Alright, that’s it, I’ve had it! I cannot take one more awful, sensationalized, CAPITALIZED headline from you HuffPo.

I held out as long as I could. I even held on when you cashed out to the tune of $315 million on the backs of mostly unpaid, grassroots, local bloggers.

Ultimately it was your painful lack of copyediting, lack of pertinent details on important stories, and your sensationalized headlines that pushed me over the edge. Goodbye Huffington Post.

For anyone else looking to take the leap and find Huffington Post alternatives, here are the sites where I have ended up, in no particular order:

• Truthdig

• Salon.com

• BuzzFlash

• Mother Jones

• The Nation

• The Raw Story

• Media Matters for America

• The Daily Beast

• Truthout

• AlterNet

• The New Republic

• Talking Points Memo

• AMERICAblog

• Crooks and Liars

Well I really don’t want to turn this into the “excessive force by police officers” blog, but this one is a national headline as I believe it should be.

Who are we really being terrorized by?  I’m starting to question.  What the hell is going on?

Is this kid going to be looking over his shoulder every time he walks down the street?  Will he ever trust police officers?  I’m just sickened by it.

Read the full storry at The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/24/jordan-miles-teen-violini_n_434772.html

The crazies over at the American Family Association regularly send me their hysterically funny newsletters, always full of money-begging and fear-mongering.  More often than not the back page will be an ad for some family value voters summit, plastered with photos of Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity, etc.  I sometimes forget this is coming from a religious organization and not the RNC.

Last year AFA wanted me to boycott McDonald’s because the company refused to end it’s association with the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.  They sent me a cute little prewritten sticky note that I was to take to my local McDonald’s and stick on the money used to pay for my last McDonald’s meal.  The note would inform the Manager that until McDonald’s stopped siding with moral corruption and became neutral in the “culture war” I simply could not in good conscience spend my hard-earned Christian dollars at the restaurant.  Hilarious, right?  Hilarious, odd, and scary, all swirled into one nightmarish little Neapolitan mix.

Needless to say, I never dropped off the note at McDonald’s.  And the boycott was a total and complete bust, as McDonald’s stock went up nearly every single day that the boycott was active.  Lots of gays drinking lots of iced coffees, yes, yes we did.

Jump to my latest mailing from AFA.  GAP INC. IS EVIL!  THEY WON’T SAY “CHRISTMAS” EXCLUSIVELY!  Basically, I’m supposed to boycott all Gap Inc. stores (Banana Republic, Old Navy, Gap, etc.) until after Christmas the Holidays because they’re supposedly censoring “Christmas”.  Unfortunately for the nonexistent credibility of the American Family Association, Gap actually has an ad out now that very obviously says “Christmas” loud and clear:

If you think I’m kidding, just click on the video and let it take you to the YouTube page and take a look at the comments.  Here are a few of the crazies:

“More secular paganism to sell more cheap Chinese crap. The boycott will expand to any company who denies Christ.”

“This is supposed to appease those of us who are boycotting Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic. Just more moral and cultural relativism. Boycott not over.”

“Merry Christmas Gap, may you have no better sales than any other time of year…let’s go to Macy’s who has respect for tradition and values. Throw it all to the wind right? Why believe anything when its all "relative" to what "feels right" to whomever no matter what drugs they are on? ur ok im ok!”

“This is stupid. Do whatever feels right they say. I will not shop there. That feels right. First they refuse to use Christmas in their advertising now they throw it in with Solstice. Disrespectful! I will spend my Christmas dollars elsewhere. Merry Christmas!”

Those few comments are just from the selection made in the last hour, truly terrifying.

Now for the GAP win aspect of this post.  It was just announced today that the profits of Gap Inc. were up 25% in the last quarter.  The timing of AFA’s silly boycott could not have been better.

Now my fair-minded, non-crazy friends, I encourage you to pick up a few extra GAP gift cards this year for your friends and family.  I know these AFA folk probably don’t normally shop at GAP anyway, but I think that regardless it couldn’t hurt for us to support GAP’s spirit of inclusiveness.

Family, friends…yes, you’re getting GAP gift cards.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Finally!  11 years after Matthew Shepard’s death, the legislation bearing his name has finally made it through Congress and on to the President’s desk.  The Republicans, of course, fought it all along the way but despite their best efforts America has arrived in the 21st century.  It saddens me that Senator Kennedy isn’t here to see this come to fruition, after all of his years fighting for it.

I do wish that the bill could have been sent through Congress on its own accord, but attaching it to a defense bill was the safest bet for getting it through and the Democrats did the right thing in doing so.

Matthew’s parents Judy and Dennis have worked tirelessly to see this happen and I have enormous respect for both of them.  I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Judy at a Soulforce event protesting Focus on the Family and their hurtful, dangerous rhetoric.  She was incredibly sweet and genuine and my heart broke all over again for this women who was thrust into a role that no parent would ever wish for.  Hate took her son from her she chose to go on and fight that hate,  She is my personal hero because of it.

Today as I watched the above videos I stumbled upon this great video which contains the statement that Dennis Shepard gave during the trial of one of Matthew’s murderers.  The audio is from the movie “The Laramie Project”.  It is incredibly moving.

Watch the video: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/13/police-brutality-cops-pun_n_203245.html

Is this happening more often or is the Internet just making us more aware of it?  This police officer didn’t know he was on video, obviously.  The kick in the head, then pushing the guys arm up way beyond where he needed to, then the high five…pretty disgusting.

I know the guy is a criminal and I know he’s a suspected gang member, but does this really help reform anyone?  I believe this kind of behavior does nothing more than send more young kids into gangs and helps to create distrust and hate toward police officers in general.

From what I’ve read this officer hasn’t been disciplined or suspended yet, but I’ll update when I find out more.

On this day one year ago 15 year old Lawrence “Larry” King was shot and killed as he sat in his 8th grade classroom.  He was murdered for having the courage to  openly be who he had known he was for years.  Larry came out when he was just 10 years old.  It took me until I was 20 years old and living 1,200 miles from my family before I would take that step.  Larry had courage beyond my understanding and despite the awful, turbulent home life he was experiencing he had the conviction to be himself.

Larry’s 16th Birthday would have been 1 month ago and my heart is broken that he wasn’t here for it.  Any death at that age is nearly impossible for me to understand, but for someone like Larry to have lived and survived through a very rough childhood to only then to have his life cut short simply for being something other than heterosexual, is almost too much to take.

I have read accounts of Larry’s last few weeks and from what I gather Lawrence had started to self-identify as female, going by the name Letitia King.  Whether Larry was a gay boy or Letitia, self-identifying as female makes no difference.  Whether Larry or Letitia, this young life should be remembered an honored for the courage that was shown by just being true to what was inside.

So Larry…Letitia, I honor and remember you today.  Your death broke many hearts, but through that pain many more hearts were changed from fear and anger to reconciliation and love.  Rest in peace.

Lawrence “Larry” “Letitia” King
January 13, 1993 – February 12, 2008

Rest In Peace

http://www.couragecampaign.org/divorce

Ken Starr, who led the campaign to impeach President Bill Clinton, filed a legal brief last month — on behalf of the “Yes on 8″ campaign — that would forcibly divorce 18,000 same-sex couples that were married in California last year before the passage of Prop 8.

Watch “Fidelity” and sign our letter to the state Supreme Court. Tell the Supreme Court to invalidate Prop 8, reject Ken Starr’s case, and let loving, committed couples marry. DEADLINE: Valentine’s Day.

76,283 people have signed the letter (as of Sunday, February 8). Will you add your name now?:

http://www.couragecampaign.org/divorce

“Fidelity” used with permission from Regina Spektor and EMI Records.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24027845-2703,00.html

Click here to view the embedded video.

UPDATE 01/16/2009: Khadr likely to leave Gitmo soon after Obama inauguration.

Below, you will find a link to a disturbing video of 22-year-old Oscar Grant being shot in the back by a police officer as he lay pinned face down on the ground.  I am trying to avoid rushing to judgement out of anger, but I think these videos speak for themselves.  My thoughts are with his family; I hope justice is swift and sure.  I will continue to follow the case and post updates.

Watch the story and cell phone videos recorded on the scene.

UPDATE 01/16/2009: Former BART Officer Johannes Mehserle, 27, has been arrested for murder the shooting of Oscar Grant on New Years Day.  Mehserle has been charged with homicide and has pled not guilty.