Year: 2008

John McCain’s Pox on Our House: Sarah Palin

Trish

It is with the greatest reluctance that I announce a new category for our posts here at Pensito Review. Henceforth, we will maintain a category for “Sarah Palin.”

After John McCain announced his bizarre pick for a running mate, fellow P.R. editor, Buck, added a Palin category. I shot him down, since we like to keep the site as succinct as possible. Besides, I reasoned at the time, what possible instance can you think of when anything about Sarah Palin wouldn’t just go into the “John McCain” category?

I was wrong, wrong, wrong but hating to be proven so by Buck isn’t the basis for my regret at launching the category now. If only.

No, what really bothers me is the sinking knowledge that Palin isn’t going away. It now appears clear that one of the sorriest chapters in our nation’s history is going to turn into a book. Then maybe a sequel. Evolving into a trilogy. And, God forbid, a series.

This is one time I really, really wish I’d been right.

Don’t Ask Sherry Johnston for a “Cup of Coffee” — Bristol Palin’s Future Mother-in-Law Busted for Selling Drugs by Texting with Code Words

Trish

Sherry Johnston, last September

Bristol Palin’s future mother-in-law might not crowd around when her son’s baby is born. Sherry Johnston, mother of Levi, himself father of Sarah Palin’s first grandchild (maybe) is kind of busy these days. Grandma Johnston was busted in Wasilla last week on five counts of sale and possession of a controlled substance, namely Oxycontin.

Johnston text message: “There’s only so many times I can go for coffee a month. The rest of the time I need to have it at home!”

The amazing part is not that someone so close to Gov. Palin, the hero of the religious right, would be involved in drug trafficking. No, the mind-blowing thing is that she sold drugs during the presidential campaign, in some cases, with the Secret Service nearby.

“Hey Sherry, quit texting for a minute and come tell these reporters that your son really is going to marry our daughter.”

“OMG. BRB. L8R.”

The affidavit says she “did admit to selling her Oxycontin pills to (an informant). The affidavit, dated Dec. 22, details how troopers used two informants to collect evidence that Johnston sold OxyContin on Oct. 11, Oct. 22 and Nov. 26…

Trooper-supervised buys were set up by cell phone text messages and took place in Target and Fred Meyer parking lots. On each occasion, troopers charge, she got $800 for 10 pills. Troopers say that in the text messages, Johnston used the code words ”coffee” and ”cup” for OxyContin.

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All Openly Gay Obama Cabinet Members Should Resign in Protest over Warren Invite

Jon Ponder

Oh, wait, there aren’t any openly gay people in Obama’s cabinet:

President-elect Barack Obama last week announced the last of his Cabinet nominees, revealing that none of his department heads would be openly gay. The omission, combined with Obama’s decision to invite Rev. Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration, led [the Human Rights Campaign,] the nation’s largest gay rights group to demand that Obama quickly prove his commitment to gay and transgender Americans.

The HRC’s plan includes:

  • Issuing an executive order within the first 100 days of his administration to reaffirm protections for federal workers based on sexual orientation while expanding them to include gender identity.
  • Working with Congress to enact hate crimes legislation within six months.
  • Developing a plan within 100 days to begin the process of repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” [DADT] law, which prohibits openly gay people from serving in the military.

The first two items are relatively simple, but repealing DADT could be problematic. Not long after Pres. Bill Clinton took office, he stumbled in an attempt to repeal military regulations that prohibited gay people from serving in the military, particularly because he faced opposition from Colin Powell, who then served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as from Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, including the chairman, Sam Nunn of Georgia.

This stumble led to DADT, a bizarre compromise under which gay people can serve in the military as long as they deny who they are and stay in the closet.

Now, 15 years later, Powell has (sort of) reversed himself on DADT, saying it ought to be reevaluated. Sam Nunn retired into much deserved irrelevance years ago. More importantly, at least one national poll indicates that Americans are ready to scrap DADT:

The ABC News/Washington Post Poll, which has tracked the issue for 15 years, shows that public attitudes that were in line with the [DADT] policy in 1993 no longer are.

The poll posed two questions.

The first was: “Do you think that homosexuals who do not publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military?”In 1993, 63 percent said yes; in July 2008, 78 percent said yes.

The second question was: “Do you think that homosexuals who do publicly disclose their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the military or not?” In 1993, only 44 percent said yes; in July, 75 percent said yes.

Repealing DADT is still something of a trap for Obama because it could provide ammunition for Republican charges down the road that he is too liberal. A much safer course would be to disinvite Rick Warren from speaking at the inauguration.

Rick Warren Praised African Archbishop Who Advocates Imprisoning Gays

Jon Ponder

In a February 2006 communique, Peter Akinola, the archbishop of the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), set forth his diocese’s official positions on various issues being debated by the Nigerian government, including this:
So, to sum up, Rick Warren believes that a homophobe so filled with hate that he advocates imprisoning gay people who love each other and choose to get married is a “model for Christians around the world.”

The Bill against Homosexuality: The Church commends the law-makers for their prompt reaction to outlaw same-sex relationships in Nigeria and calls for the bill to be passed since the idea expressed in the bill is the moral position of Nigerians regarding human sexuality.

The legislation in question punishes both parties in same-sex marriage with five years in prison. It also criminalized references to gay relationships in the media:

7. Prohibition of Registration of Gay Clubs and Societies and Publicity of same sex sexual relationship
(1) Registration of Gay Clubs, Societies and organizations by whatever name they are called in institutions from secondary to the tertiary level or other institutions in particular and, in Nigeria generally, by government agencies is hereby prohibited.
(2) Publicity, procession and public show of same-sex amorous relationship through the electronic or print media physically, directly, indirectly or otherwise are prohibited in Nigeria.
(3) Any person who is involved in the registration of gay clubs, societies and organizations, sustenance, procession or meetings, publicity and public show of same sex amorous relationship directly or indirectly in public and in private is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a term of 5 years imprisonment.

Two months later, Rick Warren — who is set to deliver the invocation at the inauguration of Pres. Barack Obama next month — lavished praise on Bishop Akinola — comparing him both to a lion and Nelson Mandela — in Time Magazine:

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Coming to America, the New Version

Trish
Dinesh, left, and Rinku in their new Under Armor wear

Maybe the holidays have us feeling mellow, but we think we’d love this story any time of the year. A search for “Rinku Singh Dinesh Patel javelin throwers” turns up a lot of hits, but the best version of the back-story is Bruce Reed’s on Slate.

Before last Monday’s signing, few in India had ever heard of the Pittsburgh Pirates, which is just as well…

But in India, baseball is such a novelty that the Pirates might as well be the New York Yankees. The Hindustan Times reported, “Two Indian teenagers created history in the US sports Monday when they were signed up by prestigious baseball team Pittsburgh Pirates, five times World Series Champions.” Never mind that the Bucs’ last world championship was 30 years ago…

In many ways, the whole episode is like the Pirates themselves—endearingly ridiculous. Pittsburgh discovered the two Indian pitchers, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, thanks to an Indian reality show called The Million-Dollar Arm, the brainchild of Miami sports agent J.B. Bernstein…

Bernstein promised a cool million to any Indian who could throw a baseball accurately at 85 mph. Of the 20,000 Indians who competed, Singh and Patel came closest, doing well enough to earn some cash and a chance to try out here in the United States.

The boys, who reportedly learned to speak English by watching Baseball Tonight, have their own blog, subtitled “Our Baseball Yatra.” In Hindi, a yatra is a kind of pilgrimage or, alternatively, a procession. The blog is brimming with grin-inducing posts about which Hollywood (not Bollywood) movie has the best special effects:

i think we have a new favorite – dethroning BAD BOYS… We did not think it was possible, but the movie WANTED has even better special effects than any movie seen yet by us. They somehow got bullets to curve in order to hit target. There is no way we can explain the special effects… You just have to see it.

And what they eat:

We getting many email asking question about what we eating. We mostly cooking home.

Breakfast favorite banana pancake. I making Super Cakes with banana cook inside. We liking pizza and pork ribs.

Sometimes lunch we going University Village. This wonderful place of eating. many shops with the many foods. Rinku and I always liking to eat the Chinese food. 27 fish combo or combo 2 B… That is best dishes to us.

And their new, unwavering allegiance to an actual sponsor:

Dinesh and I very happy and excited today. We get first deal with the Under Armor company. they makings us shoes, cleets, knickers, shirts. It was very awesome to return from the practice and received such kind gifts.

We only wearing Under Armor so this great fortune to us.

Last night we also seeing the movie Earth Stand Still. good action scenes but also many talking.

I couldn’t agree more with that film review. For more of the boys’ adventures, complete with YouTube videos, check out the The Million Dollar Arm blog. Hurry, before they get all major league on us.

Economy Inspires More Serious Drinking

Trish

Disco Absolut

Now here’s some American ingenuity I can get behind. L.A.’s Edison lounge is among those whose happy hours feature drinks with names that, rather than make you forget your sad financial condition, help you deal with it, including:

  • Bourbon Bailout
  • 401K (served with a reply card to check whether your retirement account is half-empty or half-full)
  • Rejected Resume
  • Battered Bull
  • Welfare Punch

Absolut Vodka is going the other way, offering a special holiday bottle that looks like a disco ball. Hey, can’t shop. Let’s dance! And drink!

People are reportedly opting for stronger slugs these days, returning to good old fashioned Old Fashions.

Julian Cohen, head of the consumer insights team at Fortune Brands Inc’s beverage division, said those “heritage cocktails,” traditionally made with heavier-flavored spirits like bourbon and cognac, mirror a wider preference.

“You’re seeing a lot of darker flavors — honeys, blackberries and raspberries, versus things like pomegranate and papaya,” Cohen said. “When times are tough we want to go to things that are comfortable … that are part of our history.”

With most offices either nixing the holiday party or at least omitting the free alcohol (which, after all, is the only reason to go), more of us have to tend to our own vices, and we’re making it count. Bartender, none of that sissy stuff! Give me a “Made-Off Martini!”

At Rick Warren’s Church, Women Must Be Submissive But, Despite Biblical Admonition, Are Allowed to Speak

Jon Ponder

Much has been made about the homophobic rantings of Rick Warren, the right-wing bigot Barack Obama has invited to give the invocation at his inauguration, but there has been less discussion about Warren’s beliefs about the role of women in society:

“You wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the Church obeys Christ.”
— Excerpt from Corinthians on Rick Warren’s website

As Katha Pollitt points out in a Los Angeles Times op-ed:

At [Warren’s] Saddleback Church, wifely submission is official doctrine: The church website tells women to defer to their husband’s “leadership” even when he’s wrong on important issues, such as finances. Never mind if she’s an accountant and he flunked long division, or if she wants to beef up the kids’ college fund and he wants to buy shares in the Brooklyn Bridge. The godly answer is supposed to be “yes, dear.” Is elevating this male chauvinist how President-elect Obama thanks women, who gave him more than half his votes?

The Saddleback Church website quotes Ephesians 5:22-23, one of the letters supposedly written by apostle Paul about 30 years after the death of Jesus:

You wives must submit to your husbands’ leadership in the same way you submit to the Lord. For a husband is in charge of his wife in the same way Christ is in charge of His body the Church. (He gave His very life to take care of it and be its Savior!) So you wives must willingly obey your husbands in everything, just as the Church obeys Christ.

But using Scripture as a basis for policies in these modern times — be it at a megachurch or in civil law — is fraught with rhetorical danger, which is why today’s Christians selectively ignore some of the Bible’s inflammatory admonitions.

For example, Saddleback Church has apparently chosen to ignore biblical injunctions that women must not speak in church. In a letter to the Christians at Corinth (Corinthians 14:34), Paul wrote:

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Inaugural Slate Includes Pro-Gay Rights Minister

Trish

The full program for the inauguration of Barack Obama and Joe Biden has something for almost everyone. I say “almost” because I’m not seeing any Islamic participation. Maybe it’s just too touchy for someone who spent most of his campaign denying rumors he was a secret Muslim to throw in a monologue from Dave Chappelle.

But the program does include one name that’s been overshadowed by the heavier-weight (and I mean literally — Rick, can we talk? You gotta lay off the cheeseburgers, big guy) pastor of Saddleback Church. Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, will give the benediction.

Lowery: “When you talk about the law discriminating, granting a privilege here and denying it there, that’s a civil rights issue. And I can’t take that away from anybody.”

Rev. Lowery is sort of an anti-Warren, actually…Lowery, by contrast, has courageously supported gay marriage. In 2004, Rev. Lowery told ABC News he supported same sex marriage. “When you talk about the law discriminating, the law granting a privilege here, and a right here and denying it there, that’s a civil rights issue. And I can’t take that away from anybody.”

Rev. Lowery is a United Methodist and has joined the struggle in that denomination for equal rights for gay Methodists to be ordained. In 2000, Lowery gave an extraordinary speech where he called for full inclusion in the body of Christ for all Methodists, gay or straight, saying he preferred to err “on the side of inclusion.”

Those with more in-church experience than me will have to let me know how a benediction compares with an invocation. The full line-up, as announced last week, follows.

[…]