Thursday Bite-Sized Pieces

Pepin Tuma, a 33-year-old attorney in Washington, D.C., was thrown in jail for saying singing, "I hate the police."  As with Henry Louis Gates, Tuma was arrested and charged with "disorderly conduct" (which of course means whatever a cop wants it to mean at any given moment).  There are allegations that the arresting officer called Tuma "a faggot." 

Homobigot Matt Barber is outraged that Home Depot sponsors a children’s craft area at Nashville Gay Pride and at other pride events around the country.  He claims the home improvement store is "facilitating the exposure of children to sinful behavior."  (They're making toy airplanes out of balsa wood for chrissake, not participating in orgies.)  Timothy Kincaid at Box Turtle Bulletin notes that the only children being 'exposed' are those attending the celebrations with their parents:  "It is either children of gay parents or of those who support our rights."

A spokesman for the Democratic Party has responded to Senator David Vitter's recent comment that Southern senators are responsible for keeping the GOP committed to "core conservative values."   Says Kevin Franck:  "Last time I checked, you don't find core Southern values in the places David Vitter has been found.  If David Vitter can lead his party back to their conservative values, maybe Larry Craig can give them tips on bathroom etiquette and Mark Sanford can recommend a really good restaurant in Buenos Aires."  (Meow.)

According to a study on executive compensation released by New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, financial giants that received federal bailout money in 2008 have awarded bonuses to their employees exceeding the amount of profit generated by the banks.  (Let's hope Tim Geithner remembers this the next time they come begging for cash.)

There are reports that Sarah Palin is open to the possibility of hosting her very own talk radio program.  Caribou Barbie wouldn't be the first failed politician to belch opinions into a microphone.  Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s commentaries are broadcast on more than 400 stations via Citadel Media.  (Just what this country needs, another right-wing fanatic on the radio.)  Clear Channel, the nation’s largest radio conglomerate, has already turned her down.

A wingnut named Jason Hommel is offering $100,000 to anyone who can prove that Barack Obama is a natural born citizen of the United States "to his satisfaction."  (And I'll offer 100K to anyone who can prove that Jason Hommel is motivated by something other than resentment over the outcome of the presidential election - to MY satisfaction.)

As if the Birthers weren't crazy enough for the GOP, now they have Deathers, conservatives who play on the fears of elderly Americans by falsely claiming that Obama's health care reform will, quite literally, kill them.  (It's no surpise that these rumors are being generated by Republican lawmakers and the private insurers who pay them to maintain the status quo.)

Steve Ensley of American Family Online is calling for a boycott of Google because "every major financial announcement" by the popular search engine is "issued from the Playboy Mansion."  He says he's also upset that Google doesn't allow pro-life ads to be purchased or placed on its website.  (Which is a lie.)  Ensley claims that his group has been approached by representatives from Bing who are interested in cultivating the family values crowd.  (We'll have to keep an eye on that.  If Bing starts pandering to Christianists, progressives might be tempted to do their searching elsewhere.)

Cops in Mississippi now spin a "Wheel of Fortune" before deciding who to arrest on outstanding warrants.  They call their game show-inspired contraption "The Wheel of Justice."  (You'd think the police would prioritize these cases and go after the most dangerous criminals first.  But then, I suppose that wouldn't be as much fun.)

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund has announced that Obama will be awarding America’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to Harvey Milk, one of the country’s first openly gay elected officials.   Pam Spaulding writes:  "If only Harvey could be here to step up to the podium, receive the medal, and proceed to tell the administration and Congress to get off its asses and do something concrete and lasting that will help all LGBT people in America achieve equality."

Comments

[Gaina]

Hi Max :)

It seems the case of Henry Louis Gates just gets more interesting. On the news here in England today we learned that the white officer who arrested him was not only recommended for promotion by his black superior at the time but also trained other officers how not to be racist, and the black officer who was with him when he arrested Mr Gates fully supported his actions.

I liked the way Mr Obama handled it thought. Personally I don't think he should have to apologize for his very direct response to the incident, but there you got. There's nothing more refreshing that a politician who's big enough to say 'Yeah, I put my foot in my mouth, I'm human. Now how can I fix this?'. Our own Mr Brown could learn a thing or two from him with regard to humility.

[Max P.]

Howdy Gaina. "Humility" isn't the first word I connect to Obama - lol - but he does seem to want to build bridges. Er, as long as those bridges don't lead to LGBT rights. And that, as you pointed out in a comment on another post, is something we probably should have foreseen.

Give my best to your Mr. Brown. ;}

[Bee Girl]

Palin on radio? That's a laugh. I wonder whatever happened to that reality show they were talking about for her.

[Gaina]

Haha I guess the 'H-word' is relative when comparing him to a prat like Bush :).

I'm a 'bear of little brain' today due to a cold so I don't recall the comment I made that you're referencing but Yes, his whole attitude to LGBT issues does perplex me. But then again anyone who still gets their panties in a bunch about other people's sexual orientation perplexes me anyway.

As for Mr Brown? Ugh, just don't get me started....