3 Christs, Monty Python & the Pope

I'm off today to do some things at my house to put it on the market. So... here's something funny from the masters of comedy: Monty Python!

Bomb Liechtenstein!

As reported on ONN, the Principality of Liechtenstein has flagrantly violated the Non-Proliferation Treaty with a its recent testing of a teeny-tiny nuclear bomb. Experts warn that this represents a threat of "itty-bitty bombs in the hands of little people" spreading chaos throughout the world. This act of aggression in the heart of Europe cannot be allowed to stand. Since these warmongering "Lickies" do not have a standing army we need not send in our regular armed forces who are currently...er, otherwise occupied. However, I propose giving this problem the serious attention it deserves: let the Civil Air Patrol bomb some sense into them and if necessary, send in the Young Marines! These damn Lickies will learn to say "Uncle Sam" or suffer the consequences...

U.S.A. Beats Mexico 2-1

Sweet. For all the pendejos who chanted "Osama! Osama!" back in 2004, kiss our gringo asses! Oh yeah, San Jacinto! San Jacinto!

Frasier & Niles go to a gay bar

Too funny!

Marines ask for our support

I'm glad I saw this before shutting down the puter and packing it away. Blackfive and Gateway Pundit have posted a request from the commander of the Fighting 6th Marines asking for supporting emails from folks here in the States. I dashed off a quick one myself and will do a better job when I return to the internet (I'm beginning to go into Net withdrawal already *sigh*). Why not take a moment and do likewise? Click either link for more information. God bless.

Repeal DADT

I'm going to be offline until sometime this weekend but would like to share this video from LiftTheBan.org:

For the love of Fathers

Words fail me. Click image for the story behind this at Fumare.

It's raining Airborne!

Someone sent me this amusing video of U.S. Army Airborne:

Newton: World to end in 2060

His famously analytical mind worked out the laws of gravity and unravelled the motion of the planets.

And when it came to predicting the end of the world, Sir Isaac Newton was just as precise.

He believed the Apocalypse would come in 2060 – exactly 1,260 years after the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire, according to a recently published letter. (Evening Standard)

While Newton was a man of faith, this calculation of The End seems based more on "put[ting] a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end" than religious conviction. Nevertheless, an interesting find.

X-Men Blooper

Frasier Bloopers

A very funny sitcom.

Sexual Consent

Funny video, but if you stop and think about it also a sad commentary on things as well.



Hat tip: AnalogKid

Need my BSG fix...

Today it's tidying up loose ends here at the house and then I'll be spending my first night at the new place. Did I mention that I despise moving?

I miss Battlestar Galactica. I hate these long breaks in-between seasons. Fan videos aren't enough of a fix but I suppose in large-sized doses they get one through till the new season. Here's a good one:

A voice to stir one's heart

Well the furniture is all moved out now. My body is feeling rather cranky with me at the moment, methinks it didn't care for all the heavy lifting yesterday. The house looks pretty dang bare now, hardly at all like what I've grown comfortable with over the nearly 4 years here. Weird how stripping one's house of all the trappings that help make it a home changes everything. It doesn't really feel like home to me now. I have some smaller items to sort and pack away today, then tomorrow it's off to sleep in the new place. After that comes doing the repairs to sell the place. Joy. If I have some time later today I'll try and catch up on the comments that have been posted here lately.

I'm not up for much posting today, but I did want to share this amazing video of a common man with a stunning voice. I'm not really a huge fan of opera, it's okay but not exactly my thing I suppose. This is how accomplished pros tackle a particularly difficult piece like Nessun Dorma:



This is how a diamond-in-the-rough cellphone salesman does it:



This unknown was blessed with an amazing voice and though opera still isn't for me, I found this to be quite moving. It's not just that he has a good voice and that he is an unknown talent starting to be discovered, but he seems to put his whole heart and soul into it which captures one immediately and draws them in. Wales has every reason to be proud of their native son, Paul Potts.

Hat tip: Kevin & Patrick Blog (check out the vid posted there of a likeable young man who lives out his dream as well)

TV Game Show Bloopers

Have I mentioned how much I despise moving? Still busy today at it and having a blast...

Star Trek Blitzkrieg

I have some things to attend to today so can't really post much, but this is the perfect time to share this find: a video with just battle scenes from Star Trek. Pretty cool special effects but it's a shame that war isn't just something found on TV and in the movies.

Loving v. Virginia 40 years later

Tomorrow marks the 40th Anniversary of the Loving v. Virginia decision in which SCOTUS struck down all laws in the United States banning interracial marriage. On the one hand I find it amazing that it's only been such a short time, just 2 years before I was born, since it used to be against the law in many states for interracial couples to marry. On the other hand, while Loving isn't the best argument for same-sex marriage it is an example of discrimination against a group of people once upheld by the law and in a very short period of time such bigotry is now strongly condemned. This is why I said that it amazes me to think that this ruling is only 40 years old: I grew up in the post-Loving era when the very idea of anti-miscenegation laws was unthinkable and believed to be immoral.

The irony here is that today we see opponents of same-sex marriage from the extreme Right, like La Shawn Barber, use similiar arguments once made against interracial marriages. The most often-used one is that of a slippery slope, i.e. that if same-sex marriage is allowed "polygamy, polyandry, combinations thereof, legal incest, etc." will soon follow. Many honestly believe this though I myself find this to be a fallacious device to prop up bigotry. I rather like how The Interocitor responded to all this back in 2003:

Gay people are wired differently than straights. Some very large percentage of gays (possibly all) cannot pursue happiness under a heterosexual mandate. They must seek their relationships among their own gender. To deny gay people the right to seek this happiness, by barring them from the most basic of human institutions (one that predates agriculture) constitutes a discrimination that approaches that of Dred Scott. Even the laws against interracial marriage (voided 35 years ago in Loving vs Virginia) did not present this fundamental issue. One *could* find happiness with another, unjust as the laws were. But a gay person denied the legal right to marry the whole class of persons to whom they are attracted is utterly denied this basic human bond.

Andrew Sullivan likens interracial marriage to the present issue. He's wrong. No one needs, biologically, to marry a person of a different race -- there are alternatives. That restriction is wrong on other grounds, notably no-good-reason. Polygamy, incest, etc are also devoid of this biological need -- these are simply wants, and there are very good reasons to bar these unions. While a truly bisexual person may want to marry "one of each", they can marry one or the other, or remain single, as they choose. All married people struggle at times with monogamy -- this is simply a difference in degree, not in kind. Pedophilia and bestiality do not apply to marriage, for reasons of consent and permanence. If your "bright line" is biological need without alternative, there is no slippery slope with respect to gay marriage.

Yet still this argument is pursued with a vengeance by the extreme Right, with the related "defense of traditional marriage". The reasoning behind this is very much based on religious beliefs more than anything else in that homosexuality is considered to be sinful and that people freely choose to be gay. One sees that in such posts as this from Dean Esmay's blog:

I'm not going to feel sorry for someone that chose to live as they do.

And if they didn't choose, if it's a genetic condition, well, we'll just fix that with gene therapy.

Sexual prefrence is not the same as race. No matter how tightly you close your eyes, click your heels, and hope otherwise.

The condescending attitude couldn't be clearer. The problem for this blogger and all those on the extreme Right is that whether they realize it or not, in the long run they are fighting a losing battle. The laws and state amendments banning same-sex marriage they've managed to get into place over the past couple of years are Phyrric victories that will do nothing to end the fight for equal rights. Posterity will judge them very harshly for these comments and their general attitude against gays. The abuse of religion to cloak bigotry and asinine slippery slope arguments may delay matters for a generation, but it will not last. Such bigotry rarely does. When the day comes that being gay or straight is not given a second thought, people like Barber and this blogger will be remembered with the Bull Connors of infamy.

Hat tip: Gay Orbit

(this is also posted over on Gay Patriot)

Beyond pride to solidarity

I normally eschew the whole "pride" thing, mostly because I personally find no reason to be 'proud' of being gay anymore than others who are straight. It's just a part of what makes me who I am. I also have difficulties with some of the political leanings of the groups pushing for "gay pride". Yet, in the sense of refusing to be ashamed of who I am and solidarity with those like myself and others who face hostility for who they are in an oftentimes cruel world, that I can do. This transcends political differences, upholding human dignity and compassion. So with a profound hat tip to Kelly Stern, I'm posting this photo from him of the fountain in Byrd Park, Richmond, Virginia.

Bush makes a gaffe at the Vatican?

US President George W Bush drew gasps at the Vatican on Saturday by referring to Pope Benedict XVI as "sir" instead of the expected "His Holiness", pool reporters said.

They could clearly hear the US leader say "Yes, sir" when the pope asked him if he was going to meet with officials of the lay Catholic Sant'Egidio community at the US embassy later during his visit. (News 24)

I can't believe that this is even a news story. The man is a Protestant, Methodist I believe, not a Catholic. He used a title of respect in responding to the Pope even if it wasn't the 'proper' one. I doubt the Holy Father even noticed and if he did would have cared. There is plenty of things to criticize President Bush about but the "protocol experts" should get over themselves because this isn't one of them.

On Mom's advice...

Engineering an Empire: Russia

Great episode on the trials and advances of the Russian Empire from Ivan the Great to Nicolas II. It broken into 5 parts on You Tube but is only about 45 minutes long.



Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Don't Ask, Don't Translate

Former U.S. Navy Petty Office Stephen Benjamin tells his story about being discharged under DADT and why repealing this ban is good for the military:

Consider: more than 58 Arabic linguists have been kicked out since “don’t ask, don’t tell” was instituted. How much valuable intelligence could those men and women be providing today to troops in harm’s way?

In addition to those translators, 11,000 other service members have been ousted since the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy was passed by Congress in 1993. Many held critical jobs in intelligence, medicine and counterterrorism. An untold number of closeted gay military members don’t re-enlist because of the pressure the law puts on them. This is the real cost of the ban — and, with our military so overcommitted and undermanned, it’s too high to pay. (New York Times)

General Pace out as JCS Chairman

Good. Pace is probably a good man personally and perhaps a fine general, but he is clearly a decade late in his thinking about gays in the military and his recent statements have been inappropriate for someone in that position. His personal and religious views he has a right to, but not when speaking as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. While he and his supporters may doubt this, I do want to thank him for his many years of distinguished service to the nation. For that at least Bravo Zulu, General, and God keep you in the future.

Tinky Winky goes to a gay bar

Now this is funny. An Aussie TV show decides to put the services of a certain Melbourne gay bar to good use in determining the sexuality of Tinky Winky, follwed by a visit to the local Polish club.

Civil War message from Lincoln discovered

McClatchy Newspapers reports that an original letter from President Abraham Lincoln to Major General Henry Halleck, then the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, has been discovered at the National Archives. Lincoln was thrilled about the Union victory at Gettysburg over the forces of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and predicted that if General George Meade could follow through in pursuing the defeated Southern army the Civil War would be over soon. The contents of this letter were already known from other sources, but the original had been lost in storage only to be found by accident. An interesting find from a dark period in American history. The text of the letter reads as follows:

War Department
Washington City
July 7, 1863

Major General Halleck,

We have certain information that Vicksburg surrendered to General Grant on the 4th of July. Now, if Gen. Meade can complete his work so gloriously prosecuted thus far, by the litteral [sic] or substantial destruction of Lee's army, the rebellion will be over.

Yours truly,
A Lincoln

Engineering an Empire: Egypt

An outstanding episode on ancient Egypt. The amazing accomplishments and fascinating history of this ancient civilization makes for exciting history from Menes to Cleopatra. Of all the ancient cultures the Egyptians were able to achieve the most stunning engineering achievements 4-5,000 years ago! This episode is longer than the others, about 1 1/2 hours total broken up into 10 parts on You Tube. It is well worth watching.



Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Engineering an Empire: Greece

Excellent episode on the ancient Greek city-states and how their engineering knowledge saved them from the Persians and made their civilization great. This episode is broken up into 5 parts on You Tube, but is only about 45 minutes long in all.



Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Enrique Iglesias performs at London G.A.Y. Club

Don't Ask, Don't Tell

This former Marine officer and veteran of the Iraq War, working with the Human Rights Campaign to lift the ban, spoke out against Republican silence on the repeal of DADT in last night's debate:



As much as Republican candidates want to ignore or refuse to deal with this issue, it will not go away. We have example after example of men and women like Antonio Agnone, Eric Alva, Jason Knight and even badly needed Arabic translators like Steven Benjamin (see video below) serving honorably and in combat with no effect on "unit cohesion". We've seen changing attitudes in our society and the military itself regarding the service of gays, along with just about every one of our NATO Allies who already experienced lifting their own bans on homosexual soldiers with little problems. Pandering to the extreme Right may buy the GOP votes in the short term but this will come back to bite them in the ass and cost them dearly far sooner than they think. In the meantime, what is this doing to our efforts in the GWOT when competent personnel that are very much needed are turned away or discharged for being gay? Apparently votes matter more to some Republicans than the best interests of our nation and victory in the GWOT. There is much to criticize the Democrats for, particularly on matters of defense, but on lifting the ban they are ahead of the Republicans. How sad that even such conservative icons as Barry Goldwater would be tarred with being a "liberal" because he didn't toe some absurd extremist line that has captured today's GOP. As Goldwater rightly observed:

"You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight."

I am so tired of having to fight this asinine policy, yet for the sake of those serving now and those to come in the future but also for the military that I love this battle must be fought until this discriminatory law is repealed.



(this is also posted over on Gay Patriot)

Holocaust grave site found in Ukraine

Continuing with today's apparent history theme, the Houston Chronicle reports the sad news that "a mass grave holding the remains of thousands of Jews killed by the Nazis has been found in southern Ukraine near the site of what was once a concentration camp". Considering the number of victims of the Nazi bastards this shouldn't be too surprising, but it is a sad reminder of the cost of that war especially in innocent lives. It is also is a good lesson in why evil cannot be appeased or ignored for long but must be confronted and defeated. No doubt victims from equally brutal Soviet oppression in the Ukraine will be found by construction crews in the coming years as well.

June 6, 1944

Well today is just a day for history! This is the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, the landings which began the Battle of Normandy. The sacrifices made by our men and those of our Allies on the beaches of France is worthy of remembrance, especially when you consider how risky the operation was and how young the average soldier and Marine were. They beat those odds and their courage carried us to victory over the Nazis. I can think of no greater video tribute to their memory than this clip from that classic 1970 epic, Patton. The real George S. Patton was quite a character, a tough old bastard and proud of it actually, along with being a brilliant commander, and George C. Scott did a masterful job in portraying him.:

Engineering An Empire: Persia

The History Channel has a great series hosted by actor Peter Weller, that examines different empires in world history and how mostly their engineering feats made them into the powerhouses they were. A fascinating series and I'm glad to see that some episodes have been put online at You Tube. This one is on the mighty Persian Empire which began with Cyrus the Great and ended thanks to the exploits of a certain Macedonian by the name of Alexander. Very interesting to me especially since my knowledge of ancient Persia is limited. While this episode is broken into 5 parts, in all it takes about 45 minutes to watch:



Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.

Advice for Newly Out Gays

Nate Lippens writes this great advice column for "recent arrivals" to the gay scene in Seattle. Frankly this has good tips for all gay men, especially those who've just come out. With some modifications no doubt it could be useful to straight men as well. My favorite parts include:

1. You are not a strong black woman. You never will be.

2. I know it was terrible being the fag in your school/small town/own mind, but don't introduce yourself to people with this information. Being gay is, and should be, the least interesting thing about you.

4. Rainbow flags, bumper stickers, and wind socks are no different than Green Bay Packers fans painting their faces green and gold: a complete embarrassment. Pride can be as ugly and warping as shame.

9. Avoid she-bonics: referring to each other as Girl, She, and Her. "What's her problem?" That you are an idiot.

11. I've never been to a bathhouse. No, really. So I can't advise you on it but I do know they are basically a petri dish of STDs. If you are okay with HIV, herpes, gonorrhea, syphilis, and other STDs, by all means fuck your brains out.

16. Beauty fades. Develop some inner resources, otherwise when it goes, those of us with less far to fall will laugh at you. To your aging face.

17. Men, like lotto tickets, should not be had every day. The odds are the same.

Hat tip: Kevin & Patrick Blog

The Dangerous Book for Boys

Kind of pathetic that a book is needed to teach youngsters today what came naturally to myself and other boys growing up. Perhaps that is a drawback to this digital age we live in, not to mention the 'wussification' of society. Boys should be allowed to be boys and not be deprived of some of the best experiences during these formative years of their lives. They are not girls and treating them as if they are is damn near criminal. I wonder if this book has a section on peeing in the shower?

Hat tip: Innocent Bystanders

About that third leg...

Rome victorious over Germanic tribes

One of the best scenes from an awesome movie, Gladiator:

Remembering our troops

Great video by a 15-year old girl! Good to see this from the younger crowd and the message in this video is so true.

Hat tip: David Drake

Transformers Movie Trailer

Ooooh... This looks interesting!

Polish man wakes from 19-year coma

A 65-year-old railwayman who fell into a coma following an accident in communist Poland regained consciousness 19 years later to find democracy and a market economy, Polish media reported on Saturday.

Wheelchair-bound Jan Grzebski, whom doctors had given only two or three years to live following his 1988 accident, credited his caring wife Gertruda with his revival.

"It was Gertruda that saved me, and I’ll never forget it," Grzebski told news channel TVN24... (Reuters)

1988. That was the year this poor fellow went into his coma. I was 19 years old in 1988 and this was a year before I entered the US Navy. My life is very different now and the world has changed so much since then that he must feel like he's in the Twilight Zone. Cell phone, the internet, collapse of the USSR, democracy in Poland, etc. An amazing amount of stuff he needs to catch up on, much of which will seem incredible if not 'magic' to him. This real-life story reminds me of the excellent movie Goodbye Lenin which had a somewhat similiar plotline.

Hat tip: Innocent Bystanders

How to be gay OR straight at work

Well this is good to know so anyone can fit in every workplace.

Lions, Water Buffaloes, Crocodiles -- oh my!

Now this is something you don't see often on The Discovery Channel. Amazing video with an unexpected ending!



Hat tip: Gay Orbit