Tonight's sly diary entry finds me enjoying an update to my technological arsenal. I'll cover, facebook antics, Repubicans gearing up for 2012, A Profile in Conservatism (or some equally imaginative title) and why Mike Huckabee worries me.
There's MIMS pie after the jump!
First things first. I admit it, I watched SNL this weekend and lol'd at the facebook jokes from the The Cougars Den. And I admit that I've done my fair share of "poking" "tagging" and even posted 25 Random Things About Being Gay on facebook"
- There are two schools of thought with Facebook. The first is that it's just for your friends and close associates. The other is that it's an online Pokegay and that you should collect as many as possible. Both are valid, but only one will help you get laid.
- Black and white profile photos are lame. So are head shots.
- If you do not state your relationship status in your Facebook profile, that means you are available. Stating that you're "single" in your Facebook profile means you're desperate.
- Think twice about announcing how bad your day is by Facebook status update. We have one friend who constantly mentions all the awful things that happen in her life and we used to think she was really cool, but now we just feel bad for her. And by we, I mean all her friends, who comment on her updates behind her back. We're terrible people, we know.
- Facebook event invitations should not be considered real RSVP's. It's way to easy to click "I will attend" and never show up and we feel it's sort of a dick move to reply "maybe" to an invite. It's the online equivalent of saying, "If nothing better comes up."
- If someone does not reply to your "Cause" invitation, try not to assume that person doesn't care about Lupus, saving kittens or bringing back Silver Spoons to prime time.
- Family members and Facebook are a pretty delicate matter, especially for gay folks. My favorite aunt Facebooked me and I was nervous about adding her because I never had come out to her, but went ahead with it. After seeing photos of me marching in Prop. 8 protests, she wrote me a note saying how proud she was of me and over the holidays we talked and became closer than ever. Still, be aware that everyone's on Facebook now.
- We don't understand 'poking', unless it's, you know, in person.
- Do not ever defriend anyone. You may think it's justified, you may not have spoken to the person in question is years, but you might as well go into your former friend's house, piss on their bed, pour Tabasco sauce in their lube and then set their house on fire. Trust us on this.
- Don't fall for memes. You're a sheep if you do. Baaaah.
I've also received my more than one request from an old classmate and hesitated dreading to wonder if they'd become a staunch diehard Ronald Reagan Bush lovin wingnut.
I tempted fate tonight.
You see, she used to be one of the good ones. She was NICE to me. Me. An out openly gay young man in a small Texas town. In the 1980's. So when I got a friend request from her on that one social networking site, I couldn't resist catching up. Once I confirmed I knew her and started chatting; at first the questions were the usual, but then I saw a few of her posts and well...
The culture is war is over. Haven't you heard? We elected our first bi-racial president and everyone's making nice now. Yeah, me either.
Here's one of the first groups I saw that she'd joined, Republicans 2012:
Common Interest - Politics
Description:
Our Constitution says " you are born with rights by the grace of God, and no government on earth can take them from you."
"The failure of our country, the direction that we go as people, whether we move to meet the future or slide back into the irresponsible places of the past, will be determined by those who get involved."
--Ronald Reagan
Fifty-six-rank-and-file, ordinary citizens founded a nation that grew from shinning sea to sea, 5 million farms, quiet villages, cities that never sleep--all done without an area redevelopment plan, urban renewal or rural legal assistance program.
Now we are a nation of over 300 million people that includes bloodlines from every corner of the world. How many of you are willing to join other Republicans devoted and organized to take back our nation starting with the Senate in 2010 and the White House in 2012! It's our country we just need to fight for it !
Harmless enough? Well, I suppose so, but why couldn't she have joined a real Republican grassroots saying how embarrassed they were by the McCain/Palin tactis in this election cycle. Apologize for worshipping W these past eight years. Apologize again for the horrible joke of Sarah Palin's candidacy. But no.
Next I saw she joined "Smart Girl Politics." Have you heard of this?
Among such titles as Are We Headed Toward Socialism or Are We Already There? President Obama Tries to Back Door Republicans in the Senate. A Profile in Conservatism: Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. Birth Control Will Save Our Economy!McCain to Vote No on Obama's Stimulus PackageObama: I Could Lose Re-election.... i managed to find this little gem: A Profile in Conservatism: Beverly Rice, President of United Families International
Beverly Rice is the President of United Families International. In addition to the following interview, she has also provided a video addressed to the members of Smart Girl Politics, SGP. You can find the video here.
SGP: What is United Families International, UFI, and why was it started?
BR: United Families International was started thirty years ago in response to the pro-ERA forces. When the backers of the Equal Rights Amendment were not successful in getting the amendment ratified, they turned their focus to the United Nations with the thought that they would have better luck there. UFI leaders testified before Congress on the ERA and then began working at the UN to combat the anti-family voices there.
SGP: What are the primary issues that UFI currently stands for or against?
United Families International works on five issues which are the basic tenets of our orgniazation. They are: Traditional Marriage, Sanctity of Life, Parental Rights, Religious Liberty and National Sovereignty. These are the same tenets which are fought against us by the anti-family forces at the UN, in Congress, in State Legislatures and in governing bodies around the world.
SGP: What issue poses the single greatest threat to families under the new administration?
BR: We feel that the greatest threat to the family that the Obama administration brings is the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. If this is repealed, then all the marriage amendments and statutes that have been enacted by state and local governments will have no validity. Without this protection we feel that marriage will be undermined, religious liberty will be weakened, and parental rights will be diminished. The agenda of the radical gay movement is to take away many of the rights that currently protect families.
Finally, I leave you a Republican we can all love: Mike HuckabeeWho? What? Why do I care? Well, there's plenty of reasons, allow me to focus, courtesy of those queers atQUEERTY .
Lately, Huckabee has been sharing his thoughts to anyone who will listen. He's had a profile in Esquire and he's appeared on The Daily Show and The View, all in promotion of his new book, Do The Right Thing, which weaves his own personal story in with his political ideology in a way that's stylistically, if not politically, reminiscent of Mein Kampf. But Huck's not just selling a book—he's on a campaign to gain influence and control of the levers of the Republican Party. Or, barring that, create his own Christian social conservative wing of it. And he's winning. The Washington Post lists him as one of the "10 Republicans to Watch" (he's number seven, Sarah Palin is number one), and his show, by some measures, is the number one cable show in its time slot.
It's easy in this season of liberal dominance to dismiss the Republican Party as one of nutjobs and followers of a failed ideology, but for gays and lesbians, Huckabee should be considered a unique threat. He's the leader of a new and virulent brand of homophobia that serves up bigotry with a genial smile. What differentiates Huckabee from the usual cadre of social conservative homophobes is that he's charismatic, and the MSM has gobbled up his aw-shucks accessibility, lending him and his beliefs a dangerous air of legitimacy.
Homophobia is wrong in any guise, but Huckabee's stance – that being gay is a choice (or at least, as he puts it "engaging in homosexual acts is a choice") and that it's "an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle" – puts him in the same category as extremists like Fred Phelps, Focus on the Family and the American Family Association. Gays and lesbians can take comfort that through education and activism, many of these extremists have lost their political influence and have been marginalized.
If only we could say the same about Mike Huckabee, whose gay-hating, bigoted star continues to rise.
Interviewing far-right wing columnist Ann Coulter on his Fox News show this weekend, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee stated, "I am not, as you characterized me in one article, pro-gay, pro-sodomy. That is so not me." He then added, "I am definitely not pro-sodomy. I promise, scout's honor."
Here's your reward for staying with me. Please comment.
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