Indiana

Dealing with some denial of service attacks on the site

I have been dealing with a denial of service attack on my site recently. I suspect that I’m the target of some unethical behavior in the gay Republican base in Indianapolis politics, specifically because of this post I wrote about Marion County’s special election to replace Julia Carson.

It’s been almost exactly a year since I wrote “I Am Not an Activist” and after that scaled back my writing about local political issues in favor of more relevant topics. In retrospect that was a good decision. Also appropriate since David Wene, a local gay Republican “activist” decided to use that word to describe me as though it was an epithet.

Continue ReadingDealing with some denial of service attacks on the site

March 11 District 7 Special Election

I’ve been saying I’m going to write about the March 11th special election, and I haven’t forgotten that. I actually have had a REALLY long post written about it since Friday, but I’ve revised it 10 times and can’t quite get out what I really want to say… so I’m starting over.

Hopefully you’ve all figured out by now that Julia Carson’s District 7 seat as a U.S. Representative is being filled by a special election on March 11th. Whomever wins will still need to campaign again to be chosen in this May’s primary race and to be re-elected in November if they are the candidate.

The two contenders for the seat are Democrat André Carson and Republican Jon Elrod. Elrod is currently my rep in the statehouse, having upset Ed Mahern for 97th District in 2006.

So, where do I stand? As I mentioned in a comment on a previous post, I’ll be voting for André Carson, although he’s not my favorite candidate, and I’ll be supporting another democratic candidate in the May primary.

I really don’t believe Carson has enough political experience to be a U.S. Representative yet. His only other elected office has been a few short months on Indianapolis’ City-County Council. He has no experience in higher Indiana offices, no experience at the Indiana Statehouse, all of which should be prerequisites for an office at the federal level.

There are several people much more qualified for this office than Carson, some of whom actively sought it, like David Orentlicher, who is our representative for the 86th District in the Indiana Congress.

Why Carson over Elrod?

I’ll get to that, but let me start off with some of Elrod’s good points:

Elrod does talk a good game on gay issues. Many gay people in Indianapolis are campaigning for Elrod because he stands out as a lone Republican voting against SJR-7 and against other homophobic legislation in the Indiana Statehouse, and I can see that’s a great thing. There are several gay households in our neighborhood that have Elrod signs in their yards.

However, these same folks are studiously ignoring that Elrod hired a notoriously anti-gay company to build his website – a company that has actively lobbied for SJR-7 and for other legislation destructive to the gay community. I don’t think that’s a deal-killer as far as voting in my eyes, but it does suggest that Elrod doesn’t have a complete awareness of gay issues, or who he might accidentally be in bed with politically in the Republican party.

Elrod also really gets himself out there. I held a long conversation with him in my front yard when he was running in 2006 for District 97, and numerous other people in our district also reported talking to him. He’s definitely a “get out and meet the people” guy. I’ve talked to him twice since that initial meeting, too.

So what’s wrong with Elrod?

I’m not voting for Elrod because I strongly believe that he’s gay.

Yep, you heard that right.

I really, really think that Jon Elrod is gay, and I’m voting against him for that specific reason. I have no real, verifiable concrete evidence that Jon Elrod is gay. None whatsoever. I have no smoking gun, no secret lover, no rumor or innnuendo from within the gay community. I have nothing but instinct.

That man sets off my gaydar at 5 miles away. I’m not kidding.

I’ve been out and active in the gay community for over 20 years. My gaydar is a finely tuned, high performance machine at this point. When it occasionally misfires – and I admit it does – it always because people fly under the gaydar; never because I’ve had a false positive. I never suspect someone is gay when they aren’t; I always suspect they’re straight when they’re gay. I suppose it’s possible that Jon Elrod is straight and I’m mistaken. But I really don’t think so. Not at all.

There’s also not much evidence to contradict my belief; he’s good-looking, single, definitely metro-sexual, and I’ve never seen a girlfriend/beard, although there might be one.

So… IF Elrod is gay, shouldn’t I be voting for rather than against him?

In theory, yes.

Vote for a gay man? In a heartbeat – I’d be thrilled to.

Vote for a gay Republican? – that’s conceivable. If I thought he was the right guy, I just might. I don’t cross the aisle often in my voting, but it’s definitely not off the table, depending on the person.

But vote for a closeted gay Republican? Absolutely fucking not. I’d rather cut off my own arm and beat myself in the head with it.

In the year 2008, there’s absolutely no reason why anyone running for public office should be in the closet, even in Indiana. Especially in Indiana. There’s so much at stake for gay people in Indiana that it would be an utter betrayal of trust to be a closeted elected official, and I really, really believe Elrod is.

What I don’t get is why I’ve never heard this elephant it the room (if you’ll pardon the pun) discussed in the gay community.

I CANNOT be the only person who thinks Elrod is gay. So if all these other gay people are supporting him, are they doing so also suspecting that he’s gay, and wanting to have him in office because of that, despite the closeted status?

I sure hope the hell not, because the very idea makes me sick to my stomach, it’s so disgusting. The self-loathing involved in doing something like that would be overwhelming to me, and one of the most pitiful things for a gay person to do that I can imagine.

I really don’t believe that Jon Elrod is a true friend to the gay community of Indianapolis, and I don’t believe he’s the best person for the job of U.S. Representative for District 7.

Continue ReadingMarch 11 District 7 Special Election

So much to blog, so little time

I actually have things to write about lately, but haven’t geared up to do it. Lets see, where were we when we last tuned in? Oh, yeah, I was probably playing Packrat. Well, the gloss has come off that Facebook game somewhat, as I got collected most of the cards I could get a hold of easily and was stuck gold mining endlessly and hoping the rare cards would pop up for me, which they weren’t. It didn’t help that the developers changed several rules of the game and it’s not quite as fun, and pretty uneven on the fairness scale. And discovering that there are only 100 of the very rare Leopard card that once popped up for me but I couldn’t pick up due to a glitch in the game was disheartening. If only 100 people can win, it kinda sucks.

We’re far behind in wedding planning, but we finally got registered a couple of places. (They’re listed at our wedding page; you can get there from the image on the right.) Of course, we still need to add lots of items to the registries.

Stephanie went to Wyandotte, Michigan for a figure skating competition. We initially thought I’d go with her, but decided not to farm out the dog, so I stayed home and ran some errands and went (gasp) wedding dress shopping. Yes, I’m wearing a dress to our wedding. Don’t act all crazy. It’s the one and only day I will. I can be a princess on my wedding day, even if i don’t want to be any other day. (Okay, I actually own a tiara, so I act like a princess on other days, too. But just while vacuuming.)

Anyways, you may already know this, but wedding dress shopping can be crazy. I only found one thing I liked, and they didn’t have it in my size. You have to make an appointment for a sales person, and there was a 45 minute wait for dressing rooms. At one of the other places, you had to register with them to even set foot in the door. All I wanted to do was look, but they wouldn’t let me. I was planning on going to a few more places, but I think I’ve run down an alternative that, if it works as planned, will complement Stephanie’s dress nicely.

There are lots of other things we need to get in order, but if I start making a list here, I’m get an upset stomach with worry, so I won’t.

In other news – SJR7 – the marriage discrimination amendment is effectively dead at the Statehouse. On Friday, Rep. Scott Pelath, D-Michigan City refused to hear the bill in committee, meaning that it’s dead for this legislative session, and they’d have to take at least 4 years to get it through the Statehouse again.

This still doesn’t mean we can get legally married in Indiana, because there is a law on the books saying we can’t. It just means that the state can’t double-plus super deny us marriage. So, you know, that’s nice. Or something. Clearly, we’re getting married anyway. (See above shocking paragraph about me wearing a dress!) We just can’t get a piece of paper from the government saying so, which just seems sort of arbitrarily bitchy of them, when you look at it that way. But the nice Canadian government will give us a piece of paper saying we’re married, which is why we’re honeymooning in Toronto. Those Canadians are darned nice. And Massachusetts will recognized that we’re married with the piece of paper from Canada, but only if we live there. Also California, Vermont and a couple other states will say we’re civil-unioned. Which is like marriage, but without all the same legal rights. So, not really like marriage at all, but basically our own water fountain. Yay! At least we can get a drink. Except not here in Indiana. We don’t even get our own water fountains.

Whatever. I’m thinking pink and lavender gladiolas for my bouquet. What do you think?

Continue ReadingSo much to blog, so little time

HB 1197 – Data Breach Bill

A message from local blogger Chris Soghoian on legislation in the Indiana statehouse:

11 Indiana State Senators will be voting on an important data breach bill next Tuesday (the 12th). This bill (which I helped to draft with my local state representative) will shed a significant spotlight on companies who lose or misplace sensitive consumer financial and other personal information.

The bill, HB 1197, sailed through the house a couple weeks ago, passing 94-0.

Read more about the bill here.

I drove up to Indianapolis on Tuesday to testify in front of a Senate committee, expecting to have just as easy a time. Unfortunately, there were about 10 lobbyists there representing such firms as AT&T, Comcast, Verizon and Microsoft who are doing everything possible to kill the bill.

It will be voted on at 9AM on Tuesday the 12th of February, and I’d like to do all that I possibly can to mobilize the blogosphere to pressure the State Senate to pass this bill – and to not gut the pro-consumer provisions in the bill.

I have written up a lengthy blog post on the subject here.

I would greatly appreciate it if you could write a brief post on your blogs, and link to it. Or, if you’re willing to, perhaps write your own more lengthy post on the subject. If you’re interested in calling your state senators, that would be fantastic too.

A few more details on the bill:

We all do business with companies. They know our names, addresses, financial and medical information, mothers maiden names, and social security numbers. This information, if gotten into the wrong hands, can be used to commit identity theft, which can ruin your credit, and make your life miserable.

Unfortunately, some companies do not do the best job in keeping this data safe: It is left unlocked on laptops – which are then lost, or stolen. Computers are not kept secure, and hackers break in, or sometimes upset employees steal the data to get revenge on their employer.

Companies have a duty to tell their customers when they lose our personal data. Indiana passed a law a couple years ago to do that, but unfortunately, it has a few loopholes, which can allow companies to avoid this requirement, or to do it in a way that can be difficult for consumers to find out about.
House Bill 1197 closes the loopholes in the law. It will require that any company that loses customer data tell the state attorney general, and will require that the attorney general post this information online. The info will mention how many Indiana consumers were impacted, what information was stolen, and steps that consumers can take to protect themselves. No personal info (i.e. people’s social security numbers) will be posted by the attorney general – it will be broad info, not on any one individual.

A number of companies have rallied their lobbyists to try and kill this bill. They do not want to have this information online, as it makes them look bad. Consumers should have a right to know what is happening – and by putting these reports onto the Internet, it will be easier for consumers to learn about the problems. It will also be much easier for the press to learn, and then publicize it.
For the last couple of years, New Hampshire has been doing this – and it’s been a huge success. No consumer has suffered as a result of these reports being online in New Hampshire.

Please act now, and stop Microsoft, AT&T and others from killing this bill. Consumers have a right to know when their data is misused or lost.

Continue ReadingHB 1197 – Data Breach Bill

marriage discrimination attached to Gov’s Property Tax Bill

Indiana Republican Foul play at work – because looked like SJR-7 the marriage discrimination bill that has failed to pass the Indiana House the last two years, might again fail, Representative Eric Turner, ranking Republican on the House Rules and Legislative Policy Committee, filed a amendment to House Joint Resolution No. 1 (HJR1) a proposed constitutional amendment concerning property taxes.

It’s expected that the Governor’s proposed property tax reform bill, a high-profile piece of legislation, will receive attention and scrutiny. Any threat to it or opposition from Democrats will surely make headlines. However, it’s worth noting that the amendment being discussed is unrelated to property taxes, but it’s being attached to the bill since it’s expected to be approved. This is relevant to homeowners looking for south dallas homes for sale, who may want to keep an eye on any developments in property tax reform.

Don Sherfick of Indiana Equality seems to think that the bill with get a full reading by the House as a result, where Gary Welsh thinks that it will effectively kill the property tax bill, laying the blame for it at the door of House Democrats.

Indiana Equality has a handy lookup form to look up your representatives to give them a call to protest this issue.

Continue Readingmarriage discrimination attached to Gov’s Property Tax Bill

District 7 Special Election will be Tuesday, March 11th

From the [link deprecated: http://www2.indystar.com/articles/7/254061-5937-127.html – Indy Star] via Taking Down Words:

Republican and Democratic state party officials have agreed on Tuesday, March 11 as the date for a special election to select Rep. Julia Carson’s successor.

State Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker said Friday he and GOP Chairman Murray Clark had recommended the date to the governor’s office. Gov. Mitch Daniels must set the date for the special election to replace Carson, who died Dec. 15.

Other Key election dates:
* January 23: Primary filing period begins
* February 16: Marion County Democratic Party slating convention
* February 22: Primary filing period ends
* March 11: Seventh District special election
* May 6: Primary election
* November 4: General election

Continue ReadingDistrict 7 Special Election will be Tuesday, March 11th

The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette on the Marriage Discrimination Amendment

Courtesy of blueindiana.net, I enjoyed this editorial from the The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette on the plans to re-introduce SJR-7 – the marriage discrimination amendment – into the short legislative session this year (when, of course, there are much more pressing issues like property tax reform that need to be addressed.)

There is no reason for it to pass this year or any year. Indiana has a law that prohibits same-sex marriage. The language of the proposed amendment is murky at best and would create more legal questions than it would answer.

Meanwhile, other states are quietly going the opposite direction from Indiana. Instead of adopting measures that take rights away from citizens, they are expanding rights. In 2007, New Hampshire joined Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey in offering civil unions. And Washington State and Oregon approved domestic-partnership laws to ensure legal rights for same-sex couples. Maine, California and Hawaii already have such laws.

Colorado, Iowa, Oregon and Vermont all banned workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, bringing to 12 the number of states with such anti-discrimination laws on the books. Nearly half of the U.S. population now resides in states that ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, according to Stateline.org, an authoritative Web site that reports involving issues with state governments across the nation.

It is foolish for Indiana, still lagging other states in economic recovery, to consider a measure that would alienate any potential investor. It’s even more foolish to consider such a measure when elected officials should be focused on tax restructuring.

Continue ReadingThe Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette on the Marriage Discrimination Amendment

Rishawn Biddle Gets Fired

I’ve been trying to avoid writing about local politics of late, just because the bile and animosity therein was way to much to deal with given my increased workload at my place of employment, and because others do a much better job of saying what I would anyway.

On occasion here, I’ve ranted about Indy Star editorialist Rishawn Biddle, who brought to the paper something less than what was actually necessary to write a good editorial column regularly.

The other day, Rishawn posted a diatribe on the Indy Star’s Expresso blog against Indianapolis City-County council head Monroe Gray, who is being investigated currently for god knows what. It’s hard to figure out in all of the racist bile being slung around. I’m sure someone will helpfully post some racist bile here to explain it.

Anyways, the diatribe was full of racial epithets towards Gray and other black members of local politics. StAllio! has a pretty entertaining reconstruction of the post, which was edited several times, although remnants of the unedited versions still exist. I guess Rishawn thought he got a pass on calling people Coons because he himself is black. Turns out, not so much. He got fired for it, and rightly so.

Schadenfreude, she is so beautiful, but deadly. I should not laugh.

Continue ReadingRishawn Biddle Gets Fired