Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Community Matters) Imagine Benjamin Brooks standing on his chair offering an ovation to Jessica Blanchard for sending this tidbit here

(Community Matters) Steven will be preaching at St. James Episcopal Church this weekend.

(Community Matters) Here’s a note from Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Foundation, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization.

How would you expect top officials in the administration to prepare for a Senate hearing? By reviewing studies and data, or going to the movies?

If you picked the latter, apparently, you’d be right.

Last week at a Senate hearing on equal family benefits for LGBT federal workers, the Bush Administration’s Howard Weizmann cited the plot of Adam Sandler Movie, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” about two men who pretended to be gay, as evidence the program would be scammed.

What next? Education policy drawn on the wisdom of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off?”

Tell Mr. Weizmann pubic policy shouldn’t be based on Hollywood comedies.

56% of Fortune 500 companies and 16 state governments already provide family benefits to LGBT employees, and there is zero evidence these workers are any more likely than heterosexuals to perpetrate fraud.

The American people deserve policies based on facts, fairness, and logic, not fictional scenarios designed to sell a ticket and get a laugh. Using a Hollywood comedy to justify opposing fair compensation is a new low even for this administration.

Weizmann went into the hearing with a neutral position on the equal compensation bill, which HRC has long championed. But when a colleague passed him a note he changed his tune.

The day after the hearing, Weizmann was still at it, telling the Washington Post his “Chuck and Larry” example is not farfetched.

LGBT Americans demand no more for their families than the basic benefits and protections afforded to different-sex spouses. Let’s remind Washington what’s really at stake here – not box office receipts, but real American lives.

Hat Tip: Stud Muffin

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters)Sunday morning around 7:30 a.m. a UT Austin student was sexually assaulted at the bus stop at 26th and Nueces west of campus. UTPD and APD are working the case. The suspect is a Hispanic male in his early 20’s, approximately 6 feet tall, stocky build, full face, dark hair, around 200 to 210 lbs. If you know anything about this case, please call 232-9640.

(Community Matters) My response to a posting by another local blogger

Jim, I’m with you against the slush funds [20% of recovery payments earmarked for special interests in current bill].

Count me among the taxpayers angry about this. In fact, the trillion plus dollars have already spent by those in charge during the last 7 years.

It’s the cost of Republican “voluntary regulation” philosophy. It’s the rosters coming home to roost.

The bailout is about avoiding this cost being borne even less manageably in jobs, wiped out investments and retirement accounts and the values of our homes. With sufficient protections – including oversight and enough equity participation to recapture the systematic recovery in stock values – it represents the only offered way to protect us while offering some eventual recovery. I’m not saying it’s the best possible plan, but it appears to be the best currently offered. I honestly fear the catastrophe to working men and women in America if we don’t avoid even worse economic consequences.

(Community Matters) What a tragedy that the highest ever ranking Hispanic is drawing a DOJ prosecutor. Alberto Gonzales never graudated from GWB’s personal attorney/flunkie to serving as the nation’s top lawyer. And, given his incredulous testimony of not remembering, one can easily conclude it wasn’t just blind loyalty but premeditated and deliberate law breaking. Seems the door of secrecy might be cracking open as reports last week that former Texas Supreme Court Justice Gonzales (remember the days when that title might have conveyed honor rather than connotations of arsonists and other ethics breaches) was doing the bidding of GWB with the president’s full knowledge and approval. Our next president should appoint a special prosecutor to pursue this case as well as other DOJ related corruptions.

(Community Matters) What the heck is up? Why did Lloyd Doggett vote against the bailout? Haven’t been able to get a straight answer all day. All I’m hearing is he didn’t think it had enough relief for homeowners and mortgagees. What? Seriously? I even wrote yesterday asking what was up with the two 20% slush funds. Lloyd’s failure to respond to the crisis is surprising.

(Community Matters) I’m going to stay optimistic, though admittedly we’re pretty liquid so easier to be calm. Two things: 1) this morning I was made aware of not so attractive provisions in the bailout bill about earmarking 20% of repayments to Treasury for housing funds and other special accounts. This sounds like bullshit to me. Repay Treasury and run appropriations through the open process. And, 2) a Republican administration asked for and recommended this bailout. No one disputes that at least 3 of the 4 principles Obama and House/Senate members put forward (equity, oversight and CEO comp) improved the final bill. I don’t mind traunches either. The Democrats delivered more than half of their votes. The Republicans had that responsibility as well. If they obstruct the bailout/rescue and their opposition proves correct, we’ll need to acknowledge their courage and foresight. If it spirals downward, then they’ll own not only 8 years of the problem but the failure to act as well.

I’d prefer to think even better changes will be made to the bill and it’ll pass on Wednesday. If McCain believes it is critical as he said on Friday and Sunday morning news shows, he should be pressing his colleagues and delivering. Bush and Paulson too.

(Community Matters) Sounds like a lot of measurements to me.

I’m going to be hooked up to machines, monitors and watched by infra red cameras overnight. Trying to figure out if I have obstructive sleep apnea or some other sleep disorder. Usually sleep just fine but sometimes not, and often not long enough according to others, though I kinda like needing less. What the heck. A friend in Houston swears by his sleep and energy since being tested and going on a CPAP. And, his wife convinced Steven that he’d like me to do so too.

(Community Matters) I’m wrapping up my Highlands Abilities Test. Steven loved it. It’s intended to help students plan their studies and careers and to help adults achieve greater satisfaction in their work. Not sure I imagine finding any greater achievement than I currently enjoy, but Steven’s enthusiasm for the instrument and process made me want to share the experience.

Good gosh, it’s teaching me I have so little patience and have to work hard to keep my attention focused. Though, that’s news to no one.

(Community Matters) I’d forgotten to post. It was a terrific concert; Jill Gronquist and I had much fun. Many thanks to Ken Stein and Paramount staff for making it happen and for offering such killer tickets!

David Byrnes