Bill in Exile » 2009

Archive for January, 2009

MOLOKO — I CAN’T HELP MYSELF

{Posted in Music, Video on January 31st, 2009 by Scott }

From Do You Like My Tight Sweater — 1995

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THE FACES OF “O”

{Posted in Boys, Snark on January 31st, 2009 by Scott }

The Pre — "O" Face

Same boy but with the Full-on "O" Face

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I’M SORRY BUT……

{Posted in Politics, Rants on January 31st, 2009 by Scott }

THE IDEA OF POST-PARTISAN HARMONY IS FUCKING INSANE AND THOSE WHO ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT POSSIBLE {OR EVEN DESIRABLE} ARE COMPLETELY FUCKING ADDLED.

This is from the Texas State Republican Party platform of 2008 {.pdf}:

"We also believe that no homosexual or any individual convicted of child abuse or molestation should have the right to custody or adoption of a minor child, and that visitation by such persons with a minor child should be prohibited [p. 14]. . . . "

In other words, if the Texas republican party and those who infest it were to have their way and see this into law, and if you were the gay, biological parent of a child that you had custody of the state of Texas could legally seize your child from you and place him or her in foster care and you could do NOTHING about it.

Why the fuck would any sane person believe that you could influence, or even want to find common ground with, people who believe that crazy-assed hateful shit like this is a good thing and want to foist it off on the citizens of their state?

The idea behind a democracy such as ours is for competing ideas to do just that; compete until one comes out on top as the winner.

And I for one see no good reason to accommodate people with ideas like those of the Texas GOP just for the sake of some dream state, harmonious, post-partisan fantasy world when to do so would require that I compromise my beliefs in order to make nice with people who have the stated desire of causing grievous injury to me and mine.

As Glenn Greenwald said,"Partisan disputes happen because people are very different and have very different views. Partisanship is about advocating for your own beliefs and discrediting the beliefs that you reject and believe are harmful."

There may be times when you and those whom you oppose agree on something, and that's just great! But to willingly blunt your convictions and to try to force them to adhere to a more "centrist" {whatever the fuck that means} orientation solely for the sake of some fraudulent form of comity within the body politic and with those who would do you harm is a disgraceful abrogation of principles

And I'm sick to fucking death of people — especially gay people — who believe that "going along to get along" is somehow praise worthy behavior and who view partisanship with the same level of distaste and horror as they would a case of scabies.

One of the primary purposes of partisan politics in a democracy is to defeat ideas that are hurtful and destructive like those espoused by the cretinous Texas GOP without being forced to resort to violence to do so. And in so doing it's also about defeating the people who support those hurtful and destructive ideas without the need to shoot them down in the street like curs or hang them from the lamp posts.

And you can't defeat them or their depraved ideas if you are so desirous of accommodating your opponents for the sake of post-partisan harmony that you miss the fact that they are merrily going about the business of trying to cut your throat.

That's all.