To his credit, President Barack Obama added his voice to “It Gets Better” campaign to try to stem the suicide of gay and lesbian teenagers. Civil libertarians and gay rights advocates might be a bit more responsive if the message was not released the day his Administration successfully got a stay to be able to resume the removals of gays from the military and a week after it appealed a major victory in favor of gay marriage.
“When you’re teased or bullied it can seem like somehow you brought it on yourself … With time you’re going to see that your differences are a source of pride, a source of strength.” Unless of course you mention your sexual orientation to anyone while serving the country. Then the President wants to be sure that no court can stop your discharge or allow you to marry (despite his support for both gay service and marriage, of course).
I find this video a bit more credible:
Source: Guardian
Poor Juan Williams He got 2 million from Fox. Maybe they can flip him into a republican.
I think all the trouble posting lately is in response to all the complaints being made lately in comment sections across the net. They’re trying to slow them down.
Poor Juan Williams
Harry Reid wants everybody to know that if it wasn’t for him we would be in a world wide depression.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2010/10/21/whs_jarrett_we_completely_understand_anger_at_bush.html
Partisan grievances over campaign money piling up
It’s the homestretch to Election Day and the Federal Election Commission’s mailbox is filling up with complaints from political rivals about violations of its arcane campaign financing rules.
The latest is from a conservative group contending that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi violated FEC regulations that restrict coordination between candidates and outside political organizations.
The complaint by Let Freedom Ring, a Pennsylvania-based tax exempt, nonprofit organization, cites news reports in which Pelosi vowed to seek help from liberal-leaning organizations. The complaint lists political expenditures by those organizations in the wake of Pelosi’s remarks.
The comments by Pelosi and other Democratic officials, followed by liberal group ad spending, make “it perfectly clear that several organizations yielded to the demands of Democratic leaders and staffers,” the complaint alleges.
Read more: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/10/22/1338416/partisan-grievances-over-campaign.html#ixzz135seDNqu
Swathmore Mom like Valerie Jarrett said,
We understand the frustration of the American People.
Just a post to subscribe.
@SM: You mean follow Dr. Turley’s lead, don’t you? My post echoed his sentiments.
@Mespo: For the age Joel is talking about, these kids are irrational when emotional, which is often.
This is natural, around puberty the human brain is reorganized with myelin sheathing of nerves (which greatly increases transmission speed and more than doubles the speed of mental problem solving). This is a multi-year project, and the first areas rewired are related to social and emotional functions; the last are in the frontal cortex and related to logic and analysis. The human brain is not actually mature until about age 22 or 24.
These children are overwhelmed by a super-charged emotional system — it isn’t just hormones, it is faster and stronger than their cortex and able to override rationality. They are capable of perfectly fine rationality, but in emotional straits the cortex is beaten down.
They do deserve whatever protection we can give them, but short of putting them in solitary confinement, the peers they must interact with are in exactly the same condition: Often overwhelmed by their own emotions and irrational. They may understand the rational basis for fair treatment, but unlike matured brains they don’t really have much control over WHEN they are rational.
The realities of politics demand sound bites, and “It Gets Better” is at least a message of hope. If you listen to Joel Burns above, the guy gives out a website and his phone number to help anybody that needs it. To me that is more than just a “buck up” message.
bdaman You are right it is getting better for those that want the Bush years back Carl Rove and company are coming back. The plutocrats dumped the democrats and are with the people they have a natural affinity for. Republicans rule. The alliance between the corporation and the fundamentalist christian along with a little voter suppression makes for a victory. It worked in 2004 for Bush. Rove was the architect and he and the swift boaters are back. All they need now is for more people to follow Tony c and they will hit a home run.
It’s gonna get better in 2012
Then after say in 2012 we can all wave knowing It’s going to get better.
As everyone knows it takes time for a program to work. Things take time. Give the program a few years to develop.
There you go, a politician that deserves donations and reelection, willing to risk a career by telling the truth to do what is right. Joel Burns deserves your support. For all those claiming I don’t have a plan: There it is, find politicians like this and get them advanced.
http://www.joelburns.com.
The fact is that it gets better for both gay and straight teenagers. I applaud the LGBT elders for reaching out to these kids and telling them to hold on.
Its a fact that the frontal lobes don’t fully develop until 25. For some people, they never fully develop.
This is about as empty as “I’ll fight for you” and then doing nothing but backing his banking buddies. Dude, the campaign was over two years ago.
The Fort Worth City councilman was very brave. Fort Worth is dominated by christian fundamentalists. I was called last night by an anti-gay marriage group out of Washington. The message was vote republican for your pastor.
Powerful and incredibly courageous..
I hope every youngster hears Joel’s message.
It gets better? So he swiped this from that Ft. Worth Councilman’s speech. Oh, please.
Not sure I understand or agree with the message or the logic of the “It’s gets better” Program.” Doesn’t it imply that you have to suffer these Cretins until you get older so just get used to it. Why not simply say these tormentors are wrong and we will deal with them harshly as we would if you were harassed for being Jewish or African -American. Why not tell the kids they have self-worth and no adult or snotty-nosed bully can take that away with words or deeds? Tell ’em we’re in your corner and we’re not putting up with any bullying. That’s the message I’d give, not some pitiful, hand wringing stance that it’s gets better with time.