Archive for August, 2011
HillBuzz Overnight Open Thread: August 26th, 2011
What’s the most important thing you learned today?
What’s the most interesting thing that happened today, August 26th, 2011?
What are you looking forward to learning more this weekend?
For me, I was happiest today when Justin came home and surprised me with the Martha Stewart Halloween magazine, which of course he makes fun of me for loving (but somehow gets ahold of and then disappears with for hours, marveling at all the ingenious crafting inside). I happen to love Martha Stewart, as a character. She was a Hillary supporter during the 2008 primaries and then switched over to Obama, which I don’t get, but I love how passive-aggressive she is (like in the clip above). That movie Martha complains about, Martha Incorporated starring Cybil Shepherd is the most unintentionally funny thing you will ever watch. There used to be a video on YouTube of all the best parts, set to “We’re Not Gonna Take It Anymore”, but it looks like some entertainment lawyer somewhere took it down. I am so tempted to learn how to make YouTube videos just so I can recreate it.
I was also quite happy today when my friend Delphine in New York confirmed she has three weeks’ food (at least) in her pantry, that she’s made her husband get a few cases of bottled water, and that she’s well stocked-up on batteries, flashlights, and other supplies. I have been worried about her, and about good friends I have up and down the Eastern Seaboard with Hurricane Irene approaching. I really need to put together a plan for Justin and me in case anything bad ever goes down here in Chicago. We lost power a few times this summer because of thunderstorms, but there’s no chance of a hurricane hitting us. Earthquakes aren’t a danger either, but sometimes I do worry about what happens when Obama loses the presidency next year. Chicago, New York, Detroit, Atlanta, LA, Cleveland…they’ll all probably be consumed with riots stoked by the Race Industry. Stocking up on canned goods won’t exactly prepare for that, so hopefully we’ll be in another state far away at a Palin campaign results watch party and nowhere near Chicago.
I really appreciate everyone who prayed for me last week when I was trying to make up my mind about whether or not to call Sidetrack out on attacking Trig Palin and Michele Bachmann and whether I wanted to take on the Ben Cohen Foundation for its hypocrisy. As expected, Daily Kos and Democratic Underground are now attacking me again, for calling Sidetrack out and demanding an explanation for Ben Cohen as to what, exactly, his promise to battle “bullying wherever, and to whomever, it occurs” means if it doesn’t apply to standing up for a kid with Downs or women who are attacked for their appearance, religion, or other beliefs.
Clearly the gay community believes it can maliciously bully anyone it wants, whenever it wants, wherever it wants, because being gay gives them the right to simultaneously claim to be perpetual victims as well as determined victimizers. Come to think of it, it’s kind of like the Congressional Black Caucus existing as an organization whose membership is based on skin color, but who would condemn any other organization that excludes people based on their skin color. Hypocrisy is so common on the Left, few ever notice it, and even fewer dare to call them out on it.
For those of you who aren’t veterans of political campaigning, you’re going to see nastiness on an unprecedented level as the 2012 campaign gears up. Gays will be used by the Left to attack Governor Palin and her supporters as homophobes. Blacks will be used to call all Republicans RAAACISTS. Jewish groups will be brought forward to falsely accuse conservatives of being antisemitic. Pick a racial, cultural, or other minority, insert the worst thing they can call someone, and expect to see them doing that in large numbers as the Left marshals all troops in a desperate bid to bully voters into retaining the Obamas in the White House.
Justin is a big SciFi and fantasy fan, who LOVES the Lord of the Rings movies. If you thought the assembled forces of Mordor were horrific and imposing, just wait until you behold what the Left puts onto the field in 2012.
It’s all a big effort to intimidate you, of course, to keep you from speaking out, to make you sit back and take whatever they are dishing and swear you like it.
But, if you are reading this you are the Resistance, and whether you fully realize it or not, you are the key to defeating the Left and the Cocktail Party GOP establishment alike next year. One day at a time.
Obama launches another boondoggle government initiative.
The staff of the new Office of Diversity and Inclusion
(isn’t the big guy in the middle of the back row the same guy who was Gabby Gifford’s staffer? The one who helped save her just after she was shot? If not, he sure looks like him.)
Just a few days ago, Obama signed an Executive Order titled ”Establishing a Coordinated Government-Wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce.” How wonderful! Another government program…because we really don’t have enough. This Executive Order will ”direct federal agencies to draw upon the talents of all parts of society and allow the federal government to tap diverse perspectives to overcome the nation’s greatest challenges.”
Here is an excerpt from this order….
Section 1. Policy. Our Nation derives strength from the diversity of its population and from its commitment to equal opportunity for all. We are at our best when we draw on the talents of all parts of our society, and our greatest accomplishments are achieved when diverse perspectives are brought to bear to overcome our greatest challenges.
A commitment to equal opportunity, diversity, and inclusion is critical for the Federal Government as an employer. By law, the Federal Government’s recruitment policies should “endeavor to achieve a work force from all segments of society.” (5 U.S.C. 2301(b)(1)). As the Nation’s largest employer, the Federal Government has a special obligation to lead by example. Attaining a diverse, qualified workforce is one of the cornerstones of the merit-based civil service.
To realize more fully the goal of using the talents of all segments of society, the Federal Government must continue to challenge itself to enhance its ability to recruit, hire, promote, and retain a more diverse workforce. Further, the Federal Government must create a culture that encourages collaboration, flexibility, and fairness to enable individuals to participate to their full potential.
Instead of spending his time trying to figure out how to get millions of Americans back to work, Obama is just creating new government agencies to further extend government regulations.
Don’t we already have policies that require “inclusion” and “diversity”? We already have another government agency to ensure this….it’s call the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
While our Government still has jobs to offer….private sector jobs are very few and far between.
I know how Obama can stimulate the economy and create thousands of new private sector jobs.
Leave office.
An Open Letter to Kim Cattrall regarding the hypocrisy of Ben Cohen attending an anti-bullying event at Sidetrack the Video Bar (a venue that promotes bullying)
VIA Open Letter, Email, and Post:
August 26, 2011
Dear Ms. Cattrall,
I write to you because you have been a strong, public supporter of the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation and its published mission of being “dedicated solely to the cause of anti-bullying, wherever and to whomever it occurs”. Your photo (above, with Naya Rivera and Ben Cohen) is featured on the Foundation’s website and lends your image and good name, and with them great credence, to the public’s belief that Ben Cohen takes his Foundation’s mission seriously and means what he says when he promises to end bullying “wherever and to whomever it occurs”.
Considering the above, you need to know that Ben Cohen is currently scheduled to appear at Sidetrack the Video Bar on August 30th, 2011 for an event promoting the Standup Foundation in which he will appear on stage alongside Bradley Thomas Balof, a Sidetrack employee who is billed as the event’s MC and auctioneer.
On August 16th, 2011 at 730pm, Sidetrack screened the premiere episode of “Only@Brunch” which features Bradley Thomas Balof as co-host of this gay Chicago talk show, with format similar to “The View”. Sidetrack aired this video on its largest screen, provided free mimosas to attract viewers, and allowed its official logo to be featured on promotional materials with Sidetrack’s clear endorsement of the “Only@Brunch” content.
At the 1:37 mark of this video, another “Only@Brunch” co-host, Jesse Budlong, attacked Trig Palin, the son of Governor Sarah Palin and her husband Todd, with tasteless and unjustified bullying (for being a toddler with Down Syndrome). This attack arose while the “Only@Brunch” cast bullied Congresswoman Michele Bachmann because of her gender and physical appearance — and resulted in five minutes of these gay men mocking her looks in a video that Sidetrack aired in the Main Bar area of this Chicago gay establishment (the most prominent placement Sidetrack could give this bullying, in the most prominent gay venue in the country).
As a gay man living and working here in Chicago, I am ashamed of the way leaders of the gay community, such as Sidetrack’s owners Art Johnston and Jose Pepin “Pepe” Pena, consistently engage in hypocrisy like this.
Because of articles I wrote here on HillBuzz.org about this outrage, “Only@Brunch” was forced to issue a statement acknowledging the tasteless and unjustifiable nature of its bullying attack. Subsequently, “Only@Brunch” edited out its mocking of Trig Palin from the video it currently features on YouTube, but retained the five minutes of bullying directed at Congresswoman Bachmann. Sidetrack and its owners have made no apology whatsoever for providing this bullying a venue in which to air publicly before a large crowd.
Trig Palin is a common target for bullying attacks in the gay community, with venues such as Sidetrack airing videos that mock him and others with special needs for the way they were born. Similarly, Sidetrack has a long and documented history of brutally bullying women, Christians, and people with conservative political beliefs. Sidetrack features a weekly Thursday “Laugh Track Comedy Night”, which Bradley Thomas Balof often hosts, that invariably includes sexist and misogynistic attacks on Christian women such as Congresswoman Bachmann, Governor Sarah Palin, Governor Jan Brewer, columnist Ann Coulter, and others. Sidetrack is the only gay bar in Chicago that engages in this sort of orchestrated, endemic bullying on its video screens, I think because it’s the biggest bar in town and regularly attracts celebrities like Ben Cohen for events.
Since they believe they can get away with this, and possess so much political and economic clout, Sidetrack’s owners Johnston and Pena apparently see no problem with hosting an anti-bullying event on August 30th, 2011 (in which conservatives and Christians will be scolded for allegedly bullying gay people) after airing the “Only@Brunch” video on August 16th, 2011 (which showcased gay people bullying a special needs child and women who are conservative and Christian).
The hypocrisy is obvious and glaring — and does a great disservice to the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation because it’s certainly an affront to the published mission of dedication “solely to the cause of anti-bullying, wherever and to whomever it occurs”. Except when gay people are doing the bullying, and the victims are a toddler with Down Syndrome and Christian women the gay community doesn’t like, it would seem.
On a very personal level, Ms. Cattrall, I need to tell you that I have friends in New York City who have volunteered with God’s Love We Deliver and have gotten to know you, somewhat, through its own mission. My friends tell me you are hardworking, gracious, and truly committed to the causes you endorse. You are, they assure me, the real deal and no fan of hypocrisy. In New York, I’m told you are often an angel that rescues many a fundraising event, often agreeing to appear at the very last minute if another speaker falls through or something important is not getting enough attention. Seeing Kim Cattrall attached to anything means the organization involved deserves the public’s support and confidence. There aren’t words to properly thank you for all you do, for so very many.
For the last five days, I have been asking for an explanation from the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation for why Mr. Cohen remains scheduled to appear at Sidetrack the Video Bar here in Chicago on August 30th, 2011 after Sidetrack so egregiously aired a clear bullying attack on Trig Palin, Congresswoman Bachmann, and others on August 16th, 2011. I have corresponded with, and spoken to over the phone, Patrick Davis, the President of the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation on multiple occasions. While incredibly polite and unfailingly professional, Mr. Davis has STILL not explained to me why the Foundation is rewarding Sidetrack’s bad behavior with a personal appearance by Mr. Cohen. Sidetrack stands to make a great deal of money August 30th, because Mr. Cohen is a sought-after sex symbol in the gay community that draws large, thirsty, crowds to any bar he visits.
Can you please contact Mr. Patrick Davis at the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation (404-347-7778 or Patrick@BenCohenUSA.com) and ask him to explain why Mr. Cohen is choosing to abandon his pledge to standup to bullying “wherever and to whomever it occurs” by appearing in a venue that fosters bullying here in Chicago’s gay community?
I have spent the last week drawing attention to the fact that bullying towards special needs children, conservatives, Christians, and women is ongoing at Sidetrack the Video Bar here in Chicago and is a very serious problem in our community exacerbated by Sidetrack’s owners Johnston and Pena.
If Mr. Cohen chooses to honor his scheduled appearance at Sidetrack next Tuesday August 30th, 2011, he’s clearly voiding the Foundation’s mission and encouraging this sort of bullying committed by the gay community in Chicago to amplify nationwide.
It’s a bigger issue than just something happening here in Chicago, because this act of hypocrisy will permanently undermine the Foundation’s mission and will cast doubt on its “anti-bullying wherever and to whomever it occurs” core tenet.
Thank you Ms. Cattrall for involving yourself in this matter and inquiring of Mr. Cohen and Mr. Davis exactly what’s going on here, and how the August 30th appearance at Sidetrack complements the stated mission of the Ben Cohen Standup Foundation.
Kevin DuJan
Founder and Editor, HillBuzz.org
Fan of yours since Mannequin, permanent admirer because of God’s Love We Deliver
It’s official! Oprah Winfrey banned from ever becoming a Marine. Stedman Graham still clings to dream of being “Maureen”, however.
Word came down today that a new bureaucratic policy officially prohibits Oprah Winfrey from ever being a United States Marine.
Oprah, hard at work driving viewers away in droves from her OWN (Oprah’s Weird Noises) network, apparently was agast at the new regulations.
“Too many chili days at Harpo Studios, too much demon in me,” the former talk show host and proprietress of a cable station watched primarily by household animals reportedly said.
URGENT: If you know anyone in the path of Hurricane Irene, especially New Yorkers, urge them to either get out or stock up on supplies
Today I’d like to ask you to please think about anyone you personally know who lives in Hurricane Irene’s path — especially any New Yorkers you know — because people have long stopped taking hurricane warnings seriously, due to the sensationalized and ridiculous “STORM OF THE CENTURY!” hyperbole our irresponsible media uses when talking about storms. They cry wolf, or more aptly “Killer Hurricane!”, so often that when a monster storm does emerge, people don’t much notice.
I have about a dozen good friends in New York City and the environs and all of them are getting personal calls and emails from me doing my level best to get them to take a weekend road trip away from the city, somewhere upstate and safe. A weekend away might be just a weekend away if Hurricane Irene doesn’t smack right into New York, but I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t urge them to leave and a New Orleans-style disaster happened.
If they are too stubborn to leave the city, I’m urging them to stock up on bottled water, canned foods that can be eaten without cooking, peanut butter, and any non-perishables that can fill their cupboards. I’m also telling them to get plastic water containers they can fill up and freeze so that if they lose power or several days (or weeks) during Irene’s wake, they’ll have ice in their freezer to keep things cool.
My biggest concern with Irene hitting New York City is the incompetence of Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a crisis.
Couple his ineptitude with several generations’ worth of union laziness, and New York is a city that is painfully vulnerable to any natural disaster. Just look at what happened last winter when it snowed like crazy around Christmas. Bloomberg was in Bermuda, at his island palace, when the unions decided to just stop snow removal services because it was too much work and they were upset the city was facing cutbacks of union perks.
Union work crews are an oxymoron, with most of them comprised of at most one worker and seven or eight supervisors who have not done any actual work in many years. When a disaster strikes, these guys aren’t suddenly going to know how to handle anything. They are, true to union form, most likely to run away and leave everyone around them to fend for themselves, just like they did during the Christmas blizzard.
The reason I’m so afraid for my New York friends is because I clearly see a very plausible scenario where all Hell breaks loose and the people who are on the city’s payroll to manage the disaster just abandon their posts, with Bloomberg too feeble and incompetent to force them to do their jobs to save the citizens of New York from complete ruin.
I have complete faith in the NYPD and NYFD to be there protecting and serving until the bitter end…but the water and power and sanitation and other New York city workers? Forget about it.
Please make sure people you care about who live in Hurricane Irene’s path consider all of this, and at the very least stock up on food and water so they can make it at least a week on their own, trapped in their apartments, if the hurricane hits and in its aftermaths the unions of New York City once again royally screw over its citizens.
Troll Dissection 101: What do trolls say when attacking Governor Palin while simultaneously pushing Mittens “Mood Ring” Romney?
Here’s a troll comment that came in from someone calling her/himself “Vanessa”. Prior to attempting to leave this comment, the same IP address also attempted to leave remarks on various other threads calling me a racist and also pushing for people to support Ron Paul.
As the election heats up, the Left is going to completely lose its mind when it realizes how big of a loss Democrats will suffer in 2012. Expect to see the race card flung around early and often, with copious pushing of Mittens “Mood Ring” Romney to be the Republican nominee.
Conservatives: wake up. Stop letting the media, the Left, trolls, and the Cocktail Party GOP establishment choose your nominee for you!
Can you dissect this troll’s comments and ascertain what the goal was in posting this?
To the Author,
That’s very interesting. I never would have thought that was Sarah’s strategy. With that said, Sarah Palin is not fit to be president. If I had to choose a Republican candidate with what I know now, I would have to choose Mitt Romney. She is the least knowledgeable of all the candidates. She reminds me of the popular cheerleader who wins class president because she’s pretty and popular while the more qualified candidates are passed by. I have yet to see proof that she is a good candidate for president. She has no strong points accept for her personality.
What are at least three ways you can think of in the above example where the Left uses people like this to either demoralize Palin’s supporters or coax the more gullible conservative out there that even in the 2012 election — the most toxic for Democrats in 80 years — they need to settle for a cucumber and mayonnaise soggy squish like Mittens?
1.
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Have you ever heard of comedian Sheryl Underwood?
I’ve never heard of Sheryl Underwood before, but she’s been hired as a co-host of a show I’ve never heard of called, “The Talk”.
Apparently, out there in the vast reaches of television, there’s now, “The Talk”, “The View”, “The Chew”, and “OWN” (Oprah’s Weird Noises), with each catering to something somehow different. Allegedly.
In the press release for “The Talk”, Underwood described herself as “a former member of the U.S. Armed Forces and a sexually progressive God-fearing black Republican”.
I was curious about her comedy, so I YouTubed a few clips. It’s salty stuff, but a lot of standup shot in comedy clubs is.
It’s interesting to hear her perspective though. A lot of her older stuff takes aim at President Bush the way you’d expect at a Friar’s Club roast, with things I can actually imagine the former president laughing good-naturedly along with. I didn’t find anything with her talking about Obama, however, so I have no idea what she thinks of him.
It’s interesting to think how she’ll respond to the 2012 election and if she’ll be a voice of criticism for his re-election campaign.
Anyone know more about her and able to form an opinion?
HillBuzz Open Thread: Friday August 26th, 2011
Today in History:
2008 – Russia unilaterally recognizes the independence of the former Georgian breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Obama takes time out of whatever vacation he was on that week to ask if Atlanta had broken apart too. Seriously. I think he actually really did do this, when he was in Hawaii at that time.
1978 – Papal conclave, 1978 (August): Pope John Paul I is elected to the Papacy. White smoke over the Vatican, yo. The only memorable thing I took away from Angels & Demons, the book or movie.
1966 – The Namibian War of Independence starts with the battle at Omugulugwombashe. Contrary to how it sounds, I don’t think it happened on the Klingon home world or in a George Lucas screenplay.
1940 – Chad becomes the first French colony to join the Allies under the administration of Félix Éboué, France‘s first black colonial governor. Oh, that Chad, always up to something interesting. Deirdre Hall must be so proud. And Shannon Doherty so very, very jealous.
1920 – The 19th amendment to United States Constitution takes effect, giving women the right to vote. Now, if only more women would use that right to vote in their economic best interests and for the good of the country, instead of how wedge issues used by the Democrat Party keep them voting year after year after year.
What are people talking about in your part of the country today?
HillBuzz Overnight Open Thread: August 25th, 2011
What’s the most interesting thing you learned today?
What’s the most important thing that happened August 25th, 2011?
What are you looking forward to hearing more about tomorrow?
Today for me, I think we’ve determined the absolute-latest date possible for Governor Palin to announce her presidential campaign is October 31st, 2011 (Halloween)…because South Carolina’s deadline for filing paperwork and paying its candidate fee is at 5pm November 1st, 2011.
Clearly, she’ll announce before then if she intends to run (and all signs still point to yes on that), but we’ve established she’ll definitely have to give a yes or no answer by Halloween.
I think she’ll do it in late September or early October, and no I don’t believe the Glenn Beck rally she’s committed to the first week of October plays any part in her decision.
As someone who very much believes the Governor is what’s needed to not just defeat Obama, but get the country back on track, I would be disappointed if she chose not to answer this clear call for her leadership…but I think we all need to respect her, and her decision, whatever it is and just keep waiting for her plan to unfold. I believe in Governor Palin, though I strenuously urge her to run, Sarah, run!
Sad and out of touch: Joe Biden off playing golf today. If all these people wanted to do was vacation, why did they seek elected office?
One of the most shocking displays of a man being completely out of touch with the reality of those less fortunate around him happened years ago when I worked in a hotel during college, and I walked in on the General Manager rambling on to some housekeepers and a maintenance man about what it was like to fly on the Concorde. Of course, this preening buffoon pronounced it “Le Con-CHORD-UH”, en francais!, like the pretentious ass that he was (and probably still is).
I knew everyone he was talking to, and also knew not only how little they made – but how many mouths they had to feed back home. The last thing they wanted to hear about was the GM flying at accelerated speeds, drinking champagne, looking at a reading on the bulkhead to determine how fast the plane was going and what it’s exact location was over the Atlantic.
He lasted less than a full year as the hotel’s General Manager, because the staff flat-out hated him. He just rubbed his many privileges in people’s faces too often, and when it came time to vote on his leadership in the employee satisfaction surveys, he scored so low the company had the survey administered AGAIN a month later, just to make sure it wasn’t some sort of fluke.
It was a complete vote of no confidence in this man, because he had no appreciation for how he related to people who suffered greatly around him.
This is exactly how I feel when I see Joe Biden first screwing around in Outer Mongolia earlier in the week, and now playing rounds of golf in Hawaii…while our illustrious current president is off on another vacation.
THIS is what is going to bring this administration down, all of this endless playtime, at massive taxpayer expense.
While so many people suffer indignity and privation, still waiting so desperately for their hopeychange, Obama/Biden fart voluminously through silk and more likely than not wonder why they can’t have a Concorde of their own for an Air Force One or an Air Force Two.
The media doesn’t realize it. The DNC doesn’t get it. The White House doesn’t understand…but this is all going to be a big part of the 2012 election.
That’s why Mittens “Mood Ring” Romney is not the candidate to run, no matter how much the Cocktail Party GOP establishment wants to.
The Republican candidate needs to be a sharp contrast to this life of pampered luxury that Obama/Biden presents, and that person needs to show Americans that she’s a regular person, with a higher likelihood of concord jelly being in her kids’ peanut butter sandwiches than of whistful tales of Concorde flights being amongst her talking points.
You betcha!
