From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE…
Little Gay Billy's BIG Gay Roundup!
I'm here, I'm queer….um…something something beer? How does that go again? I dunno, but I do know this:
The marriage equality
stars are coming out.
• Despite the repeal of 'Don’t Ask, Don't Tell,' the Supreme Court's DOMA decision, rapidly-shifting attitudes and the 16 states in which marriage-equality has proven to be a locust-free experience (except the one time a gay couple got married on an actual locust farm), the anti-gay forces are still fighting…specifically, fighting for every dollar they can suck up before their gullible donor base clicks "unsubscribe" and wanders off in search of new scary villains to hate. While the courts ponder a plethora of decisions, Oregon activists have secured enough signatures to
put a marriage question on the ballot next year. I'm still not a fan of securing constitutionally-guaranteed rights through popular vote, but if the other side is gonna hurl everything they have at us, it seems strategically prudent to reciprocate. Fearless prediction: one year from today, a minimum of five more states will add stars to the marriage-equality flag.
• As German President Joachim Gauck and EU commissioner Viviane Reding announce they're skipping the Olympic Games in Russia, as the IOC issues new warnings against any overt pro-equality displays at Sochi, as Vlad the Happiness Impaler beheads the Russian media, and as actor Sir Ian McKellen gets cautioned that it's not safe for him to travel there, Elton John takes the stage in Moscow and defies the law:
Angry Elton
"...I am deeply saddened and shocked over the current legislation that is now in place against the LGBT community here in Russia. In my opinion, it is inhumane and it is isolating. People have demanded that because of this legislation, I must not come here to Russia. But many, many more people asked me to come and I listened to them. I love coming here. I want to show them and the world that I care and that I don’t believe in isolating people....The spirit we share tonight is what builds a future of equality, love and compassion for my children and for your children."
Putin let the incident go, telling his goons: "Don’t make him angry. You don’t want to see him when he's angry."
• Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker says he's thrilled that allowing some equal rights for gay people, but not allowing other equal rights for gay people, and no equal rights for transgender people, is a "healthy balance." The LGBT community and its allies gave him an earful over that, so Walker says he's now willing to improve the balance by adding more calcium and riboflavin to their equal rights.
• The holiday season is upon us, which brings about the annual question, "Is the Salvation Army still super antigay?" Oh, yes. Sure is.
• Pastor Rick Warren says he can't support marriage equality because he doesn’t get to change what the Bible says. And in other news, Rick Warren is officially less knowledgable about what the Bible says than an 8th-grader. Can I get a Gay Men's Chorus Hallelujah?
Thanks. Cheers and Jeers dons its Hallmark-approved FUN apparel below the fold... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Cheers and Jeers for Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Note: Thank you for the happy C&J 10th anniversary wishes yesterday. For those who didn’t know what was going on: what I posted was my first diary from 12/10/03. I decided to publish it without any explanation or tedious commentary about how much it sucked (a lot), how much things have changed (a lot) and/or how much older I've become (a lot). So thanks again. (A lot!) Merrily onward…….
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9 days!!!
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By the Numbers:
Days 'til Valentine's Day:
65
Days 'til the
ZooLights come on at the Oregon Zoo in Portland:
9
Estimated number of world leaders who plan on attending memorials for Nelson Mandela in South Africa:
90
(Source:
NBC News)
Year Mandela was finally taken off the U.S. terrorist watch list:
2008
Decline in heart-related fitness among 9-17 year-olds compared with their counterparts in 1983:
5%
Length of extra time it takes a 9-17 year-old to run a mile versus their counterparts in 1983:
90 seconds
(Source: AP via
The Portland Press Herald)
Drop in sales of regular and diet soda, respectively, during the past year:
2.2%, 7%
(Source:
The Wall Street Journal)
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Mid-week Rapture Index: 186 (including 5 Wild Weathers and 1 diabolical word search puzzle clue). Soul Protection Factor 24 lotion is recommended if you’ll be walking amongst the heathen today.
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Puppy Pic of the Day: More nappytimes!
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CHEERS to the right man for the right farewell. Yesterday morning when I switched on the teevee to check the local weather, I was greeted instead with live coverage of President Obama paying epic tribute to Nelson Mandela in South Africa. I'd almost forgotten that no other president, with the possible exception of Kennedy, could work a stadium like the 44th. What eloquence:
President Obama greets Graca Machel, Nelson
Mandela's widow, after his speech.
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"There is a word in South Africa---Ubuntu---that describes his greatest gift: his recognition that we are all bound together in ways that can be invisible to the eye; that there is a oneness to humanity; that we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others, and caring for those around us. We can never know how much of this was innate in him, or how much of was shaped and burnished in a dark, solitary cell. But we remember the gestures, large and small---introducing his jailors as honored guests at his inauguration; taking the pitch in a Springbok uniform; turning his family’s heartbreak into a call to confront HIV/AIDS---that revealed the depth of his empathy and understanding. He not only embodied Ubuntu; he taught millions to find that truth within themselves. It took a man like Madiba to free not just the prisoner, but the jailor as well; to show that you must trust others so that they may trust you; to teach that reconciliation is not a matter of ignoring a cruel past, but a means of confronting it with inclusion, generosity and truth. He changed laws, but also hearts."
If you missed it, the Obama Diary has
video and lots of pics. His speech was so powerful that the text of every world leader who followed him was exactly the same: "What he said."
P.S. I noticed that the president smiled and shook hands with Cuba's Raul Castro. A sign of fresh Unbuntu in the making?
JEERS to peering into your playtime. New revelations this week that the government is now spying on freakin' video gamers:
Don't act so shocked, Q*bert.
We know you're an NSA mole.
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The agencies, the documents show, have built mass-collection capabilities against the Xbox Live console network, which has more than 48 million players. Real-life agents have been deployed into virtual realms, from those Orc hordes in World of Warcraft to the human avatars of Second Life. There were attempts, too, to recruit potential informants from the games' tech-friendly users. …
If properly exploited, games could produce vast amounts of intelligence, according to the NSA document. They could be used as a window for hacking attacks, to build pictures of people's social networks through "buddylists and interaction", to make approaches by undercover agents, and to obtain target identifiers (such as profile photos), geolocation, and collection of communications.
The NSA also tried going after Pac Man players, but it was game over when they lost three top agents to Inky, Blinky and Clyde.
CHEERS to the crossroads of America. On December 11, 1816, Indiana (or, as we say in Maine, "Indianer") became America's 19th state. I grew up next door in Ohio, so naturally I look down my designer reading glasses at you "Hoosier types." But I'll give you this: any state that produces David Letterman, Kurt Vonnegut and Florence Henderson---and knows when to recoil in horror at a Republican Senate candidate like Richard Mourdock---can't be all bad. Permission to celebrate granted---but be in bed by 8.
CHEERS to a first peek under the radioactive hood. International Atomic Energy inspectors started---oh, what's the word?---inspecting some of Iran's nuclear facilities Sunday. There's good news and bad news. First the good news:
The increased transparency is the result of a thaw in relations between Iran and the West that culminated in a deal struck last month under which Tehran is to curb its nuclear program in return for some easing of sanctions. It was the first time in more than two years that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had been allowed to go to the Arak heavy water production plant, which is designed to supply a research reactor under construction nearby.
The bad news: turns out the entire Iranian nuclear program is under the supervision of Ibrahomer al Simpson.
CHEERS to laughing matters. On December 11, 1844, nitrous oxide was used by a dentist for the first time. They later discovered that things went a lot smoother when it was used by the patient.
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Five years ago in C&J: December 11, 2008
Morning, Larry!
CHEERS to flushing your reputation away in the toilet stall of life. Senator Larry Craig's guilty plea is now
stuck to him like toilet paper on a shoe after a judge refused to overturn it. Shortly after the decision was rendered, Senator Craig issued a brief statement: "
Tap Tap...Tappity tap tap tap." Our fearless prediction: we're lookin' at 2009's
Mr. Crotchless Chaps.
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And just one more…
CHEERS to big bid'ness. Message from Joan, Beth and Linda at the Netroots Nation Holiday Bazaar Auction, which wrapped up Monday night:
SOLD! Send the check to my
offshore account, please.
Thank you again for helping make this wonderful tradition possible! Congrats to all those who won. For all those who donated, thank you for sharing your talent with the community. And if you don't have your registration yet for Netroots Nation 2014 Detroit (June 17-20), visit www.NetrootsNation.org today
This year's auction raised over $2,200 (including $45 for the C&J duckie/lobster/lighthouse cookies), and it'll go to help fund Netroots Nation's programming. So thanks again to everyone who donated and bid. And on a personal note, I can't wait 'til they deliver the lobbyist I won. Best $15 I ever spent.
Make this Wednesday count---Friday the 13th is only two days away. Floor's open...What are you cheering and jeering about today?
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Today's Shameless C&J Testimonial:
Cheers and Jeers cockroach can survive frigid winters---study
---Reuters
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