The Christian Civic League of Maine's Mike Hein calls Pam's House Blend: "a leading source of radical homosexual propaganda, anti-Christian bigotry, and radical transgender advocacy."
He is "praying that Pam Spaulding will "turn away from her wicked and sinful promotion of homosexual behavior."
(CCLM's web site, 10/15/07)
Ex-gay "Christian" activist James Hartline on Pam:
"I have been mocked over and over again by ungodly and unprincipled anti-christian lesbians."
(from "Six Years In Sodom: From The Journal Of James Hartline," 9/4/2006, written from the "homosexual stronghold" of Hillcrest in San Diego).
"Pam is a 'twisted lesbian sister' and an 'embittered lesbian' of the 'self-imposed gutteral experiences of the gay ghetto.'" -- 9/5/2008
Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth Against Homosexuality heartily endorses the Blend, calling Pam:
A "vicious anti-Christian lesbian activist." (Concerned Women for America's radio show [9:15], 1/25/07)
"A nutty lesbian blogger." (MassResistance radio show [16:25], 2/3/07)
Pam's House Blend always seems to find these sick f*cks. The area of the country she is in? The home state of her wife? I know, they are everywhere. Pam just does such a great job of bringing them out into the light.
--Impeach Bush
who monitors yours Bevis ?? Just thought I would drop you a line,so the rest of your life is not wasted.
I guess mum's the word on the Kirby Dick doco, which debuts on HBO on tonight, since it's going to be a little hard for Charlie's PR machine to respond to all of the homo ammo in there. After all, how do you handle one of Crist's beards former girlfriends laughing and saying "Come back in 10 years and I'll have a story to tell you." (Jacksonville.com):
"This is one of the real problems with the closet - when people vote against who they are for political gain or maybe to fight a rumor," Dick said in an interview with the Times-Union.
Kirby was critical of Crist because of the governor's support for Amendment 2, the constitutional provision, backed by a voter referendum in 2008, that effectively precluded same-sex marriages in Florida.
Crist's bachelor life had prompted rumors about his sexual orientation that he couldn't escape even after his December marriage to businesswoman Carole Rome. He has previously denied the rumors, as have many of his supporters.
A call to the governor's office for this story was not returned.
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Could it be divine intervention that's kept Florida safe from hurricanes since Gov. Charlie Crist took office?
Crist said he isn't trying to take credit, but he told a group of real estate agents Friday that he's had prayer notes placed in the Western Wall in Jerusalem each year and no major storms have hit Florida.
Crist noted that just before his election in 2006, Florida had been affected by a total of eight hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.
"Do you know the last time it was we had a hurricane in Florida? It's been awhile. In 2007, I took my first trade mission. Do you know where I went?" said Crist, a Methodist, referring to a trip to Israel...
Should I be going to Israel soon so I can leave a note so I can get some winning California Lottery numbers?
Well, if I were a true believer in the magic-prayer-note-in-the-wall theory of prayer, I'd be praying for DOMA and DADT to be repealed in the 111th Congress, and praying for the Matthew Shepard Act and a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) pass congress -- and get signed by President Obama -- this year. But, I don't believe in this magic theory of prayer, and I suspect that Gov. Christ doesn't really believe it either.
I'm sure it doesn't hurt that Governor Crist is praying (via notes in a wall) that no hurricanes strike Florida, but I'm not sure it helps keep the hurricanes away either. To quote Matthew 5:45b's reference to whom God causes rain to fall upon:
He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
I find it interesting that a Governor is publicly citing a magic-prayer-note-in-the-wall theory of prayer for keeping the hurricanes away from Florida. I can't help but wonder if that means Governor Crist will have to take the blame when the next hurricane strikes Florida for not praying hard enough, or will Governor Crist give God the blame for not doing what he prayed?
I mean, it is only good management practice to say that if one gets the attaboys for when things are going well, then one should also get the blame for when things don't go so well...right?
Is there some kind of virus in the air that causes religious sanctimonious batsh*ttery? I know that many people feel strongly about the power of prayer, but when it comes out of the mouth of a calculating pol like Charlie Crist it's absurd.
Crist said he isn't trying to take credit, but he told a group of real estate agents Friday that he's had prayer notes placed in the Western Wall in Jerusalem each year and no major storms have hit Florida.
Crist noted that just before his election in 2006, Florida had been affected by a total of eight hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.
"Do you know the last time it was we had a hurricane in Florida? It's been awhile. In 2007, I took my first trade mission. Do you know where I went?" said Crist, a Methodist, referring to a trip to Israel.
He then told of going to the Western Wall and inserting a note with a prayer. He said it read, "Dear God, please protect our Florida from storms and other difficulties. Charlie."
Hmm. Perhaps he should have slipped in a note to guide Charlie to fix his state's economy.
Pleeeeease feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread...
So here's what Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at since Wednesday -- and since it's the weekend, my animated sockpuppet friend Bob and I are emphasizing human interest stories in this round-up...
Hodousek's attorney Eric Traut said his client wants to have restaurant employees' DNA tested to find a match to the condom.
A public relations firm representing Claim Jumper said no one can prove the so-called "foreign object" Hodousek took from the restaurant is the item that was submitted to a lab for testing.
How do you replace a diva with flowing blonde hair and the perfect skin tone? With a controversial beauty queen, of course.
With Governor Charlie Crist destined to take his divalicious act to D.C., the state GOP is turning to 2009 Miss USA finalist and infamous anti-gay marriage advocate Carrie Prejean to lead the Republican Party's youth movement, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Prejean, the 22-year-old who had her Miss California USA crown removed by "the Donald" earlier this year, will be making an appearance next month in Kissimmee to boost a Republican registration drive. (If you're reading Perez Hilton, you're not invited.)
Now before you run off to debate which of the two stylish leaders has the best hair or the better tan (we still take Crist), think of the possibilities for 2012 if this works...
No comment necessary here, eh?
• Los Angeles Times' Hot dogs should carry a warning label, lawsuit says; The suit, by a group that promotes a meat-free diet, seeks to require cancer-risk labels on processed meats. Nutrition experts say foods that go along with the hot dog may be more dangerous:
"Warning: Consuming hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of cancer."
That's the label that a vegan advocacy group wants a New Jersey court to order Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National and other food companies to slap on hot dog packages.
The nonprofit Cancer Project filed a lawsuit today on behalf of three New Jersey plaintiffs asking the Essex County superior court to compel the companies to place cancer-risk warning labels on hot dog packages sold in New Jersey...
I rarely eat processed meats, but on occassion I do eat Oscar Meyer 98% fat free wieners. I know that even with a warning I would still enjoy wieners...Anyone else in our forum enjoy wieners?
His appearance at a recent youth leadership training event spurred the complaint, filed by Silverton Together Director Brenda Sturdevant. She said the mayor's attire was in violation of the city council dress code.
Sturdevant said Rasmussen's attire, "high heels, a very short skirt and some sort of halter top revealing much of his bosom, shoulders and back," was inappropriate.
"This puts Silverton Together in a position that will be difficult to defend when we have sent our youth home on various occasions to change into something more appropriate," she said. "I expect our public leaders to follow the same guidelines that we have for our youth."
...Sturdevant went to city hall last week and requested a copy of the city council dress code, which includes a list of "appropriate" and "inappropriate" dress for men and women in a business setting. Among "inappropriate" clothing are: tank tops and mini-skirts.
Uh-huh. So the good Mayor looked...inappropriately trashy?...for the youth by showing too much...boob-or-moob, depending on how one, umm, looks at the Mayor's breasts? Is that what complainer Brenda Sturdevant is saying in appropriately couched language?
In the mayor's defense, it was hot and sticky out at over 90ºF / 32ºC on the day the mayor wore the outfit in question. I would have probably been wearing a sun dress myself.
• Los Angeles Times' At 65, Smokey Bear is still fighting fires; The beloved icon remains the face of the longest-running public service campaign in U.S. history. But keeping him current has been a challenge.:
He's a war hero who became a media mogul, celebrity pitchman, pop icon and philanthropist. He's so famous he was given his own ZIP Code, 20252, to handle the fan mail. He is 65 years old but has no intention of retiring. In fact, he looks fitter than ever.
Working outdoors with a shovel will do that.
Smokey Bear was born in August 1944, sired by a committee of ad men and government bureaucrats hoping to safeguard a key war material: wood. Smokey today remains the face of the longest-running public service campaign in U.S. history -- a simple message delivered by an anthropomorphic bear.
But Smokey's story is anything but simple. His uncompromising stance -- "Only you can prevent forest fires" -- helped alter the landscape by reinforcing the idea that fire was an enemy that should be eliminated, that the price to be paid for living in the path of wildfire was vigilance and will...
I can only imagine what the family reunions look like when Smokey and Yogi Bear both show up. Talk about disparate sides of the Bear family!
The Claymore mine found at a Goodwill store in Arvada on Tuesday was nonfunctional, Goodwill said today.
..."There was nothing in the mine to cause a detonation, and (it) was not a threat to anyone in the community," said Meaghan Carabello, spokesperson for Goodwill Industries of Denver.
Goodwill said that when a bomb or suspicious device is discovered at one of its stores, or a bomb threat is called into one of its facilities, Goodwill follows specific procedures to alert law enforcement and to ensure employee and public safety.
Carabello said the organization cannot speculate why someone would have dropped off a land mine at Goodwill but that an investigation is underway...
Wow. Where would one even get one of those?
So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you reading or thinking about today?
Towleroad reports that Florida Governor Charlie Crist was feeling a bit gay-benevolent when recently asked about the possibility of supporting a lift on the ban preventing gay couples from adopting. The recently married Crist told a journalist that he'd consider it.
Civil rights advocates blasted Crist earlier in the week for encouraging adoption while his administration is in court defending a 1977 law that makes Florida the only state with an outright ban on gay adoption.
Now a candidate for U.S. Senate, Crist hinted today that he might support lifting the ban. At first, Crist said it would be the Legislature's responsibility to change the law. When pressed on whether he would support the effort, Crist said, "I'd have to think about it."
That's kind of you, Charlie, to give up a few firing off of the synapses in your brain regarding the issue for the homos. How about doing it for the children who are languishing without enough loving homes to be placed in because of homophobia. Andy:
Charlie's new interest in the issue is less about finding some fondness for gay couples or kids, but the latest polls.
A Quinnipiac University survey in January of nearly 1,400 voters found that most Floridians support allowing gays to adopt, 55 percent to 39 percent.
UPDATE: Chris @ Law Dork has details on the challenge to Florida's adoption law. A snippet:
Florida's ban on any and all gay people from adopting in any and all circumstances is a one-of-its-kind ban, and the American Civil Liberties Union is doing its best in the now-pending appeal of a trial court decision striking down that ban to see the law swept from the books. The Florida law is almost more cruel in its simplicity: "No person eligible to adopt under this statute may adopt if that person is a homosexual." Section 63.042(3), Fla. Stats. The case involves an openly gay man, Martin Gill, seeking to adopt foster children, two brothers, who he and his partner have raised for the past four years.
Robert Rosenwald - the director of the Florida ACLU's LGBT Advocacy Project and Gill's lawyer - said today in an interview with Law Dork that he is "optimistic" that the trial court decision finding that the ban violates the Florida Constitution will be upheld on appeal.
Laugh of the night #2 - a fundraiser the GOP establishment can get behind: Charlie Crist for the U.S. Senate. (Ben Smith):
The $10K per-person host list of Gov. Charlie Crist's NRSC fundraiser tonight illuminates just how much the Republican establishment believes the Florida Senate primary next year is a lock.
This who's who of GOP lobbyists wouldn't lend their names to such an event if they didn't think Crist would be the nominee.
Bring it on, GOP. Guess McConnell and friends haven't seen Outrage.
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announces he's running for the Senate, giving GOPers their most high-profile recruit of the 2010 cycle and improving their odds of holding on to Mel Martinez's seat. But this is worth noting: Florida has closed primaries, meaning that you have to be a registered Republican to participate in the GOP primary. So that could make Crist's primary match-up against the conservative Marco Rubio, the former speaker of the Florida House, more competitive than many think it will be. In particular, Crist's public support of Obama's stimulus -- remember that Crist appeared at an Obama town hall on the subject -- could be a major issue in the primary. That said, a GOP official says that if Crist gets in, he will receive the National Republican Senatorial Committee's full support. "We think highly of Marco and believe he has a bright future, but Crist is the GOP's best hope of keeping this seat in the GOP column."
*** UPDATE *** Here's Crist announcing on Twitter at 9:10 am ET: "After thoughtful consideration with my wife Carole, I have decided to run for the U.S. Senate."
Enabling homophobia is still the MSM editorial standard. A review by NPR's Nathan Lee of the new documentary "Outrage" was sliced and diced to remove the names of Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and former Senator Larry Craig from it, resulting in Lee removing his byline.
This is the real outrage -- the MSM's pervasive homophobic double standard of protecting closeted pols as a private matter while deeming the personal lives of straight pols fair game -- a theme woven throughout the film -- is proven yet again. Eugene Hernandez @ IndieWire:
Citing a policy of protecting the privacy of public figures, an NPR superior cut the names of current Florida governor Charlie Crist and former Senator Larry Craig from the review after writer Nathan Lee and his assigning editor at NPR had agreed on the text of the piece. However, a photo of Larry Craig accompanies the review and says that the former Senator is a subject of the documentary. It also hints strongly at the inclusion of Crist in the doc.
Lee was not told of the NPR policy about public figures when he was assigned to review the new film.
"NPR has a long-held policy of trying to respect the privacy of public figures and of not airing or publishing rumors, allegations and reports about their private lives unless there is a compelling reason to do so," Dick Meyer, NPR's executive director of Digital, told indieWIRE late Sunday night. "This may be considered old-fashioned by some, but it is a policy we value and respect. We neglected to inform the author of the 'Outrage' review about this policy when the piece was commissioned, a simple oversight we regret."
"Only an overriding public need to know can justify intrusion into anyone's privacy," the NPR policy, posted on its website.
There is a world of things wrong about NPR's excuse for shredding this review. First of all, Larry Craig's little airport bathroom stall toe-tapping isn't a private matter -- he was arrested and confessed to the act, which occurred in a public place. That's a matter of public record. FAIL, NPR.
Second of all, it's not as if coverage of Crist is invisible. It's been mentioned in other reviews of the film. Plus, Crist is about to run for a U.S. Senate seat, and if he wins, he will vote on LGBT-related legislation. He has an ample anti-gay record in his state. Is this not relevant to the news media?
The local media has reported on his closet, for god's sake. For crying out loud, when he announced his engagement, the ridicule was heaped upon the governor by readers in a Sun-Sentinel poll (I got a screen cap for posterity, right). FAIL, NPR.
Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has admitted to having an extramarital affair, but has denied fathering a child by the woman. The affair has been reported in recent weeks in the tabloid press.
Alex Chadwick speaks with NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving about the political implications of the revelation.
The editorial paranoia at NPR is out of control; when Lee left a comment to say that the pre-butchered review had been approved by his editor prior to some nervous homophobia enablers higher up the food chain it was removed by the administrators. In it, he said:
"I asked that my name be removed in protest of NPR's policy of not 'naming names' of closeted or rumored-about politicians - even those who actively suppress gay rights, and thus whose sexual identities are of significant importance to the press,"
This is the same idiotic behavior we've seen coming from many in the media for 20 years on this issue. It's encouraging that some news outlets have moved on it -- the LA Times, Philly Inquirer and others reported on those discussed in the film -- but it's pathetic that some just can't seem to break out of their rigid and ultimately biased thinking.
By not discussing the names of those in the film, NPR is most certainly passing judgment on homosexuality, on the filmmaker and on the public figures involved -- deeming that, if they have secret gay lives, it is the most horrible thing imaginable. They are also deciding to suppress legitimate news because of that distaste and bias.
Exactly. The film is about the political hypocrisy of closeted individuals who deal with their dual lives by working to deny LGBTs civil rights. There is nothing wrong with being gay, NPR (and the rest of you nervous nellie editors out there). The MSM is not shy about reporting the questionably newsworthy marriage travails of Britney Spears or the adoption of babies by Brad and Angelina -- those are private matters, no? Oh wait, they are heterosexual.
Neither of those stories has any impact on the rights of a group of people, yet NPR and other outlets feel they cannot do their jobs and report on legitimate stories that do have an actual political impact on the lives of taxpaying Americans who happen to be LGBT. And you know that none of the people who made the decision to slice away at Lee's review would consider themselves homophobic or bigoted in the least -- overt anti-gay behavior is not the only way to foment homophobia. Enabling it with this poor editorial judgment, NPR, works quite nicely as well.
If it's true that the Florida governor will toss his hat into the ring for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by the retiring Mel Martinez, this will be the test of whether the documentary "Outrage", and its reporting that the anti-gay pol is a big old hypocritical homo, will have any impact on the candidate. It will also tell us whether the MSM has learned anything about enabling the closet.
The Senate Guru doesn't discuss the film or its reporting, and sticks to the dry stuff, but reading between the lines, there's just something about Charlie Crist that the conservatives in his state detest.
Nationally, the conservative Weekly Standard is promoting Crist's primary challenger, former state House Speaker Marco Rubio, as the Republican Obama; also, the conservative Club for Growth has already started a cheering section for Rubio against Crist:
Crist's poll numbers against GOP primary challengers and potential Dem opponents are called almost "insurmountable," but it sounds like the conventional wisdom that is developing is that for some reason, the bottom is going to fall out for Charlie -- because he's not conservative enough.
Florida Republican Party circles are hearing increasing talk of conservative dissatisfaction with Gov. Charlie Crist and a possible primary challenge if he runs for the U.S. Senate next year. ...
Some conservatives, never happy with Crist's emphasis on racial diversity, environmental regulation and populist willingness to take on big business, are now saying it openly.
The DSCC, not unexpectedly, is going to stay away from closet talk, of course, and chooses to focus on Florida's poor economic performance during Crist's term. Well, what states have performed well during the Bush economy? It will be interesting to see where this goes.
The reason why Charlie Crist's purported closet is newsworthy is because the man, if he goes to the U.S. Senate, will vote on LGBT rights issues at the federal level. It's not about demonizing him for being gay, which the MSM still fails to understand. Its treatment of closeted elected officials carries the undercurrent that there is something inherently wrong with being gay. It isn't -- it's someone's unresolved issues playing themselves out in a pathological manner.
The media's insistence that "it's a personal matter" doesn't wash when it abdicates its duty to report on the hypocrisy. As we have learned, with Larry Craig and Mark Foley, the protection of the closet renders politicians and their enablers so impotent -- it's all about remaining closeted at any cost -- they take out their personal issues on LGBTs who don't have problems with their sexual orientation; they simply want the same civil rights as everyone else. You lose your right to lock yourself in the closet of heterosexual privilege when you have to power to deny others civil rights with your vote.
One of things about "Outrage," Kirby Dick's new documentary about the political closet full of familiar names we discuss here on the Blend, is that it is as much about the irresponsibility and double-standard of the MSM media. Reporters were well aware of the sexual orientation of the pols featured in this film, but chose not to report the hypocrisy of their anti-gay positions -- except when it was unavoidable -- take Larry Craig's airport bathroom bust and the leak of Mark Foley's lascivious IMs to pages.
Jason Bellini discusses this, focusing on Florida Governor Charlie Crist over at The Daily Beast in this video report that includes and interview with director Dick, "Did a Documentary Claiming to 'Out' Politicians Get It Right?"
LOLOLOLOLOLOL! Whoa, is anyone surprised at this? I haven't seen Outrage, but a lot of journalists took in a screening. The Florida governor and almost-ran wannabe McCain veep, who announced his engagement (to a woman) at a politically convenient time, would have to be at the top of any list to try to finally decloset him.
The documentary, by Kirby Dick, is scheduled to drop soon. Here's a snippet of a review by Variety:
None of the names will shock anyone who's a regular reader of the LGBT press, the alternative press, blogs and, in many some cases, the mainstream media. Former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) and former Rep. Jim McCreary (R-La.) are among the lawmakers, and Ken Mehlman, former chairman of the Republican Party, is among the party officials. Fox anchor Shepard Smith is named, even though he is not a politician. It's not all Republicans --- former New York Mayor Ed Koch is highlighted, along with a charge that he largely turned the other way when the AIDS crisis hit in Manhattan in the 1980s. Of the latter, producer and playwright David Rothenberg comes forward with conversations he had with Richard Nathan, alleged to be Koch's lover, before he was driven out of town when Koch became mayor.
Extra focus is placed on Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who supported a bill banning gay marriage last year, and the doc recounts a string of stories from Florida's alternative press. There's a few anonymous interviews with people who claim to have had conversations with a man who boasted of having sex with Crist, who when asked about rumors has denied them.
The doc sought out Kelly Crosby Heyniger, one of Crist's girlfriends until the end of 2007, who didn't appear on camera but gave them a statement about what broke them up: "I think I should just keep my mouth shut. Call me in ten years and I will tell you a great story."
One of the final scenes of the movie is of Crist's wedding last December July, and a reminder that he's considered to be one of the top contenders for the GOP nomination in 2012 (although his support of President Obama's stimulus package could complicate that). In a bit of judicious editing, ala Michael Moore, Crist tells a reporter, "If your wife can't help you in a campaign, who can?"
And well Ed Koch, that hardly groundbreaking news either. But maybe I'm jaded and there is an audience that will be surprised. But don't get me wrong, there is a lot of value to be had because it exposes a different kind of hypocrisy.
via Huff Post, what is the crowd saying to the Florida governor in his moment of matrimonial bliss:
BTW, Geraldo Rivera was in attendance. From a report, I kid you not:
The vows were traditional with each of them pledging to "have and to hold from this day forward for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death us do part.''
The Rev. Miller urged the couple to invite God into their daily lives and noted that Jesus chose a wedding in Cana to perform his first miracle. There he turned water into wine when the wine for the wedding guests ran out.
Now that homo-hating Mel Martinez plans to step down from his U.S. Senate seat representing the Sunshine State, W's (more intelligent) brother is considering a bid. But he may have to contend with the soon-to-be-wed Charlie Crist.
Two sources close to Jeb Bush, including one who has spoken to the former Florida governor within the past few hours, say he is seriously considering a run for Senate now that incumbent Republican Mel Martinez has retired.
"He is receiving a lot of encouragement from both in and out of the state," an longtime Bush adviser said tonight. "He is going to take his time and approach this very methodically." Bush will weigh, according to this adviser, how a run would impact his family, his business, and whether the Senate would be the best platform for the causes he'd advocate -- education, immigration, GOP solutions to health care and energy.
Bush did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
If he decides to run, Republicans expect the field to clear for him. Maybe. Gov. Charlie Crist, with whom Bush has not had the warmest of relations, is said to be interested in moving to the Senate.
So, Blenders, what do you think of either option - Jeb or Charlie? The GOP is desperate to modify its image as the party of yesterday, populated by bigots, ignoramuses and seniors wistful for the days when "those people" knew their place. As a key state, it's pretty clear that the person who gets the seat, if it's a Republican, will be a high-profile nod indicating where they want the party to go.
Invitations to Gov. Charlie Crist's upcoming nuptials are in the mail, and the guest list to the Dec. 12 event has become a source of chatter around the state.
The cream and pale pink invitations to Crist and fiancee Carole Rome's ceremony at First United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg began arriving last week.
OK, people, he's now out of the closet on this issue, anyway. Express Gay News clears up the question of the week - does the governor want the GOP VP slot so badly that he'll sh*t on gays and lesbians who don't need a padlocked closet and simply want the right to marry? Apparently he does.
A Crist spokesman confirmed that governor Crist is undeniably supporting Amendment 2. On Monday, the governor made a statement during an impromptu barbershop Q & A with reporters. When asked his position on Amendment 2, Crist's reply was surprisingly clear.
"I support it," he said.
On Tuesday, an unidentified Crist staffer told Express editor Dan Renzi that the governor's statement had been a misprint. But on Wednesday, after several calls from the Express, Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey said he was not aware of the denial.
"Yes, he is supportive of it," Ivey said.
So much for live and let live, queen. Kevin Naff of the Washington Blade:
It's just the latest transparent move by Crist to make himself more palatable to GOP conservatives in the hopes of being picked as John McCain's running mate. He recently announced that he's engaged, after living all but seven months of his life single. Crist was briefly married in 1979.
...Until this week, Crist had mostly stayed out of the debate over the Florida amendment, which is unnecessary because state law already bars same-sex couples from marrying. He adopted a "live and let live" approach to the issue. But with national Republican leaders now eyeing him more closely, it was time to butch it up and, naturally, bash the gays.
It's unfortunate that Crist and other rumored closet cases (i.e. Lindsey Graham) refuse to learn from Foley and Larry Craig's mistakes.
And the news of Crist's "straight answer" was a salve to Yes2Marriage.org, which rallied to pimp Crist's statement out to the public.
Governor Crist joins dozens of other federal and state elected officials who support the common sense of having the people and not judges define marriage in Florida.
(UPDATE (5:30 PM): Online editor at the Washington Blade, Rebecca Armendariz, says that a Blade correspondent spoke to Crist's spokesperson today to verify the article in the Star-Banner. The spokesperson said that Crist has not switched his position on the matter, so it will be a wait-and-see to find out whether the governor wants to come out with an official statement clarifying things.)
Now you know the queen wants the VP slot. This little squib was included at the end of an article on a "tax swap" amendment that will also go before voters in November:
Also on Monday, Crist said he supported Amendment Two which would constitutionally ban gay marriage in the state. Such unions are already illegal in Florida and Crist has previously shied away from the issue, saying he has a "live and let live" attitude.
This news is timely -- I just put up this news about Crist being on the short list.
"With a little more luck, I might have been able to ask you to be my Vice-President."
- John McCain to Dick Cheney, 10/23/01
Who will be John McCain's second choice?
That's the header at the Dems newly launched web site, The Next Cheney, to coincide with the countdown to McCain's pick for VP.
There's nothing fresh about the picks on this list except for the tanned-and-ready-to-get-hitched queen-in-waiting-who-must-not-be-named.
He doesn't even come up in this description of McCain's options.
On the GOP side, the bench from which John McCain will choose a running mate appears to be smaller. The occasional story about Eric Cantor's possible vetting or Bobby Jindal's meetings with the candidate aside, the two names which have dominated on the Republican side are Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty. Should McCain go with Pawlenty, he would be getting an out-of-Washington politician with executive experience from a state McCain would like to win. But with Romney, he would be getting all that and more.
I'm not sure how you can explore Florida governor Charlie Crist's shameless self-promotion for McCain's consideration as VP (after all, the long-time "bachelor" is willing to get married to pass muster) without going into the ample number of stories about the governor's semi-padlocked closet, as well as the rampant talk of it within GOP circles.
For months, Crist has courted the national media with dozens of interviews, lunches with network anchors and prime time appearances on the political ''talking head'' circuit. He defies convention and gives state and national reporters his cellphone number and then answers their calls. And he's urged his stable of financial contributors to contribute to McCain en masse.
The governor has even allowed his personal life to become very public. The 51-year-old bachelor has courted Miami businesswoman Carole Rome since October. He invited her to John McCain's Arizona ranch over Memorial Day weekend -- a trip perceived to be part social and part vice presidential vetting. He told The New York Times to ''stay tuned'' about wedding bells, and on Thursday he announced his engagement and likely fall wedding.
The subhead is equally hilarious -- Is the Florida governor's headline-grabbing behavior typical or is he aligning himself for vice presidential consideration?
Typical of what? We never find out, really. How about reporting on that tape GOP sleazemeister Roger Stone's allegedly shopping around that "proves" Charlie's he-man woman-lover status? That seems to rise a bit above the whispering status if there is a campaign to quash talk about what a potential gay/bi veep choice might mean for the party. More below the fold.
On Queen Drudge, he turns on the tired old police siren for breaking news -- here at the Blend it's time to flip on the rainbow siren!
Now that the Florida governor's found that "special someone," you know, the adulteress he's been allegedly boinking for sometime now, he's making his "union" legal -- something gay and lesbian couples in the Sunshine State cannot do. Obviously, Charlie Crist wants that McCain VP slot so badly he can taste it...
Gov. Charlie Crist, single for nearly three decades, on Thursday morning became engaged to his girlfriend of nine months, Carole Rome.
"She's special in every way. She's brilliant, beautiful and sweet. I'm very, very lucky," Crist told the St. Petersburg Times in an exclusive interview.
Crist said he picked out the sapphire and diamond ring on Wednesday at the Gold and Diamond Center in St. Petersburg's Northeast Shopping Center.
...And his engagement is likely to reverberate well beyond Florida because the popular governor is widely viewed as a contender to be likely Republican presidential candidate John McCain's running mate. Not since Franklin Pierce picked William King to be his running mate in 1852 has America had a bachelor vice president.
Congrats to the happy couple...I wonder if the McCain campaign will have a congratulatory press release out soon.
Click on the screenshot for the Sun-Sentinel video report. The anchor is so giddy. Oh, and the readership of the paper doesn't buy this one either:
"This is one of the real problems with the closet - when people vote against who they are for political gain or maybe to fight a rumor," Dick said in an interview with the Times-Union.
Gov. Charlie Crist took office?
that no hurricanes strike Florida, but I'm not sure it helps keep the hurricanes away either. To quote 
Oh wait...rubbery cheese in the soup?
• Los Angeles Times' 
So the good Mayor looked...inappropriately trashy?...for the youth by showing too much...boob-or-moob, depending on how one, umm, looks at the Mayor's breasts? Is that what complainer Brenda Sturdevant is saying in appropriately couched language? 
I would have probably been wearing a sun dress myself. 
He's a war hero who became a media mogul, celebrity pitchman, pop icon and philanthropist. He's so famous he was given his own ZIP Code, 20252, to handle the fan mail. He is 65 years old but has no intention of retiring. In fact, he looks fitter than ever.
Second of all, it's not as if coverage of Crist is invisible. It's been mentioned in other reviews of the film. Plus, Crist is about to run for a U.S. Senate seat, and if he wins, he will vote on LGBT-related legislation. He has an ample anti-gay record in his state. Is this not relevant to the news media?
For months, Crist has courted the national media with dozens of interviews, lunches with network anchors and prime time appearances on the political ''talking head'' circuit. He defies convention and gives state and national reporters his cellphone number and then answers their calls. And he's urged his stable of financial contributors to contribute to McCain en masse.
