"Sure there are those who are forced into prostitution, but I think most of them volunteer. Many, many children have been scared straight because of arrest. … Arrest is a valuable life-saving tool that must be used. We need to... ...

I wrote my first column about gay rights back in 1996 -- now buried somewhere in the archives of Southern Voice newspaper -- about the glaring contraditions in the life and accomplishments of Colin Powell. It seemed irreconciable to me... ...

Here it is, courtesy of C-SPAN: ...

That the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is on Twitter? Or that this was his tweet for today?: Stand by what I said: Allowing homosexuals to serve openly is the right thing to do. Comes down to integrity.... ...

Here are some of the people writing about some of the stuff I wish I had time to write about, for January 31st through February 1st:

• Gallup: Only 5 Republican states –
• Commentary: The politics of no-win –
• Michael N. Nagler | Remembering Our Humanity –
• Money in politics versus money out of political decisions –
• CREW To Obama: Skip The National Prayer Breakfast –
• Barack Obama and the Fading of Hope –
• Jamie Fellner: Sexually Abused: The Nightmare of Juveniles in Confinement –
• Bob Franken: Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Even Talk

...

Here are some of the people writing about some of the stuff I wish I had time to write about, for February 1st through February 2nd:

• Joel Weinberger: John Edwards and the Dark Side of the Political Personalit –
• America’s Sorry History with Haiti –
• What Happened to Democracy? –
• Thoughts On Cost –
• In 2011 budget proposal, rate of change slows to a crawl –
• It’s a blue country | Michael Tomasky –
• What’s A Little Discrimination . . . We’re at War –
• Center-Right Nation? –

...

This morning, the 82nd Academy Award nominations were announced.  The big news this year is that there are now 10--count 'em 10--Best Picture nominations.  I'm not sure what the thinking on this was.  I could see, perhaps, expanding the number to six or seven, but they went hog wild and did 10.    Obviously, this helps the film industry, since there are now five more films than in previous years that can advertised they are "Best Picture Nominees!"  It seems to be a bit unwieldy, though, to have that many films nominated.  It will make the awards show that much ...

This was too bizarre for me not to post. A German man has created a biofuel which contains, of all things, dead cats, giving legions of car owners fed up with high gas prices a new reason to visit their local animal shelter. ...

If you hope hard enough, and look hard enough, the jobs will appear. At least, that’s Mark Lange’s recent column in The Christian Science Monitor When we imagine that government – and even companies – “create” jobs, we’re missing half the story: the crucial part. The part that most of us can actually influence, right now. It’s a paradox, but job seekers are actually job creators. People (and the politicians that love their votes) tend to focus on how many employers happen to be hiring. But an overlooked tenet of labor economics says that what’s equally vital to creating jobs is ...

More proof the late great "MadTV" was way ahead of the curve. In addition to their sendup of the iPad from way back in 2007, check out this skit that pre-dates the "Mancrunch" Superbowl commercial rejected by CBS. (iPhone, iPad... ...

Schoolhouse Rock fans will enjoy this cartoon rock video about how the U.S. Supreme Court intervened at the 11th hour to block the judge's plan to broadcast the Prop 8 trial on YouTube. The video tells the story about how... ...

Here are some of the people writing about some of the stuff I wish I had time to write about, for January 27th through January 31st:

• Why the Tea Party Convention is Tea-tering on the Edge –
• America, This Is Your Wake Up Call –
• *Reach Out*<br><br>by digby<br><br>It would appear people are extremely –
• The Prop 8 defense case: the crazy, unleashed –
• Cato: Don’t Blame Obama for Bush’s 2009 Deficit –
• Trey Ellis: GOP Q&A: Is Obama the new Comeback Kid? –
• Make me poorer –
• Editorial: Opposite of Bold –

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I actually watched the Grammys in their entirety last night. I came to the conclusion that we're all doomed. The Lady Gaga/Elton John duet was really good - and I'm not exactly a big Gaga fan...although I admit I'm becoming intrigued by her. Cirque du Pink was pretty damn awesome. Wow. But beyond that I thought it was pretty much a disaster.My last entry made me realize that I'm totally falling out of touch with the local music scene. One of my resolutions this year is to start paying more attention again. Casper Bangs has been sending ...

Here are the five biggest stories from Gay News Watch over the last week: Obama in SOTU calls for Don't Ask Don't Tell repeal: QUICK LOOK: Reaching out to a skeptical gay community, President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged Congress... ...

I am in the progress of doing a virtual run from my home in DC to the home we're attempting to buy in Punta Gorda, Fl. It is about 1,003 miles. This week I ran 5 days. I did not run on Thursday or Saturday. I had planned to run on Saturday, but we had a snow storm and I decided to take it easy. My long run was on Friday -- 8 miles. Here's how it breaks down. The time in minutes and seconds is now after my milage. Monday: 4 miles -- 32:15Tuesday: 3 miles -- 23: 18Wednesday: 5 ...

When Kristen Wiig first joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live," I wasn't even sure I liked her and never imagined she would rank among the best talents the show has ever produced, male or female. Now I find myself... ...

1/19/09 Beastie Boys/Sheryl Crow/Citizen Cope/Justin Jones @ 9:30 Club - Washington, DCThe day before Obama's inauguration. I knew this was going to be a very late night, followed by a VERY early morning. No way I was going to miss this though. I know it's not cool to say it, but I really like Sheryl Crow. There's nothing wrong with good pop songs. She played about an hour, opening with "A Change Will Do You Good'" I think. Appropriate. Citizen Cope played a solo acoustic set, which was much better than I expected - although I didn't ...

The Pentagon had been expected to announce its "plan" to implement repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell early next week, but now it appears that the plan is the announcement itself (I've highlighted the most depressing bits): The Defense Department... ...

Many gay marriage advocates will no doubt feel on the defensive when they hear about a new study showing many long-term same-sex couples that enter into marriage do so with notions about monogamy and fidelity that differ significantly from the... ...

Everything is explained in this pamphlet titled, "Enjoying Your Vivisection."The above cartoon is the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #226. Let me know if you come up with any captions too. Click on the link above to enter. ...