caeron

I think when you're on the national stage as an anti-gay bigot, then you're an idiot if you expect an escort to keep quiet about you. There is no seal of the confessional to protect you.

The vindictive part of me would love to see Bush and Cheney get called out properly for what I view as poisoning the well, but I think it would not best serve the country. I think we, as a nation, need to focus on a better way forward, and I think the new administration agrees. I suspect, therefore, they may do enough to shine a light in some dark corners, but unless there is really shocking misconduct, that will be the extent of it. You can't go after people for the grey areas. Even if they're really, really dark grey. Unless it's totally open and shut wrongdoing, it will just become partisan rancor and derail any hope of coming together as a nation. What I hope is that with a little light on the subject, all of us will think to ourselves "That isn't the nation we want to be." and we'll be better as a nation going forward. Though I fear the majority are still willing to trade liberty for security.

Indeed, I've bookmarked the true homepage, so I guess that's why I don't see the ad.

I have firefox for a browser and with the pop up blocker on, I never see that ad.

I imagine because the tapes are part of a criminal investigation, but who knows. It is a funny trainwreck to watch, if you don't live in illinois, and can suppress your gag reflex.

I've been reading the WSJ coverage of Thain. He appears to be really unaware of how badly he is coming off in this. Of course, with the money he's looted, I mean 'earned', I guess he's getting the last laugh.

I've had it when in japan and found it very bland. I'm told that the excitement is the numbness/slight intoxication from eating it. I experienced none of that, so I couldn't say. Maybe back in the day when they hadn't gotten the preparing it down to the science it is today. At this point, I think it's more about the ego of eating something that could kill you than the taste of it.

That's certainly how I interpreted it.

Well, Sam Adams has decided to stay on as Mayor. Time will tell how much he's damaged himself with this idiocy. Beau Breedlove gave an interview to the Oregonian backing up Sam Adams story mostly. He said they kissed twice before he turned 18. I still think he should have responded to the initial allegations with a "piss off. I've done nothing wrong and I'm not going to debate my private life." Once he started talking about it, he both lied and made the subject fair game.

There's smaltz and then there's smaltz. I greatly enjoyed slumdog millionaire, but at it's core it's just a smaltzy love story. Haven't seen wrestler, sounds like it's good, but not really that interesting to me. Not having seen it, I won't critique its smaltziness :-)

That's the funny thing. I presume Daddy thought as Zachary does and likes the, um, 'debate'. If he doesn't, then I think he's been doing a really rotten job of managing the message center. I'm no longer a fan of flame wars. Maybe it's advancing years, but I've been on the internet for over 25 years, from back in the days before windows, and just at the very birth of the mac. I used to love diving in, but eventually you realize you aren't changing anybody's mind with your witty retorts and clever putdowns. You're talking to yourself, and they're talking to themselves. It never goes anywhere. It's like a boxing match with infinite rounds where the only damage to your opponent is in your own mind. Since I used to do it, I get why people can like it. For me though, it's like trying to hold a conversation in a bar with blaring music. Might as well go find someplace else where you can.

You'll enjoy http://failblog.org/ Particularly the pole dancer fail.

That's hilarious. If it weren't $70 dollars I'd buy it in a minute!

The big awards have always valued smaltz over substance. I decided I'd had enough of the Oscars when the feel good movie crash beat brokeback. Maybe it was just sour grapes for me, but I found Crash really really shallow. Thanks for the vote for revolutionary road, I'll try to go see it.

There is a fine line between respecting the office and respecting its holder. One of the great things about this republic is that we can shout "boo" at our leaders and get away with it. It may be boisterous and rude, but it is free. And of course, you're free to think those who do so are base. (I'm of mixed minds on it, and don't know what I would have done if I'd been there.) It's funny where various people draw the line. I've watched English Parliament a few times and am always a bit flabbergasted by the caterwauling that goes on. You expect a food fight or a fist fight to break out any moment. I always find it shockingly rude, but I guess it's normal to them.

I think you can disagree and have productive debate without being nasty. I would like to think of this as a party at someone's house. If someone says something you disagree with, you can say so, and why, without resorting to the equivalent of "well look at what cunt lips just said." The gay community has a history of bitchy queens, so it's easy to start down the sloop. But on the internet, no one can ever see the smile on your face, so a little bitchiness begets more bitchiness until the whole forum is rolling around the virtual parking lot trying to scratch each other's eyes out with lee press-on nails. It isn't pretty.

Here here on the civility bit. I used to participate over there years ago, but the just continuous nastiness trying to masquerade as wit left me cold.

Well, I listened to it, and I just didn't hear it. Thank god for google. At least I now know what I guess I'm too clueless to hear.

I can. Spitzer was a hypocrite. Nobody here cares, I'm sure, that he hired prostitutes. They care that he did it while riding his high horse (and prosecuting prostitution rings himself).

Obviously it depends, but I tend to be of the second strike out rule. One time could be an anomaly. The second time it's a pattern. For escorts, I don't hire enough these days to create patterns, so if something goes wrong with the scheduling, I just make the presumption it's a pattern and move on. This has as much to do with the fact that I typically hire when I'm on the road, so if I give them a second chance, if they are a flake, then I've probably lost my chance to hire. Our local dry cleaners, for instance, has had issues over the years. They pick up and deliver, which I love, so when delivery and pickup got really spotty for a couple of months, I just nagged the owners until they got it sorted out, since switching would have been worse than dealing with the flaky driver.

I'd add the golden rule here somewhere in big bright letters. Some variation of: Virtually all requests for money in advance is a sign of scamming. This underlies all the scenarios that you've put up here, and any new ones they come up with.

I can't believe the idiotic train wreck of anonymous innuendo. Paterson really didn't control this process very well to let that mess happen. Though to be fair, the last minute withdrawal of Kennedy was pretty suspect. It sure read to me like, "I'm going to lose, so I quit."

He is pretty fuckable, isn't he? The fact that his name is breedlove doesnt' help either.

My day of service was called work. I didn't get the day off.

I'm a local and this is disheartening. Like most here I'm sure, I don't care that he and the kid fucked. But he really screwed the pooch in trying to cover the whole thing up. If his current story is true, then he's clean. He said he dated the kid for a few weeks after he turned 18. (below 18 would be a crime here) I'm convinced portlanders would have shrugged their shoulders and ignored it. Now he's made it much worse by trying to cover it up and acting guilty. There was a lot of hope that he'd be a great mayor for portland. I hope this doesn't completely torpedo him just after he's taken office.