SILENCE
It's time to re-charge the batteries!
Saturday, April 29, 2006
MARCH FOR PEACE
On April 16, 2006 I posted an announcement regarding the March for Peace, Justice and Democracy held in New York City today. If I was able to reach one person thru this announcement and that person attended, or passed the word to another person who might have attended, mission accomplished.
The following article was published at 5:29 PM today and states that there have been 2399 American troops killed in this needless war. I'm saddened to announce that the figure is incorrect. At 4:00PM today an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb. The correct figure is now 2400 deaths.
Tens of Thousands in NYC Protest War
By DESMOND BUTLER
The Associated Press
Saturday, April 29, 2006; 5:29 PM
NEW YORK -- Tens of thousands of protesters marched Saturday through lower Manhattan to demand an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, just hours after this month's death toll reached 70.
Cindy Sheehan, a vociferous critic of the war whose soldier son also died in Iraq, joined in the march, as did actress Susan Sarandon and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
"End this war, bring the troops home," read one sign lifted by marchers on the sunny afternoon, three years after the war in Iraq began. The mother of a Marine killed two years ago in Iraq held a picture of her son, born in 1984 and killed 20 years later.
One group marched under the banner "Veterans for Peace."
The demonstrators stretched for about 10 blocks as they headed down Broadway. Organizers said 300,000 people marched, though a police spokesman declined to give an estimate. There were no reports of arrests.
"We are here today because the war is illegal, immoral and unethical," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "We must bring the troops home."
Organizers said the march was also meant to oppose any military action against Iran, which is facing international criticism over its nuclear program. The event was organized by the group United for Peace and Justice.
"We've been lied to, and they're going to lie to us again to bring us a war in Iran," said Marjori Ramos, 43, of New York. "I'm here because I had a lot of anger, and I had to do something."
Steve Rand, an English teacher from Waterbury, Vt., held a poster announcing, "Vermont Says No to War."
"I'd like to see our troops come home," he said.
The march stepped off shortly after noon from Union Square, with the demonstrators heading for a rally between a U.S. courthouse and a federal office building in lower Manhattan.
The death toll in Iraq for April was the highest for a single month in 2006. At least 2,399 U.S. military members have died since the war began.
That figure is well below some of the bloodiest months of the Iraq conflict, but is a sharp increase over March, when 31 were killed. January's death toll was 62 and February's 55. In December, 68 Americans died.
On April 16, 2006 I posted an announcement regarding the March for Peace, Justice and Democracy held in New York City today. If I was able to reach one person thru this announcement and that person attended, or passed the word to another person who might have attended, mission accomplished.
The following article was published at 5:29 PM today and states that there have been 2399 American troops killed in this needless war. I'm saddened to announce that the figure is incorrect. At 4:00PM today an American soldier was killed by a roadside bomb. The correct figure is now 2400 deaths.
Tens of Thousands in NYC Protest War
By DESMOND BUTLER
The Associated Press
Saturday, April 29, 2006; 5:29 PM
NEW YORK -- Tens of thousands of protesters marched Saturday through lower Manhattan to demand an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, just hours after this month's death toll reached 70.
Cindy Sheehan, a vociferous critic of the war whose soldier son also died in Iraq, joined in the march, as did actress Susan Sarandon and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
"End this war, bring the troops home," read one sign lifted by marchers on the sunny afternoon, three years after the war in Iraq began. The mother of a Marine killed two years ago in Iraq held a picture of her son, born in 1984 and killed 20 years later.
One group marched under the banner "Veterans for Peace."
The demonstrators stretched for about 10 blocks as they headed down Broadway. Organizers said 300,000 people marched, though a police spokesman declined to give an estimate. There were no reports of arrests.
"We are here today because the war is illegal, immoral and unethical," said the Rev. Al Sharpton. "We must bring the troops home."
Organizers said the march was also meant to oppose any military action against Iran, which is facing international criticism over its nuclear program. The event was organized by the group United for Peace and Justice.
"We've been lied to, and they're going to lie to us again to bring us a war in Iran," said Marjori Ramos, 43, of New York. "I'm here because I had a lot of anger, and I had to do something."
Steve Rand, an English teacher from Waterbury, Vt., held a poster announcing, "Vermont Says No to War."
"I'd like to see our troops come home," he said.
The march stepped off shortly after noon from Union Square, with the demonstrators heading for a rally between a U.S. courthouse and a federal office building in lower Manhattan.
The death toll in Iraq for April was the highest for a single month in 2006. At least 2,399 U.S. military members have died since the war began.
That figure is well below some of the bloodiest months of the Iraq conflict, but is a sharp increase over March, when 31 were killed. January's death toll was 62 and February's 55. In December, 68 Americans died.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Caribbean Carnage~Anti-Gay Violence Continues
It is time for Americans to reassess their relationship with islands such as Jamaica, St. Maarten and the Bahamas due to recent anti-gay events.
In flowery billboards and endearing television ads, the Jamaicans look so incredibly friendly. On the Web site www.Jamaicans.com, the slogan is "Home Away from Home." In another ad campaign, the residents plead with benign smiles, "Come Back to Jamaica." But it turns out that Jamaica is not home if you're a homo, and you might come back from Jamaica in a body bag. For whatever reason, the locals have gone loco and gay-bashing has replaced bobsledding as the national sport.
An article in last week's Time magazine calls Jamaica the "most homophobic place on Earth." It points out that two of the island's leading gay rights advocates, Brian Williamson and Steve Harvey, were recently ruthlessly slain. If that was not enough, a crowd essentially danced on Williamson's grave by celebrating over his mutilated body.
In 2004, a father learned his son was gay and went to his school to invite a group of peers to lynch his son. Now that's family values!
Not too long after this sickening episode, witnesses claim, police egged on a mob that stabbed and stoned a gay man to death in Montego Bay. Earlier this year, a Kingston man, Nokia Cowan, drowned after a crowd shouting "batty boy" (a Jamaican slur for queer) chased him off a dock.
"Jamaica is the worst any of us has ever seen," Rebecca Schleifer of the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch explained to Time.
Despite this record, Americans continue to subsidize this slaughter by boarding ships destined for Jamaica to cruise and booze. This is unconscionable, and you can bet there would be a much greater uproar if this abuse were happening to any other minority.
Sadly, Jamaica's curious anti-gay fixation is spreading to other parts of the Caribbean. In St. Maarten, two producers for CBS News were gay-bashed last month by thugs wielding tire irons. The attack occurred outside the nightclub Bamboo Bernie's, where Richard Jefferson, 51, and Ryan Smith, 25, were harassed for being gay earlier in the evening by the assailants. The victims were airlifted for medical treatment to Miami. Jefferson, who has been released, said Smith was being treated for brain damage.
Additionally, Jefferson told the Associated Press that local authorities had not spoken to witnesses the night of the crime, nor had they pursued leads. Instead of St. Maarten's CSI, the police were MIA.
"The people who harmed us are well-known punks," Jefferson told the AP last week. "People in the community know who these guys are. They are not talking to the police. The entire island is watching something bad happening."
Two men were finally arrested a few days ago (one has already been released), but their cowardly actions seem to have won the approval of a local newspaper, Today, that derisively referred to gay people as "faggots" and "homos."
According to the paper's unfathomable April 11 editorial:
"During and after World War II, it was considered common sport for military guys to let themselves be picked up by a faggot in a bar in Los Angeles or San Francisco. The one who was picked up would pretend to go along for the ride, only to turn around and beat up or rob the homo who picked him up, leaving him without wallet and sometimes teeth.
"All that has changed, of course, largely due to American laws that are being spread around the world. Gay bashing is now a no-no. Slurs against homos, a no-no. And beating a person over the head for flagrant public behavior that once was considered criminal misconduct is a no-no."
In a comparatively minor but no less telling cultural barometer, the Bahamas banned "Brokeback Mountain." It seems Nassau must decide if it is an island chain open to the world or a palm tree-lined prison whose pristine waters are merely a moat to drown tolerance and diversity.
Unlike in homophobic hotbeds in the Middle East, our community can exercise considerable leverage over these human rights abusers. While few Americans are going to spend a holiday in Jeddah or Tehran, we are frequently visiting the Caribbean. Many of our allies would gladly vacation elsewhere if they were aware that their gay friends and family members were being brutally attacked.
It is time for Americans to reassess their relationship with islands such as Jamaica, St. Maarten and the Bahamas. Either they welcome all of us, or none of us. But these "paradises" can no longer be playgrounds for heterosexuals and hunting grounds for homosexuals.
Here is a message that Jamaica might understand: "Aloha, mon, friend of batty boy going to Hawaii."
Wayne Besen
April 24, 2006
Planet Out
In flowery billboards and endearing television ads, the Jamaicans look so incredibly friendly. On the Web site www.Jamaicans.com, the slogan is "Home Away from Home." In another ad campaign, the residents plead with benign smiles, "Come Back to Jamaica." But it turns out that Jamaica is not home if you're a homo, and you might come back from Jamaica in a body bag. For whatever reason, the locals have gone loco and gay-bashing has replaced bobsledding as the national sport.
An article in last week's Time magazine calls Jamaica the "most homophobic place on Earth." It points out that two of the island's leading gay rights advocates, Brian Williamson and Steve Harvey, were recently ruthlessly slain. If that was not enough, a crowd essentially danced on Williamson's grave by celebrating over his mutilated body.
In 2004, a father learned his son was gay and went to his school to invite a group of peers to lynch his son. Now that's family values!
Not too long after this sickening episode, witnesses claim, police egged on a mob that stabbed and stoned a gay man to death in Montego Bay. Earlier this year, a Kingston man, Nokia Cowan, drowned after a crowd shouting "batty boy" (a Jamaican slur for queer) chased him off a dock.
"Jamaica is the worst any of us has ever seen," Rebecca Schleifer of the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch explained to Time.
Despite this record, Americans continue to subsidize this slaughter by boarding ships destined for Jamaica to cruise and booze. This is unconscionable, and you can bet there would be a much greater uproar if this abuse were happening to any other minority.
Sadly, Jamaica's curious anti-gay fixation is spreading to other parts of the Caribbean. In St. Maarten, two producers for CBS News were gay-bashed last month by thugs wielding tire irons. The attack occurred outside the nightclub Bamboo Bernie's, where Richard Jefferson, 51, and Ryan Smith, 25, were harassed for being gay earlier in the evening by the assailants. The victims were airlifted for medical treatment to Miami. Jefferson, who has been released, said Smith was being treated for brain damage.
Additionally, Jefferson told the Associated Press that local authorities had not spoken to witnesses the night of the crime, nor had they pursued leads. Instead of St. Maarten's CSI, the police were MIA.
"The people who harmed us are well-known punks," Jefferson told the AP last week. "People in the community know who these guys are. They are not talking to the police. The entire island is watching something bad happening."
Two men were finally arrested a few days ago (one has already been released), but their cowardly actions seem to have won the approval of a local newspaper, Today, that derisively referred to gay people as "faggots" and "homos."
According to the paper's unfathomable April 11 editorial:
"During and after World War II, it was considered common sport for military guys to let themselves be picked up by a faggot in a bar in Los Angeles or San Francisco. The one who was picked up would pretend to go along for the ride, only to turn around and beat up or rob the homo who picked him up, leaving him without wallet and sometimes teeth.
"All that has changed, of course, largely due to American laws that are being spread around the world. Gay bashing is now a no-no. Slurs against homos, a no-no. And beating a person over the head for flagrant public behavior that once was considered criminal misconduct is a no-no."
In a comparatively minor but no less telling cultural barometer, the Bahamas banned "Brokeback Mountain." It seems Nassau must decide if it is an island chain open to the world or a palm tree-lined prison whose pristine waters are merely a moat to drown tolerance and diversity.
Unlike in homophobic hotbeds in the Middle East, our community can exercise considerable leverage over these human rights abusers. While few Americans are going to spend a holiday in Jeddah or Tehran, we are frequently visiting the Caribbean. Many of our allies would gladly vacation elsewhere if they were aware that their gay friends and family members were being brutally attacked.
It is time for Americans to reassess their relationship with islands such as Jamaica, St. Maarten and the Bahamas. Either they welcome all of us, or none of us. But these "paradises" can no longer be playgrounds for heterosexuals and hunting grounds for homosexuals.
Here is a message that Jamaica might understand: "Aloha, mon, friend of batty boy going to Hawaii."
Wayne Besen
April 24, 2006
Planet Out
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Running around in circles
As I bask in the glory of this blog after having received 20,000 hits, my brain is suddenly running on EMPTY; and with the price of gasoline today, it may remain on EMPTY for quite a while!
The problem with working for a not-for-profit organization, or for any social service agency supported by government funding is lack of money; which means, of course that no one is ever gonna get rich working in social services.....
Which means we've lost another case manager.
Which means, for the sixth time in two years I've taken on the additional responsibilities of a second caseload of clients.
Which means, I'm working six day weeks!
Which means, the laundry isn't getting done......
Which means, the shack is being neglected.
Which means, I'm smoking more and enjoying it less!
Also: I have to finalize plans for my trip to New Orleans
I have to finalize plans for my trip to Las Vegas
I have to plan my trip to Canada before my family disowns me....
with a stop off in Boston before the Pobble disowns me!
BUT: I am finding time to read your blogs each morning and again each evening...... and I will comment!
I promise~
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
A nutcase in the White House
"I'm afraid the making of World War III is actually taking place in front of our eyes." Prince Hassan of Jordan - March 26, 2004
(Reuters) - President Bush refused on Tuesday to rule out nuclear strikes against Iran if diplomacy fails to curb the Islamic Republic's atomic ambitions.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is purely peaceful, told world powers it would pursue atomic technology, whatever they decide at a meeting in Moscow later in the day.
Meanwhile.........
Prominent U.S. Physicists Send Letter to President Bush
Science News
Thirteen of the nation's most prominent physicists have written a letter to President Bush, calling U.S. plans to reportedly use nuclear weapons against Iran "gravely irresponsible" and warning that such action would have "disastrous consequences for the security of the United States and the world."
The physicists include five Nobel laureates, a recipient of the National Medal of Science and three past presidents of the American Physical Society, the nation's preeminent professional society for physicists.
Their letter was prompted by recent articles in the Washington Post, New Yorker and other publications that one of the options being considered by Pentagon planners and the White House in a military confrontation with Iran includes the use of nuclear bunker busters against underground facilities.
These reports were neither confirmed nor denied by White House and Pentagon officials.
The letter was initiated by Jorge Hirsch, a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego, who last fall put together a petition signed by more than 1,800 physicists that repudiated new U.S. nuclear weapons policies that include preemptive use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear adversaries (http://physics.ucsd.edu/petition/).
Hirsch has also published 15 articles in recent months (http://antiwar.com/hirsch/) documenting the dangers associated with a potential U.S. nuclear strike on Iran.
"We are members of the profession that brought nuclear weapons into existence, and we feel strongly that it is our professional duty to contribute our efforts to prevent their misuse," says Hirsch.
"Physicists know best about the devastating effects of the weapons they created, and these eminent physicists speak for thousands of our colleagues."
"The fact that the existence of this plan has not been denied by the Administration should be a cause of great alarm, even if it is only one of several plans being considered," he adds. "The public should join these eminent scientists in demanding that the Administration publicly renounces such a misbegotten option against a non-nuclear country like Iran."
(Reuters) - President Bush refused on Tuesday to rule out nuclear strikes against Iran if diplomacy fails to curb the Islamic Republic's atomic ambitions.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is purely peaceful, told world powers it would pursue atomic technology, whatever they decide at a meeting in Moscow later in the day.
Meanwhile.........
Prominent U.S. Physicists Send Letter to President Bush
Science News
Thirteen of the nation's most prominent physicists have written a letter to President Bush, calling U.S. plans to reportedly use nuclear weapons against Iran "gravely irresponsible" and warning that such action would have "disastrous consequences for the security of the United States and the world."
The physicists include five Nobel laureates, a recipient of the National Medal of Science and three past presidents of the American Physical Society, the nation's preeminent professional society for physicists.
Their letter was prompted by recent articles in the Washington Post, New Yorker and other publications that one of the options being considered by Pentagon planners and the White House in a military confrontation with Iran includes the use of nuclear bunker busters against underground facilities.
These reports were neither confirmed nor denied by White House and Pentagon officials.
The letter was initiated by Jorge Hirsch, a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego, who last fall put together a petition signed by more than 1,800 physicists that repudiated new U.S. nuclear weapons policies that include preemptive use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear adversaries (http://physics.ucsd.edu/petition/).
Hirsch has also published 15 articles in recent months (http://antiwar.com/hirsch/) documenting the dangers associated with a potential U.S. nuclear strike on Iran.
"We are members of the profession that brought nuclear weapons into existence, and we feel strongly that it is our professional duty to contribute our efforts to prevent their misuse," says Hirsch.
"Physicists know best about the devastating effects of the weapons they created, and these eminent physicists speak for thousands of our colleagues."
"The fact that the existence of this plan has not been denied by the Administration should be a cause of great alarm, even if it is only one of several plans being considered," he adds. "The public should join these eminent scientists in demanding that the Administration publicly renounces such a misbegotten option against a non-nuclear country like Iran."
Monday, April 17, 2006
National Blog Voter Registration Day - April 18, 2006
Why register to vote?
In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union. (Source: Texas State Library and Archives Commission)
In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency of the United States. (Source: www.historychannel.com)
In 1960, one vote per precinct elected John F. Kennedy the President of the United States. (Source: John F. Kennedy Library and Museum)
Your vote counts - but you can't vote if you're not registered!
Get out there and register.... have a say in who represents you in the next elections!
Project Vote Smart has a wealth of information related to registering to vote, information on candidates, etc. check them out HERE!
Why register to vote?
In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union. (Source: Texas State Library and Archives Commission)
In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency of the United States. (Source: www.historychannel.com)
In 1960, one vote per precinct elected John F. Kennedy the President of the United States. (Source: John F. Kennedy Library and Museum)
Your vote counts - but you can't vote if you're not registered!
Get out there and register.... have a say in who represents you in the next elections!
Project Vote Smart has a wealth of information related to registering to vote, information on candidates, etc. check them out HERE!
Sunday, April 16, 2006
MARCH FOR PEACE, JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY
Organizers of the March for Peace, Justice and Democracy are pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with New York City officials for mobilization plans on Saturday, April 29.
This massive demonstration is being organized by United for Peace and Justice, RainbowPUSH Coalition, National Organization for Women, Friends of the Earth, U.S. Labor Against the War, Climate Crisis Coalition, Peoples' Hurricane Relief Fund, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, and Veterans For Peace.
The March for Peace, Justice and Democracy will be an unprecedented event, uniting leaders and activists from a broad range of social justice groups and diverse communities all with one goal in mind—ending the war in Iraq and turning our country around!
Gay Beatings in Ft. Lauderdale...HATE CRIMES Part 2
I had no sooner finished writing about Hate Crimes against Gay men in St. Maarten; when I read that we have more hate in our own backyard...... is it ever going to end?
(Fort Lauderdale, Florida) The beatings of two gay men in separate attacks in Fort Lauderdale has the LGBT community on guard and the tourist industry worried.
Both attacks occurred in the gay-friendly Northeast area and one involved a tourist.
Police say they are not ready to say the two attacks were the work of the same person but note there are similarities.
The first attack involved a gay man who was riding his bicycle. When he passed a man walking a pit bull the man yelled a gay slur and then beat him.
"He came up behind me and kickboxed me in the neck," the victim told WPLG television. The attacker left the scene and the victim called police on his cell phone. Before police arrived on the scene a white car came around the corner and drive straight at him.
"I was standing on the side of the road at that point and the car was in the right lane, but it came right at me," he told the T station. "And the kid in the car, whoever he was, had the window down. He was screaming at me and I wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying at that point." A few hours later a group of men in a white car stopped in front of a tourist leaving Johnny's, a popular gay bar on Broward Boulevard.
The tourist was slightly intoxicated and the passengers in the car offered the man a ride to his hotel.
Instead they took him to a park, beat and robbed him.
Police say the white car may be the same vehicle as that used to try to run down the first victim.
If the attackers are caught they will be charged with a hate crime police said.
365Gay.com
Gay American vacationers attacked in St. Maarten
They were six friends on vacation in the Caribbean, escaping the last bluster of the New York winter on the easygoing island of St. Maarten.
One of them, Ryan Smith, 25, and 6 feet 7 inches tall, had the resume of a rising star: a graduate of Columbia University, a former White House intern, a former intern at the David Letterman Show, and now a researcher at CBS News.
His mother, Patricia Smith, was at home in Sandusky, Ohio, last Thursday morning. She had just sent an e-mail to her son asking him how his vacation was going. She remembers that just after she clicked the SEND button on her computer the phone rang. It was one of her son's friends calling from St. Maarten.
Ryan Smith was airlifted to Miami where he is now in the intensive care unit of Jackson Memorial Hospital with a crushed skull and brain injuries in a suspected gay-bashing attack.
Dick Jefferson, a friend and colleague who was vacationing with Smith, also suffered injuries and was airlifted from St. Maarten to Miami. He was released from the hospital, but his head bears a huge scar, dozens of stitches, and a titanium plate implanted by neurosurgeons.
Jefferson, a senior broadcast producer for the "CBS Evening News," said the attack happened late at night, as he and others in a group were meeting at their car to head home to their rented villa.
Smith and his boyfriend, Justin Swensen, had been at Bamboo Bernie's, a popular local bar while other friends had stopped at a casino nearby. As Jefferson approached the parking lot at Bamboo Bernie's, he saw a scuffle. He realized that Smith was being attacked by several men and was about to be hit by a speeding car.
"What the hell is going on?" Jefferson remembered asking.
Moments later, Jefferson said, he was knocked unconscious with a four-pronged tire wrench.
Swensen said that he had witnessed the entire incident and that the attack was a hate crime. He and Smith had been sitting together in Bamboo Bernie's, a bar where they had been previously welcomed. Smith was talking to Swensen about a recent family tragedy. They were hugging.
"Some of the local guys in the bar were sitting across from us. They started making fun of us," Swensen said. "We really we did nothing to provoke them."
The couple's hecklers were thrown out of the bar, but they allegedly waited in the parking lot for Smith and Swensen. Smith walked ahead of Swensen, who said he saw him get hit with rocks, spray cans, and then a tire iron. Meanwhile, a car headed straight at Swensen, who jumped onto the hood to avoid being run over.
Swensen and the others eventually got Smith and Jefferson to the hospital. He wasn't able to call Smith's parents until the morning.
It was a difficult conversation, he said. Smith's parents did not know who he was and yet he had to tell them their son had been gravely injured. When he was pressed to explain why the assault happened, Swensen said, he finally explained that it was a hate crime because he and Smith are gay.
"Ryan hadn't told them that before," he said. Patricia Smith is not ready to talk about those issues. She is unwavering in her love for her son and her sense of injustice.
"It doesn't matter if I know, if my husband knows," she said. "What's important is that these hate crimes are unjustifiable for any reason."
The part of the island of St. Maarten where the assault took place is Dutch territory in the Caribbean, just like the island of Aruba. It was almost a year ago that Natalee Holloway disappeared in Aruba. Since then, her parents have had an exasperating odyssey through the island's Dutch legal system. Smith's family and friends are bracing for a similar journey.
St. Maarten police, Jefferson said, initially did not want to investigate the incident.
Police response has been no police response," he said. "The best way I can explain the police response is when the detective finally came after three phone calls to get my report, he asked, 'Why should I even bother talking to you? Are you guys even going to file charges? You are just going back to America.' Police were totally indifferent to the situation, the crime, or to the seriousness of it."
"Two days after the incident I had not heard from the police," Jefferson said. "Yet I heard from the Department of Tourism, which told me they were taking over the investigation. I couldn't help but laugh. It is ludicrous that the tourism department is trying to prosecute and become a police department. They are not the experts in police work; they are the experts at getting tourists to the island. It's like saying you got hurt in Miami and the Miami Chamber of Commerce is investigating your beating."
However, St. Maarten police insist a full investigation is underway. On Monday, they published a newspaper advertisement asking witnesses to the attack to come forward.
"We do not take the ill treatment of any person, whether resident or visitor, lightly, and we are pursuing this matter to find the suspects," said police spokesman Johan Leonard.
Swensen and Jefferson said that they could help identify some of the assailants and that there were several witnesses.
Smith, however, is still in intensive care and cannot talk coherently. His mother said doctors did not yet know her son's prognosis, but she had been warned he faced a very long recovery.
ABC News
Thursday, April 13, 2006
MISSING BLOGZIE
MISS BLOGZIE AND HER CRYSTAL BALL !
BLOGMASTERS... how blessed I am to have found you!
Miss Blogzie's crystal ball has become a bit cloudy recently, depriving her faithful subjects of "words from the wise", "words by the wise", and "words for the wise"; accompanied by wonderful art and/or photography.
The light, I'm certain will begin to shine again very soon.......
It's a wonderful world when people who have never met can have so much in common and actually begin to care about each other!
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
How low can he go?
I wonder if I can beat daddy?
ABC News-Washington Post
USA Today-Gallup Poll
AP-Ipsos Poll
Getting close!
June Pointer dies...
June Pointer, the youngest of the singing Pointer Sisters known for the 1970s and 1980s hits 'I'm So Excited,' 'Fire,' and 'Slow Hand,' has died, her family said Wednesday. She was 52.
June died of cancer Tuesday, April 11, 2006, at Santa Monica University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, the family said in a statement. She had been hospitalized since late February.
It was the 80's, clubs were hopping! We were still young and hopeful; looking for romance, looking for love, looking for whatever......
The DJ's were blasting and we were dancing to: "I'M SO EXCITED" by the Pointer Sisters... I still remember the words.
Tonight's the night we're gonna make it happen
Tonight we'll put all other things aside
Give in this time and show me some affection
We're going for those pleasures in the night
I want to love you, feel you
Wrap myself around you
I want to squeeze you, please you
I just can't get enough
And if you move real slow, I'll let it go
I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it
And I know, I know, I know, I know I know I want you
June died of cancer Tuesday, April 11, 2006, at Santa Monica University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, the family said in a statement. She had been hospitalized since late February.
It was the 80's, clubs were hopping! We were still young and hopeful; looking for romance, looking for love, looking for whatever......
The DJ's were blasting and we were dancing to: "I'M SO EXCITED" by the Pointer Sisters... I still remember the words.
Tonight's the night we're gonna make it happen
Tonight we'll put all other things aside
Give in this time and show me some affection
We're going for those pleasures in the night
I want to love you, feel you
Wrap myself around you
I want to squeeze you, please you
I just can't get enough
And if you move real slow, I'll let it go
I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it
And I know, I know, I know, I know I know I want you
The GWB Pig Farm
First, there was Tom DeLay, trying to blame liberals for his resignation from Congress. Get serious. It wasn't pressure from liberals that forced DeLay to hang it up. It was his own greed, arrogance, hypocrisy - and criminality - that finally caught up with him.
Then, there were his fellow Republicans, trying to make us believe that the issue of corruption has suddenly disappeared, now that Delay has resigned his seat in Congress.
Fat chance!
First, DeLay himself is hardly out of trouble. Even after his resignation, he's still on trial in Texas for laundering campaign contributions. And, now that his top two aides in Washington have admitted taking bribes from Jack Abramoff, he's expected to be the next one nailed in that scandal, too.
And he's not the only Republican in trouble.
Jack Abramoff, the top Republican lobbyist, is under investigation for bribing members of Congress.
Bill Frist, the top Republican in the Senate, is under investigation for insider trading.
Bob Ney, Richard Pombo, John Doolittle, and Katherine Harris - leading Republican members of Congress - are under the gun for taking cash from Abramoff.
Scooter Libby, former top Republican aide in the White House, has been indicted for lying to the grand jury.
And Karl Rove and Dick Cheney - after Bush, the two most powerful Republicans in the White House - are under investigation for violating national security by leaking the identity of Valerie Plame.
So, you see, Delay's resignation isn't the end of the culture of corruption. It's just the beginning.
Tom DeLay may soon be gone. But - from the House to the Senate to the White House - the stink of Republican corruption remains.
Then, there were his fellow Republicans, trying to make us believe that the issue of corruption has suddenly disappeared, now that Delay has resigned his seat in Congress.
Fat chance!
First, DeLay himself is hardly out of trouble. Even after his resignation, he's still on trial in Texas for laundering campaign contributions. And, now that his top two aides in Washington have admitted taking bribes from Jack Abramoff, he's expected to be the next one nailed in that scandal, too.
And he's not the only Republican in trouble.
Jack Abramoff, the top Republican lobbyist, is under investigation for bribing members of Congress.
Bill Frist, the top Republican in the Senate, is under investigation for insider trading.
Bob Ney, Richard Pombo, John Doolittle, and Katherine Harris - leading Republican members of Congress - are under the gun for taking cash from Abramoff.
Scooter Libby, former top Republican aide in the White House, has been indicted for lying to the grand jury.
And Karl Rove and Dick Cheney - after Bush, the two most powerful Republicans in the White House - are under investigation for violating national security by leaking the identity of Valerie Plame.
So, you see, Delay's resignation isn't the end of the culture of corruption. It's just the beginning.
Tom DeLay may soon be gone. But - from the House to the Senate to the White House - the stink of Republican corruption remains.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Pigs at the trough!
We shouldn't be so hard on the Republicans.
They are just trying to insure the perpetual domination of their party,
get richer at a faster pace, help out the poor multinational corporations,
steal all the oil in the Middle East, destroy our democratic system,
export jobs and import labor, dumb down and indebt our kids,
promote hypocracy in the Christian religion, and keep their prime spot
at the pig trough.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Sanctuary? Not for the LGBT community......
Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?
He (Jesus) said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul. and with all your mind." This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second one is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments, hang all the law and prophets.
Jesus speaking to a group of Pharisees, the self-righteous, religious fundamentalists of his time (Matthew 22:36-40, NRSV)
The Art of Steve Walker
..... and 2000 years later, they still don't get it!
dondon009
He (Jesus) said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul. and with all your mind." This is the greatest and first commandment.
And a second one is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself." On these two commandments, hang all the law and prophets.
Jesus speaking to a group of Pharisees, the self-righteous, religious fundamentalists of his time (Matthew 22:36-40, NRSV)
The Art of Steve Walker
..... and 2000 years later, they still don't get it!
dondon009
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Age discrimination among gay men.....
When I return to Florida after vacationing in New Orleans and recount some of my escapades, I'm usually asked how ever am I able to keep up with the fast social pace of partying, drinking and [safe] sexual adventures half the night at my age. I quickly slam back with "I might be old, but I'm not dead!"
When they see photos of some of my "friends", some considerably younger that I am and ask how, I slam back with "because I can!"
I have no clue why, but I attract younger men. It's certainly not my money.... there simply is none. It's not my jewelry [inherited], I don't wear it on vacation. It's definately not because I try to "act cool"; I don't.
What I do is drink moderately, dress conservatively but up to date (Ralph Lauren, Claiborn, etc.), wear baseball caps for the reason they were intended, to keep the sun out of my eyes and to keep my bald head from burning; visor to the front, not to the side or backwards.... (a fashion statement of the youth of today); and I listen!
Never, never, never do I attempt to express myself in the "lingo/slang" of the thug generation. "Yo man", "dude" and "bro" are not in my vocabulary; but I certainly try to engage in intelligent conversation and give honest opinions on current music, movies, books, sports, TV programs, or whatever else may be of interest. I try to be interesting and witty (and I can be very funny).
And once again, I listen to what each person has to say, and I expect and show respect to each individual. SCORE!
When I socialize or date, I don't date younger men, I don't date middle-aged men, I don't date older men. I date men! AMEN~
Is there age discrimination among gay men, of course there is.... have I seen it, heard it, most definately. Have I experienced it, not at this time.
Age discrimination is well expressed by Harold Kooden in his book "Golden Men, The Power of Gay Mid-life". Excerpts follow.......
"Age discrimination and segregation in our Western culture, and particularly among gay male society in America, is as destructive to the soul of humans as is racism or homophobia."
"Ask any gay man what he fears most, and after AIDS, most would respond growing old, or more specifically, 'being alone in my midage', or 'being unattractive (and alone) in my old age'".
We do this to ourselves in our culture with its over emphasis on youth and beauty as defined by an unreal standard to which most of us secretly or openly aspire. But it does not have to be this way. There is enormous hope for the future despite what our modern culture tells us about aging.
For many years gay men (along with our lesbian sisters) have fought valiantly to achieve equal rights, acceptance in our community and self-dignity. Yet we continue to discriminate and separate within our own community over the issue of age, perceived power, beauty, and other often skin-deep issues.
"Gay men have spent three decades struggling to overcome messages of shame, self-loathing, and homophobia of the "non-gay" world in order to create a community of love, pride, acceptance, joy and power." We have created new families and new social networks. We've defined our own community standards and new value systems. It seems; however, that just as we are beginning to experience a new freedom, we undermine ourselves with two-way judgment and discrimination based on age that may very well undermine our entire gay culture.
Just as a gay man may begin to come into his own, perhaps settling down from the bumps of coming out and overdoing the scene, perhaps even beginning to experience personal or financial stability and success with a career, this very same man may suddenly begin to feel he does not belong.
"Understandably many gay men become angry and frustrated that just when they begin to feel as if they are coming into their own, both American culture and gay male culture begin to reject them for being 'over the hill.'"
In fact due to the unique life clock that we as gay men often experience, (such as beginning our "real" same sex dating rituals at 18 or even 25 rather than the non-gay standard of 12 or 14), we frequently become adults in our late 20s, or 30s just when we are staring 35 and 40 in the face. It all seems pretty self destructive for us to build individual lives and an entire culture that is set to disappear just as we are experiencing the prime of our lives.
The generation gap perpetuates itself with further isolation between gay adults of various ages (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and so on) because of our gay community's ageism.
Role models can change that dynamic of exploitation and avoidance." It is the job of mature gay men to overcome isolation and rejection and to serve as role models for younger gay men. "Whether we choose to be or not, we will become role models for younger gay men, and if we do not engage "ageism" personally and collectively, each generation that follows will merely reinforce the negativity and perpetuate the stigma around aging."
"Don't let 'ageism' make you invisible. Some of us drop out of the gay community when we get older, but our participation in our culture is vital.
It is time for gay men to show the world and especially themselves a new breed of gay man; older, sexually active, positively visible in all arenas, productive, adventurous, energetic, and committed to every generation including their own in our community.
Long time gay activist Frank Kameny, is quoted in Golden Men as saying, "Now that I am among those who are older, I do not merely sense that the stereotype [of older gay men] is wrong. I know it from first hand experience. My 40s were better than my 30s and my 50s better than my 40s.
Life continues to be more rewarding, exciting and satisfying than I could have ever imagined when I was twenty. My life is too full to permit time for misery or loneliness."
All paintings are the art of Steve Walker
Saturday recipe....
My secretary just returned today from a week in New Orleans. One of her favorite meals (at my recommendation) was a cajun/creole dish called Jambalaya.Since the recent purchase of my little red crock pot, I want to share this crock pot recipe for Jambalaya!
1 pound chicken breasts or tenders, boneless, cut in 1-inch cubes
8 to 12 ounces smoked sausage, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound shrimp, cooked
2 cups raw rice, cooked
PREPARATION:
Combine chicken, sausage, chopped bell pepper, and chopped onion in slow cooker. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, wine, oregano, parsley, Cajun seasoning, and pepper; stir gently. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
About 30 to 45 minutes before eating, add cooked shrimp and hot cooked rice; heat thoroughly.
Serves 8.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
PEACE.......
.
DAMN....
.
I made this thing up last nite, and no I wasn't on "medication!" Just time for a bit of a change......... hope you're not blinded! I'm using the same old template, just changing the pictures and colors around.
I had mixed emotions about posting the following cartoon. When I first saw it, I found it terribly disturbing and offensive to those who have died during this non-war in Iraq.
After a great deal of consideration, I chose to include it in this post, because this is reality......... the reality that this war has killed over two thousand American troops and injured over fifteen thousand others.
"On a trip designed as diplomatic flattery, Rice managed to make some unwanted headlines with an admission at a foreign policy forum Friday that the United States had made "thousands" of tactical errors in Iraq.
The offhand comment sent her spokesman scrambling to call reporters with assurances she was just speaking figuratively. Too late: the remark made the lead of all three international wire services and the front page of the Washington Post.
Rice went into damage control mode on Saturday, telling the BBC: "Of course there have been mistakes, but it was not a mistake to overthrow Saddam Hussein. It was not a mistake to unleash the forces of democracy in the Middle East."
BLACKBURN, England (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to head back from her trip to northwest England after a visit which shaped up as a public relations nightmare.
Anti- Iraq protests again dogged Rice and her host, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, throughout her two-day trip to his constituency of Blackburn, a dreary former mill town of 100,000 people best known as a footnote in a Beatles song.
Some 200 demonstrators posting banners proclaiming "War on terror, war on Islam" and "Bring the troops home" greeted the two as they arrived at the town hall Saturday to meet with local Muslim leaders.
At a joint news conference, Rice reacted to a statement by her host that the Guantanamo detention centre was "an anomaly," by saying the US would close the facility the day it was no longer needed.
"The United States does not desire to keep Guantanamo in being any longer than it is needed," she said.
"We don't want to be the world's jailer," she said. "That's not the United States, (or) the purpose of US policy."
Rice came to Lancashire on what was supposed to be a feel-good visit to Straw's constituency to repay his October trip to her home state of Alabama. But the journey was plagued by problems from the start.
Hopes of meeting former Beatle Paul McCartney fell through, a mosque withdrew its invitation and a local luminary lined up to host a concert in nearby Liverpool pulled out as a political statement.
She visited a school in this community that is 25 percent Muslim, but many of the children were kept home for the day by protesting parents. Others cut classes to join the protests.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
THE HUSTLE
My friends call it "DON'S CORNER" because it's usually the meeting point as we venture off in different directions exploring the gay bars of New Orleans.
I don't usually like drinking inside the clubs; finding the music too loud, the crowds intense and the people somewhat boring.
Since you can legally drink on the street in New Orleans, I prefer to take my drinks outside and watch the action on Bourbon Street. "DON"S CORNER is directly outside the Bourbon Pub on the corner of Bourbon and St. Anne, which is where I met him.
I watched his hustle as he played the tourists strolling up and down Bourbon Street. "I bet ya five dollars I can tell you where you got your shoes" he would tell the passing tourists....... and they would stop and they would say, "yeah, right..... like you think you know where I got my shoes'; 'ok sucker, it's a bet." and he would innocently respond, "you got your shoes on your feet, on Bourbon Street". Caught completely off guard, the tourist realizing that he was being observed by several locals and a bit embaressed, would hand over the lost five dollars and be on his way...... he had just encountered his first and one of the oldest New Orleans hustles.
I continued to watch, smiling in fascination at the stupidity of so many people as he kept playing his hustle over and over again and pocketing more and more money. He looked over, noticed me smiling and smiled back but continued his hustle looking in my direction every once in a while to see that I was enjoying his performance.
Suddenly he looked over at me and yelled, "watch this" and changed his hustle.
"I betcha five dollars I can spell your last name", he began telling tourist after tourist; and one by one, half drunk they would stop and take the bet. "I told ya I could spell your last name" he would confirm, "so here goes.......hmmmm let me think....... Y-O-U-R-L-A-S-T-N-A-M-E...... see, I told ya I could spell your last name. Now pay up!" And they did.
After a while, he came over to me and said kiddingly, "I betcha I can spell your last name" and I said to him, of course you can.... I've been watching you spell it for almost an hour.
He said he was going to get himself a drink and I quickly decided it was time to make my "hustle".
I offered to pay for his drink and the one after that if he would tell me every hustle going on in New Orleans, and he agreed.
Together we walked down St. Anne to the next corner where Good Friends Pub is located. We went upstairs and sitting on the balcony, he explained the New Orleans hustles. We had two drinks and he made the final hustle of the night......
"So are you taking me home?" he asked. Taken a bit off track, and without thinking, (although that idea had had been on my mind the entire nite) I immediately replied sure. But first, the ground rules.
I stay in a guest house on Ursuline St. where I've stayed for the last fifteen years. It, like all houses in the French Quarter is located directly on the street. Access to this guest house is from alleys on either side, leading into a spectacular courtyard. At the entrance to each alley is a 30 foot high steel gate with security locks, coded for each individual guest. As my guest, you can't get in and you can't leave unless I code you in or out. It's a wonderful safety feature.
When I go to the clubs, I take no more than $40.00 with me. At the price of drinks, that can go pretty fast, which means I have very little money to "lose". The remainder of my money, credit cards, jewelry, etc. is locked in a safe deposit box at the front desk of my guest house, which just happens to be across the street. In other words, if you're thinking of playing a hustle on me.... you're heading in the wrong direction!
He paid for the last round of drinks, which we took with us and left for 623 Ursuline, my second home.
The following morning, he left giving me his telephone number. He lives at home (the hustle helps support his family) with his mother and several brothers and sisters. He asked me to call, I said I would. I knew I wouldn't.
He was back with his hustle that night. When he saw me approach, he stopped his hustle, came over and gave me a hug and kiss (in front of a large crowd of people) and went back to his hustle. He stayed with me that night as he did most nights that week; as he has each time I've visited New Orleans for the last six years.
The hustle eventually stopped. Alan got a job at Charity Hospital and continued helping support his family. I began calling and asking his mother to let him know when I was coming to town.
I've no clue where he is today. I'm not at all sure I'll see him in June. The area he lived in before Katrina has been destroyed, the telephone number is "out of service".
Damned Katrina, New Orleans will never be the same.
P.S..... The SEX by the way, was over the top!