Kinzinger: Where We Are Now

Adam Kinzinger, former Republican Congressman from Illinois, now residing in Texas, discusses the final polls on the eve of Election Day:

As far as I know, Kinzinger still identifies as a Republican, but not a MAGA man, and he despises Trump's political perversion and corruption.  He was one of ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for instigating the attack on the Capitol, and later was one of the two Republicans, along with Liz Cheney, to serve on the January 6th Committee that recommended criminal charges against Trump.

Kinzinger is a real man:  he had the balls to go against his party and speak the truth, even though it cost him his seat in the next election.  Whatever label he identifies with now, Kinzinger certainly talks like a sane and sensible Democrat. He endorsed Biden and later Harris in 2024, and this year endorsed Talarico's Senate bid.

What I Say: The Democratic Party needs more butch white men like Kinzinger, a lot more, if it wants to regain power and keep it. There, I said it -- a simple demographic truth, whether anybody wants to hear it or not.

Bonus:  Kinzinger tells it like it is at the 2024 Democratic Convention. "Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong, a small man pretending to be big . . . ."

He had nothing to gain from this speech, but he made it anyway, for the love of his country.  Goddamn, that's brave.  To tell you the truth, I'd vote for Kinzinger for President any day of the week, if there weren't a better Democrat on the ballot.

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Sunday Drive: Shall We Gather at the River?

The Lessons Appointed for Use on

All Saints' Day

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The beloved old hymn as performed by Sean Dietrich, prolific novelist, columnist, musician, and humorist:

Actually, the hymn  is about Christian faith, not the Civil War. Complete lyrics can be found here.

For a bit of inspiration, read today's story from Sean's blog:  

The Only Prayer You'll Ever Need.

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Bernie: The Most Dangerous President

Boo!

Bernie tells it like it is, and I agree:

For an even bigger scare, see this interview by Ezra Klein on Elon Musk's endgame, which I haven't finished watching yet.

What I Say:  Trump and his deranged doppelganger Musk, and some other henchmen and hussies I could name, ought to be sent in a big, beautiful, gold-plated rocket to Mars, where they would have a whole planet to rule and ruin and fight over with robots.  No return fuel, though, and no radio to disturb the rest of us with.  Just eternal silence - no adoring audience - it would drive them both mad in no time.

Bonus: Obama provides some comedy relief and straight talk at a rally in Atlanta:

FYI:  All 435 House seats are up for election every two years.  Senators serve six-year terms, but one-third of the 100 Senate seats are up for election every two years.  Here are two graphics showing the current membership of both houses of Congress, from Wikipedia:

The six non-voting delegates in the House (not included in the graphic) are from the District of Columbia and five overseas territories:  Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Marianas.  They can participate in debate but cannot vote.  

For more graphics, maps, and the latest polling data, see 2026 United States elections at Wikipedia.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Timeless Grit " by Clint Collide:

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John Barrowman: The Making of Me

Your Head Trucker has been out of the cultural loop for many years, so I never heard of this Barrowman fellow until this video popped up in my YouTube feed the other day. Perhaps the rest of you already know that he's tall, handsome, well-built, and multi-talented - a star of stage, screen, and television who sings, dances, ice-skates, and has authored numerous books as well. 

Really an astonishing amount of talent in many different areas; and beyond all that, he's gay, happily married to a man since 2013. How very extraordinary, and how very far the world has come from my schoolboy days when there were NO gay people to be seen on TV or anywhere else, not that I knew.

In this 2008 BBC documentary, Barrowman consults with doctors and scientists to find the true origin of gayness:  a fascinating journey.

Unfortunately, Barrowman was not as put-together as he seems in this video:  he seems to have sabotaged his career with "exuberant behavior," as you can read about in his wikiarticle. Poor fellow.  It just goes to show that people who seem to have it all may not know what to do with it.

Bonus:  There's a definite gay vibe when Barrowman and Kevin Kline sing "Night and Day" in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely (2004):

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Pete Comments on Trump's Bizarre Booty Fixation

Pete keeps it classy:

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Bernie Says: Dems Need Guts to Save Our Democracy

And that starts at the ballot box:

Your Head Trucker endorses this message. 

M.P. and I plan to early-vote tomorrow. What about you?

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Melange D'Hommes #1" by Clint Collide:

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Sunday Drive: When You Wish Upon a Star

Your Head Trucker stopped listening to pop radio more than thirty years ago, so there are many young singers I am not familiar with, like Josh Groban.  But I happened to come across his recording of this song yesterday, and it's quite lovely; M.P., who has some vocal training, also approves of his rendition.  See what you think.  

And by the way, the beard does a lot for the boy - woof.

Caution: Be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

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Today's reading from Forward Day by Day speaks to me in a powerful way about things I have longed for and not received.  The message is one that all who grow in faith and grace come to realize; but it came this morning as a very welcome reminder.  I hope it speaks to you, too, whatever your faith.

Sunday, October 18

The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

Isaiah 45:3. I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.

Today's verse about treasures of darkness is set within a series of promises from God to the Israelites during their exile in Babylon. It's a dark and painful time, marked by lamentation and suffering. Yet, God assures them that through this experience, they will find secret riches, riches they otherwise never would discover. I believe this promise holds true for us too.

Haven't we all learned, and grown, and gained great blessings through times of great difficulty? I'm reminded of a quote attributed to the famous preacher, Charles Spurgeon: "I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages."

What does it mean to kiss the wave? Spurgeon isn't saying that he wants the wave or that he's glad the wave came crashing over him. But he can be thankful for it all the same because it caused him to cleave to God. And that's the greatest treasure of all.

Moving Forward: When have waves brought you closer to God? Offer a word of thanksgiving for the rough (and calm) waters.

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Waitin' for the Weekend

"Family + Friends + Lovers" by Clint Collide:

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Brave Words: LGB minus TQ+

Old pic of your Head Trucker.
He/Him/Man

Here's a remarkable statement by Michael Pezzullo, a gay therapist in West Hollywood.  From the video description:

I'm Michael — gay, not queer. Moderate, not woke. I say the things about gay men no therapist will say.

In this video I break down the lgb vs tq debate from a therapist's perspective — identity, belonging, groupthink, and why so many in the gay community feel ignored in mainstream lgbtq culture. This is my own analysis following my interview on LGB vs TQ and why the split keeps coming up.

Gay, not queer.  Moderate, not woke.  I like that description.  Your Head Trucker has always been a via media kind of guy.

Thanks to the Internet and YouTube, I am often astonished to find many other gay men thinking the same thoughts I do.  M.P. and I are isolated from the gay community - we have no gay friends to chat or visit with except online.  But apparently we are not as far off the gay wavelength as one might expect.  Listen to the video and see what you think.

I have more to say about this subject, and the tail wagging the dog, but I think I'll save it for another post. In the meantime, though, you might find the landmark Cass Review on gender reassignment of children (UK, 2024) interesting reading.

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