Entire Massachusetts congressional delegation participates in the "It Gets Better" project. With one notable exception.

Wow that was very uplifting!

I am really impressed that ALL of the Massachusetts delegation were able to come together, and do something so positive for the LGBT community in their state. That was really quite touching.

But you know, it felt to me that there was something missing.  Did you notice it too?

Yeah that's it!  Scott Brown, where in the hell was Scott Brown?

Did he not get the memo?

A Democratic Hill staffer with knowledge of the project told The Huffington Post that Brown was invited to participate, but he declined.

"Scott Brown has a strong record at the state and federal level against bullying and believes that all people regardless of sexual orientation should be treated with dignity and respect," said Brown spokesman Colin Reed when asked whether the senator had been asked to appear in the video. "His main focus right now is on creating jobs and getting our economy back on track."

Yeah you know I don't think that anybody's segment on that video was more than a few seconds long.  Surely THAT would not seriously take away from the time that Senator Brown needed to "create jobs" or get the "economy back on track."

I mean someone might start to think that Scott Brown hated the gays or something!

What's that?

Arline Isaacson, Co-​Chair of Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus stated, “Scott Brown has voted consistently against the LGBT community throughout his entire career in the Massachusetts legislature. His has not been an incidental opposition. He has voted against us loudly, proudly and unequivocally.

Unfortunately, most people don’t realize just how bad his record is:

–He voted over 25 times against marriage equality, even when 3/​4 of our legislature and many MA Republican legislators stood with us.
– He doesn’t support the Transgender Civil Rights & Hate Crimes bill
– He opposes repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”
– He opposes repealing the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA)
– He has ridiculed LGBT parents as inadequate
– He supported anti-​gay policies of George W Bush & Mitt Romney

Ohhh!  I get it now.  Brown is one of THOSE guys.

You know the ones that are so insecure about their sexuality that they are constantly making sure that they don't do anything which might accidentally appear gay, like stripping down for a national publication.

Oh, yeah that's right.

Well to be fair, Brown WAS quite a bit younger during his "drop trou for Cosmo" days, and besides there is NOTHING gay about that pose. (Okay well it might be a little gay.)

Still there is some hope that Brown is not one of those idiots that goes over the top to prove they are a strapping heterosexual by posing in a vaguely inappropriate manner with their scantily clad daughters. Because that would be just....oh.

 

Oops, I spoke too soon.

You know maybe the Massachusetts LGBT community is better off WITHOUT Senator Brown's participation in their "It Gets Better" campaign.

Because I don't know about you, but he kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies.

Besides, I am still not sure whether homophobia is something you are born with, or something that you get from your environment, so perhaps it is best to keep Senator Brown away from impressionable young teenagers. At least until science is certain about the issue.

(H/T to the Huffington Post.)

Occasionally Alaska reminds you of why it is called the "Last Frontier." And it uses bears to do so.

Courtesy of the Newsminer:

The teenage outdoor education students, having progressed to the point of being on their own in the vast Alaska wilderness, were lined up single file for a river crossing when the grizzly burst with fury into the front of the line, badly mauling two in the group and injuring two more.

Those in the front screamed of the bear's presence. The bear was with her cub when she attacked, according to Alaska State Troopers.

The teens were in a group of seven participating in a 30-day backcountry course conducted by the National Outdoor Leadership School when the attack occurred Saturday night in the Talkeetna Mountains north of Anchorage. They were rescued early Sunday after activating their emergency locator beacon and tending to their most seriously wounded.

Those in the back of the line heard the warning, with the two at the front of the line taking the brunt of the attack, trooper spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

Another group of seven students and three instructors was waiting about six miles away for a helicopter hired by the Lander, Wyo.-based NOLS, said Bruce Palmer, a spokesman for the organization, which leads many such excursions in Alaska and elsewhere.

Palmer said the worst injured with bear bite wounds are 17-year-old Joshua Berg of New City, N.Y., and 17-year-old Samuel Gottsegen of Denver. They were being treated at Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. Hospital spokeswoman Crystal Bailey said both are listed in serious condition after troopers earlier said the injuries were life-threatening.

When the bear broke off the attack, the teens activated a personal locator beacon they carried to be used only for an emergency, Peters said.

The Rescue Coordination Center operated by the Alaska Air National Guard called troopers around 9:30 p.m. to report the activated signal. A trooper and pilot in a helicopter located the students in a tent shortly before 3 a.m., but decided the two most seriously injured would need a medical transport aircraft with a medically trained crew.

There are basic rules that Alaskans learn to follow when going into areas that have bears:

• Make lots of noise to give plenty of warning of your approach. I don't see how seven teenagers stomping through the woods could NOT have made a tremendous amount of noise,
• Avoid deep brush so as not to surprise or crowd the bear. These young men were crossing a river, which you would imagine would provide a plenty of visibility to allow both the bear and the teens to see each other and take evasive measures.
• There is safety in numbers.  Seven is a fairly substantial group, but in this case not substantial enough.
•  Bears are unpredictable, especially mothers with their cubs. I believe that THIS last guideline made the others superfluous.

These unfortunate young men came upon perhaps the single most dangerous situation one could encounter in the wilds of Alaska, and that is a bear with cubs to protect.

From the description of the incident one would assume the bear had plenty of time to take her cub and flee the scene, but for some reason chose to attack instead. Even though it sounds like the teens were doing everything right.


Calling out to alert bears of human presence and give nearby animals a chance to flee is among the skills learned in the course.

"The students say they were" doing that, Palmer said.

I sometimes get a little attitude from the friends and family that I take out on hikes in the wooded areas round the city, for being overly cautious about wearing layers, bringing liquids, making lots of noise, and keeping to the paths while hiking in areas with limited visibility. But I always remind them that even only minutes away from our homes we are STILL deep in Alaska, and that Alaska is not aware that it has been civilized.


We have had quite a number of attacks in and around Anchorage, but you always tell yourself that if you follow the bear safety rules you should be okay. I think this incident with these young men is a reminder that even doing everything right, ultimately offers only minimal protection in a place as wild and unpredictable as Alaska.

Bill Maher is NOT buying the moosepoop in Bristol Palin's new book.

This is VERY funny, and most of you will love it.

However for those of you unfamiliar with Bill Maher, or HBO for that matter, I should warn you that this clip contains adult content, so make sure the kids are not anywhere near your computer when you click "play."

Oh, and you probably should make sure your don't have a mouthful of coffee either.

(H/T to Mediaite.)