Wish Everyone Could Get the Message...

I wish those zealots across this country who spend an inordinate amount of time, energy and money trying to convince others that God would want them to discriminate, hate and hurt people, could see this billboard as a sign.

Maybe someday. :)

Book Review: "Palo Alto: Stories" by James Franco

People in the public eye are always looking for the next big thing. Singers want to act, actors want to direct or sing, and they all want to write a novel. Add James Franco to that literary list. Franco, who has acted in movies and on General Hospital, made a short film and went back to school to get his master's degree, recently published Palo Alto, a collection of 11 linked short stories about teenagers growing up in (where else?) Palo Alto. I'm a big James Franco fan, but most of the stories in this collection make me think he should stick to acting.

The collection started out with a few promising stories. In "Lockheed," a very intelligent young girl is stuck in a boring summer internship and then she witnesses a disturbing act of violence at a party she shouldn't even have attended. "American History" tells the story of a student who feigns racism in a class assignment to impress a girl, only to have it backfire. But beyond that, every story is about rootless, self-absorbed and self-destructive teenagers who resort to drugs, violence, sex and, in one story, sexual abuse, to pass the time. I know that Franco was probably trying to make a statement about these kids needing direction, needing something concrete and worthwhile to fill their days, but I honestly felt very little empathy for most of the characters. Instead of exploring why a narrator of one of the stories would want to crash his car into an abutment, Franco sensationalizes it and turns it into a joke afterward.

I believe Franco's writing shows promise, but honestly, I think that this collection got published mainly because he is James Franco. I'm not a squeamish person, but the excess of drugs, violence, abusive language, animal cruelty, sex and reprehensible behavior became tremendously unappealing very quickly.

Does It Really Get Better?

As I've written a few times now, many people in society have rallied following the recent spike in teen suicides as a result of anti-gay bullying, contributing videos to the It Gets Better Project. President Obama has contributed a video, as have legislators (national and local), celebrities and everyday people. Even me.

The videos are designed to let those struggling with being bullied and questions of self-worth know that life does get better, and that suicide isn't the answer. As someone who was a victim of bullying and one who contemplated suicide to escape this on more than one occasion, I can say that life did get better.

These messages are important, and I hope that hearing the stories of those who have been through these difficult times will provide the necessary support and encouragement to keep these young people away from suicide.

However, the cynic in me wonders whether the inspiration and encouragement of these videos is enough to trump those voices in society who equate homosexuality with sin, publicly wish that all gay people would commit suicide and compare same sex marriage with marrying animals or inanimate objects. The cynic in me wonders how we can tell these young people that life gets better when so much of our society is so filled with hate toward gay people?

Today I heard that Texas NBC affiliate station KTEK and radio station KTBB did a segment entitled Will Gays Destroy America? Both stations invited viewers to call-in, and the radio station is also conducting a poll on its web site.

How can something like this be allowed in today's world? How can a major network condone something so discriminatory? Could you imagine a network asking if giving African-Americans the right to vote would destroy the country? Or if Jews will destroy America? No one would stand for either of those. But yet this segment aired.

And scarily enough, this isn't the worst of it. Arkansas school board member Clint McCance allegedly wrote on his Facebook profile that the only way he would have worn purple to show solidarity for bullied gay and lesbian youth "was if they all committed suicide."

Said McCance: "Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin."

Now, let's not even touch the fact that a member of a school board used the word "thereselves." But isn't a school board supposed to advocate for students, all students, regardless of race, sexual orientation, income, intellectual prowess, etc.? How could a school board member encourage children to commit suicide and condone anti-gay bullying?

Oh, yeah, and today also saw coverage of Wisconsin lieutenant governor candidate Rebecca Kleefisch, whose recently shared her views on same-sex marriage (in addition to it being a "fiscal back breaker") as: "At what point are we going to OK marrying inanimate objects? Can I marry this table or this clock? Can we marry dogs? This is ridiculous."

We need to stop condoning hatred.

We need to stop acting as if not everyone in our society deserves the same rights.

We need to stop worrying about votes, worrying about offending supporters and worry about humanity.

We cannot go on this way. Anti-gay rhetoric already leads to bullying, discrimination, violence, suicide and murder.

We need to stop believing being gay is a choice. Who would choose to surround themselves with this much hatred?

It's time we think beyond our personal beliefs and prejudices. These are human beings.

But the only way this will change is if we refuse to be complacent. Our society can no longer afford complacency. This will only change if we are willing to change.

Make it happen. Demand that it happen. Stand for nothing less. That is the only way we can honestly say things will get better.

Book Review: "Savages" by Don Winslow

Ben and Chon are tremendously successful marijuana kingpins in Laguna Beach, CA. But they're not your average, run-of-the-mill drug lords: Ben is a philosopher and philanthropist, who spends most of his money saving the world, while ex-Navy SEAL Chon is the muscle and the attitude (or baditude) behind the operation. Things seem to be fairly copacetic; they've fended off challenges to their territory without running afoul of the law, and each has a successful relationship with Ophelia (aka O), a somewhat flighty yet fiercely loyal Valley Girl.

And then Ben and Chon are approached by the Baja Cartel, a powerful Mexican cartel, which has decided they want Ben and Chon to work for them. They run afoul of the cartel's leader, Elena "La Reina" (the Queen) Lauter, and O gets abducted by Elena's minions, who promise to return O unharmed—for $20 million. How Ben and Chon choose to obtain the remaining funds they need proves to be tremendously ingenious—and has repercussions for everyone.

I'm a huge Don Winslow fan, both of his stand-alone books and his Neal Carey series that includes A Cool Breeze on the Underground. And while I enjoyed the characters and the plot of this story, for some reason Winslow abandoned his usual writing style for an Elmore Leonard-esque, surfer-boy style that I never quite warmed up to. It really undercut the story because while I found myself completely immersed in the plot, the narrative style really irritated me. Hopefully Winslow won't continue this in his next book. But stoner language and structure notwithstanding, this is really enjoyable.

And Now, A Word from the President...

Since the tragic spike in suicides among young people who were bullied for being gay (or simply accused of being gay) occurred several weeks ago, we've seen a tremendous rise in the public's addressing this bullying and encouraging those being mistreated to seek help and have courage in the face of adversity.

Dan Savage and his husband, Terry, started the It Gets Better Project, which invited those who were bullied for being gay to post videos encouraging those struggling. A number of celebrities—both gay and straight—recorded videos, as did some politicians, and many of these people disclosed their struggles publicly for the first time.

I even contributed my own video to the project.

Yesterday, President Obama recorded his own video. While the president hasn't been the most ardent supporter of the gay community in his nearly two years on the job, you cannot doubt the sincerity—and necessity—of his message. How many of us would have felt just a little bit better if we saw a video like this from the president when we were growing up? How many of those who took their lives to escape the pain of being bullied, of being different, of being gay, might have benefited from a message like this from the leader of our country?

Whether or not you agree with his politics, you cannot help but admire the president's convictions in feeling this was an issue too important to leave to others. And it's tragic that many in our nation feel these young people are sinners who deserve the treatment they get, lessons they are learning at the feet of many in the public eye. What a wonderful opportunity to use words to heal, not hurt.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Book Review: "The Hanging Tree" by Bryan Gruley

For local reporter Gus Carpenter, the apparent suicide of Gracie McBride is more than just a news story that shakes up his sleepy hometown of Starvation Lake, MI. Gracie was Gus' second cousin, and while she had a wild past, and their relationship was fractious, she appeared to be on the verge of pulling her life together. But even many of those closest to Gracie think it could have been suicide, and Gus is dissuaded from pursuing the truth.

The Hanging Tree is Bryan Gruley's second mystery featuring Gus Carpenter, following last year's Starvation Lake. Gruley captures the desperation, anger and hurt of a small town on the verge of total collapse, as well as the frustrations Gus feels on a daily basis about his promising journalistic career in Detroit being derailed, forcing his return home. Couple that with the never-ending resentment of many Starvation Lake residents who still hold a grudge about Gus' letting the winning goal score in a state hockey tournament some 20+ years earlier, and you can understand it's not easy being home.

Gruley is a great writer and I definitely enjoyed the twists and turns this story took. I really like Gus' character and many of the supporting characters who have appeared in both books; I can visualize many of them in my mind's eye. I was a little frustrated with this book, however, for two reasons. First, I felt as if Gruley threw every possible plot device—the estranged husband, the boss who just doesn't understand, the townspeople angry over something that happened years ago, etc.—into the story, which detracted from my full commitment to it. And second, it always frustrates me when so much in a book (or in life, for that matter) could be solved if people would just talk to one another. But instead, we had people avoiding one another, not saying how they feel, not answering the phone, etc. That being said, however, these are more my pet peeves than actual flaws in the story, so I'd highly recommend both Starvation Lake books, and I eagerly await the next one in the series.

Best Use of The Muppets...

This video, of an actor performing Under Pressure while assisted by two Kermit the Frog puppets, has swept across the internet in the last several days. Some rumors had the performer being homeless, but he has since clarified that the video was done for "the men, women and children on our streets who don't have bright green puppets on their hands. The people who aren't always as easy to see."



Brilliant video, although to be honest, I'm surprised that Disney hasn't stopped this from being broadcast on YouTube given their near-fanatical protectiveness of their copyrighted images.

That being said, my second-favorite use of The Muppets is in Weezer's video for Keep Fishin'. Enjoy!