Gay Patriot

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Liberals Take Principle Over Money

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Hey, you have to admire that right? Anyway, I thought you’d all enjoy this email exchange….

From: GayPatriot
To: Scott-O-Rama
Sent: Fri, 16 Sep 2005
I’m disappointed… but not surprised. Open minds are a rare commodity in the gay community these days.
I am the one who is sorry for you.
—–Original Message—–
From: Scott-O-Rama
To: gaypatriot2004@aol.com
Sent: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 16:08:44 -0700
Subject: Ad Rejection Explanation
I am sorry, but I am rejecting the BlogAd you submitted to my site. I am a proud liberal, and your site goes against a lot of what I believe in. While I’m not trying to censor you, I don’t believe carrying your ad on my site is appropriate either.
Thanks anyway.
Scott
scott@scott-o-rama.com
www.scott-o-rama.com

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

350,000 And Climbing!

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Thanks to everyone we hit the 350,000 mark earlier this morning. That’s 350K in just over one year!
I am “blogged-out” from all the postings yesterday, and also pretty swamped with work today too. Oh yeah, and preparing my house for sale.
So I’m gonna go lite today unless something moves me…. like a bad hamburger.
Thanks again…. next stop – 500,000!
-Bruce (GayPatriot)

The Education of a Man who was Once “Nothing but Gay”

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In the comment section to my piece on Joe Solmonese’s liberalism, reader Mike alerted me to this excellent post by a new gay blogger.
Reflecting on a gay man who “seems to believe all homosexuals are liberal,” Prismwarden writes

Still, doesn’t he realize by assuming gays are liberal that he is unconsciously reinforcing the systematic social oppression of a world that pressures us to be liberal?! How insensitive and close-minded, no, how hateful to place those kinds of expectations on us.

Upset in November 2000 at the victory of George W. Bush, this open-minded man has since

aged beyond adolescent self-identity politics to the wider world of free-thinking adults. I am free of the shrieking homosexual activism and its filthy, grime-ridden claws of insecurity and self-loathing.

From a man who was once “nothing but gay,” he began to realize that “No shared sexual orientation could ever bind” him to the “twisted beliefs” of gay leftists who “hated too much and too easily.”
There is much to commend in this post and rather than rewrite it here, please read the whole thing and keep an eye on this blog!
-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com

Back from my travels

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I apologize for the light blogging of late. Before leaving L.A. just over two weeks ago, I thought I would have time to blog on a trip which included four days of classes, a drive to Colorado to spend some time with my Dad and celebrate his birthday with him and a visit to the home of a straight Mormon friend in the Beehive State. I may blog on that latter visit later. Now that I’m back in the City of Angels, I should be able to blog regularly again.
Ever loving to drive across this beautiful land of ours, particularly the western states, I took the long route home from Utah, driving across the beautiful southern region of the state and overnighting in enchanted Sedona, Arizona. WOW! That part of the Grand Canyon State is as beautiful as Zion–one of my favorite national parks, stunning red rock cliffs, mesas and mountains, some like the crumbling ruins of long-forgotten civilizations. And the colors, not just that rich redness of the rock, but the contrast of that red with the colors around it. Those red cliffs set against the blue skies and highlighted by the various shades of green of trees and other foliage. And then in the evening, declining light darkens the hills, creating unusual hues of black and gray.
I still have not gotten through all my e-mail and I also need to collect my notes, ideas and thoughts that have crossed my mind in recent days. I hope to be back up to speed by early next week with commentary on the Katrina catastrophe and the Governor’s veto of the same-sex marriage bill in the Golden State–and to the reaction of the media to both — and of the gay community to the latter.
And I’m eager to hear from y’all, to read thoughtful comments to our posts as I continue the great conversation as help Bruce (and other gay conservative bloggers) remind the world that the gay community is not an intellectual monolith. Finally, let me salute my blog-league (a bit belatedly) on his first blogiversary and express once again my thanks to him for inviting me to join him here, on this, the most free-thinking of gay blogs.
-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO GAYPATRIOT

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With everything going on this week, I nearly forgot something.
One year ago on September 2nd, the GayPatriot blog was born. Our Sitemeter stats reflect a September 4th start date.. it took me two days to figure that out. Here was my first posting. I think the writing has gotten better. *laughing*
Thanks to all of the GP readers for your support, both moral and financial, during this very interesting year of my life.
I would like especially thank John (PatriotPartner) for his never-ending support and patience with me as I’ve discovered this new hobby of mine. Thanks also to PatriotMom for always being there… I see she has become an active participant lately!
And of course, I have to thank my partner-in-blog, Dan (GayPatriotWest). Thanks for everything Dan! And a special welcome and thank you to the newest member of our GayPatriot team, “Webmaster Jay.”
Thanks to VtheK, NorthDallasThirty, Christian Grantham, Rainbow Resistance, and the other “early adopters”.
Oh, and thanks to Chris Barron-Edwards for putting the blog on the map. *friendly dig*
Finally, I have been very lucky to have had the support of some of the blogosphere’s top movers-and-shakers, including Glenn Reynolds, Roger L. Simon, Stephen Green at Vodkapundit, BoiFromTroy, Tim Blair, Michelle Malkin, PoliPundit, DJ Drummond, Lorie Byrd, Patrick Ruffini, Jonah Goldberg at The Corner, Bridget and Dirty Harry at GOPVixen, Dean Esmay, and the guys at LittleGreenFootballs and Powerline as well as countless others!
One year down…. many more to follow…..
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com

Airport Blogging

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Well, this is cool…. the Wilmington, NC airport terminal is fully wireless.. and it is free! Dulles Airport should learn a thing or two. But I guess Dulles should concentrate on actually getting their planes out on time first.
Anyway, I’m waiting to head back home (via Charlotte) and watching The Weather Channel coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
PS – You and I both know that TWC reporters LOVE this stuff.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) reporting from Wilmington, NC

Sunday GP Mailbag

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I received this email on Saturday and was quite moved. When I was interviewed by the Philadelphia Gay News, the reporter asked me what kind of “mix” of readers/commenters the GayPatriot blog had. I responded that my sense was about 50% supportive/like-minded gays, 30% violently opposed/leftist gays, and 20% straight, conservative and curious about a gay Republican.
I’m not sure if this reader falls precisely into that last category. But one of the main reasons I kept this blog going was to reach out to straight conservatives to make them see that not everyone in the gay community thinks America is bad, is against capitalism, is anti-religion, and is supportive of pro-terrorist/anti-war groups.

I found your blog a few weeks back, and have added it to my list to read on a regular basis. I’ve found your writing to be precise and your opinions quite reasonable and fair, and usually pretty accurate as well. It’s always refreshing to see someone who can see the big picture.
As to myself, I’m a very straight man, with a wife and three kids. I’m also a life member of the Disabled American Veterans. I was an aircrewman in the US Navy, and have a little over 4,000 hours of Combat Aircrew time in P-3 Orions, and some hours in helos. But I digress.
My interest in the gay community has grown over the years because two of my shipmates were gay. They were fine men, with whom I spent many hours, both on missions, and just on liberty. They trusted me with their lives, and I trusted mine to them. Both loved life, and died far too early from HIV/AIDS. That was nearly 20 years ago, when so little was known about the disease and how to combat it. I think of them from time to time, and can still see their youthful faces, so full of life, with such good souls. I miss them, as I do other shipmates who died in service to their country, lost in their youth fulfilling a promise to the nation to be there if it called.
Maybe it’s survivor’s guilt, or maybe just waxing nostalgic for my own youth. Not that I’m old, mind you, just older (I turned 50 this past February). It might be that I was left behind to tell their stories. If so, I’m a poor choice for that. Perhaps though, I might yet give it a shot. We’ll see.
Anyway, enough rambling. I just wanted to say thanks for the work you are doing. It’s important to cut through the politics and the shrill voices of the victim-cults. We are all under attack by a cunning and devious enemy, who on one hand proclaims the moral rightousness of his cause, while his other is smeared with the blood of innocents. Folks who cry the loudest about oppression and the loss of “rights” haven’t a clue as to what life is like under the Taliban, which is where our enemies want to drag us.
You fellows get it. For that, you have my thanks and my respect. If you are ever up in Maine, feel free to drop by. I don’t have much, but what I have is there to share. I can only promise you a good cup of coffee, a good meal, and a warm welcome.

Thanks for the kind thoughts! But more importantly, thanks for your service and sacrifice to your nation. We are proud of you.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com

GayPatriot profiled in Philadelphia Gay News

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I had someone else read this interview of me first. As she was reading, I kept asking her… “Am I going to be fired?” All in all, I think this is a very fair interview and I’m glad the blog got some ink from my “hometown” gay newspaper.
Out ‘Patriot’ Finds Conservative Audience – Philadelphia Gay News
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com
For full text of story – click on “more”
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Friday Housekeeping

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Whew. It has been a very busy few weeks for me. Since returning from the Disney Cruise on July 9, I have been overwhelmed with a special project at work. So my sincere apologies for the gaps somedays in new postings. I’m hoping things are easing up, but my job is unpredictible.
I am still working out some tweaks on the new WordPress site. If you have any suggestions or comments about the look of GP.org, please email me!
Syndication Feeds: For all those interested in having GayPatriot syndication feeds, I wanted to give you that information here since there may have been an interruption when we switched over to WordPress a couple weeks ago.
The options are at the bottom of the left-hand column for your convenience. I didn’t have syndication links on the previous GP.org site, so that has been a great new addition with WordPress.
In the coming days, I will be publishing my exclusive US blogger interview with Peter Tatchell, the head of the UK’s gay rights group OutRage!. Peter and his staff have been the target of Islamic extremist threats as reported at GayPatriot a couple of weeks ago. Peter was gracious enough to answer some of my questions about how the gay community should represent itself in the War on Terror… and I’m sorry I haven’t had time to post it yet.
Finally, I’ve been getting some really great tips on the NJ 9/11 Fund Scandal lately. Thanks! But please if you have any “non-conventional wisdom” or “anti-MSM” stories… please do email me. Also, if there are interesting and perhaps even wacky stories in your local papers that you think GP readers would find enjoyable…. email them to me as well. Unlike some other gay so-called conservative blogs… I have no problem linking to other bloggers!!!
I hope everyone enjoys the weekend and as always thank you for your continued support of GayPatriot.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com

Light Blogging, “Beauty & the Beast” and Carl Jung

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As I have been quite busy working on two papers for my graduate program in mythology, I have not be able to blog as regularly as I would like this week. This evening, I completed the first draft of a paper for my class in Folklore and Fairy Tales, an essay attempting an archetypal interpretation of “Beauty and the Beast.” Much as I love the Disney version, as I read older versions of the tale, I realized how much it had strayed from those “classic” versions of the story. For example, it was an evil fairy who had cursed the dashing prince to live in beastly form — and not (as in the film) a beautiful enchantress masquerading as an ugly old woman trying to teach a lesson to a “spoiled, selfish and unkind” young man.
The Disney movie does offer a power message about learning to see with the heart and about one’s ability to change, to overcome one’s faults, but in straying from the various fairy tales, the film alters the story’s original meaning.
I have just begun to outline and write my second paper for my class in Jungian Depth Psychology and as I prepare to write on individuation, I again came across a letter a patient wrote to Carl Jung which he included in his “Commentary on The Secret of the Golden Flower” in Volume 13 of his Collected Works. Reading that letter fourteen years ago (in a book on Jung by the celebrated British psychiatrist Anthony Storr) helped me overcome my doubts about accepting my feelings for men and so helped spring the proverbial closet door. I thought I would share this powerful passage with y’all:

Out of evil, much good has come tome. By keeping quiet, repressing nothing, remaining attentive, and by accepting reality-taking things as they are, and not as I wanted them to be-by doing all this, unusual knowledge has come to me, and unusual powers as well, such as I could never have imagined before. I always thought that when we accepted things they overpowered us some way or other. This turns out not to be true at all, and it is only by accepting them that one can assume an attitude towards them. So now I intend to play the game of life, being receptive to whatever comes to me, good and bad, sun and shadow forever altering, and, in this way, also accepting my own nature with its positive and negative sides. Thus everything becomes more alive to me. What a fool I was! How I tried to force everything to go according to the way I thought it ought to!

Perhaps it will have an effect on some of you similar to the one it had on me. And perhaps later, I will write a little more about how these words changed my life.
-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com

MSM & Iraq–not telling us about the real war

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Just a few weeks ago, I blogged on media bias and noted that reporter Mark Yost was taken to task for reporting that the MSM “ignores positive changes” in Iraq. Well, it’s not only positive changes, they’re ignoring. The MSM is by and large failing to report a major offensive by U.S. & Iraqi forces. Over at Powerline, Paul wonders:

Have you ever read a history of war that focused almost entirely on casualty figures (with an occasional torture story and grieving parent thrown in), to the exclusion of any real discussion of tactics, operations, and actual battles? I haven’t. But that’s what our self-proclaimed “rough drafters” of history are serving up with respect to Iraq.

No wonder more and more people are turning to blogs to get information. Powerline links to Belmont Club which reports on the offensive here.

Excuse our Mess!

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Good Sunday morning. If you have a keen eye, you will see that GP.org has made a change. We switched over to WordPress this weekend. So there may be a few technical glitches that we have to work out to get things “just right.” But for the most part, thanks to Jay — the Official GayPatriot Webmaster — this has been a very smooth switchover.
I’m about to leave for the Sunday activities of the Lewis & Clark Meeting. Saturday’s stuff was quite lame… and I’ll write about that later.
Enjoy the weekend. Hope you folks back East are having a cooler time of it than this past week.
PS – Did I mention that Portland has no humidity? 😉
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com

Back to blogging–and so much else

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Well, I noted last Saturday that I would not be able to blog as regularly as I would like, but didn’t think I would go so long without posting altogether. So much was my absence noted that Bruce wondered if maybe he should issue an Amber Alert. After an unusual first few weeks of July, I find myself returning — and with more energy — to my more productive patterns of past months, so should be blogging at full steam next week.
July turned out to be more hectic — in a great number of ways — than I had anticipated. Not only did I spend a good deal of time working at Outfest, LA’s gay and lesbian film festival, where I am a senior volunteer/theater manager, but I also found the topic for my paper on Carl Jung & Anti-Semitism so fascinating that I ended up over-researching. And I went through some personal stuff, a process, which, while it did not lend itself easily to blogging (at the time), will certainly help me write at a deeper level in the coming days — or so I hope.
Not only did I fall behind in blogging here, but I also fell behind in reading for my classes and missed a lot of summer movies. Well, I’m now beginning to catch up in all endeavors and hope to blog up a storm in the next few days. And as always, I welcome your suggestions of topics on which you would like me to blog.
-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com

Where In The World Is….

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…GayPatriotWest???
Has anyone seen Dan?
Should I issue an Amber Alert??
-Bruce – GayPatriot (gaypatriot2004@aol.com)
UPDATE (from Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest)–No Amber alert necessary. I had to finish a paper which was due Monday–and I got it out on time, then had three busy days of classes, then upon returning to LA, needed some respite so watched the most amusing Wedding Crashers before picking up the latest Harry Potter book which I couldn’t put down. I just finished the book so should be back to normal posting by tomorrow, Friday, July 29, 2005.

GP Weekend Mailbag

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I found these two pieces of “fan” email a hoot… and wanted to share with all of you.
This one is from “PBatch617”:

After 9/11 Pat Robinson and Jerry Fallwell blamed the attacks on the United States on Americas acceptance of homo-sexuals, abortionists, feminists and secularists. Give me a break. The RADICAL, right wing of the Republican party has more in common with Islamic wackos than it does than it does most freedom loving Americans. If each had there way, we would live a theocracy where anyone who did not share their religious views would be persecuted.
I believe that the Islamic terrorists should have the crap bombed out of them and the Radical right wing of the Republican party should be voted out.

Substitute “American liberal wackos” for “Islamic wackos” and I tend to agree with you. (See above posting)
On your last two points…. President Bush put his political neck on the line to be pro-active in the War on Terror; as you suggest. I hope you are young, because I doubt in the next decade at least you will see anything but a further move to the Republican Party when all the Democrats are consumed with is hatred, not ideas.
==============
And this one from Tyler:

You argue that straight acceptance gays should come before legislation and we as gays need to be on our best behaviour for straight eyes. Frankly, I don’t care what rednecks think of me. That is NOT the point. If we left the desegregation of the South up to referenda, it would have NEVER happened. The question of rights is not a question left up to the tyranny of the majority. Let us not forget that Hitler was democratically elected.

Tyler sounds a lot like the head of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, Matt Foreman who said the following last year after the first majority win by a President since 1988: “Well, fundamentally human rights should never be put up for a popular vote. Even today if we put the freedoms that we take for granted, like freedom of press or religion or speech, up to a popular vote, we would lose them in most of our states — maybe not most, but at least half of them.”
Well Matt & Tyler… I’m sorry that’s “the America” you live in. Mine is much more optimistic and hopeful that through hard work, and not quick fixes, the American public will move our way. Most people don’t give a damn about your sexuality (straight or gay) unless you are flaunting it in their faces.
I’d bet that Matt & Tyler were also both opposed to voting in Iraq and prefered a dictator who “protected” the Iraqis “human rights” with Uday & Qusay? After all, President Bush is evil…. Saddam Hussein opposed him…. so the Gay Left must have supported Saddam Hussein, right? Simple math equation.
-Bruce (GayPatriot) – gaypatriot2004@aol.com

Light Blogging, Carl Jung and narrow minds

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I regret that I have not been able to blog as regularly as I would have liked for the past few weeks. I am delighted to see that since his return, my blog-league has been blogging up a storm and earning us links and accolades across the blogosphere. Bruce, I’m so glad you’re back.
I doubt that I will be able to return to regular blogging until the end of next week as I am currently engrossed in the latest Harry Potter while finishing up research for a paper on Carl Jung and Anti-Semitism (which I need to write by Monday).
While none of the Jews who worked with this great thinker and psychoanalyst found him to be anti-Semitic, some supporters of Sigmund Freud (who broke with Jung in 1913) have made much of Jung’s naivete vis ? vis the Nazis in the early 1930s, taken some of Jung’s comments out of context while relying on a mistranslated version of one of his articles to claim that he was a Nazi. When one studies the evidence, it is clear that while this great man did make a number of mistakes, including underestimating (as did many of his contemporaries) the Nazis’ capacity for evil, he did not collaborate with those vermin.
Nonetheless, that evidence is not enough for some of his intellectual adversaries, particularly some rather fanatic followers of Freud. In his essay, “Carl Gustav Jung: Defender of Freud and the Jews,” the noted child psychotherapist Ernest Harms wrote:

Of course, persons with hate-filled emotions may accept the presentation given here and yet may find the proof inadequate. However, the presentation here is made for sound and humanly adjusted minds and not for psychopathological personalities.*

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