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Wednesday, March 31
I went to the opening reception for the exhibition, “New York’s Moynihan” at the Museum for the City of New York. I felt honored to be invited by members of Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s family to go to the reception but not nearly as honored as I’ve felt to have had the privilege to meet this great man on several occasions and to get to know aspects of his life intimately thru the eyes of his children. The crowd at the reception was just as I would have expected, chock full of older political types, an upper crust of the type of New Yorkers most politicians court for their ample campaign donations, a mish mosh of New York administration folks, but mostly, I did have the sense, mostly, folks who really liked or even loved Pat Moynihan. That’s the thing about Pat, people really adored him. They might not have agreed with everything he stood for politically, or perhaps they did, but they always adored him. Why? Well peeking at the absurd rain hat and bow tie on display that he perpetually wore, one might say because he was a true character, an independent thinker who marched to his own drum. Personally, I think, it was because no matter what he said, you always felt he was telling the truth. How rare is that in politics? The big press moment of the night came when Senator Chuck Schumer and NYC Mayor Bloomberg arrived. Both men stood about a foot from me while they posed for the cameras. Honey’s it took every ounce of strength I had not to shove my face in Bloomberg’s and say, “HEY BLOOMIE WHY ARE YOU RUINING NEW YORK CITY?” Followed by a hearty..."By the way, can I bum a smoke from you!" But I didn’t mostly because I didn’t want to cast on a shadow on a long over-due tribute to a truly great man….and well also, I didn’t want to get arrested. Of course, having nothing to do with my personal relationship to the Moynihan clan I will always appreciate the man who stood up in the United Nations and protested the horrific resolution that equated Zionism to racism by stating, “The United States declares that it does not acknowledge, it will not abide by, it will never acquiesce in this infamous act.’ 16 years later the abomination of this act was revoked. As a lover of old buildings and slices of visual history that are so often destroyed to make room for big business, new apartment buildings, high glass office buildings and the like, I will always feel eternally grateful for Moynihan's work saving so many slices of old New York and old Washington for that matter. He was tireless in his work to save the magnificence of yesterday. Recently I went to visit the American Indian Museum on Bowling Green in NYC. The museum is housed in the old U.S. Custom House, an amazing building, a true slice of original New York City industry that stands proudly today largely because of this man. Indeed Moynihan was so tireless and successful in his pursuits to save old New York that the new Penn Station to be housed in the old Farley Building, another slice of great old New York, will be named in his honor. Going to the reception with members of the family of Mr. Moynihan who have become my family over the past many, many years and one new family member who has become the closest thing I have to a daughter, made me feel like I was somehow related to him as well. I didn’t have anything to say to the hordes of higher end silver-haired people nibbling at caviar on hard-boiled eggs or smoked salmon canapés, but I did feel as I strolled past them, that I had just as much right to be there as they did. If you’re a New Yorker, or you find yourself in NYC sometime between now and September, please trudge up on uptown, WAY UPTOWN to 104th and 5th Ave. and check out New York’s Moynihan at the Museum of the City of New York. I promise the ride up is worth it, even if you do have you get your passport stamped at 100th Street. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who lived in Hell’s Kitchen, shined shoes on the streets of NYC as a boy, went to school in East Harlem and ultimately became the most listened too, most remembered, most enduring Senator that anyone I know can recall, who became the man now regarded as the greatest political intellectual since Abraham Lincoln, is a slice of New York. He is part of the rich under-layer of New York. He pulses in the veins of New York adding flavor and texture. He is Checker Cabs and Coney Island Hot Dogs, carriage rides thru Central Park and coffee houses on Macdougal Steet. He is New York’s Moynihan. Sunday, March 28
okay im gonna share a little web world woe when i started writing this site Because both sides of the partisan scale cared so deeply about the horror of "911" ( or at least had the smarts to pretend to) it didn't seem to matter much whether or not I was democrat or republican When i started sharing my horror over the atrocities done to Israel Being a liberal, democrat i was surprised at my new fans, but also thrilled, reaching out to people who would so strongly dis-agree with me at a wide variety of subjects.. is almost a bigger compliment then touching those who are with me.. I'd never made a secret of the fact that I was horrified of how George Bush won (stole) office, but it wasn't until his ridiculous handling of our international affairs, his attack on our civil liberties and his crusades against a woman's right to choose classy folks very classy so here's the thing for example.... so why can't it work in reverse? listen if you want to blindly follow george bush say it out loud i don't want to see, hear or feel anything that inhibits my ability to blindly follow if that is not the case i do all the time Wednesday, March 24
Okay now, stop.. don't try and kick me out of the Jewish race for crying out loud anyway she said the movie was historically accurate.. i dont know darlings heres the problem so heres the thing now what we surely know is that the romans tortured him and killed him now meanwhile why make satan anyway anyway hey you might as well hate everyone who eats pizza too kill the spaghetti eaters! Monday, March 22
Excuse me while i DON"T shed a tear.. Hmmmm let's see how many hundreds of men, women and children of his own people did he send out to blow themselves up? How many hundreds of men, women and children did his suicide bombers murder? Of course, the Hamas loving Palestinians are crying outrage, because the old bearded man was such a sweet-heart, a real santa claus...cause you know he murdered all these people in, like, a holy way... you know... Only the Hamas loving Palestinians, here-after known as the HLPs..to differenciate between the peace loving Palestinians (who are they anyway?)...are now so pissed off, that they're getting a lot more honest.. How so..oh simply that they are saying out loud what we've known all long...that they want revenge on America too. Yep gone are the days of pretending to be sorta non-violent when it comes to the U.S. Spoken like a true terrorist. Yassin of course is the big prize for Sharon, the most prominent Palestinian leader killed by Israel in more than three years of fighting. Sadly his killing has sparked a major call for revenge as tens of thousands of Palestinians poured out onto the streets. So let me just take a moment to clue you into a major difference between Israel and Hamas and all the other fundamentalist Palestians. When Yassin was killed, he had LEFT the mosque. The big difference...well honey's its obvious isnt' it. The HLP's woulda blown up a synagogue gladly and considered all the women, children and babies to be...bonus points on their martyr ride to heaven. "Let me have 85 virgins instead of 72 cause I killed some Jewish babies too!" So no, dear readers... I will not be crying for Yassin, just as surely as if there is higher power up there, however you choose to believe or not believe in him or her...this higher power will not be welcoming in Yassin to any kind of heaven.. I think I'm going to choose to believe in the reincarnation aspect and say that Yassin will come back in whatever Which would mean that he will shortly be born, as a female destined to grow up as a woman filled with enormous intelligence, pride, passion, power, talent, a strong need for independance and a an overwhelming love of all of humanity and be doomed to spend her life as the daughter of a Moslem fundamentalist terrorist leader. .. Somewhere in her late teens she will be given a choice...become a martyr or be stoned to death by your own people..for having the audacity to expose your head in public, for having the audacity to seem to be walking to closely with a man other than her husband, for having the audacity to say out loud that she wants peace. Then the lady Yassin will know the full meaning of hell on earth. Thursday, March 18 Barbra Streisand for President
I have ALWAYS loved Barbra Streisand.. Honey's say what you will...the nails....the occasional tackiness...the perhaps a little too old when she played Yentil... As a kid..i think i was in the 6th grade when i actually almost got into a fist fight Then in the 8th grade for music class we did lip synch videos... So now babs is what 60? 58? Lordy...the babe knocked me out and if you don't like barbra happy days are here again oh you prefer this one ** Posted on March 8, 2004 THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUAL RIGHTS CONTINUES Remarks by Barbra Streisand upon her receipt of The Human Rights Campaign Humanitarian Award, March 6, 2004
I have been fortunate to receive a few awards in my lifetime, and I always appreciate them, but I must say that this is a very special one because the gay community has supported me from the very beginning. I know that this is a challenging moment in your history. So I am very proud to accept this award from the Human Rights Campaign at this time. You are on the frontlines in the struggle for equal rights, even as continued prejudice stands in the way. The American Constitution is a magical document that has evolved over 200 plus years. While we revere it, it did not start out as a perfect document. This Republic was founded with a Constitution that counted slaves as three-fifths human. It took decades and a Civil War, the deadliest in U.S. history, to erase that stain upon our country. It took over 100 years to bring women into the political system by giving them the right to vote. Interracial marriage was illegal in some states until 1967. Now the Bush Administration wants to change the positive inclusive direction of our Constitution by calling for an amendment that authorizes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Well, I say, no way. Dr. Martin Luther King taught us that the arc of history is long, but it bends towards justice. We must always go forward, towards greater liberty and greater equality, not backward. You know, for me, the realization that two people should have the right to form a sacred union regardless of their gender was strengthened when I saw a performance of the play The Normal Heart in 1985. After feeling the love those two men had for each other, I dare anybody not to want them to get married by the end. The law cannot dictate matters of the heart. When two people form a deep bond, there is usually a soul connection, and the soul has no gender. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are fundamental rights in this country. Happiness can be many things - a good meal, a good friend, a warm puppy, and certainly...love. How can anyone legislate who you can love? That is a human right, the right to love and be loved. And when you love someone, whether you're in a heterosexual or same-gender relationship, shouldn't you be able to visit them in the hospital when they're sick or dying? Shouldn't everyone have the right to enter into a loving, legally binding, committed relationship that takes on special responsibilities and obligations? Current civil union legislation doesn't go far enough in protecting equal rights. We must not deny gay families many of the benefits that help keep families strong...social security, pensions, veteran's support, inheritance, the right to take unpaid leave to care for a spouse...the list goes on and on. Instead of helping families, this president wants to spend a billion and a half dollars to bolster marriage. Turning government into a marriage counselor is a joke...a waste of time and money. It's not a policy; it's a diversion. But this administration regularly uses the politics of diversion to their advantage. They cleverly use divisive cultural issues to avoid talking about other serious problems, such as unemployment and healthcare. They go after Saddam because they can't find bin Ladin ... They want to send missions to Mars instead of protecting the Earth... Tax cuts for the wealthy instead of assisting the poor... You have to look at what Bush does, not what he says. Talk is cheap. He expresses empathy for military families and then cuts their benefits...He names a proposal "The Clear Skies Initiative" that pollutes the planet...He says he'll be a uniter and then drives us apart...He steals the slogan "No Child Left Behind" and then breaks his promise to fund his reforms. Truly, I stand here flabbergasted at what is going on in today's world. Never in my life have I witnessed a president and an administration that is so out of step with the needs of the country, so threatening to our future and so abusive in its use of power. The Clinton administration left this country with a budget surplus, and also a surplus in the goodwill we shared with our allies. Now we have a deficit in both. Before the war in Iraq, I went to hear Scott Ritter speak - he had been a weapons inspector for seven years. He told us there was no imminent threat to the United States, that the program to develop nuclear weapons had been dormant since 1998. There was no connection between Iraq and al Qaeda (one is a secular society and the other fundamentalist), that chemical weapons have a short shelf life and wouldn't be usable today...in short, everything Scott Ritter told us has turned out to be the truth. But this president (the only one to cut taxes during a war) made terrorism a partisan cause. He charged Democrats with being soft on terror, a lie. He appointed John Ashcroft to trample our civil liberties as Attorney General, and, from a human rights point of view, his use of Guantanamo Bay has roused international protest. Now as the president gears up for his re-election campaign, the right wing propaganda machine is ready to take the skin off of John Kerry, the Democratic Party's nominee. I've never seen anything as ruthless or as relentless as this. They can take a slur hatched at the Republican National Committee or a lie huckstered by the Heritage Foundation, repeat it on Fox, hit it on Limbaugh, print it in the Wall Street Journal, until it's coming out of every media outlet imaginable. Repeating lies over and over doesn't make them any more true. But it does make people believe the lies a little more until finally they stop demanding the truth. I've seen their ferocity up close, as I witnessed the astounding assault on the CBS movie about Ronald Reagan, in which my husband starred and Craig and Neil produced. They attacked that movie and drove it off network television before any of them had ever seen it. The Right Wing is very well-organized. They fight dirty. They project their own nastiness onto their opposition. Remember how they accused the Democrats of stealing the election in Florida, while they themselves were doing just that! We're now in a period that whenever you say something that's critical of the government, you are accused of being unpatriotic. Bush even lent himself to an utterly despicable campaign in Georgia that impugned the patriotism of Senator Max Cleland, who had sacrificed three limbs in the same Vietnam War that the president ducked. Talking about patriotism, let's never forget Bush's fellow Republican, Teddy Roosevelt, who in 1918 said, "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." Indeed, this country now faces a fundamental choice. Multilateral security or pre-emptive wars. Closing or widening the gaps between the haves and the have nots. Facing the truth or accepting the lies. The public taking an interest or tuning out. Extending our rights or turning them back. Mr. Bush will dress himself up as a compassionate conservative once more for the election, but he has embraced a remarkably radical policy, which I pray the public finally sees. The mishandling of national and economic security. The shameless politics of special interests and crony capitalists. (And when you talk about special interests it's important to differentiate between public interests that benefit the larger good of the people, like protecting the environment or finding a cure for cancer, versus the special interests that are limited to a particular industry or corporation, like Enron or Halliburton). Bush recently pushed through a prescription drug bill that actually gives a better deal to the drug companies than to the seniors who need the drugs. And what about the new energy plan that actually increases our dependence on Persian Gulf oil (even though he recently said just the opposite in his State of the Union speech). The Republicans will try to win the election by convincing the American public that they are the father figures who can keep us safe. But the facts contradict the myth. Two and a half years after the largest attack on American soil, our borders remain easily penetrable. We have the capacity to inspect only 2% of cargo containers coming into our country. Local law enforcement has been weakened by spending cuts, and our intelligence lacks manpower and updated technology. And which party's budget provides the most for homeland security? The Democrats! This president is so transparent. The only way he would agree to investigations of the mishandling of intelligence leading up to the Iraqi war, is if we wait until after the election to get the reports. Has this administration no shame? What job are we not doing that has allowed them to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people? But...there is hope. It's starting to turn. I can feel it. The media is finally asking the president and his staff the tougher questions, and looking into the issues that should have been investigated years ago. The people are speaking out at all levels from the grassroots to Washington. All of the good work so many people are doing is finally making a dent. We won't be scared into submission. What should scare us is that we have no checks and balances on this administration. They control the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court. All we have is each other. So each of us must do what we can to create positive change in November. I know the Human Rights Campaign will be at the center of the struggle for equality. And let's be smart...Let's be pragmatic...Let's not allow the Republicans to use gay marriage as a political tool in this election year. Truth and justice eventually wins out. I am proud to stand with you tonight as the recipient of this prestigious award. Together we can and we will win the fight.
Seriously darlins....whether you're a Republican or a Democrat or neither.. Tuesday, March 16
hello love-bugs but meanwhile i don't know dearies when it comes to terrorists i only know one thing
Friday, March 12
well its 6 AM The city was dangerous when i went there..a bunch of tourists had just been killed in the above ground cemetary..It was Christmas time, rather quiet and cold and i had the sense that i could hear, feel and almost see, every lost soul every ghost drifting about this haunted city.. New Awlins...i look forward to meeting you again today...in your spring...hurrahs.. but... I've got a lot on my mind today and not just about my own journeys.. now Al-Qaida..is claiming responsibilty for the 10 terrorist bombs that tore thru trains and stations and people and worlds..during the morning rush hour commute why? the bodies of the dead, lay broken, torn apart...some still holding their ringing cell phones..their loved ones on the other end...the survivors sad, wounded, bloodied..devastated.... it's all so familiar now i grieve for spain, for madrid for these people and their loved ones the name of islam... i know its not PC of me to feel such hatred for a religion that houses so many innocents, so many people who do not condone this so i will try and so to you false-islam murderers surely you can't expect heaven to open its doors to you? are you that brainwashed? Wednesday, March 10
well here i am for a 30-something babe (YES DAMN IT I AM STILL IN MY 30'S) for a little longer anyway for a woman as young as moi..ive had quite a few life changes my next big life change then came my decision after my first major heart-break then came the death of my mother then september 11th happened
meanwhile Sunday, March 7
being a manhattanite can be a strange kinda addiction FYI Saturday, March 6
sigh so whats left Thursday, March 4
okay for you nature lovers who wanted an update on other news.. anyway Tuesday, March 2
hello my darling patient readers, pals and hmm a few ex-lovers honey i knew i was tripping when i went to the Copacapana Grill for the live music and fresh fish...(the kind you eat not date err hmm) still it was kinda adorable watching all the over 65, (hell mostly over 75) couples floating all over the dance floor.. some of them were great dancers some were terrible but they'd been together so long they knew each others dance moves better then their own it was really sweet to watch Hey FYI |  Archives |
