Madam

Can't let this one slip by, exams be damned!

So there's an escort service in DC (shock!), that apparently had many high profile people as clients (double shock!). Oh and lefties are reveling in the hypocrisy of "family values" conservatives that may have engaged the madam's, ahem, services (quadruple shock, skipping triple shock altogether!).

At first I was tempted to criticize this scandal as petty and politically motivated (which it may still be), but then I realized that sex is an issue because these Theocrats make it one! So I have decided that I'm giving the lefties their day (I have almost as big a problem with "family values" conservative Theocrats as they do). Indeed I found this fun little quote about one of the Madam's clients, recently resigned Randall Tobias, in the Chicago tribune:

Among other duties, Tobias was responsible for implementing a policy that requires grant recipients to take steps against prostitution and sex trafficking and supporting efforts to fight the spread of AIDS. The AIDS policy emphasized abstinence as the first line of defense against the disease. (Emphasis added)

That made me laugh. In all fairness, Ms. Palfrey is only an accused madam, and indeed, were it up to me, even if the allegations are true, Ms. Palfrey's actions would not be illegal. But I wonder who else on Ms. Palfrey's client list is wondering why they made sex such a big, fat, and in many cases, criminal deal.

So I get this email...

from my friend Alan:

I found a Pink Elephant. Thoughts?

It seems I had commented as Pink Elephant on a blog that he reads. I'm not upset or worried; Alan is a close friends and the next on my list to come out to (in fact this save me a bit of trouble). I'm just surprised that either 1) I am not as anonymous as I think I am, or 2) I am subconsciously taking risks that would out me in order to avoid having to come out affirmatively. I suspect it is the latter. After all, I'm the one that introduced Alan to the other blog in the first place!

I'm not alone on my limb

It's nice to know that at least one other gay person agrees with me on the hate crimes issue.

Sad

I don't often agree with the very left leaning commentary on Towleroad, but I do appreciate the work that Andy does in order to find gay interest news.

This article, and the accompanying picture (below) made me sad. Not angry, which would also be an appropriate reaction, just disappointed in the close-mindedness of certain people. Even if you disagree with the conclusions on www.wouldjesusdiscriminate.com, this kind of thing seems just hateful. Again, I promise to discuss this more fully when I am not (supposed to be) studying.

Yet another reason gay men don't want to go to Iran

From CNN:

Iranian police have warned barbers against offering Western-style hair cuts or plucking the eyebrows of their male customers, Iranian media said Sunday.

The report by a reformist daily, later confirmed by an Iranian news agency, appeared to be another sign of authorities cracking down on clothing and other fashion deemed to be against Islamic values.

We may not be allowed to marry in the U.S., but at least we do have recourse for those dreaded unibrows.

Al-Qaeda and Iraq

Courtesy GayPatriot, apparently U.S. just captured a former Saddam-era Iraqi major believed to be responsible for terrorist attacks in London, and who was an Al-Qaeda leader in Afghanistan in the late 90s. I didn't go to try to substantiate the report or do any further research. Again, this really is another "look what I found (that someone found previously)" post.

I have another week of exams. Then I shall return to some substance. I've been thinking a bit about religion as I pretend to study.

Social Security

Until exams end, most *important* posts will be of the "look what I found" variety. Here is a great post about social security; be sure to read the "related posts" linked at the bottom.

The last line of the linked post is spot on. I once had an accounting professor say that if the federal government conformed to GAAP, the budget, let alone the social security shell game, would be revealed as as fraud almost instantly. And we thought Enron was bad for cooking the books!