Thursday, October 31, 2002

The Kansas City Star endorses Jean Carnahan. Lest you think this is just another big city paper endorsing a Democrat, one must remember that this same paper endorsed Ashcroft over Mel/Jean Carnahan in 2000. The polls are very tight in this race and every little bit helps at this point. Yahoo!

Our own missing and tortured. Just terrible. We must put a stop to this.

Know more about your right to vote via your state's laws.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?

What stuns me most about contemporary politics is not even that the system has been so badly corrupted by money. It is that so few people get the connection between their lives and what the bozos do in Washington and our state capitols. "I'm just not interested in politics." "They're all crooks." "Nothing I can do about it, I'm just one person. I can't buy influence."

Politics is not a picture on a wall or a television sitcom you can decide you don't much care for. Is the person who prescribes your eyeglasses qualified to do so? How deep will you be buried when you die? What textbooks are your children learning from at school? What will happen if you become seriously ill? Is the meat you're eating tainted? Will you be able to afford to go to college or to send your kids? Would you like a vacation? Expect to retire before you die? Can you find a job? Drive a car? Afford insurance? Is your credit card company or your banker or your broker ripping you off? It's all politics, Bubba. You don't get to opt out for lack of interest.

In this putrid election season, every television ad seems to announce that the other guy sucks eggs, runs on all fours, molests small children and has the brain of an adolescent pissant. It's tempting to join the "pox on both their houses" crowd. They're close to right, but they're still wrong.

Here's the good news: All of this can actually be fixed. By me, you, us -- no kidding, no bull. Nothing you can do about it? Just one person? As an American at this time, you have more political power than 99 percent of all the people who have ever lived on earth. And should you round up four friends who don't usually vote, you'll have four times that much political power. Why throw that away?


Why indeed.

Wednesday, October 30, 2002

I am in a MOOD today.

Perhaps it says something about the polarized state of racial discourse in America today that even the government's official Commission on Civil Rights cannot conduct a civil discussion about civil rights.

Tuesday, October 29, 2002

You may dread monthly bills in the mailbox, but consider them a perk. Some companies are charging for them. How rude. I prefer the old paper trail way myself and find the audacity of the companies to begin charging for paper rather impertinent. Not everyone is hooked up and tech-savvy yet-- there still is a Digital Divide going on or has everyone forgotten?

Sometimes the staff will have a videotape of a Texas Rangers game for Bush, but other times he'll unwind by watching one of the military-themed movies he has relished since Sept. 11.
Why should we be surprised he's living through a Hollywood, jingoistic prism?

Got corporatism?

I had one of the absolute best massages last night! Mel has obviously been doing his homework in a variety of techniques, in fact he mentioned he'd studied recently in Thailand on some Thai massage techniques, and it was killer. Amazing massage! And I still feel it today. Gotta get another one from him soon. Definitely.

It is tempting to say that the only world leader as isolated from negative information as Saddam Hussein is George Bush himself.

Monday, October 28, 2002

Look at our country's immigration policies. Until 1952, you had the courts deciding what's white and what's not.

Like many immigrant families at the time, their hopes of living a better life clashed with others' hopes of keeping their neighborhoods to themselves.

He's a high school wrestler, she said, and there are several times each year when he is matched up against a girl. You don't know what to do, she said. You're afraid to touch them, but if you go easy on them, some of those girls will "beat your butt." So what do you do? Better get used to it....Assertive, unapologetic girls. Kind of looks like a trend, doesn't it? Wrestle with that.

While I am a strong and proud Democrat and I disagree with some of what he says, I can't help but be oh-so-proud and oh-so-delighted to see Chris so active and involved in the democratic process. Way to go Chris!

If the federal government continues to assault, intimidate and close our community-based cannabis clubs, leaving many thousands of our citizens unable to access medicine, I believe that we must have an alternative distribution network prepared to serve their needs....I believe we are coming to the end of a period of prohibition," said San Francisco Supervisor Mark Leno, the measure's chief sponsor. I love the fact that he's gonna be my Assemblymember after the election on November 5.

Image is everything: The young volunteers who daily ring doorbells wear crisp khakis and sparkling white T-shirts. You would expect them to be pushing Bibles, not doobies. After a young woman with bright pink hair, raccoon-like eye makeup, a transparent blouse and a notable lack of focus wafts into campaign headquarters offering to volunteer, "team captain" April Huneycutt frowns and says, "She'd have to dye her hair and clean up a bit. We're not looking to project a pothead image."

Image is everything, part II: "I want to personally . . . assure everyone that INS will not seek immigration status information provided to local authorities" in the sniper hunt, Ziglar said, promising "special visa status" to anyone aiding the investigation. But the two men remain in deportation proceedings because, Ziglar said, they weren't aiding the investigation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DON!!!!!!!! How OLD are you now?

Saturday, October 26, 2002

...almost every reporter or anchor there kept saying information was "coming in quickly" or calling the story "fast moving," perhaps to offset the speculation and guesswork that masqueraded as news.... But the average American was hungry for information. And when there isn't real news, people make up their own. People wanted a story of who this guy was. What we did, by providing it, comforted them.
Pretty much sums up my feelings about the whole "sniper" story.

The "Emotional Economy": great concept that needs to be better understood and valued.

Casting call for the new "American Idol" movie:

Elaine: 18-20 years old, Caucasian. This beautiful bombshell is Kelly's best friend, who thinks guys should always like her better than Kelly. The role model for this character is Reese Witherspoon, and should be an actress who can sing. As opposed to a singer who can act, since we know how well that turns out.
Barbara: 18-20 years old, African American. Kelly's fun-loving, energetic and bubbly friend.
Brandon: 18-20 years old, ethnicity open. Justin's good-looking friend, the cool guy who is all talk and no action.
Louie: 18-20, fair-haired. Justin's sensitive, geeky friend. Louie is licking his wounds from a recent breakup with his girlfriend.

I'm sorry, Don, but I hate Hollywood. Gag me with a spoon already.

His death is just too sad and too reminiscent of what happened exactly two years ago with my favorite pol. I must be jaded now because it's hard to concentrate on it all, but I am very sad and wish there was a way to make all of this not true. I hope all his close-ones and supporters are doing ok this weekend.

There's a special event tonight in San Francisco for those of you who love the Simpsons. They're playing every one of the Halloween specials over the years tonight from 6pm through midnight. Be sure to set up your VCR's (assuming you still have one since everybody's all about DVD's nowadays). Should be great fun.

Friday, October 25, 2002

Wow, good4him.

Not again.

How sad.

Thursday, October 24, 2002

If you're going to be away on election day, November 5, vote absentee, or simply go to your local elections department and vote there during their business hours. Don't allow yourself to be silenced!

So far in this election season, there has been almost no attention paid to the fact that for the first time since 1929, the right wing of the Republican Party might have effective control of all three branches of government. Given the consequences of that dominance, it is urgent that the silence on this issue be broken.

Anyone wonder why no one cares about voting anymore? [T]he half-hour evening newscasts on NBC, ABC and CBS... devoted 76 minutes to the sniper case last week. Iraq, the second-most covered issue that week, commanded 28 minutes. The 2002 Congressional races were covered for 5 minutes. The election is a week and a half away and the media is basically ignoring the fact that the country's direction hinges on the election. The only media that will occur will happen after it's too late and everyone's wondering what happened. Stupid media.

SHAME. SHAME. Shame. That's the only way to describe Congress' appalling record when it comes to protecting ordinary citizens from gun violence.

Earlier this month, Philip Morris became the first foreign tobacco company to begin cigarette output in South Korea, the eighth-largest cigarette market worldwide, where more than a quarter of the population is addicted to nicotine. North Korean nukes? We'll show that pesky Kim Jong Il how to really get people breathing hard on the Korean Peninsula. Philip Morris also said that it's keen to purchase Serbia's largest tobacco plant when it gets privatized next year. The company should feel right at home in the Balkans, where killing off local residents has been something of a pastime for years. I know I sound cranky on this issue. But it never ceases to amaze me how an industry that massacres its customers so freely -- 5 million deaths a year, according to the World Health Organization -- can profit so handsomely from trafficking in a deadly, highly addictive drug.

And then there were four.... My landlord said this morning that no one else is having this problem in the building and that maybe they've just taken up a home in my apartment. Great. She's going to talk to the owners and see if they can come up with some solutions beyond a nightly cat attack.

Oh, and P.S., my cat is insane. She has now learned how to jump from the floor to the top of my tall refrigerator in order to try to get her food. She knows no boundaries. Pity the poor mice.

Wednesday, October 23, 2002

My cat is insane!

You know you've lost it when:

You actually start caring about who's going to win the World Series. I like baseball, but I don't "like like" it. I'm not obsessed and I don't care about sports in general. But now that San Francisco is in the World Series I can't help but feel a little excited. How weird is that? And last night upon hearing that SF lost its 2nd game out of 3 I actually pulled myself away from what I was doing to check out what happened on the news. It's rather weird being here in the City while this is happening because everyone's so excited and hopeful. I remember back in 1985 when Kansas City won the World Series and there was also much excitement, but at the time I was in the suburbs and it's not the same as walking down the streets of SF while the game's on and you hear lots of hooting and hollerin' coming from inside the bars and restaurants. I know I've lost it when I suddenly can't help but wish that SF wins. Call me a once-in-a-spotlight-moment fan.

Breast cancer today is big business. More and more companies are using breast cancer as a marketing ploy to sell products while donating very little to the cause. Sounds awfully familiar to some AIDS benefits.

"Learning From Our Fears" about the D.C. sniper and the reality of everyday violence: In my neighborhood, kids are going on their third week with no recess and no outdoor after-school activities. School for 150,000 Richmond, Va., students was canceled Monday. Imagine the same response in Oakland's most dangerous neighborhoods. Schools would never open.

Tuesday, October 22, 2002

Don't believe the HYPE that Bush and the Republicans are serious about corporate reform. The bottom line is that you shouldn't worry about those TV images of men in suits doing the perp walk. That was for public consumption; now that the public is focused on other things, it's back to business — insider business — as usual.

Well, apparently my mouse problem was actually a mice problem. Last night, Amaya caught her third and I've only had her a week and a half. Very worrisome. What was also quite disturbing (beyond her desire to bring the dead mouse into my bed) was the fact that she knew I was going to scoop it up and throw it out and she would not let me and proceeded to eat it in front of me. I can still hear the crunching, tearing, chewing, and swallowing. Anyone know of a way to fumigate my entire house?

Monday, October 21, 2002

Today is the very last day to register to vote within California. (Most states have already had their final days, but California is later than others because they took care to move the date later to help get more people registered.)

If you haven't registered yet, do so today in order to vote on November 5th. The link above will help you find local places to do so. For those of you in San Francisco, they usually have a booth set up in front of City Hall until midnight, so you can head down there tonight, but it's best to try to do this before 5pm and get your materials postmarked in today's mail. This is our chance to send a message about the direction of our country. Let's do it!

Sunday, October 20, 2002

Jessie's dreams have come true.

Republicans seem to be optimistic that they are going to win everything next month. Let's not let that happen! There's still time to make a noise heard 'round the country. Wherever you are, whatever the circumstances of the individual elections, vote Democratic and send a message that we won't be patronized anymore!

Saturday, October 19, 2002

Well, it's official, people. I've now joined the 21st century and bought my very first DVD. I have yet to buy the player, but it will come soon. I just had to grab this one right away as it is one of my all-time favorites and I'm looking forward to seeing all the extras with it.

This is a momentous date in history as it is similar to the time 10 years ago when I bought my first CD player or 3 years ago when I bought my first cell-phone. It's all part of following along the conspiratorial bandwagons of the tech industry, but it is still a necessary next step. I've come here kicking and screaming, but I know that in a few years I will wonder what took me so long.

And now for another update from Leslie, that great Woman of the World, as she has begun her second stint in the Peace Corps:

"Well I am in Nairobi for the second time....ya it is nice to have a hot shower instead or a splash/bucket bath. It is also nice to know how much variety is here. They basically have everything, it is a little more expensive but it is here. So things are going well though I do miss electricity and running water. It is beautiful here and so green because of the short rains. So my situation is that I live with a great family and am going through all the great training excersizes, they aren't so fun... if I see another flip chart I may just go off the deep end. To more serious matters, my living situation is a few worlds wrapped in one. Often at night I call the family on my Global phone in a room lit by a parafin hurricane lamp while my host mother cooks on here charcoal stove and my brother watches a black and white tv (everybody loves Raymond) which is powered by a car battery that is charged during the day by a solar panel. Life doesn't get more strange. THough surprisingly it all seems so normal.

"I am having a nice time with all my fellow trainees, though I have to say they are not the typical PCV's I imagined. THey are all techies and there is a large group of fairly religious folk. THey have bible study groups... whatever makes you happy, I just didn't expect so many conservative people in Kenya. They are all great and we are all enduring acclimating into kenyan society together. It is a great country. THough it seems I have found political unrest yet again. Elections are just around the corner and people have been protesting a lot. Who would have thought I could find more protestors. Maybe I should be a political reporter I am always in the midst of the action.

"Well I miss all you folks, it seems like I have been here forever.
Love ya, Les"

Friday, October 18, 2002

GEORGE BUSH likes to pretend that he is above party politics: just a regular guy trying to do his best for the country... Don't believe a word of it.

"The president came to Washington promising to change the tone, and he did," Mr. Daschle said today. "It's worse. He promised compassionate conservatism and the only thing we've seen is compassion for conservatives."

With the Supreme Court hanging on a razor-thin margin of 5-4 in support of Roe v. Wade and several justices possibly close to retiring, the fate of abortion rights could rest in the hands of the Senate, which has the power to confirm presidential appointments to the Supreme Court. Several close races could make the difference in the balance of power in the Senate.

And so it's begun.... Amaya has now learned that when my alarm clock goes off it is time to get up and for her to get fed. Even if I push the snooze button, she's walking around on my pillow trying to get me to wake up. It was oh-so-adorable, except for the wanting to go back to sleep part. She's grown accustomed to my ways after a week (yes, it's been a week today) and she's also pushing her own agenda. You gotta love her.

Another example of Bush's photo-op populism. In this case we all know how much he loves firefighters, but the reality he refuses to adequately fund them.

Thursday, October 17, 2002

All the Women, Independent, Throw your hands up at me!

It's Crank-It-Up Time! Gotta love this guys rant about making the November election a message to Bush by voting Democratric. My sentiments exactly.

The Sermon on the Mount may have proclaimed "Blessed are the peacemakers," but in our cheap-shot political culture and talk-radio trash, to seek peace is to be at best a dupe and at worst a traitor.

...the American people want the checks and balances of democracy, not the edicts and decrees of kings.

...the abuses of the past are far too fresh simply to surrender to the executive branch unfettered discretion to determine the scope of these changes.


The ACLU, one of my favorite groups, is launching a new television ad campaign (the first time it's ever done television) in a strident fight against the taking away of our liberties by Bush and Ashcroft. They even have a great new website full of action steps and information.

Wednesday, October 16, 2002

Whatever the NRA says, no matter how unbelievably stupid and illogical, Bush and the Republicans do. You know, if we had this system in place, we may actually be able to tell who the sniper is in the Washington, DC area. Or at least find out more about where they got the gun and then track that. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

My staff put up a sign up on my door that said "Happy Boss's Day." Isn't that cute? I didn't even realize it was today. And, isn't it still very bizarre that I'm a boss?

Why, Tom Brown asked himself, is that creepy guy standing on the bus when there are empty places to sit, and why is he rocking his lower body back and forth into the shoulder of that seated teen-age girl?

Do you remember where you were when they stopped counting the vote in 2000; do you remember how you felt? Well, the next time somebody says to you that it does not make any difference who wins the election, think about all that has happened since that election...We've seen in just two years time the squandering of the biggest budget surpluses that we have ever had in America.

Now, the next time somebody tells you between now and Nov. 5 that one vote doesn't make a difference, you ask them to come and talk to me about that.


--[President] Al Gore.

Tuesday, October 15, 2002

McTeachers' Night?!

There is an implicit endorsement there that is hard to avoid. If McDonald's wanted to be altruistic, it would just give the schools the money.
I'll let Jessie handle this one.

Redheads are harder to knock out. Ha!

Monday, October 14, 2002

Having a living being in my house is something wonderful to get used to. I'm so glad I got Amaya. She and I are still acclimating to each other, but it's getting better. She's so good for me.
P.S. Long weekends are a blessing as well.

In the past, courts have ruled protest pens invalid. Americans have a right to address grievances to their president when he appears in public, even if that ruins a particular "photo op."

The Further Adventures of Chad and Dimples. Cute.

The decision to inflict war, full of unimaginable suffering and gratuitous death, is about to be made largely under the impetus of Washington spin doctors and political marketers. No good can come from this stampede. Taking such a step in this kind of hurry serves the politicians a lot and serves the country not at all.

Saturday, October 12, 2002

"In a situation currently marked by threats of the use of power," the Nobel citation read, "Carter has stood by the principles that conflicts must as far as possible be resolved through mediation and international cooperation based on international law, respect for human rights and economic development." Gunnar Berge, the Nobel committee chairman, was even more direct. The award "should be interpreted as a criticism of the line that the current administration has taken..."

Creating their own realities....

Well, I got a CAT! I'm so excited about her. It's an amazing feeling having someone join my life. Granted, I hadn't thought about this at all until I had the mouse show up in my kitchen, but once I started thinking more about it the more I loved the idea. I was nervous to make this happen though, mostly because of my strange philosophical questions reverberating in my brain (i.e. "does this make me a cat person," "does this mean that I am defined by her," "does this mean I am no longer myself as an individual," "who am I as a person," etc. Yeah, I know it doesn't make much sense, but I never said I didn't have bizarre issues.) Additionally, I've always been a dog person and have wanted a dog so badly over the last several years, but simply can't have one in my small apartments. I gotta wait for a larger place for a dog.

Anyway, Jessie helped me go to the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and go through their wonderful building looking through selection of cats waiting for adoption. They have a terrific place that offers so much help to potential adopters, as well as a beautiful, clean, safe place for the animals. They had information up on the wall next to each animal to give some idea as to what the animal would be like in your home and life. It was very helpful. There were a lot of great cats, but I quickly fell in love with one. They let me go in with her and play and pet and such and it was a beautiful, instant bond. I've now cleaned up my home and arranged it for her. I have a feeling she's going to be very good for me in bringing my life consistency and fun every day. She's still getting used to the place and me, and vice versa, but it should be very comfortable for us both soon.

So then, names... Her name at the SPCA was "Minina," but that was just a name given to her at that place a month ago. She's a year and a half old and they said there would be no problems renaming her. I found the most wonderful site for cat names, www.kittynames.com (isn't the internet great?!) which gives numerous categorical ideas for names. Very helpful.

After much deliberation I chose the name "Amaya." I found this name through the search engine and apparently it's a person's name in both Japanese and Spanish. In Japanese it means "night rain," which I think is just beautiful. If it has a meaning in Spanish, I'd love to hear it, but it looks like it's just a formal name. I love the trilingual nature of the name, as well as the phonetic sound. So here's to Amaya joining my new home.

P.S. Let me know if you have any advice of getting Amaya to use the litter box rather than my bathtub. Oh, and P.S.S. she caught the mouse on her first night here. Ain't she wonderful? ;-)

David, your concerns regarding setting a dangerous precedent are real as we can now add the phrase "Pulling a Torricelli" to the American political lexicon.

The Human Rights Campaign comments on the ad I mentioned Thursday in the Montana Senate race: HRC deplores any attempt to make a political issue of a candidate's real or perceived sexual orientation. This type of ad has no place in politics, it is an affront to gay people and we hope we have seen the last of this campaign tactic.
While I understand the need to speak out, I'm still a bit underwhelmed by the claims of those appalled by the ad since I don't see it as necessarily playing the "gay card." This was an ad that the guy himself had made back then highlighting the business in question. But I guess I can also see where people could say it's trying to make him look gay, but really, to me, it's a close call. Additionally, I appreciated the statements of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on the issue.

Friday, October 11, 2002

You Go Sheryl Crow!

Today is National Coming Out Day.

I remember back in 1991 (I came out in 1990) my Gay student group made a huge production of the date. A few weeks prior to the date, I was going all over my college campus in Kansas City putting up hand-made signs on the bulletin boards that said "C.O.W. Is Coming." I was enjoying my slyness. Then I finally posted similar signs that said "Coming Out Week is here" or something like that.

Coming Out Day fell on a Friday that year as well. We had put together a week of activities that year. We had a band playing in the middle of campus with a big banner about coming out. We had a movie festival day. We had a lecture series. And we had activities like "Wear jeans on Friday if you're gay" which, believe it or not, freaked some straight guys out enough to make sure they weren't wearing jeans that day.

We had a great week. We raised awareness and made a space for Gay life. We caused such a ruckus that week that we did actually get some protests. On Friday of that week there were suddenly all these chalk markings on the sidewalks of campus that said "Gay Go Away" and other such things. At first I took it jokingly and went into the Student Life Office and told the secretary in the office (whose name was Gay, believe it or not) and joked with her that they were telling her to leave. Later in the day I got real worried that there could be some violence and I did get nervous going to my car which was isolated on campus. I was so out by then that I was pretty much known as the "gay guy" on campus. Luckily, no violence occured, but the fear was there.

And I guess that's what Coming Out Day is all about in a sense. Fighting fear and overcoming it. Finding your inner strength. Being and becoming your full self without social pressure. Being strong enough to be.

So come out, come out whereever you are today, and let the world (or at least someone in your life) know that you're you.

Thursday, October 10, 2002

Homophobia on the campaign trail in Montana: To me, what's more of a problem is that an adult, an intelligent person, is going to flee from that and not just stand up and say, `You know, OK, so I looked like a gay hairdresser. What's wrong with looking like a gay hairdresser? Let's get on with the campaign. But, of course, this is Montana.

P.S. Wanna see the ad?

We're giving our federal money to Pat Robertson, people! Wake up and smell the fundamentalism of the Bush administration!

Are we so worried about medieval villains abroad that we no longer worry about medievalism at home?

Wednesday, October 09, 2002

I got tied up in this yesterday and it was not fun.

This is too close to home. I'm there all the time.

Tuesday, October 08, 2002

THERE'S A MOUSE IN MY KITCHEN! THERE'S A MOUSE IN MY KITCHEN!

C'mon my fellow Missourians, we gotta get Senator Carnahan re-elected. This is critical and the polling suggests a completely tied race so, more than ever, EVERY SINGLE VOTE COUNTS. The last date to register to vote in Missouri is TOMORROW, October 9, so make sure you and your family and your friends are registered today.

David, they're beginning to speak up. Now, how do I get my keyboard to make the accents and the tildes? If only he would have left that information at the end of the essay.

You Know You've Lost It When

Most people have nightmares about spiders, or falling down a canyon, or maybe even going to school naked or forgetting to study for a test. But you know you've lost it when you end up having a nightmare in which you forgot to vote. Yeah, I know.

Monday, October 07, 2002

Middle-class Americans say they want to see greedy, dishonest CEOs punished. But in truth, middle-class Americans are more afraid of boys from the housing projects holding them up in an alley for 20 bucks than they are of Wall Street scoundrels gutting their pensions and portfolios. Boesky, Milken and Keating collectively swindled more than $500 million. Yet the three of them together served less than 10 years. I know a man serving 20 years for an $800 heist.

Despite the media and the Republicans constant droning on and on about Iraq being the only subject, the people are smarter and more in-tune with realities than given credit for by the talking heads of the media and the political world. We can show them, again, by getting involved and by voting next month. Let's do it.

One of the grossest stories I've read in a while. I wish I could get the image out of my head. (Can one still use the word "gross" or is that too '80s?)

Sorry I didn't post over the weekend. As I mentioned before, my friend Gerry has been visiting. While living in DC from 1995-1999, Gerry was one of my closest friends and we'd spend almost every day together back then. We ate together, worked out together, strolled together, shopped together, clubbed together, wished for boyfriends together, hated boyfriends together, hated work together, did everything together. Then I left DC for greener pastures on the West Coast. He and I have caught up on the phone every once in a while, but it was much better as an in-person friendship. This week he was here for the whole week and the only distracting factor was that I had to work and go to my class. But otherwise it was great having him around so we could do some real catching up and simple hanging out.

He also advised me on work outs and clothing and I got some great advice this week on building "Gerry biceps" and proper outfits to buy. (You see, everyone seems to think I have bad taste in clothing. So when given the opportunity I utilize my gay male friends to help me make clothing decisions. So much for my gay gene helping me out there. I also hate to cook and clean, so something is definitely amiss.)

Yesterday, we went to the Castro Street Fair before he left town. The Fair was pretty boring for us, mostly because we've gotten old, seen it all before, and it's gotten stale. But, still, it was nice having him there to hang with. It's almost like the late gay '90's all over again.

Friday, October 04, 2002

And now for some fun to begin the weekend off right. An excerpt from the Simpsons' Daily Calendar:

Today's Question: In "The Trouble with Trillions", Fidel Castro is shocked when he learns what?
Answer: What Castro Street in San Francisco is famous for.

And for those who haven't learned about Castro Street yet, come join in the fun of Sunday's Castro Street Fair. Everyone'll be there, maybe even Castro himself. I'll be there, so look me up. I'll be the one gay guy wearing a muscle shirt that day. You should have no trouble finding me.

Interesting visual account of the reality and the propoganda surrounding Bush's September 11th.

In relation to the whole Torricelli disaster, all I can keep saying is "What an idiot!" It's nice that he finally realized that the seat in the Senate was more important than just him as an individual. But to realize it so late in the game and to now go through the whole mess that that's created is a bit much. I want a Democrat elected from New Jersey to the U.S. Senate. I want a Democrat elected to the Senate from every state. But Torricelli could have "helped" us out a while back rather than waiting so long. In these respects, I must agree with this article on the matter. When are politicians going to realize that they represent us in their seats, that these seats are for the people and the people work hard, pray hard, and hope for the most that the seats will be represented appropriately on issues that matter to them? When are politicians going to realize its not just about themselves and their resumes? I'm not happy with what happened with him and I don't know all the details; what I do know is that this seat is more important than just his personality and he waited too long to do the "right" thing.

As we've seen since the beginning of the Bush Administration, there is a complete disregard for the opposition party, let alone differing opinions on anything but the Bush line. So it's no surprise that they discount [President] Gore completely, even though he had a plurality of the American people's vote. They ignore him and the Democratic party at their own peril. One cannot constantly suppress and ignore the opposition without a groundswell of angry voters rising up.
Don't believe the HYPE of our being a right-wing, Republican nation and don't give up on what you may assume is an impenetrable electorate. The media and Republicans have been wrong before-- witness 1998 when the media and Republicans told us all that Democrats were doomed after the Monica Lewinsky situation-- and Democrats won strongly that year. Witness 2000 when the media and Republicans told us that Bush was a shoo-in and Gore actually won the most votes and Bush only claimed the post via a shockingly disgusting court-approved election overhaul. We CAN and must vote against the arrogant Bush Administration and their allies in the federal government. We CAN and MUST, and so, LET'S DO IT!

As a guy who grew up enthralled and obsessed with the G.I.Joe collection of toys, including having a regular series of action-oriented battle setups throughout my basement bedroom, I do feel that some of the toys in this article are over the line. It concerns me especially the light treatment given to the reality that is at hand. G.I.Joe was make-believe with make-believe villains and, while based on military weapons and hardware, often-times were really just pure-science-fiction and fantasy. But, I still feel that many of the toys mentioned in this article, especially the blown up "Barbie" house shown in this article, seem to me to be way over the line and just exploiting a very harsh reality to sell crap.
Here's a couple of quotes I liked from the article: How would Americans feel if a young Afghan child or young Yemeni had a burning and collapsing twin towers toy? ....They're the kind of things I'd expect to find on the back pages of Soldier of Fortune, not a toy store... This bombed-out version of Barbie's Dream House is sure to excite bloodthirsty passions in even the most passive of preschoolers. Unfortunately, the set does not come with charred infant or mangled toddler action figures.... The bombed-out house really feels like some grown-up trying to exploit what he or she imagines is the current mood, and thinking that kids will want to play with something so gruesomely realistic. Something that looks too much like home is more likely to be disturbing than comforting. It's a creepy toy, like an adult showing pornography to a kid.

Thursday, October 03, 2002

There's not much time left. The election is in one month-- November 5. You can still register to vote now, but time is running out. Different states have different deadlines, but most require one-month in advance. So be sure to REGISTER TO VOTE now by clicking this link and going to your state's registration page for more information. Or simply call your local election department for your city/county. Do it today while there's still time! It's more important than you may think.

"It's not right, but it's OK, I'm gonna make it anyway." I have reasons for actually using that as my mantra right now.

Wednesday, October 02, 2002

A very well documented analysis of exactly what we have to fear if Republicans take over everything federal after this election. And, as the title says, they're only one vote away from doing that. As a result, even though most Americans--especially swing voters--strongly prefer divided government, most voters aren't really aware that Republicans are one seat away from controlling all three branches of the federal government for the first time in more than 80 years.
Where does this leave you and me? We have a month before an election and we can not only make sure we vote against the Republican army, but we can also make sure our friends and family are doing the same. We can also get involved in other ways by helping out campaigns and, by most of all, speaking out against the Republican onslaughts. Read this article and then get fired up. We can do it, and we have to.

Apparently we are now a nation that publicly declares we want people shot and killed. Isn't this the same thing that our country decried when the Shah of Iran called for Salmon Rushdie's death? What are we becoming? Where is the Bush Administration leading us?

Topic: 10% discounts for Gap apparel aren't enough when it becomes a mandated uniform. Clothing stores in California routinely require employees to buy and wear at work the brands they sell, a practice that violates state law, according to industry experts and the California Labor Commission. Discuss.

Sorry I wasn't around yesterday. Sunday night my good friend, Gerry, from Washington, DC suddenly came to visit. He and I used to spend almost every day together over the 4 years I lived in DC. So I took yesterday off and we spent the day being tourists. We even did the one thing I've always wanted to do, but never did-- walk across the Golden Gate Bridge; it was a beautiful, clear day and walking across was so breath-taking. Gerry's here for the week so I'm a bit overwhelmed, but it's still a lot of fun. I'll still be posting here as I can.