Yeah, Joel Hunter!

The Christian Coalition (of Pat Robertson fame) announced today that their president elect, Rev. Joel C. Hunter of Longwood, FL, was resigning from his position.

Why?

Because, according to Rev. Hunter, the Coalition resisted his efforts to broaden its agenda to include reducing poverty and fighting global warming.

Yeah, Joel, we're not so much into the corporal works of mercy here. That's hippy shit.

The New York Times quotes Rev. Hunter as saying, "“When we really got down to it, they said: ‘This just isn’t for us. It won’t speak to our base, so we just can’t go there.’ ”

Nice. Way to try to accomplish even one of the things that Jesus preached about.

Trials of a Butch(-ish) Gay Man

So a little over a week ago, in NYC, I decided that instead of going to the normal sports bar to watch the ND/Army and Ohio State/UMich game, I decided to watch the first quarter at Gym, the gay sports bar in Chelsea. This decision was not made without some serious reservations. There was a big part of me that assumed that I would walk in to this "sports bar" and be treated to A&F-esque decor, Madonna playing on the sound system, and one tv in the corner with a game on that no one was watching.

And I am more than happy to report that I was totally wrong. Just dead wrong.

So I walk in, sit down, and the guy next to me is wearing a genuine maize and blue michigan t-shirt and starts talking to me about the matchup. I was stunned. I think I walked in there sortof smug, thinking I was going to be the only genuine fball fan in the room. God, I'm such a narcicist some times...

Anyway, it was a great afternoon. I sorta felt a bit at home. Here was a room of guys who could have been from any bar in Manhattan (better shoes, of course) screaming and cheering and giving each other shit across the bar. And fuck if i didn't have to jet before the game was over to catch my flight back to Miami. I tell ya, I almost didn't leave....

Let's clear some things up right now...

So...

Charged with the prospect of leaving a pseudo-permanent document, I prefer to get the disclaimers out of the way. I am more than happy to be a walking contradiction, so, please, feel free to call me out. It keeps me honest.

1) I am 28, but I am utterly ignorant of pop-culture. After being asked by Shakira's producer if I would be interested in working on a project with her, I inquired, "Shakira....the name doesn't ring a bell. Does she have a last name?" Yeah...I rock.

2) I can't spell to save my life, but I abhor poor grammar. I grew up in a post-spell check society, so I possess no ability to remember if "double" (doubble?...no...wait, is it?) has one "b" or two. That said, misuse a semi-colon or speak the phrase "for all intensive purposes" and i taste a little vomit in my mouth. No joke.

3) I love football, bar-b-q, and beer, yet I am un-apologetically gay. Sub disclaimer: I am also un-apologetically a Domer (Go ND). I honestly don't find anything wrong with the fact that I can cheer on the Irish against USC (I don't want to talk about the game last weekend...not now, not ever) while simultaneously cheering when the camera gets a nice closeup of Brady Quinn's butt. While I categorically disagree with most of the Troja-centric, Republican blather that my USC counterpart (The Boi from Troy) regularly posts on his site, I think we can come to agreement on the guys who we wish played for our team.

4) I am unquestionably liberal, but find Al Gore and his compatriots to be beyond distasteful. My first memory as a child is of being pushed in a stroller as my folks chanted "Regan, Regan, he's no good! Send him back to Hollywood!" at one of the myriad of anti-war, anti-death penalty, anti-de facto segregation, anti-police brutality, anti-economic oppression rallies that my parents brought me to as a kid. And honestly, to this day, I think that the 1980s Democratic Party (minus the Dixiecrats) had it right. But for all of the blue that courses through my veins, I find Al Gore and they myriad of armchair environmentalists that follow him to be completely worthless. A more detailed rant to come, I assure you.

There it is. The requisite disclaimers. Now down to business.