Panic in the Locker Room?

I saw a short excerpt of this Op-Ed piece by Frank Bruni on Justin O'Shea's blog and after reading it, I new I needed to share it with you guys.  It fits so perfectly with my thinking about negative reactions of athletes to gays men in their locker rooms.  Quite honestly, have you ever heard women complain about lesbians in the locker rooms?  I certainly haven't, so I think Bruni hits the nail on the head when he writes that homophobic athletes need to "woman up."  As comedian Sheng Wang said (and a quote that is often misattributed to Betty White): 

Why do people say "grow some balls"? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.

Panic in the Locker Room!

A news flash for every straight man out there: You've been naked in front of a gay man.

In fact you've been naked, over the course of your life, in front of many gay men, at least if you have more than a few years on you. And here you are — uninjured, uncorrupted, intact. The earth still spins. The sun rises and sets.

Maybe it was in gym class, long ago. Maybe at the health club more recently. Or maybe when you played sports at the high school level, the college level, later on. Whether we gay guys are one in 10 or one in 25, it's a matter of chance: At some point, one of us was within eyeshot when you stripped down.

And you know what? He probably wasn't checking you out. He certainly wasn't beaming special gay-conversion gamma rays at you. That's why you weren't aware of his presence and didn't immediately go out and buy a more expensive moisturizer and a disc of Judy Garland's greatest hits. His purpose mirrored yours. He was changing clothes and showering. It's a locker room, for heaven's sake. Not last call at the Rawhide.

On Sunday evening, in a story in The Times by John Branch and on ESPN, a college football star named Michael Sam came out. Because Sam is almost certain to be drafted, he could soon be the first openly gay active player in the National Football League — in any of the four major professional sports in the United States.

Most reactions from the sports world were hugely positive, even inspirational.

Some were not.

"It'd chemically imbalance an N.F.L. locker room," an N.F.L. personnel assistant, speaking anonymously, said to Sports Illustrated. I think steroids, Adderall and painkillers have already done a pretty thorough job of that, and on the evidence of his comment, they've addled minds in the process.

Sports Illustrated quoted an unnamed assistant coach who also brought up the fabled sanctum of Tinactin and testosterone. "There's nothing more sensitive than the heartbeat of the locker room," he said. "If you knowingly bring someone in there with that sexual orientation, how are the other guys going to deal with it?"

To his question, a few of my own: When did the locker room become such a delicate ecosystem? Is it inhabited by athletes or orchids? And how is it that gladiators who don't flinch when a 300-pound mountain of flesh in shoulder pads comes roaring toward them start to quiver at the thought of a homosexual under a nearby nozzle? They may be physical giants, but at least a few of them are psychological pipsqueaks.

And they're surprisingly blunt and Paleolithic. When NFL Network's Andrea Kremer recently brought up the possibility of an openly gay player with Jonathan Vilma, a New Orleans Saints linebacker, he said: "Imagine if he's the guy next to me and, you know, I get dressed, naked, taking a shower, the whole nine, and it just so happens he looks at me."

"How am I supposed to respond?" Vilma added.

Well, a squeal would be unmanly, Mace might not be enough and N.F.L. players tend to use their firearms away from the stadium, so I'd advise him to do what countless females of our species have done with leering males through history. Step away. Move on. Dare I say woman up?

Or Vilma could use a line suggested by the sports journalist Cyd Zeigler on the website Outsports.com: "I'm so telling your boyfriend you stole a peek."

The anxiety about the locker room makes no sense in terms of the kind of chaotic setting it often is, with all sorts of people rushing through, including reporters of both sexes. It's a workplace, really, and more bedlam than boudoir.

The anxiety depends on stereotypes of gay men as creatures of preternatural libido. (Thanks, but I lunge faster for pasta than for porn.)

And it's illogical. "Every player knows that they are playing or have played with gay guys," John Amaechi, a former pro basketball player who came out after his retirement, told me. It's just that those gay guys didn't or haven't identified themselves. Why would doing so make them a greater threat? Wouldn't an openly gay athlete have a special investment in proving that there's zero to worry about?

Michael Sam proved as much at the University of Missouri, where teammates learned of his sexual orientation before their most recent season. They finished 12-2, and are publicly praising him so far. Nothing about trembling or cowering in the showers.

The person who raises that fear, Amaechi said, "is a bigot finally falling over the cliff and grasping for any straw that might keep their purchase. When every rational argument is gone, you go with that."

Source:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/opinion/bruni-panic-in-the-locker-room.html?emc=eta1&_r=1

For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry

Jubilate Agno, Fragment B, [For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry]

Christopher Smart

For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.

For he is the servant of the Living God, duly and daily serving him.

For at the first glance of the glory of God in the East he worships in his way.

For is this done by wreathing his body seven times round with elegant quickness.

For then he leaps up to catch the musk, which is the blessing of God upon his prayer.

For he rolls upon prank to work it in.

For having done duty and received blessing he begins to consider himself.

For this he performs in ten degrees.

For first he looks upon his forepaws to see if they are clean.

For secondly he kicks up behind to clear away there.

For thirdly he works it upon stretch with the forepaws extended.

For fourthly he sharpens his paws by wood.

For fifthly he washes himself.

For sixthly he rolls upon wash.

For seventhly he fleas himself, that he may not be interrupted upon the beat.

For eighthly he rubs himself against a post.

For ninthly he looks up for his instructions.

For tenthly he goes in quest of food.

For having considered God and himself he will consider his neighbor.

For if he meets another cat he will kiss her in kindness.

For when he takes his prey he plays with it to give it a chance.

For one mouse in seven escapes by his dallying.

For when his day's work is done his business more properly begins.

For he keeps the Lord's watch in the night against the adversary.

For he counteracts the powers of darkness by his electrical skin and glaring eyes.

For he counteracts the Devil, who is death, by brisking about the life.

For in his morning orisons he loves the sun and the sun loves him.

For he is of the tribe of Tiger.

For the Cherub Cat is a term of the Angel Tiger.

For he has the subtlety and hissing of a serpent, which in goodness he suppresses.

For he will not do destruction if he is well-fed, neither will he spit without provocation.

For he purrs in thankfulness when God tells him he's a good Cat.

For he is an instrument for the children to learn benevolence upon.

For every house is incomplete without him, and a blessing is lacking in the spirit.

For the Lord commanded Moses concerning the cats at the departure of the Children of Israel

            from Egypt.

For every family had one cat at least in the bag.

For the English Cats are the best in Europe.

For he is the cleanest in the use of his forepaws of any quadruped.

For the dexterity of his defense is an instance of the love of God to him exceedingly.

For he is the quickest to his mark of any creature.

For he is tenacious of his point.

For he is a mixture of gravity and waggery.

For he knows that God is his Saviour.

For there is nothing sweeter than his peace when at rest.

For there is nothing brisker than his life when in motion.

For he is of the Lord's poor, and so indeed is he called by benevolence perpetually--Poor Jeoffry!

            poor Jeoffry! the rat has bit thy throat.

For I bless the name of the Lord Jesus that Jeoffry is better.

For the divine spirit comes about his body to sustain it in complete cat.

For his tongue is exceeding pure so that it has in purity what it wants in music.

For he is docile and can learn certain things.

For he can sit up with gravity, which is patience upon approbation.

For he can fetch and carry, which is patience in employment.

For he can jump over a stick, which is patience upon proof positive.

For he can spraggle upon waggle at the word of command.

For he can jump from an eminence into his master's bosom.

For he can catch the cork and toss it again.

For he is hated by the hypocrite and miser.

For the former is afraid of detection.

For the latter refuses the charge.

For he camels his back to bear the first notion of business.

For he is good to think on, if a man would express himself neatly.

For he made a great figure in Egypt for his signal services.

For he killed the Icneumon rat, very pernicious by land.

For his ears are so acute that they sting again.

For from this proceeds the passing quickness of his attention.

For by stroking of him I have found out electricity.

For I perceived God's light about him both wax and fire.

For the electrical fire is the spiritual substance which God sends from heaven to sustain the

            bodies both of man and beast.

For God has blessed him in the variety of his movements.

For, though he cannot fly, he is an excellent clamberer.

For his motions upon the face of the earth are more than any other quadruped.

For he can tread to all the measures upon the music.

For he can swim for life.

For he can creep.

Lines 695-768 from Fragment B of Jubilate Agno by Christopher Smart.

HRH is back to her old self and seems to be fully recovered from her illness.  She still needs to gain weight.  The poor old girl is just skin and bones, having lost so much weight during her illness.  However, she's back to eating, and she's regained her kingdom.  She is bossing around human and animal alike.  I don't know what made her mad at the other cats last night, but she was really bossing them around.

I'm glad to see that she is recovering well.  Last night she could tell I had a headache, and she laid behind my head and nudged my head with hers and patted my head with her paw.  Cats always seem to be aware of when their human companions are under the weather.  My previous cat Calico (who loved to be the ripe old age of 18), always knew when I was sick and would cuddle up to me to comfort me as a kid.  People can say what they will about cats, but with all their aloofness, they are very empathetic creatures.  I think one of the things I love most about cats is that they are much like me, sometimes they want to cuddle, and sometimes, they just want to be left alone.

Christopher Smart's Jeoffry is a wonderful look at the eccentricities of cats, and though it is a long poem, it really is worth a full reading of it.  Christopher Smart was born on April 11, 1722 in Shipbourne, Kent, England. His father, a steward on the estate of Lord Vane, died when Smart was eleven. Smart attended the Durham School and was later educated at Pembroke College, Cambridge University, where he was well known for his Latin verses.

The Odes of Horace would remain influential throughout Smart's career; he translated The Works of Horace in 1756. After college, Smart earned a living in London editing and writing copy for periodicals and composing songs for the popular theater. During this time, he became known for his reckless drinking and spending habits; he was arrested for debt in 1747. In 1752 he published his first collection, Poems on Several Occasions, and married Anna Maria Carnan. They had two daughters.

In the 1750s Smart developed a form of religious mania that compelled him to continuous prayer. Samuel Johnson remarked, "My poor friend Smart showed the disturbance of his mind by falling upon his knees, and saying his prayers in the street, or in any other unusual place." In 1756 he published Hymn to the Supreme Being, on Recovery from a Dangerous Fit of Illness. However, from that time onward, Smart was confined, with one brief Intermission, until 1763 in St. Luke's Hospital and then in Mr. Potter's Madhouse in Bethnal Green.

During his confinement he wrote what many see as his most original and lasting works—A Song to David, and the lengthy manuscript of Jubilate Agno. The last five years of Smart's life were marked by increasing debt and need; he was arrested again for debt in 1770 and died the following year.

Smart is best known for A Song to David (1763), which praises the author of the Psalms as an archetype of the Divine poet. Although in its own time the poem was greeted largely with confusion, later poets such as Browning and Yeats would single out this poem for its affirmation of spirituality in an increasingly materialistic world.

In this respect Smart has been considered as a forerunner to poets such as John Clare and William Blake. Smart is also known for his distinctive and often anthologized homage to his cat, Jeoffry. This poem comes from the surviving fragments of Jubilate Agno, which was also written during his confinement but not published in a definitive edition until 1954.

The surviving fragments of Jubilate Agno are composed in a series of antiphonal verses beginning either with the word let or for. Smart envisions himself as "the Lord's News-Writer—the scribe-evangelist" spreading the Word. The poem is both a personal and philosophical diary and it presents an encyclopedic gathering of obscure lore, genealogy, and wordplay. Startling alterations of tone and juxtaposition of material as well as a careful attention to the quotidian energize Jubilate Agno.

Smart's work has captured the attention of contemporary artists such as Benjamin Britten, Allen Ginsberg, and Theodore Roethke.

SEC Defensive Player of the Year Comes Out!

Missouri All-American Michael Sam says he is gay, and the defensive end could become the first openly homosexual player in the NFL. In interviews with ESPN, The New York Times and Outsports that were published Sunday, Sam said his teammates and coaches at Missouri have known since August.

"I am an openly, proud gay man," he said.

The 255-pound Sam participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last month after leading the SEC in sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (19), and he is projected to be a mid-round NFL draft pick.

"It's a big deal. No one has done this before. And it's kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be ... I want to be a football player in the NFL," he said in the interviews.

There have been numerous NFL players who have come out after their playing days, including Kwame Harris and Dave Kopay.

Last year, NBA player Jason Collins announced he was gay after the season. Collins, a 35-year-old backup center, was a free agent and has not signed with a new team this season. MLS star and U.S. national team player Robbie Rogers also came out a year ago.

Division III Willamette kicker Conner Mertens, a redshirt freshman, said last month he was bisexual.

"We admire Michael Sam's honesty and courage," the NFL said in statement. "Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014."

A year ago, NFL teams were rightfully criticized for asking potential draft picks questions on the order of "Do you have a girlfriend?" This year, Sam will save them the trouble of having to ask.

If Jason Collins demolished one barrier last year -- declaring that he was gay within days of finishing his 12th NBA season -- Sam laid ruin to another by coming out before the draft. Where Collins is a Stanford grad from Los Angeles, Sam is more than a decade younger and hails from Hitchcock, Texas (pop. 7,200). And unlike Collins -- who surprised his twin brother with his revelation -- Sam's sexuality was not a closely guarded secret at Missouri. Sam says he came out to his Missouri teammates last August. Coaches and classmates also knew he was gay well before today. Multiple sources have told Sports Illustrated that Sam strongly considered making an announcement late last summer and was willing to play his senior season as an openly homosexual athlete. (He decided against it at the last minute.)

Word of Sam's intentions to come out spread beyond Mizzou. Last month, an SI writer approached Sam at the Senior Bowl and asked whether he would like to collaborate on a piece about his sexuality. Sam politely demurred, but he hardly appeared troubled or surprised by the inquiry. He assured the writer that it was okay that he had asked and added matter-of-factly, "It's going to be a big deal no matter who I do it with."

It's telling, too, that no one in Sam's orbit "outed" him, enabling him to tell his story on his terms and timetable. At some level this is a story about a generation gap. Sam and his cohort were raised in the era of Will & Grace and Modern Family, not The Brady Bunch, let alone My Three Sons. Friends, coaches and teammates all invoked the same line: It just wasn't a big deal.

"I didn't realize how many people actually knew, and I was afraid that someone would tell or leak something out about me," Sam told ESPN. "I want to own my truth. ... No one else should tell my story but me."

Before coming out to all his teammates and coaches, Sam said he told a few close friends and dated another Missouri athlete who was not a football player.

"Coaches just wanted to know a little about ourselves, our majors, where we're from, and something that no one knows about you," Sam said. "And I used that opportunity just to tell them that I was gay. And their reaction was like, 'Michael Sam finally told us.'"

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said in a statement Sunday night he was proud of Sam and how he represented the program.

"Michael is a great example of just how important it is to be respectful of others, he's taught a lot of people here first-hand that it doesn't matter what your background is, or your personal orientation, we're all on the same team and we all support each other," Pinkel said. "If Michael doesn't have the support of his teammates like he did this past year, I don't think there's any way he has the type of season he put together."

Missouri linebacker Donovan Bonner has been a teammate of Sam's for five years.

"We knew of his status for 5 years and not one team member, coach, or staff member said anything says a lot about our family atmosphere," Bonner tweeted.

As for where Sam will get drafted, consider that he is the 11th man to win the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award. Each of the previous 10 winners was drafted prominently, eight in the first round.  If Sam is not drafted, LGBT football fans should protest and shout to the top of their lungs about discrimination.  There is no tougher conference in the NCAA than the SEC.  To be named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year is no small feat, and it shows that Sam is a great player and should be drafted by the NFL.  It's time for the NFL to show that they do not discriminate because someone is out and proud.  LGBT youth need to know that they have role models.  As proud as I am of Conner Mertens who came out as bisexual, Sam would make a major statement as the first openly gay NFL player.

Sam is a trailblazer and, by definition, that means embarking with no map or template. Nevertheless, he has equipped himself. His team of advisors includes Howard Bragman, an L.A. publicist with experience helping celebrities come out. Sam met with Collins in L.A. and spoke to Ayanbadejo. Last week plans were also afoot to put Sam together with former NFL cornerback Wade Davis, who came out in 2012, and Robbie Rogers, the openly gay L.A. Galaxy midfielder. As more athletes come out, a community of support has formed and fortified.

This we know: All the inevitable homophobic tweets and slurs will be offset by overwhelming support. As state after state recognizes marriage equality and Google devotes its daily "doodle" to protest Russia's homophobic legislation, and even the sitting Pope appears to accept homosexuality, figures like Sam are respected far more than they're reviled. For whatever short-term grief or dissonance he may encounter; for however many NFL teams decline to draft him; for whatever catcalls he hears in stadiums and in the trenches; he will be celebrated globally.

"Any stigma is fading," said Martina Navratilova, one of the first in the lineage of openly gay athletes. "It's all becoming a question of when not if. The next when is an active gay athlete. It's happening brick-by-brick, and pretty soon, we'll have the whole house." She then took a second to chuckle in happy disbelief. "We've hit this tipping point, this flood, this ... I don't know what the term is."

Actually, there is a word for this: progress.

Farther Along

Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand."

John 13:7

Farther Along

By W. A. Fletcher

Tempted and tried, we're oft made to wonder

Why it should be thus all the day long;

While there are others living about us,

Never molested, though in the wrong.

Farther along we'll know more about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by.

Sometimes I wonder why I must suffer,

Go in the rain, the cold, and the snow,

When there are many living in comfort,

Giving no heed to all I can do.

Farther along we'll know more about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by.

Tempted and tried, how often we question

Why we must suffer year after year,

Being accused by those of our loved ones,

E'en though we've walked in God's holy fear.

Farther along we'll know more about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by.

Often when death has taken our loved ones,

Leaving our home so lone and so drear,

Then do we wonder why others prosper,

Living so wicked year after year.

Farther along we'll know more about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by.

"Faithful till death," saith our loving Master;

Short is our time to labor and wait;

Then will our toiling seem to be nothing,

When we shall pass the heavenly gate.

Farther along we'll know more about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by.

Soon we will see our dear, loving Savior,

Hear the last trumpet sound through the sky;

Then we will meet those gone on before us,

Then we shall know and understand why.

Farther along we'll know more about it,

Farther along we'll understand why;

Cheer up, my brother, live in the sunshine,

We'll understand it all by and by.

The lyrics to the song were written in 1911 by Rev. W. A. Fletcher, an itinerant preacher, while he was traveling to the Indian Territories by train. Fletcher was feeling depressed because his wife, Catherine Louise Emmett Fletcher of Cleburne, Texas, was expecting their first-born child in a few weeks and he wouldn't be present for the occasion. He felt that his priorities were with his ministry in the Indian Territories and wrote the lyrics to reflect his frame of mind at the time. Sitting next to him on the train was J. R. Baxter, a gospel music promoter who was quite taken with the lyrics that Fletcher was writing and offered him $2.00 for them. Mr. Baxter subsequently had them put to music and the song has been quite popular in the gospel music arena ever since.

The song deals with a Christian's dismay at the apparent prosperity of the wicked, when contrasted with the suffering of the righteous. The repeated theme is that, "farther along" (in Heaven, perhaps), the truth will be revealed.  Some songs are truly comforting, and for me this is one of them.  No matter how bad things may be in life, if we keep our faith and we don't change the goodness of our character, then heaven will be ours someday.

Moment of Zen: The Winter Olympics

There are a lot of athletes I could have chosen for my moment of zen, but because of the great pictures of John Daly, I decided to choose him.  I hope you find the Winter Olympics a Zen moment.  I, obviously, realize there is controversy over Russia's anti-gay propaganda laws, but the Olympics are about peace and honor.  As the Olympic Charter states "The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practicing sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play." Go Team USA! I also wish all of the athletes a wonderful and safe games.

John Daly

Age: 28

Team: USA

Sport: Skeleton Race 

Why watch him: Daly was a BMX racer in his teens and a college track star. He finished in fourth place at the 2013 World Cup race, which is a long way from coming in 17th place back in 2010 at the Vancouver games.

Roy Moore Is At It Again

Roy Moore, the Alabama chief justice who reached national prominence for fighting the removal of the Ten Commandments from the state judicial building, has found a new cause: gay marriage.

Mr. Moore sent letters to all 50 governors, calling on them to pressure lawmakers at the state level to amend the U.S. Constitution to reflect that lawful marriages are only those between a man and woman, The Associated Press reported.  Moore wants a states-led constitutional amendment defining the institution as a union between one man and one woman.

"The moral foundation of our country is under attack," Chief Justice Roy Moore said in an interview with The Associated Press.  Moore said the only way to stop judges who are finding new rights for gay unions is with a state-initiated constitutional amendment. "Government has become oppressive, and judges are warping the law," Moore said.

Mr. Moore says he’s taking the campaign to the states because the country’s moral base faces concerted attack. He also said an Article V amendment to the Constitution is the only way to turn the tide on the attack — though courts have never upheld any Article V attempt, AP said.

His campaign has already sparked fire.

One openly gay lawmaker in Alabama — who just married her longtime lesbian partner — doubted the amendment idea would take root. Rep. Patricia Todd, a Democrat, said in the AP report that the tide has turned on gay marriage and most people in the public now support it. Todd says she expects most governors to toss Moore's letter, which is basically what Alabama's own governor has done.  Governor Bentley stated that while Moore has the right to voice his opinion, he believes that marriage equality is a state issue not a federal one.  "I am a states' rights person. Marriage licenses are issued by the state. I do believe that most things should be left on a state level," Bentley said.

"He's fighting a losing battle, and he probably knows that," Todd said in an interview.  She said the chief justice should recognize Americans' view and the courts' views about the issue and how it has changed in recent years. "Get over it, buddy," Todd said.

Michael Hansen with Equality Alabama said he doesn't see governors giving the letter much thought.  "This letter won't really have any effect that ultimately it's the last gasp effort to rally his base," said Hansen, who heard about the letter Thursday morning.

"There's nothing conservative about discrimination and marriage equality actually aligns up with conservative principals and that the foundation of our nation is strengthening when we allow more people the freedom to marry and protect their families and their kids," Hansen said.

Hansen said the odds are already against Moore for such an amendment to pass.

"I don't think he has any hope. The math is not on their side with 17 states directly supporting same sex marriage and others on the cusp of doing the same," said Hansen.

Susan Watson, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama, said in response to Moore's letters:

"Chief Justice Roy Moore said that government has become oppressive and this is yet another perfect example of his contributions to the matter. His definition of marriage as one man-one woman is a religious one. We support everyone's rights to have their own religious beliefs, but he is chronically imposing his beliefs on others... Times are changing and he needs to get with it. People here think that marriage equality in Alabama will never happen. But I think it will."

A lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union said the 17 states that allow gay marriage aren't likely to reverse their positions and call for a constitutional amendment. "I think the chief justice has a math problem ahead of him," said James Esseks, director of the ACLU's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project.

Others say attitudes have changed in Alabama since the law's enactment. Last year, the leader of the College Republican Federation of Alabama supported the U.S. Supreme Court's decision overturning the Defense of Marriage Act. That upset the state Republican Party chairman, who proposed a rule change aimed at keeping party leaders from taking public positions contrary to party policy. The state GOP executive committee wouldn't approve it.

"That is a great example of where the country is moving," Esseks said.

Moore is no stranger to controversy. In 2003, he was kicked out of office for disobeying a federal court order calling for him to take down a monument of the Ten Commandments he had installed at the state judicial building. Moore was re-elected in 2012.  One of the greatest political blunders of the Alabama voting public was to elect Roy Moore to a second term after he had been kicked out of office one time already.  And even if his blatant disregard for the law was not enough, Moore has done more harm to the Alabama Judicial System then any Chief Justice in history.  

The Chief Justice of the Court serves as the administrative head of the Alabama Judicial System. The court makes all rules governing administration, practice, and procedure for all Alabama courts. The exercise of this authority eliminates technicalities which usually cause delays in trial courts and reversals in appellate courts.  Moore, through massive mismanagement of the Alabama Judicial System, has caused the greatest backlog of cases because of massive lay-offs he created with court clerks and administrative staff.  Judges are forced to share court clerks with other judges and often are forced to conduct court without a clerk in the courtroom.  Moore was a disaster as the administrator of the Alabama court system, the most important job of the Chief Justice. In the midst of yet another fight over the adequacy of court funding in August of 2001, Moore unilaterally filed suit in Montgomery Circuit Court against the Governor, State Comptroller, and State Finance Director accusing them of violating Alabama law and the Alabama constitution by not adequately funding the state courts in that year’s budget.  In addition, Moore’s lawsuit claimed that the courts should be permitted to operate independently of legislative or executive budgeting and oversight.

Moore has routinely taken extreme positions that are outside of mainstream Alabamians. For example, Moore publicly supported an Army doctor (Lt. Col. Terrence Lakin) who was court-martialed for refusing to return to Afghanistan to care for our troops because he did not believe that President Obama was born in the United States.  In 2002, Moore authored an opinion in a child custody case in which he stated that the mother’s sexual preference automatically disqualified her as a parent, even though the father had a history of physical abuse. Moore wrote that the state should use “the power of the sword” to punish gays and lesbians.  Moore has also opposed amending Alabama’s constitution to remove segregationist language.  Finally, in a column dated December 13, 2006, Moore argued that Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the first Muslim to have been elected to the United States House of Representatives, should be barred from sitting in Congress because in his view, a Muslim could not honestly take the oath of office.

The greatest problem with Roy Moore is that he is not only the Chief Justice, but also the Chief Bigot, the Chief Idiot, the Chief Clown, etc.  I could continue with other adjectives to describe him, but they are all basically the same.  The head of the Alabama Judicial System should have to follow the law in his rulings, but over and over again, he has made rulings with a total disregard for the law.  The American political establishment (just like the political establishments in every country in the world) has imbeciles who should learn to keep their mouth shuts and should have never been allowed in a position of power in the first place.  As much as I dislike most politicians, Roy Moore ranks as one of those I dislike the most.  He is a duplicitous egomaniac and will do and say anything to get in the news and try to get more votes.  Alabama has always had some crooked public figures, but Roy Moore takes the prize as the worst in my book.

Dumbass

When I read about this, the first thing I thought was "Dumbass!"  You might think the same thing when you read about this.  New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma might not be happy if a fellow NFL player were to come out as gay and wind up in the shower next to him.

Andrea Kremer, the NFL's chief correspondent for player health and safety, recently sat down with various NFL members to discuss the culture of the locker room. The men admitted to a no-holds-barred atmosphere, where the n-word flies and hazing happens. But apparently the possibility of an openly gay player in that atmosphere would "test the limits of tolerance," according to Kremer.

"There's such a stigma with gay and homosexuals within male sports," London Fletcher, Washington Redskins linebacker, said during the session with Kremer. "It would be very difficult for that first person to come out."

"I think that he would not be accepted as much as we think he would be accepted," Vilma added. "I don't want people to just naturally assume, like, 'Oh, we're all homophobic.' That's really not the case. Imagine if he's the guy next to me and, you know, I get dressed, naked, taking a shower, the whole nine, and it just so happens he looks at me. How am I supposed to respond?"

Do these players really think that other players haven't looked at them when they are naked?  I mean honestly, as much as ALL men think about penis size, every guy out there is going to compare to see how they size up against each other.  It's the natural competitive nature of men. Vilma is also African-American, which means any white guy in the locker room is going to look and see if what they say about black men is true.  What difference does it make if a straight man, gay man, or even a straight woman takes a look at his penis?  Who really cares?  The likelihood that Vilma and any number of athletes have been seen naked by a gay man. It just pisses me off that a grown man can act so juvenile about something like this.

Vilma was accused of homophobia in 2011 when he tweeted: “Grown men should NOT hav [sic] female tendencies. Period.” When a backlash ensued, he responded: “So of course the homosexual men get sensitive to my tweet and respond all ticked off. RELAX I was not referring to u guys."  The fact is that homophobic athletes like Vilma need to get over themselves.  They need to grow up and quit acting like children.

Last April, former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo said that as many as four closeted, active players could come out as gay to the public. However, not a single active NFL player came out in 2013.  Eventually, I believe there will be active professional sports players who will come out.  When they do, players like Vilma will have to learn to live with it.  Stupidity exists throughout the world, and people like Vilma just prove it more and more every day.

College baseball player Chandler Whitney, boyfriend of Conner Mertens

Chandler Whitney wanted to come out to his Walla Walla Community College baseball team, he just didn't know how or when. Over winter break he had spent time with his boyfriend, Willamette University kicker Conner Mertens, and his friends and felt acceptance by Mertens' hometown friends. It was a relief to be open and honest about his relationship with them.

When he returned to school last month, Whitney was more at ease with his sexuality. He didn't want to hide from his teammates anymore.

"I'd been planning to do it at some point anyway," Whitney told Outsports, "and seeing the reaction to Conner's story calmed me down."

Last week when the baseball team gathered for the first practices of the new year, talk turned to stories from winter break. Because he'd spent much of the break with Mertens, Whitney felt the time was now. He stood up in front of the team, said he had contemplated whether to tell them a secret or not, and shared a "confession" he'd been holding back from them since they first met:

"I'm gay."

The team broke into spontaneous applause. It took Whitney off-guard.

"Being where I am in eastern Washington, it's not the response I expected. I'm in Walla Walla, there's not a lot of open-mindedness on the surface."

In 2012, over 60% of the Walla Walla County voters rejected a ballot measure that ultimately legalized same-sex marriage in the state of Washington; Barack Obama garnered less than 40% of the vote there.

"I didn't necessarily expect hostility, but I expected a guy or two to feel uncomfortable or awkward. Everyone on the team shook my hand, gave me a hug and said we're a family and they had my back. The guys I thought would feel the most uncomfortable said don't worry about a thing, it's not a big deal."

Whitney grew up in a Catholic household in Beaverton, Ore., just a couple miles from Nike world headquarters. He was a standout baseball player, going between first base and outfield.

"I'm a pretty good hitter," Whitney said. "And my defense is fair."

He batted .350 in high school with a .461 on-base percentage. He was first-team all-state in Oregon his senior year, leading the team to the state semifinals. He attended Southridge High School, coincidentally the same name (but not the same school) as Mertens' high school. 

Whitney got pseudo-outed his freshman year in high school. Another student started a rumor that Whitney had sent him revealing pictures. Whitney claims he didn't. The rumors snowballed and he became targeted by many students as "the gay kid" when in fact he was the (deeply closeted) gay kid. As he neared graduation just last year, he revealed only to a couple close friends that the rumors were true, even as he struggled with not wanting to be gay.

"I didn't accept it myself very well," Whitney said. "I didn't want anyone to know, and if anyone asked I would deny it even though I knew I was gay. It took me until I was a senior in high school to see how dumb that was. Now I realize that the most important thing is that I'm happy."

Part of that happiness is his half-year relationship with Mertens. While it wasn't because of his boyfriend's coming out story last week that he decided to take the plunge, he said it's made it easier to explain his relationship.

"You know that college football player at Willamette who came out?" He asked his teammates last week. "I'm dating that guy."

In the few days since he came out to his team, Whitney said he has experienced no change from his teammates. Nobody shies away from him in or out of the locker room. It's business as usual.

"Nobody's weird about it. They still make the same jokes they did before, minus some choice words."

He's already heard one choice word come from a teammate since he shared his revelation with them. The teammate was quick to apologize.

"The immediate reaction from the guy who said it was something like, 'I'm so sorry, I'm trying to get rid of that. It's just a habit.' I got on him a little bit. But I let the team know it's OK and that they should just watch it. Time to focus on playing baseball.'"

The team's first game is March 1. Whitney said he will be playing outfield for the Warriors. He expects to play two years for Walla Walla Community College then transfer to a four-year college to earn a degree and play baseball.

To Television

To Television

By Robert Pinksy

Not a "window on the world"
But as we call you,
A box a tube

Terrarium of dreams and wonders.
Coffer of shades, ordained
Cotillion of phosphors
Or liquid crystal

Homey miracle, tub
Of acquiescence, vein of defiance.
Your patron in the pantheon would be Hermes

Raster dance,
Quick one, little thief, escort
Of the dying and comfort of the sick,

In a blue glow my father and little sister sat
Snuggled in one chair watching you
Their wife and mother was sick in the head
I scorned you and them as I scorned so much

Now I like you best in a hotel room,
Maybe minutes
Before I have to face an audience: behind
The doors of the armoire, box
Within a box — Tom & Jerry, or also brilliant
And reassuring, Oprah Winfrey.

Thank you, for I watched, I watched
Sid Caesar speaking French and Japanese not
Through knowledge but imagination,
His quickness, and Thank You, I watched live
Jackie Robinson stealing

Home, the image — O strung shell — enduring
Fleeter than light like these words we
Remember in, they too winged
At the helmet and ankles.

Former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky has written many books of and about poetry, including most recently, "Selected Poems." From 1997 to 2000, he served as the United States Poet Laureate and Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. During that time, he founded the Favorite Poem Project, a program dedicated to celebrating, documenting and encouraging poetry's role in Americans' lives. Pinsky currently teaches in the M.F.A. program at Boston University and is the poetry editor of Slate.

The Fraudulent Practices of DirecTV

When I was a young kid growing up in rural Alabama, there were two ways to get television reception.  The most common way was with either rabbit ear antennae or with a large outdoor antennae.  With this method, people in my area could receive NBC and later CBS easily (when I was a little kid, CBS switched from UHF to VHF). By moving the antennae just to the right spot, you could pick up ABC and sometimes PBS.  Only later did Fox come along.  The other option was to get one of those large satellite dishes that moved to capture the reception from different satellites.  The problem with the large satellite dishes is that there could be nothing around them to block their reception and often they were struck by lightening.  They were also quite expensive to buy.

So in the early 1990s when PrimeStar came along, you could get a small stationary 3 foot satellite and get most of the popular channels that people could get with cable television in urban areas.  My parents, who had at one time had one of the large satellites, and my grandparents, who only had an antennae, got a PrimeStar satellite receiver.  Finally, we had more than four channels.  However, in 1999 PrimeStar was bought out by DirecTV and put out of business.  For rural television viewers, we now only had two choices DirecTV and Dish Network.  My grandfather bought the equipment to change over to DirecTV and after his death my aunt kept DirecTV, but as DirecTV began to upgrade equipment and offer free DVRs, they refused to upgrade my aunt's equipment or provide us with local channels. (I had moved into my grandparent's old house by this time.)  

Finally, in November 2012, we cancelled the old contract, planning to go to Dish Network. In the process of doing so, we received an offer from DirecTV that we couldn't refuse.  We were offered two free DVRs, local channels, and their Choice Xtra package for $57.99 a month. I called to get the service set up the new service since they wanted us as customers back.  When I called, we were assured that the price would be $57.99 per month.  I specifically asked if it would go up in 12 months.  I had dealt with these kinds of companies before, and I knew what to ask.  I was assured that not only would it not go up after 12 months, but that after 12 months we would receive an additional $10 a month discount and our monthly bill would be $47.99 for the remaining year of our contract.  So I agreed, and the next Monday, they came to set up our service.

That should have been it, with taxes and fees, we should have paid $66.94 a month for 12 months, and then paid roughly $56 for the next 12 months of our contract.  However, this was not the case.  Each month I have received a bill, the amount has been incorrect.  I have called and been assured that it the previous monthly rebates we were getting would be reinstated because they had been mistakenly removed.  Yesterday, however, parts of our service was cut off with a message to call customer service.  So I did, only to find out that we owed $144.  The rebates I kept being told that we were being given to keep our bill at the original price (not even including the additional $10 rebate we were originally promised), had not been applied and the charges have been adding up without our knowledge.

After two hours and seven (yes, 7) customer service representatives, I am finally told by one that informed me that every customer service representative that I have talked to over the past year, including the initial one who set up our account, had lied to me.  She laughed at me for believing them, and said that there was nothing I could do.  How wrong she is, because this is only the beginning.  She doesn't understand that I made a New Year's resolution to be more assertive and not take things lying down anymore.  I will continue to fight the fraudulent practices of DirecTV, and I will spread the word.

When all was said and done, one representative (the fourth I talked to) had admitted to me that this was standard practice with DirecTV and his own grandfather had been complaining to him about it.  This nice young man told me to request that the original phone call be pulled and listened to so that they would honor the original agreement.  According to the DirecTV representative, they really do record all phone conversations for quality assurance and training purposes.  The dispute process takes 2-3 weeks, but the call can be pulled.  However, the last representative who was supposed to be able to do this, told me not only would she not pull the phone call, but that she could not.  They kept the phone calls and they were used for training purposes but it did not matter what was originally agreed to, DirecTV would never ever honor it.

Basically, if you decide to do business with DirecTV, you can be guaranteed two things.  One, they will promise you the world in order to get you to sign a two year contract.  Two, they will not honor that original agreement because there isn't enough competition for them to have to do so.  So this is my advice to anyone who lives in rural America:  do not conduct business with DirecTV.  Dish Network may not be the best service, especially if you like sports, but having dealt with them in the past as well, if you have a problem, Dish Network will do their best to resolve the issue to your satisfaction.  On the other hand, DirecTV will give you all sorts of promises, and will not honor their agreements.  They will continually commit fraud, false advertising, and their representatives will continually lie to you in order to get you off the phone, so that you will have to call back on another day and speak to someone else.

DO NOT CONDUCT BUSINESS WITH DIRECTV!!!!!

Additional Information from Wikipedia:

Consumer protection lawsuits and violations

Washington State's Attorney General civil complaint

On December 14, 2009 the Washington Attorney General's office filed a civil complaint against DirecTV seeking injunctive and other relief. The complaint was filed in the public interest when the Attorney General's office determined after a one-year investigation by its Consumer Protection Division, that the company allegedly engaged in numerous repeated violations of the state's Consumer Protection Act.

The complaint alleged unfair or deceptive practices which include, but are not limited to

Unclear disclosures concerning rebate terms and conditions,

Unclear and/or unfair advertising for use of the term "free";

Automatically extending contracts when customers require equipment repairs, upgrade equipment or move;

Failing to disclose finance terms and conditions that the company's least expensive package of $29.99 per month is only available to customers who meet certain financing conditions and agree to have the costs automatically charged or debited.

The suit also alleged that some cancellation fees assessed by the company were considered to be unfair, and

That the company unfairly retained consumer deposits made to obtain services. Those who cancel service prior to the end of their contract lose part of the deposit and may also be charged cancellation fees.

The Attorney General's Office asked the court to compel DirecTV to change its business practices, impose civil penalties and provide restitution for consumers.

The case was settled in December 2010, with Directv agreeing to pay over one million dollars, and to correct many of its business practices. 47 other states joined in a similar suit, the settlement of which required Directv to pay over 13 million dollars.

California class action lawsuit

In September 2008, consumers filed a class action lawsuit with the Los Angeles Superior Court to stop DirecTV's practice of charging early cancellation penalties to subscribers. The lawsuit claims that DirecTV fails to disclose the penalty to new customers or to existing customers who replace their equipment or add a new receiver, and that these practices are unlawful. In September 2009, a motion for a preliminary injunction was filed to block the company from automatically removing the fees from customers' bank accounts or charging their credit card accounts without their prior knowledge and written consent until the lawsuit is resolved.

Telemarketing violations

In December 2005 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission imposed a $5.3 million penalty on DirecTV for its violations of federal telemarketing regulations. It was the largest civil penalty the FTC had ever announced in a case enforcing any consumer protection law.