Give A Little Bit

(Supertramp)

I know that times are tough economically, and with the winter gift-giving season at hand it may be even harder to justify spending Somalians that you don't necessarily have. If you're stumped on what to give folks this year (because really, nobody needs that extra aardvark fur jacket, no matter how fashionable) consider making a donation in someone's name (or in your own.)

Here's a list of 10 organizations that I like, and I'm sure that there are many others that you can think of too (add links and descriptions in the comments)

The Electronic Frontier Foundation - www.eff.org - EFF is the leading civil liberties group defending your rights in the digital world. The EFF works on issues of Net Neutrality, NSA Spying, fighting baseless RIAA/MPAA lawsuits, online privacy, and much more.

The American Civil Liberties Union - www.aclu.org - The ACLU is our nation's guardian of liberty, working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

The Center for Media and Democracy - www.prwatch.org - The nonprofit Center for Media and Democracy strengthens participatory democracy by investigating and exposing public relations spin and propaganda, and by promoting media literacy and citizen journalism, media "of, by and for the people."

The Freedom From Religion Foundation - www.ffrf.org - FFRF has been working since 1978 to promote freethought and to keep state and church separate.
(note: while my personal pagan JewBu beliefs and practices have become more important to me over the past couple of years, I think these folks are doing great work.)

Deep Roots Animal Sanctuary - www.deeprootssanctuary.org/ - Based in Bloomington, IN. Deep Roots Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit animal sanctuary and animal rights advocacy group based in Southern Indiana. We are a grassroots organization dedicated to animal and earth liberation. (Note: I met the folks who started this over the summer, and they're really doing great work.)

Planned Parenthood - www.ppfa.org - Planned Parenthood provides so much in the way of health care, from abortion access to HIV screening to general reproductive and sexual health services. In addition to the national organization, there are chapters in all 50 states and D.C., so you could donate to your local chapter, too.

The Drug Policy Alliance Network - www.dpf.org/ - DPA Network is the nation's leading organization working to end the war on drugs. They envision new drug policies based on science, compassion, health and human rights and a just society in which the fears, prejudices and punitive prohibitions of today are no more.

The Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors - www.objector.org/ - Since 1968 the CCCO has been working with conscientious objectors to war in resisting selective service, helping service men and women already in the military, and resisting recruiting efforts in our nations schools. I've been a proud CO since before I turned 18, and am one today.

Food First - www.foodfirst.org - The Institute for Food and Development Policy/Food First shapes how people think by analyzing the root causes of global hunger, poverty, and ecological degradation and developing solutions in partnership with movements working for social change.
(Note: I used to work at FF, and these guys rock. They work on food and water as a human rights issue.)

Your local X. If X=infoshop, animal shelter, co-op, collective, queer rights organization (I like the work the Bash Back! is doing), support them with your time and moolah. A week's worth of beer money can make a huge difference. A commitment of time, either focused on a single project, or more generally can go really far.

We're all in it for the duration, so we may as well do it together.

Peace and Love to all of you.

xoMilo

[xp:TN:LJ:FB]

Political Asshole

(Pansy Division)

www.qzap.org/audio/Political_Asshole.mp3

In recent weeks there's been lots of discussion about the passage of Proposition 8 in California. Prop. 8 essentially repeals the short-lived right for men to marry men and women to marry women. Many reasons have been given, from the huge amount of funding that Prop. 8 proponents were given by the Mormon Church to the lack of support from African American communities against it. Currently all around the country gays and lesbians are mobilizing in their own communities against Prop. 8.

First, let me say two things. In general I'm against marriage as it's defined today. For anyone. I don't want to get gay-married, and I don't want folks to get straight-married. That said, I think that if that's what you and your significant other want to do, then you should have the right to do it within your religion and under the eyes of your deities as is appropriate. Ultimately, however, I think that the push for marriage by the mainstream LGBT community has been a HUGE mistake. Here's why:

Gay marriage is a selfish and narrow goal, and effects only those who are in long-term stable relationships with same-gender only partners. It leaves out bisexuals who wish to retain their bisexuality as identity, polyamorous folks who have more complicated yet still committed relationships, transmen and transwomen who are in process and may not have the appropriate boxes checked on their personal forms and papers, and finally the vast numbers of single queers in each and every community.

Now that the LGBT community has had it's ass handed to it on a platter (again), and now that we're still about 5 minutes away from being rounded up and put into concentration camps for loving who we love and fucking who we fuck, and now that we've had a couple of weeks to lick our wounds, now is the time to write a new queer agenda... A truly queer agenda that is less self-serving, and will create change for more people in more ways and will provide a better future for ourselves, our parent's generation, and future generations of queers and straights alike. Issues to include:

• civil unions for all americans, provided by the state (marriage to be determined by individuals religion or faith)
• single-payer universal health care for all who reside in the US
• healthcare visitation access based on patients wishes, not "immediate family" status
• an end to "marriage tax-credits"
• immigration reform that includes a provision to allow LGBTQ people who are being persecuted abroad asylum in the US
• Education reform, abolishing NCLB, more public funding for public education, including arts education and health education.
• broad-based health and wellness education including comprehensive sex education for everyone, young and old alike
• ending the war on drugs, and funding treatment programs for those with addiction issues
• prison reform
• Ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and using the billions being spent on taking care of domestic issues

Those are just the tip of the iceberg for the new queer agenda. As queers, we should be building coalitions with other movements and other people. We should be working at the forefront for peace, social justice, and the environment. We should be out and visible, not just in our workplaces and within the gay ghettos, but in our neighborhoods and cities and communities of all types. We should be out and visible within our churches and synagogues and mosques and places of worship, and we should be respectful of those who choose to participate, but also respectful when we choose not to.

We should be making our own media. We should be publishing zines, making music and films and television. In addition to production, we should be consuming our own media. Tuning in to the community-affairs broadcasts on the radio, reading the blogs, and responding to all of them. Economically we should be supporting the LGBT and queer owned businesses in our communities. Go buy a second vibrator. Pick up a copy of Macho Sluts for your straight sister. Drink a chai and get a puppy biscuit from the queer cafe.

Finally, we should not be passive when we are targeted by bigotry and homophobia. We need to be in the streets, and taking over buildings, and fighting back. Remember, it is the Compton Cafeteria Riots, the Stonewall Rebellions, the White Night riot, the ACT UPs and Queer Nations and Gay Shames and Bash Back! that make the changes, not the Log Cabin Republicans or the Democratic Lesbian and Gay Caucus or poor, misguided Barney Frank.

“When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him.”
- Bayard Rustin

[x-p:LJ:FB:TN:MS]

F*U I won't do what you told me

I'm not a Rage Against The Machine fan. I've never gotten in to them, and find their brand of aggro punk somewhat off-putting. I much prefer Crass or Consolidated (I really liked Consolidated back in the day)

All that said, this track is a pretty good expression of where I am at the moment. I've read numerous blog posts, articles, and have endured a handful of emails from friends and family over the past week letting me know how terrible it would be if I didn't vote for Senator Obama.

To all these people who I love let me just say "Yuck Fu!" I think it's terrible that because I voice my dissent, I'm perceived as just as much the problem as those who march in lock step with the GOP.

When I hear that from my Dad, or my friends, or my lovers, I get so exasperated. To me it's undemocratic. It's the exact opposite of what this country is about.

As an activist, an active participant for the past 16 years in the electoral process, I'm sick to death of voting my fears. I'm sick to death of having to choose evil, even if it's the lesser of two. I could rant and rave about what I think this great nation needs, but this isn't the time for it.

Tomorrow, when I walk into the voting booth, I'm voting for a black candidate. Probably not the one that most of my friends are, but the one who actually represents my views on the issues that are most important to me: ending war, preserving the environment, supporting my rights to love who I want how I want, preserving a woman's right to make reproductive decisions (even and especially if they're not the decisions I'd make for myself or my loved ones), and on and on.

So let me ask... if I'm not voting for the candidate that you are, should I stay home?

[xp:lj]

Once Upon A Summertime

(Astrud Gilberto)

It is the August evening of my memories, real or imagined. It's currently drizzly and not too warm. My birthday has passed, and I'm feeling that heady/fearful combination of school starting again soon. My mum calls it "saodojis"(sp?) in Portuguese. It's meant to connote a feeling of melancholy. I don't think that the translation is correct, but it's sort of where my head is at.

It's been a while since I've posted anything. I've been somewhat busy... I went to PDX for a long weekend, and now that my laundry is done, I'm heading to Chicago for the Femme2008 conference. I suspect that I'm going to be the only cisgender boi there, but I sort of hope not. I'll post from the road if I get a chance.

In other news, I'm behind on my many zine projects. I've not been cooking or baking as much as I'd like, but that will change with the seasons, I hope. I'm missing many, many friends at the moment. A rash of good luck has befallen some comrades and loves, and they've split the Brew City for points east and west at the end of July. There's certainly a hole where they should be, at the table laughing and drinking and talking art and film and politix and porn.

My current crush par excellence is elsewhere, too. I've begun to figure that one out, but it doesn't make it any easier.

At any rate, that's the news from Casa Del Fratney. I'm going back to my Gilbertos and heading to the kitchen for some much needed sustenance.

i want to talk about media distortion ad campaign telling lies

(Consolidated)

I'm not usually a fan of politicians, and I think that Nancy Pelosi has dropped the ball on more occasions than I can count without taking my pants off. That said, Her Nancyness has a pretty good quote about the current campaign:

"San Francisco values to me means that every child in our city has health insurance until they are 25 years old. San Francisco values say we don't have a minimum wage, we have a living wage. In San Francisco we respect the dignity and worth of every person and respect is the order of the day there. Issue like protecting the environment aren't issues for us they are values and ethics.

"I think they highlight them because they are the force that are fighting health insurance for our children... they are the forces that are fighting increases in the minimum wage. So they sort of use their winks and nods about San Francisco values that they are talking about the fact that we respect our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, but what they are really afraid of is economic justice."

She's pretty right on there. Now if she'd only put her money where her mouth is we might actually be ok (Actions > Words)

x-posted Tribe.net/LJ

You Ain't Nothing But a Hound Dog

(Elvis Presley)

Ok, I don't really want to talk too much about dogs, but I though I should share this with everyone... Especially if you're into Science! or Cute!
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ound.html

Now that that's out of the way...

Last weekend was the Milwaukee Zine Fest. It went pretty well, considering it was the first year and all. There was some coverage in the local press, which was cool. On Sunday I led a discussion with Joe Biel from Microcosm publishing about "Zinester Economics." It was surprisingly lively, and with a dozen people, I'd say well attended.

In other news, everyone and their mother are moving. Our lovely housemate is heading east, our best animator/puppeteer film makers are moving east, my fave co-worker is heading west. It's madness like I haven't seen since 1999.

Of note to some: I'll be in Portland, OR from the 31st-5th. If you're there and one of my tribe friends and want to hang out I'd be thrilled. I need dates for Voodoo Donuts, FoodFight!, and Mary's (the scary old strip club) among other things.

Hope everyone is doing swell.

Much Love,
Milo

In the summer time when the weather is high

(Mungo Jerry)

It's been a while since I checked in, so I thought I'd just give a little update about what's going on in my world.

* Tee-Shirts!!! A few weeks ago we printed up more "Zinesters Do It On The Photocopier" shirts in preperation for the various zine events happening around the country.
* In the same vein, I've been working on a couple of new zines. Not that anything is finished yet, but at least I'm working on it.
* Vacation! I'm actually taking time away from my dungeon. I'll be in Boston, MA. this weekend, hanging out at Hungry Mother hungrymothercambridge.com and generally relaxing.
• We've had houseguests. First our friend Nat crashed with us on his way back to Australia via Japan and a trip to the G8. Then our old housemate J. came for the wedding... and we've got a smart mouse or two that keeps avoiding the live traps.
* This past weekend our dear friends got married. It was lovely lovely.
* C. and I went to the "members only" opening reception for the Gilbert and George exhibit at MAM. mam.org We got to see them speak about their work, and throw some rather racy and sly comments out there that most of the audience missed.

OK, that's it for me. Let me know what's up with you all!

xoM

Shooting Rubber Bands At The Stars

(Edie Brickell and The New Bohemians)

Howdy! It's been a while since I posted an update, so I thoght I'd hammer out a quick one. Life is pretty good, albeit busy here in MKE. It's PrdeFest®™© weekend here, and I'm planning on staying far away. It's sort of a bummer because a friend is giving a lecture that I'd love to check out, but I refuse on general principles.

Work is the same, QZAP is moving forward, and I've started a bread blog! If you're inclined, you can take a look at allwekneadislove.wordpress.com.

In other geeky news, I'm way behind the curve, but I've also started to use Del.icio.us. If you've got an acct. and want to be my friend/fan or keep up with what I'm grockin' on del.icio.us/miloblue

I think that's it for now. It's warm and stick here, and now I must flip my laundry.

xoMilo

Pride (In The Name Of Love)

(U2)

So the rumors are true... Nazis are coming to PrideFest™©®. I'm not sure if I really care. PrideFest™©® is so commercialized, a-political, and has a cover charge ($13). It's not like I don't wear my queer badge every fuckin' day anyway.

Supposedly there's also going to be a Queer Convergence that weekend for rad kweers who are planning events at the RNC.

www.nsm88.org/activities/...merfest.html
(Nazi link)

[[sigh]] I'm gettin' too old for this shit.