Category: VirgoTex

Immoral Values, Law/Justice, Marriage Equality, Religion, VirgoTex9 Comments

Beyond mere homophobia: a sad day for Rhode Island

Yesterday, Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri, vetoed 25 bills passed by the State Assembly. One of those bills would have changed existing state law to add “domestic partners” to those authorized by law to make funeral arrangements for each other. That’s right. The Governor says if you are gay, and your partner dies, you can’t claim their body and you can’t arrange for their funeral or cremation. Not just because you’re gay but because … wait for it: it would threaten traditional marriage. In hisveto message, Republican Carcieri said: “This bill represents a disturbing trend over the past few years … Continue reading Beyond mere homophobia: a sad day for Rhode Island

Law/Justice, Marriage Equality, VirgoTex2 Comments

A day late

A lot of people weren’t surprised by it, but still, theloss last night in Maine was a severe blow for marriage equality and LGBT civil rights. So where do we stand today? What do we do next time? It’s hard to even hazard a guess, given the level of frustration on a day like today. If nothing else, I hope we leave behind these state by state bloodlettings and put the focus on strategy at the national level. Because losing 30 times in a row sucks. Continue reading A day late

Law/Justice, VirgoTex3 Comments

Well, this will be interesting

Not only does it refuse to go away, but thenational controversy over Texas governor Rick Perry’s alleged mishandling of the clemency report and subsequent execution of Cameron Todd Willingham keeps growing. While he may blame this all he wants to on liberal politics in an election year, it’s Perry’s own fault. Most recently, for example, heousted three of nine members of the state Forensic Science Commission(including its chairman) just two days before their long-awaited review of a new report on the arson investigation that led to Willingham’s conviction. Former chair Sam Bassett, replaced with a cherry-picked hardline conservative prosecutor, later … Continue reading Well, this will be interesting

Current Affairs, VirgoTex, Web/Tech5 Comments

Workin’ in the data mine, goin’ down down down

This isn’t another Balloon Boy post but it starts somewhat adjacent to it, so stay with me here. In her post the other day, It Doesn’t Concern You, A. talked about feeling “pressured” to have an opinion and/or be invested in hyped-up stories “that have nothing to do with anything.” But increasingly I feel pressure by the media-sociological machine to have a personal opinion about other people’s lives and that gets on my damn nerves. It’s all news of the weird now, all little personal outrages, all the time, and none of it matters to anyone. She was looking at … Continue reading Workin’ in the data mine, goin’ down down down

Immoral Values, Law/Justice, VirgoTex12 Comments

The right to hate

The two young straight men who killed Matthew Shepard robbed him, pistol whipped him, tortured him, and left him to die, tied to a fence in remote, rural Wyoming. The man who found him the next day at first thought he was a busted up scarecrow. Last night was the 11th anniversary of that hate crime. Did Representative Louie Gohmert (R, TX) know thatwhen he attacked the pendingMatthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill last night on the house floor? It would be interesting to find out, especially since Gohmert was there to speak on an entirely different matter. He was there … Continue reading The right to hate

Religion, Science, VirgoTex14 Comments

Science is real. Just ask one of those nice atheists over there with the dinosaur bones

First there was this: Five things that would make atheists seem nicer linked to byPZ, who of course quite gracefully pissed all over it: I especially appreciate the word “seem,” because Lord knows there’s nothing that could make usactually nice, and obviously we need the suggestions of a Christian, since we’re all such not-nice people. I should make a counter-list of “five things that would make Christians seem intelligent” That begatthis. All of which I can only reply to with this: And don’t missthis. Orthis. H/T toforgetomori for the post on TMBG’s newHere Comes Science. —– Continue reading Science is real. Just ask one of those nice atheists over there with the dinosaur bones

Immoral Values, Political Crack, Religion, VirgoTex6 Comments

Maybe you should just set those tax dollars on fire, Senator Hatch

Not content with afull morning of carnage, the Senate Finance Committee apparently had a bit of time on its hands after throwing the Public Option under the bus Tuesday. So they stayed late and passed a measure by Orrin Fucking Hatch to restore funding for abstinence fucking only education. How much money? How much of our tax dollars do 12 committee members want to spend on something thatEVEN TEXAS finally admits doesn’t work? Fifty million. Annually. Yeah, vote down substantive change that would help tens of thousands of people get comprehensive health care but by all fucking means, let’s approve … Continue reading Maybe you should just set those tax dollars on fire, Senator Hatch

Political Crack, VirgoTex3 Comments

Can you hear me now?

I don’t know about you, but when I heard the news Monday that FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski had announced plans to formalize net neutrality principles, Kay Bailey Hutchison and the Texas gubernatorial race were the farthest things from my mind. But within just a couple of hours KBH was swaggering around on Twitter, throwing down trash talk. #KBH leading fight against #Obama #netneurality overregulation of Internet. More job killing regs from WH. http://tinyurl.com/n2g859 #tcot 4:43pm, Monday September 22 So it was “Team Kay,” not Kay herself, and she was actually just one of a group of particularly slimy Republicans: John … Continue reading Can you hear me now?

Stupid Republican Tricks, VirgoTex9 Comments

“As if that matters to freedom-loving Americans…”

From the newly-launched website of thePresident’s Food Safety Working Group. In the coming months, at President Obama’s direction, the U.S. government will take long overdue action to protect American families from foodborne illness. This action includes new rules and standards to reducedangerous infections caused by Salmonella and E .coli O157:H7, better approaches to outbreak response, and vastly improved Federal coordination of food safety efforts. Together, these initial efforts represent a down payment on a stronger food safety system that will deliver greater value, more thoroughly prevent illnesses and more effectively promote the health and well-being of theAmerican people. Michele Bachmann … Continue reading “As if that matters to freedom-loving Americans…”

Current Affairs, Do Something, VirgoTex7 Comments

Well done!

Yesterday, Eddie Izzard completedthe last of 43 marathons he’s run in 7 weeks in order to raise funds and awareness for theSport Relief charity. Izzard raised more £200,000 (more donations are likely), doing six marathons a week for a total of 1,100 miles, on a route through England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He’s definitely “an action transvestite” now. He’s also dropped hints he may run for Parliament at some point in the future. Continue reading Well done!

Immoral Values, Law/Justice, VirgoTex8 Comments

“It got bent when I was still young”

Briefly revisiting something I brought up in response to A’s excellent “Um, YEAH” post yesterday, about historical precedents for politicians going against the tide in order to accomplish something and being repaid in political capital. This, unsurprisingly, as it relates to the debate on health care reform. Also unsurprisingly I’m going to drag Robert Caro off the bookshelf again. Sorry folks, the Caro series on LBJ is just that good. Even if you despise the very idea of LBJ, don’t let that keep you from reading the series because it’s about so much more, about the the whole freaking nation, … Continue reading “It got bent when I was still young”

Geek Cred, VirgoTex16 Comments

Without form, and void

So, Gmail was (relatively)briefly off-line yesterday, causing a cascading digital freak out. The #gmailfail in turn begot the #failwhale as within minutes, hundreds — yes, hundreds — began to process their experience of the disconnect via Twitter. Personally, I was more curious and amused than upset. I get a few personal emails a day but the bulk of my Gmail is from other software programs, like my calendar, task updates, reminders, and Twitter. Ironically, when Gmail came back up, the only mails I had at the moment were copies of tweets about the Gmail outage. Earth-shattering or not, events like … Continue reading Without form, and void

Hurricane Katrina & Federal Flood, Television, Terrorism, VirgoTex, War in Iraq6 Comments

Must-see TV

I may have, on occasion, professed that I rather like Rachel Maddow, and I’ve more than once posted here about her. This one, though, isn’t just fangirl squee, trust me. Maddow knocked it out of the park last night with this Tom Ridge interview. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth your attention. The clip below is one of three, the other two are on her showsite. She devoted over half the program to the conversation with Ridge, starting with the topic of whether politics influenced DHS terror alerts, whether Ridge has backtracked on statements to that effect made … Continue reading Must-see TV