Lucky

ET- yes, it's an annual event. Palm Springs gets its best weather starting about now. You can see it in the parking lots- every other vehicle is out of state. In April there's the White Party. I've scheduled it for President's day weekend because out of towners like that extra day off of work to travel. Yet hotels are pricey at the same time, so I have a couple of guys staying with me. It's also determined because of the theater schedule. But if there's enough interest, we can try to move it next year to a non-holiday weekend.

We are looking forward to your arrival. Townie. Next year I think that Tampa Yankee and Totally Oz will both be there. In that event, we will drop the "Hooville" from the name!

Townie, that was a brilliant idea to add the invitation over here. So far, we have received inquires from 11,104 of the 15,027 members. I am hiring extra staff to respond to all those folks, so if you don't hear from me soon, just drop me a line again and I am sure you get a reply...perhaps before next year's event! We may have to rent the convention center next year, and, if that happens, I am turning the whole thing over to Brandon Baker!

Nothing has improved re the laptop seizures. It makes you wonder what happened to the Bill of Rights: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...ml?hpid=topnews

Stu, I can't imagine that the game will sell anyway as who wants to play a prison game? Anyway, a Washington Post columnist lists the boy's mother as one of the top contenders for vice president if Obama wins the nomination: Washington Post column, The Fix: * Kathleen Sebelius: Perhaps the early leader for Obama's veep pick is Sebelius, now midway through her second term as governor of Kansas. Sebelius's ability to win in strongly Republican Kansas and Obama's personal ties to the Sunflower State make her a fascinating choice.

Well, first ask yourself this question: Would you want to drop the soap in a prison shower? Would your answer change if you were a cute 19 year old straight guy in prison for his first time? I realize that prison sex necessarily involves homosexual acts, but it is not homosexuality, it's just a matter of takiing what is available to satisfy sexual drive. To compare that to the general state of being a homosexual and living a gay lifestyle, I think they are not the same. So, in short, the board game doesn't really bother me as an example of anti-gay bias.

Here's an interesting view from the NY Times: For Gays, a New Era in Politics By ANDREW JACOBS Published: January 28, 2008 The impromptu debate, over light beers and dirty martinis, was at once mundane and remarkable. Provoked by a reporter, four middle-aged men at a Greenwich Village gay bar made fiery pitches for the Democratic presidential front-runners. Two backed Senator Barack Obama, one argued for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and the fourth made an emotional plea for the cause of John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina. “Edwards is the only one who really cares about the underdog,†one of the men, Farid Martinez, 41, a clothing designer from Brooklyn, shouted above the din at the bar, the Monster, across from Sheridan Square. His friend Edmund Taylor, 37, disagreed, and nearly sputtered with rage: “The guy is a millionaire lawyer obsessed with his hair. Obama is the only one who can really transform this country.†What was notable about the exchange last week was what was not mentioned: the word “gay.†For the first time in two decades, gay voters find themselves in an unusual, if happy, predicament. The three leading Democrats have staked out similar positions on issues that resonate with gay men and lesbians. Although none of the three candidates back gay marriage, they all support same-sex civil unions and say they would fight to repeal the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell†policy. And each of them says he or she would champion a federal anti-discrimination law that would protect lesbians and gay men. “You would need a magnifying glass to see any real or substantive differences between the three candidates,†said Alan Van Capelle, the executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights group in New York. The Republican field is a different story. All of the candidates hold opposite positions from the Democrats on those matters, and although gay rights have not dominated the Republican contest so far, if past elections are any guide, they will become an issue after the primaries, political strategists say. For the moment, however, gay voters in New York are looking past the issues that have long guided them toward a candidate. They are talking about the conflict in Iraq, universal health care and whether it is more important to have a president with experience or exuberance. “I think there’s also a lot of excitement over having someone other than George Bush in the White House,†said Matthew W. Carlin, president of the Stonewall Democratic Club, a gay political group that endorsed Senator Clinton in September. “And there’s a feeling that people could be happy with any of the Democrats.†In what many gay leaders described as a fairly momentous occasion, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama and Mr. Edwards showed up at a forum in August sponsored by the gay cable channel Logo and talked about the bravery of gay soldiers, adoption rights for same-sex couples and the problems faced by homeless gay teenagers. All three candidates employ gay strategists at the national and state levels, and in the two weeks leading up to the New York primary on Feb. 5, representatives from each campaign said, they planned to concentrate on the state’s gay vote through mailings and rallies. “We’re going to get the word out best we can to show that Hillary has done more for the community than any other political figure in America,†said Ethan Geto, a veteran Democratic consultant who is the Clinton campaign’s senior policy adviser on gay and lesbian concerns. Although an exact count is elusive, pollsters estimate that lesbians and gay men make up between 5 and 13 percent of the Democratic vote in New York; even if the lower figure is accepted, it is a voting bloc worth courting. Ken Sherrill, a political scientist at Hunter College who studies the gay electorate, said lesbians and gay men are far more likely to be interested in politics than are mainstream voters. “This is a group of people whose lives are intimately affected by government policy,†he said. With about a week left before the primary, the gay vote appears to be mirroring the statewide electorate, which is leaning toward Senator Clinton but has yet to coalesce around one candidate. As one of the state’s most powerful politicians, Mrs. Clinton enjoys widespread institutional support in the gay community; most of the city’s gay Democratic groups have endorsed her, as have the state’s highest-ranking openly gay officials, including the speaker of the New York City Council, Christine C. Quinn, and State Senator Thomas K. Duane of Manhattan. Last week, The New York Blade, a local gay newspaper, endorsed Mrs. Clinton as well. But the campaigns of Mr. Edwards and Mr. Obama have been eagerly courting — and raising money from — gay men and lesbians, and both have put together lists of prominent gay supporters. “Hillary has an advantage, but she certainly does not have a lock on the gay vote,†said Matt Foreman, the executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who has remained neutral. The Democratic field stands in contrast to the Republican contenders. Mike Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, has not repudiated his suggestion, made in 1992, that people with AIDS be isolated from the general population. He and the other leading candidates — Senator John McCain of Arizona, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor — are opposed to same-sex civil unions and any compromise that would allow gays to serve openly in the military. Still, compared with the last two presidential elections, when gay rights were a call to arms among conservatives and an issue to be avoided by Democrats, many political experts agreed that this year, gay-related themes had been overshadowed by the economy, the war in Iraq and illegal immigration. Much seems to have changed since 1988, when the Democratic nominee, Michael S. Dukakis, turned down an offer of a gay fund-raising campaign. Four years later, gay delegates threatened to storm out of the Democratic convention unless Bill Clinton mentioned gays in his acceptance speech. (He did.) In an address last week honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a black church in Atlanta, Senator Obama made waves by lecturing the audience about homophobia. “We have scorned our gay brothers and sisters instead of embracing them,†he said during the speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King served as co-pastor with his father. Joe Solmonese, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay lobbying group, said he thought Mr. Obama’s speech was the first time a presidential candidate had brought up gay issues in front of a nongay audience without being prompted to do so. “This is dramatically refreshing,†he said. “It’s a great day when we can look at a field of candidates and determine that we are comfortable with all of them on gay rights and move on to other issues.†Still, many gay leaders said they are unhappy that none of the Democrats have embraced the cause of gay marriage, even if they understood the political calculus at play. “There’s a feeling that supporting gay marriage would be politically unacceptable,†said Mr. Geto, the Clinton strategist. “Still, we’ve come a long way. Four years ago, civil unions created such a huge firestorm. I think things will be different one or two election cycles from now.â€

How many invitations do you need, Townie? You know, we're not all in the paper business. I ordered engraved invitations and they came back blank. So I hired a calligrapher, and then the writers went on strike, so I'm still left with blank invitations. How about sending one of your boys out here to help me...he could lick the, umm, envelopes! To Mr. Townsend P. Locke, and the 14,902 MERmen, You are cordially invited to the 4th Annual ******** Theater Night, to be held on the sixteenth of February, 2008, in Palm Springs, California. RSVP http://www.samflaxny.com/prodimg/532279.jpg

Sorry we won't see you this year in Palm Springs, KYTop. I've been trying to get my old friend Townsend Locke to return ths year, but no luck yet. Maybe it has to be sponsored by Brandon Baker before he will come...or else we'll just have to set up a paper convention!

"There were parts of the movie that absolutely scared the crap out of me." I hope that you left the seat clean!

The mourning for the sister is pretty widespread in Thailand. Shrines are everywhere, along with condolence books that you can sign. The King has declared 100 days of mourning. I am not so sure what you find funny about it, but the Thais have a lot of respect and devotion for the royal family...and the money to do a big shindig funeral. I wonder how things will be when the King dies...the country will probably shut down!

Merry Christmas to Oz, Tampa Yankee, Barry, and all of my friends here at MER. I wish the site the best in 2008.

For what it is worth, I am unable to continue punishing Steven Draker for the mistake he made and am willing to give him another chance. Va Hawk, on the other hand, has no right criticzing anyone who stirs the shit. He has long been one of the most destructive forces on the boards.

Wow. What are the odds of getting The Hawk and deej both mad at me on the same day? I'd better hurry up and buy a lottery ticket.

Here's a Christmas song you can sing to Casey Aldridge or any heartthrob you choose: "All I Want For Christmas Is You" [Originally by Mariah Carey] I don’t want a lot for Christmas There is just one thing I need I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true Baby all I want for Christmas is you I don’t want a lot for Christmas there is just one thing I need And I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree I don’t need to hang my stocking way above the fireplace Santa Clause won't make me happy with a toy on Christmas day And I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true Oh baby all I want for Christmas is you, you baby I wont ask for much this Christmas I wont even wish oh I wont even wish. I wont even wish for snow. I’m just gonna keep on waiting underneath the mistletoe I wont make a list and send it to the North Pole for St Nick Wont even stay awake to hear the magic reindeer play Cause I just want you here tonight, Holdin on to me so tight What more can I do Oh baby all I want for Christmas is you, oh baby Oh our lives are shinin surrounding everywhere Where the sounds of children’s laughter fills the air And everyone is singin' oh I hear those sleigh bells ringin' Santa wont you bring me the one I really need Wont you bring back my baby to me Oh I don’t want a lot for Christmas This is all I’m askin for I just want to see my baby standing right outside my door I just want you for my own More than you could ever know Make my wish come true All I want for Christmas is you, you, its you, you, oh baby All I want is you [x4] You, you, you, you, you Thanks to Chris (xchrisbx@hotmail.com) for these lyrics

It was scolaryscort from Hamburg...and you had me worried for a minute there TY that I had mispelled Hamburg. I see now that AZNRYAN is already sort of blown up in the featured escorts section, so maybe Oz wasn't being generous to me after all!

Testing one two three I was able to blow up the pic of AZNRYAN so I tried the guy from hamburg and got the message that I had to be an upgraded member to blow up pics...so why could I blow AZNRYAN? Probably a Chrismas gift from totallyoz, who knows my tastes!

Today is blowup day at MER. The last day I can blow up pix without paying. So I chose Joey2Escort for my last blow...and it was worth it. But for eight bucks! We'll see... Who are you going to blow today?

"They both have a firm grasp of the site and the posters on the forum." Geez...and I was wondering why my arm hurt!

Townie...I want to alert you to a possible plagiarism scandal! Over at the other site, someone has copied your post...word for word!!! Hopefully this is not going to turn out to be some scandal. You did give him permission didn't you?

Well, they would need a lot more monitors if they were to make every post up to the standards of the Southern Man. They'd have to be like hawks, watching every post! But really, why not make your point over there where it might do some good?

I've heard that the new MACS will allow the user to blow up escort photos at MER without charge! All the more reason to wait?

Townsend, I am glad that you had a good time Friday night. I had to make an unexpected visit to LA last night. I missed the gogo show at Here, but caught one very cute dancer at Rage aboout 6 pm. I checked out Digits and thought the food was fine, but, at 7:30 on a Sunday night, we were the only customers.

The ultimate gift now would be a membership to the Male Escort Review...Christmas is coming? Are you?

Who thinks out of the box? Only those who don't get boxed in! Maybe with the new subscription, you could provide movies like this for viewing! Now there's an idea!