Some satisfactory news on the civil liberties front here in Pittsburgh - the City Police have reached an accord with the Pittsburgh Organizing Group and individuals participating in the "End War Fast" protest outside of the Oakland military recruiting bastion.  These groups had previously filed a lawsuit against the City claiming police officers were violating their First Amendment rights to free speech. 

Today comes word (courtesy of the PG) the two have brokered an accord (fancy term) that identifies two specific areas for the protestors along Forbes Avenue.  So the fast can proceed free of police harassment.

I'm still wondering if the expense of allowing the permit for the fast in the first place would have saved us some tax dollars. 

Apparently, the police were concerned about Port Authority buses mowing down pedestrians b/c pedestrians are just that stupid:

Police Cmdr. Kathy Degler of the Squirrel Hill station said one of the major concerns was that there is a bus lane right next to the sidewalk where the protesters have gathered.

"The buses come flying out that lane," she said. "We don't want pedestrians to feel the need to avoid the protesters by going out in the street."

My sources tell me that there has always been plenty of room for pedestrians to pass by the protestors.  Ignoring things they don't want to see is an American speciality - things like poverty, infant mortality, hunger, homelessness, injustice, etc.  What should cause more fear - a young man fasting with some anti-war signs or a well-fed man in camoflague bribing poor young adults to throw themselves into the war machine for a few thousand dollars? 

Maybe Commander Degler could focus some attention on the side-by-side gigunda strollers that block sidewalks throughout Squirrel Hill and Oakland.  If anyone is going to make me throw myself into the bus lane, it would be an oblivious yuppy mama and her trifecta of WASP offspring plowing down Forbes Avenue for a Starbucks fix and some shopping on Craig Street.  Offspring that will nev-ah set foot in public schools or a military training facility (maybe not even a Giant Eagle).

Seriously, Degler's excuse is pathetic and just another attempt to undermine the purposefulness of these men and women by portraying them as unruly, pedestrian hating children who need a good tasering to keep them in line.  What Degler doesn't address is the refusal of her muckety mucks to issue a permit and get things started on the right foot (or the left foot?).  Of course she doesn't. 

The point, however, is that the protestors should be free to proceed with their fast in peace.  And that's a good thing. 

Not so quickly, says the man called Potter. 

It was one thing to lose political battles a few years ago, back when war skeptics were in the minority. It's somehow worse to know that most Americans now agree with us, yet we still can't get anything changed. Before, the political system was against us, but at least we could believe that it worked. Now we no longer have even that illusion.

Years of large-scale marches have changed nothing. Voting seems to have only made things worse: Democrats took control of Congress last year thanks to concerns about the war, and the result was more troops in Iraq.

I got depressed just reading these paragraphs.

You'd almost call the situation intolerable, if it didn't seem so easy to tolerate. Except for those with loved ones in the military, the war asks for nothing but our complacence as we go about our daily lives. "It is one thing to endure abuses and to carry on in spite of them," writes Garret Keizer in the current Harper's magazine. "It is quite another thing to carry on to the point of abetting the abuse."

Are we enabling the war?  Do you feel complacent?  I've been reading some novels set in Kabul and Tehran under less than peaceful times and it has given me pause at how easy it can be to just shut your mind down to something you believe you cannot tolerate.  It is easy to delude myself that my day to day existance hasn't changed.  Except it has b/c I know something and that knowledge changes my reality.  It forces me to blog about this stuff that has nothing to do with the LGBTQ community, even when I know I'll be criticized by the protestors for not going far enough and by whacknuts for supporting terrorism. 

Is it enough? Nope.  Do I feel content b/c "hey I blog"?  Nope.  I feel angry and frustrated and disheartened everytime the military recruiters show up at an event I'm attending.  But I can't say my existance hasn't changed.

So while the rest of us prove there's almost nothing we can't stomach, Butler has stopped eating. At this point, there may be simply nothing left to do. Keizer himself proposes that Americans go on a general strike, refusing to come to work on Election Day this November. When the only way to support the war is to go about your daily routine, perhaps withdrawing from that routine is the only way to oppose it.

I have my doubts. But as Butler talks in the late-afternoon sun, he doesn't seem at all dispirited. Maybe it's just the light-headedness that comes from not eating, but he seems less downtrodden than the people who mutter at him as they pass by. He's the one who has gone two weeks without eating. So why is it the rest of us who seem anemic?

I doubt a general strike would work and end up disproportionately hurting those least likely to bear it (and already bearing the greater amount of death and dismemberment to their children) -- working poor families. 

Do you think the anti-war movement is going to grow?  We participated in the March in 2005, but then I discovered my foot was broken so my doctor said no more marches for me.   I could still go and be supportive, but I don't.  Why not?  I haven't been down to the fasting site, mostly because everytime I think about it I'm with Ledcat and she can't go with me b/c of her job. 

So what do you do to shake up the complacency? 

(I know this is sort of rambly and disjointed so thanks for bearing with me.  We are out of caffeine and I have given up drinking pop ...)

Yesterday, I received 8 kajillion email messages informing me that public documents reveal that Secretary of State Rice has been co-owner of a house with documentary maker, Randy Bean (Rice and Bean -- imagine the hay McIntire will make with that one?).  Does this mean she's a lesbian? Maybe, maybe not -- but it does legitimately raise the question.

Condi has been known to have close gay friends and publicly acknowledge the gay partner of her appointee as Global AIDS Coordinator.  Meanwhile, she remains silent while the Bush Administration and their family value lackeys systemically attack and repress the entire LGBT community, most visibly under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on which Condi has made no public statement.

It is another stunning example of the hypocrisy of this entire Administration (and the wingnut dupes who truly do hate the homos).  Mary Cheney and her privileged ilk waltz with the elephant to their hearts desired, encased in the protection of money, power and privilege.  The Bush twins have a gay hairdresser, gay individuals are permitted to work on campaigns, Santorum let Traynham near his kids ... all actions which fly in the face of the twisted public rhetoric they direct toward the gay community. 

So Condi has an intimate financial entanglement with another woman, one that if based on "helping out a friend in need" could have ended long ago given Condi's financial situation.  To those of us familiar with such situations, it looks like a duck.  Does it matter?

Here's Mike Rogers from PageOneQ and BlogActive.com blogging on the Huffington Post: 

Is the person who is fourth in line to the presidency, right behind the Speaker of the House and President Pro Tempore of the Senate, in a relationship with a woman? Well, certainly a financial one. And as she sits silently by, the very men and women who carry out our foreign policy are hounded by their country and stand to lose their livelihoods for exactly the same thing.

After all, Condi Rice is the highest appointed official in the Federal government -- discounting Bush v. Gore, of course.

Yes, Condi, it is relevant.

Quack.

As expected, the CP covers the ongoing End War Fast targeting the military recruitment center in Oakland.  As you can imagine, the police are being less than cooperative and, apparently the protestors are depriving Oaklanders of greasy fast food, photocopies and overpriced bandaids.  Darn them!  Imagine the exercise of civil rights getting in the way of commerce and industry (and the low paying jobs without benefits that come along with those fries/burritos). 

So, here's my question ... from the CP article:

By Sept. 8, Butler and picketer De'anna Caligiuri had each been cited for remaining on the sidewalk -- Butler while seated at 5:10 p.m. on Sept. 7, and Caligiuri while sleeping there the same day. Her citation notes that she was "obstructing public passage of pedestrian traffic" -- at 3:40 a.m. She was briefly jailed and released.

You may know Ms. Caliguri from previous protests.  While I'm not a always a fan of her tactics, I'm impressed with her moxy.  I think she was our waitress once at a local Thai place, but I'm not sure about that.

Anyway, I thought that the police were not supposed to haul folks off to jail for these types of offenses .. they are just supposed to issue citations.  How does sleeping on the sidewalk without a permit warrant an arrest (no pun intended)?  Wouldn't all that effort and the tax payer resources have been better invested in GIVING THEM A PERMIT to sleep politely on the sidewalk? 

Good grief, the "free speech zone" crap is just getting annoying.  Don't protest at the church, don't protest at the private residence, don't protest at Rite-Aid, don't protest on the Reform Pittsburgh Now website ...tell me this ... does anyone with any power or authority in this region actually believe that dissent might occasionally entail more than a pretty banner and a polite march down the street? 

When a person tries to act in accordance with his consience, when he tries to speak the truth, when he tries to behave like a citizen, even in conditions where citizenship is degraded, it won't necessarily lead anywhere, but it might. There's one thing, however, that will never lead anywhere, and that is speculating that such behavior will lead somewhere. V?clav Havel 1990.

Mike and De'anna and friends aren't speculating.  They've leapt into the possibility of "might."  Good for them. 

Bradley S. Gelder of Point Breeze is not a fan of police officers staking out public restrooms noted as gay sex havens. 

Even more disturbing and surprising than the continuing homophobic right-wing hypocrisy exemplified by the Sen. Larry Craig story ("Idaho Senator Stepping Aside," Sept. 2) is that police departments continue to waste their time and our money patrolling public restrooms for gay sex.

How much money and time do Pittsburgh's finest waste on this ? If any, I'd demand they stop and reallocate their resources.

Bradley, I'm sure you could track this down if you really wanted to tackle this issue.  I personally am not a fan of entrapping gay men hooking up in public bathrooms.  It clearly smacks of our society's homophobic obsessions.

But I'm not a fan of anyone having sex in a public bathroom, male or female.  It is hard enough to deal with big-haired yinzer chicks hogging all the mirror space, the mommy contingent with their floating armada that passes for a baby stroller these days and kids peeping under the stalls.  I don't want to deal with people having sex on top of that.  Unless they scare off the mommys and free up some room.  That might be worth it.

Doesn't it seem really sad that someone seeks out sex in a public restroom?  I know there are some thrill-seekers who enjoy the danger of getting caught.  But I suspect (and my buddy J has confirmed) that there are more men who are there because they live fearfully and furtively.

That's Larry Craig's real crime -fostering a climate of homophobia so pervasive that millions of people remain in the closet, struggling with their identities.  Denial and self-loathing lead to atypical behaviors -- some just sad (like collecting 800 million beanie babies) and others more perverted (like being the public face for Rick Santorum). 

It is a waste of resources to stake out public toilets, but the police have a responsibility to investigate complaints, too.  It would be a better use of resources to educate our police forces on LGBT issues and try to chip a little dent into the very homophobic world of law enforcement.

Or for the GOP to take some responsibility for creating a culture of hate that forces people like their very own Larry Craig to choose a road much too well-traveled.

Or as RNC vice-chair Dave Majernik of Plum spins it:

Republicans know that human beings are imperfect. Because we believe in higher standards does not mean that we think that we are superior to others. Republicans just believe that higher standards ensure better results

Remember, that's higher standards of behavior.  Not higher standards of compassion, sympathy, justice, or tolerance.  Higher standards of how to murder our finest young men and women as well as innocent civilians?  Excellent.

I like Mike Rogers, the author of BlogActive.com.  Rogers uses his powers for good, outing hypocritical legislators who hide in their pathetic closets while publicly voting against gay rights.  From a profile in the Washington Post:

For three years now, he's been a feared one-man machine, "outing," he says, nearly three dozen senior political and congressional staffers, White House aides and, most damagingly, Congress members on his blog. On Capitol Hill, a typical phone call from Rogers -- "Are you gay?" he'd ask -- is "a call from Satan himself," says a former high-ranking congressional staffer whose name is on the list.

Rogers reasons that there's justice behind his tactics -- "odious," "outrageous" and "over-the-line" as they might seem to his detractors.

In Rogers's mind, if you're against gay rights in your public life and you live a secret homosexual life, all bets are off.

That's my thought exactly.  Leave 'em in the closet if they aren't doing anything to hurt our community  -  they can wallow in their self-loathing til the cows come home.  But folks like Robert Traynham (you thought I was going with Larry Craig, didn't ya?) deserve every single moment of public humiliation, ridicule and political fallout they get.  Every single bit.

Can ya tell I have strong feelings on this?  :)

So check out Mike's blog. 

h/t Ms. Monongahela

I did not see this myself, primarily because I would rather gouge my eyes out with a stick than sit through 78 hours of Jerry Lewis.  Instead, I went shopping.

It seems I missed quite a moment today.  Jerry Lewis refers to someone in the audience as "Jesse, an illiterate fag" while the audience titters and groans. 

Tabloid Baby has the story.

Jerry really went and struck a blow against allowing 81-year-old tumlers to host live telethons when, in a bit, he referred to the imaginary son of a cameraman as "the illiterate fag."

It's Old School Vegas. Way old school. Did it take a bite out of donations? No. The final tote read $63.7 million for Jerry's 42nd telethon. Last year's record was $61 million.

But it could mean that Jerry goes the way of Imus and Rather...

Because I cannot figure out how to imbed the video, go here for the clip.  <And someone tutor me on how to do it, please.>

Is this an Imus moment?  Your thoughts? 

Well, surprise!  Larry Craig is supposed to announce his resignation this morning, according to the AP. 

The GOP is scrambling like mad b/c this puts a safe seat up for grabs.  Well, technically they'll get a GOP appointee in to finish Craig's term and then the seat is up in the air in 2008.  So of course they convinced him to resign -- an unknown non-public-bathroom- associated candidate is much safer. 

What sickens me is this double-decker hypocrisy sundae -- Craig's self-loathing legislative gay bashing being the first layer.  The GOP's willingness to sacrifice a loyal foot soldier to keep up the family values mantra.  Throw in a whopping dose of entrapment ... delicious!

I won't bore you by pointing out the obvious fact that if the GOP and men like Craig stopped treating gays like substandard human beings, perhaps there would be fewer closeted assholes in public bathrooms.

So, there's this Senator from Idaho.  Maybe you've heard about him?  I've had a ton of email messages asking me when I'll blog about it.  I did a segment on McIntire yesterday.  And I've spoken at length with all the important homos in my life about the whole situation.  Here's my quick summary:

First, hypocrite with a capital HYP.  No question.  Closeted gay man actively oppresses us.  Not cool.

Second, police "sting" = entrapment.  I'm so not okay with arresting people for their thoughts or intentions.  Toe tapping and bag placement do not constitute a violation of the law, regardless of their intent.  My understanding is that the police officer played along, using established signals to communicate his interest. A friend explained to me that it is physically impossible for the scenario to have gone down without the police officer doing some fancy footwork of his own.

Third, the wingnuts are going to eject Craig faster than Mark Foley can compose an email.  He'll resign so a R appointee can take the "incumbent advantage" in the upcoming election.  You heard it here first.

Finally, the hysteria around men having sex in the bathroom is pathetic.  Good grief, people, get a grip.  The predator in the bathroom is not a gay man looking to make a connection with another adult.  My friend explained to me in great detail how much effort the individuals take to have some modicum of privacy and not expose their sexual activities to other people. 

The Pittsburgh Organizing Group (POG) recently announced plans to launch a month-long fast in September at the front door of the Oakland military recruiting station.

The goal of this fast and camp-out is simple: To contribute to the movement working for the immediate withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq, and an end to military recruitment in Pittsburgh.

I have taken some time before posting this.  While I do post about direct action issues on a semi-regular basis, I have not always been in POG's corner on some of their tactics nor in the corner of other direct action groups that are self-described anarchists.  That being said, I am opposed to the war in Iraq and support a troop withdrawal.  I am also intrigued by how well-laid out this tactic seems to be, similar to how impressed I was with the direct action at the CMU National Robotics Institute. 

I've also noticed that when I do blog about direct action tactics, it generates a lot of response from POG and their supporters, which I appreciate of course.  The problem seems to be finding and respecting common ground.  My impression from some of the commenters is that it is all or nothing and that's just not going to build a bridge with me.  At the same time, it doesn't sway me from believing that individuals *like me* can make a difference.

Fasts and long term encampments have historically been used as personal and political statements of protest and have been successfully utilized by groups seeking to raise the moral and political pressure in society necessary for specific changes in policy. In September, we will be demonstrating our outrage and sorrow through our actions as we work to create the world we want to live in. We will not only do this by fasting, but by marching, mourning and reflecting.

There's a long list of events, including a rally, picket, candlelight vigil, and a festival at the very end.  So you and I can get involved.  I'm planning to head down and liveblog at some point, depending on my own schedule.

What do you think?

I didn't see it.  We don't have cable here at Lesbian Central, so we miss out on all sorts of things like The L Word, Queer as Folk and, well, the entire lineupon LOGO.  I've never seen The Sopranos or pretty much any of its peers.  (Don't cry for us -- we trade a cable payment for internet access, dozens of cool magazines and plenty of nice evenings sitting on the porch with popsicles, observing real life on the Northside.)

So, I have a choice. I have been pouring through reports from various blogs and online homosites.  I could share my thoughts from that second-hand perspective.  But I'm not going to do that.  Instead, I'll share my thoughts on the meaning of the event and give you a few links to chew on the content. 

First, I'm absolutely pleased this event took place.  It is historic and a recognition that our community is a significant voting block.  Our responsibility is to use that power effectively.  As all politics are local, think back to the ACDC forum in May 2007 (aka "The Big Gay Chat")  We learned quite a bit about the stances of our local politicians on "gay issues" and voted accordingly (i hope you voted!).  Now we'll see what happens.  County Council Prez Rich Fitzgerald promised a meeting with LGBTQ human services leaders, of which yours truly was included, but so far -- no meeting.  Dan Onorato is calling for progress on City-County mergers, but not a single line of coverage on what this means for those of us who rely on domestic partner benefits provided to city employees (Hey, Mike Lamb!).   Is our community moving on these issues?  Has Steel-City Stonewall or Gertrude Stein been talking with County Council members? Who is taking the lead on the meeting with Rich Fitzgerald?  And, did anyone ask Beth Pittinger what happened to putting a queer person on the CPRB?

My point is that having an opportunity to hear what candidates for public office have to say about our issues does matter.  But what comes next is what matters more.  I personally haven't seen any "next" yet from the ACDC event.  Even the moderator, Hugh McGough, left public service for the private sector!   

As for our Presidential candidates, the general consensus seems to be that they are pretty good across the board on most issues ... Don't Ask, Don't Tell; hate crimes protections, non-discrimination.  So they want us to be free to be productive members of society without fear of being bashed or denied the right to die in Iraq.  Great.  And I only mean that to drip with a little sarcasm.  It really is great how far we've come on basic issues.

Then there's the marriage issue.  More importantly, the states' rights issue.  Hillary et al seem comfortable leaving a civil rights decision to the individual voters within each state.  It is not a credible position given our state-by-state track record on legislating discrimination, especially around marriage (hello to my friends in marriages of mixed racial heritages).  And it is a political cop out.

Anyway, here are a few links for more information on what went down.

Huffington Live Blog

Pam's House Blend (including a nice follow up on New Mexico's Bill Richardson saying homosexuality is a choice, perplexing given his good record on LGBT issues)

365gay.com has a nice overview

The Bilerico project has an overview and an analysis of what went wrong.

And you can catch all sorts of snippets from the event at YouTube.

My call after reviewing the materials   - Edwards is best on our issues and did a good job tying OUR rights into universal HUMAN rights ... like healthcare and he nailed it on homeless LGBTQ youth.  I've said all along it will be Edwards with Obama or Clinton as the VP candidate.  I've thought that because I know America isn't ready to elect a black man or a woman.  I'm starting to think he's our best candidate.  I truly believe Edwards has a better grasp of what life is like for those without privilege, especially those enmeshed in poverty. We'll see what happens ...

A gentle chastisement for my fellow bloggers here in the Burghosphere ... where is your coverage on this historic political event?  I have received numerous email messages asking me for my response.  Did anyone email dayvoe, the admiral, ms.monongahela or bram?  How about Johnny Mac?  Might Chris Potter write a column comparing the ACDC event to the LOGO/HRC event?  Will Dr. Goddess take a stab at what's happening on LGBTQ issues in the African-American community  - would Obama lose or gain local support if he was more openly supportive?  There's a lot of chatter among openly gay African-American bloggers about these issues.  What does it mean for Pittsburgh?

Some of them might even have cable ....