Saturday Night's Alright For... Baking

It's raining, I'm bored. It's Pear Upside-Down Cake time! Let me know in the comments if you want the recipe.

Yet Another Boozebag Catholic Bishop Busted for Being Drunk in Charge of a Car

He must've gotten a bad ice cube...

Boozebag Archbishop distraught over same-gender marriage in Rhode Island

Any questions for the Archbishop can be left at the Reception Desk at the Upper Room Lounge, San Francisco Archbishop's Mansion & Grille.

Archbishop of San Francisco calls Rhode Island marriage equality ‘a serious injustice’ (via Raw Story )

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco on Friday lashed out at the state of Rhode Island over a newly signed law that allows same-sex couples to legally marry. Cordileone, the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, described…

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Massachusetts' State Flower

We have a a nice patch of Mayflower or Trailing Arbutus (Epigaea repens) growing near our house. It is just beginning to bloom now and is just lovely with a very light fragrance. It reminds me of orange flowers a little. Enjoy!

Good Morning!

It's Friday and only 8 more hours in that sweatshop in which I toil. I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I can spend some time puttering in the garden.

Have a great day and to those of us who are slogging off to work... It's almost over. Enjoy these spring blooms from our garden.

The George W Bush Fortress of Ineptitude

From "The Great State of Maine" via The Daily Kos

Monument to a Dirtbag

The Fortress of Ineptitude

The media will be fixated tomorrow on the opening of the $250 million ("Just put it on someone's credit card, we'll pay for it later") George W. Bush Terrible President Library at Southern Methodist University. It's an imposing structure, and I can't imagine what the hell they've filled its 207,000 square-feet with. I have a few ideas, though, for what I'd put on display. 

This is just a partial list:

• The 'Mission Accomplished' banner and the codpiece he wore ten years ago when he declared that major combat operations had ended in Iraq even though they continued for the rest of his presidency.

• The chair in which he sat, frozen, at Booker Elementary School on 9/11 after he was told "America is under attack." Also his dog-eared copy of "The Pet Goat."

• A bag of pretzels, of course.

• On a continuous loop in the lobby: a recording of the push-poll question his campaign used to destroy John McCain in 2000…

"Would you be more likely or less likely to vote for John McCain for president if you knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child?"

...just to show visiting school kids what a classy guy Bush is.

• A piece of the birthday cake he shared with John McCain in Phoenix as the levees were busting open in New Orleans.

• The golf club he swung immediately after vowing to "stop these terrorist killers."

• The 2005 "Can I go pee?" note he scribbled to Condi Rice at the United Nations.

• The Segway he fell off of in 2003.

• A credit card bill forwarded from the White House to "The People of the United States of America" with a balance of $10 trillion.

• The August 6, 2001 PDB: Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside US.

• Some aluminum tubes.

• The vial of baby powder Colin Powell used to scare us to death at the United Nations.

• The best of FEMA Director Michael Brown's Katrina emails, including "I am a fashion god" and "Can I quit now? Can I go home?"

• A photo collage of the U.S. soldiers who died during the Iraq war underneath a sign that says, "Oops!"

• The shoes that were thrown at him by a journalist during his last visit to Iraq.

• The shirt Bill Clinton was wearing in Haiti when Bush used it as a rag to wipe a commoner's cooties off his hand in 2010.

View from my window

It rained last night and there was a pretty good breeze blowing too, dropping a lot of debris from the trees over the patio here at the Clubhouse. Unfortunately the combination of windy and rainy weather also made my daffodils a little worse for wear, but the tulips are holding up well. Here's a little peek from the kitchen window (click to make bigger)...

Like my friend Anne says... "Florida..."

Drunk Florida man admits shooting up public docks and then poops pants

From RawStory.com

An Orlando man was recently arrested after he defecated in his own pants while admitting to police that the he shot up a public dock.

According to an arrest report published by TCPalm on Tuesday, the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of shots fired near the Gifford Docks in Vero Beach at around 9:20 p.m. on April 9 and found 44-year-old Michael Johnston.

The Orlando man verified that he had been drinking and firing weapons, and gave the officer permission to search the trunk of his car for a .45 caliber black powder pistol and a .40 caliber Glock pistol. Johnston explained that he had consumed at least eight alcoholic beverages, but said that the two cans of Colt 45 had been “too many apparently!”

The police report also indicated that a second man had been with Johnston at the docks.

After being read his Miranda rights, Johnston told the deputy that both men had been “drinking and shooting.”

“I am impaired,” the suspect reportedly said.

“Johnston was swaying while I was speaking to him due to his intoxication and defecated in his pants, which he admitted was from his intoxication,” the deputy wrote.

The charging document stated that at least 20 rounds were fired from both firearms at a glass bottle, resulting in “bullet holes and ricochet damage caused from multiple bullets on the dock’s walkway and pillars.”

“The dock shit is my shit!” Johnston said, referring to the bullet holes, not the poop in his pants.

He was charged with using a firearm under the influence of alcohol and criminal mischief, both misdemeanors. The deputy said that the damage to the docks was an “eyesore” and would need to be repaired “due to the negative impression that will be seen by visitors of county docks.”

 

Game of Thrones

When I first started watching Game of Thrones (HBO, Sunday nights at 9) I watched the first season through and After Ned Stark (played wonderfully by Sean Bean) was killed off I thought that was the end of it for me. None of the characters was especially appealing to me and the story lines were amazingly Byzantine; so much so that I wasn't really interested in watching season 2. However as the 3rd season approached and the Internet was abuzz about what was going to happen on Season 3, I thought that I'd start over again and see what all of the fuss was about. I slogged through Season 1 again and dove right into Season 2 with gusto. Several characters really stuck with me. Joffrey, the little shit-king of Westeros is someone you love to watch just because you hate him so much and are waiting for his come-comeuppance. Cersei, the Shit-King Mother, who bore the Shit-King after a long standing affair with her brother Jamie. She's just so twisted I love watching her. But the one that has been the most fascinating to me is Daenerys Targaryan. That little blond girl who was sold by her stinking no-good brother to a barbaric hunk o'man who led an army of fierce warriors. She has turned from "payment" into one of the fiercest of the warriors of all. Smart, treacherous, and all-consumed with regaining the Iron Throne of Westeros for herself. She is a treat to watch. She's beautiful, cunning, kind and cruel all at the same time. She even has a brood of dragons who think she's their mother! 

If you haven't seen this show, get to it! It's terrific!

Free at last!

 

I have decided to take a break from Facebook. It was once an interesting place to catch up on what's happening with friends and it has now devolved into an outlet for streams of consciousness that results in endless posts of politics, stupid captioned photos and "bromides". Thanks, but I've had enough! For the foreseeable future, if I have anything to say, I'll say it here at the Clubhouse and if anyone's interested you can check in with me here. So, Abientot! for now.

-Frenchy-

Tulip Time (cont.)

More beautiful tulips coming up!

What we've learned in the 14 years since the Columbine Killings

Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect in Custody

I suspect it'll be weeks before that huge cloud of testosterone floating over Boston will dissipate. Just sit back and enjoy it I guess...

Frühlingsstimmen

One of my favorite things to post every year is this video of Kathleen Battle singing Strauss' "Voices of Spring" with the Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Herbert von Karajan. 

Et maintenent, Lumiere!... Musique!

Oh Boy!

My tulips are starting to bloom!

Missouri Man Arrested For Refusing To Leave Husband's Bedside

From Think Progress. Please be sure to sign the petition that follows the story: 

If ever there were a perfect example of how basic legal contracts are an inferior alternative to the benefits of marriage for same-sex couples, this heartbreaking story is it. Missouri resident Roger Gorley was staying by the hospital bedside of his partner Allen, with whom he’s been in a civil union for nearly five years — though it is not recognized in Missouri — and with whom he also shares power of attorney. When one of Allen’s family members asked him to leave and he refused, a security official at the Research Medical Center arrested him, removed him from the premises, and issued a restraining order preventing him from visiting his partner.

Gorley explained to Fox4 that the nurses were not even willing to verify their power of attorney, despite the fact the couple has visited the hospital multiple times:

GORLEY: I was not recognized as being the husband, I wasn’t recognized as being the partner… She didn’t even bother to go look it up, to check into it… All we want is equal rights.

In 2010, President Obama issued a memorandum establishing a rule preventing hospitals from denying visitation privileges to same-sex partners, but Gorley’s story demonstrates how easily disregarded that protection is in the absence of marriage equality. The Kansas City-based Research Medical Center issued the following statement defending its actions:

We believe involving the family is an important part of the patient care process. And, the patient`s needs are always our first priority. When anyone becomes disruptive to providing the necessary patient care, we involve our security team to help calm the situation and to protect our patients and staff. If the situation continues to escalate, we have no choice but to request police assistance.

Nothing in the Missouri law granting power of attorney rights suggests that a family member can trump the power of attorney granted to a non-relative. However, this passage does seem to suggest room for a facility to attempt to justify such discrimination:

No hospital, nursing facility, residential care facility, or other health care facility shall be required to honor a health care decision of an attorney in fact if that decision is contrary to the hospital’s or facility’s institutional policy based on religious beliefs or sincerely held moral convictions unless the hospital or facility received a copy of the durable power of attorney for health care prior to commencing the current series of treatments or current confinement.

In other words, if Gorley did not have the piece of paper granting him power of attorney on hand before treatment of his partner began, the hospital could argue that it refuses to recognize same-sex partners based on religious beliefs or  ”moral convictions.” The Research Medical Center does not have a religious affiliation and claims not to discriminate based on sexual orientation, but denying a patient access to the individual entrusted with his medical decisions appears to be a fairly egregious violation.

A Change.org petition is now calling on the Obama administration to pull Medicare and Medicaid funding from the hospital in accordance with the nondiscrimination rule.

New Trailer for the new Liberace Biopic "Behind the Candleabra"

HBO Pictures has dropped a new trailer for the Liberace biopic called "Behind the Candelabra" starring Michael Douglas as Miss Liberace and Matt Damon as his (ahem) "chauffeur" Scott Thorsen. This looks to be a truly FABULOUS look at their relationship set among the showrooms of Las Vegas and the glitzy world of Mr. Showmanship herself. Also in the cast are Rob Lowe, Dan Ackroyd, and as Lee's Mom Frances: Debbie Reynolds. I cannot wait for this one! I remember my (now) husband taking me to Las Vegas for my 50th birthday and he really indulged me by going on a tour of the (now closed) Liberace Museum on Tropicana Boulevard. Even he, who couldn't have cared less for Liberace, was impressed! But I digress... The movie premieres on HBO on Sunday, May 26, at 9PM. Here's the new trailer.

What a great photo!

From Talking Points Memo: Photo by Pete Souza

Great picture! Click on photo to make bigger

Cross-Dressing, Meth Dealing, Sex-Toy Shop Owning Catholic Monsignor Arrested

What a friggin' story!! From JoeMyGod.com

Monsignor Meth

Yesterday we learned that Father Kevin Wallin, formerly with the Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, was arrested by federal drug agents in Connecticut for his alleged role in a national crystal meth ring. Today we learn much, much more about the story.

The Catholic priest busted for allegedly dealing crystal meth was suspended after church officials discovered he was a cross-dresser who was having sex in the rectory at Bridgeport's St. Augustine Cathedral.  Monsignor Kevin Wallin was relieved of his duties in May, but the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport had continued to pay him a stipend until his Jan. 3 arrest -- a day he was planning to fly to London on vacation. Now dubbed "Msgr. Meth" by some, Wallin seemed to live a life that easily could have been ripped from the script of "Breaking Bad," the popular AMC series about a high school chemistry teacher turned crystal methamphetamine producer.

At one point, Wallin was selling upwards of $9,000 of meth a week, according to his indictment. In his post-priesthood, Wallin, 61, bought an adult specialty and video store in North Haven called Land of Oz that sells sex toys and X-rated DVDs. Investigators believe the shop helped him launder thousands of dollars in weekly profits. Wallin's arrest sent shock waves through the Bridgeport and Danbury communities where he was known as a charismatic speaker who was involved in many charitable activities, and who enjoyed Broadway musicals and show tunes. He often attended musicals with his mentor, former N.Y. Cardinal Edward Egan and parishioners.

Bolding is mine (Joe's). And there's still more.

While pastor of St. Augustine's, sources said he often disappeared for days at a time; and rectory personnel became concerned and notified diocese officials when Wallin, sometimes dressed as a woman, would entertain odd-looking men, some who were also dressed in women's clothing and engaging in sex acts. In addition, diocese officials found bizarre sex toys in Wallin's residence, the sources said. Diocese officials consulted lawyers about the situation and were assured none of Wallin's behavior appeared illegal.

Have a slice?

Today is Dia de los Reyes Magos—Three Kings Day, marking the feast of the Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas, and a journey of three wise men, mages or astrologers to visit Bethlehem. Celebrated in our own New Orleans you would be able to get a slice of King Cake today and if you're really lucky you might get the prize baked in. I suspect, however that some of you that read this might not find it's appearance too appealing. 

Comments?

Wait till you hear this one!

From the Illinois Times:

The pastor of St. Aloysius church on Springfield’s north end has been granted a leave of absence after he called 911 from the rectory and told a dispatcher that he needed help getting out of handcuffs. “I’m going to need help getting out before this becomes a medical emergency,” Father Tom Donovan told a dispatcher who sounds a bit incredulous during the Nov. 28 call. “You’re stuck in a pair of handcuffs?” the dispatcher asks. “(I was) playing with them and I need help getting out,” Donovan responds. Donovan told the dispatcher that he was alone in the rectory. It’s not clear exactly how he ended up in handcuffs or why he feared a medical emergency. His voice sounds garbled or muffled on the tape, and sources say that police discovered some sort of gag on the priest when they arrived. The diocese has been tight-lipped about the matter, saying only that Bishop Thomas Paprocki granted Donovan’s request for a leave of absence at some point before Christmas.

(Call-out mine.) Oh deary me!

Happy New Year from Frenchy!

Was just watching the Rose Parade and who do I see? Jesus! At the Rose Parade. I guess he needed a little break after the holidays... Oh we'll, you have a great day too!

John McCain rewrites his own epitaph

From an interesting piece on John McCain at The Daily Kos:

Nobody as consistently and tragically wrong as John McCain should regarded as an authority on matters of U.S. national security, let alone be a fixture on the Sunday talk shows. He's not an expert or even an elder statesman. Now, John McCain is just raging at the world like King Lear, only without the crown he desperately sought but never acquired. At the end of the day, the Vietnam POW Barack Obama lauded as a national hero is now just a sore loser, a small and bitter old man.

I couldn't agree more.

Get out and vote!

Even if you're stupid and bigoted enough to vote for Romney you should still go out and vote. It is our civic duty and our right as Americans to exercise our franchise.

One of my favorite comic strips

Red and Rover

 

 Me too Rover!

Red State Spex!

Get yours TODAY!
(From Tom Tomorrow and DailyKos) 
Click to embiggen

One day to go...

It's Friday!

Election Predictions

Nate Silver, Statistics Uber-Geek at The New York Times is predicting a win for Barry. His predictions are the gold standard of election predictions using a computer model that compares polls, weather patterns, economic data, and probably even dowsing sticks to come up with what has been pretty much on-the-nose predictions of the last two elections. See below for Nate's current prediction on the Presidential Race and the all-important Massachusetts Senate race. (I feel a little more confident today.)

Happy Halloween from Frenchy's House Party!

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Who haven't YOU told??

Oh Gurl!