A Wind Rose . . . .

The Wheel of Time turns, and ages come and pass, leaving memories and traditions that become legend and rituals. In the early 21st century, a wind rose above the towering majestic cathedral in Canterbury. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time. But it was a beginning.

Born in a cold, grey dawn on a mid February morning, the wind raced around the Crown Tower, built to house the crown of St. Thomas' head which was struck off when he was murdered so many years ago. Eastward, and south, the wind howled, crossing the English Channel, one of a hundred winds blowing across the continent. But this wind was different, it had a purpose. South it continued, riding high on heat currents as it crossed the Mediterranean and the hot North African desert. It weakened as it approached the equator, but turned eastward picking up strength as it passed the oil refineries in Nigeria, the poverty stricken villages, the huge orphanages for children who not only have AIDS, but lost their parents to the disease as well. The wind crossed central Africa turning south and flowing along the plains of the Serengeti with the great Mount Kilimanjaro in the distance. Onwards the wind blew, slowing as it approached the Indian Ocean and the city of Dar Es Salaam. The wind crept into the beachside resort creating little whirlwinds in the courtyard that pulled at the cassocks of the Anglican Primates as they scurried from one meeting to the next, avoiding members of the opposition and giving them the barest of courtesies.

My apologies for Robert Jordan for stealing this analogy, but every report I've read from Dar Es Salaam talks about the various rival groups, plotting, secretively in different corners of the resort. It reminds me of the Aes Sedai, their Ajahs, and the plotting and politics within the White Tower and around the world. The greatest irony in my little analogy is that there is only one female at Dar Es Salaam and she's surrounded by men. My thoughts and prayers go out to Bishop Jefferts-Schori. She's going to need all of her strength, patience, intelligence, and deep love, knoledge, and understanding of God to be able to deal with the swirling maelstrom of hate and discontent that is going to try to ridicule and belittle her. I definitely think she's the right person, at the right time, at the right place to fight against the schismatics and help make our Church stronger.

Lifestyles of the . . . . .

Well maybe not rich and famous. How about cheap but connected?

Anyways, I just got back from South Beach and I just can't WAIT for the snow. Really! All of the sun, hot men, heat, hot men, mojitos, hot men, and um . . . hot men was really too much for me. So bring on the cold, the snow, and sexless bundles of humans wrapped in jackets, scarves, ear muffs. Bring it ON!

Hmm where was I? Oh yes, hot men, South Beach. That's right.

So SuperLawyer had to go down to "work" at a convention. And who was I to say no to a free hotel room on the ocean in South Beach. We stayed here and it was very nice. And I say "work" because the convention is from 730AM to 1PM. Because heaven forbid some lawyers miss their T-times. But anyways. We flew down Friday and when we got off the plane it was like heaven. Warm, sunny, a nice breeze. It was just divine. We actually had to run a whole bunch of errands on Friday and set up the booth, but afterwards we got cleaned up and walked down Ocean Drive to find a nice place to have our first mojitos of the evening and some appetizers since we had eaten a late lunch. Mind you it wasn't that late, but we had a hard time finding someplace where the music wasn't so loud that we could hear each other talk. We finally settled on a place, had a couple of mojitos each, a couple of apps, and the bill was over $90. Hello South Beach!!! After that we bailed since someone had to "work" in the AM.

On Saturday, after SuperLawyer went to work. I hit the hotel gym (outside, but the elliptical was rusting, kind of sad), got cleaned up, and then hit the gay beach. Let me tell you, the weather was just ab-so-lute-ly amazing. I got to the beach late in my time, but early in gay time. I got there around 1045ish, and got a good spot. $9 for a lounge chair on the beach! Nice. Anyways, I proceeded to a lather up and watch the hotties wake up from their hard night of partying and make their way to the beach. And it was a good thing. Unfortunately SL called for me to go hit a reception with him with free booze (again, I think it's a lawyer thing). So I left the hot, sunny, beautiful beach to go have free drinks. It was a mistake, but I'll live. Anyways, we had a couple of bad mojitos, grabbed some lunch, and then hit the pool at the hotel. Now the hotel does this thing where there are these bed you can lounge in by the pool. Nice. But this is South Beach. At our hotel, it was $100 a day. Makes my $9 lounge chair on the beach seem like a steal, doesn't it. That night, we did a running of the receptions. First we went to hear Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden speak. He was good. And warmly recieved. A couple of times he got off tangent and I can see where people say he talks too much and it gets him in trouble. Anyways, good speech, but then it was time for drinks. So we got 4 drinks each at this reception and free food. Which was nice! And then SL knows people, so we wandered over to the Ritz Carlton to crash Joe Biden's $1000 plate fundraiser! Now, the Ritz Carlton is nice, very nice. Okay, it puts our place to shame. And have you heard about the tanning butlers? Yes they have butlers poolside to make sure your back is properly lotioned so you don't get burned. Now that's service. We were at the reception early and I told SL that I would buy the first round of drinks and he looked at me. "Honey, at a $1000 a plate dinner, the drinks are free." I'm such a novice at all of this stuff. But let me tell you, the Ritz Carlton had the BEST mojitos hands down! So we grabbed a couple and are chatting when all of a sudden someone's come up and put his hand on my shoulder and I turn and it's the man himself! Joe Biden. So this was my first opportunity to meet someone like that up close and personal and it was kind of cool, but also kind of daunting I guess. Anyways, he chatted with us for a few and then I think he got pulled away to talk with someone who had paid for this shin-dig. Unfortunately by this point all of the alcohol is getting to me and we call it a night.

Sunday the weather has started to turn. Just out of sheer stubborness I go to the beach, pay my $9, and sit there almost shivering. It's a overcast, and a bit cool, and definitely breezey. If it hadn't been for the wind, I probably would have stuck it out, but when SL called about more free booze, I was like Sure! Why Not! So it was back for more free drinks. Then we hit Grill Fish (which has a sister restaurant here in DC!) and then a bit of a disco nap. But not a long one as SL was hosting a reception for some folks he works with. So it was off to Lincoln Road where SL's reception was going to happen. Lincoln Road Mall is this huge pedestrian out door mall which is just packed with uber trendy restaurants, hipster bars and lounges, and all sorts of boutiques and clothes stores. So it's like gay heaven. Anyways, I was limiting myself to a glass or two of white wine when who shows up? Former governor of Iowa, and Democratic presidential candidate: Tom Vilsack! (Quick: Think of the duck in the insurance company commercial and say it with me: "Aflack!!") Apparently some of the big wig lawyers at SL's reception know him and so he stayed for a good hour and then bailed. After the reception (where I kind of had more than just a glass or two of white wine) we wandered down Lincoln Road Mall till I found this gallery I had seen last time: Howard Austin Feld. So a little bit tipsy on white wine, I did a little impusle shopping and got a small print of this. So this is officially the first piece of gay art I've bought. Afterwards, we wandered a bit back towards the hotel and then we went to Emerils for some very sinfully delicious desserts.

Unfortunately due to work issues, I had to come home early. And I missed my opportunity for a political triple. As I went to go say good bye to SL at the convention, I saw them posting signs for a reception for John Edwards. Tickets available at the door. For $1000. Hmmm, maybe not.

Anyways, I need to do that much more often. South Beach was fun, even if it wasn't G-A-Y!!! But that's okay. Some quality time on the beach with a book, some nice mojitos overlooking the ocean at sunset, some nice dinners in nice restaurants. It doesn't suck. At All.

Oh well, back to reality and back to the snow. Ugh!

Interviewing Tips with Trey!

Welcome to Interviewing Tips with Trey!

Today we're going to focus on interview no-no's!

1. Showing up early. Way early! Getting to the job interview early is important, but if you get there too early, it's potentially weird and puts the interviewers off their schedule. Go grab some coffee or take a quick walk around the block.

2. Fashion Faux Pas # 1. If for some strange reason you ran out of dark socks to go with your black suit, and end up wearing white athletic socks, then make a joke about it. "I was so excited about coming into the interview that I just didn't realize that I had white socks on." Or something like that.

3. Fashion Faux Pas #2. Don't wear a lanyard emblazoned with your current company's name on a job interview with another company. Nothing says I'm a piece of corporate property like a lanyard at a job interview. Maybe just take it off and put in your pocket.

4. Answer the question. If for example I ask if you're interested in X, Y, or Z, then I'm probably looking for an answer that's either X, or Y, or Z. Maybe a combination if appropriate, but I need an answer. Talking for 20 minutes without really giving me an answer to my question does give me an answer. And probably not the one you meant to give.

5. Don't talk too much. Yes it's good to put a lot of information out there so you can give your prospective employer a lot of data to help him make his decision. But throwing gobs of information out there in no semblance of a coherent thought or cogent point gives the impression that you like to talk, and that you don't really understand what you're talking about. In addition, if you're rambling to the point where the interviewer can't ask another question, you're talking too much. Stop. And take a deep breath!

Next time we'll talk about resumes!

Thanks for playing!

Cheap Glasses and Gay Violence

So last night I braved the very artic weather we are having to attend a Friend of Friends cocktail party. It's a monthly cocktail party for mainly gay guys that's very non-stressful, non-networking, just a kind of hang out type of thing. They go to different venues every month so its also kind of cool way to check out new places.

Last night the gathering was at a new place east of the circle on P St called the Pasha Lounge. I wimped out and took a cab over and once I go there I stood outside a minute. First I needed to call GreekBoi to let him know that I was there, but secondly to look at the building and the adjoining Moroccan restaurant. It took me a second to realize that this new restaurant and lounge were housed in what use to hold Mr. P's, a very famous gay bar that closed several years ago. Jimbo has it right, Dupont just isn't that gay any more.

Anyways, I went in and got my name tag and then went straight to the bar. Without my wingman, I needed some alcoholic sustanence. I know the organizers tell the bar we are coming so they know to expect us, which makes me wonder why there just never seems to be enough bartenders! Anyways I got an Amstel Light and then proceeded to walk around. The crowd was actually pretty decent. When I first got there, I think the age range was probably averaging around low 40ish, but then as the evening progressed I think it got lower. As I wandered around nodding my head in recognition with the people I know/have met before from crew, or via Greek Boy and other friends, or from my gym (which I must now admit is probably 80% gay). I did chat for a while, but large crowds are bit imposing for an ISTJ like me. And without a wingman to work the crowd with, I sort of hung by the side of the crowd.

During one of the short conversations I had with someone I know through GreekBoi, I made the comment that I really didn't like the cheap glasses. The interior of the lounge is very nice, very hip, and then to get cheap plastic beer glasses didn't make sense. I understand plastic beer mugs, but these were actually plastic beer glasses. And it wasn't just the beer glasses. Plastic high ball glasses, plastic martini glasses? I just didn't get it. And then GreekBoi's friend clued me in to the fact that during the rest of the week, and very much so on weekends, this was a very straight club that apparently gets a little rowdy. So the assumption was made that to reduce the damage, they went with plastic glasses.

Which got me wondering if/when we would hear about some sort of club violence coming out of the Pasha Club kind of like what is happening up on U St or in Adams Morgan. Every other weekend or so you hear about some sort of disturbance, or fight, or even a stabbing or shooting at one of those clubs. Which got me wondering why that doesn't happen at gay clubs. (and yes I was a bit hungry at this point which may have attributed to my ADD).

Seriously, not that I'm a huge regular at all of the gay clubs in the area, but I don't think I've ever seen a real fight or disturbance at a gay club. Really. Sure I've seen some drama when two guys show up wearing the same outfit, or when some trick comes up to a couple who doesn't know that one of them's been cheating. But it's all been a little name calling. Nothing serious. There's no death threats, no pulling of knives, no flashing of guns. No waiting till they leave the club to have your gang beat them up. And what do you all a gang of gays? A posse? Hmm, sounds too similiar to pussy which means you know it's out.

Anyways, I don't know. I'm sure it happens. But I wonder how it compares statistically with the violence at straight clubs?

All About Everything But Me It Seems

Lots of people are reassessing the status or purpose of their blogs and I've been thinking about mine as well. If you looked at my word cloud, it seems I have a tendency to harp on a select group of topics: the state of the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, politics (local and national), the US's use of torture and our slowly fading civil rights, the war in Iraq. And then a couple of small abstract vague posts about me. Hmm, that wouldn't be me trying to avoid talking (or blogging) about how I feel now would it?

So here you go. It's really all about me.

Job. It's good. Busy, but not crazy busy. And I'm getting settled into my new position and I'm kind of digging working more normal hours and not feeling overwhelmed all the time. I'm sure that will change at some point, but right now I feel like I'm in a sweet spot right now, so I'm just going to let it ride.

Gym. It's there. And I go. Not as often as I should, but I'm trying. It's just SO hard to get up in the AM and go. Unfortunately I've been sabotaging myself when it comes to food, so I haven't lost any weight. But I think I'm ready for another push.

Travel. Well I'm off to South Beach this weekend with SuperLawyer. I'm hoping that being surrounded by a bunch of hot, tan, muscled hotties will finally help me overcome my fear of bulimia. And I'm planning a trip to Paris at the end of March to visit my sister and my niece and nephew. So that's good. I've got my two weeks in Europe this summer. And I've put a deposit down for Carnival week in Ptown. So now I just need to lose weight so I can be thin and fabulous by the time I go to all of these places.

Love life. Hmm, not so much. After sort of seeing someone for a while, he decided that he just wanted it to be casual. Which was a bummer as he was the first guy in a long, long, long time that I actually thought had a lot of good potential. And he's a great guy, I just think our timing sucked. So after taking a short dating break, I'm about to enter the dating world again.

So there. That's my life any a nutshell.

Savage Hate!

Dan Savage's weekly column is called Savage Love, but his recent column about Mary Cheney should have been called Savage Hate. And I *LOVE* it!

Harsh, critical, unflinchingly honest and dead on target, I do cringe when I read the last paragraph. He talks about Mary needing to own up to what she's done and not done, said and not said:

"And you might want to have it all wrapped up before your kid is old enough to understand what’s being said about his family by your dad’s political allies. Take it from me, Mary: Explaining to your child, after he heard something hateful on the radio, that his family is very much “real,” that it’s not an attack on anyone else’s family, and that his parents are, in fact, fit to be his parents is as distressing and emotionally exhausting as it is unnecessary. And I blame you."

I cringe because it reminds me of the hateful things said about SuperLawyer and his fitness to raise his children. I wonder if Mary Cheney will ever really understand that human rights shouldn't be a political weapon or tool to be used against another human being.

The sad thing is that by the time Mary Cheney's child grows up, I truely believe that there will be equal rights for all gays and lesbians in the United States. And when he/she asks their Mommies what they did to help in that fight, will Mary claim that she helped the struggle, or will she lie to her child?

Welcome to Ritmo!

Back in the day, if you knew the term Gitmo, you were either in the Navy or the Marine Corps. Gitmo was slang for the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Now everyone knows about it. And like Abu Ghraib, not in a good way.

But how tainted, how shameful, how disgraceful is that name now?

Welcome to Ritmo!

"But civil liberties and immigration law groups allege that out of sight, the system is bursting at the seams. In the Texas facility, they say, illegal immigrants are confined 23 hours a day in windowless tents made of a Kevlar-like material, often with insufficient food, clothing, medical care and access to telephones."

And "An inspector general's report last month on a sampling of five U.S. immigration detention facilities found inhumane and unsafe conditions, including inadequate health care, the presence of vermin, limited access to clean underwear and undercooked poultry."

They broke the law, the US law, to come to America to find a better life. Instead they've been imprisoned.

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

Do you hear that? It's Lady Liberty crying silently.

Proving the Cliché . . . .

That nice guys finished last, SuperLawyer lost his election on Tuesday night. Needless to say I’m very bummed. SL, just hands down, was a better candidate. He raised more money than his opponent, he kicked @ss at the debate, he had better campaign literature. He went from door to door to meet people. He worked the commuting lots in the AMs. He really went all out. He got his Mom to write letters to all of the senior citizens in the area and he even got a recommendation from John Walsh! He really was the better candidate. And this isn’t just me saying this. When I stood outside the polling place in the OMG freezing cold, the guy out there with me supporting the other candidate actually said it. “Jeff’s got more experience, he’s lived in the area longer, he’s got better recommendations and qualifications.” So there.

But he lost. I think there were two reasons why he lost. I think one has to do with the fact that it was a special election. It was the only race on the ballot and so turn out was really low. Really low. And secondly, PWC is still a very red area. Unforunately I think the dems and the independents just didn’t turn out the way he needed them to.

I try, I really try, to think that none of the hateful, homophobic crap that was on the blogs and some emails made a difference in the election. I like to think that the people writing and reading that crap had already made up their mind. But I’m still bitter about the accusations, the lies, the prevarications, and just blatant mis-information that was put out. SL is too good of a guy to have had to deal with that.

Some people are like, well why does anyone get into politics anyways? If your character is going to be assassinated? If your personal life is going to be examined in every minute detail? Why do you want to run for office anyways. And I really do suspect a lot of people’s motives for running for public off. But not SL’s. He’s actually one of the very few people who honestly just wants to make a difference, he wants to help people, and wants to make his community and where he raises his children a better place.

And isn’t that what’s important? And worth putting up with all of the micoscopic analysis of everything you’ve ever done, or ever said. I give big props to SL for having the integrity, guts, and courage to run for election. I hope he tries again some day.

Word Cloud

Well, since all of the cool kids were doing it . . .

For a blog that's supposed to be all about me, I really don't talk a lot about me. I wonder why?

HomoQuotable

First of all a quick hat tip to Joe.My.God who's line/idea I'm stealing.

And now, via Americablog:

"It seems to me Republicans spend more time thinking about gay sex than any other group of people in the world even more so that gay people trying to find other gay people with whom to have sex."

- Jeff Stevens in the Alamogardo Daily News.

GOTV and Taxes

So I trekked down to SuperLawyer's domain and helped out with the Get Out The Vote process. Due to my military background, I'm pretty inexperienced when it comes to the actual nuts and bolts of campaigning. And while it looked like fun on the West Wing, the real work at the local level is well . . . . real work. The campaign manager had broken up the district into little blocks or sections of neighborhoods. Our job was to go to the homes of the registered democrats, or indepents and republicans who said they would vote for SL, and remind them of the special election on Tuesday. Thankfully the weather was pretty decent and I quickly shucked my coat and just walked around in my sweater. Now, walk isn't exactly the right word. This is classic suburbia land. Beautiful homes, cute little cul-de-sacs, kids playing hoops in the street. But no sidewalks! And since I wasn't hitting every home, I would end up driving a bit, walking a bit, driving a bit, walking a bit, driving a bit. Anyways, it was fun-ish. I helped out SL, and I got to experience what campaigning is like at the local level. So that's good.

My only bad experience was when I knocked on a door of a presumed supporter who quickly sized me up, saw my sticker for SL, and said, "I don't vote Democrat. I don't vote for people who raise my taxes or take my guns." I said thanks anyways, and walked away. No use trying to have a political discussion with this man. But it got me thinking . . . . .

How stupid is it to completely rule out raising taxes? Now, give me a second. I don't like taxes. And I pay a pretty penny in taxes, so I'm definitely not looking to give up more of my money. But I think ruling out raising taxes is just wrong. Let's say I make a certain amount of money every year, but I decide I want a new car. I can't afford the car with my current budget. So I've got two options. I can stop paying for something I'm doing now. Maybe I'll stop eating lunch out and bring my lunch to work. Or maybe I'll stop going to the movies. Basically the first option is to cut my expenditures. The second option is to make more money. Maybe that means asking for a raise, or getting a second job. If I really want to buy that new car, I need to decide. Cut expenditures, or increase my revenue. It's really simple economics. But the republicans can't seem to grasp that logic. It's all cuting taxes (decreasing revenue) and pork barrell projects (increasing expenditures). Which is great at a national level where China is more than willing to finance our debt, but that doesn't work at the local level. It's not like Reston is going to finance Herndon's debt.

Just like the Great Decider says that he won't take any options off the table, why have we allowed the Republicans to take raising taxes off the table? How have we allowed them to create some parallel universe where the law of economics doesn't apply and any tax is some sort of direct assualt on the American way of life?

All Politics Are Local . . . . .

and also ugly apparently.

SuperLawyer is running for a position down in his neck of the woods and the wingnuts are just rabid. To the point that they did research to find out how much his house cost, the square footage, number of bathrooms and bedrooms. And to compare it to his ex-wife's house and try to make some sort of analogy that SuperLawyer either doesn't care for his children, or isn't a good enough parent, or some such crap. And some of the stuff is just blatant lies. SuperLawyer is ignoring it, that's what he's got a campaign manager for, to deal with that stuff. But it really is insane.

I mean I expect that sort of thing at a national level? But at a local level? The trashing, or attempted trashing, of a neighbor! Someone you see run into at the super market, at your kid's little league practice, even in church! I kid you not. One of the bloggers making the most slanderous comments about SuperLawyer made some sort of comment like, "Well I can only tell you what I've seen of him at church since he refuses to asnwers our questions about . . . " Gee, what's that second commandment again?

SuperLawyer had his debate last night and I trekked down there to support him. His opponent was just a total Beaker. Needless to say, SuperLawyer did an OUTSTANDING job, like he always does. Instead of quoting the same three accomplishments over and over again to every question like Beaker did, SuperLawyer answered each question and showed how much he knew about the local situation. Crime statistics, housing info, amount of open spaces remaining, etc. He knew his sh!t! The funny thing is that both of them were talking about the same issues: smart growth, transportation, crime, and education. Their positions really weren't that far apart in some cases, but there were definitely some nuances. But the problem is that Beaker is your typical Republocrat. He's been involved in the local planning commision and he's approved all of this growth, re-zoning, new developments. So he says he wants smart growth, but doesn't do anything. It reminds me of the Bush's Clear Air Act, with just a little bit more Carbon Monixide allowed. Or the Clean Water Act, with just a little more mercury allowed. It's say one thing, but do another. Oh, my pet peeve for the evening? Apparently Beaker worked for the local representative and a ton of his staff were there to support thier pal. Fine. But I think it's bad form when you don't applaud for the other candidate. Even if it's just the polite clapping thing. They are both up there doing their thing and a little civility would be nice.

I'm heading south again this weekend to help out the last bit of the campaign. Sadly, on Sunday I'm going to be monitoring church parking lots to ensure no hateful homophobic flyers are put on cars while people are at their church services. Apparently that's a common practice to get out the vote of the republican base. Nice.

3 Videos For You!

Jake G. on SNL. Just a classic. And look at those arms! Can you say yummy!



Robbie Williams. The Pet Shop Boys. Talking about Madonna. This is the good stuff:



And Matt. I don't know Matt. But I wish I did. What a great idea. What amazingly beautiful places he's been too. And now my wanderlust is at me again.

Anglican vs Episcopalian

There was an article in the Washington Post on Thursday talking about the impact of the split between the Episcopalians and these "Nigerian-American Anglicans" (or NAAs for short) in a small town in Viriginia. It was a heart breaking story. And it put a very human face on the impact of the schism.

As I mentioned before, it think it's sad that when the NAAs voted to leave the Episcopal Church, they forced the remaining members of the church to find someplace else to worship. Interestingly enough, an old family friend is quoted as saying: "It cannot be shared when things are in limbo, and that's the position we're in," said Ward LeHardy, a congregant serving as spokesman for the majority group. Such an arrangement "would complicate legal and spiritual aspects."

Well, that's partly true. But not the part that is most important. I don't see how sharing the church would complicate things spiritually at all. The Episcopalians could worship at a 9AM service, and the NAAs could worship at an 11AM service. Both groups, who have nutured their church for many years, would be able to worship within the church. Isn't that what brothers and sisters in Christ should do?

No, the reason why they can't share is more legal in nature. The lawsuits are coming and it's not going to be pretty. But it is going to be petty.

Oddly enough, in church today we heard about Paul's letters to the Corinthians in which he talked about the very fractured church of his time. And he said:

"That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular."

I wonder if the Nigerian American Anglicans had the same readings we did today, and whether they really heard them or not?


(I promise non-religous or political blog entry soon!)

RIP Habeas Corpus

Sometimes I don't think it's the terrorists that are the biggest threat to our nation and our way of life, it's the Bush administration's lawyers. And sadly enough, the Attorney General (via Andrew):

Specter: Now wait a minute, wait a minute. The Constitution says you can't take [habeas corpus] away except in the case of invasion or rebellion. Doesn't that mean you have the right of habeas corpus?

Gonzales: I meant by that comment that the Constitution doesn't say that every individual in the United States or every citizen has or is assured the right of habeas corpus. It doesn't say that. It simply says that the right of habeas corpus shall not be suspended.

Let's see, it used to be that everyone had the right of habeas corpus here in the United States. It was kind of like a basic human right. Then someone decided that well, Habeas Corpus doesn't really apply to immigrants, or foreigners, and definitely not enemy combatants or detainees. Well, now it appears that even citizens aren't assured the right of habeas corpus.

How do these people sleep at night? How can they look themselves in the mirror?

Hello God? I'd like my country back please.

2,628,000 Minutes

2,628,000 minutes,
2,628,000 moments so dear.
2,628,000 minutes
How do you measure, measure FIVE years?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee.
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In 2,628,000 minutes
How do you measure FIVE years in the life?

With all due apologies to Jonathon Larson, I thought of Seasons of Love today while reading about the detainees in Gitmo. The irony was so strong, it almost hurt.

Five years ago my niece was just an infant. Today I got my first thank you note from her for her Christmas gifts. When I opened the card, my whole face lit up and I smiled. Her handwriting and spelling were atrocious, but I can just picture her at my sister's dining room table trying so hard to write that card. That's how I measured five years today.

Five years. 1,825 days. 43,800 hours. 2,628,000 minutes.

"But of the 773 detainees who have spent time in Guantanamo, the government has released roughly half, most because they had no information and no role in any fighting. The majority were sent home after the evidence against each was formally reviewed at military hearings required in 2004 by the Supreme Court, which rejected the Bush administration's claim that it could detain foreign nationals indefinitely without such sessions.

Of the 393 prisoners who remain today, the military has determined that 85 pose so little threat, they should be transferred to their home countries. Officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because some evidence about the prisoners is classified, estimate that about 200 pose a danger to Americans."

To the probably 573 detainees that we sent Gitmo (those we've released and those who are still there, but pose no threat to the US) how do you give them back those 5 years?

MAL Part 2

Due to Blow Off, I was kind of tired on Sunday AM. My plans for gym and church kind of flew out the window and I didn't really recover until early afternoon. It must be that getting old thing I hear people complaining about. Anyways, I went back over to the host hotel to just hang out a bit. Despite the smoking ban (yea!) it was still very cruisy, even in the mid afternoon. But like Ptown, you need to cruise fast and close the deal quickly. Most gay men have the attention span of a gnat and with all of the visual stimulation walking aroud, the next great thing always seems to be just around the corner. I did see some people I knew and chatted with them for a bit. Then it was home for a disco nap in preparation for the Reaction Dance.

The Reaction Dance was at the 930 Club also, but the look and feel were completely different. While the Blow Off crowd was a happy mix of all sorts of people listening to the jamming rock/dance/pop tunes of Bob and Rich, the Reaction Dance drew a more darker crowd listening to the beats of DJ Warren Gluck. He's been on a couple of Atlantis cruises and I really liked it and last night was good. The club was packed with hot, half naked, men of all shapes and diszes with tatooes, shaved heads, and lots of fur. Sometimes the half naked as a good thing, and sometimes it wasn't. Actually, it usually wasn't, but let's not judge.

In the midst of the dancing, I recognized a song:

I lived a quiet life
a stranger to champagne
I never dared to venture out
to cities of the plain
I'd heard about their way of life
took it with a pinch of salt
The freedom and the time to play
a life so easy
it intrigued me
when you called to say:

"Are you gonna go
to the Sodom and Gomorrah Show?
It's got everything you need for your complete
entertainment and instruction
Sun, sex, sin, divine intervention,
death and destruction
The Sodom and Gomorrah show
is a once-in-a-lifetime production"

Needless to say I was getting my groove on to the Pet Shop Boys!! I can't find the official clip on YouTube, but here's a good mix:



With the help of a little Red Bull, I made it till 3AM. And that's when I realized that I was going to be a cripple today from dancing in my combat boots. Oh well, it's the price one must pay for fun.

MAL Part 1

So it's MAL this weekend. Some friends of mine called to say that they had seen some of my "peeps" walking down K St in full leather. Cute, but they really aren't my peeps. While I like the aesthetic of the leather look, some of the details about the leather lifestyle leave me a little sqeamish. But still I wandered over to the host hotel to check out the leather market and to do some people watching. In addition to leaving your coat, you also need to check your judgement at the coat rack. Being tied up in a straight jacket and being led around on a leash isn't my idea of a good time, but hey, to each their own. And I'm not sure I get the whole full body rubber suit. I just keep thinking that it's just more than a bit hot. And uncomfortable. But it was fun to hang out and do the people watching thing. Mr. No Karma and his HusNot were there so it was good to catch up with them. And I saw quite a few people from my gym. So that was funny. I did run into this couple who used to go to the same personal training outfit I belong to last year I guess. We've all quit and are actually looking better now. Kind of funny. Anyways, it was fun to just walk around and check things out. I did have a fun, but too short, conversation with a really hot cop there. I'm sure I'll never see him again, but you never know.

Then I came home for my disco nap in preparation for BlowOff. Blow Off was good and packed with men who really did look like this. Lots of men with really short haircuts, i.e. military. And obviously a lot of facial hair. It was a fun crowd and I did get my groove on for a bit. But I was tired and it got really crowded, really quick. So I ended up bailing around 1AM.

Comments on Love & War

Let's start with War first. So our Dear Mr. President gave his speech last night. I sat there just dumbfounded. But there are a lot of choice comments out there:

Andrew's always good: "The premise of the speech, and of the strategy, is that there is a national democratic government in Baghdad, defending itself against Jihadist attacks. The task, in the president's mind, is therefore to send more troops to defend such a government. But the reality facing us each day is a starkly different one from the scenario assumed by the president. The government of which Bush speaks, to put it bluntly, does not exist."

From John Derbyshire: "So-o-o-o:

—-We can't leave Iraq without a victory.

—-Unless Maliki & Co. get their act together, we can't achieve victory.

—-If Maliki & Co. don't get their act together, we'll leave.

It's been a while since I studied classical logic, but it seems to me that this syllogism leaks like a sieve."

Dan Froomkin from the WashPost: "Anonymous White House officials tied themselves into rhetorical pretzels yesterday insisting that the U.S. commitment in Iraq is no longer open-ended -- without giving any indication of how it might close."

Arianna is good too: "Drudge made a lot of the president's admission of mistakes in Iraq -- as if this were major news, which is, no doubt, what the White House wanted. But the president has already admitted mistakes in Iraq. His mistake now is in not changing course (except rhetorically) after the earlier admissions of mistakes. The reason why admitting mistakes is considered a good thing to do is the assumption that you'll stop making them -- or at least stop making the same ones. But Bush is even incompetent at admitting his own incompetence. It's like an alcoholic admitting he's started drinking again, then announcing he plans to get back on the wagon by drinking even more. You should not get credit for admitting mistakes unless the admission is accompanied by an effort to stop making them."

My take? Can you imagine the enormous sh!tstorm that would happen if a Democratic President had gone on national TV to say that after over 3000 soldiers dead, that he was going to send more troops to engage in what is reality "peace making" operations to give some not completely friendly government some "breathing room"? How many lives of US armed forces is that "breathing room" going to cost?

And I hate to leave you with this image, but it's a great line from Bob Cesca: "He reached across (around) the aisle to rim job his ally in the Lieberman for Connecticut Party which means absolutely nothing other than the president is now open to exclusive shout-outs to members of Congress who give it up."

Joe's question for Thursday? How's Your Love Life? And he got the best answers:

- "Good, but it could only be better if I was in a "thruple""

- "Mine hasn't arrived yet. I do have a tracking number though."

- "My husband and I will soon be celebrating our six-month anniversary. We've had some rough times, but we're very happy together and, to quote Lyle Finster from "Will & Grace", we're "shagging like two lieutenants after lights out."

- "It is to laugh."

- "It is to cry."

- "Nonexistent. But happy with that for now...or at least I've done a good job convincing myself."

- "In the early years, we oftened talked about reaching 10 years together and what that might be like. The journey brought change to everything in our lives, cities, jobs, housing, friendships, goals, wants, desires, and expectations. We have each re-invented ourselves numerous times, not only refreashing our individual souls but refreshing our relationship along the way. Well, it's like we just met yet have known each other a lifetime. Every day I learn something new about him and about me. We embrace our idiosyncrasies and accept our foibles. We share and grow. We excel at who we are as individuals while being a couple cements a stronger bond for us in love. I never thought I was worthy, but I am, and so is he."

And my favorite: "Well lets see... I met my partner while I lived at one of the gayest addresses in the one-double-oh-fuckyou zipcode. And, even though we shared some of the same friends, and belonged to some of the same social groups, and had actually been introduced one or two times over the previous decade, it was not until we exchanged vitriol and bitterness via internet ads voicing our mutual disenchantmant with internet dating that we met and fell and in love. "Oh Shit" was what my soul yelped when I first peered downstairs at him after buzzing him in. The kind of 'oh shit' that told my soul 'thats him, I'd recognize him anyware'. It wasn't just the 'Awesome! He's hot!' or pleasant surprise of a cute date. It was the stirring of the soul that screams 'Are ya really ready for what you asked for?' YIKES! In an instant it was happily ever after. Not much has changed except the mortgage payment and a couple of pounds. Each day is just as precious as the first. My Dad used to say 'There is a lid for every pot'. After years of figuring out whether I was a lid or a pot, I found my match. Bitterness and demographics are just callouses on the soul. Love can happen anywhere and usually when you least expect it. But, the best advice I ever got was from a terminally fabulous queen on Christopher Street who told me early on "The object of the game sweetie, is to become the man you always wanted to date".

My love life? Ah, that's a subject for another time!

Jack's & the Dating Desert

Well Le Pigalle on 17th St is gone. I was never a fan. Not that Peppers (the previous establishment) was that great, but I did love their Blackened Steak Salad (with black beans!). Le Pigalle kept the salad for a bit, and then went to their totally french cuisine. I tried it once and was not impressed. And let's be honest, I'm not a big fan of haute french cuisine. So it was dead to me. So dead that apparently despite the number of times I've walked up and down 17th St this past week, I didn't realize that Le Pigalle was dead also. Dead and gone. And in it's place? Jack's. So instead of Annie's for lunch, GreekBoy and I did Jack's. Love the inside. They've made some nice improvements to it. The calamari was good, but the portion was a bit small. I liked that it came with a little salad. The eggs benedict was good, and I got the salad since I was trying to be good. The Bloody Mary was smooth and not too spicy as I requested. I think the portions were a bit small, but that could have been because I had worked out before church and only had a yogurt, so I was starving. And really, isn't smaller portions a good thing? So I give it a thumbs up. I may try to go back sometime this week and try their regular menu.

The Dating Desert. It's not a place. It's a time. And it stretches from mid November through late February. Let's face it, if you even try to start dating during this time frame you're screwed with not only dating dilemma, but also you've got to make sure you're not some rebound from some poor fool who's been dumped. Or worse, you don't want to come off as some romantically challenged needy person who is desperate to be "in a relationship" by Valentine's Day. Nope, if you're smart, and sane, the Dating Desert is a good time to spend quality time with yourself. Go to the gym. Read some books. Throw yourself into work. There are all sorts of options. Just don't go crazy. I know it's more than 40 days, but your time in the dating desert will end at some point. And then you'll be ready for spring, when the sweet smell of romance will bloom like the flowers.