Sunday Funnies: Cheerios Ad Parody

In June of this year, a Cheerios ad featuring an interracial family generated some controversy. In response to the backlash, comic filmmaker Kenji created the following parody (which has over 1 million views on You Tube).

A Liberal Pundit and a GOP Politician Face Off on the Gay Marriage Debate

On Saturday night's installment of the Fox News program Geraldo at Large, liberal pundit Sally Kohn and Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI) debated the issue of gay marriage. Their discussion stood out to me (in a positive way) for a couple of reasons. Too often, debates on cable news devolve into shouting matches that are more befitting the WWE. I think that Ms. Kohn made some excellent points and did so logically. Although I disagree with Rep. Walberg's stance on this issue, he stated his case in a calm manner. It was also refreshing to see Rivera stick to just moderating the debate. What normally happens is that the host will pick a side and it turns into a 2 against 1 scuffle. Although I can understand the temptation for a host to jump into the fray of a 1-on-1 debate, it's better when they leave it to their guests to engage with one another.



What are your thoughts on the debate between Ms. Kohn and Rep. Walberg?

Rob Portman's Flip-Flop On Gay Rights

On March 14, 2013, Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) announced he had changed his stance on same-sex marriage. The change came as a result of his son Will coming out as gay to Portman and his wife in 2011. Before this, Sen. Portman's opposition to gay rights was reflected in his voting record. He co-sponsored the 1996 federal ban on same-sex marriage and in 1999 voted for a measure prohibiting same-sex couples in Washington, D.C. from adopting children. You can watch an exclusive interview with CNN in which Sen. Portman discusses changing his stance on same-sex marriage.

While I'm glad Sen. Portman has come over to my side on this issue, his change in stance seems hollow. Usually when it comes to social issues, it seems the only time conservatives can consider another perspective is when it affects them. One exception which comes to mind is when Rep. State Representative Maureen Walsh made a plea to fellow legislators about same-sex marriage in 2012. Even in that case, it's fair to question whether or not Rep. Walsh's feelings about same-sex marriage were changed by her daughter coming out as gay. However, whereas Walsh's speech was full of passion, humor and honesty, Portman came off as robotic and political.

Here is my question for conservatives: Why does it seem your side has to be personally affected by an issue in order to consider another perspective?

In the clip below, The Majority Report host Sam Seder (sitting on the right) and guest Cliff Schecter discuss Sen. Portman and other instances of conservative politicians changing their stance on positions only after they are affected personally by an issue.

Please Take a Moment to Vote in the President Obama/Same-Sex Marriage Poll... Thank You

In an interview with GMA's Robin Roberts, President Obama confirmed something many of us believed for awhile: that he supports same-sex marriage. The announcement was historic because it marked the first time a sitting U.S. president ever publicly supported same-sex marriage.

In light of President Obama's announcement, the debate has begun regarding how his stance on same-sex marriage will affect him politically. Will it help him, hurt him, or not even matter? In addition to voting in the poll, please feel free to share your thoughts on why you voted the way you did in the comments section of this post.

Obama Affirms Support for Same-Sex Marriage | Video - ABC News

Republican State Representative Gives A Heartfelt Speech On Marriage Equality

No, the title of this post is not a typo. Even though I rip on Republicans (deservedly so) either with family and friends or in the blogosphere on a regular basis, I have no issue praising them when I think it's warranted. On February 8, 2012, the Washington House of Representatives debated on the legalization of same-sex marriage. During this, Republican State Representative Maureen Walsh made an emotional appeal to the legislators. This is one of the best political speeches I've heard in a long time. Ironically, what I loved about the speech is that it wasn't the typical political speech you hear these days. You could tell that Rep. Walsh was speaking from the heart. Judge for yourself:



By the way, the House voted 55-43 in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage!!

Former Actress Kristy McNichol Comes Out

Kristy McNichol, who gained fame in the 1970s as "wise beyond her years" teen Letitia "Buddy" Lawrence on the ABC drama Family, has come out publicly as a lesbian. According to a People.com story, McNichol decided to come out because she wants to help kids who are being bullied. Jeff Ballard, McNichol's publicist, says she hopes her coming out can help kids who need support. Coincidentally, actress Meredith Baxter (who played McNichol's older sister Nancy on Family) came out in 2009.

Now 49, McNichol (who won two Emmys for her work on Family) has been out of the limelight for most of the last two decades. Her last major role was as Barbara, the undercover cop daughter of Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) on the NBC sitcom Empty Nest. Since retiring from the screen, she has taught acting at a private school in L.A. and devoted much of her time to charity work. Below is a recent photo of McNichol with Marti Allen, also 49, her partner for two decades.

Below is the 1977 episode of Family titled "An Eye to the Future". Guest starring James Woods, this episode includes a subplot in which Buddy (McNichol) gets into the CB radio craze.