I know this is a little outdated, but I love this statement.  Personally I’m biased because I’m passionate about gay marriage (which I fight for partly for selfish reasons too…but aaaanyways), but regardless, it’s true that the senate is debating this marriage issue when there are so many more pertinent issues that need to be addressed in the US (like, uh, you know, the lack of good health care for the general public).

Statement of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold

Objecting to the Judiciary Committee’s Handling of the Constitutional Amendment on Marriage

Office of Senator Feingold

May 18, 2006

“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.”

For those of you in NYC…
Friends of HRC,

Marriage Equality New York, which advocates for the freedom and right of same-sex couples to enter into legally-recognized civil marriage, is organizing its Third Annual Wedding March across the Brooklyn Bridge on June 3rd.

The March will begin forming at 11am in Cadman Plaza where we will be joined by political leaders, honored guests, and celebrities as we start our march across the bridge. When we reach the other side we will gather in Battery Park for a picnic and performances by various artists.

Of course HRC will be there to lend both numbers and support to this event. We would like to form a group (as many as possible!) to march behind the HRC banner. Please mark the date in your calendar and come out to show your support for the marriage movement and to share with the greater community!

Some additional details will come in another email closer to the event. I look forward to seeing many of you there! It will be great fun for an even greater cause!

Best,

Joey Hahn
Volunteer Coordinator
HRC Greater New York

(Wow, Providence, RI has its own LGBT site called Edge.  Thanks for the article guys!)

GLBT News

Two a Day Discharged for Being Gay
by Peter Cassels
EDGE National News Editor
Thursday May 25, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Despite recruiting and attrition problems brought on by the continuing war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. armed forces continue to discharge two lesbian, gay and bisexual military personnel per day.

New data obtained by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, the organization advocating for gays in the military, indicate the rate of discharge has remained relatively consistent since 9/11 and represent a 40 per cent decrease compared with years before the terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington.

A total of 742 military personnel were discharged under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ban on openly gay service members in Fiscal Year 2005, an increase from 668 discharges in the previous fiscal year.

“The time has come for the Pentagon to call on Congress to repeal [the ban],” SLDN Executive Director Dixon Osburn said in a May 24 statement. “The law deprives our nation of thousands of skilled men and women who could be instrumental in fighting the war on terror.”

The Army discharged 386 soldiers in 2005, up from 325 the year before. The Air Force dismissed 88 airmen, down slightly from 92 in 2004. The Navy discharged 177 members, the same as the previous year. The Marines discharged 75, an increase from 59 the year before. And the Coast Guard discharged 16 men and women, one more than 2004.

“The time has come for the Pentagon to call on Congress to repeal [the ban].”
According to an analysis of 2000 census data by statistician Gary Gates, 65,000 gays currently serve in the military. “Many gay and lesbian service members are out to colleagues, yet Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell still threatens to cut their careers short if they get caught in the crosshairs of this counterproductive law,” Osburn stated. According to Gates, an additional 41,000 lesbian and gay Americans might enlist if the ban were repealed.

The military’s need for qualified and experienced personnel also continues to grow, SLDN said. The San Antonio Express-News recently reported that the armed forces are facing a “major” officer shortage, including a shortfall of 2,500 captains and majors in the Army this year, a number that will rise to 3,300 in 2007. To attract new recruits and fill the gap, Pentagon leaders have recently relaxed enlistment standards regarding age, physical fitness, education and criminal records. The discharge of lesbian and gay Americans, however, continues.

In March 2005, Congressman Marty Meehan, D-Mass., introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act (H.R. 1059) to repeal the law banning gays from serving openly. A bi-partisan coalition of 116 sponsors, including five Republican members of Congress, supports the legislation.

Retired Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy, the first woman to achieve the three-star rank in the Army, also has called for Congress to repeal the military ban. “The Army teaches its soldiers–officers, NCOs and other enlisted personnel–to live by seven values: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and courage,” Kennedy said in an April interview with EDGE. “Tell me: which is only found in the heterosexual population?”

Visit www.sldn.org for more information on annual discharges under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

But this is pretty cool. It’s actually pretty relevant where we are, we get so many fucking storms here that I might put this into use tonight according to the forecast.

Dear Yahoo!

Can you really count the seconds between lightning and thunder to figure how far away a storm is?

N. Lighten Mee
Dear N. Lighten Mee:

Thunder is the sound of rapidly heated air expanding and vibrating, and shock waves. Light travels faster than sound, so we see the lightning before we hear the resulting thunder. Using the speeds of light and sound as well as the atmospheric conditions, you could calculate exactly how far away the storm is. Chances are you’re not going to have a calculator handy during a storm. However you can approximate the storm’s distance in miles by counting the seconds between the lightning and thunder and dividing by five. It takes about five seconds for the sonic boom to travel one mile, so if you see the sky illuminated by a streak of lightning and count 10 seconds until you hear the low rumble of the thunder, the storm is about two miles away. Of course, lightning is dangerous, so it’s always a good idea to seek shelter before you stop to count seconds. Otherwise, it might be your final countdown.

I know it’s been FOREVER. But hey I’m back! School’s been getting to me and I needed new sources of goodness…and today we got a scanner! So I can deliver more hotness. Here’s the first one I’ve done with our new machine.

aaron: ok i just encountered the most disturbing qbank question ever
brosie: HAHA
aaron: a 7 yr left handed boy … upon exam, …finds bruises in different stages of healing, all over the childs body. … notes cigarette burns on his left arm and bruises on his scrotum. … mother says he is very clumsy, falls all the time, burns himself with cigarrettes, and masturbates all the time.
brosie: LOL
brosie: i saw that one
brosie: i like the masturbate part
brosie: that’s funny
brosie: i mean NOT funny

brosie: i don’t get it, why is grade important? it says under gyn cytology that it’s not.
aaron: why are u looking at the cervical section?
brosie: huh?
aaron: its endometrial adenocarcinoma.
brosie: oh!! the endometrium! sorry, i get all the female anatomy mixed up.
aaron: it’s cuz your gay.

brosie: it must be really weird to have a hole in the middle of your crotch.
aaron: huh? wait you mean girls in general?
brosie: yea! don’t you think so?
aaron: [silence]

so yesterday, brosie dropped a lot of money and got a brand new spanking car. later that day, he was pulled over while driving under the influence, without car insurance, and speeding.

ahh the recklessness of the youth.

Thanks Stephen!

You may have seen this before…

—

A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during a
particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel where
they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of hectic
schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel schedules, so the
husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on Thursday, with his wife
flying down the following day.

The husband checked into the hotel. There was computer in his room, so
he decided to send an email to his wife. However, he accidentally left
out one letter in her email address, and without realizing his error,
sent the email.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned home from her
husband’s funeral. He was a minister who was called home to glory
following a heart attack. The widow decided to check her email
expecting messages from relatives and friends. After reading the first
message, she screamed and fainted. The widow’s son rushed into the room,
found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read:

To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I’ve Arrived
Date: October 16, 2004

I know you’re really surprised to hear from me. They’ve computers here
now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I’ve just
arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been
prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you
then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.

P.S. Sure is hot down here

[context: brosie reading Details]

brosie: did you know that one in three people routinely injure themselves while having sex?
aaron: huh? really?
brosie: yea… [pause]. pulled muscles … nope. bumps on the head from hitting the headboard… nope.
aaron: [panic] please stop.

Crap! He can’t act either. Anyways look at his bis!

And of course, how can I forget daily dose?

This article my classmates forwarded me is really interesting. For those who don’t like reading papers, the paper discusses HIV transmission in the Georgia prison system, and urges for better education about HIV/AIDS as well as better screening for the inmates. Not surprisingly, seroconversion was related strongly to “male-male sex, tattooing, and injection drug use that occurs during incarceration and risk behaviors that occur after release.” Blacks had also an increased risk, and for some reason, having a BMI of <25.4 kg/m2 on entry into prison was also a risk factor.

Anyways, if you're interested, the article is here on the CDC website.

your friends make you feel really bad about your purchase and you feel really bad about it too, but REALLY REALLY want it. Dragging aaron to go test drive it tomorrow hehe.

For those who know me, I apologize for the constant bombardment of my obsessions but I found screencaps of my favorite scenes in Pride and Prejudice (2005).

Awwwww!! A soccer mom (who also happens to be a lesbian), named Jennifer Schumaker, walks from San Diego to SF to raise awareness for LGBT issues. The name “Walk for Togetherness” is just too sweet. She even has a blog and a website if you’d like to donate, and apparently she’s posted her phone number online, so go bug her and give her your support. (Thanks Queerty!)

This 22 year old model posed as a cowboy (as tribute to BBM of course) for the centerfold of G Magazine. He does more scandlous things with a saddle and stuff, but I’m keeping it clean here (for aaron of course :P).

So I’ve been severely lagging on my posts…and for that I apologize. Here’s some candy for y’all. Isn’t he amazing? Sorry, none of posts involve actors that can act. But basically none of the good ones are willing to show skin, so I’m stuck with the UGH acting but WOW look.

apparently brosie has totally forgotten about bentstreet. how long do u think it will take for him to remember?