We are about 25 minutes away. The on stage prep is now going on. Here is a sneaky pic I just took.

The candidates are about to take the stage for the photo op.

More to follow…

The debate has been going on for about 20 minutes now. Pretty serious tone regarding Iran threat and status of troops in Afghanistan so far.

8:30PM UPDATE: Rick Santorum closed out his Pakistan comments by basically saying American jobs support defense sales to bad players. WTF?!?

9:20PM UPDATE: You REALLY should have been following my comments on Twitter. Just saying. The last 30 minutes are only available on the internet. My broad take on this debate — Newt wins, hands-down.

I’m sorry to interrupt WeinerGate… but I wanted to say hello from I-40 West near Knoxville, TN. I’m on our 3rd annual Nashville road trip for the CMA MusicFest this week.

To keep track of my escapades, please follow me on Twitter!

The awesome week of Country Music starts tonight with the Grand Ole Opry show. The lineup is amazing: Darius Rucker, Martina McBride, Oak Ridge Boys, Lady Antebellum and Carrie Underwood. I know! Awesome, right.

You can listen to the show at 10:30 Eastern on Opry.com.

I’ll try to tweet or post some pics tonight.

More from Nashville later!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Good evening everyone from Music City, USA. If you follow me on Twitter you know that PatriotPartner and I are on vacation in Nashville, TN.

Our normal Nashville trip is in June for the CMA MusicFest. But we decided to come during Christmastime because of Garth Brooks. Garth is having a series of charity concerts to raise money for victims of the historic floods that hit Middle TN this past May.

Tonight is the concert for us, but Garth will have had about 20 shows over 10 days when it’s all done. News reports say the effort has raised over $3.5 million.

Thanks Garth. And Merry Christmas Nashville!!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Ilario Pantano is a combat veteran of two wars, a small business owner, an author and a constitional conservative. He is running for Congress to retire an entrenched politician who votes with Nancy Pelosi over 90% of the time in a district that has not elected a Republican since the 1800s. This race was recently upgraded from “Safely Democrat” to “Toss Up” because polls show that Ilario can win, and momentum is building on his side.

Pantano has another distinction in this race.  He was viciously attacked by the anti-war, anti-American Left as the result of his service to our nation in Iraq.

Ilario Pantano is a respected combat veteran, and bestselling author who has worked in both global markets and small business. The “born again Southerner” is a 38 year-old conservative committed to promoting job creation and revitalizing the economy, protecting the homeland and preserving our conservative values.

On his way to a meeting in Manhattan, he witnessed the Twin Towers burning in the attacks of September 11, 2001.   Friends and colleagues were killed in the attacks.

Pantano rushed to a recruiter’s office and began the lengthy process of returning to service in the Marines, this time as an officer.  

Pantano graduated Marine officer training in the top 2 percentile and was selected by his peers to lead their Infantry Officer Class. Upon graduation, 2^nd Lt Pantano and his family were assigned to Camp Lejeune North Carolina, where he took command of an Infantry Platoon with the 2^nd Battalion of the 2^nd Marine Regiment, the WARLORDS.  The WARLORDS deployed to the “Triangle of Death” Region in Iraq where they conducted combat operations in Latafiyah, Yusufiyah and Falluja.

After months of insurgent violence triggered by the infamous ambush and grisly hanging of Americans in Fallujah (2004), Pantano was investigated for actions in killing two terrorists after a disgruntled Marine that Pantano had publicly demoted filed a complaint. The case took on national attention. Media outlets from dozens of national networks and newspapers overflowed the courtroom.  After a lengthy and very public hearing of the facts, Pantano was cleared of all charges and given a new command, but death threats from jihadists and fear for his family ultimately led Pantano to resign his commission. 

Pantano was the subject of faux outrage from the MoveOn.org wing of the Democrat Party (the only wing at this point).  He was falsely accused of murder and the anti-war loons went all Jack Murtha on him.  LINK: http://abcnews.go.com/US/LegalCenter/story?id=760785&page=1

Now, it is true that Pantano doesn’t think “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” should be repealed at this time.  Having never served in the military, I have to completely respect his perspective.  However, I also believe that someone like Pantano (a Gen-X’er who grew up under Reagan and responded to his nation’s call after 9/11/01) will have a completely different perspective on gay issues than many who currently sit in Congress (GOP & Dem alike).  What is that perspective?  An open mind. 

Pantano is a true American hero.  He’s a hard-working, hard-charging candidate and I believe he will be the new Congressman from NC-07.  If Pantano wins this seat, Nancy Pelosi has a very hard path to retaining her Speaker’s gavel. Please join me in supporting the candidacy of Ilario Pantano.  DONATE NOW!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

This morning, Glenn Reynolds linked a post listing the Oscar nomination’s five surprises.  Topping the list was my choice for Best Picture, the Blind Side:

The Blind Side in the Best Picture race? Really?! Over Star Trek, A Single Man, Invictus, and a host of other films that made the top 10 lists other than this one? (Seriously, I would have been less surprised over The Hangover being mentioned instead.) My big fear here is that this nod will cinch Sandra Bullock the Best Actress crown over Meryl Streep, whom, it must be said, I am really rooting for this year, because despite her 16 record nominations, the woman last won in 1982. That’s also only a 0.125 batting average. There weren’t just gasps this morning upon the inclusion; there was also a bit of stuttering.

So, why is post author Ellen Kim so astounded?  Does it somehow irk her that a movie painting Christian conservatives from the South (who happen to vote Republican) has done well both at the box office and with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences?

Or is it that the movie does a great job revisiting of a classic Hollywood theme (fortunate person helping disadvantaged individual overcome self-doubt and realize his potential) to our times?  That it shows the goodness in human hearts and has a happy ending?

So, what if it wasn’t on most tope ten lists?  You know the people who write most of those lists are film critics, often with the learned cynicism of their profession and the politics of the liberal “élite.”

If film critics didn’t have such a jaundiced view of what makes a good movie, they might not be so surprised by the success of this flick.  The villains (if there are any) are not drawn from left-wing stereotypes of those oppressing the unfortunate (you know, corporations, Republicans, Christians, the military, white men, in general). (more…)

Well, anyone with one iota of “gaydar” could have figured that out on their own.  Just look around Hartsfield Airport if you are passing through.

Advocate: America’s Gayest Cities

According to The Advocate magazine, Atlanta rates as the nation’s gayest city, followed by Burlington, Vt., Iowa City, Bloomington and Madison, Wis. Don’t bother looking for San Francisco, New York or Los Angeles — those supposed gay meccas don’t even place in the rankings compiled by the nation’s oldest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender publication.

Though their research was admittedly unscientific, it’s not without merit. Correspondent Mike Albo awarded points based on same-sex households per capita, statewide marriage equality, gay elected officials, gay dating and “hookup” profiles per single male population, gay bars per capita, cruising spots per capita, and gay films in Netflix favorites.

Atlanta:  Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay.  Great food, too!  But Charlotte is still a better place to live! 

Oh and by the way — there are a LOT of cities in RED STATES on the list.  Including the #1 city being in one of the most Republican states in the USA.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

PatriotPartner and I are in Nashville for the annual CMA Country Music Festival. Last night was our first ever visit to Grand Ole Opry for a great show: Carrie Underwood, Little Big Town, Ricky Skaggs, Trace Adkins, Charlie Daniels Band and a few others. Quite an event!

All week there are concerts and events, many free, in downtown Nashville.

I’ll be having more regular updates with photos at Twitter: GayPatriot on Twitter.

That’s all for now!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

First of all, I did not watch President Obama or Gov. Jindal on Tuesday night.   But the reviews of Jindal have been terrible.  Which is too bad, cuz he is one of the smartest people I have ever known in public service.   I mean super-scary smart.

So, if any one in Baton Rouge reads us, I have some FREE advice:  HAVE JINDAL GO ON THE TONIGHT SHOW IN THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS.

Laughing at yourself is good.  Reagan was good at it, and the Tonight Show gig did wonders for Clinton after his long and boring convention speech in 1992 (or whenever the hell that was…. my distant past).

So there you go.  All free.  [Full disclosure:  I worked on a project with Jindal when he worked at HHS.  I've donated to his campaigns in the past. I'm a fan.  He wouldn't know me if he tripped over me while walking down a long hallway.]

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

PS – Are you following me at Twitter?  I’m an addict now that I’ve figured what it is all about (took me 6 months!)  It is like crack for a blogger.  And I’m great with keeping it under 150 characters.   Oh, and there is a Twitter app for the iPhone.  What could be more awesome for a techno-stupid writer/reader of politics??

Yes folks, it is true what you’ve been hearing the past couple of days.  We here in the Queen City are without gasoline.  Of course it is affecting the normal folks like me who just want to fill up the tank.  But it is also impacting schools (they are closed — buses can’t fill up), and law enforcement (imagine calling 911 and being told “we can’t come — no fuel).

Drivers across the Charlotte region are waiting patiently — and, in some cases, impatiently — for a promised large shipment of gasoline expected to reach the Queen City by afternoon.

But the lines and traffic disruptions that dominated on Thursday continue this morning, with people in some cases having parked at gas stations overnight, waiting near the pumps with their tanks on empty. As was the case yesterday, arguments and scuffles are breaking out as frustrations boil over.

At about 8:30 this morning, a woman in line at a Citgo station in Charlotte’s Plaza Midwood neighborhood told others in line she was saving a place for her father, who was on his way with gas cans. The station, at Parkwood Avenue and The Plaza, was selling only premium gas. The wait was about 45 minutes.

When I flew back into Charlotte-Douglas Airport last night, I went quickly to hunt out three gas stations I know about near the airport.  All pumps were closed and police were guarding the businesses.

PatriotMom reported witnessing yesterday a foreign invader (Florida tags) butt in front of the whole gas line at a station in South Carolina and people getting quite angry.

I had planned to get some photos of gas lines (they are miles long) today.  People are lining up at a station at there mere rumor that a tanker truck is on its way with petrol.

This photo is courtesy of the Charlotte Observer — but I don’t live very far from this gas station in South Charlotte.

However, my own gas tank is so low that I don’t have the luxury yet of going out until I know for sure there is a guarantee I’ll get gas.   I will take my camera with me though in case I have to sit in a long line later this weekend.

Why is all this happening in Charlotte this week, you may ask?

The shortage is caused by the hurricanes that hit the Gulf Coast this month, disrupting refinery production. Refineries had enough fuel in reserve to stock southeastern pumps for a week or so, but it ran out before the refineries could get back to full production.

The Charlotte area is served by the Colonial pipeline, which told Carolinas officials yesterday that they were delivering a large shipment of fuel to Spartanburg, S.C., and that an even larger shipment would arrive in Charlotte this afternoon. N.C. Gov. Mike Easley asked several oil companies to release additional supplies from Tennessee and Wilmington.

Remind me again why Democrats are opposed to drilling US oil reserves?

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Since September 2004, we have been attracting readers & commenters of all stars & stripes here to GayPatriot.

Well, if you head down to the bottom of our page you will see that we are within striking distance of our Two Millionth unique visitor.

In honor of this historic moment in blogosphere history, I’m offering a contest to GayPatriot readers.  For the rest of this week, you will all have the opportunity to guess what date & time we will hit the 2,000,000th mark. 

The person who comes closest will win my 2nd (and untouched) personal hardcover copy of Jonah Goldberg’s awesome book — Liberal Fascism.   I will even autograph it with a suitable note celebrating our 2,000,000th reader.

It isn’t as easy as it may seem.  You never know when we will get a hit from Instapundit, the HuffPo, or the oh-so-rare “Sully-lanche”.

So have at it.   Contest closes on Sunday, August 3rd at 5PM Eastern Time.   Email me your guess of date & time, plus relevant contact information to BRUCE@GAYPATRIOT.ORG.

**NOTE:  Though there are some guesses in this comment thread — only emails to me will be considered as “official” guesses for the contest.**

May the most accurate man or woman win.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

After my sister returned to the hospital to spend the balance of the evening with my Mom, I returned on I-71 to my brother’s where I am currently staying. All around me, as I traversed Hamilton County, I could see — and hear — fireworks and regretted that I would miss seeing them this year.

But, I was eager to return here so I could enjoy the leftovers from my brother’s Independence Day party. Just as I was about to get the food out of the fridge, my brother invite me to join him on his front porch as he watched the fireworks. We saw an amazing display just over the trees in the neighboring subdivision.

My sister-in-law soon joined us downstairs to tell us that her son, the youngest PatriotNephewWest, was watching from his bathroom and was offering most interesting commentary. Apparently frightened by the sound, he had retreated inside as soon as the show had started.

Following her upstairs, I joined my nephew and his maternal Grandma and heard the best color commentary on a fireworks display I have ever heard. This adorable and intelligent two-year-old called this one, “awesome,” that one “amazing,” another “spectacular” (at least that was what it sounded like he was trying to say–he gave each word his own unique pronunciation). A few were so overwhelming him that all he could do was say, “Wow.”

After the grand finale, he said, “all done,” then concluded, “that’s a wrap,” causing my sister-in-law to wonder where her son had learned that expression.

And making his uncle feel very lucky that he got to spend this Independence Day in his hometown.

Given the fact that we had some news to report yesterday, I wanted to welcome any new readers that might be visiting GayPatriot.   You are welcome as long as you please wipe your feet at the door, and treat others as you wish to be treated.

I would also like to apologize for my near-AWOL status lately.   The ‘real job’ has consumed my work and spare time over the past few months.  Work travel (always a pain) is at a high mark, and I’m also in kind of a “pre-Convention blues”.  (Translation:  I mostly don’t give a rat’s ass about the election at any given moment).

However, on a very recent business trip I experienced something that I wanted to share.   It was a full-blown case of “Bush Derangement Syndrome” played out during a business dinner.   Most all of the guests had left and one very well-educated man remained.  I am confident in reporting that he is gay man and a (self-identified) liberal Democrat.  He is very educated and, until the alcohol-induced outbreak of the BDS, I found him quite entertaining and a rather enjoyable business associate.

But then he let loose.   Among the things he said (somewhat paraphrasing):  “Bush is evil.”  “We don’t know the true mastermind of 9/11.”  “It should be illegal for a successful oil company man to be Vice President.”  “Republicans are evil.”  “Republicans are stupid.”  “Most of Americans are stupid.”  “Most of the South are rednecks.”  “Republicans don’t give a shit about people.”

I swear it was like the Daily Kos had come to life and was sitting across the table from me.

The ironic part of this whole diatribe was that in the middle of all of this, this well-educated liberal Democrat called the waiter (a fellow Latino) a “cocksucker” in Spanish.   I only found out about this insult later when the waiter told those of us hosting the dinner.  Needless to say, I was mortified and apologized to the waiter who had worked his heart out during dinner service.

All this goes to show you that Liberals really are a case-study in “Do As I Say, Not As I Do.”

[RELATED STORY:  Research Shows Right-Wingers Are Nicer People Than Liberals - Daily Mail [UK] (h/t – VtheK) ]

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The time has come as I finally get my official “say” in the 2008 election.  Tomorrow is the North Carolina Primary!  And we have a lot going on in the Tar Heel state besides that one primary race you are hearing a lot about.

So for all of you from North Carolina who read GayPatriot or have family/friends that do…. here are my official, personal endorsements.  (GP Ed. Note:  I respectfully still disagree with Dan on his support of John McCain, so these are my PERSONAL endorsements).

FOR REPUBLICAN NC GOVERNOR:  Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory.

It is about time that the largest metro area in the state have a larger say in Raleigh.  Our voice has been minimized lately because the former DEMOCRAT from our area who was the Speaker of the House is sitting his ass in jail due to massive corruption.

McCrory is the seven-term Mayor of the City of Charlotte.  He has governed with, what I would call, a conservative pragmatism.  Not perfect, but just right for being a Republican mayor in the second largest city in the South. (Yes, that’s right Atlanta!)   He has made job growth, fighting crime and cracking down on illegal immigration the cornerstones of his campaign.   I think he is the best GOP candidate to win back the Governor’s Mansion for conservative governing this year.

DISCLOSURE:  I am a proud financial contributor to McCrory for Governor.

FOR DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION:  Senator Hillary Clinton

As a proud footsoldier of Operation Chaos, it is my duty to urge unaffiliated and switched-Republicans in North Carolina to VOTE HILLARY!!! (I think a little vomit just came up…)   

Ahem, anyway… if we have to have a Democrat in the White House I’d much rather have the devil we know than the silver-tongued devil we don’t know.   

Oh yeah….and on gay rights — Hillary, Obama & McCain are all the same; why waste my breath on that topic?

FOR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION:  “NONE OF THE ABOVE”

We have a cool option on the North Carolina ballot that I plan to use tomorrow:  None Of The Above (NOTA); technically the spot on the ballot reads: No Preference – Republican.

I cannot in good conscience vote for John McCain who, without the pantsuit and cackle, looks to be a lot like Hillary Clinton rather than Ronald Reagan to me.  I fear the unchecked President McCain (with support/acquiensence) of the Democratic Congress) will roll the clock back on securing the border, ensuring economic growth and may allow millions of Americans to be vaporized because he doesn’t want to even consider the Jack Bauer-treatment of terror suspects.  Don’t even get me started about the threat as President he poses due to his blatant disregard to the freedom of speech guaranteed under the First Amendment (McCain-Feingold).

Sorry John…. you may have won over others in the Republican Party — but you have a LONG way to go with me.   I can at least let you know how I feel … with my vote for ‘NOTA’ tomorrow in North Carolina.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

It ain’t Obama….

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

At one point in Willa Cather’s novel, My Ántonia, her narrator eager to flee his small-town Nebraska home reflects on his fellows and almost seems to wish he could be like they, content in that rural environment.  But, he is ever eager to escape to the world beyond. 

Fascinated in his childhood by the exotic eponymous Ántonia, a beautiful young woman of Bohemian extraction, he returns to his home as an adult (at the end of the book) to discover her living the ordinary life of a Midwestern housewife and at peace in her rural surroundings.

Unlike other writers who fled their Midwestern homes, Willa Cather always showed an appreciation for those who lived a life she could not live.

I thought of her a lot this weekend when I read of Barack Obama’s now infamous comment about the bitterness of gun-toting Christians in small-town America.  It’s why the scene in search of a story, the subject of my most recent post, came to mind.  The younger brother of that tale, will, in the course of his return trip to the Midwest, learn what Cather discovered nearly a century previously, of the basic decency of Americans in, what is to many urban élites, “flyover” country.

The Democratic frontrunner’s comments reminded me of what my (as-yet unrealized) screen hero felt before he returned home for his father’s funeral.

When, over the years, I have heard some of my peers, whether in the New England college I attended, in Washington, D.C., or in Hollywood, discuss their fellow citizens, it seems a certain strain of them (most of whom hold leftish politics and vote Democratic), I have heard from many nothing but contempt.   These people, they claim, are shallow, hypocritical and, worst of all, duped into voting Republican.  The GOP, they claim, is better able to gin up the masses by appealing to their prejudices.

A view of small-town America not too different from that offered by the Chicago politician recently in San Francisco.

But, I wonder if, in assuming, rural Americans vote Republican because of their bitterness, they’re projecting their own anxieties and malcontent onto those who live lives they could not live in places they choose not to visit.   When these urban and coastal denizens “get bitter,” they turn to fancy wines or leftist politics or “antipathy to people who aren’t like them” or anti-Republican or anti-war “sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”

(more…)

Here we go folks….. feel free to comment as results come in.

As FOX News’ Special Report comes on the air, the exit poll trends are suggesting a very close race…. with McCain leading in some issue groups/demographics & Romney leading in others.   Most important, Romney appears to have won over conservative Republicans by 47%, according to FOX News exit poll data.

It is probably do or die for Rudy tonight…. and so far it looks grim.

In any case, I think this is going to be a nail-biter tonight between Romney and McCain.

-Bruce (GayPatriot…. actually IN Florida with a horrible sinus infection)

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)

It is interesting that when people make their own editorial choices of what to read at the Washington Post’s website, these items are the top three for 2007.

1. Retreat Isn’t an Option by Liz Cheney, published Jan. 23.

On the day of the State of the Union address, the vice president’s daughter, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, argues in favor of continuing the Iraq war.

2. Why Bush Will Be a Winner by William Kristol, published July 15.

A rousing (and controversial) defense of the president’s legacy. The rebuttal, Why Bush is a Loser by David Corn, was also high on the most-popular list.

3. Pratfall in Damascus, editorial, published April 5.

The Post’s editorial board criticizes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Syria and her statements about negotiating peace with Israel.

This is probably also more evidence why FOX News Channel is still the most highly-rated news organization, and the reason in part is because it truly IS “fair and balanced.”  At least that is what the results of a George Mason University study of the 2008 campaign coverage reveal…

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The Homestead 400 race in Miami last night was a great way to end the NASCAR season.  And it only reinforced my increasing interest in the sport – mainly due to watching it on HDTV widescreen.  You really can’t beat it.

The race also resulted in a 2007 double-win for the Hendrick team in the Nextel Cup:  Jimmie Johnson & Jeff Gordon, Numbers 1 and 2 respectively.

Congrats to the Back-to-Back Nextel Cup Champion — Jimmie Johnson.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I doubt it…. but Democrat Jim Neal is giving it a shot.

Jim Neal, a Democrat challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole in 2008, says he is gay. As the only current candidate for his party’s nomination, Neal could make history while also complicating N.C. Democrats’ chances of breaking a streak of Senate losses.

“I am indeed,” Neal wrote Saturday on the liberal blog BlueNC, in response to a reader asking if he’s gay. “No secret and no big deal to me — I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think otherwise.”

Neal, a 50-year-old investment banker from Chapel Hill, also indicated that he disagrees with laws that do not recognize same-sex marriage.

Such comments could have ended a campaign as recently as a decade ago — particularly in a socially conservative state — but political analysts and activists reacted Monday with less certainty.  Some said Dole’s many advantages mean the race won’t be competitive anyway.

“We might not get a real test of that in the race because Neal is not known very well at all,” said N.C. State University political scientist Andy Taylor.

This is Neal’s first run for office in North Carolina. He has spent much of his adult life outside the state, though he is a Greensboro native who went to UNC Chapel Hill.

Few openly gay candidates in North Carolina have run for so prominent an office. Former Mecklenburg judge Ray Warren ran for U.S. Senate in 2002 before pulling out and running unsuccessfully for U.S. House.

There could be at least one other openly gay candidate for statewide office in 2008: N.C. Court of Appeals Judge John Arrowood of Charlotte — recently appointed by Gov. Mike Easley — is expected to run for a full term.

Other Democratic candidates could still file for Senate until the February deadline, though the party has had trouble recruiting.

Neal wrote Saturday he doesn’t think sexual orientation will keep him from winning.

“When people meet me, they’ll see beyond the labels and into my character.”

That’s the strategy he should have, said Ian Palmquist, executive director of Equality North Carolina, which advocates for gays and lesbians.  “I believe that if a candidate has a strong message that is relevant to North Carolina voters, and the experience to show they’re qualified for the job, their sexual orientation is not going to matter much to most voters,” Palmquist said.

Hey, you gotta admit this Neal guy has a brass set.  Good for him — I hope he is the Democrat nominee.  I’d like to see what kind of campaign this would turn into.  I predict that from both NC political parties we would see peoples’ better angels and ugly devils.

I’m voting for Elizabeth Dole regardless.

[Related Story - Good Morning, Jim Neal - Blue NC]

-Bruce (GayPatriot)