To say that Weir is “not family friendly” would be a clear jab at his perceived sexual orientation. Weir is extremely involved with his family. He is putting his younger brother through college, and supports the family financially because his father’s disability prohibits him from working. Weir’s dedication to his family can be clearly documented in the Sundance series, Be Good Johnny Weir, which follows him and his family and friends through his life and career as a championship skater.
Someday we’ll live in a world where it simply won’t matter who one loves, only that one does love. People will be valued and appreciated for who they are and what they add to humanity. One’s lifestyle simply will not matter, because society will come to understand that in a free society one is and should be free to live and love as they see fit. Discrimination based on lifestyle and/or sexual orientation will be illegal and thoroughly beyond the pale. People will be treated as unique, valuable individuals…not denigrated for who they are, who they love, or how they live their lives. That will happen someday…just not any time soon, and likely not in our lifetimes.
Johnny Weir is a three-time national figure skating champion, a gifted athlete, and recently finished sixth at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, none of that is enough for the fine, upstanding citizens who run Stars on Ice…who apparently believe that Weir is just too gay for their traveling ice show. That Weir has never come out as gay (and why should he?) seems completely beside the point. The fact that Weir has a large LGBT following and is known for his flamboyant style and flashy costumes seems to mean only one thing to Stars on Ice: he’s as gay as the day is long, and therefore not “family friendly” enough for Stars on Ice.
Really? So the (alleged) sexual orientation of a talented athlete- who’s never publicly addressed his sexuality- is enough to disqualify those concerned about our poor, impressionable children? Gee, if you wanted to use sexuality (or abuse of same) as a disqualifying factor, then one could reasonably argue that Ben Roethlisberger should be banned from the NFL and Tiger Woods from the PGA Tour. After all, we’re talking documented (albeit for the most part alleged) sexual abberation with Roethlisberger and Woods. Weir hasn’t even publicly discussed whether or not he prefers girls or boys…and yet he’s not good enough for Stars on Ice. Then again, no one has ever argued convincingly that discrimination is based on anything except ignorance and prejudice, eh?
Personally, I could care less what Stars on Ice does; I’ll buy a ticket to one of their shows about the same time I’m elected Queen of England. What does bother me is the idea that we still live in a world where a talented athlete can be discriminated against simply because of what a few ignorant troglodytes perceive his sexuality to be. Well, he might be gay…he LOOKS gay…so, he’s not “family friendly”. WTF??
Perhaps if he started hanging with Tiger Woods and got busted by TMZ for sleeping with the Swedish Bikini Team….
]]>
On his daily radio and television shows last week, Fox News personality Glenn Beck set out to convince his audience that “social justice,” the term many Christian churches use to describe their efforts to address poverty and human rights, is a “code word” for communism and Nazism. Beck urged Christians to discuss the term with their priests and to leave their churches if leaders would not reconsider their emphasis on social justice…. “I’m begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them … are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words ‘social justice’ or ‘economic justice’ on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words. Now, am I advising people to leave their church? Yes!”
My pet name for Glenn Beck has long been The Dumbest )&^%$#@ Human Being On The Face Of The Planet ©. While there can be little dispute that Beck is as bat-s—t crazy as anyone else at Fox Noise Channel, he’s truly outdone himself. His latest assault on reason is truly one the dumbest diatribes I’ve ever had the misfortune to be exposed to. Just thinking about it, I can feel brain cells dying as I try to contemplate how anyone in their right mind could seriously have any issue with the idea of social justice, particularly if it means having to compare those things to Communism and Nazism. There simply is no logical means by which any rational mind can tie those loose ends together into a closed circle. Yet, I’d wager that a significant portion of Beck’s loyal, knuckle-dragging fan base are now absolutely convinced that he’s right…and are actively looking for a Church completely devoid of Christian charity and compassion as we speak.
I have to wonder…when did Beck last crack open a Bible? Considering that his theological base would seem to make the Old Testament look like a kindergarten warm milk and cookie break, I’m guessing the parishioners in his Church all show up for Sunday services wearing brown shirts and Sam Browne belts.
How Beck can possibly weave social and economic justice together with Communism and Nazism is something I can’t even begin to wrap my head around. This travesty represents a descent into something far closer to insanity than anything I really care to explore. My fear is that if I get to a place where I can actually explain Beck’s argument in rational terms, the question will then become which one of us is actually insane? Even more disturbing is the reality that millions of knuckle-dragging troglodytes treat Beck’s every utterance as if it’s Gospel. Only in America can you make millions for being so thoroughly bats—t crazy, eh?
]]>
Romney: ‘I find it hard to disagree with Rush Limbaugh.’. Translation: Pigboy has my testicles in a safe deposit box in Boca Raton.
Rush Limbaugh: I’ll Leave U.S. If Health Care Reform Passes. Here’s a suggestion: how about we make this happen?
First same-sex couple weds in D.C.. The sad thing is that we still live in a society where this sort of thing has to be newsworthy.
Runaway Toyota Hits 94 MPH, Driver Rescued By Highway Patrol. Wow, there’s a shock, eh? Who knew a Prius could hit 94 MPH??
Lindsay Lohan Reportedly Suing E-Trade for Ad. Wow…how arrogant, conceited, and self-absorbed do you have to be in order to convince yourself that a character in a television ad is modeled after you simply because it shares your first name? Oh, and I forgot to include immature in that laundry list. No word yet from Lindsay Vonn on whether she’ll also be suing E-Trade.
Allen Iverson: ‘I Am Going Through Very Rough Times’. It does not suck to be Allen Iverson. Wait…what? Pardon me; apparently it DOES suck to be Allen Iverson.
Graham Falsely Claims GOP Has Only Used Reconciliation With ‘Bipartisan Support’. Did the fool not think that someone somewhere would fact-check him? Or has he just be in the Senate long enough that he’s managed to convince himself that he’s bulletproof?
Mel Gibson Lists Malibu Mansion for $14.5 Million Recession? What recession??
Students Flock To University To Study Creationism. God said it. It’s in the Bible. Really…what other proof of Creationism’s truth do we need??
]]>
It was only a sweatshirt- a hoodie, to be more accurate…and not even anything special at that…except that it was from Rice University in Houston. A few square feet of grey cotton, comfortable and warm and, except for the logo, thoroughly indistinguishable from any of the other gray hoodies hanging in his closet. Except that this one WAS different. When She would spend the weekends at his place, She always wore the sweatshirt late at night or when She woke up. Being a woman, She was always cold, so She bundled up in the sweatshirt and a pair of his socks. Being a good deal smaller than the sweatshirt’s owner, it covered Her like a blanket, the lower hem hanging well below Her knees and the sleeves rolled up so Her hands wouldn’t be swallowed by the sweatshirt’s arms. It looked good…no, it looked great…on Her, and as time went by it became Hers by default. Though it hung in his closet, he ceded any rights to the sweatshirt to Her, no longer feeling it appropriate to wear it, as if doing so would somehow break the spell. The sweatshirt became completely and totally Hers, not through any conscious decision (at least not so far as he could recall), but eventually the idea of wearing it himself seemed somehow…wrong. Wearing it, She was the picture of loveliness- comfortable, adorable, and cute as a button in a way that only the completely smitten could understand. For him to wear it would reduce it to the status of just another article of clothing hanging in his closet. When you find magic, you nurture and preserve it at all costs. Failing to do so…well, who knows what might happen, right?
When She wasn’t around, he could look at the sweatshirt hanging in this closet and feel the warmth of knowing the time would soon come when She would again be wearing it. In time, the sweatshirt came to bear Her smell, and he luxuriated in the memories that smell triggered. It was comforting and it set his mind at ease, even though She could be a challenge and the relationship had more than its fair share of turbulent times. The sweatshirt became the constant, a symbol of something greater than himself, and something worth preserving and cherishing. And so, when She wasn’t around, the sweatshirt hung in his closet, testimony to what had come before and what (hopefully) was still to come.
Inevitably, as so often happens, love turned to dust and She left, though the sweatshirt retained its place of honor. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, but the sweatshirt remained implacably in its place. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t bring himself to wear the sweatshirt- Her sweatshirt. Though the magic it had possessed had left with Her when She departed the scene, the memories were simply too much, as if the sweatshirt still somehow contained and refused to relinquish Her essence. He knew this was ridiculous, of course, and that he was too old and sensible to be imputing such magical qualities to a few square feet of cotton…but there it was. Weekends would come and go, and as he rummaged through the hangers in his closet, he would stop at the sweatshirt, even if only for a moment, and the memories would come rushing back. He could still picture Her, stumbling out of the bedroom, rubbing sleep from Her eyes as the sweatshirt almost swallowed Her whole. He could remember how She felt as She curled up next to him on his couch with the morning paper and a cup of coffee. Her smell, the sounds She made, the solid, sensuous feel of Her weight against him- it all came rushing back as the sweatshirt stared back at him. It was Her, and even though She was gone, almost certainly never to return…it was still Hers.
Finally, he recognized one day that the time had come to break the spell. He could no longer live in the past, and he could no longer hang that past on a sweatshirt, which had transformed itself from a mere article of clothing into an anchor. He carefully removed the sweatshirt from the hanger that had supported it for so long, and he allowed himself to embrace the softness of the cotton. As he thought about how it had looked on Her, and how much that had meant to him, he began to realize that the sweater was just a thing, redolent only of whatever symbolism he chose to imbue it with. He recognized that it was time to let go, time to move on, time to stop acting like a lovesick schoolboy…and time to put the damn thing on.
After a few moment’s trepidation, he began to pull the sweatshirt slowly over his head as he considered how odd it felt to be wearing Her sweatshirt again. As it settled about his shoulders, he walked into the bathroom and considered what he saw in the mirror. He was struck by how comfortable it felt, how good it looked on him…and he realized how much he had missed wearing it. It was a sweatshirt…nothing more. She was gone, and She wasn’t coming back…but he still had the sweatshirt. It was no longer Hers…and it was really nothing more than just a few square feet of cotton designed to keep him warm. It was then that he knew he could move on. The spell was broken. After all, it was just a damn sweatshirt, right?
]]>
OK, so I’d imagine that by now my antipathy for Texas is not exactly the stuff that breaking news is made of. Yes, after 10+ years in the Great State (3722 days…not that I was counting), I think I’ve earned the right to vent my spleen. I did my time, and I think I know of which I speak. ‘Nuff said….
In fairness, I do have to admit that my dislike for the Lone Star State is not all-consuming. There actually are things I miss. There’s Austin, f’rinstance…which is sort of like Eugene, OR, except with better weather, a higher suntan potential, and a killer football stadium. There’s the music. Say “Pat Green” in Portland and be prepared for a plethora of blank stares. Most of all, there’s the food. Before I moved to Texas, I hated Mexican food. Once I moved to Texas, I came to understand why. I don’t know what it is, but it seems that the farther away you get from the Mexican border, the less authentic and palatable Mexican food becomes. What’s a Mexican restaurant like here in Portland? Eh, you probably don’t want to know…. How much do I miss Tex-Mex? Oh man, let me count the ways…. ;-)
Start talking to me about migas, huevos rancheros, fajitas…and well, you can pretty much have your way with me. This article about breakfast tacos in Austin almost has me ready to pack my bags and move to Austin. Almost…but I’d sell my left nut for a plate of breakfast tacos right about now….
]]>
It’s been said that Americans generally get the quality of representation they deserve. I know it’s been said, because I’ve been the one saying it for years. This is particularly true in Texas, where last week’s primary yielded results that no reasonable person could have predicted under any circumstances. Then again, this is Texas we’re talking about, so limiting the discussion to reasonable people is significantly thinning the herd. Man, if the primaries are this much fun, I can hardly wait until the general election in November.
First, there’s Tony Cunningham, a Republican candidate for the State Board of Edumication, who won his Republican primary. This despite being apparently unable to speak in complete sentences…and being completely unaware of what the position actually entails.
Here’s a guy who pays a $300 filing fee to run for the District 3 State Board of Education seat, does little or no campaigning, can’t answer a straight question, stays home election night and learns of his victory in a phone call from his mother.
In an interview with radio talk-show host Adam McManus on AM 630 KSLR this week, Cunningham said he filed for the SBOE post because he thought it was a paid position.
Uh, wait…you mean I don’t get my own helicopter and call girl??
Then there’s Rick Green, a Republican candidate for the Texas Supreme Court, who managed to win his primary despite what could charitably be called a tenuous grip on ethical standards. Hey, the guy’s a lawyer and a Christian…and we all know that in Texas those two adjectives convey special powers and a free pass when it comes to ethical standards mere mortals are expected to adhere to.
While in the Legislature, Green also drew criticism for successfully pushing the Texas Parole Board to release a man who owed $400,000 to a company his father owned and, according to The Dallas Morning News, pressured lobbyists to donate to his Torch of Freedom Foundation, which sponsors the Patriot Academy, a program for young adults “to learn about America’s system of government from a Biblical worldview” — essentially a summer boot camp for politically minded conservative teens and 20-somethings.
You see, the problem with politics here in Oregon is that it’s BORING. The political climate here is nowhere near as Jesus-y or neoApocalyptic as Texas…and frankly, it puts me to sleep. (Quick…can anyone even tell me who the Governor of Oregon is? No? I suspected as much. It’s Ted Kulongoski…and no, don’t get me started on how phenomenally freakin’ boring the man is. He makes Harry Reid look like Eric Massa.).
I may hate Texas (and I truly do), but man, do I miss the politics or what??
]]>Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Here’s something to ponder on a cold Wednesday morning….
We tend to think of the battle for abortion rights as being fought in federal courts, on the big stages where decisions are made that impact us from coast to coast. The reality is that the real skirmishes are being fought far below the radar, in statehouses and city council chambers. In Utah, f’rinstance, they’re gradually doing away with the ridiculous notion that women should be able to exercise control over their reproductive functions. Those of us who support the right of women to control their bodies tend to focus on Roe v. Wade as our touchstone. Don’t get me wrong, Roe v. Wade was a wonderful moment in our history and a shining example of fair and right-thinking jurisprudence, but that was 1973, if memory serves. In the intervening 37 years, anti-choice forces have long since determined that the best long-term strategy was not a full-on frontal assault, but a patient approach that nibbles around the edges. History has borne them out, as little by little oppression is being restored to the legal landscape…and it’s barely even been noticed. As is often true in history, victory accrues to the patient and the persistent. Zealotry really can be its own reward.
Should the current trend hold, and there’s little reason to think it won’t, we may well wake up one morning to the realization that women really ARE the property of men, and the idea that they should be in control of their uterus is yet another quaint Liberal notion slowly destroyed by the American Taliban. A little bit here, a little bit there…and pretty soon it’s all gone. Time to wake up and smell the cat litter, don’tchathink??
]]>
Home-school textbook market dominated by books skeptical of evolution. Just when you were beginning to wonder where the next generation of ignorant, reactionary, hyper-Christian, prepared-to-die-for-Jesus zealots would be coming from….
Nashville Man Loses Friends, Job Over Email. Sorry, y’all…but if you forward an email that compares Michelle Obama to a chimpanzee because you think it’s funny, you’re a racist. Admit it. Deal with it. There’s simply no credible way to deny it.
Taxing Soda, Pizza May Reduce Obesity. And you thought college students were upset about rising tuition costs? Wait until they hear about this….
Corker And Alexander Place Hold On Aviation Funding Bill To Prevent FedEx Drivers From Unionizing. Because nothing succeeds like protecting a multinational’s right to exploit and brutalize its workers.
After Telling Women, Gays How To Live, Oklahoma GOP Outraged At ‘Government Intervention’ In Divorces. No one gets to decide who we can hate and oppress until WE decide who to hate and oppress. Capice??
Chef Makes Cheese From Wife’s Breast Milk. Coming soon to a Food Channel show near you….
Google TV? Company Testing Satellite Service. Everybody wants to rule the world. Google has the resources to actually do it.
The Pentagon Shooter, Insurrectionism, And Right-Wing Bloggers. When the Left does it, it’s the worst, most egregious sort of traitorous, anti-American, insurrectionist sedition imaginable. When the Right does it, it’s speaking truth to power.
]]>