Proof That Legal Same Sex Marriage Is The Future Of America

A new Public Policy Poll shows increased support for same sex marriage, in Arizona of all places:

When you look at the age breakdown on this issue you can see where public opinion is headed: 48% of seniors think gay marriage should not be allowed, while only 39% think it should be. But among voters under 30, 57% think it should be legal to only 25% who think it should be illegal... 

72% of voters, including even 59% of Republicans, support some type of legal recognition for same sex couples either in the form of full marriage rights or civil unions.  Just 27% are totally opposed to any kind of recognition [emphasis added]

With numbers like that (and the demographic break down), this game is over. Arizona is of course not exactly the most liberal state in the union, but maybe some of that Goldwate-style libertarianism has stayed with them.

Excellent Explination For and Result Of Anti-Semitism

From Walter Russell Mead:

Countries where vicious anti-Semitism is rife are almost always backward and poor.  This isn’t, as anti-Semites believe, because the Elders of Zion are plotting to keep Uz-beki-beki-beki-stan poor.  It is because the inability to see the world clearly and discern cause and effect relations in complex social settings is linked to many other failures in economic and political life.  Anti-Semitism isn’t just the socialism of fools; it is the sociology of the befuddled.  The anti-Semite fails to grasp how the world works, and that failure condemns him to endless frustration.  Naturally, this is the fault of the Jews.

The same can be said of conspiracy thinking in general. It's a sign of anti-intellectualism, because it's the easy answer, one that does not require that much complex thinking.

That One Time Mitt Romney Was Arrested

The man with hair so in-place it looks plastic apparently really does not like park rangers interfering with his boat:

IN JUNE 1981, Romney and his family were about to launch their motorboat on Lake Cochituate, west of Boston, when a state park ranger alerted Romney, who was 34 at the time, that he risked a $50 fine because the boat’s registration number was painted over. According to news reports that emerged during his 1994 run for Senate, Romney believed that the number was partly visible, and, against his wife Ann’s advice, proceeded to launch anyway. “I figured I was at the state park with my kids,” Romney told The Boston Globe in 1994. “My five kids were in the car wondering why we weren’t going out in the boat, so I said I’d launch and pay the fine.” The ranger ordered him to shore, put him in handcuffs, and drove him, still in his wet bathing suit, to the Natick police station, where he was booked for disorderly conduct. The charges were dropped a few days later, the case was formally dismissed in February 1982 by Natick District Court, and the court file was sealed at Romney’s request. “He did not have the right to arrest me, because I was not a disorderly person,” he told the Globe.

Romney also once cursed at an 18 year old security officer directing traffic, but who hasn't? 

The Euro Zone Doomsday Machine Has Been Activated

Bear witness ladies and gentleman, because before your very eyes you will have a chance to see what unfolds as a European continent-wide system collapses. These implosions don't happen very often (Concert of Europe, Versailles, etc), so make sure to perk up your ears and focus your eyes for the coming onslaught. Unfortunately these sorts of collapses tend to end with rather big wars, but let's hope this one just ends in a massive world-wide recession. 
And what is this doomsday machine? The collapse of the Euro zone, which might happen as soon as December 9th: 

Unless European leaders agree on a political remedy for their sovereign debt crisis at a December 9 summit, and the European Central Bank then intervenes massively to support government bonds and European banks, the euro may start to unravel.
Foreign investors are already shunning euro area sovereign bonds, European banks are desperately trying to sell assets including bonds, depositors are withdrawing growing amounts from southern European banks, and interbank lending is freezing up, forcing ever more lenders to turn to the ECB for funds.

If plans for some sort of a centralized Euro bond system fails to be adopted, which considering the opposition it faces in Germany is highly likely, Europe will turn to those countries that are still solvent. 'Those countries' is however just another way of saying 'Germany', and there is not that much political support there for a bailout of the rest of Europe. They are already being screwed by the likes of Greece and Italy, and don't want to be played for fools any further. And if Germany doesn't pitch in? The most troubled nations, Greece and Italy, will be forced to default, a move that will drive all of Europe into recession. That's the beginning of the end of the Euro system, and it doesn't improve from there. 

God Bless C-SPAN: Watch Pat Buchanan and Ralph Nader Yell At Each Other

C-SPAN won't let me embed, but you can watch here.

Gabrielle Giffords Should Resign For The Sake Of Her District

Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head on January 8, 2011. A sentence like that would normally serve as the end of a person's story. For Congresswoman Giffords, it serves as the beginning. Before that day, she was a rather unnoticed representative who had just won a third term. That most recent election did elicit some press coverage, as she had narrowly defeated a tea party backed Republican opponent. But that pales in comparison to the massive outpouring of attention following the shooting. The initial coverage was largely focused on Sarah Palin, of all people, for her group's use of a gun sight over Gifford's district. That attention was of no use in the end to liberals, since Palin's monumentally off-key response ("blood libel") resulted in the half-term governor's nascent presidential campaign committing suicide. Once the media attention was drawn back to Giffords there was to be no end to their fawning over her life, which continues to this day.

Gifford's life since being shot is indeed amazing. Not only did she live (no small feat unto itself) but she has over the past ten months or so regained the ability to walk and talk. It is a wonderful story of the perseverance of the human body, and of the mortal soul. And as if created by Hollywood screenwriters, she is married to an astronaut, always by her side save for the brief period that he was rocketed into space in the cause of scientific research. (Actually you can scratch that screenwriter reference - such a character would be deemed too cute and perfect, even by the current standards of Hollywood schlock) Gifford's physical journey has made for a wonderful story. When I had first heard that she had been shot I thought that if she didn't end up dying, she would most likely end up in some form of a vegetative state. But she has, I am happy to say, proven me very wrong. As the publicity from her husband's recent book tour can atest, she can not only walk on her own, she can also speak in a rudimentary way.

It is this recovery that brings me around to the main point. Since Giffords was shot on January 8th, the citizens of Arizona's eigth district have been without a voting member of Congress. Her personal story is both tragic and heroic, and mesmerizes us - but those citizens have been without a voice in our federal government's lower chamber. It is true that the rest of her congressional office has been humming with activity. People calling seeking information or help have been aided and directed in the appropriate direction. But the most basic duty, indeed the essential job, of a Representative is to vote, something that Giffords has been unable to do since January 7th (she did show up in the middle of the vote on the debt ceiling vote on August, but that was only to cast a simple 'aye' vote).

Gifford's recent media tour has shown that she is unable to speak in sentences longer than one or two words. Though she can process basic emotions - love of her husband, sadness for those who died on January 8th - it remains to be seen whether she can process the complicated details necessary to understand legislation. And if she cannot understand it, and more practically if her medical needs means she cannot be in Washington, DC, then she cannot vote. Therefore, she should resign. If she has recovered to the point where she could function as a Representative by the 2012 or 2014 elections, then she is free to present her case to the voters. I would strongly suspect that she still holds the seat because she has her doubts as to whether she could win reelection in 2012 were it not for the sympathy of the voters. Her margin of victory was thin in 2010 (138,280 to 134,124), and the nature of her district indicates that it would be just as thin if not thinner in 2012. However, if Congresswoman Giffords wants what is best for her constituents, she should resign and allow the Arizona governor to appoint a representative who is capable of being a voice for the eighth district in Washington.

What Being Gay In New York City Used To Be Like

From New York Magazine, July 1978:

The Ramble [in Central Park] has been in the public eye ever since the assault July 5 by a gang of anti-gay toughs who, at 9:30, just a little after dusk that Wednesday, went wading in with baseball bats, bashing any men they thought were gay. The dull thwack of bats hitting flesh and bone accompanied shouts of "faggot" from the all-white band of defenders of decency. Five men were hospitalized with serious injuries—including Dick Button, a former ice-skating star and now sportscaster...

Dick Morris Is A Soulless Whore

It is a strange person who is attracted to inner-beltway politics in Washington. Sure, some are drawn out of idealism and a desire to improve the world. But most are drawn by nothing more complicated than power. That would force most of us mere mortals to compromise our beliefs in the pursuit of that elusive power. For the inner-beltway elite, though, the process is simpler than that. They have no beliefs. No views on what role the government should play in the economy, or the what role the United States should play in the world. They simply nod their heads in agreement to what ever their party says is correct.That is how most get by in this town.

However, there is an elite of this beltway elite. Those clarified few for whom even party poses no hindrance in their pursuit of power. Example par exlelence: Dick Morris, the former President Clinton aide turned Fox News bloated talking head. He has graced us with his opinions on Newt Gingrich. Morris must think that Gingrich has some chance to grasp the ring of power, based on his frankly embarrassing level of ass kissing.

Morris spends no time in laying the flattery on thick:

As the debates accumulate, it becomes more and more evident that Newt Gingrich’s intellect, experience, articulateness and depth of knowledge elevate him to the top of the GOP field. Anyone should be happy to pay admission to watch him duel with President Obama in debate! ... Ever since the campaign started, Newt has always gotten in his own way. Now he has graciously stepped aside and let his creativity and intellect shine through. 

Yes, Newt has a great intellect, except for those moments when he's to stupid to let it shine through. Trenchant analysis there.

Want to See A Video Of Herman Cain Talking About Something He Knows Nothing About?

The ignorance of this man is simply stunning in its depth:

A Story That Only Politico Could Write

Politico, that Washington-centric naval guazing publication, always stands at the ready to run with the most innane political stories. Will Gray Hairs Doom Obama Presidency? Joe Lieberman Eats Lunch With McCain-Will He Become A Republican?


Today, we have this gem:

Obama has seen his approval ratings dip among virtually every demographic and ideological group of voters — and now he seems in danger of losing their kids, too... 

Back in 2008, 7-year-old Aron Mondschein from Ellington, Conn., wrote a letter to Obama as part of his class’s Flat Stanley project. When he got a response — complete with a picture of Flat Stanley in Obama’s Senate office — he got really excited about the election. 

“I think that it was the excitement that he was running for president, that he is African-American … that was a really big deal for my son; he felt that was important,” said Aron’s mom, Amy Mondschein. Aron, like most of his peers, has since tuned out. 

“If Obama were to set a new law that every boy 10 years old could have Legos, you know, for free, you’d be hearing about it. But right now, he’s kind of into his own things,” his mother said.

Seriously? This crap isn't worth the server space it takes up.

In Memory Of What Today Is Actually About

(No, not Spinal Tap Day)

In Flanders fields the poppies blow      Between the crosses, row on row,   That mark our place; and in the sky   The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,   Loved and were loved, and now we lie,         In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe: 

To you from failing hands we throw   The torch; be yours to hold it high.   If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies grow         In Flanders fields.

-John McCrae

In Lighter News: Russian Rocket Uncontrollable, Might Crash With Full Load of Toxic Chemicals

Russian engineering always inspires:

The Russian Phobos-Grunt (Phobos Ground) mission, designed to send an unmanned robotic probe to the Martian moon Phobos and return to earth with soil samples, is in serious trouble after a seemingly successful launch on Tuesday.Russian engineers are struggling to communicate with the spacecraft, which has no bearings and is now stuck in low-Earth orbit, having failed to fire its engines on two occasions...Worse still, if Russian engineers fail to gain control of the probe and cannot launch into a higher orbit, the drag that it endures at its lowest orbital point will eventually cause it to crash back to Earth in an uncontrolled descent, carrying a nearly-full supply of toxic fuels.

That reminds me of my favorite story of inept Russian engineering. During the Second World War, several American B-29 bombers, the most technologically advanced in the world, made emergency landings in the Soviet Union after being damaged during bombing raids over Japan. The Soviets captured the planes and the crew, letting the personnel go after a year or two, though they kept the planes. The Soviets then decided to copy the B-29's down to the rivets and make their own versions, since that would be far quicker than designing a large bomber from scratch. Now, it's important to note that the key feature of the B-29 was that its cabin was pressurized, allowing it to fly higher and therefore further than other aircraft. That meant that the metal skin of the plane was critical, since it had to be thick enough to withstand the pressure.

In reverse engineering the plane, the Soviets ran into a problem: the metal skin was of a gauge measured in inches, while all Soviet steel came in metric increments. So there were no sheets of steel in the Soviet Union that exactly matched the American plane's skin. The two closest would have been just a little thinner, and just a little thicker. Fearing that a thinner skin would be too weak, they built their carbon-copies with the thicker skin. That meant that their version weighed several thousand pounds heavier. The Tu-4, what they dubbed their B-29, had the same dimensions, the same engines, the same fuel and bomb capacity (they even copied improvised repairs made to the American planes) - but weighed so much more that it had half the range as the original. They never realized that their planes needed a larger wing and more powerful engines. The Russians at their finest.

Eric Clapton Comments On Herman Cain

Ok, so it's technically Jack Bruce singing, and it's from 1967, but the song is prophetic nonetheless:

Hey now baby, get into my big black car
I want to show you just what my politics are

Follow Up On Gloria Allred

Having watched today's press conference containing the latest allegations against Herman Cain, I stick by my initial thoughts on Gloria Allred. Anything involving her is destined to become a circus, as the appearance if Howard Stern's producer can attest. Her line about Cain offering his own version of a stimulus package was crass and undermined the entire event. That being said, these allegations are very substantive. Ms. Bialek is not alleging that sexual harassment took place, but that a sexual assault took place. The fact that she is not suing and not seeking any money (from Cain or the media), adds further weight to her claims. I only wish she had chosen an actual attorney to represent her.

Is Gloria Allred Capable Of Staying Away From A Sex Scandal?

No, like a moth to a flame:

A new woman alleging sexual harassment by presidential hopeful Herman Cain will break her silence at a news conference with her powerhouse attorney Gloria Allred Monday afternoon in New York City

You can set your watch by how quickly she runs to a whiff of sex scandal. It's quite obvious that she doesn't actually care about the women involved, all she cares for is the attention. Allred just wants a press conference where she gets to stand next to a woman making an accusation that will get on the evening news. Her interest stops when she gets to the actual lawyerly business of a courtroom. Of course, she is not alone. Many have appointed themselves the official leader of some group under attack. For example:

With Apologies to Jesse Jackson
Get More: SOUTH
PARKmore...

Bonus Freddie King Awesomeness

Freddie King is the only man who can make a Gibson ES-335 look small. And in this video, you will notice that Freddie chose to go with his suit provided by Pepto-Bismol, matched with a shirt collar wider than he is.


Oh, and let's not overlook the lyrics. A sample:

I love the tip, I love the top, I love you better than a hog loves slop'Cause you're a big legged woman, with a short short miniskirt

Pure poetry.

Awesome Musical Performance Of The Day

I would usually not include Freddie 'Texas Cannonball' King in the running for greatest musical performance, if only to give others a chance. But this video of him performing "Ain't No Sunshine" is just a pure masterpiece. Aside from the music, his shirt collar is also a thing of beauty. If it started flapping I think he would get airborne.

Cain Trots Out Henry Kissinger

In what is fast becoming a cliche, a flailing idiotic Republican presidential candidate, clearly ignorant when it comes to matters of foreign policy, wheels out Henry Kissinger for the sake of a photo opp learning experience. How nice of Cain to decide that now is a good time to start learning about foreign policy.

(Via NRO)

The True Wrong Committed In The Cain Case

There is something about a political sex scandal that brings out the worst in our body politic. Our baser instincts get shifted into overdrive, and we all instantly become psychologists trying to delve into the mind of the man (always a man) on the hot seat. We inquire, or rather demand, to learn the most specific and intimate details of a public figure's most private life. It also gives us an opportunity to shed our core convictions in service of 'our side' against' theirs. You can contrast MSNBC's approach to the Anthony Wiener situation to the Cain situation; a man's private life should be private versus hey look at this new rumor!!! And for an example from the other side of the isle, see John Derbyshire saying, in reference to Cain, that sexual harassment does not exist, yet arguing a decade ago that he hated Chelsea Clinton because she didn't hate her father for his extra curricular activities (and say what you will about Clinton's dalliances, but no one disputes that they were consensual).


This brings us to our nation's current sex scandal, that of Herman Cain's. There is a detail that has been overlooked, which is still possible in our age of instant virtual punditry. But first a point of fact - the original case as laid out by Politico is indisputably true. That case, to review, is that two women, in separate instances, accused Cain of sexual harassment while he was the head of the National Restaurant Association. They received a payment, signed confidentiality agreements, and left for other employment. This case is not an accusation, it is a fact, as confirmed by Cain (after initially trying to pretend he didn't remember, a story which managed to last a few hours).

In a clear demonstration of partisan loyalty, Cain has not lost much support. Top conservatives have rallied to his side and his fundraising has skyrocketing in the last week. That will no doubt change in the days to come. Even if no more information surfaces, Cain's clear inability to deal with a situation he knew was coming is ample demonstration that he is manifestly unqualified to be the President of the United States. He had a decade to come up with a response to this case. God forbid he becomes President and is confronted with the news that China has sucessfully tested their first atomic weapon. And that doesn't take into account the question of if we, as a nation, want another sexual harasser in the Oval Office.

Now to the important issue of these two instances of claims of sexual harassment. They are all too typical of these kinds of allegations made against powerful men. Cain was a successful CEO, a man who had made a splash among conservative beltway insiders by taking on President Clinton directly over the later's health care reform proposal, and lead an important trade association. While leading this organization, he is accused, twice, of sexual harassment. The two women involved do not run to the press nor the prosecutor, but seek to handle the matter internally, motivated by some loyalty to their employer. And what results? The women are paid off, forced to sign an agreement by which they can't discuss the matter, and then shuffled out the door.

To recap: a powerful man is accused twice of sexual harassment, and the women harassed are the ones pushed out the door. What's more, Cain has for the past several days been all over the media violating his confidentiality agreement. He even had the nerve to question one of the woman's competency at her job. Yet the two women are still bound by their confidentiality agreement, and have to go begging to the National Restaurant Association in the hopes that they can come forward and tell their side of the story. This makes Cain a schmuck no doubt, but more importantly, it shows just how imbalanced our system of justice can be when the accused is a man of power.

NYC Has A 'Wilde Club' For Young Gay Writers, Why Can't DC Have One Too?

The New York Times, always with their finger on the pulse of the lives of young writers on the Lower East Side (but never, gasp, Brooklyn), exposes the hottest ticket in town for young gay (and incidentally, good looking) writers:

[Wilde Boys founder Alex Dimitrov] was also new to New York City, living on the Lower East Side with a college friend. He longed for a community of writers, and sought to create his own by e-mailing a half-dozen aspiring poets his age — some he knew, some he didn’t — and suggesting they discuss their work at a cafe. “I invited the cute gay poets right away,” Mr. Dimitrov said. “I sort of had a list of gays that I wanted to come, and some of them that I wanted to sleep with.” 

Young talent at it's finest. I firmly support the extension of this idea down the Northeast Regional tracks to Washington, DC (Acela is reserved for the writers who actually make money). And for those wondering, my interest in this is in no way related to a desire to meet gay men in DC my own age who are neither totally vapid nor those on career tracks so narrow that their only extra curricular readings are policy papers.

Where Are The Front Lines In The Defense Of Freedom?

Today they are in France:

The office of French magazine Charlie Hebdo was destroyed after the satirical paper put a drawing of Muhammad on the cover and jokingly named him its "editor-in-chief." No one was hurt.
Witnesses say a Molotov cocktail was hurled through a window, setting fire to the computer system and destroying the entire office. The paper's website was also hacked.

The image that some religious zealot was willing to kill over, by the way, was this: