Official photograph of Representative Barney Frank, 2008.
Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, one of the first openly gay congressmen and a champion of gay rights, died yesterday at his home in Ogunquit, Maine. He was 86 and had been receiving hospice care. A mainstay of the Democratic Party for many years, he brought his considerable intelligence, shrewd pragmatism, and outspoken personality to bear on many important issues during his thirty years in the House, and was the co-sponsor of the landmark Dodd-Frank reform bill in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis.
Frank is survived by his husband, Jim Ready, two sisters, and a brother. He was a hero of our community who will be much missed and long remembered. Here are some videos recounting his life and accomplishments:
Screen capture of the speech from the Associated Press broadcast. Queen Camilla, in white, is seated to the King's left.
King Charles III addressed a joint session of Congress yesterday, as his mother had done in 1991. Surveying the whole field of our common heritage from Magna Carta to the present, and displaying a deep understanding of American history and politics, his eloquence and humor went over well with the assembled representatives, who interrupted him with standing ovations a number of times. A lovely speech by a kindly old friend, full of warmth, wisdom, and gentle warning - well worth heeding by those now in power.
If only they would!
The Associated Press transcipt of the speech can be found here.
One for the history books, and straight out of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) began a marthon speech on the Senate floor last night, and at the time of this post he is still continuing after 20 hours of speaking, with help from Democratic colleagues. What good it will do, I don't know. But at least he is one Democrat who isn't staying quiet. Here's the live feed from PBS:
Rachel Maddow reports: Rep. John Larson (D-Conn.) last week loudly called out Republicans in Congress who are enabling the Trump-Musk attack on Social Security. Finally, someone in Congress got hot and bothered!
Whoa. Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the 35th president, excoriated her cousin Bobby Kennedy, Jr., in a letter to U. S. Senators today, warning them that he is unqualified and morally unfit to be appointed Health and Human Secretary, as nominated by Tyrant Trump. I remember Caroline when she was a toddler in the White House; she has never spoken out on political appointees or family members like this.
If this doesn't stop the Senate Republicans from confirming him, they will all richly deserve whatever consequences may fall on their heads down the road.
Officer Daniel Hodges of the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, who was severely beaten and nearly crushed to death by J6 rioters four years ago, gives his reaction to Tyrant Trump's pardoning his assailants:
Here's the footage of Hodges being attacked and crushed in a doorway, very hard to watch:
Officer Hodges, by the way, is back on the job guarding the Capitol and fulfilling his sworn duty to the American public, even after all he's been through. What a man.
Listen to these Republican snakes and slugs brushing off questions about the pardons. And Susan Collins is, of course, concerned.
Rep. Eric Swallwell (D-Calif.) says, "Trump does not back the blue, he backs the coup." (Turn up the volume.)
In keeping with her duty as Vice President, Kamala Harris today presided over the certification of the electoral votes for President, thus ensuring the peaceful transition of power that has been a hallmark of our republic since 1789 -- with just one exception, four years ago today.
Why that exception did not result in a swift and decisive prosecution for the guilty parties is more than your Head Trucker can understand.
Future historians will marvel at how quietly we handed our democracy over to destruction, in faithful obedience to the Constitution and the laws. God help us all.
Now we know that what we greatly feared would happen, will happen: on January 20th, Republicans will control the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. In addition, they already have a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court, which last July declared that a president has "absolute immunity" from prosecution for any crimes he may commit during his term of office.
Once again, I have no words.
But here are some encouraging words I just came across from John Brideveaux down in South Texas, posted last Wednesday:
During a lightning ten-hour visit to Washington, D. C., yesterday, embattled Ukrainian President Zelensky - the Winston Churchill of our time - met with President Biden at the White House and also gave an address to a joint session of Congress. The gallant wartime leader appeared haggard and hoarse, quite understandably, but remained resolute and defiant, as the Associated Press reports:
Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy told cheering U.S. legislators during a defiant wartime visit to the nation’s capital on Wednesday that against all odds his country still stands, thanking Americans for helping to fund the war effort with money that is “not charity,” but an “investment” in global security and democracy.
The whirlwind stop in Washington — his first known trip outside his country since Russia invaded in February — was aimed at reinvigorating support for his country in the U.S. and around the world at a time when there is concern that allies are growing weary of the costly war and its disruption to global food and energy supplies.
Zelenskyy called the tens of billions of dollars in U.S. military and economic assistance provided over the past year vital to Ukraine’s efforts to beat back Russia and appealed for even more in the future.
“Your money is not charity,” he sought to reassure both those in the room and those watching at home. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
I continue to pray for Ukraine's deliverance and peace. I don't see how this stupid war can end unless we bomb the hell out of Russia, or Putin croaks, whichever comes first. But we can't just abandon the Ukrainians to a grisly fate, either. All of this gives me a new and deeper perspective on the fears and feelings people must have had in the lead-up to World War II, when the outlook was dim and the outcome was as yet uncertain. Please God, there will not a third world war.
Here in Texas, the arctic blast has arrived, and temperatures are steadily falling - it's 16 degrees as I write, with a wind chill of -5. Brrr! We won't be above freezing again until Christmas Day. In our happy but drafty old bungalow, it's already quite cool, despite the gas furnace and the electric fireplace running continuously. My thoughts and sympathies are with the poor Ukrainian people who now have no lights, heat, water, or in many cases, any kind of home to hunker down in. All because of one wicked old man's twisted lust for power.
There has been talk in scientific circles of late about sending manned missions to the Moon again, or maybe even to Mars. If it comes to pass, I've already got a short list of prime candidates to be given free one-way tickets aboard the first rocket going.
I've got a little list, I've got a little list,
Of societal offenders who never would be missed --
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., spoke on Dec. 19 as the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack presented its final findings to the public.
She blasted former President Donald Trump’s actions in office on the day of the Jan. 6 attack. Cheney referenced testimony from Trump administration officials collected by the committee that said the former president watched the riot on television from inside the White House without calling on his supporters to stop.
“This was an utter moral failure and a clear dereliction of duty,” she said. “No man who would behave that way at that moment in time can ever serve in any position of authority in our nation again. He is unfit for any office.”
Cheney said Jan. 6 was the first time an American president “refused his constitutional duty” to transfer power peacefully.
“The committee recognizes that our work has only begun,” she said. “It's only the initial step in addressing President Trump's effort to remain in office illegally.”
The Jan. 6 committee will release its full report later this week as the panel wraps up its work.
The U. S. House of Representatives today passed the Senate version of the Respect for Marriage Act, by a vote of 258 to 169. All Democrats voted for the bill, along with 39 Republicans. After the vote, retiring Speaker of the House Nancy smiled broadly as she displayed an enrolled copy of the bill to reporters, capping her 35-year congressional career with a milestone piece of legislation.
Retired Senator Barney Frank (D-Mass.), was present at the enrollment ceremony and had high praise for Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), one of the sponsors of the bill. Both Frank and Baldwin were among the first openly gay people elected to Congress.
The bill will next be sent to President Biden, who will sign it into law - I haven't heard when, but I expect that will happen very soon.
And I have one thing to say to all the catty, ratty little creeps who are already bitching and moaning about what the law doesn't do, to wit: STFU.
Why do I say that? Because this bill is a) the FIRST TIME gay marriage has been ENACTED into federal law; and b), it is what could be passed right now, before the House gets a Republican majority on January 3rd. It has a strong legal effect nationwide; and it sends a powerful message that the Supreme Court will surely pay attention to.
I vividly recall that when I came out in 1980, the idea of "gay marriage" was pure fantasy, wishful thinking, as remote from reality as any science fiction story. At that time, there was NO protection or recognition of gay couples anywhere in this country, or in any other country in the world. No domestic partnerships, no civil unions, no marriage equality. There still isn't, over huge swaths of the earth's surface. But today in America, fifty years after Stonewall, democracy worked out beautifully.
So I am extremely grateful to all the legislators who walked this bill over the hurdles to get it passed. If you aren't proud and happy - you are a stupid, selfish, short-sighted jerk, so just go away.
More good news: Last night, the Senate passed the amended Respect for Marriage Act by a vote of 61-36, with all Democrats and 12 Republicans voting in favor of the bill. (Three senators were absent.) Now the bill must be approved again by the House before it is sent to President Biden for signing into law.
It is important to note that the bill does not require any state to perform same-sex marriages, although at the moment all do. But if they should change their minds - particularly, if the Supreme Court were to overturn its 2015 ruling in Obergefell - all states would still have to recognize marriages legally performed in another state or foreign country.
The bill as passed by the Senate also explicitly protects interracial marriages; does not require recognition of polygamous marriages; repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (1996); and provides exemptions for churches and other religiously affiliated organizations.
And for your information, the Respect for Marriage Act was first introduced in Congress in 2009. and has been reintroduced several times. But this year, the bill was finally passed in the House last July by a vote of 267-157, with the support of 47 Republicans.
Now it's up to the Senate, if 10 Republicans will vote for the bill, and Democratic leaders think the votes are in the bag. So we should have more reason to celebrate soon; in fact, the Senate is holding a preliminary vote today. So stay tuned and keep your fingers crossed.
Update, 7 p.m.:The preliminary vote passed 62-37, with 12 Republican senators voting in favor of it. A final vote on the bill is expected on Friday, after which the Senate version will be sent to the House for approval.
In an historic vote, the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon passed the Respect for Marriage Act, 267-157. All Democratic members voted for the bill, and so did 47 Republicans. Seven Republicans abstained from voting.
The bill enacts into federal law the right to same-sex marriage and to interracial marriage. Specifically, it does four main things:
1. Repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which permitted states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages.
2. Requires states to give "full faith and credit" to marriages of "two individuals" validly performed in other states, regardless of "race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin."
3. Requires the federal government to recognize all such marriages.
4. Gives federal courts power to enforce these provisions.
Search the official roll call here to find out how your state's representatives voted.
Having read the text of the bill, it seems to me that it does not force any state to perform same-sex marriages; but every state has to recognize them as valid marriages. However, I am not a lawyer, and this blog post is not legal advice.
To become law, the bill must next be passed by the Senate and signed by President Biden, who has already said he is ready and willing to do so. At this time, it is not known when the Senate will take up the bill. In order to avoid a filibuster, 60 votes will be needed to pass it in that chamber, split 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats.
Still, this is quite a remarkable vote, and calls for at least a wine spritzer to celebrate. I well recall that when I came out in college more than 40 years ago, the idea that gays could have any legal relationship was just a sweet, idealistic fantasy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the U. S. Congress by video link yesterday in a moving speech, the first part in Ukrainian with English translation, followed by images of the destruction and suffering in Ukraine, and the final part in English. Senators and representatives gathered in an auditorium in the Capitol complex to watch and hear the speech, which they applauded with a standing ovation before and after.
Your Head Trucker generally believes in obeying the law and following the rules - but there is an exception to every rule, especially when the exception clearly serves the greater good - especially if there's a chance of saving lives. It seems to me that the secret trip to Kabul by Representatives Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Pete Meijer (R-Mich.) is just such a praiseworthy exception, and deserves high commendation. (It should be remembered that Meijer is one of only ten Republicans who voted to impeach Trump last January - a very brave act, indeed.) And as far as I can tell, no law was broken.
Moulton and Meijer are both army veterans who already served a number of years in Afghanistan and Iraq; they know the situation over there from the perspective of the soldier on the ground, not a fat cat lolling around in a cushy Washington office. They undertook this trip into deadly chaos at their own risk, and not at the taxpayer's expense. They stayed at the Kabul airport only 14 hours, and flew out on a plane that had empty seats. No one was deprived of a chance to get out of Afghanistan, and they gained valuable first-hand views of the crisis, which ought to be appreciated by their fellow lawmakers.
The idea that this was some kind of "ego trip" is patently ridiculous - I wonder if the reporter who wrote that glib phrase has ever put his or her pretty little ass on the line for anyone. And the other inane claim that their visit "diverted resources" from the evacuation effort is equally laughable - what exactly is that phrase supposed to mean, anyway? Does anyone think these combat veterans were being chauffeured around in a gold-plated limo, and banqueted with champagne and caviar and dancing girls? Inside an armed compound at the airport - essentially, a fort under siege? Seriously, people.
It's a bullshit phrase, meaningless and patently false. As experienced soldiers, they surely blended right in with the rest of the troops, who were no doubt glad that at least two of our elected representatives actually came to see with their own eyes exactly what is happening - instead of just mouthing about it back home for the TV cameras, spewing empty words and promises, and generally just making shit up.
And Congressmen have visited war zones many, many times before in our history - it's really part of the checks and balances of our system of government - the legislative branch checking up on the executive, often with good reason. Cf. Vietnam. Now we have what is about to become a humanitarian disaster of the first magnitude - shouldn't somebody check it out, and not just take the Administration's word for it? If the story checks out, okay, no harm done. If not - Congress has a duty to act in the best interests of the nation.
Also ridiculous is the idea that their secret visit "put our troops and diplomats at higher risk." What fucking moron wrote that propaganda? HOW can anybody in Kabul airport be at any greater risk than they already are?? Where the enemy controls the entire government, other terrorists are at large in the country, and everyone at the airport could be shot up or blown up at any moment? This journey to the most dangerous spot in the world was a selfless act, not a selfish one.
I say, Good job, guys. You are real patriots. Thank you for your service.
Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell, Majority Leader of the Senate, spoke quite plainly on the floor of the Senate today about Trump's role in the attack on the Capitol two weeks ago:
.@senatemajldr on the U.S. Capitol Attack: "The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people." pic.twitter.com/QIeviyHkl3
McConnell - if the wily old pol can be believed - said all the right things an American patriot should say, and said them clearly and concisely. Hmm. This could turn some GOP senators around. Maybe there's a chance of convicting Trump after all.
Bonus: "Drunk on propaganda" --A disgusting new video shot by a reporter during the attack shows six minutes of the wild-eyed mob invading the Senate chamber, with dipshit "horned man" leading them in prayer from the rostrum:
Ex-FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe comments: "It's insanity. It has all the hallmarks of a riot of extremists who have been pushed to that point by a charismatic leader - in this case, it happens to be the President of the United States."
See more and worse of reporter Luke Mogelson's footage at the New Yorker.
A mob of Trump supporters surround the gallows on which they intended to hang Vice President Mike Pence at the Capitol, January 6, 2021. Click to enlarge.
Many fine speeches were made on the floor of the House today; here are two that your Head Trucker thinks particularly well done, covering all the essential points of the case.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gives the opening argument:
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer gives the closing argument:
Update, 3:36 p.m., Texas time--The House of Representatives has just voted to impeach Trump, 232-197. Ten Republicans voted with the Democrats to impeach. Four Republicans did not vote. House has now adjourned until January 15th. The Senate is in recess until January 19th, when the Article of Impeachment will be presented to them.
For the benefit of my overseas truckbuddies, it is important to understand that impeachment is not the same as removal from office. Rather, an impeachment by the House is equivalent to an indictment by a grand jury; the Senate then acts as a court to try the case, and either convict (by a two-thirds majority) or acquit the President, who would cease to be President immediately upon conviction. Trump was previously impeached by the House in December 2019, but acquitted by the Senate in February 2020.
The Constitution gives each house of Congress the authority to set its own rules of procedure; thus, the Senate does not have to follow the ordinary rules of procedure used in federal courts. Furthermore, it is up to Congress on its own authority to determine what constitutes the "high crimes and misdemeanors" (not defined in the Constitution) for which a president can be impeached.
Even if the Senate convicted Trump of the charge specified in the Article of Impeachment, the only effect would be to remove him from office - and that will be moot, as Biden will already be President by the time the Senate decides the case. For Trump to be barred from running for office again, or to lose his post-presidency benefits, the Senate would have to vote specifically on those points.
Full text of the Article of Impeachment below the jump - or see PDF in original format here.
Please forgive my lapse into intemperate language, fellas, but I feel it is my journalistic duty to report plainly to you about thus stinking scumbag who, though he has a seat in Congress, does not represent me or my fellow Texans in any moral sense.
Your Head Trucker well recalls that during the presidential campaign of 2016, Texas Senator Ted Cruz - after Trump had insulted Cruz's wife and accused Cruz's father of conspiring to assassinate John F. Kennedy - was the very last big Republican politician to oppose Trump. Cruz swore and be damned that he would never, ever support Trump, and held out all the way to October, I think. And then, just a few weeks before Election Day - inexplicably - Cruz suddenly went crawling on his hands and knees to kiss Trump's ass. He even recorded some videos or robocalls for him, I believe.
And all this long time, obedient sub boy Cruz has kept his nose right there, supporting everything Trump said or did, and never a breath of criticism. And on Wednesday, minutes before Trump's mob attacked Congress, Cruz was on the floor of the House, front and center, leading the legislative attack on the electoral vote, the legitimate will of the People, as Cruz's dungeonmaster bid him do.
All that was bad enough. But yesterday, Cruz had the brazen gall to go on television and tell the Big Fucking Lie that he has "disagreed with the President's rhetoric and language for the last four years." Proving beyond all doubt that even after his filthy coup attempt failed miserably, Trump still has Cruz's balls in his back pocket.
CNN's Erin Burnett gives all the evidence, past and present, that anyone could need to condemn Cruz as the desperate, conniving monumental liar that he is:
No admission of wrongdoing, no remorse, only a glaring untruth. Lying bootlicker Cruz has enabled a would-be dictator at every step of the way, tried to overthrow the election, perverted his oath to support the Constitution, and made himself a laughingstock. He should leave D. C. as soon as Trump does, and in like shame.
Update, 8 a.m.--I'm not the only Texan who's steamed. The Houston Post castigates Cruz, calls on him to resign:
"U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz lied to Americans about widespread voter fraud that never existed," the Editorial Board writes. "He should resign and deliver Texans from the shame of calling him our senator." https://t.co/WzHyZ8xolH
Update, 1/10/21, 12:15 a.m.--On Friday, President-Elect Joe Biden went there: he called out Cruz (and his partner in crime Hawley) by name as being partners in the Big Lie, which he compared to Goebbel's propaganda in Nazi Germany.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, harmony; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that I may seek not so much to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
.
We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.
and welcome to the Blue Truck, a blog for mature gay men with news and views on gay rights, history, art, humor, and whatever comes to mind. Plus a few hot men. The truck's all washed and gassed up, so hop in buddy, let's go.
CAUTION: For mature gay men only beyond this point. Some posts and links may not be suitable for children or the unco guid. You have been warned.
Insert valid picture ID with date of birth now, or click here.
My Story
click photograph to read
Churches say that the expression of love in a heterosexual monogamous relationship includes the physical, the touching, embracing, kissing, the genital act - the totality of our love makes each of us grow to become increasingly godlike and compassionate. If this is so for the heterosexual, what earthly reason have we to say that it is not the case with the homosexual?
It is a perversion if you say to me that a person chooses to be homosexual. You must be crazy to choose a way of life that exposes you to a kind of hatred. It's like saying you choose to be black in a race-infected society.
If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God.
.JPG)
