As if you you didn’t already have enough reasons to not shop at Wal-Mart, The Advocate reports,

Back in March, 18-year-old Fernando Gallardo got a seasonal job at a Las Vegas Walmart, hoping to make a few extra dollars. But a few weeks into the job, Gallardo says, his immediate supervisor asked him “point-blank” in front of four of his coworkers if he was gay, and from then on alienated him from the 50 other associates at that location.

“I told her yes, and after that she was very rude and short with me,” he tells The Advocate.

Gallardo says that soon after the incident, he was stripped of many of his daily duties and asked to wear a yellow vest and walk around the store. By mid May his supervisor and two other managers stopped talking to him completely.

“I was completely ignored and shunned,” he wrote in a complaint to the Nevada Equal Rights Commission. “I had nothing to do all day but wander around the store wearing a yellow vest no one else had to wear, much like Jews had to wear a yellow star of David in Hitler’s Germany.”

Gallardo says he went to a human resources manager and filed a report, but to no avail. He also accuses the store’s management of attempting to bribe some of his temporary coworkers with permanent positions, in exchange for saying he volunteered the information about his sexual orientation. However, Gallardo says he felt pressured into telling his boss that he is gay, by the pointed way in which she asked.

“It shouldn’t even matter what my personal life is, but what was I supposed to say, other than the truth?” he says. “I didn’t want to lie. This is who I am.”

The Texas GOP is one of the most vile of all state GOP parties nation-wide.  Take it from me, I used to be an active member. Back in the 1990′s I served on the platform committe for two Texas GOP state conventions.

Every two years Texas Republican State Convention meets to, among other things, craft a party platform and is typically one of the most radical in the country.  Joe.My.God. brings attention to this year’s platform which advocates a felony penalty for performing gay marriages.

We oppose the legalization of sodomy. We demand that Congress exercise its authority granted by the U.S. constitution to withhold jurisdiction from the federal courts from cases involving sodomy. We support legislation that would make it a felony to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple and for any civil official to perform a marriage ceremony for such. We believe that the practice of homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases.

Here is more of the policy sewerage offered by the Texas GOP,

Making American English the official language of Texas and the United States. /* I always find it ironic that the typical English-only xenophobic monoglot can’t even compose a simple well-written paragraph.  I call these kind hemiglots. */

Passing legislation requiring a sonogram for each pregnant woman seeking an abortion.

Opposing legislation allowing stem cell research involving the creation of killing of human embryos for medical research.

Calling for the immediate transition to a system of private pensions and gradually phasing out the Social Security tax.

Calling for the repeal of the state lottery and opposing any further legalization of any type of gambling.

Urging Congress to “repeal and reject the national healthcare takeover, also known as ‘ObamaCare.’ ”

Calling for the repeal of the No Child Left Behind law and the U.S. Department of Education. /* Wasn’t this favorite son W.’s singular legislative achievement? */

Removing the tenure system for Texas state colleges and universities. /* Typical anti-intellectualism and thought policing */

Recommending a national sales tax to replace all other federal taxes. /* Regressive tax that punishes the workers of our country */

Urging Congress to evict the United Nations from the United States to rescind U.S. membership. /* Will the Birchers please stand up? */

Compare this with a recent post on the 1956 Republican National Convention platform.

I wish Texans would stop voting for Rick Perry and friends. The Texas GOP is absolutely destroying my home state of Texas.

Waves crashing at Orange Beach, Alabama.

AP Photo/Dave Martin

For those who just haven’t had enough vuvuzela fun.  Click the image . Via Olybop.info.

via gabriel klee

Yesterday I mentioned Secretary Clinton’s comment in an Ecuadoran interview that the Obama Administration plans to sue Arizona over SB1070.

Well today CBS News reports,

Now a senior administration official tells CBS News that the federal government will indeed formally challenge the law when Justice Department lawyers are finished building the case. The official said Justice is still working on building the case.

ht kxcd

In an interview with Andrea Bernal of NTN24, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said,

Well, Andrea, first, let me say how pleased I am that I have this chance to talk to you about these and other important issues. President Obama has spoken out against the law because he thinks that the federal government should be determining immigration policy. And the Justice Department, under his direction, will be bringing a lawsuit against the act.

Very promising. However, Reuters reports,

Both the White House and Justice Department declined to confirm or deny the presidential directive.

“The department continues to review the law,” said Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller.

A State Department spokesman did not try to retract Clinton’s remark and noted the issue had been a concern on her trip.

“I defer to the Department of Justice on what legal steps are available,” said spokesman P.J. Crowley. “The president and secretary have said clearly that the administration opposes the Arizona law.”

Of course Gov. Brewer chimed in (PDF of her statement),

“This is no way to treat the people of Arizona,” said Governor Brewer. “To learn of this lawsuit through an Ecuadorean interview with the Secretary of State is just outrageous.

If our own government intends to sue our state to prevent illegal immigration enforcement, the least it can do is inform us before it informs the citizens of another nation.”

Governor Brewer said, “I just visited with the President in the Oval Office about our differences over immigration policy, and the one firm understanding we had was that within two weeks he would provide details of his commitment to deploy National Guard troops to the border. While I am grateful that communications have taken place about a possible visit by Administration staff before the end of the month, there is not yet a confirmed date. More importantly, no information about additional troop and border security enhancements has been provided by the Obama Administration to the citizens of Arizona.”

To illustrate how drastically political parties can change in just a little over 50 years, I offer you some choice excerpts from the Republican Party platform as passed by the 1956 Republican National Convention held at the Cow Palace in Daly City, just outside of San Francisco…

Our great President Dwight D. Eisenhower has counseled us further: “In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human. In all those things which deal with people’s money, or their economy, or their form of government, be conservative.” /* Good quote! */

…

Republican leadership has enlarged Federal assistance for construction of hospitals, emphasizing low-cost care of chronic diseases and the special problems of older persons, and increased Federal aid for medical care of the needy.

We have asked the largest increase in research funds ever sought in one year to intensify attacks on cancer, mental illness, heart disease and other dread diseases.

We demand once again, despite the reluctance of the Democrat 84th Congress, /* I guess even then Republicans didn’t know how to use nouns and adjectives */ Federal assistance to help build facilities to train more physicians and scientists. /* Oh oh, them communist scientists */

We have encouraged a notable expansion and improvement of voluntary health insurance, and urge that reinsurance and pooling arrangements be authorized to speed this progress.

We have strengthened the Food and Drug Administration, and we have increased the vocational rehabilitation program to enable a larger number of the disabled to return to satisfying activity.

We have supported measures that have made more housing available than ever before in history, reduced urban slums in local-federal partnership, stimulated record home ownership, and authorized additional low-rent public housing.

…

We recommend to Congress the submission of a constitutional amendment providing equal rights for men and women. /* What? The GOP supported ERA? */

Read the entire platform here.

This comment made me laugh from user BaScOmBe on CrooksandLiars…

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, “You’re in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

“She rolled her eyes and said, “You must be an Obama Democrat.”

“I am,” replied the man. “How did you know?”

“Well,” answered the balloonist, “everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’ve not been much help to me.”

The man smiled and responded, “You must be a Republican.”

“I am,” replied the balloonist. “How did you know?”

“Well,” said the man, “you don’t know where you are or where you are going. You’ve risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it’s my fault.”