More Than a Dummkopf

Image by karlherl from Pixabay

Jens Spahn, a bigwig German conservative politician, has long opposed surrogacy, which is banned in his country.

Spahn said in 2015 that "as a gay man and a Christian, I find it personally very hard to warm to the idea of a rented womb."

Recently he got over his misgivings, as he and his husband not only rented a womb but furnished it.

The womb belonged to an American, an option European gay couples exercise to get around restrictions in their countries. (So expect Donald Trump to slap a tariff on American uteruses.)

Baby Georg was born to Spahn and his husband. The latter posted an Instagram picture of the couple, with Spahn pushing a stroller, captioned "We Are Family." Spahn told a German publication, "Georg is our greatest joy. This feeling is almost impossible to put into words."

Fellow conservatives had no trouble putting criticism into words, and his political opponents sang out the word "hypocrisy." The strudel hit the fan, and on Saturday Spahn resigned.

In his resignation letter, Spahn wrote, "Over the ‌past few days, I have come to realize that my personal happiness — starting a family with my husband and becoming a father — is incompatible with my ​political office."

I speak some German, but I regret that I don't know how to say, "Dude, duh."

The Force Was With Her

 

Change of Plan

Image by InspiredImages from Pixabay

I genuinely intended to watch Donald Trump spew election lies last night. But when the moment arrived, I just couldn't face it, and I turned to much lighter television instead.

I chose Looney Tunes over loony tunes.

This Week's Quote

Image by kalhh from Pixabay

The writer E. Jean Carroll has collected over $5.6 million that a jury awarded in her sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump, court records and her lawyers said.

Jennifer Peltz

Source:  The Associated Press

The Grim Peeper

 

Lindsey, You Hardly Knew Ye

Image:  Facebook

As a rule, I don't assign gayness to somebody unless that person has confirmed it.

Except in the case of Lindsey Graham. I believe the Republican senator, who died suddenly last night at 71, was gayer than Liberace's candelabra.

Graham consistently denied being gay, and he did his home state of South Carolina proud by voting against queer rights early and often. After the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, Graham announced,"I am a proud defender of traditional marriage."

While thinking to himself, "As God is my witness, I shall find my Rhett Butler."

But the hypocrisy of "Lady G" in this arena actually bothers me less than what came later. While briefly chasing the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Graham called Donald Trump a "race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot" and "unfit for office."

Turned out he was more right than he knew. But after Trump won the presidency, Graham performed a transformation that any drag queen would envy. He became Trump's adviser, golfing buddy, and robust defender. 

On the night of Jan. 6, 2021, after the attack on the Capitol, Graham announced dramatically on the Senate floor, "Count me out. Enough is enough." But that was the adrenaline talking, and the senator soon returned to Yorkshire Terrier status.

Trump has ordered that flags be flown at half-staff this week. He said Graham "was like a member of the family to me."

If that's not the sorriest epitaph I've ever heard, I'm a palmetto tree.

Pressing Question