Don’t Cry For Me, Arizona

Who knew Newsweek was so fraught with steamy gossip? Next thing you know it’ll come with a slipcover to hide all the naughty bits. (And though your version is funnier, HF, it’s wreak, not reek.)

That whole Newsweek piece is a blast. And the shit is flying fast. Remember, these people are masters of character assassination, and now they’re aiming at each other.

And the Long Knives are out on Faux News: Check out their reporter relating Talibunny’s “knowledgeability” issues, e.g., not knowing what countries belonged to NAFTA and thinking Africa was a country, not a continent. Really!! Watch the tape (over and over) here.
[skips around the room singing “tra-la-la-la”/]

I have finally recovered from my hangover, and now I have to get to sleep so I can go to work tomorrow. I just wanted to drop in to let y’all know how much it means to me that I was able to spend last night/this morning with you. Now I’m going to read that Newsweek article and hopefully get some sleep.

Prop 8 passed? FUCK!

Rachel mentioned that the obscure Tina Fey impersonator might resign and have the Lt. Guv appoint her to replace Alaska’s leading convicted felon currently serving in the US Senate. Can this happen? If Ted is booted from the Senate (since Alaskans are so mavericky they can ignore seven felony convictions to reelect this criminal) will there be a six-year appointment or a special election?

@JNOV: I’m bitter and clinging to guns and Judy Garland.

I just gotta repost what I posted on Nojo’s thread; there is so much beautiful gossip thats gonna come out of this, but you must always consider the source and motive:

I myself love when my enemies start eating each other. And never forget, McCain’ss campaign was made up of Rove men, and they know how to smear better than anyone who ever lived, I so look forward to more. And even though though they are congenital liars, I think she gave them plenty of real ammunition, its so in keeping with the reports of her actions as governor, that she would go on a shopping spree for the whole family.

Did you see that they remain a little bit loyal to McCain? Have they some decency, at long last? This little bit may be some unintentional honesty, among themselves, honor and a lack of viciousness are faults, they probably think they are throwing him under the bus, too, by accusing him of vestigial decency that kept them from throwing even more, and stinkier, shit, they might be clueless that outside their little club of evil, this is actually praise. I don’t buy the remark that he was shocked by the vicious pigfuckers who came out for Palin, though, I saw his face when ugly shouts broke out in his events, he never looked the least bothered.

So, do you think she will give Stevens’ seat to Todd, or her redneck high school dropout son-in-law? Nah, she will take it herself, and give them jobs, I am sure.

@rptrcub: We gonna get this country right, don’t worry, did you ever think you would see a black president? Gay hatin will die soon too.

@mellbell: Thanks. I am not a great speller, so I usually obsessively google anything I am unsure of (i.e. wiles). I forgot that I wasn’t sure about wreak/reek. I guess my version works in a small, grammatically incorrect way.

@rptrcub: I’m so sad.

@Dave H: I know there has to be a special election. Not sure if there could be an interim appointment that would allow her to run as the incumbent.

Oooh, Long Knives out for Joe Lie, too:

With Barack Obama elected, Democrats can get down to some truly important business: punishing Joe Lieberman. CNN reports that Lieberman—who campaigned for John McCain and Sarah Palin—is scheduled to meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about whether he will be stripped of his chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Christopher Orr at The New Republic assembles a series of Reid quotes that indicates that indicates something is about to happen. Choice selection: “I believe in vengeance.”

There’s a Fox news interview linked on TPM in which the Fox reporter says ” there is an avalanche of bad Palin info thats going to be coming out for days,” words very directly to that effect.

I am so loving this, the McCain camp, at least, seems to have decided on a coordinated and deliberate campaign to destroy her.

I so love this.

@JNOV: Don’t be sad babe. We fags will be A-OK. We have dealt with worse in the past and we are still around, stronger than ever (what is that saying? ‘That which doesn’t kill us…”). And we will make those crazy fundie bigot ladies’ hair look like shit!

@Mistress Cynica: They should tie him to the bumper of Obama’s car during the inaugural parade and drag him down Pennsylvania Avenue.

@JNOV: No drankin tonight (is there even anything left?), but I did find “Everyday Drinking” by Kingsley Amis on the new book shelf at the library.

@Mistress Cynica: Oh, and I watched Jon Stewart’s thing on rerun tonight, and caught a beautiful little subtle bit of snark about Lieberman that I missed last night in my joy over Obama, Colbert made a remark about Lieberman making a statement that he was disappointed about someone being disloyal and bteraying McCain, it was subtle, Lieberman, upset about someone being a disloyal turncoat.

Lieberman is the worst thing Gore ever did.

@Promnight: @JNOV: I am trying to has Hope but it’s getting harder as the day wears on. Either that, or I’m flipping to manic rage. The latter probably the case.

The Christofascists are now monitoring gay blogs, tracking our comments about how we’re all feeling stabby and wanting to throw rocks at them, and the pigfuckers are calling for prosecution about how we’re all up and hate-crimin’ them. Yes, I know violence isn’t the answer, but it’s hard to not think about those things.

I must admit I was a bad boy and posted a Web link somewhere where people could find their local LDS meetinghouses and temples. Sorry. I did expressly say I didn’t condone firebombing, though.

In any case, I’m going to bed as I probably should keep from thinking about this too much. I hope to have pleasant dreams, instead, about GOP implosion. I hope. I’m sorry y’all, I don’t know why this has set me off so bad today when I should be so deliriously happy. And I obvs don’t live in CA. And I’m sorry I’m TJing every second, it seems.

Still, I light candles for the ACLU and the LA & SF City Attorneys….

@redmanlaw: I’ve been trying to find a copy of Amis’ “On Drink” for almost 30 years, like some lost gospel, I know of it only from references and quotes in other sources.

@Promnight: Speaking of Stewart, his little intro just now made me mist up a bit.

A shame that she has gotten her way this far by winking and getting pregnant. I doubt we’ll be reading stories about her expressing a healthy sexuality and pulling a train with the UCF marching band or gobbling Randy’s schlong or something.

@Promnight: Yes, but remember to tie his hands and feet. Makes for a cleaner skid mark on the pavement. Joe, you piece of fucking shit! DIE!

@homofascist: “Once I was afraid, I was terrified….”

@redmanlaw: I seriously think I’ll never drink again.

@rptrcub: I know why it has set you off: It’s wrong! CA has voted to strip people of the fundamental right to marry. And it’s hateful. And it’s wrong. It has set me off, too.

@rptrcub: the pigfuckers are calling for prosecution about how we’re all up and hate-crimin’ them.
As my gay bf would say, “Pot, Kettle, Pink.”

@rptrcub: Hey Dude, remember this, you are already completely accepted by the only people you respect. You know what I mean? The only people left in this society who are homophobe gay haters are the scum, the worst of the ignorant fundie pigfuckers. You have the support of anyone and everyone worthy of respect, its almost the definition of what makes someone worhty of respect. Its an honor to be hated by such shitbags, if they loved me, I would think there is something wrong with me. Fuck them, and always remember, all the people you love and respect, are supporters.

And I will be with you, knowing you and other of teh gays here on stinkey has made me much less of a cynical realpoliticker on this issue than I once was, I once thought the dem party should abandon all special narrow interest causes and become again the cause of simply all people who are poor or donwtrodden, without special amphasis for any one group that leads to lightening rod reaction from the opposition. I have changed, I will still throw gun control out the window, but I am now committed to gay rights, as never before, because of you and the others I have come to know and love here.

@rptrcub: @Mistress Cynica: Funny how people will react when you try to take away their civil rights. Fuck. Now I am pissed.

I hope whoever can goes for their fucking tax-exempt status. I would put some dollars towards that…

@Promnight: It opens the compiliation, bro. This little tome is only $20 in hardcover. Intro by Hitchens, includes helpful glossary.

Richardson job search update: ” Bill will likely be leaving the Guv’s chair and joining the administration. Reliable insiders we trust say it will not be as Secretary of State. They say a meeting has been scheduled with Obama. A job will be settled on soon, if it hasn’t been already.” joemonahan.com. On the other hand, this site said that the New Mexico governor would be on the transition team. Richardson was spotted today at a tony lunch spot near my office deep in conversation with another guy. They split out the back door.

More on the election’s effect on the NM GOP: “a near extinction-level event”. Loving it.

So I find this great video, and then I check back here to discover y’all are already talking about it…

No matter. It’s meant to be enjoyed, and so it’s posted.

(HF: Go ahead and post your next draft when ready. Mine’s just a quickie.)

@nojo: Nojo, you are the fucking man, its a rare day anyone gets the jump on you. You get us talking, we are a good little community, but we do needs our catalyst, and you are the best. I would follow you anywhere.

We gott get together, stinkers. Inauguration. Its world changing, how can you let the petty shit of life keep you from it? Get to my house, we will travel to DC together, I am only 3 hours away. Its gotta be done.

@Promnight: I’ve been saying for awhile that Talibunny would be toast today, but I wasn’t expecting her to be shot down. Tuesday was historic, but Wednesday is stunning.

@nojo: What promnight said. And you totally harshed my buzz with your Let Us Begin post. I was in no condition to read that this morning. Hell, I was in no condition to do anything this morning, but yeah. Harsh, baby. Harsh.

@JNOV: It had to be done. We are the bloggers we’ve been waiting for.

@nojo: Indeed. (I’m still so happy, I’m giddy!)

@redmanlaw: Mr. Redmanlaw, you know what my dream was when I chucked law and went back to grad school for a public policy degree? I wanted public service, not political. I did some political work, thinking it could get me in, into policy, and it got me the grants I got to go to grad school, I worked an election or two, and actually got to craft message, and work with the pollster on drafting the internal polls. Great stuff. I did oppo research and kicked ass, I actually still have the evidence linking Christie Whitman, the first beginnings of “faith based” as a means to buy the support of black churches, and how its all tied to that remark by whitmans campaign manager that famous remark about buying the black preachers, I can tell you the very first beneficiary of that strategy and how much money he got.

But you know what? I just want to do real, serious policy, not partisan, political use of policy in campaigns, I want to do policy, I just want to help government find the best solution to problems.

And I went into a sorta kinda lobbying position with a trade association, and early on, I had a fucking amazing thing happen, the association decided to try to push me into a fucking high, high level state post with a regulatory agency. As in, head of that agency. Its the old story, of course, the industry inserting an ally into the government, but goddamit, I would have been as honest as honest can be. It didn’t happen, but the governor actually offered me a consolation prize, a seat on a major regulatory commision, and my boss, honorable man that he is, said its my choice, I could take it if I wanted. I said to him, you spent political capital, taking this post does nothing for you, I would not feel right, I asked him if I take this, is it gonna cost you later, when you want something, he said yeah, so I turned down a seat as a commisioner on the board of public utilities. I would have been set for life. Seriously, its a fucking sinecure with major pay and major perks, and afterwards, a major utility hires you and puts you in a corner office and pays you to make a phone call 5 times a year.

But my personal code of honor would not let me take it, because it would cost my bnefactor, and I so appreciated that he would have let me take it, he left it to me, he could have just turned it down for me and I would never have known.

I don’t want a sinecure, a noshow job, a plum all I ever wanted was to just use my talents to try to make government work better.

Why am I tellining all this? I regret my “integrity.” the politics have changed, I will never have that chance again.

So I work at my little easy, comfortable job, pushing and lobbying to little avail on issues that mean little to me, arguing about nothing with nobodies, the parade has passed me by, I am nothing. But will a new adminisration consider people who are just good, decent, honest people who are good at policy and just want to do good?

@rptrcub: I dreamt last night that Obama won every state but Arizona, and I wasn’t even disappointed when I woke up, as often happens with dreams like that, because it didn’t matter that it wasn’t true. And I’d like to think that that’s how it is with Prop 8, that it doesn’t matter that it passed, because people all across America are more accepting of gays now than they ever have been and that acceptance will only grow, but in my heart it still matters that so many people let their fears and prejudices convince them that taking away another person’s right to marry freely was an ok thing to do.

@Promnight: I haven’t checked my messages yet, but I asked MellBell today if she’d like to join me on the Stinquey Inaugural Ball planning committee. I’ll touch base with Nojo and maybe get a post of my own for y’all to weigh in on (a) if you want to be on the planning commitee, (b) whether you’re coming to DC alone or w/ familia y amigos, and (c) your party theme ideas. Flying Chainsaws was researching fleabag hotels. I already have my preferred party venue to run by the planning committee. I will draft something for Master Nojo to broadcast soon.

@JNOV: I thought of you and JNOV Jr. when I read Notes of a Dad of Children Like Barack.

@SanFranLefty: Check back in… ten minutes.

@nojo: I’m the blogger you warned me of!

@mellbell: I want to be as pragmatic about Prop. 8, but I spent last night with three gay men (and Mr. SFL, and a straight woman), and we went from screaming and crying from joy until after the Unicorn’s acceptance speech and it was announced that Prop. 8 would win. And one gay man went to bed, his husband tried to be pragmatic, and the third gay man sat on the couch next to me and sobbed uncontrollably. I can’t shake that. I want this to be the happiest day of my life and it was for two hours and now I.AM.SO.FUCKING.PISSED. We watched the rerun of Jon Stewart tonight and got some of the feeling of joy back, but I am fixated on Prop. 8 and Measure 1 in Arkansas. Fuck! I truly am a depressed cynic to not chill out for even 24 hours.

@FlyingChainSaw: That’s why all your posts have an automatic Tipper Warning at the top.

TJ – after counting absentee ballots Dems pick up another Senate seat. Gordon Smith sent packing home to Or-Y-GONE!

@SanFranLefty: Whoohoo!!

@SanFranLefty: Ah, as I drove my lonely hour and a half drive to work, I felt a let down, the sun was no brighter than yesterday, but hope is not something that happens to you, you choose it, so I am choosing it.

I am alone awake late waiting for my wife to call from her business trip, to tell me whether she will be employed for the next 6 months, every 6 months we live through these board meetings and noone knows what will happen.

I love the world, the wind on my face, the smell now of the fallen leaves, I love life, the dishes I craft from the food that the people who work the soil and make life for us give to us.

I take solace at feeling connections with other souls, it can come from poetry, feeling the connnection we all have that is expresssed in the best poetry and literature, I take comfort from the long philosophical view of life and knowing we are all one trying to find meaning and satisfaction in the turmoil of our society and the unnatural pressures it places on us. And most often for me now, it comes from this place and you all, my like-minded tribe.

But the real reason I am unhappy in life is that I have no friends. I have no friends. I don’t make friends easily, never have, and my friends from my younger days are all gone, lost. I have moved so much I have no contact with anyone from the past, and I have so much difficulty meeting anyone like me here where I am. My only friends in my life are you people, you people I know only from words on a webpage.

I am desperately lonely, absolutely desperately lonley, its why I try too hard, intrude in discussions with arrogant proclamations, its why I try to be a know–it-all, its why I so obviously seek attention. Why I overshare, I am so desperate to find some connection with all of you, so desperate to have someone of you just respond to me and make feel good. And yes, I know, I am so fucking insightful about myself because I have nothing else to obsess about but myself, its why I am making this desperate confession and obvious attempt at sympathy, its because I am so fucking desperate for human contact and understanding. My parents neglected me, I am disitnctly aspergery and so awkward with social situations, and I have become obessive about stinque and you all and my need for the validation you give me.

I am a wreck, my fellow stinkers, I hope that what I have just said makes you not want to ever meet me. I’m wierd and fucked up, but very harmless in person.

What am I saying and why? I have no idea. But I trust you all with it, whetever.

@Promnight: Although I loved the game, I bailed out of politics pretty much completely by 04 because I didn’t have enough time or money to do it and to maintain domestic tranquility over what I knew would be a grueling travel schedule. I shudder to think of all the weekends I would have spent on the road eating crap banquet food when I could be home doing nothing, washing the dishes at the sink while watching the boy and the rest of the skate rats in the street, farting around at the range, fishing, hunting, or getting some work done like the recent tile and paint job in my home office.

My name had been polled as a possible candidate for attorney general and I had some influential people express an interest in an eventual congressional run. The celeb factor of politics was fun, exclusive lunches and dinners and requests to speak were cool, and people acted as if you were some kind of ace strategist or fixer. But a major factor in my decision was to be home for my son. How could I run out to save the world if I could not be at home to raise my son? We do homework (not enough, or well enough, says Mrs RML), have sock wars, poke at each other, have dinner and just do stuff like go to the bookstore or library. So now it’s about being a good dad, spouse and bringing home the bacon and fry it up in a pan. I still am drawn toward some kind of public service at some time, so long as it doesn’t cut into my valuable fishing time or take me too far away from the trout streams and mountains I love.

@Promnight: I empathize. My depression has been worse recently for a number of reasons – stress, health issues, and yes, loneliness. I have no friends where I am now, other than my partner. Even before I moved here, so many of the people I’d been close to had moved away or died. Stinque is my tribe and my haven. I really don’t know what desperate measures I would resort to if I didn’t have you people. I often find it hard to find a reason to live, other than I owe it to my cats to care for them. Sometimes it gets so, so hard to keep going. And I can’t say that to many people. Revealing that one is having obsessive thoughts about suicide tends to upset one’s loved ones. Just having y’all to make me laugh, to make me want to see what you’ll post next, really helps keep me going.
Very truly yours, Debbie Downer

@redmanlaw: I guess thats the diference between wanting to be a politician and just wanting to be a civil servant even on a high level, people have no idea what the daily schedule of their congressman is, breakfast meetings, lunch meetings, banquets at night, every single day, and a completely full schedule of phone calls and meetings in between, I had to be body man a few days, its fucking exhausting.

But I just want to be an honest civil servant, not a politician.

@Mistress Cynica: Don’t be thinking about suicide, no, don’t ever, at my worst, I always want to see what the next day will bring. If you are serious about suicidal thoughts, please, step back from that, I would be lonelier without you, hold my hand, I would do anything for you, to stop you from going there, don’t ever go there.

@Promnight: I promised Mr Cyn I wouldn’t , and I won’t. Some days the shit just seems to way outweigh the good. The fifth anniversary of my best friend’s death approaches, and it’s really hitting me hard.

@Mistress Cynica: I want to hear from you every day. You can’t take yourself away from us, thats too selfish. Cynica, talk off suicide makes me very very concerned. You see, there is something so vitally important you have in common with all of us, and that is that you are alive. We all have that in common, we are alive, and we all have something else in common, we will all die. Death is the enemy we all have in common. The meaning of life, the purpose of life, is to be alive, just to be alive, because every day we are alive is a miracle, and victory over death. Just fucking keeping going is reason enough to keep going. Keep going so that I can keep enjoying your thoughts and feelings that you post here, keep going because you know that people love you for the self that you reveal here, even if you have never met us. Keep going because I demand it, because I have insaitiable curiousity for everything and everybody, and I demand you tell me more, tell me more, I want to know, what do we share, what are our differences, how can you contemplate not being, when there is so much more to learn and share?

@Promnight: I’m so sorry I worried you. I promise I won’t do anything — I started smoking again to assuage my desire for self destruction. It’s like a safety valve. I’ve suffered from depression since childhood, and I swear I never experienced the emotion “joy” until I was almost 40, and finally got on SSRIs. My view of the world is bleak, one reason I need to mock things. I can appreciate the beauty around me and I do enjoy learning, but dealing with chronic pain is exhausting and discouraging.

@Promnight: @Mistress Cynica: It’s hard to move somewhere and have nobody as a friend but your partner. Goddess knows I adore Mr. SFL but it was weird when I experienced that 5 years ago. But I forced myself to go out and find new people.

I didn’t mean to harsh the mellow of the thread by mentioning how down I felt about Prop. 8.
Because I’m laughing watching election stories on South Park and Chocolate News on Comedy Central.

And MellBell and I are beginning to plot cynical stinquey inaugural DeeCee celebrations in January. Do you haz hope and depression? Well come drink at a dive bar in DC the third week of January with us.

@SanFranLefty:
i’m in. commitee, attendance, all of it. tell me what i can do, i’ll be there with you guys.

@Mistress Cynica: @Promnight:
don’t you dare go ANYWHERE, or at least not anywhere i can’t find you. stinque keeps my sanity in check (can you imagine when it’s not?)
and ESPECIALLY YOU TWO. your words always tickle me, make me ponder, enlighten me. i love you guys, you are great great people, and i hate everyone! i share your angst. hello? i spill my guts all over this website. i seriously don’t know how i would have waded through the terror i’ve been facing for months w/out the support i get right here.
you pulled me out more than once from real life and death crisis. this is my sanctuary. let it be yours. i’m here for all of you, and when you don’t have to carry me, i’m formidable. i will go to orygon cyn and hold your hand and smoke your cigs. yes, i will. i have had suicidal thoughts too honey, and recently. like prom, i’m curious about what the next day will bring, so i hang on by my fingernails and reach out–to stinquers.
it works. i have both of your phone numbers, fair warning.

@Mistress Cynica:
to continue the lyrics you started:

” and i grew strong, and i learned how to carry on…”

@Promnight: That is why we’re here, and why this community will continue to exist even if the Stinque servers explode (which I hope they don’t and I don’t think they will thanks to Nojo). And I thank you — and everyone else — for having teh Gheyz’ backs (er, I mean, supporting us?)

@Mistress Cynica: I’ve been there myself. I am glad to know that you’ll stay with us.

@rptrcub:
cubbie,
having married two gay men, i can say with authority i have your back. literally and figuratively.
cheer up cubster, we’ll see this happen. it will be be the next major developement in dragging this country out of the dark ages.
hold on to HOPE(tm), it’s the end of overtime and we’re ahead. xoxo

@Promnight: Wonderful! The perfect punishment for smarmy old Joe (and the best laugh I’ve had for days and days).

@lynnlightfoot:
lynn, i’ve been looking for you for advice.
rat will be here in 10 days and i don’t know how to deal with this.
my weak plan right now is not bringing it up, like it never happened.
(though we discuss it in depth on the phone!)
i want to hear how you felt, what was said, how you got back on track.
sorry for being nosey, but i’m facing a crisis and am unsure of everything. and i respect your opinion AND your willingness to have already shared your similar circumstances. anyway, no TMI here!
thank you lynn for any guidance you may have for me.

@Promnight: @SanFranLefty: @baked: @rptrcub: Thanks sooo much. Feeling better this morning. I’d be lost without you guys. Group hug!!!!

@baked: It’s midafternoon here, and I only just found your comment from this morning. I have two emails: lynnlightfoot@hotmail.com and lynnlightfoot@gmail.com. Email me at either or both, and I’ll send you my phone number, too.