I don't even care that msnbc reported cnn's mischaracterization of this. I still believe it.

Joe Lieberman sucks

They should have made him eat shit. Fucken liberals. That's why Republicans continue their bullshit with impunity. Democrats are so fucken lucky right now to have Barack Obama on their team.

Reflections on 8ATE

Last Saturday, Blu-tooth, Minnesota Mike and I attended a rally and march to protest the passage of Prop 8. Even though Prop 8 is specific to California, demonstrations were occuring everywhere nationwide. Ours was in front of City Hall in Downtown LA.

I was glad to be there in solidarity, but there's really nothing more that can be done except wait for the courts to make a decision (with hopes that such demonstrations could influence the judges in our favor maybe?!) and perhaps wait for a repeal of the discriminatory proposition in 2010.

Not that rallies and boycotts are insignificant. They are important, necessary and strategic. But where were all the rallies and boycotts before the majority of California voters decided that a marriage recognized by the state must be between a man and a woman?

Instead I see boycotts against Majorie Christoffersen, a member of the Mormon Church and proprietor of El Coyote, who had contributed $100 to her church to support Prop 8.

Dude. Are you kidding me? This is why we lost Prop 8. I could understand if you don't patronize El Coyote because the food taste like diarrhea. But to focus so much energy on this one woman who acknowledged and apologized for her mistake, was contrite and offered free lunches to her offended clientele. She admitted that she simply did what her church told her. So why waste any more time and energy punishing this idiot? She's already experiencing a mental and emotional breakdown, yet the boycott continues. It makes me sad, not for her (I find her situation humorous actually), but because the disenfranchised continue to fight the disenfranchised. It's classic divide and conquer. LGBTs and Mormons probably have nothing in common EXCEPT that our government does not recognize either of their definitions of marriage. Kind of ironic.

On a positive note, this was Minnesota Mike's first protest. Ever. How exciting!



In the video, we're on the train. I was so pleased to see the huge number of people who used public transportation to get to the rally. Also, there were A LOT of good-looking people there. Gays are just hot.

Of course I randomly bump into my favorite couple with their hairless Peruvian dogs.

By the way, hairless Peruvian dogs are hypoallergenic, for obvious reasons. Can't see you Malia and Sasha with these cute pups?

Then there were some very cool posters (which kind of bummed us out because we forgot to make our own. Blu-tooth and I felt so unprepared).

This picture is funny because the lesbian on the left was upset that I took a picture with her poster being held by the lesbian in the center of the photo. She whined, "that's my poster." To make her feel better, I took another picture of her with her poster, but I refuse to post it.
No one is going to see it.

I know Tron and other Ron Paul supporters would appreciate this.

And finally, we marched along Main Street until we reached Chinatown, where we diverged for some dim sum.

What do we want? DIM SUM. When do we want it? NOW!!

Another baby boom

(Dude, you can find the strangest pictures on the internet...)

So I have been watching local news because I do not have cable and, as a result, only am able to pick up two fuzzy channels (CBS & NBC) through the antenna (old school, baby!). Anyway, local news in Los Angeles is really, really stupid and is likely dumbing down Angelenos... but I did learn that the United States is now experiencing another baby boom, the first in 45 years! And the US is the only industrialized country to experience such an increase... hmm, could it be that the premise behind the movie, Idiocracy, could be coming true? Better get use to drinking electolytes then... it's what we crave!

All joking aside, I wonder if any of these procreators considered the ecological and fiscal impact of another baby boom? I'm not objecting to folks having babies, but I just wonder if any of this is a consideration.

It's interesting when people say that having children is the most self-less act a person can do... You know, I'm just not so sure of that....

"Humanity must drastically scale down its industrial activities on Earth, change its consumption lifestyles, stabilize and then reduce the size of the human population by humane means, and protect and restore wild ecosystems and the remaining wildlife on the planet." -- The Wildlands Project

Mmm mmm good?!

A cow and her cloned heifer

The U.S. government ruled today that food from cloned animals and their offspring is as safe as other food, opening the door to bringing meat and milk from clone offspring into the food supply.

I feel so dirty and defeated. I can't believe this is happening. Join me in vegetarianism before we grow tails out of our asses!

In other news...

So many things happening in the world today. So many things I would love to write about. And what do I choose to feature?

Castleberry's Hot Dog Chili Sauce is linked to BOTULISM. Four people were hospitalized as a result, but are expected to live despite debilitating symptoms, such as double or blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth and muscle weakness that moves down the body, leading to eventual paralysis that can cause a person to stop breathing and die, unless supported by a ventilator.

That is truly fucked up. To endure all that just because you wanted to spice up your hot dog. Stick to ketchup and mustard yo. Peace.

Once again...

Sexism is ignored and subordinated to racism.

As I'm sure you all know, shock jock Don Imus is busted by the public for calling members of the Rutgers women's basketball team "some nappy-headed hos."

The National Association of Black Journalists has demanded the immediate firing of the "Imus in the Morning" host. On Monday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson led a 50 person protest in Chicago outside of NBC's offices demanding his dismissal. Al Sharpton denounced the comment on his syndicated radio show as "racist" and "abominable," adding: "You should be fired for saying it."

I even overheard the women on THE VIEW talk about it while I was doing my taxes at my sister's house. They spoke about how such racial remarks can really affect each of the player's self-image. After all, they're just students.

As a double minority, I am proud when a community of color stands in solidarity against racial slurs and stereotypes, and demands accountability. I love it actually. But time and time again, and particularly in this situation, I am disappointed with that same community of color, as well as the feminist community, for hardly addressing the disparaging sexist comment made in the same breath. In fact, Imus' executive producer, Bernard McGuirk, called the team "some hard-core hos" before Imus made his stupid comment. Yet no one is asking McGuirk to resign. Believe me, if Imus never added the "nappy-headed" and just called the players "hos", there would be no news. Imus would still be on the air today, feeling secure and happy about his job and making misogynist remarks, without anyone feeling offended.

If it's not FREE, at least it's AWESOME

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments today regarding a First Amendment free speech case that involved the banner above. OMG. These kids are AWESOME!

Here's the skinny:

The case involves Joseph Frederick, a then 18-year-old high school senior in Alaska who was suspended for 10 days after displaying a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner across the street from his high school during the Winter Olympics Torch Relay in 2002. When he and his friends displayed the banner, then-principal Deborah Morse ran across the street and seized it. Morse initially suspended Frederick for five days for violating the school district's anti-drug policy, but increased the suspension to 10 days after he refused to give the names of his fellow participants and quoted Thomas Jefferson on free speech.

Again, this kid is AWESOME.

Does he look like a mastermind to you?

The FBI just reported that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confessed to "masterminding" the 9/11 attacks and other awful atrocities including beheading American journalist Daniel Pearl. His statement was made after FOUR YEARS of illegal detainment (and interrogation and torture) in Guantanamo Bay.

I don't know. Seems dubious to me.

Why I Love Blacks

Dude, I was near USC tonight and saw that Inferno Affairs is playing at the Magic Johnson Theaters for late Friday and Saturday shows. This is why I love black people... because they appreciate Hong Kong gangster movies. And kung fu movies. And shrimp fried rice.

I say this in light of a recent opinion piece written by Kenneth Eng in Asian Week entitled, "Why I Hate Blacks."

It's pretty awful. But I'm more stunned and dismayed that Asian Week, a fairly political and (once) respected Asian American publication in the Bay Area, actually permitted the publication of Eng's piece. Sure, Asian Week issued an apology. But I think it's too late. Asian Week is fucked.

A letter from Gitmo

Reading this today made me so sad and angry.

Feeling ambivalent and strangely sad

Saddam Hussein is executed. He was hanged just before dawn on Saturday in Baghdad.

This whole ordeal is so fucken disturbing. Is justice truly served when one evil leader (Hussein) and his administration are removed by an another evil leader (Bush) and his administration?

I'm going to become a vegetarian

While watching CNN over the weekend about cloned animals, I made a vow to Kim Chee Farmer that when the day arrives in which cloned meat products are distributed and sold for public consumption, I would become a vegetarian.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday formally endorsed the meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats as safe. Sales could begin within months.

Godammit. I didn't expect to be a vegetarian so soon.

World peace is possible

I love morning radio. I wake up to NPR/KPCC and delight in the short soundbites I hear before I snooze my alarm for another 6 minutes. My clock radio continues to stay on while I get ready for work. It has become part of my routine and like the ultimate nerd, I really enjoy it.

This morning I was elated to hear that world peace is possible.

First, the bully John Bolton resigned today from his short-lived tenure as UN Ambassador.

This news bring joy to my heart because the Bush Administration is slowly but surely crumbling.

Moral of the Story: Bullies never win.

Then I hear this crazy story about how Lionel Ritchie is LOVED by the people in Iraq. Apparently, when Lionel last toured the Middle East, warring factions set aside their differences to watch Lionel perform. The radio commentator playfully said, "Sunnis and Shiites have two things in common: their love for Allah and their love for Lionel Ritchie."

This brings joy to my heart because I too love Allah and Lionel Ritchie.

Moral of the Story: Lovers never lose.

Rumsfeld resigns!

and the Democrats win the House, with the Senate pending. Am I dreaming? If I am, do not wake me up!

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced his resignation today as the first casualty of Tuesday's elections, in which voters punished Republicans for the Iraq war and gave Democrats at least 27 seats in the House and a good shot at capturing the Senate.

Violence against girls, not rural areas

When NPR reported on the school attacks this morning, it commented on the most notable similarity between the shooting in Colorado and the shooting in Pennsylvania... that both shootings occurred in a rural area.

Are you kidding me? That was your analysis?

To me, the most obvious similarity is that the victims of the shootings were girls only. Each shooter ordered the teachers and boys to leave the premises while he held the girls hostage. The Colorado shooter sexually molested the girls before he fatally shot one and himself. The Amish shooter brought two tubes of KY jelly with him, presumably to also sexually violate the girls before killing them and himself.

The fact that the targeted victims have been girls is the most appalling aspect of both shootings. I have yet to hear a report from the mainstream media that speaks to the rampant and continuous sexism, patriarchy and violence against women and girls, as evidenced by these shootings. Instead, I hear and read bullshit about the shooter's past, the quiet Amish community, life in the rural areas... dude, whatever.

US torture continues

This past week, the Senate adopted the Military Commissions Act of 2006. This bill is identical to legislation adopted by the House, and removes important checks on the president by: failing to protect due process, eliminating habeas corpus, undermining enforcement of the Geneva Conventions, and giving a "get out of jail free card" to senior officials who authorized or ordered illegal torture and abuse.

"This legislation gives the president new unchecked powers to detain, abuse, and try people at Guantanamo Bay and other government facilities around the world," said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office.

Permissible abuse includes shackling detainees in stress positions, stripping them of their clothes, denying them sleep, forcing them to stand for hours or days, dousing them with icy water, depriving them of heat or food or subjecting them to incessant noise or screaming.

You can judge a society by the way they treat thier prisoners.

Poor Pluto

The International Astronomical Union has voted to remove Pluto from the solar system--as a planet, that is. Now we're down from nine planets to eight. Pluto is now considered a "dwarf planet".

So what is the social significance? Anyone?

Still, let's have a moment of silence for Pluto. You will always be a planet in my eyes.

Code Red?

Yeah right. Why don't we have any information on what led to the capture of these "terrorists"?

"We are taking the step of preventing liquids from getting into the cabin to give us time to make adjustments"

I thought it was foiled? Obviously, the screening measures they have in place were working.

Mothers tasted baby food in front of airport security guards to prove it contained no liquid explosives. Liquids and gels were banned from flights. Travelers repacked their luggage in airports, stowing all but the most necessary items in the hold.

First, they confiscated my tweezers. Then they make me take off my shoes. Now I can't carry shampoo, lotion and toothpaste, or a bottle of water. WTF.

Personal conveniences must be sacrificed for national security.

I guarantee national security would be preserved if we stop occupying foreign countries and aiding Israel with weapons of mass destruction.

"This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our nation," Bush declared.

It's more like, we're at war with people who we fucked over for years and years, depriving them of their freedom and destorying their nations. Bush and his cronies are the biggest terrorists and fascists I know.

Southern Beirut

Fucken Israel. Motherfuckers need to chill out.