Outrage with a broad brush

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I do NOT understand gay Republicans.

Of course, I don't understand most Republicans. I don't mean the cloth coat, pre-Goldwater Republicans. I understand them quite well. I mean the snarling, bigoted, racist, hate-filled people who want to bomb every brown person into oblivion, save for the ones here in this country, for whom they reserve starvation, penury and Tasers.

But, gay + Republican = confusion. Mixed messages. Gay in behind hand behavior only. Gay, but vote against having any inclusion in the society. Gay, but hate on the brown people - even if you ARE a brown person.

Maybe my frustration with Gay Republicans is that I want to help them see that they're campaigning for their own restrictions. With non-Gay Republicans, it's easy enough to navigate "safe" conversations, or even to reach agreement on some issues. Most of the Republicans I know are not in favor of half-Billion dollar stadia for Millionaires to play in for the financial benefit of Billionaires, all paid for with tax dollars.

Here in Houston, we have four such with a fifth coming. What could we have done for people here with the more than $2,000,000 spent on these monuments to bread and circuses?

There is little disagreement on giving tax dollars to banks, or maintaining our enormous, wasteful military.

Wander, though, from such safe topics and the conversation degenerates into a snarling furball of anger toward taxes, toward brown or poor people, toward other countries, toward government.

These are never substantive conversations, and any effort to direct them into analytical discourse encounters an increase in volume. "Nancy Pelosi is a liar!" "Obama is a socialist!" "Tax and spend!" "Free markets!"

Of course, NOTHING is simple enough to be reduced to four or five words. Yet, these memes are thrown about as circular, self-proving statements. "How would you like to see things done?" "WE NEED FREE MARKETS!" Okay, free in what way? We let loose the bonds on the financial markets, and in five short years we ended up with world-wide calamity, but fewer than 0.05% of the population made a whale of a lot of money, most of which they've now lost.

Why is it so hard to engage in a discussion about what works and what doesn't, and come to some resolution, even if it is to disagree on how to get there?

Have we as a (human) race come so little down the path that we still cling to our fear of those who are not "like us" and make long-term choices based on that?

Back to gay Republicans - in talking with a young man whose Republican leanings I cannot penetrate - he, like so many people have been convinced since the early 1980s that Republicans will protect the average person, I guess. Not from affluence nor privilege, why would a working-class, Hispanic gay boy be a virulent follower of Bill O'Reilly and Glen Beck?

I've thought about this both on a macro and micro level; the only thing I can come up with through observation, conversation and assumption is that he, like any gay Republican I have encountered, isn't able to accept himself at all.

I've been there myself. I spent years fighting my sexuality. Even after twenty years of what I thought was acceptance, I still found plenty of self-limiting communication and behavior. I think when one combines growing up knowing you are something that your environment tells you is wrong and unacceptable with a very religious or conservative family upbringing, you can push yourself into expressions of self designed to contain or deny who you are, rather than expand and celebrate.

Nigerian scammers and giggle greatness

The other day, a friend told me he'd received one of those chain letters in the mail in which you send a dollar to the person at the top of the list .. I had totally forgotten about that scam!

Back in the day, I had several clients who were convinced that they were going to get rich by sending a dollar to each of eight people. They wanted me to play with them, and I told them that it was as illegal as anything - not believing, they moved forward UNTIL a bunch of them got arrested IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM OF A LAWYER'S OFFICE!! The lawyer, by the by, had been telling them that there was nothing illegal with the scheme.

I guess that lawyer got their degree from a box of Chex Cereal.

Then, only a day later, I had an email from a dating site (that I frankly had forgotten I had once registered on) from some young man promising me eternal love and happiness - but he was regrettably back in South Africa. NIGERIAN SCAMMER! WHOOT! It has been YEARS since I've seen that come on, and I laughed right out loud.

And sent customer service a little note saying .. uh, nuke this guy's user account.

NOTHING is free. Love, money, property, profit, nothing. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

Still, there's a sucker born every minute. I'm glad to be a mere observer.

why is it (May 2009 edition)

So, today I jetted over to Knapp Chevrolet after my friend Jimmy told me that they had a Victory Red 1LT RS over there.

Sitting there, out front, was indeed the first production Camaro that I could look at and sit inside of.

Red with black (cloth - it was a 1LT) - and the RS package (including wheels, which I wanted to see in person).

We crawled inside, and .. yes, it's somewhat claustrophobic in there. Yes, the window line is quite narrow. Yes, the interior is very plain. Yes, the view out the rear is very limited. Yes, the passenger side of the dash is featureless.

And yet, I love it. The Hyundai Genesis Coupe has a jewel-like interior, but seems .80 scale, as does the Acura RL. The Genesis Coupe also drove like a wizard, but left me cold on its looks.

I haven't driven the Camaro yet, but from the WaPo's auto editor, I'm going to love it.

Some of the very fun interactions between me and the very nice salesman who came outside to say hello:

"Oh, this is the only red they make." "No, they also have a red tintcoat color." "They only make ten colors." "Yes (recites ten colors by name)."

"We can put leather seats in this one much cheaper than getting the 2LT package." "Yes, but what about the other equipment that comes with the 2LT?" "It's just the leather."

"We had a guy come in and want to see the orange that was on the concept car at the car show. It doesn't come in orange." "Yes, it does. Inferno Orange."