As we all know, summer is a time for Flip-Flops. Sun, sand, John Kerry -- er -- I mean, G.W. Bushie:

"Can we win the war on terror?" he is asked (a seemingly innocent question).

• One day, he sez, "I don't think we can win it."
• Next day, "This war is winable (sic)."

Personally, I think the bigger story here is that The Media is actually pointing out this flippitty flop-flop!

And, while we're on the subject, how 'bout that Laura Bush, eh? This is the woman who asked her husband when he went into politics (not all that long ago) to promise that she'd never have to make a political speech.

Look who's talking now! Flippity, flop-flop-flop.

Hello. Back from a restful vacation. Tried not to watch TV or listen to the news (which is hard to do in Vermont, since I could get Air America programming through a Burlington radio station!). A few Tidbits from my week:

• So, there I am, on top of Mt. Mansfield (the highest point in Vermont), rocks and trees and open green spaces as far as the eye can see, the beauty and wonder of Our Great Country. And what interrupts my moment of outdoor bliss? A man on his cell phone! Sheesh, there oughta be a law!



• Happily, I discovered that the Canadian Broadcasting Channel had both day and evening coverage of the Olympics. Granted, from somewhat of a Canadian point of view, but still, a refreshing change from the insipid US commentators and partial coverage of sporting events. I caught the entire US women's softball game, most of the US women's hoops semi-final (the exciting win over Australia), and sports like canoe-kayak, the pentathalon, and water polo!



• And, yes, I caught Dick Cheney's admission that he 1) has a gay daughter, 2) loves her (and his other daughter) very much, and 3) is against the FMA. His speech was actually kind of touching. Can't wait to see Mary's girlfriend with the family in the photo ops this year! (Maybe? Just maybe?)

Friday "Tidbits" :

Am kind of enjoying The Olympics on NBC. The Banana likes the women's gymnastics, I like the swimming. Could do without the commentary, however (The Gal was surprised that Bob Costas was still around !).

And "yuk !" on those bios of the atheletes! I thought they were having less of them this year? Saw one last night on Svetlana, the Russian gymnast (who I like very much), and the commentary on the voiceover was, "I could understate her desire, but I'd still be overstating it." I kid you not; I wrote it down. Who writes this stuff?

Am liking my Air America Radio in the morning. "Unfiltered," the morning show with Lizz and Rachel and Chuck D., is pretty funny, from a leftist point of view. They did a funny thing on Buttons You Might See at the Republican Convention (based on real buttons that Bloomberg's administration is distributing). Check out their web site: www.UnfilteredRadio.com

As funny as the show is, it's also very serious. Some good, hard news and features. The other day: a feature about Pullman porters and racism; a news item about sweatshops which produce some of the uniforms for the Olympics; cool, intellegent pop culture reference's i.e. Carl Eller's hall of fame induction speech.

Ok, one funny McGreevey joke (just 'cuz I'm in that kind of mood): T-shirt seen in New Jersey, on a guy of course - "I slept with Governor McGreevy and all I got was this lousy t-shirt. . . and a $110,000/year job!"

Yet another reason to dislike NPR :

I actually listened to part of "Day to Day" this afternoon (Tuesday) since I lost my free Internet feed to Air America at 11:00 a.m. The program had a very nice feature on Kevin Han of the U.S. Badminton team and how the men's doubles team is our best chance for a badminton medal at the Olympics this year.

In fact, it made me want to run home and watch some Olympics Badminton. Problem is: I did that last (Monday) night! The U.S. men's double team LOST. Saw it live on CNBC.

I guess NPR didn't get the memo that CNBC, Bravo, and Telemundo are airing a lot of the Olympics (and, a lot of the programming we never get to see here in the U.S. i.e. Team Handball and Badminton) -- LIVE; and, thus, their news was old news.

Unless, of course, some Americans tuning in to watch Michael Phelps and/or the women's gymnastics team tonight have the benefit of an NBC "cut-in" of the badminton team losing. It would probably be "new news" to them. But, I don't think there'd be many happy Americans if NBC does that.

Today, I dumped NPR and took up with Air America Radio for my daily news fix.

Not a tough call - I've been Actively Seeking Other Radio News for a while now (remember my Election Day one-night-stand with Conservative Talk Radio?).

I had that brief affair with Gay Talk Radio; until the "free" Internet link to the Sirius Radio Network that I found would no longer work.

Some of my NPR gripes :

The same news stories over and over again

The tendency by my local station to have the same people interviewed by our morning local talk show host (Mardie Moss-Coane) and the afternoon national talk show host (Terry Gross)

My local NPR station also feels the need to air Dr. Dan, Family Therapist, on Monday's - ick, yuck

Then, there's "Day to Day" - the insipid NPR show that promised to be "smart, fun, fast . . . and keep me up-to-date with major news stories and pique my interest with intriguing features." Today they aired a so-called "funny" commentary re: Gov. McGreevey. It was in poor taste. Not funny. Tomorrow's show will feature Roswell & the "E.T. tourists." I'll pass, thanks.

Lest I forget, my local NPR newscasts aren't all that great, either. Sometimes very unprofessional (ums, ers, shuffling for paperwork on the part of broadcasters).

Plus, my local NPR moved my Car Guys from weekdays to the weekend, when I don't necessary listen to the radio! (And I miss them so)

So, right now, I'm into "Unfiltered" on Air America Radio (9am - Noon). Will report back shortly.

Once again, a lovely weekend. And another installment of, "Just what DOES a lesbian-headed family do in their day-to-day lives?"

Well, if you're two lesbians with a daughter who turned 6 on Friday (and who has quite the imagination!), you have a wild-and-crazy Dr. Seuss themed birthday party.

These are some of the things she thought of for the party:

Pin the Who's from Whoville on Horton's Nose

Sneetches water balloon toss - complete with gold stars to wear

Grinch Tag (whoever is tagged "it" is the Grinch)

Decorate your own bookmarks with Dr. Seuss characters

A "Lorax" miniature golf hole (guess which Mom had to design and make it?)

Party bags which included Dr. Seuss word puzzles and Beginner Books (I love eBay!)

Inviting all 20 kids from her class - since the Dr. Seuss stamps come in packs of 20! [Yes, we're still cleaning up!]

So, there I am on Thursday afternoon; sitting in my office at my desk, thinking about which train I'm going to take home, when my local NPR affiliate cuts into "regularly scheduled programming" to air the Jim McGreevey press conference live.

It had already started and I'm half-listening when I hear (to paraphrase) "blah, blah, blah... I've had conflicted feelings since I was a child... blah, blah, blah" so I call The Gal and say, "Quick! Put on NPR, I think McGreevey's "coming out."

Sure, enough, a sentance or two later - "I am a Gay American."

Since I, too, am a Gay American, I've been asked many times since Thursday just what I think about "the whole McGreevey thing."

Here is what I think:

The guy sure has cahones, to profess so calmly and clearly to the media (and, thus, the world) that he is gay. Clinton couldn't even admit at first that he had "sexual relations with that woman" (and wouldn't we be in a different boat right now if Clinton DID have the guts to be open and honest with us?).

I also feel sad for McGreevey - who's spent 47 years of his life denying his true self and hiding it from the rest of the world. That's a tough burden to bear, and has caused heartbreak for his wife, his parents, his constituents. It's not that he's gay; it's that he's lied for so long about being gay.

Why do politicians have such issues with truth and lies? (Rhetorical question)

I'm not surprised that a politician would "favor" a friend, a lover; give him a high-paying job, etc. We see nepotism all the time in politics. Granted, the man was unqualified for the position and, being an Israeli citizen, couldn't get security clearance for the job. But, hey. Milton Street has some great airport concessions; and Ron White used city funds to pay for a 10th anniversary celebration with his "paramour."

I hope his wife and daughter understand that this has nothing to do with them, that he's being open and honest (finally) with himself and it's for the best that he finally "came out." Maybe now, he'll be the man he was meant to be. Just maybe, not a politician.

Well, I just heard on the radio that the California State Supreme Court just "voided" the 4,037 gay marriages that were performed in San Francisco earlier this year.

The "good news" is that they did not resolve whether or not the California Constitution would permit a same-sex marriage (this can be argued later then!); only whether or not (voting "not") local officials (S.F. Mayor Gavin Newsome) could bypass the courts and the legislature and allow the marriages to occur (like he did).

The "bad news" (besides the voiding of the marriages) is that the lawsuit against the gay marraiges was brought by the Alliance Defense Fund, which believes, among other "truths," that "God has defined the ideal for family as one man and one woman, married for life. . ."

This group is raising $25M (!) to fund legal challenges like that in California -- and right here in PA ! They are the group which is "in bed with" (Snarky Me just had to use that phrase here ;) the 12 PA legislators who are suing a gay Bucks County couple seeking a marriage license. [Egolf et al. v. Seneca and Stahl for you lawyer-types]

I can think of LOTS of other things to do with that $25M!

Yesterday was the Second Annual Gay Day at the Phillies Game. Reminded me that I've been writing this blog for well over a year now.

Had a fun time with my Train Buddy Bryan. Drank a bit, smoked too much, ate $1 Hot Dogs, saw lots of folks I knew. 1,500 queers, 2 protesters, and the Phillies lost (again!).

The Banana enjoyed herself immensely in the Phanatic Phun Zone. So did the friends she came with, who had awesome 100 level seats (us queers were up in the 300 level). The new ballpark is pretty nice, but my heart still belongs to Camden Yards.

Did the world stop spinning because a few LGBT baseball fans made their presence known? I think not.

I've been so focused on Things In My own BackYard (TIMBY, as opposed to NIMBY -- "NOT in my back yard") that I almost missed the brew-ha-ha [pun intended] out in Colorado. Yes, the Same State which brings us FMA-author/sponsor Rep. Marilyn Musgrave.

Seems that "beer magnate" Pete Coors - Republican, pro-life, anti-gay marriage, pro-FMA - is running against US Rep Bob Schaffer, who is also Republican, pro-life, anti-gay marriage, pro-FMA, for the US Senate seat being vacated by Ben Nighthorse Campbell.

Problem is, the Coors Brewing Company (the staunch liberal corporation that it is) offers domestic partner benefits to its employees. It also once employed the lesbian daughter of Lynne Cheney, Mary. [Ah, remember 4 years ago, seeing her sitting with her GOP family at the Republican Convention, the camera slowing panning the row and stopping just before it got to her lesbian partner!]

So, Coors has had to distance itself from Pete-y by launching an ad campaign in the LGBT press noting it's pro-gay policies.

In the meantime, some Schaffer-backers are runnings ads in stating that Pete Coors is pro-gay, since he lead the charge at Coors to offer same-sex health benefits, promote Coors in gay bars, and the like.

It's like a mini-soap opera out thar, eh? Stay tuned to see who wins the primary = the Anti-Gay candiate or the Anti-Gay Candidate-who-is-being-accused-of-being-Pro-Gay-but-is-really-Anti-Gay. . . or is he?

Today, my Lesbian Mom hat.

Been putting together all kinds of materials, Talking Points, etc. for families to talk with legislators about. Here in PA, they've re-written the state's Adoption Act (yet again) and this time it would not allow for second-parent adoptions by LGBT people.

Had to look no further than the tip of my nose for this one, however:

The decision by King County Superior Court Judge William Downing (in Washington state) singled out critics of legally recognized same-sex unions who said they are dangerous to children:

"Although many may hold strong opinions on the subject, the fact is that there are no scientifically valid studies tending to establish a negative impact on the adjustment of children raised by an intact same-sex couple as compared with those raised by an intact opposite-sex couple," Downing wrote.

I wonder how PA state legislators feel about "activist" judges?

On a less snarky note, it's good to see that SOMEone finally got the "studies" part right. Here's a compilation of 21 of them which "almost uniformly report findings of no notable differences between children reared by heterosexual parents and those reared by lesbian and gay parents and it finds that lesbigay parents to be as competent and effective as heterosexual parents." [ http://www.e-noah.net/ASA/MO/articles/stacey.pdf ]

So, I'm riding the train home last night and my Train Buddy Bryan sez to me, "How about that decision today?"

Of course, I cut him off and say something snarky about Missouri / Misery.

He replies, "No. No. About Washington state. They're allowing gay marriages. The wife heard it on the news at about 3:30 pm."

Cut to : The Next Morning and The Gal is reading the Inky.

"Look at this," she sez, " They put the Missouri thing on the Front Page ("Same-sex marriage gains as Nov. issue") and bury the Washington decision -- in Parentheses yet ! (as if it's merely an "add on" to the larger issue / article) -- on page 16."

Is it the voters vs the "activist judges" issue, we wonder?
Is the Washington decision not also a part of the "big issue in the fall election"?

To give it justice, here is THAT "development" (as the Inky put it) :

A judge in Seattle ruled that gay couples COULD marry under Washington state law, declaring the state's Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional.

THIS is news, people! We pretty much KNEW that 72% of Missourians were gonna vote down gay marriage. Heck, they ALREADY had a DOMA law (but not a "constitutional amendment" - all the rage these days, doncha know).

In all fairness to reporting the "full story," voters there also voted down Riverboat casino gambling. Saving their state from yet another immorality, I guess, eh?

Geez, Louise -- can't a gal even have a few days of respite from the homophobic world?

Seems voters in the state of Missouri (as all schoolchildren know, is "The Show-Me State" - don't get me going!) approved a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Ironically, Nevada (home of Britanny Spears' infamous 56-hour "marraige") also has a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage; as do Alaska, Hawaii, and Nebraska.

Don't you just love election years?

Nine more states are set to vote on the issue. As if we don't have enough to worry about! The war! The economy! The future of social security! Affordable health care!

Today, a few words about the rampant sexism that still exists in our society:

Describing itself as an "expert in humanity," the Vatican recently condemned modern feminism saying that equal treatment for women obscures differences between men and women, which threatens the institution of families based on a mother and a father; going as far to say that, "[Proponents of feminism] call into question the family in its natural two-parent structure of mother and father and make homosexuality and heterosexuality virtually equivalent in a new model of polymorphous sexuality"!

Why is it that the only female amongst the troops that [allegedly] abused Iraqi prisoners is being tried for a general court-martial (which could get her up to 38 years "in the brig"!) ? Perhaps she, Pfc. Lynndie England, is just the first -- but, why her? Why the woman? There are six others - all male - who, by the way, are still in Iraq which England is at Fort Bragg. One of them , however, Spc. Jeremy C. Sivits, pleaded guilty and been sentenced to a year in prison (one year?! versus 38 ?!)

And in the lovely state of Florida (gawd! I would hate to live there!), voters in November will have an opportunity to vote on a constitutional amendment (!) - seems to be the trend these days - that would allow the state legislature to pass a bill requiring parents to be notified before an abortion can be performed on their teenage daughter. "Parents deserve the right to go and vote this November on this issue," said State Rep. Sandra Murman (R), who co-sponsored the bill, "They need to know what our children are doing." Seeing as "children" can only get pregnant and can't vote, this is a very scary process indeed.

Took the weekend and today off. It's my birthday. Hooray for me!