I would be remiss not to comment on the gay bar rampage in Massachusetts.  Last night, the murderous Jacob Robida was captured in Arkansas after killing his female passenger and a cop. (365gay.com)

Robida targets gays armed with a hatchet and a gun.  People are asking why and scrambling to link his neo-Nazi fetish with his apparent homophobia. 

Wake up America.  Robida is a natural outgrowth of the hate-spewing homophobes filling your airwaves, newspapers and political parties.  The hate-laced rhetoric of Jimmy Dobson and Rick Santorum feeds the slippery slope down to Robida.  AND his myspace.com cronies that aided and abetted his descent from homo-assailant to cop killer. 

Do you honestly think that a full-frontal assault to shred the civil rights - the human rights - of an entire segment of society does NOT make us fair game to hatchet wielding monsters like Robida?    Think again.  This is what happens when our leaders are successful in bashing gays to win votes and gain power.  If gay bashing is acceptable in Harrisburg, why not in Donny's Place or Pegasus? 

Pam's House Blend on this:

It seemed like such a simple request.  She wrote to The Honorable Mike Diven, Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.  Her mission?  To ascertain how Diven would vote on the proposed anti-gay marriage amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution.

What Diven offered in response is a testament to why the Democrats should be able to recapture this seat. 

So we are not in agreement on which issue?  Gay marriage?  Amending the constitution?  Ignoring tax reform, health care and the economy to focus on this issue?   Which issue, Mike?

It is obvious he means gay marriage because he spends two whole pages outlining current law on gay marriage.  Illustrating that he did not read the original letter for content, but just KEY WORDS. 

Clearly, someone on his staff knows how to do a legislative search and has a partial understanding of the difference between state and federal matters.  What remains unclear is if that same person is able to read for content.

Hmmm ... now that's a useful suggestion.  I'll write to Mike Doyle to ask how he plans to vote on amending the Pennsylvania constitution.

In the end, Mikey does not tell us how he intends to vote.  Is he being politically coy or just stupid?

Hmmmm .....

Even while acknowledging that wearing a tee shirt to the SOTU is NOT a criminal offense, the US Capitol Police's actions have once again highlighted the egregious "no dissent" policies of this administration.  From CNN.com

Anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan wore a shirt with the message "2,245 Dead. How many more?" -- a reference to the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq.

Beverly Young, the wife of 18-term Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Young of Florida, wore a shirt that read "Support the Troops."

Both shirts resulted in their owners being ejected from the House chamber before President Bush's State of the Union address on Tuesday night.

Sheehan, an invited guest of Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-California, was arrested around 8:30 p.m. ET on charges of unlawful conduct. Young was asked to leave but not arrested.

There's a significant difference between being asked to leave and being arrested.  I supposed dragging out a Republican's wife in manacles would not play well in the Heartland.

Anyway, here's an interesting tidbit from MSNBC.com

You would assume that if you are going to send tens of thousands of troops to invade a foreign country, they would be dressed in appropriate attire.  Like body armor.  Stuff like that. 

Just goes to show what assuming gets you ...

Sue