Friday, February 25, 2011

no comment from me other than to say the JUDGE SHOULD BE ARRESTED, TRIED, CONVICTED AND THOWN IN THE SLAMMER

Posted by JM Ashby
She was asking for it. That is the very literal ruling of a Judge in Manitoba today in the case of a rape that took place along a "darkened highway."
Sounds really romantic to me!
A convicted rapist will not go to jail because a Manitoba judge says the victim sent signals that "sex was in the air" through her suggestive attire and flirtatious conduct on the night of the attack. Kenneth Rhodes was given a two-year conditional sentence last week which allows him to remain free in the community, in a decision likely to trigger strong debate. The Crown wanted at least three years behind bars.
Queen's Bench Justice Robert Dewar called Rhodes a "clumsy Don Juan" who may have misunderstood what the victim wanted when he forced intercourse along a darkened highway outside Thompson in 2006................

really, shouldn't they be worried about REAL shite?

you know stuff like homelessness, good education, affordable housing, jobs, health care, and on and on

nope, they're worried about something that simply isn't a threat in tennessee. SHARIAH LAW

Tennessee GOP proposes law to jail anyone who follows Shariah law

by Chris in Paris

Washing your feet? Jail! Do not steal? Jail! Praying? Jail! Helping the poor? Jail! (Well, at least that last one is consistent with GOP doctrine.) The Republicans are having a national competition to see who can be the most ridiculous and offensive.

A proposed Tennessee law would make following the Islamic code known as Shariah law a felony, punishable by 15 years in jail.

State Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, and state Rep. Judd Matheny, R-Tullahoma, introduced the same bill in the Senate and House last week. It calls Shariah law a danger to homeland security and gives the attorney general authority to investigate complaints and decide who's practicing it.....................

shocking, absolutely SHOCKING

this NYT headline cannot POSSIBLY BE TRUE. no way. no how. NOT about THE MOST FAIR AND BALANCED* 'NEWS' NETWORK EVER. NO EFFING WAY

(p.s. the only part i don't get is why the nyt didn't put QUOTE MARKS - like i do - around the word 'NEWS')

Fox News Chief, Roger Ailes, Urged Employee to Lie, Records Show

By RUSS BUETTNER

It was an incendiary allegation — and a mystery of great intrigue in the media world: After the publishing powerhouse Judith Regan was fired by HarperCollins in 2006, she claimed that a senior executive at its parent company, News Corporation, had encouraged her to lie two years earlier to federal investigators who were vetting Bernard B. Kerik for the job of homeland security secretary. Ms. Regan had once been involved in an affair with Mr. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner whose mentor and supporter, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, was in the nascent stages of a presidential campaign. The News Corporation executive, whom she did not name, wanted to protect Mr. Giuliani and conceal the affair, she said..........

pic:

Fred Prouser/Reuters

A News Corporation spokesman said Roger E. Ailes did not intend to influence Ms. Regan regarding an investigation.

*FAIR AND BALANCED MY BIG FAT ARSE

friday with susan tedeschi (and a lil' derek trucks too!)

don't know if you read about 'operation psy-ops' ON OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

yesterday. i can't say i was SHOCKED. i CAN say i was fucking appalled

Military to investigate claim that psy-ops team was used to influence U.S. senators

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Washington Post Staff Writer

The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan intends to order an investigation into whether a three-star general responsible for training Afghan security forces inappropriately used members of a psychological operations team to influence visiting U.S. senators into providing more funding for the war.

The U.S. command in Kabul issued a statement Thursday saying Gen. David H. Petraeus "is preparing to order an investigation to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the issue."...............

the nutmeg grater: got this email on RALLY TO SAVE THE AMERICAN DREAM

Thursday, February 24, 2011

you're going to love THIS needle felting tutorial (from craftzine)

how to needle felt angry birds !!!

Posted by Brookelynn

(i am a needle, ok and a wet felter so i'm going to be ALL over this. what great gifts! i'm sure some of YOUR friends, like some of MY friends are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay into angry birds!)

pic from the craftzine tutorial linked above. and it's a great step by step one too

you're welcome!

via

yet MORE evidence of fair and balanced

NOT

Fox News pundit suggests President ‘Mubarak Obama’ a dictator

i thought i posted about this, but i sure can't find it

an assistant deputy attorney general (indiana) published remarks stating live ammo should be used on the wisconsin demonstrators. (yup LIVE ammo). that was only ONE of the things he tweeted about and wrote in his blog about. as it turns out HIS ASS GOT SHITCANNED out of THAT job. maybe the koch bros have an opening somewhere?

Indiana Official: "Use Live Ammunition" Against Wisconsin Protesters

By Adam Weinstein

Update: The Indiana attorney general's office has confirmed to Mother Jones that Jeff Cox was terminated Wednesday. The full statement and screen captures of the now-defunct blog are posted here.

On Saturday night, when Mother Jones staffers tweeted a report that riot police might soon sweep demonstrators out of the Wisconsin capitol building—something that didn't end up happening—one Twitter user sent out a chilling public response: "Use live ammunition."

From my own Twitter account, I confronted the user, JCCentCom. He tweeted back that the demonstrators were "political enemies" and "thugs" who were "physically threatening legally elected officials." In response to such behavior, he said, "You're damned right I advocate deadly force." He later called me a "typical leftist," adding, "liberals hate police."

Only later did we realize that JCCentCom was a deputy attorney general for the state of Indiana.............

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

shout out to alaska rep sharon cissna

i usually don't copy whole blog posts, but i did this time. it's short and worth it.

Alaska state rep refuses TSA grope of her mastectomy scars, drives home from Seattle

Cory Doctorow

Alaska State Rep Sharon Cissna, a breast cancer survivor who has had a mastectomy, was barred from flying home to Juneau from Seattle by the TSA when she refused to allow a screener to touch the scars from her operation. She drove home instead. Apparently she is always selected for an invasive "hand screening" because the "irregularities" presented by her prosthesis when viewed through the pornoscanner raise the TSA's suspicions. As others have observed, the War on Terror is really a War on the Unusual -- it's the systematic erosion of rights for people with nonstandard appearance, health, itineraries, and beliefs, without regard to whether those "irregularities" are correlated with terrorist activity. It's as though the TSAhas said, "All terrorists are engaged in something unusual, therefore all unusual occurrences should be viewed as potential terrorism."

"So last night, as more and more TSA, airline, airport and police gathered, I became stronger in remembering to fight the submission to a physical hand exam. I repeatedly said that I would not allow the feeling-up and I would not use the transportation mode that required it."

"For nearly fifty years I've fought for the rights of assault victims, population in which my wonderful Alaska sadly ranks number one, both for men and women who have been abused. The very last thing an assault victim or molested person can deal with is yet more trauma and the groping of strangers, the hands of government 'safety' policy."

"For these people, as well as myself, I refused to submit."

me and a friend at the bar last night

via

by William Klein *

i'm just sayin'.................

i guess i should mention my pops was a teamster

May 1933: Hitler Abolishes Unions

By Ole Ole Olson

On May 2nd, 1933, the day after Labor day, Nazi groups occupied union halls and labor leaders were arrested. Trade Unions were outlawed by Adolf Hitler, while collective bargaining and the right to strike was abolished. This was the beginning of a consolidation of power by the fascist regime which systematically wiped out all opposition groups, starting with unions, liberals, socialists, and communists using Himmler’s state police.............

pic: Photo by Jess Dennis http://www.flickr.com/photos/thehardestpart/5453904539/

oh no they di-ent

it appears oh YES they did

(they claim they check ALL new websites before allowing access - somehow i'm not quite buying it though)

Wisconsin Capitol blocks pro-union website
By David Edwards
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin spoke out forcefully Tuesday after it was discovered that the state Capitol had blocked a website that was attempting to organize those protesting Republican Gov. Scott Walker's plan to strip unions of their rights.

Anyone trying to use the state Capitol's Wi-Fi connection to access www.defendwisconsin.org Monday and early Tuesday received an error message...........

fuck NO

don't let this happen (as if miscarriage isn't painful enough - now you're going to have to PROVE it????????????) like i said, FUCK NO

GA Legislator Wants to Create The Uterus Police to Investigate Miscarriages

They do this every session in the state legislature here in Georgia. Someone introduces a bill that would make abortion a criminal act. And, yes, this year is no exception. This year's legislation was introduced by House Republican Bobby Franklin ( [ the same guy ]who wants rape victims to be called "accusers"). Franklin is one of the more, ahem, colorful members of the legislature, bless his heart. According to him, SCOTUS had no right to rule on abortion and thus GA can do whatever it damned well pleases. Oh, and you'd better be able to prove your miscarriage was natural or face felony charges/...................

telling it like it is

really now...it has NOTHING to do with the budget. they know it, i know it YOU should knot it too

oped from nyt:

Spreading Anti-Union Agenda
Like a wind-whipped brush fire, the mass union protests that began in Madison, Wis., last week have spread to the capitals of Ohio and Indiana where Republican lawmakers also are trying to cripple the bargaining power of unions — and ultimately realize a cherished partisan dream of eradicating them. In each case, Republican talk of balancing budgets is cover for the real purpose of gutting the political force of middle-class state workers, who are steady supporters of Democrats and pose a threat to a growing conservative agenda. ............

this woman IS a hero

she spoke.

one can never forget. oh, one tries, but one can't. everyone is different but my personal belief is; you do NOT have to hide what happened to you. you don't have to shout it from rooftops but you SHOULD, when situations arise, TALK about it. get it out. it's cathartic. it WILL help you heal. it WILL help others. you cannot let THEM win. you cannot let THEM have power over YOU.

it is MY personal belief someone who rapes someone else, cannot be 'cured'. plain and simple. it's (like it says in the article) HARDWIRED into them.

thank you for being brave. thank you for facing your fears. thank you for facing your attacker. what happened will stay with you always. it should stay with HIM always too

After braving memories, could rape victim face attacker at Md. parole hearing?

By Dan Morse

Washington Post Staff Writer

For the better part of three decades, she struggled with anorexia, panic attacks and two failed marriages - all propelled by her attempts to ignore what happened. But she could hardly forget it. She was only 16 and hitchhiking in Potomac. A man named Bill Wallshleger picked her up, pulled out a gun, taped her eyes shut and placed sunglasses over the tape so others wouldn't suspect trouble. He drove her to his farm in Virginia, took her into an unfinished basement, chained her, humiliated her, raped her. .............

wednesday with stevie ray vaughn

man, i miss you and i can't even imagine what you'd be doing if you were still with us. keep playin' stevie, keep playin'

fly on...............

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

the caption said 'on her honeymoon' by the way

via

why am i suddenly hungry?

via

from dependable renegade

Teabaggers Strike WI Teachers, Teachers Strike Back

a teabagger protesting the wisconsin teachers

the teachers response (priceless)

dangerous minds has a posting up on

one of the singers who are in MY top five of all time.

Nina Simone: in the name of freedom

Ron Nachmann

........................As a generation of despots falls in the Middle East and people confront the forces of greed in Wisconsin, it seems apropos to recall what Simone bestowed on the world…............

hmmmmmmm

via

tuesday with the district

you're scared about the WRONG things

you should be scared about THIS shite: (NOT a black president)
(solidarity!)
What the Right-wing Assault on Women, Unions, the Environment, Health Care and PBS Is All About
By George Lakoff

Dedicated to the peaceful protestors in Wisconsin, February 19, 2011

The central issue in our political life is not being discussed. At stake is the moral basis of American democracy.

The individual issues are all too real: assaults on unions, public employees, women's rights, immigrants, the environment, health care, voting rights, food safety, pensions, prenatal care, science, public broadcasting, and on and on.

Budget deficits are a ruse, as we've seen in Wisconsin, where the Governor turned a surplus into a deficit by providing corporate tax breaks, and then used the deficit as a ploy to break the unions, not just in Wisconsin, but seeking to be the first domino in a nationwide conservative movement. Deficits can be addressed by raising revenue, plugging tax loopholes, putting people to work, and developing the economy long-term in all the ways the President has discussed. But deficits are not what really matters to conservatives...............

nothing surprising in THIS headline

Fox Slams WI Protests But Cheered Tea Party Protests

Monday, February 21, 2011

1) my birthday is coming up

2) i LOVE angry birds
3) oh, i'm vegan so don't forget that

via

here i go with my goat obsession again.........

via

i'm a BIG pixies fan

and dangerous minds has a great posting (including a documentary) up about them:

‘loudQUIETloud’: A film about the Pixies

rep jackie speier (wait for her, she comes on after a minute or so)

i couldn't watch the whole video

flush makes me want to puke my guts up

Wisconsin workers respond to ‘fat ass’ Limbaugh’s insults on The Ed Show

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

coincidentially - i JUST did a blog posting

(on my craft blog) on an action alert from microrevolt to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the triangle waist factory fire. all one has to do is volunteer to make (knit or crochet or craft) a numbered armband and send it along to the address provided in the link above. i am 115 Rosina Cirrito (18 years old) by the way. i will be unable to make the ceremony but i will knit and mail my armband shortly (has to BE there by march 22nd i believe)

the names of ALL 146 who perished, will finally be read.

100 Years Later, the Roll of the Dead in a Factory Fire Is Complete

By JOSEPH BERGER

In the Cemetery of the Evergreens on the border of Brooklyn and Queens, there is a haunting stone monument to the garment workers who died in the Triangle shirtwaist factory fire of 1911 but were never identified. It contains the bas-relief figure of a kneeling woman, her head bowed, seemingly mourning not only the deaths, but also the fact that those buried below were so badly charred that relatives could not recognize them.

Almost a century after the fire, the five women and one man, all buried in coffins under the Evergreens monument, remained unknown to the public at large, though relatives and descendants knew that a loved one had never returned from the burning blouse factory.

Now those six have been identified, largely through the persistence of a researcher, Michael Hirsch, who became obsessed with learning all he could about the victims after he discovered that one of those killed, Lizzie Adler, a 24-year-old greenhorn from Romania, had lived on his block in the East Village.

And so, for the first time, at the centennial commemoration of the fire on March 25 outside the building in Greenwich Village where the Triangle Waist Company occupied the eighth, ninth and 10th floors, the names of all 146 dead will finally be read........................

pic: From left, Max Florin, Fannie Rosen, Dora Evans and Josephine Cammarata were among the final six unidentified victims of the Triangle Waist Company factory fire of 1911, which killed 146 and influenced building codes, labor laws and politics in the years that followed.

pic (armbands): microrevolt

this news came out a few days ago

but for the most part i've been offline. i did want to say, i have never in all of my life heard of such a thing. a first responder (in this case, they were not called first, but a bit after the tragedy) NOT wanted to respond because their politics didn't jive with those of fellow first responders OR the victims of the tragedy (or so the story goes). it is just unbelievable

Memos: Firefighter refused Giffords 911 call

Veteran retired from force before he could be disciplined, newspaper reports

TUCSON, Ariz. — A city firefighter refused to respond to the Jan. 8 shooting spree that left six people dead and 13 wounded, the Arizona Daily Star reported, citing city memos.

The firefighter, Mark Ekstrum, quit the force two days later as management was considering possible disciplinary action against him, the Daily Star reported. Fire Capt. Ben Williams wrote in a memo that when Ekstrum told him he would not go on the call, "he mentioned something about 'political bantering' and he did not want to be part of it," the newspaper reported..........