Multiple Personality

Barack Obama’s atypical and thoughtful remarks early in the campaign convinced me he was a candidate I could fully invest in. And now he has announced some key Cabinet selections. And one of his comments during the announcement reminded me of why I’m so hopeful:

“I assembled this team because I am a strong believer in strong personalities and strong opinions,” he said.

“I think that’s how the best decisions are made. One of the dangers in a White House, based on my reading of history, is that you get wrapped up in group-think and everybody agrees with everything and there’s no discussion and there are no dissenting views. So I am going to be welcoming a vigorous debate inside the White House.”

“But understand, I will be setting policy as president. I will be responsible for the vision that this team carries out, and I will expect them to implement that vision once decisions are made.”

I’m just freakin’ proud there’s a sane, thinking, centered person about to lead us, okay?

Today is the day when all bloggers are supposed to address AIDS.

Don’t get AIDS.

Take care of people who have AIDS.

God doesn’t hate fags.

If you need me to expound further, it’s after the jump

(more…)

Perhaps AIG could learn a thing or two from the Peer Bearing Company, owned until recently by the Spungen family. When their business was acquired by a Swedish company in September, the Spungens decided to give away $6.6 million in bonuses to the 230 employees.

I guess Rudy Giuliani would call that Socialism (I’m singling him out among the jerky hordes — or hoarding jerks — because I’m still mad at him about the “community organizer” thing). I guess I would call it people realizing we’re all in this together.

Thank you, Spungens. I didn’t get a penny from your bonuses, but I feel richer.

You may not know this, but I lived in Barcelona for a while. There are those that would tell you that people are the same the world over. No. They’re different in Barcelona. (And by “different,” I mean “fuckin’ goofball weirdo.”)

Let us take, for example, a calendar produced by (and featuring) the med students of Pere Virgili hospital. Here’s what October looks like:

Because this isn’t baffling enough on its own, the photo features a captioned quote:

“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”  (Mother Theresa)

Actually, sometimes I miss Barcelona and its fuckin’ goofball weirdos….

I know this will be anathema to the hearts and minds of retailers, but I think we should all go cold turkey on Christmas shopping this year.

I understand the economy is in the crapper, and people are feeling the strain. But trampling the Wal-Mart employee to death on Black Friday moves this to a whole different dimension. And when shoppers were notified that the store would be closing because someone died, they indignantly said they had been lined up since the previous morning, and then continued shopping.

Stop for a minute. Take a breath. People were lining up since Thanksgiving morning, missing the holiday altogether, to get a good price on a flat screen. People disregarded the loss of a human life — that they were responsible for taking — because they had to buy something to show their love to someone.

I have found the merchandising of Christmas appalling for many years. And it’s not getting any better. We are the only ones who can stem the tide of this lunacy. This year, why don’t you find a non-retail way to show your peeps you love them? Or to celebrate the spirit of Christ, or whatever the holiday means to you. Because some poor Wal-Mart employee lost his life because we’re all believing that we’re not really loved unless we get loot.

As is my annual (and apparently unbreakable) custom, I watched the brazen commercialism and bad camera work that is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. To my appreciative surprise, there is a “Keith Haring Heart Balloon” this year. I’m surprised because Haring died of AIDS, and was an outspoken gay activist; just looking at his distinctive style is practically a rorschach for words like “gay” and “equality.” I’d say it’s nice that an Institution like the Macy’s Parade isn’t afraid to include a message like that, however subliminal, to impact the kiddies.

At the other end of the spectrum of things that should be impacting the kiddies, there was a performance by a girl pop trio called the Clique Girlz. And they looked every bit as Heathers-attitudey as any high school clique that ever made all the poorer/different/less cute kids feel inferior to them. I thought cliquishness wasn’t an aspiration these days. Maybe High School Musical 4 is where they renege on that “everybody’s special” message. “Clique Girlz”….grumble…

But the good outweighted the annoying, as the Macy’s Parade actually did something…hip. Some kiddie-show float was in the middle of their musical number, and it was suddenly interrupted by — Rick Astley, singing “Never Gonna Give You Up.” They actually did some Rick-rolling! I love it.

Keep your giblets safe and warm.

Okay, life should be like this: Real dogs have dog voices. Cartoon dogs have human voices.

But what if a real dog has a cartoon voice?

This is strangely mesmerizing. Perhaps the dog is sending some kind of subliminal brainwashing, and we are doomed as a species. Klaatu Barkata Nikto.

I’m sometimes asked about karma. For the record, karma is a construct that people use to monitor their behavior (and, pointedly, that of others). And, like so many other constructs with spiritual intentions, it can be used for judgment as well as policing. So instead of getting into a judgment loop of “good karma” and “bad karma,” why not just behave at your highest, just for the heck of it?

That being said, there are moments when it’s fun to look at things with the perception that someone’s karma just came up and bit them hard in the butt. From Page 6:

…although we didn’t think it would be possible to silence Ann Coulter, the leggy reactionary broke her jaw and the mouth that roared has been wired shut.

And here I thought “Silent Night” was reserved for that other holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Guess what December 10 is? I gotta say, I LOVE this idea!

On December 10, you are encouraged not to call in sick to work. You are encouraged to call in “gay”–and donate your time to service!
(Note to my friends who are very gay: Not that kind of service.)