Happy Sunday

Try to have a nice day.

People Whom I Can't Understand Vote Republican

Herewith, a short list of people who I cannot, for the life of me, understand why they would be or call themselves or, God forbid, vote Republican.

• Gays
• Transgendered
• Black Americans
• Middle Class Americans
• Lower Class Americans
• Elderly (unless they're already wealthy, of course)
• Women
• People in the military
• Veterans
• Anyone with an education
• Anyone who considers themselves to be Christian

I just don't get it.

God knows they're out there but...

Wow.

Links:

GOP platform 2016: Republicans vote against same-sex marriage

Anti-Gay Politicians | List of US Leaders Against Gay Rights

How Voter ID Laws Discriminate Against Racial Minorities

GOP Voter ID Laws Would Disenfranchise Millions Of Blacks

Getting a photo ID so you can vote is easy. Unless you're poor, black

AARP warns senators against supporting GOP healthcare bill

After Passing Senate Tax Bill, GOP to Target Seniors' Earned Benefits

Unjust GOP budget and tax plan cuts the safety net for seniors

Senate Republicans reject equal pay bill

GOP blocks minimum wage, sick leave proposals 

House rejects $2 billion in new funding for VA's healthcare

Republicans Vote Against our Veterans — Again

GOP Voted Against 7 Bills to Help Veterans

41 Republican Senators Voted Against a Landmark Veterans Bill

U.S. Senate Republicans block veterans' health bill

How often do Republicans undermine veterans? Here's a list

Senate Fight Stalls Funding for Troops, Veterans 

The Agenda: Equality

John Cena really made a fantastic video here. I was overwhelmed.

Happy National Coming Out Day!

Come out, come out, whoever you are!!

GLAAD.ORG

Missouri In the News

Yes sir, Missouri is in the news today. These are both from The New York Times.

First this, on our own Senator Claire McCaskill's in put on Hillary Clinton and her race for the White House.

Did Hillary Clinton Have to Be First?

Senator Claire McCaskill and the Times columnist Gail Collins talk about gender, politics and the presidency in our latest podcast.

Then this, on Missouri's Miss America pageant entry presently.

Missouri Woman Is Miss America Pageant's First Openly Lesbian Contestant

I would never have seen that coming. I would have thought this would be out of New York or Florida or California or nearly any other state but not us, not here.

Enjoy your weekend, y'all.

Live and Let Live?

Meine Damen und Herren, Mesdames and Messieurs
Ladies and Gentleman
Is it a crime to fall in love?
Can we ever tell where the heart truly leads us?
All we are asking is eine bisschen Verstandnis

Why can't the world leben und leben lassen?
'Live and let live....'

Missourians, Lamenting Equality in America

Sadly, shamefully, really, Dent County, Missouri, Southeast of Fort Leonard Wood, is mixing their religion and opinions with government just now, it seems.

Dent County, Mo., votes to lower flags in protest of Supreme Court's gay marriage ruling

That these people would, as I said above, laament or protest further equality busting out in our country is not just sad but wrong and unjust. It's not completely surprising but it is unfortunate, certainly.

Quote of the Day -- Timely

What part of equality do people not understand?

The Last Week in America

They're both improvements.

Worried About Gay Marriage?

Relax!

Right Wing, "Conservative", Religious, Supposedly "Christian", Republican Springfield Repeals Equality

There's a shocker, huh?

LGBT protections repealed in Springfield

The bigots from the pews won.

This one, this time.

The thing is, what they don't recognize is that we all want equality.

This is America, right?

Didn't we always say, haven't we always been told, from grade school? that "...all men are created equal"?

What too many don't recognize is that the opposite of equality id discrimination.

So, Kansas City.... You Want the Final Four Back?

It looks as though Kansas City's chances for possibly getting the basketball Final Four back from Indianapolis just shot up this week:

NCAA 'concerned' over Indiana law that allows biz to reject gays

It seems the religious zealots over in Indiana got their way with some Right Wing, Republican legislators:

Gov. Mike Pence signs 'religious freedom' bill in private

This "religious freedom" bill is their desire to discriminate against fellow Indianans, and legally:

Senate Bill 101 prohibits state or local governments from substantially burdening a person's ability to exercise their religion — unless the government can show that it has a compelling interest and that the action is the least-restrictive means of achieving it. It takes effect July 1.

Although the bill does not mention sexual orientation, opponents fear it could allow business owners to deny services to gays and lesbians for religious reasons.

And of course they would deny service. It's their stated goal.

All of a sudden, there are lots and lots of people and groups and even companies calling for a nationwide boycott of the entire state, too, as proof:

Youth Travel Sports Should Boycott Indiana

San Francisco Is First Major City To Boycott Indiana Over LGBT Discrimination Law

ESPN's Ruocco to Sports Leagues: Boycott Indiana Until New 'Religious Freedom' Law Changed

George Takei Asks Twitter Followers to #BoycottIndiana

Salesforce boycotts Indiana over fear of LGBT discrimination

So all of a sudden, Kansas City, you're looking better and better.

NCAA: 'Religious freedom' law creates concern for future events

That Sprint Center you have downtown?

Do you have an open schedule?

Kansas heads will be 'asplodin' today

First this:

Federal judge orders Kansas to allow same-sex marriages

And then tonight, some Republicans losing, and big time?

Republicans against equal pay for women

With this result yesterday:

Senate Republicans unanimously reject equal pay bill

What woman, what working woman would vote Republican?

What woman, Hispanic, black, gay or elderly person would vote for this political party, for that matter?

I just don't get it.

Possibly the best commentary on Missouri's, Michael Sam's and football's current situation

From Daily Kos today:

Dale Hansen has twice been named Sportscaster of the Year by the Associated Press and with thoughtful commentary like this, it's easy to see why. This may very well be the best statement yet on Michael Sam's decision to announce he's gay:

Mizzou comes out looking good on Michael Sam's announcement

After the announcement over the last few days of football player and possible NFL draft prospect Michael Sam from and at the University of Missouri-Columbia, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart covered the story last evening and our own Mizzou came out looking pretty darned good in what has got to be very prominent coverage:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,The Daily Show on Facebook

Prominent coverage for young America, at least.

Kudos, Mizzou,  You did the right thing.

Now if we can just get the rest of the state to not be homophobic, ugly, hateful and/or otherwise discriminatory.

Notes on a viral video

I just found this video on the YouTube home page.

Observations:

1)  How cool, simply;

2) How great that Home Depot is getting/will get support and goodwill out of it;

3) This is what equality is all about;

4) Most of us don't have, will never have someone who loves us that much;

5) It's freaking beautiful;

6) How great that all those friends--ALL those friends--were there and so supportive;

7) Their parents were there;

8)  Lots of family was apparently also there;

9) Plenty of people will have cried at how beautiful and simple this is.

10) If someone's religion gets in the way of this beauty, in the way of love, of this kind of love, it's their problem--the one with the judgmental, condemning religion--and no one else's.


Now, get out there and have a beautiful weekend, people.

Such great news today

Equality, coming to America:

2 MAJOR RULINGS BOLSTER GAY MARRIAGE

Court Voids U.S. Law and Clears Way for Vows in California

5-4 Vote Extends Federal Benefits to Same-Sex Spouses

I'm naturally reminded of the line straight from the Bible, Amos 5:24 that the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. made so famous in his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Washington Monument August 28, 1963:

"But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."

So look out, Missouri and Kansas. Equality is headed your way, too, like it or not.

More links:

Analysis of Gay Marriage Rulings

Public Opinion Led, the Court Followed

The Same-Sex Marriage Rulings

As the Court Turns

The Long Road to Marriage Equality

What's Next For Gay Married Couples

Quote of the day

"Forget global warming, forget war, poverty, disease. What really matters is whether other people, in private, sleep with their own sex."

--Richard Dawkins

Catholics: Remember the upheaval of Vatican II?

I was a child in the early 60's when Vatican II took place and I'll never forget the effect it had on our Mother at the time.

She and our Dad were both huge, faithful Catholic followers at that point. Everything that was the Catholic Church, they had been taught and they bought off on, hook, line and sinker--and I'm not mocking it here, let me be clear.

For everything you have ever known and believed in and for everything you've ever been told was solid ground, so to speak, all of a sudden to be knocked out from under you, it was very disorienting, first, for her, as I understand, and second, I think she felt, believed and/or found out that all this that was supposedly so "in concrete" was, actually, arbitrary and man-made.

And the thing is, she was far, far from alone.

Great numbers of Catholics were disoriented by Vatican II, as we discovered.

Why do I bring this up?

Well, I bring this up now because I think that, if Catholics the world over are paying attention, there is actually a great deal--a great deal--of change going on with and in the Catholic Church, most especially pertaining to the Pope and his role in the last 8 years.

But it's also change and changes and disillusionment due to the Church's worldwide sexual abuse scandals, both in these nations around the world, separately, but also right there in and at the Vatican and Rome.

What I'm saying is that there are huge changes going on in and coming to the Catholic Church and this is almost the worst kind because they aren't planned in any way, far from it, they're out of control, if even half of what is written about the Church lately is true and finally, because it is change that is being forced on the Church again, from outside, by governments and other bodies.

So stay tuned, folks, because it already is a bumpy ride and it's going to be far, far more than just "a bumpy night."

I will say this, tough--one way the Catholic Church could somewhat--somewhat--vindicate itself is if, from this list of potential candidates for Pope, according to CNN just now:

 

Wouldn't it be incredible if the Catholic Church elected a black Pop?

 

Talk about change.

 

Wow.