Taking Ockham’s Razor to Sarah Palin Haters
Since his departure from the Washington Times, Stacy McCain has become perhaps the most skilled attention whore in all the blogosphere. Yeah, I just wrote that. And put it on the Internet. In seeking to explain why Ken Layne and Andrew Sullivan seem to loathe Sarah Palin and, in particular, make sport of her Down Syndrome suffering infant son, Trig, Stacy puts ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 30, 2009 07:45
Quote of the Day - Turnabout is Fair Gay Edition
"We should not allow Republicans to marry. It undercuts the entire institution of marriage." Michael Reynolds of Sideways MenckenPosted in Outside The Beltway on June 24, 2009 15:28
Sotomayor Quits Women’s Club
Just when you think Washington couldn't get any sillier, Sonia Sotomayor has resigned from the Belizean Grove women's group after criticism that it was for women only. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor resigned Friday from an elite all-women's club after Republicans questioned her participation in it. Sotomayor said she resigned from the Belizean Grove to prevent the issue from becoming a ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 20, 2009 06:26
Obama Wants Better Fathers
When I saw the headline "Obama wants better fathers" at YahooNews, my reaction was, "Who could blame him?" After all, he didn't really have a father in other than the biological sense that we all do. He was abandoned as an infant and knew his father only through stories and his imaginings. But Nia-Malika Henderson's story for Politico is actually ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 19, 2009 09:59
Obama Extends Benefits to Unmarried Partners
Federal workers will now get benefits for their "partner" whether they are married or not, Scott Butterworth reports for WaPo's 44 blog. President Obama will announce tomorrow that he is extending federal benefits to include unmarried domestic partners of federal workers, including same-sex partners, White House officials said tonight. Obama will sign an executive order implementing the change in the Oval Office, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 17, 2009 07:42
Gay Bigamy Now!
Since well before I thought the matter one for serious consideration, Andrew Sullivan has been making insightful, compelling arguments in favor of same-sex marriage. This, alas, is not one of them. A reader makes an excellent point: One thing that struck me about the DOJ's argument that DOMA does not violate the equal protection clause since homosexuals are still able to marry ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 14, 2009 07:47
Chastity Bono Sex Change
A story of interest only to people over a certain age: "Chastity Bono is having a sex change to become a man." [caption id="attachment_37695" align="alignright" width="249" caption="In this April 7, 1998 file photo, Chastity Bono is shown in Palm Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Susan Sterner, file)"][/caption] A spokesman for Bono, born a girl to Sonny and Cher, says he "has made the courageous ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 11, 2009 19:41
McCain: I Would Have Ordered DADT Review
Ana Marie Cox interviewed John McCain this afternoon and reports via Twitter that "if he were POTUS, he would have already ordered Joint Chiefs of staff to investigate efficacy of DADT." DADT is, of course, the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays in the military that has been in place since the early days of the Clinton administration, replacing the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 11, 2009 15:38
Sarah Palin’s Toenails
Huffington Post is catching some grief over a post by Anya Strzemien titled "Sarah Palin's Toenails: What's Painted On Them? (PHOTOS, POLL)." Apparently, the Alaska governor and former Republican vice presidential nominee had some manner of decorative adornment on her nails which were in display in some orange strappy sandals: While some are taking HuffPo to task for journalistic silliness and ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 9, 2009 14:30
Court Rejects DADT Challenge
Gays looking to get the Supreme Court's help in being allowed to openly serve in the military have been rebuffed. The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, granting a request by the Obama administration. The court said it will not hear an appeal from former ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 8, 2009 10:52
‘Wise’ Quote Not So Wise
While I think Sonia Sotomayor's "wise Latina" line falls well short of racism and is even inarguably true given the right context (i.e., that personal experience colors one's filtering of information) it's still amusing to see it used against her in a clever fashion. Scott Ott weighs in with a satire piece entitled, "Sotomayor: Wise Latina Would Not Have Picked Me" Supreme ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 5, 2009 08:57
New Hampshire Legalizes Gay Marriage, 6th State
New Hampshire has become the 6th state where gays can marry and the 2nd to make this change through the legislative process. Traditionally conservative New Hampshire today became the sixth state in the nation -- and the fifth state in New England -- where same-sex couples will be allowed to marry. "Today we're standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 4, 2009 07:37
Gay Teen Prom Queen
The YahooNews headline "Openly gay teen voted prom queen at LA high school" did its intended task of enticing me to click to read the AP story: An openly gay teen was voted prom queen at Los Angeles' Fairfax High School in a campaign that began as a stunt but ended up spurring discussion on the campus about gender roles ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 28, 2009 15:50
Lt. Choi Refuses to (Continue) Lie
Andrew Sullivan gives Quote For the Day honors to gay Army 1st Lieutenant Dan Choi for this excerpt from his Open Letter to President Obama and Every Member of Congress: I have learned many lessons in the ten years since I first raised my right hand at the United States Military Academy at West Point and committed to fighting for my ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 12, 2009 12:50
Obama ‘Fires’ Gay Arabic Linguist
UCSB political scientist Aaron Belkins' HuffPo piece "Obama To Fire His First Gay Arabic Linguist" has drawn quite a bit of blogospheric attention. Dan Choi, a West Point graduate and officer in the Army National Guard who is fluent in Arabic and who returned recently from Iraq, received notice today that the military is about to fire him. Why? Because he ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 8, 2009 07:34
