Get To Know Us First

The following ads were shown on tv stations across California on Tuesday, January 20th before, during and after the inauguration of President Obama. It was shown on Good Morning America, The Today Show, Despierta America (Univision), Levantate (Telemundo) broadcasts as well as on regional news stations, CNN, and even Fox News during it's evening news coverage that day. However, one station, Los Angeles Affiliate KABC-TV thought the ads were too controversial and refused to show them at all. What do you think? here they are:

The Link

I don't see anything wrong with them myself. Honestly, I've seen more controversy in ads about dating services or "the little blue pill" or even tampon commercials (Have you ever had a 6 year old come to you and ask what is a Tampax tampon that he saw on tv?) than these about American families living normal American lives. I wonder how many executives at KABC-TV are Prop 8 supporters? I wonder if that had anything to do with their decision? Hmmm.

The Whitehouse Website

At 12:01 P.M yesterday, the official Whitehouse website updated itself and changed to reflect the new administration. I really like the new site, and especially the new information on the site. Of course it is now President Obama's site and so reflects the administration of our new president.

What pleases me most is on the Civil Rights page. Check this out:

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."
-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. President Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, President Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

Fight Workplace Discrimination: President Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. The President also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.

Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: President Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. The President will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. The President will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. The President also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. President Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS.

Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. President Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

It's a good beginning.

Inauguration Day - Some Thoughts

I spent a good portion of yesterday glued to the tv watching the inauguration ceremony and later some of the inauguration balls that were shown on tv. I must say that the Obama team did a good job with the day. The day was stirring, emotional and inspiring. President Obama was poised, confident and presidential.

It was so nice to see the former president leave. I could almost feel the weight of his presidency lift off of our shoulders and the breath of fresh air that hopefully will be President Obama's term fill our lungs as we breathed a sigh of relief.

The crowds were huge, but with the exception of some booing for President Bush (and some singing of Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye) the crowds were happy, polite, and respectful. I think I heard that there were no arrests made by the police involving the crowd yesterday. Considering there were around two million or more people there, that is amazing! It was a wonderful ceremony.

The music was great. I especially loved the instrumental piece. I placed the video of the performance below. Aretha Franklin was wonderful too, but I did have a problem listening to her. I was too busy looking at her hat. Ms. Franklin, I love you and your voice dearly, but please, lose the hat.

President Obama's speech was timely, to the point and just right for the occasion. Our president is a great speaker, and he lived up to that yesterday with his inauguration speech.

There were only two jarring moments in the whole day. One was the disturbing news that Senator Ted Kennedy took ill during the inaugural luncheon and had to be transported to the hospital. The word is that he is doing better and may be discharged from hospital sometime today. My family and I send our prayers and good thoughts to Senator Kennedy and his family.

The other jarring moment came at the beginning of the ceremony as I figured it would with the invocation by Rick Warren. His prayer was the only thing that seemed out of place in the entire ceremony. There was a clear difference between his opening invocation and the closing invocation performed buy the Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery. One was inclusive while one preached only to a narrow portion of our population. One spoke for us all, while one spoke for himself. One reached the crowd and had them in his hand agreeing with his words and saying, "Amen!" and "Amen!" while the other had the crowd glad he was finished, and why didn't he finish sooner? Just in case you can't figure out which preacher said which prayer, I've included the videos of both below. I really don't like having Rick Warren's words and voice on my blog, but I think it is important that we see the two men side by side. Then it is easy to see who is the better preacher (and person).

Now the work comes; not just for President Obama, but for all of us. Obama can't do it alone. He needs everyone working with him and sometimes keeping his "feet to the fire" to make sure that we return our country to the proud democracy that it should be, used to be, and can be even better.

Yes We Did

Yes We Can

Let's Get to Work!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Mr. President!

Gene Robinson's Invocation and The Gay Men's Chorus

Since the Obama Inaugural Committee decided that it would be better to keep Rev. Robinson's invocation off the HBO's televised concert yesterday (Shame on You!) and HBO decided it wasn't important to identify the Washington D.C. Gay Men's Chorus during the show even as they were managing to identify every other group, I thought I would let you see both here today. I don't know how long the video of Josh Groban and the chorus will be up. HBO may make You Tube yank it soon, but while it is up, enjoy.

The Link

The Link

Are You Listening Rick Warren?

You Need To Listen.

The Link



The Link



The Link

Joe the (NOT) Reporter

I used to think that Sarah Palin was the Queen of Word Salad with maybe that poor beauty contestant from South Carolina coming in a close second, (though in Miss SC's case, I will let her use the stage fright excuse this once) but after today, Sarah will have to do much better to keep her title of the dumbest speaker. Someone else has taken the title from her.

I'm sure you are asking, "How can anyone take that title away from one of the best word salad speakers that we have seen in years?" Well, it had to be someone who is even dumber than the current title holder, but who is delusional enough to think that he/she knows all the answers and that the world is waiting with bated breath for every pearl of wisdom to burst forth from his/her massive and knowledgeable brain. And who is this deluded fool of a Republican? You know it has to be a Republican.

Ta Dah! It's Joe the Plumber, um, Joe the Singer, no, Joe the Author, that's not right, um, Joe the Reporter, oh heck, it's Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber!” but who should truly be called "Joe the Dumber." Joe has been trying on the hat of reporter, and with the blessing and I assume financial backing of a neoconservative website has gone to Israel to "report on the war."

You want proof that Joe has managed to snatch the title of Word Salad Queen, er, King away from Bible Spice Sarah? Well, here it is in black and white:

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think journalists should be anywhere allowed war. I mean, you guys report where our troops are at. You report what’s happening day to day. You make a big deal out of it. I think it’s asinine. You know, I liked back in World War I and World War II when you’d go to the theater and you’d see your troops on, you know, the screen and everyone would be real excited and happy for’em. Now everyone’s got an opinion and wants to downer–and down soldiers. You know, American soldiers or Israeli soldiers.

I think media should be abolished from, uh, you know, reporting. You know, war is hell. And if you’re gonna sit there and say, “Well look at this atrocity,” well you don’t know the whole story behind it half the time, so I think the media should have no business in it.

And just in case you can't believe your own eyes or your monitor, here is Joe in all his mighty glory making an ass of himself on camera:

The Link

I rest my case. I realize that whether Sam/Joe, whatever his name is has managed to get the title of King of Word Salad is debatable, but there is one title he may be very close to getting. That title would be "Dumbest Person in the World!"

I do have one question that I would love for Sam/Joe to answer:

"Hey Joe! Have you paid your taxes yet?"

Thanks to Think Progress for the quote.

Let's Give Thanks

Check out this blog post over at Queers United about thanking the New York Times for their increased and positive coverage of LGBT issues. This is a good idea, not just for the NYT, but for all of the companies and businesses that do what is right even in the face of whiplash from the homophobes in our midst. A fine example is Pepsi which is now under the evil eye of the homophobes who are designating Pepsi as their next futile boycott for helping the "homosexual agenda." Click on the article below and afterwards go thank a company or business that you feel deserves a pat on the back.

Tell the NYTimes What YOU Think About Their Editorial!

Nine More Days!

Nine more days that we have to endure before we are finally rid of the worst president and worst vice president in the history of the United States of America. Nine more days to listen to these men and their minions whine about how all of the problems that have happened in the past eight years are not really their fault. Nine more days to watch them as they work on their campaign to rewrite history so their criminal behavior is denied or placed on someone else's shoulders. Nine more days before we finally have a president who has the intelligence, the energy, the ability and (I pray) the strength to turn this country around from the disaster of the last eight years. It's going to be a bumpy ride. We have a lot to overcome both politically as well as socially, (is that Rick Warren I see with all of his homophobic buddies, the evangelicals?) but I'm still optimistic about our future.

President Obama, don't make me eat my words. Be a president to all of us; black, white, Hispanic, Indian, Christian, Muslim, Atheist, Jewish, Pagan, straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, democrat, republican, independent... The list could go on and on. We are a nation of blended people. We are a nation of immigrants. With the exception of The First Nations, we probably could all trace our family history back to an immigrant though some were forced and some were voluntary. We are probably one of the most diverse nations in the world. That's both a blessing and a curse. It's your challenge Mr. President. Lead us well. You have the capability. You have the drive.

We want change. We need change. We worked hard and voted for change. You have a lot of work ahead of you to make that change happen. We have a lot of work ahead of us to help you. Together we can make that change. Nine more days! We can do it. Yes we can!

This and That

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Holiday Season. It's been busy around here with the holidays, Santa, New Year's and getting the kids back to school. I'm not been able to be online as much as I would like, but hopefully things are settling down (looking around fearfully) and I can be online a bit more now.

A lot has happened in the past couple of weeks in politics as well as around the world. It's a shame that 2009 had to start out with a war in the Middle East. I understand Israel's desire to stop the rockets coming from Gaza. I also fear for the innocents in the line of fire in Gaza. My hope is that there will soon be peace in the region; a lasting peace for everyone. I know. I'm an optimist.

It looks like we will have Mr. Burris in the Senate soon. I really have questions about the man's good judgement but I see no way that Reid will be able to keep him out of the Senate. It may take a few days or weeks, but they will eventually have to let Mr. Burris in. Blago got the last laugh here. Let's hope he does his laughing from jail soon.

Mr. Warren is still on track to spit in LGBT people's faces pray for our souls on January 20. I never figured that Obama would go back on his invitation. I still hope that those who will be there that day will turn their backs to him during the prayer in silent protest of Warren's homophobic deeds. I know I will be turning the TV off during that time. Joe. My. God. has a good post about Warren's Real AIDS work in Africa. You might want to check it out.

Soapblox was hacked sometime last night and it has affected several very good blogs including one of my favorites, Pam's House Blend. Her site is back up right now, but things are still not right. Pam is concerned that she may lose several years of posts since they are all stored on the Soapblox server. The owners of Soapblox are talking about just letting everything go. It sounds like a real mess! You can read more about it at Daily Kos.

Finally I saw Keith Olbermann give Ann Coulter a big smackdown last night on his show. It was so good that I thought I would let you have a peek at it too, just in case you missed it. Enjoy!

The Link

Happy 2009!