A Basic Question of Fairness

GetEQUAL DC is having a demonstration next week on April 18th, the day taxes are due all across America, to highlight the fact that under the Defense of Marriage Act and many other laws, lesbians and gays are discriminated against in this country.  The slogan for the action is "No Taxation With Discrimination!"  (Catchy, isn't it?  I wrote it...tee hee.)  More information about the action is available here:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123495701057786

Anyway, they wanted quotes to include in the press release about the action.  I thought I'd share what I wrote.  Let me know what you think.

"There is a basic question of fairness being debated in America today.  The ability to have our families recognized and protected by our government is something that has nothing to do with religion, and yet old biases and prejudices are being stirred up in the name of God to deny us basic equality under civil law.  Lesbian and gay American citizens pay the same taxes as everyone else, and yet we are denied many of the legal protections that heterosexuals take for granted from birth.  It's time for the government to stop discriminating and tearing families apart, based on the hatred of a vocal minority of people who seek to impose their religious views on others with the force of civil law."

Punching A Hole In an Anti-Marriage-Equality Argument

I think Elton John or David Geffen or Calvin Klein or Tim Gill or some rich homo should offer a ten million dollar reward to any heterosexual married couple who can prove that their marriage has been harmed by a gay couple's marriage.  I think they should hold a huge press conference and do it in as loud and splashy a way as they can.  I think they should take out full-page ads in newspapers all over the country announcing the reward.

And maybe then we can put to rest, once and for all, the beyond-ridiculous argument that allowing gays and lesbians equality under civil law has anything to do with anyone else's marriage.  What do you think?

April Fool's Done Right

Now this is an example of an Aril Fool's Day joke done the right way! It's funny, it's harmless, and everyone has a good laugh, including the object of the joke.

Enjoy!

Thai Surprise

You have to watch the clip until at least 1:40 to understand why it made me smile. :-)

I love how the crowd -- and, from the looks on their faces, I'm guessing the judges as well -- are so accepting and positive.  I'm not sure an American audience would always be as cool.


Thanks to Asgeir Ingvarsson for the tip.

Assholes With No Sense of Humor Ruin Everything For Everyone Always, Part II

I've been fagbashed by complete strangers three times out in public in New York City.  Two of those times, I could have been killed:  once, when I was beaten with an aluminum baseball bat, and once, when I was attacked by people with large knives in their hands.

So when I see video of someone being attacked in public in NYC, I cringe.  It brings back memories that I don't particularly enjoy, memories involving police cars and an emergency room and spending hours going through photographs of criminals, trying to find the people who beat me with a baseball bat, people who later that same summer killed another gay man with a baseball bat -- probably the same bat and the same fagbashers -- in the exact same location where they attacked me.  Not something I enjoy reliving.

I don't know if they still do it this way, but several years back when I first became aware of Improv Everywhere, there was a procedure to apply to be accepted as an Agent.  You had to submit an essay, it was evaluated, and they decided to admit you as an Agent or not.  I loved Improv Everywhere and what they were doing, and I thought I'd be good at it, so I applied.

I was accepted.

Flash forward to last night, when I saw a video of a fellow Improv Everywhere Agent being physically assaulted on a New York City subway train.  All the memories came flashing back.  My emotions kicked into high gear.  I just watched a video within 24 hours before this one of a gay man being bashed on the streets of the West Village -- a video released by the police, who were asking people to help identify the attackers in the video.  So when I saw the one that Improv Everywhere posted, of an Agent being assaulted and asking people to help the police identify the attackers, I swung into action IMMEDIATELY.

I wrote about it here on my blog, I posted the video, and I posted it to Facebook.  I reprinted the request for help, and linked to the Improv Everywhere blog so people could assist in the hunt for the attackers.

I was STILL so upset when I got up this morning, that I posted it AGAIN, and assured my 700+ Facebook friends that it was NOT an April Fool's joke, because OF COURSE, who would ever consider pretending to physically beat someone on a subway train IN ANY WAY FUNNY?  Not the people I respect and admire over at Improv Everywhere -- of course they would never try to make light of violence that way.  Their stunts are funny, and light-hearted, and make people smile.

Of course, you know where this is going.  They recently announced it was an April Fool's Day "joke."  If I could put the word "joke" in about 50 quotation marks, I would.

Therefore, I would like to apologize to all of the readers of this blog, and my over 700 Facebook friends, for upsetting you, concerning you, and leading you on a wild goose chase.  I especially apologize to my friends who went to the trouble of reposting the post from this blog to THEIR friends on Facebook, which I saw happened. 

Sadly, in this case, the assholes with no sense of humor who ruin everything for everyone always, turned out to be Improv Everywhere, not the people who "attacked" them.

Below, if you're interested, is the message I posted on the Improv Everywhere website and Facebook page.  I think it about sums up my feelings on this matter.  I hope you had a better April 1st than did I.

-- lm

I reposted your video to my blog, and shared it here on Facebook, TWICE, because I was so upset that someone would attack one of you guys, and would have done anything to help you catch them. April Fool's jokes are supposed to be funny and make the person falling for them feel foolish. You didn't "fool" anyone, you just upset a lot of people, lied to them, got them riled up on YOUR behalf, and then, even when you realized that people went out of their way to help you and express concern for you, you just laughed in their -- no, I mean OUR -- faces and walked away. Fuck you, I'm done. There is currently a search on for people who bashed a gay man in the West Village a few nights ago. Video has been released and the police are looking for leads. I wonder how many people who see that video here on Facebook, where it is widely circulating, will think it's a stupid joke and skip right past it because you guys chose to act like assholes. Color me disgusted.

Assholes With No Sense of Humor Ruin Everything For Everyone Always

Reposted by request.  From the Improv Everywhere site:

For our latest mission, we attempted to stage a sequel to our Star Wars Subway Car mission, using characters from Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. Jar Jar Binks entered a random train car and informed subway riders that he was scared that Darth Maul was chasing him. If things had gone as planned, people would have laughed and been surprised when Darth Maul showed up at the next stop.  

Unfortunately, three men on the train decided to ruin the fun for everyone by assaulting our actor playing Jar Jar. We were not going to even post this mission, but the actor who played Jar Jar wants to press charges, and we are searching for information on the three guys who attacked him. We hope that someone who sees this video will know them personally or recognize their faces.

Here is the best photo we have of them:


If you have any information, please get in touch with us, either via our contact form, or leaving a comment below. Thank you for your help. We’ll be back with a new mission soon. We’re not letting three idiots scare us away from continuing our mission to stage positive, funny stunts in public places.

Maybe We're Looking to the Wrong Barney

Who would have thought that a large purple dinosaur would be the one standing in the way of introducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act ("ENDA")?

He says he wants to hold off until he gets more co-sponsors.  Here's a news flash that I know you already know, Barney:  IT'S NOT GOING TO PASS ANYWAYS. 

So what's the real reason for the hold up?  Justice delayed = justice denied.

Barney Frank Holds Off On ENDA Introduction

Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank has backtracked on introduction in the House of his Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a bill that would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity (transgender protections.)

At a Wednesday morning news conference where the bill's introduction was expected to be announced, Frank instead told attendees that he's not ready to introduce the measure he has carried in the House for decades.

Hit the link for more.

Thanks to Charles Butler for the tip.

Scott Walker Fires Attorneys Defending WI Domestic Partnership Law

Scott Walker just can't help himself from attacking the decent people of Wisconsin.  They need to get rid of him ASAP.  He is a danger to himself and others.

From the Cap Times:

Gov. Scott Walker has fired the lawyers defending the state in a challenge to Wisconsin's domestic partnership law. But the governor's spokesman said his office "is still working to appoint a new counsel to the case."

Madison attorney Lester Pines informed Dane County Circuit Judge Daniel Moeser in a March 22 letter that his firm, Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, had been "terminated" by Walker as counsel for the state in the lawsuit filed in 2009 by Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, a conservative advocacy group.

Pines was hired by former Gov. Jim Doyle in August 2009 after state Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen refused to defend the state in the lawsuit.

Hit the link for more.

Thanks to Bill Dixon for the tip.

Bigotry? Tastes Like Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A is certain to leave a nasty taste in your mouth after you read what they do with the money you spend there, via this report at Equality Matters.  So stop spending money there.  Got it?

In fact, the company has strong, deep ties to anti-gay organizations like Focus on the Family and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and its charitable division has provided more than $1.1 million to organizations that deliver anti-LGBT messages and promote egregious practices like reparative therapy that seek to "free" people of being gay. 

Maybe I'll just order a pizza, instead....

Catholic Leaders vs. Catholic Laity -- A Major Disconnect

Even if the homophobic and misogynistic Catholic clergy doesn't get it, it appears that their parishioners do.  According to this recent study from the Public Religion Research Institute,

Catholics are more supportive of legal recognitions of same-sex relationships than members of any other Christian tradition and Americans overall. Nearly three-quarters of Catholics favor either allowing gay and lesbian people to marry (43%) or allowing them to form civil unions (31%). Only 22% of Catholics say there should be no legal recognition of a gay couple’s relationship.

When same-sex marriage is defined explicitly as a civil marriage, support is dramatically higher among Catholics. If marriage for gay couples is defined as a civil marriage “like you get at city hall,” Catholic support for allowing gay couples to marry increases by 28 points, from 43% to 71%. A similar pattern exists in the general population, but the Catholic increase is more pronounced.

  Beyond the issue of same-sex marriage, Catholic support for rights for gays and lesbian people is strong and slightly higher than the general public. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Catholics favor laws that would protect gay and lesbian people against discrimination in the workplace; 63% of Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian people to serve openly in the military; and 6-in-10 (60%) Catholics favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt children.

Hit the link to read more.

Thanks to LezGetReal.com for the image, and Meghan Stabler for the link.

Value for Your Dollar

Dear Friends and Family: 

Every single tax dollar that has ever been withheld from your paychecks during your entire lifetime, and every single tax dollar withheld from the paychecks of every single person you personally know or are related to, has been spent kicking gay and lesbian American heroes out of the U.S. military.  No really.  That is what you have gotten for every dime you have ever paid in taxes.

Have a nice day.


GAO: Discharging Gays Cost Pentagon $200 Million

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government analysis says that discharging gay service members cost the Pentagon nearly $200 million from 2004 to 2009. The money went mainly to recruit and train replacements.

The Government Accountability Office report says it cost an average of $52,800 per discharge. The totals are estimates because of differences in how the military services compile and report budget data.

Congressional investigators say that of the 3,664 service members dismissed for being gay, more than 1,400 held critical jobs or spoke an important foreign language.

[Click the link for the rest of the story.]

Breakfast Without Bigotry

On Thursday, February 3rd, The Fellowship Foundation (a.k.a., "The Family") is holding their annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton near Dupont Circle in DC.  For those of you unfamiliar, The Family is the secret, shady, conservative "Christian" organization behind Uganda's "Kill the Gays" bill.  The prayer breakfast is attended by around 3,500 people from all over the world, including many Members of Congress and often the President of the United States.  In fact, every President since Eisenhower has participated in the breakfast.

In response to this event, activists (including myself, people from GetEQUAL DC, various religious organizations, and the ACLU, to name a few) have planned the Breakfast Without Bigotry, a protest taking place on the sidewalks outside of the Washington Hilton at the same time as the National Prayer Breakfast (Thursday, February 3rd, from 6:00 - 8:00 a.m.).  I will be posting more details as they become available, but that should be everything you need to know in order to mark your calendars now and plan to attend! 

It would be awesome if there were a huge, boisterous turnout at the Breakfast Without Bigotry, to educate the people attending the prayer breakfast about The Family and their violent agenda of persecuting LGBTQ individuals, and to let The Family know that we are watching them, we know what they're up to, and we will not stand silently by while our LGBTQ family is persecuted, imprisoned, and put to death in Uganda or anywhere else in the world. 

Silence = Death, and we should be making a ruckus!

Together Legally In Death...If Not In Life

Congrats.  As of today, we get to watch our partners die in the hospital.  Too bad we can't marry each other in life (except in a very few states, and even those marriages are still not Federally recognized).  Or openly serve in the U.S. military.  Still, to this day, in 2011.

Before you pat yourself on the back any more over a simple (and temporary?) rule change, Mr. Obama, you need to realize that you have a very, very long way to go....


Hospital Visitation Regulations Go Into Effect Today

"There are few moments in our lives that call for greater compassion and companionship than when a loved one is admitted to the hospital.  In these hours of need and moments of pain and anxiety, all of us would hope to have a hand to hold, a shoulder on which to lean – a loved one to be there for us, as we would be there for them."

With those words on April 15, 2010 President Obama directed HHS Secretary Sebelius to initiate rulemaking to ensure that hospitals that participate in Medicare and Medicaid respect the rights of patients to designate visitors.  The President further advised that the rule should ensure that participating hospitals may not deny visitation privileges based on factors including sexual orientation or gender identity.

Today the new Hospital Visitation Regulations go into effect.

This policy impacts millions of LGBT Americans and their families.  The President saw an injustice and felt very strongly about correcting this and has spoken about it often over the years.  I want to thank HHS Secretary Sebelius and her team for their resolve to see this rule implemented.  In fact, long before this rule was finalized, back in June, 2010 the Secretary laid the groundwork by reaching out to leaders of major hospital associations asking them to encourage their member hospitals to not wait for the formal rulemaking to run its course regarding patient-centered visitation rights suggested by the President.

This significant policy change is due in no small part to the journeys of two incredibly courageous and passionate women, Janice Langbehn and Charlene Strong.  Both lived through unimaginable experiences with the loss of their wives and life partners.   While I never had the opportunity to meet Janice’s wife Lisa Pond, or Charlene’s wife Kate Fleming, I have had the honor to meet and work with Janice and Charlene.  I want to thank them for bringing us all into their lives and for sharing themselves and their families with us, and for using their voices to make lives better for LGBT families.

Brian Bond is Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement

Blast from the Past for Marriage Equality

I was on a conference call tonight with lots of activists from all over the country who are organzing marriage equality protests at marriage license counters on Valentine's Day.  The moderator, Molly -- who was fantastic, by the way! -- said a few times how thrilled she was that there were people on the call who had been working on this for an entire decade.

I've actually been working on this for more than 22 years.  :-)

The call stirred up some memories, so I dug up the video from CBS News in New York City that documented our protest at the Marriage License Bureau in Manhattan back in 1989. 

[As a side note, and not to take away from their efforts, but I was amused in February 2010 when Queer Rising (including activists I respect and appreciate) put out a press release touting their "unprecedented protest" at the Marriage License Bureau.  Sorry, folks, I appreciate your activism, but not even close!!  You may not have known that you were following in our footsteps almost exactly, but you were.  It's true that we didn't chain ourselves to the entrance 21 years earlier, but then I don't think locking people inside of a building is pretty much ever a good idea for our cause.  And it's also true that you didn't follow up your protest with a law suit against the City of New York, as we did.]

What the video doesn't show (although it was covered by other media at the time) is that after that demonstration, me, the man I was attempting to marry, and 3 or 4 other couples were not satisfied with the result, so we made a sudden decision on the spot.  We went from that demonstration directly to meet with lawyers, where we filed one of the very first law suits for marriage equality ever filed in this country (that I know of, anyways).  I was a named plaintiff in that suit.  We sued the City of New York and the County Clerk under NYC's anti-discrimation laws for refusing to give us marriage license applications. 

Unfortunately, many months later, our law suit was dismissed by a judge who told us that NYC was merely administering New York STATE's marriage laws, so they were off the hook.  Which was bogus, of course, but anyway, that's how our particular suit ended 22 years ago.  We tried (and have been trying ever since) -- and I don't think many people know that history.

Hopefully the fight won't have to go on for another 22 years.  It has been a long struggle.  And the ability to marry the one you love is a basic human right.  Enjoy the video!  (I'm the one holding the "Exclusion of Lesbians and Gays is IMMORAL" sign in a few of the scenes.)

One Milwaukee Priest Apologizes

Hey, kid, sorry for all the fondling, the forced sucking, the deep penetration of your sweet, tender lil ass, the nightmares, the inability to trust, the difficulty forming relationships for the rest of your life, etc., etc., etc.  But listen -- we don't feel like paying for your therapy or anything, regardless of what the courts decided after that super-traumatic trial we put you through...so we've filed a piece of paper that says we don't have to, because we're broke. 

Bummer?  Sure it is, kid -- but hey, if you want to take your mind off your troubles, come to our home office, the Vatican, and take a look around -- if it can't make you forget your troubles, nothing can!!  Trust me -- our museums are filled with artwork by Caravaggio, Michaelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael, altogether worth literally billions and billions of dollars.  Our buildings are ornamented with gold, silver, precious stones, and fine marble -- you will be overwhelmed!  Our CEO, the Pope, lives in a palace with 1,400 rooms -- I shit you not! While you're there, check out his Prada slippers, and the solid gold cup he says mass with! 

Or if you can't afford the plane ticket -- I mean, we just weaseled out of paying you after all, so it's certainly understandable!! -- just stay home and watch t.v.!  We pay for millions and millions of dollars worth of false advertising in states voting on marriage equality, spreading lies about gay people to deny them civil rights from their government. 

For the real punchline, every Sunday, we hold ourselves up to be the arbiters of right and wrong.  We tell people to ignore what their own conscience says, and turn to us to dictate what morality means.  If that doesn't make you laugh, kid, you've got NO sense of humor!  LOL 

Hope that helps distract you from your woes -- something better, they'll be with you for the rest of your life.  Anyways...see ya. 

Oh hey, kid -- one more thing...is that your lil brother, the blonde one playing over there in the sandbox?  Does he want to be an altar boy....?

Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Files for Bankruptcy

Jan. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which serves 644,000 Catholics in southeastern Wisconsin, filed for bankruptcy, citing lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests.

The petition, filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Milwaukee, listed as much as $50 million in debt, not including payments that may need to be made related to personal-injury lawsuits.

“This action is occurring because priest-perpetrators sexually abused minors,” the archdiocese said in a statement on its website.

Finally Some Sanity Out Of Uganda

This ruling will save lives and is vitally important in a murderous atmosphere like the one that is currently being whipped up in Uganda.  What a great way to start the new year.  Thank you, Judge Vincent Musoke-Kibuuke -- you are a true hero.


Judge bans Ugandan media from outing gays and lesbians

A high court judge in Uganda has banned all media from outing gays and lesbians.

Judge Vincent Musoke-Kibuuke said lives were being put at risk by newspapers identifying people known or thought to be gay.

In October, Ugandan tabloid Rolling Stone – no relation to the US magazine – caused controversy by publishing the names, photos and addresses of people it accused of being gay and calling for them to be hanged.

At least four of those named were subsequently attacked, gay activists said.

Judge Musoke-Kibuuke granted a permanent injunction against Rolling Stone, ordering it not to publish the information again.

[Full article at the link above.  Thanks to my friend Dave Wainwright for the tip!]

Obama Administration STILL Upholding DADT in the Courts AND in the Military -- DISGUSTING

Trust me when I tell you, it is NOT often that I will be quoting (or agreeing with) the Log Cabin Republicans.  I find the very existence of the organization to be repugnant.  I automatically assume that anyone who belongs is overwhelmed with self-hatred and deep shame.

That having been said, their press release from earlier today (okay, I guess yesterday, by now) is a real eye-opener.  There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for Barry and his evil flying monkeys at the sorely-misnamed "Justice Department" to continue their hate-fueled lynchmobs.  The law requiring the policy of kicking out teh gayz has changed -- yes.  (Well -- kind of.  But it's too complicated to go into all the minutiae here.)

But the POLICY remains in full effect while the process goes forward for an unspecified period of time.  Until all the certifications are made and former KKK member Robert Byrd's from-beyond-the-well-deserved-grave "waiting period" have all been exhausted, American heroes fighting for their country are still at risk of being investigated, persecuted, and terminated.  There is no room for differing opinions on ending this policy immediately:  if you don't support ending it immediately, if Obama's refusal to end it immediately doesn't sicken you to your very core, you're not a human being.

Obama could end all of this today, this morning, with nothing more than his signature on a sheet of paper.

That he refuses to do so, and thus chooses voluntarily to force American military heroes to live under the very real threat of persecution and prosecution because of how they were born and who they love, is reprehensible, inexcusable, and disgusting.  Shame on him.

Mark the date and time, because you're not going to hear me say this very often:  I applaud the Log Cabin Republicans for what they are doing.  Bravo -- keep up the good work!


Obama Department of Justice Up to Old Tricks in New Year

(Washington, DC) – Despite the fact that legislation was enacted last month which removed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ from U.S. statute, the Obama Department of Defense has continued the policy’s enforcement and the Obama Department of Justice continues to defend the ban in court. Continuing its strategy of obstruction, the Department of Justice has requested that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal delay hearing Log Cabin Republicans v. USA indefinitely.

“Passage of the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal Act of 2010 was an important step toward open service, but until open service is a reality, our legal battle remains necessary,” said Log Cabin Republicans Executive Director R. Clarke Cooper.  “As long as servicemembers are under threat of discharge and there is no clear timeline for certification, Log Cabin will stand for the constitutional rights of our men and women in uniform.”

“The White House and its lawyers at the Department of Justice are once again worlds apart,” said Dan Woods, Partner at White and Case, and lead attorney for Log Cabin Republicans v. USA. “Despite the President and Vice President’s insistence that this policy should be ended in an expedient manner, the Department of Justice has continued to throw up roadblocks. I reached out to my counterparts at the Department of Justice and offered to accept a stay if the government would agree to immediately end all discharges under ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.’  The Obama administration refused, and insists on continuing its enforcement of a policy that has been rejected by Congress, the military, and the American people.   We are left with no choice but to continue our challenge to this failed and unconstitutional policy.”

Log Cabin Republicans have maintained a three-front strategy against ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ lobbying for repeal in Congress, consulting with the Department of Defense, and filing suit in federal court.  The case went to trial in July of 2010, and Judge Virginia Phillips ruled on September 9, 2010 that the policy violated the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution.

Thank you to my friends Rob Schwitz and David ReadytoRumble Fleck for the tip.

MegaMillions is now up to $330 MILLION -- You Know What to Do!

From the latest MegaMillions press release:

Mega Millions is the hottest ticket around. The brisk sales across the nation have prompted officials in the Mega Millions states to increase their estimate of the Tuesday, January 4 drawing to $330 million.

There was no jackpot winner in the December 31 drawing, but 3.1 million tickets won prizes ranging from $2 to $1 million. Mega Millions holds the record for the largest jackpot ever in North America: $390 million on March 6, 2007. 

Mega Millions is currently played in 42 jurisdictions (41 states plus the District of Columbia). Drawings are held Tuesdays and Fridays at 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time; 10:00 p.m. Central Time; 9:00 p.m. Mountain Time and 8:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

I'm too embarrassed to tell you how many tickets I'm sitting on.  Good luck to all of us!

UPDATE:  The drawing is a half an hour away, and the jackpot has been increased to $355 million!!  Hope you bought your ticket!!

Also, their website is so inundated with traffic, they have disabled its usual functionality.  It's all about this drawing only.  Wow!

New iPad to Have CDMA Model?

You know how I feel about my iPad.  Also, I love any and every rumour about the new one I can get my grimy lil hands on.  Here's the latest I've found:

RUMOR: Next iPad May Have CDMA Model

A new rumor has surfaced in regards to the next-generation iPad, following recent reports that it will arrive in Wi-Fi and UMTS versions. According to sources, there will also be a third CDMA model compatible with Verizon Wireless and Sprint.

The news isn't surprising given all the talk surrounding Apple, CDMA support, and a Verizon-compatible iPhone. In fact, building a CDMA version has probably been in the works ever since Apple began planning the iPad. This model would allow Verizon and other CDMA-based networks to provide the tablet as-is rather than creating pricier bundles that include a Wi-Fi model and a portable hotspot device.

Happy New Year -- Now Here's How to Cure that Nasty Hangover!

Happy New Year!!  As a public service to my LilReaders, I'm posting an article below that suggests tips for dealing with that nasty hangover that many of you may be plagued with today.  I hope it helps, and that you stick around as a faithful reader for the rest of 2011, and beyond! 

[As always, click the headline below to read the entire article.]

How To Cure a Hangover

1. Sleep. Rest is your best friend at this point to give your body a recover. It is best to stay in bed so call in to work if you have to, tell them you have the stomach flu. You will sound so horrible on the phone they may believe you (unless they saw you at the bar, not a good idea then).
2. Replenish your body with fruit juice and water.
3. Avoid caffeine. A weak cup of coffee may be okay but a lot of caffeine will continue to dehydrate you, the opposite of what you want right now.
4. Drink orange juice for Vitamin C.
5. Drink a sports drink like Gatorade or Powerade.  [More tips by clicking the link above!]

This is Why Michelle Obama Does What She Does -- And Why Sarah Palin is an Idiot

I should have said "This is Why Michelle Obama Does What She Does -- And Yet ANOTHER Reason Why Sarah Palin is an Idiot," but I thought that was just too long for a headline.

A Third of 9-Month-Olds Already Obese or Overweight

Almost one-third of 9-month-olds are obese or overweight, as are 34 percent of 2-year-olds, according to the research, which looked at a nationally representative sample of children born in 2001. The study is one of the first to measure weight in the same group of very young children over time, said lead researcher Brian Moss, a sociologist at Wayne State University in Detroit. The results showed that starting out heavy puts kids on a trajectory to stay that way.

Click the headline above to read the entire story.  And then tell your kids to go play outside.  I'll leave the decision about traffic or no traffic up to you....

Forcing Prisoners to Pay for Their Freedom with Their Internal Organs -- Is This America??

I'm sorry, but this entire situation is beyond ridiculous.  The penalty given to the Scott sisters for armed robbery of $11 was way too harsh -- double life sentences -- and they should be released now, after having served 16 years.  Can we all agree on that? 

Of course we know that organ donation from a living donor is a good thing, because the Catholic Church strongly opposed it when it was first introduced, calling it "desecration of the body."  So obviously it is the right thing to do -- as long as the donor does so entirely voluntarily and willingly, that is.  The best way to determine the morality of ANY action is to find out where the Catholic Church stands on the issue, and do the exact opposite.  But offering to let a person out of the cage they are being kept in on the condition that they give up one or more of their internal organs is completely barbaric. 

The only reason anyone (in the Governor's office, at least) is even discussing releasing the Scott sisters at all is because Haley Barbour, the Governor of the State of Mississippi, where they are incarcerated, is a racist bigot who recently went on t.v. touting the benefits of the KKK or some such nonsense (okay, really it was the "White Citizens Council," but a rose by any other name...). 

So now, in order to show that he's not really a racist (or that he can talk out of both sides of his mouth or that he's a lying hypocrite or something like that), he has hatched this plan to release these women (did I mention that they are black?).  But he can't look like he's being soft on crime or something, so he has to pretend he's doing it so that the State of Mississippi can stop paying for dialysis treatments for Jamie Scott by forcing Gladys Scott to donate a kidney and releasing them both so the federal government can pay for their medical treatment instead of Mississippi.  I couldn't even make this stuff up.

All in all, this entire freedom-for-organs deal cheapens human life, is shocking to the conscience, and is or should be totally illegal.  Shame on the racist Governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour, who is -- surprise, surprise! -- widely considered to be a likely candidate for the Republican nomination for President in 2012. 

It may be a new year, folks, but nothing has changed.  *le sigh*

ABC News coverage of the ethical and legal problems involved