Wimbledon has begun. I know you are all desperate to know what I think about the 3rd Grand Slam of 09. Relax, I will tell you Men: Who I am rooting for: Andy Roddick . Who I think will win: Andy Murray Women: Who I am rooting for: Venus.Who I think will win: Venus. (Does she or her sister really need a last name at this point?)
Gays ditching Barry Part 2:it's a way for the White House to wank off the gay leaders a bit while still not delivering. Also, I see no reason to link to Americablog again- so I won't. But apparently Avarosis is ripping Barry O up all the time now. WTF? What dipshits these Obama pimps - like Avarosis and Sullivan - were last year! To all the big gay players who GOT PLAYED by Obama - next time pay attention to your candidate's actions not just the trendiness of his skin color.
Currently - a group is protesting/ picketing at West Hollywood eatery called El Coyote whose manager gave 100 dollars to the Yes on 8 campaign. El Coyote is a watering hole/mediocre Mexican place - when I worked on film crews we would go there and make jokes about which neighborhood cats were missing to make the meal we were eating.
But the drinks are cheap and the place has lasted in a town that is unkind to restaurant longevity.
El Coyote is a good place to protest as it is in a nice part of town and convenient. We do want our protests to be convenient, after all....
Gay protesters are also going after the Mormon church - not exactly difficult in Los Angeles. Mormons are pretty kickable - what with the magic underwear and outer space based theology. Frankly, the Mormons deserve it. And I have no issue with masses of normal people picketing that religion. Focusing on a restaurant where one manager gave 100 dollars is just bad form, potentially ugly and a P.R. coup for the assholes with the Right Wing Christian Political Agenda.
I do not get it. They are making a victim out a ding bat restaurant manager. Spread the word that people should boycott the place and then let it go. Aren't there bigger fish to fry?
Mormons BAD for supporting prop 8. White Protestants BAD for supporting Prop 8. Republicans BAD. (except Arnold) McCain BAD for supporting prop 8 Palin EVIL for supporting prop 8. Hang her in effigy!! Obama ___ for opposing gay marriage rights... (wait! Obama is against Gay marriage???who knew???) Black Protestants: OFF THE HOOK FOR SUPPORTING PROP 8 by a 70-30% margin.
Why?
Guess we'll keep attacking some easy targets instead.
I am off to a sign making party for the prop 8 protest at L.A. City hall on Saturday - they conveniently planned it around my USC football schedule...(however, let's be clear, if someone schedules civil disobedience training at the same time as my beloved Trojans play - I'll skip the game... it is time to MOVE ON to non-violent civil disobedience in order to gain equal rights for Gay Americans.)
Here's a music pick for the night: I Will Wait For You. Some days I just can't The Umbrellas of Cherbourg out of my head. A near perfect film.
Some Obama Pod emailed me yesterday regarding my link to the Sacramento Bee article about Prop 8 and the black vote. He/She said I was "telling lies to stoke racism."
I just want to state for the record I am telling the truth to stoke racism, dammit!
being sarcastic... relax...
Actually I linked the article to make the point that:
A. I am not the only person seeing a 70% "yes" vote on 8 from AAs (which is 28% higher than any other ethnic group.) as a disheartening reality for Gay people. B. To make the point that hiding from the truth - however uncomfortable - is unworthy of liberals, and dangerous in the public sphere. This is, in fact, the focus of this blog all year. If this was an argument between blacks and hispanics in Watts all sorts of do gooders would have moved to set up commissions and outreach programs to address it. But, somehow, bigotry against gays from one ethnic group is off limits for discussion, since gays don't really matter and blacks must retain their ultimate victim title in Left wing circles. This crap is promoted by rich white "intellectuals" and black "leaders" (Sharpton, Jackson) AA's first place victim status must be renewed forever regardless of the progress of black Americans and the attitude changes of white Americans - and most damaging - regardless of the harm it does to black youth. Don't think the murder rate in south central has anything to do with having victimhood forever reinforced and encouraged? You are wrong.
Gays who have swallowed this nonsense whole are now blaming the Mormons - they are a safe scapegoat since they are overwhelmingly white and seen as overwhelmingly odd...though Mormons comprise a tiny portion of California's population they did supply a lot of cash to Yes on 8. Still, in this case, blaming the money and not the voters is like cops arriving at a crime in progress and arresting the gun and not the criminal. No on 8 had plenty of cash. They clearly did not understand the attitudes of one large voting block.
At any rate, here's another piece on this issue. This one is from the Miami Herald. When, for instance, they use an obscure passage from the Bible to claim God has ordained the mistreatment of gays, don't they hear an echo of white people using that Bible to claim God ordained the mistreatment of blacks?
Dr. King, we have a problem. I REPEAT AGAIN: we cannot flinch from the gay/black fissure.
We've got to pray for grace. (Yes, I have been - if you must know.) But we can't shove it under the carpet.
A note on something that bothers me about this fight: A person in the piece linked above says: "I was born black. I can't change that," said Culver City resident Bilson Davis, 57, who voted for Proposition 8. "They weren't born gay; they chose it," he added, reflecting a commonly held belief that many researchers dispute.
Thinking out of the box a weeeeee, little, tiny bit- regarding this choice/biology argument:
1. It is important and I am glad it is being researched. Homosexual behaviour among some members of a species is apparently quite normal in most vertebrates. Good for the giraffes!
2. It does not matter. So what if one "chooses" it? Why can't one choose "it"? There is nothing wrong with "it". There is subtle homophobia at play when gay rights advocates yell too hard about orientation and lack of choice. I have no doubt that some people are hardwired gay and some straight - but that is beside most of the point. Is there something less worthy about an adult who freely CHOOSES a same sex partner, for whatever reason, than there is with a gay man or lesbian hardwired for homosexuality?
Nope. People are fascinating and complicated. Thanks be to God - and/or Darwin!
The subtext is "Well, of course, I'd be heterosexual - if I could." The sub subtext of that being "straight is normal, therefore better. I am not normal, therefore worse." When if fact being gay or straight or bi - whether chosen freely or not - are all apparently very normal expressions of sexuality.
Some Photos, mostly from a large rally in Los Angeles last night, sent in by a reader.
Finally: The President-elect needs to speak up on this now.
Bigotry won the day in California on equal rights for gay Americans. And the victory FOR discrimination came from those who have felt its sting most harshly.
Ironically, the huge voter turn out by black citizens to vote for Obama may have provided the Yes on 8 forces the cushion they needed. Black Californians (10% of the population) voted to ban equal marriage rights for gays by a huge 70%-30% margin. Hispanics (19%) - widely thought to be more socially conservative - voted for the ban by a much smaller 51%-49% margin. Whites and Asians voted against the ban by 53%-47% margin.
A quick note on the Black vote. Obama is expected to get 90-95% of the Black vote. This is being discussed as "racist" - as surely that high percentage means Blacks are voting for Obama because of his race. This does not stand up. Every Democrat since 1964 has gotten between 85-92% of the Black vote. One would expect the Democratic nominee to get 90% of the Black vote. It is the norm. If Obama has an advantage this year with the Black vote it is with NEW black voters. This is to be expected. Obama is half Black. If Bill Richardson had been the nominee an upswing in Hispanic registration would have occurred, along with a lot of Brown Pride. Irish-Americans where proud and excited about John Kennedy in 1960...
Obama has used and abused the race card all year. This has harmed the cause of addressing real racism. Since Obama has run a racist and sexist campaign from the Left, this means we must be more vigilant than ever in clearly opposing real bigotry and clearly opposing "Obama racism" - bullshit that plays on guilt spewed to achieve the effect of benefiting his campaign with no regard for consequences and no concern for real victims of bigotry.
