Saturday, February 18, 2006
Laurel Hester
This morning I received an email from Steven Goldstein, chair of Garden State Equality:
The pain in my having to convey this news to you is enormous.
Lieutenant Laurel Hester died this morning, Saturday, February 18, 2006.
Millions came to know Lieutenant Hester as one of the most courageous citizens who graced the State of New Jersey. The LGBTI community came to know her as a symbol of our hopes and dreams for equality. We at Garden State Equality, whose lives were intertwined with hers these past many months as we fought for benefits for her partner Stacie, knew Lieutenant Hester personally as a selfless, radiant human being.
Even in her abject time of suffering, Lieutenant Hester lived with steadfast love for all of those around her. She was one of the most beautiful people, to the core of her soul, God put on this good earth. She was kind, caring, brilliant, charismatic and other-directed. She was a cherished friend, life partner and selfless partner in justice.
Her courage in fighting the Ocean County Freeholders brought to life why we in the LGBTI community are fighting for marriage equality. Lieutenant Hester gave a face and a story to our struggle. If we win marriage equality, we will be able to point to Laurel Hester and her partner Stacie Andree as the couple, as much as any other, who made history happen.
To be sure, Lieutenant Hester has already left a legacy to the world. The thousands she protected in Ocean County, and the counties across New Jersey she inspired to provide domestic partnership benefits in the last stage of her life, guarantees she will be remembered by generations to come.
Touching the hearts of millions, changing the minds of five stubborn men, and finally winning the battle that will allow her partner to live in the home they built together, Lieutenant Laurel Hester was able to die in peace.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Who was that shotgun really pointed at?
Okay, so Dick Cheney shot and almost (so far, anyway) killed a man. There's something very smelly about the whole affair, but what I'm smelling most strongly from the Bush White House and the Republican leadership is this: it may be that Dick Cheney's days as VP are growing very short.
In the last week or so, we've been reading an awful lot about how Scooter Libby's "immediate superiors," i.e. Dick Cheney and George W Bush, authorized him to 'leak' classified information . High-ranking Republicans have been suggesting, in public, that this might warrant an investigation ... and then the dicey sounding shooting/coverup. It looks to me like "Big Time" is being prepped for a resignation.
Dubya may be dumb but he's not stupid - he has to know that some public house-cleaning is needed to preserve any semblance of an effective Presidency over the next 3 years. Rove certainly isn't going anwhere unless and until he's escorted out of the West Wing with cuffs on. While throwing Cheney overboard might enourage some of the impeachment fans, it would put a lid on such talk from the more moderate members of both parties - they'd perceive it as a signal that the administrations problems were being acknowledged and dealt with. It would push impeachment talk back into the fringes. So it's looking to me like Cheney may be asked for his resignation soon.
Look for someone like first-term Virginia Senator George Allen to be tapped as the new VP. He's relatively young (54), has a photogenic family, has pretty good conservative credentials, is up for re-elction this year, and is already being described as a front-runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. Considering Democrat Tim Kaine's strong win in the recent Va. Governor's race, and former Dem Governor Mark Warner's continued popularity there, even in parts of the state long considered Republican strongholds, Allen might look kindly on being given a free pass out of a potentially bruising Senate campaign - especially if he gets to stay in the thick of things while not actually being responsible for anything other than optics. The RNC may see him as a fresh, new, exciting face - just as the Dems see Warner - and want him in position for a 2008 run.
In the last week or so, we've been reading an awful lot about how Scooter Libby's "immediate superiors," i.e. Dick Cheney and George W Bush, authorized him to 'leak' classified information . High-ranking Republicans have been suggesting, in public, that this might warrant an investigation ... and then the dicey sounding shooting/coverup. It looks to me like "Big Time" is being prepped for a resignation.
Dubya may be dumb but he's not stupid - he has to know that some public house-cleaning is needed to preserve any semblance of an effective Presidency over the next 3 years. Rove certainly isn't going anwhere unless and until he's escorted out of the West Wing with cuffs on. While throwing Cheney overboard might enourage some of the impeachment fans, it would put a lid on such talk from the more moderate members of both parties - they'd perceive it as a signal that the administrations problems were being acknowledged and dealt with. It would push impeachment talk back into the fringes. So it's looking to me like Cheney may be asked for his resignation soon.
Look for someone like first-term Virginia Senator George Allen to be tapped as the new VP. He's relatively young (54), has a photogenic family, has pretty good conservative credentials, is up for re-elction this year, and is already being described as a front-runner for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. Considering Democrat Tim Kaine's strong win in the recent Va. Governor's race, and former Dem Governor Mark Warner's continued popularity there, even in parts of the state long considered Republican strongholds, Allen might look kindly on being given a free pass out of a potentially bruising Senate campaign - especially if he gets to stay in the thick of things while not actually being responsible for anything other than optics. The RNC may see him as a fresh, new, exciting face - just as the Dems see Warner - and want him in position for a 2008 run.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Lies About Blowjobs, Bad. Shooting Someone in the Head? Not So Much.
You've seen the Dick "Boom Boom" Cheney stories. But I couldn't pass up a little creative borrowing from Eric Alterman.
