If segregation exists there is only one person I can think of who could captivate an audience and bring down a house with his opinion based speeches on the subject; Clay Aiken.  After finding discrimination and segregation where none exists within the Wake County School Board, I’d like to direct Clay Aiken’s new found activism toward Hawaii where Democrats, led by Senator Akaka voted to divide the state into two parts based on ethnicity.

Perhaps Clay Aiken can use his voice and microphone to rant bring attention to an actual case of legislative imposed segregation.

The U.S. House last week passed legislation that would in effect divide Hawaii into two states, one for ethnic Hawaiians and the other for everyone else.

In an opinion piece in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, Gail Heriot and Peter Kirsanow — members of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights — said the bill “might turn out to be this Congress’ single most calamitous decision.”

The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act would allow most of the nation’s approximately 400,000 ethnic Hawaiians to organize themselves as one large Indian tribe. The tribe would have the “inherent powers and privileges of self government,” including the ability to levy taxes and exercise eminent domain.

“Hawaii will, in effect, be two states, not one,” the authors wrote.

The legislation is popularly known as “the Akaka bill,” after Hawaii’s Democratic Sen. Daniel Akaka. Ten years ago, he sought to exploit a 1974 Supreme Court decision that racial discrimination on the basis of membership in “quasi-sovereign tribal entities” is constitutional. That decision allowed hiring preferences to be given to Indians within the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Akaka hoped that transforming ethnic Hawaiians from a race into a tribe would protect special benefits for those Hawaiians.

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Clay Aiken gave his, “About damn time” speech for the politically polarizing group, ‘Human Rights Campaign’ (HRC).  ”About damn time” is what many of us said when Clay Aiken came out in People Magazine a few years go- announcing that he did so because “he didn’t want to teach his son to lie” while reminding his fans that he didn’t lie to them- he just skirted the truth some.

It wouldn’t be a Clay Aiken speech if he didn’t find a way to insult someone or some group.  In his speech, Clay brought up Brown vs the Board of Education which led to the desegregation of schools, claiming that the Wake County School Board would disagree with the decision by the Supreme Court.  Only someone ignorant would make such a statement.  No Wake County school board member disagrees with the Supreme Court’s decision. What Wake County school members believe is that ALL schools should be equal in education and standards, and that school children should not be bussed across county to attend school when there are schools that are located locally.  They believe that a student’s time is best served studying and not sitting on a noisy bus for an hour.  No school board member is supporting restricting one group or another from attending a school.  If Clay Aiken has witnessed such, then I demand he speak up and tell each of us which school is denying Blacks, Hispanics, Asian, etc from attending.  Just because you don’t like the outcome of an election it doesn’t give you the right to exaggerate claims or concoct discrimination where none exists.

Continuing on in his speech, Clay now claims that he was waiting for “thing$ to change” before he came out.  Really?  Was that before or after he told People Magazine that he “didn’t want to teach his son to lie”?  What thing$ was he waiting to see change?  If he was waiting for people’s opinions about gays to change or for people to be more accepting of gays to change, then the best way to affect such change would have been to come out and demonstrate that gay people are just like anyone else.  Or… he could have defended those like his ex boyfriend John Dahlstrom who came under vicious attack by his fans who were upset with the idea that Clay was dating his then hairstylist.  Or… rather than perform at a Church who damned gays to hell and that went out of its way to defend Clay’s heterosexuality by sending out a letter to its church members, Clay could have demanded that the concert be held at a more accepting place.  Or… rather than pointing the finger at those who aren’t accepting, maybe he can lead by example by educating his own unaccepting family members.

I applaud Clay for giving a speech on human rights and equality, but it takes more than just giving a 4 1/2 minute speech to a group of gay/gay friendly people in a room, it takes activism… it takes leading by example to affect the change that he’s calling for.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Clay Aiken will take the stage at the convention center Saturday night to do something he has never done before: deliver a speech about gay rights.

But don’t expect him to pound his fist and scream for the right to get married.

“There are people who are loud and make noise, and there are people who are deliberate and slow and steady,” Aiken said during an interview this week at a downtown Raleigh, N.C., coffee shop. “Right now, at this point in my life, I feel like a slow and steady person.”

Aiken, a Raleigh native and platinum-selling pop singer, made headlines in 2008 when he appeared on the cover of People magazine with the headline, “Yes, I’m gay.” This weekend, he will speak as part of the Human Rights Campaign Carolinas gala at the Raleigh Convention Center. Meredith Baxter, the “Family Ties” actress who recently came out of the closet on the “Today” show, also will deliver a speech.

Since it was announced that Aiken would speak at the HRC gala, organizers have received e-mails from his fans. Some have said that Aiken’s appearance has caused them to have conversations about sexuality they wouldn’t have had otherwise, said Joni Madison, who is helping to organize the gala.

“It brings a whole other side to the conversation,” Madison said. “It’s fun to watch.”

The visibility of gay Americans has never been higher. More celebrities feel comfortable sharing their sexual orientation with the public. President Barack Obama advocates ending the military’s policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” A handful of states allow gay marriage, with fervent opinions on both sides of the issue.

HRC provided a speechwriter to help Aiken, 31, with his remarks, but he decided to write his own. The original speech was too political, Aiken said, and included a slam aimed at George W. Bush.

“I don’t feel like this is the place to be horribly politically charged and bash people and talk about the wrongs that have been done,” he said. “My goal is to be hopeful, that it’s time for everyone to have equal rights.”

For Aiken, that means inheritance rights and hospital-visitation rights and all the other rights that heterosexual couples take for granted, including the right to be married.

But, he said, “I’m not going to be the person who says it has to be marriage or nothing else.”

The most basic need, he said, is that everyone have the same rights. He believes it will happen, although it could take decades.

“It’s more important to me, as a parent, that my son have all the rights — if he’s gay — than it is for me. I don’t want to do anything today that’s going to inhibit, or be a detriment to his rights.”

Aiken’s son, Parker, was born in August 2008. Parker’s mother is music producer Jaymes Foster, who lives in California. Parker, who was conceived via in vitro fertilization, splits his time between the West Coast and Aiken’s home in the Triangle region of North Carolina, near Raleigh and Durham.

Aiken said he probably will attend Saturday’s event with his bodyguard. No family members or friends were scheduled to accompany him. Some in his family have handled the news about his sexuality better than others.

“Some Southern families like to sweep things under the rug,” he said. “We just don’t talk about it.”

Although Aiken has no plans to be a rabble-rouser in the efforts to secure equal rights, he admits he might eventually change his mind. Even as he has decided to take a measured approach, “that sure as hell doesn’t mean I won’t be loud one day,” he said.

Happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers.

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May I have a few moments to get everyone up to date?  Well, I started my new job and I’m loving it.  It’s quite the challenge; long hours, hiring new staff, putting together a marketing strategy, redoing the 2010 budget, seeking out new vendors, signing new contracts, setting up new accounts… the list goes on.

The community I manage is beautiful– it’s double the size of the previous property I managed.  Of course, I have more staff which is nice.  The community has a resort-style pool, state-of-the-art fitness facility, business center, video library, reading room… I can continue to brag on my wonderful community, but then y’all will want to sell your homes and come stay with us.

I’ve selected a new apartment.  It’s a spacious 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment with a solarium and 1,200 square feet of living space- I also have a garage for my car.  I’ve done some shopping for furniture– I’m getting a Tempur-pedic mattress.  I’m tired of waking up with a sore back.  I just want to sink in my bed after a long day at work.

So, for the third time this year we have snow here in North Carolina.  I know, I’ve already heard- the cold weather and record snowfall is a result of global warming instigated by 8 years of the Bush administration.  I would assume that those extremist scientist who predicted that we would begin experiencing colder temperatures brought on by the cyclic events of the sun were… uh, lucky guessers.

Who’s chalked March 12th down on their calendar?  Clay Aiken is performing songs off of his upcoming album, ‘Tried and True’, at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium.  With such short notice, I hope that I can get good tickets and a limo for the event.  No, it’s not that I’m too good to drive, I just know that I have to be a little drunk to endure 2 hours of moaning and commentary from his fans- it truly is the best way to enjoy his concerts.

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It’s a slow weekend so let’s talk Clay Aiken.  For those of you who don’t have an idea of who he is (millions of you probably don’t), Clay Aiken was a runner-up in season 2 of American Idol, has a long history of anonymous sex with male strangers he meets on the Internet, and has been touted by his fans as being the greatest humanitarian since Gandhi and Mother Teresa.  LALate named him 2008 Humanitarian of the Year- Al Gore eat your heart out.  This leads one to wonder, at least this world renown blogger, how Clay Aiken has used his standing as one of the “world’s best humanitarian” to bring awareness and help to the people of Haiti who are facing the worst human disaster in a century.

Claymates have reported that Clay Aiken was spotted in the Caribbean- no not in Port-au-Prince , but on the island of St. Lucia vacationing last week with his male friend Reed Kelly.

The humanitarian of 2008 and UNICEF Ambassador has not commented on the human disaster in Haiti nor has he attempted to bring awareness to the plight of its suffering people.

Adam Lambert, who Clay last year criticized for “making his ears bleed”, tweeted to his fans to donate to the relief effort and put out a public service announcement (PSA), asking for help.  Other celebrities who have not been recognized as “humanitarians”, have all used their voices and their wallets to help in this human disaster.  Even disgraced former Senator John Edwards traveled to Haiti to lend a hand with the relief efforts.

In Clay’s defense, some Claymates have argued that Clay’s ambassadorship with UNICEF centers only around “education” and when the search and rescue effort is complete, Clay will play his part.  Unfortunately for the orphans, the amputees, the hungry, and the suffering, having a book read to them is the furthest thing from their minds.  They need food, medicine, blankets- they need the world “educated” about their plight so that the world can provide them the items they need just to survive.

Clay Aiken April 2007:

What is the mission of UNICEF and why is it important to you?

In my opinion, there are very few issues in the world that are as important—and solvable—as saving the world’s children. For 60 years, working in more than 150 countries, UNICEF has been the world’s leader for children’s rights, saving more young lives than any other humanitarian organization.

So what has the “Humanitarian of 2008″ and UNICEF “education” ambassador said about the earthquake in Haiti– nothing that I’m aware of.  In fact, the same Clay Aiken who took time to blog his outrage over the duly elected Wake County School Board (for which he voted in a county he did not reside), has not blogged a word to his fans pleading for their support for the children of Haiti.  But, Clay has been blogging.  In fact, he’s been blogging prolifically regarding some surprise; January 19th,  January 22nd, and January 23rd.  No word whether that surprise is another charity event for his family run charity, NIPI, or some self-promotional career event.

Perhaps one of his fans, who recently spotted the 2008 Humanitarian of the Year enjoying the musical, ‘Memphis the Musical‘, can asked him why he’s been missing in action for the women and children of Haiti or when the UNICEF education ambassador might lend his voice.

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Clay Aiken has abandoned the pop genre and has decided to tap into his American Idol song list. Clay’s upcoming album with his new record label, Decca Records, is set to be released this coming Summer and will feature classic songs from the ’50’s and 60’s.

Tracks include “Moon River,” “What Kind Of Fool Am I?,” “Mack the Knife,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

Claymates are excited about the upcoming album!!!

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Kimberley Locks gives an interview with to Josh Skinner and shares information on her relationship with her former friend, Clay Aiken.

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I want to take this opportunity to thank my readers and friends who visit here for a wonder 2009.  So much has happened this year and we’ve shared so much.  We were together for the swearing in of our new president, we watched American Idol together and shared our favorites, we watched from start to finish my mom build her house, we debated health-care, the stimulus bill, and the troop surge in Afghanistan, we discussed Tiger Woods and ClayAiken’s voter fraud… together, we welcomed 2009 and together, we say goodbye  to 2009 and welcome 2010.

For 2010, I have many things that I hope for and here are my top 10.

1.  I hope for good health for my family, friends, and readers.

2.  I hope for the safety of our men and women who sacrifice each day to protect us.

3.  I hope that the principals and foundation of our Constitution be adhered to and followed.

4.  I hope that Republicans take over the Congress.

5.  I hope for the failure of the health-care legislation proposed by this Congress.

6.  I hope for the return of economic prosperity for our country.

7.  I hope for God’s continued blessing on our nation.

8.  I hope that Democrats will come to their senses.

9.  I hope that Adam Lambert will tour.

10. I hope that Clay Aiken continues to blog every month.

Happy New Year everyone and again, that you for making 2009 fantastic and thank you for your support.  I’m very appreciative.

Best,

John Paulus

Internationally known blogger

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Democrat Senator and Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus, was drunk on the Senate floor as he debated the health-care bill.  Who knew when the Democrats said that they wanted to pass health-care in the spirit of Ted Kennedy they literally meant it.

And for you Clay Aiken fans,  it appears Clay Aiken’s mother  uninvited Clay to Christmas Eve dinner because he wanted to bring his boyfriend.  You can read all about it at ClayAiken411.

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