More on GOP Sex Scandal: Richard Curtis

Photos from source, The Stranger Slog

All of these GOP sex scandals are a little difficult to keep up with, and this one is more interesting than most. It's also more lurid, so I can't even post much of an excerpt here, without being subject to some sort of "adults only" label! Yes Richard Curtis (Washington State Representative) has managed to out-do the foot tapping of Sen. Larry Craig, the meth snorting of Rev. Ted Haggard, and all the rest.

Here is just a snippet of this story, which has unfolded with an unprecedented amount of detail for this sort of thing. Do not click through to the full story if you have delicate sensibilities.

[Excerpt]

WA State Rep. Richard Curtis (R-La Center): XXX-Gay

It’s hard to follow just what’s alleged and what’s fact. The Spokesman Review’s report makes it seem as if Curtis admitted to engaging in sexual activities with Castagna. Exactly how much money Curtis owed Castagna for those activities amounts to a he said/he said conflict, of course, but it seems pretty clear that 1. Castagna isn’t a very professional escort (and he looked like such a nice young man!), and 2. Curtis outed himself when he went to the police. [snip]

Closeted gay GOP elected official with an anti-gay voting record and—and I’m putting this charitably—a deeply troubled gay kid with a rap sheet—these two were made for each other. . .

Read the whole story at: The Stranger Slog
Warning: May be NSFW (Not Safe For Work).

Boys Don't Cry: A Heartless Man's Confession

We have a roommate in our household for a while, and the experience has been something of a new one. It's the first time I've lived with someone who wasn't family or The Other Half. It is fortunate that he is interested in pop culture, and especially horror movies, which helps make a bit of a bond. Interestingly, he also shares some of The Other Half's interests, namely those that I lack.

Some of those things would be musical theater and sentimental period-piece movies. Those are times that I usually just leave the room, and surrender the TV. And it has come to my attention that another area where I don't quite match up to the other men in my household, is the ability to get choked up during sad, emotional scenes in movies and TV shows.

Whether it's an episode of Brothers & Sisters, or the Tom Hanks movie, Castaway, the roommate gets misty, and reaches for the Kleenex. I'm just not the crying kind. I can't get past the fact that it's Tom Hanks, or Sally Field. I can appreciate the story, even be genuinely engaged by the performances, but I don't get worked up about it.

Years ago, my Mom and Dad took my brother and me to see Jaws at the biggest theater screen in Columbus. I was nine, and my brother was eight. We didn't have enough money for a babysitter and the movie, so there we were, little kids at a scary movie. But Mom explained to us that we would get scared, but to remember that these were just actors and special effects. A character might die on the screen, but then he just got up, and went home to dinner. I never confused reality and make-believe again. And that may just be the problem!

But I remembered that there is one scene that has choked me up, each time I've seen it (including a few minutes ago, when I watched it again). As I've shown in this space, I'm a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. I even enjoyed Once More, With Feeling! the musical episode. One episode in particular was heart-rending, even to me. In it, Buffy's long-suffering mother, Joyce, dies suddenly of an aneurysm. Anya (a character who is a former vengeance-demon turned human), who isn't known for her tact, simply does not understand the mechanics of human death. She offends everybody, and in her frustration, expresses her loss. Kudos to the actress, Emma Caulfield, for yanking tears from a stone (again and again).

Something about this scene always gets to me, and I confess has even brought tears. How strange is that? This heartless bastard weeping over a TV show. Yes, it's true. Watch and see.



03/01/08 UPDATE: I found a replacement video (for now--it could go any moment), that unfortunately superimposes a music track that does not belong in the scene. Hopefully, you can still get the gist.

12/26/07 UPDATE: Sorry folks, but is wont to happen with these clips, FOX has apparently pulled the video. I fail to see why, as all these YouTube clips do is keep interest going in their projects, and raise the profile of their properties. My site has made a whopping 81 cents since it debuted, and I can't even cash that out. I am not putting a dent in Rupert Murdoch's profits.

Bill Maher: New Rules 11/02/07

This is a different twist for me. I wanted to post the new clip of "New Rules" from Real Time with Bill Maher, but I haven't yet watched the show, or the clip. So, based on previous experience with this bit, I'm taking it on faith that it was funny, and informative. And it may have to tide us over for a while, given the writers' strike coming up next week. Enjoy.

UPDATE: OK, I watched the whole episode. Very good "New Rules" too.

Daily Show: Jon Stewart on Karen Hughes

This clip (at least the clips with Condi) were a big hit in my household, so I thought I'd share them with you. Adios, Karen Hughes, I'm sure they'll find someone to fill that very big hole. . .

Arianna Huffington: Rudy the Tyrant

Image from Catholics For Democracy

The ever colorful Arianna Huffington has a great op-ed up about Rudy Giuliani. I love Arianna when she's a guest on political shows, but she really shines when she writes. Here's a taste:

[Excerpt]

Unhinged: Giuliani Buys Into His Own Testosterone-Fueled Myth

With each passing day -- and each bellicose, over-the-top, spittle-enhanced pronouncement -- Rudy Giuliani is revealing that he has the soul of a thug and the disposition of a tyrant. His behavior on the stump shows Jimmy Breslin nailed it when he described Giuliani as "a small man in search of a balcony." (Don't forget, Il Rudy cleaned up Times Square and made the subways run on time.) . . .

Read the rest at: Huffington Post

Writers' Strike: Will America Turn Off the TV?

Every fall, I resign myself to the fact that I'm going to be a couch potato for a few months. The combination of early nightfall, and the new TV season causes me to plop into my recliner for a nice hibernation. Every year, I pledge not to get too involved in very many new shows, and every year, I actually get a little better at that. Still, it hasn't stopped me from having something I've just got to watch most evenings.

That may be changing very soon, as a writers' strike is about to hit Hollywood. And it will hit some of the seemingly "unscripted" shows like The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Real Time with Bill Maher soon, because they don't have scripts stockpiled in advance. Do you suppose we'll all get up from our easy chairs, turn off the TV, and do something else?

[Excerpt]

Hollywood Writers Set Strike for Monday

. . .The first casualty of the strike would be late-night talk shows, which are dependent on current events to fuel monologues and other entertainment.

"The Tonight Show" on NBC will go into reruns starting Monday if last-ditch negotiations fail and a strike begins, according to a network official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person lacked authorization to comment publicly.

Garth Brooks and Tommy Lee Jones were the scheduled guests.

Comedy Central has said "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" would likely go into repeats as well.

A message left seeking CBS comment on plans for "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York was not immediately returned Friday evening. . .

Read more at: Huffington Post

Water Balloon in Slow Motion

For a little distraction, check this out. It's amazing how things we're all familiar with are never really seen. This slow-motion capture of a water balloon vs. a person's face shows that there is beauty and wonder in everything.

Schumer, Feinstein to Support Mukasey

Photo from source, TPMMuckraker

President Bush may be incompetent at most things, but there is one thing he's good at. Like a spoiled brat who knows just what buttons to push to get Mommy to give him a treat, Bush knows how to play Congress to get whatever he wants. It doesn't seem to matter what the issue is, Bush wins, even when he has a losing hand.

In this case, the replacement of Bush's best bud, Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General, Bush didn't even have to try. Like a battered wife, Congress already knows what he'll do if they don't give him what he wants. Pathetic.

[Excerpt]

Schumer, Feinstein to Support Mukasey

Here's Schumer's explanation, via Roll Call (sub. req.):

“I deeply esteem those who believe the issue of torture is so paramount that Judge Mukasey’s views on it should be the sole determinant of our vote,” Schumer said in a statement. “But I must respectfully disagree.

“The Justice Department is a shambles: politicized and demoralized. The belief and hope [is] that Justice Mukasey, with his experience, independence and integrity, can restore the department motivates my vote.”

Read it at weep at: TPMMuckraker

Cheney Impeachment? Music to My Ears

Not quite Luke Skywalker, Dennis Kucinich takes on Darth Cheney. From source, Raw Story

My friend Les thinks that impeaching Cheney is the dumbest thing he's ever heard. What I don't believe he's considered is, if they impeached Bush, we'd be left with President Cheney. So it makes sense to go for ol' Darth before you try to get the Emperor. Right?

Anyway, it really makes little difference, because I've resigned myself to the uncomfortable fact that the entire Administration will likely escape accountability. Even so, seeing stories like this give me a glimmer of hope.

[Excerpt]

Kucinich says he will force House vote on Cheney impeachment

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) announced he would move to force a vote next week on his resolution calling for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney.

“The momentum is building for impeachment,” Kucinich said in a statement on his Web site. “Millions of citizens across the nation are demanding Congress rein in the Vice President’s abuse of power. . .

Read more at: Raw Story

Away for the Evening

Just a quick post to say, I'm away this evening, so there will be little to no new posting tonight. I'll be back in the first half of Saturday at the latest. If you've come to read something, I hope there's something you haven't seen. If not, scroll down, and check out the new AmericaBlog or MediaMatters posts (in the left column). They're constantly up to date.

I'll be back!

Edwards and Kucinich New Frontrunners?

Today on Air America's The Thom Hartmann Show, the host held a straw poll. He dumped the phone lines, and told people to call in with just an answer to the question, "if you could vote today, who would you vote for for President?" The results were surprising. . .even baffling.

John Edwards was the winner by a landslide. Dennis Kucinich also did very well, though he only got around half what Edwards did. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson and Al Gore all garnered one vote apiece. And Joe Biden and Mike Gravel got no votes at all.

This was a brief five-minute call-in to a radio show, which may for some reason skew to Edwards' and Kucinich's demographics or something, but I was still surprised. Hartmann is a fairly standard Liberal, not too fringy or nutty or anything. And the straw poll wasn't hyped endlessly, so the Edwards and Kucinich camps would not have had time to rally their forces. But even if they did, isn't that what voting is all about?

This primary season could be more interesting than we've been lead to believe.

Lead in Toys Due to Bribery?

The reason I ask this question is pretty plain. If the people in charge of the Consumer Product Safety Commission are taking huge gifts from the companies they're supposed to be regulating, doesn't it follow that they might just look the other way sometimes? Might the big Chinese toy lead problems (and other issues) be due to a little too much leeway being granted in exchange for lavish trips? I think it's a question worth asking.

[Excerpt]

Industries Paid for Top Regulators' Travel

The chief of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and her predecessor have taken dozens of trips at the expense of the toy, appliance and children's furniture industries and others they regulate, according to internal records obtained by The Washington Post. Some of the trips were sponsored by lobbying groups and lawyers representing the makers of products linked to consumer hazards. . .

Read the story at: Washington Post

Blogiversary: 5 Months, 950 Posts!

Yeah, I've slogged through and blogged another month! Actually, I shouldn't put it that way, because I'm still having a lot of fun creating Greenlee Gazette. Visitors to the site have been on a slight uptick, and that's encouraging. I'd still like to get a little more creative, maybe introduce a cartoon or other regular feature that I could post weekly, or more often.

The trouble is time. I sit behind a computer all day at work, and more often than not I come home and do the same thing here. The Other Half is going to start getting annoyed. On the other hand, it gives him the opportunity to watch whatever nature or cooking show he wants on the big screen, while I blog away beside the little bitty 19-incher.

I was hoping to log 1000 posts by today, but a few days ago that became obviously impossible. Instead, I grouped some of my favorite horror movies into Top 10 lists, and was amazed to find them very popular--well for my blog anyway. Glad you liked 'em.

So, onward and upward to 1000 posts and beyond, and to month six! Hang in there with me, won't you? And bring your friends!

Daily Show: Rob Riggle and Killer Cupcakes

I really liked Rob Riggle when he was on Saturday Night Live, even though he was underused. So it's great that he's getting an opportunity to shine on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This clip aired last night, and I thought it was funny. And after all the horror around here lately (Halloween and Dubya), I thought the blog could use some funny. Enjoy.

Bush Gets Petulant Over Congress

Photo from Reuters.com

Something strange has been happening with our President over the last couple of weeks. He's always acted like a spoiled brat, but lately he's been more petulant than usual. He's had a series speeches and press conferences, each one of them growing more irritable. He's rattled off a series of charges against Congress, and increasingly raises the specter of doom if they don't do what he says.

When Congress doesn't capitulate to his whines (rare these days), he simply does an end-run around them. Sometimes he doesn't even give them an opportunity to knuckle under, and goes around them ahead of time. And all the while, he ratchets up the rhetoric. You almost expect him to hold his breath and turn blue.

And like a child throwing a tantrum, he's not above lying to make his case. John Aravosis at AmericaBlog has a great post up right now, analyzing Bush's latest charges. Check it out.

[Excerpt]

It's sad how many lies Bush can weave into one press event

. . .Our president is a liar. That's because he comes from a party of liars. All the extremists leading the Republican party know how to do nowadays is lie. They look in a mirror, pick out the worst things they're doing, and then blame the Democrats for it. Bush let Osama go? Blame the Democrats! Bush bankrupted the country while Clinton left us with hundreds of billions of dollars of surplus? Call the Democrats fiscally irresponsible because they want to add a few billion to a program to insure millions of children. . .

Read it all at: AmericaBlog

Fascist America, In 10 Easy Steps

Image from OldAmericanCentury.org

A while back, I wrote a post about the parallels between fascism, and the present state of America. I even linked to an article that outlined what fascism is, and how it's starting to fit our current government, or at least our government as it is being handled by the Bush Administration.

I was somewhat taken to task by my friend, who sometimes contributes here as "Lesto," who thought the article lacked in a few areas, and didn't make my case. Well, Lesto, please read this post, by writer Naomi Wolf. Written earlier this year, it makes a much stronger case, one that you may have trouble disagreeing with.

The rest of us can just read it, and get a little bit sick. Thanks to Air America's Randi Rhodes for the link. . .and for the queasiness.

[Excerpt]

Fascist America, in 10 easy steps

From Hitler to Pinochet and beyond, history shows there are certain steps that any would-be dictator must take to destroy constitutional freedoms. And, argues Naomi Wolf, George Bush and his administration seem to be taking them all. [snip]

1. Invoke a terrifying internal and external enemy

After we were hit on September 11 2001, we were in a state of national shock. Less than six weeks later, on October 26 2001, the USA Patriot Act was passed by a Congress that had little chance to debate it; many said that they scarcely had time to read it. We were told we were now on a "war footing"; we were in a "global war" against a "global caliphate" intending to "wipe out civilisation". . .

It's long, but it's good. Read more at: Guardian Unlimited

Enola Gay's Paul Tibbets Dies

Photo from source, Raw Story

When I worked as a bank teller, back in the 1980s, one of my customers was Paul Tibbets. He was one of our regulars, and developed a rapport with all of the tellers on the line. He even presented each teller with a signed copy of his book, Mission: Hiroshima. I wasn't fortunate enough to receive one, as I started shortly after that, but he was very warmly regarded by everyone in the bank. There were few bright spots to life in a bank (which is why I was only there for two years), but customers like Paul Tibbets made it memorable. Rest in peace, Paul.

[Excerpt]

Pilot of Hiroshima bomber dies

The pilot of the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb, devastating Hiroshima during World War II, died Thursday in his Ohio home, a spokesman said.

Paul Warfield Tibbets, Jr. flew a B-29 bomber called the Enola Gay which dropped the 9,000 pound bomb dubbed "Little Boy" on August 6, 1945.

"If Dante had been with us on the plane, he would have been terrified," Tibbets once said. . .

Read the rest at: Raw Story

Yep, Another GOP Sex Scandal

Photo from source, CNN

And yep, it's another gay one. I'm sure you're shocked.

[Excerpt]

CNN: 'Pressured' resignation in another GOP gay scandal

Washington State lawmaker Richard Curtis resigned his office tonight after a man he allegedly paid for sex spoke to the media about the encounter. Curtis is the third conservative lawmaker in just as many months to resign amid allegations of soliciting gay sex. CNN noted similarities between the seemingly 'pressured' resignations in this and other Republican scandals involving homosexuality. . .

Read the rest (with video) at: CNN

Fred Phelps & Family Get Comeuppance

Photo from Wikipedia (no, it's not another Halloween story)

The Rev. Fred Phelps and family may have finally done themselves in. He had a winner when he was "only" picking on gay people, sadly. He garnered a lot of press, ticked a lot of gay people off, but the law pretty much left him alone. Of course, it doesn't hurt that he and nearly his entire family are lawyers, if you can believe it. Of course, Phred is disbarred.

Anyway, once they branched out to protesting soldiers' funerals, it was only a matter of time before their comeuppance. And the uppance did come, and how. Maybe this will finally drive the crazy old coot, and his equally crazy family/congregation completely out of the limelight.

[Excerpt]

Jury awards father nearly $11 million in funeral protesters case

The father of a fallen Marine was awarded nearly $11 million Wednesday in damages by a jury that found leaders of a Kansas church had invaded the family's privacy and inflicted emotional distress when they picketed the Marine's funeral.

The jury awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages, $6 million for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress to the Marine's father, Albert Snyder of York, Pa. . .

Read all about it at: AOL News

And for a whole lot of background, try this: Fred Phelps Expose

Dan Savage's Halloween Display

Photo from source, The Stranger

Did I say I was done with Halloween a few minutes ago? Call me a flip-flopper, but this was just too funny to ignore. Thanks to AmericaBlog for the link!

Click through to The Stranger for this and more!