Before I get to the question, a couple of thoughts on the Illinois rape case, which, as I mentioned below, has resulted in an aquittal, and the status of rape trials in general.
What I find particularly odious about this case is that it is indicative of a disturbing trend, in which the woman bears a greater burden to stop an unwanted sexual advance than does a man to not take advantage of a woman in a compromised position. There is seemingly very little empathy for a woman who is either partially or wholly incapacitated, or whose judgment is somehow impaired, and almost no respect for her right to be free from coercion under such circumstances—even if she is underage. The merest hint that she may have been remotely aware of what was happening to her is now construed as consent. If a woman doesn’t remember the attack, consent is all too often assumed, with very little reason to do so.
That's particularly problematic because coercive and opportunistic rape are extremely common (more common than stranger rape), and extremely difficult to prove, as they often result in a she-said/he-said scenario.
She said. He said.
That’s what it comes down to in a courtroom. But before it ever gets there, it’s the woman’s responsibility to avoid rape to the best of her ability. If she is not completely coherent, and her consent or dissent signals aren’t clear, that’s her fault—and the reason that belief is sustainable is because we don’t expect enough of the men in these situations; we don’t burden them with the same responsibility to not take advantage of a situation that we burden women with preventing in the first place. Her mixed signals, not his misinterpretation of them. That soft bigotry of low expectations strikes me as an insult to the men who would never take advantage of a vulnerable woman, as well as the women who are unlucky to find themselves in the presence of a man who would.
Now to the question: What have you been taught about rape, and where did you learn it? Who have you spoken to about rape? Have you ever attended or instructed a seminar on rape? Was it compulsory or voluntary?
And Shaker Men: Do men talk about rape amongst themselves? Have you known men who have taken advantage of a drunk or otherwise vulnerable woman and didn’t consider it rape? Do men who would never rape a woman feel like they have any responsibility in rape prevention, or do you consider simply not being a rapist sufficient? The truth is, I don't know much about what men are taught or what they think about rape, and I'd like to.
(And please—I’d like this to be a discussion about what we learn about rape in this society, as men and as women. This isn’t a thread for anecdotes about your brother-in-law who was falsely charged by his bitter ex-girlfriend; it’s not a thread to “take sides” or shout each other down. Let’s just talk about what we know, how we know it, who we talk to, etc.)
Question of the Day
Yeesh
Glenn Greenwald: Bill Frist threatens to re-structure the Intelligence Committee in order to block NSA hearings. Just go read.
Koufax Awards Voting Is Open
There is just an amazing collection of bloggers in every category. I couldn’t possibly list every blogger I admire who’s been nominated, but I will pass on the nominations bestowed upon Shakespeare’s Sister and contributor blogs. (Let me know if I missed any.) This round of voting will determine the finalists, so if you want to make sure your favorites make it to the next round, take a moment to cast your votes.
Below you’ll also find direct links to each category, and, if you’re nominated, please feel free to use the comments thread to announce your nominations and campaign on your behalf.
Shakespeare’s Sister has been nominated for Best Blog (non-professional), Best Group Blog, and Best Series for coverage of the Downing Street Memo.
I’ve been nominated for Best Writing, as well as Best Post for Scarred, Liberals Will Save America, and Anti-Choicers: Not So Fast.
Paul the Spud’s The Adventures of the Smart Patrol has been nominated for Best New Blog and Most Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Tart’s Tart Juice (formerly Some Watery Thoughts) has been nominated for Best New Blog.
Shamanic’s SimianBrain has been nominated for Most Deserving of Wider Recognition, as well as Best Post for Miers Begins to Come Into Focus. So too the GOP.
Patrick’s I Speak Dog (formerly Yelladog) has been nominated for Most Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Expostulation has been nominated for Most Deserving of Wider Recognition.
And Shakers nominated for Best Commenter are: Comandante Agi T. Prop, The Dark Wraith, Me4President2008, Norbizness, somewaterytart, and Oddjob.
Categories:
Best Blog (non-professional)
Best Blog -- Sponsored or Professional
Best Blog Community
Best Writing
Best New Blog
Most Deserving of Wider Recognition
Best Single Issue Blog
Best Post
Best Series
Best Expert Blog
Best Group Blog
Most Humorous Blog
Most Humorous Post
Best State or Local Blog
Best Commenter
Acquittal in Illinois Rape Case
Via LeMew, the recently discussed rape case in Illinois, during which the presiding judge threatened to jail the victim for refusing to watch a video of the incident, has ended in an acquittal.
After repeatedly viewing a videotape that captured the alleged gang rape of a 16-year-old girl, a jury acquitted a Burr Ridge man Friday of sexual assault and child pornography charges.The defense contended that the victim’s having put her hand on the accused’s head, kissing him, and smiling was indicative of consent—evidently both to have sex with him and another man and to allow them to write vulgarities and spit on her.
The lawyer for Adrian Missbrenner, 20, went frame-by-frame through the video, taken during a party at which teens were drinking heavily Dec. 7, 2002, pointing to every gesture he said might indicate the girl's consent.
…The verdict appalled victims' rights advocates, who said the defense sought to affirm every rape myth.
"We're down to those same stereotypes--she was drinking, she was asking for it," said Linda Healy, executive director of Mutual Ground, a suburban counseling program for sexual assault victims.
"We hold the standards that the victim, who is almost always a woman, is somehow supposed to prevent this from happening if it's something she didn't want," said Polly Poskin of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
She wasn’t brutalized, just taken advantage of. What’s the big deal? If she didn’t want to be part of a gangbang, get spit on, and have her naked body defaced, she never should have had anything to drink. Geez, you’d expect 16-year-olds to be more responsible. Her fault for not knowing her limit. Right?
Absolutely despicable.
Chertoff’s Days Numbered?
In the aftermath of the public revelation of the presidential "teleconference" and mounting criticism of the performance of Michael Chertoff, Administration sources told HUMAN EVENTS today that the secretary of Homeland Security has "only a few days left" in the Bush Cabinet.The administration says no.
As one source acquainted with the former federal prosecutor and U.S. appellate judge said under promise of anonymity, "They will give [Chertoff] a little time so it won't hurt his reputation too much, but he's probably got only a few days left."
A senior administration official is refuting my source’s comments that Chertoff’s days are numbered.Yeah, well, I remember what happened to the last guy in that general area that the president thought was doing a heckuva job.
“The President offered strong words of support for Secretary Chertoff on Tuesday in an interview with Elizabeth Vargas. Secretary Chertoff is serving in one of the most difficult positions in government and he is doing an excellent job.”
We shall see…
Question of the Day
Suggested by Mrs. Toast:
“How about things that you do and you don't know why you do them? For instance, whenever I get on the scale, I hold my boobs like they're too big to see around, but they're not. I've always done it and I don't know why. Very odd.”
I love this one! (And I wish I could say the same as Mrs. T, but to my endless chagrin, my boobs have been too big to see around since I was about 9.)
I always have to have my windows open in a particular order. Email, then any internet thingies, then applications like Word, Photoshop, etc. If they get mixed up, I have to start all over—because I’ve been doing it that way for so long that I can’t find Outlook unless it’s in the bottom left. I have no idea why I started in the first place, but it’s probably because I always open email first at work before I’d start anything else, to check if I had anything urgent that needed to get done.
I also have some inexplicable unconscious habits that friends have pointed out to me. Like, when I drop something, I point at it before I pick it up. And even now that it’s been thoroughly mocked so that I’m aware of it, I still can’t help doing it. (I also do this if I stumble across something worth picking up that was dropped by someone else, like a $5 bill on the street, at which I was pointing before stooping when this habit was first pointed out to me.) Apparently, I also knit my brow very tightly when I read and stick my tongue out while I’m concentrating.
Q: If Katrina left you homeless and jobless, what do you do?
A: Whatever it is, don’t sell t-shirts making fun of FEMA.
George Barisich, president of the United Commercial Fisherman's Association, is among those left homeless and unemployed. Last fall he started selling t-shirts that read "Flooded by Katrina! Forgotten by FEMA! What's Next, Mr. Bush?" for fun and profit.The charge was violation of a law that bans “the sale of goods on federally owned property.” (Really? Can you please ticket the administration for selling federally owned property then?) The Department of Homeland Security claims if they didn’t enforce the rule, “you could have potentially 20 to 30 people standing out in front of the [FEMA] center, obstructing things.” Yeah, god forbid it turn into a circus down there, eh? At least the kind of circus where desperate people can make a buck, as opposed to The Three-Ring Big Tent of Government Giveaways to Corporate Cronies.
Last month, on February 1, Barisich was in line with fellow hurricane victims to pick up canned food from a charity's tent. He gave one of his t-shirts to the man standing next to him.
Soon, six men from FEMA had him surrounded. They issued him a $75 ticket and threatened to arrest him…
His family lost 14 of their 17 homes in the area, he lost three of his boats and his oyster beds are beyond repair. He will be fighting the ticket.
Anyhow, Barisich gave the shirt away; he didn’t sell it, which is why he’s protesting the ticket. FEMA doesn’t care. They responded to his inquiry “Do you really want to arrest me? Am I the only one here who thinks this is asinine? You're harassing a person who just lost everything,” by telling him if he didn’t take the ticket, he’d be arrested. Swell.
The Useless McCain
It’s no secret that I’m on a one-woman mission to make sure every American realizes that John McCain is little more than George Bush in sheep’s clothing (if said sheep were a bleating old man whose desperation for the presidency is evident in every inch of its wool), but today Drum is helping me out by pointing to a WaPo article outlining how laughably impotent McCain’s anti-torture bill really is. First, the WaPo:
In federal court yesterday and in legal filings, Justice Department lawyers contended that a detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, cannot use legislation drafted by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to challenge treatment that the detainee's lawyers described as "systematic torture."Way to go, McCain. Nothing like giving the architects of a torture policy that finds the Geneva Conventions “quaint” the ability to claim they're really anti-torture by passing your useless bill, all while they continue to “systematically torture” people. Fine work, sir.
...."Unfortunately, I think the government's right; it's a correct reading of the law," said Tom Malinowski, Washington advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. "The law says you can't torture detainees at Guantanamo, but it also says you can't enforce that law in the courts."
And now Drum:
I have a lot of reasons for wishing that liberals would stop falling for McCain's "straight talk" schtick, and this is one of them: even on the issues where he's one of the good guys, he caves in too often to have much of an impact. His ambition to be president is palpable in everything he does, and it's what's responsible for his routine compromises on issues he supposedly considers matters of honor, his cozying up to George Bush whenever it's politically convenient, and his bizarre recent temper tantrum against Barack Obama. He's certainly mastered the art ofsounding reasonable, but it's only an inch deep. Underneath, he's just a standard issue right wing politician. Caveat emptor.Exactly right. And because I’ve said just about everything I’ve got to say about this Arizona sun-dried turd and his revolting naked ambition (and because I’m lazy), I’ll just repeat some of my previous commentary on his loathsome politicking:
On McCain’s support of intelligent design being taught in schools: Anyone who still thinks this jagoff's a maverick after the bootlicking he gave Bush during the last election is living in cloud cuckoo land. His alleged independent streak came to a screeching halt as it collided with the stumbling zombie corpse of his credibility the moment he stood in New Hampshire with his arm around the shoulders of the man whose operatives called his wife a junky and his adopted daughter illegitimate. He may have been honorable and brave once upon a time, but he’s not anymore.
On McCain’s slavish devotion to Dear Leader: [P]erhaps McCain is actually a Real Doll, as it occurs to me that the owners of Real Dolls and the Bush administration have approximately the same needs—loyalty, compliance, someone who looks real enough but doesn’t ask too many questions, a realistic body with no brain to help convey one’s basest urges. And I don’t think McCain is the only Real Doll floating around the Beltway. He’s certainly not the only GOP hack willing to get repeatedly fucked while never saying a word.
On McCain’s endorsement of the Protect Arizona Marriage Amendment: If that picture of Douche McCain with his arms wrapped around Dear Leader, clinging to him like shit to a shoe tread and longing, so desperately longing, to be cradled with pure, unsullied manlove, isn’t enough to make you projectile vomit your entire intestinal track, this ought to do the trick—brave maverick McCain, after opposing the Federal Marriage Amendment seeking to ban gay marriage, has pulled the old switcheroo and endorsed the Protect Marriage Arizona Amendment. …McCain’s opposition to the FMA was based not on any love he had for the LGBT community, but because he felt it was “antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans…[and] usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem that most states do not believe confronts them.” …But now, just over a year later, his home state has decided it needs to confront this “problem,” and so he’s happy to throw gays to his sun-roasted wingnut constituents for their frenzied feral bacchanal. Not a trace of irony, nor a moment’s hesitation, nor the merest, passing flicker of recognition is to be found in his countenance as he plows forward with an endorsement that suggests even if a national marriage amendment isn’t part of the core philosophy of Republicans, bigotry and hatred are.
On McCain’s endorsement of racist ninny George Wallace, Jr.: As for John McCain: Straight Talkin’ White Supremacist, here’s his Straight Talk on Wallace, via one of his top advisers, John Weaver: “George Wallace Jr., is an enlightened progressive leader who always speaks of tolerance and carries forth his father's views at the end of his life. He has strong support across the racial and political spectrum.” Keep on selling that load of shit, you daft prick. Come 2008, we’ll see who’s buying.
On McCain’s batshit crazy attack on Senator Obama: Let us never cease to speak of McCain with the firm conviction that he is an asshole, a man who will lovingly embrace the cretin whose political machine called his wife a junky and his daughter an illegitimate black child.
Blech.
I Kick Ass for the Lord!
"Pardon me, but have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?"
"Uh, no, I haven't."
*click* BOOM.
Yes, the Left Behind Video Games have arrived. So what's Hillary going to have to say about this? (Bolds mine)
March 6, 2006 issue - Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition: Christians are finally getting a high-caliber shoot-'em-up videogame of their own. Due out on PCs in the second half of 2006, Left Behind: Eternal Forces is the first game adapted from the blockbuster books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Gamers familiar with the largely uninspiring and unprofitable history of Christian videogames will quickly notice two differences in Forces: the top-shelf design, which offers an eerily authentic reproduction of the game's Manhattan setting, and a level of violence reminiscent of Grand Theft Auto. The game revolves around New Yorkers who are "left behind" after the rapture. Players scour the streets for converts, training them into a work force to feed, shelter and join a paramilitary resistance against the growing forces of the Antichrist.But don't think this is a double standard, you foolish person.
Left Behind Games CEO Troy Lyndon, whose company went public in February, says the game's Christian themes will grab the audience that didn't mind gore in "The Passion of the Christ." "We've thought through how the Christian right and the liberal left will slam us," says Lyndon. "But megachurches are very likely to embrace this game."Yes, if you got a stiffy watching Christ get the living shit beat out of him on the big screen, bring the fun home! Now you can blow those non-believers all the way to h-e-double hockey sticks right in the comfort of your own living room!
After all, violent bloodshed is the Christian way, right?
As my friend says that hipped me to this:
Look, I play violent videogames all the time, but I think there's a difference between "kill the giant" "kill Sephiroth" or whatever where you are given an antagonist in the game that has little or no relation to the real world or at the very least has given you reason within the game's storyline to oppose them and having a game tell you to kill people for political reasons.
I'm sure Ned Flanders would not approve.
(Bringing in the sheaves... Bringing in the cross-posts...)
CIA #3 Under Investigation for Corruption
A stunning investigation of bribery and corruption in Congress has spread to the CIA, ABC News has learned.Cunningham was scheduled to be sentenced today.
The CIA Inspector General has opened an investigation into the spy agency's executive director, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, and his connections to two defense contractors accused of bribing a member of Congress and Pentagon officials…
Two former CIA officials tell ABC News that Foggo oversaw contracts involving at least one of the companies accused of paying bribes to Congressman Randall "Duke" Cunningham.
The CIA says that this investigation is simply “standard practice.” Foggo, who has no comment, will remain on the job during the investigation. The details:
As executive director of the CIA, Foggo oversees the administration of the giant spy agency. He was appointed to the post by CIA director Porter Goss after working as a mid-level procurement supervisor, according to former CIA officials.Does anyone else smell smoke in here?
While based in Frankfurt, Germany, he oversaw and approved contracts for CIA operations in Iraq.
Foggo is a longtime friend of Brent Wilkes, listed as unindicted co-conspirator No. 1 in government documents filed in the Cunningham investigation. The two played high school football and were in each other's weddings.
According to government documents, Wilkes gave Cunningham $630,000 in cash and gifts in exchange for help in getting government contracts.
Wilkes was the founder of ADSC, Inc, in 1995. Under Wilkes, the company obtained more than $95 million in government contracts.
Officials say they could not describe the CIA contracts in question because some of them were classified secret.
This is So Wrong
John Travolta and Queen Latifah have been confirmed to star in the big-screen version of Hairspray to be directed by Adam Shankman (Bringing Down the House). Travolta will play the role made famous by Divine as Edna Turnblad. Latifah will play Motormouth Mabel. A current nationwide search is on for the lead role of Tracy Turnblad made famous by Ricki Lake. Production begins this Fall with a 2007 release. [New Line Cinema]I’m fairly certain that the casting of the doofusy John Travolta as the glorious Edna Turnblad is one of the signs of the apocalypse. I know he can sing and dance, but that's not the point! I'm pouting.
The only thing that will make me feel better at the moment is a message from John Waters.
(iFilm seems buggered right now. It'll play if and when they get themselves sorted out. Meh.)
Not the Official Question of the Day...
...but I'm opening up a thread to solicit more suggestions for future QotDs. I've gone through about half of the suggestions since last time already.
If you go here, you can find most of the past QotDs, which may or may not be inspiring; I dunno.
All good patriotic Americans are in debt…
…which, obvioulsy, means that paying off your debt is unpatriotic—and therefore worthy of investigation by Homeland Security.
The balance on their JCPenney Platinum MasterCard had gotten to an unhealthy level. So they sent in a large payment, a check for $6,522.Fucking ridiculous. Welcome to America 2.0.
…And they learned how frighteningly wide the net of suspicion has been cast…
They were told, as they moved up the managerial ladder at the call center, that the amount they had sent in was much larger than their normal monthly payment. And if the increase hits a certain percentage higher than that normal payment, Homeland Security has to be notified. And the money doesn't move until the threat alert is lifted.
Walter called television stations, the American Civil Liberties Union and me. And he went on the Internet to see what he could learn. He learned about changes in something called the Bank Privacy Act.
"The more I'm on, the scarier it gets," he said. "It's scary how easily someone in Homeland Security can get permission to spy."
(Hat tip AMERICAblog.)
I Vill Break You
So, there’s this Russian boxer called Nikolay Valuev. He stands 7 feet tall and weighs 320lbs, putting him safely in the heavyweight division. And unlike many of the other “giant” boxers who have gone before him, who mostly just had freak show appeal, this guy might actually be able to box.
[T]he proverbial boxing sideshow has, almost without exception, been just that — relegated to the side, safely distanced from that which would be looked upon as substantive, important, or mainstream within the industry.It would be really interesting if this guy turned out to be the genuine article. Especially because the heavyweight division is soooooo boring now. Valuev’s first fight to air in America comes in September, and I’m totally tuning in.
Is that in the process of changing? Has one of the circus acts emerged to the point where it is positioned front and center in the landscape of what is traditionally boxing's glamour division? And is it just a pathetic sign of the times in the depressed heavyweight picture?
These are the questions being asked in some corners of the fight game these days, inspired by the rise of a figure who may just be on the verge of boxing's Holy Grail.
Even if you don’t like boxing, just check out these pictures. The guy’s a monster!
Nikolai Valuev of Russia and John Ruiz of the U.S. exchange punches during their WBA Heavyweight Fight at the Max-Schmeling Hall on December 17, 2005 in Berlin, Germany. (Martin Rose/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Nicolai Valuev of Russia and Clifford Etienne of the United States exchange punches during the WBA Intercontinental Championship Heavyweight Fight between Nicolai Valuev and Clifford Etienne on May 14, 2005 in Bayreuth, Germany. (Christian Fischer/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Marcelo Dominguez takes on Nikolai Valuev in a boxing match on April 17, 2004. (Friedemann Vogel/Bongarts/Getty Images)
Yowza. He makes other heavyweights look teensy!
Thanks to Mr. Shakes for sending along the article.
Oh, the Irony
One of the long-held and oft-cited “beliefs” of homobigots about gays and lesbians is that they are predatory, going after children to “recruit” as part of the proverbial radical homosexual agenda. It’s especially used in reference to gay men, which is why homobigots love to conflate gay men and pedophiles; a man who molests boys is further evidence, they claim, that gays prey on children. It’s a particularly nasty meme that refuses to die, in spite of its utter lack of validity.
So it was with some bitter amusement I read that children are being genuinely and openly targeted by the ex-gay movement, appealing to parents’ concerns about the horror of having a gay child and recruiting kids to disseminate the lie that homosexuality is a mental illness.
Called 'Youth in the Crosshairs' the report was prepared by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. It says that groups such as Exodus International and Focus on the Family now recommend "prevention" and conversion therapy "treatments"…Every reputable medical and psych group, including the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, has discredited this crap, but that matters little, of course, to the anti-science crowd.
"Whether through ex-gay teen programs or traveling ex-gay conferences like Focus on the Family's Love Won Out ex-gay programs are recommending that parents commit their children to treatment of 'prehomosexuality' even if it is against their children's wishes. Heterosexual youth are also being recruited in schools and churches to spread the message that homosexuality is a treatable mental illness," the report says.
"One of the most disturbing accounts in this report is a case involving a 5-year-old boy who was subjected to conversion therapy to address 'prehomosexuality.' The case involves a psychologist who claims that his theories and treatments are scientific," said study co-author Jason Cianciotto, the Policy Institute's research director.
Like I’ve said before, if you want to know what conservatives are up to, just pay attention to what they’re accusing us of doing. It’s all about projection. There’s no radical gay agenda, but there is a radical anti-gay one.
Health Tourism
You’ve got to be kidding me:
Press reports from India following a meeting between President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh suggest the US is considering outsourcing some HIV/AIDS care to that country.Health tourism?! If that isn’t the most fucked-up euphemism invoked as polish for an odious turd I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is.
The reports cite a joint statement issued following the meeting on trade, security and HIV/AIDS that said health tourism from the US to India was an area with "enormous potential for collaboration".
Given India's "world-class medical care facilities at reasonable costs, the two countries could leverage Indian expertise for their economic and social benefit" the Times of India quotes the joint statement as saying.
The two countries agreed to harmonize their healthcare systems and develop specialized medical insurance and legal packages for US patients to boost health tourism.
I can’t even begin to comprehend what the point of this is. Is the president seriously proposing shipping off patients with HIV/AIDS to India for treatment? Good Christ. Let me guess what’s next—Roe won’t be overturned, but you’ve got to go to India for an abortion! And while you’re there, stop by the Taj Mahal—it’s health tourism, bitches!
Mr. Unpopular
Bush’s approval rating has fallen to 39% even in the Fox News poll, where he gets his highest marks. He’s coming in at 38% in the newest CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, and 36% in the most recent Quinnipiac poll.
The latest Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll shows Bush's approval rating "fell to 38%, the lowest level recorded for him in the poll."His “strongly disapprove” ratings alone are consistently hitting in the 40%s, which means there are more people who strongly disapprove of his performance than approve. Overall disapproval is in the high 50%s.
"And in a trend that could affect turnout in the November midterm elections, Bush confronts what might be called an intensity gap: the percentage of Americans who said they strongly disapprove of his performance on a wide range of issues greatly exceeded the share who strongly approve."
If we can’t impeach his lousy ass, I say we start a petition for a Do-Over. It’s sort of like a recall, except it also entails undoing any and all legislation tied to his presidency—so not only does he get the big boot, but we also wave bye-bye to tax cuts, the bankruptcy bill, the Medicaid prescription plan, No Child Left Behind, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito. And we start all over again, like the last 5 years never happened. Meanwhile, we send him and the rest of the neocons to Iraq to clean up their own mess.
Strike that. The Iraqis have suffered enough. We’ll just put them in jail. I’m thinking Gitmo.
It’s Called Acting
Passed on by Shaker Zack, who notes, “It's almost too hilariously stupid to be offensive. Almost.”
Brokeback Mountain actress Michelle Williams has been disowned by her former school because of her role in the controversial gay cowboy romance. Williams, who attended exclusive Santa Fe Christian School in San Diego, California, has been blasted by the school's headmaster as "offensive" for acting the long-suffering wife of a homosexual ranch hand, played by Heath Ledger. Jim Hopson has branded the Oscar nominee a poor role model, and hopes his education establishment won't be linked to the film's themes. He tells the San Diego Union Tribune, "We don't want to have anything to do with her in relation to that movie. Michelle doesn't represent the values of this institution. Brokeback Mountain basically promotes a lifestyle we don't promote."Well, it’s safe to say that your plan backfired; certainly the school will be linked to the film’s themes—homophobia and bigotry—although I’m sure those aren’t the ones to which you were referring. Nice going, dipshit.
She’s also—gasp!—had a baby out of wedlock with Heath Ledger, too. And that was in her real life, not in a fucking movie. Oh, the horror!
Any comment, Mr. Hopson? Do you promote that “lifestyle”? Or isn’t there as much money to be made and notoriety to be had by lambasting single mothers, some of whom surely pay the tuitions at your precious school?
Friday Cat Blogging
This little video was taken right after we brought Olivia home, after she flew off the back of a farm truck in front of us on the highway. We pulled over to dig her out of the grass, and her little paws were all scraped up and her lip and chin torn and bleeding badly, so we took her to the vet and got her all fixed up (including a chin implant!), and then took her home. We thought at first she was a little gray kitten, but then I washed her up and it turned out she was white. As a reference to her humble and smudge-faced beginnings, she was named Olivia Twist.
Matilda, highly irritated (at first) by not being the baby anymore, makes an appearance at the end of the video...
Question of the Day
Suggested by Darryl Pearce.
“How many blogs/websites do you visit a day? In total? Even more than once?”
Since, like Darryl, I was laid off and therefore have far too much time on my hands, I visit more blogs, news sites, and job sites in a day than I can count. And even then, it’s not nearly as many as I’d like to get to in a day, or would be able to if I wasn’t compulsively blogging and sending out résumés to which no one wants to respond. Sigh.
I’d also add, which are you favorite blogs? Not a solicitation to say Shakes!—I’m just curious which blogs you most enjoy, so I can check them out, too, if I’ve not already.
