Today should be a marvelous day for me as a member of LGBT community living in Long Beach, Calif. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals just declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional, in effect ending marriage discrimination in the state. It's a victory. It's a triumph. It's yet another step in the...
1 Comments | Posted February 2, 2012 | 2/2/12
Creativity was everywhere; it was heavy in the air like condensation. Throughout the room, the entire building, creative people mixed, mingled, each tinged with the excitement of a dream fulfilled. It was premiere night at the Los Angeles Downtown Independent, a theater that is a haven for new and up-and-coming...
Posted January 24, 2012 | 1/24/12
Article II Section 3 of the United States Constitution reads, in reference to the President, "He shall, from time to time, give Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."
It doesn't necessarily...
3 Comments | Posted December 16, 2011 | 12/16/11
"Before there was Glee there was me!" I exclaimed to great laughter, breaking the ice and beginning 30 minutes that would change me forever.
I was in the middle of a classroom in Long Beach Poly High School, Long Beach, CA. Ms. Hanes room, 252, top floor, brick building, corner...
3 Comments | Posted December 13, 2011 | 12/13/11
It happens each year, or so it would seem;
The country is split with views so extreme.
And programs the people so desperately need,
lay in the balance because of such greed.
Extend unemployment the Democrats say,
we'll tax the wealthy, they can afford...
Posted November 7, 2011 | 11/7/11
A Precedent Set
By Charles Karel Bouley II
"If it were anyone other than Michael Jackson, this would have never gotten to trial..." seemed to be the mantra from the defense team in the Conrad Murray criminal trial for his role in the death of Michael Jackson.
Maybe that...
Posted September 23, 2011 | 9/23/11
OK, this is a hard one, so please indulge me. When Farrah Fawcett died, when Michael, Tena Marie, Amy Winehouse, I took to the computer and posted columns about them here at the HuffingtonPost and elsewhere. But today? Today it's personal.
My good...
Posted September 13, 2011 | 9/13/11
The CNN/Tea Party Express Debate leaves liberals like myself in a precarious position: while many of us are upset with the Democratic Party up to and including President Obama and have not been shy in making that upset known, if that upset or criticism causes any one of the eight...
Posted August 19, 2011 | 8/19/11
There are three things that don't often appear on my to-do list:
Posted August 5, 2011 | 8/5/11
From the "Long Beach Condemns Recent Hate Crimes" Facebook Page:
Over the past 10 days, the Long Beach Police Department has received three separate complaints of assaults that have occurred in a downtown neighborhood, known for its population of gay and lesbian citizens and businesses. Although the...
Posted July 25, 2011 | 7/25/11
27 is simply too early to die; yet this Saturday, July 23, 2011 saw the death of pop sensation Amy Winehouse. Immediately jokes began, "Well, she should have gone to rehab... yes, yes, yes!"
If only it were that simple.
It's easy for the general public to pass judgment...
Posted July 11, 2011 | 7/11/11
Katrina was no natural disaster.
Yes, a Category 3 Hurricane named Katrina made landfall on August 29, 2005 but the 1836 people that died and the thousands more that were injured or lost their lives in other ways were not the victims of nature; they were more the victims...
Posted June 12, 2011 | 6/12/11
I'll never forget the day that Nancy Pelosi, then speaker of the Democratic House of the United States Congress, said that impeachment of George W. Bush was "off the table." I'll never forget seeing her on a TV talk show asking the audience if "they knew of any impeachable offenses."
...Posted May 19, 2011 | 5/19/11
"I had no idea," my dinner date for the evening stated. "This is so exciting. I know half the people in this room, and the other half I know their songs, the actual people behind the music, the real hit makers."
Posted April 21, 2011 | 4/21/11
Jason Anderson, Aaron Dale Burkeen, Donald Clark, Stephen Curtis, Roy Wyatt Kemp, Karl Kleppinger, Gordon Jones (M-I SWACO), Blair Manuel (M-I SWACO), Dewey Revette, Shane Roshto, Adam Weise ....
I had to search for those 11 names; most of you may not know them. We didn't start a war over...
Posted April 17, 2011 | 4/17/11
Photos by Brandon Crispo
For 37 years residents of Long Beach have started many an April day with the sound of roaring race car engines, helicopters and planes overhead and tens of thousands of people descending on the city for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. This year the...
Posted April 15, 2011 | 4/15/11
On April 13, 2011 President Obama gave a speech at George Washington University about the budget (and forgot to wish Thomas Jefferson a 'Happy Birthday!'). April 14, 2011 progressive talk radio shows like The Stephanie Miller Show and The Thom Hartman show hailed the speech, calling Obama a visionary, or...
Posted March 29, 2011 | 3/29/11
On Monday, President Barack Obama took to the airwaves to tell the American people about his decision to use military force to intervene in the Libyan uprising going on. He spoke of our "best interest" and "moral interest" in preventing a massacre in Libya by its dictator of 40 years,...
Posted March 21, 2011 | 3/21/11
And it ends as it began. Seven days previous, myself, my niece Heather McGrath (pronounced McGraww! In Ireland) and the very special Brandon Crispo hopped off US Air (willingly) and hopped on to BMW Sport Adventure bikes through Celtic Riders. Now, seven days later, we are back at...
Posted March 18, 2011 | 3/18/11
"There are moments, you remember all your life. There are moments you wait for and dream of all your life...this is one of those moments." Barbra Streisand, Yentl
As a member of the media I've had an extraordinary life full of unique and one-of-a-kind experiences all undertaken in the name...
9 Comments | Posted February 7, 2012 | 2/7/12