A History of Numberwang
Stand By Me
Shaker Joe sent me this amazing video of musicians all around the world performing a single song. The process by which their talents were combined to make one final product is described by Jesus Diaz at Gizmodo:
This cover of Stand By Me was recorded by completely unknown artists in a street virtual studio all around the world. It all started with a base track—vocals and guitar—recorded on the streets of Santa Monica, California, by a street musician called Roger Ridley. The base track was then taken to New Orleans, Louisiana, where Grandpa Elliott—a blind singer from the French Quarter—added vocals and harmonica while listening to Ridley's base track on headphones. In the same city, Washboard Chaz's added some metal percussion to it.Enjoy!
And from there, it just gets rock 'n' rolling bananas: The producers took the resulting mix all through Europe, Africa, and South America, adding new tracks with multiple instruments and vocals that were assembled in the final version you are seeing in this video. All done with a simple laptop and some microphones.
I don't know about you, but it blew me away. Best version of Ben E. King's classic I've ever heard in my life. And I've probably heard between five and two billion of them.
[Playing for Change]
Happy Birthday, Mr. T!
Next to God, there is no greater protector than Mr. T.
Best birthday wishes to the man who taught me to treat my mother right.
On the American Idol Finale; Or: Your Blogmistress Is Nutz
So which one of these two crazy kids do you think won American Idol tonight? The nice, competent, pleasant-voiced embodiment of aw-shucks humility, or the brash, innovative, fuck-machine whose every pore oozed star power the likes of which that sad little talent show has never seen before and quite possibly never will again?
(If you don't want to know, DON'T CLICK below the fold...)
Oh. Congratulations on being straight.
This morning, I had a dream that Adam won, but by the time the winner was announced, I knew in my bones it wasn't going to be him. I tried to steel myself for it, but when Ryan Seacrest announced Kris' name, I threw the remote and pouted.
And then, of course, I started emailing Deeks.
Came back the replies: Lots of LOLs and "i hope you're saving these" and "you are totally crackin' my shit up" and then, simply, "you soooooooo need to post these."
As requested, in order, the unedited evidence that bigotry really does quite genuinely make me crazy:
I am going to post a really annoyed post about it tomorrow morning. If I post something right now, I'm going to be way more mean to Kris himself than he deserves.
It actually gave me chest pains to watch him basking in the glow of privilege. But, on the other hand, I feel sorry for him, because he *knows* it. "Adam deserves this." Days ago he was saying that he hopes he doesn't win because of the Christian vote, which I'm sure is because he, like everyone else who's into the show and has a computer, is well aware that there are legions of Christians who were organizing to keep the big queerbait from winning boo hoo we hate homos!
The win is now tainted for him, too, because a bunch of fundy fucknecks had to use American fucking Idol for their retrofuck bigoted agenda. Way to go, assholes.
I was ranting about how angry I was (I'm such a peach to live with!) and saying that I was furious thinking about all the people CELEBRATING THEIR FUCKING VICTORY of denying a talented guy a win he deserved on the basis that he's gay, and Iain said: "What a pitiful little success. It's the only thing they've had to celebrate since Obama won."
We got the White House; they got American Idol. And that STILL brings me no solace, because ADAM SHOULD HAVE WON!!!
I hope Brain May makes Adam the new lead singer of Queen and they go on tour and make millions and millions and GAJILLIONS of dollars that will NEVER EVER end up in an antigay church coffer, and I will be in the front row screaming "We Are the Champions" at the top of my bloody lungs.
FUCK EVERYTHING!!!
I really need to stop watching American Idol.
And, btw, I know thinkin' isn't a fundy strong suit and all, but in their zeal to vote against the Big Terrible Rampaging Homosexual, I suppose it never occurred to them that maybe sending the Good Christian Boy into the debauched world of American Pop Culture Fame is quite a questionable victory for Jesus.
Also: FUCK THE MOTHERFUCKING MEDIA and American Idol for setting up the finale as a showdown between "the theatrical glam rocker" and "the boy next door." You know, assholes, some of us have ZOMG Flamboyant Gayboys living next door to us, and we're JUST FINE WITH THAT!!!!!!!!eleventy!
Here's his actual quote upon winning and being asked by Asscrest how it feels: "It feels good, man, but Adam deserves this." Yeah, ya THINK?!
Tell that to all the GOOD CHRISTIANS who organized the HATE CAMPAIGN against him because he has the unmitigated temerity to suck cock and paint his fingernails OH NOES WHAT ABOUT THE CHILLRENZZZ?!??!
You know what will happen if we crown a gay American Idol, don't you?! Children will be singing SHOW TUNES in the streets and marrying their DOGS!
Worse yet, dogs will be singing show tunes and marrying dogs of the SAME SEX!!!
And no one wants to live in a country with gay dogs sporting blue fauxhawks. NO ONE!This is all true.
Question of the Day
What album can you not stop listening to these days?
At the moment, I'm all about "Bea Arthur on Broadway: Just Between Friends," which was a birthday gift from one Mr. Paul T. Spud and one Mr. Deeky W. Gashlycrumb.
True Fact: It's impossible not to love an album that includes a track titled: "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' On It!"
(My first thought when I read that track listing, btw, was: "I hope she means a settee, or possibly a chaise or a nice chair, and not her vajayjay.")
Apatowcalypse Now: Dawn of the Dudebros
So. Hunter-gatherer societies. The truth about them is this: The two primary methods of food procurement from whence comes their name were long presumed to be strictly divided along gender lines—men hunted big game; women hunted small game and gathered plants. There are, however, some well-documented exceptions, societies in which most of the women hunted, too, or most of the men gathered, too, or everyone did a little of both.
There is even documentation of cultures that existed right here on the very land we now call America in which gender itself was fluid, and cis and trans women and cis and trans men and androgynes hunted or gathered or built structures or cared for children, filling whatever role best suited them, irrespective of their sex and gender and sexuality.
Ahh, complexity of human culture, how I love you. I love you exactly as much as misogynists don't.
Lazy misogynists fetishize evo-psych, and thus they compulsively wank to the idea that hunter-gatherer societies were built around Men of Action and Women of Submissive Servitude—because that means it's human nature, and that means feminists and gender-queers are indeed the nefarious harbingers of the unnatural, the unorthodox, the aberrant totems heralding the downfall of humankind that misogynists claim them to be.
And so it is that misogynists will insist, despite evidence to the contrary—no less the common sense informing a conclusion that humankind is intrinsically varied, always abundantly evident when human culture is allowed to blossom into a spectrum of experience free of the rigid, binary bonds of dichotomous thinking—that men were hunters, goddammit, and women were gatherers.
Unless, apparently, they're making an Apatovian masterpiece about "Year One" (cleverly titled Year One), in which case they erase women from the equation altogether, relegating them instead to sexy slaves and potential victims of rape at the hands of our heroes.Voiceover: Get ready to go back, way back, to the year 1.
There's more, including an awesomely funny joke about how Eema has been enslaved and ergo will never "get off work" for a date, but you get the gist.
Jack Black: What do I gotta do to make you my woman? Tell me you can say no to this. [gyrates fat belly, because fat is hilariously unsexy HAR HAR] Give it a second; let it work on you.
Actress Whose Name I Don't Know: [raises arm revealing hairy armpit HAR HAR] I think I have to wash my hair.
Black: You washed your hair last year!
Voiceover: For Zed and Oh—
Michael Cera: Hi, Eema! [is ignored by blonde girl]
Voiceover: —life was tough.
Cera: She doesn't even know I exist.
Black: Give her a little tap on the head. Women respond to that.
[Cera taps her on the head with a club. She says, "Ow!" She grabs the club and hits him back. Watching from the bushes, Black cringes. In another trailer for the film that shows an extended clip of this scene, Black precedes the "tap on the head advice" by exhorting Cera to "drag her back to your hut." When Cera replies, "What if she struggles?" Black then makes the recommendation to "Give her a little tap on the head."]
Voiceover: Zed was a hunter.
Black: Tonight we feast. [launches arrow at a Scottish Highland cow (!), misses, then tackles it, and falls on his ass]
Voiceover: Oh was a gatherer.
Cera: [big dude knocks plate of berries out of his hand] Well, there won't be any berries in the fruit salad now, so we all lose.
Voiceover: And together they were destined for greatness.
The entire premise is that men were the hunters, men were the gatherers (and, beyond the main characters, we also see that men were the farmers, the soldiers, the priests, etc.), and women were/are the sex class. And thus has it always been, since Year One.
And thus shall it ever be in the Apatovian Paradise that is the modern dudebro misogycom.
I know I should expect nothing less from seemingly every male comic actor working in Hollywood today (and shame on you, Harold Ramis, for directing such slop), but this particular clusterfuckery of human history is getting under my skin in a way that most of them don't—not just because the cultural anthropologist in me is metaphorically barfing her brains out at the wanton mockery of her discipline, but also because it underlines just how far the backlash is really going.
Now, it's not just that women aren't hunters and must be consigned exclusively to the "unimportant" role of gatherer; it's that men did it all, bitchez!—and women were passive beneficiaries of their labor, gratefully rewarding the menfolk with megapussay for their toil.
"Together they were destined for greatness." Two dudes. The sausagefest of civilization.
Huzzah.
Melissa's Totes Boyfriend has Epic Flounce from Blogging
OMG NO WAYS!!!!11!111!!! Remember David Sirota? When we last left him, he was slobbering over an airline safety video and leaving some truly classy comments. OMG you guys no way. He's TOTALLY leaving blogging, because we all suck.
So a brief programming note: May 31st, 2009 will be my last day as a full-time political blogger, and, really, my last day as a full-time political writer of any sort. This is (obviously) a major change for me. [...] When I get back, I will no longer be employed by the Campaign for America's Future and my role here at OpenLeft will be reduced to the Morning Blogger - that is, I will be posting one post a day in the morning, and that's it. Additionally, I am curtailing most of - and likely all of - my direct political activism indefinitely.Or not. So he's leaving blogging, except he'll still throw us proles one post a day. Snort. Harrumph.
The reason for this change is fairly simple: I'm in need of something more creative, and I want to get back to the basics of writing. It is my passion, it is what I love - and I am interested in more than just the hard-core political world, whose media (blogospheric/magazines/TV shows/etc.) and activist outlets in the Dear Leader Era I believe are becoming less and less creative, more and more sycophantic, and ultimately, completely unstimulating.OMG BURRRN.
He's totally too cool to like Obama now, too, calling him "Dear Leader" and shit, ha! But wait, are you actually saying the entire blogosphere is a complete waste of time and beneath you?
I say that with an asterisk, though - and that asterisk is In These Times and OpenLeft. Those are two of the few places where I think generally creative and bold-thinking writing is still being done - by journalists, front-pagers, diarists and commenters. That's why, in fact, I am going to keep writing on a limited basis for both.Oh, of course, the entire blogosphere totes suxxx, except for the two sites where you post. AWESUM.
In all seriousness, there's something really obnoxious about flouncing out of the blogosphere, dismissing nearly all of it (except for his sites, of course), as uncreative, unworthy of his time and/or beneath his notice. It's perfectly fine to get sick of political blogging (who doesn't?), but "sycophantic?" "Unstimulating?" Really? How did he type with his nose that high up in the air?
Liss emailed: "There's something deeply objectionable about a guy who wants to move on from political blogging, which is understandable, but, instead of taking his leave with a thanks and a tip of his hat, has to piss all over the arena in which he's no longer personally invested—and the people who populate it. And, as always, there's no sense that maybe he feels that the blogosphere is bereft of creativity, serious challenges to power, and bold thinking because he limits himself to the same tiny circle of Blogger Boiz who have made their names and money off regurgitating Democratic party-line swill and vomiting up the same contempt for 'special interests' that the rightwing does."
Some of us write purty. Some of us can't help but snark. I'm the mean one.
So, what will he do with his time?
I will continue to write my syndicated column, my upcoming new book, and monthly articles for In These Times, all of which I expect to be far less hard-core political and far-more cultural than my previous writing. It's not that I won't write about politics - it's just that I will look to mix it up a lot more.Ooo yea, mixin' it up, 'cuz you never know what this ca-RAAZY dOOd will do! Melissa: "Upcoming new book? You mean it's upcoming and new? Fantastic!"
I'll leave you to wail in agony over this horrible, horrible news in comments. Bonus fun: Which statement makes David Sirota the coolest blogger EVAH:
Is it #1, "I'm so wild and awesome and unpredictable" Dave?
I'm making a bunch of career moves/adjustments, admittedly very quickly and very abruptly (that's how I roll, I guess).Or is it #2, "I'm really 1995 topical Clueless" Dave?
So, when June 1st comes, and you don't see me around here for a month and a half and then when you do see me it's only on a limited basis, it's not because I'm dead and gone (at least I hope not) - it's because I'm Audi 5000.Or is it #3, "I'm so fucking hip and badass, watch me pop my collar and turn my back on you douches" Dave?
Onward...or, as one of my favorite campaign managers used to say, onward motherfuckers.OMG my nipples just got hard. He's just like the end of The Breakfast Club.
No Shame
The Republicans have put forth their talking points against the Democrats' public option in their health care proposal:
The federal government would run a health care system -- or a public plan option -- with the compassion of the IRS, the efficiency of the post office, and the incompetence of Katrina.Steve Benen does a nice job of pointing out the inanity and laziness of such a statement, but I thought I'd take a whack at it, too.
First, the IRS is tasked by the Congress to collect the taxes and enforce the tax laws passed by the United States Congress. So knocking their lack of compassion is the same thing as knocking the police for doing their job. Just because the Republicans don't like to pay taxes isn't any reason to accuse the IRS of being dispassionate and forceful in enforcing the law.
Second, accusing the United States Post Office of inefficiency is weak. Being able to send a letter from Miami to Seattle door to door in two days and for less than fifty cents sounds pretty efficient to me, not to mention the countless services like on-line postage services and on-line package tracking, all for a lot less than the private companies.
Third, aside from the fact that "the incompetence of Katrina" is a nonsense phrase -- as hurricanes go, Katrina was more than competent in doing its job (trust me, I lived through it when it hit Florida before it went on to the Gulf Coast) -- if they are talking about the incompetence of the response to Katrina, then I really don't think the Republicans should be bringing that one up; they're the ones who did a heckuva job in the response to the hurricane.
Fourth, the Democratic proposal is not for a government-run health care system, it's a public option for health insurance, which -- duh -- is not the same thing. And besides, if they want to see how well the government does run a health care system, let them look at how the Veterans Administration does their job.
Finally, the Republicans are very quick to slam government entities like the IRS and the Postal Service, but they're forgetting that there are thousands of men and women who work very hard and very competently at their jobs for those agencies. For a party that claims they are the protectors of the average American worker with a mortgage, car payments, and kids to raise, they sure know how to slander a lot of them for doing their jobs.
Oh, and one more thing: when was the last time any of these Republicans who are so shamelessly repeating this talking point had to make a choice between paying their health insurance premium or buying groceries, or went without any health insurance at all?
Crossposted.
Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by Shaxco, producers of the hit children's television series "The Adventures of Johnny Tooterpants and the Queen Cunt of Fuck Mountain."
Recommended Reading:
Matttbastard: Timing is Everything?
Andy: Top GOP Aide Pulls Blog Post Linking Same-Sex Marriage to Pedophilia
SarahMC: Bad Economy Gives Horrible Sluts Convenient Excuse to Kill Babies
Jess: The Pink Oujia Board
Renee: Jesse Ventura: Torture Is Wrong
Mary Roach: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Orgasm (video but no transcript)
Leave your links in comments...
The Palace on Fuck Mountain Is Crowded
Auguste emails (which I publish with his permission):
So I follow Brian Michael Bendis, a comics writer, because I am a nerd. And he is currently at the Marvel Retreat, where the nerds get together to pitch nerd things for future comic books. (Maybe you know this already, don't let me underestimate your own nerdiness.) Anyway, he just tweeted the following:I vote for plagiarist—but probably not of me, since I nicked the construction from Mr. Show myself, lol.
BRIANMBENDIS Fraction just pitched "queen shit of fuck mountain"
Fraction is Matt Fraction, another writer. And, um—either a fan, or a plagiarist? :-D
Voiceover: It's time for "Swear to God with the Reverend Winton Dupree."Classic.
Reverend Dupree: I have a question and I know you all have it, too! WHAT IS UP SATAN'S ASS? All he wants to do is fuck us up, the dicklicker! Now, the Lord said: "I am the light of the world." Now, he could as easily have said: "I am King Shit of Fuck Mountain! WHY WOULD YOU FUCK WITH ME?!" Now, I'll tell you what, I am the ONLY preacher with the fucking balls—you know this, you know this, you all know this—to say: SATAN, I DAMN THEE! YOU GODDAMN MOTHERFUCKING SHITEATING COCKSUCKING SON OF A B! Can I get a fuckin-A?
I just love the idea of a cursing preacher who will use homophobic and misogynistic slurs like "dicklicker" and "cocksucker," but draws the line at "the b-word."
Assvertising
This advert has apparently being airing for awhile during various sporting events, but since the only sport I watch is baseball, I've only just started seeing it. It's for a convenience store chain called "AM PM," the tagline for which is "Too Much Good Stuff," and all of their adverts play into that idea of their having too much good stuff, like a guy wandering around who wants to know where the shopping carts are because there's "too much good stuff!" (picture the absurdity of asking for a cart in a gas station convenience store) or a guy who's so distracted by all the good stuff that when he returns to the car, his girlfriend, who didn't appear pregnant when he left, looks ready to give birth at any moment (har har).
But eventually, after they'd exhausted every variation on there being "too much good stuff" in their stores, they moved on to any old vignette featuring "too much good stuff." In this one, the "stuff" by which a couple of roommate dudebros are overwhelmed is—wait for it—women! Because of course women are consumable items, just like beef jerky and slurpies, except you can fuck 'em!
[Transcript below.]
Ho ho—not only are they plentiful, but these awesome bitchez like sports and are evidently so desperate to live with a couple of random douchebags that they'll pay above asking price for a shitty room that practically couldn't be given away to anyone else. What luck for these deserving dudez!
What can I say that I haven't said already eight gazillion times? Sigh.
[Roombro 1 is sitting on the couch holding a Nerf football and watching telly when Roombro 2 walks in.][Assvertising: Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Twenty-Five, Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven, Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine, Thirty, Thirty-One, Thirty-Two, Thirty-Three, Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five, Thirty-Six, Thirty-Seven, Thirty-Eight, Thirty-Nine, Forty, Forty-One, Forty-Two, Forty-Three, Forty-Four, Forty-Five, Forty-Six", Forty-Seven, Forty-Eight, Forty-Nine, Fifty, Fifty-One,Fifty-Two, Fifty-Three,Fifty-Four, Fifty-Five, Fifty-Six, Fifty-Seven, Fifty-Eight, Fifty-Nine, Sixty, Sixty-One, Sixty-Two, Sixty-Three, Sixty-Four, Sixty-Five.]
Roombro 1: Dude, good news. Found a roommate.
Roombro 2: Finally. [Sits down on opposite end of couch from Roombro 1.]
Roombro 1: And—we're getting more rent than we asked for.
Roombro 2: For the little room?!
[Door opens; beautiful blond girl walks in behind them.]
Roombro 1: Here she comes.
Roombro 2: She?
[They turn to gawk; she smiles and waves.]
Female roommate: Hi! I'm Chrissy! [She sits in between them on the couch; Roombro 2's mouth hangs open as he leers at her.] Oh, and I hope you guys don't mind that I invited some friends over!
[She shrugs playfully; Roombro 2 continues to gape, open-mouthed. Door opens; beautiful brunette girl walks in.]
Brunette friend: Chrissy?
Chrissy: Hey! [She waves her over.] Come in!
Brunette friend: Hey! [She walks in, followed by two more pretty girls, who greet the guys, then squeeze in around them, so they are surrounded by girls.]
Male voiceover: You can never have too much good stuff. AM PM: Too much good stuff.
Friend: You guys mind if we put the game on?
Other girls: Yeah! Yeah!
[The guys look at each other wide-eyed, as if they've hit the jackpot.]
Daily Kitteh
The cats were missing. I looked everywhere, all the usual hiding spots: Under the bed; back of the closet, behind my pants; in the laundry hamper (one of Kali's favourite spots); on a dining room chair, under the table, out of view; in the shower, behind the curtain (and no, I don't understand it either); under the end-table by the couch; in a window, hidden by the curtains. Nowhere. The cats were missing.
I looked in the laundry room, saw nothing, but did notice the dryer door was open just a crack. I must not have closed it completely after I'd earlier grabbed my jeans.
Quote of the Day
"They're not like [Bill] O'Reilly; they're not like Limbaugh, who's the biggest disappointment of all. Limbaugh has turned out to be the biggest phony of all of them, all of them. Amongst all of them, he is the biggest fraud. Rush Limbaugh is a fraud. When he was accused of the drug usage, I supported him. But that man is a one-way street. It's all about him. He's in it for nobody but himself."
Ladies and Gentlemen: Michael Savage.
Heh.
Equality for All Now: The Dallas Principles...Join Us
by Pam Spaulding, of Pam's House Blend
There were a lot of things I could have done this past weekend. Get to that pile of laundry, hit the pillow for some sorely-needed shut-eye, and, of course, spend quality time with my wife. But I hopped on a plane to meet with 23 other people at a hotel at the Dallas Fort Worth airport. Why?
The reason we gathered was to see how we could seize this special moment in history, to think outside of the box about how we can accelerate achieving full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in this nation. I had no idea who was on the list of attendees, by the way (see the list below the fold).
The result of our work is The Dallas Principles. The Preamble:
President Obama and Congress pledged to lead America in a new direction that included civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. We now sit at a great moment in our history that inspires the nation to return to its highest ideals and greatest promise. We face a historic opportunity to obtain our full civil rights; this is the moment for change. No delay. No excuses.Here in my home state of North Carolina, we enthusiastically voted for change in 2008, turning out in unprecedented numbers, flipping North Carolina to Blue in the presidential election; we also elected a woman as our governor for the first time.
Nearly forty years ago, a diverse group of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people stood up to injustice at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. In doing so, they submitted themselves to bodily harm and criminal prosecution. Their demand was simple—equal protection under the law.
Still today, full civil rights has eluded the same community that rioted forty years ago. Instead, untold sums of resources have been spent to divide our nation and turn our lives into a political football.
At several junctures in American history, the stars have aligned to deliver the promise of equal protection under the law to those previously denied. At this unique time in history, our nation must once again exercise the great tradition of making its people equal.
Justice has too long been delayed. A clear path toward full civil equality for the LGBT community is overdue and must come now.
Using fear and misunderstanding to justify discrimination is no longer acceptable in this nation. Those content with the way things are will be judged harshly by history. Those who do not actively advance these ideals or offer excuses will be judged just as harshly. Those who attempt to divide our community or to delay and deny action on civil equality, waiting for the right moment to arrive, will be held accountable.
We reject the idea that honoring the founding principles of our country is controversial. We believe in the inherent human dignity of all people. No longer will we submit our children, our family, our friends and ourselves as a political tool for any Party or ideology. A new day has arrived.
Despite these landmark changes, for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender North Carolinians, our newly Blue state does not see us as equal citizens under the law. We have not passed state hate crimes legislation; we can be fired from our jobs because of our sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. My marriage to my wife Kate—we wed in Canada in 2004, is not recognized in this state. We are strangers under the law.
Sadly, too many of my fellow residents and state elected officials do not yet believe in extending full civil rights to tax-paying LGBT North Carolinians. It doesn't look like positive change here will come at the state level any time soon, either. That's why we need to work together at the federal level to bring us closer to full equality now.
The Principles, Goals, and Call to Action are below the fold.
PRINCIPLESThis is about looking forward, being proactive and getting involved. I, along with my fellow authors of The Dallas Principles, believe the time for change now, as equality blossoms across this great nation.
The following eight guiding principles underlie our call to action. In order to achieve full civil rights now, we avow:
1. Full civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals must be enacted now. Delay and excuses are no longer acceptable.
2. We will not leave any part of our community behind.
3. Separate is never equal.
4. Religious beliefs are not a basis upon which to affirm or deny civil rights.
5. The establishment and guardianship of full civil rights is a non-partisan issue.
6. Individual involvement and grassroots action are paramount to success and must be encouraged.
7. Success is measured by the civil rights we all achieve, not by words, access or money raised.
8. Those who seek our support are expected to commit to these principles.FULL CIVIL RIGHTS GOALS
Being united by common principles and engaging in united action, we will achieve the following goals:
1. DIGNITY AND EQUALITY. Every lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender person has inherent dignity and worth, and has the right to live free of discrimination and harassment.
2. FAMILY. Every LGBT person has the right to a family without legal barriers to immigration, civil marriage or raising children.
3. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY. Every LGBT person has the right to economic opportunity free from discrimination in employment, public housing, accommodation, public facilities, credit, and federally funded programs and activities.
4. EDUCATION. Every LGBT child and youth has the right to an education that is affirming, inclusive and free from bullying.
5. NATIONAL SECURITY. Every LGBT person should have the opportunity to serve our country openly and equally in our military and foreign service.
6. CRIME. Every LGBT person should enjoy life protected against bias crimes.
7. HEALTH CARE. Every person should have access to affordable, high quality, and culturally competent health care without discrimination.
CALL TO ACTION
1. We demand that government officials act now to achieve full civil rights without delay.
2. Our organizations and individuals need to develop a collaborative and revolutionary new organizing model that mobilizes millions of supporters through emerging web and phone technologies.
3. All LGBT individuals must accept personal responsibility to do everything within their power for equality and should get involved in the movement by volunteering, giving and being out.
4. We will hold elected officials and our organizations accountable for being transparent and achieving full civil rights by active participation when possible and active opposition when necessary.
5. Our allies need to be proactive in public support for full civil rights.
6. Every government measure that quantifies the US citizenry must permit LGBT individuals to self-identify and be counted in every way citizens are counted.
7. We demand that the media present LGBT lives in fair, accurate and objective ways that neither include nor give credence to unsubstantiated, discriminatory claims and opinions.
I attended the Dallas Meeting to help develop this fresh vision, principles, goals, and call to action because of the winds of change and hope ushered in with the election of Barack Obama. We have to make this a reality, and it will take work—collaborative work.
My personal goal is to effect change at the federal level that will bring my fellow LGBT North Carolinians closer to full equality under the law.
I ask you as allies, elected officials, neighbors, colleagues and friends to seize this moment and openly support achieving equal rights for all now.
Visit thedallasprinciples.org to learn how you can be part of this effort.
Join the growing chorus of Americans speaking in unison that now is the time to provide full civil rights to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens, click here to sign up for notifications of equality actions.
***
Email: info@thedallasprinciples.org
The Dallas Principles on Twitter: http://twitter.com/DallasPrinciple
Twitter Feed: http://twitter.com/statuses/us...
The Dallas Principles on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/owhf4s
Get the progress-tracking widget that Liss has put in Shakesville's sidebar here.
***
The Authors of The Dallas Principles
(bio information here)
Juan Ahonen-Jover
Ken Ahonen-Jover
John Bare
Jarrett Barrios
Dana Beyer
Jeffrey Campagna
Mandy Carter
Michael Coe
Jimmy Creech
Allison Duncan
Joe Falk
Michael Guest
Joanne Herman
Donald Hitchcock
Lane Hudson
Charles Merrill
Dixon Osburn
Lisa Polyak
Babs Siperstein
Pam Spaulding
Andy Szekeres
Lisa Turner
Jon Winkleman
Paul Yandura
Join us.
(Cross-posted.)
Not Much of a Fight
Opponents of marriage equality in New York can't seem to muster their troops.
As the Legislature considers whether to make New York the next state to legalize same-sex marriage, social conservatives have been largely missing from the debate in Albany.Ironic, isn't it, that the opponents, who always said that if same-sex marriage was to be truly enacted, it would have to be done through the legislative process. That was the only way for the people to speak on the issue; not through some "activist" judge and a court ruling. So that's how it's happening, the same way it did in Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire, and they're caught flat-footed.
The interest groups working to legalize marriage for gay couples have been laying the groundwork for more than four years, lobbying lawmakers and funneling hundreds of thousands of dollars to their campaigns. And last week they began running television commercials in three of the state’s largest media markets promoting same-sex marriage as an equal rights issue.
Their opponents, who are just beginning to organize, say they feel outgunned and underfinanced.
The difficulties in New York echo those that conservatives have faced throughout the Northeast. Over the last six weeks, Vermont, Maine and New Hampshire have all moved to allow gay couples to wed.
The region has been challenging for opponents of same-sex marriage, in part, because the measures are being decided by state legislatures — not voter referendums where the opponents’ ability to motivate large numbers of voters, rather than influence institutional players, has been an advantage.
“It is the lack of a proposition or referendum,” the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said. “There is a disconnect within the constituencies. Many of them really have no idea how to present their grievances.”
Or maybe it's just because nobody outside their narrow little Babbitt-y world thinks that the world will come to a screeching halt and that Rick Santorum's wet dream about man-dog sex will finally come true if two people of the same gender exercise the same right that millions of straight couples already do in New York.
Crossposted.
Your National Media, Folks
Sometimes there's just a snippet of video—usually from Hardballz, usually captured by our indefatigable media guru, Mr. Petulant—that really underlines what a complete clusterfucktastrophe of a sob-inducing joke the majority of (ostensibly, allegedly) serious political discourse is in this country. This, Shakers, is one of those clips.
Here is King Hardballz, Chris Matthews, discussing (I use the term loosely) climate change with Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) and Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), the latter of whom believes that global warming is "a bunch of baloney" and can't be human-made because there are "temperature fluctuations going on MARS and JUPITER!" At one point, Matthews asks him: "Congressman Rohrbacher, are you a Luddite, a troglodyte; are you a part of the Planet of the Apes that doesn't want science?" lolsob
[Full transcript will be here when available.]
Prop 8 Decision Possibly not Tomorrow
Guest Post by Shaker Faith
EDITED TO ADD - The rulings will not come down tomorrow despite barricades appearing in L.A., San Diego and San Francisco in the queer neighborhoods. According to the CA Supreme Court site no rulings will be issued tomorrow.
Barricades have been delivered to areas in San Francisco around the Castro and near the Supreme Court building. It is likely that the word will come down tomorrow.
Tomorrow is also the 30th anniversary of the White Night Riots in San Francisco which occurred after Dan White was given the most lenient sentence possible after murdering Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone.
In addition, Friday would have been Harvey's 79th birthday.
I hope the Supremes knew the significance of this date and that is some sort of sign but we won't know anything until Thursday. In the meantime, there are rallies planned for the day of decision around the country as well as around the state.
California Shakers, below are your DoD rally locations. For more info and locations around the country, go to Day of Decision website.
Bring signs!!!
East Los Angeles
Time: 12:00 noon - 3:00pm
Place: East Los Angeles Recorder Office
4716 Cesar Chavez
Los Angeles, CA 90022
West Hollywood
7:00 pm on the Day of Decision
Place: 647 N. San Vicente Boulevard
Santa Monica and San Vicente Blvd
San Francisco
Pre-March Rally:
Time: 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Place: San Francisco City Hall
March:
Time: 6:00 PM to 6:45 PM
Place: End at MLK memorial in Yerba Buena Gardens
Community Gathering and speakers from 6:45 PM to 8:30 PM
San Diego
Assemble: Time: 5:00 pm
Place: Meet at 6th Avenue & Laurel Street, Balboa Park
whatever the decision is.
March: 6:00 pm
Place: 6th Avenue & Laurel Street, Balboa Park march down 6th to Broadway, then west to Hall of Justice.
Rally:
Time: 7:00 pm
Place: 330 West Broadway at Hall of Justice.
Sacramento
Rally:
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Place: Rally or Street Party at Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center - 1927 L Street, Midtown
Streets will be blocked at intersection of L and 20th
March:
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Place: March from Gay & Lesbian Center to State Capitol West Steps Rally
Santa Monica
Time: Meet at 6:00 pm on the Day of Decision
for fellowship, refreshments and discussion.
Place: 235 Hill Street (corner of 2nd Street & Hill)
Santa Monica, CA
Please wear white if possible, or just come as you are
Long Beach
Time: 7 PM [NEW TIME!]
Place: Meet at the corner of Alamitos/Broadway and march to Bixby Park Bandshell (Junipero/Second) for rally.
Bakersfield
Time: 5PM
Place: 1. Mall View & Mt. Vernon, OR Outback Steakhouse on Stockdale Hwy, OR Rosedale and Coffee.
Orange County
Time: 6:00 pm
Place: Old Orange County Courthouse
211 W. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana, CA, 92701
Inland Empire
Corner of Day Creek and Foothill Boulevard in Rancho Cucamonga (Exit the 15 freeway west on Foothill. Foothill is between the 10 and 210 freeways)
When: 7pm The EVENING of the court decision
Ventura
Time: 5:30 pm
Place: Ventura County Government Center on the corner of Telephone Road and Victoria Avenue.
If you have more information about any rallies or marches, please leave in comments!
Hoping for victory....
If It's Tuesday Wednesday, It's Boehlert!
I'm a day late and a dollar short, but Boehlert hits another one out of the park this week with his take on Zombie Newt:
Who cares what Newt Gingrich thinks?Read the whole thing here.
Newt Gingrich made headlines late last week during an interview with ABC News when he unloaded on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi regarding the unfolding Beltway process gotcha story about what she knew about the use of torture seven years ago. ... Personally, I thought the Gingrich slap was of marginal interest. (Gingrich attacked a prominent Democrat? Wow, get me rewrite.) And as often happens when I read breaking, this-is-what-Newt-said dispatches, I couldn't help thinking, "Who cares what Newt Gingrich thinks?" And I don't mean that in the partisan sense. I mean it in the journalistic sense: How do Gingrich's daily pronouncements about the fundamental dishonesty of Democrats (Newt's favorite phrase) translate into news? Why does the press, 10 years after Gingrich was forced out of office, still treat his every partisan utterance as a newsworthy occurrence? In other words, why does the press still treat him like he's speaker of the House?
It's unprecedented.
If you don't think the press' treatment of Gingrich is bizarre, then please point out the prominent Democrat who was driven from office during the 1990s, suffers from dreadful public approval numbers, has no actual base of political support, hasn't been elected to office in more than a decade, hasn't had his hands on the levers of powers since before the iPod was invented, and yet is treated like a Beltway big shot. Who is the wildly partisan '90s Democrat who spits out falsehoods with stunning regularity, wallows in sophomoric name-calling, and yet the press corps obediently follows around, making sure to report his or her every utterance as news?
