Yeah, You're Gonna Need a Shovel for This

DIG! Thus, according to televangelist Paula White, said Jesus. No matter the obstacle: government cheese, bad credit or failed marriage, so long's you got yourself a shovel, you can dig your way out of anything.

And no, stupid, Paula's not talking about a real shovel like the one she's wielding on stage in the clip above. A shovel, in times of adversity, is faith in God and his word, the Bible.

All of that sounds fine and good, and hey, Tyra is a fan, so if it's good enough for TB...

But what's interesting/frightening to me is the control these televangelists exert over people. The throngs of people waving around little plastic shovels in this clip is scary - it's one thing to encourage people to see a light at the end of the tunnel and to have faith that things will get better, but homegirl's sermon is nearly an hour of screaming, hyperventilating, tears and an exhortation to, well, dig.

And if you've read my blog before you know how I feel about throngs of aimless, hopeful people.

The fluffernutter sandwich that is religion today makes it possible for someone like Paula White to become a millionaire and that doesn't sit well with me. I'm almost OK with the self-help industry, but when it teters into profiteering from the Bible and Christianity, it becomes a business that is, by nature, corrupted by the negativity of all human pursuits.

What's even more offensive is that these lady preachers are so glammed up and fabulous that it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Ivana Trump had a revelation and started speaking in tongues and formed a church. Check out these ladies below on Trinity Broadcasting Network, it's like the B-version of The View. They're not talking about Jesus, they're promoting themselves in the most bawdy, tacky way - preening couldnt-make-it-in-Hollywood-types who have found an outlet for their personalities.





Don't get me wrong: I love me some bawdy women in high heels and diamonds, but I prefer to keep the bragging and hyperbole raunchy, not spiritual.

Maybe I'm old school in what I expect Christianity to be: humble, long suffering, temperate. That's what I learned in the church I eventually left, but it wasn't some bitter, twisted departure. I'd probably have stayed were it not for the gay thing.

On the flip side, and in defense of the ladies of the Lord, I do give them props for keeping their game classy. With all of the influences young girls have today, I guess I wouldn't mind if my daughter took a cue from Paula White instead of Hannah Montana.

Hillary Clinton: In It to Win It

CNN just declared Hillary Clinton the winner of the Pennsylvania primary.

Now that the Democrats' candidates have been reduced to prize fighters, let's throw our support behind the candidate that had been counted out again, and again, and again.

We don't know the margin of victory yet, but a win is a win. And speaking of margins, W didn't win by a landslide in 2000 or 2004. So let's give Hillary her props.

Team Obama has a lot of money to burn on Indiana, but if he truly cares about change, if his supporters really want to win in November, then we have to reclaim our party from the trenches of entertainment television and mount our campaign against the Republicans.

We already know what the Republicans are going to say about Hillary: she's a socialist, she's a liar, she's pro-choice, bla bla bla. Think about how much we still don't know about Obama and when the right time would be, for the Republicans, to drop a bombshell.

Everyone LOVES to bash Hillary, but homegirl still comes out on top. So the Dems shouldn't worry about her electability, the Republicans should.

It All Comes Down to This

Twenty-one debates later, after embellished tales of sniper fire and calls for the destruction of America, the Democrats have one last chance, tonight, to become the party that wins the White House in November.

Those odds would be greater if Hillary Clinton finally won the party's nomination.

And while it's important for the Dems to nominate the most qualified candidate for the November elections, it's equally important for the bickering and in-fighting to end as of tonight. Whoever comes out on top in PA tonight should be declared the Democrats' nominee and the runner-up should concede defeat.

Not even the Kerry/Bush election of '04 riled up the public this much. That's because no one in their right mind saw America giving W another chance - the Dems took the election for granted and look where that got us.

Today the Dems are in a similar position. If you think John McCain, with his elder-foibles and aw-shucks demeanor can't creep into the White House, think again. People don't hate McCain the way they do Hillary or Barack. And in some ways, the Dems have undone the candidtates themselves. They've allowed turned the candidates into prize fighters and now everyone wants to see blood.

All of that has to stop tonight.

The Dems have one last chance, tonight, to be the party of change. Let's stop being the party that can't ever get its act straight - the hemming and hawing has cost us two elections. Let's support the candidate that was an integral part of the ONLY Democrat Presidency Americans in their 20s have ever known.

You want to know why I'm such a conservative (at times)? I've lived 20 years under Republican rule. Show me better.

All Poped Out

Pope Benedict XVI went back to Rome last night and relinquished control of the airwaves after a week of televangelizing. Granted, he just showed up here, the media did the televangelizing.

In the aftermath of the papal visit, during which reporters breathlessly recounted every last detail of Benedict's stay, two things stand out in my mind:

1 - Americans are in desperate need of spiritual guidance
2 - The media really whored themselves out and set the separation of church and state debate back a couple of hundred years


That America is devoid of a moral compass and needs God isn't a belief limited to crackpots in the Bible Belt. There's a reason why there are so many self-help books out there and why Americans flip flop between faiths - many of us are searching for something bigger than us to help us navigate these crazy times. In that context, I can appreciate why so many people, even disenchanted Catholics, are reeling over the first visit to the U.S. by the new Pontif.

The media blitz surrounding the Pope's visit, though, was unnecessary. All the screens at my gym were tuned in to the Pope's Mass at Yankee Stadium yesterday and I couldn't help but think that some weird, twisted force had taken over the press and turned them all into mouthpieces for the Church. Yes, coverage on the papal visit inclded mentions of sexual abuse by priests, but by all accounts the media couldn't get enough Benedict. Why? Isn't the press supposed to remain objective on issues of faith and politics? Why, then, did FOX and ABC and NY1 send their reporters for on-the-scene coverage and hours of live broadcasting from a Catholic mass? NY1 even had a priest from Opus Dei describing how the mass works -- you can't buy that kind of publicity! And I found that offensive. While Americans may need spiritual guidance I hardly think the Catholic Church has any moral authority on any of the issues of that affect humanity. That the media was so eager to be a part of the Vatican's PR campaign was disappointing and kind of frightening.

I guess things could be worse, we could be in Iran and the religious proaganda would be far more constant and ridiculous.

Dad Would Be So Proud of Me

Do Straight People Make Bad Parents?

I've finally gotten around to understanding the hoopla surrounding the raid on a polygamist sect's compound in Texas. For the past two weeks the story has unfolded on the TV screens at my gym and on the front page of CNN.com but I've been too busy to really care about a bunch of crazy white people.

But the story won't go away and after reading a couple of articles on what looks like a frightening network of men raping and "marrying" their cousins, sisters and aunts, and siring children with their victims, I got to thinking how silly it would be to use this wanton abuse of women and children as an argument against straight people and their qualifications to raise children.

Yes, the Little House on the Prairie ladies we've seen on TV are creepy, but they don't represent straight people as a whole.

Funny, then, how when it comes to issues like gay marriage and gay adoption, gays are somehow accountable for every homo or two's misdeeds. Words like "gay agenda" and "indoctrination," along with references to the Folsom Street Fair and white parties, are thrown into the mix whenever we want to create our own families and integrate ourselves into society. When two guys want to get married it's suddenly part of a master plan to topple the country til the streets run pink with cosmopolitans. When hundreds of hetero-polygamists remove themselves from society to rape and abuse women and children, however, it just makes people go "hmmm."

Though not all polygamists are living in obscurity. Some of them are out, loud and proud and know how to use PR to their advantage. Check out a press release from the National Polygamy Rights Movement here.

I'm glad this story is continuing to get play, and I love that it's happening at a time when the airwaves seem to have been taken over by the Vatican. On the eve of George Bush's departure, and the end of the Christian Right's eight years of rule, it's spectacular to watch the lofty institutes of marriage and "Christianity" unravel.

I'll drink to that.

My Poak Chops Hurt

Sorry I've copped out of serious posts these past few days. In the meantime, check out this HTM (hot tranny mess):

Are You On the Hot List?

Pix from last night's festivities at Mansion here in New York and the annual Conde Nast Traveler Hot List Party.

What's the Point of Being a Democrat?

Three must-do's for the week:

Number 1: Read John Heilemann's cover story for New York Magazine: "Is John McCain Bob Dole?"

The more important question Heilemann asks, however, is about the relevance of the Democratic Party in the event that a Republican were to win this election.

"If you can’t beat a guy like this [McCain] in a year like this, with a vastly unpopular Republican war still ongoing and a Republican recession looming, what precisely is the point of you?"

My sentiments exactly. If the Dems want to be the Personality Party they should have sent out Howard Dean for another shot at the Oval Office. Remember all the youngins he inspired back in 2000 all the way through a spectacular breakdown that ended his campaign in less time than it takes to hock beer during the Super Bowl?

It doesn't seem like it. Barack is one false move away from rendering a November election redundant and McCain will just hobble on in to the White House at the end of the summer to start dropping off his winter coats.

But the Dems love an impossible dream, that's why they're still talking about pulling out of Iraq (not.gonna.happen.)and universal healthcare (not all Americans think access to healthcare is a human right, sad as that may be). That's why, in Bizarre-O Dem World, B. Hussein Obama is our party's ONLY shot at undoing eight years of Republican leadership. That our party lacks any basic appreciation of irony or historical context is very disappointing, but on this, and so many issues, the Dems have just got it wrong, wrong, wrong.

But don't take my word for it...

Number 2: Stay in tonight and tomorrow night, pour yourself some Hypnotiq and champagne and catch up with the John Adams series on HBO. Despite the blunders of our current government, I'm convinced we have the best government in the world. The foundation of the United States is the product of a unique moment in history and this miniseries captures the drama and severity of the Revolutionary era with stunning detail, superb dialogue and brilliant performances.

Number 3: Buy Mimi's new album E=MC2, download it to your iPod, and take a run along the Hudson River this glorious weekend. The album of the summer is out, touch my body, and things of that nature.

Blood Has No Sexual Orientation OR Gays Just Want to Belong

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service is in a row with local gays over the organization's decision to ban gay and bisexual men from donating blood.

The U.S. and Canada have a similar policy in place and all countries cite the alarming rate of STDs within the gay community for their stance on the issue.

Now, call me an idiot, but who the hell cares? I'm thrilled that no one wants my blood - I like it just where it is. And the thought of having it sucked out of me and packaged for future use doesn't seem like a God-given right.

While I'm disappointed that the thinking behind this law is based on the idea that gay men are just harbingers of disease and evil, the fact of the matter is that when you're gay and sexually active there are certain risks that are probably unique to your lifestyle. And on the off chance that one person might slip through the cracks, well, we all know how an epidemic can start and spread.

I think there are other challenges the gays have to fight anyway -- the right to give blood doesn't rank on my list.

Colombia on an Upswing

I took the shots above on my trip to Medellin, Colombia, in February. After a shockingly smooth ride up the Andes from my family's hometown of Cali, 10 hours through once guerrilla-laden roads whizzed along past coffee fields, rainbows and the soundtrack of 25 CDs purchased at a gas station for $25 US.

Medellin was once the most dangerous city in the world, back when Pablo Escobar and his henchmen ruled the country and its drug trade (someone had to keep the party going here in the States and in Europe and collect a profit on it). But 15 years after Pablito's death and the visionary leadership of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, the guerrillas are at bay and Colombia is ready to party.

But don't take my word for it, check out this post from New York Magazine:

Think Miami’s sexy? Try Medellín. Avianca Airlines (avianca.com) regularly offers an extra ticket to a second Colombian city with round-trip purchase from JFK. Recover from the flight with a steam bath at the Hotel Porton Medellín (from $100 with breakfast; 574-313-2020 or hotelportonmedellin.com). If it’s Saturday night, air out your best jeans and follow the gorgeous crowd to Mangos (discotecamangos.com), a cowboy-themed discothèque with lamé-clad dancers wriggling to salsa, vallenato, and pop on multiple stages. Order a shot of Ron Medellín rum and ask someone, “Bailamos?”

I tried my luck at the Poblado Alejandria, in the city's tony Poblado District, and was not disappointed.

And if you're feeling adventurous, hop the 25 minute flight to Cali from Medellin (assuming you don't have time for the 10 hour drive) -- provided you've perfected your salsa skills. According to a recent article in The Economist, Cali is to salsa what Buenos Aires is to tango:

Cali, Colombia's third city, boasts perhaps the densest concentration of dance clubs in Latin America. Residents of Juanchito, a Cali suburb, are said to learn salsa as soon as they can walk. At weekends the clubs hold contests where dancers as young as six don glittering tuxedos, or high heels and lipgloss, to compete in frenetic dance routines.

So, bailamos?

The Power of Film

If ever James and I could be accused of being fabulous by association it was last week when our h-o-t friend Steve Mendelsohn, executive director Film Aid, invited us to his organization's annual gala at Capitale here in New York.

While we were unabashedly cheering for our friend Steve as he presided over the evening's festivities, we had to be a bit more demure while standing a few feet away from Christy Turlington and Danny Glover.

I did, however, allow myself to be a groupie and approached Valentino Achak Deng, the subject of Dave Eggers' acclaimed novel, What is the What?

Valentino was being honored that evening along with Danny Glover and other figures for their work in promoting the plight of refugees around the world.

Star-gazing and champagne aside, the evening was marked by moving images of life in refugee camps, where most people spend up to 18 years waiting to be resettled elsewhere or are allowed to return home.

Reading about the experiences of Achak Deng that week for my club, and then getting to meet him and chat briefly about his experiences, was unreal. I wanted to take a picture with him, but I thought that was explotitative. I didn't want to be all "You trekked through the jungle in absolute darkness and survived repeated attempts on your life, can I please have a picture with you for my Facebook page?"

And while I did capture some shots of Achack Deng, and other luminaries, to have asked for a photo with him wouldn't have been contrary, I think, to Film Aid's mission. In addition to bringing films to refugee camps, which is really bringing a few hours of hope and escape to the lives of the displaced, the organization is also leading a project that allows refugees to chronicle their lives on video and share these stories with the world.

Which is a great idea; after all, if you don't see and hear these people's stories, how will you ever get past the faceless throngs on the evening news and actually do something to help?

We can't all head up a non-profit and round up celebs, but we can certainly do with one less cosmo or weekend in St. Bart's - depending on how fabulous you are. If you're feeling generours, click here to donate to Film Aid.


The event was designed by Dalzell Productions of New York


Steve Mendelsohn, Executive Director, Film Aid





Danny Glover accepting his award.



Valentino Achak Deng



Christy Turlington

Boycott the Olympics; Send Swimmers to Chelsea

As sure as I am that Barack Obama is the antichrist, I'm also certain that China is a hell pit of human rights and diplomatic transparency. There have been very public misgivings about the International Olympic Committee's decision to host the Olympic games in Beijing for quite some time, but as the games draw near, the movement against the Beijing games has become more angry and more visible.

And with good reason. In a matter of months, China's ruling Communist Party is going to pull off a spectacular PR coup that will use pandas and fireworks to shift the world's attention from their country's deplorable record on human rights and the environment - to name but two of China's faults. This, of course, wouldn't happen if the IOC had any sort of moral compass, but what can you expect from the people that gave Hitler the 1936 games and bemoaned the exclusion of South Africa from the 1972 games because of that nonsense situation called Apartheid?

So, China and the IOC are two evil pigs in a blanket and I absolutely support the boycotting of the games. Besides, I don't plan on being home much in August so they may as well play MASH and 227 on loop on all the networks for all I care.

But this does beg the question: where will all the hot swimmers go? On the off chance that I should need to turn on the TV this summer, it would be nice to see a Michael Phelps dash across the screen in a speedo. Him or some Aussie equivalent will do, but then, if there's no Olympics, where will I get my tighty swimsuit fix? I'd say Ptown or Fire Island but I really dislike gay people these days so I'm planning a connestoga wagon treak through Utah (let's discuss this later, James). So, while China trots out the pandas, I'll make ONE argument in support of the Olympics. See below.







* This last shot isn't from the Olympics, but it's close - it's from my fav movie, Swimfan.

Stuff Gay Men Like

One of my new fav sites is dedicated to listing out things that "Stuff Educated Black People Like." The site is in response to the hugely popular "Stuff White People Like," which has spawned a dozen "Stuff X People Like." But I couldn't find a comprehensive list of stuff that queer men like, so here's my top ten.

1. Fat Girls - Is there any other kind of fag hag? Fat girls are to gay men what Sweden was to the Jews during WWII. Think back to your high school days and it's likely that the only other person who defended your heterosexuality more than you was a fat girl whose prospects of scoring a man were as limited as yours. You shared twinkies, tears and VHS tapes of "My So Called Life" and tweezed each others eye brows. Now that you're both grown and are in and out of relationships, not much has changed.

2. Black Women - Spill a drink on a gay or stall his promotion at work and you're likely to get a head bob, eye roll and 180 degree twist of the right hand in exasperation from said victimized homosexual. Rage turns many a Mary, regardless of race, into a straight-up gangsta bitch.

3. Chuck Taylors - Whether they're the fancy John Varvatos variety or your classic $30 kind, gay men love their Chuck Taylors.

4. Khakis and Pastel - Said Chuck Taylors go perfectly with a crisp pair of khakis, a pastel colored button down and a smart blazer or cardigan. It's forever Easter by way of Jack McFarland for many mos.

5. Breakdowns - If you're a diva and need to boost your album sales, a spectacular breakdown is a sure fire way to corner the gay market. We love it all: exhaustion, drug abuse, incarceration, fainting and raspy-voiced confessions of sobriety. Come within an inch of your life (or go all the way for Legend status, hail Judy), and you'll be breakin' all sorts of box office/Billboard records.

6. Breakups - Everytime I meet a new group of gay men I always meet one Nelly who is proud to declare "Well I was with my ex for 10 years and we're still best friends." Said Nelly is all of 28, making the idea of co-dependence even more alarming and disgusting. Nonetheless, that's how many gays do.

7. Travel - The second thing gay men are most likely to brag about, after their sexploits, are the number of stamps on their passport. And every stamp likely has a story about a sexploit anyway. It seems that mos are always on the go. A New York gay won't consider visiting his parents in Queens or New Jersey for the day, but a weekend trip to Budapest or Adis Adaba will be given serious thought.

8. Premium Denim - Steroid use and manorexia make it really hard to find the right pair of crotch/butt grabbing denim. Fortunately, designers in Europe understand our body dysmorphia and have created denim that lifts, separates and hugs in our nether-360 region. At a hefty cost, of course, but it's one we're willing to pay.

9. Fitness - Not every gay is on juice, but many of us do spend an obscene amount of time at the gym. Today's health megaplexes are the gay agora...years from now, when the remains of Chelsea are unearthed, archaeologists will marvel at our steam rooms, weight machines and pilates studios.

10. The Internet - Raise your hand if you found a roommate, a job, a "date" and a couch on Craig's List -- all before your evening workout.

Islam is World's Largest Religion

Dress accordingly.

Happy Monday!

Are Trannies the New Gays?

My GOD it's hard to be special these days. Just when you thought it was enough to be every straight girl's dream date and the envy/secret crush of hetero men, gay men now have to account for the goings-on of the tranny community. Intersex, middlesex, sussex and mangina - oh my!

There was once a time when being gay was kind of cool, outre even. Thanks to Bravo, Sex and the City, and some activism, revealing one's homosexuality, in many circles, is like telling everyone your blood type is O negative. Who the hell cares, right?

Well, just when you thought there was a lull in unnecessary sexual banter at the office, gay men and their female coworkers have something new to talk about besides said gay's sexploits at the gym: trannies. Specifically, men who can have babies.

Call me stupid, a racist, a homophobe, and damn sexy, but I am DISGUSTED by the story of Thomas Beatie, a FTM (female-to-male) tranny in Oregon who is preggers.

Why can't people leave well enough alone? I am so on board with people wanting to live their best life and do them, but do you have to gross everyone else out in the process?


The Advocate is calling Beatie's story a Labor of Love, I call it regressing the gay rights debate to the whole "is it a choice?" issue. If you can't choose your gender or sexual orientation, can you choose the benefits of gender that suit your whims when you feel like having a baby and sporting a beard?

You can't have a Big Mac AND a Whopper; and so it goes with gender. If you're gonna be a man you can't go using your birth-given vagina when it suits you while trying to out-macho born-men every other day of your life.

Of course, the bigger issue here is the comeback of the tranny from the shadows of the Meat Packing District to the forefront of pop culture. Everything is tranny this, tranny that. In fact, 2008 is gearing up to be the year of the tranny. Which is fine, because the gays could use a respite from being the arbiters of all things sex and style for a few months.

Just don't come crawling back to us when you've had your fill of mangina.

Happy Anniversary, Mimi!

I've been in love with Mariah Carey since I was 15. So on this, her anniversary (as she is known to call her birthday), I want to wish the Divine Miss Mimi continued success, happiness and an 18th, 19th, 20th hit single off her new album.

Barack Obama is the Antichrist

Sorry for the lag in posts; I was traveling for work for a few days and managed to fall ill upon my return. So I spent all of last week in a Nyquil-induced haze, too useless to think of anything witty to say about the world's state of affairs.

But I'm back.

While I slipped in and out of consciousness last week it seems the filler story for segments on Jesus and the fifth anniversary of the second invasion of Iraq were the incendiary comments made by Barack Obama's pastor, Jeremy Wright.

And it seems, for the most part, that stupid Democrats don't really care if Barack Hussein Obama went to school at a madrassa or if he is part of a radical, anti-white church that advocates the destruction of America. Homeboy is still leading the delegate count and attention-starved politicos like Bill Richardson are all but too happy to bask in the glow of the Obama movement.

But the Wright debacle marks a milestone in the election and in our history: faced with the most damning of affiliations, Barack Obama presses on relatively unscathed in the polls. People are ready for change, and they don't care if Idi Amin or Louis Farrakhan takes over the White House, they just want "different." They want an "outsider" to come in and lobby for the little guy. And they'll put up with anything just to catapult their candidate to power, and to make right centuries of racial discord.

So Barack is an angel of peace and reconciliation? I say he's the Antichrist. With his slick, analgesic prose he's all but won the popular vote, his America-hating wife, minister,and Muslim roots notwithstanding.

The Antichrist's most revealing characteristic is his way with words and his unique ability to galvanize people under a banner of peace, unity...change. People will turn against reason and hoist this figure to power in spite of reason. With words and little substance, Barack has dumbed the election down and reduced the Democratic party to a bunch of smiling, Kool-Aid drinking Change-ists.

Kudos to him, woe for America. Or at least the Dems, because McCain still leads Barack and Hillary in the elections and y'all know that if push comes to shove I'm either sitting the election out or I'll vote Republican.

Scaredy Cats

Straight or gay, men don't want to be fat, bald or poor. It's what keeps up at night, shaking under the sheets and biting our nails.

According to Men's Health, baldness, obesity, poverty, having a sissy son and not being able to get it up are men's biggest fears.

I'll take the first three, with a shot of Propecia and some serious cardio. And while I don't see myself in the gutter, I do fear that James and I will be priced out of Chelsea and we'll have to move to back to the hood where I grew up at. As Green-Acres-meets-227 as that that would be, it is something I think about during especially trying times at work or when I read about this upcoming recession.

But my biggest fear, aside from losing James or my family, is fast forwarding ten years into the future and finding myself in front of this laptop with nothing but a gut, a cheeseburger and a surly disposition between me and the keyboard. A little bit of that "where the hell is all of this going" panic has set in as my tenth high school reunion approaches, but I placate that with a vigorous workout and a short checklist of achievement: travel, sanity, relationship, financial independence, still know where i and e belong after c.

So as the next ten years approach, I'll just put a little more umph into my game, cut haters off at the pass, and hope for the best. And James, I know we've discussed this before, but you'll still love me if I turn into Homer Simpson, right?

Monsters and Black People

If the worst the two contendors for the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination can do is call each other lucky and monsters, via their supporters and staffers, then set your snooze alarm for November and just vote for whoever emerges from this PTA-cupcake-sale-election and toss a coin to see who you'll vote for.

Over the weekend Barack's team called Hillary a monster (though she's been called worse and STILL won the Texas and Ohio primaries...) and now one of Hillary's backers, Geraldine Ferraro, has entered the fray. From the Boston Globe:

Ferraro, who backs Hillary Clinton and is raising money for her, was excoriated yesterday by Barack Obama's campaign for suggesting that he wouldn't be a contender if he were a white man or a woman of any color. "He happens to be very lucky who he is," she told a newspaper in California last week. The country, she said, is "caught up in the concept" of the first African-American president.

I couldn't agree more with Ferraro's statement and of course, that makes me a racist, a homophobe and a tranny.(It's the word of the week, bear with me)

Though, I distinctly recall Barack playing up his good fortune at being born in America, of being the product of a unique moment in history where someone of his unique background can even dream of becoming President of the United States during the Texas and Ohio primaries. Click here for the speech he delivered in San Antonio during the Texas primary and scroll to 11:06.

He's lucky when he wants to be just as he's wont to get pissy and offended.

Still, not enough drama for me here. Barack needs to get his people in order and stop them from name-calling and stop them from going to foreign countries to talk down his campaign rhetoric on free trade. In short, they need to get ready for prime time, tighten their foreign policy and stop with the feigned umbrage over a mere statement of fact.

And will someone please dig up a sex tape or pit their opponent in some tranny prostitution ring? Otherwise let's just please spare everyone this slap fighting and nominate Hillary.

The Women

Sometimes it's hard to be a woman, givin' all your love to just one man. You'll have bad times, he'll have good times, doin' things that you don't understand.

Tammy Wynette, how right you are.

In a political scandal that is sure to thaw what's left of winter, New York governor Elliot Spitzer has been accused of soliciting hookers to the tune of up to $5,500 an hour. Eek.

And while everyone is weighing in on the governor's political future, I'm struck, yet again, by the sight of a politico's wife having to mug for the cameras while her man admits to givin out a side of penis to everything and anything that moves except her.

It's got to be painful, nerve-wracking, humilliating - but is it worth it? While the cameras are rolling and the men are boo-hooing daliances with the intern, the cop in the bathroom, the former Israeli-aid or a hooker, are the first ladies bemoaning a marriage gone bad or are they countin' Benjamins and planning a spectacular Waiting to Exhale episode of tie-cutting, car-burning mayhem?

I would love it if James pissed me off enough so that I could burn a car, his clothes and then tell the cops "I'm sorry, officer. I was just burning some trash."

For real, though, I don't understand why these caught-with-their-pants-down men have to drag their wives out for a public caning. The way I see it, these dudes got themselves into the mess by themselves and likewise they should see their way out of it by themselves.

But what do I know? I'm neither a woman, nor part of a powerful political marriage. So hats off to Hillary, Dina, Silda, and Suzanne -- they stand by their men, mug for the cameras in spite of the shame, and (I hope) plan a very lucrative revenge.

Sing it Tammy:

Crisis in Colombia Averted; Por Ahora

Call me a cynic, but the photo to the left doesn't pull at my heartstrings and make me hopeful about the future of Latin America. As long as Hugo Chavez is in the picture, we all have lots to worry about.

Following the Colombian government's decision to send troops past the Ecuadorian border last week to raid a camp set up the FARC rebel group, Venezuela's dictator used the situation to cry foul and ignite fears of Yankee imperialism in the region. Ecuador and Venezuela immediately halted diplomatic relations with Colombia, and Chavez threatened to bring Colombia's economy to its knees. After a crippling military assualt, of course.

Politics being the wishy-washy affair that they are in Latin America, war was conveniently averted this past Friday thanks to an agreement signed in the Dominican Republic between Colombia, Ecuador and Veneuzela. Colombia apologized for violating its neighbor's sovereignty, Venezuela beamed for yet another photo opp.

A collective sigh of relief is drowning out concerns over the influence that Hugo Chavez is wielding in the affairs of one of Latin America's strongest democracies. And it's not just the obvious headline-ready stuff that Chavez is trying to snatch from the administration of Alvaro Uribe either. Aside from hostage negotiations with the FARC, Chavez' government has not been able to counter claims that it supports the rebel group with arms and money.

Support for the FARC by Venezuela, friend of Cuba and Iran, has given the group new vigor. The U.S. and Europe's insatiable demand for cocaine have also kept terrorism in Colombia alive and well.

For now, however, the enemy seems to be playing nice. One day Chavez is ordering troops to the borders with Colombia, the next he's hugging their president and flying to Havana with a rogue Colombian senator to talk about hostage negotiations.

I've said it once and I'll say it again: Chavez' "ability" to "reason" with the terrorists only speaks to his role as one of the group's financiers and moral supporters. For that reason, upon the release of all of the FARC hostages, he should be tried for war crimes and executed. And I suspect that is going to be the course of action Colombia is going to pursue.

Change You Can Believe In

Regardless of your opinion of Hillary Clinton we must all admit this: homegirl is a survivor. And it's that sort of tenacity and 11-th hour galvanizing of the public to break through rhetoric an effect real change that we should want in the White House next January.

Hillary was supposed to skulk away into obscurity after last night but sure enough, the voters in Texas and Ohio thought otherwise. And that's a great thing.

Now, for the sake of the Democratic party - a party I am still deeply disappointed in for their flavor-of-the-month tactics - I hope that Obama will concede defeat and support Hillary's nomination. Let's undo a White House victory by pitting two great Dems against each other for the sake of winning in PA. It's not fair to the party or the people of this country.

And Obama shouldn't skulk away into obscurity either: He called for change and America responded. The GOP is nominating a moderate Republican who most Americans find palatable and a far cry from the fundamentalist Christians the party has put forth in the past few years. The Dems were placing their bets on a black man and a woman for the nation's highest office. So, fait accompli, Barack. His campaign is a watershed moment for the Dems and our nation's history. Years from now we'll look back at American politics at the turn of the century and we'll look at the Dems pre and post Barack Obama. We've certainly changed since 2004 when most of us first heard of the Illinois senator, and I'd say we're all the better because of it.

That places a huge burden on Hillary. Americans are making an intelligent choice by supporting her, but her next battle is for our hearts. Not that she isn't up for the challenge, though. After all, by now it's clear there's nothing homegirl can't do.

You Don't Matter

I'd love to send a memo to the gays on Team Obama saying "you idiots don't matter." But then I'd have to send the same memo to the Log Cabin Republicans and the folks on Team Clinton.

Here's a newsflash for my fellow gays: We're just a talk point for Washington, not an action item.

And to be honest, that's fine by me. I don't expect for the next POTUS to place my community's agenda at the top of her to-do list. Having to end the war in Iraq and saving our economy should keep her busy for four years -- and that should be enough for all Americans.

Yes, we had to get vocal post-Stonewall, in the days of Harvey Milk and in the midst of the AIDS crisis. But in the early 90s the spirit of grunge and hope catapulted the gays into normalcy and it's been a dizzying ascent to the top of the pop culture food chain ever since.

In spite of W's attempted assault on gay rights, his rhetoric came down to sticks and stones nonsense. That's because most Americans don't really care about the gays -- if anything, I hate more gay people than the average Christian fundamentalist, but that comes from firsthand experience, not homespun bigotry.

Still, for my benefit, I would recommend that Hillary tack gay marriage on to an article protecting the Second Ammendment. You know, the one that gives us the right to bear arms? Slip it in with no fanfare and you'll see how quickly everyone is going to drop this family values nonsense. And then everyone will leave the gays alone.

Or kill us.

This post needs some work...

Not Being Pro-Israel Does Not Mean You're an Anti-Semite

...but then again, what would French thinker and finger-pointer Henri Bernard Levy (left)talk about at the 92nd Street Y this week?

Levy, according to New York Magazine, is in town to talk about anti-semitism as the 60th anniversary of the formation of the state of Israel draws near. In an interview with the magazine, Levy talks about his concerns over the rise of anti-semitism:

What caused you to turn to explicitly discussing anti-Semitism?
Its return. And a relatively new rhetoric. Anti-Semitism, to pass under the radar, to become again undetectable, to be in a position to operate without being accused of being anti-Semitism, must draw from three sources: anti-Zionism, the denial of the Holocaust, and victim competition. It must articulate the following discourse: “The Jews are a detestable people who, firstly, invented and exaggerated their own martyring”—which is denial of the Holocaust; secondly, “They overshadowed, in doing so, the martyring of other people”—which is victim competition; and, thirdly, “They accomplished this crime because they are obsessed with the defense of an assassin state”—which is anti-Zionism.

While holocaust-denial is indeed worrisome and there is no doubt that many people still harbor anti-semitic feelings, to throw the Israel factor into the equation is a bit unfair. Chiefly because as a (mostly) liberal American I'm uncomfortable with the violent entitlement of the Zionist movement. I've long equated the Zionist movement with the descendants of the Algonquin indians coming to my door saying that Manhattan was their land long ago and that, New York real estate being the mess that it is today, $24 for this island was a rip off and I have to give them my Chelsea studio as payback. No dice.

So it goes, in my mind, with Israel. Understanding, of course, that the Jews have suffered at the hands of empires throughout history, the fact remains that the Palestinians in 1948 shouldn't have born the brunt of millenia of abuse. The takeover of the region wasn't a friendly affair and its consequences are felt the world over in the jihadist movement. In fact, the latter half of the 20th century was marked by violence stemming from the Zionist movement - to say otherwise is reckless, not anti-Semitic. Long before the official Gulf wars we were in battle with the Middle East - the massacre at the Munich Olympic games in '72, the Iran student uprising, the hostage situation in Beirut, the hijacking of airliners - all because of the West's myopic, pro-Israel view. In failing to care about the suffering of the others - those pesky Palestinians - we've suffered their deaths and humiliation hundred-fold in spectacular terrorist attacks whose prevention have come to form America's national identity. Today, America is Israel's paranoid BFF.

So do I think that the Jewish people are entitled to a country? No, I think all people should be allowed to live and work and thrive wherever they choose so long as they integrate peacefully into the local landscape while retaining their customs and faith. Does that make me pro-Iran or pro-Chavez? Absolutely not. Nor does it make me a neo-Nazi, it just makes me anti-violence.

J'Adore Marion Cotillard

For me, the highlight of last night's Oscar ceremony was watching Marion Cotillard win the statue for her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose.

I'm an unabashed francophile and many, many a time have I looped Edith Piaf's music on days when things didn't go my way. Sunday mornings at home usually include a tribute to the little sparrow as well. I've even made the pilgrimage to her tomb at Pere Lachaise cemetery. See?



So, in honor of the French, and La Mome Piaf (the little sparrow), here's a clip of Edith Piaf singing my favorite of all her songs, L'Hymne a L'Amour, the Hymn to Love. She composed this after the death of her lover, the boxer Marcel Cerdan, in the 50s. Not trying to bring down your Monday, it's just a good song.



Felicitations, Marion!

Bitch Is the New Black

Tina Fey's brilliant and hilarious recap of the Obama/Clinton race aside, I'm going to be real here: If the Dems decide to get cute and nominate Barack Obama then I am going to vote for John McCain. I've voted Republican in the past and I'll do it again.

Enough is enough. If this Clinton-bashing gets to the point where we nominate a nobody senator who really fumbled in yesterday's CNN/Univision debates, then I'm going to go with the party that is lock-stock-and-barrel committed to bringing this country back from the brink of implosion. And I certainly won't support a two-faced party that has taken sadistic pleasure in elevating the Clintons only to tear them down at every moment.

Take note, Barack: The Dems made those JFK references when Bill was running in '92, the Clintons were all up in the clam chowder in Hyannis and now look at the mess they're in.

The lack of perspective and historical deference in the Barack movement is chipping away at the values of the Democratic party. We're the party that stands up for the little guy and makes Washington work for him. Barack can't do that. The GOP is watering at the mouth, waiting for the Dems to hang themselves with this wack candidate.

We still have time to make the right decision and usher our party to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I'm talking to you, Texas and Ohio.

So, Who Wants Change?

Not me. I've seen the Democratic party change from a model of visionary social responsibility to a bunch of bitchy girls in the final stages of cheerleader squad try-outs. Which is why I want to encourage my fellow Americans in Texas and Ohio to think very carefully before casting a vote for a Dem candidate in their state's primaries. Ask yourselves: do I want a friend or do I want a President?

I know the Clintons have made mistakes in the past, but that's no reason to un-invite them to the slumber party. Sure, there was Don't Ask, Don't Tell, there was the unfortunate handling of the Rwanda genocide, there was NAFTA, there was the war in Iraq. But when did the Dems' golden couple stop being the Hope of America and turn into Adolf and Eva?

Stop for a minute and realize that this spectacle makes the Dems look like a bunch of teenie bopper cry babies who are ready to flick off the candidate they once defended so vigorously -- remember Monica-gate? Remember how we all stood by Hillary and applauded her steely resolve to save her marriage and her own political career? Remember how we cried foul because our beloved Bill was being railroaded by a right wing conspiracy? Why, ten years later, are the Dems pointing at the Clintons as the harbingers of evil? When did Bill and Hillary turn into George and Dick?

Ever the well-oiled-machine, the Republicans have found their candidate. Despite the chatter of a few disgruntled pay-for-hate "conservatives" on the Fox News Channel - cuz even Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity and Michelle Malkin are getting tired of bashing Hillary so they've moved on to John McCain - the GOP is on board with McCain's candidacy.

Take a lesson, Dems. The GOP gave us a personality candidate back in 2000 and we're still paying for it. Not that many Americans want to have a beer with W anymore.

The GOP locks into step and promotes a candidate six months before their convention. Meanwhile, us Dems are pitting two exceptional candidates -- who will have to work together once someone is elected, by the way -- against each other. And then you're really in for change - that sweeping Democrat victory from last year will be undone with our bickering and contention and the GOP will once again take over the House and Senate and, Hillary and Obama aside, we'll have to cowtow to right wing policies yet again.

Not Giving Up on Hillary

Team Obama scored its tenth consecutive primary win last night after sweeping through the Wisonsin and Hawaii polls; for those of us watching from the sidelines, its tempting to tow the party line and say "fine, we'll vote for whatever Dem wins the primaries."

But, as Madonna, I mean, Evita, (supposedly) said: "bad moments come but they go, that doesn't mean we should give up our dream, don't you forget what I've been through and yet I'm still standing." So, yes, Barack is scoring big wins, but let's not forget that we've seen a "defeated" Hillary before. And she always bounces back.

I understand Americans want a movement they can belong to. That's super. But if its a revolution they want, then I hope they're ready to ride out the foibles of untested leadership (and please, spare me the JFK references). I'm sticking with Hillary.

My Trip to Colombia

I was going to write a long post about going to Colombia two weeks ago to make things right with my grandma (she wasn't eager to join PFLAG when I came out a few years ago); I was going to talk about the importance of forgiveness and getting over oneself; instead, I decided to put my shots and video clips in a music video.

It's set to Mika's "Love Today," an appropriate title for the lesson I learned on this trip. I'd never have thought to use it, but my little cousins down in Cali are pretty hip and played this track on loop during my stay.

So, as you awake from the stupor of a three day weekend remember to love today.

I'm Not Worth the Fuss

The dude on the left is a Christian blogger and sometimes boxer who has an ax to grind with the gays. J. Matt Barber has outlined the gay community's plan of attack for corrupting America in a column titled "Unmasking the Gay Agenda" today for Catholic Online; the plan, according to Barber, is for gays to use their influence and affluence to normalize their "deviant" sexual behavior and "indoctrinate" Americans into accepting gays' "sin."

With meticulous detail, Barber outlines steps the gays have taken to legalize pedophilia (Note to Catholics: stay away from the P word when making a case for moral uprightness, k?), homosexualize Jesus and sell AIDS as just a cold.

Clearly, Barber hasn't met my theatre group - not only can we not agree on which Dem to support, we can't even agree on where to go to dinner post-show. But I guess there are more militant, demagogue queers out there that pick up the slack.

What Barber has met, however, is a lack of support for his obsession with countering "the gay agenda." He was fired from his job at Allstate Insurance in 2005 for blogging his anti-gay beliefs (on his own time, though how his affiliation with the gay-friendly insurance company came to light is uncertain, he says he didn't divulge that info on his bio). Now, as a blogger myself, I think it's unfair for a corporation to fire someone for writing about their personal beliefs on their own time. Unless they're blogging about how they're going to blow up the office in 90 days or something of that life-threatening-nature, I still believe in freedom of speech, even for fundamentalist Christians.

Barber isn't really saying anything new, and in fact, I'm encouraged by his slander. As the Extreme Right loses its Talibanic grip on Americans, it's only fitting for them to resort to scare tactics: visions of children being snatched from the nuclear family by lecherous gays, only to die of the gay plague -- err, AIDS.

But Barber is right about one thing: We gays are indeed on a mission to legitimize our place in society. Yes, we're vocal in our nation's political discourse, we support artists who show us love, and we are going to continue to fight for fair treatment - at work, at school, wherever. We're part of this country, too, and we're proud of that.

As for indoctrination and "Everyman" tactics, whereby gays try to sell themselves as just the fun-loving folks next door. Well, I'm guilty of that, too. I just got back from Colombia where I went to make peace with my grandma and other members of my family who I thought weren't down with the whole gay relative thing. After they saw that Davicito hadn't really changed at all -- well, the mentioned that I looked bigger, thanks NYHRC -- we spent an amazing week together. In the end, grandma even apologized, saying she was sorry if in her ignorance she ever made me feel as if I wasn't loved. Coming from a stalwart Christian like her, that's all the comeuppance I need.

Sadly, not everyone is going to have this sort of revelation. While Barber's column smacks more of paranoia than hate, let's not forget how easy it is to turn panic into mayhem. Grr, I'm guilty of another one of Barber's charges - equating Christianity with hatred. The Crusades? Inquisition? Slavery? Holocaust? To associate the Church with these events in history would be, oh yeah, true.

So I'm gonna keep an eye on Barber, all the while doing what I always do every night, Pinky, try and take over the world.

Are You a Racist? Or Just an American?

Just got the March issue of Men's Health in the mail, and after skipping past the hetero-sex tips, I came across an interesting survey about race relations.

Says the magazine: "Odds are you're a bit of a racist - at least according to a Northwestern University study. Researchers found that 93 percent of participants harbored some degree of racial bias."

The survey of 1,229 men found that 46 percent men think race relations are a serious issue in this country, while 50 percent of men believe we will never achieve racial equality.

Barack's victory this past weekend be damned, America is still a pretty racist country. And I suspect that many whites who are on the Barack train are just trying to make ammends for their own innate racism, reciting verbatim Team Obama's mantra of "we need new thinking and change we can believe in." Yawn.

I think that racism is a European American concept. I was just in Latin America where I had to explain to my family what the term mixed-race meant. Sure, people down there are aware of color -- they even joke about it, we have songs about beautiful indian women and black men with big lips -- but people in this part of the world are considered Latinos first.

My mom always flips the channel when Mariah Carey gives her sob story of being a bi-racial gazillionaire. And rightly so. My grandmother is black and my grandfather was a white man. Which is why my mom once asked "Davicito, que es bi-racial?" She didn't understand that that's how she could label herself.

In Latin America, economic class trumps race. If you're of the moneyed elite - an institution that can easily be broken into through marriage, a beauty title win, a soccer championship -- you're golden. Otherwise, you're just a poor working stiff. And given the smog and pollution in most Latin American cities, y'all wind up being the same color of soot anyway.

Anyhoo, here's a shot of my mixed race family. We're like a L'Oreal commercial, right?

All Around the World: ¨NO¨ to FARC Terrorists, ¨NO¨ to Chavez

I´m on vacation in Cali, Colombia and as luck would have it, I was also in the middle of the single largest manifestation of public outrage against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). From Berlin to Buenos Aires, and in cities all across Colombia, hundreds of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to denounce the terrorist acts of the South American rebel group.

As I´ve written on this blog before, the FARC have become the new lords of the drug trade in this country. Ask anyone in this city of 2 million people, from the well-heeled residents of the Granada district to a cab driver, and the disgust for the FARC´s tactics - bombings, civilian kidnappings, drug trafficking - is unanimous.
Also palpable here is the presence of Hugo Chavez in this discourse. Many citizens are weary of his role in the recent hostage negotiations and the fear is that an increasingly armed and rancorous Venezuela will mobilize the FARC into war against Colombia. The stakes are high and the disappointment and frustration have hit their breaking point.

So today my cousin Mayra, an 18-year-old college student with impeccable English, took me to the CAM, the political center of the city, where hundreds of thousands of Caleños were waving flags, singing rock anthems for peace and freedom, and walking along peacefully. No pushing, no shoving, all under the supervision of policemen on the ground and in helicopters above.

The city is at a virtual standstill, as is most of Colombia, to observe this ¨important act of civic duty.¨ Today the city´s leading daily, El Pais, called for all citizens to take part in the march. ¨This is not a political rally, it´s a humanitarian responsibility,¨was the exhortation.

So here are some of my pics from this moving and civil demostation. The most popular t-shirt of today´s movement sums up the mood in this thriving, bustling city where I´ve been having an amazing time thus far: ¨No More Kidnappings, No More Lies, No More Deaths, No More FARC.¨

Michelle Malkin & Jim McGreevey: Dying To Belong

While GCL is in Colombia making peace with grandma, James will be running some oldies but goodies for your reading pleasure.

Original Post Date: October 8, 2006

Here are two people who are single-handedly undoing the course of progress and acceptance in America:



Michelle Malkin and Jim McGreevey suck. *Pun sorta intended.


Michelle Malkin is all sorts of pissed off at the New York Times because they mentioned the fact that she's Filipina. Yes, Michelle Malkin, nee Maglalang, that tank-top wearing, caramel-skinned Conservative sell-out is crying foul after reporter Virginia Heffernan mentioned the pundit's ethnicity in an article about Malkin's attack on YouTube.

Says Malkin: I love how the always oh-so-sensitive New York Times has no problem throwing my ethnicity into an attack, when my ethnicity has nothing at all to do with the subject (the jihad vs. anti-jihad war at YouTube).

Here's why Malkin's etnicity matters:

-- Malkin has done everything in her power to whitewash herself.

-- Her psyhotic desire to belong to the "winning" team has her screaming like a banshee for a cause that undermines the very values that have allowed a woman of color to become such a visible figure in our society.

--She boasts on her blog: [I] opposed publisher [of Seattle Times] and supported successful campaign to abolish race-based affirmative action in government hiring, contracting, and college admissions.

-- Her book In Defense of Internment draws psychotic parallels between the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII and the need for similar actions with Arab Americans today.
Among other hallucinations, the book claims to expose "how both Japanese American and Arab/Muslim American leaders have united to undermine America's safety."

I would dare say that Michelle Malkin is the Jenna Jameson of the Conservative movement. Here you have a woman of color begging to have her race stripped of her while she whores off her wit and intelligence to advance the cause of the Republican party.

What a godsend she is to the white Republican establishment -- to have one of the little brown ones speak out against affirmative action and espouse the homophobic and xenophobic ideals of their party.

Kudos to Virginia Heffernan for pointing out Malkin's most egregious trespass -- that which she has perpetrated on herself and her heritage by becoming a puppet for a slowly dying cause.

***
So what's my beef with Jim McGreevey?

To hear him speak about his newfound "truth" is like watching a man possessed by Pat Buchanan and George Michael. Every utterance out of McGreevey's mouth as he promotes his new book The Confession, especially his embarassing, vomit-inducing appearance on Oprah, reveal a man still struggling with a major identity crisis.

I can't even applaud him coming out of the closet. Jim McGreevey didn't say he was gay, he revealed himself to be a depraved, co-dependant, lying son-of-a-bitch, who like Michelle Malkin was all too eager to sell his own people out just "to belong."

He told Oprah that even though he marched in Gay Pride parades, he refused to vote in favor of gay marriage out of fear that he would be outed. He went into detail about his trysts behind a Synogauge (DAYS before Rosh Hoshanna no less, OY the timing!), he said he had a penchant for anonymous sex with truck drivers, and that he met "the love of his life" in an Israeli whom he would later sleep with in his wife's bed while she was holed up in a hospital recuperating from a Cesaerian section.

WTF?!!!!

This isn't truth or liberation, this is a twisted man who is still acting out of homophobia. WHERE THE HELL ARE ROSIE AND ELLEN to distract America's attention from this wacko fag?

To make matters worse, McGreevey invited Oprah's cameras to his new home which he shares with his "life partner" of six hours (or months).

James and I were flipping out while we watched, in horror, how this idiot confirmed Middle America's worst fears about gays:

-- That we're whores
-- That we lie
-- That we ruin families
-- That we're self possessed and only out for own satisfaction

As I think about topics to write about on this blog, and as I question its effectiveness, I am thankful for the example provided to me by Michelle and Jim. Unless I speak out as a gay person of color, the only point of view this country is going to hear is that of these two self-hating loons. I can't let that happen.

Evil Gays

While GCL is in Colombia making peace with grandma, James will be running some oldies but goodies for your reading pleasure.

Original Post Date: February 8, 2007

Every community has its members that you pretty much want to get all Taliban on and drag to the center of town for an ol'fashioned stoning.

For the gay community, I can't think of two people who really need to get some sense beaten into them more than Ted Haggard and Mary Cheney.

In today's New York Times, Haggard boasts of his "complete heterosexuality" after a three-week stint in counseling. Even Lindsay Lohan committed herself to 30 days of rehab, but I guess when you're as demonic as Haggard, you can get on the fast track to "redemption." For those of not drinking the Kool Aid of the power of "faith," it's laughable that three weeks can undo years of lying and self-loathing.

Still, that's the message from the National Association of Evangelicals: “He [Haggard] is completely heterosexual,” Mr. Ralph [a representative for the religious group] told The [Denver] Post, adding that Mr. Haggard’s homosexual activity had not been “a constant thing.”

What's even more frightening about this mess of a story is that Haggard's wife is not only staying with him, they are both taking online courses to get master’s degrees in psychology!

Mary Cheney is another mess. Now that she's pregnant, she and her tight-assed, lame-duck, mass-murdering-war-profiteering-father have made the topic of her insemination off-limits, saying that her choice to inflict her seed on the world is not a political statement.

And truth be told, the Cheneys have more to be excoriated for than their wayward daughter's romps in the hey with arriviste park rangers. Nonetheless, as Dan Savage brilliantly put it in his blog this week:

"...so long as your party insists on making the fitness of homosexuals to marry or parent—or, hell, exist—a subject of public debate, Mary, your decision to become a parent is germane and very much fit for public discussion and debate. The GOP’s selective embrace of some pregnant dykes—only knocked-up lesbians with powerful connections will be treated with respect—is a disconnect that demands answers. From you, from your father, from your venomous mother, from the idiot president you helped elect. Is that fair? Maybe not. Want to blame someone? Go look in the mirror—and then come out swinging, Mary—for yourself, your partner, and your child."

In times of war it's not uncommon to see people turn on their own just to survive. While the "culture war" rages on in this country, the bigger battle is within the souls of people like Ted and Mary who hate themselves so much that they've made it their life's mission to "redeem" themselves for just existing. The scary thing is that these people have a platform and political connections to see that their twisted brand of hate and depravity turns into legislation.

Stone em!