Rove Had Heavier Hand in Prosecutor Firings Than Previously Known.
I can't even imagine how many words I wrote about this shit two years ago, including post after post about the White House email and nongovernmental emails being used by White House staffers. I'm very curious to know if the newly uncovered emails are official government accounts and whether they were properly archived (unlikely) or a violation of the Presidential Records Act (likely).
Almost two and a half years ago, Sidney Blumenthal penned: "All roads lead to Rove: The White House political director was clearly at the center of the partisan plot to fire U.S. attorneys, despite the administration's clumsy attempts to pretend otherwise."
It's not that Rove's neck-deep involvement wasn't known previously; it's that the proof hadn't been handed to mainstream media outlets on a silver platter. But anyone who was paying the slightest modicum of attention knew. And we waited with bated breath for the truth to come, for the MSM to do its fucking job, for Congress to do its fucking job, for someone with some power to do the right goddamned thing with some urgency befitting a White House scandal.
That never happened.
It's outrageous the amount of time it's taken to get to this point. And even now, there's still no assurance of justice.
The outrage has faded. The energy and passion of most of the people who used to vigorously demand answers has waned. The attention span of the public is far too short to still care. All momentum has diminished.
Someone more cynical than I, ahem, might suggest that was precisely the plan all along.
Duh of the Day
Dumbest Cops on the Planet?
Two DeKalb County [Georgia] police officers have been placed on paid administrative leave after an investigation revealed they ran a background check on President Barack Obama.Gee, ya think?! What I love most about this is how these two bozos apparently thought it possible that by checking the widely-accessible NCIC, they were going to uncover some scandalous secret about a sitting United States president, who's been vetted more thoroughly than an exhaustively vetted thing with lots of little very vetted bits all over it. "Dude, check it out! He was arrested for murder in '92 and no one's noticed!"
...Officials said Obama's name was typed into a computer inside a DeKalb County police car on July 20 and ran through the National Crime Information Center.
The secret service was immediately notified and contacted the DeKalb County Police Department.
A representative said both officers have been with the department less than five years.Here's a wild guess: They're fucking morons.
...It is unclear why the officers ran a check on the president.
[Via Memeorandum.]
From the You've Got to Be Shitting Me Files
[Trigger warning.]
Shaker Kathy emailed me a heads-up about the gobsmacking story of William David Webb, a youth minister in Birmingham, Alabama, who has pleaded guilty to transporting a 15-year-old girl (yes, one of his parishioners) across state lines for the purposes of sexual activity, or, as The Birmingham News (or possibly just al.com) reports it: "Former Word of Life youth minister sentenced after pleading guilty to teen sex."
Guilty of "teen sex." As if, perhaps, he was guilty of fumblefucking in the backseat of his dad's car, as opposed to raping an underage girl. (The age of consent in both Alabama and Oklahoma is 16.)
And check this out:
The defendant's wife of nearly 13 years, Tara Webb, submitted a letter to the court saying she became aware of her husband's relationship with the victim in August 2007. "He immediately repented and asked my forgiveness," her letter said. Mrs. Webb said she went to the victim, who worked for her as a volunteer in the church audio department. "She apologized to me and I forgave her," Mrs. Webb wrote. "I encouraged her and told her to not let it hold her back but to pursue her dreams."Well. Isn't it so very Christian of the good Mrs. Webb to forgive the teenager her husband raped?
Just like Jesus taught.
Daily Kitteh
Thanks to Shaker courtneywood's suggestion, I purchased a Trimline collar for our Feather. While she might look a little pathetic in the pic, I can confidently say that she's a lot happier with the new collar. Now, she can rub her cheek on everything she passes and eating/drinking is a lot easier for her.
As of my last conversation with the vet, Feather will only have to deal with the collar for a couple more days. Then on Tuesday, the stitches will come out. Hooray!
Dexter
About a month ago, Deeky and I made a pact: If he'd give Lost a try (which he had always assumed sucked, because, duh, if it was so awesome, why wasn't he into it?), then I'd give Dexter a try (which I had always assumed sucked, because, duh, if it was so awesome, why wasn't I already watching it?).
Fast forward to now, and Deeky has just embarked on Season Two of Lost and I've just embarked on Season Two of Dexter—which I kind of can't believe I like, given the premise. A sociopathic serial killer vigilante, who originally started dating his girlfriend, a rape and domestic violence survivor, because she was "broken," quite possibly couldn't sound less like something I'd want to watch.
And it was a good few episodes before I was sure I wanted to keep watching; after I'd gotten through Season One and encouraged Iain to watch it, he sat down to watch the pilot and said, about twenty minutes in, "You like this show?" I told him to keep watching. He did.
The thing is, it's a challenging show; it constantly urges me to consider how I feel about Dexter and his "code," which in turn demands I think about my own sense of justice, and the larger culture's sense of justice, and how those intersect and diverge. Dexter, whose aliases are frequently Bret Easton Ellis character allusions, is not a hero; he's an anti-hero—and we're not meant to like him. We're meant to root for consequences. For him to get caught, or, at minimum, for him to change, not in a simple rom-com I've-been-such-an-idiot-not-to-see-my-true-love-was-in-front-of-me-the-whole-time way, or a tidy reversal-of-fortune I-now-see-what's-really-important-in-life way, or any one of dozens of other hackneyed and uncomplicated growth arcs, but in the slow, wrenching, self-annihilating deconstruction and ash-rising of real-life fucked-up people whose lives have been permanently thrown off course by a shattering trauma, who may hurt others as a consequence.
And then there's the code. His father's code. The code he was instructed to live by ostensibly to keep the monster under control, but was really a code that gave license to that monster to thrive.
I suppose this is as good a place as any that I find Dexter to be a useful allegory about the Patriarchy.
But all of this is really neither here nor there. Because this post is about Dexter: The Video Game.
Iain sent me this link yesterday, at which there is a trailer for the new video game, based on the show. Supposedly.
Upon viewing the trailer, I emailed Iain: "Um...my first reaction is that sort of fundamentally misses the point of the show. Which is clearly written so that Dexter is an anti-hero who you're rooting will change, not identify with and want to become a vigilante serial killer."
To which Iain replied: "My thoughts exactly. Interesting insight into why most of the people who watch the show like it, though."
And I feel the same sort of chill I felt when everyone was reading American Psycho, and I overheard guys talking admiringly about Patrick Bateman as if he were someone to emulate.
I have wondered if Dexter will pull it off. I have wondered if Dexter is willing to alienate the fans who are watching because they relate to Dexter, not to Rita, or Debra, or even the troubled Sergeant James Doakes—who, Iain cleverly pointed out, is the guy the show would be about, if it were a typical show about cops, or a killer who needs catching.
This video game trailer makes me nervous about which audience will ultimately be satisfied by the show. It's possible, of course, that a video game could recreate what the show is doing, what Iain describes quite aptly as an extended examination of a utilitarian morality: Harry's code was effectively just an attempt to fill Dexter's presumed void of conscience with a morality rooted in cold reason—and when Harry saw the logical conclusion of that experiment, he was sick. A utilitarian morality shatters into pieces when it runs headlong into the human conscience.
But the game is being made available for the iPhone and iPod touch only, which, as Iain pointed out, suggests a mission-based game, likely lacking the story element that will replicate Harry's realization and communicate the message that Dexter is no hero—without which, it's just a game about a killer.
And that really would be too bad, because the show is so much more.
I hope.
[I'm not quite finished with Season Two and have seen none of Season Three yet, so if you comment about either, please give me a spoiler warning. Thanks!]
Whitewashing Avatar: The Last Airbender - Open Thread
About three months back, Shaker Seraph gave us a superb introduction to the excellent American animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, with a world based in various Asian(-ish) traditions. The names and the clothes and the kung fu styles and the architecture are Asian (well, Asian and Inuit*), all of it.
Which just makes it that much weirder that when they came to put together a live-action version of the show, they near-totally whitewashed it. Derek Kim, a superb Asian-American artist in his own right, put that post together, and I think he outlines really well the reasons why this is a problem. This was an opportunity for Hollywood to actually put together a show that would put a tiny little dent in the white stranglehold on good roles.
Spoiler warning: Below the jump, spoilers have been, spoilers are, spoilers will be. Please also watch out for sky bison droppings. Appa's not housebroken.
Instead, we get Katara and Sokka - two Inuit-based characters - played by two people who may well be fine actors, but who are, unfortunately, a lot more Scandinavian-looking than Inuit-looking. They look like they should be waving goodbye to Erik the Red, not the matriarch of their Inuit village.
We get Aang - the title role, a 12-year-old monk - played by a white kid. We do get one POC in one major role: Zuko is to be played by an English-born actor of Indian background (Dev Patel). I somehow doubt it's a coincidence that he's one of the "bad guys".
Here's the actor playing Sokka, on playing an Inuit tribesman:"I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan," he said of the transformation he'll go through to look more like Sokka. "It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit."
So...basically, playing it in yellowface.
Ô.ó
Gee, how...modern.
I don't think I can improve on that. Have at it, Shakers, but please remember the guidelines for commenting on threads here: check your privilege at the door, and recognize that people - particularly POC - have a right to be angry about this. Trolls of any stripe will be mercilessly mocked, used as cover models for encephalic enema kits, quite likely banned...and then mocked some more.
Also, please enjoy this link to a bingo card , specially made for this particular racefail.
Edit: Some excellent links from Shaker Socchan, which I thought worth bringing into the post.
Racebending on Livejournal / Racebending the website
Aang Ain't White on LJ: home of a letter-writing campaign.
* Inuit, not Eskimo, per the preferences of the Inuit themselves. Please respect their right to their own name in the comment thread.
So Totes Post-Racial
Another true story to "brighten" your day: Lucianne Goldberg's site has a theory on President Obama's and Skip Gates' choice of beverage for the day.
Just a reminder: If you don't find this funny, you can't take a joke, you're a humorless scold, it's not really racist and besides you're the real racist, and blah de blah blah blah phhhllllllllllpppphhh where's the birth certificate *fart*
Racism: It doesn't exist anymore.
(Energy Dome tip to Steve, who is sure Justin Barrett will find that to be a hoot and a half.)
80s-licious!
I'm going to devour this luscious Rubik's Cube Sandwich for lunch, and follow it with a huge chunk of Optimus Prime cake for dessert!
Behold My Love Advice
by Shaker Sady, who can be found, when not lovedoctoring at Shakesville, blogging various important ladybusiness at Tiger Beatdown.
You know, friends, being allowed to do a guest post at Shakesville is an honor. An honor of which I, specifically, plan to prove myself unworthy! How will I do this, you ask? Why, by revealing my new career to you! My new career is: DR. SADY, THE LOVE DOCTOR, WHO GIVES LOVE ADVICE, WITH HER Ph.D IN LOVE.
"But Sady," you are saying. "You do not actually have a doctorate in the Love Sciences! You are completely unqualified for this position!" This, sadly, is true. I only have a Master's! Oh, okay, that is not true either, actually. But I have watched a lot of movies.
Specifically, I have watched romantic comedies. These cinematic documents, or "texts," have unlocked to me many of the true secrets of Love. Also, they are made "for women," which I assume means they cannot be sexist! Truly, the major film studios of Hollywood always have the best interests of the ladies at heart, as we can learn from Sex and the City: The Motion Picture, and its forthcoming sequel, Sex and the City: Marriage Marriage Shopping Marriage Babies.
Therefore I invite you to join me, DR. SADY, as I perform some unlicensed Loveology, using lessons from popular film.
1) FAN THE FLAMES OF LOVE... WITH STALKING! It's true: Ever since Ione Skye told John Cusack to leave her alone, and he responded by standing underneath her window at all hours and serenading her with the chart-busting hits of Phil Collins, following a lady around against her will has been one of the chief signifiers of True Love. Stalking bespeaks a passion that cannot be restrained by "rules" or "laws" or "basic respect for the person you want to date." So, should you wish to ignite the flames of love, or reconcile with someone who has shunned you, a little bit of creepily following someone around whilst she repeatedly asks you to stop it should do the trick. Failing that, of course, you will end up with Mila Kunis.
This scene is only slightly more frightening if you imagine Heath Ledger performing it as the Joker.
2) THERE ARE ONLY TWO MEN IN THE WORLD. They are, in order: The guy you want to date, who will end up being a douchebag, and the guy you think is a douchebag, who you will eventually date. Witness recent cinematic love prescription "The Ugly Truth," in which Katherine Heigl wishes to pursue a handsome doctor who likes red wine and cats. Does she end up with him? Don't be silly! He is revealed to have various unspecified flaws! She ends up with Gerard Butler, who calls her boyfriend "gay" and also engages in a little light sexual harassment when he is not complaining about women who "economically emasculate" their men by having paychecks. Yes, women invariably hate and fear the men who come to offer them True Love, probably because they are awful. This is why we need stalking! But, if you wish to find Love immediately, perhaps you might try dating the first dude who inspires you to unmitigated disgust. That guy who grabs your ass in the bar and, when you yell at him, tells you that you missed out because he has a really fancy car? That is your future husband. You will soon be Mrs. Skeevy Pervington III. Speaking of which:
3) YOU ARE A HETEROSEXUAL WHITE PERSON. THIS IS NOT TRUE OF YOUR SASSY FRIENDS! Yes, it's true: if you wish to find Love, as defined by The Movies, you will need to be a candidate for the undeniably perfect and sacred institution of White Heterosexual Monogamy. Sadly, not everybody can be a White Heterosexual. However, if you are not, I have good news: you, lucky person, get to aid the White Heterosexuals in their quest for love! Gay folks and/or people of color make fabulous accessories to the single White Heterosexual girl's lifestyle: witness Drew Barrymore, in He's Just Not That Into You, who avails herself of the aid of several homosexual gentlemen, all of whom are wildly enthused at being let in on her boy troubles. Sarah Jessica Parker, in Sex and the City, actually hires a young black lady (Jennifer Hudson, in fact!) to listen to her various complaints. Lest we think this an inequitable exchange, I must remind you that Sarah enriches this young woman's life by buying her a handbag. Truly, the White Heterosexuals are fonts of ceaseless generosity!
Gosh, boss, I'm so glad that you hired me to come to bars in the middle of the night so that you could condescend to me and make terrible puns and spout your vague aphoristic philosophies and oh my God say "boo-tay" one more time AND I SUE.
3a) OH, AND ALSO, YOU ARE VERY THIN. I refer you, once more, to the Hudson/Parker dynamic. Romance is for the slender! However, should you be not-thin, I hear that Sassy Fat Friend positions are still available.
4) YOUR JOB HAS MADE YOU A MONSTER. Sorry, ladies! I know you need to "pay rent" and "eat" and things like that. However, if you actually take a job, there is a slight chance that you will end up having a career that matters to you. And it will make you the worst person who has ever lived. The Victorians recommended against letting women read too much, lest it shrivel the womb and derange the senses; The Movies have improved on this, by demonstrating that any form of accomplishment will, in fact, render a woman a shrieking, irrational, terrifying harpy. Truly, the only vocation for a woman is Love. Preferably, love with a free spirit who can shake things up and subject her to various humiliations and rid her of her uptight job-loving ways!
Hey, job lady! Can your precious job prevent you from being tossed off a boat? NO. NO IT CAN'T.
5) HEY, WHY DON'T YOU TAKE OFF THOSE GLASSES? YEAH. AND TAKE YOUR HAIR DOWN. No, wait! Don't do that! That boy is asking you to do it for a bet! But also, once you do it, you will become sexy. Sexy to the guy who is planning to make you sexy, because of a bet! But also he will fall in love with you for real, because your ponytail and glasses magically imbued you with bonerkilling powers and he has vanquished them by making 2.5 adjustments to your appearance. I just hope that you don't have a fight when you learn about the bet! Oh, but who am I kidding? You crazy kids will make up at the end. I bet!
6) LOVE MEANS ALWAYS HAVING TO SAY YOU'RE SORRY. At least, it does if you are a woman! Because women, basically, cannot make their own choices. They are terrible at that! They cannot choose to focus on a career, for it will warp their minds and destroy their spirits. They cannot choose the men they date, which is why they must be stalked by men who repulse them in order to find love, and why their choices to pursue relationships with non-repulsive non-stalkers are inevitably doomed. They cannot choose how to dress or present themselves, which is why men have to make them over. They cannot choose to be themselves in relationships, which is why they need insufferable boy-men, frequently played by Matthew MacConaughey, to break them down. They also cannot be fat, or lesbian, or of color, none of which are "choices" so much as they are "apparently still grounds for prejudicial exclusion in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Nine AUUGGGGGHHHH." But, no worries, ladies! If you're willing to give up every last shred of that nasty "autonomy," and manage to fall within the desirable demographic of skinny white straight ladies who can be easily made over, love (as defined by the total erasure of your life and personality) is in the cards for you! I know, I know. You can thank me later.
True Story
[Trigger warning for racist language.]
A white Boston cop (not the one who arrested Henry Gates, but one who clearly sympathizes with him) was pretty unhappy with some of the coverage of the story in the Boston Globe and fired off an email to the columnist.
That email contains repeated uses of the term "jungle monkey," demands to know how Henry Gates can be a "famous expert on race" when he's done nothing "for me and my family" (including nothing to "help limit and reduce my income tax," in case you were wondering where his political alliances lie, heh), and suggests the reporter "serve a day with the infantry and get swarmed by black gnats while manning your sector."
Shockingly, the email to a journalist, on which several of his National Guard buddies were copied, does not stay private, and the officer is "placed on administrative leave and faces losing his job."
The officer, Justin Barrett, apologizes and immediately undermines his apology by insisting: "I am not a racist."
A Boston police officer who sent a racially charged e-mail protesting newspaper coverage of the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. apologized Wednesday night and said "I am not a racist."For the record, his words were not being used merely to characterize behavior. The parting shot of his email is: "Your article title should read CONDUCT UNBECOMING A JUNGLE MONKEY—BACK TO ONE'S ROOTS."
…"[Jungle monkey] was a poor choice of words. I did not mean to offend anyone," Barrett told NewsCenter 5's Cheryl Fiandaca.
…"The words were being used to characterize behavior not describe anyone," said Barrett. "It was a poor choice of words. I didn't mean it in a racist way. I treat everyone with dignity and respect."
Also for the record, there's no way to use "jungle monkey" to describe a human or human behavior that isn't "in a racist way."
The Boston Police Department assures us this is just one bad apple.
Quote of the Day
"I'm on the side of conservatives getting back to core conservative values."—Senator David Vitter (R-LA), whose core conservative values included a business arrangement with an escort service.
Saddest Thing Ever
Fully one year later now, there are gamerz still obsessed with my Fat Princess post.
In case you don't want to bother wading through the muck (and multiple repostings of this classic) for the gems over there, here are my personal favorites:
"You're fat! Nobody wants you, fattie!"Yeah, fat people—why are you so defensive?! Go eat some cake and cry, because nobody wants you! LOL.
"Fat people are so defensive. Go eat some cake and cry."
"i know people these days are such pussies the get but hurt over anything"
"SHE IS FAT UGLY SON OF A FUCKING WHORE BITCH WHO SUCK WEINERS ATTACHED TO WEINER DOGS THINKING ITS A FUCKING HOT DOG!!! she is a fucking loser"
And while I do, truly, appreciate the irony of being called a loser by someone who misspells "wiener," my favorite of them all really is: "You're fat!"
I know! Well done pointing out the obvious! By the way! That is not an insult! It is merely a fact! I am also brunette! And blue-eyed! And specs-wearing! For the record!
But I digress!
The original "Fat Princess" post is probably my most linked post of all time. It's been linked from here to Hyrule and back again in dozens and dozens of gaming communities, and each associated discussion that I've read is littered with the most vitriolic fat hatred and misogyny imaginable.
Which, literally, couldn't have more proved my point that the game plays to and on entrenched stereotypes.
Thanks for the assist, dipshits!
[If you made your way to Shakesville after the Fat Princess Debacle of 2008-9, here's the whole
What The Hell?
Shaker CLD, right
What the hell is with those highwater corduroy pants? What the hell is with those glasses?? What the hell is with that beanie??? What the hell????
[See also: Deeky, Liss, evilsciencechick, katecontinued, ClumsyKisses, Mistress Sparkletoes, Liiiz, Reedme, Mama Shakes, Mustang Bobby, RedSonja, MomTFH, Portly Dyke, SteffaB, Icca, Christina, Orangelion03, Car, Siobhan, InfamousQBert, Maud, Rikibeth, and MishaRN.]
Question of the Day
What's the worst case of miscasting you've ever seen, and who should have been cast in that actor's stead?
John Travolta in the musical film remake of Hairspray. Fail squared.
Personally, I would have liked to have seen Rikki Lake in the role, because I'm all about the full circles like that. (And I like Rikki Lake.) Or, really, pretty much anyone with a SAG card besides John Travolta would have been fine.
Oh HELL no.
Photo of the Day
WASHINGTON - JULY 27: U.S. President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive for a reception for ambassadors at the White House July 27, 2009 in Washington, D.C. [Getty Images; via.]
Healthcare Update/Open Thread
Over in the House, the Blue Dogs have worked their magic—Blue Dogs strike deal: No health vote before recess.
Meanwhile, over in the Senate, reform is getting bipartisanized into total garbage, as per usual—Senators Close to Health Accord: Panel May Vote On Bipartisan Bill Before Recess.
I am nearly beyond caring at this point. I fully expect to die in a ditch, heavily medicated on Boone's Farm.
2 steps forward, 2 steps back: China Edition (aka Human Rights: UR Doin It Wrong)
by Shaker TheDeviantE, (but we're all friends here, call me Deviant), a queer, poly, atheist genderqueer trans boy, who is: infrequently writing a blog about "normal" society, becoming a social worker, making music, and otherwise trying to muddle on through.
[Trigger warning due to violence against women.]
Today's guest post comes to you care of the Chinese government. And by "care of," I of course mean "in righteously fucking pissed response to."
Hey, did you know that China kills a lot of people? It's true. According to a New York Times article, the U.S. executed 37 people last year. We are considered (rightly) to be one of the most Death Penalty-licious countries of Europe AND the Americas (North, South, and Central). Here's a color coded map* for reference. However, compared to China… Hoo boy.
Last year (during the Olympics, while they were trying to cut back on the executions because it makes the international community cranky), China executed 1,700+ people. 2 years previously? 8,000.
(In case you're wondering, China ranked third in 2008 behind Iran and Saudi Arabia for per capita executions at a little over 1 execution per million population—keep in mind that's when they had the Olympics around. In 2006, with at least 8000 executions, their per capita executions were 5.9/million)
But, good news! They are trying to scale it back and take some of the corruption out of the system.
One of the ways they've done that is to acknowledge "mitigating factors" (such as "crimes of passion").
Now, it seems probable that people convicted of tax evasion (why yes, China does indeed execute people for that) are still pretty much up shit creek (it is rather hard to argue anything but premeditation for tax evasion after all), but it looks like murderers should have some reason to rejoice.
Especially if they decide to kill women (most especially wives, girlfriends, that sort of relationship).
For an eye opening look into the reasoning of their high court, we get the case of:a man surnamed Shao who was convicted of killing his girlfriend after learning of her affair. Mr. Zhang said the high court suspended Mr. Shao's death sentence because he showed regret and promised compensation for the woman's family.
According to Zhang Jun, Vice President of the Supreme People's Court:Other mitigating factors were that the victim's behavior may have provoked the boyfriend's violence and in the end, Mr. Zhang added, the crime did not "have a major social impact."
'Cause killing women willy nilly clearly has no social impact, women being murdered by men who get angry is totally not systemic**: Just pay the family back in lost wages or something and it's like it never even happened! Seriously. How does one even "compensate" the family monetarily??? I wonder, what did the court decided his dead girlfriend was "worth"?
In any case, I really can't help but applaud China. 'Cause if there's one thing a society needs, it's more protection for misogynist assholes. As we all know, sexists are one of the last groups of people it's ok to be bigoted towards (along with gamers*** and white men. Hah.). I mean, if you're sexist, you can't hardly get a job writing articles or being an actor or a vice president of the highest court in your country, or really anything in the public sphere at all, and people always chase you out of town with pitchforks and such. So really, I do support helping make sure that sexists aren't blamed when their victims make them cranky…and then the sexist jackasses go and…kill them?
After all, whenever someone makes ME cranky I always..... oh wait no I don't.
Yeah. Way to rock, China.****
PS: Death Penalty? Wrong. Wrong, wrongity wrong. I in no way think that Mr. Shao or others like him should get the death penalty. But, giving him a reprieve because the deaths of women have no "social impact"? ALSO WRONG.
DoublePlus PS: It is worth noting that this article TOTALLY takes a "we're just reporting the facts, questions are for suckers" approach to it all. No questioning this policy, or that it (or specifically, the example) is rooted in misogyny. Also, the juxtaposition of this anecdote with talking about how "human rights groups welcomed the announcement" totally squicks me out. If I were a researcher at Human Rights Watch, you better be damn certain that I'd find it totally problematic if a government decided that murder of women was less evil than tax evasion. I mean, women are also human.
Right?
----------------------------------
* The map was taken from here, which also seems to include graphs of per capita executions and various other death penalty related stats.
** And lest anyone get the wrong point here: The U.S.? Same systemic murders, England? Same fucking systemic disregard for women. This is not a uniquely Chinese problem. This is not a uniquely "third world" problem. This is not a problem based in the culture of "non-white" peoples. This is not a uniquely ANYBODY problem. It's everyone. It's everywhere. It's all of us.
*** Sorry, I've recently been reading that glorious "Fat Princess" thread.
**** (small print terms apply): Your results may vary, check your local listings and regulations for values of "rock."
