Obscanity: You'll know it when you see it

Gay Lit Too ‘Adult’ for Amazon.com / Queerty.

Even worse – search Amazon for “homosexuality” and see what the first listing is. Somebody paid off somebody, because the category listing comes SECOND. Look what comes first.

Bicycle Built for Two Thousand.

Wow. I think I might actually have nightmares after listening to this.

Natasha’s lesson helps save Ohio girl – CNN.com.

Wow. Thank goodness for celebrity media coverage, I guess! That’s one lucky little girl. I’m sure Natasha Richardson’s family takes little comfort in this one small miracle – that if Richardson had not died, this little girl would certainly have – but it still makes ya think, doesn’t it?

YouTube – NYTimes.com – Riding a Flavor Trip.

Natasha Richardson dies after ski fall – CNN.com.

So sad – she was so young.

Yet another celebrity taken by the ski slopes… what’s so odd is that she didn’t seem to have any injuries after she fell – but I kind of had a bad feeling when I saw she’d been hospitalized, I don’t know why.

So sorry for her family. 🙁

On “Mad Money,” Cramer back to normal – War Room – Salon.com.

Most disturbing:

The man himself wasn’t the only one trying to minimize the “Daily Show” interview on Friday. TVNewser reports that producers at Cramer’s sister network MSNBC were asked not to cover it during their own shows.

Uh, isn’t this similar to the very bullshit Jon Stewart was criticizing? This is news. Sorry, but it is. You don’t get to suppress it just because you’re a little embarrassed that it took a cable comedian to call your network to task for its role in the current economic meltdown.

Stewart seen as winner in showdown with Cramer – CNN.com.

I don’t know why anybody is surprised by this – Jon Stewart always takes his guests to task when he doesn’t agree with them.

In any event, I (and most people I know) have been saying all along that Jon Stewart provides the best news/commentary on TV right now… glad to see he’s still going strong post-election. His coverage of the 2008 election was the only thing that kept me sane throughout the whole ordeal, even as it drove me crazy to see what was going on. The man deserves a prize.

Watch the full episode of The Daily Show with guest Jim Cramer.

Amazon to Sell E-Books to Read on the iPhone and iPod Touch – NYTimes.com.

With Twitter Envy, Facebook Adds (Near) Real-time Web Capabilities.

The question is, will we LIKE the new capabilities?

Man guilty of killing ‘Harry Potter’ actor – CNN.com.

So You Want to Boycott Israel?.

Joss Whedon: Slayers, Dolls And Singing Villains : NPR.

Usmagazine.com | News – EXCLUSIVE: Katherine Heigl, T.R. Knight Leaving Grey’s Anatomy, Says Costar.

Everybody seems to think they’re leaving because they couldn’t get enough money. I’m more inclined to think they’re leaving because of the extremely homophobic executive jackassery that has been affecting the writing of the show so deeply the past season or so. They made them purge storylines, change storylines, change character paths… I’d want the hell out of a show if the directors didn’t want storylines depicting people like me, too.

Oh, Ann Coulter. You always keep me laughing. So long as I don’t look at you. Then I just cringe.

I notice that liberals have not challenged the overall thesis of my rocketing bestseller, “Guilty: Liberal ‘Victims’ and Their Assault on America,” which is that liberals always play the victim in order to advance, win advantages and oppress others.

Ann, sweetie, liberals aren’t challenging the overall thesis of your “rocketing bestseller” because we have more important things to worry about, and your “book” is, well… not important. Also, we have no interest in contributing to your coffers, and frankly, we don’t want anything in our homes with your face on it. Please. Think of the children.

But since I’m bored, let’s comment on a few of the gems in Coulter’s whining-for-attention article:

Caroline Kennedy tried to Bigfoot her way into New York’s Senate seat while being bathed in the Kennedy light of eternal victimhood. The New York Times began a profile of Caroline by quoting an average citizen who “turns almost maternally protective” upon hearing Caroline’s name, mentioning the assassination of her father — nearly half a century ago.

Yeah. It’s not like Republicans in Congress defend their sex scandals by referencing Chappaquiddick. But CLEARLY the six years between Kennedy’s assassination and the Chappaquiddick scandal makes alllll the difference in terms of justifiable historical references. CLEARLY.

Meanwhile, Robert Kennedy hadn’t lived in New York since he was 12 years old. But the allegedly sophisticated voters of New York were awed by the Kennedy name, and dumped a popular native son.

Yeah. And how long had it been since Elizabeth Dole had truly been a resident of North Carolina when she ran for Senate in 2002? OH YEAH – since 1959! Whoops. If I’m doing my math right, that is about 43 years. Interestingly, that is about the same number of years Robert Kennedy was ALIVE.

But either way, Robert Kennedy was elected as a New York Senator in 1965. Coulter is talking about an election that happened more than 40 years ago. I thought we were leaving history out of this discussion?

The only reason McCarthy was elected to Congress in the first place is that her husband and son were shot by a crazed gunman on the Long Island Rail Road in 1993. Colin Ferguson’s shooting spree wasn’t stopped sooner because none of the passengers had guns. As has been demonstrated beyond dispute at this point, armed citizens save lives.

Well… funny thing. One of the passengers did in fact have a gun. His name was Colin Ferguson.

I don’t know a single conservative who thought America wouldn’t elect a black man.

*SNORT*

Well I’m sure she knows plenty who WISHED America wouldn’t elect a black man – and plenty who wouldn’t VOTE for one.

But ironically, Obama’s father is from Africa: He never suffered from the ancient policies that, today, give his son Victim Gold. To the contrary, if Obama’s African relatives had anything to do with slavery, it was on the business end.

Wow. This woman never fails to go for the low blow, does she? And so what if Obama’s great-great grandparents were not enslaved by the US? Does that mean his father was treated like anything other than a black man during his years in America? Does that mean Obama himself was treated as anything but a black man? Do racist assholes like Coulter go around saying, “Well, please, before I pass judgment upon you, tell me, were your ancestors slaves in the South, or are you of the category of dark Americans who are tolerable and acceptable to me?” No. They don’t inquire as to people’s history. They see black, and they respond.

U.N. chief: Gaza violence ‘heartbreaking’ – CNN.com.

More than 1,300 Palestinians died and about 5,400 others were wounded during Israel's three-week offensive in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Authority's Central Bureau of Statistics. Among the dead were 159 children.

And then:

The fighting largely stopped Sunday with a cease-fire. Israel has said 13 of its citizens — including 10 soldiers — were killed during the offensive, which started December 27.

I’m the last person to say that the death of 159 children is acceptable. I think it’s horrendous that so many innocent children died during this conflict. But let’s get one thing straight: The majority of those killed in Gaza were Hamas fighters – CNN never reports this – and at least some of the children killed were killed by Hamas fighters, either by their own rockets and mortars, or by them being held up as human shields against Israeli gunfire.

I do not accept the deaths of these children as necessary or as “collateral damage.” They should not have died. But Hamas, not Israel, is largely to blame. Hamas welcomed an Israeli ground incursion. Hamas welcomed an Israeli air incursion. Hamas has said it “loves death more than Jews love life.” This spate of violence proved that notion. Hamas fighters were quoted in the news as saying they were happy to die, and that they were proud to die, and that others should be happy to die too. That’s not to say they ran in front of Israeli gunfire or anything – no, they wanted to die only if they could take as many people with them as possible. They would run into civilians’ houses to hide. They would launch rockets from the rooftops of heavily-populated apartment buildings, and from outside schools. They would walk around holding children against their will, some of them plucked right off the street. Note in this video that not only does the fighter grab a child off the street, but he runs right for a crowd of people. If he’s going to die, he’s taking people with him.

Hamas’s main base of operations is under the main Gaza hospital: If Israel doesn’t fire, they win by living, and if Israel does fire, they win by dying and having Israel become known as the country who deliberately bombed the hospital.

And finally, while Israel restrains itself (believe me, if it wasn’t exercising restraint, the death toll would be much higher), Hamas directly TARGETS Israeli civilians. If they could inflict a higher civilian death toll among Israelis, it would. If it could wipe out the entire population of Israel, it WOULD. That’s the difference between Hamas and Israel.

For the record, CNN, even the UN was saying that roughly 25% of those dead were civilians. This means 75% were not. Why is this never mentioned on CNN?

YouTube – Anti-Gay Marriage Petition Fraud Caught on Camera.

People think Israel is posting videos of their attacks on Gaza to somehow brag about their violent response. This video shows another story – this is why Israel really posts videos – so the world can see the truth. Hamas literally stores its weapons in and launches rockets from the doorsteps of elementary schools, and then blames Israel when it strikes back against the launch points. This has happened several times over the past few days – Israel is catching flak for shelling schools where Hamas attackers are launching missiles (I realize this is an older video – it just goes to show you how long Hamas has been using schools as launch pads, and how long Israel has been restraining itself against striking back).

YouTube – Mortar Bombs Shot from UN School in Gaza 29 Oct. 2007.

Holy bloody hell! Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Fourth Season is on sale at Amazon.com for $19.99!!!!!

You can also get Weeds seasons 1-3 for only $59.99, or $19.99 apiece.

But OMG, Grey’s for $19.99?!?!?!?! I’m SO there!

The TV show How It’s Made shines a light on our mechanized culture. – By Farhad Manjoo – Slate Magazine.

This video is absolutely fascinating to watch. It does leave me deeply troubled by one omission, though: Where do the perforations come from????

Fans bid farewell to Polaroid film – CNN.com.

Transcript: Brad Pitt on movies, family and New Orleans – CNN.com.

Gotta love the Jolie-Pitt family…

Attention, Barnes & Noble members! From now until November 30, you can use coupon code V7E3F7F to take an additional 40% off a single book item, on top of your regular member discount, when you use your Mastercard to make the purchase. If you click on the coupon code number, you can read more information about the deal. Note that you can use it once in stores AND once on the website. Awesome!

Now, the trick with these coupons is to go for the MAXIMUM discount. Of course you can get a little paperback for a few bucks and be happy that you didn’t pay a few bucks more… but the real savings comes when you buy the bigger-ticket items.

Unfortunately, this discount code doesn’t work on textbooks – but apparently it DOES seem to work on box-sets. For example, want to replace your old, battered Harry Potter volumes for a shiny new collection? Check it out:

Harry Potter Hardcover Boxed Set @ BarnesandNoble.com:

List price: $195.00
Online price: $136.50
Member price: $122.85
Price with coupon code: $85.19

HOLY MOLY! Now that’s a deal! BN members, start shopping at Barnes & Noble now, and don’t forget to copy the coupon code – V7E3F7F – and use your Mastercard to get the discount! Expires November 30.

Mommy, Mommy, guess what I learned in school today??.

What they never told you in the commercials for Prop 8 was that the case in MA was decided under the “mere exposure” rule – i.e. mere exposure to the knowledge that something exists does not constitute a violation of parental rights. For example, teaching that Mormons exist does not equate with teaching the Mormon faith to your children. And teaching that gay people exist doesn’t equate with teaching your children that they should be gay. They were never “teaching” gay marriage; they merely had a packet of information about many types of families, and one of the families happened to have two parents of the same gender.

Mere exposure to the reality of existence does not constitute “teaching” it in public schools. If you don’t want your kids to know that other people exist, don’t send them to schools where they will meet other people. Nothing proves existence like coming face to face with it.

I have an idea for a new commercial. “Mommy, Mommy! Guess what I learned in school today! There are some people who don’t believe Jesus is the Lord! They’re called Jews! Mommy, I think I might be a JEW when I grow up!” [mother shows concerned look, calls the school board for an emergency session…]

Or even better: “Mommy, Mommy! Guess what I learned in school today! All Americans are entitled to equal protection under the law! It’s called the 14th Amendment! And we have a law just like it in our California constitution.” [mother tilts head in horrified consternation.] “Well, sweetie, actually some people don’t deserve equal rights and protections.” “But mommy, they told us in school that discrimination is wrong and everybody is equal!” “Well, sweetie, some people are more equal than others.” “Oh. Does that mean Christians are the boss of Jews?” “Yes, sweetie, it does.” “Oh, good! I’m going to go tell my friend right now; she wouldn’t let me on her swing set and now I can tell her she has to!” “Good job, sweetie.”

Okay, so I’m a little bit bitter. I did have a childhood friend/neighbor whose parents did a perfectly fine job of offsetting whatever tolerance she may have learned in school. One day when we were about 7 years old, we were playing on the swing set in my back yard and she wanted me to get off of my swing and let her have it (we had two swings, mind you). I said, “It’s my house!” and she said, “Well, Christians are the boss of Jews!” Needless to say, I sent her straight home. She frequently had similar things to say when she was angry; while our families had a working facade of tolerance, in which I would go over there and help her decorate her Christmas tree and she would come over and be our guest at the Passover seder, whenever we were in an argument, it always came down to “I hate Jews,” or “stupid JEWS!” or “Christians are the boss of JEWS!” I have absolutely no doubt as to where this sentiment came from. This same girl’s parents pulled their little boy out of school when “Heather Has Two Mommies” was put on the suggested reading list. So I have every confidence that parents will do JUST FINE at making sure their children are indoctrinated with their own morals even if they are “exposed” to “alternate cultures and lifestyles” in school. It’s not the public school’s job to make sure that children share their parents’ moral values. It’s the public school’s job to give the students an education, and to make sure that they learn how to be contributing members of society. That includes learning about all sorts of people and families, because, hey, guess what? This is America, and this is California, and we are beyond diverse.

Kids (and hell, most adults, still) need to learn that groups of people can be different and still be equal, because equal doesn’t mean the same.

A classmate of mine made a comment about equality and how same-gender marriages are not equal to heterosexual marriages because they are inherently different – and how that is just a fact about their difference, and is not meant to demean same-gender couples. Or at least, that’s what I took away from her comment. But I was thinking about that definition of the word “equal” in terms of marriages, and how under that definition, our marriage is inherently different from theirs and is therefore not equal.

Even mathematically speaking, “equal” doesn’t mean “identical.” It means that two sets of numbers or characters have the same *value*. Saying 2+2 is inherently different from saying “4” which is inherently different from saying 5-1 or 8/2 or sqrt{16} or 2^2. These are all COMPLETELY different expressions that mean completely different things and require completely different approaches – but they are all *equal* values. Recognizing couples’ equality doesn’t mean you’re saying that they are identical, or that they are not different. It says that they are *worth* the same and should be *valued* the same. How would you feel if you *needed* something that cost $20, and all you had was two $10s, and the store wouldn’t take it, because they kept insisting that two $10s was simply not the same as a $20 bill? This is the same kind of frustration we’re experiencing now, because we have something that may look different, but has the same value. Essentially, we’re trying to access this institution with our two $10s, and they’re insisting that only a $20 can buy a marriage license (presumably, a $20 out of the man’s wallet). I disagree. We are equal. We should be valued the same. And we deserve the same rights and responsibilities.

And now for the ridiculous parody cartoon that sparked this whole disjointed rant… ridiculous in the sense that what it depicts is pretty much what went on in the Yes on 8 campaign, which was utter ridiculousness. “If your children learn it, they will become it!”

Okay, I’ve changed my mind. We SHOULD have put our children on TV. The other side clearly had no problem “faking” families with LGBT parents, and depicting contrived conversations that could only have taken place in a Yes on 8 commercial scriptwriter’s fantasies. (I mean, please. This commercial is just… wow. Is this really how they imagine things are in our households? And notice how the kid never acknowledges the other parent in the room. Goes along with the whole argument that having two parents of the same gender is akin to being raised by a single parent.)

So yeah – we should have put REAL families, and REAL children of same-gender couples, on the air to talk about how their families are REAL and deserve REAL rights. Otherwise all that’s left is this ridiculous propaganda.

YouTube – Roomba Driver.