Another "Christian Culture Warrior" Gets Caught with his Hand in the Nookie Jar...

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Why This Fall's Congressional Elections Matter...

I was having dinner with a good friend of mine the other night and he asked me to explain why this fall's midterm elections where "such a big deal" Here's what I told him...

Imagine about nine and half years ago, you lent your car to this guy. Now you didn't know this guy all that well, but you knew his Parents, and you liked them, so you figured it would be ok if he used your car for a while.

Then for the next 8 years this guy and a bunch of his friends, drove your car into the ground. They ignored rules of safe driving, ignored all the warning lights including "CHECK ENGINE NOW"! They never changed the oil, They drove the car into places the car was never meant or designed to go. They wore the tire tread down to practically nothing, and in 2008 were about to literally drive the car off a cliff in some bizarre game of "chicken", and the only thing that prevented THAT was you taking the car back, and the keys away from these guys.

So for the last year and a half or so, you have been working with a new mechanic who has been diligently working on the car, slowly repairing the massive amount of damage.  At every step this mechanic takes the time to explain exactly what the problem is and  what it will cost to fix it.

At the same time he is also smoothing things over with all of your other neighbors who have been really annoyed with you for allowing your car to be recklessly driven all over town for eight years.

On top of that, you just found out the reason that in 2008 those  guys were trying to drive the car off a cliff,  was because some of their other friends had placed huge BETS on how much damage crashing the car would cause.

Now that same bunch of drunk joy riders, who nearly totaled your car two years ago, show up and say you should hire THEM to fix the car. And their idea of fixing it, is to rip out all the safety features on the car. Take out the seat belts, remove the airbags, the shocks, the brakes, the turn signals and the mirrors. Their reason being , all those safety features were infringing on the car's "Freedom" to run.

Then they get  some of their loudest  and craziest  friends  to show up outside the garage,  and protest against the fact that the car is even being fixed at all.

So that in a nutshell IS the choice this November. Do you let the Mechanic who saved the car from the junk heap keep working on fixing it, or let the same bunch of drunk driving idiots double down on everything they did to wreck the car.

My friend looked thoughtfully out the window of the resturant and then said, "Why doesn't anyone in the Democratic Party explain it that clearly?"

That, is a really good question.... I wish I knew the answer.

The First Comic at the WHC Dinner

Sen. Harry Reid's Immigration Proposal Includes Gay Families

Included in the “framework” are key provisions of the Uniting American Families Act. The legislation was previously offered as a standalone bill by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont in the Senate and Representative Jerrold Nadler in the House.

The measure would allow gay Americans to sponsor an immigrant partner for citizenship.

“Today's inclusive framework is an historic step forward for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender binational families,” Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, a group that lobbies on behalf of binational gay and lesbian couples, said in a statement.

The UAFA has already proven controversial.

When Democrats attempted to tuck the measure inside California Representative Michael Honda's reform effort last summer, social conservatives cried foul. And the action drove one major partner to withdraw its support from the House version.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, a major ally in securing immigration reform, called inclusion of the gay provisions “contrary” to its position on marriage.

“[Including the gay provisions in the immigration bill] would erode the institution of marriage and family by according marriage like benefits to same-sex relationships, a position that is contrary to the very nature of marriage, which pre-dates the church and the state,” the bishops wrote in a letter to Rep. Honda withdrawing their support for his bill.

Speaking to POLITICO, the Reverend Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Leadership Conference, another reform ally, called inclusion of the UAFA a “slap in the face to those of us who have fought for years for immigration reform.”

Openly gay Congressman Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts, is already on record as disagreeing with the strategy.

“You got two very tough issues – the rights of same-sex couples and immigration,” Frank told the Washington Blade. “You put them in the same bill, and it becomes impossible. We just don't have the votes for it.”

Tiven said her group would lobby for inclusion of the UAFA's provisions.

“We will fight to ensure that the Uniting American Families Act is an indelible part of the immigration reform bill,” she said.

Fox News... How stupid are you ?

The first  rule of  politics..  NEVER  pick a fight with someone  funnier and  wayyyy smarter than you .

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I am Horrifed... Completely Horrified.

(Via Dan Savage's  SLOG)

Greene v. County of Sonoma et al.


Clay and his partner of 20 years, Harold, lived in California. Clay and Harold made diligent efforts to protect their legal rights, and had their legal paperwork in place—wills, powers of attorney, and medical directives, all naming each other. Harold was 88 years old and in frail medical condition, but still living at home with Clay, 77, who was in good health.

One evening, Harold fell down the front steps of their home and was taken to the hospital. Based on their medical directives alone, Clay should have been consulted in Harold’s care from the first moment. Tragically, county and health care workers instead refused to allow Clay to see Harold in the hospital. The county then ultimately went one step further by isolating the couple from each other, placing the men in separate nursing homes. Ignoring Clay’s significant role in Harold’s life, the county continued to treat Harold like he had no family and went to court seeking the power to make financial decisions on his behalf. Outrageously, the county represented to the judge that Clay was merely Harold’s “roommate.” The court denied their efforts, but did grant the county limited access to one of Harold’s bank accounts to pay for his care.

What happened next is even more chilling: without authority, without determining the value of Clay and Harold’s possessions accumulated over the course of their 20 years together or making any effort to determine which items belonged to whom, the county took everything Harold and Clay owned and auctioned off all of their belongings. Adding further insult to grave injury, the county removed Clay from his home and confined him to a nursing home against his will. The county workers then terminated Clay and Harold's lease and surrendered the home they had shared for many years to the landlord.

Three months after he was hospitalized, Harold died in the nursing home. Because of the county’s actions, Clay missed the final months he should have had with his partner of 20 years. Compounding this tragedy, Clay has literally nothing left of the home he had shared with Harold or the life he was living up until the day that Harold fell, because he has been unable to recover any of his property.

The only memento Clay has is a photo album that Harold painstakingly put together for Clay during the last three months of his life.

With the help of a dedicated and persistent court-appointed attorney, Anne Dennis of Santa Rosa, Clay was finally released from the nursing home. Ms. Dennis, along with Stephen O'Neill and Margaret Flynn of Tarkington, O'Neill, Barrack & Chong, now represent Clay in a lawsuit against the county, the auction company, and the nursing home, with technical assistance from NCLR. A trial date has been set for July 16, 2010 in the Superior Court for the County of Sonoma.

NCal's favorite Activist family (Jay & Bryan Leffew) have taken up the issue on their YouTube Channel



I hope Clay Greene wins, and it completely bankrupts Sonoma County.

Why Can't the ELCA be this brave?

The  United Church of Christ (UCC) has  made  something of a name for itself with their  very  effective and  brave  television ads,   that  drive the  nutjob  religions right in this country up a tree.  Mainly because the ads honestly  call  out  these  so-called  "Evangelical Christians"  for their  very UN-Christian practices.  CBS and NBC both were  to scared of  the likes of  Pat Robertson and James "Focus on the Funding"  Dobson to air  the original UCC Ad:



My personal favorite was this one...



This past year my own Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Chuch in America took it's own babysteps into the 21rst Century when they voted on whether Gays and Lesbians were fit to serve God openly in the Church. As a result of that "radical step"",  there are a number of ELCA Churches that have made it known they plan to leave the ELCA. My response to that is -  "have a nice trip" .

The UCC's latest ad is great, the tag line "never place a period where God has placed a comma..." brilliantly sums up what is wrong with the conservative evangelical movement in the United States. James Dobson, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and their assorted ilk, are far more interested in talking about how "Christian" they are than actually living the principles of the faith they claim so loudly to follow.



The Language of God from United Church of Christ on Vimeo.


What  distresses me most though, is the  half measures of  courage   from my own Church.   Oh sure...  privately  both Clergy and  assorted  elected leaders  will say  how much they disagree  with folks like  Huckabee and Palin, but  then will lament how they  cant  say  so  "Officially" because  they don't want to  "create more  division" within the Church.   So  basically   the  largest  Lutheran Church in  North America  can vote to say  Gay and Lesbian Pastors and the churches that  hire them won't be  put on trial anymore.  But,   to  expect the Church to stand up and say  that  people  who  claim Gays and Lesbians  are  less than human,  are WRONG... well ,  that's just asking for too much right now.  


Back in 2005  I  wrote a guest column  for  buzzflash.com  that  talked about  the  misuse of religion by  some on the  political  far right.   Now we watch all the  assorted  "tea-baggery"  much if it  wrapped in a faux cloak of  religion.  Lunatics  like  Sarah Palin  calling  for  the end of  any separation between Church and State.   People like failed  GOP  presidential candidate Mike Huckabee  comparing  millions of  American families  raising  their children to  people who  want puppies  but  don't understand  the  responsibility  of  caring for them.    





These people are  insane.   They are  the American Taliban  and  deserve to be called out at such.


As a lifelong Lutheran, I can't help but be more than a little envious of the UCC's willingness to demonstrate how they possess the courage of their convictions, and not just convictions alone. The ELCA could take a lesson from that.

A Small Measure of Justice for Millions of American Families...

Yeasterday,  a small measure of justice was achieved  thanks  to one couple's horrific treatment by a hospital in Miami Florida.  In 2007  at Jackson Memorial Hospital. Where despite having medical power of attorney Janice Langbehm was denied the right to see her partner Lisa Pond as she lay dying from a stroke.  

Administrators refused to let Langbehm into the Pond's hospital room. A social worker told them they were in an "anti-gay city and state." And the hospital refused to recognize her and the children as Pond's family, even after a power of attorney was faxed to the hospital within an hour of their arrival.   Pond, 39, was pronounced dead of a brain aneurysm about 18 hours after being admitted to Jackson's Ryder Trauma Center. Langbehn said she was allowed in to see her partner only for about five minutes, as a priest gave Pond the last rites.



It's hard to not want to find out who that "hospital social worker"  was and go make their life as miserable as possible.  The first rule in health care is  always  "do no harm".  Whoever that  sad pathetic hateful failure of a human being was,  they failed to obey that basic and critical  rule in every concieveable way.

Conservative nutjobs are always saying that same sex marriage is not needed to protect the rights of Gay and Lesbian couples since they can "have medical powers of attorney". Clearly this is not the case,  when even cities like Miami, backwards knuckle dragging hate filled idiots can still have their bigotry trump the legal rights of millions of American Families..

For the record, Jackson Memorial Hospital never apoligized to  Langbehm or her family for  the  barbaric treatment they suffered at their hands.  Yet is comforting to know  that  should the bigots there at  JMH or at another hospital, ever try to harm anyone else the way they did the family of Lisa Pond,  the hospital might  lose  its ability to bill back to Medicare, and could as a result, be forced to close.   (Very few hospitals in the United States who take  Medicare Paitents  could  continue to operate if  they were excluded from the program.)

President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered his health secretary to issue new rules aimed at granting hospital visiting rights to same-sex partners, and making it easier for gay men and lesbians to make medical decisions on behalf of their partners.

The White House announced the rule changes in a memorandum released on Thursday night. In it, the president said the new rules would affect any hospital that participates in Medicare or Medicaid, the government programs to cover the elderly and the poor.

"Every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindness and caring of a loved one at their sides," Obama said in the memorandum, adding that the rules could also help widows and widowers who rely on friends and members of religious orders who care for one another. But he says gay men and lesbians are "uniquely affected" because they are often barred from visiting partners with whom they have spent decades.

Several states have tried to put an end to discrimination against same-sex couples, and Obama said he intended to build on those efforts. He said the new rules will make clear that designated visitors should enjoy visiting privileges that are no more restrictive than those enjoyed by immediate family members.

The full memo can be read below...


Hospital visitation memo

The Vatican's Sacrament of Delusional Denial...

(Hat tip to  Joemygod.com)
The Pope's number two man, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, whose home archdiocese has recently imprisoned priests for molesting young girls, is blaming the Catholic Church's problem with child rape on gay men.

The Vatican's second-highest authority says the sex scandals haunting the Roman Catholic Church are linked to homosexuality and not celibacy among priests. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican's secretary of state, made the comments during a news conference Monday in Chile, where one of the church's highest-profile pedophile cases involves a priest having sex with young girls. "Many psychologists and psychiatrists have demonstrated that there is no relation between celibacy and pedophilia. But many others have demonstrated, I have been told recently, that there is a relation between homosexuality and pedophilia. That is true," said Bertone. "That is the problem." His comments drew angry reactions from Chile's gay rights advocates. 

For the most part,  aside from posting  a video earlier this year of the great Stephen Fry's rebuttal to the  question   is the Catholic Church a force for good in the world.   I have  largely stayed away from this topic.   The reason being,  I am not Catholic.  I am  Protestant,  Lutheran  to be  exact.  So, as  the  horrific  and  sordid details  of  the Vatican's  institutionalized acceptance of the rape of children spilled out  over the past few years,  I  have felt,  that  as I am not  a member of the  Roman Catholic Church, it  really wasn't my place to comment.


Well,  Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone's  response to  the  crimes  of his  church,  has made me  rethink that  position.   This twisted, deluded , sexually dysfunctional man in a dress, has  spewed forth his  hate fueled  internalized  homophobia in hopes  of  shifting the blame for  the horrors perpetrated against children on his watch to ANYbody other  than  those  actually  responsible.  


Lets be clear here.  This issue  deals with  the Roman Catholic Church as  an organization,  NOT as  faith  or  theology.   I have no quarrel  with anyone who professes  the Catholic faith,  seeks to practice and  honor the liturgical rites of that faith,  or  even seeks to actively  share that faith with others.  Yet  the institutional culture and organizational hierarchy of that church, were it a  secular institution, would have been raided by the police, it's operations shut down and it's leaders arrested  decades  ago. 


The problem  with the Roman Catholic Church in  2010 is  that  men like  Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, don't  see the  systematic  and institutionally sanctioned  rape  of children as the  real problem.  Rather  Cardinal  Bertone thinks efforts to  stop those crimes and  hold those who commit them responsible, for him THAT is the real sin.   


Until that  viewpoint  changes,  the  Catholic Church  should and must be viewed as  a threat  to Children and epicenter of  the largest  organized  sex crime ring in human history.

Hello from London

Hey there folks,

Taking a short break over the Easter Holiday . Spending time with Eric here in London, Back to the US on Wednesday so will get back to the news and silliness of the day on here then.

Hope everyone is well!

Dave

David Mixner's Brilliant Op-Ed on how the Right has got it wrong... again.

The time has come for the American right wing to pack it up, stop its hatred and end its disruption of American society. They have proven time and time again that they are almost always on the wrong side of history. Let's give them some expensive luggage with RNC monogrammed on it and send them into the sunset. Time to end the 'lock and load' mentality, lawmakers who have 'targets' semi-imposed over their faces and the new code word for racism and homophobia of "We want our country back." Back to where and to whom?

The extreme right record of utter and total failure to stop the march to progress is the reason we should not have to bear their craziness anymore. The record is numbingly clear: They were wrong about Social Security. They were wrong on integrating the military forces under President Truman. They were wrong about McCarthyism in the early 1950's. They were wrong about passing civil rights legislation in the 1960's. They were wrong on Medicare. They were wrong about women rights. They were wrong about 'trickle down economics.' They were wrong about tax breaks for the rich. They were wrong about the war in Iraq. They were wrong about climate change. They were wrong about LGBT rights and they are wrong about healthcare reform.

Can you imagine our world if they had been successful in stopping any of the forces for change above? We would have a world with our seniors poor and unable to have healthcare. We would have African-Americans unable to vote. We would see women relegated to being housewives and not leading our nation. All homosexuals would still be in the closet with many having lobotomies, committing suicide and being arrested. The world has become and is still becoming a better place because of progressive legislation and ignoring the calls, shouts and anger to protect the narrow-minded status quo.

Fact is, they can't have their country back. Their country is moving forward into a greatness with a richly diverse and exciting population. Their country is still a place that still believes individual freedom and equality for all its people no matter if they are popular or not. As Frank Rich pointed out in his column this week in the New York Times, their country now has an African-American President, a woman as Speaker of the House, a Hispanic on the Supreme Court and a gay man as head of the Banking Committee in the House. Those who seek to end this march into the 21st century simply can't turn back the tides of time.

All they can do is make us more divided, pay a higher price to protect the people of this nation, fill the air with anger and make the march of progress a heavier burden. Time for them to realize that for the last 100 years they have been on the wrong side of history. I say to them: Give it up and enjoy your new healthcare and make sure your children are at last getting adequate care. I am willing to bet that in five years every single mindlessly angry voice will be using this new healthcare system and many of them will be saved economically by it. Progress is good. Generosity is appreciated. Intelligence is revered. Get used to it.
------------------------------------------------
This post can be read  in its original format  at  davidmixner.com   here :
The-right-constantly-on-the-wrong-side-of-history.

The Opening Scene! The New Series of Doctor Who

Finally! A Poltical Playbook the GOP can REALLY Use!

Bryan Safi over at infomania  gives  our  Republican friends  some much needed advice on managing their image when the truth "Comes Out". 



(hat tip to Huffington Post for this one...)

The End of the Republican Party....

The  Republican Party has  charted  their course.    Right  off  a cliff...

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The Republican Alternative..

The GOP is  promising to "repeal"  Health Care reform  in favor of their  own  brilliant  health care plan..

So in case you  were not  paying attention and missed  out on exactly what the Republican Health Care Plan  is, here  is a quick review.  (hat tip to Americablog.com)

The GOP's Waterloo...

Conservative columnist and former George W. Bush Speechwriter David Frum's take on last nights health care reform victory...

"So today’s defeat for free-market economics and Republican values is a huge win for the conservative entertainment industry. Their listeners and viewers will now be even more enraged, even more frustrated, even more disappointed in everybody except the responsibility-free talkers on television and radio. For them, it’s mission accomplished. For the cause they purport to represent, it’s Waterloo all right: ours. "

Frum of course  was referring to  GOP mental giant  Senator Jim Demint,  who predicted  the defeat of  Health Care Reform would be  President Obama's  "Waterloo".

Now that Health Care Reform has passed and will become law, and all  the nutjob Teabaggers  can do is  scream their tiny  heads  off and  threaten an unending series of lawsuits. (That will all be thrown out...)   I find my self  wanting  to  call up  Senator Demint and  ask him  the great  Dr. Phil question;    So Jim,   that  whole  "Waterloo" idea ... How's that  workin' out for you?

I love Markos'  take on  all of this  (via dailykosTV)

Senator Jim Demint,  this one's  for you !

After all this hulabaloo over Health Care Reform...

What  America REALLY needs is  a  NEW DOCTOR!

Health Insurance Reform Passes!

This is what change looks like.

• 
  
  Every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage.
• 
  
  Every American will be covered under the toughest patient protections in history. 
• 
  
  Arbitrary premium hikes, insurance cancellations, and discrimination against pre-existing conditions will now be gone forever.

President Obama's reaction to tonight's historic vote:

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The Debate is Over... PASS THE BILL

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John Stewart's brilliant take on Glenn Beck

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My Boss, talking about Health Care Reform

How both Labor and Managment  along with  Kaiser Permanente can affect the direction of health care reform was one of the main topics of discussion at my company's  2010 Union Delegate Conference. After addressing the 700 delegates, George Halvorson, president and CEO of Kaiser Permanente Health Plan and Hospitals, shared his thoughts on the subject with Barb Grimm.

In this clip, Halvorson talks about how KP can serve as a model for the nation--after all, the organization cares for 8.6 million people, more than the population of 42 states and 142 other countries. We are an ideal laboratory for the care of a large, diverse population. Halvorson also shares why he thinks we’re on the verge of a “golden age of health care improvement” and discusses the intersection between unit-based teams and health care reform.

Top 10 Anti-Gay Activists Caught Being Gay (via Ranker)

List of Top 10 Anti-Gay Activists Caught Being Gay on Ranker

Serious "hat tip"  to  joemygod.com for this one!

Andrew Sullivan on Catholisism and Gay Marriage...

For the most part,  I tend to take  a lot  of  what  Andrew Sullivan says with a grain of salt.   In the past, as a former repubican,   I have found  his  conservatism forced; and as a Protestant,  have found  his  theology  riddled with contradictions  he simply chooses to ignore.   If I were ever allowed to stage a  "dream debate",   I would  love to see  Stephen Fry take Sullivan on,  but I digress...

That being said, I have to acknowledge  Sullivan as clearly one of the great free thinkers of our age.  During his speech and  Q&A  at Princeton University recently,  Sullivan says  a few things   on the subject of  theology that I  might take issue with.  But  his response  to a questioner on the nature of marriage itself, and how the idea of  same sex marriage  is completely  in tune with the basic and most fundamental  message of  Christianity, was quite simply brilliant...



The entire lecture can be viewed via the Princeton website  here.

HR-4789 A simple, practical effective solution....

HR-4789 is a simple four page solution to the entire health care debate. There are no new entitlement programs, no added federal expenditures, and no need to spend billions to set up a new provider network. Americans would be able to BUY into Medicare at cost. Paying out of their own pocket to access the EXISTING medicare provider network. It would be sensible, affordable, and workable.

WHich of course means Repbulcans will do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING to stop it. The GOP wants the health care system to REMAIN AS IT IS. And as HR-4789 would mean real competition and choice , the GOP is terrifed of it.    
 
Because allowing Americans to BUY into the exisiting medical provider network that their taxes  pay for, MIGHT  endanger  insurance company profits;   the GOP  will never ever  allow it  to be voted on...

CA Republican "Family Values" in Action

(via Huffingtonpost.com) 

Early Wednesday morning, State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Calif.) was pulled over and arrested for drunk driving. Sources report that Ashburn --a fierce opponent of gay rights -- was driving drunk after leaving a gay nightclub; when the officer stopped the state-issued vehicle, there was an unidentified man in the passenger seat of the car.

Ashburn has issued an apology for the incident:

"I am deeply sorry for my actions and offer no excuse for my poor judgment. I accept complete responsibility for my conduct and am prepared to accept the consequences for what I did. I am also truly sorry for the impact this incident will have on those who support and trust me - my family, my constituents, my friends, and my colleagues in the Senate."

Talking Points Memo did a little  bit of homework and found the Senator's 2005 efforts to defend California  from  the   Gay threat :

"We need to preserve traditional values for the future of our children. Children must be raised with morals and principles. As a society, we must provide them with a secured and loving environment that allows them to flourish."

Those are the words of California state Senator Roy Ashburn, a father of four, quoted in a 2005press release announcing a rally to support "traditional marriage."

Ashburn, of course, is the senator with the anti-gay record who was reportedly a regular at Sacramento gay clubs. He was picked up for a DUI early Wednesday morning, reportedly with an unidentified man in he car.

So we decided to look back: just how anti-gay is Ashburn's record?

Said Equality California director Geoff Kors in an interview with TPMmuckraker: "He has voted against every LGBT rights bill that's been introduced in California since he's been in the office."

At that 2005 anti-gay marriage rally, Ashburn said that "Our friends and neighbors in our community are restating the obvious -- that the institute of marriage is fundamental to our society. Marriage between one man and one woman is fundamental to civilization."

That's according to an AP account (via Nexis) of the rally, which was disrupted by protesters. According to the article, Ashburn's office claimed that "hundreds gathered at Patriots Park to support traditional marriage and family values."

But a local newspaper reported "there were actually fewer than 20 supporters."

Here's a look at the votes of Ashburn, a Republican of Bakersfield:

• In 2006, he voted no on a measure to add material on the contributions of gay Americans who had contributed to the development of California or the United States
• In 2008 he voted against expanding anti-discrimination laws to include sexual discrimination.
• In 2009 he voted against a resolution to oppose Prop 8, the anti-gay marriage ballot question.
• Last September, he voted against recognizing out-of-state same-sex marriages.
• That same month Ashburn opposed creating Harvey Milk Day, to honor the slain gay rights icon from San Francisco.

Craig Ferguson on  "The Late Late Show" had the best take on the whole  situation...

If you are so inclined...

Ok, usually I don't like to do this, but  in the case  it's for a  great cause.    An old friend of mine, Steve Funk is running for  State Assembly from the Illinois 18th District.  (For those reaching for their maps,  that  is the North Side of Chicago.)     He is running as a libertarian.  If you  are so moved,  please  donate  to help put Steve Funk on the Ballot in  Illinois.  In an era when  neither Democrats or Republicans seem able to get anything done,  it makes sense to start electing independents  who can  think outside the old idealogical boxes!