Archive for October 24th, 2010
Great article from Tammy Bruce in the UK Guardian
Here’s a great article from Tammy Bruce in the UK Guardian, talking about what it means to be gay and conservative.
It’s essentially what we tell you all the time.
Here in Boystown, the only hostility we’ve ever received has been from the Left.
The worst religious people will ever say to us, for being gay, is that they will “pray for us” because they wish we were straight…not out of some meanness, but because they believe being straight would mean a happier life and they don’t want to see people unhappy. So, this is a little ignorant on their parts to presume that the only definition of happiness is for us to like girls…but it’s not coming from an evil place. They just don’t understand that you can, in fact, be gay and happy and not a sad Queer as Folk cliche.
The Left, on the other hand, threatens violence when they find out you are conservative. They get up in your face to intimidate you for being gay and daring to step out of line with whatever the DNC is issuing as talking points that day. They don’t want you to think for yourselves or vote in your own economic best interests because the identity-blocs the Democrats are based upon require you to identity-vote Democrat your entire life if you are gay. No questions ever asked, no individual thought allowed. The punishments are harsh for stepping outside the approved circle of thought. You are ostracized, personally attacked, and subjected to intense bullying.
For instance, there’s a semi-popular gay site that’s run in New York by a guy named Joe who regularly attacks HB because we’re gay conservatives…and Joe has a weird, personal axe to grind against K. in particular because he’s the most visible part of HB. This is classic in terms of what the Left does to anyone gay who speaks from a conservative perspective — they launch an Alinsky assault on you because you need to be made an example of what happens when a gay strays from the approved circle of thought. The rational is that if YOU are allowed to be gay and conservative, and survive the experience unpunished, then others might follow your lead, and then the Democrats’ house of cards would crumble.
So, you must be smashed. Crushed. Pummeled. Assaulted. Demoralized. Ridiculed. Stomped. Bashed.
Meanwhile, the worst the Right is doing is praying for you.
It really does boil down to these incredibly stark terms.
Read Tammy’s article…she’s a friend of the site and someone we like and admire very much, with similar experiences to ours, just from the lesbian side of the rainbow.
MONTANA GROUND REPORT:
Dear HillBuzz,
There’s a saying here in Big Sky Country – Montana is just a small town with long streets. This year’s election may underscore that sentiment more than usual. We really don’t have a “big” race. The only statewide campaign is the one for our lone Congress critter, Denny Rehberg. Denny’s a good guy and the only Republican in our Congressional delegation. His opponent, Dennis McDonald, is a former mob-lawyer from California who moved here and bought a ranch and now fancies himself a real cowboy. Unfortunately for him, Montanans know cowboys. His campaign is totally pathetic. He is currently riding his horse “around the state”. Don’t laugh – his fundraising efforts have been so lackluster he doesn’t even have gas money. Rehberg will probably win take it in a 75 – 25 split – maybe even more. Alert. The. Media.
MASSACHUSETTS GROUND REPORT: Chris Christie's visit to Massachusetts
Dear HillBuzz,
Today Rep Candidate Charlie Baker had a rally in a small town north of Boston. My Rock Star hero Governor Chris Christie came in to stump for him.Gov Christie also had a three way race,and he won it. We have Tim Cahill “who is in it to win it”,he refuses to drop out.There was electricity in the air.I got to meet Governor Christie.People asked Governor Christie to run in 2012,he declined.. The hall ended up being filled to capacity,they had to turn people away.Deval Patrick’s progressive reign has been abysmal.He has raised taxes EIGHT times.He spent a two billion dollar ” rainy day” fund.He dismantled Romneycare to a socialists dream.
This afternoon I attended the Waltham Tea Party in Waltham Ma which is northwest of Boston.This used to be a flourishing pristine city,forty years of democratic one party dominance has ruined this state. Despite a light rain,there were was a high turn out.This year almost every democratic incumbent has a challenger this is a first for us.Ed Markey has been my congresscritter for my whole voting life.He has a great opponent Dr Gerry Dembrowski who is running a grassroots campaign,he has not received any help from the GOP.Probably the most significant difference between Mr Markey and Dr Gerry is that Dr Gerry loves his country and is proud to be an American.Ed Markey held a rally on Saturday he did not bother to show up,he did manage to find thirteen people who still support him despite his horrendous record.
Martha ” Marsha” Coakley also has an opponent, Jim McKenna, who will do things differently than Marsha, he will fight public corruption ( our last three state speakers of the house were forced to resign for corruption etc) not to mention a state Rep Diane Wilkerson taking bribes and caught on camera shoving money in her bra.Coakley gave her immunity.Jim will enforce the immigration law.Poor Marsha she did not like her job as attorney general so she decided she wanted to be a senator and demanded that it just be given to her.Afterall why should she have to stand out in the cold and shake hands.
I hope I did not make this to long.We have only had one other time to be excited about an election and that was last January.
Gov Patrick donated land to build a mosque in Boston ,it was really kept under the radar.Although it has been kept mum,it has questionable ties. An imam was caught on tape encouraging woman to become involved in their causes.In the last year there has been an explosion in muslim immigration.I think the burqua is as popular as baseball caps.After watching that little tape, ” The Three Things You Should Know” Islam is worse than I imagined.
Andria from Ma7
ILLINOIS GROUND REPORT: How much trouble is Jan Schakowsky in?
Dear HillBuzz,
As you reported, this year is our best hope to change our IL 9th district house representative if we can vote Jan Schakowsky out. I am deeply grateful to you guys for taking our district on as your personal cause!
When walking and driving through Evanston and Skokie, I see a lot of yard signs for Joel Pollak. I see yard signs for Jan Schakowsky, too, but I don’t ever remember seeing signs other than Schakowsky’s in past election cycles. I am impressed by the number of Pollak signs I see, if that means anything. I even see businesses with Pollak signs in the windows.
Not many people are talking about the election, or about Jan Schakowsky. I have had a few dyed-in-the-wool liberals tell me without any prompting that they are sick and tired of Jan Schakowsky, and that they are voting for Joel Pollak on November 2. To say I was dumbfounded to hear this once around here is an understatement.
As I drive further north into the suburbs along Lake Michigan up our north shore, I am pleasantly surprised at the volume of yard signs I see for Bill Brady (republican candidate) versus Pat Quinn (democratic incumbent) for Governor and Mark Kirk (Rep) versus Alexi Giannoulias (Dem) for Obama’s old Senate seat.
Although I have run into a few people who have brought up Jan Schakowsky themselves to say how much they dislike her, I haven’t found anyone who breaks into conversation about the other races. Either people are skeptical or beaten down here in the metro area that we can actually vote the bums out, or they want the bums in but realize that they expose their power greed by voicing their support.
I couldn’t sign off, Hillbuzz, without asking if you saw the bizarre fluff piece on our recent past social secretary Desiree Rogers in the November issue of Chicago magazine.
God Bless,
Looking4ChangeNov2
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Dear HillBuzz,
First I’ll give my observations on BO’s elevation to Presidency. As a Senate Candidate, He looked nice, he was a “community organizer” he was motivating, he was such a great speaker! He also had the fortune of the major opponent’s candidacy implode…My husband was also a lobbyist in the lat 90’s in Springfield when O was a State Senator. He basically says the guy did nothing, never sponsored a meaningful bill, voted present on sticky issues…etc, and he had a reputation for that in Springfield. This was when I was starting to vote more, but still crossing over the ballot, etc. I avoided primaries because I didn’t want to have to “declare”…When he won the election for Senator (I refused to vote–I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Alan Keys.) I recall going back to Alabama to go to an Auburn Game with friends from College. They kept peppering me with questions about Obama and saying how much potential he has after his “Speech” at the DNC. I argued with them that he was barely a Senator, etc etc etc, and mind you most of my southern friends are Republicans now…but they were insistent that this guy was going somewhere and fast…and I knew the same thing–but just couldn’t wrap my brain around it. I insisted to them that he had to establish himself as a Senator and do a good job representing IL before he could even THINK about Presidency…I was right AND wrong on that…
In ’08…hardly any republican signs, except Mark Kirk (my district). Even some unknown D- guy won for our State Rep…he barely campaigned, just showed up at the train station a few times and shook hands…Obama signs were not that prevalent on our block, maybe a couple–except one neighbor who had a sign in the yard and O’s hopy-changy logo in their window. I have to admit I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to what happened to HRC, since I was finally becoming a non-committed Republican. Ironically, not too long ago I mentioned to my husband that I wondered how different and better things would be if Hillary won the nomination and was our President now…My husband a pretty committed Republican–actually agreed with me on this one, and we agree on the party (he thinks he converted me, and I’ll give him some credit), but we disagree on alot too. Then I found hillbuzz, and I feel even more empathetic to Hillary and what happened to her….I had seen snippets, but you boys really sum it up very well.
Since ’08, that hopy changy logo is long gone from our neighbors house. I see bumper stickers for the next Presidential Inauguration in 2013 more often and NObama. There more signs for Brady (Gov candidate), Kirk (Senate), and Dold (congress). I also see more and more signs for Joel Pollak–as I follow his race and drive through the 9th district on my commute. Thank YOU Hillbuzz for picking this race! Joel is great, and Jan has got to go! I follow his fb page alot–and he will engage with people who challenge him in great ways. Jan deletes people that don’t agree with her.
I share an office with two men. The first guy is a democrat–I knew this on my first day of work a year ago because there is a big framed picture of Obama on our wall looking triumphant that says “Leadership” underneath it that I pass by EVERY DAY. The other guy started after me, and he assumed I was democrat because he was in the republican closet too and wasn’t sure with the Obama pic about my thoughts…So, one day on a coffee break we both realize that we are Republican–and now we discuss politics on coffee breaks. The first coworker – he is a black man in his fifties and I have alot of respect for him and really like him but I don’t want to touch politics too much with him. The closest to politics we have gotten is discussing the mayoral race…who was it going to be: Rahm, Meeks, etc–and he seemed interested in Rahm, and then he said “whoever runs and is elected is going to have to clean up Daley’s mess just like Obama is still dealing with Bush’s mess…” The conversation stopped. Dead, in its tracks. We haven’t talked politics since…
Here is my ground report from the10th Congressional District. It’s pretty much called a “swing” district, even though a Republican has been in the seat since the 70’s but our district is very moderate and at times pretty left-leaning. As far as what is going on here as I canvass for Dold, I am starting to become more optimistic–even though the polls conflict. It’s tight and will be tight all through election night (it was the last one too). They are both vying for Mark Kirks’ seat–who is running for Senate to replace Roland Burris (the most recent inhabitant of OUR Senate Seat-not Obama). The thing Bob Dold has against him is we have a serial D- candidate (in fact, this has been his career for the last three election cycles, the last two of which he lost…) that has alot of name recognition because that’s all he does is run for this congressional seat. He claims to be a business consultant but doesn’t mention his clients by name anywhere. Oh–and he doesn’t LIVE in our district. The cherry on top is “I am concerned he will vote in lock-step with Pelosi and Schakowski who are besties”. This also raises an eyebrow. I am still getting alot of “undecided’s” but people do seem willing to listen. One woman told me that she feels she can breathe now and say what she really feels a little more–after all the racist accusations and fear mongering about Republicans by the D’s. She felt people would assume she is racist if she said she is republican. She said her best friend is black and hates that she is republican so they don’t talk politics at all. I almost talked her into taking a sign…I was close. I did get a couple in my neighborhood to take them! I had one woman right down the street from me that was so flat out rude in her manner–I was quite appalled. I get it if you are d- and don’t care–but why did you peek through the window, see my clipboard with Dold stickers on it, and open the door then? Sheez…and she is 7 houses down from me…She must have realized I might be “the one with five signs in her yard” when I said I lived down the street. Whoops! I had one woman actually sheepishly apologize to me because she is a Democrat–in my 10 years back in this state, I have NEVER had someone apologize to me for that. My mom and dad are canvassing too–got 7 Yes votes today in their walk! One door slammed in their face, and two agreed to take a sign. I had one older woman, life-long R say that she was fed up with the fighting, etc and no one working together, etc and that she felt bad for Obama, and she kind of sheepishly admitted she voted for him and he needs a chance. I could tell she didn’t really get on the internet or watch much about politics and was only hearing BO’s soundbites–so I took the opportunity to tell her my point of view–that republicans were never given a seat at the table by congress or the President. She didn’t seem to know that at all, and seemed to take that into consideration. I’m making progress and I think more people are starting to do their research and that is why there were more Yes’s today than previous days. As for the gov race and senate–NO ONE is talking–but I see far far more Brady signs than Q, and far more Kirk than Ali G.
Also, I know our State Rep Mark Walker is super scared. He paid a bunch of folks on a major thoroughfare to have yard signs, and I have gotten hit piece after hit piece on a respectable former State Rep that stood up to run in the race again after several years. This guy is a Stand UP guy–David Harris, and Walker is just like a puddle of water. He is getting all kinds of money from daddy Madigan to fund his obnoxious mail pieces and a few commercials. This is the guy that won last time with handshakes at the train station.
One more thing–my husband is working with Steve Kim–running for Attorney General against Madigan’s daughter Lisa. While she has done OK on some issues, and I mean enough to get her name out there for future GOV slot, or Mayor…but of course she has done NOTHING about corruption (go figure, her daddy would be in jail). Anyway, in talking to people we know and on my canvass (I give out info on him too), I am pleasantly surprised at how open people are about hearing about him. Many make comments on how they can’t stand Lisa. My dad got a bunch of that today too in his canvass…AND she is spending $ on ads! That is the puzzling thing, I think even she is afraid of “the wave” that is coming…
Thanks for everything you do!
RS – former city girl, now NW burban…
ALASKA GROUND REPORT: Is the media deliberately working against Joe Miller?
Dear HillBuzz,
Not much support or love for Obama up here. The only ones I see supportive of him in Southcentral are some (a small few) in Anchorage, and more so at the colleges.
SOUTH CAROLINA GROUND REPORT
UPDATE: Whatever happened to the five students sent home for wearing American flag shirts on Cinco de Mayo?
Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California
Do you remember back in May of 2010 when Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, California sent five students home for wearing patriotic American flag colors on “Cinco de Mayo”?
There was nothing in the school’s dress code that barred patriotic, American-inspired clothing…so it was a clear violation of the school’s own rules to persecute these students.
Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez was the culprit in this — demanding the students take off their American-inspired clothing lest they offend any illegal Mexicans who were attending the school, celebrating “Cinco de Mayo” that day…which is, ironically, not even a holiday in Mexico. Or, maybe Rodriguez just wanted to see teenaged boys take their shirts off. That would explain the weird grin on his face, his sweaty anticipation of a “show”, and the boom box he lugged around with an old Flashdance soundtrack cassette queued up inside.
“Cinco de Mayo” is about as Mexican as Taco Bell.
It’s a completely American invention…something that Americans created to have an excuse to party in May with a Mexican theme. It’s a drinking holiday. Friends of ours who are actually from Mexico say they never heard of it until they moved to Chicago.
We’re curious whatever happened to the students involved in the Live Oak High School Cinco de Mayo drama…what happened to Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez…and what sort of settlement the school district gave to the families…because we can’t imagine the school didn’t have to cough something up for what it did to them.
Anyone have an update?
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UPDATE: Looks like the family is suing the school district to determine whether the district had the legal right to send kids home for wearing American flag colors.
The article says law firms and advocacy groups are taking up the case to prove the point that the school district did not have this right. A similar suit is ongoing centered around a girl who was sent home wearing a pro-life shirt.
