If John McCain had set out to lose the campaign, he could not have made up a better plan. If they didn't have super active meanstreaks, I would say that both he and Palin are pitiful.
grandma
· 1 year ago
Good morning...
wow...a beautiful poem...much said in few words.
AdrianBrowne
· 1 year ago
BBC reporting:
U.S. military sez we've killed the Number Two guy in al-Queda . . . again . . . he was in Iraq
Indigo
· 1 year ago
I've lost count. How many #2 guys have the U.S. military taken out now?
Laura-In-CC (fka Doodlebug)
· 1 year ago
Al Queda isn't equal opportunity, you have to achieve promotion from within the ranks. #5 moves up to #4, to #3, etc. as soon as #2 is killed -- so there's always a #2!
grandma
· 1 year ago
Recount:
Norm Coleman’s campaign says a 100-vote increase for Al Franken overnight is suspicious and has filed a data practices act request ...
perhaps they should be wondering why there was a 100 vote DECREASE for Franken BEFORE.
HereinDC
· 1 year ago
Ari...Wow! The Nation on Morning tv........and not the likes of Ann Coulter or some other right wing hack.
Finally some honest reporting.
( Yes.....the Right Wing hacks are IRRELEVANT! ) YEA!
grandma
· 1 year ago
Ezra Klein has no sympathy for Lieberman:
As chairman of this committee for the last two years, Lieberman decided not to pursue any accusations of wrongdoing against the Bush administration. Lieberman's House counterpart -- Rep. Henry Waxman's Oversight Committee -- was a vigilant watchdog, holding hearings, issuing subpoenas, and launching multiple investigations. Lieberman preferred to let his committee do no real work at all. It was arguably the most pathetic display of this Congress.
God bless Langston Hughes. One of our greatest gay poets. He was discovered while working as a busboy at what is now the Wardman Park Marriott in DC, when he left his poetry on scraps of paper at the table of Vachel Lindsay, whose table he was working. Lindsey asked who wrote the poetry left on scraps at his table... and the rest is history.
Rob Mule
· 1 year ago
"The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes" is a wonderful book to have and available as low as $8.53 from online book sellers. Sadly, Langston's estate, unaware of an internet at the time its rules were established, has made internet availibility of his poems very limited so a printed collection is a must. Wiki bio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes
Why's everything in italic???
dad
· 1 year ago
good poem.
grandma
· 1 year ago
Reading Langston Hughes poem...I thought of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and how horrible our President's reaction was.......I can just imagine the competence with which Obama would have handled such a catastrophe...
I think that was when Bush's approval ratings dipped so low....and never recovered.
grandma
· 1 year ago
Bob Herbert this morning in the NY Times:
Take a Bow, America
Voters said no to incompetence and divisiveness and elbowed their way past the blight of racism that has been such a barrier to progress for so long. Barack Obama won the state of North Carolina, for crying out loud.
The nation deserves to take a bow. This is not the same place it used to be.
I do hope that Maya Angelou is busy crafting a jaw-dropping, mind-blowing, heart-stopping poem for Obama's inauguration, as she did for Clinton. She wrote the best poem of the past 100 years for my money: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/still-i-rise/
TampaZeke
· 1 year ago
With all the hoopla surrounding Proposition 8 and how the gay community feels thrown under the bus by the African-American community, I think a poem like "I, too Sing America" by a GAY, African-American poet is particularly appropriate and timely.
Asterix
· 1 year ago
One of the local TeeVee stations shows South Park reruns in the 11:30 PM slot. Last night was the Mormon one about Joseph Smith (dum, dum, dum...). I can't help but think that the episode selection was intentional, even if they are a Fox affiliate.
Heterosexual couples stand in a church, and swear to GOD, to LOVE, HONOR,and COMMIT, til' DEATH do us part. Then a year or so later, NOT SO MUCH. Breaking a PROMISE to GOD. WOW. With the divorce rate at 50-55%, why would GAYS and LESBIANS want to emulate such a FAILED institution. I totally get the legal stuff, and I respect the idea of LONG TERM relationships, friends and lovers, but for the life of me I do not get the whole MARRIAGE FARCE.
Fireblazes(CheetohsandCatfood)
· 1 year ago
I have been married for 28 years. Sometimes I don't get it either. But all in all it is worth it.
Ben Dover
· 1 year ago
Great on the 28 years Fireblazes! That's really wonderful. My partner and I have been together for 24 years and I think it's worth it too. After putting up with me for 24 years, I'm convinced the other half deserves a statue in their honor. LOL
Fireblazes(CheetohsandCatfood)
· 1 year ago
Yeah, my nickname during the election became "OCD". I am kind of high maintenance too.
driver1076
· 1 year ago
I agree with Your point on marriage but as a family man with 3 gay loved ones and a close family friend as well,I do agree that the LGBT deserves the same legal stature as a hetrosexual couple,I think this should be brought up on the federal level and take the legal definition out of marriage and replace it with civil union and let the religion have the marriage decree.Hell I have been married twice and it wont happen again but it would be nice for My long term girlfriend and mother to My youngest children to have the legal protection that the first 2 wifes had.
trailrunner413
· 1 year ago
I was overjoyed about Obama's victory but prop 8 was a bitter pill in deed. It's ironic that what perhaps put him in the Whitehouse - the swelling of African American votes - also helped prop 8's success. While we had to get the rats out, the Democratic party is not necessarily any better than the republican on what's best for gays. I believe we would have fared just as well in a room of red necks or republicans as with African American voters --I'm sure we could find 3 in 10 rednecks or republicans that would support gay marriage. Obama threw crumbs to the gay community at best and many of us worked hard on his campaign. He certainly could have had significant sway with the African American voters and influenced the vote. I can now see the Log Cabin perspective and no longer call myself Democrat (instead independent).
Rob Mule
· 1 year ago
Well, folks it does appear the protest effort has been very successful so far...I've read and watched countless reports in MSM and have noticed Ablog mentioned in some reports with John A quoted, pretty good for just 4 days after the election. Everyone I've told about the idea I read here in comments about dressing as missionaries while holding hands and kissing outside temples thinks its a great idea. Gay bars and clubs should have costume party Mormon nights and fund raise for the effort.
Ben Dover
· 1 year ago
Having booths at Pride Fest's across the country would be fun too. Hey, maybe a Mormon Cult Kissing Booth?
Rob Mule
· 1 year ago
LOL!!! Or, a Dunk the Mormon Toss...
SebastianCA
· 1 year ago
The media is under reporting the massive event in San Francisco last night. Totally under reporting. There were at least 25,000 people there.
MaudGonne
· 1 year ago
LINK?
Ubiquitous
· 1 year ago
This supposedly came from Alice Walker:
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
I didn't know the Dalai Lama was a pantheist, let alone discussed "soul." That's pretty far off track from what Buddhists teach. "Alice Walker" needs a fact checker.
All Comments
wow...a beautiful poem...much said in few words.
U.S. military sez we've killed the Number Two guy in al-Queda . . . again . . . he was in Iraq
Norm Coleman’s campaign says a 100-vote increase for Al Franken overnight is suspicious and has filed a data practices act request ...
http://minnesotaindependent.com/16942/100-vote-...
http://politicalblogs.startribune.com/bigquesti...
The Nation on Morning tv........and not the likes of Ann Coulter or some other right wing hack.
Finally some honest reporting.
( Yes.....the Right Wing hacks are IRRELEVANT! )
YEA!
As chairman of this committee for the last two years, Lieberman decided not to pursue any accusations of wrongdoing against the Bush administration. Lieberman's House counterpart -- Rep. Henry Waxman's Oversight Committee -- was a vigilant watchdog, holding hearings, issuing subpoenas, and launching multiple investigations. Lieberman preferred to let his committee do no real work at all. It was arguably the most pathetic display of this Congress.
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily...
Wiki bio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langston_Hughes
Why's everything in italic???
I think that was when Bush's approval ratings dipped so low....and never recovered.
Take a Bow, America
Voters said no to incompetence and divisiveness and elbowed their way past the blight of racism that has been such a barrier to progress for so long. Barack Obama won the state of North Carolina, for crying out loud.
The nation deserves to take a bow. This is not the same place it used to be.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/08/opinion/08her...
http://action.firedoglake.com/page/petition/nom...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJ9n7ezO3J4
Remember, Mitt Romney is still out there.
My partner and I have been together for 24 years and I think it's worth it too. After putting up with me for 24 years, I'm convinced the other half deserves a statue in their honor. LOL
Everyone I've told about the idea I read here in comments about dressing as missionaries while holding hands and kissing outside temples thinks its a great idea.
Gay bars and clubs should have costume party Mormon nights and fund raise for the effort.
Or, a Dunk the Mormon Toss...
Dear Brother Obama,
You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.
I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.
I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.
A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.
We are the ones we have been waiting for.
In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker
Nov. 5, 2008
© 2008, Alice Walker
__._,_.___