Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Homophobic Republican Outed.

Yes, again. No, really.

This is getting to be hilarious. All these self-hating homophobes getting caught having sex with men and repeating the mantra "I am not gay" until it hurts. They vote against equal rights for the LGBT community and then go out and have a good time at our expense. The latest has everything; blackmail, extortion, cross-dressing, and porn. There is kink in this, too. Jebus, and they tell me I'm Queer!

Why don't we just ask all Republicans to raise their hands if they're NOT gay. Nah, that wouldn't work

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- A Republican state legislator who repeatedly voted against gay rights measures resigned his seat Wednesday amid revelations he had sex with a man he met at an erotic video store while in Spokane on a GOP retreat.

In a written statement, Rep. Richard Curtis, of La Center, said that while he believes he's done a lot of good during his time in the Legislature, "events that have recently come to light have hurt a lot of people."

"I sincerely apologize for any pain my actions may have caused," he wrote. "This has been damaging to my family, and I don't want to subject them to any additional pain that might result from carrying out this matter under the scrutiny that comes with holding public office."

Three days earlier, Curtis had insisted to his local newspaper that he was not gay and that sex was not involved in what he said was an extortion attempt by a man last week.

But in police reports, Curtis said he was being extorted by a man he had sex with in a Spokane hotel room. The other man contends Curtis reneged on a promise to pay $1,000 for sex.


Check out the updated version here. What goes around, comes around. Hopefully my appetite will return later this evening.

More later.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Thinkin' 'Bout a Sea Cruise.

Wooo-eee, woo-eee, baby, and like that. OK, so maybe you’re not old enough to remember Frankie Ford…well, (ahem) neither am I. OK I lie. Not only do I remember him, I knew him since we share the same hometown. If you click on Frankie's link, be forewarned that it's more than over the top, with lots of animated and exploding graphics, but fun in a NOLA-kitchy kind of way.

Spent most of the afternoon searching for cruise dates, cabin options and prices, and cruise line ratings all of which has been educational, yes, at least that. I am not into the all 'gay cruise' thing (more expensive and not sure I would enjoy that experience). I've found a few companies that put together gay & lesbian groups for regularly scheduled cruises. The groups consist of 20 to 50 people and one doesn't have to be a 'friend of Dorothy' to be included. So, if you're gay and your travel companion is straight, no problem. Assuming, of course, said companion knows you're gay.

You see there are two places that I want to see before I leave this “earthly plane” and they both begin with “A” – Australia and Alaska. Doing the math I’ve discovered that the former is not feasible any time soon, but Alaska has some very tempting options.

I found a few 7-day round-trip out of Seattle that looks very good and they’re not on mega-ships of 3,000+, but smaller vessels carrying about 1200+. Much more to my liking. Thankfully, some have no formal night and that’s another plus. I just don’t get tuxedos with tundra, do you? I’m thinking more in terms of the Python song “I’m Lumberjack” if you get my drift.

Oh, and thank G*d Baked Alaska is off the dessert menu. I mean, isn’t Global Warming doing that already? That's another reason I feel this trip is urgent...I want to see the glaciers before they're gone. Hell, and before I'M gone!

I’ll be talking with a travel agent in the near future to find out more and see what good deals are available.

Um, question: every website I visited warned to never, NEVER pay full price for a cruise. What I want to know is; why are the inflated prices listed online in the first place? I'm just sayin'.

The next mission is to find a travel companion with an interest to see Alaska and it’s a go. The cruise is seven days in September 2008. Drop a line, or leave a comment if interested. I’ll delete your email address before I post your comment. Promise.

More later.

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Monday, October 29, 2007

Halloween? It's Not For Me.

Maybe it’s because I am from NOLA (and well, how much more Halloween can one get?) with voodoo, black candles, and all that, but I’ve never really gotten into the spirit (so to say) of the holiday. Oh sure, as a kid I did the usual rounds of the neighborhood in costume reaping the rewards of candy, fruit and sometimes bags of local pecans. Yum.

But, when I saw the cover of this issue, I knew why I have never been too enthralled. It’s enough to make you, well, you know. The Lord of Darkness has never been so frightening.

There are hayrides, spooky trail tours happening, and where I live on the marshes, I could put together a wicked (sorry) late night, scary tour of my own. Sadly, I don’t own the place and because I am not that into Halloween, I will skip the ghoulish festivities.

More later.

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Sunday, October 28, 2007

Rain, Sun, and Sea Witch

The three days of rain ended last evening and today dawned bright and clear. Not a cloud in the sky.

The good news is that the Sea Witch Festival wasn’t a complete washout (sorry.) and downtown was bustling with seemingly hundreds of families and pets that were just dying to show off their costumes and have a good time. I had the opportunity to visit the boardwalk before going to work this morning. What fun.

The not-so-good news is even with all the rain the pond remains low and a few of the turtles are sunning themselves on a bit of mud that still sticks out above the waterline, which is about 18 inches low.

After work I came home and called to let my landlady know about a change in the weather since she had told me there were a few plants she wanted to bring indoors for the winter and they needed to be brought in before a real cold spell.

We’re expecting a frost tonight so I helped bring in to the porch a few potted hibiscuses that were around the pool area, and then we took a walk (my first) in the woods to the end of the property. Just breathtaking and the cool breeze rustling through the drying leaves smelled good.

It’s hunting season and while they’re prohibited from hunting God’s creatures on Sundays, hunters fill the other six days with the sounds of rifles, shotguns and the like. The noise was a little disconcerting at first, but I’ve gotten used to it. These folks have been hunting here for generations and it’s part of their way of life.

On our walk we saw a few duck blinds and small boats on land near the creek. Because it’s Sunday there were no hunters around. I wouldn’t take this walk on any other day until the end of the Hunting Season.

All in all, a good day, indeed.

More later.

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Friday, October 26, 2007

Stop The Nuclear Bailout - NukeFree.org

From NukeFree:

Do you live near a nuclear power plant? You may not today, but if the nuclear power industry has their way, a lot more of us could have those radioactive smokestacks as neighbors.

Please join musicians Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt as well as a growing list of concerned citizens in signing a petition to Congress that will stop a pending bailout of the nuclear power industry.




So, go on over to NukeFree.org and sign the petition. Check out the right frame for a list of all who are taking part.

More later.
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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Press Releases: You can't make up.

Spew Alert!!!

From Heckuva Job-Brownie - the man who didn't know of anyone in the NOLA Convention center three days after Katrina, California now gets this:
Former FEMA Director and Director of Corporate Strategy for Cotton Companies Michael D. Brown Available for Interviews Regarding California Wild Fires

394 words , 23 October 2007 , 18:12 , PR Newswire (U.S.) English

Copyright © 2007 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights Reserved.

NEW YORK, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Michael D. Brown, Former FEMA Director and Current Director of Cotton Companies, one of the leading disaster preparedness and restoration organizations in the nation, is available for comment regarding the wild fires that are devastating Southern California.

Currently, the brush fires are affecting hundreds of local businesses and have forced more than 500,000 people out of their homes. Of these 500,000 people, an estimated 10,000 of them have taken shelter at the local NFL stadium, Qualcomm, vaguely reminiscent of circumstances of Hurricane Katrina evacuees two years ago.

"The agency has learned some hard lessons regarding the handling of mass evacuations especially in regard to the bureaucratic red tape that is involved in such a process," said Mr. Brown. "This is a tragic time for many of the people of California, and Cotton Companies is working to ensure that normalcy is restored and that businesses and organizations are back up and running as soon as possible."

Cotton has already deployed a team to San Diego to prepare recovery efforts and has a Community Assessment Team in full force.

Mr. Brown can speak to the turmoil being caused by the California wild fires as well as to some of the new processes in disaster relief efforts that will help to restore California communities. He can offer advice to residents and businesses on proper relief and recovery efforts and provide suggestions for future disaster preparedness.

Since its inception in 1996, Cotton Companies, the nation's leading provider of disaster recovery services, has been coming to the aid of businesses and communities coast to coast with its ability to react, take charge, mobilize and execute on the spot crisis management. Cotton has responded to such high-alert disasters as Hurricane Katrina and the tragedy of 9/11 in New York City.

Like I said, you just can't make this stuff up.

More later.

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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

We are: "The Battered"

This is from the "Daily Delaware" site and written by Delaware Dem. Check out the entire piece.
We are all battered. We are under constant attack from the right and their maleovent spokesmen on the airways, in Congress and in the White House. And as we take the assaults on our liberty, on our persons, on our freedoms and on our fundamental sense of dignity, we turn to our elected representatives in Congress with the expectation that they will have our collective backs. We expect that they will be ready to fight back. We expect that they will possess the very same righteous indignation that we do.

And they are generally no where to be found.

Excuse me, I am wrong. They can be found.

Hiding in the ally. Under the table. Behind the curtain. Afraid of the bully.

Speaker Pelosi. Over 80% of Daily Kos (some 12,000 Kossacks) disapprove of your job performance. It is because you do not have our backs.

Majority Leader Reid. I hear you used to be a prize fighter. I think that is a lie. For you do not fight for us. And that is why you are roundly disapproved of in the netroots and around the nation.

This really made my day.
More later.
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Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Every Day that Comes, Comes Once in a Lifetime.

I really needed to look for more stove top cooked recipes. I was getting bored, already. So I did some searching and came up with a few that read as delicious. Now all I have to do is find the proper pan for this project to be complete. My storage space is very limited. So, I went hunting this morning and didn’t find anything appropriate around here.

Meanwhile, as I was driving into town, an old song from an obscure Broadway show from the 60s popped into my head and took up residence. I was amazed that I still recalled the lyrics as I began to sing out-loud – windows down – warm breezes swirling through the car. I have not heard that song, or anything else from the score in about 20 years.

The show: Subways Are For Sleeping. (I said it was obscure, didn’t I?)

Songs: Betty Comden, Adolf Green, and Jule Styne.

Anyway, the song intruding into my morning consciousness is titled “Once in a Lifetime.” As the day is now ending I feel that I must put these lyrics down, so I don’t forget them again (there is a tie-in to my session with the therapist, but that’s below) so here are some:

Every day, just goes along dawn to sundown,
Here’s the rundown,
Every day that comes, comes once in a lifetime.

Take each day, and that the moments in it.
Fill each minute,
Every day that comes, comes once in a lifetime.

Think of now, tomorrow is waiting in the wings,
Who knows what it brings,
While the future waits, the present swings.

So take each day and gather the romance in it.
Fill each minute
Every day that comes, comes once in a lifetime

Only once come this particular sky,
Only once these precious hours will fly
Only once this incredible day goes by,
So live, live, live….
Today.

At least that’s what I can remember. So…I'm having a session with the therapist and this song becomes the background theme of my life today. No, really. It did!

As we talked (I talked – he shared) I discovered that I had been diligently working on old programs trying to rid myself of their presence and toxicity and that I was essentially singing this song because I have begun to live in the present; the NOW! No wonder I’ve been so exhausted lately – it wasn’t just from work, it was all the internal stuff, too.

I left the session hovering a few inches off the ground.

It’s October 23 and the temps are in the upper 70s with a delightful breeze coming in off the ocean. Everyone is in shorts and tee shirts. I took a walk on the boardwalk, ran into a few folks from my previous life that seemed a bit shocked by my relaxed and open countenance. They didn’t say much, and I didn’t offer much. They seemed distracted. At least they said “hello”!

I came home, sat by the (now closed-for-the-winter pool) and read for a time while listening to the wind rustle through the changing leaves. I am now ready for a shower and getting dinner started. And I still need to find that damned pan sometime soon.

More later.

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The Bring Miracle Home Project

This from Scout Prime over at First Draft:

Hope in Grace has raised over $10,000!

Donations have come in from all over the US, Canada and even Europe.

The magnificent El Gato Negro of Online Blogintegrity has made a great video to continue to help get the word out. I hope you'll watch, pass it on to others and if you have a blog.... post it up.

Scout Prime has been covering the Gulf Coast and NOLA situation like nobody else. I thank her for her continued reporting and being a messenger of truth from NOLA.

More later.

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Sunday, October 21, 2007

An Inconvenient Truth

It's been "An Inconvenient Truth" weekend around here.

Let me explain. You see the film didn't play at our local MultiPlex very long, so I only got to see it once in the theater. It's not the sort of fare the owners believe will make them money. Documentaries in the past have not been blockbusters. Although that changed with Fahrenheit 911, they're still a hard sell here. In fact, I've never heard of half the films now playing here.

Anyway, now that I am blessed with DirecTV I have access to a number of movie channels and one of them is running An Inconvenient Truth this weekend so I've had the opportunity to see it twice and I am amazed at how much I missed at the first viewing. It's a powerful film and an indictment of the current mis-administration. If you haven't seen it yet, try renting it and see for yourself.

I've spent some time over at the website touted in the film and I urge you to go there and learn how you can make a difference. It's at www.climatecrisis.net

More later.
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Saturday, October 20, 2007

Rowling Outs Hogwarts Character

Now this is interesting --- from the Gray Lady:
NEW YORK (AP) -- Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.

After reading briefly from the final book, ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,'' she took questions from audience members. She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds ''true love.''

''Dumbledore is gay,'' the author responded to gasps and applause....

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Read it all here.

More later.
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Friday, October 19, 2007

Wish We Had YouTube in the 60s

This brings back such vivid memories of that other unfortunate war, the one in South East Asia and it brought my blood back to the boil that I am proud to say, made me want to do more. Alas, I am far older than the targeted audience, but the memories are strong and so I am grateful to feel the passion again.




More later.
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Oops! Military Advertises on Gay Site.

And they had to be told of their error: From USA Today.
The Army, Navy and Air Force unwittingly advertised for recruits on a website for gays, who are barred from military service if they are open about their sexual orientation.

When informed Tuesday by USA TODAY that they were advertising on GLEE.com, a networking website for gay professionals, recruiters expressed surprise and said they would remove the job listings.


More later.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

I Have a Question...

How long must it take for all the entanglements from a previous life - a 3 decade relationship - to come to an end? A conclusion? A finale? When does the fat lady do her thing?

No boring details, thank you very much.

Just this morning another issue popped up that needed to be resolved. Having to explain and regurgitate the past is not only annoying, but emotionally upsetting. I hope it ends soon.

Having done laundry and a few errands, I was back home by 9 a.m. and feeling pretty good about the day. Then WHAM! - And I don't mean George Michael. Now I'm exhausted.

Dinner is cooking and a martini is waiting to be stirred.

I'm just sayin'

More later.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Gay Iraqis Face Mutilation

This from Raw Story:

Iraq’s lesbian, gay and transgendered residents have become an all-too frequent target of that occupied nation’s lawlessness. Now they face the possibility of losing the lone organization that has sought to protect them from violence.

Friends of Iraqi LGBT, an all-volunteer human rights organization currently based in London, runs a series of safe houses in Iraq for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Iraqis who have been targeted for persecution -- including beatings, imprisonment and even death -- by militant Shia death squads that roam the war-torn nation’s streets.


The entire piece can be found here.

More later.
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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Larry Craig: The Gift That Keeps On Giving...


Ya gotta hand it to him. He's just going to stay in the spotlight until Mitch McConnell's head explodes. I say, "Go Girl!"

The Idaho Republican wants the Minnesota Court of Appeals to overturn a judge's decision refusing to let him withdraw a guilty plea to misdemeanor charges stemming from his arrest in June.

"From the outset Senator Craig has maintained that he is innocent of any illegal conduct at the Minneapolis airport," Craig's lawyer, Billy Martin, said in a written statement. "Like every other citizen, Senator Craig has the constitutional right to make every effort to clear his name."

Martin called the judge's decision "a manifest injustice."

In an interview Sunday with Boise, Idaho, TV station KTVB, Craig said "we don't know what the appellate court will say to me," according to the station's Web site.
Read it all HERE.

More later.

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Monday, October 15, 2007

Clooney as Dean!

No, it's true. Really! From the Guardian:
Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney are to star in a film loosely based on the rise and fall of presidential hopeful Howard Dean. The Warner Bros production will be based on a stage-play written by Beau Willimon, a former assistant on the Dean campaign.

Entitled Farragut North, after a Washington Metro station in the heart of the lobbyist district, the film sounds like darker version of Joe Roth's Primary Colours. It tells the tale of a youthful communications guru working for a principled but unorthodox politician who finds himself undone by a slick and corrupt Washington establishment. Currently in rehearsal, Willimon's stage-play is set to open on Broadway in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election. Mike Nichols is directing.

Check out the whole piece HERE.

More later.

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Sunday, October 14, 2007

Accountability, Part Three!

Yes, I have been out of the previous living space for three months now, but no, there is still no sign of the half-month's rent check that was promised me back in July.
Look, I've been asked in email and comments why I returned the key before receiving the refund and I have to say that I took him at his word. I know, I know, but that's where it is. I thought he would honor his promise with integrity and send the check in a day or two. He didn't. There is nothing I can do about it anymore than there was anything I could do when he ordered me to be out of the space within in two weeks. And I beat his deadline by three days, but that doesn't seem to matter to him.
One anonymous lose cannon wrote that I should "divulge his personal information" and that is something I would never even consider. Only assholes on the Right do stuff like that.
Meanwhile, I will continue to wait for the check, which I am sure will arrive any day now.
More later.
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Some Observations

I’ve been off work since Wednesday, and have pretty much stayed around the apt doing cleaning, installing software on the new box, and other chores.

The DirecTV service was installed two days ago and I’ve also done a bit of TV viewing from time to time.

Not having seen anything on the tube other than movies in many months I was surprised by the sheer numbers of commercials that turn a 90 minute film into a two-hour chunk of TV time. And pretty much the same commercials over and over and over ad nauseum. Male enhancement aids lead the pack on virtually all channels I’ve watched so far, with the exception of the Science and National Geographic channels.

And…Verizon must have already sold my phone number to telemarketers because I’ve received 4 or 5 calls a day and even one so far this morning. So I got online and signed up on the “don’t call” list. I hope that will stop these people that seem to have no specific time to make their calls. The one this morning came in at 7:45! On Sunday. Jeez!

More later.

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Friday, October 12, 2007

Autumn Has Arrived, Finally!

Today is simply beautiful. I am off work until Sunday and plan to enjoy these great fall temperatures.

Right off the bat the DirecTV receiver was installed in my place this morning so now I have more channels than I know what to do with and some I have never heard of before. One happy surprise is that the package includes the LOGO channel. There is also a channel devoted to learning all about the service and tutorials teaching how to program and use the Remote. This I need, trust me. I hate having more than one remote and trying to figure out which one does what, and in which order they are to be used. Anyway, after the chores are done, and after a haircut and shower, I’ll sit down and get educated about the service.

Unfortunately, there are no local channels and no PBS (sigh!) but there are a few history channels, a bunch of news channels, and even the Comedy Channel. I think this winter will be a happy one. At least better than last year. Back among the living.

Everyone seemed to be in high spirits this morning as I ran errands making the time go by faster and with unexpected joy.

I brought the film camera with me so I went for a long walk on the beach and took a few pictures to send to my sister in NOLA. I've been promising some for months, but haven't had the time until today. And what a day! The entire weekend is supposed to be just like today. Yum!

More later.

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Thursday, October 11, 2007

National Coming Out Day

Do it, if you can.


You won't regret it. The more people who know are likely to become allies.

More later.
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Facing Prejudice in Twilight

This is powerful stuff. I have been thinking about this a lot lately. From the NYT:

Even now, at 81 and with her memory beginning to fade, Gloria Donadello recalls her painful brush with bigotry at an assisted-living center in Santa Fe, N.M. Sitting with those she considered friends, “people were laughing and making certain kinds of comments, and I told them, ‘Please don’t do that, because I’m gay.’”

The result of her outspokenness, Ms. Donadello said, was swift and merciless. “Everyone looked horrified,” she said. No longer included in conversation or welcome at meals, she plunged into depression. Medication did not help. With her emotional health deteriorating, Ms. Donadello moved into an adult community nearby that caters to gay men and lesbians.

“I felt like I was a pariah,” she said, settled in her new home. “For me, it was a choice between life and death.”

Elderly gay people like Ms. Donadello, living in nursing homes or assisted-living centers or receiving home care, increasingly report that they have been disrespected, shunned or mistreated in ways that range from hurtful to deadly, even leading some to commit suicide.

Some have seen their partners and friends insulted or isolated. Others live in fear of the day when they are dependent on strangers for the most personal care. That dread alone can be damaging, physically and emotionally, say geriatric doctors, psychiatrists and social workers.

The plight of the gay elderly has been taken up by a generation of gay men and lesbians, concerned about their own futures, who have begun a national drive to educate care providers about the social isolation, even outright discrimination, that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender clients face.

Several solutions are emerging. In Boston, New York, Chicago, Atlanta and other urban centers, so-called L.G.B.T. Aging Projects are springing up, to train long-term care providers. At the same time, there is a move to separate care, with the comfort of the familiar.

Read the rest here.

More later.
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Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Bishop Gene Writes a Letter to Us.

When I met Gene Robinson he was a candidate for bishop of the diocese of Newark. He and his partner visited my church and shared a meal with us. He is, how do I say this so you don't freak out?, one of the most gentle and holy men I have ever met. What he has endured over these last few years is vile. Having to wear a Kevlar vest because of death threats which, by the way, continue to this day. What follows is his open letter to the GLBT community following the Bishop's meeting in NOLA recently. Read on:

Now that the Church has had some time to absorb and consider the recent meeting of the House of Bishops in New Orleans and its response to the Anglican Communion, I’d like to share with you what I experienced at the recent House of Bishops meeting, and where I think we are as a result.

There is NO “mind of the House” nor a “mind of the Episcopal Church.” In fact, we are a House and a Church of many different minds. We are in transition from the Church we have been called to be in the past, to the Church we are called to be now and in the future. We are not there yet.

I value highly the thoughts and needs of my brother and sister conservative bishops, who have no intention of leading their flocks out of the Episcopal Church, but come out of dioceses which, for the most part, find the Episcopal Church’s actions of the last four years troublesome and alarming. I listened to them when they voiced the fears of their people that changing our views on homosexuality is a precursor to moving on to denying important tenets of our orthodox faith, from the Trinity to the Resurrection. We worked for a statement which would reflect the diversity we recognize and value as a strength of our Episcopal communion. It was our goal to describe the Church as it currently is: NOT of one mind, but struggling to be of one heart.

My own goal – and that of many bishops – was to do NOTHING at this meeting. That is, our goal, in response to the Primates, was simply to state where we are as an Episcopal Church, not to move us forward or backward. Sometimes, “progress” is to be found in holding the ground we’ve already achieved, when “moving forward” is either untimely or not politically possible. And, doing nothing substantive respects the rightful reminder to us from many in the Senior House that the House of Bishops cannot speak for the whole Church, but rather must wait until all orders of ministry are gathered for its joint deliberations at General Convention.

While many of us worked hard to block B033 and voted against it at General Convention, it IS the most recent declaration of all orders of ministry gathered as a Church. The Bishops merely restated what is, as of the last General Convention.

Yes, we did identify gay and lesbian people as among the group included in those who ‘present a challenge” to the Communion. That comes as a surprise to no one. It is a statement of who we are at the moment. Sad, but true.

Many bishops spoke on behalf of their lgbt members and worked hard to prevent our movement backwards. We fought hard over certain words, certain language. We sidelined some things that truly would have represented a movement backwards.

I want to tell you what I said to the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the course of his comments, it seemed to me that the Archbishop was drawing a line between fidelity to our gay and lesbian members, and fidelity to the “process of common discernment,” which he had offered as a prime function of a bishop. I heard him saying that gay and lesbian members of our Church would simply have to wait until there was a consensus in the Communion. When we were invited to respond, I said something like, “Your Grace, I have always respected you as a person and your office, and I always will. But I want you to know and hear, that to me, a gay man and faithful member of this Church, this is one of the most dehumanizing things I’ve heard in a long time, and I will not be party to it. It reminds me of Jesus question ‘Is the Sabbath made for man, or man for the Sabbath?’ Choosing a process over the lives of human beings and faithful members of this Church is simply unacceptable and unscriptural.” The next morning, the Archbishop tried to assure us that he meant both/and rather than either/or. I tried to speak my truth to him.

On the issue of same sex unions, I argued that our statement be reflective of what is true right now in the Episcopal Church: that while same sex blessings are not officially permitted in most dioceses, they are going on and will continue to go on as an appropriate pastoral response to our gay and lesbian members and their relationships. Earlier versions of our response contained both sides of this truth. I argued to keep both sides of that truth in the final version, providing the clarity asked for by the Primates.

Others made the argument that to state that “a majority of Bishops do not sanction such blessings” implied that a minority do in fact sanction such blessings, and many more take no actions to prevent them. All this without coming right out and saying so. That argument won the day. I think it was a mistake.

Another issue to which I spoke was this notion of “public” versus “private” rites. I pointed out on the floor that our very theology of marriage is based on the communal nature of such a rite. Presumably, the couple has already made commitments to one another privately, or else they would not be seeking Holy Matrimony. What happens in a wedding is that the COMMUNITY is drawn into the relationship – the vows are taken in the presence of that community and the community pledges itself to support the couple in the keeping of their vows. It is, by its very nature, a “public” event – no matter how many or how few people are in attendance. The same goes for our solemn commitments to one another as lgbt couples.

I suspect that these efforts to keep such rites “private” is just another version of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” If avoidance of further conflict is the goal, then I can understand it. But if speaking the truth in love is the standard by which we engage in our relationships with the Communion, then no.

Let me also state strongly that I believe that the Joint Standing Committee of the ACC and Primates MISunderstood us when they stated that they understood that the HOB in fact “declared a ‘moratorium on all such public Rites.’” Neither in our discussions nor in our statement did we agree to or declare such a moratorium on permitting such rites to take place. That may be true in many or most dioceses, but that is certainly not the case in my own diocese and many others. The General Convention has stated that such rites are indeed to be considered within the bounds of the pastoral ministry of this Church to its gay and lesbian members, and that remains the policy of The Episcopal Church.

Lastly, let me respond to the very real pain in the knowledge that the change we long for takes time. This movement forward is going to take a long time. That doesn’t make it right. It certainly does not make it easy. Dr. King rightly said that “justice delayed is justice denied,” but that didn’t stop him from accepting and applauding incremental advances along the way.

We have every right to be impatient. We MUST keep pushing the Church to do the right thing. We must never let anyone believe that we will be satisfied with anything less than the full affirmation of us and our relationships as children of God.

BUT, I will continue to try to remain realistic in my approach. I work hard, and pray hard, to find the patience to stay at the table as long as it takes. And I hope we can refrain from attacking our ALLIES for not doing enough, soon enough. The bridges we are burning today may turn out to be the bridges we want to cross in the future. Let’s not destroy them.

We need to be in this for the long haul. For us to get overly discouraged when we don’t get all that we want, as fast as we want, seems counterproductive to me. We should never capitulate to less than all God wants for us, but to lose heart when we don’t move fast enough, and to attack the Church we are trying to help redeem, seems counterproductive.

The two days of listening to the Archbishop of Canterbury and some members of the ACC were the two hardest days I’ve had since my consecration. (It was a constant and holy reminder to me of the pain all of YOU continue to experience every day at the hands of a Church which is not yet what it is called to be. Ours is a difficult and transforming task: to continue serving a church that seems to love us less than we love it!) I was comforted by the support I DID receive from those straight bishops who spoke up for us, and especially by many of the Bishops of color, who implicitly “got” what I was trying to say and defied the majority with their support of me and of us. I was even encouraged by many conservative bishops’ willingness to work together to craft a statement we, liberal and conservative alike, could all live with.

I believe with my whole heart that the Spirit is alive and well and living in our Church – even in the House of Bishops. I believe Jesus when he told his disciples, on the night before he died for us, that they were not ready to hear and understand all that he had to teach them – and that he would send the Holy Spirit to lead them into all truth. I believe that now is such a moment, when the Church, in its plodding and all-too-slow a way, is being guided into truth about its gay and lesbian members. It took ME 39 years to acknowledge who I was as a gay man and to affirm that I too am considered precious by God. Of course, the very next day after telling my parents, I expected them immediately to catch up to what had taken me 39 years to come to. Mercifully, it has not taken them the same 39 years to do so. The Church family is no different. It is going to take TIME.

I voted “yes” to the HOB statement. I believe it was the best we could do at this time. I am far less committed to being ideologically and unrelentingly pure, and far more interested in the “art of the possible.” Am I totally pleased with our statement? Of course not. Do I wish we could have done more? Absolutely. Can I live with it? Yes, I can. For right now. Until General Convention, which is the appropriate time for us to take up these issues again as a Church, with all orders of ministry present. I am taking to heart the old 60’s slogan, “Don’t whine, organize!”

I am always caught between the vision I believe God has for God’s Church, and the call to stay at the table, in communion with those who disagree with me about that vision – or, as is the case for most bishops, who disagree about the appropriate “timing” for reaching that vision of full inclusion. In this painful meantime, please pray for me as I seek to serve the people of my diocese and you, the community of which I am so honored to be a part.

Your brother in Christ,

+Gene


More later.
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Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Funeral: Part Two...

I can't believe it. Yet, it happened.

The new PC that I purchased on Sunday and spent the entire afternoon and evening downloading VISTA updates, drivers etc. and installing the software I need for work - died on Monday.

Am I a lucky S. O. B., or what?

When I tried to boot up on Monday evening after work, nothing happened, although the "on light" remained on the disk wouldn't boot the system. I tried again this morning before leaving for work, but it was no use.

So, I packed up everything and took it back after work this evening. It was checked out and while it did boot up, it was doing some bizarre things and since the technician knew more about VISTA than I, (which was nothing) when he said "I'm not sending you home with this one again. Let's find something else." I was a very happy camper.

So, I found a small footprint PC with a faster CPU and the same memory and hard drive as the other one - and it was a hundred dollars less. Yay! for me..

As soon as I arrived home I got it out of the box, made all connections and cranked it up. The experience was totally different from the other machine. The sound worked immediately, the drivers all installed without a hitch and I was able to get online and download the necessary VISTA updates in a short time. (I am a pro at this crap now!) Just my wonderful luck to get the one cpu that is faulty.

So, I am back online now and will spend the rest of the evening installing software and listening to Mozart. He calms me down.

More later.
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Monday, October 8, 2007

Season? What Season?

OK, the calendar says it's October - leaves changing, cool temps and low humidity, and brisk Autumn winds, right? Not so here.

The temps over the weekend were in the upper 80's with fog and high humidity and folks who ought to have been shopping for Halloween candy, costumes,and pumpkins were lying on the beach. The nerve!

Today it felt more like July than October, again. It was 89' as I drove home from work this evening. Unbelievable!

While I am not looking forward to winter, I would appreciate a bit of brisk fall air to herald the new season and get me into the mood to make soups and breads. I downloaded a bunch of crock-pot recipes specifically for this season and I would love the chance to cook them and smell up the place.

There is nothing better than the smells of baking and cooking on the cold nights of Autumn.

More later.
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Sunday, October 7, 2007

A Lovely Day for a Funeral

Woke up this morning later than usual, having watched The Two Towers from the LOTR Trilogy last evening.

So, I made coffee and cranked up the PC to check email and find out what was in the news. I was online for about 15 minutes when the hard drive began making clanking sounds and I knew there was a problem. I tried to backup all my files, but the disk was failing and wouldn’t allow me to do anything. It was dying and then... died. (insert taps here)

And of course, when I tried to reboot, no OS disk was found. It was my worst nightmare. Fortunately, I had done a backup last month, so not all is lost.

Well, this system was built about 7 or 8 years ago and has certainly done its job. May it rest in peace. I hope to salvage what I can to use in the new system.

So, the day was spent driving around checking out sales and which systems were sold CPU only. Not many.

The possibility of a laptop was in play, but I finally decided on a desktop CPU, that would fill my needs well.

Four hours later I return home with the box and spend another hour and a half getting MS Vista to cooperate and not try to sell me things for which I have no need.

First I installed the Internet software, and then got online to download the anti-virus software, and the latest drivers for my laser printer. (VISTA refused to read and install the drivers from the CD,)

There was some trepidation as to whether the older programs I use would be compatible with VISTA. I held my breath as I began the install process. So far all programs I need for work have been installed without a problem. Whether I can use them is another story. Stay tuned.

One step forward – Three steps back for today. I am exhausted.

I was supposed to meet friends for dinner tonight, but after all this it is not possible, I have more software to install and test which will take another few hours.

More later.

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Saturday, October 6, 2007

LOTR: The Two Towers

Yes, this weekend is devoted to viewing the extended version of the second part of Lord of the Rings - the Two Towers.

I've had supper, showered, and am ready to be immersed in this most difficult of the three films.

Microwave popcorn is at the ready for intermission.

Now for Frodo, Sam, Faramir, Gandalf, Merry, Pippen, Gollum, and all the rest.

I don't have to work tomorrow so I can sleep in.

BTW, the image is from the battle for Helm's Deep.

More later.
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Friday, October 5, 2007

Tap Your Troubles Away...uh, maybe not.

What is it with these Republican Closet cases?

Larry (wide stance) Craig has given the vapors to GOP leadership by saying he'll serve the rest of his term and McConnell is having a hissy. At least Bob Allen had the (excuse the expression) decency to resign his post as McCain's go-to man in FL.

Well, Larry Craig (R-ID) and Bob Allen (R-FL) have to move down a few stalls because their tap routine has gone from duo to trio. And the new stall-stomper is...Councilman Joey DiFatta of St. Bernard Parish.

From NOLA Times Picayune:

St. Bernard Parish Councilman Joey DiFatta, who on Thursday withdrew from the 1st Senate District campaign, has been stopped twice since 1996 for suspicion of engaging in lewd behavior in public restrooms in Jefferson Parish, records obtained by The Times-Picayune show.

DiFatta, 53, acknowledged that reports he had been stopped are true, but he denied any wrongdoing in both cases. He said he was not prosecuted in either case and has no arrest record.

"If I had done something wrong, I would have been arrested," DiFatta said Thursday afternoon. "I was not. I will deny that I was involved in any activity of that nature."

Earlier Thursday, DiFatta called reporters to announce that he planned to withdraw from the Senate race. He said he has been having chest pains for a few weeks, and elevated enzyme levels indicate he might have had a minor heart attack in the past few days. As a result, his doctor advised him to slow down and make some changes in his life.

Larry Craig has become a National punchline.
It would be funny if it weren't so terribly sad.
Please read the whole sordid thing about DiFatta here.
It's worth it.

And they tell me I'm queer!

More later.
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Thursday, October 4, 2007

I Live On The Marshes!

Woke this morning with the humidity in the apartment so thick it was almost chewable. I could hardly get a full breath of air. I left all the windows open overnight and I live on the marshes. Uncomfortable as that was, there was also a heavy fog hanging over everything and as I left the house there was a fine mist in the warm air. It was 72’ degrees at 6 a.m., and those conditions made driving difficult.

I live on the marshes.

As I drove into town the sun just didn’t seem to want to make an appearance. Heavy, dark clouds blocked anything that might hint of a sunrise.

My visit to the post office and ultimately the beach was an eerie experience. The ocean was veiled in fog and mist. I didn’t stay long.

The fog became heavier as the morning progressed to the point that driving became dangerous and I could not see anything beyond 5 feet ahead of me. I drove to work and began setting up the store. The fog became so heavy that it was difficult to see cars in the parking lot. The radio announced that schools, businesses, colleges were all opening late due to the weather conditions.

Then finally, as afternoon approached and the sun strained to break through the gloom, the fog burned away and the humidity dropped and the wind picked up. By the time I hit the road for home this evening, the temp was 82’ and the humidity had dropped significantly.

When I arrived home this evening however, the apartment was a blistering 90’ and I had to crank up the AC to cool it down and dry it out.

Oh, and I live on the marshes.

Indian Summer?

Maybe.

I can only hope.

I am not looking forward to winter and I hope this weather lasts a very long time. It won't, and I know that, but I will enjoy it while it's with us.

More later.

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Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Back Among the Living

Back in the panic stricken, dark days of July as we were sitting down to sign the lease on this lovely little apartment, my landlady kindly offered to order an extra DirectTV box for me. Since my TV was in storage and my brain at the time was the consistency of cotton candy, I replied “maybe later, after some down time to heal” so she smiled and assured me that she understood completely, but the offer was there.

She mentioned it again in passing over the summer, but I was content to watch videos and DVDs when I needed to escape or relax.

Well, with October here and the autumn chill in the air, I thought it was time to take her up on the offer. So on Monday evening I expressed interest saying that I was ready to be “back among the living.”

Now I am not a big TV fan, but there are channels that I think I will enjoy viewing from time to time. National Geographic, History, Discovery, and (my landlady insists) some cooking channel.

This afternoon I received an email from her that the box will be connected next week. The apartment is already wired so it will be an easy install. She set up the installation for my day off so I would be here to sign off on the work order.

I am grateful and feeling very blessed this evening.

More later.

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Tuesday, October 2, 2007

A Good Day; A Few Frustrations.

Mostly this has been a very frustrating day off. I say mostly, because the session with the therapist was one of the best. More on that later.

It seemed that wherever the errands and chores took me today I inevitably ended up in a line usually directly behind a person who had a “problem” of some kind that, of course, caused a backup of sometimes very angry people. It happened in the supermarket, pharmacy, post office, and department store. What could have taken an hour tops, turned into two hours and by the time I finished the last stop on the list, I was grateful and exhausted. I couldn’t wait to get home and chill. The worst was by far the pharmacy where an elderly man was screaming at the clerk that he had dropped off three prescriptions last night and they had only filled one. No one took him aside so that others in line (like me!) could be served.

Well, 20 minutes later (if that doesn’t sound like a long time to you, you have never experienced this kind of ordeal – it felt like 2 hours) we learned that his wife had dropped off the prescriptions, and that the other two were still in her purse and apparently forgotten. The entire line learned this as the wife was called at home to get to the bottom of the confusion – and her purse.

So, with the clerk clearly not a fault the old guy started screaming at wifey on the phone. (I hope it wasn’t his blood pressure meds that were still in the purse.) Then he stormed out of the store not bothering to apologize to the poor clerk, let alone any of us on the line who were inconvenienced.

Anyway, the therapist offered more insights into myself that I had not seen before, and gave me suggestions to counter negatives that have been bothering me lately. We also talked about my sleeping patterns, loss of appetite; worrying about things I have no control over, stress (remember stress?) and a few other things. Of course all of these things are directly related, or caused by, stress. Imagine that!

It’s clear that while I am healing in many ways I still have a long way to go and he gave me some sound advice regarding my actions and reactions to various thoughts and feelings when they become overwhelming almost to the point of a downward spiral. I can’t afford that right now, physically or emotionally. I feel physically healthier than I have in a couple of years. He also suggested that I try to journal every day, even if I don’t have much to say and I am going to give that a try. I pledged to write 3 or 4 times weekly following the Life in Balance classes, and I have kept that pledge so far. I think I can spend a few minutes the other 3 days writing something. We’ll see.

I am home and listening to Talk of the Nation. They are currently discussing homosexuality in Arab culture and the Arab world. Interesting.

Life isn’t half bad this afternoon. There. I have written something for today when I thought I’d have nothing to say.

More later.

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Blackwater; The Evil Continues

Found this over at Humid City and had to share.

Before the City of New Orleans reopened it’s streets to the citizens thereof, Blackwater was here.

Blackwater USA is a private military company and security firm founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark. It is based in the U.S. state of North Carolina, where it operates a tactical training facility that it claims is the world’s largest. The company trains more than 40,000 people a year, from all the military services and a variety of other agencies. The company markets itself as being “The most comprehensive professional military, law enforcement, security, peacekeeping, and stability operations company in the world”. At least 90% of its revenue comes from government contracts, two-thirds of which are no-bid contracts.The lucrative contract to police New Orleans and provide protection during the Post- Katrina “Battle of New Orleans” was awarded without a bid, as well. They are still here. For two years, many of us have questioned the wisdom of an American based private army, answering, under contract, to the Executive Branch of the United States Government. George W’s private army. I know, I know, it smacks of 1984, V for Vendetta, as well as the Iran/Contra scandal, and owner Erik Prince’s right-wing politics and Christian Right afiliations don’t make it any easier to swallow. Not that it ever was. With military budgets bursting at the seams, why do we need a Government funded private army as well, you may ask? It’s simpler than you think;


Read the rest HERE. And watch this video. It's worth it.

More later.
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