Opinion - Feingold worth his weight in gold!

From DailyKos

Here's what happened today - Russ Feingold let Arlen Specter "have it" as he stormed out of a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to "mark-up" the proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Sen. Feingold's reasons and response were beautifully explained in a statement he released this afternoon:

Objecting to the Judiciary Committee's Handling of the Constitutional Amendment on Marriage
Today's markup of the constitutional amendment concerning marriage, in a small room off the Senate floor with only a handful of people other than Senators and their staffs present, was an affront to the Constitution. I objected to its consideration in such an inappropriate setting and refused to help make a quorum. I am deeply disappointed that the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee went forward with the markup over my objection. Unfortunately, the Majority Leader has set a politically motivated schedule for floor consideration of this measure that the Chairman felt compelled to follow, even though he says he opposes the amendment.

Constitutional amendments deserve the most careful and deliberate consideration of any matter that comes before the Senate. In addition to hearings and a subcommittee markup, such a measure should be considered by the Judiciary Committee in the light of day, open to the press and the public, with cameras present so that the whole country can see what is done. Open and deliberate debate on such an important matter cannot take place in a setting such as the one chosen by the Chairman of the Committee today.

The Constitution of the United States is an historic guarantee of individual freedom. It has served as a beacon of hope, an example to people around the world who yearn to be free and to live their lives without government interference in their most basic human decisions. I took an oath when I joined this body to support and defend the Constitution. I will continue to fight this mean-spirited, divisive, poorly drafted, and misguided amendment when it comes to the Senate floor.

This man continues to amaze me. As Stephen Colbert would say, "he has huevos muy grande!" I've heard folks complain that there are no democrats stepping up to the plate. Senator Feingold proves them wrong again (first the motion to censure Bush and now this.) Bravo Senator!

Entertainment - HUH?

Chris Daughtry is voted off?

Unbelievable! I figured he'd win the whole thing (and have thought so since the final 12!)

The only way this could have happened was that most folks figured he was safe and ended up voting for the person they'd want in the final with him (I voted about 12 times for Elliott and 6 times for Chris myself.)

Oh well! It will be interesting to see what happens to the ratings this next week. It's more of a horse race now but it feels a bit like the night Tamyra Gray got voted off.

Without a doubt Chris has a huge career ahead of him! Buddy, we're gonna miss you in this competition . . . as Simon said, "Thank God for Chris!"

Knitting - Stitch and Scratch

I'm currently attempting to set up a men's knitting club in the Seattle area. I've posted on Craig's List and the Yahoo! group called "Men Who Knit."

I've you're interested then drop me a line. Let me know what times would be best for you to get together. I'm thinking that we'll meet one night a month.

Entertainment - American Idol MO-ments

Thanks to Andy at Towleroad I've discovered a great commentator on American Idol.

In addition to providing a review of the performances, Kenneth Hill at Worth Repeating, also includes his "gayest moments."

Here's the link to his review of this week's show:

http://journals.aol.com/gayesteditorever/WorthRepeating/#Entry171

UPDATE 05/17/2006 - Kenneth's review of last night's show:

http://journals.aol.com/gayesteditorever/WorthRepeating/entries/197

Opinion - Be Afraid, Be VERY Afraid!

From AP via CBS News via Daily Kos:

President Bush suggested Wednesday that he'd like to see his family's White House legacy continue, perhaps with his younger brother Jeb as the chief executive. The president said Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is well-suited for another office and would make "a great president." "I would like to see Jeb run at some point in time, but I have no idea if that's his intention or not," Mr. Bush said in an interview with Florida reporters, according to an account on the St. Petersburg Times Web site.

Here's the link to the entire story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/10/politics/main1605895.shtml

Opinion - We'll miss you William Sloane Coffin

(from The Advocate, May 23, 2006 edition)

"For Christians, the problem is not how to reconcile homosexuality with scriptual passages that condemn it but how to reconcile the rejection and punishment of homosexuals with the love of Christ."
- Reverend William Sloane Coffin

The Reverend William Sloane Coffin, 81, the former chaplain of Yale University and a well-known crusader for social justice, including gay rights (died) of congestive heart failure at his home in Strafford, VT, April 12. Coffin was the inspiration for a character in cartoonist Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury - the Reverend Scot Sloan.

Arkansas Razor-backs (or some other body part)

Funny picture from Pink is the New Blog (via Towleroad)

Opinion - In the Pink

While reading the blog "Knit Like a Man" (written by another gay knitting Canadian!) this morning, I found a link to a video with Pink (the artist that sang "Get this Party Started.") The song is called "Dear Mister President." Unbelievably powerful.

Here's the link to the video

And to the song on

Knitting - Major progress

I made some significant progress yesterday on the "Windowpane Throw" that I'm working on as a Christmas gift. I think I knit more than 300 rows (of course, there are only 18 stitches to a row.)

I'm using some Lion Brand "Home-spun" yarn. So, I finished off a skein and started to make a ball from another while watching "Huff" last night. What a mess! The skein was filled with unraveled yarn and knots. I ended up with 7 separate balls from the one skein (I'll join the yarn when I knit rather than knot it as I go along.)

The one nice thing about this pattern - it involves making 7 separate strips and then piecing them together. It feels good having interim milestones on a big project.

Activities - Ka-Ching!

Went to the Muckleshoot Casino yesterday with my partner, his daughter and son-in-law, and his son's girlfriend (his son had to work.) Now, I've not had the best history gambling but I ended up walking out of there with $387.93. Unbelievable! Of course, I hit the REI sale on the way home and spent $117.00 but still...

My addictive personality is ready to drive back down to Auburn today and hit the slots again. Don't worry...I won't!