Shakesville

The Post-Debate Thread

image of Mitt Romney on left and President Obama on right sitting at a table during last night's debate

Well, these two knuckleheads went at it again last night, on the subject of US foreign policy, by which I definitely do not mean global food and water insecurity, nuclear disarmament, and human rights and definitely do mean paranoid fearmongering, imperialistic paternalism, and plenty of hot discussion about all the ways we have to murder people.

Obama's strategy seemed to be to get through a foreign policy debate without having to account for killing an unknown number of people with drones in secret wars for which there is no oversight or accountability. In which case: Mission accomplished!

Romney's strategy seemed to be stammering his way red-faced through a pathetic showing of dubious foreign policy credentials and trying to look presidential by agreeing (or pretending to agree) with the President on almost everything, even when the President rightly pointed out said agreement was a contradiction in Romney's previously stated policy. In which case: Mission accomplished? Congratulations?

image of Mitt Romney making a terrible expression and doing a thumbs-up

image of Mitt Romney making a terrible expression and doing a thumbs-up

An actual picture from last night's debate.
On the one hand, it's like ha ha Romney agreed with Obama so much he practically endorsed him. On the other hand, it's like holy shit that neocon warmonger just agreed with most of Obama's foreign policy.

Which pretty much underscores everything that's wrong with modern US foreign policy.

Anyway! The full transcript of the debate is here, and I've got some highlights below the fold.

Top Five

Here is your topic: Top Five Deceased People With Whom You'd Like to Have Dinner. Well-known people you don't know personally, dearly departed friends or family members, whomever. Go!

Please feel welcome to share stories about why your Top Five picks are what they are, though a straight-up list is fine, too. Please refrain from negatively auditing other people's lists, because judgment discourages participation.

Open Thread

Hosted by a pumpkin.

Debate Thread Part 2

Since pagination of comments in the below thread is currently screwed up for some reason, here's a fresh thread.

Presidential Debate Open Thread

photographed image to play off a boxing promotional poster with a US flag background, with President Obama smiling and pointing, and Mitt Romney sticking his tongue out and giving the thumbs-up, and text reading: 'GOOD GRIEF 2012: OBAMA VS. ROMNEY | Round Three'

Tonight's Subject: Foreign Policy.

Here we go!

Question of the Day

What is your favorite photo?

It doesn't have to be a famous photograph, or a photograph by a well-known photographer; it could be one you took, or a photo of you taken by someone else, or any photo at all.

It Is Time for a Flula Break!

Shoot the Sh#t? Absolute Not.

Flula, a young white German man, is onscreen, lying in bed and talking to the camera. It is 1:21am.

I cannot sleep. [yawns] I just receive email that say, "Flula! Let us have some coffee in the morning and we may shoot the shit." [his eyebrow twitches; he rolls his eyes and sighs] I think—list, you know, of things I like, I enjoy to do: Sleep, eat, make music. Shoot the shit? No. This sound horrible.

What happen when you shoot some shit? If it dry shit, now you have crumbs of shit everyplace. Like bottom of the bag of a Cheerios. Except shit! Smell horrible.

If it's some wet manure, from the cow or something—you shoot that? [makes disgusted face] Everyplace squirting. Like paint. Like paint of bucket. Just ffffwww. [makes gesture of exploding liquid] Who want to shoot the shit? Not me, no.

No thanks, Mike. I sleep. You shoot shit in your own house.

Pre-Debate Thread

image of Romney and Obama at the last debate, gesturing toward one another; I have added text indicating Romney is saying 'Am I going to get more time? You've got to give me more time. You gave that jerk more time, so I should get more time.' and Obama is saying 'If you got as much time as your debate opponent, but you can't remember five seconds later, you might have ROMNESIA!'

There will be an Open Thread for the debate tonight, but in advance of tonight's HOT DEBATE ACTION, I want to share some resources and thoughts...

You will be able to access livestreaming debate coverage online at barackobama.com/debate. The debate will also air in the US and parts of Canada on C-SPAN and the major television networks.

As always, I'll be on Twitter, too: @shakestweetz.

Please feel welcome and encouraged to recommend your own or other Twitter feeds, and additional resources, that will be covering, discussing, or providing analysis of the debate.

* * *

Tonight is the third and final presidential debate, and it will be another traditional style debate, by which I mean podiums and a white male moderator.

Tonight's subject is foreign policy, so get ready for a terrible night of President Obama bragging about killing Osama bin Laden and Mitt Romney promising to nuke Iran. There will DEFINITELY be lots of magnificent debate about who will kill more brown people with drones. If we're lucky, Mitt Romney will declare war on China!

Let us hope that President Obama boned up with his Secretary of State on how centralizing inclusion for women and protections for the LGBTQI community globally is important to this administration. Let us hope those ideas will still be important to this administration after Hillary Clinton is no longer a part of it. The President speaking about them tonight would be a strong reassurance.

You know, if we can sneak it in between the arm-wrestling and the dick-measuring contest.

As always, I'll close this thread once the Open Thread is posted later tonight. In the meantime: Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.

Tweet of the Day

MObama on Barack after 1st debate: "he's still the leader of the free world." Yeah... free food stamps, free health care... #tcot
— Fred Thompson (@fredthompson) October 22, 2012

Actor, former Republican senator and presidential candidate, lobbyist, fart enthusiast, and comedy genius Fred Thompson also does not think people are entitled to food. And he thinks it's laughable that President Barack Obama does.

As a point of fact, surely the Senator knows that food stamps and healthcare provided by the government are not actually "free." Taxpayers pay for them, and among them are some recipients of food stamps and/or government-provided healthcare who may have spent years paying federal and/or state income taxes before making use of the public services offered to struggling USians.

And, you know, I get that anti-tax conservatives like to pretend that people like me don't exist, but I am happy that a portion of my tax dollars provide my countrypeople with food and healthcare. I wish more of my income tax went to the social safety net and less to a bloated defense budget that funds murderous imperialism.

Further, I don't think sneering at not wanting people in the world's richest nation to die of starvation or lack of access to modern medicine is all that funny. In fact, I find it really fucking gross.

Like every other snarling disgorgement of privilege that forms the Republican Party platform.

Texting! With Liss and Deeky!

[Content Note: Humorous reference to violence.]

Liss: I love your new Gangnam Style tattoo.

image of a tattoo of Gangnam Style singer Psy on someone's calf

Deeks: Buy a machete and chop my leg off, please.

Liss: I hope you're not implying your leg has been sullied by your beautiful new and totally not regrettable Gangnam Style tattoo.

Deeks: That is exactly what I am implying!

Liss: Maybe you want me to cut it off to preserve it forever in a vat of formaldehyde? That would make sense!

Deeks: LOLOLOL

Liss: But I think you should enjoy it a little first.

Deeks: Yes. It should be in a museum.

Liss: The Smithsonian, probably.

Deeks: Just knowing I was one of the first 100 dildobrainz to get a Gangnam Style tattoo is enough.

Liss: You're a hero.

Deeks: The best thing is by January no one is going to know what that tattoo is supposed to be.

Liss: I know lol. It's like having a tattoo of the dipshits who sang Macarena. Or Lou Bega. The good news is that it goes great with your Right Said Fred tattoo.

Deeks: "Who is that tattoo supposed to be—Eddie Murphy?" "How dare you! It's Bobby McFerrin!"

Liss: "Don't you know a goddamn Calloway tat when you see one?! I GUESS YOU DON'T WANNA BE RICH!"

Deeks: LOLOLOL! Good lord, I forgot all about that guy!

Liss: Well, that's exactly why I got a tattoo of him. TO IMMORTALIZE HIM. Never forget!

Deeks: CALLOWAY WILL LIVE FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS!

Liss: My Calloway tattoo is right next to my Eifel 65 scarification.

Deeks: I don't even know what Eifel 65 is.

Liss: Oh yes you do!

Video Description: A terrible one-hit wonder by the group Eifel 65.
Deeks: I hate you.

Liss: Btw, I can never remember Bon Iver's name, so I just called them Blee Bloingo in a conversation with Kenny Blogginz.

Deeks: Close enough.

Monday Blogaround

This blogaround brought to you by thunderstorms.

Recommended Reading:

Jorge: Romney Family Invests in 'Faulty' Voting Machines That Will be Used in Ohio

Angus: Concerns on Romney Immigration Policy Causing DREAMers to Hang Back

Candace: When Straight People Tell Gay Stories [Content Note: Heterocentrism; straight privilege; appropriation.]

Elin: How to Keep Women in Your Gaming Group [Content Note: There are lists of dos and don'ts that contain, on the don't side, alienating and/or hostile behavior that may be triggering.]

Pam: ROMNESIA! Team Romney Etch-a-Sketches on Federal Marriage Amendment Comments Within Minutes of Buzzfeed Report

Andy: Todd Akin Compares Claire McCaskill to a Dog

Rachel: Big Announcement! Our Bodies Ourselves Launches "Educate Congress" Campaign

Adrastos: Come Home, America [video]

Leave your links and recommendations in comments...

Two-Minute Nostalgia Sublime

Calloway: "I Wanna Be Rich"

Random Nerd Nostalgia: Black Lightning

[Image description: In a panel labeled "Who?" A black man stands in a costume holding a mask that has an Afro-style wig attached. Next panel is labeled "What?" and the same man is putting on the mask. A third panel is labeled "why" as he pushes the mask on further. in the foreground, the man takes a fighting stance and a gold starburst surrounds him. Tagline reads: "On January 4th LOOK OUT for the explosive first issue of Black Lightning!" ("Lightning" is written in lightning bolt letters.)]

Scanned from Freedom Fighters 11, November 1977.

The Walking Thread

screen cap of a tall black male prisoner called Big Tiny being stalked by a zombie in the latest episode of The Walking Dead; the zombie's face has been replaced by a Mr. Yuck sticker

Watch out, Big Tiny!
(Spoilers lurch undeadly herein.)

This week's contemptuous sarcasm-filled recap of The Walking Dead brought to you in the form of QUESTIONS!

Are we certain this show isn't a comedy? I'm just saying: If it were actually a comedy, this show would make a lot more sense.

Did, in any episode previous, Hershel say that he would give his right leg to get away from zombies? Someone get the interns on this research STAT!

We don't have interns? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge.

How da fuck did Hershel not die and become a zombie? When am I going to get to use my Herschel Walker joke?!

How much do I have to pay Glenn in condoms or his zombiepocalypse currency of choice to kill Grimes? I WILL MAKE YOU A CONDOMAIRE, GLENN! Just do it.

Grimes: "There is no army. There's no government, no hospitals, no police—it's all gone." Is this show what "Imagine" was about? That song seems so much more meaningful now.

How long have those dudes been in prison? Is it longer than science has known where brains are located in the body? That seems like A LONG TIME. "We have been trapped in this cafeteria since CAESAR MARCVS AVRELIVS interred vs here!"

Why do they keep judging other groups of survivors by their most unstable member? (HA HA GRIMES IT'S CALLED PROJECTION!) "Sorry, Handlebar and Racist Nickname: We've already got a redneck and a black guy! HE'S CALLED T-DOG."

You're seriously gonna do CPR on someone who might be fixing to zombify any second? Come on, Lori. Get real.

Where do you think Lori keeps her Worst Wife Award, y'all? I bet it's inside that basketball under her shirt!

If, in fact, Walkeritis is a virus with which everyone is already infected, and it activates upon death, why does getting bitten by a zombie activate it, too, as if it's communicable? Ha ha that's rhetorical. I'm sure there's some tortured explanation for this, but I don't care because ugh this show!

Does Kevin Smith think we won't recognize him if he's not wearing a hockey jersey and jorts? Kevin Smith, we will still recognize you if you are not wearing a hockey jersey and jorts!

Technically, that last one was about the commercials/aftershow and not about the episode, but I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE IT NEEDED TO BE SAID.

Discuss!

Daily Dose of Cute

My sister got us a squirrel feeder for Miss A's birthday, because squirrels are the future. As it turns out, squirrels are also hilarious and adorable. (Adorious?)

a squirrel eating from the squirrel-head-shaped squirrel feeder

Did I mention the squirrel feeder was shaped like a squirrel head?
a squirrel eating from the squirrel-head-shaped squirrel feeder, from another direction

a squirrel eating from the squirrel-head-shaped squirrel feeder, from another direction

This squirrel is going as himself for Halloween.
View the whole series here.

Top Five

Here is your topic: Top Five Living People With Whom You'd Like to Have Dinner. Well-known people you don't know personally, friends or family members who live far away, internet pals you've known for years but never met, politicians to whom you'd like to give a piece of your mind, whatever. Go!

Please feel welcome to share stories about why your Top Five picks are what they are, though a straight-up list is fine, too. Please refrain from negatively auditing other people's lists, because judgment discourages participation.

In The News

[Content note: homophobia, misogyny]

Weekend Update with Colin Quinn:

Metaphors, this story has them: A blimp emblazoned with the words America Needs Romney crashed yesterday in Florida. No one was injured in the mishap.

The Salt Lake Tribune officially endorsed Barack Obama.

Third-grader Stella Ehrhart goes to school dressed as a different historical figure or character every single day. Neat!

With world hunger solved, the Catholic Church has spent over a million dollars battling marriage equality.

This was inevitable: A Binder Full Of Women Halloween costume.

George McGovern died Sunday at the age of 90.

Russell Means, American Indian Movement activist who helped lead the 1973 uprising at Wounded Knee, died today. He was 72.

A Pew Hispanic Center poll finds that a majority of Latinos now favor marriage equality, 52 to 32 percent.

Halloween is so Satanic it must be gay. Neat!

Months after taking to the skies with Thailand's first transsexual air crew, fledgling carrier PC Air has suspended services over financial troubles.

The maker of Banana Boat sunscreen is recalling one of its spray-on products after reports that a handful of people have caught on fire after applying the lotion.

Check out this great dance number from A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. Neat!

You Cannot KIll Big Bird And Claim To Be Pro-Education

While working on some research over the weekend, I ran across this image from the November-December issue of Wonder Woman from 1969:

[Image description: Batman and Superman pointing at a television on which Batman and Superman appear. Batman says: "Hey kids! Are there younger kids at your house who can't read our adventures? Well, we know where they can get started!Right, Superman?" Hey points to the television screen, where the tv Bats and Supers are holding up signs that say "Sesame Street on National Education Television." Superman adds," They can learn the letters from The Man from Alphabet...take exciting trips..enjoy funny cartoons...learn how to count...plus lots of other interesting things.Batman and I will be there along with other famous stars. Watch us on Sesame Street! They hold up a sign for Children's Televison Workshop. A caption reads: "Sesame Street starts November 10th. It will be on the educational tv station in your town, Monday through Friday, an hour a day in color."]

It's helpful to be reminded that now-familiar institutions were once new, and Sesame Street once needed an explanation of exactly what it did: help young children with literacy and other skills that would give them a head start in school. And, by and large, that's still exactly what Sesame Street does.

Big Bird and his colleagues still help kids acquire skills that boost them at school--and they do so regardless of how "good" or "bad" the local public school is. This comes at no direct cost to the viewer; even if pinched parents have to cut back on things like cable television (or if they were never able to afford such an extravagance at all), they still have access to a high-quality educational resource.

Making it harder for poor kids to learn how to read is not supporting education, Mitt. It shouldn't take a super-hero to point that out.

On the Shooting in Brookfield, Wisconsin

by Jessica Luther, aka scatx, who can also be found at her own blog, Speaker's Corner in the ATX, and blazing trails of righteous fury on Twitter.

[Content Note: Domestic violence; murder.]

When I read the breaking news that there was a shooting in Wisconsin today at a spa, I assumed that we would eventually find out that it was a man going after his girlfriend or wife.

From NBC News:

A man who was ordered last week to turn over all his weapons in a domestic dispute opened fire Sunday at his estranged wife's workplace near Milwaukee, killing three women and injuring four others, authorities said. He then apparently shot himself to death, police said.

His wife was one of his victims today. Her name was Zina Haughton.

It is ridiculous — RIDICULOUS — that we live in a society where it's a good guess that a shooting in a place often frequented by women is going to be an extension of a "domestic dispute." Anastasia Shields pointed out to me that just two days ago in Casselberry, Florida, a man killed three women at a beauty salon in what the police are calling "part of a domestic dispute." A few years ago, about a mile from my home, a man walked up to his ex-girlfriend in the parking lot of her office as she was walking into work and shot her point blank, killing her immediately. I think about her every time I drive past there, which is almost daily.

And a statistic that will never cease to blow my mind and break my heart: "Every year, 1 in 3 women who is a victim of homicide is murdered by her current or former partner." [Note: Statistics for domestic violence vary widely based on race, class, sexuality, gender identity, and age.]

This is incredibly sad. As Cecilia Grant wrote to me tonight, "It hurts to think that this woman did exactly what she was supposed to; reported it; filled out paperwork, and it made NO difference." People currently in domestic violence or abuse situations watch the system fail other people and they see how severe the outcome is.

This is all at a time when Republicans in the House (vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan being one of them, ahem) are blocking the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) because it's too comprehensive and inclusive. Zerlina Maxwell at Feministing:

While you were out living life, the Violence Against Women Act expired. For a year now, the infrastructure put in place and sustained by the 1994 landmark legislation has been in flux, leaving the future uncertain. The law was reauthorized without incident in 2000 and 2005 but this year helping victims of rape and domestic violence has become a partisan issue. Essentially, House Republicans have held up the renewal of the law because they don't think all rape victims deserve help.

House Republicans are still blocking the reauthorization, which passed the Senate this spring, because of added protections and services for LGBT, Native American, and immigrant abuse victims.

Any politician who votes against the VAWA should feel great shame, especially in the face of the lived everyday reality of victims of domestic violence like Zina Haughton. She knew he was dangerous. She was probably living in great fear.

My heart goes out to Haughton and her family, to the other victims of this shooting, and to all people living in domestic situations that are violent or abusive.

--------------------

October is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month. For more, Misty Clifton has an important and comprehensive post here.

For more on the shootings in Wisconsin, see Angus Johnston's post at Student Activism, which he has been updating as new information is released.

This Is Where We Are

[Content Note: Reproductive rights; hostility to agency.]

Your Republican Party, ladies, gentlemen, and gender rebels:

Iowa Congressman Steve King (R) pointedly refused to say whether he believes contraception should be sold legally in the United States. King, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, criticized the seminal Supreme Court decision of Griswold v. Connecticut, which overturned a state ban on the sale of contraception.

As to whether he was "personally against" the sale of contraception, King said "I've not taken a position on the sale of contraceptives at all."

In the year of our lord Jesus Jones two thousand and twelve, a sitting member of Congress will dodge a question about the legality of contraception, because his party and parts of his base think it's a legitimate political position to deny women and other people with uteri the ability to make choices about their own bodies and their own reproduction.

My body is not my own, and this makes me feel like my country doesn't recognize my humanity.