Life in the Promised Land by Joshua Legg

LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND IS BACK!

2008-02-12T22:07:00.003-05:00

After much time away, I am back online. Please visit joshualegg.com for lots of new stuff, and the return of Life in the Promised Land! Hope to see you there.

LGBT REMEMBERANCE DAY

2006-07-23T21:07:00.000-04:00

Sullivan makes a great proposition: he suggests that we mark 19 July as a day to remember the oppression that LGBT persons face the world-over. This week's execution of two gay teens in Tehran is just the latest indication of how much hate our tribe faces on this planet.

I hope the global LGBTQ community will take up Sully's suggestion. We can't ever forget. And, we cannot stop the fight for justice and equality...we cannot stop the fight for our right to simply exist. We're here, we're part of this world, and we are not going away. Ever.

SCHOOL'S OUT

2006-07-23T20:21:00.000-04:00

SO, OK. School's not really out. The regaular acaedmic year is over and that means I've had time for a little bit of life this last few weeks, and am catching up on work (both on campus and at home). I actually got things in my home office straightened up and did about 2.5 hours of filing today--I can see the floor, and may sort of be able to find some shit now.

I'm spending the summer session actually taking (advanced poetry) in Harvard's creative writing program. Staff members at the school can get a master's almost for free, so I'm thinking about doing the program. It's only an ALM, not an MFA, but it's a great faculty (an ALM is like an MA).

Have also been logging in a lot of dance-related freelance writing this year...just put two more to bed and have three more to start working on now. So, between that and the time I'm supposed to be writing for the poetry class, I am finally starting to spend the kind of time writing that I've always wanted to spend...although it's certainly not full-time yet.

So, this seems like a good time to dust off the blog for a bit, and maybe reconnect with my old chums online. Missed y'all.

PROTECTING FAMILIES

2006-07-23T19:59:00.000-04:00

Here's the ad that I designed speaking out against the anti-marriage/anti-family constitutional amendment here in Massachusetts. The amendment was supposed to get a vote earlier this month, but was pushed back till November. The ad ran in 3 sizable publications, including the back page of the Metro, one of the largest dailies in Boston. It was great to see people looking at the ad on the T!

ON MY iPOD

2006-07-23T19:37:00.000-04:00

Fuck yes I spin the Chicks. Turns out, they were right. I'll take my ass-kickin', All-American, patriotic music from this powerhouse group everyday. Nuff said.

POLLING HAPPINESS

2006-03-08T13:53:00.000-05:00

I'm really becoming fond of Mike Mennonno's column in the Boston Metro. Check out his piece today on the Pew Research Center Social Trends Report, "Are we Happy Yet?" Loved his reaction. Read it here.

Also, check out Mike's other blog, T-Rage, which aims a well deserved arrow in the direction of Boston's T system.

POLLS I WANT TO SEE - Death Penalty v. Euthanasia

2006-03-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

This is a entry is about correlations--correlations for which I would love some empirical evidence...

As a result of the 9/11 trials, the nation is once again rehashing our stand on the death penalty. This is a recurring tennis match that seems in perpetual "volley for serve" mode. I'm noticing though an interesting relationship in conversations I've had recently on this topic: many supporters of the death penalty oppose euthanasia; and conversely, many supporters of assisted suicide/euthanasia oppose the death penalty.

So, on the one hand, you have folks who believe in killing as a form of punishment, but who also rail against the idea of assisted suicide as a way to end suffering. On the other hand you have the opposite where an act that is perceived to end suffering is fine, but one that punishing a heinous crime is some how antithetical to a just society.

As readers of this blog know, I love contradictions and dichotomies. I want to know more about these two groups of persons; and I want to know how members of two different groups can have reverse opinions about two conflicting ideas and still believe at a fundamental level that both of their perceptions are rooted in morality.

How does a moral code allow for taking the life of a criminal, and not for the compassionate ending of suffering? And, how is a compassionate killing any different at the moral level than killing someone who participated in the slaughter of thousands of human beings in a single event?

Then, there's the question of the death penalty and abortion...I'm not even going there today.

But, questions like these are necessary for a society such as our to ponder...and if we are to maintain our sense of morality, we must continually evaluate our beliefs.

And I want a poll on this one.

LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND -- And Defending It

2006-03-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

This posting is part of what may evolve into an ongoing conversation with a reader. Check out the comments in the "America's Dishonor, II" below for Silverbear's full comments. But, I want to address two items:

Precisely what liberties are we taking for granted?...I admire your sentiments, Joshua, but it seems to me that you have bought into the mythology that we live in the promised land despite the fact that in nearly every way America dosen't measure up.

Americans, on the right and the left are equally responsible for much of the state of affairs in this nation, largely Silverbear, because we take our fundamental right to vote for granted. I'm not going to rehash the stats here, but we know how staggeringly few Americans have actually voted in the last two presidential elections. Had more Americans excercised that right in 2000, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had the opportunity to choose our president...had more Democrats gotten off their asses and gone to the polls in 2004, Bush would be gone (good Lord, that was a narrow margin!).

Is there a significant amount of un-American activity going on in the GOP? Sure. But, we know that. Question is, what are the Dems doing about it? And people wonder why I'm such a die-hard Independent.

All of the things that you bring up Silverbear, are clearly important to me personally. I've been fighting for queer rights since I was 15--now more than 1/2 of my life. Working in the marriage movement I've certainly seen the damage the denial of our rights does not only to us as individuals, but to society by extention. I've written at length about the harm anti-marriage laws do to families. Hell, I lost the man I loved because I couldn't marry him when he lost his visa and had to leave the States.

But, Silverbear, and this is a huge but: I am clinging to the same vision that people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Lanston Hughes, Thomas Jefferson, and Susan B. Anthony all shared for America.

This is not a black and white world we live in, my friend. It is all about the shades of grey. And, the title of this blog isn't about my belief in a myth. The title of this blog is about irony. It's about the irony of a nation that you described in your comments juxtaposed against the kind of nation where thousands of immigrants come to each year (many illegally) because while much may be wrong here, things are far worse in other countries. And, I think you know that, otherwise you would have already left the country.

While I rail against this government on an all-too-frequent basis, at least I can. And while MA is the only state in the Union where I and my brothers and sisters in my tribe can marry, at least we live in a country where this issue can be discussed. Imagine it in let's say Iran. Oh, that's right...in Iran what happened to Matthew Shepherd would have been a legal, state-sanctioned sentence for being queer.

Do I understand that the far right is trying to destroy democracy and finally enshrine theocracy? Of course. And, I do anything I can every single day to combat that. I don't give a shit if it seems like a loosing--or even lost--battle. I was born an American, and that's how I'll die one day. My citizenship is the one thing outside of myself and my Creator that has been a constant in my life since the moment I was born...even more than my family. Anyone on the right or left can try their damnedest to define for me what the limits of that citizenship are...they can even nibble away at the rights that come with that citizenship...but as long as I can continue to define my own expectations for that means in reality and how I behave as a result, then I too will continue to sing America.

This is a time of oppression, Silverbear. We can either sit and rail, or we can join the Movement. And, isn't that always the core of a test of faith? And what is citizenship,? It is above all, a matter of faith.

AMERICA'S DISHONOR, II

2006-03-04T22:13:00.000-05:00

In response to my posting on the Call To Duty Tour, a reader adds:

I'm not near a tour site...but you gotta admire these folks for trying. I used to live in Charlottesville (home of the U. of VA) and their choice of that conservative venue sure indicates that they aren't just trying to preach to the already-converted. So what makes folks like these (and others) want to fight this [the ban]?

I'm astigmatic in my left eye and got glasses in March my senior year of high school...I'd known since I was about five or six that I wanted to be a Naval fighter pilot. Glasses grounded me, and despite having my ducks in a row, I decided to forego the Naval Academy and a career as a service member. It was my honor instead, to serve my country instead as a White House staff member...but it even that didn't fulfill my deep, heartfelt desire to defend the liberties too many Americans take for granted.

At the point in high school when I realized I couldn't fly, frankly, I was only coming to a foggy notion that I was queer. But, my desire to serve this nation was more potent than my sexuality at that point, so even if I'd been aware it wouldn't have been enough to keep me from joining. Being permanently grounded was though. No way was I going into a career at a desk. That was the last thing I wanted, and ultimately why I've made as many choices as possible through school and building my career path that involve as little paper-pushing as possible.

Anyway...in my gut I understand the desire to eradicate this ban. Not only is it un-American, it is antithetic to the goals of the military in the first place as it clearly is leaving the US unprepared to defend itself.

Besides, would value does freedom hold if our citizens are bared from defending that freedom?

DISPOSABLE CHILDREN REDUX

2006-03-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

Those readers who've stuck around through my periodic postings this last year may remember this story I posted in June 2005. I was on the train platform at the JFK/UMass T stop and watched a mother try to kill her baby by throwing him in front of a train. Fortunately, several of us were able to prevent her from succeeding. The police arrived, took our statements, arrested the mother, and I haven't heard another since.

Well, the wheels of justice are nothing if not unbelievably fucking slow. I was just called to testify for the DA this past Thursday. Of course, the defendant failed to appear. So, I have to go back to court in May to testify...nearly a year after the original attack on this child.

So, while I was in court this Thursday, I provided a statement to the DA's office and the defense attorney...I've had some strange complements in my life, but the defense attorney actually said I'd make a good witness even though I was providing solid support for the DA's case.

Now, this is were things really go from bad to fucking enraging: the charge in this case is only reckless endangerment of a child, which only comes with a 2.5 year maximum sentence in a correctional facility.

The mother threatened to kill her child, and attempted to carry out her threat. How does attempted murder become reckless endangerment?

AND, to top it all off, the defense attorney told me that postpartum depression is the defense...at which point I said, "I watched a mother try to kill her baby. I don't buy that." The defense attorney dropped her head and couldn't look up at me. The look on the DA staffer's face was a priceless shit-eating grin. She was clearly glad I'd said my peace.

The only good news I got Thursday was that the little boy is in protective custody with DSS. Now, I'm not thrilled that this boy is now in the system. But, at least he's safe...but how incredibly sad that he has to be made safe from his own mother.

POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION VS. PSYCHOSIS

2006-03-04T21:46:00.000-05:00

The USDHHS has great information on the differences between "baby blues," postpartum depression, and postpartum psychosis. If the defense in the above discussion has any foothold in this area, it might possibly be with postpartum psychosis. But, for that to have been a trigger for attempted infanticide, the defense would need to prove prior schizoaffective disorder(s)...and the defense attorney clearly stated that no such history had been documented.

Because this case won't go to trial for several more months, I'm leaving certain details out of this posting about the event in question. But, suffice it to say, that certain statements by the mother make it difficult to accept postpartum depression or psychosis. The mother admitted to an participating in something on the train that I believe triggered her socially-diviant behavior on the platform. her activities presented poor, but not irrational, judgement prior to acting out in a homicidal manner. She is likely not a responsible person or mother, but I don't believe that she suffers from anything more than pure fucking stupidity. She must be held accountable for her actions...not pitied for a politically correct designer disorder.

SPEAKING OF BUFFY

2006-03-02T16:47:00.000-05:00

The Sarah Michelle Gellar Fan site just celebrated its 10th Anniversary on Tuesday. A huge congrats to the crew there, and thanks for keeping all informed the last 10 years. Check out the sight, good stuff there about SMG's upcoming big projects...can't wait for Southland Tales.

TV'S GHOSTLAND

2006-03-02T16:07:00.000-05:00

Yes, these several years later, I still admit to missing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There is still nothing on TV--network or cable--that approaches the smartness and daring of Buffy. Don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoing Grey's Anatomy. As dramadies go, it's one of the best. Love the cast. Largely though, it's safe. Like the vast majority of popular shows that have bubbled to the surface the last few years, there is no subtext on Grey's...and I don't mean because of the narration (which is actually well crafted on this show).

In Buffy, there was so much going on beneath all of the camp and drama. There were moments of "Ohmygod, they're really talking about X, Y or Z." We don't get that anymore. Everything is so literal now...and pedantic...and judgement-ladened.

Buffy had a sense of dark and light, but it was rarely judgemental. The writers crafted subtext and shades of grey like few teams have ever done well for TV. I'm an almost never surprised when I sit in front of the tube now. It seems like every show is black and white, and done up in a nice little bow. Even shows like CSI are so superficial I usually have the case solved before the first commercial break.

Medium is interesting and well acted. Because the show is based around solving crimes though, it is often black and white. I watch it when I can, and am hoping that the network will allow the creative team to really develop the show as it matures.

Supernatural was held my interest so far. There is a certain element of slaying/hunting as the job/fate of the Winchester family (much as there was with Buffy), but there is a clear right and wrong, no subtext, no philosophical exploration, and no interesting and original banter. There is also a much stronger sense of Christianity inherent in this show than there was in Buffy, which may make it harder to keep pagans hooked as we were with Buffy. In fact, there are some moments from the last episode that are borderline defamation of witches/pagans in the use of an upright pentacle by the demon-summoner...despite notes on the shows Website about how meligned that symbol has been in the media.

Again, I hope the WB allows Supernatural to mature, because it has potential. Shows like Angel and Charmed experienced too many alterations in their run that they never figured out who they were...much as I kinda liked both shows.

Anyway, all this means is that while I continue to watch new shows in hopes of something inventive and original, I find myself looking at my stacks of Buffy tapes missing the hell outta the Scoobies.

DADDY LIKES

2006-02-25T11:28:00.000-05:00

Am becoming a fan of Marcus Williams at Elements Studio. He's got a good eye, and some beautiful shots in his portfolio. (Hat tip, Jocko.) I'm also becoming a fan of Boston-based photodude, Joel Benjamin. I scored a print of one of his wrestling shots last week at fundraiser for the Freedom to Marry Coalition.

AMERICA'S DISHONOR - The Costs of the Ban on Gay Service Members

2006-02-25T11:05:00.000-05:00

Since its inception, the US military's "Don't Ask, Don't Pursue, Don't Harass" policy banning gay Americans from serving in our armed forces has resulted in the discharge of some 10,000 soldiers. An estimated 750+/- of those soldiers possessed critical expertise--skills essential to our national security such as Arabic translators. Last week, the University of California estimated this has cost $363M...at the same time the Baltimore Sun noted that 1 in 6 new recruits has a criminal background.

This last Tuesday, I had the privilege of catching the Call To Duty Tour here at Harvard. This incredible group of gay and lesbian former service members provides a clear understanding of the damage this dishonorable policy is doing to America's safety. Definitely check them out if you're remotely close to one of their tour stops. Every American needs to understand them harm this ban is doing to our nation...and this is a public education program to prepare the country for the lifting of this ban that must happen if we are to be prepared to face the enemies that approach.

WEEK IN REVIEW (Or Several)

2006-02-04T16:24:00.000-05:00

A couple of readers have now asked why I've been silent on some major issues this last week or so: USSC, SOTU (or the POTUS churns margarine), movie awards...and interestingly enough, the passing of the great Mrs. King. Well, I've been busy getting ready for the new term at school, starting auditions and rehearsals this week, visiting Yale, pitching new articles and signing contracts, and spending the few meger minutes the new BF and I could steal to be together. And, since I just got out of rehearsal, need to reread the sylabus for Monday's class again, and dash to dinner with the faculty I'll give you my one sentence reactions to each of the aforementioned events:

1. USSC -- I never thought I'd miss Sandra Day O'Connor, but her retirement marked a sad day for this nation because a) she was actually a fair-minded conservative justice capable of intelligent readings of the constitution, and b) her replacement isn't qualified for the job.

2. SOTU -- When your dealer tells you have an addiction, you know you've got a problem.

3. Movie awards -- More on that later. I haven't seen Capote yet.

4. Mrs. King -- I wish her husband's dream had been closer to a reality before she passed, because we struggle on.

Peace.

DADDY LIKES

2006-02-04T12:47:00.000-05:00

Gotta love this beautiful boy from John Bartlett's runway show this week. Come ta Daddy. Woof.

MORE WINTER FROM THIS WEEK

2006-01-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

With all this sun today, not much more than these shots remains from the snow we had in my neighborhood a few days ago. But, it was beautiful here:

DOWN TIME

2006-01-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

Am getting a couple days of well-earned down time this weekend. The new term at school starts next Thursday, so things are about ta get crazy again and I'm grabbing a few days away while I can. Am headin' over ta New Haven ta catch up with my Ma for a bit. Not sure I'll have 'Net access, so posts may not resume till Monday.

Y'all have a good weekend if I don't see ya.

WINTER AT HARVARD

2006-01-25T23:40:00.000-05:00

Radcliffe Yard, yesterday.

HUNG UP - Campy Fan Videos

2006-01-22T17:03:00.000-05:00

I am so ROTFLMAO! Check out these vids of fans lip syncing to Madonna's Hung Up.

After you watch the four queer Asian boys (who are all kinda cute), click the More Videos link in the top right hand and catch more fans doing their thing. The one with the dude playing with Whinnie the Poo is fucking adorable.

iTUNES SPINNIN' - The Weakness in Me

2006-01-22T13:35:00.001-05:00

Melissa Etheridge's cover of Joan Armatrading's The Weakness in Me is one of the most raw, powerful, and hungry tunes I've ever heard. I play it often when I need to be connected to something that exposed. It gets at the furies and raging fires that sometimes come upon us in daily crossings with other humans. It pulls back layers of confusion and darkness, and you feel the jagged edges. And there is no pretty, happy ending. No epiphany. Still, there is a knowing, and in that knowing, a sense of resolve...if not resolution. Joan may have written an incredible tune, but in Melissa's hands it evolved and has a life all its own.

HGTV'S DREAM HOME - And Designing for Guys

2006-01-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

There's a lot to love about this year's HGTV Dream Home. It's a rustic retreat overlooking the mountains in Asheville, NC. I really love the exterior and the added touches like the outside living room. I'd move to Asheville.

My questions though are: What are the taxes on a grand prize worth $2M? Can I get a more masculine bed in the master suite? And, how long would I have to live with that carved swan in my living room? Everything else is great. Sign me up.

READ IT - A Million Little Hairs

2006-01-20T17:25:00.000-05:00

Its been a long while since I read something that made the hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand up, but James Frey's A Million Little Pieces did though. I read it this week. Yes, I read it after all of the controversy abut whether he was honest in his memoir, or if in fact he created much of the story. And now that I have read it, I'm not sure that the controversy has either merit or meaning.

The book is incredible. Part of me hopes that much of the shit this man says he experienced is fiction. There are few people in the world that I'd wish that kind of existence on...OK, one or two come to mind but they're basically evil and deserve whatever they get. Most people though, are not evil and do not deserve the kind of punishment that addicts live with every minute of every day...particularly not when they reach the depth of turmoil Frey says he faced.

Part of me hopes that he was honest on Larry King, and that only about 5% was embellished. The story is enough to make anyone think seriously before engaging in most of the activities Frey says he spent most of his life doing.

All of me doesn't care one way or the other in the long run though.

You see, I read the book knowing full-well that it might be fiction. The striking thing is that it might even be more powerful if it is in fact fiction--and have even greater literary importance. If it is fiction, then it is one of the quirkiest, most inventive novels since On the Road.

Regardless of its honesty or lack of, it's a hell of a fucking good read. And, it captures a pace and drive that simulates what a gut-wrenching wild ride addiction and recovery must be...or at least as one can imagine without any first-hand experience. Either way, it's potent.

Will I read My Friend Leonard? Hell yeah, I will. Real or created, I loved him (Leonard). I kinda wanted ta know him...though not do business with him. LOL.

Bottom line is, read A MIllion Little Pieces. Give it to your kids. Hell, I know a couple of adults I'm gonna give it to.

ACKNOWLEDGING BROKEBACK

2006-01-20T16:40:00.000-05:00

That hottie Brenner over at NOBA has a great recap of all of the nominations and awards that Brokeback Mountain have garnered thus far. Deserved, all.