Ordinarily I don’t like to just leave a link to a news article without really expanding on it by adding my own thoughts, but I don’t have much time right now and I really wanted to put these out there:

1) Totally Gay Happy Meals/It is the end of the nutball Christian right. Here is your proof. To go

A sharply-written (and delightfully snarky) article about how the Religious Right has lost its power over America because the public has been bored with them for some time now.

2) McCain’s Problem: Not Age, but Condition

An article by Alec Baldwin for the Huffington Post with a very rational and appropriate warning not to alienate our elders by labeling John McCain as simply “old.”

Read and discuss. I’ll be back. (Coming up next – probably – all about the most interesting rehearsal process I have ever experienced, and some shameless personal promotion for the play I’m acting in…)

Filed by Bil at 1:41 pm under Religion, Gay Agenda, GOP, Damn Hippies, Politics, Fightin' Words, Homophobia
1 Comment

Oh, Dennis Kucinich…bless that man’s heart.

(It gets interesting about 2 minutes in…)

Thirty-five (count ‘em, thirty-five!) Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush have been introduced to the House of Representatives by Mr. K, and, while I appreciate the gesture, the timing could not be much worse. Bush has barely half a year left in the white house; Impeachment proceedings, as I recall from the last decade, take much longer than that. Anyway, the Articles probably won’t go anywhere in the House. At this point — not to sound too cynical — it’s really just a statement, since the Democrats don’t really have the power right now to carry out an impeachment. And, being that we are now getting geared up for what will probably be a very ugly presidential campaign, the GOP will probably spin this statement into a “Democrats Hate America!” campaign. I wouldn’t be surprised. It’s what they do. It’s what they’re good at.

And Kucinich tried to impeach Cheney last year (remember?) and even in 2007 it was too little too late. I don’t like feeling that way — I really would like to see this administration forcefully removed from office — but it’s hard to have faith in this process.

You know what else is kind of bugging me? There seems to be a prevailing mindset for this upcoming presidential season of “I was for the war/I was against the war when it all began,” and that mindset is a pretty distracting from the fact that the war is still in progress. We know the facts of the past, there is no point in repeating them. I want to hear what each candidate will do about the current state of things.

Note - if we are to take McCain at his word, we already know he will do nothing to stop the war. So what I really mean is I want to hear what Obama has planned.

Filed by Bil at 1:19 pm under GOP, Politics, Fightin' Words
1 Comment

As you may or may not have heard five billion times by now, New York Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer is in some hot water because he hired a pricey hooker after a career of prosecuting powerful men who hire pricey hookers. We have all seen this before, and if there’s one thing that we as a nation should be able to agree upon by now (but for some reason aren’t), it’s that political party really has nothing to do with the fact that some politicians are just plain old douche bags.

Okay, sure, perhaps Eliot Spitzer should resign, perhaps not. Honestly, as a resident of a state that is NOT New York, I don’t think I could make a valid argument either way. I don’t know what their funny laws are. Is prostitution illegal up there? Isn’t it illegal in every state but Nevada?

NY Repbulican threaten to impeach Spitzer

Let’s just slow down a little bit though. Who said anything about impeach?
(Keep reading…)

Filed by Bil at 5:27 pm under GOP, Pop Culture, Politics
No Comments

Bil sent me a link to a protest MoveOn Chicago had organized in response to Bush’s recent appalling SCHIP veto, so I headed on down last night to take part. Initially I’d intended to write a little play-by-play in the manner of my Ira Glass post, but frankly at the moment it’s a little hard to take a glass-half-full attitude about the current situation in our country. It brings me no end of misery at the realization that we have just barely under a year-and-a-half remaining with our current president; thus I believe ours is the generation that will see the collapse of this great nation, save the scenario in which we stop treating democracy like a spectator sport.

I will say this, however: I was greatly encouraged by the sheer volume of supportive honking from passing drivers, not to mention the presence of several resident physicians from UIC and Northwestern. Please, please contact your representative and urge them to vote to overturn Bush’s veto in two weeks. Please.

[EDIT: This clip of the fantastic Rachel Maddow going up against Pat Buchanan must be seen. Excellent!]

(Keep reading…)

Filed by Trevor at 8:32 am under GOP, Politics, Fightin' Words, Activism
2 Comments

Let me start off by stating that I agree — Cheney must be impeached. I encourage you all to go to impeachcheney.org and sign their front page petition. Tell your representative, if you know who that is. Get everyone you can to go and sign this petition.

Now, having said that, I would like to point out that their YouTube-based propaganda campaign is dishearteningly shitty.
(Keep reading…)

Filed by Bil at 11:56 am under GOP, The Media, Activism
2 Comments

What exactly can you say when someone you despise passes away unexpectedly? I wonder if Robertson will be next — just a thought. Now, I know what you’re thinking; I’m certainly not going to say I’m glad Falwell is dead. I’m not. I will express, however, relief at the thought that his absence from the political forum brings us all one step closer to mending the rift between the religious right and the rest of the rational world. What do you think?

Filed by Trevor at 5:14 pm under Religion, GOP, Homophobia
1 Comment

John McCain has a MySpace page, further proving my theory that if you’re not on MySpace, then you don’t actually exist. And the people who support McCain (on MySpace, mind you, not as a whole) seem — and please forgive me — fucking stupid. For example, one of his “friends” writes:

I definately agree that setting a date for withdrawal would be a devasting mistake for sure. I have my husband in Afghanistan and I don’t like the fact that he and other troops are over there, but this is something that needs to be finished. If we pulled out without finishing the job, they will come over here and destroy this country. They proved it before on 9/11 and they will do more damage if they are not stopped. And besides, I feel that the one that will stop this and says when it is finished is God Almighty Himself. I am not pushing religion on anyone, but it’s time that someone says it. Only God will say if and when it is over!!!! Not the politicians!!!! I did sign the petition and hopefully others will too. I will email this to others in AZ to sign if they agree with us all. We will win this fight and Sen. McCain has my vote in 2008 for US President!!!!!!!! Thank you Sen. McCain for your dedication and your service years ago.

Now look, it’s not that I think anyone is stupid for being religious, but — with rolling eyes, all together now — COME ON. Only God will say if and when it is over!!!! As though God started the war, and not the Bush administration.
(Keep reading…)

Filed by Bil at 9:54 pm under Religion, GOP, Damn Hippies, Politics, Fightin' Words
1 Comment

Newt Gingrich decries bilingual ballots. Nothing new there.

I wasn’t even going to read this article. I said to myself, “There are more important things going on right now. There’s a war. There’s disease. This guy isn’t even speaker anymore.”

Then I realized that just because there are bigger, more pressing matters for our elected officials to deal with, that doesn’t mean that these other matters should just be dropped. Anyway, what else is Newt going to do with his time?

More urgent matters are being dealt with by hundreds of other, more urgent politicians; so, says me, let Newt say what’s on his mind. Evidently, what’s on his mind is the impending doom the nation will face if we don’t stop teaching students in languages other than English.
(Keep reading…)

Filed by Bil at 6:43 pm under Social Issues, GOP, Politics
1 Comment