With all the focus here and elsewhere on how shitty American politics is, it’s easy to forget that we just elected a black president, something I didn’t think I’d see in my lifetime. And now one of the largest cities in the country will have an openly gay mayor, Annise Parker.
No one likes to admit this, but the forces of tolerance are making steady progress on a lot of fronts.
Xecky Gilchrist
Not only one of the largest cities in the country, but one in Texas. Well done, Houston!
Cat Lady
No one except everyone here, and we’re not no one. We are multitudes. I still think there are more of us than them.
My daughter, a teacher, is teaching the tolerance that I taught her to a bunch of 4th graders who are getting it. At the risk of sounding like Sully, know hope.
Ailuridae
Its good to be reminded that progress almost always wins
asiangrrlMN
Woot woot! Doing a happy butt-on-the-couch, cats-in-the-lap victory dance! Way to go, Houston!
Michilines
The forces that have pitted white and black and brown against each other have finally forever been broken.
It’s NOT about her orientation. Never has been. She’s not in debt to the powers that be — namely Bob Lanier. Just like Bill White wasn’t. We still have our city. Not the big money people.
Houston lives!!!!! Proud and independent. And progressive.
ondioline
Dude, I’m jonesing for a picture of that huge cat.
Put one up please.
YankeeApologist
I agree that given the proper perspective, the forces of tolerance, justice, and hope ARE winning the war. There’s still so much negative stuff out there to be fought, though.
Forgive the war metaphor, but front-line soldiers can usually hardly tell if they’re winning or losing. They’re mostly just surrounded by the immediate effects of the battle, as it were.
We did elect a black President, but he’s enabling Goldman Sachs to rape our economy.
An openly gay mayor in Houston is great (and I say this as a transplanted NYC’er living in Austin), but I see how gay people get treated in this state every day.
In other words, there’s still lots of work to do.
Brick Oven Bill
DougJ, I am all for amputees, and people with herpes, and gays, and women, and blacks, and gay female black amputees with herpes.
But in case you didn’t notice, that thing in front of our national glider is a rock face.
Voting should be restricted to those actively participating in the economy. Socrates’ next step, following democracy, is Tyranny.
If a gay female black amputee with herpes can pull of a self-sustaining business, then let us hear her voice.
Yutsano
@Brick Oven Bill: The most idiotic and racist statement yet BoB. I call for a little more time in the sin bin for that one.
YankeeApologist
@Brick Oven Bill:
I think that this is the opposition just makes me feel good about my world-view.
This guy probably sticks stray cats in a bag and beats them against trees for being a drain on society.
Michilines
If you knew anything about Houston, the race you would be looking at would be for a city council race.
But your focus on the superficial is just what the MSM looks for.
JBerardi
Hey guys, keep arguing with Brick Oven Bill. This is a productive activity. He’s going to start listening to you any minute now. Really. Keep it up. You’ve almost won.
For such an articulate and intelligent internet community, you BJers really have no idea how to deal with a troll.
freelancer (itouch)
@Brick Oven Bill:
WTF. Barbeque. In space.
Michilines
Parker was in no danger. She has been elected 6 times. 6 times. No problem. Not this time. Never in danger. She has been elected 6 times. Sorry asiangrrl — where were you when Parker was running before now? You can butt dance all you want. Here in Houston, we don’t need it. Rather don’t like it.
asiangrrlMN
@Michilines: Well excuse the fuck out of me for being happy that there is an openly gay mayor and that I don’t follow every goddamn race in the country. Oh, and fuck you.
ondioline
Where’s that fat white cat.
Please to give me a picture.
Nowz.
joypog
@michilines chillax and celebrate a bit. All the problems in our city will be here tomorrow, but at least tonight we helped break another barrier and showed the rest of the country that Houston isn’t as ass-backwards as everyone thought we were when GWB was president (I should know since i was living in California during those dark days).
btw which city council race were you interested in?
For what its worth, off the kuff blog
(http://offthekuff.com/wp/) seemed plenty concerned about the outcome — and this is a guy who was tabulating early vote totals for the past two weeks!
Michilines
Well dickweed (aka asianpoof), if you comment on it you should at least know what you are talking about.
Otherwise you are about as useful as BOB.
It’s your choice.
LJS
Not only that, but California is getting it’s first openly gay, AND hispanic Speaker.
asiangrrlMN
@Michilines: I was commenting on my happiness that an openly gay person is a mayor. Period. I was not making a comment on the progressiveness of your city or lack thereof. You don’t like it? Fine. You don’t have to be an ass about it.
mandarama
@Michilines:
Jeezus. Who pissed in your Wheaties this morning? Seriously, I can’t tell what you’re het up about. Is it that the rest of the country hadn’t noticed that you had Parker as a council member and comptroller, therefore not giving Houston enough credit for its progressivism? Or you think the rest of the country’s congratulations are condescending because we should have known all along how terrific Houston is?
bago
@Michilines: Wait, is that the comment disparaging the time it took someone else to comment? Have we reached meta-stupid?
Michilines
@joypog
Parker’s win was only a surprise to conservatives/republicans.
you should have heard how the KSEV peeps were bad mouthing the only conservative.
If you read Kuff, you would read me there, too.
Ailuridae
@asiangrrlMN:
Gay mayor in Houston. That’s the focus. Fuck the haters.
Michilines
#20 — is that you asian grrl?
Brick Oven Bill
Thomas Jefferson was a very wise man. In this remarkable paper, he refers to the effects of granting voting rights to females, as they did following the French Revolution. The French Revolution was closely followed by Napoleon, a Dictator.
“And such men [Ed: us] may safely and advantageously reserve to themselves a wholesome control over their public affairs, and a degree of freedom, which, in the hands of the canaille [the masses] of the cities of Europe, would be instantly perverted to the demolition and destruction of everything public and private.”
In the instance of Jefferson’s United States, voting rights were restricted to men, actively participating in the economy, or approximately 12.5% of the population.
freelancer (itouch)
@Michilines:
Quit violating Wheaton’s rule.
God, some people gotta be dicks about everything.
wasabi gasp
I can only aspire to be as useful as BOB. I don’t though.
But, I have a potato.
Yutsano
@Michilines: I see. So we’re not allowed to celebrate a historic win in your city just because we were not paying attention to someone who at the time was a city councilman. Well let me knock you off your high horse dumbass. I had heard of Parker long before she decided to run for the mayorality. And she was a historical figure back then. So take your holier-than-thou attitude and stick it where the sun don’t shine.
Oh and I’d highly suggest you get off my wifey. She can certainly handle her own, but I’ll be damned if you go after someone I care about.
Michilines
Gay mayor in Houston. That puts everything Parker has done down to her sexual preference.
She has continued what Bill White started. And that is a good thing.
Yutsano
@wasabi gasp: wasabi latkes? I may just have some culinary inspiration here!
Morbo
Looks like she’s a Keynesian, too.
mandarama
@Michilines:
No. This is another commenter, in Tennessee, who thinks you must be new around here. That’s a nice way of saying, “Maybe you don’t realize you’re being a jackass.” Come on, if you believe in progress for LGBT issues, you can see why those of us in Minnesota and Tennessee are happy to see Houston take the lead like this.
Or, you could stop wasting your time with us, and go tell the NYT that they need to change their headline to “Houston Is Largest City to Elect Openly Gay Mayor–But You Can All Fuck Off for Noticing.”
Michilines
Yusanto, sorry.
I thought I was a supporter of Parker, but you have outdone me.
You win. You ARE a better support of her. Why did I even vote for her all these years?
Yutsano
@Morbo: Am I the only one who thinks it weird that Texas never had a citizen permanent fund like Alaska? Granted many many fewer people up there makes it much easier to spread around, but I find that curious. Not that I think Parker could change that, unless she ran for Goodhair’s job. Now THAT would be awesome.
freelancer (itouch)
@Michilines:
That’s like me getting pissed because people here were rooting for Suh for Heisman. As the loudest Husker fan here, I object that anyone else would say they appreciate what Suh has done for the game!
No, I don’t, because I’d be a tribalistic dickhead, and I’m not a dickhead.
Fencedude
@Michilines:
Fucking christ you’re an idiot.
The reason this is such a big deal is, in part, because the people in Houston don’t think its a big deal.
Perspective: you don’t has it.
Wilson Heath
@Brick Oven Bill:
BOB, you have peaked the stupid meter. Only active participants in the economy could vote? Really, they got to use their 3/5 votes? You “skins in” morons don’t know WTF you’re talking about so drop it before you say something even stupider.
mandarama
@Michilines:
Ah, now I see your complaint. I suppose you could read the nationwide cheer for Houston as a reductive profiling…OR, you could see it as all of us being pleased that despite the efforts of her opposition and religious groups to use her sexual orientation against her, Parker’s skills won out.
peter john
Never rest on our laurels. Keep on pressing the fight. There are still too many ignorant congress people and ignorant voters who elected for me to get too happy.
wasabi gasp
Yay for tolerance…and new girls. ;)
Michilines
mandarama:
You got caught with your pants down and you don’t like it.
We went through this in Houston back in the 1980’s. Those of us who live here — have lived here all our lives know that Parkers cares about us — just like we know that having someone on city council who connects with Quannel X is a good thing for our city.
I don’t need some fake cheerleader who is probably a guy telling me what is good for my city.
Parker embraces our city. She got where she is because a lot of us have voted for her again and again. Six times. She said as much.
Wilson Heath
As for Houston, I was rooting for Anise but Locke seemed like a good alternate result until he didn’t disown the endorsements of hate mongers. Before the mouth breathers decided to try to scare out the vote, I thought either option would horrify them. Locke, as a student activist decades ago, had wanted to “dehonkify” the University of Houston. It had seemed that either as mayor would have pissed off all the wrong people. But I guess there’s a pecking order for peckerwoods.
Yutsano
@Michilines: So just because we don’t live in Houston and haven’t voted for her we’re not allowed to celebrate her election? Do you feel the same way about the Canadians (and other internationals) who cheered for Obama’s election as well? Or are you just a homer with no sense of perspective?
Michilines
you could see it as all of us being pleased that despite the efforts of her opposition and religious groups to use her sexual orientation against her, Parker’s skills won out.
And you did what to fight against that?
Please tell me what exactly you did.
mandarama
@Michilines:
Um. I’m not a guy. I’m part of the dreaded “soccer mom” demographic. And I actually don’t understand what you mean about getting caught with my pants down.
No one doubts that Parker cares about your city, has done a great job, etc., etc. The focus on Houston tonight is because now other cities in mostly red states like my own can feel hopeful that maybe other openly gay folks can build public careers solely judged on their actions, and that the shit thrown at them by conservatives won’t stick. That is a win. It’s not about what’s good for YOUR city. It’s about what your city’s done that’s good for OUR cities. I can’t imagine why you’re unable to see this, in good faith.
freelancer (itouch)
@Michilines:
Exactly how are you any different than any scenester douchebag that hates the fans of a decent music act because they were there from the beginning, not like the rest of you poseurs?!
Asshole.
Jason Bylinowski
It’s hard to believe that a major city could have a gay mayor, from my perspective. It would never ever ever happen here in Augusta, GA, at least not while I’m still alive. But I guess it just reminds me that the world is so much bigger that I ever picture it; might be hard to believe, but there are probably other liberal cities out there besides just San Fran and Austin. Sometimes I wish I could just move to one of those cities: for a while now, my town has been very depressing to me. But I always come back to staying here because I just want to be THAT GUY who doesn’t fit in and who humanizes people’s reactions to liberals. There are people here who actually think that there are NO liberals in Augusta. I wondered about that myself at first, but it turns out that there are quite a few. So I might stay here for a long while, just to see if maybe one day things might change at least a little.
+3
Michilines
So just because we don’t live in Houston and haven’t voted for her we’re not allowed to celebrate her election?
No. You just don’t know what the lo cal politics are. Parker’s win is a win for progressives == even though she advertised herself as the more conservative candidate. Did you know that? She had advertisements on the conservative radio networks here in Houston — bragging about how conservative she is.
You guys just don’t get it.
Morbo
Yankee, go home!
Yutsano
@mandarama: I’m honestly not understanding the persecution complex here. Parker won a good fight. Period. She’s an open and proud lesbian in an area of the country where it is not always appreciated. That is an accomplishment. That’s all that really matters tonight.
mandarama
@Michilines:
…And you did what to fight against that?
Please tell me what exactly you did. …
Well, since I’m in another state, I observed from afar. Which is why I’m congratulating Houston and Annise Parker, not myself.
But I’ll cheerfully retract those congratulations, since you’ve rendered them entirely moot.
You said in your first post, “Houston lives!! Proud and independent. And progressive.” By your own lights, the rest of us must say, “Eh, who cares? Not our city.”
Yutsano
@Michilines: So you lead off with this:
Then come out later with this:
Sorry but what the fuck over? Are you proud of her election or not? To boil it down to one simple statement:
WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM??
freelancer (itouch)
@Michilines:
yeah I like my politics very high calorie. If Michael Gass and Makewi had a kid, you’d be their stillborn fucktard.
Michilines
Um. I’m not a guy.
Women only wear dresses?
Dumbass.
Exactly how are you any different than any scenester douchebag that hates the fans of a decent music act because they were there from the beginning, not like the rest of you poseurs?!
Asshole.
Well, because politics is not vanity like bands. In Houston, there was this group of people, who ran everything, like BOB LANIER and CHEIF BROWN and all of them wanted to keep a hold on the POWER in HOUSTON until we got this magical man named WHITE and now we got this person named PARKER who I don’t know because of her strong roots in our community and her COMPETENCE she pulled one Ron Green and Jolanda Jones with her.
Oh but you all just jump for joy.
AhabTRuler
You heard him Augusta, he’s gotta go. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one.
Short Bus Bully
@Michilines
What the fuck are you even arguing about? Who in their right mind would know or care about local politics in Houston except the people who live there? Do you give a shit about the politics here in my little town in bumfuck eastern Washington? Of course not!
Would I criticize you for applauding us if we did something good for a change?
FUCK NO!
Stop being such a dickhead.
P.S. – Brick Oven Bill is officially King of the Trolls. Keep posting dude, it’s amazing to see the true colors once you creep out from under that bridge.
Yutsano
@AhabTRuler: It’s okay. We have a liberal relocation program in the Northwest. We’ll take him and his lovely family in.
nwithers
One day at a time, one day a at time…..
john b
Michilines said plenty of stupid things, but i’ll focus on a new one:
wtf does this even mean? as a person who has been in numerous bands and loves music, how does bands = vanity? that doesn’t even make sense. are you one of those sorts that only appreciates music in how it can promote you socially?
also: the holier than thou shit won’t really work out too well for you here.
Michilines
It’s politics, Yusanto and freelancer.
It’s the only way she could get elected. She had the religious perves out after her — claiming that her election would be just what you are making it.
If you could just let us be.
mandarama
@Michilines:
I said, “Um. I’m not a guy.”
and got
I’m a dumbass for telling you that I’m a woman, NOT “probably a guy”? Ohhhhkay. And what do dresses have to do with anything? Non, meet Sequitur.
I’m having a Whiskey Tango Foxtrot for a nightcap. Hope Mayor Parker does a lot to improve mental health awareness there in Houston.
yutsano, I’m leaving this in your capable hands.
Martin
Who fucking cares about Houston’s mayor.
Short Bus Bully
If you could just let us be.
ZOMG, emo alert.
Michilines
john b, thanks
Do you know what bands are? Like the bands that play music?
Michilines
ZOMG, emo alert.
Is mnnasiangrrl back?
john b
@Michilines:
huh?
Yutsano
@mandarama: How’s about this:
Ms Parker won. I congratulate her on her victory. She will make progress not only for Houston but all of the nation by her example. I hope her tenure is successful and productive. And no sourpuss coming in telling me I can’t celebrate otherwise can bite me. And not where I’d bite my wifey.
mss
As a native Houstonian, I once dreaded mention of my hometown in the national press—for years, we were the cautionary example; the road not to take. It’s nice to be the symbol of hope for a change.
YankeeApologist
@Jason Bylinowski:
Interesting to hear you say that you don’t see it ever happening in Augusta. I don’t know anything about your town, though I did tour through Georgia back in 2004 and met a lot of really great people.
It’s that fact that makes me think that it’s just as likely in Augusta as it is in Austin (which is where I live now).
I think we’ve agreed on several threads recently that small-mindedness on LGBT equality comes from a smaller percentage of the population, but that population excells at driving its sheep-minded masses to the voting booth.
I think that happened in Maine and I think it also happened in New York (where I was born).
It’s a foible of our constituency that we’re all about talking these issues up on BJ and beyond, but not enough of us get out to the booth. . . .at least, not until Obama.
I’m +3 as well, so forgive me if I’m rambling. My point is that there may just be a lot more people like you in Augusta than you think.
Michilines
Who fucking cares about Houston’s mayor.
The gay annoyed here on this blog is who. In Houston, WE DON’T CARE. We elected her already. It’s only the weird ass people here who care.
Oh, and I called out one of their most annoying puppets. That’
s what is going on.
Yutsano
@Michilines: You are officially making no sense. Now sit down before you hurt yourself.
john b
@Michilines:
so now even houston’s own citizens don’t care about their own mayor?
Mouse Tolliver
I hope Maggie Gallagher reads about this tomorrow morning an chokes on her breakfast crumb cake.
Wile E. Quixote
@Brick Oven Bill
Well Bill, I have to say that as an amputee that last post of yours makes me want to come out to your house and kick your ass around the yard with my shiny new Seattle Catalyst Foot. Now I’m a white guy, and I don’t have herpes (because I used a condom when I was drilling your mom in the ass and mixed some Clorox in with the lube) but just for you I’ll replace my current Caucasian cosmesis with a dark brown cosmesis.
BTW, aren’t you unemployed right now? By your logic you should be denied any voice in how the country is run since you’re not “actively participating in the economy”. By everyone else’s logic you should be denied a voice in how the country is run because of the severe brain damage you suffered from your mother’s repeated attempts at aborting you by drinking gin, smoking two packs of Camels every day and shoving a coat hanger up her box while she was pregnant with you.
*As an aside I wish that you could get the cosmeses in colors more interesting than “caucasian”, “light brown” or “dark brown”. I’d love to have one in say, candy-apple red, which would look really cool combined with the carbon fiber of the foot and socket and the titanium on the pylon.
Fencedude
@Michilines:
Do you have a point, other than the one on your head?
Also seriously, this guy has nothing on Michael Gass. He’s making a good run at Makewi’s spot though!
Michilines
Yusanto — talking to yourself? You don’t even know what it is like here. Parker does. If you listened to local wingnut radio, you would understand their surprise.
She ran them good. She told them she was the most conservative and they scooped it up. Are you trying to make something of her win that makes you look good? Did you predict it or something?
Yutsano
@Fencedude: Nah. Makewi is nothing if not maddeningly consistent. Well when she tries anyway.
mandarama
@Michilines:
In addition to being Not-A-Guy, I am also Not-Gay. But I clearly care about gay rights, which evidently makes me “weird ass” in this visiting troll’s world.
Yutsano, do you want to be Most Annoying, or can I wear the crown for a while? We could take turns, I suppose.
Mnemosyne
@freelancer (itouch):
Exactly. How long before s/he starts talking about how Parker is a sellout because she’s OMG! popular now and she was so much better of a politician before she made it big..
Michilines will spend tomorrow afternoon at the mall in his “Team Parker” t-shirt so he can dis all of the loser tweens still wearing “Team Locke” t-shirts.
Michilines
Which one of you are not John or ppgaz?
Wilson Heath
@Michilines:
So if you don’t care that Parker was elected mayor, why did you vote for her? So confusing. You’re gonna make some +x heads explode if you keep this up.
(And there are election night parties in Houston, too. It isn’t that foreign of a place.)
Yutsano
@Michilines: So what you’re saying is your local wingnuts are idiots for letting a lesbyterian rickroll them. That still has zero to do with why you’re being a dumbdonkey about us congratulating Parker for making history.
The Sheriff Is A Ni-
The helicopters don’t care about Houston’s mayor.
Yutsano
@mandarama: Is that like one of those nifty Burger King crowns? SCORE!
Yutsano
@The Sheriff Is A Ni-: And the helicopters are…not…laughing!
Michilines
i vote and i care — for many more years and for a much better reason than the fakers here.
YankeeApologist
I think, just like our friend Sarah Palin, this thread has gone rogue.
FlipYrWhig
Something happened at the intersection of LGBT issues and politics… so, if past results are any indication of future performance, I take it it’s Obama’s doing somehow?
john b
@Michilines:
hmmm….
Yutsano
@YankeeApologist: I’d blame alcoholic beverages but I know too many BJers who type even more coherent verschnickered. My guess is ingrate + spirited gay rights advocates = rogue thread. I’ll have DougJ check my math in the morning.
FlipYrWhig
@Michilines: Would you say you knew Parker “before she was cool”?
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
RE B.O.B:
Fix’t.
Astronaut fix’t. ;)
They’re serving ice cubes at an oasis in Hell. :)
I can haz multipull eddits!
Michilines
You guys aren’t as funny as you think you are. Parker ran in these last few days as more conservative than her opponent. She’s not the flaming flag that some of you want her to be. She is who she has run as for the last six elections.
You all can make fun of me. I don’t care.
I know more about this race than any of you.
I am happy with the outcome. I can still be critical of it. What a strange idea.
YankeeApologist
@FlipYrWhig:
I think it’s Obama’s fault I’m out of beer. If I still had my forklift job, I could have afforded more.
And this IS weird. Since when do LGBT issues and politics collide around here? Heh.
YankeeApologist
@DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal):
Thanks for the edit. I never have a problem with being wrong, I’m just glad you caught it when you did. =)
Wilson Heath
@FlipYrWhig:
Yeah, well I saw Nirvana when no one knew about them and they were playing this s***ty little club, so I’m cooler than all of you. And now they suck because all of you lamestains* like them.
Yes, that’s exactly it.
* I <3 Megan Jasper
Yutsano
@Michilines:
So…you like the fact that she won but not the method of getting there? Are you that much of a political naif?
(I love commenting. It gives me such opportunities to use words I never get to in live conversation.)
ondioline
PLS TO MAK PIKTUR OF FAT KITTY PLS
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
@YankeeApologist:
np, I exist to serve and fix. ;)
@Michilines: “You guys aren’t as funny as you think you are.”
Fuck if we aren’t! Hell, I’m a legend in my own mind. Both of them!
john@MM
Houston? WTF is Houston? Is that in Mexico or farther south?
I haven’t posted here in quite awhile, but I couldn’t pass up a chance to tell Michilines that s/he’s being an asshole.
Now I’ll return to my lurking and looking at pictures of King Tunch.
Luthe
Le sigh. It looks like not only do I have another addition to my pie filter, but that half this post’s comments are going to be about pie.
Michilines
More than half of you are all the same people, so I only bother when I care to.
night :)
Yutsano
@Luthe: Nah I wouldn’t bother. After this thread odds are we’ll never hear from this fart blossom again. Unless you’re pieing me. Which in that case yeah feel free. :)
mandarama
@Wilson Heath:
All MY flannel is pre-Nirvana.
Yutsano
@mandarama: I thought you weren’t a lesbyterian!
Wilson Heath
No kitty pictures must mean that Tunch is no longer simply bending light but is now absorbing it. The couch will be disappearing next.
mandarama
@Michilines:
Now that, I’m sure, is true. And had you come in hoping to share any interesting facts about it, we’d have been happy to hear them.
Here’s the thing–and this is my last-ditch effort to speak sincerely to you–it’s not that we want Mayor Parker to be a “flaming flag.” It’s that we’re happy that she proves that public officials are so much more than their sexuality. And that Houston proves it too. And that reminds other gay folks that the tide is turning on that score. That’s why this is symbolically important, to gay and straight people alike. Symbolism and narrative matter quite a bit in our politics, like it or not.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I hear laughing helicopters over my house. I have to go get caught with my pants down.
stetson
@Michilines:
uh….. just for the record: I live in houston, and i care about who got elected mayor.
what i cannot even begin to understand is what your POINT is about anything regarding this race. you’re all over the map. you can’t make a cogent point.
seriously, what exactly is your fucking problem?
Michilines
Yusanto and/or also Luthe — remember the laugh in
Excalibur?
You guys know each other and pretending doesn’t make it not so.
Bigger fish to fry for both of you. Look at what your handy work has done. He’s adopted a dog. He loves the dog. What more do you all want?
Michilines
stetson, you must not listen to 740 AM or 1070 AM.
stetson
@Michilines:
please make an appointment with your doctor and have s/he up the dosage. kthnx.
Wile E. Quixote
@Michilines
You vote and you care, well aren’t you a beautiful and unique snowflake?
Michilines
stetson, sweetie, I have had that mealy-mouthed non response thrown at me more than once. In other words, you are not original.
But you are sweet to suggest.
mandarama
@Michilines:
OK. Now I get it. Good one, DougJ!
Michilines
Did you vote in the city elections?
Were you trying to flatter?
Mnemosyne
I have to say, Michilines’ temper tantrum about how s/he was voting before voting was COOL, man! is getting funnier with every post.
freelancer (itouch)
@Fencedude:
Might I nominate myself for coty:
here ya go.
YankeeApologist
I am confused to the point of incoherence.
Between the discourse on the “Drum On Taibbi” thread making me feel like some sort of slack-jawed yokel, and then coming to this thread and watching this masterpiece of surrealism unfold, I’m beginning to think it’s time to shut down the brainpan for the night.
Good talking to y’all. Keeping fighting the good fight, Michilines. I don’t think you know what it is yet, but when you figure it out, I’m sure these guys will be willing to duke it out with you. . . . especially because half of them are the same guy.
And by “Guy”, I don’t necessarily assign a male gender. Because it’s not about gender. It’s about living in Houston. Or . . . .is it about BJ’ers getting all hot and bothered because LGBT rights won a victory today? But wait. It’s not about teh gays. It’s about . . . .
Oh yeah. I have no fucking idea what it’s about. Goodnight, ladies and gentlemen, gay, straight, from Houston or otherwise.
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
@Michilines:
Ooh! Ooh!! My turn!
When did you take your last breath?
When you wipe, do you go North-South or South-North?
What? East-West?!
Blue Raven
Oh, gods, you folks never fail to deliver. What with the new troll/puppet in town or BoBill and his latest attempt to get sent back around the far end of the woodshed, this thread has been a great amusement.
And in case you aren’t a puppet, Michilines, please do this blog and the city of Houston a great favor and go get laid.
RedKitten
Well, whoever is Michilines weirdo is, he/she is someone who’s obviously been here before under another handle, as they’re referring to ppGaz — that name hasn’t been used around here in awhile. And they’re accusing everybody of being one person, which used to be scs’s shtick…but she was convinced everybody was DougJ.
Fuck, wasn’t Darrell from Texas? But he was more coherent.
Come out, come out, whoever you are….
Common Sense
God I’m sorry a douche like that had to be the rep on Houston for this thread. For the record 740 and 1070 are the two beacons of conservative thought on Houston AM radio. 1070’s call letters are KNTH. The “TH” stands for Town Hall (the magazine owns the station).J 740 is Houston’s home for Rush, and also features Michael Berry (y’all will know the name soon. He and Chris Baker took turns subbing for Glenn Beck when he was out for a week) on telling everyone how the Chron was throwing the race to Anice Parker with their extensive blowjob coverage. The same guy tried to encourage a boycott against the military after Ft. Hood because they allow Muslims to serve in the Armed Forces. Only problem with this librul media conspiracy theory? The Chron hasn’t covered this race at ALL. The front page stories today were Tiger Woods, The Heisman, and some new Disney flick.
Here’s the point. An openly gay person won in Houston TX for the first time ever (look up Kathy Whitmire if ya want to see one that didn’t announce it before running).
This is a huge deal.
Did she win by running as a centrist/ progressive? For fucking sure. Guess what. So did Obama.
Know why?
People don’t vote for radical minorities. It’s why Locke had to do the same thing. He could be a Representative, a la Sheila Jackson Lee. Or he could try to be mayor. But you can’t be both. You don’t get both sides to vote for you by acting like Sheila Jackson Lee.
Bill White is the most middle of the road Democrat I’ve ever witnessed. Anise Parker will likely be the same way. She ran on fiscal sanity. On running a tight budget. She did not run on massive expansion of mass transit in the city for instance. In fact she is very cold to the idea — which is why I couldn’t vote for her in November. As nice as it would be to lord my superiority over other BJers for supporting gay pols before they were thread topics, I prefer voting for someone that shares my viewpoints.
Parker did not run as a “flaming fag.” Her sexuality was mostly ignored, though on occasion it was painted in positive terms. Michilenes is right insofar as this is concerned. What he/she is completely missing is that it is a GOOD thing gay people can encompass such a broad swath of opinion and diversity.
Chuck Butcher
@Michilines:
Somebody must have not noticed that Houston is the center of the American Universe, have pro-teams and all that shit. Funny how a council person didn’t register on all them hicks.
It sure is easy to forget Texans whenever allowed to by their fucking egos.
Common Sense
@RedKitten:
Darrell at least lived in Houston at some point. We discussed Mexican restaurants in the city one time when we were briefly civil. For once he didn’t pollute a positive BJ thread with his nonsense.
Common Sense
Incidentally, although I did not vote for Parker originally I did vote for her today. Locke ran an absolutely vile campaign and was only too happy to stoop to the most despicable and pathetic tactics imaginable. This city is far better off without him running the show. He would have made Lee Brown look honest.
arguingwithsignposts
Just … wow. a new troll, and a bad one at that.
AngusTheGodOfMeat
@Michilines:
Wow, a blast from the past. I’m ppgaz, but that handle was retired a long time ago. This cow gig is the only handle I’ve used on purpose for some time now, although once in a while I drop by a machine I haven’t seen for a while that still has a former handle in the cookie jar and I might accidentally post a few under that moniker. But not lately.
DougJ is the biggest shape shifter on the board but I don’t see much of that kind of thing going on just now. Of course, DougJ is very familiar with ppgaz, so maybe he’s … you.
Your work on this thread is really worthy of a gristleburger, though, so here’s looking at you, kid.
AngusTheGodOfMeat
@RedKitten:
I think Darrell claimed to be in the Houston area, but I always assumed that he was working from somewhere closer to West Virginia.
Or maybe it was upstate New York.
Just to pick two random possibilties.
DougL (frmrly: Conservatively Liberal)
I thought everyone here was from upstate New York and West Virginia.
Nancy Irving
“No one likes to admit this” – Huh?
Michael D.
I don’t want to be tolerated. I prefer to be accepted.
“Tolerate” is something you do to something you wish would just disappear. Like you tolerate mosquitoes.
Cerberus
From what I can piece together from the insults, the troll’s biggest problem seems to have been: “how dare the filthy dyke c#nt make me vote for her”. To which I say, aww, muffin.
Back to the point, the sole, bloom lighting point like a sunny day in a Danish winter, holy shit gay mayor! Biggest city yet! And in Texas! It’s not only symbolic, it’s triumphant. See also all the gay city council elections and minor mayorships in the south that also elected gay people this fall. These people will serve as giant humanizing beacons and they will climb to higher offices and their breaking of the glass ceilings and barriers will allow more open and radical gay candidates to feel confident running for election. A Ted Kennedy needed other Irish-Americans to go first to be the lion that he was.
And this reminds us gays who have been feeling unnecessarily demoralized following Maine and New York that last year was good to us. That we are making massive dents in the power structure of emotions against us. That we are making huge dents in the public’s perception of us and with that will come victories. A majority of Houstonites had no problem with Parker’s sexuality. She did not have to hide it. The wingnuts cheered on her opponent to try and stop her and nobody bought it.
When our troll said she “didn’t care”, that’s important even for a twisted shit like her, it echoes this important story that the Majority Leader of Iowa relayed from his daughter, “you see, you don’t realize you have already lost. My generation does not care.”
We are winning, inch by inch, visibility by visibility. Every election, the tides of evil have to work against state representatives, mayors, House representatives, school teachers, friends, family to try and sustain the unthinking hate. They are staking their very religions on the battle, saying people have to vote against or God will damn them.
They are losing as people slowly realize a little bit at a time that no matter who you fuck with informed consent or what you are, it does not really color WHO you are.
Because at the end of the day, we are all, fairly boring creatures with vivid imaginations and life experiences and when we get over the shit that doesn’t matter, then we can really do something about the stuff that does.
And things like this are the reminders that though that struggle to get there is hard and fraught with disappointments, it is worth fighting for the next generation of scrabblers. Because shit like this will happen and make it all right.
Keith G
Shit, guess I went to bed way too early after my 10:40 proclamation of happiness at Ms. Parker’s win on Tim’s CPR post. Things got exciting here.
Michilines, as a gay Houstonian (but mostly as a thinking person), I find you thoughtless, rude, and a poor example of our rather spectacular city. Please do work on your anger issues. You have insulted some rather wonderful people over the last few hours and I am certain your mamma didn’t raise you to be such a dufus.
In any case, Michilines, I delicate this to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tqEBQjWRws&feature=player_embedded#at=40
h/t J. Michael Neal
RedKitten
Heh…I’m actually convinced Darrell was real — he was just too well-fleshed-out to be a sockpuppet. But, if he WAS a creation of one of our venerable front-pagers, I think that secret will be taken to the grave.
Carol
Not only that, but openly gay people in politics makes it harder for the teabaggers and fundamentalists to turn the clock back . Their tool is fear of the unknown or social disapproval, and once people get used to it, then that tool is worthless. And when gay people are politicians? People get used to being represented by and don’t fear a mayor who just happens to be gay. That’s just another part of who he is, and as long as he’s a good mayor, they no longer care about that-and soon are only interested in it in the way people speculate about any pol’s love life.
scav
Troll forensics! Gotta have a strong stomach. I salute you: that was one toxic puppy. Still, veddy veddy interesting.
Ben Richards
@RedKitten: Is BOB real?
joypog
@keith G and Common Sense…thank god some polite houstonians jumped into the fray…our fellow h-towner was making us all look like hipsters in skinny jeans bitching about how band AP jumped the shark once she broke through.
That said it is “ironic” that the guy who said he was going to push for equal benefits for same sex couples (which AP did not) ended up courting the virulently anti-gay vote. I was kind of “two good options” about the race until I got the anti-lesbian mailer from Dave Wilson which got me following the race more carefully. It really is too bad Locke sold out his principles….but the chance to win often brings out the worst in people.
She was also helped this year because I think Locke was the candidate of big ideas (ie spend more on stadiums and everything else) and she was the candidate of “keep it continuing”. Which was a better position to cast oneself since most of the city seems quite happy in the waning days of the Bill White mayoralty.
In the end, I think unless you have a amazingly charismatic orator like Obama, your breakthrough politicians are often going to be dull as mud. I remember watching Bill White on KHOU and thinking, “man, he is dull.” And then I saw AP’s runoff speech and thinking “holy shit,I didn’t know it was possible to be even duller!”
Well, I really don’t care that much about her oratory, so hopefully she’ll pull through and actually do a good job cause she got some fiscal headaches coming up….
joypog
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6767621.html
is an interesting (short) analysis of the race. worth the quick read….
Keith G
@Ben Richards: As far as we/I know, yes.
Now does he believe everything he types or just a performance artist? That is a good question.
kommrade reproductive vigor
I’m afraid to look. Have the Log Cabin Republicans chalked this up as a GOP victory yet?
Congrats Houston!
This. Also.
The tools of the worthless tools become worthless. That’s almost Zen.
gnomedad
@Michael D.:
I’ve generally grokked that “tolerance” has a meaning much closer to “acceptance” than is associated with “tolerate”.
Elizabelle
That is some really good news. I was surprised and pleased.
It’s fun to think of the sputtering going on in some quarters today.
Gus
@Michilines:
I’m late to this one, but it seems like Michilines is looking for a pat on the back for supporting Houston’s new mayor for years.
Mike in NC
Sounds like another million teabagger march on Washington is in order. They’ll put a stop to all the race mixing and flag burning!
Morbo
@Common Sense: Thank you for taking the time to actually explain the issues rather than calling people ignorant carpetbaggers.
aimai
What? 146 comments and no one says “Houston: We Have A Problem?” Come on. Michlinines deserves at least that much attention. Really, this thread is priceless. Somewhere in Mich’s comments must lie one that is permanent, like “I’m aware of all internet traditions.” I vote for a new instant classic, though I’m not sure which line can be disembedded from the matrix of nutty rage.
aimai
Wilson Heath
@Keith G:
I’m no expert on BOB, but from what I grok it looks like he is genuinely trying to persuade. Problem is he isn’t talking to his own so the stupidity of his points and examples isn’t clear to him when he posts them.
The “skins in the game” neo-poll tax idea that he raised is one of the more recent ones I’ve seen bubble out of the echo chamber as wingers try to insert it into mainstream policy discussion. But it’s completely irrational and nonsensical once someone who knows anything looks at it.
So unless someone is going through the trouble to read bad ideas at the source, understand the arguments and their weaknesses, and then post them semi-persuasively here but in a manner that they can be eviscerated, I’m afraid BOB is real. Before someone suggests, it certainly ain’t me, as I’m too lazy and don’t like swimming in cesspools to get ideas. Possibly the sort of person who subscribes to the RedState Trike Farce, but this would be quite a few steps beyond watching the wingnuts.
Violet
I’m proud of Houston. An openly gay female and a black male ran for mayor and their gender, race and sexual preference weren’t the big talking points. They ran on experience and platforms. Very refreshing.
aimai
I would like the chance to edit my own comment at 148 since it makes clear that I, alone, never read the headlines or the original post but simply skip straight to the comment thread. But no edit function can deal with my screw ups.
aimai
Morbo
@aimai:
My personal favorite was the unsubstantiated sockpuppetry accusation.
Edit: yes, this might have legs.
gbear
Very late to the fun here, but doesn’t
belong in the lexicon?
Oh, and at the risk of pissing off out new buddy, congrats to Houston.
edit: Ack! Morbo beat me to it by one minute. I guess that means it’s already an internet tradition.
Steeplejack
@aimai:
Yes, and note for future reference that we all politely ignored your gaffe and didn’t whale on you for it.
Actually, I was going to whale on you, but I accidentally left the Food Network on to Susan Lee’s show, and I got a nosebleed when she said “tablescape” and I had to go change the channel.
Jennifer
@Michilines: I’m a 5th generation native Houstonian. My parents have been supporting Parker since WAY before she won her first election.
You need to accept the good wishes of all these people and get a damn grip, because all of us worked for her a long time. And btw, people never NEED kudos, or excitement, but it sure is nice. For once, a place in Texas doesn’t look like Ruprick throwing feces at a family dinner.
Thank you for your support, everyone. She’ll do a great job.
And BOB, as usual, go fuck yourself.
AngusTheGodOfMeat
@Michael D.:
Not me. Acceptance leads to congeniality. It’s the gateway to civility and then political correctness and rhetorical restraint and sucking up.
Tolerance is perfect. If I can annoy the fuck out of you, and just be tolerated, then I am on that special wavelength, riding the curl. It’s like meditation.
mandarama
@gbear:
I think “More than half of you are all the same people” could replace the “Consistently wrong” tagline. Evidently, I’m asiangrrlmn and didn’t know it! Except, I’m not that funny, and I can’t take cold weather.
mandarama
Blockquote fail. FYWP!
Also, I’m feeling the love for the awesome Houstonians here. Very interesting insights on how the election worked; thanks!
DaBomb
@Violet: Yes, that’s really the point. I don’t get what Michilines is blathering on about.
As I have said before, there are plenty of interesting things about Houston people just don’t know about. We aren’t as assbackwards as the rest of state.
Either candidate could have won, and it would have been fine.
Just as Wilson Heath stated upthread, Gene Locke was an activist back in the day.
Bruce (formerly Steve S.)
One of the reasons, I think, that this is not easily admitted is that so many emotional eggs have been thrown into the gay marriage basket, and even in liberal states a majority are not ready to accept it. I keep reading about how dejected progressives are that gay marriage got shot down in this state or that state, but to me this is an ancillary issue. Even if 51% of people in Maine approved of gay marriage you’d have a gay marriage law but you’d also have 49% of society still disapproving of it. The real task is not to establish the right to participate in silly ancient rituals but to transform society, to make it a more decent place for all its citizens to live.
So yes, when pockets of tolerance are revealed, as in Houston, it’s encouraging, though of course much work remains to be done.
DaBomb
Also as a native Houstonian I have not experienced being reigned under a mayor who for all intensive purposes described themselves as a republican. All of mayors since 1980, have been democrats(little d and a big D)
As for Parker, she should do fine as mayor. I am rooting for Jolonda Jones and hoping that she wins back her seat.
Monty
@Jason Bylinowski: Actually I think its easier for the big cities to have gay mayors than smaller cities. Here in Dallas we came within a hairs breath of having a Gay mayor 3 years ago. It took a full court Republican mine the churches for votes effort for us to get our ver of Mayor Goodhair. The thing is gay people are pretty much from everywhere you you have people. Which means lots of small towns and general rural areas. The rub is why would someone willingly stay out in the middle of nowhere Poteet Tx when you can Move to the big city live your own life but still keep tabs on the parents if necessary. That dynamic means there are ALOT of gay people in the cities and in a low turnout election the “Gay Political Machine” (As the Dallas Morning News Termed it) can move an election twards its canadiate.
NeenerNeener
“Oh, bother”, said Pooh, and quietly added Michilines to his pie filter.
YankeeApologist
@AngusTheGodOfMeat:
“Tolerance is perfect. If I can annoy the fuck out of you, and just be tolerated, then I am on that special wavelength, riding the curl. It’s like meditation.”
FTW, buddy. This is why I come here.
Monty
@Yutsano: Actually We do have a citizen permanent fund. Its called the Permanent University fund and its monies come from the cash to the State generated by commercial activity on State lands. In the beginning that was ment to be Grazing rights but under all that worthless for grazing desert scrubland they found the biggest oil Reserves in the state. So back when I was in school if you were a instate resident you could go to a State School for roughly 3600 bucks a semester or you could go to a Private School (SMU, Rice, Baylor, St Marys) for roughly 24K a semester.
gbear
@mandarama:
Heck, the cold weather isn’t even an issue today. It’s sunny and a balmy 20 degrees as of noon. Feels like t-shirt weather after last weekend.
AngusTheGodOfMeat
@YankeeApologist:
Get off my lawn.
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Heh.
AngusTheGodOfMeat
@gbear:
Geezus, it is warmer than that in my freezer.
Sly
Some famous guy once wrote a group of people a letter that lays out what tolerance means, and how it should fit into the American experience:
Whatever happened to him? Sounds like a dirty hippy.
gbear
@AngusTheGodOfMeat:
Yea, but it’s not sunny in your freezer. It makes a difference.
Jilli
Pretty amazing for Texas, I agree.
I live in Houston, and just before the election some of us in the office were laughing about which way all the righties would go…would they vote for a lesbian or a black attorney?
There were some pretty distasteful mailers sent out on behalf of her opponent – absolutely pathetic. I think they may have been effective, but not in the way the sender had thought they would be.
It’s a small step, but it’s looking up. She’ll do a great job.
KRK
@Cerberus:
I’m way late to this (hilarious) thread, but I think Cerberus is the only one who correctly identified why Michilines objects to this post and congratulations to the city of Houston from the commenters here…Michilines likes Parker’s politics but Michilines doesn’t like the fact that Parker is openly gay. So everyone should just shut up about that. Per Michilines, Houston voters don’t want congratulations from a bunch of superficial “weird ass” “gay annoyed” “butt dancers.”
joypog
@jilli@Jilli:
yeah the dave wilson mailer was why I gave parker $25….after the obama sellout to wall street, I really didn’t plan on giving any pol’s money, but I thought I’d help her fight back a little….
and it seems like she did cause we eventually got buried with pro-AP anti-locke mailers every day for the past week!
AngusTheGodOfMeat
@gbear:
Point taken.
gbear
@AngusTheGodOfMeat:
Thanks. Unfortunately, it’s dark now. Just like your freezer.
Texpunk
For those taking note of such things . . .
In the mid-1980’s, Louie Welch (who had been Mayor once before, here in Houston) remarked into an open mic, that his AIDS policy would be to “Shoot the Queers!”.
He lost.
I remember gay friends that had “Don’t shoot, Louie” T-shirts.
—————-
Likewise, Clayton Williams a decade(?) later, when running for Texas Gov’na famously compared rape to bad weather: “Ya might as well relax and enjoy it!”
He lost. . . and gave us Ann Richards as a result!
_________________________
As a native Houston, I must say I am proud of Annise Parker getting elected, both because of and irregardless(sic) of her sexual perference(sic).
I will say I could’ve done without the 9+ get out the vote calls I received!
asiangrrlMN
@mandarama: Yes, but you’re a hell of a lot nicer and more reasonable than I am.
You guys are the best, and I think you are right about the annoyance stemming from people voting for Parker because they like her politics, but they don’t like the fact she’s openly gay. I’m doing a quiet butt dance to celebrate progress in America, haters be damned.
P.S. Thank you to the other Houstonites for actually giving some history on Parker’s background. It’s much appreciated.
P.S. gbear is right. It was a balmy thirty degrees yesterday. Today, it’s nine degrees, but still nice.
bjacques
Dammit, looks like the parade’s moved on to the next few threads. I’m in Houston now, home for the holidays. I’d mailed in my early ballot but it came back in the mail the day before I left, and I was too jet-lagged to vote Saturday, so I’m glad Parker won. She’s also the first Rice graduate to win, so go Owls!
Either Locke or Parker would have been okay, but Parker strikes me as smarter about money, and when I heard aboutt Stephen Hotze of the Hate Slate endorsing Locke, I was pretty pissed.
On the eve of the 2010 campaign season, the media bobbleheads are going to be playing the Obama Backlash story for all it’s worth, and Houson going the other way would have been fodder for that. So, yeah, it is somewhat important that an out lesbian won the mayor’s race.
Xanthippas
Late to the game, but I just want to point out that this was in Texas, so all you wieners who love to make jokes about letting Texas secede can basically suck it.