Idiots Against Gay Soldiers

I’d never heard of Elaine Donnelly, but apparently she caused quite a ruckus at yesterday’s congressional hearing about “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Donnelly treated the panel to an extraordinary exhibition of rage. She warned of “transgenders in the military.” She warned that lesbians would take pictures of people in the shower. She spoke ominously of gays spreading “HIV positivity” through the ranks.

“We’re talking about real consequences for real people,” Donnelly proclaimed. Her written statement added warnings about “inappropriate passive/aggressive actions common in the homosexual community,” the prospects of “forcible sodomy” and “exotic forms of sexual expression,” and the case of “a group of black lesbians who decided to gang-assault” a fellow soldier. …

Rep. Vic Snyder (D-Ark.) labeled her statement “just bonkers” and “dumb,” and he called her claims about an HIV menace “inappropriate.” Said Snyder: “By this analysis . . . we ought to recruit only lesbians for the military, because they have the lowest incidence of HIV in the country.” …

Donnelly returned to the case of “Cynthia Yost . . . assaulted by a group of lesbians.” She neglected to mention that the incident was alleged to have occurred in 1974.

Fun reading.

Newark Starbucks Closing

The Starbucks in downtown Newark, which is right next to my office building, is among the 600 stores the company is closing. And people are not happy, including the city’s leadership.

I’m not really a coffee drinker, and I don’t think I’ve ever set foot inside the store, but I’m annoyed that it’s closing. It’s usually crowded and it makes downtown Newark feel like a real place. Already the FedEx/Kinko’s has closed. More importantly, the Duane Reade closed last year, so there’s no place to buy sundries during the day. (Duane Reade is like CVS but worse.)

Oh, and I would give my left arm for a big chain bookstore nearby. There are practically no bookstores in Newark.