Obama will probably take Pennsylvania, thanks to Ashley Todd

By now, I am sure that many of you have heard the story of the McCain campaign worker who was allegedly robbed by a black Obama supporter who then carved a "B" in her face.

Especially the part about her now admitting that the story was a hoax.

As a black man, there is a certain degree of exasperation about this sort of thing. I attended Winthrop University when Susan Smith falsely accused a black man of stealing her car with her two children in tow.

I never believed her story. But I was shocked and disgusted when it came out that she not only made up her story but drove her car in a lake, allowing her two children to drown.

I know the story of Charles Stuart accusing a black man of murdering his wife when he was guilty of the crime. I also know the story of Emmett Till who was mutilated for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

So I am not shocked about today's revelation.

Exasperated but not shocked.

But with one thought in my mind.

Throughout different times in this country's history, the false accusation of assaulting a white woman have led black men to be castrated, burned alive, and butchered beyond recognition.

How very fitting that it can now help lead to a black man's election to the White House.

Kismet indeed.


Thank you Mass Resistance for making my life very interesting (and rewarding)

In my post yesterday about the anti-gay group in Massachusetts, Mass Resistance, I neglected to mention that the Southern Poverty Law Center considers them an official hate group.

Of course the head of MassResistance, Brian Camenker, does not particularly like that designation.

But how can he object when things like what happened today takes place:

A Wakefield man claimed he was standing outside a local school snapping photos of students for a documentary, but after a foot chase through backyards while stripping his clothing, police aren't buying his story.

"We don't know what his intention and purpose was around the school and the kids," said police Lt. James Hashem.

But Michael Olivio's employer has come forward to back up his story. Olivio, 48, works for the anti-gay rights group MassResistance.org. Brian Camenker, head of the group, said Olivio mistakenly went to West Middle School Tuesday to snap pictures instead of the high school.

Camenker said Olivio was to get pictures of the high school because the state Commission on Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered Youth held a meeting there Monday night.

"I figured I would do a write-up for the Web site and I wanted a picture of the high school," Camenker said.

Police said the incident happened at West Middle as children were being let out of school. As parents watched, Olivio parked his car, got out, and began taking many pictures of the school and the students.

Police received a flood of 911 calls from parents and soon the school called. A gym teacher tried to talk to Olivio, who fled toward the high school, police said.

Camenker said Olivio realized he was at the wrong school and jogged over to the high school to get the picture.

"I didn't even want any pictures of the kids,'' Camenker said.

He said Olivio did not recall hearing the gym teacher trying to talk to him.

When police caught him, Olivio said he was taking pictures for a documentary and he would not elaborate on it," Hashem said. Hashem said police could not associate him with any media organization.

"The answers were somewhat vague and suspicious," he said.

Olivio was ordered to leave the area because police had no reason to detain him further. But then the man began to act erratically, Hashem said.

After being told to leave the area, Olivio ran through yards on Shawsheen Road and nearby side streets, shedding clothing as he ran, police said.

He had removed several items of clothing before officers finally caught him on North Main Street and placed him in handcuffs, Hashem said.

"He was not completely naked," Hashem said.

More here

Again, thank you Brian Camenker and Mass Resistance for all you do to help the gay community in Massachusetts.

Peter LaBarbera's friends are our best allies

I think our friend Peter LaBarbera takes pride in the fact that sometimes he exasperates a lot of people.

To me, its not his tendency to intentionally ignore lgbt families while seeking leather daddies in the corners of the latest Folsom Street festival.

Nor is it his desire to reduce the richness and the history of lgbt lives to stereotypes about anal sex.

It is his tendency, as it is with the rest of the anti-gay industry, to repeat a point continuously even in the face of it being exposed as a lie.

But he more than makes up for it by the company he keeps.

Like the lastest screed for Proposition 8 in California, What ‘Gay Marriage’ Has Done to Massachusetts, he placed on his webpage.

There is no need to rehash it. It's the same crop of lies that the forces for Proposition 8 have been repeating over and over again. The ole "gasp and swoon, children are going to be forced to learn about homosexuality if we don't do something" lie.

Which by the way has been debunked. However, when have the anti-gay industry ever let the truth get in the way of a good talking point?

The piece is by Brian Camenker, a phony pro-family activist in that state. To put it nicely, Camenker has done more to help the cause of lgbts in Massachusetts than any group or organization.

His organization, Mass Resistance, is a laughing stock of Massachusetts. Forget the "gang who couldn't shoot straight," Mass Resistance is the "gang that continuously shoots itself in the ass."

They have accused gays of everything from attacking their members to stealing their credit cards.

And they have this bizarre (but fun to watch) tendency of accusing everyone of a conspiracy when they don't get their way. Subsequently, they have alienated just about everyone in Massachusetts; Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals, zipoids, wastoids, smurfs, elves, pixies, etc. etc.

They even got on Mitt Romney's bad side. And that simply amazes me.

And lest I forget, they are behind the David Parker controversy, including conveniently being there when Parker was arrested while at the same time feigning ignorance of the entire situation. By the way, Camenker continues to spin the Parker controversy in the piece.

To get a good idea Camenker's mind, check out this transcript of when he appeared on Comedy Central's Daily Show:

Ed Helms: So the quality of life has decreased?

Brian Camenker: Yeah.

Ed Helms: Homelessness gone up?

Brian Camenker: I could, you know...

Ed Helms: Crime rates?

Brian Camenker: Crime rates?

Ed Helms: Air quality?

Brian Camenker: I mean, let me put it this way, I could, if, I could sit here, and I could probably, you know, find some way of connecting the dots to gay marriage, to all of these, if I had enough time, and I did some research.

Ed Helms (voice-over): Yeah! Why take time to do the research, when saying it is so much faster!

Falsely blaming gays for everything? I can see why Peter thinks of him as the most principled and effective pro-family advocate in (the People’s Republic of) Massachusetts.

Of course Peter has gone on record calling a racist Anti-Semite a "pro-family advocate," so his embracing of Camenker isn't unexpected.

But you know what, Peter? Continue your behavior that you probably do not necessarily in truth, but in spite.

But don't forget to bring along your friends. They more than make up for it.

Mass Resistance Watch is the premiere site in all things regarding Mass Resistance. Big ups to them on the work they do.

Election notes from friends

I am burned out.

So instead of writing a post, I am linking to several articles about the election that I think will interest you all.

Go Obama!!!

NY Post Smears Michelle Obama With Caviar (the New York Post writes something negative about the Obamas? We must be in planet Earth)

Chuck Todd: There's a "tenseness" between McCain and Palin (trouble in paradise? More like trouble in hell)

Blithering Idiot Watch (first Michelle Bachman and now this. I'm starting to love Chris Matthews . . . . I don't mean on a physical sense, you dirty minded individuals)

Bachmann Doubles Down: ‘Barack Obama’s Views Are Against America’ (Can this woman make up her mind? She can always say that Chris Matthews is using mind control on her)

GOP donors critical of Palin's pricey threads (come on now. sista gotta get her hair did and her clothes tight)

One word - OUCH!! (feel free to pass this one around)

Study: McCain coverage mostly negative (nobody's fault but his own)

Will Obama carry South Carolina?

As a lot of you know, I reside in South Carolina, a state that is habitually written off in presidential elections.

A Democratic presidential candidate hasn't carried this state since Carter in 1976. Hell, our elected state officials try to out-Republican each other, be they Democrat or Republican.

And I have always felt that despite all, Obama will not carry South Carolina.

But now, I have to wonder.

I sense a serious degree of interest from South Carolina's black population in this election. As November rolls around, I see and hear conversations regarding the elections in places where I have never seen it before.

In a store where I usually shop, which is situated in an African-American neighborhood, the radio was running full blast about early voting in North Carolina and other places. The announcers also took it upon themselves to run audio clips of comments from people at McCain/Palin rallies.

And I don't think I have to rehash those comments.

The curious thing is that usually when the radio is playing in the background, people don't pay attention. They usually go about their business, treating what they hear as background noise.

But not today. Shoppers were actually stopping to listen. The young woman with the children, the old man looking for rubbing alcohol, the young couple who probably just became legal voters, the two elderly women.

All seemed to be interested in what they were hearing. And not just them, but the stockers.

Hell, if someone had started jotting down notes, I think I would have dissolved in pride.

They are even talking about this election at the city bus terminal.

Yes, despite the images put out there by Republicans about "real Americans," people who ride the city buses are generally hard working individuals who just happen not to own a car. They trod every day to and from their jobs.

And the election has been the serious topic of discussion there.

Now some may say "big deal" because the African-American population of South Carolina is not that numerous. Well it's numerous enough to turn the tide of an election if combined with other voters.

Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. Or maybe it's something more.

Either way, if McCain does try to carry South Carolina, he is going to know that he was in a fight.


Where is David Parker and the Wirthlins on this matter?

So if Proposition 8 is not passed, students will be" indoctrinated" about gay marriage in schools eh?

Some Proposition 8 supporters aren't even waiting that long:

A Salinas High School teacher who distributed “Yes on Proposition 8” literature to her students last week has been asked to refrain from doing so by administrators.

Proposition 8 on the November ballot in California would make same-sex marriages illegal.

Salinas Union High School District Superintendent Roger Antón said this afternoon that Principal Michael Romero reminded the teacher that faculty members’ political beliefs may not be expressed during work hours.

The teacher’s name was not disclosed by the district.

Anton said the district’s policy allows for political discussion in the classroom only when it is objective and relevant to the curriculum being taught.

The literature that was passed out to students says it is important to protect marriage as an institution between a man and a woman.

The one-page statement also says it is critical to vote yes on Proposition 8, saying its failure would eventually force the state to approve “polygamy, polymory, incest, group and other ‘creative’ arrangements for marriage.”

Hat tip to Box Turtle Bulletin

Free Republic spins conspiracy theories about Obama's grandmother

The news that Barack Obama is taking time off from his campaign to visit his ailing grandmother doesn't really mean that much except for concern for his family.

But the members of the ultra, to-the-right of Atilla the Hun site Free Republic seem to know why Obama is really postponing his campaign.

I must apologize to my online buddy Pam Spaulding for copying her tactic. She is the one who usually posts the outrageous comments from Free Republic. This time, I thought I would save her the trip.

These folks are so crazy that I am almost hesistant to post some of these comments. I don't want them trying to "investigate" me:

I was under the impression that she was practically under house arrest ever since That One began his campaign.Curious that no one has so much as even seen her, much less get a few words from her.

He has no birth certificate. And his grandmother will mysteriously die while he is there. You know she holds secrets that cannot be revealed...... “Here, Grandma, let me put this pillow over your head. Nice grandma”

“Grandma, you F’n racist!”

Innocent people do not act this way.

Maybe he just needs desperately to get away from Michelle.
What guy wouldn’t?

Time for the Hillary hit.

Hillary is going and to pay off her campaign debts and to get the Supreme Court post she has to whack grandma.

He can work on his tan.

Oh Dear God...he’s not going there to kill her himself is he? I pray for the dear lady.

Could he have a condition which would be considered embarrassing? Sexually transmitted?

UPDATE: According to Americablog, the comments on Fox News website are equally nasty. What's wrong with these people?


A quick lie vs. slow truth - The Wirthlins case and Proposition 8

It has been said that a lie can travel around the world before the truth has time to put on its shoes.

How true it is even when supposed Christians play with the facts.

I have talked about the David Parker case in Massachusetts on many occasions. Parker was the parent who tried to make it seem that his son was "forced to learn about homosexuality" and he was arrested for simply trying to push an opt-out policy.

Well Parker's story was a lie of course but there was another component to the lawsuit he unsuccessfully brought against his son's Massachusetts school.

Another family, the Wirthlins, joined Parker's lawsuit after an incident where their second grade son was read a book in class, King and King, where a prince ended up marrying another prince.

Personally, as a young man who was read all versions of Little Red Riding Hood (including the one with the sad ending where the wolf ate everyone), Hansel and Gretel, The Three Little Pigs (the version where the wolf eats the two pigs and the third pig eats the wolf), and Jack and the Beanstalk before reaching first grade, I don't see anything wrong with a fairy tale as light as King and King.

But that is neither here nor there.

The Wirthlins claimed that reading the book, King and King, violated the opt-out policy where parents could opt out their children in the case of sex education.

The courts, as I have pointed out, ruled against Parker and as such ruled against the Wirthlins. Neither the Parker case nor the Wirthlins case had anything to do with sex education, but a simple acknowledgement of lgbt families.

Now here is where the lies start:

The Wirthlins have filmed a campaign ad pushing for the passage of Proposition 8 in California.

In this ad, which can be seen here, they claim that if Proposition 8 is not passed, then children will be "forced to learn about gay marriage."

The most pernicious part for me was when the father said:

"The courts said we had no right to object or pull him out of class."

Actually that is a clever misconception. Yes the courts did say that the reading of King and King was not an issue of human sexuality, therefore it had nothing to do with the opt-out policy.

But Mr. Wirthlin is clearly deceiving people when he said the courts said the parents could not pull their children out of class. The courts actually advised parents who object to do just that:

In the 38-page decision, Chief Judge Mark L. Wolf, of the U.S. District Court, said that families who don’t agree with the teachings of the public school, have the choice of private schools or homeschooling.

And like I said before, the reading of King and King had nothing to do with marriage equality in Massachusetts. It had to do with the fact that there were children who attended the school and lived in same-sex households.

People like Wirthlin, Parker and the rest of that bunch always seem to forget that despite the fact of whether or not gay marriage is legalized, children will still be brought up in same-sex households. And they should not have to feel like there is something wrong with their families, because there isn't.

Of late I think of Deerfield

During the battle over marriage equality in California, the religious right have been making noise about a recent incident involving school children attending the same-sex wedding of one of their teachers.

They inferred that the children were forced to go and their "innocence" is being corrupted by having been made to view such a thing. They also claim that this incident will be a common occurrence if Proposition 8 (anti-gay marriage amendment) is not passed.

But like always when they create a moral panic, the religious right intentionally left out an important detail to the story.

The children had permission slips from their parents to attend.

This point was brought up in the San Francisco Chronicle article speaking of the event and also highlighted by my good friend Jeremy from GoodAsYou.org

So of course that would make the entire argument of "children being indoctrinated" null and void, right? After all, the parents not only knew of the wedding but allowed them to attend.

But why let the truth get in the way of a good talking point.

The situation reminds me of the Deerfield High School/Angels in America controversy that took place earlier this year.

The religious right, especially our friend Peter LaBarbera, accused Deerfield High School in Illinois of forcing children to read Angels in America, the Pulitzer Prize winning play that spotlights the early years of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Peter even ran snippets from the play that highlighted not necessarily clean language in an attempt to stoke the emotions of his readers.

Of course Peter and the rest of the moral crusaders conveniently omitted that:

A. No one was forced to read the book. It was an elective

B. It was only offered in a Senior Honors English class, and

C. Parents had to give permission for their children to read Angels in America.

Needless to say when I sent an email to Peter and company highlighting this last point, I was all but ignored.

So it's not about families is it? Nor is about protecting children.

It's all about entitlement and control.

The case about the recent wedding and the Deerfield situation says less about the lgbt community and the American culture than it does about the supposed defenders of morality and truth like Peter, Concerned Women for America, and the rest of the religious right.

They like to talk about "parental rights" and "embracing the family" only when it suits their purposes but there is nothing there but lip service.

They don't care about any family that doesn't look like their own (and that includes ethnicity) or adheres to their Ozzie and Harriet nonsense.

Behind the fascades of truth and morality are petty people with petty plans to try and force American society to conform to their caste system of life and families simply because someone has told them that their religion entitles them to dictate policy on these matters..

They think they own the patent on the words "family," "truth", and "morality."

Not true.

They don't own the patent on any of those words. But if I could, I would gladly give them the patent on the word "bullshit."

After all, they are certainly full of it.

UPDATE - It's over and I am so glad

Say what you want, but Obama played a smart game tonight. McCain was obviously trying to rattle him, but with no success.

I think the victory belongs to Obama but since the spin was on "McCain HAS TO DELIVER tonight," I am sure much will be said about his "feistiness."

Sorry but he came across partly as a gassy grandfather who whines too much. And what's the deal with those sounds he kept making when the camera wasn't focused on him.

One last thing - that Joe the Plumber is kinda cute. After tonight, he will be PAID.

I wonder does he like black guys?


Last debate - Thank God

One more debate between Obama and McCain and I am on pins and needles.

Desperate people do desperate things and that being the case, all bets are off regarding what McCain will try tonight.

I have faith in Obama, though. Probably his greatest asset is how he is underestimated.

But I am worried about the tone of this entire campaign.

Today, a friend of mine at work told me something disturbing. While he was at the fair he had heard a comment from someone about taking an Obama poster and using it for target practice.

Based upon the things I have heard going on around the country, I don't think anyone can take this lightly.

The tone of elections in this country got extremely ugly when Clinton was elected. It wasn't about electing someone whose policies would better suit the country. Thanks to the religious right and their cohorts, every election seems to be a mini episode of Star Wars where the United States stands on the brink of annihilation if the right person is not elected.

And it's getting uglier.

But concerning Obama, there is a elephant in the room that no one wants to address - race.

Whether we want to admit it or not, there are a lot of folks who have lost their minds over the idea of a black man possibly becoming president.

And I think we need to admit that to ourselves.

But we won't. Because in doing so, we have to face up to the darkside of America, i.e. our history of racism and violence committed in the name of ethnic supremacy.

It gets white folks defensive and black folks angry.

But sooner or later, we need to address it.

I just hope nothing drastic happens that makes us have to address it.