Coney Island, 1 September 2007

I think unitedstatians have a weird sense of humor. How can you explain celebrating Labor Day on the last day of Summer?

In this household we are not typical americanos by any stretch of the imagination. Especially my kids. As good slash-puertoricans, they would rather be boogie boarding in Isla Verde than fighting the crowds at Sandy Beach.

So we are going to high-tail it to the park and the museum for our last day together, to have some fun.

How are you spending your 'labor' day?

As reported in the New York Times, a federal judge ruled yesterday that the city will have to defend itself in a trial to determine whether it acted unconstitutionally when it banned protests on Central Park's Great Lawn, during the 2004 Republican National Convention.

The city, as you'll recall, argued that it was merely trying to protect the grass. Protesters pointed out that the city was pretty selective in identifying threats to the turf:

They claimed that the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera as well as corporate gatherings had been permitted in the park at other times. They contend that the city is curtailing political protest that was once accepted on the Great Lawn.

The judge, William H. Pauley III of United States District Court in Manhattan, denied the city’s request for a decision before trial on whether it had violated the groups’ rights.

“There is evidence tending to show that rallies are categorically disfavored” by city officials, which could be a constitutional violation, he wrote. He said a trial was necessary to determine if the city had violated the rights of the National Council of Arab Americans, a civil rights group, and the Answer Coalition, a collection of groups with antiwar and other causes.

I'm not the biggest fan of Answer, but Mayor Bloomberg, having worked so hard to get the RNC to New York, made it quite clear where he stood. Let's not forget his comparison of protesters to terrorists:

"It is true that a handful of people have tried to destroy our city by going up and yelling at visitors here because they don't agree with their views," Mr. Bloomberg said. "Think about what that says. This is America, New York, cradle of liberty, the city for free speech if there ever was one and some people think that we shouldn't allow people to express themselves. That's exactly what the terrorists did, if you think about it, on 9/11. Now this is not the same kind of terrorism but there's no question that these anarchists are afraid to let people speak out."

Granted, the mayor was referring specifically to demonstrators shouting at RNC delegates. But it was irresponsible of him to compare nonviolent protesters to terrorists, and it demonstrated a contempt for the anti-RNC demonstrators in general.

Judge Pauley's ruling was a victory for free speech and common sense. The city has some 'splainin' to do.

This is Easter Sunday in Manhattan

[via YouTube - Easter Egg Hunt in Central Park]


Yet this is what Easter Sunday looks like in San Francisco:

YouTube - BYOBW - Bring your own Big Wheel

Isn't NYC supposed to be the hard-core of the two cities? What's up with y'all?!?!

BTW, I can't tell if that pimp is a guy in black face or what. Which would make this event doubly worse for words.

These were the words that rolled off my oldest son's lips. It's funny, but Thing #1 seems to be deciding these days he is heterosexual.

His father is quite alarmed that I made this observation impassively, diagnostically. Well, I do look at pregnancy, mothering and the whole parenting thing as one big human Wild Kingdom experience. It's like I am looking at animals in the zoo but I am one of them.

And let me tell you, there's a couple of boys that by their choices are really hell bent on liking Peter and Paul waaaay more than Mary. It really is amazing to see, how some of us are just, well, gay from the day we were born. I think it's beautiful.

This, of course, takes me to the subject of our gayest of all New Yorkers, the penguins at various of our zoos. There's Squawk and Milou, Georgey and Mickey. Then there's the most controversial couple of the bunch, the then closeted bi-sexual Roy and the now forlorn and broken hearted Silo.

Roy and Silo became notorious during the 2004 election campaign as the poster boys for the equal gay rights amendment. They even have a children's book based on their love and parenting story. Then in 2005 Roy caught the eye of a homewrecker. After refusing for 6 years to mate with anybody else but Silo (females included) AND raising a chick with him, Roy walks out on him and starts building a nest for a hussy called Scrappy. Weirdest part of the story? Tango, their chick, is one half of a lesbian couple. Her mate's name is Tazuni.

So we talked about the gay penguins this morning; about how love knows no bounds. I reminded him of his friends two moms, of some of our friends (and some of his favorite people) who are gay and lesbian.

His answer? "Oh. Right. I totally forgot."

"You see, so boys can send valentines to other boys."

"I know, but mommy ... can I give my valentines to a girl?"

"Yes honey, it's your choice."

"Great."

Next month, they'll be reporting about their homeschooling classes at Central Park and their experience with the gayest New Yorkers of all, the zoo's penguins.

Happy Valentine's Day y'all.