I hadn't been to the parade in a while so I had so much fun. The weather was amazing! Wegmans reusable shopping bags made great beer totes.



(e:metalpeter)



(e:terry)'s curly hair
















These girls were not dancing and definitely were not cheerful. Someone should strip them of their wigs.














I like when guys dance with the girls. I also like when guys are cheerleaders.





See these girls are happy and dancing.











Devil horns? St. Patrick's Day?





I have a great video of her but I decided not to post it.








This little girl savagely sucked down whatever was in her path while her guardians got drunk and ignored her.








See they just sat there boozing it up while this girl sucked down icy pops one after another. They never even turned around to see if she was still in sight.





(e:james) is perplexed by the behavior.





(e:mike) said she they were very uncouth.





(e:matthew)





Vodka? St. Patrick's Day?





As you can see the weather was very nice.




















Eventually we headed to Q where everything got all blurry.





(e:terry) got this man all excited and then he just left him. What a tease.








(e:pmt)'s roof





It's just like Christmas for (e:paul). Look how excited he gets when getting on the roof.











The day starts to wind down.





(e:imk2) starts to do vodoo drawings on (e:terry)'s groin.








We do (e:paul)'s medicine ball work out drunk.





I kind of want one of these but my dvd player isn't working I don't think and even if it were the room it is in is too small for a work out.

Actually I made The BEAST. I didn't even know The BEAST was still around.

I love a good Beast cover.

GOD HATES PHELPS

NY to westboro kooks: Talk to the hand

By IAN MURPHY

"The media plays on this weird sort of shit!" Kitty Lambert says to a Buffalo News reporter. He doesn't write down the counter-protest organizer's observation. "We love what Alison stood for," she adds. He scribbles that in his pad.

Dr. Alison Des Forges was among the fifty killed when Continental 3407 went down in Clarence, NY. She was a board member of Human Rights Watch, an expert on Rwanda, a historian and a well respected member of the world community. There's an early afternoon memorial service being held in her honor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church. Naturally, the lunatics from the Topeka, Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church plan to protest this moral decency.

Pastor Phelps and his gang of merry morons have made a name for themselves by protesting the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their basic motivation is that "God hates fags," and American military deaths are divine punishment for our nation's immorality. That's low. Picketing a tragic civilian plane crash is even lower.

Despite the bitter cold, about two hundred and fifty counter-demonstrators are out in force. A hundred or so people wear homemade angel wings they've fashioned out of PVC piping and white garbage bags. The frigid wind throws some off balance, tattering their wings. Others struggle to hold wind-catching white sheets. It's a postmodern statement.

"No messages; just a simple sign," says an wing-clad student named Kim. "Funerals aren't supposed to be political events."

"We're going to block their hateful signs," chimes another angel. The banners have a function beyond performance art. Besides, some doubt the Baptists can read.

"We're here to act as a buffer between the people who're trying to celebrate this woman's life and the hate of Fred Phelps," says a plastic-winged Kathleen McGriff Power. This well-meaning multitude have already effectively shut down an WBC earlier protest today in Clarence. "There were about three of them," says Power. They haven't shown up here, so far.

"Aren't you worried that this huge counter-protest just draws attention to the Phelps fundies?" I ask. Powers stammers a bit, pondering. "No," she says finally, "it needs to be shown that people are supportive."

The double phalanx lining both sides of Main Street get their marching orders. "They're here!" an angel shouts. They walk briskly north. "Just remember," says another, "we're not allowed to punch them in the face." Too bad.

Three WBC nut jobs are charging south toward St. Joseph's. Phelps is not present, but there is a squished dog turd sullying the snowy concrete in his place. On one of their placards is written their slogan: "God Hates Fags!" Another placard reads: "Planes crash, God laughs". The swelling crowd blocks the sidewalk in front of a Subway franchise. Within seconds they're enveloped by wings and white sheets. The Topeka threesome try to weasel through sideways, but are rebuffed. They quickly retreat and are escorted away by police. The three didn't make it within a half-mile of the church.

"Thanks for maintaining your composure, folks" one flatfoot tells the exhilarated throng.

The solemn cheers subside quickly, however, as the activists move south-in case the defeated bigots try to flank them. But the homophobic God warriors are thoroughly demoralized. They dare not resurface. "We blocked them," one man says quietly, pumping his fist.

A pack of angels and reporters circle Lambert, who stands near a garbage can full of broken wings. She's a well known social activist around these parts. People call her Grandma. She's a woman of conscience, as was Alison Des Forges. "All right, sweethearts," she barely raises her voice, "it's time to call it a day."

A large man next to Grandma whistles loudly and circles his pointer finger in the air three times. The crowd disperses peacefully along the slushy sidewalks. Within minutes, they're all gone.

Phelps hasn't been in the news much lately. The shock of him has worn off. Another, somehow more scandalous Phelps, with his Olympic golds and bong hits, now occupies the perverted minds of America's news rooms. Our appetite for weird shit is unending. Americans are the hungry dung beetles of moralization.

WBC is still out there doing their worst. But today, decency has won a quite victory.

Is that news? Probably not.

This is the file photo. They labeled it "garbage angels" which made me laugh. It is definitely a well deserved title. Those costumes made me feel like I was taking a big shit on the earth or something. Overall I looked more like a demon than an angel with my red coat. Too bad I couldn't have borrowed (e:lilho)'s.

Screw Ice-T's skank wife (e:hodown). Think of Miss Coco Peru!


From Trick













If you go to her website you can watch videos of her there. The last one is the best called "seagulls".

Coco hasn't been in my journal in a very long time. He had his teeth filed down not so long ago. They had to put him under to do it which is kind of dangerous for such a small animal. This is the second time they had to do it. Hopefully he won't need it again because it is kinda expensive.

Isn't he precious? Mi precioso conejito, el ingenioso hidalgo don Conejo de la Mancha

Shopping is probably fun for most people but not me. I wish it was but I hate everything. I don't really like skulls on my clothes but this season it has been pretty difficult to find anything skull-less. Pretty much there is no where in the malls for me to shop. Nothing really is what I would consider my style which is very simple to begin with. IF I do see something I would consider wearing it is never on sale and it is at a price that I do not find worth while. Like $30 or more for a t-shirt seems like way too much money to me. Sure I could go to Old Navy and buy a shirt for $10 or maybe less and it doesn't really ever fit right. I accept that now and don't even bother really looking through their shit.

Jeans are a nightmare for me. I don't really have much for clothes and only really have one pair of jeans that I wash frequently. I don't even like these jeans but they were the best I could find that were not like $100. They are so unflattering for my butt and make it seem like I don't even have one. Rarely can I even find my size. Maybe I really do just have to buy $100 jeans and have them tailored and hope that they last a really long time?

So I did end up buying a couple of t-shirts that are sort of a retro fit with a deep v-neck at Urban Outfitters. I like v-necks and am glad they are back. These two items cost almost $35 for barely any material at all. They put the two t-shirts into this bag-pack. Just look and see how cool I am with my bag-pack. Yes it is a bag that you wear as if it were a back pack.

BTW, I am wearing my favorite pants that they sell nowhere anymore and I will probably never find again. They are pretty much around the house/painter pants now. I'm also wearing one of my favorite tee's which is also a v-neck and has a cute little hole near the belly button. I love old t-shirts that are super thin and worn out which is pretty much what I bought at Urban Outfitters new except it is colored.

According to Keith Olbermann, the "counter-protesters" that attended the memorial services for flight 3407 are some of the world's best people. Them and that girl who stopped a bullet with her weave.



I finally figured out that I could listen to Pandora while on lunch to drown out everyone else's phone conversations. It is much more pleasent now.

Last night I only had two cookies as per my last post. The are the Paul Newman's "oreo" cookies with mint....yummy.

I'm very happy what I have achieved so far from joining Allentown Athletix, however I definitely am not where I want to be at. So I took these pictures as a way to track my progress.



On this one you can see one of the cysts on my back. I really don't like them and and am thinking of having them removed. I'm pretty sure the cysts are where all my unhealthy suffering has accumulated. Does anybody have any opinion as to whether this should be removed or not? For me it would be mostly cosmetic but i don't want to do it if it could leave bad scars or harm me in some other type of way. If the cysts were all my unhealthy suffering I wonder what that would do to me to have them removed. I wish (e:tinypliny) did not give up estrip for lent.




Here you can see some very unhealthy fat. If you accumulate fat around the midsection it is really bad. This is definitely going to change. I'm making dietary changes. No more oh so yummy bananas foster, for a while at least. Definitely wouldn't say that I am going on a diet though. To me that seems like a fad, whereas, I would like to make an overall improvement in health and well being.



Here I am reading estrip.

(e:mike) and I went to offer our support for the memorial service for Alison Des Forges on Sunday. I would say it went over better than anyone could have expected. The mourners certainly never saw Fred Phelps because most of us didn't see him either. Not sure what happened in Clarence as we did not attend that one but Phelps sort of gave up and walked away in Buffalo. None of us were allowed by the church which I was most greatful for. Every one was peacefull and respectful as far as I could see. If the mourners saw anything at all it would have only been a lot of people lining the street on Main street. As far as the angel costumes that ended up a disaster. They were made of plastic and because of high winds we were literally falling apart. The idea itself I think was nice but it just didn't work out. They produced a huge amount of waste which they plan on reusing to some extent but still. I don't know why Phelps walked away but that was good. There was no media that I was aware of either so really I would say that overall the trip was a flop for Phelps. So hopefully at this point he is long gone. I saw that they are having a rememberance of her life tomorrow evening. The flyer was posted in Dolci on Elmwood.

Mike and I enjoyed the Erie County Botanical Gardens today. I wanted to go this morning when the sky was blue and sunny but we went later on in the afternoon and by then it wasn't the same color blue. I love the Botanical Gardens. I want to go at least once more before winter is over and then maybe I will make a bike trip there in the summer so I can make my way around S. Buffalo.
















Mike says it is weird that I take pictures of children.



Mike also says this picture makes him look fat.

I have no problem being an angel but I know many of you do. I am Buddhist and we don't believe in angels but I still like the idea of angels being benevolent messengers. When I put on my angel costume I don't believe I am being God's messenger but rather sending a clear but silent message to the community that hate is not acceptable. To me it symbolizes compassion and that is all that really I intend on conveying in my message. It seems the service is Catholic and if the family and loved ones of Alison Des Forges want to interpret my message as being religious that really wouldn't bother me either if it will bring them comfort. I found this on (e:jim)'s awesome WNY blog machine Buffalo Feed. Here is the link to the source

The point is that you don't have to dress as an angel to show support but that there are certain guidelines to follow in order to show respect and solidarity.

Westboro Church Counter Protest: The Plan

February 21, 2009 by
Filed under News

Leave a comment
protester-071805

If you plan on Counter protesting the slim that plans to be in Clarence this weekend (Westboro Church), here is what you need to know via the organizers at UB Freethinkers:

First, we've been receiving emails here at UB Freethinkers about the actual "Angel Action" with angel costumes, and I just wanted to pass along the contact for that, as this whole event is involving numerous different groups, of which we are but one:

If you would like to take part in the actual "Angel Action" with angel costumes, please contact Céilí Maolán at ceallach@sensiblediscussio
n.com. Her group is organizing that facet of the counter-protest, to include making the costumes for a cost of $12 to cover materials.

Her Facebook event pages are here:
hp?eid=131407335253


As an avowedly secular humanist student group, UB Freethinkers is not organizing angel costumes ourselves. However, we are asking everyone involved in the event to WEAR WHITE if possible and use WHITE sheets and signs, in the spirit of solidarity with all of the groups involved.

FOR THOSE OF US FROM UB AND ELSEWHERE, PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:

-Those who need a ride from UB, we will be meeting in the Student Union lobby at 8:30am on Sunday morning, organizing car pools, and departing shortly thereafter.

-For those of you with already full cars, or departing from elsewhere around Buffalo, we plan to meet at approxim ately 9-9:15 in the parking lot of the elementary school at 9600 Clarence Center. PLEASE DO NOT PARK AT THE CHURCH ITSELF.

-The designated protest area for the morning event, setup by the police in Clarence, is at the corner of Clarence Center and Goodrich. We will make our way there from the elementary school at 9-9:15ish - stragglers please make your way there.

-For those at UB who can only make the afternoon event at St. Joseph's and need a ride, The Spectrum is organizing people to depart North Campus from there, so go to their office at 132 Student Union at approximately 12:15. St. Joseph's is right across from UB South, so the Stampede is always an option too.

-We have made a discussion topic for drivers and passengers on the Facebook page. PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CARPOOL as parking may become scarce. This event has become much larger than anticipated!

-Out of respect for the families, please dress somewhat appropriately. Out of respect for yourself, DRESS WARM. The high is expected to be around 25. If at all possible, please make an effort to WEAR WHITE. If not, that's fine.

-If you have the burning desire to make a sign or write on your sheets/banners, please make an effort to have it be on a white background, with subdued, primary-color text, and with a simple message in support of the victims, their families, and the community, NOT A MESSAGE AGAINST THE WBC OR THEIR TACTICS. Don't give them anything to work with that could start an argument. Our presence is enough to silently make those statements.

-If you are using bed-sheets for anything, make sure to cut small horizontal slits into them so that they don't become sails. Also, reinforce the edges of the cuts with tape so that they don't tear further. We all know how windy it can be in this town.

-We've also decided to encourage people to BRING AMERICAN FLAGS AS WELL. They cover space, look awesome in large groups, and are a subtle thorn in the side of the WBC, who regularly demonstrate by stomping on flags and incessantly protesting at the funerals of service men and women who have died serving under our flag.

NOTES ON THE WBC:

-The WBC revels in starting arguments. Upon doing so, they will scream scripture at you, among other lovely things. This would be an unnecessary disruption in a somber environment. Let the WBC be obnoxious and distasteful.
-When protesting the WBC in person, ignoring them is the best option.
-The WBC is an avowedly non-violent organization. Sweet of them, I know. They will not physically hurt you. If by some chance they touch you, there will be plenty of cops nearby eager to take them away.
-The WBC will be carrying incredibly hateful signs and yelling incredibly hateful things. Do not be shocked by anything you see or hear.
-The WBC may have brought young children with them, who will do everything listed above just the same as the adults. Again, do not be shocked by anything you see or hear.
-The WBC likes law-suits. They have made money that way in the past, which they use to fund trips around the country. Don't give them a reason to sue.

SOME GROUND RULES, which I will reiterate:

-THIS COUNTER-PROTEST IS INTENDED TO BE PEACEFUL, NON-VIOLENT, and NON-CONFRONTATIONAL. We are there to show our support to the community, and passively do our best to block the WBC picketers from view.
-We are there to show support for the community and victim's families, NOT TO ATTACK, ARGUE WITH, PROTEST DIRECTLY AGAINST, INTIMIDATE, OR CHASE/SCARE OFF THE WBC. They are as free to be there as we are.
-DO NOT SPEAK TO THE WBC PICKETERS
-IF YOU ACCIDENTLY DO, DO NOT CONTINUE TALKING WITH OR START ARGUING WITH THE WBC PICKETERS
-DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT WITH THE WBC PICKETERS
-DO NOT TOUCH, PUSH, SPIT AT, OR BREATHE ON THE WBC PICKETERS
-FACE AWAY FROM THE WBC PICKETERS
-DO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE WBC PICKETERS IN ANY WAY
-IGNORE THE WBC PICKETERS!!!- DO NOT TRY TO YELL OVER THE WBC PICKETERS. Silence and presence is our power. Hopefully our bodies, banners, and signs work well to muffle their yelling
-DO NOT DISPLAY SIGNS WITH ANY MESSAGES AGAINST THE WBC OR THEIR TACTICS. Don't give them anything to work with to foster an argument. Our presence is enough.
-DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT COULD POSSIBLY GIVE THE WBC A REASON TO SUE YOU OR ANYONE ELSE
-DO NOT BRING WEAPONS, THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE WEAPONS, THINGS THAT COULD BE OBVIOUSLY MISTAKEN FOR WEAPONS, DOGS, OR DOGS ARMED WITH WEAPONS
-DON'T GIVE THE POLICE A REASON TO DETAIN YOU, OR MAYBE EVEN TAZE YOU BRO. The law must be enforced uniformly, even if we are the good guys.
-RESPECT AND OBEY THE POLICE AND ALL POSTED SIGNS. The police are on our side here. Treat them well and they will be able to stay th at way.

Finally, If you plan on doing anything that violates these rules OR common sense, either abandon those plans immediately OR DON'T SHOW UP. We don't want to cause any undue disruption or look like animals ourselves. This is about supporting the community and the families, and making a firm statement that this hateful intrusion is not welcome in Buffalo, and will be soundly, overwhelmingly, AND PEACEFULLY confronted.

This is all we have for now, information will be updated as necessary over the weekend. PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION so everyone is on the same page. Feel free to send all questions to UBFreethinkers@gmail.com.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Thought WNYMedia.net strongly supports this event or activity, we are not involved in planning, or promoting this event or activity. We reported it originally because the mainstream media (until tonight) has failed to inform the public that this scum will be in our community and feel that the people of Clarence and the victims families have the right to know what they could potentially be up against.