Facebook | Your Photos - Chicago Gay Pride 2009

Here are a few pics from this year's Chicago 2009 Gay Pride Parade. I marched with the Human Rights Campaign who were entrant number 26 of over 250 parade entries. The parade attracted half-a-million attendees and saw participation of top elected state officials such as Gov. Pat Quin, Senator Roland Burris, and state attorney general Lisa Madigan.

For more pics click on this link: Facebook | Your Photos - Chicago Gay Pride 2009

DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT LT COLONEL VICTOR FERENBACH?

Fehrenbach is an F-15 fighter pilot and 18-year veteran of the Air Force. He is ready to deploy again, but the military is firing him under "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", two years short of being able to retire with full pension benefits.

Fehrenbach, a fighter weapons systems officer, has been flying the F-15E Strike Eagle since 1998. He has flown numerous missions against Taliban and al-Qaida targets, including the longest combat mission in his squadron's history. On that infamous September 11, 2001, Lt. Col. Fehrenbach was handpicked to fly sorties above the nation's capital. Later he flew combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He has received at least 30 awards and decorations including nine air medals, one of them for heroism, as well as campaign medals for Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. He is now a flight instructor in Idaho, where he has passed on his skills to more than 300 future Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force weapons systems officers.

Since 1987, when Fehrenbach entered Notre Dame on a full Air Force ROTC scholarship, the government has invested twenty-five million dollars in training and equipping him to serve his country, which he has done with what anyone would agree was great distinction. He comes from a military family. His father was a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, his mother an Air Force nurse and captain. Lt. Col. Fehrenbach has honored that tradition.

His case is a CLASSIC example of why "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" makes absolutely no fucking sense, nor does the current ban on openly gay persons serving in the military. Seriously, no one knew about his sexual orientation during his 18 years in active service, but we are supposed to believe that because he's now been identified as one of 'the gay' that he's suddenly a risk to national security and his fellow officers?

Seriously - it's time for the bullshit to end.

PRESIDENT OBAMA - are you going to be nothing more than a fluff-piece working the White House? Where is the change you promised?

(On a separate note - Lt Colonel Ferenbach can fly sorties in my nether-region ANY DAY!!! YOWSA!!!!)

DONNA SUMMER - This Time I know It's For Real

CHICAGO 2009 GAY PRIDE PARADE

This year the Chicago 40th Annual Pride Parade is scheduled for Sunday, June 28 at noon .

The parade route: Step off from the Halsted & Belmont corner, proceeding north on Halsted (to Broadway); then south on Broadway (to Diversey); then east on Diversey to Cannon Drive, in Lincoln Park.

Grand Marshal of this year's parade is actor, teacher and activist, Alexandra Billings. She will be riding in a classic car near the front of the parade procession.

The parade will feature 250 registered entries including floats, decorated vehicles, performance groups, a marching band and walking contingents.

The entries represent community organizations, businesses, governmental officials and individual community members.

Crowd estimates each year are in the hundreds of thousands. So the plans are to line the parade route with barricades on both sides of the street from the beginning of the parade route to Diveresy. In addition, parade marshals will be placed along the entire parade route as well.

In addition, police officers along with the parade marshals will be present along the route.

For more information on Chicago Gay Pride 2009 click here.

POLITICAL CARTOONS

MICHAEL JACKSON

1958 - 2009

AN ICON OF THE '70s SUCCUMBS TO CANCER

1947 - 2009

Farrah Fawcett, 62, the golden-haired sex symbol of the late 1970s who is best remembered for a popular bedroom poster and the detective series "Charlie's Angels" and who later found a niche portraying troubled women in made-for-TV dramas, died June 25 at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif.

While still a relative unknown, she achieved two popular roles in 1976. On Wednesday nights, she was Jill Munroe, the blond Angel on the ABC detective drama produced by Aaron Spelling. All week long, she was the star attraction on a poster that sold a record 12 million copies. In a halo of impossibly buoyant curly hair, wearing a red swimsuit that left little to the imagination, she entered the dreams of adolescent boys everywhere and brought women into hair salons to copy her style.

She will be missed but never forgotten. Be in peace my love.

Did you hear the one about the governor from South Carolina? Huh? Did ya'? Well, did ya'?

***CAUTION: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE - RATED 'X' BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF THE VOICES IN MY HEAD***

For those of youse in the dark who have been living under a rock or sharing a cave with Bin Ladin let me explain:

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford - who gained notorious national fame for publicly refusing money for his state from President Obama's stimulus package - went AWOL last Thursday (June 19) after a particularly negative session with the legislature of South Carolina.

At first his office said that he took a state vehicle and went off to take time to "clear his mind..."

Then on Friday law enforcement officials tried contacting the governor by cellular phone and text and received no response.

On Saturday June 20 the governor's office issued a statement that there is no reason for concern, but couldn't confirm whether they were in touch with the governor.

On Sunday June 21 the Lt Governor André Bauer finds out the the governor's whereabouts are unknown.

By Monday the shit had hit the fan and inquiries and requests were pouring in to the governor's office demanding that they advise the public of the location of the governor as there were now concerns about the transfer of power should there be a state disaster and life-safety decisions were needed.

By this time the national media had gotten hold of the story like a dog with a bone and the glare of the international media shone on South Carolina line a prison spotlight on an escaping inmate.

On Tuesday the governor's office issues a statement that the governor would be returning to his office on Wednesday and would issue a statement on his disappearance.

Today - Wednesday June 24 - was a frantic day at work for me. With the current heat wave I was inundated will calls from residents about non-working air conditioners, I had to walk eight apartments with an inspector in the middle of Chicago's first heat wave - all while wearing long sleeves and an undershirt.

I barely time to scratch my itchy tuchass or wipe the sweat pouring from my brow much less keep up with the news.

While standing in someone's apartment during the one of the inspections I asked the occupant - who had the TV tuned to CNN - if anything interesting had happened during the day.

"Sure," he said, "that governor in South Carolina? He was having an affair with some girl in Argentina......"

My jaw dropped. Then I began to involuntarily giggle. Minutes later the giggles turned to outright laughter.

I just couldn't stop laughing at the FUCKING HYPOCRISY OF ELECTED REPUBLICAN POLITICIANS!!!

Here is the party that claimed they are morally superior to Democrats while ramming their precious "faith and values" bullshit down our throats for the past 15 years......they are now turning out to be the very party whose senators and governors in the past six months have been caught with their pants down - literally - while operating on a separate...and DISGUSTING set of double-standard values.

And NO, the Democrats are not hypocrites as we do NOT go around telling everyone who they can or cannot screw while clutching a cross to which a blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus is nailed for personal display. .

Hey Governor Sandford!!!!!!! What happened - did some swishy faggot walk by your house or office and suddenly put your marriage in jeopardy and forced you to cheat on your wife?

ASSHOLE.

This is the same politician that called for the resignation of not only Bill Clinton during the Lewinski scandal, but also called for the resignation of other elected politicians who were caught in illicit affairs such as Senator Ensign (R) of Nevada, former senator Larry Craig (R), former governor Elliot Spitzer (D) of New York - just to name a few.

He is also a politician who ran previous election campaigns on "family values".

HYPOCRITE.

Bottom line: I want to see the END OF THE CURRENT REPUBLICAN PARTY - because this is NOT the party of Abraham Lincoln - this is an abomination of the GOP that is doing more harm than good to the country.

It's become the party of liars, cheats and hypocrites.

What a chump...........*kiss teet*

WHY I LOVE FACEBOOK

There has been a lot of comments and criticism about the popular social networking site FACEBOOK. Some people see it as an invasion of privacy. Some think it's a waste of time. Others see it as another nail in the coffin of face-to-face social settings.

I disagree.

To me Facebook is a great way to re-connect with friends from the past, keep in touch with distant friends and relatives. Using the technology of Facebook you can inform your friends on your activities for the day, share photos, in general just interact as if distance was irrelevant.

For someone like me who have no relatives within a 1500 mile radius and with my former classmates from high school scattered all over the world Facebook is a great way to reach out and feel a part of something that's familiar.

I definitely feel less lonely as I share and communicate, laugh and comment as if if the past 20 years never interrupted our lives. I also enjoy hearing and seeing the success of family and friends, and feel a sense of well-being when I can share photos of a recent occasion or event that I participated in.

So, give Facebook a try - you'll never know who you'll re-connect with: maybe it's that one person you've always had a crush on but were afraid to talk to.....or maybe you be there to provide support to an old high-school flame going through tough times....or even just to remember fun times of the past with your "touring crew"!!!

For more information on using Facebook click here.

PETA SLAMS PRESIDENT FOR KILLING FLY - and the gays target PETA with witty snark

During a recent interview this week with CNBC's John Harwood a pesky and very persistent fly buzzed around the president's head before landing on the president's arm to rest. In a timed, swift move the president terminated the fly in one swoop.

It has been reported that the uber-liberal People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a statment condemming the president for killing the fly. Said PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich: "We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals. We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."

Members of the GLBT community used this occasion not only to ridicule the PETA statement, but also to vent their frustration and extreme anger at the president for his apparant lack of action on key GLBT issues such as repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or DADT, the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA), and the Justice Department's decision to defend DOMA in federal courts.

The response from 'the gays' against this ridiculous statement from PETA were unusually sharp, witty and EXTREMELY FUNNY!!!!! Here are a few examples (courtesy of Towleroad.com)

"Give me a break - PETA pretends to care...but its only for the money and then they kill the animals they are to care for....hipocrites."

"Every time I read about another PETA press release I get some KFC for lunch or dinner. My personal anti-PETA protest."

"Good idea - Im going to KFC for Lunch - Extra Crispy yard bird sounds Yummy..."

"Waiter? Could I change my order? I'll start with the foie gras and then have the veal."

"Oh, great... now, I'm craving KFC!"

"That was a gay fly he killed"

"Time for a yummy piece of meat for lunch and a quick stop into the store for a new alligator purse! PETAtards are such morons."

"...he probably thought it was a fruit fly....."

"Hmmm. the flies are being attacted to all the shit stired up about promises he has and is breaking towards GLBT."

POLITICAL CARTOONS

HRC - Buying for Equality 2009 Guide

Each year the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) publishes the results and ratings of it's survey of companies in corporate America that have in place policies that supports GLBT equality in their workplace. Businesses are rated on a scale from 0 to 100 based on policies such as anti-discrimination protections, domestic partner benefits, diversity training, etc.

To arrive at their rankings the HRC researches policies at more than 1800 U.S. companies. Any business with 500 or more U.S. employees can be rated.

Businesses with a score of 80-100 are rated as very friendly to the GLBT community and should be supported by consumers. These include (but not limited to): Best Buy, Sears, Supervalue, Target, Home Depot, Bank of America, HSBC, CIBC, Citi, J,P, Morgan Chase, Gap, Macy's, McDonald's, BP, Chevron, Shell, Anheuser Busch, Coke, Pepsi, General Mills, Unilever, Kraft, Microsoft, Apple, American Airlines, Walt Disney Company, Wyndham, Hilton Hotels, United Airlines, Time Warner, Viacom, just to name a few.

Businesses with a score of 46-79 have taken steps toward a fair-minded workplace but still have to make more progress with their policies such as Colgate-Pamolive and Royal Caribbean.

Businesses with a rating of 0-45 needs to do more to work to further equality...and consumers should make the choice to support a more fair minded company from that industry. These include but are not limited to: Walmart, Exxon Mobil and Esso (whose rating came in at 0), RadioShack, Cracker Barrel, Humana, John Deere, Dun & Bradstreet, Nine West, Autozone just to name a few.

To download and view the entire guide visit http://www.hrc.org/buyersguide2009/

A FEW PICTURE OF THIS BLOGGER WORKING THE CROWD AT THE HRC BOOTH AT THE 2009 ANDERSONVILLE MIDSUMMERFEST IN CHICAGO

And it was a GREAT day to be our and about!!!!

Music video: FEEDBACK - Janet Jackson

One of my favorite songs and video.....

POLITICAL CARTOONS