The Right to be a Jerk

I support it. I know I am a jerk sometimes. You are too. Until my jerkitude causes me to commit a battery or infringe the property rights of another, I want to be able to be as offensive as I want. Similarly, I am allowed to associate with people and patronize businesses as I please, so if one offends me, I can move on. You can do that too. If I am so much of jerk that no one want to talk to me, they shouldn't have to.

All this brings me to Blue Joe's in San Antonio. The owner of the bar refused to allow an artist to show his photographs because they depicted the artist's boyfriend dressed in Victorian costume and wearing make-up. According to the artist:

[The bar owner] just said they looked too much like drag queens, and he didn't want to attract that type of clientele to the establishment. Of course, right then and there, I felt really offended.

In response, the bar owner has been accused of homophobia and a myspace campaign started to spread the word. The bar owner tried to defend his decision because the photos might give an impression that they cater exclusively to gay customers, which they do not. The owner has a valid point: in a commercial setting, artwork needs to appeal to the broadest customer base. Chances are, though, Joe Blues won't have to worry about any gay customers for a while now. (Though if the owner really is homophobic, a boycott by gays might be the very thing he wants)

So far the response has been perfectly appropriate. I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop: Joe Blues being sued for anything other than breach of contract. They may have a perfectly appropriate breach of contract cause of action, but if I know lawyers, and I do, that won't be the only claim if a complaint is filed. Since this is Texas we probably don't have to worry about any legislation flowing out of this little tiff.

My point: using market power and information to punish businesses that offend = okay; using the power of the state to force them not to offend or to punish after they have = bad.

Meteorite Suspected Cause Illness

A meteorite that crashed in Peru is being blamed for nausea, headaches, and respiratory problems.

We have seen this kind of thing before. Notably in the 1950s and 1960s. One terrifying example below:

A real fiscal conservative

Now, readers may know that I am quite disappointed with the Bush administration, first for its kowtowing to the religious right, and second for being real RINOs when it comes to limited government and fiscal conservatism (I know the War on Terror, especially the Iraq war, figures prominently in many critiques, and although it was clearly handled poorly, it is not one of my makes-me-so-angry-I-can't-see-straight issues).*

Seems, I am not alone in my fiscal policy disappointment. In his new memoir Alan Greenspan criticizes the Bush administration on deficits and spending. Greenspan, former Federal Reserve Chairman (for what, 70 years?) and devotee to Ayn Rand's ideas on the glories of capitalism, has a bit of credibility when it comes to economic policies. According to the review in the NY Times,

Mr. Greenspan describes the Bush administration as so captive to its own political operation that it paid little attention to fiscal discipline, and he described Mr. Bush’s first two Treasury secretaries, Paul H. O’Neill and John W. Snow, as essentially powerless.

Mr. Bush, he writes, was never willing to contain spending or veto bills that drove the country into deeper and deeper deficits, as Congress abandoned rules that required that the cost of tax cuts be offset by savings elsewhere. “The Republicans in Congress lost their way,” writes Mr. Greenspan, a self-described “libertarian Republican.”

The bulk of the bulk is devoted to his views on markets, globalization and the American economy. I will be excited to read it.

*In fact, one could (and many, including me, do) argue that the abandonment of the limited government and fiscally responsible principles that Republicans still pay lip service to (sometimes) is what led to the dominance of the religious right within the party--a classic example of selling out.

The plan

This is not about coming out.

In order to avoid dealing with certain things (especially if they might provoke strong emotion) I often try make myself too busy to think about them. I do this by giving myself goals and projects. (For anyone who puts any stock into the enneagram, this is classic type 3 behavior).

Currently there are two competing situations in my personal life--one good and one bad (and again, I am not talking about coming out). The good is that in about a month I may have a boy visiting me. To avoid the bad one, I am going to focus entirely on the good and getting in good physical shape in time for the visit.

This, my last year of school, is perfect for finally seeing my abs (I've felt them, just never seen them). I have a well equipped gym at my disposal for no extra charge, and because I have a job, school takes up only minimal time (meaning enough preparation not to be embarrassed, and then taking a long lunch).

I have a couple of hurdles, though too. I have several friends who love to cook and do it well. And though they'll cook fairly healthily (using ground turkey instead of beef, making sure we have vegetables, etc.), the quantities completely blow everything to hell. Also, I am a moderate party guy (meaning I love to drink when someone else is paying for it). Though I have considerably limited my beer intake (preferring wine instead), I'd probably see better results if I went off both entirely. I'm just not quite willing to commit social suicide my last year of goofing off before the real world sets in with a vengeance.

So with that background, here's the plan:

1. Weather permitting walk to school. I go to school in a small college town and live less than a mile from campus. Walking is not that strenuous, so why not? Also, I'll save money on gas and maintenance (what do you mean by "environment?").
   
2. Work out at least three times a week. I warm up by running a mile, do weight machine circuits, and then cool down by running another mile. When I run I use the interval method. Maybe after a couple weeks I'll add a cardio day to my workout schedule.
   
3. Eat more than three times a day. Make my biggest meal lunch.
   
4. Increase my protein, green vegetables, and fiber. Limit my fried foods (a toughie for this southern boy!)
5. No more carbonated beverages (though I make exceptions when it's used as a mixer--not that it's healthier, but otherwise I'd have the mixed drinks plus the Cokes throughout the day. I'm still decreasing my Coke intake).

These are small adjustments, and it's not like I am trying to lose 30 lbs in a month (5 would be fine). I'm starting from a good position, and hopefully if I can keep up this regimen, I could look like this :)

Evolution of Dance

I just found this, and thought I'd share.

Gay marriage in NY + Arthur Branch

A New York Supreme Court determined that it is unconstitutional (under the state constitution) for New York not to recognize same-sex marriages from other states.

People familiar with the courts in New York will immediately recognize why this isn't terribly exciting: unlike other states and federal courts, In New York the "Supreme Court" is the trial level. Still appealable.

It's interesting that in just a couple weeks two big trial decisions regarding gay marriage came down in separate states.

In similar news, I am aware of Arthur Branch's, um, disappointing statements regarding gay marriage. The self-described Federalist is uncomfortable with just this type of thing: A state judge determining that a state has to recognize the same-sex marriage of another state. He supports (or at least used to support) civil unions at the state level. I'm curious to know what he thinks about the Department of the Treasury or Social Security Administration recognizing them as well.

Like I have always said, whether it's called marriage by the state is irrelevant, it's the recognition of civil benefits for same sex partners that matters.

Further, I find it interesting that some people think that civil unions would hurt the push for marriage. I realize that having a separate but equal institution seems unpleasant, but with the progress we have seen in just 10 years, do we really think that it would stop with civil unions anyway?

Update: Mea Cupla, I forgot to link to the news story about the NY court ruling. You can read about it here.

Just Be Me

I've owned this song for about a year now, and it seems perfectly suited for coming out. First of all, it has a stereotypically gay electronic dance beat. But more importantly, the song speaks so perfectly to coming out that I suspect it was intended to be a coming out song (I'm not trying to imply that Kirsty Hawkshaw is a lesbian, just perhaps that she is sensitive to what we gay folks go through sometimes). Indeed, I sort of consider Just Be Me to be my personal coming out anthem and often listen to it to remind myself what this whole thing is about.