Drunk relatives from out of state. Talking Glee and football with my uncle. Grandma's boyfriend from Denmark and his native birthday songs. Flank steak. Fondue. My girlfriend sleeping on the couch as my father carefully builds a cave of pillows around her. One brother with his pants too high, the other pulling out a comb to fix his hair all the time.
Yep, it's good to be home for a bit. Strange how much catching up you have to do after years of not seeing uncles, aunts and family friends. Strange how little time it takes to catch up.
I love catered food.
And fondue.
Hope all went well at the tailgate and first night game tonight, my Bishops back at OWU.
I miss my cat.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
An open letter to Senator John McCain, R-Ariz.
Mr. McCain:
I feel like I should just call you “John” because we have some level of familiarity. I left you a nice message last week on Constitution Day. Did you listen to it? Have you read my tweets?
And after all, you’ve been to the place I call home. You were the fellow who spoke at our commencement this past year here at Ohio Wesleyan. It was a nice speech, very empowering. As a matter of fact, you quoted Winston Churchill when you said “defeat is never fatal. Victory is never final. It’s courage that counts.”
So given your recent threat to filibuster during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” hearings on the Senate floor and the overwhelmingly Republican vote Tuesday to block discussion of DADT repeal, I wonder. Is the defeat for gay rights advocates everywhere fatal? Is your victory final? And whose courage counted?
I am also wondering why a war veteran and distinguished politician and community service advocate such as yourself would balk in front of reporters after the Senate hearings. Two of them were from The Advocate and Metro Weekly, two of the LGBT community’s prime news sources. They confronted you and you shied away.
How could you sit in front of reporters and claim the military does not actively seek to find out someone’s sexual orientation? How could you claim private e-mails of military members have never been searched? “Bring them to our office,” you said. “It is not the policy, it is not the policy, it is not the policy.”
It may not be the written policy, Senator, but you know it’s true. You’ve heard of Major Mike Almy, a 13-year veteran of the Air Force, who was relieved of his duties after a routine search of computer files uncovered emails to his same-sex partner. Almy explained what happened in a testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee…your own committee! So how can you sit there and lie?
Furthermore, how can you defend such a discriminatory policy? Even if you are waiting for the survey from the Pentagon about the opinion of service members on the repeal, you should know. You should understand and you should be able to tell that this policy never should have been implemented in the first place. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says it’s ridiculous. Barack Obama wants to repeal it. Defense secretary Robert Gates thinks it’s outdated. The House of Representatives voted it unconstitutional. What other evidence do you need? Why are you playing politics with people’s lives?
I find it hard to imagine that if a gay soldier had saved your life in Vietnam, you would have denied him and waited for the next straight guy to come along. I also find it hard to imagine that the 13,000 LGBT soldiers who have been “honorably” discharged since 1993 really had a negative effect on their companies. I’m sure they didn’t enlist to get some action (and I don’t mean on the battlefield). Is that why you enlisted?
For the life of me, I can’t even imagine why LGBT people would want to serve in the first place. Why would someone enlist in the military knowing this policy is in place, knowing their rights will be surrendered and their personal lives destroyed if someone finds out, knowing they will be kicked out and their pay cut?
Maybe because, for some unknown reason, they love the country that denies them their basic rights. Maybe because they want to serve and fight and protect the freedoms they hope they have some day. Maybe because they bleed red just like everyone else.
Maybe we should fight homophobia instead of homosexuals.
You could help if you stopped hiding behind your lies and whatever principles you are trying to uphold here. Look beyond what your party wants and start supporting what’s right.
Sincerely,
Michelle Rotuno-Johnson
I feel like I should just call you “John” because we have some level of familiarity. I left you a nice message last week on Constitution Day. Did you listen to it? Have you read my tweets?
And after all, you’ve been to the place I call home. You were the fellow who spoke at our commencement this past year here at Ohio Wesleyan. It was a nice speech, very empowering. As a matter of fact, you quoted Winston Churchill when you said “defeat is never fatal. Victory is never final. It’s courage that counts.”
So given your recent threat to filibuster during the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” hearings on the Senate floor and the overwhelmingly Republican vote Tuesday to block discussion of DADT repeal, I wonder. Is the defeat for gay rights advocates everywhere fatal? Is your victory final? And whose courage counted?
I am also wondering why a war veteran and distinguished politician and community service advocate such as yourself would balk in front of reporters after the Senate hearings. Two of them were from The Advocate and Metro Weekly, two of the LGBT community’s prime news sources. They confronted you and you shied away.
How could you sit in front of reporters and claim the military does not actively seek to find out someone’s sexual orientation? How could you claim private e-mails of military members have never been searched? “Bring them to our office,” you said. “It is not the policy, it is not the policy, it is not the policy.”
It may not be the written policy, Senator, but you know it’s true. You’ve heard of Major Mike Almy, a 13-year veteran of the Air Force, who was relieved of his duties after a routine search of computer files uncovered emails to his same-sex partner. Almy explained what happened in a testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee…your own committee! So how can you sit there and lie?
Furthermore, how can you defend such a discriminatory policy? Even if you are waiting for the survey from the Pentagon about the opinion of service members on the repeal, you should know. You should understand and you should be able to tell that this policy never should have been implemented in the first place. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says it’s ridiculous. Barack Obama wants to repeal it. Defense secretary Robert Gates thinks it’s outdated. The House of Representatives voted it unconstitutional. What other evidence do you need? Why are you playing politics with people’s lives?
I find it hard to imagine that if a gay soldier had saved your life in Vietnam, you would have denied him and waited for the next straight guy to come along. I also find it hard to imagine that the 13,000 LGBT soldiers who have been “honorably” discharged since 1993 really had a negative effect on their companies. I’m sure they didn’t enlist to get some action (and I don’t mean on the battlefield). Is that why you enlisted?
For the life of me, I can’t even imagine why LGBT people would want to serve in the first place. Why would someone enlist in the military knowing this policy is in place, knowing their rights will be surrendered and their personal lives destroyed if someone finds out, knowing they will be kicked out and their pay cut?
Maybe because, for some unknown reason, they love the country that denies them their basic rights. Maybe because they want to serve and fight and protect the freedoms they hope they have some day. Maybe because they bleed red just like everyone else.
Maybe we should fight homophobia instead of homosexuals.
You could help if you stopped hiding behind your lies and whatever principles you are trying to uphold here. Look beyond what your party wants and start supporting what’s right.
Sincerely,
Michelle Rotuno-Johnson
Friday, September 10, 2010
Watermelondrea gets cray-cray
My friends, I am the victim of false advertising. Whoever sold me that seedless watermelon at the farmer's market was a dirty rotten liar. Obviously he was blindly guessing as to the contents of that melon. How did he know what was gonna be in there?
Finding seeds in seedless watermelon is like finding high-fructose corn syrup in Diet Coke or finding a child in your belly a few months after your boyfriend says he has protection. An unwanted surprise. A lie. And when I buy a watermelon, market man, I want a sweet tasty treat that sends rivulets of pink juice down my mouth and NOT a mine field where hard black pustules burst out of the ground and attack me. Besides, those seeds are how plants have sex and I do NOT want little melons growing in my belly.
So for future reference...please. Advertise exactly what you are giving to me.
And PS, Axe. Women do not flock to me when I use your shampoo. I am sorely disappointed.
Finding seeds in seedless watermelon is like finding high-fructose corn syrup in Diet Coke or finding a child in your belly a few months after your boyfriend says he has protection. An unwanted surprise. A lie. And when I buy a watermelon, market man, I want a sweet tasty treat that sends rivulets of pink juice down my mouth and NOT a mine field where hard black pustules burst out of the ground and attack me. Besides, those seeds are how plants have sex and I do NOT want little melons growing in my belly.
So for future reference...please. Advertise exactly what you are giving to me.
And PS, Axe. Women do not flock to me when I use your shampoo. I am sorely disappointed.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Don't Ask Don't Tell Ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL
In the wake after Prop 8 being re-enforced, I am taking this with a grain of salt.
http://www.openleft.com/diary/20102/breaking-dadt-ruled-unconstitutional
http://www.openleft.com/diary/20102/breaking-dadt-ruled-unconstitutional
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Things the cat eats
Since agreeing to be his foster mom two and a half weeks ago, Leah and I have seen Scoops grow from a thin, flea-bitten kitten to a happy, healthy, playful young cat. But here are some things he enjoys eating that we find remarkable:
NOTE: He gets into half of this stuff because we say, "there's no way he's going to want to eat that!"
RJ and Leah
Pads
Noodles
Cap'n Crunch
Watermelon
Artichoke dip and tortilla chips
Ice cream with white chocolate chips in it
Bugs
Taco Bell, even after we put hot sauce on it
The meat, beans and rice out of a homemade burrito
Goldfish crackers
Barbecue chips
We live with a young, fuzzy garbage disposal.
NOTE: He gets into half of this stuff because we say, "there's no way he's going to want to eat that!"
RJ and Leah
Pads
Noodles
Cap'n Crunch
Watermelon
Artichoke dip and tortilla chips
Ice cream with white chocolate chips in it
Bugs
Taco Bell, even after we put hot sauce on it
The meat, beans and rice out of a homemade burrito
Goldfish crackers
Barbecue chips
We live with a young, fuzzy garbage disposal.
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