The 'Religious Right' Continues to Lie

The image on the left is what the so-called 'Religious Right' would have you think about when you think about the repeal of DADT. Truly, this is what they want you to believe is going to happen when gay men and women are allowed to finally serve openly in the military. The Religious Right must watch a lot of gay porn.

When I think about gay soldiers; marines; sailors and airmen serving openly, I picture folks like Lt. Dan Choi; Major Mike Almy; Sgt. Darren Manzella; and Major Margaret Witt. All of them were discharged under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." And every one of them was willing their lay their lives on the line for the country they love.

After promising to end the outright ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military, Bill Clinton came under fire from the conservative right and thought DADT was a workable compromise. Today, the former President regrets that decision. More servicemen and women have been discharged under DADT in its 17 year history, than under the outright ban, itself. And while most members of our military forces will admit to knowing a gay or lesbian comrade, they will also tell you that they don't care. And while a devout pacifist, I understand the need for effective protection against those who would try to destroy what America stands for. 

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." That applies to every American citizen: Black; White; Hispanic; Asian; Christian; Muslim; Buddhist; Taoist; Hindi; Shamanistic; gay; straight; bi-sexual; transgendered; asexual and anything else (within reason) one can think of. If you are willing to die for my right to those precepts, why should I (or anyone else) care who you sleep with? I shouldn't. And neither should anyone else. 

Now that DADT has been repealed, I can only assume the "Religious Right' will take on same-sex marriage, stem-cell research and abortion. And I also assume that those of us who can think rationally will continue to expose those people for the liars they are. I recently commented on a friend's blog that while I was against publicly outing those people (celebrities, in particular) who choose to remain in the closet, I was all for outing religious leaders and politicians who decry homosexuality in the pulpit and on the dais, but practice it in their bedrooms. Liars and hypocrites should (and deserve) to be exposed for who they really are, especially when they spread their hate, fear and ignorance among those who trust and believe them.

The repeal of DADT is just the beginning of social justices for the LGBT community and I hope that it adds impetus to the so-called "Gay Agenda." LGBT rights are simply Human Rights, and anyone who thinks otherwise is not  (and never will be) a friend of mine. It's been a while since I talked politics, but recent events and the Right's response has gotten me a bit worked up.

Okay. Another rant over. Go about your business. But watch (and listen) to people like Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper, Dan Savage and Michelangelo Signorelli. Fight the good fight against ignorance and intolerance. Let the liars know we aren't about to let them win.

More, anon.

Prospero

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Bill Clinton, Actor?

Yikes! People magazine is reporting that former President Bill Clinton (he of the scandalous cigar) will be making a cameo as himself in The Hangover 2. This comes after the announcement that Mel  "Sugartits" Gibson would -- and then wouldn't -- be doing the same.

Hey - if Nixon could do "Laugh-In" (remember kiddies, your Uncle P is old...), then why shouldn't Clinton appear in a raunchy sex-comedy? I can't think of a better genre for the man, can you? Of course, Nixon wasn't yet President when he appeared on the subversive NBC sketch comedy and Clinton is a former President. I mean, it's pretty unlikely that Mr. Obama is going to make a cameo in Porky's 3 anytime soon. 

I must admit, I am Clinton fan. Sure, he created the woefully inept DADT policy, but the US economy under his administration was the strongest it had been in a long time. "But, he had an affair!" I can hear some of you thinking (yes, Uncle P can indeed hear some of you thinking, so be careful what you think). So did many POTUSes. He was impeached because he lied about sex. Hell, most people in this country should be impeached, then. He didn't lie about WMDs, start an unnecessary war or authorize torture and other war-crimes. He didn't drive our economy into a tailspin by spending trillions killing thousands US soldiers and innocent Iraqis. He didn't steal an election by having a brother who was governor of the deciding state. He didn't authorize millions of illegal wiretaps or suspend habeus corpus. And I imagine that if 9/11 had happened on his watch, he wouldn't have sat dumbly staring out into space for almost a minute while trying to figure out what to do. And I never once heard Bill say anything like this:

So why shouldn't private citizen Clinton make an appearance in The Hangover 2? He has a right to do whatever he wants (within reason, of course), just as you and I do. Who knows, maybe he'll inhale this time. Personally, I don't care, just as long as Bradley Cooper spends most of the movie like this.

More, anon.
Prospero

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The Bat-Sh*t Craziest Thing You'll See This Week

Did you know that our World Leaders are really part of a Reptilian and Draconian conspiracy to enslave the Human Race and take over Earth for their own nefarious purposes?  Neither did I. I mean, I thought that ABC's "V" was Science Fiction. Turns out, it's all true. How do I know? Because of people like Colleen Thomas, who in the first video below, has a perfectly rational explanation for the "mysterious" rocket plume seen in southern California, yesterday. 

I came across the video this morning on BoingBoing, and at first found it hilarious. Then I watched it twice more and suddenly found it sad and disturbing. Watch for yourself, and we'll discuss, afterward:

Colleen seems perfectly calm and rational at first (despite the leopard-print jacket and over-processed hair  color). And while she remains calm, all rationally flies out the window as she talks about the Plieadeans stopping the UN from trying to bomb Iran from Los Angeles. How the reporter on the other end of the phone kept from laughing hysterically, is beyond me. Perhaps he or she was just as fascinated/appalled as I am.

Sadly, Colleen is not alone in her delusions. There are plenty of people who believe this kind of nonsense. David Icke is one of the more popular proponents of these wacko conspiracy theories. Here's one his videos:

Icke has written best-selling books and speaks all over the world, spouting his bizarre message to anyone who will listen. What's scary to me is that people like Icke and Thomas are now on the Internet, spreading their mental disease to those fragile people out there who are more than willing to believe them. 

A few years ago, the CBS procedural "C.S.I." had a storyline that dealt with this very subject, and I honestly thought they'd made the whole thing up:

Art imitates life? Maybe. But when the life being imitated is so scarily effed up, it must make one take pause. Believers say these reptilian invaders are all around us, and have assumed positions of political power world-wide. Really? I mean, really? (OK - maybe that last link is right on the money). Still, when "hundreds of thousands of people" think that space geckos are plotting to annihilate the human race in 2012, it may well be time to prepare hundreds of thousands of padded cells. Or call in the space mongooses.

Until such a time, stay vigilant and keep your small pets away from your local council members:

 

More, anon.
Prospero

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Never Forget

I woke up very early on September 11, 2001 with a fever. Knowing I wasn't going to be any good to anyone that day, I called out of work, took some Tylenol and went back to bed.

I woke up again at about 9:45. I came downstairs, got myself some breakfast (I don't remember what, but probably a Thomas' bagel) and turned on the TV in time to see the first tower collapsing. 

I thought I was losing my mind.

I think I called my mother at her job, next. She assured me that she was okay, and that yes, they had heard what was happening. I then called my sister, who works at a major TV shopping network in Florida. There are TV's everywhere there, and she said that everyone was simply glued to them, watching in horror, as I was. No one in my family even worked remotely anywhere near where the attacks were happening, but I was so freaked out, I had to make sure they were OK. 

Like most Americans (indeed, most of the world), I spent that day watching the events unfold again and again, and crying incessantly. Eventually, it all became too much and I think I shut the TV off around 3:00 and slept some more, exhausted by the flu I had apparently contracted and by  the horrors being replayed ad infinitum.

As time passed and people started posting pictures of missing loved ones all over the city, I spent more time crying for their losses. I knew no one who died that day (two friends who worked for different companies in the towers during the first attempt to bring them down, no longer did so), but witnessing the agony of those who had lost loved ones was almost too much to bear... Eventually, I just started watching cable to avoid the whole thing. I couldn't take it anymore and needed a distraction. 

September of 2001 was... strange, to say the least. I (like every American) wanted revenge against those who had killed nearly 3000 innocent people. Of course, had I known then what atrocities would later be sanctioned by the war criminals Bush and Cheney, I might have felt differently. Had I known that over 5000 U.S. troops would be killed in the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, I would have felt differently. Had I known that George W. Bush was leading the country into the worst economy since the 70's, I would have felt differently.

9/11 now seems to me like a weird, distant, collective nightmare which we all shared. Since then, right-wing nutjobs have gotten louder and scarier and uglier, while the voices of reason are viewed as weaklings and traitors. People want to burn copies of the Qu'ran and vilify all Muslims for the actions of a few radical extremists and attack anyone who even appears to be Islamic, while Constitutional rights are opposed in the name of patriotism. Madness, it seems, simply begets more madness.

I don't pretend to have any answers to the problems America faces as we draw a year closer to the 10th Anniversary of the single worst terrorist attack on our soil. But I can offer this: Never forget that day. Never forget the lives that were lost and the bravery of the firefighters, police officers and airline passengers who gave of themselves that day. And honor the memories of those who gave their lives so that you and I are still free to express our opinions about that day.

More, anon.
Prospero

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Review: "Dinner for Schmucks" (Plus Bonus Video Hilarity)

By now, many of you know of my general disdain for remakes, though occasionally an American version of a foreign film can be quite good (The Ring; The Bird Cage). Usually, though, something gets lost in the translation and it just doesn't work (Pulse; Swept Away - though in the case of that last movie, we all know why it really sucked). But the trailer for Dinner for Schmucks was very funny and the casting looked amazing.

The original 1998 French film Le diner de cons (The Dinner Game), written by Francis Veber (La cage aux folles; Le jouet [The Toy] and Le grand blond avec une chaussure noir [The Tall Blond with One Black Shoe] -- all of which have been remade and adapted in variously successful ways) was a very European black comedy about doing whatever it takes to get to the top. It's very funny, but also very, very mean-spirited.

So, after an exceptionally delicious meal at Hunami in Princeton (featuring the most astonishingly good vegetable dumplings either of us had ever had), D and I went to see Dinner for Schmucks.

As adapted by the writers of The Ex (a movie I actually liked a lot), Dinner for Schmucks is a kinder, gentler, more Disneyfied version, more suited toward the post-sexual revolution America and their parents. Recently revealed obsession Paul Rudd is Tim, a 6th floor corporate drone, looking for his opportunity to move up to the 7th floor and an office of his own, so he can convince his long-term girlfriend that he's worthy of marrying. After the ouster of a 7th floor exec, Tim makes his move, impressing his boss (Star Trek's Bruce Greenwood) enough to consider him for promotion, upon completion of a challenge. Once a month, each executive brings a guest to a special dinner. The challenge is to see which executive can bring the biggest idiot. If Tim wins the challenge, the promotion is his. Girlfriend and art gallery curator Julie (Stephanie Szostak) finds the idea repulsive and Tim agrees to cancel. Until he literally runs into Barry (Steve Carrell), a weird IRS worker and amateur taxidermist who is in the midst of recreating famous works of art as "Mouseterpieces." Thinking he has secured his promotion, Tim invites Barry to a dinner for "extraordinary people.' Needless to say, all sort of chaos ensues.

As I watched Dinner for Schmucks, I couldn't help but think of the similarities between it and Larry Shue's astonishingly funny 1981 play The Nerd, in conceit, if not plot. In The Nerd, a 30 year-old architect thinks he's living the life he's always wanted, when an exceptionally stupid and socially inept person enters his life, causing chaos which ultimately leads to... (somewhat of a SPOILER ALERT) happily ever afters all around. Change professions and replace a plot-twist or two with... well, not exactly plot twists, and you have Dinner for Schmucks.

The still-adorable Rudd plays Tim as the perfect straight man to all the insanity around him (20 years ago, Clooney would have played this part and 50 years ago, Jack Lemmon). Ron Livingston (Office Space) plays Rudd's nemesis, affronted by Tim's audacity. Other dinner guests include an array of popular character actors, including Chris O'Dowd as a blind swordsman; Jeff Dunham as a ventriloquist married to a slutty dummy; Octavia Spencer as a Pet Medium (I see dead puppies?) and Patrick Fischler as a scarred and bandaged vulture enthusiast.

Of course, Carrell is the heart of the movie. Barry may be really stupid, but he's never afraid to tell the truth and never afraid to be himself. A master of babbling (see Bruce, Almighty), Carrell manages to make Barry's malapropisms, historical ignorance and complete lack of social skills endearing, rather than annoying (even D went "Awwww..." at one revealing moment). Super-shiny smile ablaze, Carrell's Barry refuses to be beaten down, no matter how horribly life seems to have treated him. Almost stealing the movie away from Carrell are Jemaine Clement ("The Flight of the Conchords") as a self-absorbed artist and Zach Galifianakas (The Hangover) as Barry's co-worker Therman, who has convinced Barry that he has the power of mind-control.

Director Jay Roach (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery) keeps the ultimately gentle farce moving along at an appropriate pace and manages to capture several very funny set-pieces, though with no particular style of which to take note. D and I laughed often, despite the movie's rather predictable plot. The biggest laughs came from the performances of Carrell and the other dinner guests. I imagine the Blu-Ray release will include all kinds of hilarious improvs that were left out of the final cut. Hardly a comedy masterpiece, Dinner for Schmucks (which curiously never uses the word "schmuck" in its dialog) is probably the best comedy of the summer, though that's not saying much in what I am officially dubbing The Summer of Movies that Sucked. Amusing and relatively inoffensive (which is also its biggest problem), Dinner for Schmucks was ultimately better than either of us expected, by not quite as good as I had hoped. **1/2 (Two and a Half Stars out of Four).

And (as promised in this post's title) here's a special bonus:

Ladies and Gentlemen, the next Governor of the Great State of Tennessee?

So do I get murdered or do I go to jail? Make up my mind, please.

Okay, now that you've watched it once, go back and watch it again with the Closed Captioning turned on and see the even more hilarious results of the CC typist trying to make sense of what Basil has to say. I nearly wet myself. And a visit to the man's completely incomprehensible website is required. Make sure you click the links to the letters he's written to the U.N. and Obama. You must admire the man for trying, at least. Gee... I wonder what Tennessee would be like under the Governance of Mr. Marceaux:



More, anon.
Prospero

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The Fox Duality Conundrum

I'm at a loss to explain the disparity between the quality of the Fox Network's Entertainment division and the utter failure of the Fox Network's News division.

The Entertainment Division has brilliantly derisive comedy in the form of shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy, smart Sci-Fi like Fringe and progressive musical dramas like Glee; while the Fox News Division has regressive morons like Glen Beck, Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly 'reporting' and commenting on current events.

I can only assume that Fox owner Rupert Murdoch is some sort of evil genius like Ernst Blofeld, Auric Goldfinger or Dr. Evil.

Honestly, it makes Uncle P crazier than he already is.

Lord knows I loves me some Family Guy and Fringe (even my mother adores Stewie Griffin), but just the sound of Bill O'Reilly's voice can send me into an almost epileptic fit. Fox News' anti-Obama, anti-gay and anti-progressive diatribes make me want to puke, while their mostly pro-gay, anti-establishment shows like Glee and Fringe make me want to shout "Yes!" every time I see them. Of course, this disparity between the two divisions makes my head want to explode in a dichotomous maelstrom of confusion. And how's that for a sentence that would cause a genius like Bill O'Reilly to run for his dictionary?

I can only imagine that the smarter folks working at the Fox Network hate their jobs, while "brainiacs" like Glen Beck and Greta Van Susteren must wonder how they became household names espousing ideals and principles left over from the 1950's.

I will continue to watch Fox's Entertainment programing, because it's usually quite good. But I will also feel guilty about it because their News programing is so crapulent. What kind of progressive gay man does that make me? I suppose a confused one, at best.

Help me, Anderson Cooper. You're my only hope!

More, anon.
Prospero

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How the Mormons Stole Love

Today, closing arguments were made in the trial against Proposition 8, the bill that made same-sex marriage illegal in the state of California. Prop 8 was the first bill to amend a state's Constitution, which actually denied rights to its citizens.

And while we all knew the Church of Latter Day Saints (i.e. the Mormons) had a lot to do with the passing of this discriminatory, hateful and misinformed bill, the LDS emphatically denied that they had anything to do with its passing. Of course, we all know that was a lie.

Also today, making its Sundance Film Festival debut, was a documentary called 8: The Mormon Proposition, which details the LDS's involvement with the passing of Prop 8 and the deceit of the LDS elders and members about their complicity in the campaign of lies against same-sex marriage.

While still in Middle School, I was shown the 1972 Orson Welles-narrated film Future Shock, based on Alvin Toffler's book, which posits that Western Society would soon be so overwhelmed by technological advances, we wouldn't be able to cope with the changes associated with said technologies. Nearly 40 years later, and it seems to me we're doing just fine with modern technology. Among other things Toffler got wrong, Future Shock posited that pollution would destroy the world by the year 2000. Of course, at the tender age of 11, the movie's most memorable (and giggle-inducing) moment, featured a marriage ceremony between two men. While the prediction of same-sex marriage may be one of the few things Toffler got right, he seems to have omitted its opposition by the so-called "Religious Right."

Here's the thing: If we (i.e. Americans) continue to fall for the rhetoric and hate-filled propaganda promoted by, not only the Mormons, but the Catholic Church and Fundie Baptists, we'll never rise above the religious discrimination that was the basis for the founding of America in the first place. How dare anyone tell me (or anyone else) that my love is less valid than theirs? As pointed out more than once (especially in the "Stop Dr. Laura" campaign of the '90's), the Old Testament Bible promotes the selling of one's daughters, the abomination of eating shellfish and the stoning of religious dissenters. We may as well all go live in counties like Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia; where theocracies continue to rule and dissenters are jailed, or worse. As I recall, the 2nd paragraph of the United States' Declaration of Independence starts with the words " We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal..." So why should I (and millions of others) not be considered equal to everyone else?

As for Christianity, The New Testament makes no mention of marriage (other than that Jesus performed one). So why do folks who claim to be "Christians" continue to rely on it in an effort to promote their uninformed and hate-filled agendas? I can only surmise that fear and ignorance (the usual culprits) are to blame.

Here's the trailer (via) for 8: The Mormon Proposition:

It seems quite clear to me that the LDS led a campaign of hate against the LGBT community, despite the fact that not one of the books of the New Testament address the subject in any form. I may well be preaching to the choir, as it were, but if one mind is changed after reading this ramble, then this rant was not in vain...

More, anon.
Prospero

*After I posted this, my sister, a Liberal Born-Again (isn't that an oxymoron?) sent me the following in an email:

"As for Christianity, The New Testament makes no mention of marriage (other than that Jesus performed one)."

It’s actually wrong. He didn’t perform one, he attended one (turns water into wine) and he does speak to it when the Sadducees ask him about it (Mathew 23-30)

On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, asking, "Teacher, Moses said, 'IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.' "Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. "Last of all, the woman died. "In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her." But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

Again, Jesus answered the Pharisees marriage and divorce. (Mark chapter 10 verses 2-9)

"Some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began to question Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce a wife. And He answered and said to them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses permitted a man TO WRITE A CERTIFICATE OF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. "But from the beginning of creation, God MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." He then teaches on adultery after this line. OK- he doesn’t use the word marriage here because he’s talking about divorce, but the last line is part of most standard wedding vows.

Don’t want to be preachy, just letting you know that the statement you made wasn’t entirely accurate.

This is Prospero again. Consider me corrected. Thanks, Sis.

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The Gayest Thing You'll See This Week

This is probably old news to some of you, but I am so happy to share the video below of the swearing-in of Mayor Annise Parker, the first openly gay mayor of Houston (of all places). Houston also became the largest U.S. city to have an openly gay mayor when Parker was sworn in yesterday.

Texas, long the land of U.S. Machismo, was a frightening place when I spent time there in the late 80's and early 90's. Of course, I met my second "official" boyfriend in Corpus Christi, so it wasn't all bad (we won't talk about the fact the fact that he later left me because Jesus "told" him he was a "sinner").

Still, it's wonderful to see that a city in the heart of the Bible Belt is open-minded and progressive enough to recognize that one's sexual orientation has nothing to do with one's ability to govern.

The so-called "Religious Right"* may be up in arms, but sane, rational folks are celebrating all over the country, and I am proud to count myself among them.

Kudos to Houston and congratulations to Mayor Parker. Here's hoping that some day, being a successful gay politician (or scientist; actor; teacher; fireman; police officer; dog-catcher; construction foreman; warehouse manager; martial arts instructor; athlete; astronaut; etc., etc., ad nauseum) is no longer news (or even an issue at all). Watch the ceremony below (via):

*I have a button which reads: "The Religious Right is Neither." Too true.

More, anon.
Prospero

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The Gayest Thing You'll See This Week

How happy was I see to hear that the D.C. Council voted 11 - 2 in favor of approving Same Sex Marriage? Go D.C.! (via)





Now we just need to let the rest of the country know that ALL men (and women) are created equal and deserve the same basic human rights as everyone else. Keep fighting the good fight, folks. It will happen.

Tomorrow: The Top Sci-Fi Movies of the Decade.

More, anon,
Prospero

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Tobacco Chewin, Gut Chompin Creatures of the Night

Yes, I am still obsessed with Zombies. I have no idea why. Or maybe I do. Zombies are us, caught up in the need to feed so that we may survive. Humans eat grains, meat, vegetables and fruit to sustain ourselves. Zombies eat... well, mostly brains in order to sustain themselves.



Part of the American zeitgeist since George A. Romero's seminal Night of the Living Dead, the zombie as we have come to know him is an almost unstoppable eating machine, much like the shark in Peter Benchley's Jaws. And like the ravenous Great White Shark in Spielberg's terrifying film, the modern zombie is an eating machine, intent on chomping on human flesh. The big difference here? While a bite from either is probably fatal; the bite of a shark does not create another shark.



Doomed to roam the Earth in eternal hunger, zombies represent our greatest fears. Alone, unfulfilled and unloved, the modern zombie is everything we hope we'll never be; a shambling, mindless creature with only one priority. I don't know about you, but uncontrollable urges, soulless wandering and heartless blood-lust seem to me the ultimate horror.



Of course, Hollywood (and I will admit, myself) have taken advantage of that fear and exploited it for all it's worth. Needless to say, some have used those fears to their financial advantage, often with horrific results (though more than occasionally, for cheap thrills and laughs). I know I have blogged about zombies ad nauseum, and probably will again. And I know you'll continue to read my thoughts on the genre because, like me, the fear of losing control of one's own mind to one's basest urges is almost unthinkable.



So, you may well ask yourselves what prompted yet another Zombie post from your dear Uncle Prospero. YouTube gets the blame here, suggesting the following trailer as something I might enjoy:

Follow-up video clips included this gem:

This very funny piece:

And finally, something I may have posted before, but still find hilarious:

Ah, the George W. Bush administration. I can't think of a better real-life Zombie analogy. The horror.. the horror....

I really need to get out more, don't I?



More, anon.

Prospero

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This Is a Christian?

(Via) comes the below video clip from MSNBC, which features an audio clip from a recent sermon by Arizona Baptist preacher Steven Anderson. It's a hateful, vitriolic piece of trash in which Anderson says that every night he prays that "...Barack Obama will die and go to hell."

What? Seriously?

Apparently, yes. I have to ask myself, has the man ever actually read the New Testament? I suppose he's only read the parts that talk about hating people and hoping they die.

Now, even though I do not consider myself a Christian (nor do I ascribe to any particular faith, as I have noted before), I have actually read the Bible (both the Old and New Testaments), and as far as I can recall, no where does Jesus ask his disciples to pray for anyone to die. In fact, I played Jesus once in a production of "Godspell," which was presented in the auditorium of a Catholic church. The ground did not open up and swallow me. I was not plagued by boils or locusts. I did not receive the "Mark of the Beast." I did, however, get a standing ovation at the end of each performance.

Here's the thing: If true Christians actually stopped to listen to (or read) the words in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; they would realize that nowhere does any of them mention homosexuality. The few Biblical references to homosexuality all occur in the Old Testament, and most scholars now agree that those passages are in place to scare people into reproducing little followers who will then grow up to produce more followers.

Watch the clip and tell me what you think:

I imagine (and hope) that if there is, indeed, a hell, there is an especially painful place for hatemongers like Anderson and the members of the Westboro Baptist Church, where they are all forced to have gay sex with demons for all eternity.

And, as a little side note, here's a funny bit (via) about roommate pranking that goes too far (please note: no actual aliens were harmed in the making of this video):

If I were a horrible human being (which I really hope I am not), I'd be playing similar pranks on my dear D, but with clowns (D - if you are reading this, do NOT click on that link!).

More, anon.

Prospero

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The Gayest Thing(s) You'll See This Week

I must admit that despite being "wired in," I am not actually current on most popular music. Yes, I know the names and the styles (usually), but am not always familiar with the actual music, itself.

Now you have to understand, my rather extensive CD collection is comprised of mostly film scores and soundtracks, followed closely by Original Cast Recordings, Cirque du Soliel scores and other odd bits of epehemeral weirdness. Of course, my collection contains many standards and must-haves (everything from Beethoven and Mozart to Pink Floyd and The Beatles and almost anyone in between - with the exception of most CW and almost all Rap). I have CDs by The Who; Elton John; Olivia Newton John; Madonna; Frankie Goes to Hollywood; The B52's; Devo; Loreena McKennitt; Cyndi Lauper; Annie Lennox; James Brown; Tom Jones; Dead Can Dance; Pet Shop Boys; NIN; Peter Gabriel; October Project... the list goes on and on.

Sadly, I find few modern pop artists interesting in the least. But lately I've been reading lots and lots about Brooklyn-based, openly gay band Grizzly Bear. I hadn't heard any of their music until I stumbled upon the below link (via). It's fan-made video (by a str8 fan) for the song "Two Weeks" and is just a gorgeous, surreal, Steampunk-Papercraft-Puppet-Animation gay love story. And the song ain't too shabby. Excuse me while I peruse the Grizzly Bear catalogue and please enjoy the video while I do so:

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

OK. Entertainment out of the way, it's on to politics. Also via, comes the following clip of National Organization for Marriage (NOM) spokesperson Nancy Gallagher being ripped to pieces by CNN's Lou Dobbs and University of Pennsylvania Law Professor Tobias Wolf. I love how, like everyone else who opposes same-sex marriage, Gallagher cannot come up with suitable answer as to how same-sex marriage affects and/or attacks hetero-marriage. Watch the bitch squirm here:

Sorry, I forgot. Oded Gross already told us how:

Yeah, THAT's the ticket!

More, anon.

Prospero

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Rise Up & Shout

Ahh... I bet you forget all about the political activist in me, didn't you?

It's been a while since I posted anything about LGBT rights and Marriage Equality, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about them.

Rise Up & Shout is Marriage Equality organization dedicated to promoting LGBT rights among modern LGBT youth. They sponsor an annual production aimed at showcasing the talents of LGBT youth, in the hope of raising awareness and countering the hate-mongering Right.

Here (via) is their latest video:

As always, I continue to urge you to write; email; Tweet; Facebook Message and IM your local, State and Federal representatives. Let them know that LGBT rights are simply basic Human Rights and remind them that we do not seek special treatment, only equal treatment, as provided by the U.S. Constitution.

"... all men are created equal" should never be taken as less than a universal truth. In a country founded on the principles of equality, we should never even have this debate in the first place. Rise up and shout - it's the only way to be heard.

Back to movies and nonsense, anon.

Prospero

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New low for German politics

In March 2009 was that horrible school shooting in Winnenden, Germany. A 17 year old boy killed 15 people and himself as well. Germany was in big shock. People were speechless. Two months later the politicians finally found a solution for something like that never to happen again in the future. Now you may think Germany is one of the most progressive coutries in the world. The greatest musicians, inventors and thinkers came from Germany: Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Kant, Guttenberg, Daimler... Therefore you can only expect the best solutions coming from this country. You would think to prevent school massacers, they will implement a law to ban all weapons for private ownership. I mean, why do you need a weapon, if you're not a hunter or policeman? Well... Nope. German politicians had a better idea! Among some other measures

They will ban paint ball!

"Paint ball will be banned, because it immitates shooting", explained one politician. This is where my post stops. I am speechless.

*Update: Apparently there's some people in the German government who use their brain. I just saw in the news that they will check again if the proposed ban of paintball is any good. It was said that they probably won't completely ban it, but just raise the age for those who will be allowed to play and have a tighter control over it. That happens when you act before you think. It's a disgrace.

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To 'believe' in evolution

(Image by http://unreasonablefaith.com )

Religion is words. Words have power. Words affect people, you control them with words. No wonder we have 'freedom of speech' and 'freedom of press'. It's all connected to words and the power they have. Lately I've been noticing in USA journalists ask politicians: Do you believe in evolution? You see how far they've come? The creationists pushed their bullshit agenda so far that now the mainstream media asks if you 'believe' in evolution, same as if you believe in god. They fight for evolution and creationism to be on the same level, while obviously one is scientific fact and the other is a phantasy fairytale based on some old book. Why these people do that? These are evil people! They are militant and reckless. They try to brainwash children and make fundamentalists out of them. The theory of creationism leads you to extremism and intolerance. They impose this idea into children and their followers. Their plan is to teach creationism all over the USA same as Taliban want a fundamentalist state in Afganistan. There is no difference. So what we can do now is not allow journalists to ask people 'do you believe in evolution'? They have to say 'are you one of these ignorant religious militants who fight for a Christian state?' They should say 'mister, why do you ignore the scientific fact of evolution' and not 'do you believe in evolution'. Every normal person knows that their claims are ridiculous. But we can't just laugh about them. They are damn serious to push through their agenda and we have to be very careful. We have to speak out whenever we see someone trying to sell the creationst bullshit without being questioned!

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Bloggers fight for Laura Ling and Euna Lee!

Today I read that the two US journalists captured by North Korea, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, are about to be tried in Pyongyang probably for alleged espionage. We can expect this trial to be higly unfair. It is another way for the North Korean rotten dictatorship flexing it's muscles towards the rest of the world and especially towards America. I just wonder, how can we instantly have a big media outrage if something like that happens in Iran, but when it comes to this case in North Korea, the media is almost quiet. These two women deserve the same attention like any other illegally captured journalist around the world. I wish that the mainstream media would pay more attention to this case! And the politicians should follow. It is a shame!

I think America made a big mistake when they invaded Afganistan with no exit strategy and Iraq with a fabricated reason and a fabricated outcome! So, all we keep hearing in recent years is Taliban, Saddam, Iran, Pakistan, Afganistan... All the media is focused on these 3 states plus Israel. As if that's the biggest threat to the world! How about North Korea? USA and NATO are so involved in these useless, never ending and money consuming wars that they reclessly neglect North Korea and it's poor brainwashed people. People who would really deserve to be liberated from a dictator who's constantly mocking the USA and the rest of the world by doing whatever he wants! He can blackmail and threaten! Where is the outrage! The clown Ahmadinejad utters some nonsense and the media grabs it, makes it big! Come on!!! Iran would never attack Israel or USA or Europe! Why? Because all three of them could obliterate it in few days! For what would they risk attacking or invading another country? They're surrounded by US forces. Media just can't have enough of Iran, USA and Israel. It's like a big circus! I'm just sick of these games played by Israel and Iran and partly USA, it's like verbal ping pong. And where is the logic! If Iran had the nuclear bomb or other nuclear weapons, why would they want to attack Israel? First of all, Jerusalem is a muslim holy city. Only thing they could do is destroy Tel Aviv! And then? They know the USA and Israel would retaliate few times harder. I'm not convinced by the rightwing media trying to portray the Iranian regime as nuts. If there's a nuts regime, it's the North Korean! They have 1.2 million active soldier's (plus 7.7 million reservists) and the whole population is only 22.6 million. 5.3% percent of the population are soldiers, most of them brainwashed, higly motivated to destroy their 'devil' the USA. Like the fanatic jihadists, they would die for their 'divine' leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-il. Compare that to the 300 million Americans and their regular army of 550,000 soldiers! With all the reservists and the Army National Guard they barely put together 1.1 million soldiers. The only difference is that the US army has a superior training and wapons, but are the US soldiers as fanatic to kill and fight for democracy as the jihadists are willing to fight for their supposed God or the North Koreans are willing to fight for their rotten and evil communist state? Probably not. In a free Western society, where you can pursue your own path of life, career, political engagement, where you can open your own business, experss your opinion, it just makes you have an open mind. I guess that's why we invest more in technology rather than in brutal merciless soldiers. But North Korea does so! And we should do something to change it! So many times the media says Kim Jong-il will die and then we will have something better. What!? We won't get a democrat in power! In best case, we will have a copy of the Chinese regime, which will even more strengthen the commies and we can forget democracy and the unification of both Koreas for a long time.

That's why I urge America and other free nations to focus on North Korea and do something to remove that fat* clown in Pyongyang, who's mocking the whole world, while his people starve and have no rights or freedoms like we have! And do everything to free Euna Lee and Laura Ling, 2 brave journalists, who deserve to be free and report about these evil communist states! They put their lives on the line for us. We should do everything in our power to get them released!

Some photos from the internet:

1 Laura and Lisa, her famous sister, she was host of 'The View'.

2 Laura Ling in 2009.
3 Euna Lee, unfortunately the only photo of her.

4 South Korean protesters remind us of Laura and Euna.
5 Why are they mocking our freedom?
6 Do the faces of evil look like this?

* apparently he's not fat anymore, due to recent illness.

Related post: Tribute to Laura Ling and Euna Lee

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Jackie Chan disappointed me, again.

Jackie Chan's recent remarks "I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not, I'm really confused now. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic"..."I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want" sparked an uproar in Hong Kong and Taiwan. And now his spokesman tried to fix the damage by saying people meanspiritedly misinterpreted Chan's words. He added that he was merely talking about the film industry, not Chinese people as a whole. But an AP reporter confirmed, Chan was talking about China the country and not the film industry. Why would uncensored films (if that's what he says he was discussing) make Hong Kong and Taiwan chaotic? It just doesn't make sense. He clearly talked about the free Chinese societies in Hong Kong and Taiwan. I'd just wish he'd admit he was wrong and say something critical of China. Only then he can avert further damage to his image in the world.

[Photo: Source]

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Jackie Chan disappointed me

Recently on a business forum in Hainan, Jackie Chan said following which really disappointed me:

"I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not, I'm really confused now. If you're too free, you're like the way Hong Kong is now. It's very chaotic. Taiwan is also chaotic."

"I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled. If we're not being controlled, we'll just do what we want." [source]

It's sad that he would not wish the Chinese people the same freedom that he enjoyed his whole life. While in mainland China his comments were ignored by the media, he did spark a backlash in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

"He's insulted the Chinese people. Chinese people aren't pets," siad Leung Kwok-hung, a pro-democracy legislator in Hong Kong. "His comments are racist. People around the world are running their own countries. Why can't Chinese do the same?" said the lawmaker Albert Ho.

"He himself has enjoyed freedom and democracy and has reaped the economic benefits of capitalism. But he has yet to grasp the true meaning of freedom and democracy," Taiwanese legislator Huang Wei-che said. [source]

This also reminded me of Chinabounder's take on Taiwan. It may be very blunt, but it has a lot of truth in it. An excerpt:

"In just 50 years Taiwan achieved what China, in 2000 years, never managed. Democracy. Freedom. A voice for the people!" [read the post here]

So, yeah, Jackie Chan, one of my favourite Asian actors, really disappointed me. He should have known better, he should be an advocate for freedom and democracy. But he rather caters to the communist dictatorship for who knows what reasons. I doubt that what he said he really meant, but he's a celebrity and should be a role model. His words have importance. I hope he knows that.

[Photo: Source]

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Teabaggers, eat this!

(Source)

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Teabagging parties around America

These days there's a funny movement spreading around America - the teabagging rightwing movement. To explain to the non-Americans: It is supposedly a gathering of people who don't like a black man in the oval office. Read more here [blogger interrupted].

Vocab: Tebagging - [by Wiki 1] is a slang term for the act of a man placing his scrotum in the mouth or on or around the face (including the top of the head) of another person, often in a repeated in-and-out motion as in irrumatio. The practice vaguely resembles dipping a tea bag into a cup of tea. - [by UB 2] A conservative republican who protests against income taxes by rubbing their nutsacks in each other's faces.

Let's hope the teabagging movement keeps going. It is the Big ol' partie's sad epilogue, but at same time it's also hillarious. So we wouldn't wanna miss it in the future.

[Photo You-Tube video screencap]

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