News 7/21/10

(The brown suit. The paternal gaze. Everybody love Dwight D. Eisenhower.)

• Constance McMillen wins the suit against her stupid Mississippi school board. A hug and a kiss to Ms. McMillen. Some days the bigots lose.

• Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack reconsidering the firing of Shirley Sherrod after White House intervenes. Trumped up charges of racism may not be enough for her to lose her job.

• Chinese oil spill not as big and impressive as BP oil spill. Do we win a prize?

• Roy Ashburn apologizes for his past bigotry and urges the Republican party to stand up for what it claims to believe in: minimal government intervention in the private lives of people and the American ideal of equality for all people. Good luck in your noble effort senator. Seems like a pretty heavy lift for today's GOP.

There's a Place For Hairdo Scofflaws...

It looks like Constance McMillen was tricked into attending a prom with only seven other people while all the "popular" kids had their own snotty prom across town.

McMillen looked on the bright side though, noting that the kids at her prom didn't have to worry about being ridiculed.

(Photo of Jay Hillmer as evil Principal Davidson in John Water's 1988 movie Hairspray "That's right Ms. Turnblad, special education!"  Photo from aveleyman.com)

Morning News 4/01/10

Happy April everyone!

No more firings under DADT!? Joe My God has a nice summary of this morning's announcement by Sec. of the Army John McHugh. Apparently, it is easier to talk to gay soldiers about the effects of DADT when they don't have to be afraid of being fired under DADT for talking about the effects of being gay under the policy. (Do you follow me?)

Well, I live in the White House with my wife, two daughters and my mother-in-law. President Obama fills out his census form on Census Day.

Google changes name to "Topeka" (in honor of April Fool's Day) proposes a "text-only" version of Youtube.

Constance McMillen will be able to attend the private prom in a tux with her girlfriend.

(Photo titled: "half eaten" by Sarah Marriage is an image of peanut butter fudge covered with ganache, in honor of my first true story posting "the 675 pound mixer of doom.")

Evening News 3/23/10

Went to happy hour at Davis Street Tavern today with Linda and Jim. We shared several plates of oysters, a hangar steak and frítes, sausage platter, cheese plate and several lovely cocktails. Definitely worth your time.

President Obama signed Health Care Reform into Law today.

Robert Gates may announce a more humane way to discriminate against gay soldiers ahead of possible full repeal of the repugnant "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy.

A federal judge ruled that a Mississippi school board violated Constance McMillen's rights by cancelling her high school's prom. But he didn't order them to hold the prom either. This reminds me of southern communities filling in their swimming pools with sand rather than integrating them back in the 60's.

(Update: Dan Savage over on SLOG has a super recap of Constance's court proceedings today and a great interview with her that is worth checking out.)

The ACLU and Equality California have appealed Judge Walker's ruling that they turn over their internal campaign documents for the Prop 8 Trial.

(Photo of the Davis Street Tavern from the Portland Mercury.)

$30,000 Scholarship for McMillen

Yay.

Constance McMillen who is suing her prom-canceling school board, has just received a $30,000 college scholarship from talk-show super lesbian Ellen DeGeneres.

One time...

Back when my Mom was regional President of PFLAG, Ellen's mom Betty stayed at my parents' house. I was away at school at the time so I didn't get to meet her, but she sounds like a super neat lady.

If the Flaming Chef could, he would kiss Ellen on the cheek like a good brother, but only if that was OK with her.

Morning News 3/19/10

Surprise! The House of Representatives should be voting on Health Care Reform Sunday and the Republicans want to kill the sucker dead. Henry Waxman cautioned wavering democrats, "Members who think they have a tough race are not going to find security in voting no," he said. "If this bill doesn't pass, they are going to be wiped out."

Report from the CBO places HCR at $940 billion, which upsets a lot of people. Interesting to note how (comparitively) easily the nation has spent more than that on the wars in Iraq and Afganistan. It is easier to spend money on killing people than it is to make sure that everyone has health care.

"Wouldn't you rather play a nice game of chess?" The U.S. and Russia are finishing up a strategic arms reduction treaty. I'm sorry, what decade is this?

Mississippi Rock Lobster still fighting for the right to go to prom. Constance Mcmillan's school canceled it's prom rather than allow her to attend. Battling facebook pages:

Let Constance go to the Prom with her date: 363,803 fans.

Don't let Constance take her date to the prom: 79 fans.

The Smoking toddler returns. A baby born when the FDA first proposed bans on marketing cigarettes to children is almost old enough to smoke now that the FDA is ready to enact the ban.