282. FAMILY VALUES GRAB BAG

From the Archives (20 September 2007) So. Another so-called family values Republican official has been busted for sexual abuse—only, this time, there's no homosexual element.

Perhaps this explains why the mainstream media has barely covered the story. Or maybe it's because the pedophile is a US attorney in a Republican state where the story stands a decent chance of being conveniently hushed up for the good of the party.

Shh!

Just as the repugs are now attempting to silence the Gonzales debacle—Please! Let the good man get back to his work protecting the chillllllll'ren, people!—stories such as this are too often silenced unless enough people make a big enough fuss to get them the attention they deserve.

Or who knows? Maybe a grown man showing up with a Dora doll and a jar of Vaseline to f*ck a five-year-old girl just doesn't scream "scandal" to Fox News the way a gay man's attraction to a DC page who at least has hair around his genitals does.

What's especially disgusting to me about this whole thing is that Atchison told the deputy who was posing as the girl's mother not to worry because he'd go nice and slow with her.

Meanwhile, The Portly Dyke has posted a picture of the youth cheer-leading squad that this pedophile assists, which makes me wonder about the ways in which he has been "assisting" them. I guess that will either be hushed up or made apparent soon enough. though.

* * *

Meanwhile, I discovered this week that a legal loophole—at least in the drought-parched state of North Carolina—allows automobile insurance agencies to add drivers who have no legal relationship to you to your automobile policy even if you don't want them on your policy and even if they never drive your car and even if they are already fully covered by another agency so long as they live in the same house as you.

(Umm, this applies to most queer relationships, folks.)

How do I know this? Because Nationwide sent a notice informing me that the company has oh-so-helpfully increased my automobile policy by $1,186 and back-dated this coverage to the day when Danishgrrl's daughter received her driver's license.

Oh and they thanked me for being a long-time policyholder.

I complained. Of course. And yelled. And ultimately canceled my automobile and homeowner policies with the company that is ostensibly On My Side. Then I sent a letter of complaint to the state insurance commissioner asking him to investigate Nationwide’s attempt to extort money from me.

Unbelievable.

* * *

And now—on a completely different note—my cute little brother has embarked on a cross-country bike ride to raise money for the families of the nine Charleston SC firefighters who died on duty this year.

Check out his blog to see gorgeous pictures of him/his journey.

He left Georgia on 9/6 to drive out to Palm Springs (where he will embark on his journey) and plans to roll into Charleston in early October.