Wayne Besen - Author, Activist, Columnist, Public Speaker

Tuesday, December 27, 2005

The Best of 2005

This past year, my weekly column has opined on key issues affecting the American people. Heroes have been lauded, hypocrites exposed and crucial gay issues brought to the fore. Here is a snapshot of the tantalizing topics discussed in 2005:

Adultery in the Military: It is time the military bring back adults who care more about winning wars than declaring a self-righteous war on adultery. We might be doing better in Iraq if the Pentagon started paying more attention to the military affairs of our country than the private affairs of our countrymen.

Air Force Academy: In 1967, Israel defeated the entire Arab world in six days. In less than six months, the United States crushed and occupied Iraq, driving Saddam Hussein into a rat hole. It took the allies roughly six years to win World War II. Yet, the military tells us it is going to take six years to root out anti-Semitism at the Academy?

Andrew Sullivan: Sullivan went overboard. His apparent message: "Hey, AIDS is no big deal. Don't worry if you get infected, you'll barely notice." Wow, what an advertisement for the bug! Where can I get that HIV? Sullivan makes it sound more like a panacea than a pathogen. The disease suddenly comes across as highly desirable, if not intoxicating - like a blissful combination of Viagra, Spanish Fly, Prozac and Ecstasy all rolled up into one.

Bill Frist: In the next couple of weeks, Frist may decide to take the so-called "nuclear option" and eliminate the Democratic minority's ability to filibuster President Bush's extreme judicial nominees. This radical move would amount to a government shutdown. The Democrats are unlikely to collaborate in such a puppet government, where the marginalized minority's only role is to help legitimize banana republic Republicanism.

Brokeback Mountain: In essence, we all have our own secret Brokeback Mountain and the movie subconsciously asks people to find their purpose and embrace their passion, because life is short and fragile. It is this searing, powerful message more than the fact the messengers are gay that will ultimately help people understand the struggles of gay people, and more importantly, themselves.

Bush's America: America under Bush is a political Red Light District where the greatest sacrifice one can make is to lie in the name of loyalty. It is a twisted world of politicians pimping policy for perks and political prostitutes trading their reputations for riches.

Bush's Second Term: In his second-term, he had desperately hoped to avoid lame duck status. Thanks to a failed stew of policies, reality has taken control of the Bush presidency and he is now paddling for his political life in the sewage-filled duck pond that was once known as the city of New Orleans.

Cable News: It's dawn in the largest city of the most powerful nation in earth's history. I pick up the remote control and surf through an endless array of digital cable channels looking for real news, and it is simply nowhere to be found. Sadly, America's news stations have given up hard news about distant lands for fluff that is hardly news about fantasyland. Or is it Michael Jackson's Neverland? Am I the only person mourning the evaporation of real TV news in the morning?

I used to watch CNN Headline News and in thirty minutes I was updated on the day's incipient events. Today, the morning show is nearly devoid of substance and has devolved into the Cackling Nonsense Network. The consequential decisions of world leaders have taken a back seat to what or who Britney Spears does in the backseat. Headlines have been replaced by punch lines and serious business has been supplanted by lightweight banter. By the end of a half hour show, the chances are you have laughed more than you have learned.

The television news culture has become ancient Rome. The whole point is to attract photogenic freaks into our personal, HDTV Coliseums to sate our cynical viewing amusement. When Osama strikes and New York is burning or Washington is radiated from the dirty bomb because Homeland Security is monitoring dirty web sites, TV executives still won't get it. The clueless media will throw up their hands and ask, ˜What happened?' And the pretty faced news "botoxracy" will deadpan interviews with "unqualified experts", quite possibly on the administration's payroll, who will tell Americans that there is no way that Homeland Security could have known such an attack was coming. Oh, and by the way, the Department needs more power and financial resources.

Condom Fatigue: The latest harebrain notion to toxically slither into the gay vernacular is "condom fatigue." This is the theory that the rules for safer sex have to be reinvented because people are fed up with using prophylactics.

Well, I don't particularly like stopping for red lights either because it tends to slow me down. I'm also over the gym and would prefer that the government declare TV watching an aerobics sport and cheese fries a food group. Unfortunately, there are laws of nature and common sense that can't be defied no matter how annoying or cumbersome.

Conservative Whining: Failed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork described President George W. Bush's selection of Harriet Miers for the high court as a "kind of a slap in the face to the conservatives." We used to be able to tell who the conservatives were by the bad suits. Now, we can identify them because they have red welts on their faces.

Ellen DeGeneres: Without Ellen's bold step into the unknown, there would likely be no Will & Grace or gay characters sprinkled throughout network and cable television. Rosie O'Donnell, would probably still be rhapsodizing about a dream date with Tom Cruise.

Focus on the Family: Bad parents do not cause homosexuality, as Focus on the Family preaches. The notion that gays can go straight is imaginary hocus pocus from Focus.

Gay Israel: After a recent spasm of anti-gay violence in several countries, the merits of founding a nation where persecuted homosexuals can escape rampant abuse is worth exploring. Each day we wait, more gay people die. No other minority would allow their brethren to be gratuitously killed and neither should the GLBT Community.

Gentrification: If only the coffee shop Big Cup had changed its name to the Luxurious Latte it might have survived. The downfall of the Big Cup is indicative of dramatic changes taking place in gayborhoods across America, where artists are pushed out, as art dealers move in.

Harriet Miers: The nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court is driving the right wing crazy. The last time they were this angry, it was over another presidential worshipping White House groupie. But at least Bill Clinton didn't nominate Monica Lewinsky to the Supreme Court.

Hurricane Relief: I'm having serious qualms about writing a check for Hurricane relief. The way I see it, I already gave my fair share for the effort on April 15. President George W. Bush, however, decided to squander this money on tax breaks for Cappuccino Conservatives and attacking a nation in the name of 9-11 that had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks.

Jim Guckert (Jeff Gannon): Although George W. Bush once owned The Texas Rangers, anyone who has seen him at a press conference knows that his favorite sport is really softball. Bush's penchant for puff helps to explain the mercurial rise and fall of "reporter" Jim Guckert, who went from working in a cyber-whorehouse to covering the White House as a "correspondent" for conservative Internet magazine, Talon News.

When not reporting conservative news, Guckert was a member of Bush's "ownership society." In fact, he owned seedy gay sex websites including HotMilitaryStud.com, MilitaryEscorts.com and MilitaryEscortsM4M.com. While other reporters covered a beat, Guckert's beat was under the covers.

You've got to hand it to this White House. When they couldn't get the media to buy their spin, they bought the media. And now, when they couldn't get the media hook they desired, they simply got a hooker. Unfortunately for Bush, his ringer was a Ringling Brothers sexual circus.

Judiciary: At first, it seemed reactions by right wing reactionaries to the Terri Schiavo case had at least a modicum of sincerity. But it has become clear that Schiavo was just a pawn in a larger, more diabolical scheme to fundamentally emasculate the judiciary and mold them into "yes men" for an out of control Congress.

LOGO: The new gay television network should produce a knock-off of Survivor, where 10 "ex-gays" are airlifted and placed on an island stocked with sex addicted A&F Models. Each time an ex-gay breaks down and sodomizes, he is booted off the island.

Another show should be "Metro Guy For the Queer Pig Sty." It will be dedicated to all the beer guzzling, flanel-shirt wearing, fat, pale gay men who think Universal Gear is a shop that fixes tractors. In this stereotype-breaking show, a gang of five straight Metrosexuals enters a Bear's house and teaches him how to properly shine his leather thong and trim his back hair.

Losing the Battle: If you are gay, now is time to waltz into your walk-in closet and make a choice. You can dust off your boxing gloves and prepare to fight for your rights or, you can stay silent and redecorate your closet because this is the lonely, miserable space you may inhabit in the near future. I've been fighting for equality since 1988, and this is the first time I believe we are going backwards and actually losing the battle.

The biggest mistake gay people and their allies tend to make is the naive assumption that there is a cosmic force of good moving Americans toward inevitable acceptance of homosexuality. But equality is a hopeful destination - not predestination - with history teaching us that the fist of fanaticism often stops the forces of freedom.

On whole, the nation is becoming more accepting, but the whole nation isn't calling the shots. Instead, a powerful clique of right wing theocrats is attacking the very institutions that hold this nation together.

The treacherous tide has turned, and in our sink or swim moment we are drowning - along with other minorities - in the awesome conservative wave that has consumed this fearful nation. There is no lifeguard on the way to save us. Our only life preserver is our own courageous action and it is inexplicably in short supply - like rafts on the Titanic.

Magellan: By reinstating ex-gay therapist Warren Throckmorton to its National Professional Advisory Council, Magellan signaled that the company would abandon sound science if badgered by right wing bullies. Magellan was correct the first time when their punitive actions declared Throckmorton uniquely unqualified and ill suited to offer unbiased advice.

Military Interpreters: Between 1998 and 2004, the military kicked out 20 hard-to-find Arabic speakers and six Farsi speakers simply because they are gay. It seems it is a higher priority for our government to keep these valued interpreters out of gay Internet chat rooms, than it is to have them investigating terrorist "chatter."

Modern Conservatism: If we travel from the Big Empty space at Ground Zero to the Big Easy, we find another barren hellhole that this administration promises to rebuild. However, with no credibility, who can believe what they have to say? If one thing New Orleans and New York have exposed, it is that modern conservatism is an ill-conceived experiment that has failed. It is an amoral, elitist political propaganda machine that is consumed with nothing more than achieving power and rewarding the friends of the powerful.

National Day of Prayer: I think America should also have A National Day of Competence where Bush purges his legions of hacks and patronage pals and replaces them with trained professionals. Prayer is fine, but it is not a substitute for experience and job qualifications. Until this crony cleansing occurs, don't bet on your prayers being answered.

New York: So there we were in Times Square: A bacon eating, Jewish gay activist with his fur-wearing vegan boyfriend in a confrontation with an animal rights/peace activist who clearly wanted to behead us. What's not to love about New York?

** The tolls coming into New York City from the Newark airport are absolutely, over-the-top outrageous. Anything over $15, in my opinion, is no longer a toll - it's a cover charge that requires two free drinks upon entering the city.

** The interesting thing about being gay in certain evolved parts of America is how uninteresting and unremarkable it is. A person declaring he or she is gay in Park Slope is no more eyebrow raising than a person declaring that he or she likes bialy bagels instead of poppy seed.

Religious Left: If moderate Christians don't fight for their beliefs, they will soon find their faith extinct, with Jesus forever transformed into a judgmental bigot who unfailingly votes Republican and watches Fox news.

Religious Tests: Let me get this straight. Republican demagogic leaders have all but handed out study guides and Number 2 pencils for the past twenty-five years, and they suddenly have an aversion to religious tests for Supreme Court nominee John Roberts?

Socialite Sues Church: A New York socialite who claims a priest turned him into a sodomite is suing the Catholic Church for $5 million. J. David Enright IV, 51, says Rev. Joseph Romano molested him as a 7-year-old boy at summer camp, and as a result he was unable to live as a suburban heterosexual.

Tom DeLay: For years, DeLay has boasted that his fundamentalist "worldview" guides his record in Congress. What he didn't say, was that his worldview included trips to Britain, Moscow, and the Pacific Mariana Islands, paid for by slippery lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

At least DeLay is sincere about upholding family values. In fact, The New York Times reported he is such a good family man that he funneled $500,000 to his wife and daughter for supposed consulting fees.

Vatican: To remain in the Catholic Church as a gay priest is to be the abused wife that runs back to her husband. If a gay priest sees the church as merely a jobs program, than I can understand staying. But, priests with a conscience who care about God, the church, the gay community and the truth, will realize that it is time to leave this increasingly intolerant institution in protest.

Zach: In May, 16-year old Zach told his fundamentalist Christian parents that he is gay. Horrified by the news, they vowed to fix him by sending him to an "ex-gay" boot camp in Memphis to be reprogrammed. Like a modern day message in a bottle, Zach used his Internet blog to send an SOS. Miraculously, his desperate plea for help washed up on the shores of sanity and circulated in cyberspace at warp speed.

16 Comments:

"In essence, we all have our own secret Brokeback Mountain and the movie subconsciously asks people to find their purpose and embrace their passion, because life is short and fragile."

Oh, that is so true! I need to think this over and make use of it.

I want to say how much I value your viewpoint and the way you express it. Thank you, Wayne.
posted by Vicki, at 12/27/2005 2:07 PM

Great job Wayne...

Kim
posted by Anonymous, at 12/27/2005 2:39 PM

I know things seem bleak at times, but I really do think people are finally waking up; not only from what I hear on talk radio, but also in the blogosphere. I think the turning/tipping point will be in the 06 elections when the Dems get control of the House back.
Gary (NJ)
posted by Anonymous, at 12/27/2005 3:46 PM

Wayne - You make the journey a pleasant one indeed. Thanks for your voice - and for this sounding board. We are on the same page more often than not. I look forward to 2006 - we have our work cut out for us.

--
Paul In Houston
posted by Anonymous, at 12/27/2005 3:50 PM

Wayne thank you for your informative e-zine and this board and for the many posts you've posted for me.
A New Year and a new beginning for all of us. Keep up the great work you do.

Dominick
posted by Dominick, at 12/28/2005 1:13 PM

慶修院,七星潭,林田山,石藝大街,鯉魚潭,太魯閣一日遊,砂卡礑步道,武嶺,太魯閣九曲洞,七星柴魚博物館,花蓮漁港,瑞穗牧場,台東天來茶園,花蓮玉里安通溫泉
posted by trvel, at 7/15/2009 11:25 PM

南京麦瑞货架制造有限公司是国内专业从事仓储货架及仓储设备集研发、生产、销售、安装于一体的大规模企业之一。汇集国内仓储设备制造业众多技术精英 ...南京北春货架制造有限公司为您量身订做各类仓储货架及货架配套设备,满足您的存储要求,合理使用空间.为客户提供一体化的货架解决方案仓储规划、制造、安装及售后服务等 ...托盘是静态货物转变成动态货物的载体,一般用于装卸搬运、仓储保管以及运输,南京麦瑞，拥有十年的托盘制造经验。主要生产钢托盘,木托盘,以及网格托盘等特种托盘。南京麦瑞塑料托盘制造有限公司是专业生产塑料托盘企业是中国塑料托盘知名品牌,南京麦瑞牌塑料托盘是南京市名牌产品,是中国塑料托盘协会会员是中国物流与采购联合会会员 ...Google排名专家提供专业的Google左侧排名技术服务，可以为您获得好的Google排名，如果您需要Google左侧排名技术服务，请联系Google排名专家，我们为您提供稳定的Google ...
posted by SEO, at 8/17/2009 3:47 AM

提供google排名产品，包括google排名服务，众多的google排名信息、google排名咨询，尽在google排名网。
角钢货架，万能角钢货架，南京货架
 轻型货架，北京货架，托盘包装
 中型货架，中量型货架，置物柜
 重型货架，重型仓储货架，上海货架
 托盘货架，上海货架厂，小推车
 横梁货架，横梁式货架，塑胶托盘
 阁楼货架，阁楼式货架，货位式货架
 密集架，深圳货架厂，推车
 悬臂货架，悬臂式货架，广州货架厂
 贯通货架，贯通式货架，卡板
 通廊式货架，深圳货架，苏州货架
 驶入式货架，广州货架，浙江货架
 流利条，天津货架，沈阳货架
 江苏货架，无锡货架，天津木托盘
 杭州货架，宁波货架，熏蒸木托盘
 济南货架，青岛货架，蜂窝纸托盘
 重庆货架，广东货架，食品托盘
 货架公司，成都货架，塑料卡板
 货架厂，货架设计，货架设备
 仓储货架，货架厂家，货架网
 移动货架，移动式货架，货架制造
 货架加工，货架配件，生产货架
 服装货架，货架制作，销售货架
 货架价格，货架图片，展示货架
 仓库货架，库房货架，精品货架
 图书货架，音像货架，百变货架
 物流货架，商场货架，线棒货架
 东莞货架，设备货架，不锈钢货架
 抽屉式货架，重力式货架，立体货架
 模具架，钢平台，档案密集架
 超市货架，收银台，超市设备
 线棒，仓储物流设备，园林垃圾桶
 塑料垃圾桶，上海物流设备，药品柜
 分类垃圾桶，物流设备有限公司，陪护椅
 垃圾桶，物流设备公司，医用消毒柜
posted by 度, at 8/20/2009 9:25 PM

Ugg Amelie Suede
UGG Bailey Button
UGG Classic Cardy
UGG Classic Crochet
UGG Classic Mini
UGG Classic Short
UGG Classic Tall
Ugg Gypsy Sandal
Ugg Halendi Sandal
UGG Hammond Slipper
UGG Infant's Erin Baby
UGG Layback Slipper
UGG Locarno
Ugg Matala Sandal
Ugg Napoule Sandal
UGG New style
UGG Nightfall
Ugg Persephone Sandal
Ugg Skimmer
UGG Sundance
Ugg Tasmina
UGG Ultra Short
UGG Ultra Tall
UGG Women's Coquette
UGG Women's Knightsbridg
UGG Women's Mayfaire
posted by peggy, at 12/15/2009 1:49 AM

ugg shoes
ugg boots
ugg
ugg sale
fake ugg
ugg store
ugg discount
men's ugg
womens ugg
buy ugg boots
ugg cardy
replica ugg
cheap ugg
ugg classic
Ugg Short Boots
Ugg Classic Tall boots
Ugg Infant's Erin Baby Boots
Ugg Women's Eskimo boots
Ugg New Arrive Shoes
Ugg Women's Coquette
Ugg Amelie Suede
Ugg Gypsy Sandal
Ugg Halendi Sandal
UGG Hammond Slipper
UGG Layback Slipper
Ugg Matala Sandal
Ugg Napoule Sandal
Ugg Persephone Sandal
Ugg Skimmer
Ugg Tasmina
posted by 月, at 12/20/2009 8:33 PM

There is a cool range of nike air force 1 available including the latest Classic Cardy Style in Black, mens prada shoes, Oatmeal or Cream. These ugg store are almost impossible to get anywhere in the UK and sold out on the cheap Tiffany website within weeks. They are incredibly popular ugg store and its easy to see why. ugg discount is a really versatile boot UGG Bailey Button boots. The three chunky wooden ugg boots Boots Salep the side mean that you can wear them either buttoned up or down and they look great with buy ugg boots.he ultimate in luxury designer clothing has to still be the online shopping Australia boots. These timeless classics are available in nike shoes, Black and Sand these converse shoes really are the last word in comfort footwear. These ugg discount are made entirely from sheepskin with a light Eva sole there is nothing quite Tiffany earring like the feeling of slipping your feet into a brand new pair of ugg boots! But not only do they feel great cheap ugg they look great ugg discount too and can be worn tall or ugg down to expose the sheepskin fur.If you're looking for wholesale supplier for a special lady,discount af1 shoes sale recommend UGG Suburb Crochet from the prada shoesCollection-they have the qualities of great fashion ugg boots online and practicality combined-along with exquisite comfort. If you want to purchase the Tiffany jewelry, please visit ugg classic our online buy ugg boots shop. Welcome to select and buy ugg store!was shocked. But here was a statement ugg shoes that could be checked against future events retail supplies.
posted by lili, at 12/28/2009 2:46 PM