Saturday, March 07, 2009

Those Nasty Anti-Gay Catholic Florists!

This world has gone completamente loco!

From Andrew Sullivan's "The Daily Dish":


Connecticut now allows all citizens to marry. But some are worried:

The Connecticut Catholic Conference today proposed some broad exemptions which it believes are necessary to protect [religious liberty]. The [marriage equality] law does not require Catholic priests -- or any other clergy member -- to preside over same-sex weddings. However, the church is seeking additional exemptions. For instance, it wants to ensure that a florist opposed to gay marriage on religious grounds not be forced to sell flowers to a same-sex couple.

Seriously: it would violate someone's religious liberty to sell and arrange flowers for a gay married couple? And how many florists - florists - are anti-gay?

A reminder that not all domestic Mullahs are evangelicals. I am trying to get my head around the pathology that would lead someone to even think about gay marriage with such detailed intolerance. What form of crackpottery makes people this obsessed over such nonsense given the current condition of the US?

Operation: Enduring Hotness

Who knew the USMC had a dance troupe?

El Flushbowl gets P-whipped by studio audience

From Crooks and Liars:



I found this clip this morning and thought I'd share it here at C&L. The clip is from 1990 when a much younger Rush Limbaugh got owned by the studio audience during his very brief career in television. The crowd eventually becomes so incensed by his nasty attacks on women that he can't get a word in edgewise and they are forced to clear the studio in order for Rush to actually finish the segment.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Astaire/Powell in Broadway Melody of 1940

This is my all-time favorite dance number from the 1940's. Fred and Eleanor dance to Gershwin's "Begin the Beguine". The "swing" bit at the beginning is fab!

NachmittagsKaffeepause (Afternoon Coffee Break)

Franzl Lang - Einen Jodler



Fabelhaft!

Old Cape Cod... Not!

It ain't like it used to be...

Hyannis 13-Year -Old Kills Brother To Take Over Family Drug Business



From HuffingtonPost.com:

HYANNIS, Mass. — Like most boys, 13-year-old Mykel Mendes looked up to his big brother, Jordan. The two rode bikes together, did yard work together and hung out together. But when it came to the family business _ a major drug ring _ Mykel did not want to share, police say.

Mykel, a 7th grader, is now accused of masterminding the slaying of his 16-year-old half-brother so he could take over the drug operation _ one police say they inherited from their father, who is in prison for running one of the biggest cocaine rings on Cape Cod.

Jordan was found shot, stabbed 27 times and dumped into a pit, where his body was torched. Another 13-year-old friend and a 20-year-old cousin also are charged with murder.

The killing has shaken the normal quiet of winter on Cape Cod, the summer tourist destination known for its beautiful beaches, salt water taffy and famous residents. Jordan Mendes lived just a few miles from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port.

"It's very disturbing," said Debra Dagwan, a Hyannis resident and member of the local school board. "It indicates what drugs can do to people, whether they are involved with drugs or selling them. It's a dangerous life, no matter how you look at it."

Mykel's lawyer, John Cunha, dismissed claims by authorities that Mykel planned his brother's death to take over his drug business.

"He loved his brother," Cunha said. "He's not the 13-year-old Al Capone."

The boys' father, Manuel Mendes, 33, ran a drug ring that brought large quantities of cocaine to the Cape from New York and Boston. Jordan was 8 and Mykel just 5 when he was arrested and sent to prison to serve eight to 10 years. Two years later, in 2002, authorities caught him running the drug business from behind bars. That time, he was sentenced to 35 years on federal drug trafficking charges.


The Voice Of The Republican Party

From DailyKos:

The dirty little secret ... is that every Republican in this country wants Obama to fail, but none of them have the guts to say so; I am willing to say it. - Rush Limbaugh

As we continue our search for Republicans willing to utter the four little words, "Rush Limbaugh is wrong," let's take a few moments to look at some other deep thoughts from The Voice of the Republican Party:

  • If Barack Obama were Caucasian, they would have taken this guy out on the basis of pure ignorance long ago.
  • Hey, Barack Obama has picked up another endorsement: Halfrican American actress Halle Berry. "As a Halfrican American, I am honored to have Ms. Berry's support, as well as the support of other Halfrican Americans," Obama said. He didn't say it, but --
  • The NAACP should have riot rehearsals. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies.
  • Now I got something for you that's true--1972, Tufts University, Boston. This is 24 years ago--or 22 years ago. Three year study of 5000 co-eds, and they used a benchmark of a bra size of 34C. They found that the--now wait. It's true. The larger the bra-size, the smaller the IQ.
  • One of the things I want to do before I die is conduct the Homeless Olympics... [Events would include] the 10-meter Shopping Cart Relay, the Dumpster Dig, and the Hop, Skip and Trip.
  • If we are going to start rewarding no skills and stupid people--I'm serious, let the unskilled jobs, let the kinds of jobs that take absolutely no knowledge whatsoever to do--let stupid and unskilled Mexicans do that work.

... and ask ourselves, are these more "dirty little secrets" that every Republican believes but only Limbaugh has the guts to say? Would Republican lawmakers be willing to say that Rush Limbaugh is wrong about these comments? Or this:

Yes, this is the respected voice of today's Republican Party. And apparently the only one with the guts to say what they are all thinking.

And remember, we are calling Republican lawmakers to find out which ones are willing to say "Rush Limbaugh is wrong," so please, call your Senator or Congressman and let us know the results.


Rush Limbaugh is a pig.

Bizarro GOP World

From DailyKos:

Ouch.

Met with Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack from Riverside County's Coachella Valley. While a social moderate, Sonny Bono's widow is a solid conservative. Talked to her about Obama's $780 billion stimulus legislation. She's outraged that the plan has "$1 billion wasted on a magnetic-levitation train from L.A. to Sin City" - all at Nevada Sen. Harry Reid's doing.

After expressing my doubt that the Las Vegas line was actually in the bill's language, Bono Mack directs her staff to "get him the bill, it's right there, show him." A few minutes later, a staffer emerges with a copy and quietly says "it's not in the bill."

This is what happens when Republicans listen to their Dear Leader Rush Limbaugh. Alternate realities have a habit of colliding with the real world. And while the GOP's alternate reality once held sway in this country, those days are long past.

If Republicans want to keep themselves from being embarrassed like this time and time again, they might want to stop getting their information from conservative radio or Fox News:

KELLY: It's a super railroad, of sorts -- a line that will deliver customers straight from Disney, we kid you not, to the doorstep of the moonlight bunny ranch brothel in Nevada. I say, to the moonlight Bunny Ranch brothel in Nevada. So should your tax dollars be paying for these kinds of projects? [...]

We kid you not.

Update: From the comments:

The Bunny Ranch is located just outside of Carson City.

Carson City is 400 miles north of Las Vegas.

Just sayin'.

See, that's the problem with you guys, continuing to insist that reality get in the way of their fantasies. We've got our geography, they have THE geography.


Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Looking to shop a little on eBay? (NSFW)


This table and chairs was listed on eBay and was being sold by a man. How can one tell this? Study the picture. Look carefully. See it? No? Look in the mirror. Yikes!

9 Cool Photos Of Truman's Gutting Of The White House

From Veto Corleone:

The White House was built between 1792 and 1800, mainly by slaves and immigrants. Then the British ransacked it and lit it on fire in 1814. By 1948, the structure was in pretty bad shape. The bathtub was sinking into the floor and a piano leg even broke through the floor at one point. The house was declared to be in danger of collapse. So from 1949-1951, President Harry Truman moved to the Blair House and had the entire White House dismantled from the inside. Here are 9 cool pictures of the time President Truman gutted the White House. Enjoy.










Date Night With Ann Coulter

President Bush (Elder) on his relationship with his Vice President Dan Quayle

Priceless!

"Flush" Limbaugh vs. Michael Steele Smackdown

I have purposely not commented on the smackdown between "El FlushBowl" "de facto" head fo the Republican Party and Michael Steele the "de jure" head of the Republican Party as there were too many things happening so quickly. However, I offer for your consideration a choice bit of commentary from our friends at Gawker.com. To whit:

Beef: Funky Fresh Michael Steele Battles Rush Limbaugh For Control Of Republican Party

Hooray for this: wonderful quote-machine and buffoonish RNC head Michael Steele is picking a pointless, hilarious fight with Rush Limbaugh.

Limbaugh is the spiritual leader of a Republican party that has basically resigned itself to representing only aging white males. There are enough aging white males to make Rush still a very, very successful broadcast, but there are not enough of them to win the presidency. Michael Steele grasps this, sort of, but he is not smart enough to do anything about it besides make claims about "urban/suburban hip-hop settings" and then pick a fight with a man who is much brighter and more beloved by his party's base than he, Mr. Limbaugh.

Steele, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in an interview with CNN that he, rather than Limbaugh, is "the de facto leader of the Republican Party."

And Steele described Limbaugh as a performer.

"Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh's whole thing is entertainment," Steele said. "Yes, it is incendiary. Yes, it is ugly."

And the obvious response came quickly:

"I'm not in charge of the Republican Party, and I don't want to be," Rush said. "I would be embarrassed to say that I'm in charge of the Republican Party in a sad-sack state that it's in. If I were chairman of the Republican Party, given the state that it's in, I would quit."
[...]
"So send those fundraising requests out," Rush said in a sneering tone, in an apparent reference to Steele, adding: "Make sure you say, `We want Obama to succeed.' So people understand your compassion."

"Republicans and conservatives are sick and tired of being talked down to, they're sick and tired of being lectured to," Rush continued. "And until you show some understanding and respect for who they are, you're gonna have a tough time rebuilding your party."

Yaaay! It's like Christmas! Now either this will escalate further (we're sure noted hip-hop aficionado Michael Steele is studying up on his Jay-Z and Nas) or Steele will be forced to grovel for forgiveness. And that's win-win. (Update: Steele went for Door No. 2: "There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership.")

Buy a house with a credit card?

From The Chicago Tribune:

DETROIT — It may be tough to get financing for a new car these days, but in Detroit you can buy a house with a credit card.

The median price of a home sold in Detroit in December was $7,500, according to Realcomp, a listing service.

Not $75,000. Remove a zero—it's seven thousand five hundred dollars, substantially less than the lowest-price car on the new-car market.

The Congressional GOP


The Congressional GOP has a 68% unfavorable rating! Sure that's not a little bit of a low-ball?

Jobs Creation By President

It's no surprise to anyone that job creation under George W. Bush was godawful. Only slightly less obvious is this view of job creation since World War II.


What does it show? Under Democratic presidencies, job creation goes up. Every Democrat who followed a Republican did better than the Republican who preceded them. Every Republican who followed a Democrat produced fewer jobs than their predecessor.

And before anyone jumps on the "but that was because they got all the jobs that were started up under the previous administration," notice that where Republican followed Republican, the second administration came out worse than the first. When Democrat followed Democrat (for which we don't have nearly enough examples) job creation improved in the second administration.

And we can be thankful that McCain didn't follow Bush. Based on the pattern, we'd be down 8 million jobs by the time Palin finished off the first term.

Letterman on "Flush" Limbaugh's Appearance at CPAC

Dave chatted with Katie Couric about Rush Limbaugh's appearance at the Conservative Political Action Committee's annual slugfest in Washington. It was pretty funny (and only 2 minutes in this clip).



Mr. B pointed out to me that "El Flushbowl" seemed a little "hyped up" on the podium, like he was when he was doing Oxy's. What do you think?

It's Official!

When I was eight years old I had a teacher called Mrs. Chatterton at the Veazie Street School in Providence. She was a large fat woman with a head of compacted white pin-curls, who smelled of mothballs and Jean Nate (or Eau de Deu Dadei as we used to call it... sound it out). The thing I remember about her most was that she had an almost endless supply of tissues inserted into her clothing with which to wipe her nose. If she wore a dress with sleeves they would be inserted in them. If not, they would be tucked into her enormous brassiere.

Well, today I was sitting at my desk, checking out out my news blogs and drinking my morning coffee, when I decided I needed to wipe my nose. I got a tissue and did so and tucked the tissue into my sleeve without realizing it. I burst out laughing and realized... Et, Voila! I am now, officially, an old woman. Frightening, isn't it?

Monday, March 02, 2009

Ugh! Worst Joke of the Day

Michael Musto of The Village Voice:

An Asian American couple is having some very hot sex. In the middle of the act, the man starts orgiastically shrieking, 'I want number 69! I want number 69!' Replies the wife, 'Huh? You want beef with broccoli now?'

Mike the Dick responds to story on police brutalizing a 15-year old girl

I am bumping this comment up to "post status" in order that the comment will be seen by everyone who reads this blog and not the "comments". The original story is here.

Michael said...

As a police officer I am disgusted with the actions of these officers and absolutely shocked at the brutality depicted in this video! The suspect (now victim) may have been disrespectful and assaultive, (before, during and after) but nothing, and I mean NOTHING!! can justify the brutal beating that she got. (let's not even get into age, sex and size comparisons!!!)

Every police officer feels anger and sometimes even rage towards people who provoke them through either passively resisting or through words of hate. The arrestee often prods at the officer in an attempt to goad them into such a response by watching their reactions and fine tuning their taunts to push the right buttons. Patience and professionalism, however, are what separate the good from the bad. I'm certainly not innocent of the occasional fantasy of exacting some revenge on some serious low-lifes, but! that's just it; fantasy! Without self-restraint, we are no better than the violent criminals we arrest! These officers are absolutely no better than the animals we lock up for the same crimes!

I apologize on behalf of my profession!


While I think it was generous of Mike to apologize on behalf of his profession, I find it unnecessary for him so to do. I would never apologize for the bad behavior of anyone of my "ilk" and neither should he. But I do appreciate it nonetheless. Thanks Mike! Now... how about showing us how your handcuffs work?

Comments now available at FHP

I was unaware that my "Comments" settings were restricted. I have now opened them up so that you can comment on stories here. You may now click on the comment icon at the bottom of the post to "have your say".

Sorry for the problem.

F

Happy Birthday!


Frenchy's House Party wishes a happy 77th birthday to "La Liz", Dame Elizabeth Taylor, DBE (Dame of the British Empire). Many, many happy returns!

Not Guilty??!!??

In the interest of full disclosure, I need to state for the record that I have a dear friend who is a police officer and family members who are in the public safety field. They are honest, hard-working examples of the finest we have in law-enforcement, and would never be involved in anything like this, which you are about to see. This being said I cannot but decry the number of stories of this type we are hearing these days. What is up with some of these departments? Do they just not care that some of their officers are doing themselves and other officers who are "protecting the American way" (hat tip to Mike the "dick"), a great injustice by keeping these guys on the force even after multiple "issues" with these officers?

From Pam's House Blend

This guy is pleading not guilty to charges that he assaulted this 15-year-old girl:


NOTE FROM PAM: As if on cue, how about this statement from his defense attorney.

Schene's attorney Ann Bremner says the tape - which has no audio - does not tell the whole story and severely impacts the deputy's right to a fair trial.
What exactly, is the rest of the story? She's unarmed, doesn't attack him, and obviously can't resist as she's beaten to a pulp. Paramedics had to be called in because the girl complained about having trouble breathing. Schene did not explain why he struck the girl after he had her in a holding position on the floor.

So far, the only "offense" allegedly committed in that cell by the victim is that "officers claim the girl called them 'fat pigs' and other obscenities."

BTW, Schene's no newcomer to violence.

Schene has also been involved in two shootings, including one fatal, during his eight years on the force. He's on paid administrative leave.

Criminal Ponzi Scheme Run By Christians

From Gawker.com

Ooo, the SEC has finally released the good stuff on Stanford Financial, the mini-Madoff Ponzi scheme that made $8 billion disappear. Incredibly, the company's Southern Christian leaders were big hypocritical frauds! Jesus hated money-lenders:

The new details from the SEC focus not only on top boss "Sir Allen" Stanford, but his top lieutenants, James Davis, and the firm's chief investment officer, Laura Pendergest-Holt. They seemed so wholesome! They both came up from small-town Mississippi, they worked in Memphis, and they loved Jesus:

Mr. Davis projected a wholesome image, drinking protein shakes and regularly working out in the gym or jogging, according to the former employee. Mr. Davis was also known as a deeply religious man, opening many Stanford Financial meetings with a prayer that Stanford executives would make the right investment decisions, according to another former financial adviser.

But you know what they loved more? Fraud, and lying about it to the SEC. When the chief investment officer got called in to tell the SEC about her company's "Tier III" holdings—which showcased the firm's worst financial irresponsibility, and which she had just been briefed on at work—she said, "If I knew anything about Tier III, I'd tell you ... God's honest truth."

This marks the first time religious people have lied.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

"Gay Bux"

In an earlier post I described companies that are either supportive of the rights of GLBT Americans and those which are not. I received a note from a loyal FHP reader, MichaelD, who thanked me for the information:
Frenchy,

I'm a firm believer in "Money talks, bullshit walks."

Thanks for sending out those two missives regarding companies that deserve our business, and those who do not. Having lived on the West Coast for so many years it's very natural to just assume that companies DO give their employees (all of their employees) full rights, etc. That may not necessarily be true (I'm working on my company, XXXXXXX (name of company redacted for MD's privacy) to offer domestic partner benefits) but I'm often reminded that there are still so many places where equality is not a benefit.

Now, if I could just squeeze my fat ass into some 34-inch Levis again (I've given up on anything smaller...) maybe I'd buy another pair... for now, it's Dickies for me!!

I don't get too many comments on my blog, mostly e-mails but I would like to, first thank MichaelD for his remarks and second let you all have a pdf copy of the Human Rights Campaign's list of Gay-friendly businesses to assist you on making decisions on where to and not to, spend your "gay bux". (With a hat-tip to MichaelD for the euphemism "gay bux". )

5 American Politicians Who Thought Christianity Was Stupid

The history of the United States is a tricky thing. Recently, we've been hearing a lot of people soap box about how American was created on Judeo-Christian traditions. Well here are 5 American politicians who thought Christianity was stupid.


Benjamin Franklin


Founding Father, signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

"I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life, I absenteed myself from Christian assemblies."

"Lighthouses are more helpful then churches."

James Madison


4th President of the United States and primary author of the Constitution.

"During almost fifteen centuries has the legal establishment of Christianity been on trial. What has been its fruits? More or less, in all places, pride and indolence in the clergy; ignorance and servility in the laity; in both, Famous Atheist & Quotessuperstition, bigotry, and persecution."

"In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people."

"Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise."

"What influence in fact have Christian ecclesiastical establishments had on civil society? In many instances they have been upholding the thrones of political tyranny. In no instance have they been seen as the guardians of the liberties of the people. Rulers who wished to subvert the public liberty have found in the clergy convenient auxiliaries. A just government, instituted to secure and perpetuate liberty, does not need the clergy."

Thomas Jefferson


3rd President of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence.

"History I believe furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance, of which their political as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purpose."

"The Christian god can easily be pictured as virtually the same god as the many ancient gods of past civilizations. The Christian god is a three headed monster; cruel, vengeful and capricious. If one wishes to know more of this raging, three headed beast-like god, one only needs to look at the caliber of people who say they serve him. They are always of two classes: fools and hypocrites."

"Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined and imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity."

"And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerve in the brain of Jupiter. But may we hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away with this artificial scaffolding, and restore to us the primitive and genuine doctrines of this most venerated reformer of human errors."

"Religions are all alike – founded upon fables and mythologies."

"I do not find in orthodox Christianity one redeeming feature."

"Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man."

"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are 20 gods, or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."


William Howard Taft


27th President of the United States

"I do not believe in the divinity of Christ, and there are many other of the postulates of the orthodox creed to which I cannot subscribe."


Abraham Lincoln


16th President of the United States.

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession. I could never give assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma."

Good Riddance!


DON'T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU — It's been six years in the making since he left his post as president and CEO, and now he's gone: World famous homophobe and preacher of hate James Dobson, 72, is leaving Focus on the Family, the conservative Christian group that promotes hatred and bigotry toward your fellow man. He founded FOF in 1977 and most recently held the title of chairman, while armed with a popular radio program and endless barrage of press releases and media-ready soundbites he helped steer conservative thought for years. But don't get too excited. Dobson will remain hosting FOF's radio show and "speak out on moral issues," which means his brand of divisiveness isn't going anywhere.

As Washington Monthly's Steve Benen writes, "Few modern figures on the political scene hate quite as many people, with quite as much intensity, as James Dobson. Gays, minority faiths, the First Amendment, Girl Scouts, SpongeBob Squarepants … if you don't think, act, or believe as Dobson does, you're an enemy. (One of my personal favorites is when Dobson insisted that gay marriage 'will destroy the Earth.' He wasn't kidding.)"

Children of HIV infected parents should die to teach other people a lesson!

So says Colorado State Senator David Schulteis, Keith Olberman's Bronze Medal Winner in the "Worst Person in the World" segment. Watch and make sure your keyboard is covered.

From Pam's House Blend:

On the January 26, 2009 edition of Countdown with Keith Olbermann (MSNBC), Colorado State Senator Dave Schultheis was featured as the runner-up for Worst Person in the World after he repeatedly defended being the lone vote against a bill concerning HIV testing for pregnant mothers with the reasoning that it's better for babies to contract HIV/AIDS than for the government to "reward promiscuity" by preventing their infection through early testing.

Bigotry is alive and well in America

From Pam's House Blend:

Alexandra Pelosi's : Right America Felling Wronged" Captures The McCain/Palin Mobs

What a snapshot in time. Filmmaker Alexandra Pelosi (her last effort broadcast was the Ted Haggard doco), traveled around the country for HBO to speak to the conservative fringe in the run up to the 2008 election and thank Jeebus, "Right America Feeling Wronged" documents what we saw all election season long -- the ignorant, deluded, racist, scared and -- did I say ignorant -- base of the Republican party. The McCain/Palin mobs are captured in all their glory.

This clip is the best segment of the documentary -- Pelosi goes up to a young man who has "socialism" spelled wrong on his t-shirt and asks him to define what it means. I can't even begin to tell you how vapid, confused and sad his answer is. But before that, she speaks with people about how they get their news. It's no surprise that they are all Faux News bots.


Also featured is a stop in Concord, NC to interview self-described rednecks where she asks them point blank if they are ready to vote for a black man. Let's just say they had no shame confirming that we are not living in a post-racial society. These people are scary folks; and they live in my state. I wonder what they thought when NC went Blue? What must they think now that the GOP is led (in name anyway) by a black man?

Just remember this clip the next time some GOP talking head says their party doesn't have a race problem. They can't sweep these die hard social conservatives under the rug -- they are speaking up and speaking out loud and proud. They don't see anything wrong with an outright hostility toward a browning America. That's the GOP in 2009.

And the beauty of the doc is that all Pelosi has to do is let the camera run and these people hang themselves. Now, with the election behind us, you really wonder what happened to these people she interviewed -- the people who said the election of Barack Obama would result in the end of the world or would drive them to leave the country.

Oh, and it's not in this clip, but Pelosi was at the McCain town hall where the lady with the crazy hair stood up to declare that she couldn't trust Obama because "he's an Arab." Below is the clip most people saw. Pelosi actually captured it from a different angle so you could see the woman's face.

At its core, Pelosi's documentary illuminates just how troubled the Republican party is -- Pelosi's subjects are needed by the GOP, but they represent a voter base that rejects diversity, and is proud of its narrow worldview. The Republican party has to choose a new direction in order to recover, but it's pretty clear that any changes will not be received well by these conservatives. As long as the social conservative wing of the party's fear and ignorance is accommodated, the GOP is going nowhere fast.