Hostile Words From a Nasty Pig...an Invitation, Too

Last week I wrote about an AIDS group that wants the government to stop Pfizer from marketing Viagra. My argument is simple: people must be held accountable for their actions. To go after Pfizer is ridiculous because it opens up a Pandora's Box of targets for people who don't know how to control themselves. You can start blaming anything from HBO to a clothing line called Nasty Pig for the rise of HIV cases -- so where would the recrimination end?

Well, David Lauterstein, CEO of Nasty Pig, doesn't like my thinking. So offended was he at the sight of his company's name within three words of the letters HIV and AIDS on my blog that he failed to see my point: that neither his clothing line nor Pfizer should be held responsible for the results of people's behavior.

Mr. Lauterstein called me out on his blog yesterday and made me the first inductee to his annual Hall of Shame for my "limited" and "moronic" point of view. I'm in some stellar company -- the image above comes from his blog -- and I find it laughable.

Nasty Pig is in the business of pedaling sex and the fantasy of wild, reckless behavior. And more power to them! But if I throw on a pair of their chaps and get into some wild, unprotected behavior to fulfill my fantasy, I can't go knocking on Mr. Lauterstein's door to tell him that his product and the lifestyle it promotes just gave me a deadly disease.

But of course, Mr. Lauterstein, who probably agrees with me and ponders what role his company has in the global AIDS epidemic, can't see that I'm defending his capitalist right to sell and goes on to shoot himself in the foot by saying:

If this guy [GCL] had done his research he would know that Nasty Pig publicly promotes a positive responsible view of gay sexuality while respecting personal choice. He might have read my interview in Instigator Magazine where I discuss my decision to stay negative. He might have asked around and found out that I love having incredible sex with my positive brothers.
***
Well, I don't subscribe to Instigator Magazine and oddly enough I wouldn't even know who to ask about whom Mr. Lauterstein is sleeping with. But I will read between the lines in his quote and translate:

"...respecting personal choice"-- Barebacking is fine by me
"...I love having incredible sex with my positive brothers"-- HIV isn't the worst thing that can happen to you.

With these pearls of wisdom just floating on a clothing line's blog I am AMAZED that the Board of Health hasn't availed itself of Mr. Lauterstein's unique, insightful opinions on sex and disease.

But Mr. Lauterstein is no punk -- he has enough sense to do a Google Blog Search for his company and that's how he found my blog. I appreciate his comments and his correcting me on the fact that his company has been around since the 90s. Mazel tov!

And I also appreciate his invitation for us to meet "man to man." So Mr. Lauterstein, if you're reading this, I accept your invitation for us to meet. I have some questions for you and I'm sure you have some questions for me. I'm not "coming after Nasty Pig" as you say on your blog, but you've opened the door for what I hope can be a frank and productive debate on the issues that affect our community.

Are you man enough?

Pan's Labyrinth: The Big Questions

I'm not into warlocks, hogwarts, witches and unicorns, so whenever I see the word "fantasy" in a movie description (unless it's immediately followed by the words Speedos or Brazilian dudes), I look the other way.

I am, however, very much into Spanish cinema. And I am over-the-top into the new film Pan's Labyrinth by director Guillermo del Toro. Set in the time of the fascist revolution in Spain in the 1940s, a young girl stumbles into a magical world over which she is to reign provided she can complete three challenges. It's kind of like The Wizard of Oz meets The Secret Garden by way of
any WWII, Nazi-resistance movie.

Pan's Labyrinth is no children's movie, though. In fact, it's quite Biblical. It questions the merit of obedience and sacrifice and leads the viewer through the more benevolent forms of these concepts all the way to their most violent, hate-filled extremes. For me, watching the trials of the young Ofelia found me asking myself questions about the idea of the garden of Eden, of Jesus' sacrifice and the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his only son Issac. Is the biblical notion of sacrifice - of Jesus having to endure the shame and pain of his death here on earth really the only way to expiate our sins? Was it really such a horrible thing that Eve ate from a tree? Why and how is Satan? Some pretty heady stuff for a Friday evening.

I'd go into this further but I don't want to spoil the movie for you. Go see it, let me know what you think, and we'll discuss.

What's Your State of the Union?

In the age of You Tube, it makes perfect sense.

While the country waits for the President's State of the Union address, CNN.com is asking its visitors to upload their own address to the news site.

Sadly, I lost my digital camera a few months ago (though you can send in your thoughts to the site via e-mail, too)...so the following is the script for what would be the most dazzling, cinematic, dramatic, WOW, State of the Union address EVER. Starring yours truly, Mr. Gay Conservative Liberal.

Picture it: a flurry of white rose petals washes over those assembling in the Great Hall. The murmurs of awe and hate make the room tremble. Pearls are clutched, statesmen clutch their wives' hands. In fear. Where IS this country going?

Of course, Madonna, J-Lo, Ricky, Lindsay and Hillary (Clinton) are totally cheering me on and they're leading the audience in anticipatory clapping.

Suddenly, green lasers (yes, very Waiting for Tonight) pierce through the room and a steady drum beat brings everyone to their feet. There is no need to announce me for I enter the room slowly, decked out like one Mr. John Galliano at the Dior show in Paris (pictured above).

I am leading a pack of three Rottweilers, sans muzzles, to the podium. As I make my way down the aisle, avoiding everyone's gaze, marching to the beat of the drum, tugging at the dogs' leashes to keep their gait in step with mine, I realize that power, and this costume, are tedious.

But the show hasn't even begun.

I hand the leash over to a man servant and take the stage. A bedazzled microphone like the ones Mariah Carey uses is handed to me.

It's Showtime (as in the channel) because MY State of the Union Address would be on Pay-Per-View, bitches.

"My fellow Americans, I've kidnapped your leader and turned him GAY.

Because America doesn't need crotch-grabbing cowboys who can't pronounce words like "nuclear" and "radicchio." Cowboys may have won the West, but today's mission of winning the hearts of the world will be won with intellect, with compassion.

And that starts here at home.

If we haven't figured out that democracy equals choice then we have no business trying to "spread" it in other, oil-rich parts of the world.

Let's face it, there are people who hate us and who are dying under oppressive regimes in countries that can't even turn up a dung beetle. And if Osama (the Arab not the black guy) ever got a gun in any of these people's hands we'd all be in trouble. So here's the truth, the war on terror is a pre-emptive move to preserve our greedy way of life.

It is what it is, accept it. Unless you want to wind up your car or your bus or your train to work every five minutes on your way to work in the morning. So get used to it, we're not leaving Iraq until Steve Jobs can create an i-car that runs on the beat of the Immaculate Collection.





When I talk about compassion I mean ensuring that this stupid war that W got us into actually turns into something good for all of us. So I'm asking Congress to appropriate Halliburton's profits and turn it into seed money for the first comprehensive healthcare program for every American citizen.

Because as Americans, we're all part of one big family. And that's why I'm asking Congress to let our brothers marry their brothers. That's right, America, the gay marriage debate ends here. In my American family, everyone is allowed to marry whoever they want. We're going to tax the crap out of you, of course, but fair is fair.



Now, I don't know about you but I think these Evangelicals have got a little too much pull here in Washington. So they can have it! Let's go WAY back to the principles on which this country was founded and bring our nation's capital back to New York City.




And finally, because I know you're all anxious to get to the after-party, I want to talk about immigration.

It's not really a problem for me and that brings us back to my point about making this stupid war we're in count for something. If we're gonna blow up countries with the explicit purpose of preserving our sovereignty, than anyone who is ballsy enough to cross in here and try to raise a family and put them through school deserves a shot at it. Now that doesn't mean I want to see immigrants, or any American, popping kids out recklessly. If you're here and you're working hard that's great, but if you're going to coast by with no education and stuffing your third butt cheek with Pizza Hut you can bet your Payless shoes I'm deporting you and your American-born children back where you came from.

OK folks, I love you all, I love this country. Things are bleek now but not for longer. I want to thank my musical guest Beyonce and I want to thank all of you at home for watching. Good night, and God Bless America!"

AIDS and Viagra: Excuses, Excuses

From CNN:

The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) told Reuters it wants Pfizer to be barred from marketing Viagra as a lifestyle or sexual enhancement drug. The nonprofit organization said Pfizer's actions had led to risky behavior by men and an increase in HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

***
Um, no. While HIV rates may be on the rise among young gay men here in the States, it's hardly because of a little blue pill. Viagra is for dudes who can't get it up just like Sudafed is for people with stuffy noses -- oh, and if you're a meth head, you can throw in some Drano and have yourself a gay old time. So because some reckless people can do some damage with everyday products does that mean companies should stop marketing them?

The real reason why HIV continues to haunt the gay community is because our hyper-sexed, party-obsessed culture has allowed it to. In an age where gay men are over-powered by choice -- you can sort through gay.com to hone in on your dream trick, you can have your goat-cheese burger at Elmo cooked to your prissy specifications and you can bark at a sales clerk to dig up that last pair of rainbow-stitch True Religion jeans -- it's not up to a drug company to tell our community that taking drugs you don't need can lead to bad things.

Call me sheltered, but I see more party ads and naked 2xist models on my walk down 7th avenue than I do Viagra ads. In fact, the last Viagra ad I saw featured Bob Dole.

If the AHF is concerned about people profiting from sex and the pedaling of risky behavior, why don't they go after the guys behind a new clothing line called Nasty Pig? Mind you, I think the company's models are hot, but some ill-informed bug-chasing idiot might just embrace the Nasty Pig mentality and throw on a pair of chaps and his better judgment to the wind.

Dare I say it? Whatever happened to personal accountability?

If Nasty Pig can be the cover story of a weekly gay magazine under the headline "From Swans to Swine," then Viagra should be allowed to sell its little blue pill to trolls, middle-aged men and meth-heads alike.

Pentecostalism Tearin It Up In Harlem

My favorite writer at the New York Times is David Gonzalez, a reporter who writes about Latino life here in the city. His latest dispatch focuses on the Pentecostal church, a staple in any working class Latino neighborhood, along with greasy Chinese take-out and Kennedy Fried Chicken.

Where I grew up in Brooklyn, I was within walking distance of five Pentecostal churches -- storefront places of worship whose members duck out between what seem like endless hours of praise to buy toilet paper and lotto tickets at the 99 cent stores they're crammed next to.

Mr. Gonzalez's piece talks about the church's plight to hold on to its young while still promoting its hard-line views on an ascetic, media-deprived existence. No jewelry, no make-up, no flamboyant colors, no music (unless its Christian music), no television, no, no, no. And they wonder why the kids aren't flocking to the storefront.


For his article, "A Church’s Challenge: Holding On to Its Young, " Gonzalez visits a new church in Harlem. The characters are all too familiar for me: all barely working-class Latinos, a deliciously verbose Pastor who has a crap job by day but dusts himself off for daily hours-long diatribes on redemption and sacrifice, and the stoic, all but broken elderly women who make sure everyone tows the line of penitence and restraint.

In places like Spanish Harlem, Pentecostals and Jehovah's Witnesses compete for converts. I remember making fun of the dilapidated churches I'd see on my way to Kingdom Hall -- me dressed up in a fierce suit clutching my mom's hand as her stilettos clicked down Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn, she'd look at the church and call the people inside ridiculous. While our JW digs were nicer and the presentation was more restrained and scholarly, the message was still the same: separate yourselves from this world, you won't be poor for much longer, everything except this belief system is flawed.

As I write this post I'm gearing up for an all day event for my silly PR job - the suit is pressed and the pointy gay-as-hell shoes are shined. But I'm thinking about other times I used to get up this early to throw some fabulous duds on, back then it was for God, today it's for a healthcare client. My experience in my strict religion taught me discipline and how to dress for success -- I hope these little storefronts throughout the city do half as much for their young.

Too Much Information

First, my apologies for a week-long absence. Internet Explorer, my default browser, somehow stopped being compatible with Blogger and I was unable to log on all of last week. With work being a bit hectic as well, I didn't have much time to troubleshoot either. Thanks to Alejandra, though, all is normal now and I am gracing the blogosphere yet again thanks to Mozilla.

But enough about me (and the fact that two weeks into my resolution to post daily I failed miserably) and on to the news, or rather, the excess thereof...

I process the news in the context of fear. I don't expect to read about chirping birds in Central Park or pillow fights between members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on the front page of CNN or the New York Times. Instead, I have come to expect death tolls and an update on how far Beyonce has come in her 25 years on this earth versus me. And I'm OK with that.



However, journalists seem to operate under a different construct. They neither compare themselves to Beyonce and they fear nothing.


Otherwise they wouldn't go around pouring itching powder into the conflicts that plague our little planet. And neither would the victims of these conflicts, as these people seem especially inclined to just shoot their mouths off at any microphone shoved in their faces.


In reading the news today, I was shocked and annoyed that the Times of London would publish an article listing the ingredients used in the terrorist attacks of 2005. Now, I know the media has done stupid stuff like that in the past, but in the midst of a war that is showing no signs of relenting, is it wise to inform the public, and the wackos in their midst, on how to assemble mini weapons of mass destruction? In an article titled "How high street ingredients 'could become weapons for mass murder'" reporter Sean O'Neill writes:

The ingredients of the July 21 bombs were acquired in the high street and required little more than a rudimentary knowledge of chemistry to make up. The shopping list of the alleged bombers included hydrogen peroxide — widely used in hairdressing — chapati flour, nail polish remover (acetone), sulphuric acid, batteries, torch bulbs, electrical wires, cardboard and half a dozen food storage tubs, Woolwich Crown Court was told yesterday.

Am I overreacting or is this too much information? Who cares what the ingredients used were? The problem isn't how available they are it's how many people know that a combination of certain household items can cause some major damage?

Reports from the war-zone are no better. No sooner are we processing the less than humane execution of Saddam Hussein (I'm against the death penalty but what else could you do with a monster like that? My issue is with the treatment of a man already sentenced to death by his executioners...verbal taunting, slapping...) and we're getting reports that his older brother's head snapped off during the execution.

Wha?? How is the world better off for knowing this bit of information?

Things are no better in Colombia, where the kidnapping of former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt still goes unsolved. From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Colombia's interior minister said Monday that kidnapped former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt was in good health, reopening a national debate over freeing thousands being held captive by mostly leftist rebels. [...]

Betancourt's mother, however, said she feared the government was planning a military rescue of her daughter - a move that in the past has led leftist rebels to immediately kill hostages.

"What terrifies me is that the government may know where Ingrid is and will launch a rescue mission," Yolanda Pulecio said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Umm, why is this woman's mother trying to sabotage any attempt by the government to rescue her daughter? Shouldn't her misgivings be addressed in private with the president of her country and the people who will execute any rescue operation? What the hell is the AP going to do about saving her daughter?

And finally, just when I was rejoicing over the much-deserved victory of one Miss Jennifer Hudson at the Golden Globes, I caught a commercial for the Today Show announcing an interview with the parents of one of the two kidnapped boys found in Missouri yesterday.

If recounting the horror of such an ordeal with friends and family won't be of help to me, and I feel like reaching out to a disinterested media personality, I'd try to call Beyonce and tell her all about how my son was kidnapped and holed up with some dude for five days. She won't care any more than Meredith Viera, but hey, she's Beyonce. But then, who would cover the story? BET? I'm not black...

So what am I getting at here?

The news is full of too much fluff and fear mongering and there are way too many people who think national television is an appropriate vehicle through which families can process trauma. Editors are becoming increasingly unethical and scandalous in what they peddle as news -- telling people how to create bombs is the equivalent of screaming fire (or, if you were Beyonce, Ring the Alarm) in a crowded movie theatre.

Ashley X: Compassion or Convenience? Fox News Sucks, BTW

Interesting story out of Seattle: The parents of a mentally-disabled girl who cannot speak, move or feed herself have opted to begin treatments that will stunt her growth and leave her child-sized for the rest of her life.

I came across this story through my friend Alejandra and what struck me about it is the question that it raises about what I would do if I had to care for a disabled child whose mental development will not advance beyond infancy.

First, I didn't know such a procedure was possible, but basically, Ashley will remain the size of a six-year-old for the rest of her life. This, her parents say on their blog, is intended to improve Ashley's quality of life.

In reading through Ashley's parents' blog, where they refer to children with their daughter's disease (Static Encephalopathy or permanent or unchanging brain damage) as "pillow angels," I get the impression that they have come to a decision that takes the best interest of their daughter and their family into consideration. They're not planning on disposing of their child, instead they're looking for the best way to keep their daughter under their care and make sure she has the best quality of life possible.

Of course, some media, like the Los Angeles Times (who broke the story) and the BBC have taken this story as an opportunity to discuss euthanasia and other medical ethics issues. The Fox News Channel, pandering to simpler minds, posted a piece called "Forever Young" on their site and featured a picture of Peter Pan with the opening: "Ashley X is not a character from Peter Pan, but like the Lost Boys, she too will never grow up."

Clearly, this issue defies catchy headlines and should really provoke questions about how we define humanity and quality of life -- for both the infirm and those who care for them. It's one thing to talk about the terminally-ill and permanently-disabled in the context of sympathy -- but where does that get us in the day-to-day grind of caregiving?

From what I understand about the approach taken by Ashely X's parents is that this is the best way for them to keep their daughter in their family and allow her to live her best life. In her childlike state, Ashley can experience the world around her without the added stress of hormonal changes and other issues that surround the transition into adulthood. And yes, this arrangement is of benefit to the family, who wants to care for their daughter as best they can. It's one thing to move a six year old around, but what about an immobile adult?

What do you think of this?

What America Needs: Compassion

...we're all born with it but it's beaten out of us by the time we reach kindergarten.

I know America's children need health care and education, but if our leaders took a refresher course in the most basic of human values, I think this culture war, and other battles we're so embroiled in, would fall to the wayside.

Check out this article from Jane Meredith Adams, a reporter for Parenting.com, featured on CNN.

And you don't need to embrace the problems of the Third World to show your humanity and decency, you don't even have to jump in front of a speeding train to show the world you're a decent person. But allowing everyone to live their best life and accepting that in spite of differences everyone is entitled to love, happiness, freedom and health, you're setting in motion the phenomenon of compassion.

And that's what we all need right now.

Send Pat Robertson to Guantanamo

Pat Robertson's bff, God, has told him that our country will be beseiged by a "mass killing" in September of this year.

In the meantime, Robertson's terrestrial cohorts at the American Family Association are hard at work boycotting the Ford corporation for "its support of the homosexual agenda." And it would seem that the hate and fear mongering are making strides in Massachusetts, where gay marriage now stands to be revoked by the state's legislators.

Not that Pat is saying that the September 07 blood bath is divine retribution for our country's wanton homosexual ways -- YET -- but the Christian right's fervor in the midst of a Democrat upset in Washington is reaching a fever pitch. So here come the warnings, the protests, the talking heads on the Fox News Channel, and bla bla bla.

I'm all for the sanctity of life, marriage and the family. But here's what I want to know: Doesn't war break up families? When you send young men and women to fight overseas aren't you hurting a mother and father somewhere? Doesn't war kill?

So why aren't the talking heads even lamenting the death toll in Iraq? Forget about justifying the war, what about lamenting the fact that human beings are dying on a daily basis. And for what? Do we even remember why we're in Iraq?

Back to the homosexual agenda.

The Ford corporation is being attacked because it buys ad space in The Advocate and Out, both gay magazines. A bunch of losers in Massachusetts are celebrating on the steps of Capitol Hill because they've denied people they don't even know the right to start their own families. Meanwhile, no one sees anything wrong with Army recruiters hitting up young people in disadvantaged communities across America.

Where am I going with this rambling post, you may ask. Well, I'm shouting out people's selective convictions.

? Abortion is murder but war is a "pre-emptive measure."

? The institution of family is sacred, but gay marriage, an attempt at the creation of family, is an "abomination."

? The free market, not big government is going to be the salvation of America, but buying ad space in a publication you'll probably never read calls for kicking an American company in the nuts, hurting its sales and ultimately threatening to put other Americans, maybe even good Christians, out of jobs.

Beware of false prophets, people. The Christian right is taking on a new form, it's playing Nostradamus, it's tetering on the dark side, and it is making some huge moves to shape our nation's course.

I propose a pre-emptive measure: let's send Pat Robertson, who could very well be making threats against this country, down to Gitmo until October of this year.

Gerald Ford, and Spirit of Bi-Partisanship, Laid to Rest

Learned a few interesting things about Gerald R. Ford over the weekend. Dare I say it, I even started to like the man.

Disappointed with the direction the Republican Party has taken under the Bush administration, Ford himself was against the war and was not a proponent of letting faith inform policy.

I was especially pleased to learn that Mr. Ford was respected for being a man of the House first and a Republican second. He promoted a spirit of cooperation in Congress and was more concerned with uniting our country in the midst of the Vietnam War than with finding more issues to deepen the schism between the people and our government.

It's interesting what hours and hours of funeral coverage will teach you about a man. Some great things have been rightfully said about him, but they were also marred, for me, by watching Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld serve as pallbearers - they're the antithesis to cooperation and unification.

Our Anniversary

Not to be sappy, but you and I just reached our six month anniversary. And I couldn't be happier. Thanks to everyone who visits this site regularly, thanks to those who take the time to comment (Red Tulips, TGC, Berdo, Gene, GRT, James) and thanks to those who, when they see me, make a comment or two about my posts.

I especially want to thank one Andrew Sullivan for the shout-out he gave me on his blog back in July. That really got the ball rolling for this blog and it gave me the impetus to keep posting.

As some of you know, I started a new job late in October. It's been going great, but the hours are a bit more demanding so it's been harder for me to keep posting on a daily basis. I'm disappointed by that.

So, for 2007, I plan on making a concerted effort to post on a daily basis.

I'm off to Provincetown for the weekend with James -- just the two of us in a beach community. In the winter.

How. Fun. :-)

In the meantime, here's a recap of the week's events with my own two-cents thrown in for good measure.

Once again, thank you for your support this past year. I want to wish you a happy, healthy, successful new year. And wherever you should decide to ring in the New Year, please remember to drink responsibly and vote Democrat.

xoxo
GCL

---------

Gerald Ford Passed Away -- Pardoning Nixon was so not cool. A National Day of Mourning on January 2nd (one that would give us all the day off) would have been.

James Brown is Dead -- The diva-est move ever is to die on Crimmus. That the lines are forming around the block at the Apollo Theater here in New York is truly a testament to this man's legacy.

Saddam is Handed Over to the Iraqi People -- Countdown to a real big mess. In less than 30 days all hell will break loose once Saddam is executed. The man is evil but hanging him is going to make a really bad situation worse.

Dreamgirls Debuts in Theaters on Crimmus -- And I am telling you it is the best effing movie EVER. Go see it go see it go see it.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

On Immigration

I've been meaning to write about a fascinating series of articles I read last week in the Times last week. The paper spent a week with three sisters, all born in Mexico, who decided to come to the U.S., like countless other immigrants, to try their luck at the American dream. One sister achieved legal residency, the other still lives as an undocumented immigrant (both in Texas) and the other gave up and went back home to Mexico, a decision she now regrets.

I wasn't sure what to say about these articles, other than that they reminded me so much of my own family's experience as immigrants. I thought about my mom coming to this country when she was 18 to work and support her family back in Colombia, a decision she's firecely proud of in spite of the toll it took on her health. I thought about my earliest memories from childhood and how they play out in Spanish in my mind. I thought about spending a day with my dad at his job at a factory, watching him press skirts all day and thinking it was the coolest job ever.

But then I read this article today via Reuters and I know exactly what to say about the debate that consumed so much of our time earlier this year.

Reuters followed two people in Phoenix who went to the Mexican consulate in Phoenix to burn the Mexican flag in public. The man and woman were expecting a larger turnout to their spectacle, and has reached out to Neo-Nazi groups to support their cause.

"We need to get rid of all those who are destroying our country," Pauly said as the national colors of United States' southern neighbor flamed out on the sidewalk in central Phoenix earlier this month. "We are being invaded."

[...]

Laine Lawless, the founder of the Arizona-based Border Guardians group, also reaches out to white supremacists online. In one recent e-mail to a Neo-Nazi group, she urged "warriors for the race" to intimidate Spanish-speaking school children, and rob aliens depositing funds in U.S. banks.

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center: "We are seeing the radicalization of the existing vigilante groups, we're seeing more and more interaction between existing anti-immigration groups and genuinely white supremacist groups, Neo-Nazis and so on, and a rise in hate crimes against Hispanics."

***

This all comes down to selective politics.

The Republican Party, the same party that promotes faith and family values is out to purge this country of the one group who is probably most apt to embrace those same values. Meanwhile, the Democrats are fighting to let this group, who could very well turn their nose up at many of the party's values, entry to our country and its opportunities.

Here's where I stand on the issue of illegal immigration: People who are up in arms about it are racists. Those Latinos who say that the new wave of immigrants are threatening their own livelihood have forgotten what it was like for them to arrive here, with, as the saying goes, "a suitcase full of dreams."

As the line in the immigration debate now teters between racism and inclusion, I hope that our newly elected officials will focus on the problems that really drain our nation's resources (ahem, thewariniraq) and end the government-sanctioned bullying of a group that could very well advance the values our nation once had. You know, hard work, family, fear-of-God, love of country.

Ethiopia and Somalia at War

From CNN:

Ethiopian warplanes attacked two Islamist-held airfields in Somalia on Monday, witnesses said, in the most dramatic strikes yet of a war threatening to engulf the Horn of Africa.
The attacks -- one on the capital Mogadishu -- came hours after neighboring Ethiopia formally declared war, saying it was protecting its sovereignty against a movement run by terrorists.
***
If you look at the map to the left, you can't blame Ethiopia for defending itself. With Sudan's rogue regime threatening it on the west and with another terrorist state on the east, Ethiopia has no choice but to show its force in the region. That said, this will mean scores of displaced civilians and worse attrocities for everyone in the area known as the Horn of Africa.

Once again the "religion of peace" is at the crux of another war.

Not Trying to Ruin Christmas, buuuuut....

If you had told me five years ago that I would be in a relationship with a man and that I would be exchanging crimmus (Christmas) presents with his family I would have tossed my cookies, cried, and then gone running to Kingdom Hall (church for Jehovah's Witnesses). But alas, here I am in New Jersey (how interesting given the recent turn of events in this state) and I'm thinking about how caught up I am in the spirit of a holiday that I still believe has no real historic relevance.

And while I like the gift-swapping and the kindness, however forced and temporary, of the season, this does not in any way make me a believer in Christmas. I don't think there's anything especially spiritual about this holiday because it's a disguised pagan holiday. Don't take the JWs word for it if that bothers you, just click here.

The link above states the following: Most biblical scholars and preachers readily admit that they know Christ was not born on December 25th. However, they claim that this day is as good as any other to celebrate the birth of Jesus, despite the fact that it was originally a pagan celebration called Saturnalia which commemorated the birth of the sun god. [...] Jesus was born on the 1st day of the Feast of Tabernacles! In the year 5 B.C.E., this fell in the month of September.

Here's what this means to me: Christianity can't even get its own Patriarch's birthday right. Second, from what I studied in the Bible, the stories about Jesus don't focus on celebrating his birth but rather on understanding the enormity of his sacrifice for our sins. Granted, I'm not going to give up my life to pursue an evangelical career, but that's what Jesus did and that's what he asked of his followers -- that they love everyone and that they preach the good news of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14).

But if we're going to go on about Jesus' birth and on celebrating the "concept" of the nativity, let's make a special effort in '07 to embrace the "concept" of real Christianity: to spread love, tolerance and peace.

Merry Crimmus!

Haditha: Shoot Em' All, Let God Sort Em' Out

From CNN: Four Marines have been charged with murder in the 2005 killings of 24 Iraqi civilians, and four officers are accused of failing to investigate and report the deaths properly, the Marine Corps announced Thursday.
***

I love people who can multi-task. In the midst of losing a war, our government has the time to prosecute its own officers and make one more case for a quick exit from Iraq.

Not knowing all the facts from that fatedul day in Iraq when 24 civilians were killed in what some say was a "shoot first, ask questions later" operation, all I can say is that I'm not suprised by this behavior.

I mean, wasn't "shoot first, ask questions later" the reasoning behind Operation Iraqi Freedom? We didn't have all the facts then and yet we still embarked on a war. Our government reasoned "once we blow the country to bits we'll find the WMDs somewhere."

This horrible situation is a consequence of our government's own reckless use of military force. We pumped these kids up with the idea that their mission was heroic, God-sent, a justified and necessary retalliation for 9-11, and now we're surprised that they would kill any Iraqi who so much as looked at them?

Let's charge George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld along with these officers if we're set on making things right.

Freedom Tower: Let Arrogance Ring

Another development in the saga that is the rebuilding of the World Trade Center here in New York: The first beam of the Freedom Tower was erected yesterday, amidst the now annoying pomp that precedes anything having to do with Ground Zero.

Does our elected officials have nothing better to do besides "commemorating" every last bowel movement that takes place below Canal Street?

What irks me most about the Freedom Tower is the arrogance behind the project -- we're not showing the world anything by building an even taller edifice downtown, we're just waving the red flag in front of the bull. Five years after thousands of people were wiped from existence it's become our city's prerogative to account for all the deaths in dollars and cents. Which means that this very pricey bit of real estate, which is now a cemetery, has to be repurposed and every last person who lost a loved one there needs to be placated with hollow praise and the drone of a bagpipe.

Some simple-minded people might gasp and tear up at the thought of steel, glass and copy machines soaring 1,776 feet into the heavens, ever closer to their departed loved ones. I find it sickening and audacious. But predictable. Given our heady times, when our government seems hell bent on winning an un-winnable war, it's small, empty "victories" like these that emphasize, oh what is it, "the resilience of the American spirit" and bla bla bla.

If you want to commemorate anything, how about making the day George Bush said we're NOT winning in Iraq a national holiday? Check out the Boston Globe for that.

TIME Magazine Person of the Year: Us

I was thinking of an end-of-year message to post on this blog, which by far has been one of my biggest achievements in 2006. I wanted to thank the people who check in to read my opinions and who take the time to challenge me and offer me a different point of view on the most pressing issues of our time.

So, first, thank you.

However, TIME magazine has beaten me to the punch. This year's person of the year is every person who engages in this medium that advances dialogue and thought. And I think that's pretty terrific.

So, from me, and from the people at TIME magazine, thanks for making 2006 the blogger's year.

-- GCL

John Edwards to Run for President...YES!!

Yay!! I HEART JOHN EDWARDS.

From USA Today just a few minutes ago (as of 2:20pm EST): Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards intends to enter the 2008 race for the White House, two Democratic officials said Saturday.
***

A handsome, patriotic family man from a red state. Love it. This race is going to get good. The Dems don't have to scramble anymore, the Obama thing was just a ruse, Edwards is the real deal. Phew.

If it were up to me, the Dems would have to narrow it down to John Edwards, Joe Biden and Hilary for the race. Why Hilary? Cause' she's caustic and faaaabulous. Like my girl New York on Flava of Love on VH1.

View from The Watchtower: Sluts and Lightning

You better pray.

So was I extolled by Gawker this morning when I logged on for my daily dose of New York-centric gossip. Shocked was I to see the religion I grew up in was being dissected by one of my fav blogs.

The Jehovah's Witnesses are on a special assignment these days -- and make no mistake, they do call it a special assignment -- to educate the masses about the end of false religion. False religion, for the JW's, is a literal whore that represents all the world's faiths that have turned their back on God's teachings to promote immorality and war. And to make sure everyone is on the lookout for the end of this slut's reign, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is issuing the pamphlet above around the world.

So, what is false religion? Per the JW's all the faiths that meddle in politics, ordain gays and pedophiles and spread false doctrine are doomed.

For some reason, reading the very funny review of this new pamphlet on a blog got me a bit down. Growing up as a JW you kind of assume the whole world is living in doom-and-gloom-judgementia. To be away from it now, while still considering myself a Christian, is often difficult. Every now and again I'm confronted with the faith I embrace(d)(?) and the jolt of guilt, fear, relief, fills me.

I think, though, all faiths are guilty of promoting false doctrines. In that case, how lucky we all are that our end is near.

Iran, and the U.S.: Play Nice, Kids

Let by-gones be by-gones. That's pretty much what Nelson Mandela did after he was released from 28 years of captivity during Apartheid in South Africa. No reprisals from the native black communities were to be launched on their white oppressors; for Mandela, progress was as much about looking forward as it was about accepting that no amount of vengeance could undo the horror suffered by millions for so long.

And so a similar challenge is presented to the U.S. as our self-proclaimed enemy, Iran, offers to step in to help us "save Iraq." To save Iraq, for us, would be to find a way to end the violence in the country, establish some sort of truce between the Sunnis and Shiites, and leave the people in the hands of a democratic government.

It's a safe bet that Iran has a different vision of salvation.

From the BBC:

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki has said Tehran is willing to help the US withdraw from Iraq. But he added that Iran would only assist if the Americans changed their attitude towards Tehran.

AKA: Let us kill and torture women as we see fit, let us spread our myopic interpreation of ancient texts-turned-law across a hotbed of fanaticism, and stop thinking that just because we're building a nuclear weapons arsenal and we hate you that we're going to build a coalition of pissed-off Muslim countries to kill all of you.

In this case, Mandela's example is just not applicable. Neither the U.S. nor Iran are willing to put arms down and shake hands. Instead, Iran's latest foray into the international scene is an affront to the work the US is doing in Iraq.

I bring up Mandela's example, though, because it goes to show that the world is ever propelled forward by the acceptance and manipulation of evil. China, for instance, is taking over the world and has no qualms about doing business with Sudan. Russia's private sector is benefiting from the lucre of arms deals with Iran. South Africa is moving forward in spite of deep-seeded racism. And in the U.S., Presidents Clinton and Bush Sr. are the Nicole Ritchie and Paris Hilton of international goodwill.

So here's what I say to our Commander-In-Chief: hear the Iranians out, know that a snake is a snake, and be prepared to step on its head as soon it serves its purpose for you. You know, like we've done with Noriega, the Somozas, Saddam and Osama....

Hamas in Iran: Israel Sux

Yikes.

Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian Prime Minister, is on a four-day tour of Iran, the Hamas-lead state's largest benefactor.

Both countries have vowed never to recognize the state of Israel. What's more, Haniya made the following incendiary remark:

"We will not give up our Jihadist movement until the full liberation of Beit al-Muqqadas [Jerusalem] and Palestinian land."

***

That's nice. Way to wave the flag in front of the bull. With W taking another beating this week I wouldn't be surprised if he launched another assault in the Middle East just to show everyone who's boss. If he did it this time, though, I'd say it was justified.

Iraq Study Group: Get Out

From CNN: In a highly anticipated report being released Wednesday, the Iraq Study Group will call for a dramatic shift in war policy by urging the Bush administration to set a target of moving most U.S. troops out of their combat roles by early 2008, according to two sources who have seen the executive summary of the report.
***

Can't wait to see how the Right is going to spin this one. Is it possible to top the catchiness of "cut and run" politics?

With two Dems leading the report, the call for a 2008 withdrawl from Iraq is also a call for bipartisan cooperation. In the end, it's not just the U.S. that stands to suffer from an Iraq in chaos.

"Sources said a major theme in the report by the group, co-chaired by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, is a blunt assessment that the mission in Iraq will fail unless the Bush administration and the newly elected Democratic Congress come together on a bipartisan basis to deal with the declining support for the war within the United States."

First, I can't believe we're still tossing the word war around anyway. After all, W landed on a bomber dressed up in his Top Gun ensemble nearly four years ago to tell us we won. The time since then has just been, well, hmm...

That aside, I don't think we'll pull out of Iraq anytime soon. This war was designed to last. Now that America is slowly waking up from the Republican fog it's been in for the past six years, though, maybe an exit strategy will become more clearly defined. Still, you have to make sense of all the American lives lost in this operation -- and that means more fighting, more terror alerts, more fear mongering and propaganda to come.

Chavez Wins Venezuela; Latin America Looks Ridiculous

The news out of Caracas is very disappointing: With 78 percent of the votes counted by Sunday night, the National Electoral Council reported Chavez leading Rosales by a margin of 61 percent to 38 percent [...] "Long live the socialist revolution! Destiny has been written," Chavez shouted to thousands of flag-waving supporters wearing red shirts, according to The Associated Press.
"That new era has begun," he declared with religious fervor, raising a hand in the air. "We have shown that Venezuela is red! ... No one should fear socialism... Socialism is human. Socialism is love."

***

With Fidel Castro hovering near death, it appears that Chavez has emerged as the region's heir-apparent to the anti-US movement popular among some in Latin America. As much as I don't like Chavez' politics, though, I'm not really worried about the "pink tide" sweeping across Latin America, though.

In short, it's because they still need us more than we'll ever need them. Speaking as someone of South American descent, I can tell you quite honestly that for all the "love" and "socialism" being spread across the region, the average person in Bolivia, Ecuador or Nicaragua would give an arm to come to the US.

Still, the Toronto Star has an interesting point of view on this issue, one that suggests that US has some serious relationship-mending to do with soon-to-be rogue states in the region:

This gallery of anti-Bush leaders also includes Bolivia's Evo Morales and the socialist warhorse Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua, leaving some analysts convinced there is a historic disconnect between a U.S. State Department obsessed with Iraq and the greater Middle East and the priorities of voters in its onetime sphere of influence.

The growth of anti-Americanism, they say, is a product of a Bush administration that drifts between bellicosity and indifference in the region, does not understand the changes in its backyard and is unable or unwilling to engage enemies, perceived or real.

***

While the situation in Latin America is disappointing, I still think our nation's focus needs to remain on Iraq and the Middle East. My only concern with Chavez, though, is his taunting of the US by being a voal supporter of Iran's nuclear program. With that, Chavez is playing with fire and is getting himself, and more importantly his people, into a war they should want no part of.

Al Sharpton's Double Standard

It's a scene I've become all too familiar with since childhood: Al Sharpton blasting the city of New York, and America, for holding on the vestiges of racism.

Michael Griffiths, Yussuf Hawkins, Tawana Brawley, Amadou Diallo, Abner Louima -- these are names that Mr. Sharpton has seared into the consciousness of my city, a reminder that there's something bigger and more dangerous than the gentrification of NYC. And for the most part, I applaud Mr. Sharpton's vigilantism.

Except not this time.

On Sunday of this week a group of cops fired 50 shots at three unarmed men who were exiting a seedy strip club in Queens. They were celebrating a bridegrooms last few hours of freedom (though he already had two kids with his fiancee) at a club known for drug dealing and prostitution. The driver of the vehicle, Sean Bell, was drunk and got behind the wheel of a car and knocked into a police vehicle twice, and then apparently tried to run an undercover officer over as well.

While 50 shots is excessive, my heart isn't bleeding for the victims. These guys weren't leaving a church social, they were drunk and getting behind the wheel of a car at 4am after being in a brothel, hours before one of them was to walk down the aisle of a church to get married. I know lots of guys do this, but it doesn't make it right.

But what really pisses me off about Al Sharpton's visiblity in this dicey situation (these boys -- the victims and the cops -- are not saints) is his lack of visibility when gay people of color are attacked. Earlier this summer NY performer Kevin Aviance was gay bashed in the East Village and nowhere was Mr. Sharpton and his crew to be seen denoucing the crime. Almost two months ago another gay black man was chased onto a highway in Brooklyn by two thugs and again, Mr. Sharpton remained conspicuously invisible.

The double standard by which everyone, even victims, judge others' right to life and happiness is sickeningly transparent.

Bring Back The Book of Daniel

Spent part of the past weekend enjoying the now-cancelled NBC series "The Book of Daniel."

In short, it's about an Episcopalian priest who is as devoted to his church as he is to his family. As it happens to all humans, his faith is constantly put to the test. Thankfully, he talks to Jesus often, and yes, he pops painkillers too.

Controversial? Hardly. I think it's a PG13 version of "Six Feet Under," minus the dead bodies and up-front man-on-man action. This was really a brilliant show with very interesting characters, some teeth-achingly sweet moments, and interesting plot twists.

Apparently the Gestapo-at-large at the American Family Association thought this was an affront to Christianity. The show was cancelled earlier this year. You can and should Netflix it, though.

TomKat, Brangelina, GeorLa or HilBill?

I am almost as sick of Tom Cruise as I am of George Bush. And that got me to thinking that these two men have lots in common. In fact, it got me to thinking that celebrity-couple adulation could in fact be the new arbiter of which side of the fence you're on in the Democrat-Republican divide.

Tom Cruise, like George Bush, is a little man. Inspired by a maniacal Napoleon-complex, Mr. Cruise is prone to dramatic, public displays of his manliness. Proposing to a nobody actress while dining at the Eiffel Tower is a Hollywood closet-case's equivalent of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It just shows everyone you've got the Godzilla-sized cojones to drag a woman to the top of a tower and make her yours. George Bush couldn't wait to wag his fist-pack at the world in 2003 and gave the finger to the UN when he launched a war on Iraq.

In both cases no one is laughing.

And that's because in a world full of so much wrong, both Tom Cruise and George Bush see it as their God-given duty to blow obscene amounts of money on their respective missions of macho-achievement. A wedding that has spiraled into the millions with every available A-lister (take it from a PR person, ALL of those actors in attendance were paid and it's the best publicity that both the house of Armani and the Hotel Hassler in Rome will ever have to buy for '07) in attendance is as offensive as Bush's billion-upon-billion-dollar blitzkreig on Iraq.

Tom Cruise and George Bush, driven by the conviction that they're BFF with God, choose to focus their power and wealth on reminding the rest of us mere mortals that we better think twice before effing with them (that means YOU, Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Natalie Maines and Saddam).

On the other side of the fence, though, you have two other power-couples who are just as jetset and photogenic but are using their powers for the good of mankind.

Love em' or hate em', but Branglina are single-handedly giving the world a much-needed lesson on the issues of the world beyond The Ivy in L.A. From Ethiopia to India to Pakistan, the dynamic duo is directing the world's attention to the plight of orphans and refugees around the world. Angelina Jolie, whom I might, in another mood, call a homewrecking wacko, is a Good Will Ambassador for the UN and is a voice for the importance of global consensus on addressing the humanitarian issues of our time. What's more, her hunky husband isn't brainwashed, frightened

and lobotomized (Love ya, Laura and Katie) -- instead, Brad Pitt is happy to mind the kids while mommy saves the world or flies an airplane. And he looks damn fine doing it.

Remind you of anyone?

Kind of like Bill and Hilary right? I mean, Bill Clinton only lead our country through the high-flying 90s and spared us from a nuclear holocaust. Now, comfortable in his own skin as one of America's most beloved Presidents, he is happy to support his dynamo wife's Senator-ship while he leads a bi-partisan effort to eradicate AIDS in Africa. I can only imagine what W will do after he retires.

So, the next time you frown on TomKat and think to log on to CNN.com you're on Team Democrat. If, however, you think Brangelina are brazen fornicators and you have no time for them between Bible study and The O'Reilly Factor, you're sadly on Team GOP.

Boston University Republicans: Bigotry to End Bigotry

The next generation of Republicans are an ignorant, attention-seeking bunch of racists.

From ABC News: The Boston University Chapter of the College Republicans is starting a $250 scholarship for white students.

"We believe that racial preferences in all their forms are perhaps the worst form of bigotry confronting America today [...] There are plenty of poor, white, academically gifted students who need that money just as much," says Joe Mroszczyk, president of the student group.

The reason I'm writing about this, besides its obvious political relevance, is that BU is my alma mater. And I am deeply offended by this latest development from Bay State Road.

With BU being one of the most expensive schools in the country, I think that it's out of reach for many Americans, regardless of race. However, the school is over 50% white and many of those students are already receiving some sort of financial aid. This "whites only" scholarship is a juvenile, racist prank that undermines the values of a wonderful institution, which also happens to be the place where Martin Luther King Jr. got is PhD.

When I was at BU I was amazed by how easy it was for someone like me, a kid from a working class neighborhood in Brooklyn where a lot of people don't even speak English, to fit in. I didn't see class struggle, I never felt like I stood out, I just felt lucky to be at a great school with some very, very smart people. And a lot of those people, regardless of race, were on financial aid.

I never received any assistance from a Hispanic group (which kinda pisses me off, incidentally, but that's another story) -- instead, BU gave me a very generous package based on grades and my SAT scores and my family's income. Many of my white friends were on a similar program.

This "whites only" scholarship says a lot about the values of the Republican party -- they are divisive, they are racist and xenophobic, and they want the very best that this country has to offer to be limited to a select few so that everyone else can be shipped off to fight their dirty wars around the world.

I think this Joe Mroszczyk person should be expelled and replaced with some nice, smart, liberal kids. And if they happen to be white, so be it.

I Hate Americans

The pictures above are from the start of "Black Friday," the first shopping day of the Christmas season right after Thanksgiving.

In a world beseiged by war and famine and disease, and just hours after we're supposed to be giving thanks for the genocide of Native Americans, influenza and other gifts brought over by the Pilgrims, Americans are waiting in line to storm into stores so they can buy overpriced Japanese toys.

More power to the stores who are milking Americans' stupidity for all its worth, but to think that there are people shallow and stupid enough to make 6am shopping the focal point of their holiday is just disappointing.

Notice how fat and unattractive the people raiding the stores are, by the way. Cute people like me are at the gym at that hour. And blogging.

Springtime for Saddam?

From Voice of America News: New York-based Human Rights Watch, in a report released Monday, says former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein did not get a fair trial and therefore should not be executed.

***

Thank God for stupid, self-important lefty groups that make my job so easy on a Monday morning. The lunacy speaks for itself.

All I can say is that after a visit to DC this weekend and all of the monuments to our nation's wars, SOMEBODY needs to start paying for the death toll that's only mounting worldwide on a daily basis.

I'd say Saddam is a good start.

Gay Conservative Liberal Does Washington

Tickle me red, white, AND blue. Off to DC for the weekend. Holla if you recognize me. Expect dispatches from our nation's capital starting tomorrow.

Bush: Still Stubborn as a Mule

Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it...isn't that how the saying goes?

From CNN:

U.S. President George W. Bush said Friday the United States' unsuccessful war in Vietnam three decades ago offered lessons for the American-led struggle in Iraq.
"We'll succeed unless we quit," Bush said shortly after arriving in this one-time war capital.

[...]

"My first reaction is history has a long march and societies change and relationships can constantly be altered to the good," Bush said."

***

Well la-dee-da. The lesson here, boys and girls, all those young Americans dying in Iraq are paving the way for a hell of a photo opp for the next generation's POTUS.

I Heart John McCain

Ask and ye shall receive. On Tuesday I said that John McCain should run for President. If Rudy Giuliani wants to explore anything, he should put his little friend Bernie Kerik to work on finding Osama.

But that's neither nor here nor there. John McCain is contemplating a run for the Oval Office himself.

I like McCain. I'm not sure I'd vote Republican in a presidential election, but I appreciate the honesty of debate he would bring to the race. And I really would listen to what he has to say. This makes me wonder what I'd do if Hilary ran against him? Yikes.

But unlike so many staunch Republicans who cringe at the thought of embracing popular culture, John McCain has really endeared himself to America's young people. I know him because he hosted Saturday Night Live. Can you believe this is the same man who spent five years in a Vietnamese prison camp? It's that sort of stuff that won the MTV generation over for Bill Clinton in the 90s. Remember the boxers or briefs affair?

This is brilliant timing for McCain to seed the press with a potential run. We're fresh off the Veteran's Day holiday and we're in tizzy over the Democrats' victory last week. What this means is that Americans are over Bush's Wild West diplomacy and want smart people LISTENING to them and SPEAKING on their behalf to the rest of the world.

OK, John. We're listening. Make us an offer we can't refuse.

Giuliani in 08?

Please God, no. Sure, Giuliani did some wonderful things for NY, but the man is still a tyrant. Says CNN:

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, known for his apt leadership after the attacks of September 11, 2001, took the first step toward a possible 2008 presidential bid by forming an exploratory committee.

***

Yuck. Why won't McCain run? It would be great if he switched parties like Reagan, but still, I'd love to see him run. He's the only Republican I can stomach.

On Veteran's Day

On my way to the gym, then work but had to make note of the fact that today is Veteran's Day. Young men like Kevin Ellenburg, pictured here, are dying daily. Supposedly for our freedom but in all honesty the mess of this war has compromised the values that make this country great.

Whatever your position on the war, you can't forget that it's ordinary Americans that are being called into battle. So while I don't agree with our presence in Iraq, I support the men and women who are there, missing their families, risking their lives, and just hoping to come back home.

So, thank you to our soliders who remind us what sacrifice is, and here's to the safe return of those who remain in Iraq.

Election 2006: Ladies Stand Up

I haven't blogged in a few days because quite honestly, I've been at a loss for words over last week's elections. Am I even cut out for this game if I'm almost a week behind in my commentary? Yikes.

Anyway, in addition to the Democrats' much-deserved victory, I think it's interesting that this election is really about the women of America. Hillary is definitely running for office in '08, Nancy Pelosi is emerging as a refreshing voice of reason and authority as the next Speaker of the House, and of course, haters like Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter are resorting to the kind of girlish, bitchy behavior they so revile by coming up with lies and cheap metaphors to bemoan the direction America has now taken.

We'll get to that in a second.

First, y'all need to learn yourselves on who Nancy Pelosi is because I think she's just amazing. I especially love that she says her commitment is to the House first and to the Democrats second. Let's give a shout-out to the American Way and not parties, people.

Quick stats on the first Nancy to really make a difference in Washington (courtesy of: Wikipedia, Nancy Pelosi's Home Page):

-- Pelosi is the first woman to lead a major political party in either house of Congress, and would be the first woman to serve as Speaker.

-- Nancy is the youngest of six children born to Thomas Alessandro, Jr., former mayor of Baltimore.

-- She is Roman Catholic, pro-choice, and a supporter of the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which makes it a federal crime to commit an act of violence against a pregnant woman that terminates her pregnancy. (This is where I add that I think abortion is a necessary evil for the protection of our civil liberties. I think it's sad, but unfortunately a needed resource for many women who would otherwise be trapped in a terrible situation with an unwanted birth.)

-- She is pro gun control and a supporter of immigrants' rights; in fact, she has voted againt denying public education services to illegal immigrants.

This is the kind of leadership we need in Washington. Read below for comments from Conservative luminaries who continue to reveal the hateful, backwards thinking of the Republican agenda:

Says one dried up Ann Coulter:

Democrats support surrender in Iraq, higher taxes and the impeachment of President Bush. They just won an election by pretending to be against all three.

Um, actually, Ann. You're wrong on all three fronts.

1. Wanting to end the war is not at all surrendering. Besides, what's there to surrender to? Bush told us the war was over in 90 days so what's all this hulaballo about leaving? Do the Republicans think more young men and women need to come back in body bags? Is Iraq REALLY the hub of terrorism in the Middle East? No, it's not. This is an endless battle unless we agree to negotiate with the terrorists and figure out what they want.

As a nation we're not opposed to dealing with terrorists: hello, we're bff now with Kadafi and Arafat exchanged air-kisses with Hillary Clinton.

2. Higher taxes for the betterment of society, Ann. Unlike you, not every American can pay for every which private service you enjoy. Tax dollars that are being WASTED on this dirty war and on stuffing the wallets of DC insiders who are making a killing on the killing of young Americans. You don't want higher taxes? Bring our troops back and let's invest in a new generation of well-educated, healthy Americans who don't have to worry about health care and can instead worry about supporting their families and themselves.

3. Impeach Bush? Yes, the same way the Republicans impeached Clinton because he got a blowjob. How many deaths did that result in?

***
Still, I gotta give it to Ann, for all her lying and hating, she comes up with some good stuff. Like:

Jon Tester, Bob Casey Jr., Heath Shuler, possibly Jim Webb — I've never seen so much raw testosterone in my life. The smell of sweaty jockstraps from the "new Democrats" is overwhelming.

***

Whoa. I don't know what sweaty jockstraps smell like but Ann has clearly made the rounds in America's locker rooms. She should swap stories with my BFF, Michael Lucas.

***
Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin is huffin and puffin about a minimum wage hike. Um, bitch, what the hell do you care if a McDonald's employee can feed his/her family? That's right, you don't. Don't worry, though, there are enough people in power now that are watching out for hardworking Americans so all the "values" our soldiers are dying for are actually enjoyed by our people.

Oh, and to say that Rumsfeld served his country honorably is just disgusting. The engineer of the Iraq war deserves Saddam's fate, but hey, Dems are anti-capital punishment so the old coot is spared.

***

And on the Hillary. Girl, do you, but PLEASE don't run in '08. Am I a jerk for thinking that? I just don't think all of America likes her like I do, we need someone less divisive in Oval Office. An ideal female candidate would have to be a cross between Rachel Ray and Barbra Streisand. But that's just my opinion.

It Feels Good to Win

W said it best, "I know when the campaigning ends and when the real work begins." In the face of defeat, the President held his own and directed reporters' attention to the work of government ahead instead of on the mudslinging of campaign season.

And there is a lot of work to be done. This time around, though, we've got a smart group of people speaking up on behalf of the American people. This war is wrong, everyone deserves access to the best quality of life possible, and our country is far too concerned with Bible-thumping than it ought to be. This is the party that Americans have voted in power and it behooves the Democrats to turn that good will into a White House win in '08.

People are fickle. Let's not forget that our country voted the Republicans into power in the first place. Nothing lasts forever, so let's make our time in power count.

Haggard Evangelical Politics

What a lovely way to start the week. The Evangelical Church, in its greedy, frightening, un-Christian grandstanding and power-grabbing has become the laughing stock of the American mainstream in the midst of the Reverand Ted Haggard scandal.

Of course the church is saying that one man's moral indiscretions won't change their moral standards, which are based on the Bible. And good for them, I love it when people stay on message.

I hope that this embarassing situation reminds the American public of the fallibility of religious leaders. Evangelicals, W's bff's, have no business advising our President and chiming in on issues of national policy. It's bad enough that politicians are prone to crooked morals, adding in self-hating Bible-thumpers to the mix is just asking for more trouble.

Saddam to be Hanged

From CNN: The Iraqi High Tribunal in Baghdad on Sunday sentenced a combative Saddam Hussein and two other defendants to death by hanging for a brutal crackdown in 1982 in the Shiite town of Dujail.

[...]

If the Appellate Chamber upholds the conviction and sentence, Hussein must be executed within 30 days.
***
It would seem, however, that the noose is around all of our necks. Saddam is, at best, a small part of the larger problem that is the Middle East. How many Americans have we sacrificed for this small, sigh, "victory?"

If only the world were any safer and if only this war had any hope of end in sight because of this verdict, but no. We're so stuck in this mess that many Americans will be stunned to realize that Saddam is still alive to begin with. Who's the public enemy now?

Five Questions for Michael Lucas

With porn going pop, you're going to be seeing a lot of the gentleman to the left. At least if you live in New York.

Michael Lucas, a porn empresario whom I wrote about back in September, was gracious enough to answer a few questions I had about his life and career. Mind you, I'm the biggest prude in Chelsea. I wasn't especially thrilled with Mr. Lucas and his recent sex trek through Israel. But we talked about that in the interview below, and hey, he's got a right to live his best life, right? And while I don't think porn stars should be at the forefront of the movement for increased gay visibility in the mainstream I still wonder: what IS it like to have sex for a living?

Michael's got a new film coming out, "La Dolce Vita," and he was the subject of a feature story in last week's New York magazine.

I hope this ushers in a new chapter for Gay Conservative Liberal, as I want to start interviewing people to broaden the dialogue on this blog. Anyone you'd like to see interviewed here? Ask and ye shall receive.

Thanks to Mr. Lucas for answering my questions via e-mail.

Hat tip: DCB.
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You're huge these days! Do you think that becoming an even more visible figure in the mainstream press will ruin the fantasy that your fans have of you?

I have been in business since 1995 and obviously people know me better and better, and my popularity as a porn star has only grown with time. I guess that would answer your question. Aside from that, I never give away every detail of my life to the press. The general public knows very little about me.


You've tackled two timeless stories in your cinematic career, Dangerous Liasions and now La Dolce Vita. What are other classics that need an X-rated overhaul?

Nothing needs to be X rated at all. Dangerous Liaisons and La Dolce Vita were fantastic in their original conception and I'm not even trying to compete. But I found both storylines very sexually charged so it was easy to adapt them to an adult film. Both movies are also well known and loved, so the name recognition helps sell our film. I haven't thought about the next big project yet, but it will not be Titanic, that's for sure.

On to more serious fare: Some people (myself included) think that your recent tour of Israel may have projected an unfavorable image of gay people. How do you think your visit to the country helped advance the cause of gay rights in the Middle East?

I didn't have an agenda to advance gay rights in the Middle East. (Are you kidding me!) For the last several years I have given a club appearance in the biggest club in Tel Aviv. I have a huge fanbase in Israel and I was very grateful to have the opportunity to entertain them during a difficult time, when other much more "respectable" performers like Junior Vasquez, cancelled. I was not there to pursue a political agenda, I was there to make my fans happy and spend time in a country that I love.

Your enterprise is a family affair, so that begs the question: Is any topic off limits around the dinner table?

Everyone in my circle from my boyfriend, grandparents and friends, all knows that I am a gay porn producer and actor. But that doesn't mean that this is a topic of dinner conversation. We have much more interesting things to discuss, and I definitely have no interest in talking about the graphic sex details with my parents!

If you had to be labeled as just one thing, what would that label be?

Entrepreneur

Colombia: Your Friend in Latin America

While some may think that Venezuela, Bolivia and Brazil are leading Latin America into the bottomless pit of poverty that is communism, Colombia is doing everything it can to defend democracy. A strong US ally after the deadly drug wars of the 80s and 90s, here's a very interesting article talking about the progress made in the country from today's San Antonio Express:

In late September and early October, San Antonian Henry Catto traveled to Venezuela, Colombia and Nicaragua with a group of seven former U.S. ambassadors. In Nicaragua and Venezuela, they witnessed threats to democracy. In contrast, Colombia is presided over by a pro-U.S. president who makes democracy work in the most difficult of situations.
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While this could very well be tinged with some GOP propaganda, after all, Colombia's President is very chummy with Bush, it's nice to know that the country isn't on W's hit list.

Note: The picture above is of an orchid, Colombia's national flower.