It started with Roger L. Simon

Still… despite the fact that I have been married three times (to women) and have three children (of my own seed, as far as I know), I cannot cover up any longer. This dual life has become intolerable. I am gay!

There. I’ve said it. Doesn’t that make you feel better, David? (Can we get back to serious issues now?)

and spread from there to Vanderleun at American Digest

“Thank you Roger. Now I have the strength to out myself as well. For decades I have been a lesbian trapped in a man’s body. I can’t help it. I have this deep need to pursue every beautiful woman I see. What can this be other than latent lesbianism?

and from there to The Anchoress! She enjoys marital sex! A Catholic yet!

I’m Lutheran, and a Republican. I’ve been one pretty much all my life. I remember voting Republican in the mock election in first grade.

And I’m pretty sure it’s okay to be a bit lusty with one’s spouse even if you are a Christian Conservative.

– – Of course, after reading the Anchoress’ post a certain song from the musical Hair! gave me an earworm! —

Todd [tag]Stroger[/tag] and Tony [tag]Peraica[/tag] are running for [tag]Cook County[/tag] Board President. This isn’t your everyday county board as this county’s seat is Chicago. Todd Stroger is the son of the previous office-holder John Stroger, who suffered a stroke just before the primary election in March (which he won) and subsequently gave up the office due to health reasons. Stroger is the Democrat candidate and Peraica is the Republican candidate. Cook County government has been plagued with corruption and budget problems. The county sheriff was often openly feuding with the board president.

I don’t have a horse in this particular race because I don’t live in that county, but because it’s Chicago, it’s Illinois…

Now to the debate. The Daily Herald has the story here. (h/t The Capitol Fax Blog).

The part that caught my eye was regarding the “Gay Games” which were held here during the summer. It was all very controversial at the time.

Stroger hammered Peraica again for his stance on gay rights, pointing to Peraica’s refusal to sign on to a resolution welcoming the Gay Games to Chicago.

Peraica said he didn’t support the Games because they were divisive.

“Why was it divisive?” Kelley [the moderator] asked. “They (the Games) were bringing in money.”

“I don’t think we need to celebrate a gay and lesbian lifestyle,” said Peraica, who added he does not support discrimination against anyone based on sexual orientation.

Peraica is right about them being divisive. For instance, at the upcoming [tag]LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon[/tag] October 22, 2006, orientation is not a factor. You must be 16 to run and must have a parent’s permission if you are under 18. Medals will be given to the top five male and top five female finshers in each age division. That’s it.

The gay games, on the other hand, were athletic competition open to gay athletes only. We didn’t have a hetero games that they couldn’t participate in, why should they exclude us?

Update: As Inigo Montoya says to Vizzini, I say to Mr. Kelley: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” The word I reference here is divisive. Mr. Kelley seems to think it has something to do with making money as his quote above suggests. “Why was it divisive? They were bringing in money.” Kind of like a Pauline Kael line: How could he [Nixon] have won? No one I know voted for him.”

Pacers’ Jackson fires gun at strip club: That’s not fair, the strip club couldn’t get out of the way!

How many headlines and how many stories? The first two are the same story, different headlines. The third is a different story with yet another headline…

BBC reports the publication of the authorised sequel of Peter Pan. J.M. Barrie left the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital in London.

A sequel to children’s classic Peter Pan has been published – more than 100 years after the original.

Peter Pan in Scarlet has been written by award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean, who was commissioned to write the authorised follow-up.

“There is a magic to that place Neverland – it really does take a grip on you,” she said.

The rights of the book were left to Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital by the original author JM Barrie.

The last paragraph is telling:

[McCaughrean] has won the Whitbread Children’s book of the year award three times for re-interpreting classics such as Noah’s Ark, Moby Dick and The Canterbury Tales for younger readers. [emphasis mine]

Moby Dick and The Canterbury Tales qualify as “classics”.

The story of Noah from the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible, I feel, is a bit different.

What do you think?

Peter Pan in Scarlet

Hastert may remain House speaker, for now a Reuters headline. It seems to me that since Denny Hastert is the House Speaker, the qualifier, “for now” is somewhat disingenuous. The headline didn’t need that qualifier at all.

Two different headlines from the same news service, different datelines, on the same event. Once again it’s Reuters:

Dateline Cincinnati: Eavesdropping can continue pending appeal: court

opening graf:

The U.S. government can continue to eavesdrop on Americans’ overseas phone calls and e-mails until its appeal of a judge’s ruling outlawing the surveillance is decided, the U.S. Court of Appeals ruled on Wednesday.

Dateline Chicago: Court says eavesdropping program can continue

opening graf:

The government can continue to listen in on phone calls and e-mails overseas until its appeal of a federal judge’s ruling outlawing the eavesdropping program is decided, the U.S. Appeals Court in Cincinnati ruled on Wednesday.

Of course, both stories are misleading as the NSA program looks at who was calling who, not listening to phone calls. These aren’t wiretaps at all. Calls aren’t listened to. Phone records of what overseas calls (initiated by the overseas party or initiated by the party on American soil) are being made, dates and durations. No one’s calls are being listened to or recorded. This is not “domestic wiretapping”, it’s not listening to American’s phone calls, it’s noting that 555-2345 keeps calling a number in Kabul. And that that number keeps calling 555-2345.  The government may discover that 555-2345 is calling Grandma on a monthly basis to keep in touch. It may be that the number in Kabul is calling 555-2345 (in, say, Santa Barbara) and is also calling 555-3456 in Cincinnati, and 555-5678 in Topeka. And it just could be that none of the three are related to the number in Kabul (it’s not Grandma!) Maybe it’s a call from Kabul and the recipient immediately calls a number in Pakistan. Maybe Kabul can’t call Pakistan directly but Santa Barbara can help them out.

Patterns, people. That’s what the NSA program looks for. Once a pattern is established a WARRANT can be requested.

Rant’s over.

The Associated Press headline, Court temporarily OKs domestic spying, isn’t any better although the opening graf is a bit better:

CINCINNATI-The Bush administration can continue its warrantless surveillance program while it appeals a judge’s ruling that the program is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Here’s my gratuitous cleavage shot. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

See more at the Fifth Annual Blogger Boobiethon which raises money for Breast Cancer Research and where the front page is always work safe.

Lady bloggers, will you join me?

Newsbusters has the transcript of the View where the following exchange appears…

O’Donnell: “I think the horror of imagining six to thirteen-year-old girls handcuffed together and shot execution style, one by one, is perhaps enough to awaken the nation that maybe we need some stricter gun control laws.”

This quickly led to an exchange with the program’s token conservative, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, in which O’Donnell asserted that there is no right to own a gun:

Hasselbeck: “So you can’t- You can’t take way the right to, to bear arms.”

O’Donnell: “Well, it’s not really a right. There’s debate as to what that-“

Hasselbeck: “It is a right. It’s in our Constitution. It’s the Second Amendment.”

O’Donnell: “Well, let’s talk instead of yell.”

Hasselbeck: “I’m not yelling.”

Rosie, the first ten amendments are known as “THE BILL OF RIGHTS’. The Second Amendment is included in the first ten. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10…

Elizabeth Hasselbeck – you go girl!

Go read the rest.

CBS’ version that is…

The Anchoress has insightful commentary, as always…

And she just reached a milestone of 2 million visitors! We can only aspire to that….

I was looking at the partially drained pool this afternoon to see what I needed to do to get it completely drained and surprise, surprise, there was a dead black squirrel floating in what water was left… eeeeewwwwww…..

Hubby had to don the disposable gloves and retrieve the carcass and bag it for garbage pick-up tomorrow. What timing.

We had a series of really bad storms last night. The squirrel may have gotten in the pool to shelter (it’s a soft sided pool with an inflated ring at the top), gotten trapped, and drowned. He (or she) may have fallen from the tree above the pool. I don’t think the squirrel had been hit by lightning as it didn’t seem burnt, but you never know.

Hubby said it was stiff. Rigor had set in. I do believe that is consistent with a death within 24 hours. I hope it hadn’t been there longer than that.

eeeewwwww