The 2004 election was stolen.

This article depresses me – not just because of what it says about 2004, but because of what it means for the future. If Republicans can rig any future election to come out in their favor no matter what the voters want, then we’re screwed.

The single greatest threat to our democracy is the insecurity of our voting system. If people lose faith that their votes are accurately and faithfully recorded, they will abandon the ballot box. Nothing less is at stake here than the entire idea of a government by the people.

Voting, as Thomas Paine said, “is the right upon which all other rights depend.” Unless we ensure that right, everything else we hold dear is in jeopardy.

Here’s the itinerary for GBNYC:3, the big gay blogger meetup in New York this weekend. The itinerary is (I hope) partly tongue-in-cheek.

Also, my gay ol’ chorus has a concert on Saturday night, which all are invited to attend, bloggers and non-bloggers alike.

I had a beautiful Memorial Day. It was 84 degrees out, so I decided to go for a walk through Central Park.

I took the subway up to Columbus Circle and entered the park at the southwest corner, and over the next two hours I meandered up the west side of the park: up past the ballfields and the Sheep Meadow, a stop to watch people playing lawn bowling on the Bowling Green, north along the west side of the Lake to watch people boating, past the Marionette Theater and up into the quiet Shakespeare Garden, past the Great Lawn, past the Arthur Ross Pinetum, over a little footbridge and then up along the Reservoir; then, after about 10 minutes of walking clockwise along the Reservoir, I saw a sign saying that you’re supposed to run or walk around it counterclockwise, so I decided to leave the Reservoir and walk along the bridle paths; then I walked past the tennis courts and along the edge of the North Meadow and some basketball courts and more baseball fields before somehow turning south again and winding up at 97th Street and Central Park West.

I had wanted to make my way all the way up to the northern end of the park at 110th Street, but by that point I was sweating and tired and I was ready to go home, so I left the park and hopped onto the subway.

Oh, and there was SO much eye candy in the park today.

Central Park really is a blessing on New York.

Here’s a rough map of my walk (image adapted from here):