And the Truth Shall Set You ...?

From an MSN story:

"Maggie Gyllenhaal has waded into sensitive political waters by ... [saying] that the United States "is responsible in some way" for the [September 2001 terrorist] attacks.

A fan Web site devoted to Gyllenhaal was overwhelmed with criticism, forcing the site's editor to remove the ability to post messages "because it's gotten too outta hand."...

She also expressed her grief for "everyone who suffered and everyone who died in the catastrophe." "

YES!, it is true that we have angered the Arab world with unjust globalization policies and unrestrained capitalism, and Reagan and Bush I gave weapons and support to bring both Osama bin Laden and Sadam Hussein to power. Yep, that is certainly "responsible in some way."

It is also good to have the empathy to feel profound grief for the victims. The only thing that needs to be added to paint a full picture of the truth is to make clear that hateful fundamentalist religions, including the middle eastern islamists, and the US fundamentalist christian bigots, are wrong, dangerous, and at fault in the destruction they create.

Warts and All

Um, it just seems kind of compulsory to pass along the exploding toads:

http://www.local6.com/news/4410396/detail.html

Fill it, Buster!

Now, it's not that I want the Dems to lose the right to protect us from obnoxious and hate-filled judicial nominees through filibuster... but part of me certainly says, if this nation wants to vote Republican, let them have their Repuke government and judges.

The young and talented people of this country will eventually leave. You see, there are civilized people elsewhere on the planet that we can join.

At first, they'll yell, "Yeeeee haw, they're gone! No more Evil-ution! Now we can stay dumn bigots forever and never eeeevolve into human be-ins."

But soon... "Awww shucks, I kinda miss them folks that was tryin to help us make our lifes better."

They'll beg us back... and not only will they let us marry the person we love... they'll even offer to let us marry the goat.

Then I can say, "No thanks! See I really WASN'T lying when I said I DON'T want to marry the GOAT!"

Great for Apes?

"The bonobos will be able to cook in their own kitchen, tap vending machines for snacks, go for walks in the woods and communicate with researchers through computer touchscreens. The decor in their 18-room home includes an indoor waterfall and climbing areas 30 feet high.

...the bonobos can see visitors who ring the doorbell -- and will be able to choose through a computer touchscreen who will be permitted into a secured viewing area.

"Only if they want to open the door can you enter," Savage-Rumbaugh said."

link

While giving them rights, respect, and autonomy, this project is aimed at seeing to what extent these apes will choose to live and communicate like humans, given this kind of setting.

My boyfriend perhaps opposes this kind of thing because we are taking the apes out of their natural jungle habitat. My response to him was that I saw his point, but since no one is even considering trying to get us humans back into the jungle, I don't see why the apes should be so lucky to live in such natural paradise that we ourselves are denied.

Speaking of the vending machines and our whole way a life, Dr. Savage-Rumbaugh gives a wonderful quote, "Those are things that we have created, and create anew and build upon from one generation to the next ..." she said. "Then we have the power to change it and make it any other way. We could have an ideal world, if we but learn how to do it."

But if we really started discussing working towards an ideal world, the Capitalists in their suits and ties would not preserve their profit-driven Oligarch system for long. So they try to stop us. Let's keep thinking and dreaming and talking.

Just Do It Barefoot

So Nike spends millions to develop a shoe that simulates being barefoot?

http://www.american-trackandfield.com/features/nikefreereview04.html

Going barefoot is healthy, safe, comfortable, and attractive. If more of us do it more, the stupid cultural phenomenon of wearing shoes in public will die the death it deserves.

Technorati tag: barefooters barefoot

Habemus Odiosam Papam

Ratzinger is not by far the first Evil man to become Pope.

We must repeat these two questions to "Benedict" over and over as we spend his papacy ducking the ratz he will keep zinging at us:

How can we believe you have had any true change of heart from your days serving under Hitler in the Nazi army when you are still actively and vigously persecuting homosexuals?

and

What do you know about the 1978 probable murder of Pope John Paul I?

Mike for Pope

Happy Monday!

Michael Moore is running for Pope. I support this:

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?messageDate=2005-04-16

The Japanse have "tension and concerns" over the U.S. economy...

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ft/20050418/bs_ft/ecd70f16afb311d9bb3300000e2511c8

Should be a good week.

Joe Must Go

houndcat reports from DailyKos:

"Time continues to slip away for fantasy candidates like Attorney General Blumenthal or whoever else progressives want to see come riding to the rescue. John Orman remains the ONLY Democrat with the courage to take on Joe Lieberman. He deserves our support."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/15/114220/432

I'm completely unfamiliar with Dr. Orman, but Joe MUST Go.

John Orman has formed an exploratory committee to replace DINO (Democrat in Name Only) Joe in the 2006 Connecticut U.S. Senate race.

I'm going to email this candidate to ask about whether he supports equal marriage rights and where I can get more info. I'll report back.

Oh, and I don't want Blumenthal riding to my rescue. He's not pro-equality, and I really don't think he would come off so well as a candidate in a big race anyway.

Marriages Invalidated in Oregon: She Crashes With Her Own Wings

"The Oregon Supreme Court on Thursday invalidated the marriages of 3,000 same-sex couples and refused to decide whether gays and lesbians should have the same rights and benefits as married couples...

The ruling also removes any pressure from the 2005 Legislature to act."

link

I cannot write about this without expressing my profound sorrow for the human beings who were just told that the state to which they pay their taxes has legally voided their most intimate relationship in the world. It's deeply hurtful and impossible to understand. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Unfortunately, we can't win everywhere. We can win in Connecticut. Let's not allow a DOMA to go through, as looks very likely unless there is widespread spontaneous spine-growth in the state.

Defeat SB 963 as amended - Keep CT Free!

Bitter pyrrhic Victory in CT

soe writes, "

I have to say I really didn’t expect Connecticut representatives would roll over and play dead, adding a DOMA to the bill. Now I have to hope the bill is defeated."

http://www.spritewrites.net/?p=38

Indeed, I didn't expect it either. We have fought hard and successfully for several years to keep Connecticut one of the few in the bastion of states without a DOMA. Civil Unions are NOT worth a DOMA.

There is a theme that runs through the right-wing successes of the past few years and also the liberal failures. It is this: the right-wingers wage their campaigns on *principles*, even if they are misguided ones. We must have principles both in order to win and also to be able to sleep at night.

These are my principles with regard to equal marriage rights and civil unions:

- Same-sex couples fully and urgently deserve equal marriage rights.

- Civil unions may give some of the rights of marriage, but this separate-and-not-equal institution is overall an insult and should not be welcomed.

- DOMA's (Defense of Marriage Act) are unconstitutional and wrong. They cannot be accepted under any circumstances, certainly not as a compromise with civil unions.

Love Makes a Family may have made a huge mistake if we end up with civil unions and a DOMA. I trusted them earlier this session to fight for marriage, and if we could not win that, perhaps accept civil unions without a DOMA. But if we end up with a DOMA, the whole thing absolutely should have been stopped in its tracks weeks ago. Can we stop it now? I hope so.

Bare Feet Not Arms

As Springtime comes into full bloom, you should consider going barefoot more. Unfortunately, our society tends to discourage adults from freeing themselves from shoes. Barefeet are healthy, feel good, and are attractive.

Check out

http://www.barefooters.org/

for more info, and test out some public establishments in your area so you can contribute entries to their list of barefoot-friendly locations at:

http://www.barefooters.ca/bfok/public/



Peace and happy barefooting!

Trying out Technorati tags: barefooters, barefoot

Represent!

We are grateful for our outstanding State Representative Evelyn Mantilla, 4th Assembly District, Hartford, who is also our Deputy Majority Leader in Connecticut.

http://www.cga.ct.gov/hdo/HDO004.asp

Here's Rep. Mantilla's response to me about voting against attaching a DOMA to the pending Civil Unions legislation in CT (S.B. 963):

"Thanks for contacting me on this important issue. As a strong supporter of marriage equality, and an openly-gay legislator myself, you can count on me to fight against any and all DOMA language in our state. Marriage equality is the only true equality. Thanks again - Rep. Evelyn Mantilla"

We need many more principled legislators like this.

I also heard reported on NPR this morning that former State Senate Majority Leader George Jepson has formed an exploratory committee to pursue the office of Attorney General in CT. I'll get onto trying to find out where he is now on marriage equality. I am very uncomfortable with the glee I perceive from our current Atty. Gen. (Dick) Blumenthal as he fights against marriage equality in the courts of CT.

Pique Oil

http://lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/

This site describes, documents, and editorializes a belief that has become known as "Peak Oil," which suggests that we are currently and imminently running out of oil in the world, and that there will not be significantly more found in the future.

This site goes further to suggest that there is no serious prospect of any existing or forthcoming alternate technology being able to come anywhere near replacing the energy supply provided by oil.

This site draws the conclusion that we will soon be required to shift to a radically different, basically pre-industrial lifestyle.

The case made by this site appears quite strong and well-documented. We need to investigate and pin-down the unbiased, unexaggerated truth; I cannot yet say if, or how much, this site over-states the problem, but we do need to know.