through the circuit courts. Realists on both sides of the issue understand that.)
The members of the coalition that wrote the letter are some of Mr. Bush's most influential conservative Christian supporters, and include Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, the Southern Baptist Convention, the American Family Association, Jerry Falwell and Paul Weyrich.
Several members of the group said that not long ago, many of their supporters were working or middle class, members of families that felt more allegiance to the Democratic Party because of programs like Social Security before gravitating to the Republican Party as it took up more cultural conservative issues over the last 20 years.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, declined to talk about the letter, but said, "The enthusiasm to get behind his proposals is going to require that he get behind the issues that really motivated social conservative voters."
Asked to estimate the level of discontent with the White House among the group on a scale from one to 10, Mr. Perkins put it at 8. (Personally I give it a 69, since its the same old song and the GOP always finds a way to dance to it and in the process gives the Religious Right's butt another deep kiss.)
January 25, 2005
Backers of Gay Marriage Ban Use Social Security as Cudgel
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and SHERYL GAY STOLBERG
WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 - A coalition of major conservative Christian groups is threatening to withhold support for President Bush's plans to remake Social Security unless Mr. Bush vigorously champions a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Let's make this perfectly clear: "conservative Christian" is an oxymoron on the same scale as "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence." Any real Christian gets the liberating message of the Sermon on The Mount and the Second Great Commandment on which true Christianity is based: "Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself" aka the Golden Rule that is found in every great world spiritual tradition.)
The move came as Senate Republicans vowed on Monday to reintroduce the proposed amendment, which failed in the Senate last year by a substantial margin. Party leaders, who left it off their list of priorities for the legislative year, said they had no immediate plans to bring it to the floor because they still lacked the votes for passage.
But the coalition that wrote the letter, known as the Arlington Group, is increasingly impatient. In a confidential letter to Karl Rove, Mr. Bush's top political adviser, the group said it was disappointed with the White House's decision to put Social Security and other economic issues ahead of its paramount interest: opposition to same-sex marriage.
The letter, dated Jan. 18, pointed out that many social conservatives who voted for Mr. Bush because of his stance on social issues lack equivalent enthusiasm for changing the retirement system or other tax issues. And to pass to pass any sweeping changes, members of the group argue, Mr. Bush will need the support of every element of his coalition.
"We couldn't help but notice the contrast between how the president is approaching the difficult issue of Social Security privatization where the public is deeply divided and the marriage issue where public opinion is overwhelmingly on his side," the letter said. (Really? Overwhelmingly mixed might be a better way to express it - as the results duly tabulated at Polling Report clearly show. Caveat: You will have to scroll down through a variety of topic questions listed by date of most recent poll, not by topic.)
"Is he prepared to spend significant political capital on privatization but reluctant to devote the same energy to preserving traditional marriage? If so it would create outrage with countless voters who stood with him just a few weeks ago, including an unprecedented number of African-Americans, Latinos and Catholics who broke with tradition and supported the president solely because of this issue." (And your proof? Not the "moral values" spin that later was shown to be inaccurate by the folks at the Pew Research Center.)
The letter continued, "When the administration adopts a defeatist attitude on an issue that is at the top of our agenda, it becomes impossible for us to unite our movement on an issue such as Social Security privatization where there are already deep misgivings." (Defeatist attitude? Or knowing how to pick your battles? Bush never has to be re-elected again. Like many second-termers before him, he has his eye on the history books yet to be written.)
The letter also expressed alarm at recent comments President Bush made to The Washington Post, including his statement that "nothing will happen" on the marriage amendment for now because many senators did not see the need for it.
"We trust that you can imagine our deep disappointment at the defeatist position President Bush demonstrated" in the interview, the group wrote. "He even declined to answer a simple question about whether he would use his bully pulpit to overcome this Senate foot-dragging."
The letter also noted that in an interview before the election Mr. Bush "appeared to endorse civil unions" for same-sex couples. (See January 18 blog entry "Presidential Brain Atrophy")
The group asked Mr. Rove to designate "a top level" official to coordinate opposition to same-sex marriage, as a show of commitment.
Trent Duffy, a spokesman for the White House, said on Monday that "the president was simply talking about a situation that exists in the Senate, not about his personal commitment or his willingness to continue to push this issue." Mr. Duffy said the "president remains very committed to a marriage amendment" and added, "We always welcome suggestions from our friends."
Some Senate Republican leaders were not optimistic on Monday about the amendment's prospects this year.
"I think if we had the vote right now we'd come up short," said Senator Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvania Republican who is a member of the leadership and one of the amendment's most vocal backers in Congress. "We'd like to bring it up when we have the best possible chance of getting it passed." (That will be after the Supreme Court rules on the conflicting decisions on the same-sex marriage issue now working their way through the circuit courts. Realists on both sides of the issue understand that.)
The members of the coalition that wrote the letter are some of Mr. Bush's most influential conservative Christian supporters, and include Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council, the Southern Baptist Convention, the American Family Association, Jerry Falwell and Paul Weyrich.
Several members of the group said that not long ago, many of their supporters were working or middle class, members of families that felt more allegiance to the Democratic Party because of programs like Social Security before gravitating to the Republican Party as it took up more cultural conservative issues over the last 20 years.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, declined to talk about the letter, but said, "The enthusiasm to get behind his proposals is going to require that he get behind the issues that really motivated social conservative voters."
Asked to estimate the level of discontent with the White House among the group on a scale from one to 10, Mr. Perkins put it at 8. (Personally I give it a 69, since its the same old song and the GOP always finds a way to dance to it and in the process gives the Religious Right's butt another deep kiss.)
Virus Alert!
Email Virus
Okay, which of you activists is downloading things from nasty sites? Last week there were reports that some people were receiving virus laden emails from Action Wisconsin. Now they're reportedly coming from Quest, Rainbow Over Wisconsin, Outbound, SAGE and others. Be aware none of these groups is actually sending out the emails. The virus (worm to be exact) is collecting names out of an infected computer's Outlook or other Microsoft software's email client and inserting a name from the address book as the reported sender. The giveaway is that names in the email description are silly things like "Hokki=)" or "Lookee+" and contain the virus as an attachment. Do not open the attachment!
Yahoo! Messenger Virus
There is also a virus apparently making the rounds in Yahoo! Messenger. Got this notice from a trusted friend who has been offline for awhile recently thanks to a virus he picked up from Yahoo! Messenger. Here's his warning verbatim (with a few revisions - none of the infecting source links work):
For the latest scoop on all the current viruses out there check out McAfee Security.
Okay, which of you activists is downloading things from nasty sites? Last week there were reports that some people were receiving virus laden emails from Action Wisconsin. Now they're reportedly coming from Quest, Rainbow Over Wisconsin, Outbound, SAGE and others. Be aware none of these groups is actually sending out the emails. The virus (worm to be exact) is collecting names out of an infected computer's Outlook or other Microsoft software's email client and inserting a name from the address book as the reported sender. The giveaway is that names in the email description are silly things like "Hokki=)" or "Lookee+" and contain the virus as an attachment. Do not open the attachment!
Yahoo! Messenger Virus
There is also a virus apparently making the rounds in Yahoo! Messenger. Got this notice from a trusted friend who has been offline for awhile recently thanks to a virus he picked up from Yahoo! Messenger. Here's his warning verbatim (with a few revisions - none of the infecting source links work):
"If somebody by name dvorak@yahoo.com adds you. Don't accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your bulletin because if somebody on your list adds them, you get the virus too. Tell everyone on your list not to open anything from angell11, tewwtuler, and sassybitch. It is a hard drive killer and a very horrible virus. Pass this letter to everyone on your messenger list. We need to find out who is really using these accounts. Sorry for the inconvenience. Right click on the group name of your buddy list and click Send Message to All."
For the latest scoop on all the current viruses out there check out McAfee Security.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Guilt Works, AW Lobby Day Gossip
The Quest website is getting a makeover worthy of a drag queen getting ready for the state pageant. A few minor touches to that new up-do and it will be tiara-ready. And just a few days after I whined to the world about Mark's resistance to change. Hmmmmm. I guess guilt does work sometime.
Speaking of changes, the Wisconsin Gay News website is now actually at its correct URL. And I'm continuing to fine tune my own Reality Check website.
Only goes to prove the old saying is true: "the one constant in life is change."
In other news, if you are a member of Action Wisconsin, it seems like they've morphed into a telephone company. I got five calls over the weekend, reminding me about the Anti-"Wisconsin Marriage Amendment" Lobby Day! SBC only called me twice!
I got one of the AW volunteer telemarketers to share the inside story with me. Apparently well over 300 have pre-registered already. For the last Lobby Day the number of actual attendees doubled the number of pre-registrants. Does that mean there will be 600 (or more) queers and allies descending on the State Capitol this Thursday? Could be!
As for the threat of snow or cold threatening the day, the Weather Channel say "partly cloudy and 20's." Does that mean "God is on our side"? Of course! Stick that in your New International Version Julaine!
Speaking of changes, the Wisconsin Gay News website is now actually at its correct URL. And I'm continuing to fine tune my own Reality Check website.
Only goes to prove the old saying is true: "the one constant in life is change."
In other news, if you are a member of Action Wisconsin, it seems like they've morphed into a telephone company. I got five calls over the weekend, reminding me about the Anti-"Wisconsin Marriage Amendment" Lobby Day! SBC only called me twice!
I got one of the AW volunteer telemarketers to share the inside story with me. Apparently well over 300 have pre-registered already. For the last Lobby Day the number of actual attendees doubled the number of pre-registrants. Does that mean there will be 600 (or more) queers and allies descending on the State Capitol this Thursday? Could be!
As for the threat of snow or cold threatening the day, the Weather Channel say "partly cloudy and 20's." Does that mean "God is on our side"? Of course! Stick that in your New International Version Julaine!
Friday, January 21, 2005
Reality Check Website Updated
The Reality Check website has been updated. Several of the most requested 2002-2003 columns are now up on the Archive page. Yes, the "Sodom Postpartum - Watch Your Ass" column is one of the ones now up.
With a few free hours this weekend, I may get the majority of the PC-based columns online. The columns you've asked for still on my old Mac, including the ever-popular "Lashing At Laura," may take a little longer.
And until publisher Mark Mariucci can find the free time or accept the multiple offers from multiple folks to assist with the update the Quest website on a timely basis, I will be offering the News content effective with each issue's street date. Perhaps guilt may work when pleading doesn't.
With a few free hours this weekend, I may get the majority of the PC-based columns online. The columns you've asked for still on my old Mac, including the ever-popular "Lashing At Laura," may take a little longer.
And until publisher Mark Mariucci can find the free time or accept the multiple offers from multiple folks to assist with the update the Quest website on a timely basis, I will be offering the News content effective with each issue's street date. Perhaps guilt may work when pleading doesn't.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Inaugural Antics
I had the opportunity to watch a bit of the live television coverage of the Presidential Inauguration today. A few quick takes:
Loved the limo. Loved Laura resplendent in Oscar De La Renta. Loved watching W play the daddy signaling to Jenna that film crews were broadcasting her applying lip gloss to a nation hungry for a human moment. Let's face it: in the wide shots it wasn't a parade; it was an armed invasion.
Hated the protestors. Not their causes, mind you. Their deportment. What a motley crew! Environmentalists starting trash fires in the "freedom section?" There is something so fundamentally wrong with that picture. Until the Left learns how to be the loyal opposition, red state America will prevail. Every uncivil pixel broadcast nation- and worldwide only stiffens the Right's already well-disciplined spine.
Pundits paralleling 2005 with LBJ's inauguration forty years ago hit it on the head: A second term President presiding over increased majorities in both houses of Congress with messy foreign conflict defining their legacies. Whether the other parallel also holds true (1965 was the zenith for liberalism in the 20th Century vs. 2005 as the zenith for conservatism) is a question yet to be answered.
The answer will likely lie in the one word missing in today's pomp and circumstance: Iraq.
And for the moment it is - like it or not - today is W's day. America spoke, albeit with a divided voice, but the democratic process and the republic prevail. George Bush does polish up "purty darn nice" for a West Texas oil millionaire. How long the shine will last after the balls, however, is anyone's guess.
So for today, Hail to the Chief. After that, let Hell to the Chief begin.
Loved the limo. Loved Laura resplendent in Oscar De La Renta. Loved watching W play the daddy signaling to Jenna that film crews were broadcasting her applying lip gloss to a nation hungry for a human moment. Let's face it: in the wide shots it wasn't a parade; it was an armed invasion.
Hated the protestors. Not their causes, mind you. Their deportment. What a motley crew! Environmentalists starting trash fires in the "freedom section?" There is something so fundamentally wrong with that picture. Until the Left learns how to be the loyal opposition, red state America will prevail. Every uncivil pixel broadcast nation- and worldwide only stiffens the Right's already well-disciplined spine.
Pundits paralleling 2005 with LBJ's inauguration forty years ago hit it on the head: A second term President presiding over increased majorities in both houses of Congress with messy foreign conflict defining their legacies. Whether the other parallel also holds true (1965 was the zenith for liberalism in the 20th Century vs. 2005 as the zenith for conservatism) is a question yet to be answered.
The answer will likely lie in the one word missing in today's pomp and circumstance: Iraq.
And for the moment it is - like it or not - today is W's day. America spoke, albeit with a divided voice, but the democratic process and the republic prevail. George Bush does polish up "purty darn nice" for a West Texas oil millionaire. How long the shine will last after the balls, however, is anyone's guess.
So for today, Hail to the Chief. After that, let Hell to the Chief begin.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
You Say "Alliance," I Say "Conspiracy"
Why did a vision of Hillary Clinton singing Cole Porter's "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" rattle through my Dr. Demento-addled brain when I read about the Arlington Group?
Conservative Voice web columnist Rusty Benson explains it thus:
Wasn't it Weyrich who very publicly told the Religious Right to go back to their churches and get out politics (all dutifully reported initially byMatt Drudge and the Faux News Channel and then picked up by the drones in mainstream media) just about the time this Arlington Group was forming?
And then there's the next question: Did the Arlington Group invite Karl Rove to the dance or was it the other way around?
Hmmmmm. Belt it out Hillary: "You say 'cable,' I say 'cabal.' "
Conservative Voice web columnist Rusty Benson explains it thus:
"Like popular TV forensic investigators combing a crime scene for crucial evidence, political observers continue to autopsy the recent national elections for clues to explain the outcome. However, most -- if not all -- will overlook the fingerprints of a new alliance of conservative organizations calling itself the Arlington Group.
" 'Same-sex marriage would not have been such a large issue if the Arlington Group had not existed' says Dr. Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of American Family Association, and primary organizer of the new alliance. 'It might have been a minor issue, but there would have been no coordination of efforts. It certainly would not have taken hold like it did, and we would not have gotten 12 new state constitutional amendments protecting traditional marriage.'
"Under Wildmon's urging, the coalition first came together in the fall of 2002. Leaders from ten pro-family religious organizations met in Arlington, Virginia, to discuss how they might join forces to resist the legalization of same-sex marriage. Soon the alliance quickly grew to over 50 official members including Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Gary Bauer (American Values), Dr. D. James Kennedy (Coral Ridge Ministries), Charles Colson (Prison Fellowship), Tony Perkins (Family Research Council), Bill Bennett (Empower America), Dr. Franklin Graham (Samaritan's Purse), and many others.
" 'For the first time, virtually all of the social issues groups are singing off the same sheet of music,' said long-time conservative activist Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation."
Wasn't it Weyrich who very publicly told the Religious Right to go back to their churches and get out politics (all dutifully reported initially byMatt Drudge and the Faux News Channel and then picked up by the drones in mainstream media) just about the time this Arlington Group was forming?
And then there's the next question: Did the Arlington Group invite Karl Rove to the dance or was it the other way around?
Hmmmmm. Belt it out Hillary: "You say 'cable,' I say 'cabal.' "
Looking For Your Gay Daily Dose?
If you're looking for the latest news in Gay Wisconsin (and all points connecting thereto), you cannot do much better than clicking over to Wisconsin Gay News, conveniently located at the old Wisconsin IN Step website. It's run by Bill Attewell, who keeps telling me the "real" WGN URL will be up "any day now".
Also a daily must read is the new liberal gay version of Matt Drudge, Raw Story Q. Those looking for the antidote to the Drudge Report should also check out Raw Story.
If you are looking to see who's the latest Republican closet-case to be outed, check out Michael Rogers' notorious BlogActive site.
Also a daily must read is the new liberal gay version of Matt Drudge, Raw Story Q. Those looking for the antidote to the Drudge Report should also check out Raw Story.
If you are looking to see who's the latest Republican closet-case to be outed, check out Michael Rogers' notorious BlogActive site.
"Gay Marriage" Amendments - The Far Right's Ultimate Bait & Switch
I always wonder if anyone actually reads the language in the so-called "Marriage Protection" Amendments to state Constitutions. You know, the ones that purportedly save the heterosexual majority from the dreaded scourge of same-sex unions.
Wisconsin is looking at second passage it its Marriage Amendment within weeks. Here's the exact language that will be added to the Constitution if approved by voters:
Anything missing? My goodness, there's not a gay man, lesbian, fag, dyke, queer, tranny or - the Right's favorite term - homosexual (intoned with every "o" lingered over in mantra-like fashion) in the text.
That's right folks - this amendment will ban legal recognition of any sort for any unmarried couple, regardless of sexual orientation. Let the unintended consequences begin.
Actually they already have. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported January 15, 2005 that public defenders in Cuyahoga County are seeking to have domestic abuse charges dropped for their non-married girlfriend beaters.
The argument: that the charge violates the amendment to Ohio's Constitution (which reads almost verbatim to Wisconsin's) by giving spouselike status and protection to victims who live with, but aren't married to, their accused attackers.
"The thing is, you can only get a domestic-violence charge now if you are a wife beater, not a girlfriend beater," said Jeff Lazarus, a law clerk for public defender Robert Tobik and chief architect of the motions to dismiss.
With no legal recognition, unmarried spouse beating is merely simple assault. The first time, the fifth time, the fiftieth time. No extra protections because no legal recognition of the real world reality of the cohabiting relationship can be made. And the state's founding document puts blinders on every judge who tries to see it.
Now did the architects of these amendments know what they were up to? Sure they did - Until their recent website overhaul the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin's marriage goal was "the preservation of lifelong, one man-one woman marriage." The FRI crowd is well aware that the majority of couples in the USA are unmarried. The apolitical Business Week marked the actual turning point as occurring in May of last year in their October 2003 piece "Unmarried America."
So the Far Right is using gay folks once again as "bait" for their hidden agenda: the return of straight America to holy matrimony. And apparently that return might also be fostered on the bruises and broken bones of battered men and women as well as on the backs of committed gay and lesbian couples.
So the next time you have a chance to oppose the so-called "Wisconsin Marriage Amendment (and Action Wisconsin is offering you an opportunity on January 27 by the way), ask your elected officials if they consider assault and battery as "family values."
Wisconsin is looking at second passage it its Marriage Amendment within weeks. Here's the exact language that will be added to the Constitution if approved by voters:
"Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state."
Anything missing? My goodness, there's not a gay man, lesbian, fag, dyke, queer, tranny or - the Right's favorite term - homosexual (intoned with every "o" lingered over in mantra-like fashion) in the text.
That's right folks - this amendment will ban legal recognition of any sort for any unmarried couple, regardless of sexual orientation. Let the unintended consequences begin.
Actually they already have. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported January 15, 2005 that public defenders in Cuyahoga County are seeking to have domestic abuse charges dropped for their non-married girlfriend beaters.
The argument: that the charge violates the amendment to Ohio's Constitution (which reads almost verbatim to Wisconsin's) by giving spouselike status and protection to victims who live with, but aren't married to, their accused attackers.
"The thing is, you can only get a domestic-violence charge now if you are a wife beater, not a girlfriend beater," said Jeff Lazarus, a law clerk for public defender Robert Tobik and chief architect of the motions to dismiss.
With no legal recognition, unmarried spouse beating is merely simple assault. The first time, the fifth time, the fiftieth time. No extra protections because no legal recognition of the real world reality of the cohabiting relationship can be made. And the state's founding document puts blinders on every judge who tries to see it.
Now did the architects of these amendments know what they were up to? Sure they did - Until their recent website overhaul the Family Research Institute of Wisconsin's marriage goal was "the preservation of lifelong, one man-one woman marriage." The FRI crowd is well aware that the majority of couples in the USA are unmarried. The apolitical Business Week marked the actual turning point as occurring in May of last year in their October 2003 piece "Unmarried America."
So the Far Right is using gay folks once again as "bait" for their hidden agenda: the return of straight America to holy matrimony. And apparently that return might also be fostered on the bruises and broken bones of battered men and women as well as on the backs of committed gay and lesbian couples.
So the next time you have a chance to oppose the so-called "Wisconsin Marriage Amendment (and Action Wisconsin is offering you an opportunity on January 27 by the way), ask your elected officials if they consider assault and battery as "family values."
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Presidential Brain Atrophy
First George W. tells the Washington Post that his re-election (by the smallest majority in a 100 years) was an clear affirmation of his Iraq policy. Next he tells us that he will not press for the passage of the Federal Marriage Amendment in the Senate (unless the Supreme Court finds DOMA unconstitutional - likely because of that pesky "equal treatment under the law" language).
Looks like all those lost National Guard years spent drinking and drugging are finally catching up with him in a perceptible way.
Looks like all those lost National Guard years spent drinking and drugging are finally catching up with him in a perceptible way.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Getting Started
Anyone who believes getting there is half the fun has not traveled far. Adding ongoing "drive by punditry" to my newly-resumed regular column is at once an exciting but daunting task. This introductory piece is posted to let you know that there's more to come.
For those of you not familiar with my Reality Check column, here's the five cent introduction from my website:
"Mike Fitzpatrick's “Reality Check” column originally was published in the Wisconsin InStep for four years prior to the paper's untimely folding in December, 2003. The column's "queer take" on LGBT news of national and state interest was one of the paper's most widely quoted features. Mike's work has appeared over the years in Ron Geiman's original IN Step, The Wisconsin Light, and currently can be found in Quest, where he serves as news editor. That paper's current size limitations does not permit room for a lot of extended commentary, although format changes are in the planning stages to solidify Quest's claim as currently the only true, statewide news and entertainment guide as it begins it's twelfth year of uninterrupted publication."
For those of you not familiar with my Reality Check column, here's the five cent introduction from my website:
"Mike Fitzpatrick's “Reality Check” column originally was published in the Wisconsin InStep for four years prior to the paper's untimely folding in December, 2003. The column's "queer take" on LGBT news of national and state interest was one of the paper's most widely quoted features. Mike's work has appeared over the years in Ron Geiman's original IN Step, The Wisconsin Light, and currently can be found in Quest, where he serves as news editor. That paper's current size limitations does not permit room for a lot of extended commentary, although format changes are in the planning stages to solidify Quest's claim as currently the only true, statewide news and entertainment guide as it begins it's twelfth year of uninterrupted publication."
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