Book Reading........

I just finished reading my 6th book of the year, Barbara Jordan: American Hero.
It is a biography of a great woman, politician, statesman, groundbreaker.
She was the First in so many categories. Most notably the first Black woman to be elected to the Texas Senate since Reconstruction. The first Black woman to be elected to the US Congress from the South/Texas since Reconstruction. The list is really endless.
She only served 3 terms in the House of Represenatives. Health issues and disillusions with Washington DC caused her to not seek relection.
The thing I take away from reading this book is how many of her struggles and the political climate from her time in office are almost mirrored in the messs we so politely call Politics today.
Barbara Jordan passed away in 1996, and I think it is safe to say, she would be sickened by political mess we are in now.
We could sure use her leadership now.


Book List:
1. Guards Guards by Terry Pratchett
2. Kingdom Keepers III Disney in Shadows by Ridley Pearson
3. The Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton
4. Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
5. Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
6. Barbara Jordan American Hero by Mary Beth Rogers

(no subject)

So Gays really are the new Blacks..........


Driver Demands Gay Couple Sit at the Back of the Bus
by Steve W.


Musician Ari Gold (pictured above) this week alleged that he and his boyfriend were told by a Short Line bus driver to sit at the back of the bus because they were holding hands, behavior that prompted the bus driver to halt the journey and call the police over their so-called offensive behavior.

The incident is reported to have occurred this past Sunday while Gold was on a journey to Catskills to visit his parents.

The story first came to light when Gold took to his own Facebook page to write about the still developing situation.

He wrote: ”The driver on the shortline bus just called the NY state trooper +pulled over cuz I was holding hands w/ a man in the front seet. [--July 10 at 9:16pm]”

Gold later explained what happened to Michael Mutso over at the Village Voice:

“The driver told us if we wanted to continue sitting together, we had to sit in the back.”

[Gold refused.]

Frustrated, the driver called for a New York state trooper!

“Then he pulled over,” says Gold. “The state trooper came and asked what the problem is, and he said that the way were were sitting was making him uncomfortable and he wanted us off the bus.

“The trooper said nothing was illegal and he needs to continue to drive.”

The officers then exited the bus without further comment and allowed the driver to continue the rest of the journey, however Gold believes that the officers acted irresponsibly in “leaving ours and the other passengers safety in the hands of a dissatisfied, discriminatory, and mad driver.”

George Grieve, president of Hudson Transit Lines Inc. of which Short Line is a brand name, subsequently contacted Michael Mutso with a response to these allegations:

I wanted to assure you and your readers that we do not condone or endorse the actions taken by this one driver. His actions are not representative of the management of our Company.

“We will continue to investigate this incident until we are sure we have all the facts at which time we will take the appropriate disciplinary and remedial action. We apologize for the insensitive action of our driver and can assure you we will take the necessary steps to make sure this does not happen again.”

The Advocate also reports that a fellow passenger has now come forward to corroborate Gold’s version of events, albeit with a minor addition.

( From The Advocate: )