Just when I thought it was safe to "come out of the closet" and show my support for HRC (I even recently sent them -- EEEK! -- a contribution!). . .

. . . they go and do something totally absurd like endorse BOTH candidates in the 13th District race for U.S. Congress here in PA - Allyson Schwartz (good Dem, my state senator who was instrumental in helping pass hate crimes legislation in PA, among other things) and "Dr." Melissa Brown - she of the "radical-Allyson" web site I recently pontificated about. Oh yeah, and she's never held political office before.

'Round these parts (but, apparently not important enough for the Rich, White Boys of the HRC), she's best known for trashing Section 8 housing. Granted, the program could use some re-structuring. But, in trashing it, she's been accused of being a racist, as the majority of those in her district who are in the program are African-American.

This was a big issue when she ran against Joe Hoeffel in 2002. Lately, she's been denounced for running a very negative campaign - so much so that Philly Inquirer columnist Tom Ferrick consistently grants her his "Most Sleazy" award for misleading campaign tactics.

But, enough about her - back to me. I can't believe I had the wool pulled over my eyes by the HRC. I really was beginning to think that they were a decent organization, despite their overwhelming male-whiteness. I know and respect many of the Philly White HRC Males.

Looks like the HRC can't see past LGBT issues in their endorsements; as if us LGBTs care not only about the FMA and hate crimes, but, oh, say issues like JOBS, the WAR, EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, etc.

Can anyone tell me how best to scrape the "HRC equality sign bumper sticker" off my car?

From my "mom" hat today (not lesbian mom, just mom):

How much do I love the little bug-a-boo, My Banana? She's reading to me these days, at bedtime. Cute little books from her school with lots of repetitive language. It could never be too repetitive for me.

And, we're watching old musicals on DVD - "Sound of Music," "Fiddler on the Roof," "The Music Man" (they're singing at school). Tonight, she said I have to sing her to sleep with a selection of tunes from these shows.

Hmmm. . . should I start with "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" ? or go right into my favorite, the shabbas prayer from "Fiddler" ?

Ah, there IS hope for justice in the world, after all.

Today on the train, I read this piece that made my day (from the AP):

"A Catholic abortion-rights group has asked the IRS to revoke the tax-exempt status of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and to stop the archdiocese's attempts to influence the Nov. 2 election.

"The complaint says the Roman Catholic archdiocese violated its status as a public charity because such groups are prohibited from acting for or against a certain candidate." (Geez, I've been saying that for quite a while now!).

"The complaint was filed by the Washington-based Catholics for a Free Choice and cites an October 1 pastoral letter by Archbishop Raymond Burke, who forbade Catholics to vote for candidates who support abortion rights, euthanasia, reproductive cloning, gay marriage and embryonic stem cell research - what Burke called the five ``intrinsic evils.' ''

Hmmm. I wonder who that could be?

Today, I had my election day training with the Committee of Seventy, the local "non-partisan, election watchdog group" here in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.

They observe at the polls every election, even the primaries. This is the first year they have enough volunteers to cover every ward in the city, and double up in the larger wards! To give you a sense of it, we have 66 wards here - and about 1,981 polling places.

There's a lot of positive things to be said about this election. From getting out the youth vote, to the debates actually being watched by the masses, to more volunteers than many of the polling sites can handle, to the 527s bringing out different messages than the propaganda the candidates' teams propose, to : actual concern about and involvement in the democratic process by the American populace.

I feel kind of happy about it all. I might not even produce my "voting guide" for my friends this year; they all seem to already be educated about the race(s).

That was me you saw wa-a-a-y in the back at the John Kerry rally today in Philly. By the LOVE statue.

Despite speeches by just about every Democrat running for office this year (and a few who aren't), it was a nice event. Good to see Bill looking well. John Kerry looks great, strong, positive. Patti LaBelle, Da Bomb. (I'm pretty sure she got a bigger ovation than just about anyone except Bill).

Not that I could see. As I said, we were wa-a-a-y back in the crowd. We had a large video screen by us. Thankfully, so we could see all the politicians fight for the prime spots on the stage.

As usual, the police under-estimated the crowd at 30,000; the Kerry campaign organizers, at 100,000. I'm guessing it was somewhere in between, although we did stretch a number of blocks down the Parkway (and onto some side streets!). Go, Kerry!

Just offering up a few Tidbits today, as I am tired from watching the Red Sox beat up on the Yankees last night (hoo-ray!).

• Speaking of which, just when did we start singing "God Bless America" during the 7th inning stretch? I miss the good ole' days at Memorial Stadium when we'd sing "Thank God I'm a Country Boy"!


• I had pondered dressing for Halloween this year as a Swift Boat Veteran For Truth, but I was afraid some folks wouldn't get the joke ("scariest costume" - get it?)., Now I think I'll go as Mary Cheney.


• Speaking of politics (I was, anyway - stay with me here, folks!), how about Bushie offering, as a solution to the lack of flu vaccine, to import some from Canada. Yet, we're unable to import any other drugs from Canada!


• So, I thought I mis-heard yesterday when Air America noted that Bushie got an endorsement from Iran. You know the one - "Axis of Evil" Iran. Then today it came out that Iran has a bomb that will reach as far as Israel and even into Europe! Remind me again, which candidate do I feel safer with?


• Finally, I'm a bit depressed today, as Teresa (Heinz-Kerry) beat me to the punch with the "line of the week" about Laura Bush, "I don't know if she's ever had a 'real job'. . ." I've wondered that, myself.

Today, a Good Judge threw out the case in which PA state legislators filed suit against two gay men who attempted to get an application for a marriage license in Bucks County. While we pretty much knew the suit was quite frivolous, I didn't know about some of the language in the suite, as state Rep. Mike Veon noted in a recent e-mail:

· "Marriage should be restricted to opposite-sex couples in order to promote prosperity."

What ? ? ?

· "Even a woman who has sex with another woman is at substantial risk for sexually transmitted diseases."

I chuckled just thinking about some white heterosexual male attorney somewhere writing that phrase in the brief; until I noticed the word "even." As if, we lesbians are the lowest possible class in the sexual realm and "even" poor old us are at risk - and if we're at risk, look out world! Everyone could be at risk!

Well, wake up world! Everyone is at risk, and if only the Bushies of the world would let us talk about things like AIDS, sex, birth control, abortion, etc. and not just "abstinence", maybe we'd be safer!

Not going to write too much tonight, but this:

I spent the afternoon in a Women's Death Review meeting. This group reviews deaths of women aged 18-55 in Philadelphia and tries to assess which agencies/service providers might have had contact with them and how intervention could have been better in order to have prevented their deaths.

So many times the women either had no one in their lives help them - OR, they had many contacts with various services (drug & alcohol treatment, domestic violence counseling, child welfare system, the DA's office, the police, etc.) and yet they just were unable to break free from their lives - many of which were full of child sexual assault, long-term substance abuse in their families, a history of violence, etc.

As depressed as I was after the meeting, I kept coming back to one thought - how lucky and blessed I am.

Thank you all for being a part of that.

Friday Tidbits:

• I didn't believe it at first but, yes, there IS a web site called Radical Allyson (as in Allyson Schwartz, my wonderful state senator who is running for a seat in the U.S. House). Paid for by Friends of Melissa Brown, her opponent, they apparently have nothing better to spend their time and money on than trashing Sen. Schwart. Or, should I say, they have nothing good to say about their own candidate, "Dr." Melissa Brown.


• What's up with those Log Cabin Republicans? First, they can't bring themselves to endorse Bushie, given the whole FMA thing (good for them!). Then, they filed suit in California to fight the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy (also good!). Yesterday, they responded, quite well I must say, to Kerry mentioning Mary Cheney the other night - but also admonished Bush-Rove for using LGBT families as a "political wedge" issue. There might just be some Compassionate Conservatives after all !


• Speaking of The Gays, it's May Day for Marriage Day in Washington D.C. today - to "preserve the definition of marriage as the union between a man and a woman." Ooooh, I'm scared! Actually, what's scary about this is that its Churches who are organizing this and calling for "Christians from all denominations and ethnicities will rise up to the call." I guess Jews and Muslims and Athiests and Buddhists et. all have their own "call" ?


• I won't harp on the whole Sinclair Broadcasting fiasco (you all should be writing your letters!), but I will mention some of the companies who advertise on their stations, if you'd like to also join the boycotts/girlcotts : Applebees, Corona Beer, Chili's, Dr. Pepper, 7-Up, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Proctor & Gamble, Taco Bell.


• Here in Philly. the Catholic Church has begun to distribute the "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics" - a nice lil' "non-partisan" piece which notes the "the five non-negotiable issues" for Catholics on Election Day: abortion, euthanasia, stem-cell research, human cloning and homosexual marriage (all of which Bushie opposes). Notably absent: two big ones which The Pope Himself has dissed - war and the death penalty (both of which, Bushie supports!). Non-partisan, my patutie!


• Finally, on a sports note, let it be said here that I am, indeed, aware that Seattle beat the Sun in the WNBA Finals. Seattle is coached by former-Rage coach Annie Donovan who, by the way, could have won a title here in Philly had any of the Corporate Males who make the Big Decisions fought to get a WNBA team here in the 5th largest media market in the country! Oh, no: professional lacrosse, a semi-pro football team run by a rock star, and 2 hockey teams (who won't be playing anytime soon, anyway) seem to take precedence here.

That's all. 'Nuf said. Have a nice weekend :)

Oh, so much to possibly write about. What a debate last night, eh?

From their matching outfits, to Bushie trying to crack jokes and forgetting that the audience was prohibited from responding (thus, dead air), to Ted Kennedy-bashing (twice, by Bushie), then a positive comment about Ted Kennedy (also by Bushie, later in the debate), to some great questions by the moderator Bob Schieffer.

I can't believe anyone thought Bushie did okay last night; I thought he looked like an idiot and had nothing, really to say. Plus, when did we start calling the folks involved in faith-based initiatives the "armies of compassion"? And, along those lines, didn't we disband with "maternity group homes" like, last century ?

My fave Kerry moment: when he dissed Bushie's Social Security proposal to allow younger workers to invest their Social Security taxes in private investment accounts, calling it an "invitation to disaster" that would leave a $2 trillion hole in Social Security. . . mostly because what we pay into Social Security today is used for today's retirees - a concept Bushie doesn't seem to comprehend!

How about I mention Lynne Cheney's response to John K. mentioning lesbian daughter Mary, saying that John K. is "not a good man," and that his comment was a "cheap and tawdry political trick." Actually, he was quite reverent - basically noting that Mary is merely being who she was born as, a child of God.

Lest we forget, it was only a few years ago when Lynne almost bit off Cokie Roberts' head when Cokie noted that Mary is openly gay. Lynnie practically reached over to bop her while protesting that, "Mary has never declared such a thing!"

Denial. It's Not Just For Breakfast Anymore.

Doin' My Civic Duty. Since my boss gave us Election Day off this year (in lieu of the "white-male-holiday" of Columbus Day, which we do not get off), I've decided to volunteer.

I'm not a phone kind of person, so that eliminates my volunteering for MoveOn.org, which, locally, is seeking phone-bankers on Election Day to call voters and make sure they've made it to the polls.

I personally dislike having literature about the candidates forced upon me outside of my voting site, as I go to the polls already educated and prepared to vote, so that means I won't be volunteering for the John Kerry, Joe Hoeffel, Allyson Schwartz, etc. campaigns (although, I like all of those candidates and will be voting for them - as should you!).

I thought about volunteering to help at my polling site - you know, with the machines, the rolls, checking IDs, etc. - but the folks at my site are about 90 years old and very slow, and I know I wouldn't have the patience to stay the course.

No, instead, I researched my options and have decided to volunteer for The Committee of Seventy - a really cool "not-for-profit, non-partisan political watchdog dedicated to advancing good government for the city of Philadelphia and the surrounding region since 1904."

That's me! I thought. I want to be a political watchdog! I'm volunteering to travel around to various polling sites to make sure everything is going well, everyone who wants to vote is able to vote. . . basically, Ensure Democracy.

Happy National Coming Out Day. By the way, have I told you that I'm gay?

I've decided that, in future years, instead of participating in Outfest or any LGBT activity on October 11th (and thereabouts), I'd rather infiltrate the community-at-large with my Out Loud, Out Proud Self.

Yesterday, for instance, My Gal, The Banana, and My Parental Units (who were visiting) attended the Chestnut Hill Fall Festival. Chestnut Hill is the neighborhood next to my beloved Mt. Airy, and it couldn't be any more different!

Where Mt. Airy is a melting pot of crunchy-granola, co-op loving, left wing liberals, Chestnut Hillers lean right, white, and are somewhat uptight.

It's always fun when the two mix.

I think, for next year, I'm going to suggest that P-Flag and my LGBT Parent / Family Group have a table at the festival to hand out literature and Be Out and Proud. We do live and shop and dine and socialize in Chestnut Hill and a few of us even work there (have you been to that Borders Bookstore lately?).

Well, I was able to pull my father away from his beloved baseball games this weekend (both of "his teams" - the Cards and the Red Sox - are in the playoffs!) and watch the Town Hall Debate.

Did anyone else find Bushie's humor to be a bit odd? "I own a forest? Want some timber? Heh, heh." Kind of like a cross between Alfred E. Neumann and Beavis and Butthead (a "shout out" to my Train Buddy Bryan for correcting me on my cartoon references).

He never did answer that woman's question about what things he might have done wrong while in office.

And what was that bit about Dred Scott and private property rights and all? Was he trying to prove he actually attended law school?

While I enjoyed John K., I do admit he stubled a bit on the abortion question, and he could have been more specific on just how bad Bushie's administration has been on the environment (or is that coming in the next debate?).

On a similar note, I picked up a copy of "America: Democracy Inaction" by Jon Stewart and co. Very funny. Right from the start, with the dedication:

"For the huddled masses. Keep yearning."

In some good gay news this week, it looks like the judge in the Bucks County case of two men who tried to get a marriage license application but then were sued by 12 Pennsylvania State Senators is leaning towards throwing the suit out.

The real good news about this is that the Alliance Defense Fund - an Arizona based organization which opposes gay marriage, among other things (the usual: religious freedom, the sanctity of human life) - has used up some of its energy and funds on this frivolous case which, apparently, will be going nowhere.

You know, I can't even begin to explain here what this organization is like - so I'll just use a few words from their web site, regarding Traditional Family Values (which they support):

"Attacks on family values include efforts to:

• Allow children unlimited access to pornography over the Internet in public libraries
• Allow practicing homosexuals to have preference to adopt children and be foster parents
• Allow practicing homosexuals to serve openly in the military
• Expose children to explicit sex education materials contrary to parental approval
• Deny parents the right to raise their children before God as they see fit"

I don't know about you, but I don't want my daughter to view Internet porn at the library - only in the comfort of her own home, thank you very much.

And, if sex education materials aren't "explicit" by their very nature, I don't think the Far Right understands the meaning of the word ("graphically describing or representing sexual activity" by my dictionary's definition).

'Nuf said.

Speaking of rich, white men with too much power who are prone to anger-filled outbursts:

Apparently, yesterday PA State Senator Vince Fumo also knows an "F-word." Not the one Mr. Dick is so fond of, however.

In this case, he used a homophobic-slur-F-word. You know the one. Think "girlie-men" (as spoken by yet another rich, white male with too much power).

I won't go into why Mr. F., who calls himself 'a friend of the gay and lesbian community' (and, in all fairness, does usually vote well on LGBT issues) has the nasty F-word stuck in his brain and on his tongue. I mean, he could have used one of MY favorite slurs (one that does not necessarily deride an entire community) : buttheads or a-holes (with all due respect to any "bottoms" among us).

My favorite part of this story, however, is self-proclaimed Mr. Gay Philadelphia himself, PGN editor Mark Segal apologizing for Mr. F, noting that "Vince is a colorful man. When he gets angry, those colors come running out of his mouth."

Hmmm. If Mr. F. was my friend and he spewed a few anti-gay slurs - in public, while earning MY taxpayer dollars - I'd have my own tirade for him.

Friends don't let friends use the F-word!

My neighbor, Rog, asked me today what I thought about the Vice Presidential debate held on Tuesday.

Truth is, I didn't watch it.

And, wouldn't you know, Mr. Dick goes on to talk about his lesbian daughter!

I miss all the good stuff!

So, I googled the transcript to find out just what was said.

Oh, just the usual. Blah, blah, blah, I (Mr. Dick) support a state's right to decide about same sex marriage, but I also support The President. [Double-speak]

Blah, blah, blah, we (the Two Johns) believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman, but we also support letting gays and lesbians have benefits. [Double-speak]

[MV note: John E. did not say "equal" benefits here, as John K. often does - domestic partnerships NOT being equal in benefits as marriage. At least ONE of the Johns understands the difference!]

Then, believe it or not, Mr. Dick took the high road and thanked John E. for his kind words about his family (loving and respecting their gay daughter), and left it at that.

What's the world coming to when Dick Cheney has nothing left to say about The Gays?

So, John Kerry promised today to expand funding for stem cell research.

"Three years ago, the President [Bush] enacted a far-reaching ban on stem cell research," says John Kerry's new ad.

Bushie's web site responds with, "The President's [Bushie's] announcement did not ban, limit or restrict stem cell research."

What Bushie actually said in his press conference back in August 2001 was that, research could continue on the 60 existing stem cell lines, but future federal funding would be for research on umbilical cord placenta, adult and animal stem cells "which do not involve the same moral dilemma" as research on embryonic stem cells. That sounds like a ban to me!

I mean, didn't His Cronies actually write his speech and watch that press conference - live on prime time TV and all? I remember it quite clearly (pre-9/11). I was dismayed after it. The God-Fearing President on national TV debating His Religious Belifs vs science.

Let us not forget - whatever may happen from here on out (let's say, oh, he flip-flops and agrees to some federal funding of stem cell research) that Bushie is morally opposed to such research and has allowed his right-wing, extremist, fundamental Chrisian point-of-view to cloud his judgement as president.

And that's just wrong.

Had our neighborhood Block Party today. Here are a few of the fun things we did:

• Potluck dinner. The most popular item seemed to be the meatballs and the veggie lasagna (NEITHER made by Yours Truly!). . . I helped set-up and I didn't even get to those items fast enough for a taste.


• Non-Scavenger Hunt for the kids. Instead of collecting items, they had to find and identify features of our block - such as 6-paned windows on some houses, oak and maple trees, ironwork fences, and ant colonies. Fun was had by all.


• Films at Dusk. Real films, 16mm projected oldies including a Mickey Mouse cartoon I had never seen and the classic Abbott & Costello "Who's On First" clip (still funny no matter how many times you've seen it!).

Not only do we have a great Block Party, but my block also organizes multi-family yard sales twice a year, gives out more candy than you can imagine on Halloween - seeing as we're the first block on the annual neighborhood Halloween Parade route - and even celebrated National Night Out this year with a Potluck Dessert-Fest.

I love my 'hood.

So, the Phillies fired manager Larry Bowa today.

The Sports Fan in me has This to say about That: bad move.

What? Ed Wade and David Montgomery couldn't find it within themselves to find a marquee player before the trade deadline so we might have a shot at the playoffs, but they found the moral fortitude to fire the most winningest manager in a long while?

Glad I got to the New Ballpark this summer, as it might be a long time before I go again.

The House voted down the FMA today, 227-186. Hoo-ray.

Yet, 36 Dems voted for it. I will find out their names and "out" them here. Don't they know the party's platform is kindness towards all people ? (Well, it should be!)

Of course, legislators used the infamous argument that "God created Adam and Eve, He didn't create Adam and Steve" as to why only men and women should have the constitutional right to marry.

Acutally, god create Lilith and Adam and Eve; so, where does that put us?!

- - -

A few voting tidbits: Ok, so locally - NJ Congressmen Frank LoBiondo voted for the FMA; as did Curt Weldon of Delaware County; and PA Rep. Phil English, from my neck o' the woods in the far northwest. But, on a good note, Rep. Jim Gerlach of PA voted against the bill :)

Some of you have asked why I haven't been writing much lately. (Who knew I had more than 5 active readers amongst you?)

Truth be told, I have some items I've been working on in my hard drive, not yet uploaded.

I realized that, with the advent of my new, daily Air America radio habit (ok -- addiction!), that I have less and less to write about. [That's http://www.AirAmericaRadio.com - LIVE LINKS on the web site, now in both Real Player and Windows Media formats!]

The Air America radio personalities are all saying it for me, more clearly, and much funnier than I could ever hope to grow up to be. It's like they read my mind.

While I, personally, love Rachel and Liz and Chuck D. in the morning ("Unfiltered" -- 9am-Noon EST), I think I have The Gal hooked on Randi Rhodes in the p.m. (evening drive time -- 3pm-6pm). With Al (no-longer-The-O'Frankin-Factor) Frankin in between, what's not to love?

Your mission then, my dear readers - should you choose to accept it - is to check out at least one hour of one of the above-mentioned radio programs. Your life will change. I'm tellin' ya.

It's all the Truth that's not fit to print, or be aired by Fox News, or CBS, or all those other, wimpy, so-called "liberal" media outlets. I may never go back to NPR again!

Anyone read the NY Times Magazine this weekend? The Gal and I are big fans of The Ethicist and he had a good column this week.

All about the national health club Curves and how its founder / franchiser (the guy who gets rich off of the profits) Gary Heavin gives a lot of money to right-wing, conservative, anti-choice organizations.

The imperative phrase there being a lot - as that appeared to be a dividing line regarding "ethical" behavior for someone who wants to join the club - marketed almost exclusively to women - but yet is concerned about her membership dues ultimately going into the coffers of Mr. Franchiser and, thus, said organizations.

I think a National Boycott is due. Along the lines of boycotting Domino's pizza (remember those days?).

Of course, it's easy for me to say. I'm not a member of nor do I plan to be a member of a health club. For a discussion of this issue from a pro-choice woman who belongs to a Curves health club, check out http://www.curversforchoice.org

From the files of "How Did These 2 Lesbian Moms With Absolutely No Fashion Sense Get Our Daughter, Anyway?" . . .

This weekend, The Banana finally agreed to go shoe shopping, as her favorite shoes were recenlty sent to The Shoe Graveyard and the pair she currently wears is about to Bite the Dust. And, what does she select?

High-heeled, fur-lined clogs.

Go figure.

Today, the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity endorsed incumbant Republican Arlen Specter for the U.S. Senate.

Yet another reason to vote for Joe Hoeffel.

You see, I have nothing against black clergy. It's The Black Clergy I have issues with. Besides that whole endorsement thing and preaching politics from the pulpit and the inability to have separation of church and state in our country. . .

. . . there's this little thing call Spewing Vile Hatred and Lies.

Back in 1993, in the Rules Committee of the Phialdelphia City Council, the head of the Black Clergy of the Delaware Valley, testifying against domestic partnerships for city employees, compared gay people to "child molesters and bestialists."

Since then, they're been in bed with my other favorite religious group, the Archdiocese of Philadephia, in fighting any pro-gay and lesbian legislation in the city or state and at the federal level; including domestic partnerships, second parent adoptions, the FMA. You get the point.

On the other hand, a new group - the Pennsylvania State Coalition of Black Churches - endorsed Joe. Go, Joe!

Back in my "daily life." Think I'll do some more Tidbits:

• Joe Hoeffel was very funny today on my new fave radio program, Unfiltered on Air America radio, comparing jobs lost in PA under Bushie = 160,000. Gay marriages in PA = zippo! Which should we be more concerned about? Go, Joe!
• How about that "mushroom cloud" sighted over North Korea? Hmmmm. They'vea dmitted they have nu-cu-lur weapons. They've said they'd be testing nu-cu-lur weapons. Yet, Bushie and his cronies are noting that it's NOT nu-cu-lur weapons, perhaps it's a forest fire. Maybe we can loan them Smokey the Bear.
• For the record, I couldn't find it within myself to write about nor pay attention to the details of that Russian hostage situation at the elementary school. The thought of it hit too close to home. Needless to say, it depressed me greatly.
• Saw my good friend and bio-terrorism "expert" Monica over the weekend. Thankfully, she was able to confirm for me that Lassa Fever is not very easily spread, given that South Jersey had a recent "scare" when an ill man returning from Sierra Leone (that should have been a tip-off, o' customs officials!) was found to have the hemorragic fever.
• Those of you who know me well, know of my strange obsession with infectious diseases - and hemorragic fevers rank near the top of my Do Not Ever Want to Be Near list! But, on another note, I am reading an interesting teen novel about the Yellow Fever epidemic that hit Philadelphia in the 1700s - from a young girl's point of view.
• More fun from my Unfiltered radio show: they had a blast this morning noting that a number of toy water guns were recalled this summer while the Assault Weapons Ban will expire at midnight tonight!

I know, I know. . . where have I been? It's been tough coming back to the real world after our great Vermont Vacation. However, I think I can ponder up some Friday Tidbits:

• Watched some Thursday Night Football (still can't get used to football on Thursdays, though). Game was good, but that pre-show? Get over it, just show the game, will ya? I felt really bad for the Boston Pops, not only lowering themselves to being a "pre-show" at an NFL football game, but they also had to play the NFL Football Theme Music to boot (while heady winds blew their hair this way and that).
• Speaking of sports ('cuz I can), the Phillies just took 3 from Atlanta. Not that it matters anymore, boys! Baseball, I'm over it - moving on to the Iggles and the start of the college hoops season.
• Ok, how about that Bushie this week, eh? First, his "ob-gyn" slip up [while trying to talk about frivolous medical malpractice suits he said, "Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country!"]; then the Air National Guard memos on "60 Minutes"; and now Costa Rica wants off the list of US-Iraq "coalition of the willing" (they're a pacifist country!).
• So, I've covered sports and politics so far - all that's left is my lesbian mom hat. Had a meeting with a PA State Senator this week who is co-sponsoring a re-write of the stat'es Adoption Act. It would not allow for "second parent" adoptions by us homosexyalls.
• Back story: the State Supreme Court already took up this matter over a 4-year period. All arguments were heard. No good arguments existed / exist for why children of lesbians and gay men should not be allowed to have 2 legal parents. Except, maybe, that the Catholics have some weird, strange obsession with us and don't want us to be parents. Except that the only people being hurt here are the kids.
• Of course, this is the same Catholic Church that sez that if you vote for a candidate who supports "abortion rights," it is a sin and you must go to confession before you take communion. Uh, can you can "separation of Church and State," people?

Ever have one of those vacations where you just can't assimilate back into your own life very easily?

In my case, it has to do with "noise."

In Vermont, we were in a house near the Green Mountains. In the woods, off a state road. While a few cars would travel the road at night, the usual noises were that of the house shifting and crickets chirping.

No cell phones, no airplanes, no radio; and rarely would the telephone ring and, if it did, it was for the fax machine (not for moi, mind you; but The Gal's sister was having a semi-working vacation).

Now that I'm back, every noise sounds sooooo loud: conversations by people on the train, the telephone ringing in our house, the nightly medical helicopter that makes its way on a flight path through my neighborhood.

And the airplanes.

Now, I like to watch airplanes. [Ask me about my favorite viewing place by BWI Airport sometime!] Before 9/11, a flight path to Philly Int'l went pretty much right over our house, on its landing approach. I was in airplane nirvana.

Those days just after 9/11 were kind of freaky to me. No airplane viewing or airplane noise at all (except the fighter jets which, yes, I was able to watch at night -- their lights -- protecting the Eastern Seaboard and the 5th Largest City in the U.S.).

Now, the flight paths have changed a bit, but I still catch sight of my airplanes. I still awake to the sound of the first few red eyes coming into Philadelphia air space. I still drift off to sleep able to watch their tail lights heading towards the airport.

But, not having heard an airplane while in Vermont (the small prop planes towing gliders don't count), I'm amazed at how loud they are.

I want my quiet back.

So, liberal talk radio is abuzz today, in the tradition of Where's Waldo?

Where was Mary Cheney last night?

The straight daughter was on the stage at the Republican Convention. So was her husband, their kids, Lynne, and loving Daddy Dick.

Al Franken suggested that maybe lesbians are slow. (Gay time?)
NPR tried to put words in the mouths of their interviewees. (Republican conspiracy? Hiding The Gays?)

I did catch One Black Delegate (a 22 year old from Arizona) being interviewed on the floor. He's young; maybe he doesn't know better.

I also had the great luck to catch Rick-y Boy's speech from the stage (pre-Prime Time; guess he's off the A-List). Traditional family values; welfare moms need to get married; kids need to have 2 parents, male and female; blah blah blah.

In what society do these people live?

Ok, I just can't stay away from the Republican National Convention. Not the entertainment aspect of it, mind you (I got what I needed in that respect from those Dancin' Dems); but the political part. You know, The Platform.

This is what The GOP has to say about "Protecting Marriage" (emphases below are mine):

"We strongly support President Bush's call for a Constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage and we believe that neither federal nor state judges nor bureaucrats should force states to recognize other living arrangements as equivalent to marriage."

Wait. It gets better.

"We believe, and social science confirms, that the well-being of children is best accomplished in the environment of the home, nurtured by their mother and father anchored by the bonds of marriage."

I am personally offended. As should be judges, bureaucrats, social scientists, my daughter, my partner, single parents and, oh. . . anybody with a brain!

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!

Skipped the convention last night; opted to sleep instead. I figured John Kerry would get the nomination (was I right)? Let The Gal watch instead and was awakened by her laughter during "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (TOLD you it was hilarious!).

Instead, I opted to e-mail this letter to the Kerry campaign this morning:

"In the Advocate recently , Vanessa Kerry noted that John Kerry's "core value . . . is equality. And while he supports civil unions and not marriage, his approach is one of full equality..."

This week, she continued to discuss gay marriage with journalists (as reported by Knight Ridder reporter Dana Hull) noting that "he [Mr. Kerry] believes in civil unions, which is still equal rights under the law."

Please allow this lesbian-mother-voter-resident-of-the-"swing-state"-of-Pennsylvania to educate Ms. Kerry and Mr. Kerry: "civil unions" are NOT "FULL & EQUAL" RIGHTS under current laws in the United States.

I have a Civil Union from the state of Vermont, although I live in Pennsylvania. I do not have FULL, EQUAL RIGHTS in Pennsylvania. I do not have FULL, EQUAL FEDERAL RIGHTS (only State rights, if I were to reside in Vermont).

There are 1,138 federal statutory provisions involving marital status (see GAO Accounting report 2004) -- and civil unions provide for very few of these.

Only Gay Marriage will afford FULL & EQUAL RIGHTS for LGBT persons under the law. If Mr. Kerry truly supports "full equality" for LGBT people, he would support gay marriage.

If the issue is one of the word "marriage," then I propose that Mr. Kerry offer an alternative -- perhaps a federal civil union category that would provide the SAME 1,138 federal rights (and all respective state rights) for LGBT people, and one that ALL states and territories of the U.S. would have to recognize.

Otherwise, I implore of Mr. Kerry and Ms. Kerry to, please, stop saying that the campaign is for "equality" of all people; your supporters are not uneducated. We know that civil unions are not full equality. To many of us, it just sounds as if Mr. Kerry is another Mr. Clinton -- full of big ideas about equality for gays and lesbians, but not "full" equality."

Another day, another round of speeches. I tuned many of them out tonight.

Ended up getting home late after dinner (and ice cream!) and totally missed the HRC's Cheryl Jacques speak. Ok, she was at 6:00 pm, so I doubt I would have caught her, anyway (and only those of us with cable / C-SPAN would even have had access to watching the convention THAT early), but I understand it was "historical." The first time a national LGBT group/leader was invited to speak at a convention. See, they DO love us gays; just not in Prime Time!

Al Sharpton was energetic. I understand he went "off topic." Missed it. Tuned out. Fast Eddie made Prime Time. Caught the tail end of his speech after putting The Banana to bed. Couldn't get past The Visual to listen to his speech; he was wearing these really ugly, circa 1979 frameless Dad glasses. Took me a few minutes to recognize him. His voice even sounded different (in a higher octave, for some reason).

John (Cougar) Mellencamp performed. Small Town. What else would he have played? Heard on the radio his wife is a delegate from Indiana. Nepotism abounds. Don't know what all of the criteria was for getting picked to have one of those seats behind the stage, but I'm pretty sure "can cheer with enthusiasm" and "has good dance moves" were near the top.

One thing starting to get on my nerves - not sure if you national network or PBS folks get this, but between speakers, they flash these images on the screen behind the podium of Real Live Republicans Who Are Going to Vote for John Kerry in the Fall. It's the music that gets me - a cross between a "news brief / Dateline" sort of sound and the theme to "Rocky." I look up every time, expecting a tornado warning or something and a news ticker flashing across the bottom of my screen.

So, more blah blah blah. Cate Edwards is cute. Mrs. Edwards has a nice southern drawl. Mr. E. energized the crowd. Can't recall a word of what they said; but that slogan for the night - "Hope is on the Way" - how hokey can you get?

More on the DNC (an acroynm which, technically, stands for the Democratic National Committee, but the media seems to be using it for the Convention, as well. . . hmm. . .)

Tuned in early to catch the Freedom Delegation tribute. Boy, Ossie Davis is looking old. Ruby Dee, just lovely. Maya Angelou, be still my heart. Kind of disapointed that I didn't hear anyone use Fannie Lou Hamer's "I am sick and tired of being sick and tired" quote (could have been I was putting The Banana to bed, though).

Then, blah blah blah, Ted Kennedy (missed it). Howard Dean (saw it, not much to say except, I was glad for all His Delegates that he got to speak). Some Democratic governors. Ron Jr. (pretty good, but better when Terry Gross interviewed him on NPR last week). More Dems dancin' in the aisles. I swear I keep seeing the same young woman each time they show the audience. At least she's a good dancer.

Was very glad I forced myself to stay awake for Baraka Obama. It's true. He is very charismatic, a good speaker, has an interesting family background, is bi-racial, has worked with the poor on the south side of Chicago, came out publicly against the Iraq war (ok, well, not last night, but before), etc. I give him 16 years before "Hail to the Chief" rings in his ears.

One of the highlights of last night (so much so that I fell off my sofa laughing so hard I woke up The Gal a full floor above me) was Ilana Wexler from Kids for Kerry. The 12-year old from California called for a "time out" for The Veep because he said a "very bad word" on the floor of the Senate.

Then, ah, Teresa Heinz Kerry. Greeting everyone in 5 languages. Visibly touched by her son's moving introduction of her. Second best quote of the night: "And my only hope is that one day soon, women - who have all earned their right to their opinions - instead of being labelled opinionated will be called smart and well informed, just like men." Yo go, girl!

Speaking of opinions, that "shove it" thing with the reporter. Double "yo go, girl." The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (owned by one Richard Mellon Scaife, check him out on the web) is such a slanted, right-wing newspaper that I wouldn't be surprised if the reporter was baiting her!

This week, my lucky readers, you will get my impressions of, yes, the Democratic National Convention.

First thing you should know, I'm watching it on C-SPAN. None of that sniveling commentary for moi! ["Oooh, the Dems might have just lost a few votes with that speech, Jim. . ." or "The key here is for the Democrats to convert the undecided voters, Bill. . ."]

I must say, I loved Al Gore. This from the gal who wasn't very hot on him 4 years ago and seriously considered voting for Nader. He was funny, self-depricating, honest, comfortable, and did I mention funny!? [Sample joke = "This presidency has seen more jobs lost than ever before; and I should know, I was the first one to lose my job!"] And, yes, he kissed Tipper again!

A big M.U. Rah- Rah here to the students from Marquette, live via satellite (one of only 4 sites). On behalf of the "students from Wisconsin," they introduced Tammy Baldwin. You know, the openly lesbian Congresswoman. Not that it was ever mentioned. At one point in her speech, she mentioned that Kerry would provide "health care for all. Including domestic partners." Got a big round of cheers from the audience. That was our one liberal bone for the night.

One thing I could do without: Since I've opted for the non-commentary version of events, instead of commentary or commercials in the 3-4 minutes between speakers, I get camera shots of all the funky Dems dancin' in the aisles to James Brown and the like (gettin' down with their bad selves). Not a pretty sight.

Ok, who else thought Barb Mikulski looked pretty funny up there at the podium, so short of stature compared to her fellow 8 female Senators? The Gal caught a bit of "the show" as she was passing through and quite enjoyed (as did my Train Buddy Bryan) Senator Blanche Lincoln behind Mikulski, waving to the crowd and having a good ole' time on stage.

Personally, I was depressed that we Dems feel the need to promote --- ooh ! -- how cool and liberal and fair we are 'cuz we have 9, count 'em 9 (!) female U.S. Senators. Hello People! There are 50 states, 2 per state = 100 Senators. If we have 9 Dems who are women, and what (?) like 5 Republicans, that's 14 divided by 100 x 100 (for %) = oh, like 14% of the Senate. Hmmm, let's see, women are 51% of the population. . . 14% of the Senate. . . yeah, that's fair! [However, some extra credit points here to California, Washington and Maine for having 2 female Senators in their states :) ]

For tomorrow: I'll review the video of the Clintons' speeches and report back. Too tired to watch tonight. I'm sure, though, I'll hear all about it on NPR - all morning, all afternoon, blah blah blah.

Today, I'm not really into NPR's coverage of the 9/11 Hearings. Decided to listen to some tunes instead. Hmmm... lookie here, I happened to bring the "Rent" soundtrack to work today for a co-worker who plans to see it in December (for the first time). Some great words of wisdom, spewing forth from the speakers:

"There's only now / There's only here / Give in to love / Or live in fear
No other path / No other way / NO DAY BUT TODAY"

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred moments so dear /
How do you measure - measure a year?
In daylights / In sunsets / In midnights / In cups of coffee
In inches / In miles / In laughter / In strife
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes
How do you measure a year in the life?
How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of love."

"Without you / The ground thaws / The rain falls / The grass grows
Without you / The seeds root / The flowers bloom / The children play
The stars glem / The poets dream / The eagles fly / Without you
The earth turns / the sun burns / But I die / Without you"

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Joe Hoeffel (from PA !) was arrested outside the Sudanese embassy in D.C. while protesting genocide in Sudan. I'm so proud.

Having just heard a very touching (however, very lo-o-ong) NPR piece on settlement camps in the Sudan - focused mainly on impoverished and dying Sudanese children - I was pleased to hear that an actual U.S. Official - an Elected Representative to boot ! - was getting involved!

While they're not sure "how this will play" with his constituents back home (me ! me !), I, for one, am glad SOMEone, SOMEwhere is taking a stand. Can you see Arlen Specter spending any time in jail? Or, Rick Santorum?

You go, Joe!

So, let's do some Tidbits, today, shall we?
 

The Kobe Bryant defense team is calling for the accuser's sexual history to be usable in court. Personally, I'd like to see Kobe's sexual history used as well. How many hotel employees has he allegedly had sex with? What really goes on when an NBA team is on the road? Do we really want to know? Or will it just feed the fodder for more high schoolers to go right to the pro's instead of opting for college.
 

Speaking of college, how about those "harsh" comments recently from Bill Cosby? To men: "Stop beating up your women because you can't find a job, because you didn't want to get an education and now you're (earning) minimum wage."  To parents: "Let me tell you something, your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it's cursing and calling each other n------ as they're walking up and down the street."  The truth hurts.
 

It's all really about money though, don't you think? The black community took offense because Cos was talking about the black community. But, you really could just as easily substitute any poverty-stricken, lower class community in the U.S. in his remarks. Lack of access to heath care, affordable housing, a livable wage. Distain for elders, teachers, "the man" - born out of the loss of dreams, the belief that you can make something of your life. At least Cos puts his $$$ where his mouth is and supports scholarships for inner-city kids who stay in school.
 
 

No tidbits today. Instead, an international story and more of my ranting against the so-called liberal media.
 
As heard today on "Here and Now," my lunchtime NPR program - a story about the Presbyterian Church considering pulling any financial investments from Israeli companies, supposedly because they (the Presbys) are opposed to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
 
Yeah. Well. We all want peace in the Middle East. Why not also call for a pullout of investments in Palestinian companies?
 
Simple question, eh?
 
Does the NPR reporter ASK this question? Nooooooo. She takes the easy route - the soft question, the leading question - along the lines of "do you not think this is discrimination?" (I didn't get the full, exact quote of the question, as I was too busy spitting out my yogurt)
 
What's the Presby guy supposed to say?  "Oh, well, yeah. But we're going to do it anyway. You know, we hate the Jews. Taking over our Christian land, and all. And let's not forget, it was The Jews Who Killed Jesus."
 
Blah, blah, blah. Darned talking heads. Where, o where, is my Voice of America?
 

So, the "motion to invoke cloture" (what a great word, eh?) on the Federal Marriage Amendment (a.k.a. The Dreaded FMA) - which would amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage in America as the union of one man, one woman - was defeated yesterday in the U.S. Senate, 50-48. [See how your legislator voted!]

Neither Kerry nor Edwards voted. Didn't need to. The GOP needed about 67 or so votes to move the motion forward. Five of them (and one Indy) voted against doing so. (On the flip side, three Dems voted to move it forward -- Byrd of WVa, Nelson of Nebraska, and Zell Miller of GA who might as just well join the GOP already!)

The "bad news" - here in PA : Sen. Arlen Specter voted FOR cloture (moving the amendment forward). Athough it was not, technically, a vote FOR the FMA (they never got that far), it doesn't look good for the LGBT community.

Nor for women, or anyone concerned about a woman's right to choose. Specter also recently voted J. Leon Holmes of Arkansas to a U.S. District judgeship. The "Independent Judiciary" web site had this to say about Mr. Holmes:

"Throughout his career, J. Leon Holmes has actively worked to undermine a woman's right to reproductive choice. His zealous advocacy for doing away with such a fundamental right, along with extreme statements he has made about the separation of church and state, gay rights, and gender equality, raises serious questions about his fitness for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench."

Thus, I have this to say about Specter : HoeffelForSenate.com
 

A shout out to my Train Buddy Bryan today. Last night, the Daily Number in PA was the infamous 6-6-6.

You may recall that he and I had a disagreement previously about what the Daily Number was that year in PA when there was "the scam." I thought it was 4-4-4. He, correctly, identified it as 6-6-6. I apologized publicly. (Okay. In this here blog.)

The other day, though, the number WAS 4-4-4.

What's going on? The PA Lottery running scared now that slots are on the horizon that they've taken to rigging the number again?

Don't know why. They're reporting today that the Lottery ("for the benefit of older Pennsylvanians" doncha know) made more money last year than ever before.

Heck, once this economy gets better, as Bushie is saying that it is, we'll all have tons of discretionary dollars to spend on gas, food, lodging, slots, AND the lottery (both the Afternoon and Evening drawings)!

I, for one, can't wait. Maybe I'll buy that little piece of swampland down in Florida I've had my eye on!

The Gal saw some GW Bush TV ad recently and complained to me about it. I finally saw it myself and I have to agree with her, Bushie sure can "mislead" folks. Case in point:

The ad notes that his opponent (Kerry) voted against (!) the "Laci Peterson Law" (as if this were a bad thing) - a law that "protects women from violence". (Hey, I just write what I see!)

WRONG !!!

The law doesn't protect anyone. It enables a prosecutor to charge a person with TWO counts of attempted murder, homicide, whatever (one count=mother; second count="unborn fetus" - emphasis mine) -- as if one count is not enough!

As if this law, or any law for that matter, is going to "protect" women (or even children - unborn or otherwise) from violence.

Until our society chooses to value a culture of non-violence (something our War-Mongering Leader of the Free World can't seem to do) and respect for our fellow man / woman (something most of us can't seem to do, yours truly included on some days) - there will always be homicides, assaults, rapes, hate crimes, etc.

Don't even get me started about people having access to guns!

Ok, so two LaSalle men's basketball players have been accused of rape. There is DNA evidence. Allegations of a previous cover-up of a rape by a 3rd hoopster; covered up by staff members of both the men's and women's teams.

So how come the only thing being discussed in Philadelphia is what this will mean for the b-ball program at LaSalle?

People have actually said to me, knowing I am a big college hoops fan, "Don't you feel bad for LaSalle, Philly hoops (in general)?"

How about -- I feel bad for the women who were (allegedly) raped!!!!!

Really! Let's think about what's important here, people!

Friday Tidbits:

Lots of federal indictments happening in The Big City these days. Ah, the life of Philly politics. When can I move to Canada?

N.A.A.C.P. in town this week. Bushie refused an invitation to address the group. Only sitting president do have done so in recent times. Is he trying to lose the election?

Saw a disaster movie today, "The Day After Tomorrow." Global warming, unheeded warnings by scientists to our political leaders, father-son sub-plot, icebergs take over New York City. Not bad. But if you ask me, rent "Volcano" with Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche instead (lava flows from the La Brea Tar Pits!).

Back to my NPR addiction. Today's Big Topic in PA : Legalized Slots!

Interesting to hear an actual debate on the subject. Seems like the GOP is bringing the issue of morality back into the legislature. Just because some people think gambling is a sin doesn't mean they need to try to legislate their morals!

Here's what I like about the Slots:

Reduced property taxes.

Reduced city wage tax.

New jobs created.

I won't have to worry about my family driving very far to play their Beloved Nickel Slots. [They now go to Niagara Falls or West Virginia.]

My dad can't wait to get a post-retirement, part-time job making change! Erie's "racino" is slated to be on the site of the old Hammermill / International Paper factory. They left town and left Erie's East Side economy in a downfall. Slots will bring it back up.

My only gripe? That legislators can buy in (at 1%) to proposals for the sites. Not for the reasons you may think, however.

Let them make their money. Personally, I'd like to make some of my own. Only, I wouldn't be able to get a bank loan to be able to invest in the Slots; our legislators, most likely, will. Doesn't seem fair to me.

Speaking of fair, what's this about the NFL checking into Steeler Jerome Bettis' possible investment in a potential gaming parlor? Heck! If our elected officials can make money off this deal, why not a private citizen like The Bus?

Back in the Big City, sitting at my desk. Tidbit time? You bet!

Can I just say, I almost hate traveling anymore. Driving the PA Turnpike from end to end can be quite boring. There are only so many Indigo Girls songs one can sing along to, in order to stay alert. After a while, your throat begins to hurt.

Holiday travel is even worse. Everyone and their brother were driving, it seemed, this weekend. Some bright spots, though: Free coffee. Gas at $1.75 in some places. McDonald's Happy Meals for the girls.

And, there IS a Starbucks in Erie, now. Hit it all three days. They know my aunt there by name (she was even Customer of the Month once).

Disapointment of the weekend: in our search for new flattened pennies - you know, those things you make for $0.50 plus a penny in various machines - The Banana and I (we collect them) found a great machine that imprints pennies with logos of the Steelers and Pirates and the Pittsburgh Incline! But, it was broke.

Back in my corner of the Work World, it's strange the small things you miss when they're gone. My coffee guy, for instance. He knows just how I like my coffee. He's on vacation this week. Our doorman. Always had a smile on his face and a friendly word to say. He passed away recently. My work day is not the same without them.

Spending the holiday weekend in my hometown of Erie, PA. Summer in a resort town. Ah, life is simple, here.

People drive their cars slower.

Gas, food, lodging: all are cheaper.

The newspaper only has 3 small sections to muddle through.

No one's listening to NPR (a good thing, when you're on vacation).

There's a small town pace, a small town feel; even though, Erie was once the 3rd largest city in PA (I think the megaopolis of Scranton-Wilkes Barre has now surpassed the North Coast in that category).

Best of all --> took two 6 year olds, two grandparents, a partner and an aunt to the local amusement park - Waldameer - and only spent about $80 total (mostly on games of chance).

Free parking.
Free entrance.
Only pay for what you ride.
Food was decently priced.
Rest rooms were clean.

And, they had this great water spray you could walk through when you got too hot.

Second best of all --> Presque Isle State Park (known to the locals as "the peninsula") is still free! There had been talk of charging admission at one point; glad that never happened.

Take it from me, who had to pay to get into the State Park in Springfield, Mass. just to play in a nice playground and had to endure some of the worst language I've ever heard coming from kids' mouths!)

From the Boston Globe: "Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney replaced Democratic Senator John Kerry today [yesterday] as a speaker at a Mayors' conference in Boston, after Mr. Kerry canceled his speech because he said he did not want to cross a police union picket line."

Romney crossed the picket line.

On the Homefront, our own Mr. Mayor John Street noted that he had not crossed any picket lines in attending the conference. Not sure how that's possible, seeing as the conference is in the Sheraton Hotel and the police union is picketing outside of the hotel and . . .

Anyhoo.

In the meantime, the Mayors voted 46-44 to table the resolution that would have expressed their opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment.

Wimps.

Today, I ventured the few blocks from my office to Philly's Gay Bookstore, Giovanni's Room.

There is a large rainbow flag out front, but that didn't deter me. Some people don't know what the rainbow flag means. However, there IS a large "Gay Marriage" poster (publicizing a new book) in the window.

I found myself, almost reflexively, looking around to see who was watching me go into the "gay bookstore."

Ah, physical memory. I remember my first visit to a gay -- ok, a "wimmin's" -- bookstore, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I had just turned 18, moved there to go to college, and ventured into the bookstore on my own. And, even though I knew NO one in town yet, I looked around to see who was watching me go into the store.

It was worse growing up gay in Erie, PA; venturing into the chain bookstore in The Mall, seeking out the 1 or 2 "gay" books to be found there ("The Front Runner," "Fancy Dancer").

I still remember the sweat collecting on my palms, the flush of my face as I (finally) made my way to the register to buy "Rubyfruit Jungle" (making sure, of course, that there no one in the bookstore I knew), the knowing look on the cashier's face as he said he hoped I liked the book.

I thought those days were past; but, I guess not. Good thing Giovanni's room gives plain brown paper bags!