ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE...

Is John McCain using the supposed bailout crisis to make himself look like a hero?

Faced with diminishing poll numbers and a really poor "performance" by his VP starlet during her interview with CBS's Katie Couric, John McCain desperately needed something to put himself back on top and take attention away from Palin. The dramatic suspension of his campaign and the attempt to cancel the first Presidential debate with Obama, all in the name of patriotic concern for the country's well being, certainly had the potential to do that.

While it has succeeded, in part, in shifting attention away from Palin's poor performance, it may not succeed in putting McCain back on top. Unless all the players play their parts.

It seems that his involvement in the big bailout show has become highly questionable at best. In an Op-ed piece, Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne Jr. said:

John McCain's sudden intervention in Washington's deliberations over the Wall Street bailout could not have been more out of sync with what was actually happening.

In fact, the whole thing is taking on the aura of a badly written theatrical extravaganza.

With McCain lamenting that "partisan divisions in Washington have prevented us from addressing our national challenges," President Bush, right on cue, forces a meeting with McCain and Obama (along with several other minor political players) at the White House. This in spite of the fact that House and Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle announced a bipartisan agreement on the principles of a bailout which they said in their press conference should be workable. The so-called "consessions" that Bush made were clearly inevitable long before he even called the meeting. In fact, they were probably already agreed to in the bipartisan negotiations. So the only thing the White House meeting accomplished was to put John McCain in position.

Act two: Right after the meeting, one of Washington's minor republican players was the only one who magically appeared in front of the press to declare that there was, in fact, no deal. I'm not naming him because his name really isn't important. He played his little part by setting the stage with fear and partisan conflict. Suddenly, within hours after the meeting, there appeared a whole cadre of republicans who expressed dissatisfaction with the agreement their own leaders had negotiated.

The stage is now set for a dramatic third act rescue. What savior could possibly sweep in above the fray and unite the republicans? Yep, you guessed it.

I hate to seem that cynical but, unfortunately, I am. If this dramatic third act rescue does happen, I hope the American people aren't dumb enough to fall for it.

SAN DIEGO MAYOR HAS CHANGE OF HEART ABOUT GAY MARRIAGE

At a press conference last Friday, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders announced that he had an 11th hour change of heart about gay marriage.

In a highly emotional statement, with his wife by his side, Sanders said that he would not veto the City Council resolution supporting a legal fight to overturn California's prohibition on same-sex marriages. He had previously promised a veto but, instead, he signed it.

Sanders, a Republican former police chief, told reporters that he could no longer back the position he took during his election campaign two years ago. At that time he said that he favored civil unions but not full marriage rights for homosexual couples.

"Two years ago, I believed that civil unions were a fair alternative," he said at the press conference. "Those beliefs, in my case, have since changed. The concept of a 'separate but equal' institution is not something that I can support."

He fought back tears as he said he wanted his adult daughter, Lisa, and other gay people he knows, including some of his own staff members, to have their relationships protected equally under state laws.

Below is the full press conference as posted on YouTube.com.

This is one of the strongest, heartfelt statements against legalizing gay marriage discrimination I've seen and I hope that everyone in Arizona and Florida sees this video as well.

If you have a blog, please post this. It deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. If you don't have a blog, then email this article to as many friends as you can. Just click on the little white envelope below. We simply can't let a few religious zealots dictate public policy.

BTW - I found this video on a discussion thread at Feast Of Fools. Marc Felion and Fausto Fernós have one of the most entertaining, informative and often hilarious radio programs on the air. They're based in Chicago and the "Community" section of their website feastoffools.net posts daily discussion threads that run the gambit from incredibly informative to incredibly funny to incredibly touching. Check them out.

Correction...
In my haste to share this video, I misread the actual date. Had I caught that, I certainly would have made it clear in my post. The press conference was actually held Sept. 2007.

I do, however, still feel the same way about the event. It's relevance is even more acute today, less than six weeks away from the crucial vote on November 4th. It points out in a very dramatic, heartfelt way that when someone with honesty and integrity is confronted with the very real and very personal face of the gay marriage issue, they can't help but see Prop 8 for what it is - a discriminatory attempt to deny a whole class of people the same right to pursue happiness that everyone else has.

I do apologize for misreporting the date but I hope that doesn't, in any way, diminish the emotional power of the video itself.

Also, the Feast Of Fools broadcast is actually a podcast. You can find it at: Feast of Fools : Gay Fun Show

Thanks to NG and Rainbow Dragon 76 for letting me know about these errors.

MAJOR SUPPORT FOR SAME-SEX PARTNER IMMIGRATION REFORM

According to a press release from Immigration Equality, the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a bill that would grant equal immigration rights to Americans in same-sex binational relationships, is rapidly gaining support in both houses.

In just September alone, the UAFA has gained an unprecedented level of support when four more Senators and sixteen more Representatives joined in cosponsoring the legislation. That brings the total number of cosponsors to a record breaking eighteen Senators and 116 Congressional Representatives.

Under the current immigration laws, a heterosexual U.S. citizen can sponsor their spouse for immigration but because same-sex partnerships are not recognized by the Federal government, GLBT partners can't do the same thing.

That forces thousands of lesbian and gay binational couples into choosing between their partner or their country. This impossibly difficult situation often results in trying to maintain a long-distance relationship, self-exile abroad or ultimate separation.

Immigration Equality believes that this serves no public policy function and contradicts the central goal of U.S. immigration policy - family unification. The UAFA legislation would remedy this injustice.

To read the full press release, go to: Immigration Equality

RELIGIOUS LEADERS RALLY AGAINST PROPOSITION 102

According to a news release from the Vote No On Proposition 102 campaign, religious leaders from several denominations will hold a press conference tomorrow, Tuesday, September 23rd.

Citing the need to clearly express their opposition to Proposition 102 (Arizona's discriminatory anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment proposal), Southern Arizona faith leaders will gather to speak to the press and the public.

The event will begin at noon inside the Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church sanctuary, 2331 E Adams Street in Tucson.

Leaders from the Disciples of Christ, United Church of Christ, Presbyterian, Methodist, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Jewish Reformed traditions, and others will process into the sanctuary in formal clerical vestments at noon.

Some of the speakers will include:

Rev. Pedro Goycolea, pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Centro Vida, a Spanish-speaking congregation in Sahuarita.
Father Frank Bergen, who has served as a priest in both the Roman Catholic Jesuit Order and the Episcopal Church.
Rabbi Helen Cohn, a Jewish rabbi who is spiritual leader of Congregation M’kor Hayim in Tucson.
Rev. John Fife, former national moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Rev. Anna Bell, minister at Mosaic United Methodist Church, Tucson.
Kelly Frieders, a married Republican mother of triplets, and an active Christian lay person.

Everyone is invited so if you live in Tucson, stop by on your lunch hour and help show support for these courageous leaders.

DAMAGING LETTER DETAILS PALINS INFAMOUS RISE TO POWER

Anne Kilkenny is a long-time resident of Wasilla, Alaska where Sarah Palin began her political career. She has known Palin personally for the last 16 years and has, herself, been actively involved in the Wasilla community.

Right after Palin was announced as McCain's pick for Vice President, Anne was inundated by the world and local media. They all wanted to know what she knew about the totally obscure Sarah Palin. It got so intrusive that she decided to write-out a statement covering everything she knew about Sarah Palin.

On September 1st, she decided to post what she had written as a comment to an article about Palin in the Washington Independent.

At the end of the extensive posting, she said:

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I've always operated in the belief that "Bad things happen when good people stay silent". Few people know as much as I do because few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don't have a job she can bump me out of. I don't belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100 or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah's attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

Since it's posting, her comments have been picked up in bits and pieces in publications all over the world. Most of what she said has been verified and/or is still under investigation not only by the media but also by regulatory and judicial bodies in Alaska.

Her posting is too long to include here but I urge everyone who has an interest in knowing just what kind of person may become the second most powerful human being on the planet (and considering McCain's age, very possibly the single most powerful) to click on the link below and read Kilkenny's entire letter.

To read her story, go to: http://washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate

NOTE: When the page opens, it'll be at the top of the Independent's story, which I also recommend that you read. Anne's letter is 9 postings down under "Scared Womens Rights 5 days ago"