Dan Choi Hospitalized

from Pam's House Blend:

NOTE FROM PAM: Today brought news to our inbox that Autumn and I wanted to share with Blend readers in what we feel is an appropriate context. We learned that Dan Choi, who sacrificed his privacy to take on a high-profile role as one of the public faces of the impact of the discriminatory policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, has been hospitalized and is in the hands of professional mental health practitioners at a Veterans Administration facility. Dan explained in his email:

"I did not initially want to publicize this but I now realize it is critical for our community to know several things: veterans gay or straight carry human burdens, Activists share similar burdens, no activist should be portrayed as super human, and the failures of government and national lobbying carry consequences far beyond the careers and reputations of corporate leaders, elected officials, High powered lobbyists, or political elites. They ruin lives. My breakdown was a result of a cumulative array of stressors but there is no doubt that the composite betrayals felt on Thursday, by elected leaders and gay organizations as well as many who have exploited my name for their marketing purposes have added to the result. I am certain my experience is not an isolated incident within the gay veteran community.

At the same time, those who have been closest to me know that I truly appreciate their gracious help and mentorship. I am indebted to their hospitality and leadership.

If you could share the info and sentiment I'd be most grateful."

So yes, this is newsworthy, and Dan clearly wanted to share what he could have left private, or had to deal with had information about this leaked out. But this is another gift to the community -- to open up a multi-faceted discussion: 1) the mental health toll taken by gay and lesbian service members; 2) the stressors that arise when also thrown into the public eye as a matter of fate or circumstance, not as a job.
As a society we tend to bury mental health issues, always trying to pretend that everyone can just "suck it up" and bear all of life's maelstrom, and that there is inherent weakness in needing mental health services. Far from it, there are many people in desperate need of professional help in this vein who don't seek assistance because of the stigma still attached to mental health issues. A snippet of what I said in my response to Dan:

"...Now you have a chance to actually rest, get off of the hamster wheel and take care of yourself. Sometimes this is what it takes for those who find it hard to ratchet down. Part of gaining perspective is to take care of your mental health as Dan Choi the person, the human being. "Activist" is an acquired label, worn by you in a very public manner - it's a difficult burden.

This is private time to both heal and build up the skills you need to handle the anxiety that can be crippling and painful. That's a process, one that takes time, practice...I trust that you will cast the outside world out of your mind for a while. It will obviously be there when you're ready to engage, and the world will be just as screwed up as it ever was.

What matters is that you gain back your strength. Your health - mental, physical, spiritual - is more important than any of this."

And the closet is no place for mental illness, there is no need for euphemisms that skirt the issue of addressing a clinical matter. Doing so only makes it that much harder for those who suffer in silence from getting the help they need, and in the military, the stigma remains strong.

Just For Giggles



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Odds'n'Ends

We watched Australia on the DVR Sunday afternoon, a could and wet Smallville day. I like Nicole Kidman, especially since she divorced her not-gay husband and married Keith Urban. Plus, it had the epic Hugh Jackman and his Huge Ackmans in it. The sight of him dripping wet in the shower was nirvana, and the tight shirts that showed off pecs and guns was fantastic....what was I talking about? oh, yeah, Australia. It took almost as long to watch as it would take to fly there, but it was good, and epic, and Huge.Ackman.

Today, Tuesday, it's what i like to call effing cold in Smallville. It was roughly 15 degrees this morning, roaring up to a high of 32, then tumbling back down to 14 degrees. Add to that the fact that i have a nasty sinus headache, and, well, Smallvillians best be on their best behavior. I am a cranky bitch in the cold, but give me a modicum of pain and I become a serial killer.

I read about the Harvard Library LGBT attack, where some threw urine, or perhaps urinated themselves, on the LGBT section. Now, however, school officials are saying it was an accident, you know, like how you just have to go, so you head to the library, and the gay section, whip it out and start spraying. Well, not exactly like that; they're saying that someone, a janitor type, was cleaning the shelves and knocked over a jar of urine, because, you know, urine belongs in a jar on a library shelf.

Carlos and i also saw Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, part One over the weekend. i like seeing Potter movies in the theater but we go a couple of weeks in to avoid the crowds. It was good, but let's face it, it was just a two-hour-and-forty-minute setup for the finale. I think most of the Potter movies can stand alone and you'd still get the story, but this one seemed to rely on the fact that you'd have seen the last one and would then, next summer apparently, see the last one.

Obama, after being by the Repugs in November, and his own arty since then, has vowed to take on the GOP. I'm wondering. Is this desire to "fight" the Republicans the same thing as his being a "fierce advocate" for the LGBT community, because we know how ell that turned out. I'd like to see him stand up to the Repugs, and those in his own party; quit being the nice guy. It hasn't worked.

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today. I love the globes, a big drunken Hollywood lovefest. Here are some of the nominees, with my personal favorites in bold:

Best Supporting Actress in a series, mini-series or TV movie

Hope Davis, The Special Relationship
Jane Lynch, Glee
Kelly McDonald, Boardwalk Empire
Julia Stiles, Dexter
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family--Though Stiles and Lynch are also favorites


Best Actress in a TV series, comedy
Toni Collette, Unites States of Tara
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Laura Linney, The Big C
Lea Michele, Glee


Best TV movie or mini-series
Carlos--I haven't seen any of these, but for some reason, this one sounds good.
The Pacific
Pillars of the Earth
Temple Grandin
You Don't Know Jack


Best original song – motion picture
Bound to You - Burlesque
Coming Home - Country Strong
I See the Light - Tangled
There's a Place for Us - Chronicles of Narnia: The Dawn Treader
You Haven't Seen the Last of Me - Burlesque


Best Actor, TV series comedy
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carrell, The Office
Thomas Jane, Hung
Matthew Morrison, Glee
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory


Best Actress in a TV series, drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men
Piper Perabo Covert Affairs
Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy
Kyra Sedgwick, the Closer


Best Supporting Actor in a series, mini-series, or TV movie
Scott Caan - Hawaii 5-0
Chris Colfer, Glee
Chris Noth, The Good Wife
Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family
David Strathairn, Temple Grandin


Best TV Series, comedy
30 Rock
The Big Bang Theory
The Big C--I'd like a threeway tie with Glee and Modern Family, but, if not, The Big C is the clear winner.
Glee
Modern Family
Nurse Jackie


Best Actress in a mini-series or TV movie
Hayley Atwell, Pillars of the Earth
Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Judi Dench, Return to Cranford
Romola Garai - Emma
Jennifer Love Hewitt, The Client LIst--this is what I LoveHewitt about the Globes. This fool in the same category as Dench and Danes. Laughable.


Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Anette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Anne Hathaway - Love and Other Drugs
Angelina Jolie - The Tourist
Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Emma Stone Easy A


Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Johnny Depp - Alice in Wonderland
Johnny Depp - The Tourist
Paul Giamatt- Barney's Version
Jake Gyllenhaal - Love and Other Drugs
Kevin Spacey - Casino Jack


Best supporting Actor in a motion picture
Christian Bale - The Fighter
Michael Douglas - Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Jeffrey Rush, The King's Speech

Best supporting Actress in a motion picture
Amy Adam, THe Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter - The King's Speech
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Jackie Weaver - Animal Kingdom


Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Steve Buscemi - Boardwalk Empire
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad
Michael C. Hall - Dexter
John Hamm Mad Men
Hugh Laurie - House


Best motion picture, musical or comedy
Alice in Wonderland
Burlesque
The Kids Are All Right
Red
The Tourist


Best TV series, drama
Broadwalk Empire
Dexter
The Good Wife
Mad Men
The Walking Dead


Best Actress in a motion picture, drama
Halle Berry, Frankie and Alice
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter's Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine


Best Actor in a motion picture, drama
Jesse Eisenberg - Social Network
Colin Firth - The King's Speech
James Franco - 127 Hours
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
Mark Wahlberg - The Fighter


Best motion picture, drama
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The King's Speech
The Social Network

Suing To Serve

Michael Almy, Anthony Loverde, and Jason Knight.

Who are they, you ask? Well, all three are decorated veterans from the US military, and all three have been discharged under DADT. And now, all three joined with the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network [SLDN] to challenge the constitutionality of the military policy that bans openly gay and lesbian soldiers from serving.


And if you are still one of those neanderthals that believes DADT is right and fair and just, and don't believe that DADT harms the military and threatens our national security, then listen up.

Michael Almy was a 13-year veteran who saw four deployments to the Middle East, and has received numerous awards and honors during his Air Force service. Still, he was discharged for being gay.

He served; he fought; he was discharged.

Anthony Loverde also served in the Air Force, for seven years, as a trained C-130 Loadmaster and Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory Technician. In 2008, he was discharged for being gay. These days Loverde works for a defense contractor doing the same job he did for the military, even working alongside his old coworkers. He's still doing the same job, but because it's for a business, and not the military, he has job security, regardless of his sexual orientation.

Same job, different boss.

Jason Knight five years in the US Navy as a trained Cryptological Technician Interpretive Linguist, the type of position that many would probably consider critical for the success of U.S. operations abroad. But Jason Knight was discharged in 2005 for being gay.  But, and this is were it gets even more strange. After his discharge, for being gay, he was called up again in 2006, and then discharged for still being gay in 2007.

He was in, he was out, he was in, he was out.

So, Michael Almy, Anthony Loverde, and Jason Knight, along with SLDN and the law firm Morrison & Foerster, are challenging the constitutionality of DADT in a California federal court. And if the US Senate fails to repeal DADT before the body breaks for the holidays and a new Congress takes over, they'll leave the fate of DADT up to the courts and an aggressive litigation strategy by repeal advocates.

Aubrey Sarvis, the director of SLDN and himself an Army veteran: "This filing is a shot across the bow as we prepare to pursue and sustain an aggressive far reaching litigation strategy if the Senate fails to act this month to repeal the law. This dispute can be resolved by Congress or by the courts. With this filing we put Congress on notice that a cadre of service members and our national legal team stand ready to litigate strategically around the country. We are also preparing litigation on behalf of young people who would enter the armed forces to serve our country but for this terrible law. Another suit we’re working on involves clients discharged under ‘Don’t Ask’ who want to enter the reserves or a guard unit, and we plan to file such cases early next year if Congress fails to act. Clearly there is an urgent need for the Senate to act on legislation this week.”

It seems everyone wants it done, but no one wants to step up. Obama says he wants it done, but is leaving it to the courts ands the Congress. Many in Congress want it done, but they are saying Obama should issue an executive order. Nearly 75% of Americans want it done, as does the majority of our military personnel.

Get it done.

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Home Chefs and Martha Stewart Wannabes: Take Note "NO FRIED GNOCCHI EVER!!"

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Stand Up Please; One Of Our Straight Allies Has Passed

She was a housewife; she was a mother. She was raising her children like all mothers do. But then, in 1974, back in the days when being gay was considered a mental illness, Adele Starr's son came out, and everything changed.

For the better.

See, even though, back in the 70s, and before that, and, sadly, still today, parents often blame themselves when a son or daughter comes out as gay, or even bisexual or transgender. There's a lot of speculating about what was done 'wrong' to make their child so very different. But Adele Starr wasn't having that.

Instead, Adele Starr founded a new group in Los Angeles, a support group, for parents of gay children, friends of gay people. Her group became known as PFLAG [Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays] and she was that group's first national president.

Adele Starr, that mother for all gay men and women whose own mothers pushed them away, died last Friday night in Santa Monica at age ninety.

It was just two years after her son came out to her that Adele Starr founded the group, then known as Parent FLAG, and now as PFLAG, a gay rights and acceptance organization. And Adele worked hard for the group, even speaking on the steps of the US Capitol, way back in 1979, at a march for gay rights. Two years later she became PFLAG's first national president, serving in that position until 1986. After that she continued to work for gay rights, marriage rights, equal rights.

We have our gay heroes, whose names we all remember, but sometimes we forget our straight allies who have marched with us and fought with us, along the way.

So, take just a moment, today, to bid farewell to Adele Starr and thank her for being a mother to those of us who may have lost ours the day we said those three words.

"Mom, I'm gay."

Adele Starr Obituary

Sunday Funnies



I Ain't One To Gossip, But........

Josh Duhamel.

D-list actor best known for being married to a Pea....a Black-eyed Pea.

And now he's known for being a douche.

It seems Prissy McDuhamel was escorted off of a plane this week after he refused to turn off his BlackBerry.

See, he's a celebrity, or he was a celebrity, or he's married to a celebrity.

It seems that Joshy was on a flight from New York to Kentucky, when, according to sources--and by sources I mean baggage handlers--he was asked by a flight attendant to turn off his BlackBerry before takeoff, and he refused.

One passenger says Duhamel was "very rude" and "taunting the attendant." who ALLEGEDLY told Josh to turn off the device three separate times, and on the third time Josh laughed at his request.

Well, rather than grabbing a beer and going all Steven Slater on Duhamel, the flight attendant called for backup, and the plane, which was already on the runway, was turned back to the gate. Two US Airways representatives boarded the plane and escorted  Prissy Duhamel off of the aircraft.

Duhamel's rep said Josh was texting on his BlackBerry about his flight being delayed, and the rep adds, "He's sorry."

Oh, yes indeed, he is sorry.

D-list dumbass.

Kelsey Grammer is getting married!

Again!

But, um, before you try to find out where Grammer and his future wife, 29-year-old Kayte Walsh, are registered, let's wait for Kelsey to divorce his third wife first.

Kelsey's representative, Stan Rosenfield, says, "They are engaged. They never really announced it. They are very happy and very much in love."

There was, however, a sort-of-announcement, when Walsh began appearing in public wearing a ginormous diamond engagement, so the need for a formal announcement was unnecessary.

There was, though, an announcement over the summer that Grammer's third wife, Camille Donatacci--who costars as the resident crazy on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills--filed to end their 13-year marriage, citing irreconcilable differences, named Kayte Walsh.

Donatacci, a 41-year-old former Playboy model and dancer--and by dancer, I mean, she has her own pole-- has two children with Grammer.

An online gossip source--and by source I don't mean me-- says, "You don't have to be officially divorced to get engaged -- at least that's how Kelsey Grammer sees it, and he's given Kayte Walsh a gorgeous diamond ring to prove it."

No, you don't have to be divorced to get engaged again, but it would be nice.

And to think that just a couple of years ago she was the wacky cat lady in her Scottish village, going to karaoke at the local pub.

Now, however, according to Cliff Dane of Britain's Sunday Times Rich List, Susan Boyle is worth about $16.5 million.

That's a lot of pints. And cat food.

Here's what Dane had to say about it:

“Unlike a lot of artists who write songs and have heavy touring commitments, most of Susan’s income has come from old-fashioned record sales, mostly CDs as opposed to downloads due to the nature of her fanbase. I estimate she is currently worth $16.5 million based on royalties and advances accumulated to date.”

That's our SuBo.

Doin' it old school.

I smell desperation.

Oh, wait, it's not desperation, it's Russell Crowe.

It seems that Russ wants to do a sequel to his wildly successful film, with the mile-long title, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Which would be fine, but it seems as though Russell is the only one interested in a sequel, and is now using Twitter to drum up interest, starting a twittering campaign to make a sequel.

Master and Commander: From Even Farther Across The World, Down The Block, Around The Corner, Up The Stairs, In A Drawer, Behind The Socks.

Here's a little Crowe Tweet:

"If you want a Master and Commander sequel I suggest you e-mail Tom Rothman at Fox and let him know your thoughts"

Wow, had I known that all it would take to force another bad sequel to another bad movie I've never seen would be a Twitter account, well, I might just head back and start Twatting, Tweeting, or Twitting, some more.

Once again, the US is two steps behind.

In fact, we're a whole fox trot out of step.

Other renditions of Dancing With The Stars from around the world have featured same-sex couples as partners on the show and there was hope that the trend would continue here in America.

Not so much.

Word came that ABC was looking to have Mrs. Ellen Degeneres, Portia de Rossi, become one half of a girl-girl dance team, but now Portia has said No.

And now ABC and Dancing With The Stars have decided NOT to feature a same-sex couple.

Here's what a source--and by source, I mean the woman who had to let out Blister Palin's costumes each week--says: "If Portia had agreed then this would have been a done deal. She was the only star that could have pulled this off without completely offending the program's conservative viewers."

And what about the shows more open-minded viewers? Oh, really? There aren't any?

Here's what a Hollywood casting director says: "With all the debate going on about Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the country, this would have been the perfect time to do this. Yet, the show has never been about pushing the envelope. It's a huge hit because it doesn't make anyone uncomfortable."

Oh, I disagree. Watching some poor slight man try to hoist Blister Palin into the air makes me horribly uncomfortable. Watching Kate Gosselin ape-walk made me nauseous.

The very idea of the show makes me uncomfortable.

Jake Gyllenhaal is NOT happy with paparazzi, and they don't like him either.

So there!

It seems that while Jake was driving his ::::gulp::::: lady-friend, Taylor Swift, around Beverly Hills, he became infuriated with paparazzi trying to take their photos, so he called the police.

And the LAPD, because they have nothing better to do than make sure Swiftenhaal are not bothered, ALLEGEDLY sent over unnecessary amounts of support on the ground AND in the air.

I know!

Gossip site--and by gossip site I don't mean this one--x17 watched the madness and reported: “I don’t know why Jake was in such a bad mood. We saw him and Taylor in the car and when we tried to see where they would park to get out, Jake went crazy. It’s like he didn’t want anyone to get a shot of him and Taylor together. I mean if he’s going to do set-up shots with the paps like he did last week, what’s the difference?!”

I don't know what about this story is more nauseating.

That the LAPD goes full-on commando raid to protect a couple of celebrities, or that Jake Gyllenhaal is dating Taylor Swift.

Seriously, Jake. Taylor Swift?

Honey. No.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas--Christina Aguilera and Brian McKnight

I Didn't Say It.......

Darren Criss, on playing gay for Glee:

"After having gotten to know the show a little bit, I was really excited to see that a character like this—such a strong gay character, especially a young, male, out-and-proud teen—was going to make its way onto network television, much less Fox. This is the first time I'd really seen an out student that was so young and innocent and really struggling with the big ordeal that it is to be an out student at such an early age. When other shows present the gay character thing, it's typically been in much more adult situations, like gay men living in New York or closeted men who are married and struggling with that ordeal, but never really the core of the journey of defining your sexuality...Blaine offers a beautiful counter to that and makes such a great addition to the many-colored palette that is Glee. So as far as me having any reservations about it, no. I read it being like, this would be so cool, whoever gets to play this, it's going to be a great thing for an already great show...[Blaine's sexuality is] just kind of matter of fact. It's a really positive thing, and I feel very privileged to be the vessel for that, and I hope it speaks to a lot of people who struggle to find a model for who they are and where they fit in."

And speaking as a viewer, it's nice to see a portrayal of a young gay man that isn't a stereotype, or isn';t played for laughs or pity.

When Kurt first appeared on Glee I was worried he would take the joke route, but because the public embraced the character, he has now become the centerpiece of the shows better stories.

Singer Nelly Furtado, on LGBT rights in Canada versus the US:

"I'm proud to live in Canada, a country that supports gay marriage, because I can speak openly about it to my child. Children shouldn't be raised in a bubble. There's nothing wrong with it, so why wouldn't I treat it as normal? Nothing makes me more brokenhearted than seeing people who feel they can't be themselves. It's such a crime. God, it's so hard and horrible to be a teenager, and the virtual way young people communicate nowadays makes them feel even more disconnected. My advice [to troubled gay teens] is to reach out and find somebody you can relate to, because human interaction can heal those wounds."

We are so far behind the times in this country. We see ourselves as so progressive, while the rest of the world marches ahead.

We need to learn to treat people equally from birth; no one is better than anyone else, some of us, or some of you, are just different.

And different is good.

Carrie Ann Inaba, on whether Dancing With The Stars should have another Palin:

"I think one Palin was enough for awhile. I think we need to go on a Palin vacation for a minute… Although it was great media attention, I think it was too controversial. I think people got confused about what they were rooting for: Are you voting for dancing on the show or are you voting for a Party? I think that made it very uncomfortable for a lot of people who just want to see a dance competition. I like to keep it simple. I think it diluted the nature of the competition."

I don't know from Carrie Ann Inaba, since I've never seen the show, but I agree with her 100%.

Okay, well, maybe 99%. I don't think we need a minute long Palin vacation, I'd like to see it become permanent.

Best never to hear from that pack of media-whoring losers again.

Glenn Beck, asshatting on Muslims, er, Islamic terrorists:

"What is the number of Islamic terrorists? 1 percent? I think it's closer to ten percent but the rest of the PC world will tell you, 'oh no, it's miniscule [sic].' Well, OK, let's take you at your one percent. Look at the havoc one percent of Muslims causing in the rest of the world. You don't think one percent, half a percent of people here in the United States of radicals, of people who want to violently overthrow the government of the United States, is a problem?"

Hmmm, but what about all your Teabaggers, Glenn? They're threatening to overthrow the government, aren't they?

Oh, is it because they're mostly white men that it's okay?

Pamela Grothaus, columnist for the Naples News, on homosexuals: 

"I don’t think I have ever met a homosexual who didn’t inform me of his or her homosexuality within minutes of our introduction. This has happened to me several times—with co-workers, clients, and, yes, even military personnel. I really didn’t care to know, didn’t need to know, and probably would have guessed anyway. Why do these people so desperately want to be identified, above all else, by their sexual preference? I certainly don’t feel compelled to announce my sexuality to anyone and everyone I meet. Can you imagine? Hi, I’m Pam, and I’m a heterosexual writer."

But, Miami Herald columnist Steve Rothaus notes that the very first sentence of Grothaus' online bio says: "While I was busy building a marriage, raising two kids, and forging a career over three decades, the America I took for granted morphed into a nation I barely recognize today."

No, she doesn't announce her orientation in minutes, she announces it in just over five words......mere seconds.

Charles M. Blow, columnist for the New York Times:

"She’s the Zsa Zsa Gabor of American politics. She once did something noteworthy, but she’s now just famous for being famous. She was a vice presidential nominee. But she lost. She was the governor of Alaska. But she quit. Now she’s just a political personality — part cheerleader, part bomb-thrower — being kept afloat in part by the hackles of her enemies and the people who admire her resilience in the face of them. The left’s outsize and unrelenting assault on her has made her a folk hero. The logic goes that if she’s making people on the left this upset, she must be doing something right."

In case you weren't sure, he talking about Mama Grizzly Bore, or Caribou Barbie, or Moose Mess, AKA Blister's gun-totin', manicure-wearin', g-droppin' Mama.

One Step Back, But........

Well, discrimination is still in fashion and that inequality rules.

The Senate rejected the Defense Department appropriations bill that contained a measure approving repeal of DADT by a vote of 57-40

GOP goosesteppers Scott Brown, Olympia Snowe, Mark Kirk, Lisa Murkowski, and Democrat Joe Manchin all voted "No" on the measure. Brown had originally said he'd vote Yes, but apparently flip-flopping along party lines is what he does best. Senator Susan Collins, after leading the Republican charge against the bill, also changed her mind, and voted "yes".

It disgusts me that, in this country, we cannot see discrimination for what it is, and where it is, and have politicians choose to legislate it. We are so beyond the time that sexual orientation is something to be feared. I am writing to both honorable [sarcasm] senators from South Carolina, Lindsay Graham and Jim DeMint, to tell them what i think of their bigoted, homophobic vote.

I am angry that we have no leadership in this country to stand up against discrimination. I am tired of our politicians simply dancing around the issue, and playing word games so as not to anger conservatives. There was no leadership from the President or Congress on the issue; it was all rhetoric.

And it disgusts me. But........

Alexander Nicholson, Executive Director of Servicemembers United and a former U.S. Army interrogator who was discharged under DADT, said in a statement: "This was a major failure on the part of the Senate to simply do its job and pass an annual defense authorization bill. Politics prevailed over responsibility today, and now more than one million American servicemembers, including tens of thousands of gay and lesbian troops, are worse off as a result. Since the votes are there in isolation, the Senate should still consider a stand-alone bill to repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' law before adjourning for the winter holidays."

Which is what Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins are planning. they hope to introduce a stand-alone DADT repeal bill, and Harry Reid Promises a vote on it. And I am hoping these are not just empty promises, but the real deal.

Let's hope we get two steps forward before this session of Congress ends.

The Christmas Tuxedo

Top Chef All Stars: Sound Bites

As you can see, we are getting our first look at this weeks chefs. Elia has been erased from the promo shot, and left the show, presumably with all her hair in tact.

I wasn't fond of last night's episode because I didn't like the team challenge when they are seventeen cheftestants. No one really gets airtime, and it just seemed to drag.

I laughed when Dale T. said he had no idea who Joe Jonas was, because you know, deep down inside, he was squealing like a girl.
 
Tiffani admitted she was an "asshole" during her season when they had a challenge for kids, so she made up for it this time.

Tre needs to cook naked. That's all.

Jamie cut her finger and left the challenge, leaving all other chefs talking war wounds, and duck tape, and manning up, and so on. I was leaning a bit toward Team Jamie on this one until she came back and said something about two stitches. last week, in my own personal Top Chef kitchen, whilst using the mandolin, I sliced a chunk off my thumb and bled all over the place. Jamie should'a done that.

Joe Jonas is cute, and I feel like a dirty old man.

There wasn't enough Carla and not one single Hootie Hoo, except for the man in the side chair in a living room in Smallville.

Jen is nasty, and argumentative, and just rude. Her food looked bad. Her eggs were called bland. Her dish was called Soft on Soft with a side of Soft, and a dash of Bland. But she wasn't having it and barked at the judges that they were wrong. Jen got Knifed. And not for being an argumentative bitch, but for being just plain bad.

Marcel and Richard and Angelo won for a Banana Parfait, and Angelo, completely discounting his mini-team, announced that he had won two challenges and was a force to be reckoned with, "to be honest witch u." Of course, then Marcel announced he should have won the singular honor because more of his components made it to the plate. Richard, on the other hand, said a gracious Thank you and left the judges table to got fix his hair.

What did you think?
Tre's hot, right?

Aaron Sorkin and The Witless Bully

Television [The West Wing] and film [The Social Network] writer, Aaron Sorkin, is very well known for having a way with words, and he's taken his pen and aimed it directly at......The Mama Grizzly Bore [MGB].

This should be good.

Sorkin took to The Huffington Post to air his grievances about S***h P***n's recent defense of her on-camera slaughter of a caribou during the last episode of her "reality" show "S***h P***n's Alaska.' 

MGB, who fancies herself a frontierswoman, hunting and shooting her own food because that's the way real Americans roll, tried to head off attacks of her hunting escapade in some pre-show Tweets: "Unless you've never worn leather shoes, sat upon a leather chair or eaten meat, save your condemnation of tonight's episode."

Well, Sorkin didn't want to save his condemnation of MGB, and replied in a lengthy piece entitled, 'In Her Defense, I'm Sure the Moose Had it Coming.'

Sorkin, like most sane people who aren't drinking the Grizzly Bore Kool-Aid, wasn't buying the assertion that no one who has used or eaten animal products has a right to critique the gleefully bloody nature of MGB's hunting foray: "You weren't killing that animal for food or shelter or even fashion. You were killing it for fun. You enjoy killing animals." 

In fact, he went further, and said that MGB's victim was "the first moose ever murdered for political gain." 

And so it went on: "You knew there'd be a protest from PETA and you knew that would be an opportunity to hate on some people, you witless bully."

And a witless bully she is, posing for pretty pictures with her kill. Now, before you rant and rave that people hunt all the time, well, blibbety blah blay blue, I know. But Plain doesn't hunt for food; she hunts for publicity. She isn't killing to feed her family, she's killing fort airtime.

See, the kill didn't go down quite like MGB showed you. It took the Wasilla Nitwit six shots, the use of two different rifles, and help from her Daddy to bag her prey. Quite the hunter.

Sorkin wrote, "Like 95% of the people I know, I don't have a visceral (look it up) problem eating meat or wearing a belt. But like absolutely everybody I know, I don't relish the idea of torturing animals. I don't enjoy the fact that they're dead and I certainly don't want to volunteer to be the one to kill them and if I were picked to be the one to kill them in some kind of Lottery-from-Hell, I wouldn't do a little dance of joy while I was slicing the animal apart."

Sorkin, then goes on to address one--just one of the many--criticisms of 'S***h P***n's Alaska'--that the show is not representative of MGB's own experience in the state; he notes that she seems awestruck to be witnessing many of the things she's sharing with her audience, and he calls he a "phony pioneer girl."

Aaron Sorkin: "I'm in film and television, Cruella, and there was an insert close-up of your manicure while you were roughing it in God's country. I know exactly how many feet off camera your hair and make-up trailer was."

Well, MGB has to look pretty for the camera at all times. I wonder if Lord & Taylor supplied the wardrobe?

And, knowing how the MGB likes to lash back at her critics, Sorkin disclosed his own 2001 arrest for cocaine possession, knowing it would be brought to light by MGB mouthpieces in response to his criticism. 

But he ends nicely, and succinctly: "I eat meat, there are leather chairs in my office, S***h P***n is deranged and The Learning Channel should be ashamed of itself." 

Well-played. Mister Sorkin, well-played.

Aaron Sorkin's HuffPo piece

Christmas Tree Tour

So, the other night Carlos and I set up the Christmas tree, and, well, I must pat myself on the back because I refrained from being a little too Martha "Adolf" Stewart while we decorated.

Our tree is an eclectic mix of traditional balls, and then some odds'n'ends kind of ornaments we picked up in different spots. The tree doesn't have a theme--we don't do themes--it's simply a mishmash of what i like and what Carlos likes, with a little of what we both like thrown in.

So, without further ado, a Christmas Tree tour......

 

A little handmade ornament we got in Asheville;
it reminds me of African art dolls.





We have the Three Wise Men--he's just one--but
ours are Asian.




Carlos loves Cappuchino.






















Carlos also loves shiny things.



One of us is this........



The other one is this.






















And what's a tree without a gift?



And I found three of these cheesy
glitter trees,
and of course bought them all!





And finally, what's Christmas without a wish?