SF: First Grade Class Surprises Teacher At Her Wedding, Yes On 8 People Take Note

Yesterday the first grade class of a San Francisco teacher surprised her by appearing at City Hall to cheer and throw rose petals after her wedding. (Video here.) But the sweet display from supportive six year-olds is further fueling the supporters of Proposition 8.

The 18 Creative Arts Charter School students took a Muni bus and walked a block at noon to toss rose petals and blow bubbles on their just-married teacher Erin Carder and her wife Kerri McCoy, giggling and squealing as they mobbed their teacher with hugs. Mayor Gavin Newsom, a friend of a friend, officiated.

A parent came up with the idea for the field trip - a surprise for the teacher on her wedding day. "She's such a dedicated teacher," said the school's interim director Liz Jaroslow. But there was a question of justifying the field trip academically. Jaroflow decided she could. "It really is what we call a teachable moment," Jaroflow said, noting the historic significance of same-sex marriage and related civil rights issues. "I think I'm well within the parameters."

Nonetheless, the excursion offers Proposition 8 proponents fresh ammunition for their efforts to outlaw gay marriage in California, offering a real-life incident that echoes their recent television and radio ads. "It's just utterly unreasonable that a public school field trip would be to a same-sex wedding," said Chip White, press secretary for the Yes on 8 campaign. "This is overt indoctrination of children who are too young to have an understanding of its purpose."

The children's school is a private charter school, but you can expect that the Yes On 8 people will leap on this in their next ad. One of the kids was wearing a No On 8 button and one was wearing a tshirt that said "Queer."

Freepers react:

-"This reeks of political child abuse; the parents wanted this."
-"'Miss, we pooled our money and got you a strap-on.' It's the 2008's version of the apple on the desk."
-"It is not enough that they play in their own cesspool - they want to drag everyone else in it."
-"Later that day the kids went to the teachers house for a lesson in CONSUMMATION in which the kids were taught their daily biology lesson."
-"Where’s the Earthquake when you need one?"
-"I really think they are without limits in their depravity, but worse, they are inflicting it on the rest of us, and most despicably, our children."
-"sick. brainwashing children to their perverted lifestyle. poor old 6 year old and they even put a no on 8 button on her shirt. these people will use our children now to further their agenda."

A couple of the Freepers did say they didn't mind watching the kiss scene in the video over and over. Typical.

It's National Coming Out Day

Today is the 20th annual National Coming Out Day. Are you out to family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors? Your doctor? If not, why not? Do you know somebody struggling with coming out? What can you do personally to ease their journey? Coming out is a lifelong process. You are never finished. Never.

More Fun With McCain Supporters

As the McCain/Palin campaign continues to ramp up the name calling, their supporters are following their example. "Terrorist." "Arab." "Commie faggots." This is by far the most venomous campaign in my lifetime.

As these videos are making the national news, McCain has begun to try and quell the shouted insults at his rallies, but it's too late. His campaign started this runaway train and by remaining silent earlier this week when the shouted insults started, they have given it their tacit approval.

The anger is getting raw at Republican rallies and John McCain is acting to tamp it down. McCain was booed by his own supporters Friday when, in an abrupt switch from raising questions about Barack Obama's character, he described the Democrat as a "decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

A sense of grievance spilling into rage has gripped some GOP events this week as McCain supporters see his presidential campaign lag against Obama. Some in the audience are making it personal, against the Democrat. Shouts of "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar," and even "off with his head" have rung from the crowd at McCain and Sarah Palin rallies, and gone unchallenged by them.

McCain changed his tone Friday when supporters at a town hall pressed him to be rougher on Obama. A voter said, "The people here in Minnesota want to see a real fight." Another said Obama would lead the U.S. into socialism. Another said he did not want his unborn child raised in a country led by Obama.

"If you want a fight, we will fight," McCain said. "But we will be respectful. I admire Sen. Obama and his accomplishments." When people booed, he cut them off. "I don't mean that has to reduce your ferocity," he said. "I just mean to say you have to be respectful."

Presidential candidates are accustomed to raucous rallies this close to Election Day and welcome the enthusiasm. But they are also traditionally monitors of sorts from the stage. Part of their job is to leaven proceedings if tempers run ragged and to rein in an out-of-bounds comment from the crowd.

Not so much this week, at GOP rallies in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Florida and other states. When a visibly angry McCain supporter in Waukesha, Wis., on Thursday told the candidate "I'm really mad" because of "socialists taking over the country," McCain stoked the sentiment. "I think I got the message," he said. "The gentleman is right." He went on to talk about Democrats in control of Congress.

On Friday, McCain rejected the bait. "I don't trust Obama," a woman said. "I have read about him. He's an Arab." McCain shook his head in disagreement, and said: "No, ma'am. He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with (him) on fundamental issues and that's what this campaign is all about." He had drawn boos with his comment: "I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States."

The anti-Obama taunts and jeers are noticeably louder when McCain appears with Palin, a big draw for GOP social conservatives. She accused Obama this week of "palling around with terrorists" because of his past, loose association with a 1960s radical. If less directly, McCain, too, has sought to exploit Obama's Chicago neighborhood ties to William Ayers, while trying simultaneously to steer voters' attention to his plans for the financial crisis.

Off The Cliff

This Dow graph shows the stock market over the last 24 months. Unreal.

Thursday Night Live

Pretty good take on the last debate, but you really feel the absence of Tina Fey.

The Palin Gamble

Wonkette's headline for this clip: "Sarah Palin Won’t Be So Fun To Laugh At When She Accidentally Starts a Nuclear War With Russia, North Korea and Iran, and Kills Us All."

HomoQuotable - Suze Orman

"We have built an entire economy on lies and deceit. It's like building a home or an entire building on a sinkhole. You have a foundation, supposedly. But a little crack, if something goes wrong -- a little earthquake, a tremor -- and it starts to open, everything starts to fall down and ... that is exactly what has happened in the United States of America.

"There was greed at the top -- serious greed. When you have stocks, you have individual companies that want to make money. And [CEOs] want to make more money because the more money they make, the more their compensation is, the more their stock price goes up.

"Have you all ever wondered, 'Why does Suze Orman say people first, then money, then things?' It means if we cared about people more than we cared about money, we would not be having what happened today, because the people who run the corporations, if they had cared about all of you, they wouldn't have created loans that you couldn't afford." - Financial guru Suze Orman.

Short Circuit

Circuit City may not be around for the holidays.

Circuit City Stores lost a recommendation from a firm that advises manufacturers on whether to ship goods to retailers a week after the Richmond-based electronics chain posted a quarterly loss more than triple its year-earlier loss. The withdrawal by Bernard Sands signaled concerns that Circuit City may have trouble paying its vendors.

Circuit City, Talbots, and Borders are Motley Fool's list of retailers "you can kiss goodbye."

BREAKING: Connecticut Supreme Court Approves Same-Sex Marriage

The Connecticut Supreme Court has just issued its ruling that gays may marry! This has caught a lot of us by surprise. But who cares? Woo hoo!

Same-sex couples won the right to marry in Connecticut in an historic ruling by the Supreme Court today.

Citing the equal protection clause of the state constitution, the justices ruled that civil unions were discriminatory. In a 4-3 decision released at 11:30 a.m., the majority wrote that the state's "understanding of marriage must yield to a more contemporary appreciation of the rights entitled to constitutional protection."

"Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same sex partner of their choice," the majority wrote. "To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others."

Unsatisfied with the civil unions approved by the legislature in 2005, eight same-sex couples had brought the case, Kerrigan v. the state Commissioner of Public Health, after they were denied marriage licenses in 2004 by the Madison town clerk, who was following instructions issued by the state attorney general's office.

The state, arguing that civil unions already provide all the rights and protections of marriage, prevailed in a Superior Court ruling in July 2006. The couples appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which heard three hours of arguments on the case in May 2007.

Attorney Bennett Klein, arguing on behalf of the couples, told the court that civil unions were a "less prestigious, less advantageous institution."

What fantastic news! I'll be updating this post with more details shortly.

UPDATE: From the court's ruling: (PDF via Towleroad)

"The issue presented by this case is whether the state statutory prohibition against same sex marriage violates the constitution of Connecticut. The plaintiffs, eight same sex couples, commenced this action, claiming that the state statutory prohibition against same sex marriage violates their rights to substantive due process and equal protection under the state constitution. The trial court rendered summary judgment in favor of the defendant state and local officials upon determining that, because this state’s statutes afford same sex couples the right to enter into a civil union, which affords them the same legal rights as marriage, the plaintiffs had not established a constitutionally cognizable harm. We conclude that, in light of the history of pernicious discrimination faced by gay men and lesbians, and because the institution of marriage carries with it a status and significance that the newly created classification of civil unions does not embody, the segregation of heterosexual and homosexual couples into separate institutions.

We also conclude that (1) our state scheme discriminates on the basis of sexual orientation, (2) for the same reasons that classifications predicated on gender are considered quasi-suspect for purposes of the equal protection provisions of the United States constitution, sexual orientation constitutes a quasi-suspect classification for purposes of the equal protection provisions of the state constitution, and, therefore, our statutes discriminating against gay persons are subject to heightened or intermediate judicial scrutiny, and (3) the state has failed to provide sufficient justification for excluding same sex couples from the institution of marriage. In light of our determination that the state’s disparate treatment of same sex couples is constitutionally deficient under an intermediate level of scrutiny, we do not reach the plaintiffs’ claims implicating a stricter standard of review, namely, that sexual orientation is a suspect classification, and that the state’s bar against same sex marriage infringes on a fundamental right in violation of due process and discriminates on the basis of sex in violation of equal protection. In accordance with our conclusion that the statutory scheme impermissibly discriminates against gay persons on account of their sexual orientation, we reverse the trial court’s judgment and remand the case with direction to grant the plaintiffs’ motion for summary judgment."

UPDATE II: But things could also go like California.

In Connecticut, a question is on the November ballot on whether to hold a constitutional convention. Supporters want to change the constitution to allow "direct initiatives," which would potentially open the door for anti-gay rights groups to seek a ban on same-sex marriage.

A rally sponsored by the conservative Family Institute to urge to court to reject the lawsuit and voters to approve the constitutional convention drew about 2,800 people to the state Capitol Sept. 28. GLAAD and Love Makes A Family have scheduled a rally at the Capitol at 5:30 p.m. today.

UPDATE III: Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell isn't pleased, but doesn't plan to seek an overturn of the court's ruling.

Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who signed the same-sex civil unions bill into law, did not welcome today's state Supreme Court decision giving gay couples the right to marry, but she considers the matter settled.

"I disagree with today's State Supreme Court ruling but as governor, I will uphold it. I continue to believe that marriage is the union of a man and a woman. I also believe that the historic civil union law that I proudly signed in 2005 is equitable and just. We were the first state to enact such a law through legislative action and not a court mandate. "

But Rell also indicated she wants no part of a culture war trying to overturn it, a signal to conservatives that she will play no part in an effort to undo the decision by law or constitutional amendment.

"The Supreme Court has spoken. I do not believe their voice reflects the majority of the people of Connecticut. However, I am also firmly convinced that attempts to reverse this decision - either legislatively or by amending the state Constitution - will not meet with success. I will therefore abide by the ruling."

Broadway Friday

-Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, a superstar-laden joint benefit for the Elton John Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will take place at the New Amsterdam on October 20th. Performing: Elton John, John Cameron Mitchell, Jane Krakowski, Joey Arias, Jake Shears, Rufus Wainwright, Ben Folds Five, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sherie Rene Scott, and many others. Tickets $250-$2,500.

-One night only: Auditions for the female leads in the national tour of Dreamgirls take place at the Apollo Theater on November 1st.

-Rockin' the boat: Previews for the revival of Guys And Dolls begin at the Nederlander on February 3rd. Tony nominee Oliver Platt will play Nathan Detroit, Tony winner Des McAnuff to direct.

-The nicest kids in town are leaving. Hairspray will close its six year run in January, with Harvey Fierstein slated to return as Edna in the final weeks.

-Spider-Man: The Musical will be the most expensive live show in theater history with a production budget that has ballooned past $40M. With an expected weekly cost of $1M, some insiders joke that the show "will have to run for 8000 years" to break even. Producers want the massive Hilton Theater, but current tenant Young Frankenstein clings to life. The show is being directed by Julie "Lion King" Taymor, music by Bono.

-Matthew Broderick returns to Broadway in a revival of The Philanthropist at the American Airlines Theater on April 29th. Broderick last appeared with Nathan Lane in 2005's widely panned revival of The Odd Couple.

-On Broadway! A Glittering Salute To The American Musical - Career Transition For Dancers, 23rd Anniversary Jubilee, to be held Monday, October 27th at New York City Center. Appearing: Cheyenne Jackson, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Kelly Bishop, Jane Krakowski, Bebe Neuwirth, Noah Racey, Karen Ziemba, and artists from American Ballet Theatre and from New York Theatre Ballet. Tickets $45-$130.

Last Day To Register To Vote In NY

Gothamist has the details:

The voter registration in NY State is today. If you haven't registered yet, the AP explains, "Only completed voter registration forms postmarked by midnight and received no later than October 15th will be valid for the upcoming general election." Additionally, if you've moved to a new county you need to reregister from your new address (and if you've moved within the county, you don't need to reregister by you should update your address with the board of elections). Here's the state Board of Elections website, the NYC Board of Election website, and the postal service's website so you can look up post offices. Additionally, the NJ deadline is October 14 (state Division of Elections website; more info) and Connecticut's is October 28 (state Secretary of State website).

I Am Cool

I may be old, but at least my niece thinks I'm cool. And I love how a well-placed Mickey Mouse sticker can make up for any mistake. If only that worked for us today. Not pictured: a less refined drawing from my nephew which my sister translated on the back. "This is Uncle Joe pretending to be a girl wearing a skirt." For real. These kids may have four gay uncles and no aunts, but we're totally all football and power tools around them. No, really. I'm sensing a malicious mistranslation.

Rep. David Dreier: It's Time For You To Come Out And Denounce Proposition 8!!!

The Courage Campaign is demanding that Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) come out of the closet and denounce Proposition 8.

Rep. David Dreier: It's time to come out against Prop 8

This November, Californians will vote on Proposition 8, a ballot measure that would, as the ballot description reads, "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry."

On Tuesday, we sent a message asking you to pledge to defeat this measure and vow to Vote No on 8. Your response was overwhelming. Now it's time to put our elected leaders to that test as well.

Join us in demanding that Congressman David Dreier come out against Prop 8 as well with the rest of us fairminded Californians. Dreier voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment because he didn't feel it was appropriate for the Constitution to be used to restrict rights. Well, that's exactly what the right-wing extremists behind Prop 8 want to do with California's Constitution. That's why some Republicans, like Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have stated their opposition to Prop 8.

Go to the Courage Campaign site and sign their message to Rep. Dreier. There is a space for you to add a personal message to the closeted Congressman.

RELATED: In 2004 Mike Rogers gave Dreier the Roy Cohn Award "in recognition of 24 years of working against LGBT rights while living as a gay man yourself."

The Obama Show

Barack Obama will run 30 minute infomercials on three networks a week before the election.

The Obama campaign has bought a half hour block of primetime television - from 8-8:30pm ET - on Wednesday, Oct. 29, on CBS, NBC, and MSNBC, according to television industry sources. The bold buy, first reported by the Hollywood Reporter and featured on the Drudge Report, will put the Obama show uninterrupted to American television sets across the country less than one week before election day. The Obama camp remains in talks with other networks to do the same on other channels. Evan Tracey, chief operating officer of the Campaign Media Analysis Group or CMAG, estimates that 30 minutes of primetime network television would cost at least $500,000.

Negotiations are underway to widen the buy to other networks.

No On 8 Says "Stop Lying"

FINALLY! This is the sort of ad we've been asking for. Donate to No On 8 here.

Mormon Youth To Go Viral Against Marriage Equality

The Mormon Church is asking its youngest members to use all the digital technology at their disposal to spread the church's hate.

Young Mormons in California and Californian Mormons studying on Brigham Young University campuses should use texting, blogging, videos, podcasts, Twitter and Facebook to "go viral" in support of a California ballot initiative that would ban gay marriage, said an LDS apostle on Wednesday.

"I must admit I don't know how all this works, but you do," M. Russell Ballard said during a videotaped conference shown at LDS chapels across California and on campuses in in Utah, Idaho or Hawaii. "God will bless you as you do your part."

Ballard's remarks were part of a one-hour presentation titled, "The Divine Institution of Marriage Broadcast," during which he and Apostle Quentin L. Cook as well as L. Whitney Clayton discussed the church's support of Proposition 8, which defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
"Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God," Ballard said. "It has the natural biological power to create life. Its misuse undermines the fabric of society."

I thought they communicated by shoving their face into the Magic Hat?

No Photos Please

This Week In Dumbest Things Ever

Has there been a dumber controversy so far? GOP flacks are complaining about this Newsweek cover because it's unretouched.

'This cover is a clear slap in the face at Sarah Palin. Why? Because it's unretouched. It highlights every imperfection that every human being has. But we're talking unwanted facial hair, pores, wrinkles. This is a gross slap in the face to Sarah Palin after Newsweek has done so many favorable covers of Barack Obama that make him look presidential. They are clearly retouched. He looks flawless."

Dumb and dumber. Watch the women of Fox meltdown.

(Via - Towleroad)

Gender Auditors!

LOVE this ad. "Keep the government out of your pants!" From the Courage Campaign.

Dow Plummets, Bankruptcy For Iceland, Pakistan May Be Next

The stock market plummeted again today and now Iceland is essentially bankrupt.

People go bankrupt all the time. Companies do, too. But countries? Iceland was on the verge of doing exactly that on Thursday as the government shut down the stock market and seized control of its last major independent bank. That brought trading in the country's currency to a halt, with foreign banks no longer willing to take Icelandic krona, even at fire-sale rates.

As the meltdown in the Icelandic financial system quickened, with the government seemingly powerless to do anything about it, analysts said there was probably only one realistic option left: for Iceland to be bailed out by the International Monetary Fund.

"Iceland is bankrupt," said Arsaell Valfells, a professor at the University of Iceland. "The Icelandic krona is history. The IMF has to come and rescue us." Prime Minister Geir Haarde, who had warned this week of the threat of "national bankruptcy," said Thursday that Iceland's finance minister, Arni Mathiesen, would be in Washington this weekend for the autumn IMF/World Bank meetings. He declined to say whether Iceland was seeking a rescue package from the international lender.

Next to go bankrupt: Pakistan. Worse and worser and much more to come.

Idiocracy, Part 2

More from BloggerInterrupted. It gets worse. Listen for the little kid who says, "You need gloves to touch him," referring to Obama.

Wingnuts Call Off Boycott, Did McDonald's Cave?

Via Good As You comes this press release from the American Family Association:

McDonald's has told AFA they will remain neutral in the culture war regarding homosexual marriage. AFA is ending the boycott of McDonald's. As you know, AFA called for the boycott in May after McDonald's joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC).

McDonald's said McDonald's Vice President Richard Ellis has resigned his position on the board of NGLCC and that his seat on the board will not be replaced. McDonald's also said that the company has no plans to renew their membership in NGLCC when it expires in December.

In an e-mail to McDonald's franchised owners the company said, "It is our policy to not be involved in political and social issues. McDonald's remains neutral on same sex marriage or any 'homosexual agenda' as defined by the American Family Association."

We appreciate the decision by McDonald's to no longer support political activity by homosexual activist organizations. You might want to thank your local McDonald's manager.

As Jeremy at Good As You notes, the AFA has a track record of calling off a failed boycott and lying that the targeted company had agreed to the their demands. (As they did with Ford, who said they never stipulated to anything requested by the AFA.). More on this when I get it.

UPDATE: I've spoken to the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and they will be giving me a statement, hopefully later today.

UPDATE II: The NGLCC says they know nothing of the AFA's claims.

Like all our corporate relationships, McDonald’s USA has been a good partner with the Chamber. There has been no discussion between the NGLCC and McDonalds regarding continuing membership, nor has the NGLCC been notified of any move not to renew our work together. The NGLCC will continue to align with corporate America in support of equal opportunity for all of America’s worker and small businesses.

Either the NGLCC got blindsided by their own vice president or the American Family Association is LYING. Again.

Daily Grumble

At the Food Emporium by my place there's this cashier who is always, always, over the top cheerful. She greets each customer like she's just unexpectedly run into an old friend. "Oh, hellOOOOO!" She smiles and smiles and when an item won't scan, instead of grimacing and slamming it back and forth across the reader as most cashiers do, she actually seems delighted to type in the barcode. "Allllllrighty!" She kind of unnerves me, but since she always works the express lane and I'm using just buying a couple of items, I go through her lane. Yesterday I was watching her and wondering if years of living in NYC has just made me more accustomed to clerks from the Duane Reade School Of Exagerated Eyerolls. That's all I got.

America Uber Alles

Say No 2 Hate In Florida

"The Say No 2 Campaign, the bi-partisan group dedicated to defeating Florida's dangerous and deceptive Amendment 2, has just released a hard hitting new commercial. It highlights the numerous groups and newspapers that have come out against the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment, as well as the devastating effects it will have if passed."

Mr. Black To Stay Open

Although yesterday it was reported that popular NYC gay club Mr. Black had been closed due to tax issues, reps for the club are saying today that it will remain open. Michael Musto:

Mr. Black is NOT dead! That's what Akash, one of the club's Thursday night "Boys Gone Wild" promoters now tells me. In an email, Akash swears, "Yes, we are open tomorrow night, confirmed both by Stuart Black and Jonny McGovern." In fact, I hear Stuart sent out an email to staffers saying, "Attention bitches, despite reports to the contrary, we are open this week and are not closing." Funny--just yesterday, people noticed the "seized by the New York State taxation office" signs all over the joint. My, things happen so quickly here! Maybe Donald Trump chipped in and saved them?

Apparently the club's landlord has squared things away somehow. In 24 hours. Gotham nightlife works in mysterious ways.

The Dishonor Roll

Californians Against Hate has published a Dishonor Roll of the top contributors to Yes On 8. Most of the individual donors are Mormons. CAH estimates that 75% of the hate money is coming from Mormons. Most are from out-of-state.

Here's the top 20.

1. Knights of Columbus: $1,275,000
2. National Organization For Marriage: $941,134.80
3. John Templeton:$900,000
4. Howard Ahmanson, Jr.: $900,000
5. American Family Association: $500,000
6. Elsa Prince: $450,000
7. Focus On the Family: $439,643.66
8. Concerned Women for America: $409,000
9. Robert Hurtt: $300,000
10.Terry Caster & Family: $293,000
11.Dorothy Nielson: $150,000
12.Doug Manchester: $125,000
13.Pacific Shores Masonry: $125,000
14.Matthew S. Wheelwright: $100,000
15.Moran: $100,000
16.ECCU: $100,000
17.Kelvin H. Moss: $100,000
18.William Bolthouse: $100,000
19.Donald G. Laws: $100,000
20.Steve Samuelian: $100,000

Go to the complete list and scan for companies and person you may know or do business with. The list includes the bios of the top donors as well as the addresses and phone numbers of their corporations.

Newest Ad From No On 8

Better, but it sort of feels like one of the fake commercials that always start Saturday Night Live.

Ehrenstein On Buse

Writer David Ehrenstein has published a piece in the LA Weekly about the John McCain's gay chief of staff Mark Buse, Manhunt, and gay Republicans. Ehrenstein, a regular JMG participant, interviewed Log Cabin's Patrick Sammon, Michelangelo Signorile, Mike Rogers, and me. The article begins:

“If an outing happens in the forest and no one hears it, is it an outing?” wonders gay activist Mike Rogers. It’s a question that he and outing pioneer Michelangelo Signorile have been asking since September 22, when they outed Mark Buse, longtime Senate chief of staff to Republican presidential candidate John McCain. With the economy tanking, Sarah Palin on the attack, Lindsay Lohan “going lesbian” and Clay Aiken making the cover of People the day after the Buse revelation, you may not have heard about it. If you heard of Buse at all, it was likely for the $460,000 in lobbying fees he earned in 2003 and 2004 from troubled loan giant Freddie Mac (not to be confused with the more than $2 million McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis, received over the years for work he and his lobbying firm did for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as recently as August). On political Web sites ranging from Daily Kos, Eschaton and Firedoglake all the way to the gay-centered Towleroad, JoeMyGod and Pam’s House Blend, Buse has been Topic A — especially afterSignorile provided on-the-record quotes from an ex-lover of Buse’s, Brian Davis. Rogers even went to Buse’s Washington office to personally deliver the latest Roy Cohn Award for most harm done to the gay community by a gay man.

“Did the gay readers of my blog go, ‘Oh, my God, I live in D.C. and I can’t believe he’s gay’” Rogers asks. “No. But One News Now, an online news service that’s about as right wing as you can get, was quite upset, and they’re hardly the only ones.”

Read the rest.

Elderspeak

Not only does using terms of endearment when speaking to seniors piss them off, studies show it damages their health.

Professionals call it elderspeak, the sweetly belittling form of address that has always rankled older people: the doctor who talks to their child rather than to them about their health; the store clerk who assumes that an older person does not know how to work a computer, or needs to be addressed slowly or in a loud voice. Then there are those who address any elderly person as “dear.” “People think they’re being nice,” said Elvira Nagle, 83, of Dublin, Calif., “but when I hear it, it raises my hackles.”

Now studies are finding that the insults can have health consequences, especially if people mutely accept the attitudes behind them, said Becca Levy, an associate professor of epidemiology and psychology at Yale University, who studies the health effects of such messages on elderly people. “Those little insults can lead to more negative images of aging,” Dr. Levy said. “And those who have more negative images of aging have worse functional health over time, including lower rates of survival.”

The studies also show that when elderly people are suffering from mild cognitive dysfunction such as in the early stages of Alzheimer's, using elderspeak may cause them to react aggressively and then receive less care from angered health workers.

McCain's Ayers Ad

Desperation move.

Paterson To Run For Governor In 2010

New York Gov. David Paterson has announced that he will run to hold his office in 2010. Paterson was elected as Lieutenant Governor on Eliot Spitzer's ticket in 2006, taking over the governorship in March this year after Spitzer resigned in a prostitution scandal.

Gov. David A. Paterson said on Tuesday that he would run in 2010 for a full term in the office he assumed after Eliot Spitzer’s resignation. Mr. Paterson also started a new political Web site that credits his leadership amid a financial downturn since he took office on March 17, when Mr. Spitzer resigned after being named in a federal prostitution investigation.

The Web site, patersonforny .com, is headlined “Leadership and accountability in challenging times.” Mr. Paterson, a Democrat, represented Harlem for 20 years in the State Senate before becoming lieutenant governor in 2006. The site also solicits campaign donations.

Paterson said that NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has promised him that he would not run for governor in 2010 if his present bid for a third mayoral term fails. Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani is reportedly planning on running for governor. Recent polls have shown Giuliani beating Paterson in a hypothetical matchup.

Since becoming governor, Paterson has performed admirably at a time when the state is going through its worst fiscal crisis in decades. His wit, candor, and fearless support of the LGBT community has made him an overnight gay icon. Paterson 2010!

Protection For CA Gay Seniors

Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that will protect LGBT seniors in nursing homes.

The law, which takes effect Jan. 1, requires licensed health care professionals who have constant interaction with seniors to attend a training program on preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

"Some members of the (LGBT) community living in nursing homes have been denied their most basic rights, including the simple choice to spend time with a loved one, because of their sexual orientation or gender identity," said Equality California Executive Director Geoff Kors. "We appreciate the support of Gov. Schwarzenegger and the legislature for approving this measure, which will proactively create a culture of respect and understanding for all seniors living in care facilities."

EQCA said basic rights such as the choice to live in the same nursing home with a partner and the right to hospital visitation are routinely denied to older same-sex couples.

(Via - PrideSource)

Florida Marriage Ban Poised To Pass

As in California, the gay marriage amendment in Florida has gained support and may pass, despite months of indications that it would not.

A majority of Florida voters in a new WESH 2 News Mason-Dixon Poll said they plan to vote in favor of a constitutional amendment to define marriage as being between one man and one woman. The poll results showed 55 percent of respondents would vote yes, while 34 percent planned to vote no. Eleven percent remain undecided. The amendment will require approval from 60 percent of state voters in order to become law. While the current support level is below that threshold, historical trends suggest it will pass. "In other ballot amendment and initiative votes on gay rights issues taken in other states, undecided voters have generally broken strongly in the direction of the politically incorrect, anti-gay position," Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Managing Director J. Bradford Coker said.

Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Florida, but Amendment 2 will enshrine that discrimination in the state constitution.

Idiocracy

Remember that clip with the drunk rednecks railing against Obama? Here's the non-drunk, non-redneck, but just as stupid Midwestern version. BloggerInterrupted found these douche-nozzles in the parking lot of a McCain/Palin rally in Strongville, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland.

(Via - Wonkette)

Yes On 8: The Second Ad

Sigh. Here's the second ad from the Yes On 8 haters in California and it is slick. Our side needs to seriously step up the game. That straight couple talking about their gay daughter is sweet but lacks serious punch.

Bolthouse Farms Boycott Ends

Californians Against Hate has called off their boycott of Bolthouse Farms.

The food fight is over. Nearly a month ago, opponents of Proposition 8 -- which would amend the state Constitution to ban gay marriage -- started a "soft boycott" of Bolthouse Farms, among the largest producers of fresh-cut carrots in the world and the maker of juices and smoothies sold in foodie haunts and upscale markets.

Company patriarch William Bolthouse Jr. had donated $100,000 to help get the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot, and Californians Against Hate wanted gay and lesbian shoppers and their friends to know it. The group figured it was truth in labeling.

Demonstrations at the "rock 'n' roll" Ralphs on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood and Whole Foods markets in New York City and Washington, D.C., ensued. The gay blogosphere lit up, indignant.

But on Wednesday, the company and the advocacy group made peace, and the prickly pear cactus lemonade can flow again.

The "Don't Buy Bolthouse" campaign ended because the company's chief executive "has provided us with a compelling perspective which clearly demonstrates the separation between Bolthouse Farms and ... its founder, William Bolthouse," Californians Against Hate said Wednesday in a written statement. That perspective, the statement continued, "provides us with confidence that Bolthouse Farms is committed to working productively with the [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] community."

For its part, the Bakersfield-based food giant "thanks Californians Against Hate for recognizing our work to meet our mission of showing respect and integrity to our employees, our vendors and our customers," company spokesman Lane Hudson said Wednesday in another written statement.

Californians Against Hate are continuing their boycotts of the San Diego hotels owned by Doug Manchester and A-1 Self-Storage, whose owner Terry Caster donated almost $300K to Yes On 8.

Morning View - Pier 17

Pier 17 is tourist trap mall in the South Street Seaport historic district near downtown's financial district. You know San Franciscans pride themselves on never going to Pier 39? Same deal for New Yorkers and Pier 17.

Open Thread Thursday

We haven't played like the chat room kids in awhile. A/S/L?

Wanda Sykes And Hillary Duff Fight Teen Usage Of "That's So Gay"

Semi-out comedian Wanda Sykes and actress Hillary Duff have joined with the Advertising Council and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) in a national campaign to discourage teenagers from saying "that's so gay" to refer to things they don't like.

The campaign, which is scheduled to be announced by the council in Washington on Wednesday, will seek to discourage bullying and harassment of teenagers who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

The campaign, created pro bono by the New York office of Arnold Worldwide, urges an end to using derogatory language, particularly labeling anything deemed negative or unpleasant as “so gay.” That is underlined by the theme of the campaign: “When you say, ‘That’s so gay,’ do you realize what you say? Knock it off.”

There will be television and radio commercials, print and outdoor ads and a special Web site devoted to the campaign (thinkb4youspeak.com). Some spots feature celebrities, the young actress Hilary Duff and the comedian Wanda Sykes, delivering the message.

The campaign is on behalf of a nonprofit organization in New York called the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, or Glsen (pronounced glisten), which promotes tolerance among students. Glsen is spending about $2 million to develop and produce the campaign.

In the clip above, Sykes overhears teenage boys say "that's so gay" at a pizzeria and confronts them: "How would you like it I said 'that's so 16-year-old boy with a cheesy mustache?'"

Visit GLSEN's ThinkB4YouSpeak site for more and to view the videos. Below is the clip featuring Hillary Duff.

Father On Father

Our own Father Tony has had a conversation Father Geoff Farrow, the brave Fresno, California priest who sermonized against Proposition 8 from his pulpit on Sunday. In a television interview after the service, Father Geoff then came out. Father Tony:

Father Geoff is unsure of his future, but he says that for the first time in years he feels at peace with himself while fearful about his ability to deal with the strife and tumult that is about to come his way. He said, “I feel like the little boy in the crowd who says the emperor is naked.”

We talked about the fact that most priests are gay, and about the power structure that keeps them silent when in their hearts they know they should be working to overturn the ridiculous mistreatment of gay people by the Catholic Church. He said that at a gathering of priests that followed the news about his sermon, the bishop was assured by many of the priests that Father Farrow was wrong and should be punished. This is disgusting and yet so very believable.

I wish I could shout out to all the thousands of gay priests out there. This is your chance, guys. Father Geoff took the first shot. He made the bold jump. Are you going to let him stand there alone and vulnerable? Are you going to turn your back on him? Or, will you stand up and be counted? Will you use your pulpits to support what he has begun?

The bishop can get away with suspending one man, but he cannot suspend all of you.

Do the right thing. This is why you were ordained.

Read the rest of Father Tony's post. Father Geoff has begun blogging his experience, you can follow along with his story here.

Oops! McCain Refers To Republicans As "My Fellow Prisoners"

"Across this country, this is the agenda I have set before my fellow prisoners..."
As Daily Kos headlines it, EPIC FAIL.

Palin And The Secessionists

Great stuff and the perfect foil to the Bill Ayers nonsense. And I lovelovelove that they used the creepy music from 28 Days Later.

(Via - Dan Savage)

Tea Room Naugle Is Back

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim "Tea Room" Naugle, who made national headlines last year when he insisted that gay men were running wild in the public restrooms of the city's beach, is now leading a group of Democrats supporting the push to put anti-gay marriage wording into the Florida state constitution.

A ballot measure to ban gay marriage has already won the support of many religious leaders and Republican politicians. On Tuesday, it received another endorsement -- this time from a group of Democrats.

In a press conference headlined by Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, the community leaders -- including pastors and civic activists -- said marriage should be defined as the union between a man and a woman. Amendment 2, if passed by voters on Election Day, would do just that by changing the Florida Constitution to say, ``No other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized.''

The measure has already garnered support from several Republican politicians, including Gov. Charlie [CLOSET CASE] Crist, U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez and Attorney General Bill McCollum. Outside the Stephen P. Clark Government Center in downtown Miami, where the group of Democrats rallied, some held signs that read, ''Yes 2 Marriage,'' while others clutched Bibles.

Naugle will be term-limited out of his job next year, but is expected to seek statewide office.

Halloween Is Coming

Here are two popular costumes for 2008:
1) a wild-eyed brain-dead creature from beyond the grave.
2) a zombie.

Ad Featuring Gavin Newsom Blamed For Flipping Prop 8 Support

UPDATE: Equality California's Geoffrey Kors says that "this is crunch time" and implores LGBT Americans to come to their aid.

"People change their minds about Proposition 8 when they hear the lie that churches will lose their tax-free status if they won't marry same-sex couples," said Kors. "Even though this is not true.

"So this is crunch time. With less than a month before the election, we must get on the air now to answer these lies and swing votes back to our side. And the only way to do that is to raise more money. The generous $15.8 million that our supporters have given isn't enough."

DONATE TO NO ON 8 HERE.

Rex Wockner reports:

A TV ad showing San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom saying California is going to have same-sex marriage "whether you like it or not" is being credited with flipping poll numbers to favor the Nov. 4 ballot proposition to amend the state constitution to undo the state Supreme Court's legalization of same-sex marriage.

This door's wide open now. It's gonna happen. Whether you like it or not!" Newsom says in a clip included in the ad paid for by forces supporting passage of Proposition 8. The ad continues: "Four judges ignored 4 million voters and imposed same-sex marriage on California. It's no longer about tolerance. Acceptance of gay marriage is now mandatory. That changes a lot of things: People sued over personal beliefs. Churches could lose their tax exemption. Gay marriage taught in public schools. We don't have to accept this. ('Whether you like it or not!') Yes on 8."

Here's the ad again.

This Weekend In NYC

Well, look at that. JMG reader favorite Eric Leven is the covercub for the second annual New York Leather Weekend, which starts Friday. Lots of events: a bar crawl, a street fair, a dance, etc. I can't vouch for any of it as I was out of town last year. Their site mentions vendors and food at the street fair, but says nothing about drink, so I presume it will be boozeless. That might be a deal-breaker, at least in my soused circle. Anybody know if beer will be available?

Improvements At Bolthouse Farms

Bolthouse Farms has been working on improving their reputation with the LGBT community ever since word broke that the company's founder donated $100K to support Proposition 8. Company officials stressed that William Bolthouse no longer owns the company, but a nationwide boycott and protests outside of Bolthouse resellers ensued.

From a Bolthouse Farms press release:

-In March, William Bolthouse Jr., through his personal foundation, made a contribution of $100,000 to ProtectMarriage.com, a group behind Proposition 8, the proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage that is set to appear on the California November ballot.
-Mr. Bolthouse’s personal actions are not related to Bolthouse Farms, the consumer products farming company, in any way.
-Bolthouse Farms had no knowledge of Mr. Bolthouse’s donation until it was made public on June 3.
-Mr. Bolthouse is president of the Bolthouse Foundation, a privately held and operated philanthropic Christian organization whose ownership, purpose, direction, and management is completely separate and distinct from that of Bolthouse Farms.
-Mr. Bolthouse’s ownership and involvement with Bolthouse Farms ceased in December of 2005, when he sold his interest in the company to Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago based private equity firm. Madison Dearborn Partners currently owns 72% of the company.
-Andre and Lisa Radandt currently own a 28% minority interest in Bolthouse Farms, and are the only family members who retain ownership in the company. Andre Randadt is currently non executive chairman of the company.
-Andre and Lisa Radandt are not involved in the Bolthouse Foundation. They left the board of The Bolthouse Foundation in 2007 and have not had any involvement whatsoever with The Bolthouse Foundation since that time.
-The Bolthouse Foundation does not receive financial support or benefit from the profits of Bolthouse Farms.
-At the time of the sale of Bolthouse Farms to Madison Dearborn Partners in 2005, the land holdings of the Bolthouse Family were split off from Bolthouse Farms and put into a separate real estate holding company, Bolthouse Properties, which was not part of the sale. Bolthouse Farms leases farm land from Bolthouse Properties under a long term lease as it does from many property holders in Bakersfield and other growing regions. Bolthouse Properties represents a small percentage of the total land on which Bolthouse Farms grows carrots and the lease structure was fixed at the time of the sale and is no way subject to change due to performance of Bolthouse Farms.
-Bolthouse Farms neither supports, tracks, nor in any way influences or condones the activities of the Bolthouse Foundation.

LGBT activist Lane Hudson has been advising Bolthouse Farms for the last month. From his email to me listing improvements that Bolthouse has made internally:

"Bolthouse Farms sponsored the NGLTF LA Awards Brunch as a Gold Sponsor and the CEO personally contributed $5K to their No on 8 work. Bolthouse Farms was also a corporate table sponsor of the HRC National Dinner.

"In addition, they have clarified their non-discrimination policy to include sexual orientation. They also clarified their benefits policy to include dependent children of same sex relationships. They also edited their website, corporate philosophy and corporate mission to reflect what a consumer products company should be. It's a great deal of progress since the new CEO took the reigns a mere 12 weeks ago and since I began advising him a month ago."

From what I can see, Bolthouse Farms has done just about everything possible to correct a situation that was beyond their control. Kudos to them and to Lane Hudson. Punishing the company any further seems fruitless to me.

Name Clash For Gay Student Groups At San Diego Community Colleges

This should provoke some interesting discussion. In San Diego, gay student associations at two community colleges are clashing with administrators over the acronym for their name: FAGS.

Members of gay and lesbian clubs at two San Diego community colleges say campus administrators have violated their free speech rights by repeatedly blocking attempts to advertise their shared acronym: FAGS. Frye stands by the use of the acronym for the club, whose full name is The Fellowship of Associated Gay Students & Straight Allies.

“We wanted something with a little pop to it, and we wanted to neutralize an epithet like a lot of groups have done with the word 'queer,' ” Frye said. The conflict has forced the schools to weigh students' free speech rights against the rights of offended employees and other students.

Richard Dittbenner, spokesman for the San Diego Community College District, which oversees both schools, said the acronym generated complaints from some staff members and students at City College.

FAGS vice president Brande Faris: “I thought it was a fabulous name. I think anything that challenges people's paradigm and gets them to think outside the box, and at the same time reclaims what has been used as a hate word, is a positive thing.”

Last year's posters included the proclamation: "The FAGS Are Back."

Opinions?

Mr. Black Closed For Back Taxes

Popular NYC gay club Mr. Black has been closed. Again.

Michael Musto:

Mr. Black, my favorite new club--which is actually the relocated version of the place that shut down last year after a drug raid crippled it--has just been seized by the tax man! There are signs on the place saying officials have taken it over for non payment of New York State taxes! This place is fucking cursed!

I think this is third time Mr. Black has been closed. Last year 32 patrons and staffers were arrested in a drug raid, but most were released without charges.

I Think We Can, I Think We Can

Debate Reactions From The PUMAs

Just for fun, here are a few reactions to last night's debate from the deluded PUMAs that inhabit HillaryClintonForums.net:

-"We have plenty of time left for the press/ads/palin to do some damage with Ayers, Birth Cert, Kenya/Indonesia citizenship etc..."
-"Michelle's dress was weird."
-"OBAMA IS A CHEATER. HE CHEATED DURING THE PRIMARIES AND WILL CHEAT IN THE GENERAL ELECTION. INTEGRITY TRUMPS ISSUES. NOBAMA EVER! "
-"I wish at the beginning when they shake hands, Mac woulda slugged him. Just for the hell of it. I am so sick of that slick BO."
-"Nina Easton is saying Obama has developed Clintonian style of connecting policies to people. THIS MAKES ME SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!! EVERYTHING THAT MAN DOES OF VALUE, HE STOLE FROM HILLARY."
-"I don't want my children in Obama's world, my father and grandfather and all those that came before did not fight, work, sweat, starve and bleed to sell their future generations into bondage."
-"Seems like Obama is trying to make himself up out of bits and pieces of other people. President Clinton's hand gesture, a phrase from one of Senator Clinton's speeches, an idea from this one, a thought from that one."
-"Obama - you are not Jack Kennedy.... or Bill Clinton.... and you will NEVER be in the same class as Hillary Clinton. So take your pointy finger and your long winded speeches and go running back to Hyde Park."
-"McCain/Palin '08!. Hillary 2012!"

A real group of winners, eh?

From The Hallmark Boycott Petition

How about some commentary on the Hallmark boycott from the lovely folks at the American Family Association? Here's a sampling of what their members are telling Hallmark on their petition about the company's line of gay marriage greeting cards:

- "Gay marriage is wrong, against God's standards. You cannot mock God without feeling the consequences."
-"This is not in the Bible and it is against the things of God."
-"It's a sad day when the BEST greeting card company bows to this degenerate lifestyle!"
-"Please take heed to our plea...and let's stop the judgment of God on our nation."
-"I am very disappointed that you are supporting something that contradicts the natural design of families and our bodies."
-"You are causing far more destruction than you realize."
-"When I take my child into a greeting card store and there are homo cards on display there for my child to see is where I draw the line - that is shoving it in my face."
-"Hallmark is pandering because you probably have a lot of gay artist-poets and people in management who are DESPERATE to normalize their perversion."

All this over a boring three card line that show nothing more graphic than two cartoon tuxedos.

Dubya's Legacy

Order Now, Operators Are Standing By

The complete Sarah Palin flute collection on ten compacts disc. "And as a bonus, we'll send you the free bonus DVD, Buns Of Leadership."

Morning View - Manhattan Municipal

This is the back side of the Manhattan Municipal Building as seen from the Brooklyn Bridge. Completed in 1915, it's one of the largest government buildings in the world. Thirteen city agencies are housed on the building's 25 floors. Car traffic used to pass through its center arch (barely visible here).

That One '08

Debate Result

We Broke The National Debt Clock

Palin Pulls A Fast One With NOW

"I know Sarah Palin cares about women’s rights, she cares about equality, she cares about equal pay, and as Vice President she will fight for it. She cares about our children and she cares about women's lives. She's an athlete and she knows what Title Nine did for girls like her. It is an honor to call her sister. America, this is what a feminist looks like." - Los Angeles NOW chapter president Shelly Mandell, introducing Sarah Palin at a rally this weekend. (Video)

Conservative blogs and commenters are exulting. "Finally, an intellectually honest feminist!", crows the first commenter on the linked post. Some news outlets are mistakenly saying that LA NOW has endorsed Palin, prompting the state organization to shout that Mandell was not authorized to speak on behalf on NOW and that the McCain/Palin campaign deliberately "misrepresented" her as speaking for NOW. (Imagine that.)

Patty Bellasalma: "As President of California NOW and as a member and officer of Los Angeles NOW, I can assure you that there is no local or state affiliate of NOW, including LA NOW, which endorses or supports the McCain/Palin ticket. John McCain and Sarah Palin oppose many of the rights and freedoms we have fought for throughout NOW's 42 years, and we will not be pushed back to the days of back-alley abortions, forced pregnancies, and pay discrimination without remedy. Nor will we let the media distractions deter our members and activists from our organizing for freedom and equality for all women, putting our hopes and our dreams, our hard work and our hard-earned money, behind a proven team for women: the next President of the United States – Barack Obama – and his running mate, longtime friend and ally of women, Sen. Joe Biden With equal ferocity we will fight to protect young women by defeating Proposition 4 and to keep bigotry and discrimination out of our state constitution by defeating Proposition 8 here in California."

After Mandell's introduction, Palin went into her now-standard "Obama runs with terrorists" schtick. I'm wondering how the fuck Mandell got to be president of LA NOW. As Jen Graves says, "Revoke her vagina!"

There's Something Horrible On The Stairs*

Set your phasers on "fail." An American version of Absolutely Fabulous is coming to Fox.

Edina and Patsy are ready to take on L.A. Fox is developing a redo of Jennifer Saunders' enduring Britcom "Absolutely Fabulous," to be exec produced by Mitch Hurwitz, Eric Tannenbaum and Kim Tannenbaum for Sony Pictures TV, Tantamount and BBC Worldwide America.

Christine Zander ("Saturday Night Live") is set to write the script and will exec produce along with the BBC's Ian Moffet and original series creator Saunders. Fox has given Sony a script order with hefty penalty attached.

The latest attempt at a U.S. rendition of "Ab Fab" will be transplanted to L.A. but retain the basic template of the original, revolving around the friendship of two boozy, over-40 best friends who are desperate to stay hip and youthful and who carry on under the disapproving eye of Edina's teenage daughter, Saffy.

More than a decade ago, Roseanne Barr worked on developing a U.S. version of the show with Carrie Fisher for ABC. CBS' 1995-98 Cybill Shepherd comedy "Cybill" had an "Ab Fab" flavor to it. Another short-lived 1995 sitcom, CBS' "High Society," starring Jean Smart and Mary McDonnell, was a thinly veiled imitation.

*My favorite AbFab line and it totally works for this post.

(Via - Gawker)

Polls Roundup

Presidential Heightism

Here's a NYT graphic showing the relative heights of US presidents for the last hundred years. (Embiggening required.) Since 1900 the taller candidate has won 17 out of 24 times. McCain is 5'7", Obama is 6'1".

Dubya did beat the taller Kerry, but we are so not counting his win over the taller Al Gore. If McCain were to win, he'd be the shortest president in 120 years and tied for second-shortest ever behind the 5'4" James Madison.

At 5'7" (and a HALF) myself, I usually resent these "taller man always wins" (the job, the game, the election) sort of stories. This one I can live with.

Mail Goggles

If you've been guilty of drunk mailing - sending regrettable emails while under the influence (and we've ALL done it) - Google has launched Mail Goggles, a user enabled program that forces you to solve a few math problems before sending late night emails. From the Gmail blog:

Sometimes I send messages I shouldn't send. Like the time I told that girl I had a crush on her over text message. Or the time I sent that late night email to my ex-girlfriend that we should get back together. Gmail can't always prevent you from sending messages you might later regret, but today we're launching a new Labs feature I wrote called Mail Goggles which may help. When you enable Mail Goggles, it will check that you're really sure you want to send that late night Friday email. And what better way to check than by making you solve a few simple math problems after you click send to verify you're in the right state of mind?

Now they need to do something about drunk-blogging.