Pam Spaulding's Blog, page 3

Rick Perry Announces, God?Issues?Statement Of Clarification

 WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - Texas Governor Rick Perry's announcement Saturday that he would be seeking the presidency, spurred political insiders to wonder if the Heavenly Father had tipped His hand. The Governor had been on record that he would be consulting God on the decision.   Heavenly Kingdom Press Secretary Simon Peter dashed speculation by releasing this statement quickly on the heels of the Governor's announcement:  

"Despite rumors to the contrary and multiple candidates claiming otherwise, Our Heavenly Father has yet to endorse a specific candidate in the upcoming election. There are many fine candidates in the running and His Omnipotency looks forward to hearing what they all have to say before making any formal announcements of support."

The decision by Our Heavenly Father to make an explicit announcement to the press corps is unprecedented and has politicos wondering if even this older-than-time political kingmaker is maturing in His approach to American electoral politics.
Some insiders speculate the Kingdom's announcement is a preemptive attempt to tamp down assumptions that Perry's decision to run is confirmation of him having received a direct go-ahead from The Almighty Himself. Still others suspect it points to a delicate finessing in God's relationship with key Perry rival Michele Bachmann. The two have been said to be very close.?

Perry's campaign did not return repeated requests for comment by deadline.?

Spox?Simon?Peter denies the Kingdom is attempting damage control after the blockbuster, embarrassing expos? that broke in last month's New York magazine: "God Caught Backing Multiple GOP Candidates for President." The magazine cited conflicting reports coming out of the Bachmann, Santorum and even the Herman Cain camp as to who was really The Chosen Candidate.?

Peter?downplayed there were concerns about the Heavenly Father's credibility, saying, "Do people misinterpret His attention? Sure, He's God. If they get Him on the line, they think they're special. The Heavenly Father talks to a lot of people, and He's infinitely supportive, but He doesn't have any favorites."

Both Perry and God's announcements are seen as setbacks to the Bachmann campaign. It was previously presumed Michele Bachmann was God's sweetheart.?The Minnesota House Rep. has claimed to be in close and constant contact with The Heavenly Father, saying, "Well, every decision that I make, I pray about, as does my husband, and I can tell you, yes, I've had that calling and that tugging on my heart that this is the right thing to do."?

But lately doubts have begun to surface about her continued favored status.?Thursday, noted God confidant and sometime spokesman for the Heavenly Kingdom Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association claimed God considered Bachmann merely a candidate of last resort. He said:

"Now then the question becomes what if God can't find any men with the spine and with the testicular fortitude to provide the kind of leadership? Well, what he'll do is He'll send a woman to do a man's job."

Peter Simon denies God considers Bachmann a "last resort" calling Fischer's comment, "Not an accurate assessment of His Holiness's feelings on Rep. Bachmann, who he loves exactly the same as all his children."

Bachmann spokesperson?Alice Stewart denies the relationship between the candidate and God has chilled, calling such talk "pure nonsense." But a senior level campaign staffer revealed a brewing frustration within the Bachmann camp. Speaking under condition of anonymity, the source said, "Of course she's ticked. While she's off on the campaign trail, Rick Perry throws together his little Prayer-A-Palooza and that turns God's head? That stadium was not even half full! And now Rick's the favorite?! For that?! For Chrissake! They didn't even handle snakes! Or burn a witch! Michele has been speaking in tongues in every TV appearance for years! What kinda gratitude is that?!"

God's opinion has long played a powerful role in American politics. But His Omnipotency has largely taken a behind-the-scenes approach, eschewing the public spotlight and quietly whispering in supporters, voters, candidates and electeds'?ears to shore up popular support for his initiatives and candidates.?

But contrary to conventional wisdom, political analysts are increasingly becoming divided on the net value in His Holiness' overt endorsement. The omnipotent creator of all Heaven and Earth unquestionably has tremendous favorability ratings owing in large part to his longstanding promise of eternal life. But differences over administrative qualifiers for entrance into the "eternal life program" remain a contentious source of disagreement in America.?

Some critics say the buck stops with God himself, citing a bureaucratic tangle of outdated, confusing or even contradictory directives coming from on high. Even one enthusiastic God supporter concedes, "Leadership could be better, His organization's priorities at times seem confused." Still others maintain that His track record for actual delivery of eternal life remains in dispute by some.?

Still, God's Q score remains in the high heavens, with most of those polled citing admiration for his "infinite love," "unerring wisdom" and "divine forgiveness."?

David Silverman from American Atheists isn't so impressed. Noting God isn't even an American citizen, Silverman is quick to point out The Almighty's track record in backing political candidates and causes is not so good.

"Let's not forget it was God that told George W. Bush to run back in 2000. And it was God's brilliant idea to invade Iraq. When it comes to his meddling in American politics, it certainly isn't clear that God is good, God is great," says Silverman.?

Indeed, some insiders speculate it was missteps the Heavenly Kingdom made during the Bush administration that prompted this unprecedented clarification. Is it possible that God is doing an image makeover after some problematic political alliances that have taken their toll?

Says an unnamed source in the Kingdom, also speaking under condition of anonymity, "Look, God is just looking to proceed cautiously here. In the past He's, maybe, you know, been a little too vulnerable to flattery, and thrown His weight behind some of the wrong people. And where's it gotten Him? The Vatican? He won't even take the Pope's calls anymore. Shit, don't print that! Mormons? What a debacle that Prop 8 was. All that time and money spent over that? He totally wasn't on board with that. The megachurches? Do not bring up Ted Haggart in His presence!

"Look, the thing is, he's feeling burned. He's not entirely sure all this has been good for his image, or that these people really share His core values. I mean, He sent His son down there to minister to the poor and the sick! Not to stop gays from getting married and bomb Planned Parenthood clinics!?

"For now, He just wants to keep his options open."?

Asked if The Universal Force For All That Is Good And Holy was contemplating endorsing a Democrat in the General, the source only smiled and declined comment.

When Our Means Aren't As Pure As The Ends We Seek

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

A.G. Casebeer recently failed not only himself, but the trans community he belongs to.

As background, Cathy Brennan and Elizabeth Hungerford wrote a letter to the UN against gender identity based civil rights legislation. Laurel Ramseyer, for Pam's House Blend negatively critiqued the letter -- trans community members in the blogosphere also negatively critiqued the letter, while a number of radfems and a number of transsexuals who don't identify as transgender positively critiqued the letter.

Casebeer responded to Cathy Brennan's and Elizabeth Hugerford's letter to the UN with a comment found on a Facebook page. The comment, as described in the Louisville Courier-Journal article Threat Linked To Treasurer Of Fairness PAC, is related as follows:

The posting on Casebeer's page stated of Brennan: a "nice home run swing to the head with a 38-oz. Louisville Slugger is more in order."

It went on to say that if the poster "ever saw her in my windshield, I'll be wiping blood off my white Buick. But I won't be using the brakes."

Casebeer was the treasurer of the Fairness PAC when he mad the comment -- a PAC that lists in its core values:

We believe in non-violent, grassroots organizing that empowers individuals and build a social justice movement that creates lasting change.

Casebeer resigned from the Fairness PAC. He owned his mistake, he apologized, and outlined a plan for not repeating the mistake. A copy of his apology is found on Transgriot. Monica Roberts offered an apology as well because Casebeer's comment was posted on one of her entries on her Facebook page.

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

There is no excuse for Casebeer's comment. I'm about certain he felt provoked by Brennan's and Hungerford's letter to the UN, but just as we can't accept a "I was provoked" defense from the teen who perpetrated violence on Larry King, we can't accept any "I was provoked" defense for violence of the spirit expressed in words from trans people directed at others. And just as Jillian Todd Weiss wrote on Bilerico, threats of violence by trans advocates must be condemned.

[More below the fold.]

Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

Casebeer owned his mistake, apologized, and outlined a plan for not repeating the mistake -- but harm has been done when he gave into anger and bitterness.

If I were Cathy Brennan, I would have called law enforcement -- I've personally called law enforcement for a less explicit threat. One has to take all threats on one's life seriously. A threat of violence in and of itself is real harm to the recipient of the threat.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

~Martin Luther King Jr.

Beyond the direct harm to Cathy Brennan, Casebeer harmed his community of trans people. When Brennan and Hungerford outlined fear of violence as a reason to be against gender identity based antidiscrimination protections, he harmed his siblings in trans community by giving credence to a fear of violence by trans people. He failed to put in the civil rights ideal that means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. He failed in remembering the second part of what Roz Kaveney has called the third axiom of trans activism:

Refuse to let journalistic and intellectual attacks on our community go unanswered -- we can have and keep the moral high ground.

Casebeer's comment is going to be remembered for a very long time -- many will never forgive him for his comment. In that memory, trans community as a whole will have lost some of our moral high ground.

As I comment on Casebeer's failure, I can't help but remember my own public failures. One that many remember of mine is my cisgender/cissexual fail that I had to deeply apologize for. We all make mistakes, and public figures have to live with our public mistakes...our public failures. All we can do is own our mistakes, apologize, identify how we won't repeat our mistakes, and then move forward as best we can -- hopefully humbler and wiser for those experiences. But, there are many who will never forgive us for our public mistakes, and we have to live with the anger, and sometimes hurt, that we've left with others due to our words or actions. We simply cannot erase our public failures; we cannot, and should not, forget our public failures. If we forget our failures, then we are apt to repeat those failures.

I deserved condemnation for my failure.

And, A.G. Casebeer deserves condemnation for his failure. Threats of violence against someone strictly because one strongly disagrees with what that someone else says is unequivocally wrong.

I don't envy Cathy Brennan at being at the receiving end of a violent threat. I don't envy A.G. Casebeer in having to now live with his public failure. I don't equate the two situations though -- Cathy Brennan's situation of being on the receiving end of a violent threat is clearly the much worse situation of the two.

We do not need to kill or destroy to win. We are a movement that builds and not destroys.

~Cesar Chavez

There is a lesson here for all of us who care about civil rights: our means must be as pure as ordinary equality we seek. When our means are corrupted by darkness, when we succumb to the temptation of bitterness, everyone touched by our corrupted means loses. We then don't build community and movement; we destroy it.

 

The heterosexual Marcus Bachmann sidles up to out gay aide to out GOP Prez candidate Fred Karger

Full of WIN. Priceless. Pure Gold. It's hard to top the Cornography in Iowa by the GOP candidates, but this comes close.

A photo just sent to me with this caption:

"An openly gay staffer of openly gay republican presidential candidate Fred Karger gets a hug and a smile from the not openly gay Mr. Marcus Bachmann at the Iowa State Fair this weekend."

I think this headline in the L.A. Times is also appropriate for the occasion.

Gay Presidential Candidate Fred Karger Has A Message



The longtime political advisor knows he stands no chance of becoming the Republican nominee, but he wants to let other homosexuals know it's OK to be gay and to aim high in life.

By the way, Michele Bachmann won the Iowa Straw Poll. I wonder how she and Marcus will celebrate?

In other Iowa Straw Poll news, the frothy mix of Santorum finished on top of Romney, Cain, Gingrich and Huntsman.

Ames votes: Bachmann 4823, Paul 4671, Pawlenty 2293, Santorum 1657, Cain 1456, Perry 718, Romney 567, Gingrich 385, Huntsman 69, McCotter 35

Weekend This & That: Open Thread

It's an open thread! Pleeeeease feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread...

So, this is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob have been looking at since our last This & That post.

• This is from a bit more than a week ago, but we post on it. From the Baltimore Sun's Teen pleads guilty to beating transgender woman at Rosedale McDonald's; Prosecutors to seek 10-year sentence, with 5 years suspended, in case that drew national notoriety:

A teenager pleaded guilty Thursday in the beating of a transgender woman at a Rosedale McDonald's, an incident that was caught on video and drew national attention after it went viral online.

Teonna Monae Brown, 19, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court to one count of first-degree assault and one hate crime count in the April attack on Chrissy Lee Polis, 22, which became a rallying point for transgender-rights advocates across the state and nationwide.

Prosecutors will seek a prison sentence for Brown of 10 years with five years suspended, said Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger. The combined maximum sentence for the crimes is 35 years.

...Brown's lawyer, Timothy Knepp, said his client "would be a very good candidate for probation." He called the assault a "once-in-a-lifetime" incident that "will forever shape her future."

No, I don't believe so. Brown needs to serve time in prison -- she didn't just beat Chrissy Lee Polis unconscious, and to the point of seizure, she terrorized many in trans community by her heinous behavior. I don't believe probation alone is not punishment enough for Teonna Brown.

• The Navy Times' Difficult For Gay Ex-Service Members To Return:

The repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" coincides with the most competitive time in recent history to get into the military because of the sluggish economy, and the Defense Department says it has no plans to give priority to those discharged for being gay, even if they still meet the military's age limits, fitness standards and cutoffs for time out of service.

Many, like [Air Force Maj. Michael Almy], 41, see the only way back to active-duty as being through the courts.

He and two other discharged officers - one from the Air Force officer and one from the Navy - are suing the Justice Department to demand they be reinstated, and they hope a federal appeals court will help their efforts by upholding a lower court ruling last year that declared the law unconstitutional.

..."The sad truth is repeal really does nothing for people thrown out of the military," Almy said. "There is no restitution, no reparations, no special personnel process to help those to get back in the military who were thrown out."

• Chang.org's petition Let Bert & Ernie Get Married On Sesame Street:

In this horrid age of LGBTQ kids taking their own lives and being beaten for who they are, need to know that they're BEAUTIFUL, as Christine's song goes. Bullies that facilitate those tragedies be it verbal or otherwise should be taught that homophobia is NOT okay. Children and parents need to learn that acceptance of humankind, even puppets, would indeed plant a seed of peace that will reverberate throughout the universe. We are not asking that Sesame Street depict anything crude or disrespectful; this is NOT about any other issue other than education. Sesame Street claims Bert and Ernie are only friends, though that's how marriage begins, right? If they are ONLY puppets, why do they have HUMAN traits and traditions and families? This should not be the end of the issue as why hasn't Sesame Street extended an olive branch out to this new era of one worldness, be inclusive, and offer to develope contemporary LGBTQ puppets and human characters? It would prove to past and current viewers that it's spelled L-O-V-E, not H8.

Well, PBS said no. From the article Vancouver Sun's Bert & Ernie Wedding: Sesame Street Says No:

It seems unlikely petitioners will get their wish, given the message Sesame Street put on its Facebook page Thursday: "Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.

"Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics...they remain puppets and do not have a sexual orientation."

Of course, some on the religious right/social conservatives have focused in on the call for a transgender character. From the Family Research Council (emphasis added):

...Bert and Ernie couldn't be reached for comment... because they're puppets! If gays and lesbians want to help pull the plug on PBS funding, it's working. This is how ridiculous the homosexual debate has gotten. Not only do they want to force their lifestyle on you and me, but they want to enlist felt-faced non-humans in the fight! And this is on top of the demands for a transgender character to join Sesame Street.

If one were to believe trans is the new gay, that belief would have to come with not only with a positive focus on trans civil rights, but on how those against trans civil rights also focus on trans people and issues.

• Los Angeles Times' Youth Pastor Charged With Molestation; Police Seek More Victims:

A youth pastor at a Venice church has been charged with molesting a 14-year-old girl, and Los Angeles police are seeking the public's help in identifying other possible victims.

...Prosecutors allege that Allen began a sexual relationship with the teenager while he was the youth pastor at the First Baptist Church in Venice. The relationship lasted 14 months, beginning in March 2010 and ending in May of this year.

Super. Let's raise our glasses in another toast to "family values."

• Our Wiener Story Of The Day: the Arizona Republic's Police urge holster use after man shoots his own penis:

As Chandler residents Joshua Seto, 27, and his fianc?e, Cara Christopher, walked over to a Fry's Food Store for refreshments, he tried securing her pink handgun in the front waistband of his pants.

The gun fired, striking Seto's penis and continuing through his left thigh. The bleeding started immediately and was heavy, according to police dispatch recordings released Sunday.

"He is still conscious, there is just a lot of blood," Christopher , 26, told 9-1-1 operators and dispatchers.

One operator told Christopher to apply direct pressure to the wound with a dry towel or T-shirt, but to avoid looking at the wound...

As always, "The weenie tempts you!"

So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?

And again, please feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo!

MTV's "Jersey Shore" Outperforms GOP Debate

There's an old saying in politics, "Give the people a choice between a real Republican and a fake one and they'll choose the real thing every time."

After Thursday night, we can now update that to, "Give the people a choice between real hot messes and phony hot messes and they'll choose the real ones every time." From The Hollywood Reporter comes news that the second episode of MTV's reality TV show Jersey Shore bested the GOP debate handily.

Airing its second episode on Thursday, Aug. 11, Jersey Shore pulled in 7.4 mil viewers. The program still remained the evening's most watched cable broadcast, even besting the GOP debate with 5.053 mil total viewers on Fox News Channel.

LezGetReal points out:

Only five million televisions were tuned to the debate? Only 5,000,000 of us gave a damn what these people had to say? We have approximately 260 million televisions in American homes. They only got 1.9% of the televisions in America? If you pull it as pure population numbers, 5 million out of 311 million people watched the debate. That's only 1.6% of us.

Beyond the fold, if you didn't watch either, here's a sampling of photos and quotes of what you missed to catch you up! The cast of Jersey Shore has relocated to Florence, Italy for this series of episodes.  
I clearly identified the quotes and pictures so you can tell them apart.

"Look I'm not going to eat Barack Obama's dog food, all right. What he served up is not what I would've done if I would've been President of the United States."

Jersey Shore: Deena (on floor above) says while grocery shopping in Italy.

"God, everything's in another language. Oh my God, it's so hard in a grocery store trying to figure out the hell what is what. You're reading and it's like different words. Like what the hell is this. Like, nothing's in English."

GOP Debate: Rick Santorum on his deeply felt commitment to a improving the lives of women and gays:

"I don't apologize for the Iranian people being free for a long time and now they're under a 'mullahcracy' that tramples the rights of women, tramples the rights of gays, tramples the rights of people all throughout their society..."

Jersey Shore: Ronnie (left), on getting uncomfortable after sharing the two-person jacuzzi with Vinny (right).

"It's like a love-cuzzi because it gravitates you towards each other."

GOP Debate: No love here, Pawlenty on Bachmann's Congressional record:

"It is an undisputable fact that in Congress her record of accomplishment and results is nonexistent."

Jersey Shore: Mike "The Situation" watches Snooki fight with her boyfriend over the phone:

"If Jionni can't make Snooki happy, then The Situation's happy to step up to the plate and hit a homer."

GOP Debate: Newt Gingrich on his frustrations with the "gotcha" questions being asked.

"I'd love to see the rest of tonight's debate asking us about what we would do to lead an America whose president has failed to lead instead of playing Mickey Mouse games."

Jersey Shore: Ronnie (above right) misidentifies the painter of the Sistine Chapel:

"Vatican, that's the one that Leonardo DiVinci painted with his hand."

GOP Debate: Is abortion ok in cases of rape? Rick Santorum said:

"To put them through another trauma of an abortion, I think is too much to ask."

How kind of you not to "ask" them and to "spare them the trauma" by denying it as an option. I'm sure the trauma of delivering their rapist's child will be minimal, after all.

Jersey Shore: Jennie "JWOWW" (third from left) is done urinating on the street:

"Where's the closest bathroom? I'm trying not to piss in public...again"

If only the GOP would stop pissing on the American people.

There you have it, two reality shows, both shameful and embarrassing displays of American values and "intelligence," intended to distract us. Only one is watched by the "serious people" however and presents a real danger to America's future.  

2012 GOP Clown Car Cornography

You have to see it to believe it...the cornographic display in Iowa...

Michele and Marcus Bachmann work on foot-long oral techniques; Rick Santorum enjoys dick-shaped soft-serve; and oldie-but-goody of Mitt Romney readying for fudge-packing.

Nominee for GOP Sexual Hypocrite of 2011: IN State Rep Phil Hinkle offers $80 for sex w/male teen

I posted about this all over my social networks earlier today, but I thought I'd put in my 2 cents here.

Bil Browning has one of the most egregious cases of Republican Sexual Hypocrisy that I've seen in a good while. The Indiana legislature apparently has a bumper crop of anti-gay, self-loathing closet cases who are a danger to the state's LGBT population...and now another one is about to bite the political dust.

While I exposed state representative Jud McMillin's tortured past earlier in early March, including sending unwanted photos of the himself masturbating with his balls tied to an office chair leg to a domestic abuse victim he was supposed to be representing as a deputy prosecutor, several juicy tips came in that just weren't verifiable enough for me to feel comfortable printing the story.

One of the most frequently e-mailed subjects was Republican representative Phil Hinkle. While none of my correspondents could provide any actual proof, three different men told me they had met Rep Hinkle for sex in an Indianapolis hotel room. All three were able to describe Rep Hinkle's penis in detail and all three descriptions matched, but it just dint' seem like enough for me to print the allegations.

Now the Indianapolis Star has been given the smoking gun. In a story running this morning, the Star has seen proof that the long-serving legislator offered a teenage boy $80 for sex after finding the young man on Craigslist and they've printed the salacious details.

Hinkle deals us a pile of WIN on this one.

The emails, sent from Hinkle's publicly listed personal address, ask the young man for "a couple hours of your time tonight" and offer him cash up front, with a tip of up to $50 or $60 "for a really good time."

The email exchange is in response to the Craigslist posting in which the young man -- who lists his age as 20 in the ad but says he is 18 years old -- says, "I need a sugga daddy."

The young man told The Star that they met, but that he tried to leave after the man told him he was a state lawmaker. He said the lawmaker at first told him he could not leave, grabbed him in the rear, exposed himself to the young man and then later gave him an iPad, BlackBerry cellphone and $100 cash to keep quiet.

It gets worse, with calls from the wife on the aforementioned Blackberry, who cares less about whether the teen's sister is telling her that hubby Hinkle is gay, than whether she might call the cops, and offers the two $10K to shut up. It's a sordid mess.

As I read about Hinkle and his "problem," all I could think about was how many of the Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly who are virulently anti-gay and pushing this marriage amendment are similarly boinking boys (or girls, for that matter) outside of the sanctity of their holier-than-thou marriages. If you're going to moralize with your vote for the sake of enshrining bigotry in a state constitution, you should be concerned about having a "Hinkle problem" explode in your face.

Eclipse tour hits Raleigh 8/20 + a look at Journey then and now

Right: Has she lost her mind? Your blogmistress with her limited edition Italian 2-LP gatefold album release of Eclipse, (still in the shrink wrap)!

It's a Friday post - and naturally it comes with the usual disclaimer - if this doesn't interest you, there is plenty to read below - or you can take a gander at my updates on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

The Raleigh Journey concert is on August 20 (next Saturday) and your blogmistress is getting stoked.  

While many fans of the 80s iteration of Journey know about vocalist Steve Perry and his tenure, they forget about Robert Fleischman and Gregg Rolie, their considerable -- and quite different -- vocal talents to the band.

Along with Neal Schon, Rolie was a founding member of the band, handling keyboards, harmonica, as well as vocals (1973-1980). Schon is the only original member that has been Journey from the beginning up to the present day. Bassist Ross Valory had a break in tenure (1973-1985, 1995-present), and during the late 80s, various session musicians played -- including future American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

The following video includes the Journey lineup with both Rolie and Perry onboard, with Aynsley Dunbar on the drums (he was soon replaced with Steve Smith, who was with Journey during its heyday - 1978-1985, 1995-1998); the massively talented Deen Castronovo has been on the skins since '98).

This is from 1978, during a TV appearance on Midnight Special. (Rolie's smoky voice may be familiar to you - he was vocalist on "Black Magic Woman" with Santana.) He and SP (with his amazing countertenor -- and the man could sing the blues!) sound great together on this classic two-for-one:

Journey: Feeling That Way / Anytime (Rolie, Perry vocals)

Those two songs are chestnuts from the Journey catalog; hardcore fans like yours truly love to see these revived live; more casual fans of the band are there to hear "the dirty dozen" as the band calls them -- the songs most of you know - Open Arms, Separate Ways, Faithfully, etc.

Occasionally the way-back classics are performed live as a surprise -- including one concert in Houston where Gregg Rolie actually came on stage to do the above with current lead man Arnel Pineda. What a treat that had to have been to witness.

While in the AP chat room the other night (transcript here, thanks Sachiko!), webspinner/admin Fabb posted this same pairing of songs with Arnel helming the Steve Perry vocal and keyboardist Jonathan Cain the Rolie vocal. And guess what? The song still shines, and it was a spectacular performance (2008).

The video and much more below the fold.
Journey: Feeling That Way / Anytime (Cain, Pineda vocals)

I asked AP in the chat room if they could do this in Raleigh and he replied, "I'll have to ask the boys..." :) Wouldn't that be an awesome blogmistress treat if they did it?

***

I think it's taken time, but Arnel has won over most of the critics with the release of Eclipse, since the music is quite different - straight up rock on most tracks, or going the other direction, acoustic songs, that highlight his tenor and own style.

What's kind of odd to me is that there are Journey fans who find the meatier rock of Eclipse as a radical shift. If you listen to Journey's early work, it's more 70s prog rock w/hint of blues than anything else, an offshoot of Santana (even a little like Chicago to me on some stuff). It sure doesn't sound like Don't Stop Believing. In fact, Steve Perry's voice evolves over the period with the band, losing more of his top range over the years -- he had little-to-none of that familiar rasp in the early days, when he could hit glass-shattering high notes, and by 1996 his rasp was more pronounced, with much more rich deeper tones. Some seem to miss this, but the YouTube record's there for all to hear.

That aside, the musical evolution of the band, given the various lineups and influences only makes Journey more interesting to me. One constant is that the harmonies and songwriting, paired with Neal's axe, make it great melodic rock. I love all of it. I don't have to choose one flavor. My musical tastes are way too eclectic for that.

Most people tend to favor the period of music you grew up with anyway, and a large demographic blip happened to coincide with the late 70s-80s period of the band. There's no denying the cultural impact of the Schon/Perry/Cain songwriting during that period. I don't have a problem with people who love the tone, nuance and delivery of Steve Perry (I love him too!), but that poses a dilemma - he's retired,  and  the rest of the band is still in demand to perform that back catalog.

Thus you want someone who sounds enough like Steve Perry to do justice to the tracks laid decades ago, yet this poor chap following in his shoes has to be able to stand on his own two feet to forge in whatever new direction the band embarks upon. And eventually they lucked out with Arnel Pineda (I covered the Augeri/Jeff Scott Soto period in an earlier post), a tenor with a set of pipes that is unreal.

Honestly, I don't know how Journey can fit enough songs in a setlist to satisfy everyone - particularly on a triple bill with Foreigner and Night Ranger on this tour. Since they are selling out all over, I'm pretty sure they could carry a tour by themselves, but I don't roll the business dice.

Related:

* Blogmistress music overload: my Journey immersion weekend

* Blogmistress heaven: five new songs from 'Eclipse' debut in throw-down set by Journey in Vegas

* Journey's new CD, Eclipse: a group revitalized, energized and rocking hard

* The blogmistress trip to NY to see Journey on The Today Show

GOP's Anti-Gay Debate Rhetoric, In?2?Minutes

I was not feeling so hot yesterday and opted for a Rescue Me episode on my DVR instead of subjecting myself to the GOP debate. Fortunately, Igor Volsky at Think Progress watched so I didn't have to. (Face it, almost none of these people will matter in six months anyway.) Volsky has helpfully compiled this two-minute condensation of the candidate's take on the question of marriage equality.

Thoughts, summary after the fold.

Volsky also sharply deconstructs Romney's dissonance on "Federalism" regarding marriage equality and health care. He simultaneously argues it's just awful that states should have their own policies on marriage equality, and there should be a Constitutional amendment to stop states going where his home state led.

But on healthcare, it's awful for the Federal Government to institute Federal standards. States should have the freedom to administer health care as they see fit. Which is of course why Romneycare was wonderful for Massachusetts but terrible for the country. Whatever, dude.

Though Ron Paul opposes marriage equality, he also thinks it's a question for states. I kinda liked how Ron Paul handled the polygamy aspect of question,

"It's sort of like asking the question 'what if states wanted to legalize slavery or something like that' that is so past reality that no state is going to do that."

A reality check that made Santorum look even sillier, when he the proceeded to concern troll that—"Oh noes! Sounds like Ron Paul supports polygamy!!"

I have tacked to telling people who present the polygamy slippery slope, "If you want to legalize polygamy, you're going to have to build your own movement and find a Senator to introduce the bills." That's not really going to happen is it?

Santorum also made some asinine critique of Iran for trampling “the rights of gays.” Yeah, I'm sure your heart just goes out to those gays swinging from the gallows in Iran's public square. I'm sure pressuring Iran to put an end to it will be a top priority for the Santorum administration.

Huntsman seems to have sidestepped the question by merely restating his support for civil unions. He also says—rather courageously in my opinion, given the audience—" I believe this nation can do a better job when it comes to equality." He doesn't apparently realize the GOP either thinks gay people are already equal, or that they have no righteous claim to the mantle of "unequal."

He sounded a little too nice and can pretty much kiss the Christian Fundamentalist vote goodbye. But, at least he may be strategizing from an actual reality base here, he didn't have much chance with Fundies with everyone else playing to the same crowd. Plus, he's not indulging in Romney's fantasy they'll overlook he's a Mormon aka, not a "real" Christian.

Bachmann was her usual self, banging the Federal Marriage Amendment drum. "Ratification campaigns! Rolling through your state in 2013!" At least she owned that she totally built her career on fighting the gays. Last month, the Concord Monitor reported:

Bachmann cut off an interview last week as she was being asked a question about gay marriage and emphasized that she is focused on rebuilding the economy and repealing federal health care reform. "I'm not involved in light, frivolous matters," she said. "I'm not involved in fringe or side issues. I'm involved in serious issues."

So in Michele's world, it will be incumbent for President to lead the charge to rewrite the Constitution over "light," "fringe" and "frivolous matters." Again, whatever, dude...

Locked out from the debate by Fox News was openly gay candidate Fred Karger. Horace Boothroyd III has more here. Over at LGBT POV, Karen Occamb also has a report. Karger added his two cents via Twitter (hey, it's a tactic that has kept Sarah Palin inexplicably relevant long past her expiration date).

And there you have it. A two-minute summary that is probably two-minutes more than it warrants. The bullet: GOP President, bad news for gays, lesbians and trans. But we all knew that didn't we?

Blame The Victim; Even Blame The School; The Killer's Defense Is That He Was Provoked

If I've learned anything since Gwen's murder, it is that hope alone is not enough. Each of us who hopes to live in a state where our families are protected needs to work toward making California that place... None of us can change the way the world was on Oct. 4, 2002 [the day Gwen Araujo was beaten to death]. But each of us now has an important role to play in creating a state where we can celebrate more birthdays and commemorate fewer murders.

Sylvia Guerrero, the mother of murdered trans teen Gwen Araujo, commenting on the Gwen Araujo Justice For Victims Act

When people who don't conform to societal sex and gender norms are victims of violence because of how they express gender, those who perpetrate the crimes frequently blame the victim. We saw this blame the victim defense used at the Gwen Araujo murder trial where two of the killers received 2nd degree murder convictions, and two of the participants in the killing plead to lesser charges. Hate crime charges were filed for this Newark, California crime, but no one was found guilty of, or pleaded to, committing a hate crime.

We saw this too in the 2005 killing of Joel Robles. Estanislao Martinez admitted stabbing Joel Robles 20 times with a pair of scissors after finding out the victim was a trans woman; no hate crime charges were filed. Martinez plead to voluntary manslaughter; with the Fresno, California District Attorney's Office agreeing that Martinez to be sentenced  to four year for the killing -- three years for the killing, and one year for using a knife. The Fresno Bee cited legal experts as saying the prospect of a "gay panic" defense that blames the victim for provoking the violence as the reason for the plea deal and light sentence.

I saw this "blame the victim" defense use first hand at the 2009 Angie Zapata Hate Crime Murder Trial, having covered the trial from the Greeley Colorado courtroom for Pam's House Blend.

Due to the legal outcomes of the Gwen Araujo and Joel Robles killings, California enacted the Gwen Araujo Justice For Victims Act. Per Equality California's Fact Sheet for the act:

"In order to dissuade the use of appeals to prejudice and bias in an attempt to gain acquittal, a favorable plea or a reduction of sentence, this bill would allow a party to a criminal trial or proceeding to request that the court instruct jurors not to allow bias based on sexual orientation, gender identity or other protected bases to influence their decision. It would also direct the Office of Emergency Services to develop materials for city and county prosecutors explaining how to prevent bias from affecting the outcome of a trial.  In conjunction with hate crimes legislation, this bill makes an important stand that bias and hate will not be tolerated in California."

This doesn't mean that a defense team can't employ a "gay panic" or "trans panic" defense that blames the victim for provoking the violence against victim, it means that if such a defense is employed, the judge will instruct the jury that bias based on the sexual orientation and/or gender identity -- or based on any other protected class that a crime victim may have belonged to. In California, in other words, jurors aren't legally allowed to use bias against a protected class of people to excuse violence by a perpetrator that's based on a victim's membership in a protected class.

This "blame the victim" defense is being employed by the defense team for Brandon McInerney  -- the admitted killer of Larry King.

(Larry King was a 15-year-old killed in Oxnard on February 12, 2009 because of his gender expression. Brandon McInerney was 14 at the time of the killing, and is being tried as an adult for the homicide -- The National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Transgender Law Center both, in my opinion, correctly objected to McInerney being tried as an adult.)

According to the Los Angeles Times article Oxnard School's Handling Of Gay Student's Behavior Comes Under Scrutiny; (subtitled "Teachers Testify At Brandon McInerney's Trial That Administrators Ignored Warnings That Fellow Student Larry King's Feminized Attire And Taunting Behavior Were Causing Problems"):

It wasn't just that King, 15, had begun wearing makeup and women's spiked-heeled boots [to E. O. Green Middle School], witnesses testified. It was that he seemed to relish making the boys squirm at his newly feminized appearance and was taunting them with comments like "I know you want me."

"They wanted to beat Larry up for what he was doing to them and they came to me because I wanted to keep them out of trouble," E.O. Green teacher Jill Ekman testified. "I told them that I would work on getting assistance from the office and we would work this out."

...How school officials handled King has emerged as a major theme of McInerney's defense attorneys, who acknowledge that the boy pulled the trigger but say that he was pushed to the breaking point by King's taunts.

Kristina Wertz, the Legal Director of the Transgender Law Center, stated the following about the recent developments in the case:

The implication that Larry was somehow responsible for his own death because of his perceived sexual orientation or gender identity is outrageous. The Gwen Araujo Justice for Victims Act allows the Court to instruct the jury to not let societal bias weigh in on their decision. We hope that the jury in this case will be able to see through the attempts to prey on their worst instincts and assess the case based on the fact.

According to a separate Los Angeles Times article Prosecutor Seeks To Quash 'Gay Panic' Defense In Oxnard Slaying, the prosecutor in the case fully intends to ask the judge to invoke the Gwen Araujo Justice For Victims Act in his final intructions to the jury.

I hope, along with Kristina Wertz, that the jury pays close attention to this particular jury instruction; this is exactly the kind of "blame the victim" defense that the Gwen Araujo Justice For Victims Act was meant to address.