I Get Letters

I must admit to being taken aback just a skosh by your banning me from Shakesville. In today's internet format of open discussion, such actions seem to run contradictory to reasoned debate. Yes I broke the cardinal rule of your site, which seems to be "Do not under any circumstances disagree or attempt to disagree with the Commander In Chief of this site." I say this not necessarily out of any other impulse than to acknowledge a breach of decorum. In truth I loathe most of your ideology. Such loathing isn't bred out of misogyny, though as a white male who lives an upper-class lifestyle I admit misogyny likely comes with the territory. No, my loathing of your site is born from contempt for the sanctimonious manner in which you post and attempt to defend such.
Etc. An excerpt from another long-winded email from an aggrieved troll who's pissed that there's one space on the entirety of the internetz where he's not allowed to be a misogynistic fuckneck.

The argument goes, and I've heard it a million times before, that disallowing unfettered free speech lessens the quality of debate. This? Is not true. And it's why there are amazingly clever, insightful, vibrant, hilarious, and often contentious (the echo chamber bit is really such bullshit) threads at Shakesville, and almost nothing but flamewars fueled by the misspelled, hate-filled, garbled rantings of the tragically stupid in "free speech zones" like the comments section of YouTube.

This space is an experiment that could very well have started with the question: What if people who self-selected out of most internet spaces because of alienating bigotry got together and had a conversation free from that marginalizing rubbish?

And I find rather hilarious the indignation it's caused among those who find no harbor for the bullying and silencing they're accustomed to being able to do with impunity.

Further yet is the deeply amusing argument that my denying their "right" to engage in bulling and silencing makes me the enemy of free speech, with seemingly not a hint of awareness of the irony that they're demanding the ability to bully and silence other people under the auspices of "free speech." They're arguing for carte blance to quiet the voices they don't like, but mad at me for doing the same.

At least I'm honest about it.

And I daresay my reasons are slightly more lofty, given that I want to make a space for voices that frequently aren't heard in the public square, which one could quite reasonably argue actually expands free speech, not limits it, given that there is no end to the number of spaces where the sundry bigotries that silence us elsewhere can be expressed.

This isn't a public square. It's my space, into which I have invited anyone who'd like to be a decent guest.

Being a decent guest means: No sexism, no racism, no homophobia, no transphobia, no disablism, no sizism, no ageism, no bigotry against anyone for intrinsic characteristics, no bigotry against anyone for choices/behaviors/traits that don't affect anyone else, no rape jokes, no rape apologia, no threats, no trolling, no pointless belligerence, and no ignoring the mods when they warn you or ask you to stay on topic. Do be aware of your privilege, and, in moments of failure, remain open to criticisms and suggestions, think twice before responding defensively, and apologize when you fuck up. No one is expected to be perfect; everyone is expected to be willing to self-examine and learn. Basically, don't be a goddamn jerk, and we'll get along just fine.

You can even disagree with that policy. The style and rules here are not to everyone's liking. That's okay. Disagree with the policy all you like; just respect it while you're here.

If you can't manage that, you don't belong here any more than someone who'd pee on my carpet would belong in my house. It's that simple.

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Win for Equality in the US Army

Given some of the more prominent battles for equality in the service that are being fought right now, it's encouraging to know that other important battles are being won in the war for equality in the service:

Army Welcomes Sikh Recruit: Major Victory in Fight for Equality in US Army

(Washington, D.C.) October 23, 2009 – The U. S. Army announced today that it accepted a Sikh officer into its active forces. The officer had sought an accommodation allowing him to maintain his religiously mandated turban and beard while serving his country. The Army's decision is a major step towards ending a 23-year old policy that excludes Sikhs from service.

The Sikh officer, Captain Kamaljeet Singh Kalsi, a doctor, was recruited to join the Army's Health Professions Scholarship Program several years ago. He maintained his turban throughout his 8 years of medical education, which included specialized Army training, attendance at Army ceremonies and work in military medical facilities.

Nevertheless, after completing the program, he was told that he must remove his turbans and cut his unshorn hair to begin active duty. Rather than abandon the requirements of his faith, he appealed to Army leadership to end its policy of excluding Sikhs from service. Today the Army accepted his individual appeal.

"I am overjoyed by the Army's decision to allow me to serve my country," said Captain Kalsi. "Like the many Sikhs who fought before me, I know I will serve America with honor and excellence."

While today's decision provides only a one-time accommodation for Captain Kalsi, Army leadership has affirmatively indicated a willingness to review the general policy barring Sikhs from service. The decision lends hope to all those Sikhs who want to serve their country while observing their faith.

..."We wholeheartedly applaud the Army's decision today," said Amardeep Singh, Program Director of the Sikh Coalition. "Our experience on the frontlines of almost every major war the past 100 years makes crystal clear that Sikhs are effective and brave soldiers. Sikh inclusion in the Army not only helps the military understand the many faiths and cultures of America, but also the faiths and cultures of countries where we send soldiers into harm's way. We look forward to the day when the Army finally welcomes the service of all Sikhs, not just Captain Kalsi."
From a press release c/o the Sikh Coalition.

It's only right that an army should look like the country for which it's fighting.

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Your Own Womb

Via my friend Marti, I read this BBC article about the imminent possibility of human womb transplants.

What I find interesting about the article (aside from the hand-wringing about "ethical ramifications"), is that there is not even a passing reference to whether there was any accompanying research being done to figure out how to sustain a pregnancy for trans women, or even cis men.

Or: Is it just a given that it's possible, with the provision of the right levels of pregnancy hormones, and the possibility was so weird that it was excluded from the article?

Is that what those vague concerns about "ethical ramifications" are all about...?

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Friday Blogaround

This blogaround brought to you by Shaxco, shakin' it up since 2004.

Recommended Reading:

Ouyang Dan: Shifting the Responsibility for Disability in Uniform

Lauredhel: Oh no she didn't!

Jae Ran Kim: Adopted Chinese Daughters Seek Their Roots

Jess: Nancy Spero RIP

Sean: Political Life's Mysteries

Tigtog: Femmostroppo Reader (If you like the blogaround, you should also be stopping by Hoyden About Town to check out Tigtog's Femmostroppo reader, which always contains good stuff.)

Leave your links in comments...

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Photo of the Day

Students hold out their hands to greet President Barack Obama during his visit to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School in New Orleans, La., Oct. 15, 2009. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Blub. Those kids look about the age I was when I first started paying attention to politics and the news. (Although, back then, it was all about Reagan and THE BOMB!!!) I can just imagine how exciting this must have been for them.

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Today's Edition of "Conniving and Sinister"

In which everything inexplicable about other humans can be easily explained via Othering...



Blank

Strips One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53. In which Liss reimagines the long-running comic "Frank & Ernest," about two old straight white guys "telling it like it is," as a fat feminist white woman and a biracial queerbait telling it like it actually is from their perspectives. Hilarity ensues.

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RIP Soupy Sales

Soupy Sales, the comic whose 1950s-60s ostensible children's show developed a cult following among people of all ages, has died at age 83.

As the star of "The Soupy Sales Show," he performed live on television for 13 years in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York before the program went into syndication in the United States and abroad.

Ostensibly for children, the show had broad appeal among adults who found Sales' puns, gags and pratfalls deliciously corny and camp. His cast consisted of goofy puppets with names like White Fang, Black Tooth and Pookie, and a host of off-camera characters, including the infamous naked girl.

The high point of every show came when a sidekick launched a pie into Sales' face. Sales once estimated that he was hit by more than 25,000 pies in his lifetime.

The gag became more than hilarious; it evolved into a hip badge of honor. Frank Sinatra was first in a long line of celebrities who clamored for the privilege to be cream-faced, including Tony Curtis, Mickey Rooney, Sammy Davis Jr., Dick Martin and Burt Lancaster.
I guess his show must have been in re-runs when I was a kid, because I remember watching the Soupy Sales Show, and always knowing who he was. Or maybe Mama Shakes had his albums? Possibly both. I kinda love his show/shtick in the same way, and for similar reasons, that I love "Pee-Wee's Playhouse."

I also remember seeing him on talkshows when I was a kid, on Carson, and thinking he was a great raconteur. I recently posted video of Sales talking about his famous "Green Pieces of Paper" gag gone awry, which always makes me laugh.

When my BFF Todd and I wrote an underground newspaper in high school, his pen name was Soupy Sales, heh.

RIP Soupy.

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Put Up or Shut Up

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), a strong proponent of the public option Medicare Part E, says that the members of the House and the Senate who are opposed to a government-run health insurance program should therefore be opposed to Medicare. After all, it's the granddaddy of public options. Yet the ones who are eligible for Medicare have all signed up for it, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Sen. Orin Hatch (R-UT), Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and Rep. Peter King (R-NY).

So they’re already getting the same type of public option that we’d like people who are without insurance to be able to get. And I guess the purpose of this list was to kind of point out some of the hypocrisy of this debate.
Indeed.

The usual response from the folks who are against a public option but take the Medicare is, "Well, I've already paid for it, so I'm entitled to it," a reference to the amount of money taken out of their paychecks as part of the 7.65% Social Security/Medicare deduction. In part, they're paying for the people who are already on it, and when they go on Medicare, we're the ones who will be paying for them.

But Mr. Weiner's point is well-taken: these people who are so all fired-up against any form of public option can either be true to their convictions and drop their Medicare coverage, or they can shut the hell up and give the rest of us what they're so happy to have for themselves.

HT to Think Progress.

Cross-posted.

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Of Course

Top employees leave financial firms ahead of pay cuts:

Even before the Obama administration formally tightened executive compensation at bailed-out companies, the prospect of pay cuts had led some top employees to depart.

...Many executives were driven away by the uncertainty of working for companies closely overseen by Washington, opting instead for firms not under the microscope, including competitors that have already returned the bailout funds to the government, according to executives and supervisors at the companies.

"There's no question people have left because of uncertainty of our ability to pay," said an executive at one of the affected firms. "It's a highly competitive market out there."
Of course it is. Because of billions of taxpayer dollars, the majority of which come from people employed in one of the worst job markets of their lives. Which I suppose is technically "highly competitive," too, if by "highly competitive" you mean McDonald's is getting a hundred résumés for every opening from desperate people.

I can't even begin to describe the profundity of the contempt I have for the executives who plundered the pockets of Americans, profited richly from their high-class pyramid schemes, fucked the economy in the process, got bailed out by the American taxpayers, and now balk at any suggestion their business should be more tightly regulated (i.e. regulated at all) or that they should make a little less money. Disgusting.

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Hey, Shakers

Were you trying to tell me something?


It was just pages and pages and pages of that in my inbox this morning. I LOL'ed for ten million years. (In a good way!)

As Deeky explained, no one could comment for a period of time, but now it's fixed. Yay!

I'm just posting to say that I'm trying to go through all my email carefully, to make sure I don't miss the emails here and there that might have been a tip about a story, or a question about something else entirely, or anything else that needs a reply, but I might miss something. So, please feel more than welcome to re-send anything of that description, to make sure I don't miss it.

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Blog Note

We're still experiencing issues with Disqus.

At some point last night the entire community was blacklisted, resulting in the message "This blog has blocked you from making comments" for anyone who tried to post.

We apologize for any distress this may have caused, and the issue has been corrected. Comment away!

(It also appears Disqus has corrected the "Type your comment here" issue as well.)

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Open Thread



Hosted by a Mad Monster Party? trailer

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Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime

Living Single

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Question of the Day

What has pleasantly surprised you about getting older?

I really love getting gray hair. I didn't expect to hate it or anything, but I was a bit surprised to discover how much I actually enjoy finding a new glittering silver hair in amongst the chestnut.

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Guess Who's Still Talking?


If you guessed this fuckneck, give yourself 1,000 points.

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Senate Passes Matthew Shepard Act

Woot!

The Senate today ... voted to approve the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (also known as the Matthew Shepard Act) by a vote of 68-29, sending the first civil rights legislation protecting gays and lesbians to President Obama for his signature. The bill was attached to a Defense Department appropriations bill.

Earlier in the day the chamber took a cloture vote (to end debate and filibuster) of 64-35 to move the bill forward.
The Matthew Shepard Act expands the existing federal hate-crime law, passed in 1969, which covers race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, and sex, to include increased penalties for crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or disability.

Reportedly, Obama will sign the bill early next week; I imagine that's so Judy Shepard, Matthew's mother, has time to fly to D.C. for the signing.

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Note: One of the most frequent talking points you hear in opposition to hate crimes legislation is that giving specific consideration to crimes committed against people on the basis of some specific part(s) of their identity amounts to "special rights" and some kind of preferential treatment. If you hear this in the next few days and need a way to explain why hate crimes legislation is necessary, here it is: The prosecution of hate crimes requires special consideration because when someone is targeted for hir race, nationality, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, and/or religion, it has the potential to affect everyone who shares that identity across the entire nation.

A whole community isn't suddenly considered unsafe when a husband murders his wife, because we recognize the difference between domestic violence and community violence. That murder wasn't random; it was specific. The victim was chosen for a reason. It doesn't make the crime any less horrific, but it doesn't cause reverberating fear through the community. It stops with that murderer and that victim.

Hate crimes are the opposite of that; we recognize that when someone is targeted just because zie is black, for example, that can make all black Americans feel that much less safe, irrespective of the safety of their physical community, because their race community has been attacked. In a hate crime, it doesn't matter which person of color/gay person/trans person/woman/Jew/quadriplegic had been there; it's so nonspecific that it inevitably reverberates. Suddenly people of color/gays/trans people/women/Jews/quadriplegics are staying indoors a little more, feeling a little less able to go out after dark alone...lives of people not directly touched by the crime are affected—and that's why hate crimes legislation is needed, so that freedom can be equally experienced by everyone.

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Quote of the Day

"With Avatar, I thought, Forget all these chick flicks and do a classic guys' adventure movie, something in the Edgar Rice Burroughs mold, like John Carter of Mars — a soldier goes to Mars."James Cameron, who apparently thinks Hollywood makes entirely too many movies for and about women.

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Sign Me Up!

Former President Mondo Fucko, widely regarded as one of the best speechifizers in the history of speechifizing, has generously decided not to withhold his glorious mouth-magic from the public for the rest of his days and has become a motivational speaker!

Former President George W. Bush is hitting the trail as a "motivational speaker" at a mega business seminar in San Antonio on Dec. 2.

Bush is being billed as "special guest speaker," according to the "Get Motivated" website.

...Tickets are $4.95 person (for a limited time) or $19 for an entire office.
Only five bucks?! Wow. For the honor of listening to the Bestest Brush-Clearer and Vacationing Dude in All the Land pontifimicate on the subject of gettin' motivated, I'd have expected to have to pay eight bucks, at least.

And it's not like Dubz is the only speaker! Check out the rest of this hot line-up your $4.95 will get you:

Poor Colin Powell. It's gonna take a helluva lot of fivers to buy his soul back from the devil.

CNN's current Quick Vote (righthand sidebar) asks: "Would you pay $4.95 to attend a motivational speech by President George W. Bush?" Looks like he hasn't lost his touch with the people!

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News from Shakes Manor

Sunday morning. We're in the car, driving down a country road, each tree-lined side of which has burst into the flames of full autumn bloom. The sun is shining; it's crisp and cool—but not so cool that we can't put the windows down. The breeze coming in smells of muddy fall.

We're not nattering aimlessly, as we usually do in the car. On the stereo, Backspacer is playing; it's the first time I've heard it, and Iain's said it's good, so I'm listening. It's not background music, but the focus of our self-imposed silence.

I'm looking out the window, watching the sunlight dancing across the leaves in shimmering dapples, and indistinctly appreciating having the roads all to ourselves; a conscious thought never manifests that everyone else is in church or still in bed. I feel dreamy, and my imagination wanders along a characteristically weird path.

Eventually, the album finishes and segues into something old I've heard a million times before. Normally, that would be my cue to commence a review of Backspacer, but I was still on Planet Zuh, so instead I launched directly into the middle of a conversation precisely where my daydreaming had left off.

"Sometimes," I tell Iain, "when we're in the car like this, just going about our day, and the music is playing and we're both happy and content, I imagine the most unexpected thing happening—like a GIANT MONSTER FOOT CRASHING DOWN ON THE ROAD IN FRONT OF US! AAAHHHHHHH!!! And then I imagine you swerving the car to miss it, and we drive into a cornfield—cornstalks all akimbo!—and we come to a halt and we get out, and—phew!—we're okay, and we both look up and OMG IT'S A GIANT MONSTER WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CRAZY FUCKERY?! And we run for it and laugh manically, because HOLY MAUDE THIS SHIT IS TOTALLY TRUCKNUTZ!"

Iain looks at me and laughs. "A giant moonster foot?!" It is a sign of his profound inuredness to my idiocrasy that his question was merely about the details of my hypothetical.

"Or some variation thereof," I tell him. "Sometimes it's a gigantic fault opening up in the earth right in front of us. Sometimes, it's a gigantic fault opening up—AND A GIANT MONSTER CRAWLING OUT! Like a movie. Except not a movie…because it's really happening."

"What are ye like, wooman!" he exclaims, laughing.

"Omigod! HOT LAVA! Coming towards us! AND GREAT CAESAR'S GHOST IT'S RADIOACTIVE!"

"I fink I preferred the giant moonster foot."

"OH THE HUMANITY!"

"Good lord, yer a weird little fing."

"You'll be grateful when something wild happens and we survive thanks to my giant monster foot preparedness," I tell him.

"Ye've goot a point there, Tschoobs."

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Action Item

Contact Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) and tell him not to kill the Franken Amendment, which seeks to withhold defense contracts from companies who require their employees to take workplace sexual assault, battery, and discrimination cases to arbitration instead of court.

Apparently, Inouye is getting lots of pressure from defense contractors, so our teaspoons are up against bulldozers. Make some noise.

[H/T to Shaker Constant Comment.]

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