When it comes to pop culture, it seems so.... Last night at the VMA's, Gaga brought four former servicemen discharged under DADT as her dates. Later that night, she called for the repeal of DADT during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, saying "It is a law that violates so much of what we stand [for] as a generation, as free people, as America.” This morning Harry Reid says he's going to include the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell in a defense legislation he will introduce next week. Coincidence? Probably, but you have to admit that Gaga has America talking about it today. She has spoken at numerous rallies, and makes gay rights a centerpiece of each and every one of her concerts, but is she THE gay rights champion of our time?
I encourage you to participate in a new online GLAAD poll. It asks: Who is the reigning heavyweight champion of LGBT advocacy in pop culture today? At the moment, Lady Gaga has over 70% of the vote, over other celebs Kathy Griffin, Margaret Cho, and Dustin Lance Black.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Dude, Where's My Qur'an?
Protesters in Amarillo stopped a nutjob from burning a Qur'an on Saturday. The hero was a 23 year old skateboarder that snatched the gasoline soaked Qur'an from the guy's hands and delivered it to a local Islamic center. The news story is kinda funny:
Gaga Reveals Name Of New Album: "Born This Way"
Lady Gaga excited all of her Little Monsters last night by revealing the name of her new album. It's called "Born This Way". During her acceptance speech for Video Of The Year, her eighth award of the night, Gaga even sang a couple of bars from the upcoming single:
I see another "Beautiful". Could this be the gay anthem of 2010/2011? Can't wait to see. From what I have read, the single is a duet with none other than David Bowie. Should be interesting.
Just in case you've been asleep for the past year, here is the video that won a record eight Video Music Awards last night, Bad Romance:
I see another "Beautiful". Could this be the gay anthem of 2010/2011? Can't wait to see. From what I have read, the single is a duet with none other than David Bowie. Should be interesting.
Just in case you've been asleep for the past year, here is the video that won a record eight Video Music Awards last night, Bad Romance:
New Bisexual Ad From Ikea
The following is an ad that recently started running in Austria, from furniture behemoth, Ikea. I liked it...thought it was cute. So far today, I've seen the ad on three blogs, all calling it a "gay" ad. People are already calling it anti-gay and saying that it is a commercial about a "closeted heterosexual". I see it differently.
The main male character in the commercial is bi. He is not a closeted heterosexual, nor is he gay. Infidelity is infidelity regardless of sexual orientation, but to me, this commercial would be no different if it were the lady's husband that came home early. Ikea was trying to be clever and original. In that way, they succeeded. I am proud to be one of their customers.
It has always been a pet peeve of mine the way that bisexuals are portrayed in the media, and in the LGBT community itself. People try to force us to choose a side. We have to be either gay or straight. If you're bi, and especially if you're a female, you're portrayed simply as a slut. And when it comes to the male bisexual, you would think they don't exist. They seem to have a mythical reputation. Let me tell you, they exist. I am one of them, and I am happy to see us represented in mainstream advertising. It's about time.
The main male character in the commercial is bi. He is not a closeted heterosexual, nor is he gay. Infidelity is infidelity regardless of sexual orientation, but to me, this commercial would be no different if it were the lady's husband that came home early. Ikea was trying to be clever and original. In that way, they succeeded. I am proud to be one of their customers.
It has always been a pet peeve of mine the way that bisexuals are portrayed in the media, and in the LGBT community itself. People try to force us to choose a side. We have to be either gay or straight. If you're bi, and especially if you're a female, you're portrayed simply as a slut. And when it comes to the male bisexual, you would think they don't exist. They seem to have a mythical reputation. Let me tell you, they exist. I am one of them, and I am happy to see us represented in mainstream advertising. It's about time.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Weezer Sells Out
Below is the video for Weezer's new single, Memories, off their album titled Hurley, due out this week. It's my guess that the song is part of the Jackass 3D soundtrack because it features all of the guys from the show singing with the band.
Don't get me wrong. I love Weezer, but this song and video are SHIT. Easily the worst Weezer single in their seven album history.
Shitty Weezer Song:
Great Weezer Song:
See the difference? I own Weezer's previous six albums, but if Memories is a taste of what to expect from the rest of the record, I won't be buying Hurley.
Don't get me wrong. I love Weezer, but this song and video are SHIT. Easily the worst Weezer single in their seven album history.
Shitty Weezer Song:
Great Weezer Song:
See the difference? I own Weezer's previous six albums, but if Memories is a taste of what to expect from the rest of the record, I won't be buying Hurley.
John Lennon - Imagine
I thought this song was fitting in light of today's significance and recent events in the news.
Conservative PAC Calls Transgendered Democratic Candidate "A Confused It"
Brittany Novotny
An e-mail from the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee, a group backing Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern, contained one of the sickest and most vile political attacks seen in recent memory. In part, the email called Democrat Brittany Novotny, Kern's transgendered opponent, "a confused it". Here is an excerpt:
Brittany used to be a “he”, had a sex change operation to make him into a “her” but turned out to become a confused “it.” Some have suggested that having a sex change operation is a person’s greatest act of rebellion and hatred toward God for His making them what they were.
It is truly sad to see people reject God’s love for them by being willing to mutilate themselves. If they would submit their life to God, they could find the true the joy in life that will forever elude them while on their path of rebellion. The hatred and rage toward Sally continues unabated in the homosexual community because Sally dared to declare their political agenda for what it truly is, more dangerous to the future of America than the threat of terrorism.
Kern has a history of making bigoted, anti-gay comments. Here is one from 2008:
“Here in America we’ve had what, maybe three known real big terrorist attacks on our nation,” Kern told Fox 25 in Oklahoma City recently. “But every day our young people especially, all of us, but our young people especially are in a sense bombarded with the message that homosexuality is normal and natural.”
If you would like to speak to Sally Kern directly, and let her know that intolerance is never a campaign platform (in Oklahoma or otherwise), the home phone number for her listed on her website is 405-942-3504. Thank you.
Obama Restates His Position On The "9/11 Mosque"
When pressed for a comment on the mosque being built within blocks of Ground Zero, President Obama firmly and eloquently restated his position that the mosque should be allowed to exist.
"We don't differentiate between them and us....It's just us". For some reason, I don't think Bush would have said the same thing if asked. After all, he was the guy that said "God bless America, and no one else". He never did strike me as a "uniter".
"We don't differentiate between them and us....It's just us". For some reason, I don't think Bush would have said the same thing if asked. After all, he was the guy that said "God bless America, and no one else". He never did strike me as a "uniter".
Mumford And Sons - "Little Lion Man"
X103.9, the local alternative station in Phoenix, has been playing this song on regular rotation for the last few days. If you're into Flogging Molly, but want something a little more mellow, give Mumford and Sons a listen. They're a folk rock band out of London, England. Their first single in the U.S. is called Little Lion Man. I purchased the CD today, and I like it. Enjoy:
New Video Of Boulder, CO, Burning
Below is a time lapse video taken Monday night of fire ripping through the outskirts of Boulder, CO. It breaks my heart to watch this. I called Boulder home for two years. I tell people it's where I "grew up". Have a lot of wonderful memories of the city and the surrounding area.
The wife and I were considering moving back to Boulder after I graduated from massage therapy school next year. It will be interesting to see the scope of damage when we visit there in the Fall.
How 9/11 Changed Me
This marks the second year that I have posted this piece on 9/11. It was the first post to The Daily Twitch on 09/11/09. I hope you enjoy:
Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, I was always told that it was wrong to salute the flag. I wasn't allowed to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I had to remain seated for the National Anthem. It's not that I had been intentionally disrespecting or desecrating the flag as a child. My parents never instilled in me the reasons why the symbols of our country, and the flag in particular, should be respected.
You can imagine the uncomfortable situations I had found myself in growing up. In the classroom everyday for years. At school assemblies. At sporting events. Countless dirty looks. People making comments under their breath. Even the occasional thwack to the back of the head with the words, "What's wrong with you? You a Commie or somethin? Stand up boy".
In my younger days, I saw it as an opportunity to "witness". To share my beliefs with others. I would tell them that I wasn't standing because my religion wouldn't permit me to. Usually, that would be as far as I got. The offended spectator would turn a more enraged shade of red and that would be my que to face forward for the rest of the event and not make eye contact with anyone for the next 3 hours.
As I got older, I got wiser. I realized that by being in my seats during the National Anthem, I was only asking for trouble. So, I would generally take that time of the pre-game to go to the bathroom or grab a drink or a souvenir. Most times, I would just intentionally show up late to a game - skip the first 2 minutes of the period or the top half of the first inning altogether.
So how does this tie in to 9/11? I'll get to that in a second. But first: February 13, 1983. The Forum, Irvine, California. It was the NBA All Star Game. For some reason my dad was watching it on TV. I never remember him being much of a basketball fan. I've never been much of one either. But something special happened that night. The time came for the National Anthem. This is what we saw:
It gave me chills. As a 7 year old, I didn't know why. I had a feeling then that I couldn't put into words, that I wouldn't feel again until 18 years later. I left the church in 1996, but, out of habit I guess, continued my "tradition" of not standing for the National Anthem.
Then came September 11th, 2001. It's a day that, 8 years later, I still think about on a daily basis. We all tend to re-live the shots of the people running in the streets, the towers falling, and the planes hitting the towers. Today though, I had a different memory for the first time. I remembered the firefighters going into Ground Zero to tie an American Flag onto a beam of the World Trade Center. This was still while the area was unsafe. There was still a possibility of the surrounding buildings collapsing. It was their way of saying "We're still here. We're still standing".
When I saw that flag amongst the rubble, that feeling I first felt as a 7 year old had returned. It was pride. The flag reminded me of the anthem's lyrics itself: "Gave proof through the night, That our flag was still there, O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free, And the home of the brave". It waved over many a brave volunteer in the days and weeks following the attacks.
September 10, 2001, was the last day I refused to sit for the National Anthem. Since the events of 9/11, not only do I show my respect to my nation and its flag, but I sing along with the Star Spangled Banner, and get choked up at the end. Every time.
Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness, I was always told that it was wrong to salute the flag. I wasn't allowed to say the Pledge of Allegiance. I had to remain seated for the National Anthem. It's not that I had been intentionally disrespecting or desecrating the flag as a child. My parents never instilled in me the reasons why the symbols of our country, and the flag in particular, should be respected.
You can imagine the uncomfortable situations I had found myself in growing up. In the classroom everyday for years. At school assemblies. At sporting events. Countless dirty looks. People making comments under their breath. Even the occasional thwack to the back of the head with the words, "What's wrong with you? You a Commie or somethin? Stand up boy".
In my younger days, I saw it as an opportunity to "witness". To share my beliefs with others. I would tell them that I wasn't standing because my religion wouldn't permit me to. Usually, that would be as far as I got. The offended spectator would turn a more enraged shade of red and that would be my que to face forward for the rest of the event and not make eye contact with anyone for the next 3 hours.
As I got older, I got wiser. I realized that by being in my seats during the National Anthem, I was only asking for trouble. So, I would generally take that time of the pre-game to go to the bathroom or grab a drink or a souvenir. Most times, I would just intentionally show up late to a game - skip the first 2 minutes of the period or the top half of the first inning altogether.
So how does this tie in to 9/11? I'll get to that in a second. But first: February 13, 1983. The Forum, Irvine, California. It was the NBA All Star Game. For some reason my dad was watching it on TV. I never remember him being much of a basketball fan. I've never been much of one either. But something special happened that night. The time came for the National Anthem. This is what we saw:
It gave me chills. As a 7 year old, I didn't know why. I had a feeling then that I couldn't put into words, that I wouldn't feel again until 18 years later. I left the church in 1996, but, out of habit I guess, continued my "tradition" of not standing for the National Anthem.
Then came September 11th, 2001. It's a day that, 8 years later, I still think about on a daily basis. We all tend to re-live the shots of the people running in the streets, the towers falling, and the planes hitting the towers. Today though, I had a different memory for the first time. I remembered the firefighters going into Ground Zero to tie an American Flag onto a beam of the World Trade Center. This was still while the area was unsafe. There was still a possibility of the surrounding buildings collapsing. It was their way of saying "We're still here. We're still standing".
When I saw that flag amongst the rubble, that feeling I first felt as a 7 year old had returned. It was pride. The flag reminded me of the anthem's lyrics itself: "Gave proof through the night, That our flag was still there, O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, O'er the land of the free, And the home of the brave". It waved over many a brave volunteer in the days and weeks following the attacks.
September 10, 2001, was the last day I refused to sit for the National Anthem. Since the events of 9/11, not only do I show my respect to my nation and its flag, but I sing along with the Star Spangled Banner, and get choked up at the end. Every time.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
You Can't Say The GOP Isn't Passionate
Phil Davison, a Republican Councilman from Minerva, OH, made the following speech at last night's Stark County Republican Party's executive committee meeting. He was seeking the nomination for County Treasurer. What followed was, to say the least.....passionate.
He didn't get the nomination.
He didn't get the nomination.
9/11 Happened To Us All
On a personal note, I am happy to see that the Imam in New York City has not agreed to move the mosque near Ground Zero. 9/11 happened to us all...Christian, Muslim, and atheist. The following is one of a series of commercials airing in the New York City area to try to ease anti-Islamic tensions. It was hard for me to watch. Got a little emotional actually. It really brought the point home.
Bad Religion: Dream Of Unity
I thought this song was especially poignant considering what I've read today in the news. Between the Christian extremists wanting to burn the Koran, to 50 Cent's Tweet about shooting up a gay wedding...
...all I can think of is, "Why can't we all just get along?" It isn't so hard.
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