Well, the repeal of DADT passed. And this made McCain cry. The Washington Post recounts the ugliness: In the end, McCain lost eight Republicans as the ban was easily overturned. This wasn't entirely surprising, because Defense Secretary Robert Gates (a Bush administration holdover) and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen both argued passionately for repeal, and a Pentagon study forecast that a repeal … Read More
Theodore Olson Rocks
I happen to be listening to C-SPAN's live coverage of the oral arguments in Perry v. Schwartzenagger (the "California Prop 18/Gay marriage" case), and I have to say that listening to (conservative) appellate lawyer Ted Olson ply his craft…. it's amazing. He's getting hard questions and he's responding like the legal equivalent of Michael Jordan. I'm glad he's on the … Read More
McGain Moves Goalposts on DADT
Steve Benen reports it: The anti-gay senator started by saying we can't repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" until the Secretary of Defense says it's a good idea. When the Pentagon chief did just that, McCain shifted gears and said repeal should wait for the go-ahead from the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff. When the chairman did just that, … Read More
Long-Awaited Pentagon Report on DADT is Out
And guess what… From The Washington Post: The Pentagon's long-awaited report on gays in the military concludes that repealing the 17-year-old "don't ask, don't tell" law would present only a low risk to the armed forces' ability to carry out their mission, and that 70 percent of service members believe it would have little or no effect on their units, … Read More
I’m Sorry, But my Head Exploded
Look, it's a free country, and you can vote for anybody you damn well please for any damn reason. But why oh why is this happening? Exit polling reveals that gay and lesbian voters played a critical role in the Republican Party’s historic gains in the U.S. House on Tuesday night. According to CNN, 31% of self-identified gay voters supported … Read More
Quote Of The Day
"Many of us who understand the law are scratching our heads this morning, laughing so we don't cry… I would like to see Oklahoma politicians explain if this means that the courts can no longer consider the Ten Commandments. Isn't that a precept of another culture and another nation? The result of this is that judges aren't going to know … Read More
Kudos To Obama For Doing An “It Gets Better”
I'm a little disappointed in my president for, well, for a number of reasons, but I'm glad he's still not above using the bully pulpit for good causes: What's more, the White House posted an item from Brian Bond, the deputy director of the Office of Public Engagement, who not only shared his own story about being taunted as a young … Read More
An Open Letter to Katie Couric, Tim Winter, and Others
Katie Couricc/o CBS News555 West 57th StreetNew York, NY 10019 Tim WinterParents Television Council707 Wilshire Boulevard #2075Los Angeles, CA 90017 Dear Katie, Tim, and others occupying the fainting couch: There comes a time in every man's person's life when they are compelled to see Lea Michele's panties…. apparently. I know. I've been there. I didn't expect it. I didn't … Read More
“It Gets Better” Broadway-Style
Sometimes these celebrity sing-along-for-a-good-cause deals can be embarrassingly bad or awkward — pale self-parodying imitations of "We Are The World". But I find this one to be pretty good, if only because it doesn't contain Broadway's big stars — instead, it's mostly people you've never heard of with tons of talent and singing their hearts out. Also the song rocks:
Obama Administration To Challenge Court’s Rejection of DOMA
Recently, a federal judge ruled that DOMA, the federal law that says that marriage is only between a man and a woman, unconstitutional. Today, the Justice Department filed an appeal of that decision, which is bad. But they did in it a half-assed way, which is good: Although Obama opposes the law, a Justice Department spokeswoman said that the administration … Read More
The Ugly Interpretation
Kevin McCollugh over at Townhall.com is particularly vile when discussing the Tyler Clementi suicide: The assumptions made on many of these broadcast, print, and web based reports follow the idea that Tyler felt so bullied by the roommate and girlfriend who evilly and immorally taped him, that he had no option but to turn to suicide. This has been quickly … Read More
Gay Bullying
There have been a few news stories cropping up lately about "gay bullying" and they all make me wish I was a Second Amendment advocate so that I could go all vigilante on someone's ass. But this story…. man, this is a tough one: It started with a Twitter message on Sept. 19: “Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into … Read More
Too Hot For Sesame Street
The folks at Sesame Street have pulled this Katy Perry/Elmo video. Something about her cleavage, although I really don't see a whole lot of it. And I'm sure the target audience would notice it even less.
Another Naughty Megachurch Leader
Is this even news anymore when this happens? Two young men in Georgia said Tuesday that the pastor of a 33,000-person Baptist megachurch, Bishop Eddie L. Long, had repeatedly coerced them into having sex with him. In two lawsuits filed in DeKalb County, the men said that Bishop Long, a prominent minister and television personality, had used his position as a … Read More
DADT Blocked
An attempt to get a vote on repealing Dont Ask Dont Tell failed this afternoon, as Republicans filibustered. The final roll call: 56 to 43 in favor of allowing Obama to repeal DADT. It was actually 57 to 42, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid switched his vote for procedural reasons, allowing him to be able to bring the bill … Read More