Anderson Cooper, Art Smith and Anne Burrell Are Gay . . . And I Don't Care

Anderson Cooper is gay. And I don’t care.

That he felt it was important for him to come out was his business, but I just really don’t care. Should I like him more or less because he’s gay? Is he better at his job because he’s gay? Nicer? Less serious? Better looking? I’m thinking none of the above. Bottom line is that it just doesn’t matter to me at all if a person’s gay or not gay.

Chefs Art Smith and Anne Burrell are gay. Does that make them better chefs? Do I want to try their food because they’re gay.  No. I want to try their food because they’re good chefs.

And the list goes on and one, and since it’s campaign season, this is why I think Republicans are completely on the wrong side of this. A lot of people just don’t care, and see politicians as denying gays of the rights non-gays have. Marriage, healthcare, property rights, employment rights, estate rights. And sooner or later, it’ll bite the GOP on the ass.

Because people get pissed when their friends are denied rights just because they are gay.

I’m old and happen not to be gay, and if I don’t care if someone’s gay or not gay, then what about the wave of younger people? They’ll vote on these social issues. And they don’t want the clock rolled back . . . they want it moving ever forward. And that means the same rights for everyone. If someone wants to come out, great, but for me, it doesn’t change the game.

Republicans are riding the wrong wave . . . the  “anti” wave may over time kill the party, or leave it to old white guys who just love having their heads buried in the sand. Gay marriage doesn’t hurt your marriage. Loving same-sex couples don’t hurt your household. Gay parents don’t hurt you or your kids or how you raise your kids. While some rage that same-sex marriage imperil the “institution of marriage,” I don’t quite get that. You can be well married without a religious ceremony and I’m not sure the marriage track record is all that great in some respects . . . kids still get abused, people still get divorced, etc. etc. So I take those rages as just that . . . rages against something that some people don’t like. But the issue is bigger than that, nd much bigger than the ragers.

When I was a kid, there were no gay people (of course there were, but who knew?). Nobody was out, nobody talked about gay people . . . Times have changed. It’s easier for gays to come out. The social “stigma” is ending. That’s a good thing. Not a bad thing. It’s a civil rights issue, and denying gays equal rights is wrong. I don’t want to deny anyone the rights I have. And while Republicans say they want less government, they seem more than happy to monitor and regulate what goes on in the bedroom (and between you and your doctor, but we’ll deal with that another time).

Keep an eye out . . . Republicans have ruled the political playground in the past, but rolling the clock back is the wrong move for them. They would do well to roll back their extreme social positions and draw more people into their tent. Otherwise, they’ll self destruct.

There's No Kick Ass in This Presidential Campaign

Apparently the Three Stooges are running the Romney campaign. Battered for months over his business experience, something the campaign had touted as a competitive advantage against the Obama economic morass, Romney has found himself trying to fight off the ropes and regain the upper hand as the negatively heated battle enters its final three months.

Unfortunately for the GOP nominee, there’s only one guy who could continually fight off the ropes and win, and that’s Muhammad Ali . . . and, Mitt, you’re no Muhammad Ali. Romney should be pounding Obama, but stumbles, non-specific answers, no public blueprinting of policies, an almost desperate clinging to “no tax cuts for the rich,” and an upstream fight on many social issues ad the Republicans are gasping for air.

There’s no kick ass on either side, and with just a few weeks to go, both campaigns are bordering on boring with an massive overdose of inaccurate ads, misleading speeches and, in the case of Republicans, stomping on Obama for policies they voted for in years past.

It didn’t have to be this way for Romney. Clearly the plan was to hammer Obama on the lousy economy, high unemployment rate and spiraling deficit. If only that were true . . . Romney has stumbled, bumbled and  flopped at nearly every turn.  While the negatives ads have landed body blows, Romney isn’t very good on his feet and his verbal gaffs, not the least of which was insulting the London Olympic organizers during his first overseas as the then-presumptive GOP nominee.

Mitt, just smile and say you are really looking forward to watching the games in “this great city.” Sheesh, how tough is that? They’re our allies, Mitt.

Now both convention love fests are behind us (thank goodness), and the race begins in earnest. Well, maybe not in earnest since this is politics, after all. The Dems seemed to come out of their convention a bit better off, since they didn’t have an actor going way off script. The big talk about the GOP convention has turned out to be Eastwood’s speech, even though Ann Romney tried her best to convince us her husband is a really nice guy. Michelle Obama played the “Obama is you” card  . . . so now we’re supposed to love these guys as much as their dedicated and loving wives do. Not quite.

We’ll see if the Republicans can term their campaign ship around. I have my doubts. I think the Republicans are on the wrong side of nearly every social issue one can think of, and one has to wonder how big a deal that will be come election day. It happens to be a biggie for me.

Romney should be pummeling Obama in the polls, but with the two neck and neck, with various battleground states leaning a bit towards Obama, it’s a toss-up now and probably will be in November. The GOP will get its base out, but the Dems may struggle to get the young voters they nabbed four years ago. Hold on, and keep the remote handy, because those damn ads are only going to get worse.

Ann Curry Takes the Bullet for NBC's Today . . . Ok Bullets

Getting fired sucks. Getting hung out to dry by your employer in front of tens of millions of people really sucks. Poor Ann Curry. She took the bullet for some faltering of the Today Show brand amid ABC’s Good Morning America’s ratings rise.

Nevermind that the rumor mill was churning for some time before her bosses made sure we all knew she in trouble . . . called too earnest during the fluff segments of the multi-hour show . . . said not to get along all that well with the recently re-signed (for a reportedly $25 million a year) Matt Lauer . . . I don’t really get that part, since they’d worked together for years, and it does take two to tango.

Curry’s career flopped about in the high-profile rating’s game as every real news outlet and “celebrity” news outlet guessed at who would replace her. Let’s not forget that Curry, too, was part of the multi-year team that kept Today on top of the ratings heap. And is it not possible that Good Morning America has improved in recent months?

So the other day, after a few minutes of really awkward and tearful goodbyes, Curry was gone . . . poof. So after 15 years at the Today show, and seven Emmys for her reporting, Curry was booted.

Savannah Guthrie, continuing her meteoric rise within the network, was named Curry’s replacement (though Friday’s show aired without the usual lead-in host names on screen or audio). Guthrie certainly seems to have the chops to make it as a co-host, but who knows. Viewers may put some of their heat on Guthrie, though I’m guessing NBC’s malicious and inept handling of Curry’s axing will take most of it.

Steve Capus, head of NBC News, apparently couldn’t wait to get one more kick in when he told The Hollywood Reporter, that NBC had “given her a year to prove herself.”

“We gave her a year to prove herself, and ultimately we came to the conclusion that she had played at the highest level she could," he said. "When you’re in the major leagues of our profession, you’ve got to continue to be at peak performance in order to stay there."

While he went on to say Curry had good hard news chops yadda yadda, if I were Curry, I would have appreciated it if my employer could have shown some restraint and his boots off my neck in public. All that said, the rumors and leaks came from somewhere . . . my vote’s from inside the NBC ivory tower.

So now Curry will wander the land doing interviews and stories as Today anchor-at-large (whatever the heck that is).

She’s a good news interviewer, perhaps overly earnest at times, and I look forward to seeing more of her work.

The takeaways? Business is tough . . . rating are all that really counts . . . never trust your employer . . . no job is forever . . . and keep a Kevlar vest handy . . .

Suspending Common Sense as Volume Increases Over Fracking Risks

Sometimes politicians seem confused by their jobs, and, thus, fail to do their jobs. They are elected to represent “the people,” not just some of the people and certainly not business before people.

Such is the case with “fracking.”

This is one of those “do the right thing issues.” Fracking is the process of injecting water and various chemicals deep underground under high pressure to drive gas and other petroleum products out of the ground into pumping stations.

The problem is that this process seems to pollute the ground and water in the ground, hence the drinking water of those in relative proximity to fracking. The industry and many politicians dispute this, but there is growing evidence groundwater pollution is a major issue and will become even more of an issue as the process spreads to more areas. There are other issues, such as huge amounts of water used (up to 5 million gallons per well), radioactive wastewater and fracturing underground formations.

For some reason, Republicans are again on the wrong side of an issue. But since they in general oppose the EPA and many regulatory constrictions, fracking has become another political sticking point between the GOP and those who think slower is better.

This type of stance by Republicans reinforces the public view that they are bought and paid for by special interest groups. (A perception that people have of most all politicians, regardless of party.) In this case, the oil and gas industry, which continues, along with much political assistance, to push for more fracking and fewer regulations.

Now to my way of thinking, this is the kind of thing we should make sure is safe before we expand it. Just makes sense, since pumping chemicals into the ground would seem to be a risking proposition as far as pollution goes. So the “do the right thing” stand should be let’s make sure this is safe first.

Some politicians, money blinding their clear, or sensible sight, disagree, saying energy and more jobs are a priority. I’d argue that making sure you aren’t poisoning people is a primary priority. And while I understand over-regulation can crimp business, this is why the government, on a federal level needs to mandate moratorium on fracking until independent studies show it is safe.

In some cases, politicians have passed legislation banning the disclosure of chemicals and other ingredients companies inject into their wells. And in Pennsylvania, doctors are allowed to see a list of chemicals used, but are forbidden to discuss them with patients. How is this possible? Another example of politicians stepping between a doctor and his or her patient. Outrageous.

Bitch about regulation if you want, but in the long run sensible regulations save us money we might later spend on cleanup. (BP and the Gulf mean anything?) And, frankly, I wouldn’t want any gas company fracking in my back yard . . . I’m guessing narrow-minded politicians wouldn’t either. Maybe they should spend some time with a family whose water smells like chemicals and burns like gas before they decide to allow unfettered fracking over the growing protests of their constituents. 

Fox Studio Taken Over by Muppets as Pundits Call for Rescue by Transformers

BREAKING NEWS: Police in New York have just reported that Fox News studios have been taken over by a group of rabid Muppets, at least 50 first-graders and assorted characters from the movie Lorax.

According to police, the attack on Fox was prompted by recent comments by Fox commentators about the Muppets and Lorax.

On Tuesday, host Lou Dobbs railed against "The Lorax," along with the Japanese children's film, "The Secret World of Arrietty. "Hollywood is once again trying to indoctrinate our children," he warned. He claimed that the movies were "demonizing the 1% and espousing green energy policies."


Dobbs said "The Lorax" was about "a woodland creature that speaks for the trees and fights rampant industrialism." He replayed a clip of the Lorax demanding to know who chopped down a Truffula Tree.
"The President's liberal friends in Hollywood targeting a younger demographic using animated movies to sell their agenda to children," he alleged.


Previously, the Muppets came under fire from a Fox face for brainwashing young children with a liberal agenda.

Police reported that Fox personnel had sent out a call to the Transformers to rescue them. Although some Fox executives suggested such a call was not needed, and noted that the Transformers are illegal aliens. They added that clearly the kids and the characters are an even bigger threat than the Decepticons.

Late today there was no word from the studio other than the Muppets saying they were trying to talk with the Fox pundits, but they were too stupid to understand the difference between reality and puppets. The Muppets and kids are demanding an apology from Fox.

Self-Inflicted Wounds Have Republicans Bleeding in the Political Waters

The water is getting bloodier and bloodier as Republicans continue to bleed more and more from self-inflicted political wounds for which, in the end, they will have only themselves to blame.

Continually rising from the muck are politicians who want nothing more than to stand between women and their doctors, women and their health care and women and their right to determine for themselves what is in their best health interests. And for many, that fight has centered on birth control, and other contraception, and who should pay for it. While some religious leaders, as well as a slew of opportunistic politicians have tried to frame this as an assault on religious freedom, it really isn’t.

It’s an assault on women and families and others who happen to believe that contraception is an important part of any health care program.

As I’ve said before, Catholic bishops have no place in this debate. They condemn, on moral grounds, all forms of contraception. And Rick Santorum, darling of narrow-minded conservatives across the country, has said he thinks all forms of birth control should be outlawed. While I will agree that religious organizations probably shouldn’t be “forced” to offer insurance that includes things they are morally opposed to, I would narrowly focus that on churches and not any organization that somehow feels opposed to any aspect of limiting insurance coverage. Thankfully, the Blunt Amendment, which would have allowed any employer to limit any coverage for any reason was defeated in the Senate. Blunt has promised to try again.

So here we are more than 40 years from Roe v Wade and politicians are suddenly proposing legislation that mandates trans-vaginal ultrasounds and other unnecessary medical procedures for women contemplating abortions. Politicians have therefore said they are more important than doctors and know more about caring for patients than doctors do. That is, of course, absurd. Politicians know little about anything and these legislative jabs at women are merely political. Any proposed legislation that puts political agenda between any patient her (or his) doctors should be viewed as an outrage. Forget religious freedom, let’s talk about medical freedom. Free from politics.

Without a strong GOP leader, the party has let this debate spin out of control. And not only will it hurt the party, but it continues to provide and easy wedge between them and the Democrats as the election approaches. Women’s health care will continue to be a major issue in the campaign.

It’s an issue that became major because Republicans felt they needed to pander to their most base right. But they need women if they’re to win in the fall. And they will lose women across a broad cross section of the political spectrum. Someone better stand up and end this assault soon, or the Grand Old Party will end up bleeding out over an issue that shouldn’t be one.

Time for the GOP to Get the Hell Out of Our Pants

Why are politicians suddenly all in our pants? I mean, really, birth control, gay sex, abstinence-only sex education.

Get the hell out of there. Government’s got no business being there and, despite GOP wrangling over all these “important” social issues, thankfully most voters are pushing back. Aren’t Republicans supposed to be against more government rules? What the hell?

Then get out of our pants. Shut up about how I should act, what my doctor should tell me, who I should like or dislike, why my gay friends are evil, why girls shouldn’t use birth control, why men should be irresponsible about birth control and why the heck a group of Catholic Bishops is anywhere near a discussion about contraception.

Bishops oppose any form of contraception. These are guys who don’t have sex, folks, and endorse a Medieval policy of unprotected sex that fully encourages the unsheathed penis to wander across the land impregnating unprotected females from sea to shining sea. Read their rules.

Let’s ignore for the time being that most Catholic women have ignored the “unprotected” edict this battle over birth control has little to do with religion and more to do with who controls a woman’s uterus. The church says they should control it . . . With all due respect, I disagree.

Get out of our pants, or I’m going to start asking if you ever had pre-marital sex, if your wife uses or has ever used birth control or if you think your daughters will follow your narrow-minded view of her health care.

You opened the door, so don’t be surprised if people get pissed you’re in their pants and slam it in your face.