2002 Caymus Connundrum (white)
A very distinctive and fun white. Intense nose of lychee, honeysuckle, and custard. Though the label doesn't say, I'm betting there's some Viognier, Moscato, and Chardonnay in the blend. Maybe even some Gewurztraminer. Soft, round, and medium-bodied in the mouth, with persistent flavors of ripe grapes, minerals, and flowers. Not completely dry, but close. Very nice and memorable. 91. This was a gift from Christmas 2004, so I don't know what it cost.
2003 Domaine St. Antoine Costieres de Nimes Rosé
Fairly dark color for a rosé. Sweet, ripe watermeolon, grape scents, with hints of tomato skin and steely minerals. Very round and soft in the mouth, with low-ish acidity -- yet still fresh tasting. Very flavorful, softer style of rosé. 87. (And drink up, as this is going to start downhil soon). About $9 at Richard's on San Felipe.
This is yet another of the rosés from the south of France imported by Robert Kacher. He must bring in at least a half dozen of them, and they are always among the best rosés of the given vintage.
This is yet another of the rosés from the south of France imported by Robert Kacher. He must bring in at least a half dozen of them, and they are always among the best rosés of the given vintage.
2004 Pascal & Nicolas Reverdy Sancerre "Les Coutes" (Loire, France)
Outstanding Sauvignon Blanc from the chalky soil of the upper Loire. Pale gold/straw color with greenish glints. Gorgeous (and textbook) nose of flowers, citrus, grapes and chalky minerals. Even a peachy-appley component is there. In truth, the nose immediately transported me to France (I drank a lot of Sancerre, both white and red, in Paris in '85). None of the overly-herbal, grassy or even "cat pee" scents that some folks mistakenly think Sancerre is supposed to have. Only unripe Sancerre has that sort of funky stuff going on.
In the mouth, bright, vibrant appley-mineral flavors prevail, with lemons and steely minerals on the finish. Dry as a bone, yet round and soft in the mouth. In short, ripeness, concentration, and balance are all present. Superb. 91. Was $19.99 at Spec's Warehouse on Smith.
PS -- How many Sancerre wine families are named Reverdy? Must be at least a dozen.
In the mouth, bright, vibrant appley-mineral flavors prevail, with lemons and steely minerals on the finish. Dry as a bone, yet round and soft in the mouth. In short, ripeness, concentration, and balance are all present. Superb. 91. Was $19.99 at Spec's Warehouse on Smith.
PS -- How many Sancerre wine families are named Reverdy? Must be at least a dozen.
2003 Chateau St. Jean Sonoma County Fume Blanc (Sauvignon Blanc)
This is ALWAYS one of the best buys in a complex, balanced, drinkable white in the marketplace. I'll have to describe this one from memory, since my notes on this vanished -- a rare occurrence in my orderly, uncluttered house. . . . NOT.
Chateau St. Jean always gets the oak quality and oak level just right on this wine, year after year. Gorgeous grapey-lanolin nose with bright floral scents and beautifully integrated, subtle high quality toastiness from the barrel aging. Powerful flavors of grapes, honeydew melon, toast and earth. Long finish. In addition to its wide availability, this wine is frequently available at substantial discounts. I got mine a couple of weeks ago at Randall's on Weslayan for $8.99. A steal and a half. 90.
Chateau St. Jean always gets the oak quality and oak level just right on this wine, year after year. Gorgeous grapey-lanolin nose with bright floral scents and beautifully integrated, subtle high quality toastiness from the barrel aging. Powerful flavors of grapes, honeydew melon, toast and earth. Long finish. In addition to its wide availability, this wine is frequently available at substantial discounts. I got mine a couple of weeks ago at Randall's on Weslayan for $8.99. A steal and a half. 90.
2002 Louis Jadot Rully (White Burgundy)
Blech. Mercifully weak nose of oxidation, acetone, and a vague whiff of chemical infused pears. Flavors not quite as bad, with more pears, but still not pleasurable. Something wrong with this puppy. Can't tell if it was poorly-stored or poorly-made. Either way, 15 bucks down the drain. 55.
Mayo Family Winery 2001 Ricci Vineyard Zinfandel Port (Russian River Valley)
Interesting, but a disappointment. Straightforward, ripe, simple stewed raspberries and earth on the nose. Fleshy and sweet, but lighter and simpler in the mouth than I had hoped. Eh. 76.
2004 Cousino-Macul Riesling "Dona Isadora" (Maipo Valley, Chile)
87. I like this one a lot. It's a really good value in an Alsace-style Riesling. Intense nose of earthy-minerally scents, limes, and green apple. Really nice persistence in the mouth. In the crisp, dry style, this would be great with shellfish or shrimp. About $9 a bottle at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
1998 Gary Farrell Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
My bud Robert brought this over for dinner last night, and it was a real refresher course in Zinfandel's aging curve. Deep color, with a tad of lightening at the rim. Not identifiable as a Zinfandel. If I were to have been served this blind, I would have guessed it was a mature Barbaresco. Intensely winey, leathery nose, with some fruit hanging in there underneath, but not the spicy raspberries that mark a young Zin. After a bit of air, notes of menthol and maple syrup emerged. Very long in the mouth. Zin really changes its character quickly after 2 or 3 years in the bottle. I have to say, I am partial to the young ones, however.
Lolonis "Ladybug Red" Old Vines Cuvee V (Redwood Valley, California)
88. A blend of Mendocino County Zinfandel, Carignane, Merlot, and Cabernet. The Zin and Carignane take the starring roles, however. Rich nose of raspberries, plums, and sweet cream. Ripe, soft, fleshy fruit in the mouth. Full, balanced, lingering finish. Gutsy and smooth, if not very complex. Perfect with pasta with meat and/or tomato sauces, or braised meat dishes. Organically grown, to boot. $12.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire -- a very good value.
We Won the Battle with Ford!!!
Update from Americablog:
The Ford Motor Company today released the following letter (below) clarifying that whatever did or did not happen behind closed doors with the American Family Association (AFA) two weeks ago, the company is NOT backing off of its support for the gay community or gay advertising (in contrast to what was reported over the past two weeks).
According to the AFA and media reports over the past two weeks, in order to avoid a boycott from the extremist gay-hating organization, Ford allegedly agreed to:
1. No longer run ads promoting Jaguar or Land Rover in the gay press.
2. No longer support gay events or organizations.
3. Continue running Volvo ads in the gay press, but no longer tailor those ads to the gay community (i.e., in the future such ads would be the same ads that are run in the mainstream media, rather than the crafting the ads to appeal to a gay readership).
Ford addressed and resolved each of our three concerns regarding the above:
1. Ford announced that it will continue to support gay organizations and gay events in the coming year and beyond.
2. Ford is going to run advertisements in the gay media NOT ONLY promoting the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but the ads will promote ALL of Fords brands, by name, including Jaguar and Land Rover.
3. Ford states unequivocally that it will continue to tailor its ads for the specific audience it is trying to reach, and then goes one step further. Ford challenges us to keep an eye out on their upcoming ads in order to verify that they will in fact be tailored.
There is no other way to read this than that Ford did the right thing.
NEVER BE INTIMIDATED!!! We have the power to win against the theocratic-dominionist-fascist machine! We can and will win!
The Ford Motor Company today released the following letter (below) clarifying that whatever did or did not happen behind closed doors with the American Family Association (AFA) two weeks ago, the company is NOT backing off of its support for the gay community or gay advertising (in contrast to what was reported over the past two weeks).
According to the AFA and media reports over the past two weeks, in order to avoid a boycott from the extremist gay-hating organization, Ford allegedly agreed to:
1. No longer run ads promoting Jaguar or Land Rover in the gay press.
2. No longer support gay events or organizations.
3. Continue running Volvo ads in the gay press, but no longer tailor those ads to the gay community (i.e., in the future such ads would be the same ads that are run in the mainstream media, rather than the crafting the ads to appeal to a gay readership).
Ford addressed and resolved each of our three concerns regarding the above:
1. Ford announced that it will continue to support gay organizations and gay events in the coming year and beyond.
2. Ford is going to run advertisements in the gay media NOT ONLY promoting the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, but the ads will promote ALL of Fords brands, by name, including Jaguar and Land Rover.
3. Ford states unequivocally that it will continue to tailor its ads for the specific audience it is trying to reach, and then goes one step further. Ford challenges us to keep an eye out on their upcoming ads in order to verify that they will in fact be tailored.
There is no other way to read this than that Ford did the right thing.
NEVER BE INTIMIDATED!!! We have the power to win against the theocratic-dominionist-fascist machine! We can and will win!
Ford Keeps Sinking
Boy, they just keep getting their asses kicked. I guess it's true what my momma always said: "If you go to bed with dogs, you'll wake up with fleas."
Well, they got in bed with the AFA, now Ford is their bitch. I don't know if all the spin in the world will fix what ails them: pure unadulterated bigotry.
A headline from the Holmes Report, one of the TOP corporate communications publications in the country that EVERY public relations agency reads, states:
Under Pressure From KKK, Ford Pulls Ads From Black Media
Okay, so that’s not quite the story, although the KKK should probably give it a try, because if Ford’s craven response to pressure from the American Family Association is any indication, the company would buckle under at the first sign of trouble....
...
Forty years ago, at the height of the civil rights struggle, the KKK had about the same economic influence, popular support and moral authority the American Family Association enjoys today. It’s hard to imagine that Ford then would have negotiated with the Klan, far less given it an excuse to claim victory. The company’s surrender to the AFA tells you all you need to know about the quality of leadership at Ford today.
Well, they got in bed with the AFA, now Ford is their bitch. I don't know if all the spin in the world will fix what ails them: pure unadulterated bigotry.
A headline from the Holmes Report, one of the TOP corporate communications publications in the country that EVERY public relations agency reads, states:
Under Pressure From KKK, Ford Pulls Ads From Black Media
Okay, so that’s not quite the story, although the KKK should probably give it a try, because if Ford’s craven response to pressure from the American Family Association is any indication, the company would buckle under at the first sign of trouble....
...
Forty years ago, at the height of the civil rights struggle, the KKK had about the same economic influence, popular support and moral authority the American Family Association enjoys today. It’s hard to imagine that Ford then would have negotiated with the Klan, far less given it an excuse to claim victory. The company’s surrender to the AFA tells you all you need to know about the quality of leadership at Ford today.
CT Not Inundated Over Civil Unions
Some may laud it as a step in the right direction, but not everyone is rushing to the clerk's office to get a civil union license:
The Levine-Rittermans plan to enter a civil union, once they find the time between shuttling Maya to horseback riding lessons and Joshua, 8, to tae kwon do.
But if the law allowed marriage, Barbara said, "We would have done it Oct. 1."
Since their 1992 commitment ceremony, the couple has secured as many legal protections for their union as possible. A civil union would extend those rights, though they still wouldn’t be able to file taxes together, or have their union recognized outside Connecticut. The federal government does not recognize civil unions.
"We’re going to go do it because we think we should have those legal rights," Robin said. "But it’s not very meaningful for us," Barbara said. "To be able to be married — that would have real emotional resonance. If Maya could say to her friends, ‘My mommies are married,’ they’d know exactly what she meant.(Civil union) just isn’t in the cultural vocabulary."
The Levine-Rittermans say gay couples they know have had mixed reactions to civil union legislation. Some got civil unions immediately and threw parties to celebrate. Others say they won’t, ever. "They feel it’s offensive," Barbara said. "Separate but unequal."
The Levine-Rittermans plan to enter a civil union, once they find the time between shuttling Maya to horseback riding lessons and Joshua, 8, to tae kwon do.
But if the law allowed marriage, Barbara said, "We would have done it Oct. 1."
Since their 1992 commitment ceremony, the couple has secured as many legal protections for their union as possible. A civil union would extend those rights, though they still wouldn’t be able to file taxes together, or have their union recognized outside Connecticut. The federal government does not recognize civil unions.
"We’re going to go do it because we think we should have those legal rights," Robin said. "But it’s not very meaningful for us," Barbara said. "To be able to be married — that would have real emotional resonance. If Maya could say to her friends, ‘My mommies are married,’ they’d know exactly what she meant.(Civil union) just isn’t in the cultural vocabulary."
The Levine-Rittermans say gay couples they know have had mixed reactions to civil union legislation. Some got civil unions immediately and threw parties to celebrate. Others say they won’t, ever. "They feel it’s offensive," Barbara said. "Separate but unequal."
Brit Govt Officially Tallies Gay Population
The British government in a series of studies over the past 15 years, now believe they have a handle on a fairly accurate figure for their gay population: 3.6 million (that's approx. 6% BTW).
"This is a significant moment,'' Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of Stonewall, told the newspaper. "For the first time the government has robustly acknowledged the existence of a substantial number of gay people in Britain. This is welcome and long overdue.
"This is a significant moment,'' Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of Stonewall, told the newspaper. "For the first time the government has robustly acknowledged the existence of a substantial number of gay people in Britain. This is welcome and long overdue.
Brokeback Mountain has phenomenal opening
From The Advocate:
The long-awaited film version of writer Annie Proulx's cowboy love story, Brokeback Mountain, opened December 9 to long lines of moviegoers in three cities. By the end of the weekend it had broken box-office records and carried home some of the first major prizes of the year-end season.
...
"This is an astonishing accomplishment and a real testament to how this film is connecting with audiences," said Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "Brokeback Mountain is truly a remarkable event, and its journey and impact are just beginning."
...
The critical reception to the movie has been glowing since its debut in September at the Toronto Film Festival, where it won the top prize, and on Saturday the Los Angeles Film Critics Association named it the best film of the year. The group also gave Lee the best director prize. Gyllenhaal and Ledger did not win acting honors from LAFCA, which went to another actor in a gay role: Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in the film Capote.
Saw another movie this weekend that surprised me: D.E.B.S.
It was cheesy and funny, but definitely an under-the-radar lesbian movie. A good description for it: Charlie's Angels meets Bound! WOW!
The long-awaited film version of writer Annie Proulx's cowboy love story, Brokeback Mountain, opened December 9 to long lines of moviegoers in three cities. By the end of the weekend it had broken box-office records and carried home some of the first major prizes of the year-end season.
...
"This is an astonishing accomplishment and a real testament to how this film is connecting with audiences," said Neil G. Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "Brokeback Mountain is truly a remarkable event, and its journey and impact are just beginning."
...
The critical reception to the movie has been glowing since its debut in September at the Toronto Film Festival, where it won the top prize, and on Saturday the Los Angeles Film Critics Association named it the best film of the year. The group also gave Lee the best director prize. Gyllenhaal and Ledger did not win acting honors from LAFCA, which went to another actor in a gay role: Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in the film Capote.
Saw another movie this weekend that surprised me: D.E.B.S.
It was cheesy and funny, but definitely an under-the-radar lesbian movie. A good description for it: Charlie's Angels meets Bound! WOW!
The U.S. Constitution: "Just a goddamned piece of paper!"
I don't know if this is true or not, but I'd be VERY afraid of anyone who thinks this.
I've talked to three people present for the meeting that day and they all confirm that the President of the United States called the Constitution "a goddamned piece of paper."
And, to the Bush Administration, the Constitution of the United States is little more than toilet paper stained from all the shit that this group of power-mad despots have dumped on the freedoms that "goddamned piece of paper" used to guarantee.
Having such a heinous view of the Constitution cannot be a good thing. It's served us well for 200 years and should be revered and respected.
I've talked to three people present for the meeting that day and they all confirm that the President of the United States called the Constitution "a goddamned piece of paper."
And, to the Bush Administration, the Constitution of the United States is little more than toilet paper stained from all the shit that this group of power-mad despots have dumped on the freedoms that "goddamned piece of paper" used to guarantee.
Having such a heinous view of the Constitution cannot be a good thing. It's served us well for 200 years and should be revered and respected.
Open Thread-A Tribute to John Lennon
May he Rest in Peace...
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)
People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.
Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Strong feelings do not necessarily make a strong character. The strength of a man is to be measured by the power of the feelings he subdues not by the power of those which subdue him.
William Carleton
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.
Helen Keller (1880 - 1968)
People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.
Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
Strong feelings do not necessarily make a strong character. The strength of a man is to be measured by the power of the feelings he subdues not by the power of those which subdue him.
William Carleton
Peace and Many Questions
The suspected killer of a local gay man was finally apprehended
A 16-year-old Maplewood High School student was arrested and charged with the murder of Eric Scott Mansfield.
...
Mansfield, 33, was fatally wounded while behind the wheel of his silver Volkswagen Jetta at Chapel and Greenwood Avenues on Friday, Nov. 11. Mansfield drove a short distance before pulling to the side of Chapel Avenue between Douglas and McKennie Avenues. He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was found unresponsive by his partner, O&AN staff writer David Miller.
A follow-up article analyzed the local newspapers and news sources early responses to the story. From the uncertainty in how to acknowledge Mansfield's partner, David Miller, to the extent of recognition to give their relationship in write-ups and on camera. Making it even more difficult was the inability of Mr. Miller to discuss the matter.
Friends of David Miller report that local mainstream media is, in fact, interested in this story and the unsolved crime. Though he receives calls from local media on a daily basis, they say he remains unable to speak of his experience without breaking down.
At least now, Eric Mansfield and his partner, two children, and parents he left behind can have a brief moment of piece. Let's hope justice is found.
A 16-year-old Maplewood High School student was arrested and charged with the murder of Eric Scott Mansfield.
...
Mansfield, 33, was fatally wounded while behind the wheel of his silver Volkswagen Jetta at Chapel and Greenwood Avenues on Friday, Nov. 11. Mansfield drove a short distance before pulling to the side of Chapel Avenue between Douglas and McKennie Avenues. He suffered a gunshot wound to the chest and was found unresponsive by his partner, O&AN staff writer David Miller.
A follow-up article analyzed the local newspapers and news sources early responses to the story. From the uncertainty in how to acknowledge Mansfield's partner, David Miller, to the extent of recognition to give their relationship in write-ups and on camera. Making it even more difficult was the inability of Mr. Miller to discuss the matter.
Friends of David Miller report that local mainstream media is, in fact, interested in this story and the unsolved crime. Though he receives calls from local media on a daily basis, they say he remains unable to speak of his experience without breaking down.
At least now, Eric Mansfield and his partner, two children, and parents he left behind can have a brief moment of piece. Let's hope justice is found.
Ford Situation Getting More and More Interesting
Reports are all over the news about Ford and their dealings with the devil today.
It doesn't end there...oh no, never does:
In a Nov. 29 meeting at AFA headquarters in Tupelo, MS, David Leitch, general counsel and vice president for Ford, and Ziad Ojakli, group vice president-Corporate Affairs, along with Dallas-area Ford dealer Jerry Reynolds, hammered out a deal.
So who are these two boys, Leitch and Ojakli?
None other than two former senior Bush administration officials.
More details HERE!
PLUS, Ford just keeps lying and lying and lying:
It seems Ford is telling customers and others upset about their succumbing to a hate-group like the AFA that the initial reports weren't entirely true (in other words, some of it was true).
However, reports from several journalists with direct contact with Ford reps have concurred otherwise:
"...he did confirm that Ford had indeed reached a formal settlement with AFA, and this specifically includes withdrawing advertising for certain Ford vehicles from LGBT publications/media."
Read more about the lies HERE!
The only way to kill the Beast is to sever the triangulation (er, strangulation) between religion, big business, and politics.
I don't care if we are called un-American, unDemocratic, unChristian, blah, blah, blah!
Religion needs to keep it's nose out of business and politics or it gets the shit taxed out of it!
They want to be a business then they need to get taxed like a business.
It doesn't end there...oh no, never does:
In a Nov. 29 meeting at AFA headquarters in Tupelo, MS, David Leitch, general counsel and vice president for Ford, and Ziad Ojakli, group vice president-Corporate Affairs, along with Dallas-area Ford dealer Jerry Reynolds, hammered out a deal.
So who are these two boys, Leitch and Ojakli?
None other than two former senior Bush administration officials.
More details HERE!
PLUS, Ford just keeps lying and lying and lying:
It seems Ford is telling customers and others upset about their succumbing to a hate-group like the AFA that the initial reports weren't entirely true (in other words, some of it was true).
However, reports from several journalists with direct contact with Ford reps have concurred otherwise:
"...he did confirm that Ford had indeed reached a formal settlement with AFA, and this specifically includes withdrawing advertising for certain Ford vehicles from LGBT publications/media."
Read more about the lies HERE!
The only way to kill the Beast is to sever the triangulation (er, strangulation) between religion, big business, and politics.
I don't care if we are called un-American, unDemocratic, unChristian, blah, blah, blah!
Religion needs to keep it's nose out of business and politics or it gets the shit taxed out of it!
They want to be a business then they need to get taxed like a business.
A Deeper Understanding
Forgive this long post but while doing some research I ran across this book which clearly outlines some current cultural issues for the GLBT community. It has given me some insight (and perhaps pity) for heterosexist mentalities:
Heterosexism, as defined by Jung and Smith (1993), is a "reasoned system of bias regarding sexual orientation [that] denotes prejudice in favor of heterosexual people and connotes prejudice against bisexual and, especially, homosexual people" (13). Herek (1995) elaborated by defining heterosexism as a system of denial, denigration, and stigma towards any non-heterosexual behavior, relationship, or identity. Utilizing these definitions, heterosexism, then, is a reasoned system of bias regarding sexual orientation that denotes prejudice in favor of heterosexual people and denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community.
...
In 1992, Warren Blumenfeld edited the text Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price, which highlighted the ways in which heterosexism, or homophobia as defined by Blumenfeld, hurts the members of the heterosexual community. While GLBT people are “marginalized and disenfranchised” by heterosexism, this form of oppression serves “the dominant group [heterosexuals] by establishing and maintaining power and mastery” over the nonheterosexual minority (8). Despite the privileges assumed by heterosexuals as a result of this power, they, too, pay a price. As outlined by Blumenfeld, heterosexism hurts heterosexuals in the following ways:
First, heterosexism locks people into “rigid gender-based roles that inhibit creativity and self expression” (8).
...
Second, heterosexism “compromises the integrity of heterosexual people by pressuring them to treat others badly, actions contrary to their basic humanity” (9).
...
Third, heterosexism “greatly restricts communication with a significant portion of the populations” (Blumenfeld, 1992, 9-10)... As noted by Jung and Smith (1993), “[T]he dishonesty, secretiveness, manipulation, hatred, and ostracism fostered by heterosexism undermine the development of healthy social interaction” (95).
Fourth, heterosexism can be used to “stigmatize, silence, and on occasion, target people who are perceived by others as gay, lesbian, or bisexual but who are in actuality heterosexual” (Blumenfeld, 1992, 11)...According to the Community United Against Violence (CUAV), an agency that serves the victims of anti-gay and antilesbian violence, “3 percent of the over three hundred victims seen by CUAV each year identify as heterosexuals” (as cited in Vazquez, p. 160).
Finally, heterosexism “inhibits appreciation of other types of diversity, making it unsafe for everyone because each person has unique traits not considered mainstream or dominant” (Blumenfeld, 1992, 13). As demonstrated previously, heterosexism promotes stereotypes, based on physical traits or gender roles, associated with GLBT people that affect both the non-heterosexual minority and the heterosexual community. Thus, heterosexism inhibits appreciation of diversity.
From Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender College Students, by Ronni Sanlo, EdD, pp. 269-271.
For a link to the referenced section from the book CLICK HERE
Heterosexism, as defined by Jung and Smith (1993), is a "reasoned system of bias regarding sexual orientation [that] denotes prejudice in favor of heterosexual people and connotes prejudice against bisexual and, especially, homosexual people" (13). Herek (1995) elaborated by defining heterosexism as a system of denial, denigration, and stigma towards any non-heterosexual behavior, relationship, or identity. Utilizing these definitions, heterosexism, then, is a reasoned system of bias regarding sexual orientation that denotes prejudice in favor of heterosexual people and denies, denigrates, and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community.
...
In 1992, Warren Blumenfeld edited the text Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price, which highlighted the ways in which heterosexism, or homophobia as defined by Blumenfeld, hurts the members of the heterosexual community. While GLBT people are “marginalized and disenfranchised” by heterosexism, this form of oppression serves “the dominant group [heterosexuals] by establishing and maintaining power and mastery” over the nonheterosexual minority (8). Despite the privileges assumed by heterosexuals as a result of this power, they, too, pay a price. As outlined by Blumenfeld, heterosexism hurts heterosexuals in the following ways:
First, heterosexism locks people into “rigid gender-based roles that inhibit creativity and self expression” (8).
...
Second, heterosexism “compromises the integrity of heterosexual people by pressuring them to treat others badly, actions contrary to their basic humanity” (9).
...
Third, heterosexism “greatly restricts communication with a significant portion of the populations” (Blumenfeld, 1992, 9-10)... As noted by Jung and Smith (1993), “[T]he dishonesty, secretiveness, manipulation, hatred, and ostracism fostered by heterosexism undermine the development of healthy social interaction” (95).
Fourth, heterosexism can be used to “stigmatize, silence, and on occasion, target people who are perceived by others as gay, lesbian, or bisexual but who are in actuality heterosexual” (Blumenfeld, 1992, 11)...According to the Community United Against Violence (CUAV), an agency that serves the victims of anti-gay and antilesbian violence, “3 percent of the over three hundred victims seen by CUAV each year identify as heterosexuals” (as cited in Vazquez, p. 160).
Finally, heterosexism “inhibits appreciation of other types of diversity, making it unsafe for everyone because each person has unique traits not considered mainstream or dominant” (Blumenfeld, 1992, 13). As demonstrated previously, heterosexism promotes stereotypes, based on physical traits or gender roles, associated with GLBT people that affect both the non-heterosexual minority and the heterosexual community. Thus, heterosexism inhibits appreciation of diversity.
From Working with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender College Students, by Ronni Sanlo, EdD, pp. 269-271.
For a link to the referenced section from the book CLICK HERE
Where's My Cushy Job?!
I want a job where I can do nothing, enforce my beliefs on others, and still get paid handsomely for it!!! Who knew you could get a degree in theology and practice as a medical doctor???
A state appeals court has ruled that two fertility doctors had the right to refuse to artificially inseminate a lesbian based on her marital status because it would have violated their religious beliefs.
Friday's ruling reversed a lower court decision that Drs. Christine Brody and Douglas Fenton could not use religion as a defense against a lawsuit filed by Guadalupe Benitez.
The panel found that the doctors were within their rights because they based their decision on Benitez's unmarried status and that discrimination based on marital status is not prohibited by state law.
Benitez, 33, sued the doctors and their small practice in Vista in 2001, claiming their actions violated California's anti-discrimination laws.
Benitez was eventually treated elsewhere and gave birth to a boy who is now 3 years old.
In her suit, Benitez claims that Brody told her in 1999 that her religious beliefs prevented her from helping a homosexual conceive a child by artificial insemination, but that other physicians at the practice would be able to help her.
The next year, Benitez said, she was told that both Brody and Fenton were unable to help her because they did not feel comfortable with her sexual orientation.
IMAGINE the possibilities, IF I was able to tell all these infertile hetero couples, SORRY!!! I don't like the fact that you're married and straight and all and trying to get pregnant so I don't think I'm going to help you. Boy, talk about being able to control the friggin' population!!! Better than trying to foster or adopt their unwanted kids! What a hassle that's been, plus I get paid for forcing my beliefs on them.
SWEET GIG!!!
A state appeals court has ruled that two fertility doctors had the right to refuse to artificially inseminate a lesbian based on her marital status because it would have violated their religious beliefs.
Friday's ruling reversed a lower court decision that Drs. Christine Brody and Douglas Fenton could not use religion as a defense against a lawsuit filed by Guadalupe Benitez.
The panel found that the doctors were within their rights because they based their decision on Benitez's unmarried status and that discrimination based on marital status is not prohibited by state law.
Benitez, 33, sued the doctors and their small practice in Vista in 2001, claiming their actions violated California's anti-discrimination laws.
Benitez was eventually treated elsewhere and gave birth to a boy who is now 3 years old.
In her suit, Benitez claims that Brody told her in 1999 that her religious beliefs prevented her from helping a homosexual conceive a child by artificial insemination, but that other physicians at the practice would be able to help her.
The next year, Benitez said, she was told that both Brody and Fenton were unable to help her because they did not feel comfortable with her sexual orientation.
IMAGINE the possibilities, IF I was able to tell all these infertile hetero couples, SORRY!!! I don't like the fact that you're married and straight and all and trying to get pregnant so I don't think I'm going to help you. Boy, talk about being able to control the friggin' population!!! Better than trying to foster or adopt their unwanted kids! What a hassle that's been, plus I get paid for forcing my beliefs on them.
SWEET GIG!!!
Shame on Ford!
I knew I should have bought a Subaru instead!
In a nutshell, the rabid homophobes at the American Family Association threatened Ford with a boycott earlier this year because they were advertising in the gay press. Suddenly in June the AFA called off their threatened boycott because local Ford dealers had contacted the national Ford office and, apparently, suggested Ford might be amenable to working out a deal. Now we find out that Ford is pulling its gay ads and that Ford even tells the Advocate that the AFA's press release claiming credit for this entire thing is accurate.
Ford wants to dance with bigots, that's fine. But you don't get to do that in the year 2005 and remain a prosperous company in America.
Hmmm, plants closing and employee layoffs, but they can afford to dance with bigots. That's alright, a Subaru drives better and has better gas mileage. Besides, it's almost a necessity for the snowy roads of my future home in the Northeast or Northwest. Screw 'em!
Update: Seems Daddy Ford danced with devils many years ago
Henry Ford began publication of a newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, in 1919. The paper ran for eight years, during which it republished "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion," which has since been discredited as an anti-Semitic forgery. The American Jewish Historical Society describes the ideas presented in it as "anti-immigrant, anti-labor, anti-liquor, and anti-Semitic".
The Independent also published, in Ford's name, several anti-Jewish articles which were released in the early 1920s as a set of four bound volumes, cumulatively titled "The International Jew, the World's Foremost Problem." These volumes were distributed through Ford's car dealerships. Denounced by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the articles nevertheless explicitly condemned pogroms and violence against Jews (Volume 4, Chapter 80), preferring to blame incidents of mass violence on the Jews themselves. None of this work was actually penned by Ford, though they required his tacit approval since he was the paper's publisher....
...
Ford's indirect financial backing of the Nazis was also undeniable, as Ford Motor Company was active in Germany's military buildup prior to World War II. In 1938, for instance, Ford assisted to construct an assembly plant in Berlin, the purpose of which was to supply trucks to the Wehrmacht. Forced labor was employed to produce 78,000 trucks and 14,000 track vehicles. In July of that year, Ford was awarded (and accepted) the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle (Großkreuz des Deutschen Adlerordens). Ford was the first American and the fourth person given this award, at the time Nazi Germany's highest honorary award given to foreigners. The decoration was given "in recognition of [Ford's] pioneering in making motor cars available for the masses." The award was accompanied by a personal congratulatory message from Adolf Hitler. [Detroit News, July 31, 1938.] A portrait of Ford was hung at the Nazi party's headquarters in Munich.
Once rotten, always rotten. Hate of any group manages to trickle down from the top leader to the meager followers and infect society like a virus. Truly sad...
In a nutshell, the rabid homophobes at the American Family Association threatened Ford with a boycott earlier this year because they were advertising in the gay press. Suddenly in June the AFA called off their threatened boycott because local Ford dealers had contacted the national Ford office and, apparently, suggested Ford might be amenable to working out a deal. Now we find out that Ford is pulling its gay ads and that Ford even tells the Advocate that the AFA's press release claiming credit for this entire thing is accurate.
Ford wants to dance with bigots, that's fine. But you don't get to do that in the year 2005 and remain a prosperous company in America.
Hmmm, plants closing and employee layoffs, but they can afford to dance with bigots. That's alright, a Subaru drives better and has better gas mileage. Besides, it's almost a necessity for the snowy roads of my future home in the Northeast or Northwest. Screw 'em!
Update: Seems Daddy Ford danced with devils many years ago
Henry Ford began publication of a newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, in 1919. The paper ran for eight years, during which it republished "Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion," which has since been discredited as an anti-Semitic forgery. The American Jewish Historical Society describes the ideas presented in it as "anti-immigrant, anti-labor, anti-liquor, and anti-Semitic".
The Independent also published, in Ford's name, several anti-Jewish articles which were released in the early 1920s as a set of four bound volumes, cumulatively titled "The International Jew, the World's Foremost Problem." These volumes were distributed through Ford's car dealerships. Denounced by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the articles nevertheless explicitly condemned pogroms and violence against Jews (Volume 4, Chapter 80), preferring to blame incidents of mass violence on the Jews themselves. None of this work was actually penned by Ford, though they required his tacit approval since he was the paper's publisher....
...
Ford's indirect financial backing of the Nazis was also undeniable, as Ford Motor Company was active in Germany's military buildup prior to World War II. In 1938, for instance, Ford assisted to construct an assembly plant in Berlin, the purpose of which was to supply trucks to the Wehrmacht. Forced labor was employed to produce 78,000 trucks and 14,000 track vehicles. In July of that year, Ford was awarded (and accepted) the Grand Cross of the Order of the German Eagle (Großkreuz des Deutschen Adlerordens). Ford was the first American and the fourth person given this award, at the time Nazi Germany's highest honorary award given to foreigners. The decoration was given "in recognition of [Ford's] pioneering in making motor cars available for the masses." The award was accompanied by a personal congratulatory message from Adolf Hitler. [Detroit News, July 31, 1938.] A portrait of Ford was hung at the Nazi party's headquarters in Munich.
Once rotten, always rotten. Hate of any group manages to trickle down from the top leader to the meager followers and infect society like a virus. Truly sad...
Two More Wines from Mom & Dad's Visit
All of the wines from back on November 17 are from Mom & Dad's visit. That explains why I've gotten into some of the "non-cheapies" in my wine closet. These will be the last two from the visit, and then it's back to more reasonably priced fare.
2002 St. Clement Carneros Chardonnay -- This was a really good California Chardonnay, and I'm not that big a fan of California Chardonnay anymore. It had a nice, lightly toasty, smoky nose with lots of ripe apply-pear scents. No cheap oak, cloying butterscotchy-ness. Huge body (15.4% alc.!), but nicely balanced and still fresh. Got it at Richard's on San Felipe about 9 months ago. Can't remember the price.
Three Rivers Winery "Biscuit Ridge Vineyard" Late Harvest Gewurztraminer (Walla Walla Valley, Washington) -- A moderately priced, light bodied, soft dessert wine, with nice, if not inspiring Gewurztraminer character. Auslese style. Very pleasant, but not very complex or deep. About $14 a half bottle at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
2002 St. Clement Carneros Chardonnay -- This was a really good California Chardonnay, and I'm not that big a fan of California Chardonnay anymore. It had a nice, lightly toasty, smoky nose with lots of ripe apply-pear scents. No cheap oak, cloying butterscotchy-ness. Huge body (15.4% alc.!), but nicely balanced and still fresh. Got it at Richard's on San Felipe about 9 months ago. Can't remember the price.
Three Rivers Winery "Biscuit Ridge Vineyard" Late Harvest Gewurztraminer (Walla Walla Valley, Washington) -- A moderately priced, light bodied, soft dessert wine, with nice, if not inspiring Gewurztraminer character. Auslese style. Very pleasant, but not very complex or deep. About $14 a half bottle at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
1999 Marziano Abbona Barolo "Pressenda"
THIS is old style Barolo. Black ruby color -- no sign of age. Very closed, tight nose. With significant decanter time, however, austere, tight, earthy baker's chocolate aromas reluctantly emerge, with minerally black fruits and prunes underneath. Long, austere, tannic, and very full-bodied. This wine was WAY too young. It needed at least another 5 years to open up and soften. This is truly an old-style, ageworthy Barolo. 89+. I ordered this from Zachy's in NY about a year and a half ago (Good Barolos are hard to find in Houston, for some reason; and other Piemonte wines as well). I think it was around $36.
2003 Dashe Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Classic Dry Creek Valley Zin aromas of sweet, spiced, oozing raspberries and powdery crushed stones. Dense, balanced, rich flavors of raspberry syrup, fragrant briar-forest scents, and minerals. Absolutely prototypical. I just love Zin. 90. Got it at Spec's Warehouse on Smith. Can't remember the price, but I think it was between $20-25.
Your Blues Ain't Like Mine
Excellent entry on Keith Boykin's site from a black gay man's point of view comparing the civil rights movement to the gay rights movement.
I am confident that 50 years from now we will look back at this day in the same way we look back at the anniversary of Rosa Parks's courageous move. Our children and grandchildren will wonder why our society was so obsessed with perpetuating bigotry against gays and lesbians. And they will ask us which side we were on and what did we do to make a difference.
I am confident that 50 years from now we will look back at this day in the same way we look back at the anniversary of Rosa Parks's courageous move. Our children and grandchildren will wonder why our society was so obsessed with perpetuating bigotry against gays and lesbians. And they will ask us which side we were on and what did we do to make a difference.
Amazing!
The former apartheid capitol of the world, South Africa, legalizes marriage rights for same-sex couples.
In the post apartheid years, tremendous strides have been made in GLBT rights in South Africa.
South Africa's post apartheid constitution states that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals have the same rights as any other individual. Section 9 of the Constitution outlaws discrimination in South Africa based on sexual orientation.
Thursday's ruling was the latest in a series of legal wins for gays and lesbians dating back to 1998 when sodomy was decriminalized.
The following year immigrant partners of South African lesbians and gays were allowed to apply for permanent residence.
Same-sex adoption was legalized in 2002 and in 2003 the government bowed to pressure and permitted domestic partner benefits.
Could these be lessons learned from a terribly discriminatory country? If South Africa of all countries can recognize the humanity of its GLBT citizens, why can't we? Aren't we "the land of the free" too?
In the post apartheid years, tremendous strides have been made in GLBT rights in South Africa.
South Africa's post apartheid constitution states that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals have the same rights as any other individual. Section 9 of the Constitution outlaws discrimination in South Africa based on sexual orientation.
Thursday's ruling was the latest in a series of legal wins for gays and lesbians dating back to 1998 when sodomy was decriminalized.
The following year immigrant partners of South African lesbians and gays were allowed to apply for permanent residence.
Same-sex adoption was legalized in 2002 and in 2003 the government bowed to pressure and permitted domestic partner benefits.
Could these be lessons learned from a terribly discriminatory country? If South Africa of all countries can recognize the humanity of its GLBT citizens, why can't we? Aren't we "the land of the free" too?
Open Thread
A few deep thoughts to get you rolling:
The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for. Oscar Wilde
What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? Mahatma Gandhi, "Non-Violence in Peace and War"
What else is love but understanding and rejoicing in the fact that another person lives, acts, and experiences otherwise than we do…?
Friedrich Nietzsche
What's on your mind?
The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for. Oscar Wilde
What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? Mahatma Gandhi, "Non-Violence in Peace and War"
What else is love but understanding and rejoicing in the fact that another person lives, acts, and experiences otherwise than we do…?
Friedrich Nietzsche
What's on your mind?
2003 Allegrini Valpolicella Classico
Intense but simple nose of crunchy cherries and almond extract. Angular and vibrant in the mouth. Needs lots of exposure to air to calm down. Not bad, but not my style of Valpo. 84. About $10 or $11, I think, at Spec's (all stores).
2001 Patric LeSec Cotes du Rhone "Baumes" (red)
My last bottle of this superb value. Medium ruby color, tending toward brick at the edges. Big, juicy, earthy fragrances of peaches, plum juice, lemon, soy sauce, and roast pork. Rich, ripe plum & spicy raspberry fruit and earth flavors, with a hint of iodine. Silky textured and long in the mouth. Not particularly full-bodied, but very flavorful and complex. 90. Was about $12 at Spec's (on Holcombe and on Westheimer).
2002 Salomon Pfaffenberg Riesling (Austria)
Interesting greenish-pewtery gold color. Fascinating nose of limes, minerals, and Alsace Riesling-like "gout de petrol." Fresh, bright, citrusy/minerally flavors. Like a dry, austere style Alsace Riesling, but lighter in body and with higher acidity, like a German Mosel. Would be stunning with shellfish or shrimp. 87. About $15 at Spec's on Westheimer.
1999 Quilceda Creek "Red Table Wine" (Columbia Valley, Washington State)
This a Bordeaux-style Cabernet/Merlot/etc. blend. Great nose, although shy at first, of graphite/charcoal, oozingly sweet raspberry jam and blackberries, and spiced sweet cream. Flavors are nice, but don't quite meet the promise of the nose, with rich, full-bodied, smoky, peppery black fruit and scorched earth flavors. Long finish. 88. Bought this a year or two ago at Richard's on San Felipe. Don't remember the price, but it wasn't cheap.
1982 Chateau Leoville-Barton (St. Julien, Bordeaux)
Aarrgghh. Corked! And it was my last bottle, dammit.
2003 Josef Schmid Gruner Veltliner "Alte Reben Priorissa" (Kremstal, Austria)
Dad and Mom bought this in Austria on the recommendation of a Viennese wine shop owner. Grapefruit and green apple nose, with hints of sweet cream. Soft, alomost oily texture in the mouth, with contrasting flavors of ripe pears and peppery minerals. Clean, crisp, but hot finish. Maybe too angular as an aperitif wine (which is how we drank it) but I think it would shine with some shrimp or shellfish. 87.
2002 Ridge "Geyserville" (Alexander Valley Zinfandel)
A really fine, but atypical Geyserville. Tastes more like an old style fully-extracted Napa Valley cabernet or a new style Amarone than an Alexander Valley Zin. Black ruby/violet color. Unbelievable but non-traditional nose of sweet graphite, prunes, blueberries, chokecherry brandy and scorched earth. Rich, tannic mouthfeel, with inky, Amarone-style fruit. Long, rich finish. Wow! 92. $22.50 at Spec's Warehouse on Smith. Would be amazing with a mesquite-grilled Porterhouse.
2003 Tenuta Barche Soave "Marcato"
A wine about to flame out, living dangerously. Very evolved brassy copper/gold color. Looks oxidized, but doesn't taste as old as it looks. Intense nose of almond paste and pear extract, with a hint of oxidation in the background. Intense almond paste/lemon/apple flavors. Decent finish. DRINK IT YESTERDAY! Obviously the intense heat of the 2003 European summer has resulted in the precarious structure of this wine. 84. $9.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
2001 Quivira "Dry Creek Cuvée" (red)
Very nice Rhone style red from Sonoma County. A blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and Zinfandel. Slightly evolved color -- dark ruby with some brick at the edges. Nose of sweet earthy, foresty, "garrigue" scents, with spicy plum juice and sweet creamy pastries. Rich flavors of earthy-licorice and inky blackberry essence, with a piney component in the background. Soft mouthfeel and long finish. Very nice and at its peak. 88. I've had this for quite a while. I vaguely remember getting it at Spec's on Westheimer a couple of years ago for about $13.
2000 Domaine du Pavillon-Mercurol Crozes-Hermitage (red)
A very classy red. Wonderful nose of earthy, licorice, Portuguese sausage, and spicy blueberries. Medium-bodied, intensely fruity flavors, good acidity (not noticeable but helping to provide a nice light mouthfeel). Long, fruity finish. Would go well with a wide range of dishes. One of the best Crozes-Hermitages I've ever had. 89. I think I paid around $14 or $15 at Richard's on San Felipe for this.
Prayers for Laurel
This article says it all.
Laurel, I'm sorry. You should be able to pass from this world without these worries on you. You should have peace to know your loved one will be safe and sheltered, that your love and hardword together is honored and respected. Laurel, I apologize for the human race for being so callous, so unfeeling, so unloving to a dying woman.
I wish you peace in a better world where love knows no limits.
SHAME ON US!!!
Laurel, I'm sorry. You should be able to pass from this world without these worries on you. You should have peace to know your loved one will be safe and sheltered, that your love and hardword together is honored and respected. Laurel, I apologize for the human race for being so callous, so unfeeling, so unloving to a dying woman.
I wish you peace in a better world where love knows no limits.
SHAME ON US!!!
Happy Thanksgiving Day?
Focus on the Family wants to make sure that New Yorkers don't have a "Happy" Thanksgiving Day, at least in a "gay" way.
Instead of spending time with their own families (since they are SOOOOO family values-oriented, you know) on Thanksgiving, they would rather spend that precious family time pelting New Yorkers at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with anti-tolerance ad campaign.
Focus on the Family has announced plans to distribute 5,000 balls during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to promote a website it operates that claims homosexuality is a disorder that can be changed through faith.
The balls - called "stress balls" are part of a major effort by FOF reach a wider audience during the holidays. Each ball carries the name of its advice site http://www.troubledwith.com. The Web site also carries faith-based advice on topics ranging from eating disorders to depression.
The balls will be tossed out by volunteers along the route and is not part of the official parade. Because they will be on public property there is little Macy's can do.
Last week the Colorado-Springs-based FOF began running ads on the giant electronic billboard in Times Square, and on Monday, it launched ads on "Dr. Phil" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on New York television stations.
This ad campaign is not an accident though.
The conservative ministry appears to be in a desperate search for new, younger followers to tune in to the radio show by Focus founder James Dobson. Web site creator Steve Watters told the Associated Press that the number of listeners has not been growing in recent years and that most people who call for help are in their late 40s.
These folks just need to get a life! What is it with this perpetual need to ruin perfectly happy events? Seriously, whatever happened to spending quality time with your OWN family? When people spend this much time worrying about other people's families and personal lives, they are surely neglecting their own and are bound to get a BIG bite in the ass one of these days.
FOCUS ON YOUR OWN DAMN FAMILY, DOBSON!!! (or at least go pick on another cartoon character)
Instead of spending time with their own families (since they are SOOOOO family values-oriented, you know) on Thanksgiving, they would rather spend that precious family time pelting New Yorkers at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with anti-tolerance ad campaign.
Focus on the Family has announced plans to distribute 5,000 balls during Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to promote a website it operates that claims homosexuality is a disorder that can be changed through faith.
The balls - called "stress balls" are part of a major effort by FOF reach a wider audience during the holidays. Each ball carries the name of its advice site http://www.troubledwith.com. The Web site also carries faith-based advice on topics ranging from eating disorders to depression.
The balls will be tossed out by volunteers along the route and is not part of the official parade. Because they will be on public property there is little Macy's can do.
Last week the Colorado-Springs-based FOF began running ads on the giant electronic billboard in Times Square, and on Monday, it launched ads on "Dr. Phil" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on New York television stations.
This ad campaign is not an accident though.
The conservative ministry appears to be in a desperate search for new, younger followers to tune in to the radio show by Focus founder James Dobson. Web site creator Steve Watters told the Associated Press that the number of listeners has not been growing in recent years and that most people who call for help are in their late 40s.
These folks just need to get a life! What is it with this perpetual need to ruin perfectly happy events? Seriously, whatever happened to spending quality time with your OWN family? When people spend this much time worrying about other people's families and personal lives, they are surely neglecting their own and are bound to get a BIG bite in the ass one of these days.
FOCUS ON YOUR OWN DAMN FAMILY, DOBSON!!! (or at least go pick on another cartoon character)
2003 Hartford Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Intense nose of sappy cherries, cranberries, and cola syrup. Rich, intense, broad flavors, but a tad bitterish around the edges -- maybe trying to get too much out of the grapes. Long, intense cherry cough syrup and earthy/iodine finish. Lots of character, but lacking a bit of elegance. 88. I think I paid about $22 at Whole Foods on Bellaire a while back.
2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett
Beautiful crystal green-gold color. Reticent nose -- ripe apples, grapes, pear and custard. Intense, vibrant grape-appley fruit, with lively, buoyant acidity. A really intense but light-footed Riesling from the Mosel. Long finish of fruit and custard. Only drawback is some significant SO2. 88. $16.99 at Spec's Warehouse.
2004 Parker Station Central Coast Pinot Noir
Somewhat reticent nose of cherries and piney-eucalyptus scents. Austere, somewhat astringent flavors, with Pinot fruit underneath but sharp astringency taking the lead. The flavors almost make you want to sneeze. Interesting, but not particularly pleasurable. 80. $12.99 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
The State of Hate
A recent FBI report shows that blacks are more likely to be targeted for hate crimes than any other group.
I can hear the nashing of teeth and the fodder for the fundigelical fascist rightwingers saying "See, see! Queers aren't as hated as they claim to be! This is a queer-lovin' country!"
A couple of clarifications:
1) There are a lot more blacks than there are gays; hence, there will be a lot more reports of hate crimes against blacks than gays
2) Blacks aren't as easily intimidated into being victims as gays. They're not afraid to start a riot when things don't go their way!
3) There are federal laws to protect blacks against discrimination and hate crimes; therefore, they are encouraged to report crimes against them because there is a far greater likelihood that something can and will be done. Not so for gays.
4) How can a DEAD gay person report a hate crime? And whose voice is left to hear but the perpetrator of the crime that can make up any excuse they want?
Not all crimes against gay people end in death, but many are much more brutal and violent and have increased in their brutality over the years.
Matthew Shepard is the name everyone thinks of, but there have been many since.
Brandon Teena
Sakia Gunn
Elvys Perez
PFC Barry Winchell
Billy Jack Gaither
Scotty Joe Weaver
Roderick George
The last three were all from Alabama, my home state, and now there is a fourth:
Billy Sanford, a 52 year old Jackson, AL man, beaten into a coma with a hammer by 26 year old handyman, Marcus Dewayne Kelley.
Police said that his doctors have given him little chance for survival. Even if he does survive and regain consciousness his is likely to have permanent brain damage and would be unlikely to testify at Kelley's trial.
...
Police said that they would have liked to have charged Kelley with a hate crime, but gays are not covered under the state's hate crime law.
Several days ago, not far from my own home, a very well-known gay man was killed. The killer is still at large and supposedly the motive was robbery, but nothing was taken. How can we know? Will we ever know? Even if there was an anti-gay motive, there's NOTHING we can fucking do about it!!! There's nothing that can put these monsters and haters away for life! They can claim it was panic, robbery, anything as long as it's against a queer.
The dead can't speak, but I can!!
I can hear the nashing of teeth and the fodder for the fundigelical fascist rightwingers saying "See, see! Queers aren't as hated as they claim to be! This is a queer-lovin' country!"
A couple of clarifications:
1) There are a lot more blacks than there are gays; hence, there will be a lot more reports of hate crimes against blacks than gays
2) Blacks aren't as easily intimidated into being victims as gays. They're not afraid to start a riot when things don't go their way!
3) There are federal laws to protect blacks against discrimination and hate crimes; therefore, they are encouraged to report crimes against them because there is a far greater likelihood that something can and will be done. Not so for gays.
4) How can a DEAD gay person report a hate crime? And whose voice is left to hear but the perpetrator of the crime that can make up any excuse they want?
Not all crimes against gay people end in death, but many are much more brutal and violent and have increased in their brutality over the years.
Matthew Shepard is the name everyone thinks of, but there have been many since.
Brandon Teena
Sakia Gunn
Elvys Perez
PFC Barry Winchell
Billy Jack Gaither
Scotty Joe Weaver
Roderick George
The last three were all from Alabama, my home state, and now there is a fourth:
Billy Sanford, a 52 year old Jackson, AL man, beaten into a coma with a hammer by 26 year old handyman, Marcus Dewayne Kelley.
Police said that his doctors have given him little chance for survival. Even if he does survive and regain consciousness his is likely to have permanent brain damage and would be unlikely to testify at Kelley's trial.
...
Police said that they would have liked to have charged Kelley with a hate crime, but gays are not covered under the state's hate crime law.
Several days ago, not far from my own home, a very well-known gay man was killed. The killer is still at large and supposedly the motive was robbery, but nothing was taken. How can we know? Will we ever know? Even if there was an anti-gay motive, there's NOTHING we can fucking do about it!!! There's nothing that can put these monsters and haters away for life! They can claim it was panic, robbery, anything as long as it's against a queer.
The dead can't speak, but I can!!
Baptists vote on gays in member churches
Let me say this up front and VERY clear:
I have no problem with churches speaking their mind and being as hateful and bigoted as they want to be, okay?
What chaps my ass is that churces are so BOLD as to go BLATANTLY against Biblical teachings of outreach and preaching to the world! Jesus preached to the lepers and the adulterers. He even ate dinner with them! Yet, here is a state Baptist association that wants to vote on kicking out member churches that have accept gay congregants.
Didn't these people ever consider how they were going to preach the Gospel to the supposedly "stray sheep" if they didn't even allow them through the doors of their church?
There's an old saying in the South: You can draw more bees with honey than with vinegar.
Maybe if they stop being so sour and mean, they'd get better response from those they are trying to "convert." What a novel concept!!!
I have no problem with churches speaking their mind and being as hateful and bigoted as they want to be, okay?
What chaps my ass is that churces are so BOLD as to go BLATANTLY against Biblical teachings of outreach and preaching to the world! Jesus preached to the lepers and the adulterers. He even ate dinner with them! Yet, here is a state Baptist association that wants to vote on kicking out member churches that have accept gay congregants.
Didn't these people ever consider how they were going to preach the Gospel to the supposedly "stray sheep" if they didn't even allow them through the doors of their church?
There's an old saying in the South: You can draw more bees with honey than with vinegar.
Maybe if they stop being so sour and mean, they'd get better response from those they are trying to "convert." What a novel concept!!!
John Cusack for President!
An AMAZING post by John Cusack (yes, the actor) on the Huffington Post. It's heartrending, gut-wrenching, and parts of it almost made me me cry.
Quoting Hunter S. Thompson:
"We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world -- a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just Whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us. No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we'll kill you. "Well, shit on that dumbness, George W. Bush does not speak for me or my son or my mother or my friends or the people I respect in this world. We didn't vote for these cheap, greedy little killers who speak for America today -- and we will not vote for them again in 2002. Or 2004. Or ever. "Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid rich kids like George Bush? "They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill gooks. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are the racists and hate mongers among us -- they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis. "And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck them."
Quoting Bill Moyers:
"One of the biggest changes in politics in my lifetime is that the delusional is no longer marginal. It has come in from the fringe, to sit in the seat of power in the Oval Office and in Congress. For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington. Theology asserts propositions that cannot be proven true; ideologues hold stoutly to a worldview despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. When ideology and theology couple, their offspring are not always bad but they are always blind. And there is the danger: voters and politicians alike, oblivious to the facts."
As Dr. King says and as John emphasizes:
"A time comes when silence is betrayal...We must speak out with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak."
My thoughts-
We'd be wise to remember that as Americans our history is rooted not in establishing tyranny in other lands or even in our own country, but seeking freedom from tyranny. We are a great people who are capable of great things. Why are we determined to destroy America with tyranny, bloodshed, and hate?
"We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason if we dig deep in our history and doctrine and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes which were for the moment unpopular. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of the Republic to abdicate his responsibility."
Edward R. Murrow
Quoting Hunter S. Thompson:
"We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world -- a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just Whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us. No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we'll kill you. "Well, shit on that dumbness, George W. Bush does not speak for me or my son or my mother or my friends or the people I respect in this world. We didn't vote for these cheap, greedy little killers who speak for America today -- and we will not vote for them again in 2002. Or 2004. Or ever. "Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid rich kids like George Bush? "They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill gooks. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are the racists and hate mongers among us -- they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis. "And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck them."
Quoting Bill Moyers:
"One of the biggest changes in politics in my lifetime is that the delusional is no longer marginal. It has come in from the fringe, to sit in the seat of power in the Oval Office and in Congress. For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington. Theology asserts propositions that cannot be proven true; ideologues hold stoutly to a worldview despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality. When ideology and theology couple, their offspring are not always bad but they are always blind. And there is the danger: voters and politicians alike, oblivious to the facts."
As Dr. King says and as John emphasizes:
"A time comes when silence is betrayal...We must speak out with all the humility that is appropriate to our limited vision, but we must speak."
My thoughts-
We'd be wise to remember that as Americans our history is rooted not in establishing tyranny in other lands or even in our own country, but seeking freedom from tyranny. We are a great people who are capable of great things. Why are we determined to destroy America with tyranny, bloodshed, and hate?
"We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason if we dig deep in our history and doctrine and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes which were for the moment unpopular. We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of the Republic to abdicate his responsibility."
Edward R. Murrow
Brokeback Mountain-today's gay cinema
An Americablog post a few days ago got me thinking about gay cinema (or lack thereof).
Americablog covered the potential "liberal Hollywood" flack that will inevitably come from the release of "Brokeback Mountain," a cutting edge gay western about two men struggling to fight their love for each other. Considering the two men live in 1963 Wyoming, the circumstances of their struggle shouldn't be surprising. They have occasional rendevous in the mountains while keeping their wives and families back home. Perhaps not much has changed in the reddest of red states or just in the most conservative of gay people (yes, they do exist and I've known a few, even today).
Can this really be "liberal Hollywood" or a dose of reality about the lives gay people have had to lead to survive?
The gay community has given flack too over the movie saying it shows us as self-hating. However, I suggest that it shows what the world does to us. When secrecy is forced on us, we become torn between our heart and our head, between natural instinct and safety. Could it not be that when the hegemonic social powers-that-be enforce demands of secrecy over us that we find we have no choice but to succumb to the social order, yet our human nature to claim control over our lives pushes us to live life and live it as fully as possible, even within social prisons?
Look at the movie, "Aimee & Jaguar", a true story of a Jewish woman and the wife of a Nazi officer who fell in love during WWII. Despite their short time together and the enforced social codes of the Nazis against all minorities, they managed to claim a piece of joy even while hiding their life together. Of course, nothing was ever hidden from the Nazis and their life together was cut short by the camps.
It was a heartbreaking story much like "Brokeback Mountain" will be, but it's proof of our lives that manage to survive. They tell the truth of how we have had to live in order to survive in this world.
Forget "Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert" or some other silly movie! These are the real stories and the real lives of gay people.
You don't know us because you've never really bothered to talk WITH us. You've just spent your life generalizing and talking ABOUT us and TO us, but never WITH us.
Get educated!
Americablog covered the potential "liberal Hollywood" flack that will inevitably come from the release of "Brokeback Mountain," a cutting edge gay western about two men struggling to fight their love for each other. Considering the two men live in 1963 Wyoming, the circumstances of their struggle shouldn't be surprising. They have occasional rendevous in the mountains while keeping their wives and families back home. Perhaps not much has changed in the reddest of red states or just in the most conservative of gay people (yes, they do exist and I've known a few, even today).
Can this really be "liberal Hollywood" or a dose of reality about the lives gay people have had to lead to survive?
The gay community has given flack too over the movie saying it shows us as self-hating. However, I suggest that it shows what the world does to us. When secrecy is forced on us, we become torn between our heart and our head, between natural instinct and safety. Could it not be that when the hegemonic social powers-that-be enforce demands of secrecy over us that we find we have no choice but to succumb to the social order, yet our human nature to claim control over our lives pushes us to live life and live it as fully as possible, even within social prisons?
Look at the movie, "Aimee & Jaguar", a true story of a Jewish woman and the wife of a Nazi officer who fell in love during WWII. Despite their short time together and the enforced social codes of the Nazis against all minorities, they managed to claim a piece of joy even while hiding their life together. Of course, nothing was ever hidden from the Nazis and their life together was cut short by the camps.
It was a heartbreaking story much like "Brokeback Mountain" will be, but it's proof of our lives that manage to survive. They tell the truth of how we have had to live in order to survive in this world.
Forget "Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert" or some other silly movie! These are the real stories and the real lives of gay people.
You don't know us because you've never really bothered to talk WITH us. You've just spent your life generalizing and talking ABOUT us and TO us, but never WITH us.
Get educated!
Cost Plus World Marketplace: Off My List
This store--located on Richmond adjacent to Best Buy near the Loop--used to be one of my favorite places for wine bargain hunting. NO MORE.
Two primary reasons. First, and foremost, they've actually INCREASED their prices on many wines simply sitting on the shelf. What could possibly be the reason for doing that?? It's one thing if you re-order and your cost has gone up. It's entirely another to simply put a new sticker on an existing wine raising the price 20%. That ticks me off.
Second, the store has gotten much more commercial in its wine selections. My sense is that there are fewer and fewer off-the-beaten-path bargains, and more of the same stuff you see in Randall's or Krogers.
So, I'm crossing this store off my list. If I'm there for other things, I may look at the wine, but no more trips there just to check out the vino.
UPDATE (11/18): Roberto, in response to your comment: Cost Plus's pricing is, in my view, now higher than Spec's almost across the board.
Two primary reasons. First, and foremost, they've actually INCREASED their prices on many wines simply sitting on the shelf. What could possibly be the reason for doing that?? It's one thing if you re-order and your cost has gone up. It's entirely another to simply put a new sticker on an existing wine raising the price 20%. That ticks me off.
Second, the store has gotten much more commercial in its wine selections. My sense is that there are fewer and fewer off-the-beaten-path bargains, and more of the same stuff you see in Randall's or Krogers.
So, I'm crossing this store off my list. If I'm there for other things, I may look at the wine, but no more trips there just to check out the vino.
UPDATE (11/18): Roberto, in response to your comment: Cost Plus's pricing is, in my view, now higher than Spec's almost across the board.
2001 Chateau de Fonsalette Côtes du Rhône
This wine is a sentimental favorite. On my wife Liz's and my first date (in March 1987), I made dinner for her--grilled lamb chops (grilled on my fire escape), green beans with tomatoes, onion, and basil, and rice. The wine was a 1983 Chateau de Fonsalette. So each year, either on our wedding anniversary or the anniversary of the first date, we make this dinner and try to have a bottle of Fonsalette if we can find it.
To my taste, it's always been one of the top Cotes du Rhones most vintages, with flavors, texture, and complexity that surpasses most Chateauneuf du Papes (Fonsalette is made by the same family that makes the elite Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape.) But it's expensive and hard to find.
The 2001 was dee-licious! Medium ruby colored with a touch of brick. An amazing nose of sweet cream ice cream, fresh-squeezed ripe plum juice, and fragrant cedar-tobacco scents. (As I wrote in an earlier post, the nose was much more animated when sniffed outside on the porch rather than inside the house.) Not weighty or particularly full-bodied, but concentrated fruit and hints of iodine and lightly-bitter minerals in the mouth. Very rich, lengthy finish.
A very complex Cotes du Rhone. 90. I got this shipped in from Zachys (in NY) a year or two ago. Can't remember what I paid, but I'm sure it was at least in the $30-40 range.
To my taste, it's always been one of the top Cotes du Rhones most vintages, with flavors, texture, and complexity that surpasses most Chateauneuf du Papes (Fonsalette is made by the same family that makes the elite Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf du Pape.) But it's expensive and hard to find.
The 2001 was dee-licious! Medium ruby colored with a touch of brick. An amazing nose of sweet cream ice cream, fresh-squeezed ripe plum juice, and fragrant cedar-tobacco scents. (As I wrote in an earlier post, the nose was much more animated when sniffed outside on the porch rather than inside the house.) Not weighty or particularly full-bodied, but concentrated fruit and hints of iodine and lightly-bitter minerals in the mouth. Very rich, lengthy finish.
A very complex Cotes du Rhone. 90. I got this shipped in from Zachys (in NY) a year or two ago. Can't remember what I paid, but I'm sure it was at least in the $30-40 range.
2003 Thorn-Clarke Terra Barossa Shiraz (Australia)
A medium bodied Shiraz emphasizing baker's chocolatey and woody aromas and flavors over fruit. Hint of eucalyptus as well. Not very complex; lacking the concentration of fruit I want in an Aussie Shiraz. A little chalky-textured in the mouth too. All this seems to add up to an overcropped vineyard, thinning the wine a bit, and a winemaker who tried to compensate by overextracting the grapes. 83. Was about $15 at Whole Foods on Bellaire. Eh.
A Fascinating Read
The previous post mentions that interracial marriage and the constitutional amendments that were attempted to outlaw interracial marriage were employed well before the civil rights era. The states had long been outlawing interracial marriage, but there were attempts to outlaw these marriages on a national basis too.
Here is an interesting read that covers the whole topic of marriage in the US and how we have been creating and uncreating laws to control marriage since the founding of our country.
On page 630 there is a particularly interesting quote from the California Supreme Court in 1948 when it finally overturned its anti-miscegenation laws in Perez v. Lippold:
Since the essence of the right to marry is freedom to join in marriage with the person of one's choice, a segregation statute for marriage necessarily impairs the right to marry.
Their reasoning was based on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This is the same amendment that the anti-interracial marriage folks hoped to undo with a new amendment outlawing such marriages.
Here is an interesting read that covers the whole topic of marriage in the US and how we have been creating and uncreating laws to control marriage since the founding of our country.
On page 630 there is a particularly interesting quote from the California Supreme Court in 1948 when it finally overturned its anti-miscegenation laws in Perez v. Lippold:
Since the essence of the right to marry is freedom to join in marriage with the person of one's choice, a segregation statute for marriage necessarily impairs the right to marry.
Their reasoning was based on the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This is the same amendment that the anti-interracial marriage folks hoped to undo with a new amendment outlawing such marriages.
Some Legislation Dies, Others Live On--WHY?
The Republicans seem to have the common sense at the last minute to pull back legislation such as ANWAR, but the Judiciary Committee passes on a 5-4 vote to let anti-gay legislation pass through (i.e. the right to marriage equality).
Sen. Arlen Specter said that even though he opposes the measure he was voting for it to get it out of committee. I'm still trying to make sense out of that one.
You would think that Republicans would have learned something from the stupidity of Schwarzeneger's homophobic "girly-men" comments and refusal to acknowledge ANY legislation for the large gay California constituency (didn't even TALK to them!). Bloomberg won back NY and I don't recall him making nasty comments about gays or actively trying to relegate them to the dark ages.
The only logic I can see with Specter bringing this out of committee (and it's heartening that it BARELY got out of committee) is that he KNOWS it will DIE a miserable death. With the Republicans weak, this is prime time to let this legislation die again. It could also show how shallow, hateful, and narrow-minded the Republicans (and some Democrats) are. If these representatives have ANY common sense, they won't vote for discrimination of Americans and they certainly won't do it when they want to get re-elected.
They should see what happens to the hatemongers and the results of their elections. A smart representative will stand on the side of justice and fairness. It's time to call our elected officials on this. To tell them, we won't vote for someone who votes for discrimination.
Sen. Arlen Specter said that even though he opposes the measure he was voting for it to get it out of committee. I'm still trying to make sense out of that one.
You would think that Republicans would have learned something from the stupidity of Schwarzeneger's homophobic "girly-men" comments and refusal to acknowledge ANY legislation for the large gay California constituency (didn't even TALK to them!). Bloomberg won back NY and I don't recall him making nasty comments about gays or actively trying to relegate them to the dark ages.
The only logic I can see with Specter bringing this out of committee (and it's heartening that it BARELY got out of committee) is that he KNOWS it will DIE a miserable death. With the Republicans weak, this is prime time to let this legislation die again. It could also show how shallow, hateful, and narrow-minded the Republicans (and some Democrats) are. If these representatives have ANY common sense, they won't vote for discrimination of Americans and they certainly won't do it when they want to get re-elected.
They should see what happens to the hatemongers and the results of their elections. A smart representative will stand on the side of justice and fairness. It's time to call our elected officials on this. To tell them, we won't vote for someone who votes for discrimination.
Take it to the Voters!!!
With elections and referenda in several states yesterday, I have to say on a day with the sweet smell of victory and the eminent downfall of the fundigelical fascists trying to destroy of great democracy, that YES, let's take it to the voters!!!
Let's take it right now!!!
Maine passes civil rights legislation for gays!
Democrat Tom Kaine wins in VA!
Democrat Jon Corzine wins in NJ!
(two key states that Pugs do not want to lose ground in!)
All four of Schwarzenegger's referenda DIE!!!
(don't fuck with the girly-men, asshole!)
Yeah, I know Texas passed the gay marriage ban. As if we didn't expect that. It's better to screw a steer than another man in Texas!
I find it most hilarious and quite sad that the rabid fundigelicals in places like Maine and Texas just can't stop. One loses in Maine on basic civil rights but thinks they can pass a gay marriage amendment. Okay, that's smart! You've already shown yourselves to be hateful bigots, just keep digging a little deeper hole.
Texas on the other hand is going YEEHAW!!! We won so let's heep a little more bigotry and hate on them queers!
Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas states:
"There's a good old Texas phrase about getting the bit in your teeth. If the horse gets the bit in his teeth, he can run as he wants, and I believe the social conservatives feel like they have the bit in their teeth."
Yeah, first they came for me, and you're next!
Rev. Ryan Rush, senior pastor of Bannockburn Baptist Church in Austin says, "I think that's a positive thing because evangelical Christians stand for what's right."
Oh, I missed the red part in the Bible where Jesus taught about hating the queers and pass laws and legislation against them ad nauseum so it makes you feel high and mighty. So, that's what a good Christian does? No wonder my Sunday School teacher looked at me funny when I asked about "love thy neighbor." Then again, he made fun of the homeless woman who came to our church because she didn't dress "right."
My thoughts: Yes, let's take it to the voters! Let's take basic civil rights legislation for gays and lesbians to the voters and force their hand. These bastards are so much for state-by-state legislation and letting the voters decide on other's rights. Well, let's make 'em put up or shut up! Demand the bigots show their faces to their neighbors, co-workers, family and friends. Insist that if they think they are so much better than gay people that they deserve something a gay person doesn't (i.e. freedom from harassment and discrimination) then stand up and say so. The fires are hot for it and I say we do it!!!
Let's take it right now!!!
Maine passes civil rights legislation for gays!
Democrat Tom Kaine wins in VA!
Democrat Jon Corzine wins in NJ!
(two key states that Pugs do not want to lose ground in!)
All four of Schwarzenegger's referenda DIE!!!
(don't fuck with the girly-men, asshole!)
Yeah, I know Texas passed the gay marriage ban. As if we didn't expect that. It's better to screw a steer than another man in Texas!
I find it most hilarious and quite sad that the rabid fundigelicals in places like Maine and Texas just can't stop. One loses in Maine on basic civil rights but thinks they can pass a gay marriage amendment. Okay, that's smart! You've already shown yourselves to be hateful bigots, just keep digging a little deeper hole.
Texas on the other hand is going YEEHAW!!! We won so let's heep a little more bigotry and hate on them queers!
Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas states:
"There's a good old Texas phrase about getting the bit in your teeth. If the horse gets the bit in his teeth, he can run as he wants, and I believe the social conservatives feel like they have the bit in their teeth."
Yeah, first they came for me, and you're next!
Rev. Ryan Rush, senior pastor of Bannockburn Baptist Church in Austin says, "I think that's a positive thing because evangelical Christians stand for what's right."
Oh, I missed the red part in the Bible where Jesus taught about hating the queers and pass laws and legislation against them ad nauseum so it makes you feel high and mighty. So, that's what a good Christian does? No wonder my Sunday School teacher looked at me funny when I asked about "love thy neighbor." Then again, he made fun of the homeless woman who came to our church because she didn't dress "right."
My thoughts: Yes, let's take it to the voters! Let's take basic civil rights legislation for gays and lesbians to the voters and force their hand. These bastards are so much for state-by-state legislation and letting the voters decide on other's rights. Well, let's make 'em put up or shut up! Demand the bigots show their faces to their neighbors, co-workers, family and friends. Insist that if they think they are so much better than gay people that they deserve something a gay person doesn't (i.e. freedom from harassment and discrimination) then stand up and say so. The fires are hot for it and I say we do it!!!
Contributions of the Queers
In response to a poster suggesting that queers don't make any contributions to "man."
Famous Gays and Lesbians in History
Sappho (600 B.C.) Greek Poetess
Socrates (470-399 B.C.) Greek Teacher and Philosopher
Plato (427-347 B.C.) Greek Teacher and Philosopher
Alexander The Great (356-323 B.C.) Macedonian King and Military Leader
Wu (140-87 B.C.) Chinese Emperor
Hadrian (76-138 A.D.) Roman Emperor
Richard the Lion Hearted (1157-1199) English King and Crusader
Edward II (1254-1327) English King
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian Renaissance Artist, Teacher, Scientist and Inventor
Michelangelo (1475-1564) Italian Renaissance Artist and Sculptor
Montezuma II (1480-1520) Aztec Emperor
Julius III (1487-1555) Catholic Pope
Ieyasu Tokugawa (1542-1616) Japanese Shogun and founder of the Edo Shogunate
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) British Statesman and Writer
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist and poet
Christina (1626-1689) Swedish Queen
Peter the Great (1672-1725) Russian Czar
Frederick the Great (1712-1786) Prussian King and Military Leader
Madame de Stael (1766-1817) French Writer and Intellectual
Lord Byron (1788-1824) British Poet
Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) Danish Poet and Writer
Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) Euro-American Writer and Journalist
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Euro-American Philosopher, Naturalist, and Peace Activist
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) Euro-American Poet
Herman Melville (1819-1891) Euro-American Writer
Chief Crazy Horse (Tashunca witco) (1849-1877) Oglala Sioux Chief
Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Russian Composer
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish Writer and Dramatist
Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) British Composer, Writer, and Activist
Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French Writer
Sergei Diaghileff (1872-1929) Russian Ballet Impresario
Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962) British Writer
Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950) Russian Ballet Dancer
Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) British Author and Gay Rights Pioneer
Willa Cather (1873-1947) Euro-American Writer and Critic
Colette (1873-1954) French Writer and Actress
W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British Writer and Dramatist
Alice B. Toklas (1877-1967) Euro-American Writer; Stein's Domestic Partner
Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) Euro-American Writer and Art Collector; Toklas' Domestic Partner
Bessie Smith (1894-1937) African-American Blues Singer and Entertainer
E.M. Forster (1879-1970) British Writer
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British Writer and Publisher
Ernst Rohm (1887-1933) German Nazi and SA Leader
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) (1888-1935) British Soldier
Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) French Writer and Filmmaker
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) British Economist and Nobel Prize Winner
Cole Porter (1893-1964) Euro-American Composer
Bayard Rustin (1910-87) African-American Civil Rights, Labor Rights, & Peace Activist/Leader
Alan Turing (1912-1954) British Mathematician and Computer Scientist
James Baldwin (1924-1987) African-American Writer and Civil Rights Activist
Truman Capote (1924-1984) Euro-American Author
Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) Euro-American Dramatist
Marguerite Yourcenar (1903-1987) Belgian-American Writer
Federico Garcia Lorca (1894-1936) Spanish Poet and Dramatist
Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986) British Author
W.H. Auden (1907-1973) British Poet and Writer
Harvey Milk (1930-1978) Euro-American Politician
Audre Lorde (1934-1992) African-American Writer and Activist
Billie Jean King (1943 - ) Euro-American Tennis Champion and Activist
Martina Navratilova (1956- ) Czechoslovakian-American Tennis Champion and Activist
Andy Warhol (1930-1987) Euro-American Pop Artist
Frieda Kahlo (1907-1954) Mexican Artist and Activist
Gore Vidal (1925- ) Euro-American Writer
Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) Russian dancer
Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) British Singer/songwriter/musician
Elton John (1947 - ) British Singer/songwriter/musican
Janis Ian (1951 - ) Euro-American Singer/songwriter/musician
Nathan Lane (1956 - ) Euro-American Actor
Ellen Degeneres (1958 - ) Euro-American Comedian/actor
Melissa Etheridge (1961 - ) Euro-American Singer/songwriter/musician
k. d. lang (1961 - ) Canadian Singer/songwriter
And if that's not enough, here's oh, an alphabetical listing of possibly a few hundred or so (and if you want to spend your time counting them just to prove me wrong, you have WAY too much time on your hands!!)
Famous Gays and Lesbians in History
Sappho (600 B.C.) Greek Poetess
Socrates (470-399 B.C.) Greek Teacher and Philosopher
Plato (427-347 B.C.) Greek Teacher and Philosopher
Alexander The Great (356-323 B.C.) Macedonian King and Military Leader
Wu (140-87 B.C.) Chinese Emperor
Hadrian (76-138 A.D.) Roman Emperor
Richard the Lion Hearted (1157-1199) English King and Crusader
Edward II (1254-1327) English King
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) Italian Renaissance Artist, Teacher, Scientist and Inventor
Michelangelo (1475-1564) Italian Renaissance Artist and Sculptor
Montezuma II (1480-1520) Aztec Emperor
Julius III (1487-1555) Catholic Pope
Ieyasu Tokugawa (1542-1616) Japanese Shogun and founder of the Edo Shogunate
Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) British Statesman and Writer
Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist and poet
Christina (1626-1689) Swedish Queen
Peter the Great (1672-1725) Russian Czar
Frederick the Great (1712-1786) Prussian King and Military Leader
Madame de Stael (1766-1817) French Writer and Intellectual
Lord Byron (1788-1824) British Poet
Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) Danish Poet and Writer
Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) Euro-American Writer and Journalist
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Euro-American Philosopher, Naturalist, and Peace Activist
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) Euro-American Poet
Herman Melville (1819-1891) Euro-American Writer
Chief Crazy Horse (Tashunca witco) (1849-1877) Oglala Sioux Chief
Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Russian Composer
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish Writer and Dramatist
Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) British Composer, Writer, and Activist
Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French Writer
Sergei Diaghileff (1872-1929) Russian Ballet Impresario
Vita Sackville-West (1892-1962) British Writer
Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950) Russian Ballet Dancer
Edward Carpenter (1844-1929) British Author and Gay Rights Pioneer
Willa Cather (1873-1947) Euro-American Writer and Critic
Colette (1873-1954) French Writer and Actress
W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British Writer and Dramatist
Alice B. Toklas (1877-1967) Euro-American Writer; Stein's Domestic Partner
Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) Euro-American Writer and Art Collector; Toklas' Domestic Partner
Bessie Smith (1894-1937) African-American Blues Singer and Entertainer
E.M. Forster (1879-1970) British Writer
Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British Writer and Publisher
Ernst Rohm (1887-1933) German Nazi and SA Leader
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) (1888-1935) British Soldier
Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) French Writer and Filmmaker
John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) British Economist and Nobel Prize Winner
Cole Porter (1893-1964) Euro-American Composer
Bayard Rustin (1910-87) African-American Civil Rights, Labor Rights, & Peace Activist/Leader
Alan Turing (1912-1954) British Mathematician and Computer Scientist
James Baldwin (1924-1987) African-American Writer and Civil Rights Activist
Truman Capote (1924-1984) Euro-American Author
Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) Euro-American Dramatist
Marguerite Yourcenar (1903-1987) Belgian-American Writer
Federico Garcia Lorca (1894-1936) Spanish Poet and Dramatist
Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986) British Author
W.H. Auden (1907-1973) British Poet and Writer
Harvey Milk (1930-1978) Euro-American Politician
Audre Lorde (1934-1992) African-American Writer and Activist
Billie Jean King (1943 - ) Euro-American Tennis Champion and Activist
Martina Navratilova (1956- ) Czechoslovakian-American Tennis Champion and Activist
Andy Warhol (1930-1987) Euro-American Pop Artist
Frieda Kahlo (1907-1954) Mexican Artist and Activist
Gore Vidal (1925- ) Euro-American Writer
Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) Russian dancer
Freddie Mercury (1946-1991) British Singer/songwriter/musician
Elton John (1947 - ) British Singer/songwriter/musican
Janis Ian (1951 - ) Euro-American Singer/songwriter/musician
Nathan Lane (1956 - ) Euro-American Actor
Ellen Degeneres (1958 - ) Euro-American Comedian/actor
Melissa Etheridge (1961 - ) Euro-American Singer/songwriter/musician
k. d. lang (1961 - ) Canadian Singer/songwriter
And if that's not enough, here's oh, an alphabetical listing of possibly a few hundred or so (and if you want to spend your time counting them just to prove me wrong, you have WAY too much time on your hands!!)
The Quack Test
Steve Blow of the Dallas Morning News provides an engaging straight man's view on the gay marriage debate(I'm copying it in its entirety so you won't have to register with the paper):
I saw Sandra Bullock interviewed on TV recently, and a question came up about her unlikely marriage to Jesse James.
I'm sure you know Ms. Bullock, all perky and cute. You may not know Mr. James, all coarse and tattooed. He builds motorcycles for a living and became a TV star in the process.
So Ms. Bullock explained the unusual way she realized she wanted to marry this outlaw.
She attended a car race he was in. He crashed during the race and was badly injured. She ran to the ambulance and discovered that as his girlfriend or live-in or whatever, she was just a face in the crowd, legally speaking.
Excuse her language, but she said: "I was so pissed off that I had no legal say. None! And I knew from the moment I got into that ambulance ... that I was in for the long haul with him. That was a huge deciding factor for me."
Well, her story probably won't be a huge deciding factor in the upcoming election, but it struck me as going to the very heart of this gay-marriage amendment.
Neither you nor I may understand homosexuality. But I'll bet we both understand Ms. Bullock's moment of realization that she wanted to officially be part of Mr. James' life. Forsaking all others, she wanted to be one with him.
And that's really all this boils down to – whether two adults ought to be able to legally entwine their lives into one.
Love is funny, isn't it? I'm sure Ms. Bullock can't explain why she was drawn to rough-and-tumble Jesse James. She just was.
I can't explain why dark-haired, headstrong women appeal to me so much. But they do. And I'm sure happy with the one who plighted me her troth, whatever that means exactly.
Love plays its funniest joke on gay people. For reasons neither they nor science can explain, the heart draws them to people of the same sex.
It's not a choice. It's not a lifestyle. It's just another wrinkle in funny old love.
As I have observed the long, long debate over homosexuality, it sure seems like society has pulled a double-cross on gay folks.
In the beginning, you often heard opponents portray all gays as outrageous, wanton, sex-obsessed creatures.
That description certainly didn't fit the mass of gay and lesbian couples living quiet, faithful lives.
Yet when that segment of the gay community stepped forward to decry promiscuity and champion committed relationships, the critics suddenly reversed course.
Oh, no! they screamed. You can't have what we have! Marriage is only for men and women.
So gay folks are blasted for being promiscuous on the one hand and blasted for wanting to legally marry on the other.
Talk about a no-win situation.
Many people I respect seem caught in a semantic quandary. They believe that gays deserve fair treatment. But they are deeply troubled by expanding marriage to include same-sex couples.
For me, it boils down to a pretty simple "duck" test. (You know, "if it quacks like a duck ...") Gay couples I know have relationships that sure quack and waddle in a very familiar way, one I call "marriage."
To me, marriage is about commitment, not plumbing.
But I understand that society changes in stages. So if it's just words that hang people up, then fine, let's find some new ones for this new territory. Fairness is the real issue here, not vocabulary.
And that's where Proposition 2 goes wrong. This amendment goes far beyond defining marriage. In a case of overkill, it goes on to deny gay people "any legal status identical to or similar to marriage."
Did you get that swipe?
Forget about marriage, the amendment tells gay couples, and also forget any other legal commitment that even smells like marriage.
Look, I can't explain love. Sandra Bullock and Jesse James? That will always be a mystery to me. Gay couples may baffle you even more.
But should we deny them the right to unite their lives – just because we don't understand?
I saw Sandra Bullock interviewed on TV recently, and a question came up about her unlikely marriage to Jesse James.
I'm sure you know Ms. Bullock, all perky and cute. You may not know Mr. James, all coarse and tattooed. He builds motorcycles for a living and became a TV star in the process.
So Ms. Bullock explained the unusual way she realized she wanted to marry this outlaw.
She attended a car race he was in. He crashed during the race and was badly injured. She ran to the ambulance and discovered that as his girlfriend or live-in or whatever, she was just a face in the crowd, legally speaking.
Excuse her language, but she said: "I was so pissed off that I had no legal say. None! And I knew from the moment I got into that ambulance ... that I was in for the long haul with him. That was a huge deciding factor for me."
Well, her story probably won't be a huge deciding factor in the upcoming election, but it struck me as going to the very heart of this gay-marriage amendment.
Neither you nor I may understand homosexuality. But I'll bet we both understand Ms. Bullock's moment of realization that she wanted to officially be part of Mr. James' life. Forsaking all others, she wanted to be one with him.
And that's really all this boils down to – whether two adults ought to be able to legally entwine their lives into one.
Love is funny, isn't it? I'm sure Ms. Bullock can't explain why she was drawn to rough-and-tumble Jesse James. She just was.
I can't explain why dark-haired, headstrong women appeal to me so much. But they do. And I'm sure happy with the one who plighted me her troth, whatever that means exactly.
Love plays its funniest joke on gay people. For reasons neither they nor science can explain, the heart draws them to people of the same sex.
It's not a choice. It's not a lifestyle. It's just another wrinkle in funny old love.
As I have observed the long, long debate over homosexuality, it sure seems like society has pulled a double-cross on gay folks.
In the beginning, you often heard opponents portray all gays as outrageous, wanton, sex-obsessed creatures.
That description certainly didn't fit the mass of gay and lesbian couples living quiet, faithful lives.
Yet when that segment of the gay community stepped forward to decry promiscuity and champion committed relationships, the critics suddenly reversed course.
Oh, no! they screamed. You can't have what we have! Marriage is only for men and women.
So gay folks are blasted for being promiscuous on the one hand and blasted for wanting to legally marry on the other.
Talk about a no-win situation.
Many people I respect seem caught in a semantic quandary. They believe that gays deserve fair treatment. But they are deeply troubled by expanding marriage to include same-sex couples.
For me, it boils down to a pretty simple "duck" test. (You know, "if it quacks like a duck ...") Gay couples I know have relationships that sure quack and waddle in a very familiar way, one I call "marriage."
To me, marriage is about commitment, not plumbing.
But I understand that society changes in stages. So if it's just words that hang people up, then fine, let's find some new ones for this new territory. Fairness is the real issue here, not vocabulary.
And that's where Proposition 2 goes wrong. This amendment goes far beyond defining marriage. In a case of overkill, it goes on to deny gay people "any legal status identical to or similar to marriage."
Did you get that swipe?
Forget about marriage, the amendment tells gay couples, and also forget any other legal commitment that even smells like marriage.
Look, I can't explain love. Sandra Bullock and Jesse James? That will always be a mystery to me. Gay couples may baffle you even more.
But should we deny them the right to unite their lives – just because we don't understand?
Joke of the Week!
Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update:
"66% of Americans now believe that George Bush is doing a poor job as President.
The remaining 34% believe Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church."
Thanks to lw from the DNC blog!
"66% of Americans now believe that George Bush is doing a poor job as President.
The remaining 34% believe Adam and Eve rode dinosaurs to church."
Thanks to lw from the DNC blog!
More on Sc-alito
Some more info on the appropriately nicknamed new nominee to the Supreme Court Judge Samuel "Scalito" Alito:
From People for the American Way
Dude is anti-woman, anti-choice, anti-free speech, anti-worker, anti-equal rights, anti-gay, anti-disabled American, etc.
That's about as right-wing as you can get! One of the last comments on the document mentions that Alito is not quite as passionate as Scalia but just as opinionated. All that means is that he hasn't made his name known yet for being a rabid, vapid, hate-mongering, fundie. Give him time, give him time!
From People for the American Way
Dude is anti-woman, anti-choice, anti-free speech, anti-worker, anti-equal rights, anti-gay, anti-disabled American, etc.
That's about as right-wing as you can get! One of the last comments on the document mentions that Alito is not quite as passionate as Scalia but just as opinionated. All that means is that he hasn't made his name known yet for being a rabid, vapid, hate-mongering, fundie. Give him time, give him time!
Power Trip
For those who haven't figure out the method to the madness of the far right wing yet, it's POWER!!! Power over our lives. Power over our choices. Power over our options. It doesn't matter whether we are talking about something supposedly as out there as equal marriage rights for gays or something the every day folks get into like raising the minimum wage or taxing the corporate elites.
The bottom line: THEY WANT TO TAKE AWAY AS MUCH POWER AS POSSIBLE FROM US!!!!
THEY WANT TO WEAKEN US!!
THEY WANT TO CONTROL US!!
The nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court is a perfect example of this. We knew this was coming. Bush is weak and floundering. We picks Miers, a lap puppy, sorority chik, Bush fan club roadie wannabe, who no self-respecting hard right-winger would get behind and now he decides for the FLAMING KING OF THE RIGHT WING. You know it's not good when you have the nickname: Scalito. Okay, maybe it's good for some nutcase rightwinger who has their rights and doesn't give a shit about anyone else.
Here's one little tidbit on Alito:
In the early 1990s, Alito was the lone dissenter in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case in which the 3rd Circuit struck down a Pennsylvania law that included a provision requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses.
So, basically this guy believes men should control women's bodies. That women must defer to their husbands (IF they have husbands; dude, not all women are made THAT way) for decisions to be made about their bodies. Not taking into consideration the fact that if a woman had a good relationship with her husband, she would go to him ANYWAY and discuss her decision with him. Laws shouldn't FORCE anyone to go anyone else to make decisions that personally affect their lives!!!
What kind of world is this when we can't even control the destiny of our own bodies!
Think Terry Schiavo! We could all end up in a place where a court tells us...you don't have the right to make this decision.
These people with their POWER TRIPS and THIRST FOR CONTROL and DOMINATION scare the FUCK out of me!!!
IT'S TIME TO TAKE THEM DOWN!! IT'S TIME TO BE FEARLESS AND UNAFRAID!! THEY WANT CONTROL OF THE BENCH BECAUSE THEY ARE LOSING CONTROL OF US!
The bottom line: THEY WANT TO TAKE AWAY AS MUCH POWER AS POSSIBLE FROM US!!!!
THEY WANT TO WEAKEN US!!
THEY WANT TO CONTROL US!!
The nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court is a perfect example of this. We knew this was coming. Bush is weak and floundering. We picks Miers, a lap puppy, sorority chik, Bush fan club roadie wannabe, who no self-respecting hard right-winger would get behind and now he decides for the FLAMING KING OF THE RIGHT WING. You know it's not good when you have the nickname: Scalito. Okay, maybe it's good for some nutcase rightwinger who has their rights and doesn't give a shit about anyone else.
Here's one little tidbit on Alito:
In the early 1990s, Alito was the lone dissenter in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case in which the 3rd Circuit struck down a Pennsylvania law that included a provision requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses.
So, basically this guy believes men should control women's bodies. That women must defer to their husbands (IF they have husbands; dude, not all women are made THAT way) for decisions to be made about their bodies. Not taking into consideration the fact that if a woman had a good relationship with her husband, she would go to him ANYWAY and discuss her decision with him. Laws shouldn't FORCE anyone to go anyone else to make decisions that personally affect their lives!!!
What kind of world is this when we can't even control the destiny of our own bodies!
Think Terry Schiavo! We could all end up in a place where a court tells us...you don't have the right to make this decision.
These people with their POWER TRIPS and THIRST FOR CONTROL and DOMINATION scare the FUCK out of me!!!
IT'S TIME TO TAKE THEM DOWN!! IT'S TIME TO BE FEARLESS AND UNAFRAID!! THEY WANT CONTROL OF THE BENCH BECAUSE THEY ARE LOSING CONTROL OF US!
Excellent wines from Jonathan and Marge's visit
Our old friends Jonathan and Marge Levine from NY visited this weekend. Jonathan is an old friend who helped me get started in the wine business in New York. I've had some of the most memorable wines of my life at dinners at his house. At least I think I have. My memories of the dinners are not inexplicably spotty. Ahem. Anyway, here are the wines we had with truncated, scoreless tasting notes from memory.
2002 Domaine Vincent Girardin Meursault Narvaux -- a classic Meursault nose of smoky hazelnuts and straw. Great balance and richness, and a long finish. Very nice.
2001 Ansgar Clusserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett -- slightly corked, but you could still taste the vibrant, minerally flavors underneath the corkiness. Unfortunately, corkiness quickly gets worse with air, so we had to toss this one after the first glass.
2002 Domaine Ehrhart Gewurztraminer "Raisins Egrappes" (Alsace) -- Classic gewurz nose of spicy lychee nuts and fruit. A tad richer, lower in acidity, and sweeter than I would have expected from a 2002, but very good nonetheless.
1998 Eric Ross Old Vine Zinfandel Occidental Vineyard (Russian River Valley) -- Jonathan brought this one, and it was INTENSE. Really a prototypical Zin from old vines but grown in a cool climate region. Intensely ripe, peppery nose, but with acidity you could smell. The acidity helped buoy up what otherwise could have been ponderously heavily extracted fruit. At its peak and a real mouthful.
1998 Silvio Grasso Barolo Ciabot Manzoni -- A really good example of a well made modern style Barolo. Too bad I'm not a fan of modern style Barolo. To me, modern style Barolos taste like intense Merlots. They're soft, rich, have sedately rich fruit and even chocolatey flavors. But none of the piercing, dried rose petal, chokecherry, tarry fruit and mouthwatering acidity that made real Barolo so special. What I wouldn't give to drink some real Barolo again.
1997 Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella "Ca' Florian" -- An extremely elegant and deep rendition of Amarone. Not pruney or raisiney at all. Soft, intoxicatingly rich, ripe nose of macerated plums, blackberries, and spices. Rich, deep, yet soft and not overextracted on the palate like some Amarones. An Amarone you can drink with a rich main course, rather than wait for the cheese.
R.L. Buller & Sons Premium Fine Muscat (Victoria, Australia) -- a superb nonvintage Solera method dessert Muscat from down under. Rich, syrupy in texture, yet with excellent balancing acidity. Flavors of maple syrup, dates, and ripe grapes. Long finish. Outstanding and reasonably priced (about $15 per half bottle at Spec's).
A great array of wines, just like the good ol' days in NYC. Thanks for a nice visit, J & M!
2002 Domaine Vincent Girardin Meursault Narvaux -- a classic Meursault nose of smoky hazelnuts and straw. Great balance and richness, and a long finish. Very nice.
2001 Ansgar Clusserath Trittenheimer Apotheke Riesling Kabinett -- slightly corked, but you could still taste the vibrant, minerally flavors underneath the corkiness. Unfortunately, corkiness quickly gets worse with air, so we had to toss this one after the first glass.
2002 Domaine Ehrhart Gewurztraminer "Raisins Egrappes" (Alsace) -- Classic gewurz nose of spicy lychee nuts and fruit. A tad richer, lower in acidity, and sweeter than I would have expected from a 2002, but very good nonetheless.
1998 Eric Ross Old Vine Zinfandel Occidental Vineyard (Russian River Valley) -- Jonathan brought this one, and it was INTENSE. Really a prototypical Zin from old vines but grown in a cool climate region. Intensely ripe, peppery nose, but with acidity you could smell. The acidity helped buoy up what otherwise could have been ponderously heavily extracted fruit. At its peak and a real mouthful.
1998 Silvio Grasso Barolo Ciabot Manzoni -- A really good example of a well made modern style Barolo. Too bad I'm not a fan of modern style Barolo. To me, modern style Barolos taste like intense Merlots. They're soft, rich, have sedately rich fruit and even chocolatey flavors. But none of the piercing, dried rose petal, chokecherry, tarry fruit and mouthwatering acidity that made real Barolo so special. What I wouldn't give to drink some real Barolo again.
1997 Tommasi Amarone della Valpolicella "Ca' Florian" -- An extremely elegant and deep rendition of Amarone. Not pruney or raisiney at all. Soft, intoxicatingly rich, ripe nose of macerated plums, blackberries, and spices. Rich, deep, yet soft and not overextracted on the palate like some Amarones. An Amarone you can drink with a rich main course, rather than wait for the cheese.
R.L. Buller & Sons Premium Fine Muscat (Victoria, Australia) -- a superb nonvintage Solera method dessert Muscat from down under. Rich, syrupy in texture, yet with excellent balancing acidity. Flavors of maple syrup, dates, and ripe grapes. Long finish. Outstanding and reasonably priced (about $15 per half bottle at Spec's).
A great array of wines, just like the good ol' days in NYC. Thanks for a nice visit, J & M!
2002 Nugan Family Vineyards S.E. Australia Shiraz
91. A terrific Aussie Shiraz. Complex nose of wood smoke, blueberries, blackberries, and graphite. Rich, soft, intense flavors of blackberries, cassis, and pencil lead. Full bodied, soft textured, with a long, rich, balanced finish. And NO salty jamminess! Will last another 2 or so years. $12 at Spec's on Westhiemer.
2004 Rudolf Mueller Riesling (QBA, Pfalz)
A very good, inexpensive Riesling. Nice, lively nose of limes, apples, and ripe grapes. Rich and mouthfillingfruit (peaches, mostly). Crisp acidity, slightly sweet (Kabinett style). Good finish for a QBA. The label just has a drawing of a rabbit on it and says "Riesling." I'm not sure I remember where I got it, but I think it may have been Whole Foods on Bellaire for about $8 or $9. 86.
1 in 10 Americans Believe Administration is Unethical
Only 1 in 10 Americans, according to a new CNN Poll, believe that the Bush administration did not act unethically or illegally.
So 10% don't think the administration is unethical or criminal. I guess these are the same folks that think porking your intern is grounds for impeachment, but killing 2,000 soldiers for a lie is not, nor is putting your country at risk by leaking the names of CIA agents.
So 10% don't think the administration is unethical or criminal. I guess these are the same folks that think porking your intern is grounds for impeachment, but killing 2,000 soldiers for a lie is not, nor is putting your country at risk by leaking the names of CIA agents.
Rosa Parks, a Civil Rights Icon, Passes at 92
Rest in Peace, Ms. Parks, and thank you for showing us true courage in a dark time. May we all learn from your dignity and shining light.
The New York Times article
The Story of Rosa Parks
The New York Times article
The Story of Rosa Parks
Yippee!!! Pharmacists Gone Wild! Video Forthcoming!
More updates on Pharmacists Gone Wild
and Here too!!!
Will this mean I'll have to watch out for my fundamentalist co-workers coming to work with bags of rocks so they can stone me to death just because their faith demands it? Will this mean they can't get fired for trying to kill me if they do?
It's getting a little scary out here folks!
and Here too!!!
Will this mean I'll have to watch out for my fundamentalist co-workers coming to work with bags of rocks so they can stone me to death just because their faith demands it? Will this mean they can't get fired for trying to kill me if they do?
It's getting a little scary out here folks!
2004 Carchelo Monastrell (Jumilla, Spain)
87. A very good buy in a flavorful, balanced, ready-to-drink red. From the ridiculously stony, hot Jumilla region of Spain, this wine is based on the Monastrell grape. Monastrell is the Spanish name for the Mourvedre grape, which is most famous for its role in the great French reds from Bandol (and some really good US and Aussie versions). I've noticed, however, that Spanish Monastrells tend to be a lot less earthy than their French counterparts in Bandol, with the Spaniards seemingly much more able to make wines that highlight the depth of fruit this grape can produce. This wine is no exception.
Lots of ripe black and red fruit on the nose, with some minerally tones underneath. Mouthfilling fruit flavors, medium-full body, and a good, clean finish. Not complex, but quite satisfying.
About $8 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
Lots of ripe black and red fruit on the nose, with some minerally tones underneath. Mouthfilling fruit flavors, medium-full body, and a good, clean finish. Not complex, but quite satisfying.
About $8 at Whole Foods on Bellaire.
Aren't There More Pressing Matters?
While the White House is falling apart due to scandal and indictments and Bush turns his usual deaf ear to trouble, members of Congress are sure to bring up the urgent national matter of queers trying to marry.
Yep, this is what the Senate Committee on the Judiciary concerned themselves with discussing yesterday. Will it or will it not destroy the very fabric of our highly moral and Christian society to allow two committed individuals to marry?
GOOD GRIEF!!!!
Here's a link to some of the text from the hearing:
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1641
I particularly love Senator Leahy's comments (basically, "um, why are we wasting our time with this when we could be worrying about other things?"):
As a nation, we are facing many pressing and problematic issues at this very moment -- the war in Iraq, devastation from flooding and hurricanes, record-high fuel prices, the threat of a flu pandemic, and a burgeoning national debt, to name just a few. This Committee is seeking to conduct expedited proceedings on President Bush’s nominee to succeed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the United States Supreme Court. Perhaps as a distraction from these important matters, we now are asked to again turn to a divisive measure that will contribute nothing to rebuilding the homes that have been destroyed or saving the lives that are threatened or jumpstarting the economy.
*Bold-my emphasis
Yep, this is what the Senate Committee on the Judiciary concerned themselves with discussing yesterday. Will it or will it not destroy the very fabric of our highly moral and Christian society to allow two committed individuals to marry?
GOOD GRIEF!!!!
Here's a link to some of the text from the hearing:
http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=1641
I particularly love Senator Leahy's comments (basically, "um, why are we wasting our time with this when we could be worrying about other things?"):
As a nation, we are facing many pressing and problematic issues at this very moment -- the war in Iraq, devastation from flooding and hurricanes, record-high fuel prices, the threat of a flu pandemic, and a burgeoning national debt, to name just a few. This Committee is seeking to conduct expedited proceedings on President Bush’s nominee to succeed Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the United States Supreme Court. Perhaps as a distraction from these important matters, we now are asked to again turn to a divisive measure that will contribute nothing to rebuilding the homes that have been destroyed or saving the lives that are threatened or jumpstarting the economy.
*Bold-my emphasis
Support Walgreens and then tell Target why
You know, all of these anti-gay "family" groups need to get laid REALLY BAD!!! Seriously, if you're having more sex, you don't give a rat's ass about what other people do!
It seems the Illinois Family Institute is in a tiz over the Gay Games being held not only in Chicago but also being openly supported by MAJOR corporations. Kraft was the last to get the boycott threat, now it's Walgreens. According to the Walgreens spokesperson:
Spokesman Michael Polzin told the Tribune that the company is taking part in the games to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. The company's pharmacists have been serving HIV-positive patients since the early 1980s. "Each year, we raise millions of dollars in our stores for research education and building awareness for heart disease, diabetes and cancer," he told the newspaper. "This is one way of giving back to the community."
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid21750.asp
That's in stark contrast to Target who recently had a pharmacist refuse to fill her emergency contraception:
A 26-year-old Missouri woman was refused EC when she handed her prescription to a pharmacist at a Target store in Fenton, MO, on September 30. The woman was told by the pharmacist, “I won’t fill it. It’s my right not to fill it.” She was told that she could go to a local Walgreens instead.
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/10/target-refuses-to-fill-womans.html
So fine, if that's the way Target wants it, that we go to Walgreens to get treated equally and fairly, then let's do it!!!!
The link above provides a means to communicate with Target and tell them you are outraged! You don't have to be a woman to be outraged. The VERY IDEA that someone can take a job that serves the public yet refuse to serve ALL of the public because of personal beliefs is OUTRAGEOUS!!!
Being a pharmacist, doctor, dentist, etc. isn't like being in the ministry. There is no RIGHT to pick and choose. If they want to enforce their beliefs through their job then become a missionary.
Where will this stop if we don't stop it now? Will these "family" groups decide that roads shouldn't be repaved, schools provided minimal funds, or appropriate police protection and response in gay-dominated neighborhoods just because they don't like it?
Simply OUTRAGEOUS!!! Make Target a target. Contact them today.
It seems the Illinois Family Institute is in a tiz over the Gay Games being held not only in Chicago but also being openly supported by MAJOR corporations. Kraft was the last to get the boycott threat, now it's Walgreens. According to the Walgreens spokesperson:
Spokesman Michael Polzin told the Tribune that the company is taking part in the games to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. The company's pharmacists have been serving HIV-positive patients since the early 1980s. "Each year, we raise millions of dollars in our stores for research education and building awareness for heart disease, diabetes and cancer," he told the newspaper. "This is one way of giving back to the community."
http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid21750.asp
That's in stark contrast to Target who recently had a pharmacist refuse to fill her emergency contraception:
A 26-year-old Missouri woman was refused EC when she handed her prescription to a pharmacist at a Target store in Fenton, MO, on September 30. The woman was told by the pharmacist, “I won’t fill it. It’s my right not to fill it.” She was told that she could go to a local Walgreens instead.
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/10/target-refuses-to-fill-womans.html
So fine, if that's the way Target wants it, that we go to Walgreens to get treated equally and fairly, then let's do it!!!!
The link above provides a means to communicate with Target and tell them you are outraged! You don't have to be a woman to be outraged. The VERY IDEA that someone can take a job that serves the public yet refuse to serve ALL of the public because of personal beliefs is OUTRAGEOUS!!!
Being a pharmacist, doctor, dentist, etc. isn't like being in the ministry. There is no RIGHT to pick and choose. If they want to enforce their beliefs through their job then become a missionary.
Where will this stop if we don't stop it now? Will these "family" groups decide that roads shouldn't be repaved, schools provided minimal funds, or appropriate police protection and response in gay-dominated neighborhoods just because they don't like it?
Simply OUTRAGEOUS!!! Make Target a target. Contact them today.
Indictments are Coming and so is Wilma!
Wow!!! Hurricane Wilma, practically overnight, jumped from a Cat 1 to Cat 5! That makes three Cat 5's this season and we've nearly run out of names.
Isn't it funny how fear and joy can sometimes go hand-in-hand?
I'm sure the folks in FL are scared shitless right now, but you know, the Bush administration is WAY too concerned about their own fear of scandal and indictments to be worried about a silly hurricane? Remember: as we are joyful over Bushco's demise, they are afraid of losing control. After all of the fear this administration has inflicted on our country, this seems appropriate. However, we should also be afraid of their destruction. An abuser is most dangerous when you take away their ability to abuse. I'm surprised that Bush is holding up under all of this.
God (or pick your favorite deity) must really be pissed, either at Bush for screwing up a perfectly good country or us for not stopping Bush's bullshit. Either way, hell hath no fury like a god mocked and this administration has done more than its share of mocking...of god, of us, of democracy, of life.
Isn't it funny how fear and joy can sometimes go hand-in-hand?
I'm sure the folks in FL are scared shitless right now, but you know, the Bush administration is WAY too concerned about their own fear of scandal and indictments to be worried about a silly hurricane? Remember: as we are joyful over Bushco's demise, they are afraid of losing control. After all of the fear this administration has inflicted on our country, this seems appropriate. However, we should also be afraid of their destruction. An abuser is most dangerous when you take away their ability to abuse. I'm surprised that Bush is holding up under all of this.
God (or pick your favorite deity) must really be pissed, either at Bush for screwing up a perfectly good country or us for not stopping Bush's bullshit. Either way, hell hath no fury like a god mocked and this administration has done more than its share of mocking...of god, of us, of democracy, of life.
2003 Calvet Reserve (white Bordeaux)
90. My white wine find of the year so far! 80% semillon, 20% sauvignon blanc. Given the heat of the 2003 growing season, I was half-expecting this wine to be flat, alcoholic and out of balance, but boy was I wrong. Wonderful and multi-faceted nose of flowers, tangerine, lemon oil, and lanolin. Soft, mouthfilling flavors of white peach and crisp apples, with minerals in the background. Medium-bodied, with a silky texture and a long finish. Character filled and beautifully balanced! Semillon is one of the most underrated varietals around, particularly when judiciously blended with sauvignon. Paid $10 at Whole Foods on Bellaire for this one. I went back a got a few more immediately! Only drawback is the label is pretty lame.
2003 Guigal Côtes du Rhône (red)
The best basic Côtes du Rhône from Guigal that I've had in a number of years. Deep ruby purple color. Nose tight and earthy at first, but after time in a large volume decanter, beautiful scents of stewed plums, blackberries, crushed stones and foresty scents emerge. Soft deep fruit in the mouth, with nice balance and some soft well-integrated tannin in the finish. Will last and improve for a couple of years. 89. Widely available. I think I got this at Cost Plus World Marketplace on Richmond for about $11.
2003 Chateau Montroche Costieres de Nimes (Rhone Valley, France)
A terrific reasonably priced red. Inviting, rich and subtle nose of plums, blackberries and gingerbread spices. Rich full fruit and earth flavors. Not terribly complex, but lots of flavor & body; round, with a bit of tannin at the end. Will go with lots of different foods -- pasta with meat sauces or tomato sauces, pot roasts, stews, braised chicken or pork dishes. Just a good wine to have around. 87. I got it for about $10 at Richard's on San Felipe a couple of months ago, so I'm not sure it's still available.
Cultural/Personal vs Political
Okay, I saw this on another site and since this person evidently signed off and I couldn't personally respond, I felt the need to express my thoughts here:
Apparently, a fellow blogger on another site appreciates blogs with "political/significant news" as opposed to "personal stuff" they could get elsewhere. This is an opinion which is fine and dandy.
However, there is a form of study that views the personal/cultural as political (i.e. that with one, you inevitably have the other). For instance, culture influences politics and politics influences culture. A good example would be the role the religious fundamentalists are taking in politics currently. Religion is a strong personal and cultural force that has an impact on politics. Vice versa, our current conniving and fanatical government that has a propensity for denying civil rights has created a culture of fear and hate that has had a significant impact on people's personal lives. Can we not say that the debate of a woman's choice to choose intersects the cultural, personal, and political?
Everyone has their right to personal opinion in the blogs they visit. I tend to visit Americablog.org more these days than Democrats.org because I feel like I get a mix of political and personal. Besides, I see myself reflected in the comments and thoughts on the blog. I hope it's not a coming trend that is reflective of the party, but I find less of ME reflected by the Democrat website.
A quote from Adrienne Rich to leave you with on the cultural/personal and political intersections (from the book "Cultural Politics-Queer Reading" by Alan Sinfield):
"When someone with the authority of a teacher describes the world and you are not in it"-when your subculture is not acknowledged-"there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing. It takes some strength of soul-and not just individual strength, but collective understanding-to resist this void, this nonbeing, into which you are thrust, and to stand up, demanding to be seen and heard." To develop that "collective understanding" is a project for cultural materialists (foreward viii).
Apparently, a fellow blogger on another site appreciates blogs with "political/significant news" as opposed to "personal stuff" they could get elsewhere. This is an opinion which is fine and dandy.
However, there is a form of study that views the personal/cultural as political (i.e. that with one, you inevitably have the other). For instance, culture influences politics and politics influences culture. A good example would be the role the religious fundamentalists are taking in politics currently. Religion is a strong personal and cultural force that has an impact on politics. Vice versa, our current conniving and fanatical government that has a propensity for denying civil rights has created a culture of fear and hate that has had a significant impact on people's personal lives. Can we not say that the debate of a woman's choice to choose intersects the cultural, personal, and political?
Everyone has their right to personal opinion in the blogs they visit. I tend to visit Americablog.org more these days than Democrats.org because I feel like I get a mix of political and personal. Besides, I see myself reflected in the comments and thoughts on the blog. I hope it's not a coming trend that is reflective of the party, but I find less of ME reflected by the Democrat website.
A quote from Adrienne Rich to leave you with on the cultural/personal and political intersections (from the book "Cultural Politics-Queer Reading" by Alan Sinfield):
"When someone with the authority of a teacher describes the world and you are not in it"-when your subculture is not acknowledged-"there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing. It takes some strength of soul-and not just individual strength, but collective understanding-to resist this void, this nonbeing, into which you are thrust, and to stand up, demanding to be seen and heard." To develop that "collective understanding" is a project for cultural materialists (foreward viii).
Shameless Plug
A shameless plug for an excellent organization. This was an interview in Mother Jones with Evan Wolfson who is Executive Director of Freedom to Marry, perhaps one of the largest, if not THE largest, gay rights organizations on that issue.
http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2005/10/evan_wolfson.html
I highly recommend reading the interview, checking out his book, and/or going to the Freedom to Marry website (http://www.freedomtomarry.org/). If you ever have to engage anyone in the discussion of what Evan calls the case for “ending same-sex couples’ exclusion from marriage”, not "gay marriage," then all of these should be helpful.
A couple of historical tidbits from the interview:
MJ: Your book notes that acceptance of the verdict in Brown v. Board of Education really took decades. Won’t the public’s acceptance of same-sex marriage take just as long?
EW: When the Supreme Court struck down race discrimination in marriage in 1967—in the best-named case ever, Loving v. Virginia—the polls showed 70 percent of the American people opposed interracial marriage. In fact it was not until 1992 that a majority of the American people expressed a majority acceptance for interracial marriage. From this, we learn that courts, leaders, and civil rights advances don’t wait for the polls in our system. We don’t have to have majority support for some states, some courts, some politicians to stand up and do the right thing. Full majority public acceptance of a major civil rights change—whether it be ending race discrimination or some of the other things I’ve talked about—may indeed come after the legal changes, and after by quite some time.
...
MJ: Yet the governor of Massachusetts says he supports a constitutional amendment against marriage equality, and in the 2004 elections 11 states passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage—
EW: No, no, no. Most of those 11 states were not just banning marriage, they passed sweeping anti-gay measures. They deny any level of protection to gay families, large or small. Virtually all of those states are solidly Republican, have never led the country in any civil rights struggle, and would have passed pretty much any anti-gay measure that had been put on the ballot. In this case, it happened to be marriage and family relationships. This was a right-wing wave of attacks.
In this stampede against gay people wrapped in the hot button of marriage, the right wing was smuggling in their sweeping anti-gay, anti-unmarried heterosexual agenda. In Ohio, for example, two courts have now ruled that the sweeping discriminatory measure there block the issuance of domestic violence orders of protection to anybody other than a married couple. So women living with abusive men that they’re not married to can’t get an order of protection because of this measure. Again, that was part of the right-wing agenda because they’re agenda is not just anti-gay and anti-marriage, it’s anti-choice, anti-civil rights, anti-separation of church and state, and in fact antediluvian.
http://www.motherjones.com/news/qa/2005/10/evan_wolfson.html
I highly recommend reading the interview, checking out his book, and/or going to the Freedom to Marry website (http://www.freedomtomarry.org/). If you ever have to engage anyone in the discussion of what Evan calls the case for “ending same-sex couples’ exclusion from marriage”, not "gay marriage," then all of these should be helpful.
A couple of historical tidbits from the interview:
MJ: Your book notes that acceptance of the verdict in Brown v. Board of Education really took decades. Won’t the public’s acceptance of same-sex marriage take just as long?
EW: When the Supreme Court struck down race discrimination in marriage in 1967—in the best-named case ever, Loving v. Virginia—the polls showed 70 percent of the American people opposed interracial marriage. In fact it was not until 1992 that a majority of the American people expressed a majority acceptance for interracial marriage. From this, we learn that courts, leaders, and civil rights advances don’t wait for the polls in our system. We don’t have to have majority support for some states, some courts, some politicians to stand up and do the right thing. Full majority public acceptance of a major civil rights change—whether it be ending race discrimination or some of the other things I’ve talked about—may indeed come after the legal changes, and after by quite some time.
...
MJ: Yet the governor of Massachusetts says he supports a constitutional amendment against marriage equality, and in the 2004 elections 11 states passed constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage—
EW: No, no, no. Most of those 11 states were not just banning marriage, they passed sweeping anti-gay measures. They deny any level of protection to gay families, large or small. Virtually all of those states are solidly Republican, have never led the country in any civil rights struggle, and would have passed pretty much any anti-gay measure that had been put on the ballot. In this case, it happened to be marriage and family relationships. This was a right-wing wave of attacks.
In this stampede against gay people wrapped in the hot button of marriage, the right wing was smuggling in their sweeping anti-gay, anti-unmarried heterosexual agenda. In Ohio, for example, two courts have now ruled that the sweeping discriminatory measure there block the issuance of domestic violence orders of protection to anybody other than a married couple. So women living with abusive men that they’re not married to can’t get an order of protection because of this measure. Again, that was part of the right-wing agenda because they’re agenda is not just anti-gay and anti-marriage, it’s anti-choice, anti-civil rights, anti-separation of church and state, and in fact antediluvian.
7 out of 10
A recent Pew Research Center for the People & the Press poll finds that "seven in 10 said they want the next president to offer policies and programs that are different from the Bush administration's."
Poll Link
This is NOTHING new!!! Dude, the American people have been saying this since WELL BEFORE Bush stole office. Some people voted for Bush ONLY because they felt he had a solid policy and program that the Democrats did not.
Never mind that his policies and programs were based on lies. They didn't and don't care about that. It's sad to say. One would hope that Americans would care more about honesty and integrity in the highest office than that, but they don't. They want ROCK HARD leadership! They want someone to stand up and say "This is our plan to end poverty! This is our plan to cut the national debt! This is our plan to get the troops out of Iraq! This is our plan to put food on your table, increase jobs, and help your kids get a good education!"
They want good solid and sound plans that include the things they care about. They want to get not just this country, but themselves, back on track, and they want a strong leader to stand up and say it. We need a Democrat to stand up and say it. We can say it as those in the trenches all day long that our party is capable, but until a leader stands up in our ranks and puts it before the people on behalf of all of us, it will mean NOTHING!!!
I speak as a person with the heart of a Democrat but the discouragement of an American. I speak as a person who needs this kind of leader, like I need air to breath. When you know the country is out of control and life isn't far behind (and you know you are not the only one), this is what is needed.
Poll Link
This is NOTHING new!!! Dude, the American people have been saying this since WELL BEFORE Bush stole office. Some people voted for Bush ONLY because they felt he had a solid policy and program that the Democrats did not.
Never mind that his policies and programs were based on lies. They didn't and don't care about that. It's sad to say. One would hope that Americans would care more about honesty and integrity in the highest office than that, but they don't. They want ROCK HARD leadership! They want someone to stand up and say "This is our plan to end poverty! This is our plan to cut the national debt! This is our plan to get the troops out of Iraq! This is our plan to put food on your table, increase jobs, and help your kids get a good education!"
They want good solid and sound plans that include the things they care about. They want to get not just this country, but themselves, back on track, and they want a strong leader to stand up and say it. We need a Democrat to stand up and say it. We can say it as those in the trenches all day long that our party is capable, but until a leader stands up in our ranks and puts it before the people on behalf of all of us, it will mean NOTHING!!!
I speak as a person with the heart of a Democrat but the discouragement of an American. I speak as a person who needs this kind of leader, like I need air to breath. When you know the country is out of control and life isn't far behind (and you know you are not the only one), this is what is needed.
Souter in a Skirt ?
I’ve been there. Every athlete has. There are no atheists after the 20 mile mark of a marathon and few friends. Even those who genuinely are friends and shout encouragement to you are but curious sideshows to the anguishing drama playing out in your addled mind and exhausted body. Willpower is carrying you forward. This analogy holds true for any endurance event, any endeavor that requires a test of wills: boxing, triathlon, sea-kayaking and politics.
I firmly believe that this is where George W. Bush was a couple of weeks ago when he selected Harriet Miers to be the next Justice on the Supreme Court. Tired and perplexed by the undeserved and super-hyped criticism of his administration in the wake of the Katrina tragedy and bearing the day-to-day burden that comes with being the only adult in the room of foreign policy, his normally keen instincts failed him and he went with a trusted friend. In doing so, he is throwing away the chance that a generation of conservatives has prayed for: to put a literal reader of the Constitution on the bench and end, for at least the next generation, the left’s sole remaining lever of power. This was the Battle of Bannockburn we had waited for and W was to be our Robert the Bruce.
Instead, we woke up and found that W’s father was back in office and we got David Souter in a skirt. In fairness to Harriet Miers she may, if she stays in and gets appointed, turn out to be the next Antonin Scalia. But I am highly doubtful and this is no time to experiment with different flavors for judicial candidates. There are too many highly qualified candidates with well established credentials who are steeped in conservative thought. And they come in many different flavors too: female, Hispanic, African-American, white, etc. etc. Now clearly the process of confirmation has become such a ridiculous circus that I can appreciate a sitting judge not wanting to partake, the White House has hinted at this, but I cannot believe they all passed. As a jurist and scholar of law you are given the one chance to join the highest court in the land and you take a powder? Not likely! To use another sports analogy…it’s 3rd and short and you are on the goal line…the play is called down from the Offensive coordinator’s booth…are you going to punch it in with your fullback? Go for the quarterback sneak? Student body left? No, the punting unit is coming on the field! You’re not even going to go for the field goal!
To repeat Tolstoy’s great question: “What then must we do?” My answer here is two letters and a prayer. Write one letter to the White House…tell the President what a terrific job he is doing around the world but that you have a hollow place inside over his latest judicial nominee…ask him to withdraw the nomination. Write another letter to your Senator…tell them the same thing you told the President and ask that they vote against the nomination. Pray. Pray for Harriet Miers – I have no doubt she is a fine person who may belong in the judiciary on the Federal Bench, but she’s not ready for the Majors! Pray that she sees what her nomination is doing to the conservative movement and withdraws herself. Pray for wisdom for W in (hopefully) his next selection to the bench. Finally, pray for the country. Even if Harriet does become elevated to the Supreme Court, we’re not going to dissolve as a nation…but we need prayers for strength from all of us.
Post note:
I received the following from a dear friend and trusted advisor after publishing this column originally. I have followed the advise and added the question mark:
Maybe Miers is Souter in a skirt. But maybe she isn't. This isn't some obscure New Hampshire judge being sold to the President as solid (by Warren Rudman) when he wasn't. The President knows Harriet Miers. He trusts Harriet Miers. That's why I've kept my powder dry -- because I trust W. However, it is possible that his political judgment has failed him. So I would suggest, since we don't know for sure, that you add a question mark to your headline: Souter in a Skirt? After all, maybe she's Scalia or Thomas in a skirt.
I firmly believe that this is where George W. Bush was a couple of weeks ago when he selected Harriet Miers to be the next Justice on the Supreme Court. Tired and perplexed by the undeserved and super-hyped criticism of his administration in the wake of the Katrina tragedy and bearing the day-to-day burden that comes with being the only adult in the room of foreign policy, his normally keen instincts failed him and he went with a trusted friend. In doing so, he is throwing away the chance that a generation of conservatives has prayed for: to put a literal reader of the Constitution on the bench and end, for at least the next generation, the left’s sole remaining lever of power. This was the Battle of Bannockburn we had waited for and W was to be our Robert the Bruce.
Instead, we woke up and found that W’s father was back in office and we got David Souter in a skirt. In fairness to Harriet Miers she may, if she stays in and gets appointed, turn out to be the next Antonin Scalia. But I am highly doubtful and this is no time to experiment with different flavors for judicial candidates. There are too many highly qualified candidates with well established credentials who are steeped in conservative thought. And they come in many different flavors too: female, Hispanic, African-American, white, etc. etc. Now clearly the process of confirmation has become such a ridiculous circus that I can appreciate a sitting judge not wanting to partake, the White House has hinted at this, but I cannot believe they all passed. As a jurist and scholar of law you are given the one chance to join the highest court in the land and you take a powder? Not likely! To use another sports analogy…it’s 3rd and short and you are on the goal line…the play is called down from the Offensive coordinator’s booth…are you going to punch it in with your fullback? Go for the quarterback sneak? Student body left? No, the punting unit is coming on the field! You’re not even going to go for the field goal!
To repeat Tolstoy’s great question: “What then must we do?” My answer here is two letters and a prayer. Write one letter to the White House…tell the President what a terrific job he is doing around the world but that you have a hollow place inside over his latest judicial nominee…ask him to withdraw the nomination. Write another letter to your Senator…tell them the same thing you told the President and ask that they vote against the nomination. Pray. Pray for Harriet Miers – I have no doubt she is a fine person who may belong in the judiciary on the Federal Bench, but she’s not ready for the Majors! Pray that she sees what her nomination is doing to the conservative movement and withdraws herself. Pray for wisdom for W in (hopefully) his next selection to the bench. Finally, pray for the country. Even if Harriet does become elevated to the Supreme Court, we’re not going to dissolve as a nation…but we need prayers for strength from all of us.
Post note:
I received the following from a dear friend and trusted advisor after publishing this column originally. I have followed the advise and added the question mark:
Maybe Miers is Souter in a skirt. But maybe she isn't. This isn't some obscure New Hampshire judge being sold to the President as solid (by Warren Rudman) when he wasn't. The President knows Harriet Miers. He trusts Harriet Miers. That's why I've kept my powder dry -- because I trust W. However, it is possible that his political judgment has failed him. So I would suggest, since we don't know for sure, that you add a question mark to your headline: Souter in a Skirt? After all, maybe she's Scalia or Thomas in a skirt.
Remembering Matthew
October 12th 2005, is the seventh anniversary of my son Matthew's murder.
http://www.matthewshepard.org/
While it may not be today's "hot" news to pay respects to a gay man's memory, just remember one day it could be someone you love.
NEVER FORGET!
Seven years later...I regret to disagree with Mrs. Shepard but the world hasn't changed much. How can we say it's changed when you visit a blog like Americablog and a question about leaving the country is posted and well over 75% of the respondents have or are considering leaving?
This is America???
THIS IS AMERICA where supposedly liberal politicians sign declarations saying gays can serve in the military as long as they shut up and sign marriage protection acts yet cheat on their own wives. THIS IS AMERICA where a gay California man is trying to run for Congress but his own Democratic party is telling him to drop out (http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/10/101105calDem.htm). THIS IS AMERICA where gay college kids can be killed and easily forgotten, then demonized as a drug addict in an ABC special. THIS IS AMERICA where we defend ourselves from state-to-state, city-to-city from amendments and attacks on our very dignity and personal freedoms, but our President can start illegal wars and the highest members of his Cabinet can face indictment and treason.
THIS IS AMERICA????
http://www.matthewshepard.org/
While it may not be today's "hot" news to pay respects to a gay man's memory, just remember one day it could be someone you love.
NEVER FORGET!
Seven years later...I regret to disagree with Mrs. Shepard but the world hasn't changed much. How can we say it's changed when you visit a blog like Americablog and a question about leaving the country is posted and well over 75% of the respondents have or are considering leaving?
This is America???
THIS IS AMERICA where supposedly liberal politicians sign declarations saying gays can serve in the military as long as they shut up and sign marriage protection acts yet cheat on their own wives. THIS IS AMERICA where a gay California man is trying to run for Congress but his own Democratic party is telling him to drop out (http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/10/101105calDem.htm). THIS IS AMERICA where gay college kids can be killed and easily forgotten, then demonized as a drug addict in an ABC special. THIS IS AMERICA where we defend ourselves from state-to-state, city-to-city from amendments and attacks on our very dignity and personal freedoms, but our President can start illegal wars and the highest members of his Cabinet can face indictment and treason.
THIS IS AMERICA????
Happy National Coming Out Day!!!
Yes, it's National Coming Out Day, and while you may not be GLBT, maybe you know someone who is (or maybe you just suspect). Today would be a good day to say something nice about gay people to someone else, whether they are gay or not. Talk to someone else about the importance of gay marriage and basic civil rights for all people (why shouldn't that extend to gay citizens as well?). Even if you are not gay, do something GREAT today and COME OUT as a supporter of gay rights. Today, you can make a difference.
Thank you from all of us!
Now, in other news, this Miers thing is just, well...kinda creepy. Check out these comments Miers made to/about Bush published today in the NY Times:
"You are the best governor ever - deserving of great respect," Harriet E. Miers wrote to George W. Bush days after his 51st birthday in July 1997. She also found him "cool," said he and his wife, Laura, were "the greatest!" and told him: "Keep up the great work. Texas is blessed."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/11/politics/politicsspecial1/11archive.html?hp&ex=1129089600&en=025c849e781015f2&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I'm sitting in 7th grade study hall and the geeky chik with the glasses is fawning over the star quarterback.
He's SOOOOOO COOL just the GWEATEST EVER!!! Mmmmm, she's so horny, she wuv him wong time.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just being sensitive, but it seems like odd and quite frankly childish behavior for a potential SC Justice.
Here's a link to some posts from Americablog on this topic (TOO HILARIOUS!!!):
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/10/harriet-really-hearts-george.html
Thank you from all of us!
Now, in other news, this Miers thing is just, well...kinda creepy. Check out these comments Miers made to/about Bush published today in the NY Times:
"You are the best governor ever - deserving of great respect," Harriet E. Miers wrote to George W. Bush days after his 51st birthday in July 1997. She also found him "cool," said he and his wife, Laura, were "the greatest!" and told him: "Keep up the great work. Texas is blessed."
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/11/politics/politicsspecial1/11archive.html?hp&ex=1129089600&en=025c849e781015f2&ei=5094&partner=homepage
Maybe it's just me, but I feel like I'm sitting in 7th grade study hall and the geeky chik with the glasses is fawning over the star quarterback.
He's SOOOOOO COOL just the GWEATEST EVER!!! Mmmmm, she's so horny, she wuv him wong time.
I don't know. Maybe I'm just being sensitive, but it seems like odd and quite frankly childish behavior for a potential SC Justice.
Here's a link to some posts from Americablog on this topic (TOO HILARIOUS!!!):
http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/10/harriet-really-hearts-george.html
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