DINOSAURS TO HOMOPHOBES: COME JOIN US

Amazingly, a day after North Carolina passed a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage, President Obama publically came out of the political closet and endorsed gay marriage. Back in 1996, Illinois State Senate candidate Obama supported gay marriage but "closeted" his true belief during the 2008 campaign to get elected. Sadly, to do otherwise may have doomed his presidential chances in a land still dominated by homophobes. Even today,thirty states expressly prohibit gay marriage while only seven have legalized it. Sadly, gay marriages in those seven are not recognized by the federal government due to the pernicious Defense of Marriage Act (1996) which should be called the Defense of Homophobia Act.


But the President has promoted gay civil rights throughout his first term and he took the ultimate step yesterday with his courageous challenge to the homophobe dead enders. Back in the 1950's when I first connected with the black civil rights movement, I viewed with dismay the racist dead enders who shouted "Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever". They reminded me of dinosaurs, roaming the land not realizing their days were numbered. Some lived out their lives as unrepentant racists, but many expunged the poison of hate from their soul and went on to live more human, productive lives.

The homophobic community of today should take note: you've officially ceded the moral high ground in this debate. You need to examine your heart and come to terms with the bumpy but inevitable tide of human progress. Otherwise, you will go the way of the racist dinosaurs and end up on the scrapheap of human evolution.

BREAD AND CIRCUSES AND BUNNY MONEY

Rachel "Bunny" Lowe Lambert Lloyd Mellon, at 101, has accomplished much, being a famed horticulturalist, gardener, philanthropist, fine arts collector and owner of a Kentucky Derby winner. Up till now Mellon was best known for her 1961 redesign of the White House Rose Garden for her friend Jackie Kennedy.

Alas, a century of accomplishments now pale to her providing the term "Bunny money" to our lexicon, referring to her gifts of $725,000 to John Edwards in 2007, for his personal use during his failed Presidential bid. Instead of the White House, Edwards now faces a 30 year stay in the Big House, fighting charges of illegal use of her Bunny money to hide his affair and love child with Rielle Hunter from his wife, and presumably the public, so he could continue his Presidential bid. That distinction is critical to the government's case. If the Bunny money was simply a personal gift allowing Edwards to hide the affair from his wife then Edwards walks. If intended to enable continuation of his campaign, then it becomes an illegal campaign contribution, and Edwards sits. The law, for the first time, has to make this distinction regarding financial aid not overtly earmarked as a campaign contribution.

Guess what Uncle Sam? Neither I nor about 310 million of my fellow Americans could care less. While hundreds of millions of dollars flow into Super PACs, we recognize that this trial is merely a freak show of bread and circuses to distract us from the real justice that needs to be meted out. Why not start with the war crimes of the Bush II administration, the Wall Street banksters who stole trillions while bringing us to the brink of collapse, and the lowlifes who destroyed the wildlife in the Gulf with their willful and callous criminal negligence causing the Deepwater Horizon disaster?

If I want bread and circuses, I'll watch Jerry Springer.. or the Kardashians.