The Re Collection

Why we’re feared:

Robin Morgan on what would have been the 15th birthday of Abeer Qassim Hamza al-Janabi

AlterNet: War on Iraq: Rape, Murder, and the American GI
Sometimes, a few nice American guys are found guilty — as Green and his buddies might be. Then all returns to “normal.” They’re sacrificed to save the ranks of those who train them to do what they did, and to save the careers of politicians who sermonize obscenely about “moral values” while issuing moral waivers.

I don’t usually post about Democratic Party machinations, but this is a giddy day in Netrootsland.

Booman’s take: Lieberman Jumps Ship

Joe Lieberman jumped ship today. He pledged to run for reelection to his Connecticut Senate seat even if he loses the August 8th [Democratic Party] primary. Lieberman is engaged in some kind of verbal jujitsu, wherein he denies that an independent, unaffiliated run for the Senate against a Democrat and a Republican would prevent him from running as a Democrat. He claims he will merely be a ‘petitioning Democrat’.

Not so. The party must and will support Ned Lamont. […]

I am going to go out on a limb here and predict that Lieberman has just guaranteed that he will lose the primary. […]

The question then becomes, who will win in November? Lamont, Lieberman, or Republican Alan Schlesinger?[…] Too close to call. I doubt anyone will top 40%.

One thing I am sure of. The Netroots just flexed their muscles and Lieberman blinked. This is our first, real, tangible victory. Joe Lieberman has been forced out of the party. He will lose the primary. If we have to grudgingly accept him back into the fold in November, so be it. I hope the good people of Connecticut will not make the wrong decision.

I think it’s fair to say that today I rejoice with all my Netroots community, those who still have hope in the Dems, and those who work in other ways for progressive goals. Buh-bye, Joe; don’t let the gurney hit you on the way out.

Bloggers Against Torture

Join Us!

Join Us!

I know it will come as a huge surprise to my loyal readers — all two of you — that I am taking a firm stand on this issue.

Add your blog to the anti-torture side of the internets by clicking the Join Us link. It’s a small step, but if enough do it, it may garner some Corporate Media attention and perhaps instill some small bit of shame among those who…I know who am I kidding, those folks have no shame or they wouldn’t be involved in the disgusting business in the first place.

Nonetheless, it can’t hurt, and will give you a reason to harp some more on such quaint notions as human rights and American idealism during the month of June (in addition to the always festive queer rights topics that June has provided for some time now).

If you follow the links, you will get to the site of the new film Road to Guantanamo which opens (somewhere, not where I am) on June 23. There is more info on the whole torture business as well in other links.

As difficult as it is to deal with this, this is being done in our name and so we have a responsibility to learn and of course to act to stop it. We cannot turn our eyes away and pretend it is not happening, which is a natural and understandable reaction. A new kind of strength is required in this movement now, and we (in which I of course include myself) must find it in ourselves.

10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong (not what you think)…

01) Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.
02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
03) Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.
04) Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn’t changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can’t marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.
05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears’ 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
06) Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn’t be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren’t full yet, and the world needs more children.
07) Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.
08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That’s why we have only one religion in America.
09) Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That’s why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.
10) Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven’t adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Repost if you believe that LOVE not GENDER makes a marriage.

Hat tip to Steve Gilliard

Progressive Activism 101:

Be happy, it upsets the Christo-fascists to no end.

This is a piece of
postive news, if a bit overdue. No no more “homesexuals” in their news articles. “The Gay Agenda” advances again!

My late friend Dana Whitehurst would be calling a press conference about now, proclaiming that his (and mine) 1986 letter to the St. Petersburg Times on this very language has finally been widely adopted — although the Times has been ahead of the AP in some regards on this.

Hey, Dana, once again, we were right; and the self-loathing pacifiers were wrong!

Jeanne of Body and Soul exposes yet another disgusting example of the immaturity — and counter-effectiveness — of the little boys who are running things in this country. Just pathetic. And 39% of people in this country think they are just the keenist kids on the playground.

Anne Lamott is one of those rare writers that tell all the truth all the time, even when talking to nice progressive Catholics about abortion.

Dan Savage uncovers a mountain of denial in the latest conservative dustups over gays and movies:

Sometimes I wonder if evangelicals really believe that gay men can go straight. If they don’t think Chad Allen can play straight convincingly for 108 minutes, do they honestly imagine that gay men who aren’t actors can play straight for a lifetime? And if anyone reading this believes that gay men can actually become ex-gay men, I have just one question for you: Would you want your daughter to marry one?

I don’t have a thing to add to John’s latest rant about the sadistic religious right’s testosterone-terrorist control obsession money-grubbing bull shit.

I Blame The Patriarchy reads Oprah. Much patriarchy-blaming, gnashing of teeth and hilarity ensues.

I have only one thing to add:

Oprah, buy me a house (taxes too!), and all will be forgiven.