Friday Bits

Many in the GLBT community are growing restless that Obama hasn't done more to advance civil rights, repealed the "don't ask, don't tell" policy for the military and has been silent on states approving gay marriage. This CNN report sums it all up quite nicely. I, for one, think Obama should be given a bit of slack. He does have a lot on his plate, and, as Paul Begala notes, gay rights are advancing along quite nicely without Obama's help. And maybe that's the point. However, Obama does have an opportunity to move on "don't ask" using Lt. Dan Choi, an Arabic language specialist, West Point grad and Iraqi combat veteran, as a prime example of how wrong this policy is. I know Obama's busy, but this law should be repealed immediately. The time is now.

Paula "Miss Pills" Abdul now says Ladies Home Journal misquoted her and has recanted her 12-year addiction to painkillers. She was either high as a kite when she gave the interview or she's back on the bad shit now. Either way, she's straight up. Straight up craaaaaaaazy. 

I have two big boxes of the Poetry Atlanta documentary Trouble & Hope sitting in my living room. We've been working on this "DVD anthology" of Atlanta's poets for more than two years and it has turned out beautifully. There will be a screening in June in conjunction with Georgia Center for the Book. Details will be posted on the Poetry Atlanta site this weekend. 

This weekend I'm working on the novel and preparing my notes for my Saints & Sinners Literary Fest panel on social networking for writers. This time next week, I'll be having a drink on Bourbon Street.