I saw something truly fascinating yesterday, and although it is an emotive discussion, it actually raised questions for me that it seems a lot of others hadn’t really considered. I’ll warn you now, this post might not be easy to read!

So a few weeks ago I brought up the Occupy movement and how it seems that a new wave of civil protest is braking out. This of course started on September 17th (my birthday, coincidentally!) and since then we’ve seen some remarkable events.

Primarily, we’ve seen enormous protests in solidarity all over the world. There have been messages of support back and forth between England, Australia, USA, Spain, Egypt, France, Ireland, Japan and hundreds of capital cities in countries all over the planet. Occupations have arisen in all corners, with hundreds of thousands of people calling for everything from gay rights to the end of banker bonuses. Students are demanding a fair education, mothers are demanding  adequate health care, unions are calling for fair workers rights…

But along with the amazing outpouring of a demand for justice, there have also been some impressive shows of force by those in positions of power. Notably, in the USA, the right to freedom of assembly has been under attack, with some cities allocating time slots for citizens to express themselves, some forcibly evicting protesters and – in the case of Oakland California – brutally crushing the right to protest with the use of weaponry.

That brings me to the crux of this post.

We saw a couple of Marines join the Wall Street protests after the girls were attacked by the NYPD, and they vowed to defend their fellow Americans against the violence. This was, without a doubt, a very noble and moral thing to do.

But, on Tuesday 25th October, we saw things go wonky in Oakland. The Oakland PD (in conjunction with other law enforcement departments from neighboring areas) arrived to enforce an eviction demand enacted by Mayor Jean Quan. Ironically, she came to fame for being an active member of the rights movements previously and was seen as an advocate of Liberal policies. Unfortunately, it seems that the old line of power being a corrupting force has been proven in her case.

When protesters arrived in the evening to reclaim their rightful place in the heart of the city, they were met with brute force. Officers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and “flash bang” grenades at protesters (Oakland Police have denied this, despite these weapons being filmed in use). There are reports that an LRAD weapon (sound cannon) was on scene and ready to be deployed. This is a military grade weapon, illegal for use against American citizens.

In the proceeding violence a young man fell to the ground. His name is Scott Olsen. Other occupiers quickly arrived to assist him – then a grenade was thrown by an officer directly into the crowd, exploding inches from Scott’s head. Police ignored calls for medical assistance from the crowd, and his fellow protesters carried him to safety. Scott was found to have a skull fracture and ended up in a medically induced coma.

While he is now stable and awake, his memory is reportedly impeded and his speech is slurred. There are fears that he may have suffered permanent brain damage.

The following day it became apparent that Scott Olsen is a veteran. He served two tours in Iraq for his country. Yes, the 24 year old served for his country twice in a war zone, came home safely, and was almost killed by the Police of California.

When this came to light, US marine Jay C Gentile posted the following pic -

Almost immediately hundreds of other veterans and serving military joined in with their condemnation, demanding several things including comment from President Obama, the resignations of Mayor Quan and her senior police officers, and calling for larger protests against those restricting the freedom of assembly in every city in America.

But – and this is the hard part – what if Scott hadn’t been a veteran?

I’m all for the sudden outpouring of support and solidarity with the brotherhood, but would we be seeing the same thing if the person who is now in a hospital bed recovering from a critical injury were gay, or black, or a student, or unemployed… Would the military actually care if it was “just another regular American”?

I know, it’s a hard thought to have. These people are noble for standing up now, but where were they all when they were watching those girls being maced by the NYPD? Why did that event only illicit a response from a handful of military men when this has gained hundreds of serving and veteran marines? Where were all these heroes during other violent crackdowns on protest in America? Scott is not the first, and he certainly won’t be the last.

Ultimately, it’s a great thing that they have stepped up and vowed to defend their fellow citizens against the brutality of numerous out of control Police establishments and local authorities in America. We all know that things are getting dangerous, and as the violence is stepped up by those in blue, the people will need the boys in camo to defend them. In the last couple of weeks we’ve seen groups being announced including OccupyTeachers, OccupyPolice and OccupyTheBoardRoom – but most importantly, OccupyMarines.

Hundreds of serving and veteran Marines are now signing up to Occupy alongside their fellow Americans. It’s just a shame that it took the attempted murder of a fellow Marine to get them moving to defend their people on home soil.

This video is something else. A streaker wearing a referee outfit happens to get on the field and get in the middle of the game action then runs out in-between players and other refs. The cute college student then takes off his snap pants that match ref pants then take off his shirt to show his abs. Supposedly these are his sisters pink and red panties he is wearing which kind of resemble Valentines day panties. Cute. I could almost get into watching College Football to see this kind of magic. The funny thing is that the channel that aired the game would not show the streaker at all or even when he was being handcuffed and ran off the football field but did show the quick riot caused afterwards.

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Levi Crocker is hands down the hottest guy on Dallas A-List and may be the most hung but what does he have going on underneath all those clothes? Here (click more) are some pics of the gay rodeo boy shirtless!
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On National Coming Out Day superstar Golden Girl Betty White was seen out and about at the Abbey in West Hollywood. Of course, this is not an unusual outing. Betty White is a regular at the Abbey bar. No wonder this place keeps getting voted one of the best bars in the World.

Dallas A-list that is Y’all. We could just call it Levi’s housewives with lots of Bible thumpin’ and Dallas stereotypes. First of all the show starts out with the main saying of Dallitude and has to go all cowboy on us with hats, boots, and some Rodeo in Mesquite. Well ok Dallas has some Dallitude but so does every city that is called Queens with cocktails or cliques Worldwide. Not just in Dallas. Yes, there are a lot of gay cowboys out there and many gay republicans but what is up with the over-doing it on the bibles and praying on the show. We hear that Ann Coulter is supposed to make an appearance to visit up with A-list cast member Taylor Garrett.

Now let’s talk about Taylor. He seemed kind of cute at first then he started sounding dumber and dumber with his George W. Bush talk. I can’t see the same sexual interest Levi Crocker would have in Taylor but maybe there is something down there we can’t find on TV. His gay girl friend Ashley seems to have made friends with everyone on the show. I have to wonder if she drinks or clubs?

One of my favorite parts of the show was when James Doyle was asked if he had sex with Levi before and he replied something similar to “we just exchanged fluids”. I also liked the hair scenes with Chase. I know what its like to have hair that changes and has its own mindset everyday and is unpredictable.

Parts of the show were strangely nothing like living in Dallas it is not that Baptist on the gay side of life. Remember we are the ones that have the so-called “Christians” outside our clubs still haunting us and stalking us to “make a change” and join their team against how we were born. They are out there with their hate singing and trying to shove the bible in our faces right there at Throckmorton and Cedar Springs every weekend. The show is a bit too focused on making us look like Southern Baptists here in Big D.

I feel that Chase has that draw to be an oil tycoon on a real Dallas show. His voice is kind of Scott McQueery in its uniqueness but so much accent. He has hot legs though and some fun, wild hair. Levi is more the star of the show at least from the first episode. Levi and James are definitely the more outspoken ones on the show but the real troublemaker seems to be Phillip Willis. Phillip Willis is welcomed as the first black man to the A-list series but may end up being the most drama (but isn’t that what reality TV is about). The girl on the show Ashley is not the first girl since A-List NYC had Nyasha.

So you ask who was Krystal the girl shown a few times at the Rodeo and at dinner with James? That would be Krystal Summers who stars in a movie Trannies with Knives and is one of the headlining drag queens at the Rose Room inside Station 4 of Dallas. You will most likely see more of her as the series goes on with the summer of 2011.

There will probably be more haters of the show than anything especially with Ann Coulter appearing on the show in an upcoming episode but it’s really not too bad. While the show really does not portray Dallas 100% as it should be from our gay scene it will most likely do a better job in upcoming episodes. There is always jealousy and the feeling of wanting to be with that boy who never really liked you back and I think we could all feel for James in that part. Levi is supposed to be the Reichen of the show with more of the jock and player character. It will be interesting to see what the next episode brings and if they stir enough drama to bring back another season. It comes on next week at a better time which is definitely a better thing since us Dallas Baptists have to be in bed around 9pm… we have bibles to read at 8pm. Yee-haw!

We clicked on an article on the NyPost.com today and noticed that LOGO is promoting the A-list Dallas on all of their entertainment pages. With all of this promotion from LOGO and all of the hype this show better be worth watching at 10pm central tonight. We will see. The show follows a reunion show for A-List NYC then the alums come back to the Dallas show afterwards to break us into the new cast. We are curious as to why the show comes on so late at the 10 and 11pm time slots… strange. Review to come tomorrow!

It seems that Dallas, Texas is the place to be, that is if you are judging by the sheer number of reality shows based there. If you are looking to watch the glitz, glamour, and do not forget the drama, of other peoples lives, apparently you need look no further than Dallas.

Bravo has the reality show Most Eligible Dallas. This show follows a group of young, successful, and single friends, throughout their lives. You have beauty queens and pro football players, and everyone is looking for love. Meet Courtney Kerr, the 29 year old who works in the fashion industry, and is best friends with Matt. She is outspoken and career driven. She wants nothing more than to be a good wife and mother, but cannot seem to find Mr. Right. Her best friend Matt Nordgren is the 28 year old ex former college Quarterback who now works in the family business. He is a serial dater, and Courtney is always quick to find flaw with his many woman friends. Enter 23-year-old aspiring singer Neill Skylar. Neill is the single mother to a one year old and she and Matt quickly develop feelings for each other, a fact that does not sit well with best friend Courtney. You can see where this is going, and these are just three of the characters on this popular reality series.

Logo is launching The A-List Dallas, which is premiering on October 10. Now this show follows a group of five gay men and their girl pal Ashley, and you can be sure there will be some truly outrageous drama unfolding on this reality show. The Logo website hilariously calls the show “Housewives with Balls”. You have James, who is your party guy and serial dater, every show has one. He comes from money, so work is optional, and he opts not to. Levi is your past rodeo star who now works for the family business, and has launched a line of swimwear for gay men. Taylor is the Christian gay republican, and Chase has the career in finance, and is looking for Mr. Right. Phillip is the one you do not want to cross because he knows everyone’s secrets. This show is sure to be entertaining, and sure to have everyone talking.

Big Rich Texas on mystyle follows a group of successful Dallas mothers and their daughters. This elite group of women has careers ranging from the marketing executive, to the runway model. Each woman is career driven and passionate, and tries to pass that knowledge on to the group of four daughters on the show. The daughters range in age from 15-22.

Not to be outdone by the reality shows, TNT is bringing back the hit soap opera style drama, Dallas. Dallas first aired back in 1978, and was a hit for thirteen years. It featured the Ewing family, and dealt with wealthy Texas oil millionaires. The show was so popular, if you ask anyone where they where during the airing of The Who Shot J.R. episode, the answer is sure to be in front of the television. It is still one of the most watched episodes of all time. Staying true to the soap opera format, the show had a lot cheating, backstabbing, divorcing, and fighting, and the spin-off will be sure to have more of the same. The show is set to air summer 2012, and with stars like Jesse Metcalfe, and Jordana Brewster, the show is sure to be a hit.

It is apparent that Dallas has all the fun, and all the drama, glitz, glamour, and love.