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01/27/12--11:32: Teabaggy New Jersey Governor Thinks Civil Rights Should've Been a Referendum (chan 1494000)

New Jersey governor Chris Christie has promised to veto any gay marriage law that crosses his desk. Remember, this guy is on every shortlist for Republican vice presidential material:

See, as part of his push to have New Jersey voters vote on gay marriage in a referendum (so that he doesn't have to be on the record vetoing or not vetoing gay marriage) Christie said: "The fact of the matter is, I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South." But would they have?

Newark mayor Cory Booker, to name just one of a chorus of Christie critics, certainly didn't agree with the sentiment. "I shudder to think what would have happened if the civil rights gains, heroically established by courageous lawmakers in the 1960s, were instead conveniently left up to popular votes in our 50 states," he said.

But Christie isn't backing down...

This is a remarkable statement. Usually, when you tie gay marriage to the civil rights movement, Republicans run in the other direction, diminishing marriage into something smaller and more specific than a right. But Christie is running headlong into the argument, saying that we did civil rights wrong in the first place. (Can you imagine? They'd probably still be trying to pass a civil rights referendum in Mississippi.) It shouldn't be surprising at this point, but it is. Somehow, Christie manages to say what every Republican is thinking, and he gets away with it every time. The worst part is that Christie emboldens other Republicans to repeat what he says as a fact; I'm willing to bet that other conservatives will soon pick up this "Civil rights should have been a state's rights issue" idea and run wild with it.

(Thanks to Slog tipper Rob.)

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01/27/12--11:38: Currently Hanging: This Incredible Picture (chan 1494000)



• Courtesy G. Gibson Gallery
• Bill Brandt, Northumbrian Miner At His Evening Meal, 1937, gelatin silver print, signed, 11 by 14 inches

This is one of those pictures that doesn't need any commentary. Just look at it.

It's part of an exhibition of classic 20th-century photography at G. Gibson Gallery through February 18.

What may need explaining about this photograph is not what you see, but just how collecting it would work. How many prints of it are out there? How does the print that's for sale in Pioneer Square relate to the one that hangs on the walls at the Museum of Modern Art?

Tomorrow at 2 pm at the gallery, Michelle Dunn Marsh will give a free talk on the fascinating business of collecting photography.

Dunn Marsh is a longtime editor of Aperture magazine who happens to be based in Seattle as well as New York, and she's also a collector herself, mainly of black-and-white 20th-century photography. (She is also a straight shooter and just an interesting woman.) To get a sense of her ideas about photography and collecting, check out the Q&A Peggy Roalf did with her here. For instance,

PR: The 2012 exhibition season has launched with the announcement of dozens of exhibitions of black-and-white photography, from coast to coast, from vintage mid-20th century prints to contemporary work. It’s inevitable that there would be a black-and-white backlash, but have you had any thoughts on why, right now?

MDM: I’m so glad you asked that. I think the industry decline of many aspects of traditional photography has brought the scarcity and preciousness of black-and-white to the forefront. The travails of brands like Kodak and Polaroid speak to the masses—but photographers have been grappling with these changes for some time.

I think that many collectors are now responding to the craft of the print, in our increasingly digital age. We’ve finally accepted the photograph as object again, not just an image. Where once darkroom work was perceived as mechanical compared to the artistry of painting, now the “wet” darkroom is seen as a place of alchemy, and digital printing is deemed, by many, as rote (but it is no easier to get a consistent digital print than it is to get a consistent darkroom print. Finesse is required in either process).

I find a richness and a depth that is seductive in a silver or platinum print. I take respite primarily in black-and-white images because I experience the world each day in color, so the graphic quality of a tonal range from light to dark, free of chroma and without a light source burning into my eyes, transports me. That said, I recently bought a William Christenberry print because his green warehouse is the exact shade of the barn I grew up with.

With the general state of the world feeling a bit fragile these days, I think that many people are turning away from the physically monumental to the wonder that can exist within an environment the eye can absorb in a glance, and then revisit slowly, over time.

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Currently Hanging: This Incredible Picture

01/27/12--12:15: Happy NHL All Star Weekend! (chan 1494000)

This weekend some of the NHL's best players* will be in Ottawa for the 2012 All-Star weekend.

The Skill Competitions (speed skating, accuracy shooting, hardest shot, etc.) are tomorrow at 4 pm PST, and the all-star game is Sunday at 1 pm PST. I will be watching both while eating a giant plate of nachos.

I'll be rooting for Predators' Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Craig Smith (Tootoo and Rinne were robbed!). Surely Weber will be one to watch in the hardest shot competition. Did you know that during the 2010 Winter Olympics Weber shot a puck so hard that it WENT THROUGH THE NET? Dude.

As for the all-star game, the roster was announced yesterday. It's Team Chara vs. Team Alfredsson. Alfredsson has the Sedins (gross), Scotty Hartnell, Shea Weber, and Henrik Lundqvist while Team Chara has Patrick Kane, Corey Perry, Ryan Suter, Evgeni Malkin, and goalie Timmy Thomas. (See the full line-ups here.)

It's tough to predict who'll win. Timmy Thomas is incredible, but the Sedins, Hartnell, and Weber will be hard to beat. I'm going to say Team Alfredsson. But just barely. Where do you stand, hockey fans? Let's find out with a Slog poll!

*Except for Ovechkin, who's not playing very well this season anyway.

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01/27/12--12:30: Associates Say Ron Paul Signed Off on His Racist Newsletters (chan 1494000)

Well, here's a shocker: You know those racist newsletters published under Ron Paul's name, sometimes with Ron Paul's byline, which were frequently used to promote Ron Paul's political career? Turns out, Ron Paul had a strong editorial hand in them:

The Republican presidential candidate has denied writing inflammatory passages in the pamphlets from the 1990s and said recently that he did not read them at the time or for years afterward. Numerous colleagues said he does not hold racist views.

But people close to Paul’s operations said he was deeply involved in the company that produced the newsletters, Ron Paul & Associates, and closely monitored its operations, signing off on articles and speaking to staff members virtually every day.

Let's just say it outright: If you're a Ron Paul fan and you're ignoring these newsletters, you're a fool. You can believe Ron Paul has changed his opinion, or you can own the fact that your candidate is a big ol' racist and conspiracy-minded loon, but you can't pretend that he didn't know about them anymore.

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01/27/12--12:30: Lunchtime Quickie: Today In Savage Beasts (chan 1494000)

h/t Scary Tyler Moore

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01/27/12--12:41: Let's File an Initiative to Vote on Rob McKenna's Marriage (chan 1494000)

Do we have a lawyer in the house? We need your help. Attorney General Rob McKenna has finally admitted that he opposes same-sex marriage but that if loving couples want marriage equality, he thinks everyone should get to vote on them.

If McKenna believes that he—and everyone else—deserves the right to vote on our marriages, we should all get the right to vote on his marriage, right? Fair's fair.

This requires an filing an initiative to the people. Rob and Marilyn McKenna have been married for 25 years and their love is up to them, true, but what if the legal recognition of their bond could be permitted or revoked at the will of voters? What would voters choose?

So we need an attorney's pro bono help. Our task for you, lawyers: Send us the text for an initiative to annul the marriage of Rob and Marilyn McKenna, as legally binding as such a measure can possibly be, and I'll see that it's properly filed with the state and printed on petitions. Send your submissions here. We'll even send Rob a copy of the petition for his signature. Considering that he believes marriage is a matter everyone should vote on, he can't possibly refuse, right?

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01/27/12--12:42: Press Release of the Day (chan 1494000)



Dear whomever this may concern,

Tomorrow starts the first day of a full month of Erotica Art in LaConner, WA.

There will be a peaking point, February 24th...where thee Jezebel Rebels will be performing, also live music and an artist's reception. See attached

Please let me know if you have any questions at all~

Sincerely,

Lucy Mae

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Press Release of the Day

01/27/12--12:44: Pioneer Square, Mid-Vitalization (chan 1494000)

As we all know, Pioneer Square has been suffering from a nonfatal brain injury (or something) for years. But Mayor Mike McGinn would like you to know that city officials are busy nursing it back to health. Take it way, Mike:

Yesterday we met with the Pioneer Square Revitalization Committee and community members to report back on our progress so far and discuss ongoing challenges. We reported on recent accomplishments and projects launched in Pioneer Square:

North Lot Project: Introducing more market rate housing to Pioneer Square has been a priority in the community for decades. The long-planned North Lot redevelopment project will produce 513 units of housing, just in the first phase. Our Office of Economic Development (OED) is investing $1.7 million in equity and $7.2 million in low-cost debt financing via New Market Tax Credits to help move the project forward.

First Hill Streetcar: Access to high-capacity transit has long been a neighborhood priority as well. Recently the City confirmed that the new First Hill Streetcar will serve Pioneer Square with a stop at South Jackson and 2nd Avenue South. Construction begins later this year.

King Street Station: ...Three construction phases have been completed, including: station roof replacement and clock tower repair; Jackson Plaza rebuilt; and renovations to Amtrak’s new operations and administration areas. Next up is building and clock tower seismic retrofit, mechanical/electrical/plumbing systems distribution, and select interior and exterior restoration including the restoration of the ornamental plaster in the main waiting room. Construction began in March 2011 and will be completed in spring of 2013.

More on how Pioneer Square's gettin' healthy over here.

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01/27/12--13:01: Thousands of Tacos Visited Upon Racist-y Mayor (chan 1494000)

That mayor who said that racist-y thing—when asked about his support for Latino rights, he responded he “might have some tacos” for dinner—has gotten more than 2000 tacos delivered to his office in protest. (Doesn't that seem like more of a reward than a punishment?) Another report notes:

The taco onslaught has only just begun: activists have pledged to send one more for each person who texts the word “taco” to 69866.

Not sure how that works—text the word "taco" at your own risk. Here the mayor fumblingly expands upon the apology he issued:

What do we have to say to get a tanker of poutine over here?

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01/27/12--13:04: Pot Legalization Qualifies for WA Ballot (chan 1494000)

It's certified by the state elections division: Washington State voters will decide this fall whether they will approve Initiative 502 to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana.

"A signature-check by the State Elections Division, using a random sample, determined that sponsors had nearly 278,000 valid signatures," writes Secretary of State's office spokesman David Ammons, "well in excess of the 241,153 required."

This is going to be a huge national issue. The NYT has a new profile of a similar measure likely headed to voters in Colorado. With at least two states going to the polls, this will be national lightning rod—possibly more than California's Prop 19 was in 2010—that attracts presidential-race debate and national news cycles, to say nothing of the saturation it will have with local mainstream media.

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01/27/12--13:29: Happy Birthday, Vera! (chan 1494000)

The Vera Project turns 11 today! Which has caused me to fall under a nostalgia-filled daze while I recall some of the best shows I've seen there over the last decade and one year. What have been some of your favorite Vera Project memories? Share them here.




01/27/12--13:29: "The blind trust is an age-old ruse." (chan 1494000)

That's what Massachusetts senatorial candidate Mitt Romney said to Ted Kennedy back in 1994, according to Wonkette. Here's video* of their debate:

That's a far cry from the Mitt Romney of last night who said his Fannie and Freddie investments were in a blind trust and out of his control. (Which was a lie, anyway.) This is further proof that Mitt Romney has firmly planted himself on both sides of every single issue on God's green earth.

* Also: Can we talk for a moment about how depressing it is that video from 1994 looks so ancient? That debate may as well have been recorded in hieroglyphics. I remember 1994 in vibrant HD, dammit.

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01/27/12--13:36: Things To Know About the Movie Red Tails (chan 1494000)



• Yay! Boo! Yay! Boo! Nice jackets.

1. As Wm.™ Steven Humphrey says in his review about the new Tuskegee Airmen picture, it isn't a good movie. I can confirm: This is a George Lucas movie that feels like a George Lucas movie, except that it's explicitly (unlike, you know, Jar Jar Binks) against racism.

2. And yet, opinion is mixed on whether "He's Jar Jar Binked us again." While representation is great—it's great simply to see so many black actors in a giant Hollywood picture; there are something like 15 airmen roles—they're still stuck holding down a crappy movie.

3. On the other hand, Lucas has said that if Red Tails does well enough, he'll give Tuskegee Airmen the Star Wars treatment and turn it into a series. (The condescension here is palpable, yes.) The airmen will return home and rediscover the racism they've flown their way out of in the friendly skies of World War II, where they win even racist hearts with their exceptional heroism. (Note: All Germans are still Nazi pigs, with Nazi pig hearts that are not won over.) Could the homecoming story be a better movie?

4. A Seattle designer, Good Wear Leather, created 18 of the bomber jackets that appear in the movie—14 for actors and two for stuntmen, then two for actual pilots flying the planes, Good Wear's John Chapman told Worn Out columnist Marti Jonjak. Good for Good Wear, which specializes in re-creations of historical jackets: "1942 in a box."

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Things To Know About the Movie Red Tails

01/27/12--14:06: Senator Haugen Is Under Attack (chan 1494000)

Anti-gay national organizations are inundating state senator Mary Margaret Haugen with nasty phone calls, trying to intimidate her into retracting plans to cast the key 25th vote in the state senate for marriage equality.

"However, I have no respect for the tactics of these national special-interest groups, who have no stake in our district or our state, and who have recruited out-of-state callers to phone my office and to be intentionally rude to my staff," Haugen writes in a message on her web page apologizing to constituents who can't get through.

As I mention this week, the Christian right's rude tactics aren't working. Read Haugen's whole message here.

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01/27/12--14:26: Gingrich Ad Tries to Clean Up Gingrich's Debate Mess (chan 1494000)

This ad is notable because if Newt Gingrich had managed to do his job in last night's debate, it wouldn't exist. Instead, it's a decent bit of damage control that probably won't make a difference in the Florida elections:

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01/27/12--14:43: Send Us Your Valentines! (chan 1494000)






Send Us Your Valentines!

01/27/12--15:27: Call Me Cottonelle (chan 1494000)

If you have no weekend plans, may I suggest retyping the entirety of Moby Dick onto five or so rolls of toilet paper? Or, if you don't have a weekend to spare, you can just buy someone else's toilet-paper Moby Dick for two hundred bucks.

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01/27/12--16:29: The Stranger Bomb Squad Opens Possible Santorum-Based Hate Mail Object (chan 1494000)

Today, we received a suspicious package in the mail. It was a bumpy letter that was returned to us for additional postage.



• Click to big.

The letter was addressed to "Frothy Mix" at "1680 Fruitville Rd" in Sarasota, Florida, but it came to The Stranger because our return address—with no name—was in the upper lefthand corner. Confusing! First of all: We have our own stationary. Second of all: Nobody who works here has that kind of loopy, teenage girl handwriting. Third of all: We use a postage machine, so the pine cone postage stamp—while a welcome reminder of the official flower of my home state—probably didn't come from our offices, either. All those suspicions amounted to one thing: Time to call in The Stranger Bomb Squad.

Intrepid security expert Megan Seling donned The Official Stranger Bomb Squad blast-proof gloves™:



And immediately set to work:



"It feels like it might have a needle in it," Megan said as she started in on the package. We held our breath as the final bit of glue on the envelope gave way. Was this a biological weapon of some kind? A calcified turd?



Nope. It was a tampon. No note. Just an unused tampon, still in its packaging.



And now there's nothing left but questions. Was this a Christian who thought reverse-sending a tampon to Stranger headquarters was the worst kind of insult? Did someone think they were helping The Stranger by sending this to Rick Santorum's Sarasota campaign headquarters? (Turns out, they really are based on Fruitville Road.) Was someone trying to frame The Stranger by pretending to send this tampon from our address? Or was it a misfire from some helpful people trying to contribute to the "Rick Santorum needs a uterus of his very own" campaign? And, most importantly of all, why does it cost so goddamned much to send a single tampon through the U.S. Mail? The world will never know the answer to any of these questions. The end.

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The Stranger Bomb Squad Opens Possible Santorum-Based Hate Mail Object

01/27/12--16:33: Short Film Fridays (chan 1494000)

The short for this week is Gretchen Burger’s “Cover.” What Burger has to say about it: “This is a short non-fiction video I made with Cap Kotz of Cappy's Boxing Gym that explores what it means for a boxer to find and maintain cover.” The short is simple, crisp, and elegantly edited. Once again we discover the whole human universe in a tiny corner of our culture.

Speaking of short films, beginning tonight (and ending on February 2), "Howard From Ohio"...




...a short by SJ Chiro, the director of a short I posted on November 25, "The Perfect Human", will be screened at the Northwest Film Forum along with Edward P. Davee's feature How the Fire Fell (both films won top prizes at Local Sightings 2011). "Howard From Ohio" is about sex.

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Short Film Fridays

01/27/12--16:51: Friday Afternoon Quicky (chan 1494000)

If you've seen the Sherlock Holmes series on BBC (and you should because it's created by Steven Moffat, which is code for excellent), then you'll enjoy this music video, which perfectly syncs up shots from Sherlock with a SNL perennial favorite. And if you haven't seen the series, watch anyway. Seriously, this editing job is magical.

NSFAnywhere at top volume:


In other news, it's total bullshit that I have to wait until 2013 to see the follow-up to The Reichenbach Fall.

Thanks for making my day, Slog tipper Renee!

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01/28/12--08:34: Saturday Morning News (chan 1494000)

Hot-headed and undisciplined: Newt Gingrich

Goldman Sucks: Largest source of Mitt Romney's campaign contributions.

Syria: The Arab League will be suspending its monitorng mission in Syria due to a surge in violence. It is estimated that about 200 people were killed since the mission was renewed for a second month Tuesday.

A drug of last resort: State warns that prescription opioid methadone is "unpredictable and poses a high risk of accidental death." A Seattle Times investigation in December reported that at least 2,173 people in Washington have died since 2003 after accidentally overdosing on it.

Sentenced: The Barefoot Bandit gets 6 1/2 years for committing at least 67 crimes, including eight burglaries, nine car thefts, and three airplane thefts; says remorse is "heartfelt."

Might close: The Volunteer Park Conservatory. If the city can't find the funds to keep it open, they might close it by next year. The 100-year-old conservatory brings in a revenue of $25,000 and costs $450,000 to run.

Overbilled: DOT has discovered that some drivers were overbilled in 520 tolls by an extra 25 cents. The agency announced late Friday that it will waive the fee on ALL trips made Jan. 17 to 25.

Shot!: Eight sea lions were found with bullet wounds in the Puget Sound region recently. Their deaths are being investigated. (Whoever did this should rot in hell).

TRAFFIC ALERT!: I-5 off-ramps at Mercer closed until 9 a.m. Saturday. I-5 on-ramps will be closed until 7 p.m. Sunday. More details here.

"Oomph": That's the word missing from the U.S. economy.

And finally, it's Saturday, let's learn how to fake French:


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01/29/12--07:00: Slog Bible Study: Romans 1:26-27 (chan 1494000)

Romans 1:26-27
Women no longer wanted to have sex in a natural way, and they did things with each other that were not natural. Men behaved in the same way. They stopped wanting to have sex with women and had strong desires for sex with other men.


Discuss.

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01/29/12--08:50: Sunday Morning News (chan 1494000)

Sheldon Adelson: Ladies and gents, meet the man behind Newt Gingrich's money. Adelson, 78, is a Las Vegas casino magnate who once tried to open a casino in the Middle East.

"Newt Gingrich for President of the United States": Herman Cain endorsed Newt Gingrich yesterday, says Gingrich is going through the "sausage grinder" in Florida. A recent poll shows Romney leading in the Sunshine state.

"Stalin-esque": That's what Sarah Palin is calling criticism of Gingrich.

29: The number of Chinese workers captured by Sudanese rebels after a fight with the government, the insurgents said Sunday. China is a major military supplier to the regime in Khartoum. It is also the largest purchaser of Sudanese oil.

14: The age of golf's youngest tour winner, Lydia Ko.

300: The number of people arrested in Occupy Oakland protests yesterday. News reports are calling Saturday's protests the most turbulent since police broke up Occupy Oakland encampments in November. Police used tear gas after some protesters threw flares, rocks, and bottles at them.

Wanted: Police are looking for the suspect or suspects who shot three people at Citrus restaurant in South Lake Union early Saturday.

Seattle's new baby sea otter: Here are some pics by local AP photographer Ted Warren.

Finally, a broke Irishman builds a 1.4 billion euro house with shredded bills.

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01/29/12--10:06: Why Are You So Gay? (chan 1494000)

Were you born that way? Frank Bruni with a sensible take on a big question.

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01/30/12--06:00: Maybe You're a Bigot Because You're Dumb? (chan 1494000)

According to a new study:

There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.

Also, according to this study: "Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies."

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01/30/12--06:47: That Woman Who Said She Would Gay-Marry a Warehouse? (chan 1494000)

She married the warehouse. But can the warehouse reciprocate her love? Will her lady-on-warehouse matrimony truly "stop gentrification," as her signs pleas? These questions weigh heavily on our minds.

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01/30/12--07:25: Systemic Bias in Family Court—or just Selective Fact-Finding? (chan 1494000)

This guest Slog post is by Christopher Rao, managing partner of Rao & Pierce PLLC, and former Chair of the KCBA Family Law Section. He also runs decouplingblog.com, which helps make family courts more accessible to men and women who cannot afford attorneys.

A number of father's rights groups have been increasingly vocal about the belief that fathers are typically treated unfairly in our courts—in essence, that dads are the real victims of nasty custody fights. It is disappointing that these misguided beliefs have been accorded an air of legitimacy by Nina Shapiro's recent cover story, dramatically titled, "Ripped Apart: Divorced dads, domestic violence, and the systemic bias against men in King County family court."

The article dutifully quotes a few female attorneys to make its point that men are consistently treated unfairly in King County Family Court. One attorney recounts a busy day on the calendar where a commissioner ruled against the man seven or eight times in a row. The piece narrates a couple of heartbreaking one-sided anecdotes—conveniently interviewing only the man's attorney in each case. It then criticizes three female family law commissioners by name for a variety of offenses, including fining one man's attorney $500 "for writing too much in defense of his client" (but the fine was for violating court rules on page limits).

Over the years I’ve seen many attorneys angrily (and disrespectfully) grandstand in court for the benefit of their pissed-off unrealistic clients, male and female—and heard these same attorneys, after losing their case, criticize the court for various types of bias. The truth is that wining in Family Court depends mainly on avoiding dubious he-said, she-said hysteria, and instead presenting a reasonable proposal to the court, backed by solid evidence from reliable sources.

Just last month, the week before Christmas, I represented a dad whose son had been removed from his custody via an ex parte restraining order based on flimsy evidence of allegedly beating his son—mere days after CPS apparently found that the mother’s complaints about the dad lacked credibility. My client was terrified before the hearing, partly because of how he looked (6'4" with a prominent tattoo), but also because he'd actually been to jail for domestic violence against the child's mother in the early 1990s and just been out of alcohol rehab last year. But the female commissioner relied less on what each parent said, and instead looked at the more reliable evidence: the boy's school records, emails to and from teachers, highly detailed statements from neighbors, etc. She wisely noted that the dad had nothing more serious than a traffic ticket in well over a decade. She was pleased with his transparency, his consistent parenting over the years, his eagerness to submit to random urine samples and a domestic violence evaluation. And she returned this boy to his dad, just in time for Christmas.

While this careful treatment by the court was a huge deal to my client (who agreed to let me tell his story here), the point is that it was just an average hearing for the court, on an average afternoon with four or five other hearings. Tellingly, before we even knew which commissioner would be hearing the motion, we were confident that the court would take the time consider all the evidence and subtleties of the case. Even if the commissioner had got it wrong that day, litigants have numerous checks and balances at their disposal: You can file a reconsideration, and the court will often even look at new evidence. If you still feel aggrieved, you have an automatic right to have a do-over (called a "revision"), this time in front of an elected judge (more than half of whom are men, as if that matters). And if you are still dissatisfied, you can ask the judge to reconsider his or her ruling as well. In fact, if anything I believe that commissioners are more careful than judges because every single decision can be automatically sent up for revision. By contrast, judges cannot be revised, and appeals to the Court of Appeals typically require more than a year and tens of thousands of dollars.

It’s true that even after all these hearings and motions, many dads (and moms) still feel that they should have prevailed. That's natural, given all that they've lost. Hell, Seahawks fans still gripe about how the refs robbed us in Super Bowl XL, more than six years ago—and that was just a football game. Institutional bias exists in the world. It's a serious matter, and deserves proper attention. But to carelessly throw around these words absent proper data is irresponsible—it offers a convenient panacea to avoid taking responsibility for one's own actions. The truth is that most men—and women—in family courts would rather blame anyone but themselves for their predicament, and that most of them are in court to begin with because of their own bad decisions and/or behavior.

Such claims of bias claims also excuse lazy lawyering, which starts with marketing one's skills to frustrated men ("divorce for dads"), builds on unrealistic client expectations, and often ends with telling the completely disempowered (and substantially poorer) client that there's nothing the lawyer could have done because the commissioner was a woman (four out of five in King County).

Finally, parading men as the victims of custody fights marginalizes the true victims—children. The standard for all custody issues in Washington state is "the best interests of the child." Children suffer the violence and abandonment on a daily basis, from both their mothers and fathers, yet have almost no voice at all in this process.

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01/30/12--07:43: The Bible Wants Obama Dead (chan 1494000)

The prayer:


Let his days be few; and let another take his office
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
May his children be wandering beggars; may they be driven from their ruined homes.
May a creditor seize all he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
May no one extend kindness to him or take pity on his fatherless children.

The idiot:


[Kansas House Speaker Mike O’Neal (R)] forwarded the prayer with his own message: “At last — I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president [Obama] ! Look it up — it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!”
O’Neal’s office refuses to apologize for the email, insisting that the message was only referring to Obama’s days in office.

The physicist:


Steven Weinberg: "Good people will do good things, and bad people will do bad things. But for good people to do bad things — that takes religion."

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01/30/12--07:59: Fox News vs. Miss Piggy (chan 1494000)

If you have not heard about it yet, Eric Bolling of Fox Business recently described the new Muppets movie as "dangerous" and filled with "liberal messages." Miss Piggy's response to Fox:



From here on, we should only let fictional characters criticize Fox News.

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01/30/12--08:18: "I have friends who are gay." (chan 1494000)

Woke up to a story on KUOW this morning about marriage equality coming to Washingtons state and the dilemma this development presents to anti-gay bigots who bake wedding cakes, take wedding photos, rent wedding tuxes, etc. It's already illegal in Washington state for business owners to discriminate against gays and lesbians in the provision good and services, as the reporter pointed out, and gays and lesbians are already having commitment ceremonies and church weddings, buying cakes and renting tuxes, so...

Marriage equality isn't going to change anything.

The reporter interviewed a wedding photographer who didn't think he could possibly take pictures of two ladies getting legally married because THE BIBLE! He wants language added to the marriage equality bill that would create a special right for religious bigots to refuse to provide goods and services to gay couples. State Rep. Jamie Pederson spoke against adding a clause because where do you draw the line? If baking a cake for a gay couple can be construed as support for the sinful gay lifestyle, what about renting an apartment to a gay couple? The fags are just going to eat the cake, after all, while the apartment is where they're going to be sodomizing each other. If wedding photographers and bakers deserve a special carveout, surely landlords do too. And what about restauranteurs and the owners of grocery stores? If providing wedding photos to gay couples is bad, surely providing shelter and nourishment to them is worse.

Sigh.

Here's a Hari column that's still relevant:

In order to justify their desire to discriminate against gay people, the few remaining homophobes have concocted a scenario where they are The Real Victims. They can say what they want, set up churches or mosques that preach what they want, and turn away gay people from their homes every day of the week if they so desire—and I would defend every one of those rights to the last ditch. There is only one thing they can’t do. They can’t choose to offer a service to the general public, and then turn people away on the basis of race or sexuality. They can’t put up de facto signs saying ‘No blacks, no Irish, no gays’ at their B&B.

This isn’t a form of prejudice—it is a way of preventing prejudice. Nobody will ever force you to work in a registry office or open a B&B, but if you choose to, you can’t reject the gay couples and expect to remain in post. (In one case where this happened, they offered her a job in the office instead, but she chose to be a bizarre cause célèbre of prejudice instead.) Services for the general public have to be available without contamination by bigotry. It’s a simple principle. Don’t demand the right to spit in the face of gay people, and claim you’re being picked on when you’re asked to stop.

Yes, I know your religious texts mandate bigotry against gay people. They also mandate slavery and stoning adulterers, and they laud a God who feeds small children to bears (see II Kings ii, 23-24). As secular morality has evolved, you have managed to overcome those beliefs. Here’s another that has to catch up.

The wedding photographer ended the interview by claiming—wait for it!—that he's not a bigot. His proof: "I have friends who are gay," he told the reporter. He said he'll pray for his gay friends but he won't take their pictures. (Sorry, no link—can't find the story on KUOW's website.) The reporter didn't ask him to verify the existence of these gay friends.

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