h/t to Shakespeare's Sister for these luscious photos ....

San Paulo

And these photos from Pittsburgh's PrideFest

Today my Dad and I enjoyed our usual Father's Day ritual of movie attendance.  We caught a matinee showing of A Prairie Home Companion.  We both laughed a lot which is a fine way to spend a Father' Day. 

The movie is hysterical, especially if you are a Garrison Keiller fan. 

From the movie -- What did the elephant say to the naked man?   That's cute, but can you really breathe through that thing.

I love my Dad.  He's always willing to fix things (or at least try), likes when we take him out to new restaurants and does his very best every day to love and care for the people around him. 

You rock Dad!

This is heartening.  Joseph Bute of Pine took the time to write in and question Bush's pandering to special interests while serious crises abound.  This is my favorite quote:

Facing a need to overcome serious and significant differences of opinion on the fate of more than 12 million immigrants in the United States, he has time to talk about his personal faith in heterosexuality.

Actually, his personal faith in rich, white, male heterosexuality.  But that's quibbling. 

Joseph, thanks for picking up your pen and keeping the PG readers aware of how much anti-anti-gay marriage amendment sentiment there is in Pennsylvania. 

Another interesting read is from Sarah H. Springer, M.D. medical director of International Adoption Health Services of Western Pennsylvania and chair of the section on adoption and foster care at the American Academy of Pediatrics. 

Dr. Springer believes that marriage amendments will hurt children. 

When legal recognition of committed couples and families is denied, children lose health insurance, inheritance rights and the rights to have their parents make medical and educational decisions for them. Children can lose the right to have a parent present for their comfort in medical settings, and can lose the protection of support in the case of parental separations, which happen sometimes in homosexual relationships, just as they do in heterosexual marriages.

Defining marriage as only between a man and a woman could deny thousands of children who wait for foster and adoptive homes the availability of willing, capable, loving parents.

She reiterates that all the scientific research shows that children of homosexual families are just as happy and well-adjusted as kids in heterosexual families. 

As Dr. Springer notes, amendments aren't going to suddenly cure homosexuals.  We won't disappear and neither will our kids.  We will be forced to exist in a second-tier status within this society which of course means so will our children.  Haven't we been there already in America?  In fact, aren't we still there when it comes to racial divides within society? 

It is important that people of good conscience stand up for what is right for all children and families.

Proponents of these amendments argue that allowing gay marriages will harm traditional families. This was the same argument used in days gone by to oppose interfaith marriages and inter-racial marriages. These claims were based on nothing but fear and prejudice, and we have learned, of course, that diversity makes all of our lives richer.

Fear and prejudice seem to be American specialities.  With the homos attacking our marriages and the immigrants stealing our jobs and tax dollars, who has time to fear a government attacking our privacy, economy and environment?  Duh!