Do you know who Bayard Rustin is?

Since we are coming to the end of Black History month, I thought I should write a little bit about Bayard Rustin, the unsung hero of the struggle for African American civil rights. Rustin, who was raised a Quaker, was one of the influences that convinced MLK that nonviolent resistance was the best way to win the struggle for freedom. He was also on of the key organizers of the 1963 march on Washington, where MLK gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. Yet he is almost unknown to most Americans, black and white. The reason for this is a simple one, he was gay. At the time, his sexuality forced him into the background of the civil rights movement,but he continued to fight for equality for both black and LGBT people for the remainder of his life. If the LGBT people are going to ever have equality, then we must remember those who fought for our rights. We owe it to Bayard Rustin to remember him.

About the Oscars...

So most of my predictions were wrong. My favorite moment however was the acceptance speech of Dustin Lance Black. His words made me tear up as I sat next to my mother, who for the first time has decided to accept me as a gay man. I hope he is right about us getting our rights one day.

And I cant forget Sean Penn, who made Harvey Come back to life, if only for a few hours on film. I think he has given Harvey Milk's story to a whole new generation of LGBT youth who otherwise might not know him.

RIP Harvey Milk

The Oscars!

Here are my picks, like them or not.

Best Picture- Milk. Out of the films I have seen, I think Milk is the best. Of course, I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire.

Best Actor- Mickey Rourke(The Wrestler). While Sean Penn was great, Mickey Rourke's performance in "The Wrestler" was nothing short of Earth Shattering. He brought that movie (and his career) to life in a way many would have never thought capable by Rourke.

Best Actress-Kate Winslet(The Reader). One of two great performances by Winslet this year. If she were not nominated, I think Streep would have it wrapped up.

Best Director-Gus Van Sant (Milk). This movie was blessed with an awesome director in Gus Van Sant, and this Oscar should be his. It will probably go to Danny Boyle though :(

Supporting Actor- Heath Ledger (Dark Knight). DUH! I'm wondering who will accept the award for him. Maybe Michelle Williams? RIP Heath

Supporting Actress- Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler). She literally bared everything for this role, and I think her charm help create some shine to an otherwise depressing movie.

Why does Ken Starr care?

Ken Starr, once (in)famous for his role in the Clinton impeachment, is now trying to forcibly divorce over 18,000 Lesbian and Gay married couples. These people were married before Prop 8 passed, and their marriages were legal and binding in the State of California. I know I am biased, but is it really right to do such a thing? This kind of retroactive action is unlawful and dangerous in my opinion. It sets all kinds of precedents. As far as I know, this will be the first time married couples have been divorced through no fault of their own. This is discrimination, out in the open for everyone to see.

These married couples were only trying to do what all of us are trained to do from birth. Find someone you love, settle down with them, and create a loving environment to raise a family. In fact, many people who are anti gay accuse LGBT people of being to promiscuous to have a stable family home. This is a stereotype, and simply untrue. While there are many LGBT couples who don't want children, the same can be said for heterosexual couples. Yet these heterosexuals, who have no intention on raising a family are allowed to enter into the bonds of marriage. Why is it they can go childless, and at the same time the far right uses the lack of wanting children as an excuse to forbid homosexual unions? Isn't this a double standard?

So my real question is, why does Kenneth Starr care about this? Maybe he just doesn't think that all people deserve equal treatment under the law. If that's the case, then why would a school as great as Pepperdine have such a horse's ass as a dean? Maybe they don't know that a bigot is running their Law School!

Michael Phelps passes the dutchie!

So Americas 23 year old golden boy was caught hitting a bong in South Carolina. How do I feel about this?

I am a liberal who feels that anything you do in your own home is fine, so long as nobody is being harmed or exploited. I also feel that the entire "war on drugs" is a complete waste of money, and keeping pot from being legal is preventing our government from obtaining a huge source for taxable income. So I think Michael Phelps should be able to get stoned if he wants to. After all, how many people are worth $30 million dollars at the age of 23. He has been doing nothing but swimming for the last 8 years, he deserves a little downtime. Even Superman had a fortress of solitude, and if smoking a little reefer makes him feel okay, what is the problem. He is also over 21 as well. Its not as if he is a child, he can make his own decisions.

As for the Sheriff who wants to arrest him. Its nothing more than a publicity stunt. There is no law against smoking weed retroactively as far as I know.

I just hope Phelps doesn't smoke too much. He needs to preserve those lungs for 2012 to extend his medal count.

Its been awhile

I haven't posted lately because I've been a bit busy with work and other things. This years Superbowl was amazing! What a nail biter, if a few plays had gone differently Arizona would have been victorious. For the first time in a while, I cared more about the game than the commercials.

In Obama news, Tom Daschle has announced his backing out from the HHS job. Apparently he had some tax issues which is now becoming a theme with this cabinet. This bugs me, but at least we are getting to see all of these people down to the nitty gritty. Past administrations (I think we all know who I am talking about!) would have tried to sweep these problems under the rug, and use their majority in congress to push the nomination through. So while it may look bad to see all of these career politicians go down in flames, it is encouraging to know that the congress is once again representing the will of the American people. Maybe now we can get out of Iraq, and close Gitmo.

In other news, a woman in San Antonio Texas claims that she and her girlfriend were unfairly targeted and discriminated against by mall security and the San Antonio sheriffs department. Jessica Garcia and her girlfriend were at Rolling Oaks mall in San Antonio where they were encountered by security staff after Garcia's girlfriend gave her a kiss on the cheek. They were later thrown out and accused of trespassing while taking a shortcut to their car. In my mind this is blatant discrimination, and I hope a case is brought against the mall. You can see this full story at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/6243685.html