Chris Christie signs bill banning bestiality in N.J.

That's a problem in New Jersey these days?

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/11/christie_signs_bill_banning_bestiality_in_nj.html

 

 

New Jersey farm animals say Thanks, Chris Christie!

Three Odd Articles

Not sure what to make of any of these. Chris Christie gay? Please God, no! Justin Bieber just needs a firm hand? Yeah, I'd give him one. On his punky backside. And the most ludicrous, Mike "Huckster" Huckabee thinks liberals are turning America gay. Anybody dumb enough to vote for this chump deserves to "bend over and take it like a prisoner."

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The Huffington Post

ESPN Guest Calls Chris Christie's Friendship With Cowboys Owner 'Homosexual'

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/08/kinky-friedman-espn_n_6436492.html

The Huffington Post | By Ron Dicker
Posted: 01/08/2015 12:34 pm EST

Texas humorist and singer Kinky Friedman appeared on ESPN's "Outside The Lines" Wednesday to comment on the friendship between New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

But in a flip remark Friedman said the pair's bonding was much more than friendly. Speaking to host Bob Ley, he called the two "the most important, latent homosexual relationship since Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson."

As seen in the segment above, awkwardness ensued, and Friedman smoothed over his words after Ley asked him if he really meant it.

But Friedman, a former Texas gubernatorial candidate, wasn't finished. According to CNN, he later called Christie, who says he's a longtime Cowboys fan, an "anti-Texas, thin-sock wearing son of a b----." That's when Ley cut him off and apologized for Friedman's remarks.

The governor and Jones have been seen together in the owners' box at Cowboys games, most recently in a group embrace after Dallas won its wild card matchup last weekend over the Detroit Lions.

One media professional questioned whether Friedman should have been on the show at all to comment on what NJ.com has termed a "bromance."

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Middlebrow

Justin Bieber And The Pressure Of Masculinity
The Huffington Post | By Lauren Duca
Posted: 03/13/2014 9:25 am EDT Updated: 03/13/2014 9:59 am EDT

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/11/middlebrow-justin-bieber_n_4943835.html?utm_hp_ref=middlebrow

Middlebrow is a recap of the week in entertainment, celebrity and television news that provides a comprehensive look at the state of pop culture. From the rock bottom to highfalutin, Middlebrow is your accessible guidebook to the world of entertainment. To receive it in your inbox, sign up through the HuffPost Entertainment home page.

Justin Bieber’s deposition tapes are probably the brattiest thing caught on camera since Veruca Salt didn't get her way in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. As he smirks at the camera and grows defiantly unsure of whether he’s ever been to Australia, the natural reaction might be to mutter the words “whatta punk” while Googling deportation laws. But Beiber’s increasingly petulant behavior is indicative of something much bigger than his petit Canadian frame. As he continues to unapologetically spit and pee all over the place, the pop star has become a symbol of the modern man-boy young man, in which bad behavior is enabled -- and dare we say excused -- by the idea that “boys will be boys.”

For the average male teen, the transition into adulthood is one that comes with an intense pressure to prove that their masculinity is unfettered by responsibility. (Think about the sort of behavior we associate with frat culture.) As sociologist Michael Kimmel discusses in “Guyland,” when growing from boy to man, there is a certain emphasis found in the pressure to participate in perceptively “manly” homosocial activities. This is coupled with the shameful stigma placed on expressing emotions (ie talking about feelings is perceived as a "feminine" trait). Considering all the beer-can-crushing antics that align with that developmental pattern, it is often explained away as a typical aspect of growing up.



Justin Bieber, however, is a boy who also just so happens to have an estimated networth of $160 million. He has a lamborghini, a mansion and lack of parental control that is sufficiently summed up by the fact that his father was in attendance when the then-19-year-old dropped $75,000 at a Miami strip club. Imagine any male college student under such circumstances. They would (also) rapidly devolve into a spitting-and-peeing monster. The reality is that our tragic hero, the world-famousl’enfant terrible, is the ultimate extreme of the problematic pressures of developing masculinity.

So, is there a solution? Can we hold out hope for an adult Justin Bieber to rise out of his current context? The answer to that is: "I don’t know Katie Couric, you tell me." Just kidding. Surely he’ll make it out of this phase (or at least fade from our consciousness) eventually. But in order to emerge from this “detrimental” moment, he needs to be able to take responsibility for himself and his behavior, but without proper guidance it’s absurd for us to expect that of him. On a second look at Bieber’s deposition, his petulance in a setting as formal a legal deposition is unnerving and vaguely sad. He behaves like a 7-year-old, hoping to be released from a time out, and unsure how to express his feelings. The defiant asshole act is reflection of his lack of ability to process his emotions, compounded by the pressure to avoid appearing vulnerable.



We’ve had all eyes on Bieber since his bowl-cut beginnings. Now, more than ever, he has no privacy. And, more importantly, no one to steer him in the plausibly non-douchebag direction. Really, everything he’s done has been informed by the ways young men are socialized -- it's just on a particularly visible stage. His behavior has been most crucially informed by the extreme lack of responsibility and need to prove masculinity, which also defines the way that boys become men. For that to truly change, we need to re-evaluate the qualities we celebrate in males and deeply reconsider the constrictions of such harshly enforced gender norms. At the very least, the first step is being aware of the fact that those deposition tapes deserve a greater reaction than shrugging it off with a simple, "Biebs will be Biebs."

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The Daily Beast

Huckabee 2016: Bend Over and Take It Like a Prisoner! 

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/01/08/huckabee-2016-bend-over-and-take-it-like-a-prisoner.html

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has released a new book that is part fiscal conservative ideology and part Shawshank Redemption.

Great American leaders have long contributed profound thoughts of tremendous consequence to the public discourse.

Roosevelt: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Kennedy: "Mankind must put an end to war — or war will put an end to mankind."

Reagan: "Trust, but verify."

And now, similarly, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee: "Bend over and take it like a prisoner!"

"Bend Over and Take it Like a Prisoner!" is the title of the 10th chapter of Huckabee's 12th book, God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy - which, as a whole, is an achievement in the genre of poorly written pandering.

The chapter, ostensibly about the TSA and IRS, is a soaring crescendo of latent homosexuality homoeroticism cloaked in almost libertarian – but not libertine! – conservatism.

[and I can't stomach posting the rest, you'll have to click on the link yourself]

Haters Get Whinier. . .and a Bright Spot

http://time.com/2978824/chris-christie-gay-marriage/

Chris Christie: Don't Stop Fighting Gay Marriage

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/14/bryan-fischer-burger-king_n_5584365.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices

Right Wing Asshole Slams Burger King's 'Proud Whopper'

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http://www.daddyfiles.com/open-letter-son-closed-minds/

An Open Letter to My Son About Closed Minds
Aaron Gouveia
07/11/2014

Dear Will,

Today you came home near tears because someone told you two gay people can’t get married because it’s wrong and gross. Your aunts are gay and your cousins — who you love with a wonderful ferocity — are a product of their very much legal marriage (Massachusetts has had gay marriage since 2004). When someone insults your family, it hurts. You hurt right now, and I’m sorry for that.

I’m also sorry that it’s not the first time, nor will it be the last.

I absolutely despise having to tell you about this ugliness at such a young age. Last year, when we stopped going to a certain area business because they were casually tossing around racial epithets, you had questions. And rightly so. That’s how I ended up describing the evils of racism to a 5-year-old. And now you’re faced with more ignorance and ugliness. And this time it’s that much harder because it’s from a friend.

I want you to know right up front, I’m proud of how you reacted. You told them (I’m using the incorrect pronoun to avoid repeatedly saying he/she and to avoid singling anyone out) gay people can get married in Massachusetts. You used your aunts as a valid example. And you told them the most important thing is that two people love each other when they get married.

Will, your friend is only 6. They might think marrying ANYONE is gross, or they might not have had anyone explain gay marriage, or — and this is the scary part — they might have parents who truly do believe it’s gross when two people of the same sex pledge their lives to one another.

Unfortunately, you said this person didn’t want to be friends anymore after your argument. It’s my hope that, because you’re 6, something shiny will distract you both and you can go back to being friends with this incident a mere afterthought and anomaly. But I’d be lying if I said these kinds of differences don’t leave a trail of broken friendships in their wake.

I know you tried to explain the truth to this kid. I also know you were extra frustrated because you knew you were right. And you are right. Gay people can be legally married, your aunts are legally married, and as long as two consenting adults love each other there is no reason they should be denied the right to marriage.

But at some point, the sad fact of the matter is you’re going to have a friendship strained — and ultimately broken — by intolerance.

Will, sometimes I forget you’re only six years old. I say that because your wisdom, empathy, and compassion for others far exceeds the limited number of years you’ve graced us with your presence. You are kind to every living thing — even apologizing to the worms we fish with when you put them on the hook. That’s why I hope you continue to do what you’re doing when the road gets rocky.

Remember, some kids are brought up in an environment of hate and intolerance. That doesn’t make it right or excusable, but if that’s all they know then you need to keep that in mind. Salvage the friendships you can and never burn a bridge unnecessarily. But if a friendship becomes truly toxic, it’s OK to extricate yourself from the situation. Never be afraid to surround yourself with love and positivity, because you are a bright light my friend.

And the world needs you to shine.

I watch you, you know? Even when you think I’m not looking, I am. I’ve seen you on the playgrounds and at birthday parties, and I love what I see. You have a refined and razor sharp sense of right and wrong, and you don’t just stand up for yourself — you stand up for whoever needs it. If someone is being isolated, you play with them. If someone is being made fun of, they’re met with a “HEY! THAT’S NOT NICE!” It is one of your finest qualities, and to possess it at such a young age is astounding.

Please never stop standing up for what’s right.

As you get older, the easiest thing to do in those situations is nothing. No one likes to be made fun of and the quickest way to become a target for bullies is to come between them and their prey. But guess what pal? Ironically, the quickest way to bring down bullies is to stand up to them. It’s not easy, especially when the bully turns out to be someone you thought was a friend. Remember, as Edmund Burke said, “all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

Continue being a good kid who stands for something and resides firmly on the side of what is right and just. You’re amazing and I’m the proudest father in the world.

Love,
Dad