Human Rights: CA. Proposition 8

The election results made us so joyful with Obama's win that we couldn't bear to tarnish the excitement with thoughts of the passage of California Proposition 8 or, as the voters here now refer to it, Proposition Hate.

However, we've been seething about it ever since it passed and sooner or later we have to share the seethe. California, hello? Excuse me? What the fuck did Arnie put in the water that people actually marched to the polls and voted against their LGBTQ brothers and sisters?

La Casa de Los Gatos is well aware that not all of California is progressive. SF, LA, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto, Monterey, Carmel, Mendocino, maybe a few other small towns here and there, are pretty forward-thinking and have a significant population of LGBTQ people. Orange County has a fair number of pinheads, and military areas like San Diego are pretty fucking hopeless. But still, people! Why you wanna do this for? What business is it of yours who does what with their naughty bits? You want people checking around in your bedroom? No? Then get the hell out of our bedrooms!

This is ridiculous, and we're not going to put up with it. Civil rights should never be left to the will of the majority because the majority tends to oppose civil rights for minorities (of any ilk). Imagine if we had asked the people to vote on slavery. There were only a few people brave enough to oppose it at the time. The majority would have happily permitted it to continue or merely ignored the issue.

In the same way we cannot leave the right of LGBTQ folks to love and marry who they will in the hands of those who have no understanding or empathy on this issue. Straight people say, "Well we don't care who you have sex with, just don't flaunt it in our faces. You can have civil unions. You'll have the same rights. Leave us marriage." (No, we don't personally know anyone who actually says such things because we strive not to associate with troglodytes. However, such things and much worse can be found in a few minutes of perusing teh InnerTubes.)

Unfortunately, this is a myth. It's simply not true that gay people have all the rights that straight people have through a civil union. For one thing, in community property states, married people who own property in common cannot sell or give away any part of that property without their spouse's explicit consent. Upon one spouse's death, the other spouse inherits the entire property as a whole — no part of it can be alienated without the surviving spouse's consent, and no probate is required for the property to pass intact from one spouse to the other.

A civil union confers some benefits on the partners thereto, but consider the case of Lisa Pond who was traveling with her partner and children when she suffered a brain aneurysm. Her partner and family were not permitted to see her on her deathbed. Would that happen to a straight couple? No. Consider the case of a gay couple who spent twenty years or more building a home and family, acquiring property together. Should one partner die, regardless of any contract or property arrangement to the contrary, the same biological relations who kicked the dead partner out of their home for being gay could descend upon the couple's property and contest the will and boot the survivor out of the home in which they had invested a lifetime of earnings and hopes. Could that happen to a straight couple? The family could try it, but the courts would most likely rule for the survivor.


Well, the time has come to insist on the same spousal rights for gay couples, and quite frankly we don't care what the hell you call it — civil union, marriage, schtuppenpupik — if it will allow a partner at their dying partner's bedside in any state in the country; if it will guarantee that two people in a loving relationship can legally inherit one from the other to no less an extent than any other people in such a relationship despite their sexual preference; if it will give LGBTQ partners the same tax breaks and family rates on health care and child care and family matters, then call it what you will but give us our rights.

Today is the day that LGBTQ people all over this country march in support of gay rights, and against such antigay legislation as California's shameful Proposition 8. They'll be marching in Portland; InTheNameOf8 lists groups that will be working against Prop 8 nationwide; JoinTheImpact gives pointers on how to organize yourselves, including a site that tells you how to find your local protest.

Fellow digger and gay activist Scoyboy of OnTopmag has a fine piece on the spontaneous marches erupting across the nation.

In good news, many Mormons are disgusted enough by their church's shameful support of this equality-denying proposition to up 'n leave. Thank you to those of our Mormon brothers and sisters who stand with us.

We urge our Catholic brothers and sisters to take a stand against the hate being perpetrated by their religion. Jesus did not teach hatred and discrimination. He taught love and acceptance. He sat with beggars and prostitutes and dined with publicans and outcasts. He did not, as the fathers of today's church do, wine and dine on gold and silver with the wealthy and powerful while turning his back on the poor who starve among us. If you profess to believe in him, then you must act in support of his message and stand up for the rights of your LGBTQ brothers and sisters and not permit Proposition 8 to take away the rights of a loving couple to marry and raise a family — a right that you yourselves possess and take for granted.

To do something about this shameful and discriminatory proposition, you can go here and sign the pledge.

Be sure to write the gubernator, who will be getting an earful from the bigots and haters who poured millions into this campaign.


Finally, for those who think that the record numbers of Black American voters who turned out for Obama were responsible for the passing of Proposition 8, stop it, OK? Just quit. Go read this first, and then come back and flap your gums if you still can. To imply that Black Americans are responsible for this hateful proposition passing is to hold all White Americans, gay and straight, harmless on the issue. And how could that be, when Black Americans comprise a whole six fucking per cent of the California electorate? Do you think if even half the White churchgoing population had voted against this proposition, it would have passed even if every single Black voter voted for it? And, furthermore, are there no LGBTQ Black Americans, or people of Tint among the ranks of the various LGBTQ folks? Is it not a clear manifestation of prejudice to assume that all LGBTQ persons are White, that White is the default colour of LGBTQ people?

Prop 8 passed because of gullibility and misinformation. The religious churchgoers were told that if it did not pass, their churches might be shut down, their preachers jailed. We don't find that a compelling argument, but religious people we're not. So we understand that they voted out of ignorance and fear. Such ignorance and fear must not dictate our lives though. Already the forces of provocateurism are at work, with "unknown individuals" mailing packets of white powder to various religious factions. We doubt that LGBTQ people were behind that, but if they were, we urge them to remember to whose detriment such actions redound.

Much as we may dislike it, we have to reach out to our churchgoing religious friends and neighbours and engage them in discourse. For a perfect love casteth out fear. And quite frankly, it's time everybody got over this fucking fear hangover that's been chewing our hineys to ribbons for nearly a decade.

So get out there, people, and wave a flag or a banner or a poster for those of us who can't stand up. We're with you in spirit. This fight ain't over, but we all have to fight it.

Stumble It!

2008 Elections: Oh, Dear

This is the "town" of which Sarah Palin, Oldy McMoldy's Veep candidate, was Mayor:

Photo courtesy of Alaskan blogger Mudflats

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. This "town" is smaller and less, um, what's a good word? Busy? Bustling? Well-appurtenanced? than the village down the road from us.

The local village is more populous, has about ten times the number of roads, approximately 100 times the number of buildings, and is usually well-populated with strollers, shoppers, people running errands or taking their kids to the library or park, teenage gadabouts, and people conducting business. Oh, and there is no salon, nor too many available parking spaces, but there are stores, banks, pharmacies, supermarkets (note plural), a tennis field, fire station, library, two parks (one a miniature kiddies' park), two schools, several gas stations, a parking lot, restaurants, and often, street vendors and a farmers' market. Craft fairs are held about once a month. And believe this, it's a very, very tiny village. As in, the town in which it's located is an unincorporated entity that has no police force and relies on its neighbours to provide police assistance.

It's still about a hundred times larger than that ramshackle conglomeration named Wasilla. Does that dump have anything? A hospital? Schools, libraries, a park? Any of the accoutrements of civilization?

And this is who you want a heartbeat away from the presidency, Oldy McMoldy? Sheesh, your trophy wife probably has a hundred times the experience this dimbulb has.

One more thing: Why does Sarah Palin's husband (who holds no executive or governmental post) sit on on many of her meetings? Who's the real power here? Is she just a front woman for her husband? Or is she actually an executive?

A comment from an Alaskan on Mudflats' site:

You don’t see the irony here…?

Politicizing of a branch her government (law enforcement via a cabinet oversight)… Bush Admin politicizing the justice system for their own political agendas…

This nomination reminds me of when Bush tried to make Harriet Miers the AG with zero qualification.

PS- Palin has 67% approval, not a 90% like you Lower 48′ers want to believe.

PSS- She had been governor for a year and has basically done nothing. Governor of Alaska is a part time job, it’s pretty boring and quiet up here (I like it that way), and the only thing really going on is oil. We are nothing like the lower 48, there is no cross compatibility. We are basically like our own country which has little in common with the rest of country on a state level.

And… Before that she way a mayor of a village (not a city) that you could liken the one you watched in show Northern Exposure. I’m not kidding.

In terms of being president… I bet at least half of the readers here have just as much if not more qualification, judgment and morality. It would be interesting to have someone from Alaska as VP, but it’s not in the country’s best interest unfortunately, especially not this person.

Oldy McMoldy has displayed very very poor judgment by picking this neophyte. Actually, what we're really pissed off about is that he picked this woman who really has nothing to bring to the table except a cute face and body. He could've picked a dozen other Republican women who have far better credentials and will bring substantive experience and electoral votes with them. It's infuriating. It's like dumping your loyal aging wife for some rich young blonde. A cynical ploy and a slap in the face to all women, telling them that one vagina is pretty much like another.

You wanted a vagina with Hillary attached, how about I give you one with this hottie attached? Sure, she'll vote against every right for which Hillary fought, and sure, she'll vote against everything you hold dear, but hey, she's got a vagina, doesn't she? That's gotta count for something. Fuck you, Johnny Mac. You fool, you just made your age and health a central issue and blew your best argument against Obama right out of the water.

We really shouldn't mind that you've shot yourself in the foot again, but the cynicism of this pick is insulting, infuriating, and breathtaking.

Stumble It!

Politics and Entertainment

Jon Stewart reports on the mainstream media echo chamber of incredibly stupid stuff:



You know, given how stupid the Foxes and right wingnut bloggers are, we would not be surprised on the least if some of these "rumours" got churned out over the InnerTubes.

It is to larf, though. Really.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Concept credit skippy and Jon Swift, graphics credit skippy

We haven't been as diligent lately about promoting our blogbuddies, apologies to all. Between parental illnesses, one's own illnesses, work on several projects, and the like, time's been in short supply. We like to read blog posts before linking to them, and that's a time commitment. So, on to the blogroll, friends, and devil take the hindmost:

• First up, our good buddy Rocky over at Alien Trucker remembers Katrina in the light of the flooding in the Midwest. Mercy. Rocky will be on hiatus briefly as he undergoes surgery for the spinal injury that disabled him. Show your love to our fellow-gimp by returning to his blog periodically to check that he's back in action. Go to his home page to check out his music selections.
  
  
• Seth, over at B12 Solipsism, has a show and tell on sidewalks. Learn something every day! Note, if you have B12 bookmarked, that he's moved his blog, so please rebookmark him. Seth also has some excellent music information, checkidout on his home page.
  
  
• Fearguth keeps the visual snark coming over at Bildungblog. Affectionately known as "Teh Art of Teh Caption," by us.
  
  
• One of our favourite bloggers, Chuck Butcher over at Chuck for ... has two posts that we like and recommend: One on Gitmo and one on Fighting Dems. Go, Chuck!
  
  
• DeRosaWorld serves up teh snark. Check out the clown face in that shot. No, we didn't spot it at first.
  
  
• We're happy to see our blogbuddy, Stephen Herron, back in form over at Drinking Liberally in New Milford, as he proves with this post on blogger arrests. If you don't know Stephen, he's one of our brave men and women in uniform who served his country well and lost his home to the subprime mortgage crisis engineered by the Coward and Liar-in-Chief and his service-avoidin' buddies. Happily, Stephen can turn the sourest lemon into good lemonade: he found another place in New Milford. Buy the man a beer, someone!
  
  
• belledame of Fetch Me My Axe takes it to the men who find themselves obliged to tell women how they feel. About rape.
  
  
• Heywood, over at Hammer of the Blogs, applies the hammer to Fredo.
  
  
• We confess to an exceeding weakness for Henry, of Henry's Travels. These posts had us roaring with uncouth laughter.
  
  
• Dammit! Sungold over on Kittywampus reminds us that we missed Female Desire Week. Mmmm, them desirable females! Take a look at what they desire back.
  
  
• Brad Jacobsen at MediaBloodhound points out the recent failings of our mainstream media in a heh, biting, post.
  
  
• Another blogging buddy, Pygalgia, is having internet connectivity problems, as in, problems getting the wherewithal to afford the internet connection. So please, to keep the Friday boobie thing going, if nothing else, drop by and express a little support, eh?
  
  
• Kenyan feminist Rebecca blogs over at School For The Girls about her recent visit to a mental hospital. She's a courageous little trooper. Go by and see what she's doing to make the lives of Kenyan women better.

That's today's roundup, folks! We'll try to do a couple more this week to make up for our sad neglect of our blogging comrades. We note that a great many of them seem to be on hiatus for various reasons. If they do not return, we'll take them off our blogroll, but for now we continue to hope. Only by making a community of all our voices can we find the wisdom of the commons and share learning. This is a tool that benefits all who use it whether they come to sip a little or stay to share the feast.

La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention, and hopes you will return often!

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Today's stroll through the blogroll yields the following treasures:

• Rocky over at Alien Trucker reminds us what Memorial Day is about.
  
  We didn't post anything for Memorial Day this year. The death toll on all sides is just unacceptably high and too damned depressing. Here's last year's post.
  
  
• Over at Blast Off!, Sinfonian keeps America's Wang even safer for democracy by pointing out the divisive planned shenanigans for the coming weekend. Oy, vay!
  
  
• Chuck Butcher, over at Chuck for ... reminds us about the real issue with illegal immigration. Is this how we want to see ourselves?
  
  
• Over at ex-lion tamer, r@d@r talks about the beast that many of us might have felt chewing at our innards.
  
  Let's take our pills, no matter how much we hate to. Let's try not to hurt ourselves. It's hard enough having this invisible suffering etched into one's soft and vulnerable bits.
  
  
• Heywood, over at Hammer of the Blogs, has an instructional post on Nicaragua, the United Fruit Company, and various other pieces of the open-veined history of Latin America.
  
  
• Shaun, over at Kiko's House, has discovered something that is sure to make Michelle Malkin shriek in E above high C.
  
  
• Dizzy Dezi, over at I'm Jus' A Lil' Dizzy! has some choice words for the forced-birthers of Colorado. Ass-kicking at its best, yes!
  
  
• Sungold, over at Kittywampus, has some thoughts about the Catholic Church's response to the ordination of women as priests.
  
  
• Litbrit gives you the background to Shaun's beautiful photograph.
  
  
• And Busted Knuckles, over at Ornery Bastard, has some news that you need a big drink to digest. FUBAR, he sez, and I believe him.

This has been your stroll through the blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention, and craves your indulgence for the paucity of postings. We are happy to report a literary endeavour in the works, but work it is.

Stumble It!

Best Lines

Heard around teh InnerTubes (thanks, Ted Stevens!):

TiffanyBannedHussein: Has anyone heard if the gas tax holiday was still a go? Neither Hillary nor McCain have spoken about it for weeks.

I am starting to think it was just a gimmick.

New Marcospinelli:

LOL!

If I had a blog, that would go under "Best Lines Heard Around The Nets".

Thank you, TiffanyBannedHussein and New Marcospinelli, and, of course, The Huffington Post.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphic credit Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

Sufferin' succotash! It's too hot to sleep! Let's take a cool, breezy stroll through the blogroll and see what treasures our fellow-bloggers have for us, shall we?

• The Crone Speaks about the TN GOP and their recent attack on Michelle Obama, in a strain similar to Virgotex.
  
  
• Libby over at Newshoggers tells us the war is over! Kind of. And, Webb's improved G.I. Bill passed. Yes!!
  
  
• Kel over at The Osterley Times points out something interesting about McLame's search for a VP.
  
  
• Michael Stickings, over at The Reaction, praises Hillary Clinton for stomping all over Pretzeldunce McNitwit's speech on "appeasing" Nazis. Hillary can kick ass like nobody else, and we're grateful that she's turning her talents on the true enemy, the Rethuglicans who have mired this great nation in a morass for nigh on eight years.
  
  
• Virgotext says goodbye to Robert Rauschenberg and reminds us that the "red state, blue state" meme just drives a wedge between people to make them more manipulable.
  
  
• We join with Emily0 over at wAitiNG foR doROthy in celebrating California's exit from the middle ages: GAY PEOPLE IS MARRY! She also has interesting stuff to say on the DSM and the classification of transgender folk. The link takes you to the latest update.
  
  
• Harold, over at WetMachine, talks about Comcast and other cable providers delaying BitTorrent packets, reviving my inner geek.
  
  
• flawedplan over at Writhe Safely tells us about mental health issues in their home state. Eye-opening.
  
  
• Dr. Zaius, over at Zaius Nation brings us pearls of wisdom from ... Batman and Robin?

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphics credit Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

La Casa de Los Gatos invites you along on a commemorative B.A.D. stroll through the blogroll. For those who don't know, here's an explanation of B.A.D. (Blogroll Amnesty Day).

What have we here?

• First off, we have Alan, over at Blogging Out Loud, saying DO Tell! It's Gay Day over at Alan's, commemorated with celebratory snark.
  
  
• Next up, Chuck has a thoughtful post on Hillary Clinton and the election from here on out. As a loyal Democratic activist, he has a keen understanding of the party rules and procedure, which he reveals in a response to a commenter. He follows up with a post on Bill Clinton's planned visit to Baker City. Don't forget to update us afterwards, Chuck!
  
  
• Over at DrugMonkey, DM him/herself talks about the recent drug bust at SDSU. A clear demarcation between the happy substances we'd all like to see more available and the large-scale criminal endeavour of making mucho moolah offa the happy substances we'd all like to see more available.
  
  
• Over at Latino Politico, Man Eegee talks about the femicide that is occurring on our southern borders in a movie review, complete with links. Gracias, compadre, this is a subject that is very important and very much overlooked.
  
  
• MediaBloodhound has a fine post up on the mainstream media and their propagandizing of the electorate. The focus is mostly on the presumptive Democratic nominee, but there's plenty to be said (and we believe Shakespeare's Sister is saying it) about the misogyny the press flacks have directed at Senator Clinton.
  
  
• Brandy over at Moue Magazine talks about the power of words, illustrating the concept with an excellent post about an advertising campaign capsized by poor choices. We don't agree with the etymological analysis, but certainly with the political one.
  
  
• Nunya, the PolitickyBitch, asks a question that's been bugging us for forty years or more.
  
  
• 'Nucks, over at OrneryBastard, lays one upside Cindy "Tax returns are for little people!" Cougar.
  
  
• Batocchio has an excellent post up over at Vagabond Scholar about liberalism. Two opposable thumbs up. Checkidout.

This has been your stroll through our blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through Teh Blogroll

Graphics credit Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

Recent weeks have found La Casa de Los Gatos working furiously to prepare a first draft of a murder mystery. Sadly, this has meant ignoring our wonderful blogroll, and thank you fellow bloggers for pointing this out.

So we're doing a quick stroll through the blogroll today to bring you some choice tidbits. It takes time because we feel obliged to read what people say before linking to them, having been roundly thwacked for linking approvingly, once, to a post that some interpreted as misogynistic. For which, Apostate, we publicly apologize.

At any event, what doings, fellow-bloggers? Let's see:

• Over at 13 Martyrs, Rob has so many good posts about various things we've been peripherally following but too busy to blog about: Jeremiah Wright, Israel, Disneyland-in-Baghdad,immigrant labour in Saudi. It is to thoroughly enjoy, in a mind-expanding sort of way, sorry, we can't single out one of these excellent posts. Just read them all to learn more about these various topics and a part of the world you may never visit or otherwise get to know.
  
  
• Richard Blair, over at All Spin Zone, has a wonderful post up on Cyclone Nargis which may have claimed 25,000 or so lives in Burma. He does an excellent job of chronicling the disaster, including linking to NGOs that are trying to assist the devastated Burmese people. A million curses on their military dictators, may they only suffer jungle rot of their naughty bits unto death. ASZ is also doing a fundraiser, so if you have the wherewithal, you might consider support.
  
  
• Over at B12 Solipsism, Sir Swanksalot covers &mdash or uncovers &mdash Indiana, highlighting a certain Indiana Republican that we longed to hold up to ridicule. Blame the exigencies of creative writing for our lapse, and kudos to Sir S. for nailing the sod.
  
  
• We admit it: as much as we strive to cover misogyny worldwide, there are some stories we simply can't bear to discuss because the level of despair they create in us is more than our psych meds can handle. So we give kudos to fellow-blogger mattbastard for this blistering post on the revolting misogyny in the Congo and the indifference of the world to the plight of Congolese women.
  
  
• Blogger ConnecticutMan1 over at Drinking Liberally in New Milford brings us some good news for a change about the mortgage crisis. As one of its early victims, he's had a tough time. It really puts a big knot in our shorts that we send people out to die based on lies and turn our faces away when they're underpaid, overworked, cheated, shortchanged, fucked over, and kicked in the nuts. Somebody find McCain's shriveled pair and tie a knot around them till he agrees to sign the updated GI Bill? Congrats Stephen, aka ConnecticutMan1, and best wishes to you and your family!
  
  
• TheStationAgent over at Ice Station Tango directs us to The Young Turks' compilation of fundie nutbag Pastor Hagee/John McCain's greatest hits. Thanks, fella!
  
  
• Good grief. Sungold, over at Kittywampus, gives us a much-needed earful about schmucks and sexual harrassment in Ohio politics.
  
  
• DJ, over at the s.n.a.f.u. principle, posts a commemorative Mission Accomplished Gee Dumbya excoriation that is a delight to read.
  
  
• Speaking of the mortgage crisis, Emily1 over at wAitiNG foR doROthY has a brilliant solution to all those deserted, foreclosed homes that should reduce the crime rate as well.

This has been your stroll through our blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention!

Stumble It!

2008 Elections: What It Is

La Casa de Los Gatos don't know what it is about Barack Obama. We just know that his speeches fill us with, yes, hope. We're sick and fucking tired of three decades of hopelessness, watching as jobs disappear, factories shut down, economic bubbles appear and just as rapidly disappear. We like policy details, but before we can bring our avoidant minds and bitterly disappointed hearts to even examine policy details, we first need to feel like somebody gives a fuck.

We haven't felt that since the Kennedys. And Jimmy Carter. Everything in between has been trickle-down jellybean etiquette, to quote Zappa. Crooks, thieves, thugs, and liars, looking to siphon our pockets for every penny. We haven't felt the faintest thread of hope for years.

Even mi gatos listen in rapt attention when Barack speaks (could be because we have the speakers turned way up, and they lack opposable thumbs). What-the-fuck-ever.

Listen to this and tell us how it makes you feel.



Barack my world, Senator Obama.

And yes, you can bet your sweet bippy the day after he's elected, we intend to hold his feet to the fire. But first we gotta get him elected.

Because the two cyborgs he's running against? They got no feet to hold to the fire, just wheels. And wheels don't feel.

Stumble It!

2008 Elections: What Is So Objectionable About This?

Here is a clip of the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, opening a two-day symposium on the Black Church with a speech at the Press Club. Please listen to it and tell us, if you can, exactly what the good Reverend is saying that is objectionable.



It does not seem as if Reverend Wright went out of his way to seek publicity &mdash at least so far, based on this video clip. It seems as if he was merely opening a symposium previously scheduled. We are researching the issue because the mainstream media has, for the past decade or more, played a very sinister role in this nation's politics.

In an attempt to herd us, like sheep, in one direction or another, they control what we see and hear of the people among whom we must choose a leader for our nation. While that may have been acceptable for a decade, this country is now in a terrible place. We no longer have the luxury of being sheeple.

For the first time in our history, the economy is broken. Our children are fairly well guaranteed a lower standard of living than ourselves. Our healthcare is broken. We have no recourse for the sick, the disabled, the dying. Our nation is at war, on two fronts, and if the monsters that hold the reins have their way, there will be a third front soon.

If you value your country, forget about lapel pins, polarizations, and distractions. It's time to choose carefully. We cannot allow another warmonger near the reins of power. While John McCain offers 100 more years of war in Iraq, and says nothing about Afghanistan or Iran, and refuses to negotiate with other nations, my friends; while Hillary Clinton promises the deaths of 70 million people who have done us no harm &mdash we are faced with only one choice.

Choose wisely, my friends. Unless you want your children and grandchildren stuck in the morass of another endless war, or facing hunger, joblessness, and no prospects.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphics credit Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

Despite a cold, we just had to go look around at what people are saying. Here's some of what we found:

• Slim, at No Fish, No Nuts, has an apt comment on the Great Debate.
  
  
• Ted got up on his Soapbox to complain about a few things, and we agree with most of them.
  
  
• Manila Ryce over at The Largest Minority has a list of journalists imprisoned by the U.S. Government. WTF?
  
  
• Michael over at The Reaction posts about equal pay for equal work and gives us a link to do something about it.
  
  
• Batocchio, our Vagabond Scholar, has some interesting observations on the job market, outsourcing work, and immigration status.
  
  
• For your amusement, OneFly over at Out of the Cornfield posts a story about Willy the felonious glove-loving cat.

This has been your stroll through our blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention and snivels off to bed.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphics credits Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

It's a stroll through the blogroll, people. Guess what we found today!

• Seth, over at B12Solipsism tells us how wonderful the Florida of Gee Dubya's bruvver is in re: corporate welfare! Geez, wotta buncha pricks.
  
  
• Badtux snarks about yet another thing we both find annoying about Hillary Clinton's campaign. Sorry if that bugs ya, folks.
  
  
• Kyle, over at Comments From Left Field, points out what we like best about Obama: he's pragmatic. Folks, we can't change it all today. We can figure out what we can change that everyone will agree on, and try for the rest tomorrow, day after, next week, and next term.
  
  Ya, we know we're supposed to link down, and CFLF has way more pointage than we do, but when ya find a good thing, ya link, o-tay?
  
  
• DeRosaWorld highlights Biden's kicking of Petraeus Ass, and adds some welcome commentary.
  
  
• Dyre, over at DyrePortents, wonders why (like the rest of us, fer feckin' crisake), John McInsane hasn't signed on to the modernization of the G.I. Bill, teh schmuck;
  
  
• MediaBloodhound announces a new feature: Totally Stupid Fucking Polls and their Totally Stupid Fucking Results! Checkidout. Don't hurt yourself larfingk.
  
  
• Great googly moogly. Monkeyfister tells us things are not looking so good in Memphis.
  
  
• Rebecca, over at School For The Girls, talks about how strong African women are.

This has been your stroll through our blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphics credit Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

We're preparing a lengthy post on Iraq for the Out of Iraq Bloggers' Caucus, which we will also crosspost here.

So, in the meantime, we will let other bloggers discovered through Blogroll Amnesty Day show their stuff. Thanks, fellow-bloggers, for your contributions to Blogtopia (y,Sctp)!

Today's featured blogaliciousness:

• Rocky over at Alien Trucker does a terrific roundup of the blogosphere's reaction to Petraeus' testimony about the occupation of Iraq;
  
  
• Alan, over at Blogging Out Loud, gives Lindsey Graham and Petraeus a boot up the fundament each, as only he can. Warning: no hot liquids near keyboard.
  
  
• Buzz Daly lays out clearly why John McCain is a schmuck. It's easy to talk trash about older working folks when you've got a rich wife to live off, innit, John?
  
  
• Chuck Butcher, over at Chuck For ..., has a message for alla youse voters. It might splash like a little cold water, but read it anyway. There is no place for a cult of personality in politics.
  
  
• Dave at Daveawayfromhome may be "just this guy, yaknow," but apart from the cutie modelling his tee shirt, he has some good criticism of the health plans outlined by the Presidential candidates, complete with links;
  
  
• Stephen, over at Drinking Liberally in New Milford, gives us a glimpse at how our Republican congresscritters decided to vote for Georgie's Little War;
  
  
• Fade, over at House of the Rising Sons, gives you some compelling reasons — including motivational posters — to vote;
  
  
• Deborah Hussein et cetera, over at Litbrit, posts a clip of the inimitable Frank Zappa describing today's political scene. No, rly.
  
  
• Susie Madrak at the Suburban Guerilla highlights the breakdown of the nation's infrastructure. A little bit of that war money would have paid to fix this and more.

Much as we'd love to blog on all these fascinating topics, we're only one person with many projects other than blogging. So our grateful thanks to our fellow-bloggers for their informative posts. This has been your stroll through our blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention.

If you have wherewithal to spare for a good cause, check out Black and Missing but not Forgotten; Pretty Bird Woman House, a resource for Native American/First Nations women survivors of abuse; School for the Girls, where the indomitable Rebecca works to give poor and disabled Kenyan women education, financial assistance, and international exposure for their issues.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphics courtesy of Skippy, concept courtesy of Skippy and Jon Swift

We haven't been very ambulatory of late, so we'll have to make up for it with regular schlepping around the blogroll in search of the treasures we've been blessed with since Blogroll Amnesty Day.

Today's featured blog gems:

• Dr. Zaius over at Zaius Nation gives us the intelligent simian's discourse on Emperor Haile Selassie and the religion of Rastafari. An engrossing read.
  
  
• Over at West Africa Wins Always, Pauline tells us how rising energy costs impact food costs in a part of the world most of us ignore. Her photographs are stunning.
  
  
• Over at the s.n.a.f.u. principle, DJ captures perfectly what we've been thinking (but not saying) about the whole Web 2.0 phenomenon.
  
  We're not ashamed to admit that we actually worked on one of the first internet marketing projects ever (yes, that's how ancient we are) &mdash and heard all about how it was going to blow away brick and mortar and yadayadaya, fourteen (14) years ago.
  
  
• The Field Negro, over at his place, doesn't need our linky love, being a much bigger, famouser, and all-round kickass cooler blog. We're linking to his post about a black judge who is catching flak for kicking all the white folks out of his courtroom to lecture some nasty-ass juvies. Because we like what he has to say.
  
  
• The Barefoot Bum brings a true American hero to our attention, grateful thanks.
  
  
• Terry over at TerryFacePlace has the most amazing photos of an anti-war rally in San Diego???
  
  Hey, maybe those of us who want this war to be over are not alone, after all. Check out Wyanblog in Michigan, where some dedicated people have braved nasty weather weekly to make their regular ongoing protest against the war.
  
  
• BustedKnuckles, over at Ornery Bastard, tells Doug Feith where to stick it and &mdash like the concerned, helpful soul he is &mdash offers to show him how.
  
  
• Brandy, over at Moue Magazine, makes a good case for not seating the Florida delegates.
  
  
• Nunya, over at politickybitch, brings YET ANOTHER FUCKING HALLIBURTON RAPE CASE to our attention. Sorry for screaming. But seriously, what the fuck is it with Halliburton, open season on women? Rape as a hobby?
  
  
• Sungold, over at Kittywampus, does a simply brilliant job of stating the importance of reproductive rights. A must-read.
  
  
• The inimitable Distributorcap rips some significant poundage out of Darrell Issa (Repulsive-CAtbox), and a more deserving target we have rarely seen (outside of the Repulsive Party, that is). Schmuck is much too nice a term for Issa, who deserves to be booted into obscurity, if only for inventing the car alarm (just one of his many sins, really).

This has been your stroll through the blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention.

Stumble It!

Technorati burps

Lately, Technorati has been refusing to let us log in or logging us out automatically or just generally behaving like a bratty teen (damn, we're glad we don't have kids!).

So we just went and redid our account. While browsing around to see what we might add or remove, we found this:

Tip: Please do us a favor and upload a photo that does not show your very special but also very private parts. When you do that, we have to take time away from making our website faster and better to go find your profile and hide it, and that's bad for you and us. Thanks for helping!

Oooo. Yes, we have an overactive imagination. Yes, we're now speculating on what the blue hail people are taking pictures of and adding to Technorati.

Yes, our opinion of Technorati's wonderful folks just went up a few notches. We really don't think we'd want a job where we might have to look at other people's naughty bits occasionally. Plus, they handle it so well.

What, you thought just because we cuss and swear a blue streak that we're NOT a prude? Catholic school will prudify anyone, lemme tell ya, anyone! As we always say, we're all talk, no boom-boom.

Back to cats.


see more crazy cat pics

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphics credits Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

There's no keeping up with all the bloggy goodness out there, but we managed to cull a few high points from Blogtopia (y,Sctp!) today.

• Over at 13 Martyrs, Rob weighs in on the Jeremiah Wright non-issue with some interesting thoughts;
  
  
• Over at Alien Trucker, Rocky talks about his son, putting a very human — and heart-wrenching face on the cost of the conflict in Iraq;
  
  
• Black and Missing But Not Forgotten does yeoman work, keeping black women who are victims of domestic violence, runaways, kidnappees, or otherwise missing, in the public eye;
  
  
• Over at BlondeSense, PeterofLoneTree tells us that Israel has grounded fighter planes they bought from us because of formaldehyde contamination. Looks like we're not just trying to kill poor folks in NOLA. We're equal opportunity contaminators;
  
  
• Over at Casa de Charlotte della Luna, Charlotte tells us that Yanar Mohammad, Founder of the Organization of Women’s Freedom in Iraq (OWFI), will join an illustrious panel of speakers to discuss the situation of women in disaster zones. To be held in New Orleans on April 11th. She also has some gorgeous pictures to share, go look!
  
  
• Dave over at his place becomes yet another in the long line of people who have been shoved forcefully out of Hillary Clinton's camp and into Obama's — by Hillary.
  
  
• Over at Jonestown, two rants that rocked us;
  
  
• Over at School For The Girls, Rebecca chronicles with compassion the lives of poor girls and women in Kenya, and tries to change the outcome for them. A good global citizen. Drop by and say hi, and see if you can help at least one of the girls she writes about.
  
  
• And litbrit shares with us a piece from my favourite composer, Frank Zappa, while carving her initials on Exxon's bloated hide with a pointed wit and a noteworthy flourish.

This has been your stroll through the blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

Graphics credits Skippy, concept credit Skippy and Jon Swift

Once again, we want to thank the inestimable Skippy and Jon Swift for coming up with this brilliant concept. Where we used to lurk in our surly corner of blogtopia (y,Sctp!), feeling curmudgeonly on our best days, we've now amassed a treasure trove of blogs &mdash it's getting hard to read them all, not that we're complaining!

Today's stroll takes us to:

• 13 Martyrs, who points out that John McInsane's loony preacher is seriously loony.
  
  Mainstream media, why have you abdicated your responsibility repeatedly by failing to examine McInsane's endorsers? First it was rabidly anti-Catholic Hagee, and when McInsane issued a weak denial, the lot of you swallowed that but ignored his replacement, Rod Parsley, the fundie wingnut who seems hellbent on World War III.
  
  
• Badtux, our snarky Penguin amigo, who points out what the media are failing to ask about the resignation of Admiral Fallon.
  
  
• Robert Stein, over at Connecting.the.Dots, who asks a question that has surely been on more minds than ours.
  
  
• belledame over at Fetch Me My Axe, who quotes Ellen Willis to illustrate the point that individual action is pretty ineffective when dealing with the juggernaut of oppression and disenfranchisement that we're all fighting, goddammit.
  
  
• Nate over at It all goes here, who has a wonderful executive retreat proposal for KBR, the Halliburton subsidiary that got $16 billion from the Treasury thanks to Dick "Dick" Cheney.
  
  
• Unconventional Conventionist over at Les Enrages, who has a message for those of us who might identify as sans-culottes;
  
  
• PSoTD, who has some interesting figures for you to look at.
  
  
• The Black Snob, who calls the Pity Party what it is, in elegant prose. Kicking ass with style. Must read.
  
  
• The Apostate, clearly our twin from the same egg, despite huge and probably insurmountable gulfs of age, religion (lack thereof, that is &mdash we were of the opinion that desi atheists were as rare as hen's teeth), cultural background, place of birth, and whoknowswhateelse, who manages to voice our thoughts about one Spitzer fellow, recently caught, as it were, with his pants down. She even got the chin.

This has been your stroll through the Blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention.

Stumble It!

B.A.D. Stroll Through The Blogroll

As we might have intimated yesterday, we were a bit under the weather, so we omitted out usuall blogstrolling post. But, like Dizzy, we're back. Not that y'all care, but we're not linking to Dizzy because she linked to us. We're linking to her because, like us, she's apparently quite skilled at getting lost while driving. We are warning our friends who read our blog not to post snarky comments about how we get lost driving to the store around the corner in the neighbourhood where we've lived for 17 years, OK? Everybody's already heard that story. Thank you.

Fortunately, a body can't get lost on a virtual stroll. So here's some of our fine fellow-bloggers for today:

• Over at LiberalValues, Ron Chusid wonders if Hillary Clinton is going after Obama's pledged delegates, and raises a few more issues on the race.
  
  
• Man Eegee over at Latino Politico lists details about a human rights march that will take place over the coming week to protest what he calls "The Great Wall of America." We would like to take this opportunity to point out that the "wall" has been designed to bypass golf courses and the property of the wealthy and connected while cutting into the property of poor residents and intruding into Mexican territory.
  
  
• Mike the Mad Biologist is thrilled that physicist and Democrat Bill Foster, formerly of Fermilabs, has won election as Fox Valley's congressional representative against Republican Jim Oberweis, in a Republican stronghold. He minces no words: this is a special election, so Foster faces a challenge in nine months. We need more scientists and fewer idiots representing us in Legislatures everywhere, so listen to Mike!
  
  
• Hipparchia reminds us to mark our calendars for the blogswarm on March 19th; and, if you're interested, she blogs the Iditarod!
  
  
• Pygalgia takes corrupt slimebag and professional whore Rick Renzi to task for his recent string of sins, and awards him another pig. Plus, there's always this week's boobie to look forward to on that blog.
  
  
• If you haven't checked out Maru at WTF? for the humour value, check out today's post on Dana Rohrabacher (Repulsive-CA) accusing the Bush administration of criminality, lying to Congress, and obstruction of justice. ??? Where's the goddamn smelling salts? Rohrabacher, that unabashed creep, hypocrite, weasel, worm, is turning on the Bushistas? We may faint.

This has been your stroll around the blogroll. La Casa de Los Gatos has an open blogroll policy in effect at all times. If you've linked to us, either here or at CultureVultures, and we haven't returned the favour, please drop a comment, and we will take care of it. If you want a link, please link us and we'll return the favour tout-suite. La Casa de Los Gatos thanks you for your attention.


Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

Stumble It!

Politics: What's In That Kentucky Water?

Republican Rep. Tim Couch of Kentucky wants to make anonymous comments illegal on the Web. He claims it's to stop online bullying, but he's not going to fine the bullying commenters, he's going to fine the owners/operators of the Web sites on which the bullying comments are posted.

Rep. Couch, maybe you could go back to playing football instead of attempting to legislate? All those steroids and HGH you took back when you were playing professional sports appear to have affected what passes for thought processes in you.

Alright peeps, when are y'all gonna stop electing brain-dead actors and worn-out jocks and pathetic incompetent fratboys to high office?

We have to wonder if the idiot thinks this kind of thing can be enforced, and how he proposes to pay for enforcement? Here we got people shooting each other in the street and schools and homes, and we're gonna have our cops sit in the office and hunt through the, what, fifty million blogs and over 100 million web sites to verify that there are no anonymous comments, or if they exist, they're not the "mean and bullying" type of comments?

Why do Republicans hate free speech? And the Constitution? And America?

Stumble It!