Total Recall Update-1Million Signatures!

The United Wisconsin group that started a petition drive seeking to oust Gov. Scott Walker (R) turned in their mountain of petitions in Madison yesterday containing 1 million signatures.

The number far exceeds the 540,208 signatures that were needed to force the election and is also just shy of the 1.12 million votes that Walker received in the 2010 midterm election.

United Wisconsin is also submitting petitions to force recall elections on Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch (R) and exceeded the threshold needed by 305,000 signatures on that one.  

Recall petitions were also delivered to force four more Wisconsin Republican state senators to face the voters, including majority leader Scott Fitzgerald, and United Wisconsin exceeded the number of signatures required on all four of those petitions as well.



The 1 million signatures gathered by United Wisconsin means that in order for the pro-Walker forces to stop the recall election, they would have to successfully invalidate 46% of the gathered signatures.

Not likely and even Scott Walker knows that.   That's why he's been furiously fundraising out of state, running ads and lying spinning his jacked up record to keep his seat and the money from his 1% buddies is flowing into his campaign coffers.

Stay turned, going to be a fun 2012 election season out of Wisconsin.
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Iowa Caucuses Later Tonight

The Iowa caucuses are later tonight.   Since the Dems won't be having a meaningful one until 2016, I'm only interested in the GOP one only to see who comes out of this with momentum for next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary

It's also going to be interesting to see who comes out of this in first second and third place after the millions spent on ads, events all over Iowa's 99 counties, robocalls and the dozens of debates.

It all comes down to who can get their supporters to the over 1000 caucus sites and get people to support their candidate.

My candidate already resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, and I hope he and his family will be there for another four years.

Portia's Back As Jamaican Prime Minister

Portia Simpson-Miller made history back in March 30, 2006 when she became the first female prime minister of Jamaica and held the office until her center-left People's National Party narrowly lost in a September 11, 2007 election in which the Jamaican Labor Party gained power after 18 years as the opposition.  

On December 29 she capped a remarkable political comeback as 'Sista P' and her party won a landslide victory over the ruling center-right Jamaican Labor Party in the snap election called by former PM Andrew Holness.   He became prime minister in October after the resignation of Bruce Golding in favor of the 39 year old education minister. 

Simpson Miller becomes only the second person since Michael Manley to serve non consecutive terms as Jamaica's prime minister.


“I am humbled as I stand before you and I wish to thank the Jamaican people for their love, for their support and for giving the People’s National Party and the leader of the party her own mandate.’’


She will have a 41-22 edge in the Jamaican parliament to work with as she gets a second chance to lead the island nation and make good on her campaign promise to 'unleash the greatness in all Jamaicans'. 

With the country celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence from Great Britain later this summer she and the PNP will face the challenge of dealing with 12% unemployment, tackling the country's debt and come up with policies in the face of the global economic crisis that create jobs and sustained economic growth for her people. 

As to what the new PNP government means for my rainbow community brothers and sisters on the island, it remains to be seen what will positively happen for them.   I hope it signals some government policies such as the repeal of the colonial era buggery law that will end the bigotry aimed at them and make it possible for Jamaica's TBLG citizens to unleash their greatness on behalf of their nation

It will be interesting to see how PM Simpson-Miller handles this second chance to run Jamaica..

Recall Scott Walker Effort Passes 500,000 Signatures!

The Recall Scott Walker effort in Wisconsin is moving at warp speed and continuing to gather signatures at a blistering pace.  It took them only 12 days to get the first 300,000 signatures, and the good news just keeps on coming. 

United Wisconsin, the coalition group coordinating the recall effort announced that they have passed the 500,000 signature mark, just 40,000 signatures short of the magic 540,208 they will need by January 17 to put the recall election on the ballot.  

To be precise, they have collected 507,533 signatures but United Wisconsion is not stopping there.   In order to withstand the expected Republifool dirty tricks and signature validity challenges they are aiming to collect another 720, 277 signatures, 250,000 more than they need to give them a cushion to get the recall election party started.

Will keep y'all posted.

Argentine President Cristina Fernandez Sworn In For Second Term

Political history was made not only in Argentina but in Latin America as well yesterday as Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was sworn in for her second term in a ceremony attended by female Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; the presidents of Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Unted States was represented by Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Ambassador to Argentina Vilma S. Martinez and President Barack Obama's senior adviser on Latin America, Daniel Restrepo.
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She is the first female leader to be reelected in Latin America and blew out her nearest challenger, Hermes Binner by a 37 percentage point margin.   It was the largest margin of victory in an Argentine  presidential election since Juan Peron won with 62% of the vote in 1973.

It wasn't an easy day for her as she remembered her late husband, former Argentine president Nestor Kirchner after accepting the wooden presidential baton decorated with a gold-and-silver version of Argentina's national shield.

Fernandez remarked, "This is not an easy day. ... Despite the joy, there is something and someone missing."

Her second term expires in 2015 and she has pursued economic policies that have largely isolated Argentina from the economic woes other nations are experiencing. 

We've also witnessed social progress in Argentina as evidenced by the Gender Identity Law now winding its way through the Argentine Congress and the resumptions of prosecutions of officials responsible for human rights violations during the Argentine military dictatorship that lasted from 1976-1983.

Here's hoping that she has continued success in leading Argentina and being a role model for future leaders, male and female in her nation and beyond its borders to follow.

Why The Wingers Are 'Scurred' Of Elizabeth Warren

The Republican Party breathed a sigh of relief when Rachel Maddow decided not to run for the US senate seat in Massachusetts against Sen. Scott Brown (R).

But that didn't last long, because Elizabeth Warren is running to get 'Teddy's Seat' back in the Democratic column in 2012 .   

And if the Dems across the country focus on their tried and true message and policies of standing up for the middle class, workers and the poor against the 1%, they'll win on November 6 in a landslide.

Which is probably why the conservafools are desperately trying to once again suppress the vote.

'The Purple One' Isn't Running In 2012

Next to me ripping the GOP on a regular basis here at TransGriot, the person who is next in line that I have frequently called out on more than a few occasions when he deserved it has been Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)

I and many people in the trans community have cursed  'The Purple One' for our major differences in the speed of passage of federal human rights laws for transgender people that came to a head in October 2007 when he stripped us out of an ENDA bill that eventually got passed by the House but went nowhere in the Senate.  

However, as much as I have chewed on 'the Purple One' in these electronic pages for being a legislative impediment for trans human rights issues, I also have to note that he also hired a transman on his staff

And differences in trans policy aside, The Purple One and I do have similar stances on a few liberal-progressive issues. 

I also love the fact that Rep. Frank ain't scared to call out the conservafools for being the lying, informationally challenged doofuses they are on their own propaganda network.   That tell it like it T-I-S style also applied to constituents too.

So I was stunned to flip the TV on to MSNBC this morning right in the middle of his press conference announcing that he is retiring and will not be running for a 17th term in 2012.   Massachusetts lost a congressional seat in the latest round of redistricting and Frank noted it was a factor in his decision along with his desire not to be in politics past his 75th birthday.

He was the first congressmember to come out while in office, and rose to become a liberal icon and one of the more powerful Democrats on the Hill.   He has since been followed to Capitol Hill by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) who is now running to become the first openly gay US senator and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO).

President Obama had this to say about the retirement of Rep. Frank:

"This country has never had a Congressman like Barney Frank, and the House of Representatives will not be the same without him. For over 30 years, Barney has been a fierce advocate for the people of Massachusetts and Americans everywhere who needed a voice. He has worked tirelessly on behalf of families and businesses and helped make housing more affordable. He has stood up for the rights of LGBT Americans and fought to end discrimination against them. And it is only thanks to his leadership that we were able to pass the most sweeping financial reform in history designed to protect consumers and prevent the kind of excessive risk-taking that led to the financial crisis from ever happening again. Barney’s passion and his quick wit will be missed in the halls of Congress, and Michelle and I join the people of the Bay State in thanking him for his years of service."

When the 113th Congress cranks up for business on January 3, 2013, for the first time in 32 years Rep Barney Frank will not be in the House chambers as a part of it.

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HISD Trustee Still On The Hotseat Over Homophobic Flyer

If HISD District III trustee Manuel Rodriguez thought the Thanksgiving holiday, a wacked phobic apology and the passage of time would lessen the anger of the Houston rainbow community and our allies over the homophobic campaign flier he unleashed during the final days of his contentious reelection campaign for his school board seat, um no.

A website called HISDbully.org and a Facebook page entitled Remove The HISD Bully have sprung up with the goal of getting Rodriguez to resign from the HISD board.  His opponent Ramiro Fonseca decided not to seek a recount in the race that Rodriguez won by 25 votes. 

There is another community protest being planned for December 8, the next scheduled meeting date for the HISD board at the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center.

That protest will start outside the building at 4:30 PM and in addition to the growing numbers of people asking for and signing petitions calling for Rodriguez's immediate resignation, there are increasing calls for making the just passed in August anti-bullying policies applicable to the HISD Board of Trustees.

When that meeting kicks off at 6 PM CST there will most certainly be a long list of speakers jam packed into the board auditorium that evening just like their was during the November 10 meeting   

Hmm..may have to be there that night for this one.