"The Decisions That We Make..."

“President-elect Barack Obama did not throw the LGBT community under the bus, as many have suggested since the selection of Rev.Rick Warren to deliver the invocation was made public. On the contrary, he just politely asked us to take a seat in the back, which really should come as little surprise given that we've been here before on his agenda.” -Gaywiredcom-

The announcement of Warren's future role in Obama's candidacy definitely has the resemblance of John McCain’s introduction of Sara Palin all over it. That debacle was always apparent to those with even a reasonable amount of intelligence, that McCain's actions were done out of desperation. His actions proved to be the transformation of Gov. Palin,into a willing pawn, and a dream come true for talk show hosts, political analysts, and comics worldwide. Sen. McCain's decision has earned the title of-- possibly the greatest political hail Mary ever thrown. But Obama’s choice is as questionable as it is disturbing.

To invite a notoriously homophobic reverend to participate in probably the most awaited political ceremony in the history of modern society, is being considered as a deliberate slap in the face to many. This act has been viewed as a betrayal by many and will not easily be forgotten. There are 6 million Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgendered individuals (LGBT), that loyally promoted the Obama campaign from the very beginning. These faithful campaigners were always there as; fundraisers,volunteers, and financial donors when Pres.-elect Obama, was still a junior senator with a funny name, that few had heard of and most doubted would achieve what he has...so soon.

Pres. -elect Obama ran an inspirational campaign with promises of social equality. When confronted by the issue of same sex relations, he always made it clear that he disagreed with homosexuality, but extending his famed, "Disagreeing without being disagreeable" speech. This opinion was accepted by the LGBT community as being a sign of respect for an individual's chosen lifestyle.A sort of live and let mentality. This social belief was also promised by Clinton who eventually fell short of his promise. But this alliance of claimed, "Disagreeing without being disagreeable" with the famed homophobically disagreeable Rev.Warren is unacceptable. Allowing Rev.Rick Warren to deliver the invocation, is appearing to be yet another president, failing to be concerned with the (LGBT) community which assisted in the winning of his election.

The Association of Religion Data, polled clergy on their beliefs concerning same sex relationships. The largest percentage considered homosexuality as "always wrong" 1052 (53.0%),the second largest group considered this "not wrong at all" 624 (31.4%),the third largest believed this to be "sometimes wrong" 136 (6.8%) the fourth considered it as "almost always wrong" 96 (4.8%), and the smallest group "didn't know" 78 (3.9%)

Even though Rick Warren's opinion is the same as the largest group of clergy which agree, that homosexuality is absolutely unacceptable. He also has proven to be one of the most radically vocal on this topic. His comparisons are often insulting,malicious, and disturbingly ludicrous. And shortly after the announcement of this controversial appointment-- "conveniently hypocritical" was added to this resume. This new title was earned 24 hours after the LGBT outcry. It was announced that Rev.Warren’s offensive web page was doctored, missing many of the offensive accusations Rev.Warren has become famous for making and proudly defended.

There is one constant in presidential history and life in general-- no one president ,world leader, or anyone will be able to please everyone all of the time. As far as US leaders are concerned, President Obama faces a unique dilemma. It is believed that a few of his future legacies will be:

* He would play to African-Amer community.
* He would abandon the African-Amer community.
* He was too bi-partisan.
* He wasn't as bi-partisan as he promised.
* Lasting 4 to 8 yrs, he is about to become the rope for a worldwide match of tug of war.

President- elect Obama raised more money and received more popular votes than any president in US history. On January20th, 2009 when this man and his family accepts their place in history, he will become more than the United States America’s first African-American president. He has already been offered the thrown of World Unifier. Sharing this moment with Rev. Rick Warren is a decision that many believe should be reconsidered.

Sources: Gaywired.com, The Association of Religion Data Archives, LGBT for Obama.com,wiki-pedia for presidential elections

TIBU2 NEWS AND USER ROSTER

Hi, Everybody!

We have some news for everyone.

REGARDING THE SITE: TIBU2.com will launch on or before February 1st. We know that 1-1-2009 was bandied about, but we'd like the site to be the best it can possibly be prior to launch. A login page may precede the official launch, so you'll be able to set-up your password and perhaps a few other profile features, and any such eventuality will be announced.

REGARDING THE TALKSHOE SHOW: It went off without a hitch. Apparently, some folks were unaware that it was happening, so here is the link to the MP3 archive of last night's show. Thank you to every who participated. The next show is in two weeks, on January 12th, 2009 at 8pm EST. After this second broadcast, we MAY be moving to a Sunday night time-slot to make it easier for folks to participate. Any changes or ideas will be announced here.

REGARDING THE BLOG: Some people are new here, and we've gotten many questions regarding specific users. There are four pages for TIBU2 here on Blogspot (due to a 100-person limit) and so some folks may be a little confused as to who's here and who's where and all that.

TIBU2- page 1:

• inked4life
• decamun
• GeeKineer
• SamiSmile
• niallmc66
• lifeisgoodjake
• Typo
• theonenooneknows
• Richard H.
• AdayINtheLife
• Keva Rosenberg
• BlueRoses
• aquaholical
• Techchick
• DR. LARRY MITCHELL
• Dreamswoven
• MizMoxie
• RedMaryCash
• Fiocle
• Hidden Talents
• Jeffrey Miller
• Kimberley
• harmreduction
• Adrian
• amyeverett
• Kranium
• Marquis-de-Joker
• Abrupt
• revolations
• shoegirl
• Dean Fearce
• Dutty
• Xigent
• The Voice Queen
• mary rose
• nosesilo
• highlyheld
• Zabimaru
• MikeJames
• robert
• Fake Name
• Wisco
• TheAntagonist
• Eric Lester
• LBCarizona
• Starlight Seatribe
• CatGem
• Liv
• Cary
• Ambival Ant
• Lioness
• superblyme
• raineyes
• TIBU2.COM
• grantlaw
• visceral

TIBU2- page 2:

• Tumblemoose
• macneilj
• DR. LARRY MITCHELL
• Freya_Borealis
• Fisk Blackmun
• Ricky A. Pursley
• Tasha
• DaRk IsIS
• Arielle
• kasumi
• Mastmind Theatre
• Hermitgirl
• Bon Gart
• Bathory313
• Alpha 1 Cowboy
• Gracie Marie
• devlinthedrknss
• blankface
• TIBU2.COM
• stanw
• lojma
• Margo
• baby face
• robert
• june
• Project Savior
• SeriousCat
• pulltheletter
• Aaron Diaz Hoal

TIBU2- page 3:

• SGP
• debrajean
• Sandra R. Harris-Gompf
• TIBU2.COM
• Sora_Dina
• heartnurse9771
• missydelite
• Cary
• IHEARTSTUFFZ.COM
• DR. LARRY MITCHELL
• CreativeVibes
• Ntrwriter
• Tizianaj
• Find my Photos
• Mary
• lazarus

TIBU2- page 4:

• Valentine Western
• Kateriscribe
• Web2Print
• Androol
• HarmoniMcg
• Hummdinger
• Suzanne
• TIBU2.COM
• Clearleeme
• DR. LARRY MITCHELL
• randall m(the Dark Knight)

Three-Hour TIBU2 Talk-A-Thon Tonight!

Four people were signed on to listen in, and many more showed up. I was there- of course- and Ricky A. Pursley and the gentleman known as Iceberg Flats showed up as well. Ricky came in at about the twenty-minute mark, and Iceberg Flats came on in probably the last hour. The demise of ThisIsBy.Us was discussed- along with many several conspiracy theories, and- especially considering that it was a show with no format- a lot of information was exchanged and disseminated.
We had many anonymous users logging in and asking questions, and that part was good too- it added a bit of spice to the proceedings. All in all, not bad for a first time.

Here is the link to the mp3 archive of the show (2:58:00), 71.3MB download.

The next Talkshoe Event is planned for

01/12/2009 08:00 PM EST.

Thank you to Ricky and Iceberg and to everyone who was involved for their participation and kindness. I’ll talk to you next time.

Christmas is a Roman Lie

Nixon-Kissinger Celebrated ‘72 Bombing of N. Vietnam, New Transcripts Show

Source: The Public Record

“A million pounds of bombs,” Nixon exclaimed. “Goddamn, that must have been a good strike.”

The telephone communications between Nixon and Kissinger also illustrate Kissinger’s efforts to spin the media, monitor and control the process of decision-making, disparage rivals, keep important associates, such as his patron Nelson Rockefeller, in the loop, and win over critics.

The Public Record | Dec 23, 2008

by Jason Leopold

Former National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon discussed their satisfaction over the U.S. bombing campaign of North Vietnam, according to previously unpublished transcripts of their telephone conversations obtained by George Washington University’s National Security Archive and released Tuesday.

“They dropped a million pounds of bombs,” Kissinger briefed Nixon in an April 15, 1972, telephone conversation from his home.

“A million pounds of bombs,” Nixon exclaimed. “Goddamn, that must have been a good strike.”

Nixon and Kissinger ordered heavier bombing of North Vietnam weeks after the North’s 1972 Spring Offensive, although withholding attacks on Hanoi or mining Haiphong Harbor, two actions which they held out for the next decision to escalate, according to the National Security Archive.

“In light of Hanoi’s decision to postpone private talks with Kissinger scheduled for 24 April [1972], Kissinger told Dobrynin that “such behavior by Hanoi [was] clear evidence of an unwillingness to conduct serious negotiation and as reflecting a basic desire of the North Vietnamese ‘to bring down a second American president.’” While the White House was willing to hold back on attacks on Hanoi or Haiphong, Nixon believed that such threats were a “hold card” in the negotiations: “It either got to be [a] settlement or we blockade.”

The conversation was secretly recorded by Kissinger and Nixon without the other’s knowledge, and reveals that Nixon and his national security advisor shared a belief in 1972 that the Vietnam War could still be won.

“That shock treatment [is] cracking them,” Nixon declared. “I tell you the thing to do is pour it in there every place we can…just bomb the hell out of them.”

Kissinger optimistically predicted that, if the South Vietnamese government didn’t collapse, the U.S. would eventually prevail: “I mean if as a country we keep our nerves, we are going to make it.”

Unbeknownst to the rest of the federal government, Kissinger secretly taped his incoming and outgoing phone conversations and had his secretary transcribe them. After destroying the tapes, Kissinger took the transcripts with him when he left office in January 1977, claiming they were “private papers.”

Kissinger never intended for the documents to be released publicly, according to William Burr, senior analyst at the National Security Archive, who edited the collection, Kissinger Telephone Conversations: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969-1977.

“Kissinger’s conversations with the most influential personalities of the world rank right up there with the Nixon tapes as the most candid, revealing and valuable trove of records on the exercise of executive power in Washington,” Burr said in a news release. “Kissinger created a gift to history that will be a tremendous primary source for generations to come.”

In 2001, the National Security Archive initiated legal proceedings to force the government to recover the telephone conversation transcripts and used the freedom of information act to obtain the declassification of most of them. The archive spent three years cataloging and indexing the transcripts, which contain more than 30,000 pages. The Digital National Security Archive (ProQuest) published the material this week.

Burr called on the State Department to declassify more than 800 additional transcripts of telephone conversations that it continues to withhold on the grounds of executive privilege, a decision the National Security Archive said is “extraordinary.”

“That the [State] Department used (b) (5) exemption and the claim of “privileged presidential communications” to exempt thirty year old documents may make this one of the biggest abuses of (b) (5) and privilege claims the history of the [Freedom of Information Act],” the archive said in a news release. “As federal courts have ruled, such privileges erode over time, and as time passes the public interest in open historical records has far greater weight.”

“In the soon-to-depart Bush administration, such considerations have little influence and it is no surprise that the hands of the White House are behind the executive privilege claims. Henry Kissinger has been an adviser to President Bush and Vice President Cheney and, according to government sources, he influenced the declassification review process to ensure that his telephone discussions with President Ford remain classified for as long as possible.”

The telephone communications between Nixon and Kissinger also illustrate Kissinger’s efforts to spin the media, monitor and control the process of decision-making, disparage rivals, keep important associates, such as his patron Nelson Rockefeller, in the loop, and win over critics:

After Gerald Ford shuffled his cabinet in November 1975, removing Kissinger as national security adviser and shifting Donald Rumsfeld from his chief-of-staff position to be Secretary of Defense, Kissinger spoke to Secretary of the Treasury William Simon. “The guy who cut me up inside this building isn’t going to cut me up any less in Defense,” he noted.

In an August 13, 1974, conversation with Elliott Richardson after Nixon resigned, Kissinger disparaged George H.W. Bush as a candidate to replace Gerald Ford as Vice President. “I am not as high on George Bush, as some others are, partly because of his lack of experience.”

In a conversation with President Nixon on the illegal wiretap scandal in June 1973, Nixon threatened to go to political war with Democrats if they pressed the issue. “Lets get away from the bullshit,” Nixon stated angrily. “Bobby Kennedy was the greatest tapper.” The President even suspected his own phone had been wiretapped in the early 1960s.

“[J.Edgar Hoover] said Bobby Kennedy had [the FBI] tapping everybody. I think that even I’m on that list,” President Nixon told Kissinger. When Nixon noted that the wiretap scandal would “catch some of your friends,” Kissinger responded: “Well, I wouldn’t be a bit unhappy.”

In the April 15, 1972, conversation about bombing North Vietnam, Nixon recalled that bombing had failed to defeat Ho Chi Mhin’s forces in the past:

Nixon: “Of course, you want to remember that Johnson bombed them for years and it didn’t do any good.”

Kissinger: But Mr. President, Johnson never had a strategy; he was sort of picking away at them. He would go in with 50 planes; 20 planes; I bet you we will have had more planes over there in one day than Johnson had in a month.

Nixon: Really?

Kissinger: Yeah.

Disciple (version)

Not since the syphilitic man
had the master plan
To deliver Superman
Have we had a chance to start anew
Reckon all we do
Follow start with follow-through


It makes me catch myself in thought
Where I can’t be caught
Go against what I’ve been taught
All the time I try to see the way,
Struggle everyday,
With no Hell, there’s Hell to pay

All the time the marks upon my arms
Working all their charms
And they do nobody harm
Except to open closed minds
Threaten all the time
Replace your thoughts with one of mine


And now that we've reached the fucking end,
Say it all again
Long-dead brains can be your friends
And it affects all that I do
The way I look at you
Truth is, THE WAY OUT IS THROUGH

SO, YOU WANNA GET ON TIBU2?

I WANT TO JOIN!

So, you want in? Okay- we're happy to have you, the more the merrier. Simply send an email to tibu.two@gmail.com saying so and an invite will be sent to you shortly.


WHAT CAN I POST?

Anything. We primarily look for good writing- fiction, non-fiction, poetry, social commentary, tech advice- but news video embeds and comedy skits are becoming increasingly popular. Whatever you want to contribute is fine with us.


IS THERE ANY LIMIT TO HOW MUCH I CAN POST?

No. All we ask is that your posts are set up in a professional manner- ie, spell checked, properly formatted, etc. Tech Support will assist you if you have any questions.


DO I HAVE TO HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF THISISBY.US TO BECOME A MEMBER HERE?

No, not at all, although that is why the site was started. This site was founded to promote good writing and the exchange of ideas. As stated above, the more the merrier.


WILL TIBU2.COM ALWAYS BE A BLOGGER SITE?

No. This is merely a place for folks to gather and post while TIBU2.COM is created, uploaded and beta-tested. All the posts from this edition of the site will be forward-migrated to the new site.


WILL THIS BLOGGER SET-UP THEN BE DELETED?

Most likely, it will not.


WHAT CAN I DO TO SUPPORT THE SITE?

You can donate via Paypal, or Digg our posts, tell your friends, share our stuff on Facebook, join our facebook group or our MySpace profile, or show the site to others via links or in person.


WHO DOES THIS SITE BELONG TO?

Everyone who participates.

Pipe Chat w/Bobby Hacker (live)

NSFW-ADULT CONTENT

Uncle Jay Explains: Dec. 15, 2008

Interview With Dr. Larry Mitchell

YOU WERE BOOTED OFF OF THISISBY.US- WHAT HAPPENED?

The site was closing. I wanted to continue the writing community that was being abandoned. I wanted to make TIBU2.com perform in the same ways, keeping everyone’s goodness and friends network intact, so I did a little back-door snooping with a web vacuum program and in going through the resulting body of files, I found a notepad file containing everyone’s login information. Not wanting to create a shit-storm, I quietly relayed the fact that the site was not secure in a comment on one of my own posts.


WHAT HAPPENED THEN?

The shit-storm I’d hoped to avoid.


YOU JUST WANTED PUBLICITY, DIDN’T YOU?

I certainly could not have invented better publicity, that’s for sure, but no- it wasn’t about publicity. There was no need for publicity. The site was dying in 90 days, and people wanted a place to go. If they were going to come, or not, was entirely up to them- but they would be made aware of the opportunity in every way possible. This would have included comments and links on TIBU. In getting booted, I did myself a disservice in losing an advertising opportunity for the new site that directly accessed my initial target audience. Most people on TIBU were aware of me, one way or another, and they knew whether or not they liked me before any of this happened. Some people thought I was an asshole, and got what I deserved- they were gonna think that anyway. Some people thought of me as a Robin Hood-type figure, which is probably closest to the truth but a little too Disney for my tastes. A few others saw me as a lawless Che Guevara type of insurgent, which was cool but probably a stretch, in terms of what really went down.

To be fair, I DID violate their terms of service- but so what? They had already abandoned their site and their constituency. People were making offers to purchase or continue the site, and no one ever replied to them. They were their own worst enemies, and never adapted their business model to the changing times. Next topic.


A LOT OF PEOPLE LEFT AROUND THAT TIME.

They’re still leaving. Everyone already knows all this.


OK. YOU PROMISED US TIBU2.COM, AND THIS IS JUST A BLOGGER ACCOUNT. WTF?

I wanted to set up a place for people to post and remain together while the new site was being created, tested and prepared. I’ve put quite a bit of effort into this, because I want to protect and nurture the TIBU2 aegis. Our little community deserves a lot better than it’s gotten so far, and I don’t want to waste a drop of that user good-will and name-brand recognition. I have massive plans for the site, but I want to make sure it’s feasible and self-sustaining, and works properly before I unleash it on an unsuspecting public.


BE HONEST- YOU HAVEN’T EVEN STARTED ON IT YET, HAVE YOU?

I plead the fifth on that one.


SO THIS BLOGGER THING ISN’T THE FINAL DEAL?

No. Like I said, I wanted a place for people to gather and write and connect their blogs in the interim while TIBU2.com is in the works. Originally I was shooting for January 1st, but the best laid plans go awry, y’know? I’m doing my best. I also know that people are dropping like flies from the first site, and I wanted them to have a place to go, as well as a way to get hold of them and announce the launch when it happens.


WHAT IS THE ADDRESS OF THE BLOG?

If you’re reading this, you’re already there. If you want to direct people to it, tell them tibu2.com. For the time being, that URL re-directs to the blog- no need for a different URL to confuse folks. I want any transitions I ask of people to go as smoothly as possible- I don’t want to piss anyone off. People need to be invited to post on the page, and those wanting to get in should send an email via the link on the right hand side of the page, The email address is tibu.two@gmail.com, or you can send one to my personal email.


SO IT’S JUST YOU?

Thus far. Just me. I use the royal “We” in emails on behalf of the site, but that’s starting to feel a little schizophrenic, and everyone knows who’s behind this thing anyway.


WHY WERE SOME PEOPLE INVITED TWICE? OR NOT AT ALL?

Well…


OR ON TWO DIFFERENT EMAIL ACCOUNTS?

Dude, with two Gmail accounts, tied into two Blogger accounts, and two MySpace accounts linked to two Facebook accounts, two Twitters and two Talkshoes, can you even begin to conceive of how confusing all of this is, even to the psycho who’s authored it all?


FAIR ENOUGH. WHY ARE THERE TWO BLOGGER PAGES, THOUGH?

There are account limits of 100 contributors to each blog. There’s two pages as of right now- here and here- but there may be more before this thing is through. I didn’t want anyone left out. But all Blogger pages for TIBU2 will connect with one another, I do know that much. Some people will be invited to one page, and some people will be invited to the other. People can post only on the page they're a member of, but they can comment and vote for anything on any of the pages we have. I'll try to make the experience less convoluted over time and as seamless as possible for everyone involved. Each page can be accessed from the icon photos on the upper right side of both pages. Click on the pictures. Two halves of the same whole- but not for segregationist purposes.


ARE THERE ANY PEOPLE YOU WON’T INVITE FROM THE OLD SITE?

No. I’m trying to get to everyone that I can- although I’m certain to miss a few. Anyone who wants to help recruit folks can refer them to the email I mentioned or to the page this interview is featured on. Not inviting people because I didn’t like them personally, or for their politic stance, or their writing style goes against the whole idea behind all this. This does not belong to me- this belongs to everyone. That is what Bill and Elle Dee forgot over time.


WHO'S THERE NOW, FROM THE OLD SITE? HOW MANY PEOPLE?

About sixty folks so far, between the two pages, you understand. Let's see now...we've got raineyes, AdayINtheLife, shoegirl, MikeJames, kmrockdale, Fiocle, & Wisco. I'm happy for everyone's involvement, really I am- but Wisco has been awesome in his support. He's posted more than I have even- although I've been crazy-busy putting this together- but yeah, he's posted more than anyone, and he's already got two blogs of his own and the old TIBU site to maintain- the guy's a writing fiend, and not a word wasted. I'm kissing major ass here, but I really cannot properly express my gratitude to the guy. I definitely owe him a beer or five somewhere down the line. Who else? SamiSmile, Richard H., RedMaryCash, harmreduction, inked4life- he's posted some stuff lately- BlueRoses, MizMoxie, The Voice Queen, lifeisgoodjake, Dreamswoven, Typo, grantlawnm, Dean Fearce, Xigent, Ambival Ant, Project Savior and a whole bunch more, and growing every day. It's exciting and very gratifying.


WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO GET TIBU2.COM OFF THE GROUND?

First, visit the site as it is now on Blogger. Write, rate, vote and comment. Interact with people. Clink the advertising links, DIGG our bits, befriend the MySpace page and fan the Facebook group, and follow the Twitter. And the big one, donate via Paypal- if they can at all afford it- even if it's only fifty cents. I know times are tough for everyone right now, and I understand if they can't donate much or anything at all, but every little bit of money or exposure helps the cause.


WILL THE NEW SITE OFFER PAYMENT?

I don’t know. I’d like for it to, but for the time being, I’m just trying to get this thing off the ground. Perhaps it will, perhaps it won't. I can't give an answer I would hold myself to at the moment. 8-ball say: answer is unclear- try again later.


IS THERE ANY PIECE OF PROPANGANDA YOU’D LIKE TO DISPELL?

Yeah- that I’m doing this for altruistic reasons, or as a power-trip. I loved TIBU, and would have stayed there forever. I was saddened when I learned of its demise. I wanted to keep it going, and the reason for that was the sense of community that I was made to feel a part of. That’s selfishness, on my part. And as for the power trip angle, that’s someone looking to be respected as an authority- and I’ve never respected authority. I doubt that I would even if I ever saw it, but I haven’t- I’ve just seen silly little people on silly little power trips trying to control everything I wouldn’t respect that in someone else, so there’s no reason to expect someone to respect it in me. Thanks for reading.