God help us all.   Please don’t me wrong:  I *highly* respect both Senators, mostly because of their determination and willingness to fight World War III.   But I also *vehemently* disagree with both Senators on a variety of important issues facing this nation.

The idea of McCain (as nominee) picking Joe Lieberman makes me want to completely vomit.   I have repeatedly suggested to PatriotPartner that McCain will do precisely this, since the Arizona Senator he has frequently used the term “unity governing.”   And we all know that McCain and Lieberman are now almost as close as McCain and his man-panion, Lindsey Graham.

But, for crying out loud… how would this work?   First of all, as PatriotPartner reminds me, it isn’t the nominee who ultimately choses his/her running mate:  It is the party delegates at the convention who vote.  

Would the Republican Party really choose a pro-choice, former Democrat Senator from Connecticut to be on its National ticket with a top-ticketer who already draws ire from the conservative base?

Since I’m not the only one thinking this…. I guess we need to get it out there to discuss.

Excuse me while I go expunge these thoughts in the nearest toilet.

Rudy… please save us in Florida from the madness we are about to endure!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Where do you think the state of the GOP Nomination is today?   Let us know in this new GayPatriot poll!

Opinion Polls & Market Research

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

It seems fitting that on this day honoring Martin Luther King, I would, while browsing at Barnes and Noble, chance upon a recently issued edition of a heretofore unpublished manuscript of one of America’s greatest writers and read in the blurb about this wordsmith that he stands among the great black writers.

To be sure, Richard Wright was a black writer, but why did the publishers of A Father’s Law seek to limit his importance? Wright ranks among the great American authors who was able to write about his experience as a black man growing up in the South and later moving to Chicago such that he wrote not just about that experience but about the human experience.

Were the publishers (to paraphrase Dr. King) seeking to judge him by the color of his skin and not the universality of his themes?

His novel Native Son ranks along with Melville’s Moby Dick, Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Cather’s My Ántonia and Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter as one of the greatest American novels. His Memoir Black Boy is perhaps the most powerful written by an American.

Do people call Truman Capote a great American writer or a great gay writer?

Heck, we can even dispense with the adjective describing Wright’s nationality. He was simply put a great writer, the power of whose works endures long after his death.

About a decade ago, when I was reading Wright’s work, I rushed off to the Borders near me (then in Northern Virginia) to buy another book, but I couldn’t find any of his writings in the “Fiction & Literature” section. It struck me as strange that a bookstore with that large an inventory would not have a single work by this great author.

When I asked, I learned that they shelved his works in the African-American section. By that logic, a bookstore out here would shelve John Steinbeck in the Calfornia section.

Just as Martin Luther King, Jr. was a great American, Richard Wright was a great writer. Each achieved his greatness by drawing on his experiences as a black man in a segregated society, then found a means to transcend racial difference to address universal theme.

We will truly have learned from Dr. King’s positive vision if we come to see Richard Wright as a great American writer and place his works where they belong, alongside Cather, Hawthorne, Melville, Steinbeck, other great American writers.

Today, we celebrate the holiday honoring one of the greatest Americans of the last century. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. beautifully articulated the vision of our founders and applied it right one of the great wrongs in our society.

Celebrating the American dream, he saw how various state laws mandating segregation and state policies preventing black citizens from voting not only violated the rights guaranteed these individuals by the constitution, but also damaged our nation. As much as our founders, Martin Luther King, Jr. understood what it meant to be American and sought to extend the benefits of a free society to those denied it by Jim Crow legislation.

State legislatures in southern states enacted those laws in the late nineteenth century in order to stop the progress blacks were making in the states where they had once been enslaved. And the U.S. Supreme Court was complicit in this system of segregation by refusing in such cases as Plessy v. Ferguson to strike that obviously unconstitutional legislation.

Dr. King reminded us of the principles of our constitution and the ideals of our nation. He succeeded in changing our national consciousness and helped restore our national purpose.

For that reason, for reminding us of the animating spirit of our nation, the principles our founders articulated and countless soldiers fought for in our Revolution, the Civil War and the Second World War, for extending those principles to Americans who had not previously enjoyed them, we honor Dr. King today.

Like the great Americans of the previous centuries, George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and others, Dr. King recognized that the idea of freedom was central to the idea of America. His speeches were full of references to and quotations from our founding documents and patriotic hymns.

He mentioned “freedom” 21 times in his “I Have a Dream” speech (using the word, “equality” only once). His Letter from a Birmingham Jail included the word “freedom” sixteen times without once using the word, equality. While he favored equal rights, he recognized that freedom was central to the American ideal.

These two documents belong among the most important documents in American history.

In recent days, much as made (as it should have been) of Hillary Clinton’s comment that it “took a president” to realize Dr. King’s dream. Hardly. While indeed, then-President Lyndon Johnson’s signature made made the Civil Rights Act of 1964 the law of the land, that legislative victory was only part of the accomplishments of the Civil Rights’ Movement. It took someone of Dr. King’s stature to change our attitudes so that a man like Johnson who harbored racial resentments would sign the bill.

Mrs. Clinton’s comments missed the point. It shows she has little understanding of the power of a true leader to change our nation. He need not do it by enacting legislation or even by assuming a position of political power. He does it by changing minds. Dr. King did that by the power of his presence, his gift with words and his understanding of the American ideal.

Through the power of his words, he made Americans see the folly of segregation, how it blocked certain Americans from participating fully in the life of their nation while preventing others Americans who enjoyed those freedoms from recognizing the humanity of their fellows.

Dr. King showed us how segregation violated the spirit of our founding ideals and did so not by attacking this great nation, but by reminding us of our values as a people — and the promise of our founding. In his speeches and writings, he frequently referenced our patriotic hymns and the documents which defined and established the United States. He was truly a great American in the spirit of others we honor at various times during the year.

And that is why we honor this great man today.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King. And thank you for reminding us of the meaning of America. And helping correct a flaw in our nation which prevented certain Americans from realizing its promise.

- B. Daniel Blatt (GayPatriotWest@aol.com)

It’s amazing what one can find via Google sometimes. I was curious who the first recorded gay soldier was that faced disciplinary action in the military and found this interesting excerpt from Conduct Unbecoming: Gays & Lesbians in the U.S. Military by Randy Shilts:

On March 11, 1778, just sixteen days after [Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von] Steuben arrived at Valley Forge, drums and fifes assembled on the Grand Parade in the brisk morning air to conclude the punishment ordered by a general court-martial and approved by General Washington himself. On that morning Lieutenant Gotthold Frederick Enslin became the first known soldier to be dismissed from the U.S. military for homosexuality.

Enslin had arrived in the United States on September 30, 1774, aboard the ship Union, which had sailed from Rotterdam to Philadelphia. He was in his late twenties or early thirties. He arrived alone, according to the ship’s records, suggesting that he was single. Three years later he enlisted in the Continental Army; within a few months he was serving as an officer in Colonel William Malcom’s regiment.

Though little is known of Enslin’s earlier life, the exact penmanship he used on his company’s muster sheets and his command of the English language indicate that he was an educated man of some financial means. The Continental Army preferred its officers to be educated and able to provide their own supplies.

Under the bunking arrangements at Valley Forge, enlisted men lived in communal barracks while officers resided in small cabins with officers of similar rank. It was in Enslin’s cabin that Ensign Anthony Maxwell apparently discovered the lieutenant with Private John Monhart. Maxwell reported this to his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Burr. Enslin responded that Maxwell was lying in an attempt to impugn his character.
(more…)

I don’t know how one would classify me in the realm of economics, and it is certainly not my strong suit.   But based on 39 years of experience paying taxes and acting like a normal human being when something is taxed versus not-taxed… I have a pretty good idea of how to spend the $150 Billion that Bush & Congress are talking about.

Forget the $800.00 check for most Americans.  It is fine for lower- and lower-middle class, don’t get me wrong.  But I’d gladly give up my $800.00 if Congress would use the money for more strategic economic and security projects.

Call it my “Kill Many Birds With One Stone” Economic Plan:

Fine, cut a check for $800 to those who would best benefit from it and were likely to put it back into the economy.

Have most of the rest of Federal money specifically targeted toward energy independence construction — ANWR development, refinery construction, nuclear plant construction, and drilling infrastructure off the coast of Florida (where Castro is trying to steal our oil reservers).

Simply set aside $10B to build a wall on our Southern Border.  Use only American construction workers. 

These are kind of jobs that American workers would definitely want!!   And the investment now would reap future benefits in energy independence and border security.

It seems like a no-brainer to me.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Just as his wife attempted to rewrite the reasons for her husband’s support for the Defense of Marriage Act in the Logo Debate (claiming it was to stave off an amendment enshrining the traditional definition of marriage in the federal constitution), so too is Bill Clinton trying to rewrite the record of his (or should I say “their” given the experience she claims?) Administration. The former president’s latest whopper is claiming that when he signed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” he hadn’t expected that “anti-gay forces in the military” would start “using it as an excuse to kick people out.”

Log Cabin did not mince words in taking issue with Clinton’s latest lie. Organization President Patrick Sammon said:

“President Clinton either didn’t understand the legislation he signed or he’s lying. . . . If he actually thought the military wasn’t correctly implementing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ why didn’t he do anything about it for the seven years he served as President after signing the legislation?  Clinton apparently forgets he was Commander-in-Chief.

Given the way his wife’s been campaigning, in the unfortunate event she wins election, she’ll forget she’s chief executive if things don’t go as she wants. And she’ll just try to pass the buck.

Citing a 1993* Department of Defense press release announcing the new policy, Sammon noted further:

From the very beginning of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ there was no doubt what the law meant—gay and lesbian Americans could only serve if they lied about their sexual orientation or kept it a secret.

We’re pleased to see Log Cabin taking on a Democrat. Indeed Sammon finds the former president’s latest misrepresentation just “another example of the Clintonian excuses and re-writing history.” Ms. Hillary is running on experience. Yet, just like her husband, she’ll twist her actual experience to fit the narrative of the moment, turning, for example, a goodwill mission abroad to a diplomatic initiative.

For the Clinton’s facts aren’t the way things were, but the way they want things to have been to fit their latest campaign narrative, to please whatever audience they’re addressing at the time, whose votes they need to win the election at hand.

If Hillary is running on her experience, then her experience is her husband’s record. And we know all too well what that means to the gay community. As Patrick Sammon puts it, Clinton is “a man who gladly took support and money from gays and lesbians and then delivered ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ and the so-called ‘Defense of Marriage Act.”

Kudos to Log Cabin for taking on this dishonest Democrat. Let’s see if any of the other gay organizations take note of Clinton’s attempt to twist his record on gay issues to suit his purposes.

ADDENDUM: At least one gay blogger has taken note. Chris Crain writes that it’s Déjà Bill all over again.

*********

*A year when Democrats controlled the White House and both houses of Congress.

UPDATE: Chris Crain has more on Bill Clinton’s weasley ways, commenting in a second post on the former president’s misrepresentations on DADT:

It is incumbent on the media and gay rights groups, whatever their presidential candidate affiliation, to call Bill Clinton out on his misrepresentation of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and correct the record once and for all.

He also links a post providing video of the former Democratic president’s latest fib. As with anything by Chris Crain, read the whole thing because even when he’s wrong, he’s got a point to make. This time, he pretty much gets it right.

UP-UPDATE: Even Barack Obama has noted the former president’s dishonesty, commenting, “He continues to make statements that are not supported by the facts.” (Via Baldilocks via Instapundit.)

[Please note I had written this post on Thursday morning, fortunately in a text file so I didn't lose it, but couldn't post it because of our blog woes.]

Some in the media have made much of Ms. Hillary’s attempt yesterday Wednesday to play flight attendant on her campaign plane yesterday. I even saw a clip of this stunt on FoxNews.

What struck me about what AP called a “humorous riff” was two things, first, that it wasn’t humorous and, second, it was all about politics.

Many politicians, in doing such stunts, eschew the political references to show their more personal side. It seems Ms. Hillary’s personal side is all politics.

All this “riff” was was an attempt to draw more media attention to her attacks on the GOP and her campaign slogans, note her comment that the view from the left of revealed “an America with a strong middle class at home and a strong reputation in the world” and the excessive references to “experience.” (I guess for Ms. Hillary sleeping in the White House counts as executive experience.)

This whole lame “riff” only increased my animosity toward the former First Lady for in her attempt to show a more light-hearted side, this woman revealed that how completely political she is.

It made me wonder if she has any other interests besides politics. One more reason to defeat her as quickly as possible. For as person as political as she will have fewer resources on which to draw to unite the nation if, in the unfortunate event she wins his fall, she becomes president.

This failed attempt at humor makes it increasingly clear why we must defeat Ms. Hillary.

Before John McCain gets too arrogant and obstinant about his win last night (it is probably too late)…. I thought it was time for a reality check for Senator Arizona Amnesty.

Here is the vote total from last night’s SC GOP Primary (with 97% reporting):

McCain — 143,224 votes
Huckabee — 128,908 votes
Thompson — 67,897 votes
Romney — 64,970 votes
Paul — 15,773 votes
Giuilani — 9,112 votes
Hunter — 1,035 votes

TOTAL:  430,919

BUT… here are the vote results from the 2000 GOP Primary — Bush vs. McCain:

George W. Bush — 301,050 votes
John McCain — 237,888  votes
Alan Keyes — 25,510  votes
Others — 1,256 votes

TOTAL:  565,704

That means almost 135,000 voters from 2000 skipped yesterday’s vote.  And more importantly for Senator McCain is this number:   94,664.   Those are the number of  LESS votes he received in yesterday’s SC primary versus the votes he got in 2000.

So before Sen. McCain is too excited about his 2008 SC Primary win he should wonder why he got more votes in 2000 than yesterday.   And he should stop and realize that 67% of SC Republican voters yesterday voted AGAINST John McCain.

The answer is that the MAJORITY of South Carolina’s ”regular Republicans” either sat home or voted against McCain.  In any case they certainly are not supportive of Senator John McCain and his trusted man-panion, Senator Lindsey Graham-nesty.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

A must read from today’s Washington Post.

Making Iraq Safe for Politics – Fred Kagan, Jack Keane & Michael O’Hanlon

Iraq’s parliament this month passed a new de-Baathification bill, which awaits only expected approval by the five-member presidency council before becoming law. Much remains to be done, but this is an important step toward political reconciliation — and it further strengthens the case for America to remain committed to its crucial mission in Iraq in the months and years ahead.

The reformed de-Baathification legislation is one of half a dozen key political issues codified into American law last year by President Bush and Congress as “benchmarks” we expected Iraqi leaders to address. Other matters so identified are hydrocarbon legislation; a provincial powers act (clarifying the roles of Iraq’s 18 provinces vis-a-vis the central government); a provincial election law to facilitate the next round of local elections; a process for holding a referendum on the political future of Kirkuk, the disputed northern oil city (and for compensating individual property holders and sectarian groups who lose out in such a vote); and a more transparent and trustworthy process for purging sectarian extremists from positions of government authority.

These benchmarks are reasonable goals. It is regrettable that insufficient progress has been made on the others (with the exception of the long, slow progress of purging extremists from official positions). What really matters, however, is that Iraqis come to view themselves as a single people working together to build a new nation, and address their inevitable differences legislatively rather than violently.

This political progress resulted from a year’s worth of substantial effort to reduce violence in Iraq. Proponents of the surge always said that getting violence under control was an essential prerequisite to reconciliation, not the other way around. The full surge has been in place and operating for just over six months, and already violence has fallen dramatically across the country. The achievement in such a short time of significant legislation that requires all sides to accept risk and compromise with people they had been fighting only a few months ago is remarkable. It would have been unattainable without the change in strategy and addition of American forces that helped bring the violence down.

Many people in Washington (mainly from one political party) are still urging, hoping and pushing for America to slink away from Iraq and give a victory to al-Qaeda.  Luckily, our brave men and women on the ground (around the world) are taking this World War to the enemy….. and keeping further attacks on our homeland.

God Bless America and our brave US military.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Voters in the Nevada cauci for Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton.  And a big win for both!

Romney (R) – 53% of the vote so far

Clinton (D) – 51% of the vote so far

Seems like a big loss to Obama, and the Hispanics in Nevada went to Clinton in droves.

And now it is on to South Carolina (just 2 miles away from me!) for tonight’s GOP primary results….

Stay tuned!  (GO FRED, GO!)

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

We experienced a few problems this week which caused our site to crash for a while, but thanks to the hard work of our new webmaster, we’re back up and running.

And just in time for the raft of primaries and cauci today and upcoming.

In two posts (here and here), I have noted far more cars sporting bumper stickers promoting Senator Barack Obama’s presidential bid than those promoting that of his rival from New York, former First Lady Hillary Clinton. While the two may be tied in presidential preference polls, his backers more readily advertise their support.

Recently, I speculated that her husband generated such enthusiasm among Democrats because of his success. Unlike any of his party’s previous presidential nominees, he demonstrated an ability to not only win a presidential election, but also to win successive national elections. Do her supporters back here merely out of respect for his past achievements?

It’s not just that.

As I become increasingly aware of animosity to Mrs. Clinton among Democrats as well as Repubilcans, it seemed odd that a woman who could inspire such animosity could generate so little enthusiasm. Usually politicians who inspire such animosity among their adversaries generate a corresponding (if not increased) amount of enthusiasm among their supporters. (Think Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and Bill Clinton in the 1990s.)

In this way, she seems similar to President George W. Bush for the better part of his second term. He has many impassioned critics, but currently gets only tepid praise (at best) from his supporters.

The first headline (to me) from Michigan is this:  The GOP Nomination Is Reset and Up For Grabs!

Fred Thompson’s campaign agrees!

First, the Republican campaign for President remains wide-open. Our party faithful are still looking for someone who meets all the qualifications they seek: A true consistent conservative with the experience to keep the country safe. Second, Mike Huckabee’s campaign to be John McCain’s Vice President has hit a snag. He has gone from the mid-thirties in Iowa to 11% in New Hampshire and now about 15% in Michigan.

Second:  The Michigan results  show that John McCain Is Severely Wounded.

Independent voters constituted a significantly smaller proportion of Michigan Republican primary voters this cycle than eight years ago, our exit polling indicates.

Independents made up only 25 percent of primary voters this year — 10 points less than they did in the 2000 GOP primary that McCain won.

As predicted, among independents McCain beat Romney 35 percent to 29 percent. But Romney easily beat McCain among registered Republicans, 40 percent to 26 percent. That could bode well for the former Massachusetts governor in upcoming primaries where independent voters are not allowed to vote on the Republican side.

Third:  Romney Has Received Many More Votes & Delegates So Far.  (source:  CNN 2008 Election Central webpages)

GOP Delegates (1,191 needed for nomination):

• Romney:  52
• Huckabee:  22
• McCain:  15
• Thompson:  6
• Paul:  2
• Giuliani:  1
• Hunter:  1

GOP 2008 Total Primary Votes (IA, NH, WY, MI combined)

• Romney:  443,139
• McCain:  361,546
• Huckabee:  207,308
• Ron Paul:  84,554
• Fred Thompson: 50,925
• Rudy Giuliani:  49,198
• Duncan Hunter:  4,567

Finally, in EVERY Democrat caucus & primary vote so far in 2008 the result has been this:  A Majority of Democrats Vote AGAINST Hillary Clinton.

Chew on all of that this Wednesday….

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

UPDATE (from Dan): Over at RealClearPolitics, Jay Cost offers a good analysis of the Michigan results. He also notes the bad news there for Ms. Hillary despite her overall victory over Uncommitted:

As for the Democratic side – the big story is Hillary Clinton losing the African American vote to “uncommitted.” The exit poll pegged African Americans going against Clinton, 68% to 30%. It appears that opposition by African Americans induced a split in Wayne County (where Detroit is), 50% to Hillary, 45% to uncommitted. People in the media are going to connect these results to the racial kerfuffle of the last few days – and they are partially right to do so. But I think there is more to it than this. Since his Iowa victory, Obama’s numbers among African American voters have been trending upward. Tonight’s results are another indication that African Americans are breaking his way. The Clinton campaign should be worried about this. It appears as if Obama might be able to take an important part of the traditional Democratic coalition. He is thus moving beyond the relatively narrow appeal of previous “insurgent” Democratic candidates like Bill Bradley and Gary Hart. This is bad news for Clinton.

Welcome Instapundit Readers!!

Back when I was in law school and Rush Limbaugh published his first book, I walked into my favorite bookstore in Charlottesville to pick up a book I had ordered (this was before amazon) and took note of a sign behind the counter saying something like, “We don’t carry Rush Limbaugh’s book, so don’t even ask.”

Obviously some people had asked. And that irritated the store’s owner.

I made some comment to the clerk, indicating that while I respected the store’s right to stock whichever books it pleased, I also had the right to go elsewhere to buy my books. His refusal to carry Rush’s book decreased the likelihood I would return to that store. The clerk observed that I had not been the first to make such a comment.

I had wanted to support the Williams Corner Bookstore, an independent bookseller on the downtown mall. It was a great place to take a break from my legal studies and browse for books. I appreciated their literature section. But, it troubled me that they would exclude the book of a prominent conservative while including many tomes by left-wing scholars, activists and hangers-on.

When a Barnes & Noble opened up in the Barracks Road Shopping Center, I took my business there.

The owner, Michael Williams, may have blamed such superstore competition for putting him out of business in 1998, calling his rivals “Gangsters,” but I also wonder if his own bias also hurt his business.

I thought of the Williams Corner Bookstore’s demise when I read this weekend on Instapundit that some Barnes and Noble’s stores were not carrying (or hiding) Jonah Goldberg’s new book, Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left, From Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning. Impressed that my local Barnes & Noble bookstore almost always includes a diverse array of books on its display tables (& shelves), I had intended to buy it there. But, after what I learned on Instapundit, I decided to order the book from amazon instead.

While I respect the right of any bookseller to refuse to carry certain books, we book-buyers also have the right to choose where we buy our books. Back in the 1990s, Michael Williams’s public statement that he wasn’t carrying Rush Limbaugh’s book caused him to lose a regular customer, a conservative law student who happened to frequent his establishment when looking for books in any number of categories.

And it’s pretty clear I wasn’t the only customer he lost.

The more bias booksellers show, the more customers will seek out other means of buying books. And with new technologies, we have more places to get our books.

Oftentimes, independent booksellers blame the big chains for driving them out of business. That’s only half the story. As the chain bookstores proliferate, I have tried to support independent booksellers, but have found often them staffed with rude or snooty clerks and biased owners like Charlottesville’s Michael Williams.

I would dare say that those independent booksellers which survive understand the importance of customer service — and of maintaining a broad and diverse selection of books.

Please tell me that our yoot aren’t going to fall for this scam-o-rama.…

Planes generate tons of CO₂, carbon dioxide emissions, which experts agree are a leading cause of global warming. StudentUniverse.com wants to help students see the world, but also wants to do its part to help protect it. In addition to being a 100% Carbonfree business, the company will introduce ECO₂llege Class as an option in fall 2007. By choosing to fly ECO₂llege Class, students can help offset the global warming impact of their flights by purchasing renewable energy credits (RECs) that fund renewable energy projects around the U.S.A.

Give me a break. This “carbon free” stuff is a bunch of hooey. And these carbon offsets crap have become the biggest Ponzi scheme ever created.  I defy someone to actually bring me some of the carbon that has been saved… bring me a bottle of it.   Or a tree that didn’t die because of “carbon offsets”.  Or an ozone molecule that wasn’t destroyed because of the magic of “carbon offsets”.

Al Gore:  Snake Oil Salesman Extraordinaire.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Familiar with the case of Ezra Levant?  Of course not… CNNABCNBCNYTIMES won’t bother to highlight this case of Canadian political correctness gone bad.

In February of 2006, the Western Standard magazine, of which I was publisher, reprinted the Danish cartoons of Mohammed.  We were immediately hit with two “human rights complaints”.  These are a strange species of lawsuit, inimicable to Western liberal traditions of rule of law and freedom of speech.  A real court would have thrown these complaints out as baseless, but Alberta’s human rights commission has proceeded.  Friday was the day of my interrogation. I videotaped it.

Suppression of freedom of speech and criminalizing different points of view.  Right out of the handbook of Pelosi, Reid & Clinton, I’d say.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I just returned from a wonderful trip to the Buckeye State where I spent some time with my family in Cincinnati (including my brand new niece) and Cleveland where I attended the fourth eldest PatriotNephewWest’s Bar Mitzvah.

While in Ohio, I had lunch with my best friend from elementary and Middle School whom I hadn’t seen in over two decades and with whom I had a falling out in high school. For now, I’ll just say we reconnected and reconciled, renewing our friendship.

When driving around the various locales I visited on my journey, I noted the proliferation of Obama bumper stickers, but can’t recall seeing a single one favoring Mrs. Clinton. This kind of parallels my experience in Los Angeles where I have seen lots and lots of Obama stickers and only a handful backing the former First Lady. While this bumper sticker “poll” does not correspond to the results of most “scientific” surveys, it does at least show more enthusiasm for Illinois’s junior senator than for his New York counterpart.

In my family, none of the Democrats are particularly enthusiastic about Mrs. Clinton, with the New Yorkers openly contemptuous of their senator. Once again, I note the intense animosity among some Democrats for her.

All the Republicans, including my eldest nephew, a sophomore in college, had high regard for Mitt Romney, noting his performance in the debates and his conservative platform. With all these educated Republicans backing the former Massachusetts governor, I wondered why he hasn’t done as well at the polls. I have some thoughts on the matter and hope to address them in a post later this week.

As one who doesn’t travel much, all the cross-country journeys I’ve been taking has been kind of disorienting. When a friend picked me up at the airport this afternoon, I observed that I had been on more planes (8) in the past two months than I had been in the preceding two years. But, probably far fewer than my co-blogger who seems to log that many flights in two weeks.

This morning, when I left my Dad’s house, it was snowing outside. This afternoon, I arrived to sunny skies in LA. On days like today, I do love LA. But, boy do I miss the decency of the people in the Buckeye State. I hope that wherever I travel, wherever I settle, I keep that part of the Midwest with me at all times.

- B. Daniel Blatt (GayPatriotWest@aol.com)

I swear to you all… I got this email directly a few days ago…..

Dear Friend,

I want to personally thank you for getting involved in my campaign.  (GP Ed. Note:  Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha).   It is critical that we stay in touch as fast-moving events shape this important election.

If we want to end the war in Iraq, restore America’s reputation in the world, rebuild the middle class, reform our government, and provide affordable health care for all, we need to work together. Not a single Republican candidate can provide America with the clean break and fresh start we so urgently need.

But we can – and that’s what this campaign is all about. So let’s show everyone what we can accomplish together. Here’s one thing you can do: display my special gift to you today – a “Hillary for President” bumper sticker!

And I hope you will also take a few minutes to visit HillaryClinton.com. We work hard to make sure it delivers all the information you need — from speeches on major issues to videos from the campaign trail to a full range of opportunities for you to get even more involved.

Once again, thanks so much for standing with me — and make sure you sign up for your “Hillary for President” bumper sticker today.

Show your family, friends, and neighbors that you support my campaign for change by displaying a “Hillary for President” bumper sticker.

Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Someone has either signed me up as a joke.  Or someone needs to seriously update their email list.

I’d rather eat my own bodily waste, or vote for John McCain, than display a Hillary bumper sticker!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)