Captain's Log

Forgiving the Franklins

The incredibly powerful and effective response to the bigoted and idiotic National Organization for Marriage "advertisement" has knee-capped the group of intolerants, and all the mashups were hilarious. You've seen them, so no need for me to recap. But awesome job everyone!

But, since it's Same Sex Sunday, as well as Easter, it seemed the perfect time for me and my husband to watch something satirical regarding the "Christian Right" - which is not Christian and definitely not right.

I don't know who recommended this flick to me, but it was PERFECT following the NOM ad and the fact that we were watching it as Easter Sunday rolled in at midnight.

Not to give away too much of the plot of the movie, I'm going to let IMDB do the summarizing (no spoilers):

"The Franklins are Bible belt Christians: Frank's a lawyer, Betty's a homemaker focused on her children and her church, Brian is a senior who plays football, his younger sister Caroline is a cheerleader who thinks she's fat, prays often, and is impatient with God. When the family is in a car crash, all but Caroline are in a coma during which they see Jesus who removes their inhibitions and their piety. Awake and refreshed, Frank, Betty, and Brian discover their sexuality, their independence from Sunday worship and formal prayer, and the ability to talk frankly. Caroline - and her godmother, Betty's best friend, Peggy - are horrified."

Here's the trailer link from youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCnoXiY6rAE

Most of the time we have to fight for our freedoms, against enemies that always think they are right. This movie wields its power in a much more subtle way, and yet satirically is over the top in taking the Bible Belters to task.

My suggestion is to watch it, as I'm sure you'll love it.

Happy Easter, and have a great Same Sex Sunday!

Time, Space and Perspective.

"This one goes out to the ones I love."

That's how the song goes, and that's where this post is going.

TIME: 
November 18th, 1999.  That would be my birthday (not birthdate...), I was living in Los Angeles and writing two columns for two different publications.  In the next two months, I had no idea that my life would change so dramatically.

Around 7 p.m. PST, before caller-id was the norm, I picked up the phone.  On the other end was a friend of mine calling to inform me that my dear friend Mitchell had just committed suicide.  The method was gruesome, but in some respects exactly how he would have wanted to go.  This is not a debate about suicide.  It's about answering the phone and taking that call.

Nearly one-and-a-half months later, my mother called me while I was in Washington D.C., visiting friends before I was to pick up my sister and niece and drive - from Washington, through Virginia and all the way to Memphis.  The call, from my mother, shocked our world.  She had lung cancer, and we needed to get to the hospital quickly.  It was not a fun Christmas, as it was intended to be.  But it was extremely special.

SPACE:
We all need space in our lives.  To breathe, to dream, to lose ourselves - and to find ourselves.  Proximity does not equal closeness.

From both distressing calls, space mattered.  One was 45 miles away, and another was about 19 hours away, driving as fast as we could to get there.  "There" was, and remains, important.  I wasn't in San Diego when the police report was written, nor caught the warning signs to possibly help my friend.  I call it "smiling for the phone".  45 minutes, and yet a lifetime away.  I was there, as was my sister and my niece, when - after driving all night - we rescued my mother in the middle of the night from a Memphis hospital. On Christmas Eve - no, make that Christmas Day, just a little before sunrise.

It was an act of teamwork and dedication that is only rivaled by my mother dying in my arms 9 months later, and my partner right by my side in a hospital room in Virginia.  On that particular night, the nurse, in a most wonderful Southern way, said "Well, she was there for you when you came into life, and you were here for her when she departed."  Words of wisdom.   And then she said we should take the time to grieve, and gave us space to do that.

PERSPECTIVE:
We all need perspective.  We have no idea how our actions, much less our reactions, affect those around us.

And yet, we are human.  It sometimes takes years for us to understand our actions, or those actions and reactions of those around us, that "hit us in the gut."  We do it to ourselves, and we do it to those around us.  Usually not knowing the repercussions of our actions, and the reactions that follow.  A ripple in the water caused by a stone we skipped across the water continues a wave that hits things, animals, people and the shores around us.  And we were simply skipping a stone across the water.

And yet, life goes on.  After years and years of seeing, touching and loving the ones we are with, we sometimes still don't understand everything they have been through, are possibly going through at this moment in time and space, or their perspective.  Why do we do that?  Because we are human.

//

In the end, Love is all we have.

I know this is a bit past Valentine's Day, but I never let time get in my way of saying, and feeling, what I want to transmit to my family, my friends and the planet. 

For if we don't take the time, how can we possibly have the time to take?

For everyone in my universe, as well as those in yours, please remember: Time, Space and Perspective are important.  In all of our lives. 

And Love trumps them all.

The Daily Gaze

Let's start with the bad, and then have fun at the end...

INTERNATIONAL:

Could it get any worse?  Apparently the answer is yes. 

Or Ugly.  Make sure you hit the paragraph about Dubai's towers, faucets and cockroaches.

One World.

NATIONAL:

This is weird.

Another airplane crash.  They usually happen in threes...

An option for our former peanut butter days.  Now pass the tainted tomatoes.

More news from nowhere.

LGBTQ:

Finally, some good old fashioned fun news.

A sweet video that's very relevant to the debate.

Some good equality news for a change.

The End of the World, told in a wonderful manner.

FUN:

What do kamikaze pilots and the recession have in common?

Can't get no sleep?  Join the crowd. Cool video.

Zazoo Condoms.

That's all for now folks....

The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius

Forty years ago, the intuitive words of a song called "Aquarius" brought the dawning of a new age into our collective awareness:

"When the Moon is in the seventh house...
and Jupiter aligns with Mars.
Then love will rule the planets,
and peace will steer the stars."

THIS is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.  In 1962, Jupiter and Mars were in Aquarius and the moon was in the seventh house.  But the incredible alignment of planets occurring in February 2009 was missing.  As well, Jupiter and Mars were aligned with the Southern Node, representing what we bring in from the past. 

In essence, humanity was able to take in a deep breath of possibility, and now we are able to exhale and make it happen.

In mid-February 2009 a rare astrological concentration brings together a number of planets within the Northern Node - denoting higher purpose.  It is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.  In Aquarius, that energizes and inspires the possibility for transcendental breakthrough in some perhaps seemingly intransigent situations.

When we experience the events on that day, something extraordinary and exquisite will emerge.

At dawn (GMT) on the 14th of February 2009, the Moon in Libra will be in the seventh house of relationships. And Jupiter and Mars will also be aligned in Aquarius, in the twelfth house of spiritual transformation.

The Aquarian chart on that day reveals an incredible concentration of cosmic influences blending with the energies of Aquarius.

Expansive Jupiter and energetic Mars will also be aligned with the higher purpose of the Northern Node. The presence of Chiron (the wounded healer) offers us the opportunity to heal the schisms that have separated us for a long period of time.

Neptune emphasizes collective humanitarian movements and the mutual creation of social justice across the planet. And the presence of the radiant Sun enlightens the entire alignment.

Mercury (also in the twelfth house) will be just beyond the cusp in Capricorn, but will ally with transformational Pluto (yep, it's still a planet to me...) to communicate and anchor the shift throughout our global structures and institutions.

The Moon in Libra in the seventh house emphasizes harmonious relationships.  Venus in Aries in the first house energizes and empowers dynamic collaboration and creativity.

And while Saturn (the great task master) is in opposition to Uranus (the unexpected awakener), the event suggests an ongoing confrontation as the dregs of the unsustainable old paradigm reluctantly give way to the untested hope of the new.  Their placements in Virgo and Pisces brings practical altruism and visionary inspiration to the transition.

Welcome to a new beginning, a new dawn and the Age of Aquarius.

The Inaugural Benediction

Here's the transcript, and he was wonderful.  Youtube it.  Here are his words:

~~~~~~~

REV. JOSEPH LOWERY'S BENEDICTION

Transcript of the Rev. Joseph Lowery's benediction.

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray. Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee.

Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand, true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.

We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.

He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.

Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.

And while we have sown the seeds of greed -- the wind of greed and corruption -- and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.

We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.

With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back . . . when brown can stick around . . . when yellow will be mellow . . . when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.

Say amen. And amen.

The Daily Gaze

It's Friday, which means it's time for a smattering of news from just about all over:

I'm Not 'Oafing' Around. 

This is Why I'm an Apple Guy. 

Ice, Ice Baby.  Inauguration Style. 

Blackberry One. 

Tamara.

Pam's House Blend.

The Gay Superhero Debate Continues.... 

My friend Pam got caught in this SNAFU.

These Two NY Times Columnist's Banter Works. 

"So Much to be Undone" by Mr. Robinson.   

Kathleen Parker Talks Karma.  And she's a Republican? 

Detox This.  The NY Times article itself that is.  You're left with the feeling of "What?"

It's the 21st Century, Nielsen.  Get with it.

Monday, Thursday.....

Monday, Monday.........
Can't face that day.
....Oh, Monday evening...
.......Please Don't Slip Away....

Beaming to you from Washington, DC.  It's been a busy week, and it feels like Monday.  But it's not.

Here are the top stories making news:

PERSONAL:
We watched the premiere of Lost.  Couldn't sleep.  Too much to think about.
Made sure Brian ate before his sleep test.  Yep, at a hospital.
Secured a mortgage that's 2% lower.
Commented on several NY Times and WaPo articles.
Spoke (using voice, text and email) with several friends I haven't seen or heard from in a very long time.

Oh, and SLOW Blogged.............

LIFE:

Couldn't make it to happy hour.  Missed seeing friends, but life calls...

I forgot to tape Ugly Betty for us to watch tomorrow.  The cool thing is abc.com gets it.  And so we can watch it, on our schedule.  And why don't advertisers understand that?

www.abc.com  (check out Lost, Ugly Betty and Grey's Anatomy).

NEWS:

http://www.gaypolitics.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FqA2WINPF4

FRIENDS AUDIO/VISUAL SUGGESTIONS

GJ:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We6bX8BJtQk

SV: (disclaimer: this is loud):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrBONyFBePc

JF:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGOPQrf1yv

JS:

http://www.imeem.com/madonna/music/BjLpvW78/madonna_4_minutes/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We've got more than 4 minutes.  Or 70 seconds.

Peace, Love and Happiness

A Prayer for The World.

By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire

Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me
in pausing for a moment, to ask God¹s blessing upon our nation and our next
president.

O God, of our many understandings, we pray to you.

Bless us with tears ­ for a world in which over a billion people exist on
less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and
raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition,
malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger ­ at discrimination, at home and abroad, against
refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgender people.

Bless us with discomfort ­ at the easy, simplistic answers we have preferred
to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth - about ourselves and the
world - which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of
the future.

Bless us with patience ­ and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be
fixed anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a
human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility, ­ open to understanding that our own needs must
always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance ­ and instead replacing it with a genuine
respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in
our diversity we are stronger.

Bless us with compassion and generosity, ­ remembering that every religion¹s
God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human
community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office
of President of the United States.

Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln¹s reconciling
leadership style, President Kennedy¹s ability to enlist our best efforts,
and Dr. King¹s dream of a nation for ALL the people.

Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm Captain
in these times.

Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to
make the personal and common sacrifices necessary as we face the many challenges
ahead.

Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his
leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United
States of America.

Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that
experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of
those who are still its victims.

Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember
that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at being a parent.

And please, God, keep him safe.

We know we ask too much of our presidents,and we¹re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe.

Hold him in the palm of your hand ­ that he might do the work we have called upon him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling.
And that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.

AMEN.

I'm Off. It's Inauguration Weekend in DC~!

For those in the District, have a great time.  For those at home, enjoy the warmth of friends and family.

It's a new day, and a new world.

Revel in it.

John

The Daily Gaze

It's Monday, and I'm catching up on the news from around the world, gay and straight.  Here's a bit of what's happening:

LGBTQ:

Gay Bishop Will Open Inaugural Festivities

John Corvino on Same-Sex Marriage

Lisa Neff and Campbell's Soup 

Let's Think Strategically

The "Instruction Manual"

NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL POLITICS:

Paul Krugman

GWB - exit stage left...

YES~!  More Repos Decide Their Time is Up!

The Bush Nightmare is Over~! - by Alec Baldwin

Doctors With Borders

Healthcare 101

ENTERTAINMENT AND TECHNOLOGY:

The Golden Globes

The Golden Girls

Daniel Craig and Catherine Tate

I'm an Apple-kinda guy

The News, iTunes style