Psycho News #1

The recent flap over Ted Nugents comments started me thinking…

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More often than not I read or watch news broadcasts and find myself saying WTF? It’s led me to the conclusion the reason the world thinks we’re nuts is beacuse of News like the following bits of psychosis.

Here for your amusement is the first installment of Psycho News…

Mr Nugent said some things that the liberal media blew up into a “potential threat”. The media flap cost the American Taxpayers a chunk of change because the secret service felt obligated to investigate.

Really?

Ted Nugent NEVER, I REPEAT never threatened the president. At worst his comments sounded to me like he expected to be in jail because of his participation in protests of acts of civil disobedience. It’s not like we haven’t seen people arrested in recent years during protests… That Nugent said it was possible that he might be dead speaks to a general belief among conspiracy theorists that vocal dissenters end up having “Accidents“.

It’s all in how you choose to interpret the information. In this case a simple statement was blown out of proportion by an overly sensitive liberal sensationalist media.

Then I saw an interview on 60 Minutes with Leslie Stahl where she was interviewing a former CIA operative Jose A Rodriguez Jr. about his book Hard Measures.


 Leslie StahlAs I watched the 60 Minutes piece I couldn’t help noticing the squeamishness of Ms. Stahl while Mr Rodriguez calmly and rationally explained the mechanics of getting information from detained terrorists.

Ms. Stahl appeared at points downright argumentative. She kept using the word torture like a hammer.  Yeah by any stretch of the imagination we tortured detainees. We didn’t slit their throats, or saw off their heads on camera. We engaged in “Torture Lite”, we had protocols and rules and with few exceptions we followed those protocols. 

My opinion of the interview was that Ms. Stahl was trying to spin the CIA, Mr. Rodriguez, and our interrogation methods as negatively as possible. 

I found Mr. Rodriguezs reasoning sound. In defense of my nation well…. In all honesty I would have been far less humane about how I gathered information. I’m a firm believer that communication is best facilitated when you’re speaking the same language.

In the case of Al Qaeda and The Taliban the language that they use to make their point is a language of brutality and torture. Torture, I might add that is far worse than anything the CIA has done.

I could see dusting off Torquemadas‘ and the Marquis de Sades‘ reference books on the subjects of compliance and conversion then pulling out all the stops. Just imagine The Rack powered by a wench motor!

However, were I to speak to Al Qaeda and The Taliban in this language I’d be labeled a “War Criminal” and no doubt be brought to trial.  In the case of the Al Qaeda and Taliban murderers… It’s obvious there will never be any changes filed in any court either here in the US or in The World Court at The Hague.


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Last Sunday a preacher in North Carolina advocated torture of effeminate boys as he ranted against a ballot measure 1. So much for freedom and tolerance guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and the Constitution… and where the hell is Leslie Stahl? Shouldn’t she be interviewing people in this church? Where is the liberal medias sensitivity in this case?

What does it mean when we’ll express concern over torturing combatants in war, and yet remain silent when a man of the church espouses torture of our own children because of perceived sexual orientation in prepubescent boys. Dr Robert Cargill asks a chilling question at the end of a blog entry about this story. The question is below, Dr Cargill’s blog is worth reading don’t pass it up.

at what point can we conclude that advocating violence against children – for whatever reason, but especially for reasons of bigotry – from a Christian pulpit is ABSOLUTELY NO different than when militant preachers of other religious traditions advocate violence from the pulpit?? Can we condemn one and not the other? And can we go ahead and admit that inciting violence in the name of God is reprehensible and unworthy of the protections commonly afforded religious institutions?


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Yet we have National outrage because a woman in New Jersey took her child to a tanning salon. It’s not even clear if the woman allowed her 5 year old to be in the tanning booth. The mother in question looks like a poster child on the ills of tanning and skin cancer and is seriously scary looking. That however doesn’t automatically make her a bad mother or a criminal. 


This week, Mitt Romneys campaign lost Richard Grenell due to the so called religious base in the GOP bitching because Grenell is an out Gay man. This is hysterically funny since as an out gay man he’s living his life honestly.

Think about it, what kind of scandal is likely to come out of an open gay mans life? The worst the GOP base had to worry about is that Mr. Grenell might be caught in bed with… a woman (gasp)!

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The scandals that have rocked our country have been those created by “Discovery” that the Jerry Sanduskys, and Larry Craigs are “straight” but like sucking or fucking boys or men in restrooms or public showers.

The GOP Religious wingnuts ignore those facts and instead bitch and whine loud enough that the best qualified person for the job feels compelled to step aside for the benefit of the campaign and arguably for the benefit of the American People as a Nation. Not because he’s ashamed or intimidated, but because he was concerned about the controversy damaging the campaign

Presumably Grenell believes that Mitt Romney is the best man for the office of President. If you get right to it, by extension he was attempting to act in the best interests of our Nation by working for the Romney campaign.

By that logic… you can argue that the GOP Wingnuts did a disservice to the country, because they may have weakened Romneys staff.

 


 

That’s it… These are the news stories that have left me saying WTF this week.

As I sit shaking my head I sometimes consider getting my backpack, tent, Bow and supplies and just heading out into the forest.

Perhaps there is such a thing as too much information….

I am sick to death of the hate

Why the fuck is it so difficult for the average Joe to wrap their paramecium brain around the concept that Gay people are strong?

Lets think about this shall we?

Gay people, once they realize they are in fact Gay have to overcome fear, persecution, and outright hatred, just so they can live their lives honestly and honorably.

If they are married when they realize they’re gay. They face legal and financial ruin.

In some states they may be forbidden from seeing their children.

In other states they face discrimination in business and housing that is sanctioned by the state. See the recent rulings in Kansas.

Gay people become “HALF CITIZENS” simply by admitting they are gay and yet still have to pay the FULL measure of TAXES.

Gay people still have to face the ridicule that is sanctioned, and in some cases demanded by the rules of the society.

It’s OK to publicly joke about gay people.

Apology after apology notwithstanding, public figures still get away with joking about gay people. Public figures do this in ways that would never be countenanced by the society if the joke was about Black, Latin or any other group of people.

Would Carson Daly have even THOUGHT about saying something like “The Jet Blue Pilot is lucky the passengers of that plane weren’t Black, if they were he’d have been robbed and killed instead of just subdued.” NOPE! Why?

Because it is unacceptable! Well folks it’s just as unacceptable to say gay people are cowards.

Even after dealing with the shit listed above… You still have to find a comfortable place within the gay community.

The Gay community is a place where youth is worshipped and in many cases age is isolating. This community actively seeks to homogenize it’s members.

I’ve met gay men that won’t admit in public things like;

They like sports

They can fix a car

They don’t identify with pride parades.

They’re Republicans (There are Personals ads that commonly say no republicans)

They own or like shooting guns

They like hunting

They’re religious

It takes more than a bit of courage to be gay, admit you’re gay, and build a decent life in spite of the obstacles set before you.

So before you make a stupid comment about gay people being cowards. Stop for just a moment and consider, could you take the heat every fucking day of your life?

 

I was going Write something about Super Tuesday earlier

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Romney wins 60% of the states in the Super Tuesday election. Is there any doubt that he’s going to be nominated?

Unless something really bad happens between now and the nomination, Romney is going to be running against President Obama in the 2012 election.

By really bad… I mean Romney gets caught doing something just awful. Like he’d have to be caught in the act having kinky sex with an underage dude while his wife is tied naked to a chair with a dildo glued to her forehead. With Romney yelling “Make me your bitch honey”.

Even then… there would have to be video!

Since that scene is about as unlikely to happen as Mr. Romney walking across Lake Michigan, the primaries are fait accomplis. So why the hell are Santorum and Gingrich continuing to fight on?

They’re each interchangeable anyway.

Fundamentalist —- CHECK!

No Clear Foreign Policy —- CHECK!

No Clear Economic Plan —- CHECK!

Seemingly anti choice —- CHECK!

Out of Touch with the American People —- CHECK!

Like Obama, they’ve never made a choice between filling their gas tank and eating lunch for a week —- CHECK!

Santorum and Gingrich should step aside, spare the American people the static of the primaries and let us focus with laser like precision on just HOW the Republican candidate differs from the Democratic candidate.

Will that happen? HELL NO!

WHY?

Because the longer the static, noise, and churn continue the less likely the American people will start asking the important questions.

More on Sheriff Paul Babeu

When this story first broke, there was a picture of a text message Jose Orozco claimed supported his allegations of threats of deportation.

I haven’t been able to find the original picture. I did find a transcript of the text.

You can never have business after this and you will harm my and many others in the process…including yourself & your family.” (11 a.m.) And, two minutes later, Babeu wrote: “And you say you have loved me? Papi…this is no good.

Orozco claims this is proof that he was being threatened.

I have a slightly different take on the situation.

Let’s look at why Babeu engaged an attorney in the first place.

Orozco was sent a cease & desist letter demanding that he stop posting inflamatory messages on twitter and an alternate web site paulbabeu.co. This web site was mirroring the real sheriffpaul.com campaign site but presenting derogatory information as though it was the official campaign website.

Orozco is also accused of using his control of the campaign web site, twitter feeds, and financial access to essentially hijack those systems. If he did change the passwords without notifying the Sheriff or the campaign staff, then he was in effect denying access to those systems. To my way of thinking volunteer or not that is breach of implied contract and certainly trust.

I’ve been working in the computer industry for about 30 years. In that time I’ve always operated under an assumed contract that essentially says I’ll never compromise a clients system under any circumstances. The only exception to that rule would be if I found illegal activity such as child porn or evidence of criminal activity. In that case I’m duty bound to report such activity to proper authorities.

I look at the message from Babeu to Orozco not as a threat, but as a statement of fact.

Babeu must have known that when all of this went public, Orozco’s business would be toast. The fact that Orozco was here on a tourist visa and running a business is odd in the first place. Why would a tourist need to, or be allowed to run a business in the country they were a tourist in?

That question aside… There is the matter of dishonorable, and to my mind unethical conduct on the part of Orozco where the web sites were concerned.

Knowing that it took a cease and desist order from an attorney to stop Orozco from posting messages and mirroring the real campaign site would be more than enough to cause any potential clients to look for another web developer.

There goes Orozco’s business… at least in the local area. If Orozco was sending money back to Mexico supporting his family then clearly they will and have been hurt by the loss of business.

The fact that the whole Sheriffs department has been dragged into investigations of wrong doing certainly proves the assertion that Babeu and many others will be hurt.

The saddest part of all of this is that this story got any traction at all.

I ran across these photos of text messages allegedly from Orozco’s phone. [Thanks to www.boxturtlebulletin.com]

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This series of messages reads like a soap opera… Or perhaps like a scene from  Fatal Attraction … Boiled bunnies anyone?

Orozco is clearly insecure, and frankly Babeu is a hell of a lot nicer than I would be at 12:30 am.

The distance from Florence to Tucson according to Google maps is minimum 70.3 miles. Which means that if Babeu left at 1 am (the last message shown) he’s not going to get home until at least 2:30am. I don’t know about you… But I’d stay at a friends house especially if I’d had a drink or two.

The interesting thing is that these messages are from April. The litigation didn’t happen until September. Who keeps text messages 11 months?

My opinion of this whole mess is that we’re looking at nothing more than a bad end to a relationship.

Orozco is engaging in one of the time honored roles among some gay men… BITCHY QUEEN…

Orozco for his part, in my opinion, is an idiot who was only seeking revenge like woman in a soap opera.

In this particular case Orozco went to a hispanic reporter in who saw an opportunity to further her career by bringing down a Sheriff that was known as tough on illegal immigration. Orozco never thought about the broader consequences of his actions, he was too wrapped up in getting his pound of flesh. In the process he got used by the media and he’s continuing to be used because he’s not smart enough to shut up.

I think we’ve all experienced the singular thrill of breaking up with insecure, petty, nasty bitches (female or male) like this. The difference is, what should have ended as a bitter BUT private breakup has spiraled out of control into the national spotlight.

Sadly, I think Babeu is done. I don’t think he’s going to win the congressional seat.

I’m betting that he’s going to abandon his campaign so that he can focus on making sure that the Deputies who work for him don’t have their careers ruined by the allegations of improper use of authority.

I suspect that Orozco will disappear into the woodwork and turn up in Mexico leaving a trail of destroyed careers behind him.

I feel really sorry for Sheriff Babeu. This must be very humiliating for him, not because he was outed or that his private life became public…

Humiliating because of the betrayal of trust…

 

Thoughts regarding Sheriff Paul Babeu

When this first broke, I thought that I wasn’t going to comment on it. I changed my mind after watching this news conference.

On several of the blogs that I read, there have been really shocking and horrific comments made about the sheriff. The most venomous and unfair remarks I’ve read were from blogs that cater to the gay world. Even the comments in blogs of the religious right weren’t as hostile.

This left me wondering what about this man had generated such venom. So when I saw a link to this news conference if figured I’d have my morning coffee and see what this guy could possibly say that would generate so much anger from the gay community.

This is a long video. I like a lot of what this man says. Those items we disagree on… well nobody’s perfect!

Sheriff Paul Babeu Press Conference from Paul Babeu on Vimeo.

Several things struck me about this guy.

He strikes me as genuine.

He’s doing his best to hold it together during a very public exposure of his sexuality. He comes across as a very private person and having something as personal as your sexual behavior splattered across the world wide news machine has to be difficult. I give him credit for hanging in there.

Sheriff Babeu explains his life philosophy pretty well. He says he’s a man of duty, and that duty and honor are both at the top of his priorities even when duty and honor may result in personal difficulties. He points out that he’s never lied about being gay. From another published comment attributed to Sheriff Babeu, He’s also never worn being gay on his sleeve.

Sheriff Babeu explains why he contacted an attorney to represent him in a disagreement with Jose. One of the things that caught my attention later in the news conference is that Sheriff Babeu refused to discuss the particulars of the relationship. It’s hard to make out but I think one of the reporters off camera asks something about the length of time the relationship lasted and when it ended. Sheriff Babeu only responds, “prior to September” and goes no further.

The Sheriff states a couple of times that he’s a single man, and that he’s done nothing wrong or illegal in dating other adults. At one point the Sheriff tells someone in the crowd that the minute details of his personal life aren’t anyones business. The person in the crowd doesn’t like that answer but quiets down pretty quickly.

During the whole interview I saw nothing but a guy dealing with a tough situation with a commendable amount of grace under pressure. Hell, I’d vote for him.

Sheriff Babeu didn’t come across as a racist,  hatemonger, liar, or abuser of power. So I was still at a loss to understand why the gay community as represented on the mainstream gay blogs were so hateful in their comments about this guy.

Then the Sheriff addresses the allegation that he threatened to have Jose deported.

AH HA! Here we go, THE HOT BUTTON ISSUE! Immigration…

Because every gay person should be completely happy with, and supportive of illegal immigrants. (Even though a large percentage of them are devoutly Catholic and by church doctrine are opposed to gay rights)

Sheriff Babeu says that he didn’t threaten Jose with deportation, and goes on to say that to his knowledge Jose’s immigration status was the same as anyones.

The commenters on the gay blogs and some of the blog sites themselves have locked onto this single allegation and in one of the most  hypocritical twists of logic have tried, convicted, and condemned Sheriff Babeu without any evidence whatsoever.

How can the gay community demand justice, freedom, and equality while at the same time stomping all over those very principals?

Sheriff Babeu, is an example of both what is right … and wrong in this country.

Here’s a guy that just lives his life. He works, contributes, serves his country, serves, his community, dates, and has bad breakups. He’s no different than any of the rest of the people in this country. In fact he’s the ultimate guy next door.

Here’s whats wrong in this country.

By saying “I’m Gay”, somehow all the contributions this man has made are thrown into question. Many people, in politics, the media, and some in the communities he serves will now look at Sheriff Babeu differently and few, will even seek to limit his freedoms.

Is it any wonder at all that folks like the Sheriff work so hard to keep their private lives private?

Our society creates and reinforces an environment where your choices are;

Be gay, open, honest…. And stigmatized… In corporate America, You’ll never gain promotions, achieve anything of note, or move up the corporate ladder to success. In the political arena, with few exceptions you’ll have to be a Democrat, can’t be conservative, and will probably not be taken seriously and therefore your career will always be limited. OR Hide.

Given those options which would you choose?

I hope that Sheriff Babeu is a tough as nails. I think the next few weeks are going to be very hard on him.

I sincerely hope that his friends continue to rally around him and that he’s never lacking for support.