I wanted to post something about this story three months ago, and then forgot. An article in my fishwrap updating the story has reminded me to do so.

Texas takes its sports seriously, or at least football and basketball (the male version).  The role of the girls, of course, is to be the pretty cheerleader cheering on the jocks.

That is kopacetic, of course, until you’re asked to cheer for your rapist at a basketball game.

And you’re told to chant:

No, really. That was the chant. You can’t make shit like that up.

The Preznit of These United States spoke to Teh Gays yesterday, and he’s making a few Provisionally Happy Noises. Let’s listen in!

My attitudes are evolving on this. I have always firmly believed in having a robust civil union that provides the rights and benefits under the law that marriage does. I’ve wrestled with the fact that marriage traditionally has had a different connotation. But I also have a lot of very close friends who are married gay or lesbian couples.

Some of My Best Friends is rarely the best line to trot out, but we knew Obama’s take going in.

And, in fairness, by the way, that is true of every single group of supporters that I have. I mean, there’s not a single constituency that doesn’t think we could be doing more.

Hello, Mr. President!

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Best guess on the Interwebs is that somebody at Fox News had too much eggnog and confused “Nobel Prize Winner” with “Holocaust Survivor”.

[via Young Manhattanite]

“Senate Democrats and Republicans have struck a deal to secure passage of a bill to provide health benefits and compensation to 9/11 first responders, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, said today in an exclusive interview with ABC News.”

We’re not sure when “Democrat” became pejorative for “Democratic”.

For that matter, we’re not sure how. Or why we should even care.

We do know that “Democrat” gets under the thin skins of liberals. Just try it around one, and watch how fast you’re corrected. The Ic Factor is strong — almost as strong as when you call a Progressive the L Word.

But really: Can we just drop the fuss? We suspect that “Democrat” keeps being used because it works — because it brings out the peevishness in its target. Hey, if we could annoy our enemies that easily with Sounds Like Rat, you know we’d be all over it.

Which brings us to this week’s outbreak of resentment over “Obamacare”:

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“Gay rights activist Mike Rogers, the professional outer of closeted, hypocritical gay politicians, claims to have ‘pictures of a man who spent the night’ with Sen. Lindsey Graham. He’s supposedly meeting with his lawyer today before releasing them.” [Gawker]

As a follow up to yesterday’s piece on Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour’s selective memory of the civic activities of the  Yazoo Citzen’s Councils, I’d ike to direct Stinquers to Atlantic Monthly blogger Ta Nehishi-Coates’ must-read posting on the true activities of the local chapter Haley Barbour’s favorite gathering of good ol’ boys. Coates writes:

In 1954, the NAACP determined to bring five test cases to force integration in the Mississippi public schools. Yazoo County exhibited some of the worst disparities in the state, spending $245.55 on every white child, but only $2.92 per black pupil. So the NAACP gathered fifty-three signatures of leading black citizens of Yazoo City, the county seat, on a petition calling for integration.

Their courage was met with outrage. Sixteen of the town’s most prominent men called for a public meeting, to form a White Citizens’ Council and respond to the petition. Several hundred turned out on a hot June night, including journalist Willie Morris, who watched in mute disbelief as the best men of the town outlined their response: Read more »