"Diapers" Vitter Does a Hissy Meltdown

Why is this wingnut still in the Senate? Fetishes and hookers weren't bad enough? Oh well, just one more embarrassment for Louisiana. From Roll Call via Raw Story:

The Republican senator who found himself on a DC madam's client list is drawing new attention over "impulse control."

After missing a flight last Thursday from Washington to New Orleans, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter opened an armed security door and went off on a United Airlines employee, according to a report filed Wednesday by (paid-restricted) Roll Call.

The door sounded a security alarm.

Vitter had arrived at the gate for a flight from Dulles Airport, only to find that the door had been closed twenty minutes prior to departure.

After setting off the security alarm, the Louisiana senator proceeded to dress down an airline employee who told him entering the restricted area was forbidden. He invoked his standing as a senator, delivering a "do-you-know-who-I-am" tirade, the paper said.

The airline worker then announced he was going to summon security.

"Vitter, according to the witness, remained defiant, yelling that the employee could call the police if he wanted to and their supervisors, who, presumably, might be more impressed with his Senator's pin," the paper's Heard on the Hill column noted. "But after talking a huffy big game, Vitter apparently thought better of pushing the confrontation any further. When the gate attendant left to find a security guard, Vitter turned tail and simply fled the scene."

The paper joked that Vitter, 47, had joined the "mile-low club," and said that there's a "proud tradition" of US lawmakers devolving into temper tantrums at airports.

Reached for comment by Roll Call, Vitter's spokeperson did not dispute the incident.

I love that he tried the old 'do you know who I am' routine what worked so well for Larry Craig.

More later.
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Gay Unions Won't be Counted in 2010 Census

And to think I was attempting to work for the 2010 Census. You know, they are going to have to be brought into the new century kicking and screaming. If they call, I won't be available. This really stinks.

No matter the legal fate of Proposition 8, the 2010 Census will not count same-sex marriages or ask respondents about their sexual orientation.

The federal Defense of Marriage Act signed in 1996 by President Bill Clinton does not recognize gay unions sanctioned by states.

Census takers will ask same-sex couples who live together to define themselves as "unmarried partners," as they did in 2000 before some states - currently only Connecticut and Massachusetts - allowed gay marriage.

"This is all about the numbers. This not about lifestyle or anything else," says U.S. Census spokeswoman Cynthia Endo.

The omission of gay marriage and sexuality questions on the census bothers some gays and lesbians, who argue that a proper accounting would give them the same visibility as minorities, who gain political power when their numbers increase.

"I am a sociologist and census data \ very important to our existence, and I don't like it when they leave things out, it causes an undercount," says Sharon Raphael, 67, who teaches gerontology at Cal State Dominguez Hills. "Certain numbers of us are not out, and when they hide us under these general descriptions ... it just makes us more invisible."

Raphael's partner, Mina Meyer, 69, says she will probably check the "married" box when the census form arrives at their East Long Beach home.

"Somebody needs to read that, somebody in those offices needs to know there are people out here who are married," Meyer says, adding that she and Raphael married in California when it was legal last year.

Though the census will not count gay marriages, domestic partnerships, civil union or the numbers of gays and lesbians, the questionnaire should provide some insight, albeit indirectly, into those areas.

The census form, Endo says, allows respondents to identify the number of adults in a given household and their relationship. Along with husband and wife, one of those choices is "unmarried partner."

If two people of the same sex identify as husband and husband or wife and wife, the census will retain that answer, but when results are released those people will be counted as unmarried partners.

"The census is all about self-identification," Endo says. "We don't ask that question \ on the census at all, but certain information can be gleaned from that if two people are living ... in the house."

Same-sex couples with children will not be categorized as "families" on the census. Children will be counted as belonging to single parents, those "unmarried partners."

Although I am no longer married (yes, I was, in Canada in 2003 - part of my previous life) my census forms will go into the garbage.

Read the rest HERE.

More later.
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Pet Shop Boys Help Celebrate the Blogiversary

This is the video from their soon to be released CD "YES" titled "Love Etc.". It's in HD and the wonderfully catchy lyrics are below the video. These guys just get better and better.

If you’d like to sing along:

Well it’s tough getting on in the world

When the sun doesn’t shine

And a boy needs a girl

It’s about getting out of a rut

You need luck

But you’re stuck and you don’t know how

(Don’t have to be)

A big bucks Hollywood star

(Don’t have to drive)

A super car to get far

(Don’t have to live)

A life of power and wealth

(Don’t have to be)

Beautiful but it helps

(Don’t have to buy)

A house in Beverly Hills

(Don’t have to have)

Your daddy paying the bills

(Don’t have to live)

A life of power and wealth

(Don’t have to be)

Beautiful but it helps

You need more

Than a big blank check to be a lover, or

A gulf stream jet to fly you door to door

Somewhere chic on another shore

You need more (6x)

You need love

You need love

You need love

Too much of anything is never enough

Too much of everything is never enough

Well it’s tough getting on in the world

When the sun doesn’t shine

And a boy needs a girl

It’s about getting out of a rut

You need luck but you’re stuck

and you don’t know how

(Don’t have to be)

A big bucks Hollywood star

(Don’t have to drive)

A super car to get far

(Don’t have to wear)

A smile much colder than ice

(Don’t have to be)

Beautiful, but it’s nice

You need more

Than the girl handwriting on your wall

A chauffeur driven limousine encore

To drive your wife and lover to a whiter ball

You need more (6x)

You need love

I believe that we can achieve the love that we need

I believe, call me naive, but love is for free

(Don’t have to be)

A big bucks Hollywood star

(Don’t have to drive)

A super car to go far

(Don’t have to live)

anekatips.com

A life of power and wealth

(Don’t have to be)

Beautiful but it helps

Beautiful but it helps

Beautiful but it helps

And so it goes.

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A Letter to the Bank

Dear Sirs,

In view of what seems to be happening internationally with banks at the moment, I was wondering if you could advise me.

If one of my checks is returned marked "Insufficient Funds," how do I know whether that refers to me or to you?

Uh-Huh.

More later.
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Happy Blogiversary to Me!

OK, so I'm one day late. March 6, 2007 actually, and this was the very first post that day.

Two Words: "DOUBLE ENTENDRE"

Three words: Isn't this sad?

(Yes well, somethings never go away.)

More later.

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It's Caturday!

Indeed.

More later.
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Moving Forward While Taking a Look Back

What a great day to be off work. The sun is shining in a clear blue sky; there is a light breeze; the temp. is closing in on 60’ F, and the snow is almost gone. If this pattern holds the only evidence of the snowstorm this week will be the residual sand and salt on the roadways. I’ll be heading out for a walk shortly just to enjoy the fresh air and the warm sun.

While rummaging through the storage space I found another box of photo albums from the previous life. They too, will be thrown away, but a friend is coming by tomorrow to view them beforehand. I’ve already dumped the first four years of photos (1975 – 78), and the Ex disposed of dozens of trays of slides – my film of choice most of the time. These go back to 1979 and end somewhere in the mid-nineties.

From the NYC apartment to the house in the woods of Northwestern NJ; various trips and events; vegetable gardening and old friends – many long since dead. Summer trips to lakes Winnipesaukee and Sunapee (see the photo above) with friends in New Hampshire, and weekend getaways to upstate NY and Massachusetts. To holidays in London, Amsterdam, and Paris.

Good times and happy faces all around. Weddings, births, baptisms, and funerals. Volunteering for the AIDS Memorial Quilt displays in DC in 88, 89, and 92. The March on Washington, and plenty of NYC Pride Parades. What a full life that was. ‘WAS’ being the operative word in all this.

Surprisingly I feel nothing looking at them now. Mildly surprised when it’s difficult to recall details of a specific photo or the name of a person in the shot. That’s to be expected after 3 decades and so many life-changing events.

That’s all I got. It’s time for that walk in the sun.

More later.

"Leave Limbaugh Alone" - A Video Satire

John Amato of Crooks and Liars fame has created a video.

Let's let John do the 'splainin' for this. It's so good.

Those mean liberals are beating up on Rush Limbaugh! The horror! The horror!

This is, as Kos notes, the right-wing whine du jour, keyed by Karl Rove. I just wanted to beat Glenn Beck to the burst-of-tears thing ...

Digby sent me an e-mail saying that a reader from the Burnt Orange Report had mentioned doing a takeoff of the "Leave Britney Alone" video from Chris Crocker, this time about Rush Limbaugh.

Since Limbaugh is running the GOP now, I thought that he could use a little back up from us lefties, right? Michael Steele certainly hasn't helped the GOP much.

Anyway, I wanted to have a little fun with a webcam...

Here's the video. Brace yourselves:

And the Oscar goes to...

John is so cute when he cries. I am still laughing. Seriously, thanks for all the work you folks do at C & L. You're the best.

It's the weekend...Yay!

And so it goes.
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President to Send $438 Million to NOLA & Gulf

Maybe this time the funds will actually be distributed and accounted for. Why is it always the Democrats who have to clean up the mess made by incompetent Republicans and their cronies?

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) — The Obama administration announced Thursday that it would commit an additional $438 million toward resettling Gulf Coast residents uprooted by storms dating back to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The announcement came as Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano toured parts of the New Orleans area, pledging to speed up aid to those who still need permanent housing.

“What we have seen today makes us disturbed, angry even, to see some of the families living the way they have,” Donovan said. “And we pledge to you our partnership to a new beginning here in New Orleans and across the Gulf.”

From his mouth to G*d's ear. To hear Rove say that "Bush did everything he could and the rebuilding has been a success" burns my biscuits. Anyone visiting beyond the Quarter knows that NOLA is virtually a dead and dangerous place.

Three and a half years...amazing.

More later.

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What's another word for Beyond Cold?

It's a whopping 5 degrees this morning. My door is frozen shut. Just waiting for the sun to warm it up a little; don't want to force it open and wreck the paint job.

Off to work in 3 -2 - 1...Although I have no idea why. The only folks daring to shop in this weather will be searching for warm clothes and they will be out of luck. All stores are stocked to the ceilings with Summer fashions. Yes, folks. Summer fashions.

We haven't celebrated St. Paddy's day and all the Easter crap is already everywhere.

Ah, retail.

More later.

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'Milk' Evokes Memories for Relatives

What else to do on a snowy, blustery day? Read the Gray Lady, of course. I stumbled upon this from about a week ago. Don't know how I missed it, but here it is. It's quite touching, really.

Here's a taste:

Long before Harvey Milk became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States, before he established himself as a civil rights leader in San Francisco, and before he was assassinated in 1978, he was a bright, sometimes mischievous, kid growing up in a large Jewish immigrant family on Long Island.

Gus Van Sant’s “Milk,” a nominee for the Academy Award for best picture, has evoked strong memories for Milk’s family on the East Coast. The film, starring Sean Penn, who has been nominated for best actor, focuses mostly on Milk’s life after he moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s. His family was not emphasized much in the film nor in earlier accounts, “The Mayor of Castro Street,” Randy Shilts’s 1982 biography of Milk, and Rob Epstein’s 1984 documentary “The Times of Harvey Milk.”

March Came in Like a Lion!

The snow began as rain early on Sunday morning, turning to freezing rain by afternoon and snow at around 6 pm. Huge flakes fell as a light winds blew them about as they began to cover everything almost immediately. There was about 3 inches when I went to bed and the flakes were a bit smaller.

I woke up to about 8 inches of snow and a small fox in the back yard who was covered in snow, looked cold and confused. The snow continues to fall and is predicted to fall until late afternoon, but there's a possibility of snow showers throughout the night. High tide on the marshes was so high there was no sign of reeds - only water and snow and ice. Very strange sight, indeed.

It is a wet, heavy snow and won't be easy to shovel. I left the car on the road stupidly thinking that I'd be going to work today. Ha! Ain't nobody going to work today. Only a few of the main evacuation roads have been plowed and opened. I'll wait for the snow to taper off to get out and clean snow and ice off the car.

As you can see by the photos taken through the living room window the wet snow blankets everything. (Click on the images to make biggen.) We lost power twice over night, but only for brief periods at a time. I hope that remains true for the duration.

I've never seen this much snow here at the beach this far south. It's beautiful, also dangerous, as the winds are now kicking up to between 25 & 35 mph.

More later.
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