In a move sure to win back those Reagan Democrats and independents, several Presidential candidates have agreed to participate in a debate on gay issues:

The leading Democratic presidential contenders will participate in a forum on gay issues next month, sponsored by a major gay rights advocacy group and televised on a cable channel aimed at gays and lesbians.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards have agreed to appear in the live, one-hour forum in Los Angeles on Aug. 9. The program is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign and will be broadcast on the LOGO cable channel. LOGO will also stream the forum live on its Web site.

Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Biden declined the invitation to appear at the forum, citing scheduling conflicts. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich have not yet said whether they’ll attend.

“Debate” is probably the wrong word though:

The candidates will appear one at a time to field questions on gay marriage, HIV/AIDS, hate crimes and other issues. HRC president Joe Solmonese and singer Melissa Etheridge will host the forum.

Men, are you lonely? Never fear, there is hope. Science and industry have brought affordable companionship within your grasp. All you need is $15 and a couple of “D” cell batteries.

From the purveyors:

Hilarious pillow wears a polka dot bikini top, a bracelet and bright red fingernails.

It’s just like the real thing!

Flip its switch and it vibrates.

Sadly, this fake friend is not available until January 2008. If, however, you are desperate or like your artificial action lower down, do not despair. The Japanese are already there.

Creator Mitsuo Takahashi’s marketing spin seems to be that lonesome guys find it soothing to bury their faces in the lap of a female, even if it’s made of foam and fabric.

Not your cup of tea? There are options for animal lovers:

Stock up and save! End male loneliness today!

Wall Street Journal columnist Jared Sandberg has a funny column this morning on the awkward moments created when a boss or other office colleague decides to “befriend” you online [emphasis in bold added by LST].

Like email and “buddy lists” before them, social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace provide a definition of the word “friend” so expansive that it includes perfect strangers. Yet, strangers are the easy part. It can be a lot creepier to interact intimately with someone you sort of know than someone you don’t know at all.

Nothing changes when a stranger invites you to be a friend,” says Nina Singh, a market-research consultant. But when one of her clients “friended” her, she saw a semierotic photo of him topless, posed and softly lit. “When you see your client’s pubic bone, something has changed.“

Here’s the creepy part– that is exactly what Hamous said about Bramanti after he became a front-page contributor and gained access to our internal bulletin board.

Eerie.

The U.S. government wastes money in some very creative ways. In today’s feel good example, our government is spending $15 million to give illegals door to door transportation to their home towns.

Through the end of September, thousands will volunteer for the twice-daily charter flights between Tucson, Arizona, and Mexico City. From there, they hop buses to their hometowns, often in poor southern states such as Oaxaca, Chiapas and Guerrero.

$15 million is a lot of money. It would go a long way in an inner-city health clininc. Or a Head Start program. Or a free needles to addicts program. Or, gasp, just plain not being spent.

And what do we get for our money? Well, I’m sure that the people taking advantage of the program are thankful and appreciate our generosity. I mean, getting some rest and getting ready for another trek across the desert has to mean something.

Hernandez said he volunteered to get a free trip to rest and visit his family in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero. In a couple of weeks, he said, he’ll try his luck again in the desert.

So the next time you see a plane heading south, be grateful that you are able to provide someone with transportation home for a well deserved rest. And rest easy, knowing that you’ll see them on the flip-flop.

Here kitty, kitty:

SHANGHAI, China — Chinese cat lovers mobilized online to save a truck load of cats from the cooking pot, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Veteran Shanghai cat rescuer Duo Zirong started off her mission of deliverance on Friday when she called police to stop a truck stuffed with some 800 live cats, the China Daily said.
…
Cat meat is considered a delicacy in southern China and cats are sold live to markets where they are slaughtered fresh for customers.

I suppose all of you have now heard that my senator, David Vitter, has admitted to being on the D.C. madam’s phone records. Words cannot describe my disappointment; with some missteps, Vitter has been a shining star in the GOP. Most recently, he led the fight on immigration against President Bush, and undoubtedly contributed to killing the wholly flawed bill. On virtually every other issue, he’s a reliable, conservative vote.

But now Vitter has placed himself into a Clintonian scandal. He sought out tawdry extra-marital sex with hookers, and previously lied about it through his teeth to his constituents.

Back in 2002, the media caught onto claims that Vitter had been using a prostitute in the French Quarter. Vitter kept mum on the allegations, which came out shortly before he dropped out of the race for governor in 2003 (the timing wasn’t suspicious because it appeared that his intent was to run for the US Senate). He also claimed that he was dropping out to deal with marital problems, saying that: “Our [marriage] counseling sessions have … led us to the rather obvious conclusion that it’s not time to run for governor.”

Later, Vitter made a scathing denial of the accusations against him:

For the first time, Congressman David Vitter has spoken out publically about allegations that he carried on an eleven month affair with a known prostitute named Wendy Cortez.

On WSMB radio last Saturday, a caller who identified himself as Elwood asked Vitter about charges, made by a member of the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee in the Weekly that the then-State Representative, had had an affair with a known prosition in the French Quarter. Elwood continued, “Would you be willing to sign an affidavit that you have ever known, met or had relations with one Wendy Cortez.”

Vitter responded, “I think you know that that alligation is abosultely and completely untrue…I have said that on numerous occassions…I’ll say that in any forum…Unfortuanately, that’s just crass Louisiana politics, now that I am running for the Senate. I have made that clear that it is alll completely untrue…And, it’s obviously politically motivated.”

“I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky.” . . . How perfectly shameless. Now it appears that these accusations were almost certainly true, as he was using yet another hooker in D.C.

Vitter might not have been under oath, but this compares favorably with Clinton’s exploits. I just hope Vitter has some since of dignity and doesn’t try to go on the offensive, and instead just apologizes repeatedly to his constituents for his lies both to the public and his family. The electorate might learn to forgive this in time, but nobody’s going to be forgetting this anytime soon.

On one final note, Vitter had better watch himself if he didn’t come completely clean in 2003. His wife has said: “I’m a lot more like Lorena Bobbitt than Hillary. If he does something like that, I’m walking away with one thing, and it’s not alimony, trust me.” Yikes.

Benzion has already called “dibs” on all the green ones. 

Btw Click the pic for more stupid human tricks.

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