Happy New Year.  I’m off to Palm Springs to celebrate another birthday and soak my back in a hot tub.  See you there. . . 

“Over all my race hasn’t been a problem,” Teena Marie said. “I’m a black artist with white skin. At the end of the day you have to sing what’s in your own soul.”

At last.

Thanks to all the gay and straight military members and discharged activists who put their lives on the line and to those who served and sometimes lost their lives after living a lie while serving their country. You all brought a personal face to this blatantly discriminatory policy.

I had the honor of having lunch with the late Sergeant Leonard Matlovich in the early 80s in Guerneville, CA near the Russian River where he lived. He was kicked out of the Air Force because he was gay, after receiving both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He had been a hero of mine since I had seen him on the cover of Time Magazine in 1975. His quote, now famous around the world, has poignant meaning today, after the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell - here’s to you, Leonard, it finally happened. . .

“When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”

Today is for you, Sergeant Matlovich and for you, Army Specialist in the MPs, Luke Terpstra, my man.

EZMERALDA’S PRAYER, from “CAMINO REAL,” by TENNESSEE WILLIAMS, 1953.

“God bless all con men and hustlers and pitchmen who hawk their hearts on the street, all two-time losers who’re likely to lose once more, the courtesan who made the mistake of love, the greatest of lovers crowned with the longest horns, the poet who wandered far from his heart’s green country and possibly will and possibly won’t be able to find his way back, look down with a smile tonight on the the last cavaliers, the ones with the rusty armor and soiled white plumes, and visit with understanding and something that’s almost tender those fading legends that come and go in this plaza like songs not clearly remembered.”

In fact, the only groups likely to face a tax increase are those near the bottom of the income scale — individuals who make less than $20,000 and families with earnings below $40,000.  Although the $120 billion payroll tax reduction offers nearly twice the tax savings of the credit it replaces, it will nonetheless lead to higher tax bills for individuals with incomes below $20,000 and families that make less than $40,000. That is because their payroll tax savings are less than the $400 or $800 they will lose from the Making Work Pay credit.

– Hat Tip:  Jason Linkins, Jake Tapper 

You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces — my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope. These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that. And yes, there are certainly times when we aren’t able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It’s called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn’t possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel towards everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know.