Category Archives: Uncategorized

(Community Matters) Guest editorial from an out, career foreign service officer on the Hagel nomination.

Hagel opposed the nomination on grounds that Hormel is “aggressively gay” — for which Hagel has since apologized. Hormel has accepted that apology and seems willing to move on.

Why, then, should any of us freeze-frame Hagel’s comments 15 years ago — even as many of us, gay and straight, gladly acknowledge that America’s understanding of, and attitudes toward, sexual orientation and gender identity are changing rapidly?

update: reading how he achieved low scores from HRC, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), League of Conservation Voters, and American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). These are a concern. Agree he ought to be more thoroughly vetted on these issues during hearings – definitely need for a deep dive by our friends: Levin, Gillibrand, Brumenthal and Kaine.

(Community Matters) Not sure how I got on their mailing list but received this email from Patriot@USA.com

People talk of the one-percent elite who are out to own and control everything in the world. Let’s put a name on one of them: Dianne Goldman Feinstein (D-Calif.). This powerful U.S. Congresswoman is the 9th richest on Capitol Hill, according to reports about the b/millionaires in Congress. Feinstein’s first major attempt at gun control occurred when she ordained a citywide handgun ban as mayor of San Diego, Calif., in 1984, where an attempt at recall failed.

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(Community Matters) A weak second party doesn’t serve our long term national interests but it could help us avoid the fringe objectives of their party. I don’t know about minting platinum coins but a 14th amendment solution might be critical to avoiding global economic calamity in the face of rabid, blood thirst for revenge and affirmation of relevance.

Politico’s Playbook: REPUBLICAN REBOOT — L.A. Times A1, ” Republican divide is increasingly a matter of region: Split between party’s Southern base and the rest of the country seems to be widening,” by Paul West: “That regional split became evident when members of the House of Representatives cast votes last week on a budget deal designed to avoid massive tax hikes and spending cuts: Almost 90% of Southern Republicans voted against the ‘fiscal-cliff’ compromise. At the same time, a majority of Republican representatives from outside the South supported the deal … The GOP’s geographic schisms burst anew after House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) canceled an expected vote on a $60-billion disaster relief package for victims of Superstorm Sandy. … [T]he South’s preeminence could pose challenges to national GOP efforts to broaden the party’s appeal on social and cultural issues …

“‘An increasing challenge for Northeastern Republicans , and West Coast Republicans, … is the growing perception among their constituents that the Republican Party is predominantly a Southern and rural party,’ said Dan Schnur, a former GOP campaign strategist who directs the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at USC. … [T]oday’s Republican majority in the House is centered in the states of the old Confederacy. The GOP enjoys a 57-seat advantage across the 11-state region that stretches from Texas to Virginia. … As a result of reapportionment and the 2012 election, the GOP no longer controls a majority of non-Southern congressional districts. In the last Congress, Republicans held a slim, two-district majority in non-Southern states; now Democrats have a 24-seat edge. Still, the Republicans have a comfortable 33-seat overall majority in the House – two seats are vacant – and only the most optimistic Democrats believe that Republicans will lose control of the chamber in 2014.” http://lat.ms/UsBAKy

(Community Matters) Dinner at Julio’s w/ our godson, Nico Selby, 9 days before he turns 14.

(Community Matters) I hate to admit it but increasingly I avoid reading the AAS. While I take home delivery, I’m usually traveling and the online pages are becoming just too cute – too many small pop up windows, folding ads, expanding ads. This is aggravating and pisses me off. I am a paying subscriber, shouldn’t be subjected to this advertising torture.

(CommunityMatters) now that he’s apologized to Amb Jim Hormel and Jim’s accepted and the Pres says he’s good on LGBT equality, I’m good w/ the lgbt equality question. And, I think the objections because he called out a powerful Jewish lobby are silly – no one doubts the Jewish lobby on Capitol Hill is powerful. Republican Senate objections feel personal and childish. They denied the Pres his choice for Secr of State. That’s enough. Fight it out w/ or w/o nuclear filibuster reform.

From Politico’s Playbook: **A message from The Bipartisan Group: The Bipartisan Group recently wrote President Obama to express strong support for Senator Hagel, who reportedly is under consideration for nomination as Secretary of Defense. In these polarized times America needs leaders with the kind of independence of conscience and mind Chuck Hagel’s service to our country has exemplified.

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(Community Matters) Church of England Ends Ban on Gay Men as Bishops [so long as they are celibate]

The conditional is bullshit unless they’re imposing the same condition on their heterosexual bishops. Incremental progress?

(Community Matters) well, guess I don’t want to prejudge this but it doesn’t immediately feel right – Senate leaders consider state funding for teacher gun training

(Community Matters) a favored evening catching up with dearest friends. Sonya Cohen & Reid Cramer over drinks and nibbles in the Tabard’s lounge, and Luke Hayes joined us at the end. Dinner at Tabard with Luke, Jamie Citron and Noah Gillespie (Brent hasn’t yet returned from his OK holiday visit).

(Community Matters) Super meetings at NPR yesterday. First time to meet Kinsey Wilson (EVP & Chief Content Officer), Margaret Low Smith (SVP News) Anya Grundmann (Director and Executive Producer, NPR Music) and Stephen Thompson (Editor, NPR Music and Tiny Desk Concerts). Looking forward to coming back soon.

(Community Matters) Air Force on blocked websites

Statement from DOD Official:

The DoD does NOT block LGBT websites.

The Air Force (the branch who are actually running the system where there seems to be this issue) uses a system called Blue Coat to block sites based on a website categorization database they maintain.  Blue Coat reviews websites and gives each site one or more categories e.g. “Financial Services”, “News/Media”, or “Adult/Mature Content,” etc.   The Air Force blocks or allows websites based on these categories.  For instance, It allows “News/Media” but blocks “Adult/Mature Content.”  The Air Force has no control over Blue Coat’s categorization of a given website (it can only request a review by Blue Coat).  But again – it’s just a categorization.  “LGBT” is, for some reason, a ‘category.’  And, as John Aravosis points out – it’s odd to be ‘categorized.’  But, it is only that.  A website category.  Americablog itself even has a self-assigned subcategory for LGBT, so much of his outrage is misplaced.

The DoD faces a perception challenge here:  If a website is blocked, the access denied page that shows up on the screen, lists all of the categories that page falls under, but doesn’t say which one of those categories actually blocked the website.  The screenshots that Aravosis shows that Blue Coat has givenwww.joshseefried.com (one of the blocked sites) three categories: “Military”, “Blogs/Personal Pages”, and “LGBT”.  As it happens, “Military” and “LGBT” are allowed.  But, the “Blogs/Personal Pages” category is blocked.  The bottom line is that this site is blocked because it is a blog, not because of the LGBT categorization.  There are numerous LGBT websites that are not blocked because they do not include the blocked categories.   It should be said that various commands may from time to time based on any number of considerations ranging from bandwidth issues (usually in an austere combat zone) to operational security reasons (something that only individual commanders may assess), “Blogs/Personal Pages” may or may not be blocked at all.  But the standard default position for many commands is to block all Blogs/Personal Pages.  It might interest you to know that the Nickelodeon blog is also blocked in that command. Continue reading →

(Community Matters) NPR Liberals In A Dither Over Whether Obama Blew It, Or Nailed It

You’re kidding me. For the record: I think he nailed it.