Look what some citizens of Wasilla are looking for at my blog: indeed, nipples. Given the very poor
performance by “that angry old dude” vs Obama last night, they could sure use some entertainment.
Coming up real soon: the meaning of life revealed, in ten confused words or less, Palin style.
[Vanity note: triple that counter number. Sitemeter was introduced recently at this blog]
Free traffic advice: blog about empty, tabloid no-brainers like nipples. Even Wasilla will find you 
Watch McCain (link to full text), say exactly what the whole world knows by now: Palin is not qualified to be a US Vice President. Quote (dated October 21, 2007):
“I have had a strong and a long relationship on national security, I’ve been involved in every national crisis that this nation has faced since Beirut, I understand the issues, I understand and appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face from radical Islamic extremism.” “I am prepared. I am prepared. I need no on-the-job training. I wasn’t a mayor for a short period of time. I wasn’t a governor for a short period of time.”
I rest my case. If there is a god, may he be there to save America from the walking disaster called McCain(72)-Palin. I’m no US citizen, but I’m gay: if this cute couple were to win the 2008 elections, I’d emigrate to Canada. Time to reclaim your country, America.
Wikipedia quote: (“Questions have been raised by some in the media regarding Palin’s views on the separation of church and state, given her support for the inclusion of creationism into public education and an address to graduating ministry students at her former church where she urged them to pray “that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God”,[181] and in the same remarks, her assertion that “God’s will” was responsible for the Alaskan national gas pipeline project. Bloggers have characterized her remarks as having “painted the current war in Iraq as a messianic affair” or reported that she told the students “that the United States sent troops to fight in the Iraq war on a ‘task that is from God“)
After electing a lying, war-mongering, virtually certified nutcase twice, there must be something profoundly wrong with a significant part of the US electorate, wouldn’t you think so?
Last weekend Belgium saw the annual Brussels gay pride. I’m no longer into ‘gay prides’, not even the Antwerp edition next June. I can post a long write-up, but this single stunning shot by talented photographer Jacques Verees perfectly managed to capture why I avoid these ‘prides’. Take a long look at this shot. Can you imagine that, no matter how tolerant I may be, no matter how comfortable I feel ‘just letting go, being crazy and wild’, I feel like I have nothing in common with these men? That I don’t want to be associated with the public provocative behavior they stand for? Notice they have bad teeth, bad taste, but oh boy, they are sooo proud 
My significant other rolled on the floor laughing when he looked at this shot – did it induce the same emotions with you? [Image link courtesy of Jaco]
Currently still in progress (first shots): the yearly Amnesty International open-air concert in front of Antwerp cathedral, a ten hour (2pm-midnight) free event, aimed at raising funds and awareness about worldwide human rights. The Belgian rain along with a chilly 55°F/12°C wind did not succeed in chasing away the crowd. As individuals we’re powerless when human rights are trampled, but united we can make a difference. Check the website, select your country and help those who cannot help themselves. Are you taking action?
Some of his comments are way off, but in this video James Pence tries to redefine the word “terrorist”. Intriguing, isn’t it?
Full text: “If I was a terrorist and I wanted to destroy the American way of life, I wouldn’t use planes and bombs to kill folks. Hells bells! That is too risky. You might get caught or killed or both. Real terrorists get results, and then they lay the blame or can’t be found. So here is what I would do if I was a terrorist.
I would foreclose on millions of homes, you know, kick folks out of their houses. I would devalue the dollar so the price of everything would go up. I would outsource the jobs so they couldn’t find work. I would move the factories to foreign countries, you know, all the good fine factory jobs. I would make education unaffordable, you know, terrorists don’t like having educated people around. I would make healthcare difficult to get and let the insurance companies just get away with murder. I would listen to their telephone calls, monitor their E-mails, and use that information to really stick it to them. Then, I would give myself a big old tax cut, sit back in luxury, and watch them fight over the crumbs. But you know what? We live in the United States of America, thank you, Jesus, and the people that represent us would never ever let them get away with that. Would they? Would they?”
I’ve often wondered why political right wing groups and various religions/churches in societies worldwide continue to put so much energy into hating their gay and lesbian fellow citizens: hating us will never make us disappear or change the way we were born. The answer seems quite simple: they hate us just because they can and are allowed to do so within their country’s legal framework. Although effective protection from legal bigotry should be a fundamental part of any constitution, some ‘civilized’ countries still feel otherwise.
OK, you’ve all heard gay bashing US Oklahoma Rep Sally Kern [the wife of a Baptist minister] by now ["I honestly think homosexuality is the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam"], proving that the USA still has its fair share of nutcases redefining the true axis of evil, so local Dutch newspapers were busy pointing fingers last week. “Was America getting more homophobic than it already used to be?” suddenly became their main focus, conveniently ignoring the ongoing anti-gay hate crimes perpetrated by Muslim fanatics in good old Amsterdam. After Holland’s largest conservative paper the ‘Telegraaf‘ published over 300 online reactions showing pure disgust for this hate mongering “US creep”, other major publications pointed out that even ‘respectable’ US states had more than their fair share of institutionalized hate issues. “Feeling Unwelcome, Some Gays Vacate Virginia” headlined the respected Washington Post in 2006, while USA Today published an recent FBI report mentioning a US nationwide 18% increase in hate crimes against gay men and lesbians. Quote: “Hate crimes impacted a wide range of groups,” says Jack Levin, a sociology and criminology professor at Northeastern University in Boston. “It seems as though Americans are more suspicious of any group or members of a group seen as foreign, outsiders or intruders.”
With Oklahoma having taken a long stride back into the Dark Ages ["Oklahoma: One Step from Doom"], most of the US religious right wing groups and numerous churches are spreading 24/24 hate-speech while doing their utmost to chase American gay citizens (10% of the US pop) off the cliffs, making sure that the blessings of the US constitution are enjoyed by all, but only if they happen to be white, straight, right-wing-conservative and very “Christian”, in a sick sort of way.
I wonder what would happen if Barak Obama (defending a clear pro-gay-rights stance) were to become the next US president. Sure, he might propose new legislation, but that simple move wouldn’t be able to change how many of his beloved fellow citizens truly feel.
Trust me, I’m living in Belgium, a country with full gay legal rights (marriage, adoption, elaborate legal protection) but I wonder how often ‘legislation’ turned the numerous Antwerp bigots (from whatever culture, race or religion) into tolerant citizens.
On a personal note: I painfully bumped into a 20-something on my way to the local supermarket today. “Need new glasses, you old ***” he exclaimed provokingly. Great, now I appear to belong to yet another minority.
The ‘civilized world’ and its gay citizens: is it really a loveless, poorly arranged marriage that can only work out if there is enough money to be made from this often quite affluent ‘double-income-no-kids’ part of the population?
“Live by the sword, die by the sword” – [Bible] Matthew, verse 26:52.
Pam in Paris mentioned that an American Neocon right wing military blogger (apparently her uncle and his wife) put a gun under his Christmas tree, with visitors commenting on the choice of the weapon. Along with a taste for strange ornaments, Pam mentioned the Watermelon blog from Australia, quoting a recent Harris online poll: “82 per cent of adult Americans believe in God and 79 per cent believe in miracles. More than 70 per cent of the 2,455 adults surveyed between November 7 and 13 said they believed in heaven and angels, while more than 60 per cent said they believed in hell and the devil. Roughly equal numbers believe evolution (42 per cent) and creationism (39 per cent). Seventy per cent of Americans said they were religious, while about one-third also said they believe in UFOs, witches and astrology.” An astonishing level of ignorance and superstition. [Image: courtesy of 'Cap'n Bob']
Along with the complete commercialization of Christmas in the US, I’m lost for words. Has America lost its moral bearings?
I just finished reading Naomi Klein’s The Shock Doctrine, an outstanding but utterly disturbing 500 page piece of work that made me profoundly question the true nature of our democracy, economy and moral values. [NY Times review] quote: “the larger lessons are clear: “Countries are shocked — by wars, terror attacks, coups d’état and natural disasters.” Then “they are shocked again — by corporations and politicians who exploit the fear and disorientation of this first shock to push through economic shock therapy.” People who “dare to resist” are shocked for a third time, “by police, soldiers and prison interrogators.” While information might well be the first step on the way towards any form of resistance as an outsider, most of those suffering from a Shock Doctrine approach are in no position to resist at all. Are you still in shock too?
This is not going to be an easy write up, partly due to the physical damage ‘m trying to cope with.
To start off with, let me link to the tittle. In the movie “Sex, Lies, and Videotape” (1989), a sexually repressed woman’s husband is having an affair with her sister. The arrival of a visitor with a rather unusual video taping fetish changes everything.
My story is even more bizarre. Unfortunately, Belgian privacy laws prevent me from posting a coherent, comprehensive story.
From the Internet Movie Database files:
“Sex, Lies and Videotape will probably strike the average viewer as irredeemably degenerate, maybe even perverted, since voyeurism is still considered aberrant behavior. But as far as this film is concerned, that’s the appearance, not the reality. Whereas the drama revolves to a certain extent around the voyeuristic masturbation of an impotent man, the heart and soul of the film is an unrelenting, hard driving psychological siege on the biggest erogenous zone of all: the brain.
This film is about sex. But it’s not about the frothy swapping of fluids and feelings. It’s about honesty, without which one can’t have intimacy, which is to sexual stimulation what the water valve is to the hydrant. From beginning to end, we see this theme brought into focus by the dramatic contrast between two different relationships – the one based on lies and deceit, the other based upon honesty. And guess which one wins out in the long run?
In a sense, it’s what your mother and Sunday school teacher taught you all along. But what makes this movie way more interesting than your mother or Sunday school teacher is the level of honesty it suggests is necessary as the basis of a healthy relationship. Ann (Andy McDowell), for example, an acceptably moral person tells the voyeuristic masturbator `You got a problem.’ He replies by adding that he has a lot of problems. But, he says, `They belong to me.’
OK. So I’ve had a long running friendship with ****, my ex-diving instructor who, not really to my sheer astonishment, recently started basing part of our social contact on lies and deceit, as he feels that hiding his profoundly immoral behaviour is the only way to keep our ‘friendship’ intact. I know about his sexually extreme, deviant behaviour, I asked him to stop lying to me about it, to stop hurting the people who ignorantly will be physically harmed by his urges, to get help for his addiction. He won’t move. He’s living a lie, convinced that I’m unable to cope with the detailed, gruesome truth (in all honesty, I’m aware of those details, and it would turn my stomach if I were to focus on them). In a way, we’re both ignoring the utmost unpleasant reality. But he’s the “perpetrator”, I’m the ever more distant, ever more silent witness.
Having been a part of my social life for years makes it real hard to “just cut the cord”.
Quote: “Somehow, the openness about one’s problems renders their bile and poison ineffective. `Lilies that fester,’ said Shakespeare, `smell far worse than weeds.’ “
But if openness failed, where do you draw the line? [my photo: Antwerp riverbanks at night in July, not far away from my home]
Pick your poison: a town that really pretends to “care” about its gay inhabitants (but basically prefers cashing in on events like the Eurogames) or a 100% commercial gay entity that can smell the loot from a mile?
Let me make it easier: the city of Antwerp just decided to sponsor the 2008 edition of Navigaytion: a controversial, extravagant commercial gay event where “the sky’s the limit” dance club Red&Blue packs 10 party boats with an assorted variety of exhibitionist gay party queens from the whole of Europe.
Add gallons of Eristoff Vodka, a prime open-air dance location in front of the Antwerp cathedral and hey presto: another fine example of failed gay integration/ image building. Unless you feel that bus loads of drag queens along with the finest selection of Europe’s most exhibitionist 20-somethings suffering from pathological narcissism “support gay integration into mainstream Antwerp society”.
Take a look at the smile on the face of the organiser: [video in Dutch from ATV] and note the outstanding collection of freaky party queens among the 11,000 paying participants.
Isn’t that what being gay is fundamentally all about: booze, drag queens and dancing like there is no tomorrow? Way to go Antwerp – I assume someone will be laughing all the way to the bank
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