01/31/2006
Gore Vidal's State of the Union: "This is an unpatriotic government. This is a government that deals openly in illegalities, whether it is attacking a country which has done us no harm, two countries -- Iraq and Afghanistan -- because we now believe, not in declaring war through Congress as the Constitution requires, but through the President. ‘Well, I think there are some terrorists over there, and I think we got to bomb them, huh? We'll bomb them.’ Now, we’ve had idiots as presidents before. He's not unique. But he's certainly the most active idiot that we have ever had."
The last day of Hallam Tennyson. At the end of December, I posted about the brutal murder of the gay great grandson of one of England's most lauded poets, Alfred Lord Tennyson. One suspect was questioned and released without charges. Police are trying to piece together events leading up to his murder and have found two images of Tennyson in North London tube stations on the day of his death. There is no word on how the images might affect the investigation into his death, but authorities are saying they just want to put together as many pieces as possible.
In October I wrote about the brutal killing of barman Jody Dobrowski on London's Clapham Common. The two men whom police held in connection with Jody's killing yesterday gave "not guilty" pleas at the Old Bailey today. Dobrowski's body had been beaten so badly that it was beyond recognition and had to be identified through fingerprints.
Anderson Cooper as leather daddy? See it and believe.
Photographer Lewis Payton will be appearing on tonight's On Q Live for those of you who get the network.
Jeffrey Graham talks to Erasure's Andy Bell.
Posted 1:00 PM EST by Andy Towle in Elsewhere | Permalink
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Has anyone noticed there is a lot of talk about murders and gay violence on Towleroad these days? When did this blog become less Queer as Folk and more CSI Britian?
Posted by: Randy | Jan 31, 2006 1:10:35 PM
When we stopped fucking around as much and they started killing us more?
Posted by: david | Jan 31, 2006 1:18:07 PM
Queer as Folk??? Is that whast this is. Good God I hope not. ;)
Posted by: cafegogo | Jan 31, 2006 1:35:55 PM
which is really funny, as all reports indicate that Anderson just lies there like a dead fish and takes it.
Posted by: DemInNYC | Jan 31, 2006 2:10:16 PM
Only sine you've awoke, Randy. Only since you've awoke...
Posted by: Greg | Jan 31, 2006 2:22:37 PM
Perhaps someone already mentioned this, but I thought it was quelle ironic that at the end of Oprah's show Friday with the Brokeback gang—you know that movie about, among other things, being in the closet—that she announced that her guest today would be, drumroll: Anderson "Queer? Who's queer?" Cooper! Ironic and sad. Or, put another way: FUCK HIM and the ugly mother he rode in on!
Posted by: Leland | Jan 31, 2006 2:47:00 PM
This site is becomming almost as depressing as "The Advocate".
Posted by: Rad | Jan 31, 2006 2:51:54 PM
This isn't just a "blog", it's the Zeitgeist.
Posted by: Liam | Jan 31, 2006 4:24:29 PM
Andy, thanks for the Gore Vidal post.
Posted by: Jeff | Jan 31, 2006 5:44:28 PM
Viva La Vidal.
http://www.thinkprogress.org/
Deja Vu anyone?
Anyone know how many times he's expected to say 9/11 tonight?
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Jan 31, 2006 7:45:14 PM
How do I get to the Andy Bell interview? I'm still trying to figure out how to use this site.
Leland, why do you dislike Anderson Cooper so much? I'm not meaning to challenge you, I just haven't heard people discuss him much so I don't have much background on him.
Posted by: Chad Hanging | Jan 31, 2006 9:57:33 PM
Chad, thank you for your question.
First, while I know someone who knew him at Yale and insists he's gay, I have no personal knowledge one way or the other. But believing that he is, I, therefore, believe he is a moral coward for not being publicly out. Actors are in the only profession that I consider might be a justification for not coming out. Newsmen or news personalities are certainly not exempt. I am not suggesting that he hold a press conference to announce it, or open each program with, "Hi, I'm Anderson Cooper and I kiss boys," or get dumped from the Best Dressed List for wearing a rainbow tie with his expensive suits. BUT I do believe that when asked in interviews, as he often is, that he should simply say yes. Even more importantly, I believe that when he has a rabidly homophobic guest, as he often does, or mentions a gay-related item in the news, as he often does, that he say, e.g., "Well, Reverend Dumb Fuck, I'm gay so I know that what you've just said is nonsense."—just as he's gotten all kind of praise for calling bullshit in a live interview with the governor of Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Just as he would not sit there mum if someone was spouting inanities about any of the various war zones that he's personally experienced. If he has a right to do that, then, given that the Bush administration and the right wing generally have declared war on him and his friends, he has AN OBLIGATION to speak from his personal experience as a gay man. Quakers call it "Speaking Truth to Power."
I guess makes Anderson a liar.
Posted by: Leland | Jan 31, 2006 10:49:21 PM
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Posted by: Jay Croce | Jan 31, 2006 11:01:26 PM
Poor Gore Vidal - Lost his mind a couple of years ago and it looks like he never found it again.
Posted by: Matthew Schooler | Feb 1, 2006 12:03:22 AM
I don't know about Vidal...
Personally, I give dude a lot of credit. He's been out without fanfare and respected for a very long time; he's woven gay subject matter - where warranted - in movies like 'Ben Hur' before a lot of us were born; he spouts his opinions with no regard to gay appropriateness, and certainly with no catering to a straight audience; and he wrote the brilliant 'Duluth'.
Posted by: Jacko | Feb 1, 2006 5:18:59 AM