Cocktales - Archived Blog Posts

[cocktales]

Apparently all this time I’ve been shoving my sexuality in your face and forcing it on you. I misunderstood. I didn’t know. I am so sorry.

I mistakenly thought it was you who were shoving your lifestyle in my face when you called me faggot before I even knew what that word meant.

I thought you were forcing your sexuality on me when you and your friends cornered me in the locker room after gym class in junior high school, called me a goddamn homo and beat the shit out of me.

I thought the coach was forcing his lifestyle on me when he shouted down at my broken and bleeding body in the locker room that I asked for it because I was looking at the other guys “funny”.

I thought you were shoving your sexuality in my face when you spray painted my name and “is a fag” on the side of the High school building.

When you and your friends trashed my car and then afterwards ran me off the road as I was walking home from school, laughing and calling me a “Queer” I thought I was just walking home from school and not forcing my sexuality down your throat.

I was mistaken and apparently trying to force my deviant lifestyle on you in college that day when thought I might be just trying to find someone like me to talk to when you and your cop friends entrapped me, arrested me and beat me up and threw me in jail because I looked at you the wrong way and smiled at you.

Apparently I asked for it when you and your friends chased me down the street, pulled me into an alley and broke my nose with a booze bottle after I had the gall to come out a known gay bar one night in college.

When I was in the military, I thought one of my friends might be just trying to live a decent, honorable life with his partner of 10 years when you and your military police friends pulled him into an interrogation room and accused him of sodomy because he was living with a guy and not dating women. When you kicked him out of the service and dumped him 3500 miles from his home with no money and no job, I didn’t realize that he was forcing his lifestyle on you. I’m sure he’s sorry too.

I didn’t realize that you were offended by us when my best friend asked to be admitted to his partners’ hospital room while he was dying. You see, he’d lived with him for 20 years and they had shared their life together but had the misfortune of living in a state where people like him had no “legal status” and so his sweet love of 20 years died alone surrounded by people who thought that God had given him AIDS as punishment for the sin of homosexuality. He didn’t understand that your religious sensibilities were more important than his misguided need to be with his partner when he died.

All this time I thought you were forcing your sexuality on me, but now I know that I was forcing mine on you. I am so sorry that all my life, I’ve mistakenly thought that being left alone to live my life, to work and to have a home and family and to be allowed to love who I choose was just living my life - like you live yours.

Little did I know that all that time I was cramming my disgusting sexuality and lifestyle down your throat, forcing you to accept me and demanding “Special Rights”.

Now that I’m older and wiser, you’ll excuse the silly idealism of a dotty middle aged guy who had a vain hope that maybe I could marry the guy I’ve been living with for fifteen years and not have to worry if my religiously devout family will decide to ransack my home after my death because my family – the family who have largely cared less if I lived or died – have more legal rights than my partner, no matter what I say in my will.

You’ll excuse my mistaken notion that I should be allowed to have a good job and not be fired at will because my boss might find out that I live with a guy and am still “single”. You’ll pardon my liberal sensibilities when I think I should be able to rent an apartment from someone who might decide that two guys living together is “an abomination”, or be able to open a joint checking account with my partner, because now I know that it isn’t “normal” for two guys to set up a home together.

Hopefully, you’ll excuse my mistaken notion that my life and my love and my family are at least as important and significant as yours – yes, even when you beat the shit out of your wife the day after she caught you fucking the underaged babysitter, even when you tossed your 15 year old gay son out on the streets, even when I gladly pay very high taxes to send your kids to good schools and you cheat on yours.

I hope you will understand when I was momentarily struck speechless when you raised up your bible and told me that God thinks that I am an abomination and will go to hell. You’ll excuse me for my silly notion that God maybe has other more pressing matters than to care that much if I decide that I want to live with someone I love instead of being alone and celibate. You’ll pardon my weakness when I want a family and have to do it by shoving my homosexual lifestyle in your face.

Finally, please excuse the silly sentimentality of an old man who after nearly six decades of life sees a movie with two “normal” guys who are cowboys who fall in love together. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any people like me in the movies who aren’t silly and shallow or tragic and dying of something or another. It’s been years since I’ve seen someone like me love someone like my partner and not die because of it or end up some tragic stupid queen. So the movie made me happy and so I was momentarily blinded by the hope that it might be recognized as a watershed moment in tolerance. I now know it was a shameful use of one of your dearest symbols of American manliness to once again shove my disgusting lifestyle down your throat.

You’ll excuse me please.

All this time, all my life – I just thought you were trying to make me be something that I can never be. I just thought you were forcing me to conform to your idea of normality. I mistakenly thought you hated me.

I was mistaken. Obviously, all this time I was forcing my lifestyle on you.

Please accept my apologies.

 

[cocktales]

You know some time you wake up in the morning and either turn the TV on, or read a headline in the newspaper that simply confuses you to the degree that you think you've awakened in a century in the past....
That is what happened when I discovered what's going on in the Country of Nigeria.

.......But to put everything in perspective, look at the country of Nigeria. It's population is over 100 million people, speaking language is english, since it was once an English Colony. The size comparision is about twice the size of the State of California....

All those facts being said, I just want you to see that Nigeria is NOT a small, worthless country on the Continent of Africa; but a BIG, vibrant country with a lot of people who are going to be condemned for their sexuality!!!

A far-reaching Nigerian legislative proposal criminalizing same-sex marriages and LGBT organizations has been expanded to include punishing people who support or celebrate same-sex unions.

According to the Vanguard newspaper, the bill imposes a five-year jail sentence for those who violate the proposed law, including those who "witness, celebrate with or support couples involved in homosexual relationship." It also invalidates same-sex marriage licenses legally conferred in other countries.

The bill received its first reading in the Senate on Tuesday in the capital, Abuja, the newspaper reported.

"For the avoidance of doubt only marriage entered into between a man and a woman under the Marriage Act or under the Islamic and customary laws are valid and recognized in Nigeria," states one section of the bill.

The bill aims to cover nearly all visible suggestion of homosexuality, including publicity that involves same-sex relationships, advocacy groups and any public event or parade focused on gay couples.

President Olusegun Obasanjo has drawn criticism from international human rights advocates over the proposal.
"The bill criminalizes public expressions of love and any defense of lesbian and gay rights, denying fundamental freedoms that should be enjoyed by all Nigerians."

Last month, Human Rights Watch and several other groups sent a letter to Obasanjo urging him to disavow the bill, which flouts international law and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights that ensure rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly.

Now, I stopped and thought about comparing the ideas in the U.S. vs those of Nigeria and here's what I came up with: The U.S. is a democracy where the people are free to elect officials to govern them and make laws enforceable by the rule of law. Being Gay in the U.S. is NOT against the law; but we too have some "back-room" laws against being Gay; but NOT openly!

I think the countries of the world MUST enfluence the President of Nigeria and it's citizenry and get them to NOT ratify the Anti-Gay Bill and if it is made into law, to force them to NOT enforce it!!

 

[cocktales]

The immigrants of the U.S. are all calling for an all-out boycott of working or buying of anything on the 1st of May 2006, to let the gringo's of the U.S. know that we cannot live without their input in our economy or society!

I for one believe in actively supporting something when there is a problem; but here I think the immigrants "may" actually cause a "back-lash" from the people of which they some-what owe allegiance to, allowing them to stay without being shipped back to their native countries, since they are illegals....

The situation the U.S. and a lot of European countries are also in, will NOT go away; nor will it get fixed right away either!

The Congress of the U.S. will take up the argument of immigration once again, when it returns after Spring Break........

We are all waiting to see just how they will be able to compromise to make it agreeable to all concerned....however, I do NOT think most people are going to be happy with the new laws that will be made.....

The U.S., as do other countries, MUST keep the borders secure from terrorists!

We, of all people, should have learned our lessons with the students we allowed into the U.S., without tracking them, allowing their visas to expire without any further knowledge of their whereabouts and just allowed them to attack us and kill thousands of people...

I know some of you will dis-agree with my posting; but darn-it-all, we cannot continue to be the home to millions and millions of illegals who do not learn the language, pay taxes, and many, many other things legals do!

So, get in line with the other legal people who want to come to the U.S. and we welcome you with open arms!!!!

 

[cocktales]

WALK TALL AND CARRY A BIG STICK!!!

Sooooooo, I guess I am on a RANT, so-to-speak! Everywhere you look in Las Vegas you see signs of the times........that of the immigration discussion!

I do not know if it's of such importance where you live; but trust me, if you have a large segment of your population Hispanic, you too are in the same boat as I!

Just to put the population of Las Vegas into perspective, we have about 1.5+ million people in the Metro area of the city and about 300,000 of these people are from South of the border!!! Give or take a few illegals, that is....

(I am NOT trying to be nasty here either, for it's really, really hard to get a good count on the census when in many house-holds here you may have several families with several people in each family living under one roof!)

OK, to get to the point of this RANT.........being a student of Political Science/History, I have studied the immigration policies through-out the history of the U.S. and I came up with a real beauty here.

This could easily have been written YESTERDAY!

However, it was written way back in the year 1907 by then President Teddy Roosevelt. Even then, immirgration was an issue and once which drew fire from many different groups.

Teddy Roosevelt did NOT mince words when he wrote his take on immigration to the United States of America:


Theodore Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

 

[cocktales]

Ray Nagin VS Mitch Landrieu


Unbelievable!!!

I know, I know, one-half of the city is missing in action, strung out all over the U.S., but dammit, why?

Ray Nagin won the first round of a vote for New Orleans Mayor today. He will now move to a runoff with Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu.

Mr Nagin, criticised by some for his response to Hurricane Katrina last August, got 38% in the first round against Mr Landrieu's 29%.

The poll was dogged by race issues as many of the majority black community are still evacuees.

Mr Nagin caused controversy, saying he wanted the city to remain "chocolate".

Mr Landrieu, the lieutenant governor of Louisiana, is the son of the city's last white mayor.

Whoever wins, faces the task of overseeing the reconstruction of a city still struggling to recover from last year's hurricane.

So now it's pretty much official, New Orleans likes things the way they are and isn't interested in changing.

From now on I don't want to hear any complaints about George W. Bush and the Federal Government's handling of Hurricane Katrina...none of it matters, the people of New Orleans don't care, why should I?

 

[cocktales]

Prince Harry would be involved in "the fullest range of deployments" if his unit was sent to Iraq, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday, but he might be kept out of situations where his presence would jeopardize his comrades.

A spokesperson, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said there might be occasions when the presence of a member of the Royal Family would increase the risk of attack against Harry's comrades, and he could be withheld from those situations.

Harry, the second son of Prince Charles and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, recently completed his training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and is a second lieutenant in the Household Cavalry.

It is NOW time for him to do his active-duty time and of course, why would a soldier NOT want to do combat; for that's what he is/was trained to do, isn't it?

I guess his Dad, the Prince and his Grand-Mom, the Queen are kinda squeamish about sending him into harms-way, for the terrorists would probably target his unit to try and kill the wet-behind-the-ears second-Lieutenant.....Hmmmmmmmm, what would you do??

You know what Harry had to say?

"There's no way I'm going to put myself through Sandhurst and then sit ... back home while my boys are out fighting for their country," Harry said at the time.

The prince will soon start a five-month training course leading to becoming a platoon commander in an armoured reconnaissance role. The Ministry of Defence said Harry's unit, the Blues and Royals regiment of the Household Cavalry, will not go to Iraq in the rotation next month, and no date has been set for a possible deployment.

I say, "bully" for him and for the great English spirit to help the U.S. in the war on terrorism!

 

[cocktales]

Bells tolled across Ukraine and the families of victims carried red carnations and candles Wednesday to mark the 20-year anniversary of the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl.

The April 26, 1986, pre-dawn explosion which spewed radioactive contamination across whole swathes of Europe was being marked in Ukraine with daylong events on a day of national mourning.

Estimates of the total death toll linked to Chernobyl vary widely.

The World Health Organization puts at 9,000 the number of people expected to die due to radiation exposure, while the environmental group Greenpeace predicts an eventual death toll of 93,000.

Hundreds of thousands were evacuated. The United Nations says 7 million still live on land with unsafe radiation levels.

Because of still-high radiation levels, the zone is deserted except for a few elderly residents who refused to leave, Reuters reported. Trees now grow inside some apartment blocks.

In some cases they were equipped with only shovels and gas masks. Some died immediately, others later from massive doses of radiation.

The Chernobyl disaster cast a radioactive shadow over the health of millions of people. Many also say it contributed to the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people -- each bearing a candle and some with red carnations -- filed slowly through the streets of Slavutych, the town built to house the Chernobyl plant's workers after the world's worst nuclear accident.

 

[cocktales]

I cannot believe it!!

Yesterday I drove down Lake Mead Blvd, east-bound and lo and behold! Just past Fiesta Rancho and across the street from Texas Casino, they are building a Wal-Mart Super Center!!!

I know that West Las Vegas (the section of Las Vegas that is predominately African American have been begging for a super market close to them. They once had a Von's owned by Magic Johnson; but it went broke, kaput!! So, they have been bugging Mayor Goodman to get them a new super market...

Well, this Super Center is NOT right in the area they wanted; but it is closer to them than any other, I guess.

Hmmmm, there seems to be quite an aversion to Wal-Mart -and everything that Wal-Mart stands for- among people in my socio-economic stratum (college-educated, professional, metropolitan Blue-staters).

I am sure there are very valid reasons for certain constituencies to want to keep Wal-Mart out of their neighborhoods, whether it's about increased traffic or labor relations. I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about what seems to be an under-informed, "knee-jerk aversion" to Wal-Mart. Seems to be a bit of a fad. Dislike Wal-Mart, mostly because it's big. And it's not good that something so big exerts so much influence. Smaller stores go out of business when big bad Wal-Mart rolls into town, with its gluttonous campaign to suck up all market share within a 30 mile radius.

It's easy to judge something when you can easily afford to. Most college-educated professionals can choose to shop at places that charge more than Wal-Mart for the same basic goods. But I'm guessing it's harder for a family of four in a much lower tax bracket to make the same choice and judgement. For some, it's necessary to get as much spending power as possible for every dollar in their wallet.

And let's not kid ourselves: Whether or not we individually shop there, Wal-Mart has lowered prices for all of us. Competitors have to keep up. Suppliers, many of whom supply more than just Wal-Mart, are forced to to become more efficient and productive. Wal-Mart accelerates the wide adoption of many cost-saving technologies, such as RFID tags that will replace bar codes on a lot of packages in a few years. Wal-Mart doesn't just import goods into the U.S. They also create efficiency and import deflation (or, conversely, they export inflation).

Don't get me wrong, I am not personally a Wal-Mart fan. This is not the same as saying I think Wal-Mart as an entity is bad, because I don't. I'm simply saying that I only shop there once every few months, mostly because I think the quality of their merchandise is generally poor, and I'd usually rather buy something that lasts a bit longer and costs a bit more. And again, I am fortunate because I can afford to make that choice.

But I certainly don't have a knee-jerk aversion to Wal-Mart as a company. I realize that if I want Wal-Mart gone and real neighborhood stores in its place, there is a price to pay. Some of us can afford that price, but many others can't. Those that can't afford it need Wal-Mart to exist, more so than those that can afford it need it to disappear.

We are all prone to making judgments based on our personal points of view. That's just human nature. But we should also weigh the validity of our views with a candid assessment of our own perspectives and needs, as well as consideration for others' needs. Whether we choose to patronize Wal-Mart should depend solely on our personal preferences, and not what we think is best for everyone. Because we have not walked a day in the shoes of those who are less fortunate.

Now, I like you have heard the horror stories about Wal-Mart NOT having good health insurance coverage for their employees and also doing squirrley stuff when it comes to hiring and supervisory positions practices, to include discrimination due to color/sex/etc....

I cannot confirm nor deny any/all of the above mentioned stuff; but I can bet you that this Super Center WILL be utilized by patrons sorely needing a super market nearby and NOT caring about what goes on inside the personnel office either!

So, I guess Wal-Mart is my new neighbor.......just down the street.

HEY! That means we have a neighborhood Wal-Mart supermarket West of me about 1/2 mile and NOW a new Super Center 1 mile East of me!!

Wow! I think Wal-Mart is taking over in this part of Las Vegas!!

 

[cocktales]

Hip hop star Pitbull is featured in the Spanish version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

OK, OK, bear with me a second.............

Mexican pop diva Gloria Trevi, Puerto Rican reggaeton Ivy Queen and Tito El Bambino and other Latino artists are recording a Spanish-language version of the U.S. national anthem in a show of support for migrants in the United States.

The Latino-oriented record label Urban Box Office (UBO) said Saturday it plans to release the new version of “The Star-Spangled Banner” to coincide with the U.S. Senate’s debate on immigration legislation next week.

“We chose to re-record ’The Star-Spangled Banner’ to show our solidarity with the undocumented immigrants and their quest for basic civil rights,” UBO President Adam Kidron said in a news release.

The recording, dubbed “Nuestro Himno” or “Our Anthem,” is set to “rhythmic Latin musical arrangement” but respects the song’s traditional structure, UBO said. The song will be primarily in Spanish with a few words sung in English.

The song is on the album “Somos Americanos,” which will be sold for $10, with a portion going to Washington-based National Capital Immigration Coalition, UBO said.

Whew! Now that I have the back-ground of the anthem out for your review........what do you think about it?

I hate it!

The "American" national anthem MUST be sung in English and NOT spanish! If you want a spanish/mexican national anthem, then go back to where they sing it....

OK, here's my answer to the words of the

The Star Spanglished Banner

(Mexican Anthem in English)

All these Mexicans crossing the border
‘cause their country will give them no jobs.
Rio Grande or Tijuana will do it,
On their way to Chicago or L.A.
Rio Grande or Tijuana will do it,
On their way to Chicago or L.A.

Choir

Viva Mexico why do I shout,
When I had to come here to earn pesos
Shouldn’t I sing the US anthem in English?
If I badly do want to stay here.
Shouldn’t I sing the US anthem in English?
If I badly do want to stay here.


What's next, the Mexican Pledge of Allegiance??

OK, I think now is the time I should make my point on the whole subject of "official language of the U.S.":

Although I completely agree that the National Anthem should be "officially" in English only, and that those who live here really must make an effort to learn the language, any research I have done has turned up the fact that English is not the official language of the USA at the federal level.

Perhaps we should start putting pressure on our government to make English the official language of this country. And those few states who want to make Spanish an official second language can do so at their own cost. This would be akin to where the official federal languages of Canada are French and English, but all provinces except Quebec (French) and New Brunswick (both French and English) have English as their official language at the provincial level.

Once English becomes the "official language" of the U.S., then and only then can we insist "legally" that the Star Spangled Banner be sung in English and English ONLY!

 

[cocktales]

Snow, 50, worked most recently as a commentator for Fox News and as host of his own radio talk show. He was a director of speechwriting for President George H.W. Bush and has worked as a USA Today columnist, editorial page editor of the Washington Times, deputy editorial page editor of the Detroit News and frequent substitute for radio host Rush Limbaugh.

Snow is an outspoken Republican, but he has not hesitated to pound Bush in writing and on air for his handling of the budget, as well as immigration and other domestic policies. He even poked fun at Bush's speaking style, saying in 2000 that he sometimes sounds like "a soul tortured with Tourette's."

Bush said Snow's selection is proof that he is open to dissenting opinions. "For those of you who have read his columns and listened to his radio show, he sometimes has disagreed with me," Bush said. "I asked him about those comments, and he said, 'You should have heard what I said about the other guy.' " Snow's first assignment will be to improve relations with the media, which have deteriorated over the past five years during disputes over access to Bush and senior officials and the accuracy of information released from the White House. Many reporters viewed outgoing White House press secretary Scott McClellan as out of the loop on many of the big policy and political debates.

It's good to see "new blood" in this office too. I hope that Tony Snow will take some of the wind out of the White House Press Corps sails! I get so fed up with their "bully" techniques in trying to get info out of the Press Secretary!

On the personal side, I don't know if most people know or remember that Tony is a cancer survivor. He had colon cancer and fought the battle and won..........so, we see that's he's met the enemy and conquered it!!

I say way-to-go for Tony and we'll see if he can handle the pressure from the press as well as the President and all his men (women too)!!!

 

[cocktales]

Now that the 1 May Illegal Immigrant Parade is over, let's get back to extremely important issues on the home-front: that of the price gouging at the gas pumps in the U.S.!!!

Yes gas prices are through the roof, and the oil companies do has some "splaining'" to do! But so does the Federal, State and Local governments! The government adds 46 to 48 cents to a gallon of gas. That takes 3.00 gas prices down to 2.56. So nearly 17% of the cost is taxes. I propose a tax holiday to offer temporary relief.

Now it looks like we have to start making changes. I was talking to someone yesterday about this kind of thing. I was telling her that sometimes life puts piles of hot steaming dog crap on our front porch. It is not our fault and we don't deserve it but nonetheless there it is and we have to do something about it. But what to do?

Do we buy hybrids? Do we buy cars that run on french fry grease? Do we car pool? Do we demand better mass-transit in our communities? Do we demand that our government explore use new energy sources? Do we demand that car makers produce cars that that get better gas milage? Do we look at American owned oil companies and through whatever financial pressure we can bring to bear demand that they bring down profits as a matter of national security?

I know the rest of the world is just giggling with glee over our so-called energy crisis!! They have been paying out-the-ass for gas all along and they see NO way to pity us for our plight!

Hey,it's all a matter of prospective, isn't it? Sure, the rest of the world is "use to" paying high prices for gas/oil...and the U.S. is NOT.....

I just do NOT think the U.S. should suffer at the expense of the BIG oil companies of the world and allow them to get such huge profits!

Bring on the Hydrogen Fuel Cell automobiles....NOW!

 

[cocktales]

Barry Bonds will have to wait until he passes Hank Aaron before baseball throws a party for him.

Major League Baseball is not planning any celebration for Bonds if and when he tops Babe Ruth’s mark of 714 home runs, commissioner Bud Selig said Thursday.

“Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s record,” Selig said. “We don’t celebrate anybody the second or third time in.”

Bonds has been the subject of steroids speculation for several seasons. The recent book “Game of Shadows” detailed allegations against him, and a federal grand jury is investigating whether he committed perjury when he told another grand jury that he had never knowingly used performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds hit his 712th homer Tuesday. So that means he is only two away from equaling the Babe's....

........and even if he should eventually surpass Hank Aaron's 755 and become the all-time leader, I think there should be an *asterisk* denoting that some kind of medical enhancement was used to reach this mile-stone; whereas, Babe Ruth/Hank Aaron used nothing but pure male strength to do the same thing!!!

I think also the Commissioner of Baseball "should" consider putting an *asterisk* anyway, to make certain NO ONE mis-understands just how Barry Bonds got to where he is today.....make NO mistake it was with steroids!!

I hate the fact that Bonds has almost made a mockery of hitting home runs via illegal means; that of taking steroids!!!

 

[cocktales]

We live in the era of post-political party, change-based politics -- where half of America doesn't vote and people are tired of bickering on both sides of the political aisle. But the progressive majority -- and our issues -- can't be realized or marketed effectively if our agenda is "owned" by either political party. We therefore heartily embrace a new dynamic for strange bedfellows politics, where the parties and politicians are reaching higher for big bold ideas like energy independence, not selling out for least common denominator policies that offer little vision. Doing this is just the push that Democratic candidates need to move from weenies to winners.

That being said, we cannot change just for change sake; but come up with good, sound ideas that will make a positive difference and NOT just raise taxes like Democrats usually do; but take the ideas that work and incorporate them into a changed philosophy.

It's pretty bad that we have a sitting president with a positive rating in the 30 percentile, we have congress with positive ratings even worse.....

So, what-the-heck-do-you-do?

ALL the top Democrat Presidential candidates, like: Clinton/Gore/Kerry are NOT getting the positive ratings they should to make a difference in the next presidential election....

So. What do we do now?

Now what?

 

[cocktales]

President Bush has named five new appointees to the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, one of whom is an antigay Baptist minister with no experience in the AIDS arena and two others who have deep ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

One of the appointees is a Philadelphia minister, the Reverend Herbert Lusk, head of the Greater Exodus Baptist Church and a former Philadelphia Eagles football player. Lusk, who publicly endorsed George W. Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections, has lobbied for a federal amendment restricting marriage to heterosexual couples as a member of the board of advisers for the antigay group Alliance for Marriage, opposes adoptions by gay men and lesbians, and pushes for abstinence-only sex education programs.

Sadly, President Bush appears to have placed Herbert Lusk on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS in order to derail the work of that committee. Lusk has an agenda against equal rights for Americans that includes political stands against contraception and against same-sex marriage.

Isn’t that wild? Bush put Lusk, a man who is against promoting safe sex and against promoting monogamous marriages for gays and lesbians, on a council to advise the White House on how to slow the spread of HIV, a sexually-transmitted disease.

You can’t hear it, but I’m groaning. Friends, the White House needs to hear our voices on this one. Herbert Lusk needs to be removed from the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

I know, Rev. Lusk has been on the job since March and I have NOT heard of anything good he has done; nor bad; but I will keep you posted; for I am sure he can NOT keep from discriminating against Gay people and it will be found out, NOT if; but when it happens!

 

[cocktales]

President Bush has announced a primetime speech Monday night on immigration. Word to the media from "senior White House officials" is that he is considering putting anywhere from 3,500 to 10,000 troops on the border in the form of National Guard, with the federal government picking up the tab from the states. The 10,000 number is still too low until the proper barriers and technology are in place to assist troops and the Border Patrol in securing the border. An assessment by Congressman Charlie Norwood's office places the number of troops needed to properly secure the border at 38,000. After all, the Southern border is nearly 2,000 miles long and you are dealing with three 8-hour shifts per day for Border Patrol agents, and there are only 10,500 BP agents for both the northern and southern borders.

While the Army and the Air National Guard have, thus far, also supported the nation's homeland security needs, the Guard's preparedness to perform homeland security missions that may be needed in the future is unknown because requirements and readiness standards and measures have not been defined.

Since September 11, the Guard has been performing several unanticipated homeland missions, such as flying patrols over US cities and guarding critical infrastructure. However, states have concerns about the preparedness and availability of Guard forces for domestic needs and natural disasters while overseas deployments continue at a high pace.

In the absence of clear homeland security requirements, the Guard's preparedness to perform missions at home cannot be measured to determine whether it needs additional assets or training.

We will see just how President Bush aims to appease both the Senate and House versions of the new immigration bill as well as sending troops to close-up the big holes in our border to the South, as well as the one to the North too.

Truly, the U.S. "MUST" change the way immigrants are coming to the U.S. and do it NOW!!!

 

[cocktales]

The policies Bush advocated in his speech from the Oval Office would enshrine our current state of lax border security under the guise of enforcement. He promoted a tepid and inadequate response in order to bolster an unpopular labor program that would effectively grant amnesty to tens of millions of illegal aliens, spike welfare spending, change the social and linguistic structure of our nation, and swell our population by perhaps as much as 200 million.

Bush’s political brilliance resides in the fact that at first blush, it appears he has given the “nativists” exactly what they wanted: troops stationed along the Mexican border. Pat Buchanan and Tom Tancredo have advocated that measure for more than a decade. But the devil’s in the details: they actually want the National Guard to act. Bush would dispatch at most 5,999 guardsmen on a short-term assignment to engage in every activity except catching illegal immigrants. The guardsmen will be “analyzing intelligence…building patrol roads,” etc. Bush would station a National Guardsman approximately every half-mile of the border, peering through binoculars for approaching illegals. When the Minutemen did this (for free), the federales reportedly dropped the dime on them to the Mexican government.

Senate passage of the legislation appears assured, but many House Republicans oppose allowing illegal immigrants now in the country a chance at citizenship. The deployment of military troops to stem the flow of more illegal immigrants could be a way to ease that opposition. The legislation includes provisions for additional border security, a new guest worker program and eventual citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the country.

My bet is that the guest worker program is DOA from the House’s perspective and won’t be part of the legislation that the President will eventually sign. I’m also betting the legislation will phase in the normalization of illegal aliens after the flow of illegal aliens is stopped or dramatically reduced.

Enforce the laws already on the books for illegals....those who come here legally should have their citizenship "expedited"; whereas, illegals should go to the back of the line!

 

[cocktales]

The U.S. Senate today approved an amendment offered by Sen. James Inhofe that would make/have made English the national language of the United States. The amendment, offered as part of comprehensive immigration reform legislation, passed by a margin of 63-34. The measure declares that there is no affirmative right to receive services in languages other than English, except where required by federal law. In addition, the measure upholds English as part of U.S. naturalization requirements.

Making English the national language is a longstanding oversight that today's Senate vote corrected. Today's vote heeded the voices of the vast majority of Americans who believe that English is a crucial part of being an American.

The embrace of English as the official language of the United States was fitting in the wake of President George W. Bush's Monday night speech imploring immigration reform. In his speech, the President told the nation, "The success of our country depends upon helping newcomers assimilate into our society and embrace our common identity as Americans." Included in the binding factors mentioned by the President was the English language, which he called "the key to unlocking the opportunity of America."

Those who voted against the amendment were quite vocal in their decent, especially Senator Harry Reid (D) Nevada: Minority Leader Harry Reid went further. He called the Inhofe amendment “racist. I believe it is directed at people who speak Spanish. This amendment is divisive.”

Me? I think it's taken way too long to do what is the right thing: declare English as the National language!

 

[cocktales]

New Orleans elections are history.

C. Ray Nagin has been re-elected Mayor of New Orleans. Based upon information from Greg Rigamer and GCR and Associates, it appears that the black vote made a major difference in re-electing Nagin however, Nagin also received support from white republicans.

Based upon the information supplied by GCR, Nagin received 52.35% of the vote compared to Mitch Landrieu’s 47.65%. Of the 113,591 votes were cast, fifty-five percent of the vote was African American , and forty-five percent of the voters were white and others. Nagin received 59,460 votes and Landrieu collected 54,131 votes.

Surprisingly to some, the turnout for the RunOff actually exceeded the vote of the primary.

It will be days before this made-for-television and movie election is fully dissected. It was full of subplots—rich versus poor, white versus white, liberals and conservatives against a traditional Democrat turned moderate, traditional New Orleans power base versus a cacophony of Nagin supporters. In many respects, Nagin’s victory was David versus Goliath with the Landrieu legacy being the victims.

Nagin must do better and so must the people in the Landrieu camp for New Orleans to really come back.

First, there must be a healing process. We really have witnessed a city destroyed by Mother Nature and before a plan could be implemented to repair the City, an election was held.

Nagin seems to have found an inner peace with religion fused by a greater relationship with New Orleans ministers; But, his City is on the brink and the losing side is disgusted. It is now up to Nagin to seriously and without cockiness offer the Olive Branch to rebuild the City as envisioned by Moon Landrieu.. It is also paramount that those on the losing side cross the bridge and not the border. We need their talents and their love for this big Easy.

Nagin has incredible political skills for a non-politician. He has four years more to rebuild the city into an open and honest Phoenix raised from the dust. He is a businessman and his comments about President Bush were certainly a great gesture. However, he did not win by a mandate and families are more mobile than ever. We need Mayor Nagin to step forward with the same type of humble and spiritual soul exemplified on Friday at his pre-election revival ceremonies.

The election is over. We have houses to fix and hearts to mend. We also need to build, focus, and pray that no natural disaster will destroy the careers and the stabilities of a community we must now call and work hard, to create, as One New Orleans.

OK, Mayor Nagin will take the oath of office again on 31 May, one day before the 2006 hurricane season officially begins!

Now the City of New Orleans, in conjunction with the State of Louisiana and the U.S. Government, see that the levies DO NOT fail again and that an evacuation plan, one that works, be implemented "should" another large hurricane like Katrina hit New Orleans again...

.........and, furthermore, Mayor Nagin, I think you should re-consider your thoughts on making New Orleans "A Chocolate City"; instead, it should be a melting pot, like America is, where ALL people work together to re-vitalize the City, so that it can be bigger and better than it ever was!

Good luck!

 

[cocktales]

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, who has criticized Republican ethics, accepted free ringside tickets to three professional boxing matches from Nevada officials who were trying to influence his federal legislation regulating the sport.

Reid, D-Nev., took the free seats for Las Vegas fights between 2003 and 2005 from the Nevada Athletic Commission as he pressed legislation to increase federal oversight of boxing, including the creation of a government commission.

No! Harry thinks he's above the law. His friend from Arizona, Senator McCain PAID for his tickets, NOT wanting the lobbyist to have him by the balls; but NOT Harry, he says he was on the job, doing his duty, watching the Nevada Boxing Commission doing their job to ensure NO corruption! BAH! BS!

Since becoming Senate Minority Leader, Harry has turned into the biggest liberal one can imagine, totally morphing into someone almost like his counter-part in the House, Nancy Pelosi of California.

Hey, it was only last week that Nevada's Senior Senator called the rest of the Senators in the Senate who voted FOR the immigration bill, "racists" for voting the way they did!

Frankly, I wish someone would bring back the old Harry, because we in Nevada don't want this one anymore!!

 

[cocktales]

Nevada senator says he will no longer accept such gifts!!

Now isn't that just too convenient? I mean, I guess Sen, Reid saw what a disturbance his involvement in the Lobbyist controversy caused, then changed his ways or at least this time when he got caught! lol

"Senators and Senate staff should be wary of accepting any gift where it appears that the gift is motivated by a desire to reward, influence, or elicit favorable official action," the Senate ethics manual states. It cites the 1990s example of an Oregon lawmaker who took gifts for personal use from a South Carolina state university and its president while that school was trying to influence his official actions.

Several ethics experts said Reid should have paid for the tickets, which were close to the ring and worth between several hundred and several thousand dollars each, to avoid the appearance he was being influenced by gifts.

Reid defended his actions, stating he would never change his position because of donations, free tickets or a request from a former staffer turned lobbyist.

"People who deal with me and have over the years know that I am an advocate for what I believe in. I always try to do it fair, never take advantage of people on purpose," he said.

Senator Reid is NOT that naive' is he? I mean someone of his rank should realize whether or not he is influenced or not, it's the way it looks that matters; and the other party WILL make it an issue come election time!

Buck stops here Harry!